Moms Who Work Full-Time, Outside of the Home

**AmyBoz** · 10-09-2008, 08:58 AM

So, I know there are a few of us who are Moms who work full-time, at a job or career, outside of the home. Our special challenge is that we need to do everything a stay-at-home Mom does, but need to do it after we've already put in a full-days work elsewhere. Time is tight, but the work still needs to be done, and I know that we all want to make sure that our time with our families is special.

So, I thought it might be helpful if we could support each other by sharing some tips and tricks that we have up our sleeves to help streamline our lives so that we can get the most out of our time with our families.

Some of these ideas might be common sense, but maybe someone will share something that you've never thought of before.

One of the things that I do is that I make the lunches for the next day while dinner is cooking. I make all (5) of the sandwiches, pack the lunchboxes and pop them in the fridge and then the next morning, I just pull them out.

I also pop a load of laundry in the washer before I leave for work in the morning and then switch it to the dryer when I get home. I'll pull it out and put it away when the kids are getting their baths with their dad.

Those are just two of my tips. What tips can you share with some of the other working Moms?

**AmyBoz** · 10-09-2008, 09:00 AM

Okay, I feel remiss by not mentioning the use of my crockpot. Pop dinner in the crock in the morning and I don't have to spend time cooking later.

**DAAC3DEC** · 10-09-2008, 09:03 AM

I use Sunday's as my "cooking" day and make up several meals for the upcoming week, some days are just busier than others after work. Eases things up and we aren't tempted to stop for fast food in a time crunch.

**MandaRenee** · 10-09-2008, 09:33 AM

I've worked full time some of the time since we've had my daughter and I'm working fulll time right now again.

Its rough to handle everything and put in a full day at work too.

I always fixed the lunches for the next day while I was making dinner too. I figured why make 2 messes if I didn't have to.

I used my lunch hour to take care of any errands that needed to be done. That way I didn't have to miss time in the evenings with my family.

When I didn't use the crock pot I still tried to prep as much as I could for the next nights dinner if I had time. Such as peeling potatoes, or at least making sure I had all the ingredients.

Also on the weekend I planned out all my meals for the week and had them on a calendar in the kitchen. That eliminated any "what's for dinner" and also gave my dh a chance to jump in and help if he got home before I did.

I would pick up as I went around the house in the evening but I saved any real cleaning until either after dd went to bed or Sunday. I kept a schedule of what rooms were to be cleaned each day and that really helped simplify and expedite the cleaning process during the week.

**walker24** · 10-09-2008, 09:43 AM

I go grocery shopping before I pick the kids up from daycare. It eliminates the extras that always fall into the cart when we all go and I stick to my list b/c I'm in a hurry to pick the kids up. When I put dinner away I separate out lunches for me and youngest dd who doesn't mind leftovers.

**walker24** · 10-09-2008, 09:45 AM

Whoops forgot the menu. The menu is a must have. We have really cut down on spur of the moment eating out since really sticking to it.

**Sonnenwende** · 10-09-2008, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by walker24

I go grocery shopping before I pick the kids up from daycare. It eliminates the extras that always fall into the cart when we all go and I stick to my list b/c I'm in a hurry to pick the kids up.

Ditto. It is also so stressful to shop with kids most of the time anyway, money aside.

**Izzy0906** · 10-09-2008, 11:20 AM

I Work full time and am a single mother. I have a few tips

1. Split up your cleaning routine. Set yourself for 1-2 things to do per night so you don’t have to use an entire Saturday to do it
2. I also pack my lunch, daughters and boyfriends while dinner is cooking. Just grab and go the next day
3. I lay out my clothes and my daughters clothes the night before. Makes getting ready in the morning VERY easy
4. Use the crockpot WHENEVER you can. Or when you cook, double the batch and freeze some for a later dinner.
5. Laundry – can’t really say much here, my boyfriend does it on Sundays for me because ½ his clothes are at my house and he hates how I fold
6. Take 5 minutes each night to pick up on your way to bed. Amazing how much better it makes the house look. Then when you do your cleaning task, you tend to just have to clean and not declutter

**Telephus44** · 10-09-2008, 12:51 PM

I agree with the running errands at lunch - I have an hour for lunch (I know not everyone has that luxury) so I'll go pick up cat food, or get the car inspection sticker, or even sometimes do grocery shopping. It then becomes one less thing to do on the weekend.

I'll have to try making lunches when I make dinner - I try and do this the night before, but I always do it last thing before bed.

I also find it helpful to have a plan for the evening, even if it's not an official routine. When I'm driving home after work, I'll decide while I'm driving if tonight I want to fold the laundry, or clean the bathroom, or whatever - so that when I get home and the house is chaos, at least I've already decided what I'm working on that night.

**twins0516** · 10-09-2008, 04:55 PM

Great Thread!!

