I am a working mom of a 1 and 2 year old. How do working mom's do it.?

Question

I stress from the time I get home until I go to bed. I worry about cooking dinner, then doing the dishes, cleaning the house, then bathing the kids. I stress myself out. How do working mom's work 40 hours a week and have time to keep everything organized and clean and still spend time with the kids and have energy left after putting them to bed?

Answer 1

Good question. I work from 8:00 to 5:00 Mon.-Fri. and it takes me 40 minutes to get to work and 40 minutes back. So, when I get off of work, I pick up my daughter and drive 40 minutes to get home. By the time we get home it's usually almost 6:00. Then I have to cook dinner, eat, feed her, give her a bath and put her to bed by 8:00 (sometimes earlier if she's extremely tired). I clean up after she goes to bed. I really don't have any time to just sit and be with my daughter. Even on the weekends, I try to balance cleaning and spending time with her. It gets quite stressful at times.

Answer 2

I am a single working mom of 3. I work full time. What i do is this: the night before, I lay out all the clothes that they are going to need for the next day. When I get home from work, I start dinner, while the kids play for a few minutes. Then I serve dinner, do the dishes (mostly, while they eat), bath them, youngest to oldest, help with homework, and its bed by 8:30. Then I take my shower, and eat if there is time. If you just put your self on a schedule or order, you should be a little less stressed out. Also, to me, I have no other choice. I am the only one to do, and knowing that it helps a little bit, because if I had to do it all and watch someone sit and relax i would probably get really mad. Just hang in there, and remember schedule.

Answer 3

Just tackle one job at a time--maybe get up ten minutes earlier (it sucks, I know) and throw the dishes in the dishwasher in the morning so you can spend more time with the kids at night. Pick one chore to do each day (Monday vacuum, Tuesday dust/mirrors, Wednesday tubs/toilets, Thursdays floors, Fridays RELAX). Make sure that when you or your kids take something out, you put it back. That way the house is always picked up. Or, make dinner the night before and throw it in a crock pot a few days a week. That way you can make it after the kids go to bed and throw it in the fridge. Then, in the morning, stick it in the base and put it on low and let it cook ALL day long. You'll come home to an awesome home cooked meal that you don't have to cook when you get home. There are SO many recipes with all different types of meats and sauces.

Answer 4

when my kids were 1 and 2 i realized that the house would not be spotless all the time. i started making it a point to pick up something everytime i left a room, for example if i went from the livingroom to the kitchen i picked up cups, etc and took them to the kitchen with me. if it went from kitchen to bathroom i picked up dirty towels and rags and threw them in the laundry along the way. if you get in the habit of doing little things as you leave the rooms they add up by the end of the day. i only allowed kids to bring 1 toy to the livingroom at a time and as they got older they didn't stroll mess all over the house. most kids have too many toys. place about half of their toys in a box and put it away. once a month rotate the toys. it will feel like they have something new all the time. if they have a favorite doll then always keep that available for comfort. when bills come in write the due date on the outside of the envelope and place them where you can see dates, if you have a partner praise him and encourage him to help you with the kids. it is so much easier when two people do it. ask hubby to bath the kids while you clear dishes or while you get dinner out. while at work have a roast or something simmering in the crockpot. after dinner let them bring their dishes to the dishwasher while you load them so they can see how it is done. because of knifes i waited until they were older to let them load. show them where the dirty clother go.
if the house is cluttered do not make a big deal about it, trust me it will still be there tomorrow. remember your kids are never too young to learn to put away their belongings. praise them for helping mommy so much.

Answer 5

It is a myth, you can't do it all. The best you can do is pick out the most important things and get creative.

Get a good crock pot that keeps the food on warm if your not home in time (Target has a new one with a meat thermometer for around $40) and a cookbook like Mable Hoffmans Crockery Cookery.

Try to find ways you can do double duty. A 2 year old will enjoy "helping" by handing you the clothes from the dryer or the hangers (if safe plastic) while you do laundry. Turn up the music and do silly dances with them as you vacuume.

Give yourself a break. There will be time to be wonder woman when they don't want to hang around with you anymore (better known as the teen years.)

Answer 6

Very few working women have energy left at the end of the day. In fact unless you get some help from your spouse or from an outside source it's impossible to do it all. I slowly learned not to expect so much from myself and came to realize that I couldn't do it all and that was okay. I listed my priorities and allowed everything else fall to the wayside. Of course I got to it eventually but on my own terms. When I realized things had to be this way you know I became a much happier person and a much better mom, too. Oh and another thing your house will again be immaculate in a few more years. As the children grow your time and energy changes, too. :)

Answer 7

You sound just like me just add going to school part time. I just make sure I get some "me" time. I am fortunate to have an hour everyday in the morning to myself after I take the kids to school/daycare and before I go into work. That is when I usually watch my tv shows that I have recorded. I make it a point not to do any house work during this hour as hard as it may be. Take time everyday, at least 30 minutes to relax by yourself. Do it after the kids go to bed. Sit down, put everything on hold while you relax by reading, watching tv, drinking a glass of wine or anything else you enjoy.

Answer 8

It's tough and it takes alot of organization. I'm unsure if you have a partner or not. If so, those duties can certainly be shared. Since dinner can be stressful, try cooking some entrees over the weekend and then freezing them. That way you'll only have to worry about preparing vegetables, etc.
Try not to stress yourself out. If you don't have time to clean, relax your standards a bit. You shouldn't have a whole house to clean everyday. Just do a thing or two per night.
Don't forget about taking care of yourself! Remember the old saying "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"

Answer 9

I am a 28 year old mother with two kids ages 9 and 7, I work full time and attend classes online fulltime, I am always busy, I keep a planner in my purse and keep rack of things, I am a big multi tasker and a planner. I am so used to being on the go that down time drives me crazy I dont know what to do with myself then. You will get in the hang of things I hope, you will find short cuts to get everything done and dont forget to ask for help around the house, I am now learnign to do that I have always done it all my self int he past.

Answer 10

Been there, done that!!! I was working full time, approx 70 hours per week, plus going to school part time, with 2 small kids.

Unfortunately, STRESS is just part of it!! However, you can hook up with another mother & watch her children a couple hours, in return; she can watch yours for the same amount of time!! That way, you both get a break at some time.