No Good at Juggling

You just have to be organized. Throw a load of wash in the machine before you leave. Put it on delay if you have it. Put it in the dryer when you get home. I am in school as well with three kids. It is CRAZY hectic around here. As long as I keep a routine things get done. And don't try to do it all at once! make a list that sometimes helpds. Good luck!

Hi D., You are to be patted on the back for taking on so much. I just had my first 10 months ago and I work from home and still find it hard to keep up. What I do to stay on top of things is maintain. I find that if I don't do a little each day things pile up and then they take to long to do in between. I too keep wipes in the bathroom and try to clean as I go, I do a load or two of laundry every couple of days (when I am home to finish the loads) and I have a rule that I don't go to bed with dishes in the sink and if I have to (rare) I rinse them and stack neatly so they are not harder to clean when I get to them. I also call on my hubby to help when I have a busy week. He is a big help and doesn't mind if I ask him instead of expect him or order him around. I always try to thank him for helping out even if it is not done as well as I would have done it. :) Good luck!

Well, as I just wrote I am aan excellent house cleaner.. I used to clean 5 houses on my days off, now I have only 1 so, I am lookiing for 1 or 2 more if interested wb.. I have references..L.

find a friend, family member, neighbor to tag team with if your partner is unable to give you the support you seek. And learn to repeat these sayings, "settle down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep" (trust me, the housework will ALWAYS be there) and "my house is clean enough to be healthy and cluttered enough to be happy"
Good luck.

Assign certain tasks to your hubby. Have him do the dishes after dinner. Then laundry, just do a load a night. Eventually it will become a habit, and you won't think twice about it. Keeping the house clean, I can't help you out. I barely keep mine clean. I do the best I can, when I can!

I'll tell you what my mother told me. Just make sure the bathroom is clean when people come over, it's the only place people sit by themselves and look around. (and she's right!! HAHA) The rest of it no-one will notice but you!!! Buy some disposable pans and paper plates for now, that'll cut down on dishes. Get a swiffer duster and dust as you go...that cuts down on a lot. The rest of it, just do as you can. Laundry can wait..as long as you have something to wear that day then your doing good!!!! Hang in there!!!
S.

D.,
I don't know how you think that you can do it all! I was at my witts end with just the part time work, full time mommy. What I ended up doing was hiring a housekeeper to come every three weeks. She came highly recommended by personal friends and was quite inexpensive, plus I told her that I would be recommending her to other people and she was able to give me a discounted rate. In order to afford this I just cut out the grocery shopping one week a month. So far it has worked out for us. The week that we have a clean house, we eat Kraft dinner but the load it has taken off of my shoulders has been worth all the kraft in the world.

Hi D. --
I too juggle full time work, children, and full time graduate school. I had to pick, would I rather in my precious free moments go crazy cleaning the house or would I rather spend those few extra minutes doing something with the children and husband. Well I chose to say the heck with the house work. House work will always be there, the children grow in an instant, school is a priority it will allow me to advance and give my family the things we want, and of course I need to make a living. I tell everyone excuse the mess, but did you come to visit my house or me? It works for me.
J.

I see you are married. It looks like it is time you talk to your husband about helping out with the housecleaning. Or you can hire someone to come in once a week or every other week for an hour or two to help out with the things you can't get done on your own.

Hi D.,
I am a stay at home mom of three going back to work full time on monday! But the answer to your question is that it is almost impossible with children this young to ever keep right on top of the house work!!! There are always a million other thinhgs to do! My husband works full time and by the time he gets home from long days he is exhausted. I always have three loads of laundry that need to be done and dishes to do,, thee kids to bath and brush teeth and hair . We are mom's not superheros! My only advice is to do what is most important first and pick at the other stuff little by little. I do my laundry and dishes at night. I try to clean one room a day so my house is never all clean at the same time. Enjoy that baby while she is still a baby, and just to make you feel better I haven't gotten to my bathroom in a long time either!! My advice may not be the best but it is the only advice I have for you!

