Working Parent

Go to flylady.org for free tips. She also has a link for a recipe book called "Saving Dinner" with easy menu planning and recipes.

Hi S.,
When my kids were babies/little, I found it helpful to go home before daycare pickup. Luckily our d/c provider was only 1.5 miles from home. While having one little one and working was easy, two was very hard, so I'd go home for 15 minutes by myself - check mail and voicemails, do any urgent calls, unload the dishwasher, fold a load of wash or quickly run the vacuum.
If you can afford it, get a teen sitter/mothers helper to come in and do a few chores if she can get there on her own, waste of time if you need to drive her. It was great to sometimes have someone else to do the dishwasher, unpack the diaper bag, wash the bottles.
I always grocery shopped on Saturday morning WITHOUT kids. Kids stayed with husband. Kids would hugely increase shopping time. I had a list on the computer with all staples on it, arranged in aisle order of supermarket. Don't shop sales, stick to one supermarket.
As for dinner, crockpots are great. Also on nights when you cook a nice meal, make two and freeze one. I liked the tip about cooking some things like chicken cutlets ahead of time - you can defrost and serve with whatever type of prepared sauce over rice/pasta. While it may not be environmentally sound, use disposable foil pans to avoid having to scrub pots on worknights.
For couple time, try to schedule a monthly date night. I have two friends who for years have babysat for each other one night a month so each couple can go out, without the added expense of a babysitter.
"Me" time is easier if you have a structured activity planned, like book club night or yoga class. It's easier if you can do it without having to leave from home, so if you can find an exercise class or make your pedicure appointment directly from work, or when you leave for food shopping, do your mile walk before hitting the grocery store.
Kid time - outings or parent and me classes/activities, when you're home, there's always some chore or something you need to do, kids will get more of your time if you are not at home tempted by these things. You and hubby can alternate kids each weekend so that you each get a couple of hours of alone time with each one.
Good luck!!!!!

No one ever said it was going to be easy. A few tips.

Grocery shopping - Avoid shopping on Thurs, Fri and Sat, these are the busiest days. Shop first thing in the morning or late at night. One of the girls in my office frequently uses part of her lunch hour to run to the store, better than stopping on the way home from work. Shop in bulk, that once a month trip to BJ's, Costco etc is better than several smaller trips to the grocery store.

Dinner -
My girlfriend and I get together to just sit and chat. While we're chatting, we'll peel or cut up some veggies, slice or grate some cheese, etc. It doesn't seem like work when were just chatting and visiting and saves lots of time during the week.
Make 2 dinners at the same time. I'm not talking about making left overs (of course that's a good idea too), but separate meals one for that night and another one with similar ingredients that can just be heated up. For example the other night, I made london broil, with satauted onions, potato salad and some cold veggie sticks which we ate that night and I made a pot roast for later in the week. I already was scrubbing potatoes, cutting up onions and peeling carrots and had this items on the counter so I just did a few extra to throw in with the pot roast.

Ham and turkey aren't just for the holidays... cook one up on the weekend, you'll have leftovers for during the week, or meat for sandwiches. If all you can handle is one night of leftovers, put some in the freezer.

If you're grilling, throw some chicken breast on at the same time and keep in the fridge. Grilled chicken breast in a great staple, cut up and toss over a salad for a quick light meal, stir fry some veggies and throw in the chicken, slice up for a sandwich.

Couple/me time ... two can be easier than one. If you have a friend and your children get along, watch her child for a few hours, when your child has a friend to play with they entertain each other and actually give you a few minutes of peace. When it's your friends time to watch the kids, you can enjoy some couple time.

Find new couple time... what you traditionally considered as date night, just may not fit into your scedule. So try something new - example I work Mon-Fri, hubby Tues-Sat, so occassionally on Monday (when the girls are in school), hubby comes by the office and takes me out to lunch.

Hi S.,

I plan a week at a time. I grocery shop on the weekends, and choose 3-5 meals ahead of time which will be cooked for that week. I know my family's weekly schedule, so I plan around that for meals. If I know Wednesday night I'll have an hour for dinner, I may cook a whole chicken or meatloaf. If I know we only have 30 minutes, then I'll grill hamburgers, steak, or pork chops, and them just add water to instant potatoes and open a can of peas or corn. I can get a full dinner of grilled meat, potatoes, corn, pineapple, and set the table in 20 minutes.

During this time, the kids have to wash up, put away their backpacks and other school things, and then can watch t.v. while I make dinner.

By 6:30 dinner is over and we go outside or have free play till 7p, at which it is time for baths, and quiet time. Around 7:30p they are allowed to sit in their bed and read, do mazes, etc for 30 minutes. At 8pm it is bed time.

My boyfriend and I have our time from about 8-10p each night. This is usually when we too do homework, as we are both college students. He is going full-time while I'm part time with a full time job.

