I'm on maternity leave now, but I definitely have a routine while working.
Your kids are still little, so it may be quite different, but this is what works for me.
When I get home from work, while the kids are doing their homework, I empty out their lunchboxes and go through their school papers. I prep dinner during this time, so that when it's cooking time, I can just pop it in the oven or on the stove. That is if I haven't used the crockpot, which I try to do more often than not.
Then, after that is done, I do a quick sweep of the house for anything that needs to be put away. Believe it or not, Patrick, who is 7, loves the Swiffer and so, he'll pop on a cloth and do all the hardwood floors, pretending he's a janitor or a cowboy riding a horse, or whatever else he comes up with. Does he do a perfect job? No. Does it help? You bet.
In the morning, before I go to work, I toss in a load of laundry, so that when I get home, I can switch it to the dryer and I take it out after the kids go to bed and fold it while watching something on tv.
Any errands that need to be taken care of, I do on my way home from work. I hate to have to go out again, and I don't want to spend my entire weekend running around like a crazy person.
As for the rest of the cleaning, I do it here and there when I have a chance. I've learned not to drive myself crazy with perfection. Clean enough is clean enough.
Your kids are still little, so it may be quite different, but this is what works for me.
When I get home from work, while the kids are doing their homework, I empty out their lunchboxes and go through their school papers. I prep dinner during this time, so that when it's cooking time, I can just pop it in the oven or on the stove. That is if I haven't used the crockpot, which I try to do more often than not.
Then, after that is done, I do a quick sweep of the house for anything that needs to be put away. Believe it or not, Patrick, who is 7, loves the Swiffer and so, he'll pop on a cloth and do all the hardwood floors, pretending he's a janitor or a cowboy riding a horse, or whatever else he comes up with. Does he do a perfect job? No. Does it help? You bet.
In the morning, before I go to work, I toss in a load of laundry, so that when I get home, I can switch it to the dryer and I take it out after the kids go to bed and fold it while watching something on tv.
Any errands that need to be taken care of, I do on my way home from work. I hate to have to go out again, and I don't want to spend my entire weekend running around like a crazy person.
As for the rest of the cleaning, I do it here and there when I have a chance. I've learned not to drive myself crazy with perfection. Clean enough is clean enough.