I understand completely. I have the same problem too. What i have started to do is set a timer for 15 minute blocks and just pick up the scattered messes in one designated room. and then another and so forth and so on. on the weekends I designate one room to clean throughly. (bathroom one week, then kitchen, bedroom etc.)You rotate. I tend to focus mostly on the rooms with high traffic and visible to guest (dining room, kitchen, bathroom, living room. Also, since you are married, maybe enlisting the help of your husband might help

when someone give u an idea please spread it along because-I am still juggling. Sleep is not an option nor the husband routine is not an option.

hi D., sounds like your a truely busy mom lol. well hon i suggest that when baby is napping you do a few things like laundry vacuming. when hubby gets home have him help with watching the baby while you do some cleaning and even have him pitch in and help out it's his home to. rotate your chores assign him nitely chores as well bring the baby in the same room with either of you while chores are being done that way you can watch her and getting things done. or have him watch her and do a full house cleaning probably best to do on a week-end then you can take the whole day to clean. then you will be caught up and after that it will be just a light cleaning on a daily basis. and do laundry and dishes before you go to bed so you wont feel so overwelmed when you get up in the morning. also make sure hubby picks up after himself you dont need to be his mom and cleaning up after him you have enough to take care of. hope the advice helps. let me know. good luck and keep up the good work.
N. s

Hello - I am in school SUPER full time, taking 5 classes, working 3 jobs, and I am a Single Mom of a 2 year old. To be honest, you just have to let the house GO! I clean once a week; I clean as I go of what is important, but when my son trashes the living room with his toys, it stays that way. A good friend of mine said that it won't hurt to let the house go and take care of the responsibilities that are important, which is school work. Imagine 5 classes, and 3 part time jobs. Full schedule, definitely, but the way I balance it is that the house is not all that important, so I clean once a week, mainly on Saturday. Sometimes there are three piles of laundry, and you have to ask yourself: are you leaving the house with clothes on? Is your child leaving the house with clothes on? Yes! So, the clothes won't go anywhere, and I'm sure your daughter has enough clothes to last. That is the advice I can offer; if your husband can't help out, then honestly, just let it go. I have no husband, and your lucky to have that, to say the least, but he should help out. And if he doesn't, let the laundry go and cleaning go for a few days, and focus on your homework.

I am in the same boat as you i have three kids at home but thank gosh two are in school and i just enrolled my youngest in daycare-- i go to school full time, take them to all their practices and appointments and such and then work part time-- my house is barely ever "clean" but i've learned to live with it. We live off of our crock pot, premade meals, and sandwiches during the week, but the stress does start building when i look around my house and see everything that needs to be done! i try and come up with a written plan but with three kids, plus dad and me in one small house i barely ever stick with it! good luck though!

Hi D.!
My name is D....I am the mom of 2 boys...28 months and 14 weeks. I give you a whole lot of credit...you have a lot on your plate!
Just a few things that I do that may help you. (Maybe they won't, but I thought I'd try!)
Bathroom...I have a can of Lysol wipes in both bathrooms. While I wait for the shower water to warm up...I wipe down the bathroom...it takes no time at all. My sons bathe in the other bathroom, so I do the same thing in there while I am filling the tub with water. It's quick and it helps me keep on top of it.
Laundry...I try to do one load a night...toss it in when I go to bed... and throw it in the dryer before I get in the shower in the morning...or I wash a load while I make dinner and put it in the dryer after dinner. No matter how much laundry you do, there will always be more to be done! :)
Dishes...my sink is full of dishes now...so no advice there!
Good luck!!
D.