As far as "me" time, my boyfriend watching the kids each Wednesday night. I bring everyone home from daycare and school, then pass them on to him around 5-6 pm. This is his one night to prepare dinner, which usually ends up being hot dogs, hamburgers, Mac-n-cheese, or Pizza. It is good because it gives the kids one day a week to have a non-formal dinner.

If you are really wondering how to schedule your time, create a calendar of a normal week for your WHOLE family, and then start planning from there. You may have more time than you realize just being wasted.

Laundry is started on Fri. night at 8:00PM and finished up on Sat. at 6:00AM. I hang up everything except the towels. Hubby hangs up the towels. Grocery shopping is done Sat. morning. Floors are vacumed and washed Thurs. night when everyone's asleep at 10:00PM. House cleaning is done on a holiday or days off. I make time for our son every night, so he can tell me about school. I also look over his homework to see what he is learning in school every night around 7:30PM. Hubby and I get together when the kid's asleep...as for talking...Hubby and I talk at the breakfast/dinner table.

As for cooking....I have learned to be a "short-order" cook. I discovered that broiling meats and fish is a lot faster than frying or baking. I save baking chicken or duck for the weekends. (It can bake while I do other things.) We have a rice cooker, so the rice is cooked in large quantities for quick microwaving as needed. Vegetables are cleaned and cut the night before.

Scheduling and planning are key.

Plan your meals weekly and then plan the best time for food shopping. (the "best" time for you and the time when the store is probably well stocked and not too crowded with other customers) Always shop with a list and don't go when you're hungry!

Prepare extra meals on days when you are off from the office job. You can freeze portions or cook the main course so that all you need to add is fresh vegetables or a salad after work. Some people clean and chop veggies ahead of time so they save time whenever they need these items for a meal.

Quality "me time" makes for better "we time". Prioritize and schedule both. Everyone needs to understand the value of these. If you have to, get up a little earlier for your me time. Compare calendars with your partner and schedule your couple time as often as you see fit.

I hope this is helpful.

Hi S.,

I've found that by cooking enough for two meals at a time and freezing one makes life easier. Then, when it's crunch time, you pull the extra meal out of the freezer and "poof", home-cooked meal with no work! Also, freezing meals that you make when you have the time (ha!) will come in handy on nights when you don't have time, ie., on a Sunday, perhaps, you could cook a few dishes for the week ahead.
The housekeeping gets done piecemeal. Dust when you have a couple minutes, vacuum one day, scrub floors the next, etc. It's not so overwhelming if you do a little here and a little there. And since it just keeps coming around and around, I wouldn't worry about it. It's more important to have quality time with the kids and spouse. My "me time" would come early in the morning, before anyone else was up. I would take a hike or a hot bath or workout or meditate, at least 15 minutes a day. Very refreshing! And if you have a childtender or in-law or parent handy, schedule regular "date nights" with your husband. Scheduling them formalizes them, gives you something to look forward to and makes them extra special. As for time with the kids, get them to help you with whatever you're doing. That way, they're with you, they're learning, they're helping (good for self-esteem), they're developing a work ethic, and you know where they are! ;)
Good luck! Life is short...make it fun!
Corrie Moone ("Grams")
from the Pocono Mts. of PA

I can only imagine two full time jobs - i am a stay at home mom and i find it hard to get it all done. For dinners get yourself a crockpot if you don't already have one. you can throw anything in there. Put it in the night before and shut it off in the morning or put it in in the morning and it will be ready when you get home from work. Whatever you make, always make enough to freez some and then you will always have quick meals you can just defrost. Leave them out in the morning and heat it up when you get home.

For grocery shopping you can try doing it online at peapod - through stop and shop. I have never tried it but i know someone who has and they seem to like it.

Hope that helps with some of your time.

If you can afford it, outsource!!! It helps if you can get a housekeeper for every other week to do the bathrooms, and the floors. If grocery shopping is time consuming, then use the online shopping either at shoprite or peapod from stop & shop, every little bit helps. With meals, I do what I can to make a little extra, but I have to admit my meals have gotten much more simple. I hardly ever make complex dishes anymore, instead chicken breast, steak, and roast are the more common things. I do from time to time make pasta, and I'll try to make it scampi to change things around, but my son won't eat pasta and is a rice lover, so I make rice twice a week to last for the week. I'll grill and make extras, salads go far but not for my son. Fish is easy in the broiler. My meals are usually prepared in 30 minutes or less. I have started to give my son a snack after I pick him up around 5ish, I find this takes off my stress about preparing food in a rush. I bring something with me and give him in the car ride home, like banana or crackers and sometimes even munchkins. giving him snack in the car has really helped me manage my time better. I don't have to run home and cook, I get to change my clothes first. I do my food shopping mostly on the weekend.
Me time, I just recently came to have some me time. At lunch time at work!!! my husband's schedule changes week to week, so scheduling doesn't really work since things always change last minute. I started going to a gym near my job at lunch time.
Couple time... just chilling on the couch after all is said and done at night time is the bulk of it. Also last week we both took a couple of vacation days, but kept my son in school to have some time together. I really enjoyed it.
It's a juggling act.

