I am sitting here this morning thinking about all that I have to do, and things that I want to do. Sometimes, I feel like there just isn't enough time in a day. I work, try to keep this house in good shape (dh helps out some :) ), I am trying to be frugal, and I try to be a good wife. How do I manage it all without going insane?! Any advice appreciated! :)

PS: I tried FlyLady....her tasks were just too time consuming for me.

Believe me, when I worked, my house was a pig sty! So you're not alone. Just remember a woman's work is never done.

Laura

Amen, sister! I am currently sitting here, exhausted and I have a ton of stuff to do! I work full time, drive an hour to and from work everyday and I seem to be the only one who knows how to do laundry and cook and do dishes! It is very frustrating! My job is temporary and pays very well and fortunately that is keeping me going because DF and I are trying to pay off debts and pay our wedding. However, I haven't cooked in days because I almost caught our microwave and kitchen on fire (was distracted and I think I got a defective microwave popcorn!) and I just want to sleep all the time! It's so hard. The only time I have is the mornings (I work 3-11pm) and the last thing I want to do is cook, do dishes, laundry, etc. If you come up with anything let me know the magical answer. All I know is that when this job is finished in October, I will definitely be looking for a PART-TIME job in order to get some semblance of a life again.Good luck:)

We bought an 80 year old house in November, it is 3/4 of the way done. We are throwing a housewarming party for approx 80 people in June and are in the process of adopting a child. I work 38-42 hours per week with 1/2 hour commute each way. I am stepmother to an autistic 9 year old who is here every other weekend. Today was typical:
5:30-Dh leaves for work
6:30-I shower, make bed, dress, catch the news, put a load of laundry in the wash, straighten upstairs bath, put seedlings on porch in sun.
7:45-leave for work, take coupons, lunch, circular with me.
During my 1/2 hour unpaid lunch, I go through circular and make a list, also call mortgage co. regarding taxes.
4:00-Leave work, directly to grocery store
5:00-Arrive home, unload packages, hang laundry I did in am, vaccuume living room and kitchen, catch up with mom on phone for 5 minutes-call Aunt in hospital, transplant cucumber seedlings(only 3 are ready), start dinner prep-stir fry with pasta, while cooking dinner I call cellular co. and give them hell. Empty a few yukky things out of fridge while on phone and dinner cooks. Help Dh in yard for a few. Next thing I know it is
7:30-Have dinner, 1/2 hour quality time, dishes, make lunches for tomm. trash set to go out, Have not yet gone to second floor of house. Put 15 feet of silk roses into grapevines to decorate party tent-have goal of at least 20 minutes per day of party prep-it's working out well, drop that out in garage. Write out 2 bills. Now it is 9 p.m.: I will now have 1/2 hour computer time, then straighten downstairs bath, go upstairs to put both of our clothes out for tomm. read or watch tv for a bit and I have a 10:45 date in the bedroom with the guy who has worked even harder than me today.
My kitchen floor is looking nasty but since I vacummed it today, I can damp mop before work in am, rest of the house is not great but presentable. I find that if I do one real cleaning thing per day, beyond dishes and making beds, it keeps under control. One day I will vacumme entire downstairs, the next entire upstairs, if I can do 15 minutes of something before work, I feel less overwhelmed when I get home. I also try really hard not to leave too much for weekends, dss needs to much attention. I also take a "mental health" day once every 6-8 weeks, when dh is working and the house is all mine, so I can do a big all day project uninterupted, clean a closet or my huge china cabinet and wash all the glass wear, whatever is needed. I write letters or e-mail alot of people I might normally call 'cause I can do it when I'm awake at 1 a.m.

Hope this helps, somedays it is all too much, and those days come and go--I find keeping on schedule and prioritizing gets me through.

I work in a fast-paced office setting, take care of our home and help raise two dks. I find the only way that I can use my time efficiently is to be extremely organized, be a list-maker and keep a detailed day planner of all our family appointments and after-school activities.

