SAHM's whats your daily routine?

Even though Im always home, I sometimes feel overwhelmed between 2 babies& all the housework...
I feel like I can never get it all done, and Im constantly cancelling on friends who want to get together bc I sometimes just cant seem to get out of my own way!
I envy women who are so routined, I wish I could be more like them & have it all "together"!
Ive had a housecleaner in the past but for some reason Im almost embarrased to get one now, I feel as if there's no reason I cant keep my house together myself being that Im home...I guess I should really stop coming to LIF so much!!!
So Im curious...SAHMs...do you have a routine that keeps you organized???

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

As far as cleaning goes, I have a certain thing each day I try to tackle. Monday I vaccuum, tuesday dust, wed bathrooms, etc. This way you don't get overwhelmed with everything at once. Plus DH helps alot becasue I have two kids at home and I work from home.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

I only have one and want a cleaning lady but am also embarassed to get one. Usually the house is a mess until DS goes to sleep. He is crawling now and I get nervous if I am not in the same room with him not to mention that we only have one area rug and everything else is wood or tile. When he naps which have been very limited these days I try to do some laundry or clean up the kitchen. Most of the time I take that time for myself because I hate getting interupted when I clean. I save the cleaning for the weekends that way DH can spend time one on one time with DS and I get the housework done. I really dont know were the time goes and it goes by fast. My SIL has 3 kids, ages 1, 3, 5. Her house is always neat and I never know how she does it (well the little one does take 2 2 hour naps mine doesnt).

xxxxxxx

Message edited 2/10/2007 4:20:11 PM.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

Dont feel embarrassed about getting a cleaning person! My neigbor across the street has one and she is a SAHM whose kids are all in school and are older!!

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

I'm not sure how anything gets done around here and luckily DH does not complain.

Laundry gets done while she is sleeping or in the high chair.

Cleaning: we have laminate floors, so I dry dust mop every other day with the darned dogs and I'll pull out the vacuum for the edging every 2-3 days or so, depending on the weather. I'll do that while she is eating also, or while she is playing in the LR.....she follows me around.

We have 3 bathrooms....our private one is the most neglected because no one sees it. The one Aly uses gets cleaned most often, about 1 x a week or every other week and the 3rd one is hardly used.

I think we'll be getting a cleaning person soon also because....well, just because.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

yea...i have a dh who works crazy hours also, i have been feeling like a single parent lately!
And we just moved into a new home about 6 months ago also, so we still have stuff packed away....so on top of trying to be organized w/kids & housework, it seems like Im always looking for everything! I like the scheduled days for chores idea also...

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

I'm a SAHM with a 10 month old DS

I break the "big" cleaning up into 3 big tasks that can be done one day at a time during a nap.

- one day is a good clean of the kitchen
- one day is a good clean of the 3 bathrooms
- one day is a good dusting of all the furniture

For the rest of the week, the kitchen/bathrooms/etc will just need a little wipedown or touchup here and there, which doesn't take any time.

Vacuuming is a quick task that can be done while DS is in the high chair or pack-n-play for a couple minutes. He is fascinated by the vacuum and loves to watch, so I can put him in the high chair in the room that I am vacuuming. I do that, and Swiffer the kitchen floor, every few days.

I do laundry every Friday, just throwing in loads here and there throughout the day. Then during the weekend I iron everything, fold and put away, change the sheets, etc. I do baby laundry more than once a week though.

I think cooking is tough to do as a SAHM... with DS crawling and cruising everywhere, I can't really work in the kitchen and still have my eye on him. I make a lot of stuff in BIG batches when the opportunity arises (like on weekends) and freeze portions for future nights. Stuff like soups, stews, chili, pasta sauce, sloppy joes, meatballs, etc can all be made this way and freeze well. I even will buy a ton of ground turkey, make a bunch of turkey burgers with diced pepper/onion and spices, and then freeze all of them, so you just have to throw them on the George Foreman grill. Or you can marinate and grill a bunch of chicken breasts, cut them in strips and freeze, and then they are ready to be reheated and thrown on a bed of salad greens and veggies. Anything in the crockpot is helpful as a SAHM too.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

thanks for all the great responses. i always wanted to ask but felt like i wouldn't be doing the SAHM justice by not knowing.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

We have a routine and cleaning is not in it!
I am always throwing laundry in though and I either fold it while she is playing or after she goes to sleep...laundry is the least of my problems.
I have a cleaning crew that comes once every 2 weeks and I always just wipe down the kitchen every night after dinner.
As for the bathrooms... well, they only get cleaned when those people come and same with the floors! Although I do an occassional vaccuum here and there b/c I have cats.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

Oh I used to feel the same wierd "guilt" over hiring a cleaning lady since I'm home with my dd.