Hey S.. I am right there with you. My son is 2.5 and I'm still trying to figure it out. My DH does a lot BUT his work schedule allows him for time alone at home to get things done BUT causes him to come home later in the evening (7:30 - 8:00 ) so aside from some housecleaning EVERYTING else falls on - including what I call a 3rd dinner after he comes home b/c NO MATTER what I do there is still a mess and still a person that needs to be fed again - even if he takes care of himself some. I am so stressed out by the daily routine that NOTHING is helping me...I am however trying to focus on couple time, me time and time with my friends instead so that maybe I jsut can't chill out more and handle the daily routine better. Scheduling. YOU HAVE to schedule it all. Thats what I'm learning. As annoying as that is to me, I am JUST learning that I have to plan ahead and schedule my time with my DH, myself and my friends. My son, I am with whenever I can be.

Cooking: Crockpots and one pan meals are great. I usually just throw together some chicken or pork, veggies, and rice or pasta in one pot and cook. Play with my son while its cooking. I love the Fall and Winter b/c the crockpot comes back out a lot!

I LOVE the suggestion of going home for 15 minutes alone - before picking up your child, if you can do that, DO IT! I don't have the time to do that now b/c my sons school closes and I'm usually just getting there b/c he sleeps later in the mornings and I don't have much time. I'm hoping that changes.

Do you have a lunch hour at work? I do EVERYTHING then. Food shop (put things in the fridge at work), walk, read, sleep, shop...anything I can.

Buying those rotisserie chickens at food stores help too. They are sooo good, healthy (skin removed) and can be used for a variety of meals.

Hi S., hosting an au pair is one way around all of this, if you have the extra room. You get childcare and have an extra set of hands around the house to help with housework. While au pairs are not housekeepers, they can give you the extra time you might need in the evenings! Just a thought! If you're interested, try InterExchange Au Pair USA. It's a State Department designated agency. It might help. Good luck busy mommy! : )

Time is always the one thing I wish I had more of! One trick I had read about was prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them this way all you have to do is heat them up during the week. When you go grocery shopping have a list of meals you want to prepare and ingredients you will need so you can just sprint through the aisles when you are at the store.

One day on the weekend, my husband takes my daughter out for a few hours to run errands to give me my "me time". Usually though this consists of cleaning around the house the things I can't do when my daughter is home, such as cleaning the floors and such.

I work from home so my situtation is a bit different. When my husband comes home from work he is on Daddy patrol. I might get out of the house for a half hour or an hour to go to the library or the store, just to have some time out of the house after working and taking care of the baby all day.

Couple time is a bit harder. On the weekends you want to cram everything in and it gets exhausting. If you have your parents or his around, try having them take the baby one Saturday night a month or every 2 weeks if you can so you can go out (or stay home) and have some time to yourselves. The weekdays are much harder but babies do go to bed early. My husband and I usually just cuddle on the couch in front of the TV. We are too exhausted to do anything else.

Spending time with your kids is more about the quality than the quantity when both parents are working. If they are old enough you can have them help you prepare dinner or clean even if it is just a little bit. You can make a game out of it too. Have special routines that you do with them such as reading to them before bed or playing pretend on rainy days. Go out to museums or parks on the weekends to get some family time in.

Last of all, a lot can be said about multi tasking. If you can do 2 things at once, this will save on a lot of time.

Hi S.,

I think it really helps to have one day to sit down and plan your meals for the week. I usually try to do this on a Sunday. Another time-saving tip is to make once eat often! Grains like brown rice or quinoa can last 3-5 days in the fridge. For example you can make the brown rice and use it in a stir-fry, the next day you can make it a sweet porridge for breakfast and then use the rest to make nutburgers for dinner. If you need recipes you can email me at ____@____.com, another tip is to have your freezer stocked with frozen vegetables this way if you don't have time to shop you still will have nutritious food to eat!

HI S.,

If you have a shopRite by you try the online shopping pick up or delivery

It's great and a time saver

D.

One thing I try to do.. is prepare 2 or 3 meals early on Sunday... like this weekend.. I made home made mac and cheese.. I made a pot of chili and I made a roast chicken.. we had the chick for dinner on Sunday.. the chili mon.. the mac and cheese & burgers on Tues.. then left over chick on thurs.. then chili again on friday... with tacos... the kids really liked this... so I made the whole weeks meals in one day.. and just added a veggie... good luck