On really busy days, I'll get up earlier in the a.m. to chop up meat and veggies for the crockpot, straighten the house and maybe do a load of laundry all before work.

Dks are old enough now to lay out their school clothes the night before, finish their homework and make sure they have their books together so that mornings go smoothly. I also plan what I'm going to wear to work the night before including jewelry.

Dh is also helpful most of the time. I do leave him little notes on the fridge asking for his help when I need it. We work different shifts, so he takes care of most of the outdoor work as well as the car maintenance and I maintain the home.

Another thing that I do that really helps me is multi-tasking. I might chop up veggies while listening to one of the dks read a report for school that they need critiqued...or pay bills in the car while waiting for dd to finish cheer practice. I've even been known to write notes and address Christmas cards while watching ds's basketball practice.

I used to subscribe to Flylady also. But I didn't like getting all the e-mails. I'm actually a pretty disciplined person already...so I just established my own routine that works best for me.

Good luck.

Ok I'm the odd ball here.I'm a sahm and I don't know how you ladies do it all and work too.I know my day is so busy I couldn't even imagine working and what my house would look like.how many times do I have to do pick up the living room a day(about 15 seriously)or when do I have time to go threw my coupons and actually get the expired oned out(hardly ever)it is so embarrasing to go to the store and give them your coupons and realize half of them are expired.I also try to do one major thing a day,which now its about 2 since I am spring cleaning,getting ready for a yard sale for the first weekend of may and ds birthday party at the end of this month.Not to mention being frugal does take time a lot of time and you will find that you actualy enjoy it,like I can finaly get some peace when I hang our clothes out first thing in the morning and the birds are chirping and the warm sun is beating down on me.The best advice I can give you is to organize your schedule.I just started making a day by day list of things I do,be it frugal or cleaning.I have gotten down everything till the end of may.THis way I know what I need to do and balance it out,like I make dh snacks,cut baby wipes in half(3boxes full a mo)and make ds baby food(a mo supply)Now it would be crazy of me to do it all in one day,so I spread them out and 1 day a week I will pick one of these to do.Also i have learned waking up before the kids get up is the key cause once there up all heck breaks loose.Hope some of this helped.Just remember every bit of it is worth it.And if some of the frugal stuff doesn't work for you than don't do it.Just between us when I first came to frugality(last year) i swore I would never hang our clothes,within a week I was out there putting up my clothes line.My neighbor said now when I see you out in Cannon's baby pool washing your clothes I know you have lost it.LOL

I know how you feel...

It just never stops. I think we have to stop and sit and relax sometimes, even if it`s not all done all the time.

I thought I was getting a hold of everything, here. Lately my home was reasonably clean, cooked meals, was very frugal, exercised, volunteered alot(too much maybe) and POUF!! I fell exhausted again.

There is no secret, except that we HAVE to stop a bit everyday to take care of ourselves or else it catches up on us...

I`m wishing all of you women here a beautiful day and take very special care of yourself if you are feeling low...:

heartsm: :heartsm: :heartsm: :heartsm: :heartsm: :heartsm:

You gals are really something. I guess I was just as busy at your age but, I read your schedules and I am pooped just reading all the tasks you are doing! Seems to me if you are a person that really wants to have a nice home and well cared for children, you will always be tired! I know that I worked and carried fifteen units at a time in college, when my two children were small. I was always trying to spend time with DH or DK, get homework done, prepare lessons for my classroom, clean house, cook, etc, etc. It is funny though that even being retired now, and having our two children grown, I still am a very busy person. I think some people are just "doers" and want things done right. As you get older, things are still busy and can be crazy but, they are just some different things that take your time. One thing I would like to add though is, never get so busy that you don't stop and enjoy those dear children of yours. You won't believe how fast they grow. You don't want to miss anything. Bless all of you, Kathi

Kathi-I agree so much!!
I am the typical type A, gotta have it done yesterday woman and I am always trying hard to make sure that I'm not forgetting dss, or my rapidly aging family--many of my favorite people are 80 or over. Today only happens once.