As a mom, how do you best stucture your day and/or week to get housework done and still have time for hobbies?

Question

My youngest is in all day school this year and I'm thinking of working part time, but as it is I cannot stay on top of all the housework and other "mothering" chores that I need to do. Besides I have hobbies I enjoy (scrapbooking and sewing) that I'd rather not give up. As it is, I watch no television because I do not have time to! Do any of you have a specific daily routine that you follow so that you don't waste time? I'd love to hear what works for you!

Answer 1

Schedule it in!!! I have 4 kids...starting a fulltime job and am a single mom to top it off. I carve out at least a half hour at night when they are all in bed to do what I want to do....which is crocheting. I also do a bit of sewing and reading as well. Your kids will remember you being a happy and well adjusted mom and not remember wether or not you scrubbed the toliet everyday! I do household chores in the morning and at night when they are eating or doing their homework. Every other weekend my ex has the kids so I make it a point to spend the whole weekend doing the things I want to do and NO CHORES!! Also my kids pitch in and do chores as well...so it doesn't all fall on me to do.

Answer 2

how meticulous are you?
do you vacuum and dust everyday?

I work full time and while my house is not the cleanest - it's certainly presentable. We vacuum once a week - dust once a week, do bathrooms and laundry as needed.
We clean the kitchen every day - but not a thorough scrub, just dishes, counters, wipe downs and sweep. The floor gets washed every 2 weeks or so.

Organizing and picking up after ourselves takes the most time. I find if we keep up with it it's easiest. With young ones you can enlist their aid with picking up. Organizing is usually up to you. Im not the best at organizing, but still we can find things if we need them.

I just don't sweat it as much I guess. Like I said, I'm not a clean bug, but it's presentable.

That begin said - I have most evenings (if I and my husband are not running around with the kids) and most of Saturday for shopping if needed and Sunday afternoon. I love scrapping too - and knitting - but they are put aside for now until I get alittle more organized space wise.

Answer 3

okay well coming from an unorganized person sometimes, lol, i think you should write everything out. make a schedule. like for example. washing the dishes and trying to clean up the house will be from so and so time from whatever time. or this. you can do the work and split it in half. like do half the work now, take a break and do what you wanna do in that break, and then go back and do what you have to do and finish it. if you procrastinate then you will be stressed out later on and become upset. good luck.

Answer 4

Try getting a part time job so you can still see your kids. Try working at a school that way you have the same hours as your child. Try schedualing your house work like washing clothes on sat. and play with your kids anddo some hobbie while waiting. Hope this helps. :)

Answer 5

I thoroughly clean on weekends,and I lightly clean throughout the week.I get my kids and husband to also help out.You can try and write a list of all the things you have to do and the hours you have throughout the day,then you can write a schedule.Include each day of the week! Good luck!

Answer 6

make yourself a weekly schedule, around the children, where yuo devote a block of time to your hobbies. Put it in a graph/chart, and post it for eveyone to see. And this is the rule we, including 'myself', go by from now on. This is how I get music practice in with three young daughters---and a full time job.

Answer 7

well, im glad you even have a hobby! i work full time and pick my son up after work, we play for a bit(quality time) then i start supper, we eat supper, i do dishes, he has a bath while i pick up the house. When he gets out of the bath we have a little quality time, then he gets his bednite snack, and we read a couple stories and off to bed. then i make my lunch and get his daycare stuff ready for the next day, then i go to bed. so the only time i really have to myself is when he goes to his dad every 2nd weekend, but im also alone. You could try doing it after your kids are in bed? doesn't work for me, but maybe for you?

Answer 8

I don't work.. but I do have 3 very active kids (two have autism) and I am a cheer mom.. So I do my laundry and fun stuff after they have gone to bed.. my hobbies come last.. kids first laundry and stuff second then fun stuff..