I started working full time about two months ago and feel like I'm still adjusting. I was fortunate to have worked three days a week and spent the other two with our son, who is now four. Maybe part of the reason I'm still getting used to our new schedule is that I went from busy to super busy workdays (I've taken on a big summer program at work). I'm finding it harder to keep up with my home life, since I'm tired at the end of the day. I spend my weekends doing all those things I didn't do during the week (laundry, groceries, etc.) Any advice or tips on making this transition easier?
Patricia is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com. She and her husband live in Phoenix and are raising a 4-year-old son they adopted as an infant.
Not sure how things are
Not sure how things are split up in the home, but if you had a larger load of the home "work" because you worked less, maybe it's time to rearrange and delegate some the the house stuff to your husband and make it more even.
Maybe since you are back to
Maybe since you are back to work, you could afford to get a housekeeper and couple times a month with the extra income?? He/She could clean the stuff that you don't want to and maybe help with the laundry too. That would cut down on the work at home. As for cooking, you could plan your meals in advance. On Sunday when you shop, you can cut up veggies and fruit into containers in the fridge, grill some chicken breasts and make up a few meals to freeze to use over the course of the next couple of weeks. Sounds like a lot of work, but then it is done on just part of one day. Your son could probably even help with some of the tasks so you accomplish the things that need to get done with the family time you and your son need too.
No doubt, it's hard to get
No doubt, it's hard to get time on the weekends to do much else than housework. I try get a few loads of laundry done during the week so I'm not stuck doing it all on the weekends. I also try to fit in a few housecleaning chores, like cleaning the bathrooms, when the kids are taking baths, and I'm already in there. I also delegate the easy stuff like vacuuming, to Dad. Another thing we started doing: I leave kitchen clean up until after the kids go to bed. Then, Dad helps me and not only does it go faster, we get some time to talk without interruption. I also get more time with the kids because I'm not spending all my time cleaning up after dinner.
Let a few things go. I just don't try to do as much as I used to do when I was not working.
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