I would like to play 3rds with http://www.flylady.net I started using this site less than a week ago and my apartment is looking sooooooo much better, and it really doesn't seem like I'm doing any more than I usually do, it's just I have focus. My husband even said last night "I've noticed you doing so much more around here and I really apreciate it" an dhe's not one to notice LOL

Since you didn't mention too much about daddy/husband I thought that i would say, it is time for him to pitch in with the house work. Sounds like the only solution to me. Good luck.

I know how you feel. I have 3 children and work 60 hours a week. Mt house is NEVER clean. I usually just worry about the 3 main rooms in the house and try tokeep them at least resentable (Living room, kitchen, and bathroom) Another idea is from my grandmother who raised 4 kids. She would keep the vacuum in the living room at all times and if someone stopped by unannounced she would simply state "oh i was just starting to clean." Anoher idea is to ask your husband to help out a bit. Just ask if he could straighten up the living room while you sit and do your homework. Good luck and if you find the answer to a clean house let me know!

Enlist the help of anyone who is willing. Remember all those people who asked if there was something they could do to help when you first delivered. Now is the time to call in those favors. Have a friend or relative come to play with your little girl while you study. My sister volunteered to clean my bathroom when I was a complete wreck. Let your friends and family know that you need help. Schedule specific times when they can come over to help you, watch her or clean. ... and if you have a birthday coming up, suggest someone hire a cleaning service. They find dirt you've never seen. I think the professional cleaning service once a year if the best gift out there.

Try the flylady system (www.flylady.net) housework & house management is all broken down into 15 minute segments, and much of the focus is on decluttering your home.

Your house doesn't have to be perfect, but if it's mostly tidy & orderly it's easier to keep it that way. You & your family will be more comfortable & happy.
Good luck
D.

my best offer would be to make a schedule & try to be as strict as possible until you get into the hang of things then you can loosen up...with school & work you need to pick myabe 2 or 3 days out of the week when you can do serious cleaning (bathroom, laundry etc.) & then dishes should be cleaned as you use them that way they dont pile up & you are stressed about them...

D.,
First off I want to say Wow. I am just like you in many different ways. Is there an easy answer of how to juggle everything at once, probably not. The one thing that I can suggest is to try and sent a timeline. Yes, the baby needs you when they need you but where there is a will there is a way.

Who watches the baby when you are in school? Is there any way they can watch the baby for a little bit longer so you can either get homework done or run errands or just have down tiem?

As they say, when the baby is asleep is the best time to do evreything you need to do.

I work a full-time job, have two kids (ages 6 & 3), and do online schooling. The way I do things is set times. I know that I will be home from work by 5:30 so dinner is priority #1. Then, I spend some time with my kids until I put them down at 8pm. After 8 I do a few errands (for example, Monday nights I pay bills, Tuesday, I dust, Wednesday, maybe homework pending to be done, Thursday - sorry, but it is Grey's Anatomy, Friday, finish up any little thing that needed to be done. Organization is definitely key. I live out of my planner because that has dates and schedules and appointments that need to be kept.

I wish I could say it gets easier, I think it gets manageable when you get the hang of things. Most importantly, just enjoy the baby now and appreciate it. Understand that the dishes will always be there tomorrow!

I am in the same boat! My li lgirl is 16 months, i am in school taking 9 credits, and I was working partime at a salon, but now I just work from home, when i can. It is tough but all I did was prioritize. I figure my daughter and my school were the most important, so if the house was a little messy SO WHAT!!! but then I decided to set aside a couple hours on the weekend or when ever my other half was home so that I could speed clean and do laundry. That seems to help me. It is hard doing everyting parttime isn'tit! I always want to do everything 100% so this parttime stuff is killing me! I hope it helps.