But at the end of the day, anyone home with an active baby or toddler knows you can't get MUCH if anything done during the day. I now realize this so I hire the help - DH actually wanted me to b.c I kept nagging him to help clean on the weekends

It's the best $$ we've ever spent - we totally have our weekends back and they're busy anyway, and I still have day-to-day cleaning to do, but it's manageable now.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

Message edited 1/24/2007 11:46:28 AM.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

I do little by little every day depending on what she allows me to do.

If she takes her short morning nap, thats when I run around making the bed, tidying up, things like that.

In the afternoon I can vacuum or mop when shes awake because she loves to watch me. I fold laundry while she is on her playmat on the bed with me.

During her nap in the later afternoon, I do any big stuff I have to do...bathrooms, right now putting christmas stuff away (YES STILL! LOL), cleaning the living room up.

When I cook she either loves to watch me or if she gets fussy, thats when I let her watch baby einstein. Usually by the time its over, I am done cooking or at least almost there. I love meals that you just throw in the oven (baked ziti, bbq chicken, etc) because I can play with her, feed her or whatever while dinner is cooking.

Big stuff is on the weekend unforuntaly when my dh is home. He is hardly ever home so it becomes hard for me. But I am not really concerned if cleaning doesnt get done EVERY DAY..the most important thing is that my baby is happy and that I cook dinner because my dh needs it for the next day at work. Other than that..I just try to go with the flow of her.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

as DH tells me...."We're raising a daughter, not keeping a museum."

So....yes, things may be dusty at times, the laundry room ALWAYS has a pile in it.....

but we eat well, our daughter is happy and healthy, and we enjoy the little time DH & Get together since he's in retail.

cooking....I do alot of slow cooker or prep while she is napping, or I'll cook a lot one day and it lasts for a few days or I cook one night for the next night (roast a chicken, etc). I also cook BIG and freeze stuff.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

We have a cleaning lady that comes ever other week.. I think you are either a cleaner or you are not and I am the latter... I even had a cleaning lady for my studio apartment when I lived in the city once a month.... I felt that having the cleaning lady for the bathrooms, kitchen and dusting was my main concern and I am so glad that we have one...

I do laundry at night and when he naps on Sunday and Monday.. I always do his on Sundays, ours can wait I feel.

I swiffer the kitchen flor every couple of days

The rest I leave for the cleaning lady..

I try to put away his toys every other day but sometimes that never happens because once I feel everything is in its place, Jacob within 2 minutes will have everything on the floor again...

If you can I would opt for the clenaing lady

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

I can't stand mess or clutter, it drives me crazy so the viewable part of my house is just about always cleaned and picked up (until DH gets home).
I vaccuum just about every day because we have pets and light carpet and the kitchen floor gets swept every other day.
I usually swifter/mop once a week.
I try to dust once a week.
I do laundry 2-3 times a week. I can't stand for it to pile up, it's just too much of a chore then.
DH is in charge of our bathroom and DD's bathroom. I clean the 1/2 bath downstairs.
Now I don't make our bed every day and my office is sometimes cluttered but I can close the door.
I try to keep most of DD's toys in the playroom in the basement and the toys she has upstairs in the family room have a place and the smalls toys have a basket.
I work PT and for me I need to keep things tidy and organized otherwise I get very stressed out.
Cooking it definitely a challenge. We eat out more than we should. I bring a lot of frozen dinners to work and DH kind of fends for himself the nights I work. I try to cook on the weekends so that there are leftovers. It's just hard to do elaborate meals with a toddler running around.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

get a cleaning person!! I have one that comes every two weeks. I already told her that when I have 2 kids she will need to come once a week. During the week when she doesn't come I maintain the house but I can't imagine having time to really cleaning it the way it needs to be cleaned.

Re: SAHM's whats your daily routine?

I live for my 2 kids, all day long, with a DH that works until the late evening. I do not live for my house, which is why I don't care that its not in tip top shape, that toys are all over, or that dirty dishes are in the sink. THey get done in time. I try and get out with them for playdates when ever I can. They are only this young once. When they get a bit older and are in school all day, then I will spend more time on things for the house....