I am a bit of the oppisite. I am with my kids from wake up 6:30 until 2:00 everyday, then I go to work from 3-Midnight. So I take care of everything during the day, either it be errands, or cooking, cleaning..etc.

Sat -Make menu for 2 weeks, inventory of food in the house and go food shopping for what is needed. I try to make atleast 2 casseroles a week because they last longer.

Monday and Thursday I make 2 meals each day, and Wed and Saturday's are left over days...

Sunday my in-laws come down every week and they end up ordering out and they pay

The kids and I normally straighten up everyday, but actually do the cleaning every couple of days, and Friday's and Saturday we do laundry.

And I try to have aleast4 hours of play time with them, if possible.

Well that is just my

**homemaker66** · 10-09-2008, 05:05 PM

I work 40-60 hours a week and my family knows that they MUST help out. Taking care of the home is not just "moms" job it is EVERYONES. If you teach your children at an early age of pitching in it becomes part of their lives. When my kids were young I would make a chart of what has to be done for that day and if it was not done then there were no extra activties. Now that they are grown and pretty much gone except for one she knows that she must help. We do alot of crockpot dinners. On the weekends that is when we all pitch in for a couple of hours and get the nitty gritty done. This seems to work for my family.

**TheRootedNomad** · 10-09-2008, 05:22 PM

I do laundry of some sort almost everyday so it doesn't build up. We also do the after school run through on stuff daily for this reason.

I cook large enough meals so that there are leftovers for a rushed night.

I get up way earlier than the rest of the house. (I don't necessarily think this is a positive since it means I also get less sleep.)

I pack lunches as we do kitchen clean up.

I ask for school papers and lunchboxes as we come in the door.

Um ....

I recruit the boys to help. If I was a SAHM they would have a less chores. We run through all the basics right after school. Fri. night or Sat. morning is for the big stuff. DH has to help more than hubbys that have a SAHW too I'm afraid. I generally cook and he gets the dishes, I fold laundry he scrubs the tub, and so on.

Now in order to make that work here's the big piece....

I've had to loosen up some on my idea of something being "done".

"The perfect is the enemy of the good" (or something like that said by someone)

I'm sure I'm missing stuff. I'll pay attention tommorrow and post it if I remember anyhting else helpful.

**AmyBoz** · 10-09-2008, 05:25 PM

My kids have some jobs, as well, to help out.

Dd is 7 and she empties the dishwasher. She puts away the silverware, pots and pans, and the tupperware and stacks the plates, bowls, and cups on the counter, as she can't reach those cabinets. However, it helps me out because then I just pop those in the cabinet. She also is responsible for clearing the shoes out of the foyer at the end of the day and popping them in the correct persons room. Of course, she's responsible for her own room, bed making, etc.

Ds1 is 4 and he takes out the garbage and recycling. He has chosen these chores and loves them.

Ds2 is 2 and his job is to be cute. He's doing a GREAT job with that.

**dschipman** · 10-09-2008, 05:45 PM

This is a great thread....I will have to definately keep an eye on it.

A couple of things that I do is:
Laundry gets done every Wednesday night and Saturday morning.
I load the dishwasher as I am cooking
I empty the dishwasher when I first get home
I "try" to vaccuum at least 3-4 times a week

Can't wait to see what other ideas come up

Dawn

**elphie** · 10-09-2008, 06:27 PM

I'm a recent SAHM but worked for the first nine years of motherhood. A few things that got me through:
- hangers that have clips, like for pants, are great for hanging kids clothes as outfits, this streamlines the choosing and we all laid our clothes out the night before
- definately second, third, and fourth getting lunches ready the night before, we also would pour cereal into bowls, add sugar and cover with a towel, pour milk in easy to pour glasses and the kids can get their own breakfast in the morning
- set up as many bills as you can on autopay and get Quicken or MS Money to record these automatically, it will save you a lot of time paying bills and balancing the checkbook
- at about age 3 I started teaching my kids to put away their own laundry. I fold it an place the basket in their room and helped them learn where everything goes, I even put pictures on drawers to help them remember
- I also made labels for books and toys so it was easy for them to clean up, a basket in the living room for any toys that found their way in- all toys are put away each night (or at least every other night) so the mess doesn't accumulate
- the best thing we did was keep everything streamlined, a place for everything- if a new toy/clothes/etc. comes into the house an old item must go Goodwill or the yardsale box. This made keeping everything neat so much easier
- and finally- I learned to embrace a little bit of messiness and prioritize. It is impossible to do everything and so I learned that while laundry must be done, vacuuming can wait. I would rather spend time with my kids and feel less stressed than have a perfect house. Many things have changed now that we homeschool but that is still true and I still usually have some dirty dishes in the sink and some laundry piled in a basket that needs folding, just not as much.