Hi D.,

first Take a deep breath! I'm sure your doing the best you can. I know exactly what your going through as I have 2 small children, work full-time, and take an at home course for medical billing. my best advice to you is prioritize.... if you, and your family have clean clothes let those wait until your day off. Do your dishes as you cook.... that way there you don't have as many dishes at the end of the night. Cambells have some great one pan recipes, which are my best friend on work nights. Try to get things set on a routine. set aside an hour or so for studying even if it means your daughters toys still stay strung out on the floor for a little while. For the real deep cleaning set aside a day where you have a babysitter or someone who can take your daughter for a few hours and GO NUTS!!! Thats what a do once or twice a month. GOODLUCK! hang in there. the dirt will always be there, LOL :)

From one juggling mom to another,
M.

Hi girl ;) i work full-time with a 4 month old son who is an excellent baby, but i 2 have the same problem and im not back at school yet- lol But what i do is make a weekly "schedule." I also do things the night b4. Everyday i take on a new cleaning task- cuz its IMPOSSIBLE for a mom to clean the whole house in 1 day with a baby. So one day while the baby is napping (cuz she comes first), clean the bathroom, doesnt have to be perfect cuz once i clean it up a little u can keep up), the next day dust, next day vacuum, next day laundy, next day put laundry away.... also with dishes, i try to do that at night b4 bed b/c if i wake up to them, i get stressed out. I also make dinner in the small time that the baby is entertaining himself, i just do little by little... once u do the first week and u are caught up, it'll be easier. If its too far gone and u cant catch up like that, ask ur husband or some1 to watch ur daughter for a few hrs, do a major cleaning, and the weeks after that you'll just be brushing up... but make set days for set things (or try to anyway) that way u know, ok, today i am going to get laundry done) and only one thing at time cuz if not, its stressful. Good luck and let me know if it worked!

My first question would be...what does your husband do? Around the house, I mean. Do you get any help what so ever from him? On the other hand, your daughter is old enough to "help" with some little chores. Make a game of cleaning up! This will not only help you, but hopefully will instill in her that she needs to clean up after herself. Make sure she is putting her own toys away and such. As far as studying, i would set aside and hour at night, possibly after baby has gone to bed, or have your husband do "bath time" and read her a story before bed and use that as your study time. I hope this doesn't sound to harsh...its not meant to be, it just sounds like you are a "single" mom, not a "married" mom.

D.,

I feel your pain because I had the same problem when I was working full time & going to school. Unfortunately the only advice that I can give you is to just prioritize what needs to be done & what can wait until later. I also found that I ended doing a lot of the cleaning on one particular day of the week that my boyfriend would take the kids out & let me clean. I hope that helps.

I 2nd the suggestion for Flylady.net. I started FLYing after my fist was born and I had to juggle the same things. It is an amazing support system that helps you establish routines and get things done. And you will be amazed at how much you can actually get done in 15 minutes. Good luuck!!

D.,
Where is your husband while your at home trying to do school work or keeping the house clean? When I first had my son I was a stay at home mom and I was always tired.. I was breastfeeding so my husband never had his sleep distrubed. Let me tell you I lost it with him.. because he still expected me to do everything since I was the one home and he was at work.. eventually when we switched to the bottle he finally got it because I would make him get up and do one of the feedings.. So he finally helped with dishes, vacuum and just keeping the house together while we raised our son.
Even now he have it crazy.. I went back to work part time nights and weekends and he's already working 6 days a week.. so we hardly see each other and he went back to school for his masters, but is doing it online.. so its a little pay back.. now hes trying to manage dinner, , entertaining ryan, while doing his school work.. so basically my advice is get your husband involved.. He should be sharing in the work for keeping the house clean and the baby happy..

K.

I am in the same boat..i have 4 yr. old and a 3yr. old, I go to college as well ft and work pt, I have the same problems...my house is a mess, the dishes are never done....and i am doing well if i remember the kids when i leave in the morning...that is just the way it goes...i have recently cut back on my hours at work and enrolled the kids in preschool...I know tried to be the perfect parent and do everything But we are only human, i have come to accept my house cluttered and I will put off little house work to enjoy my children...it is ok if the house is not perfect and if I do not bring home a munch of money...they are only little once...I hope this helps :)

K.