How and when do you find the time to…
……do your laundry?
I find that a load per day normally keeps us on an even keel and then I am not bombarded with half a ton or ironing or washing that needs to be put away at the weekend. Of course, this can quite often go to pot if we go out for a day and I forget, although I am fairly disciplined now. The washing goes in the washing machine at the same time as making my early morning cuppa, but this has seen some half asleep failures, such as a teabag being put in the powder tray!
…..write a blog post?
I used to blog when Eliza had her daytime nap, but now that I am childminding most days I struggle. I have taken to blogging in the evening once the kids are in bed, and I have discovered the miracle that is a scheduled post so very often I do two or three at once. This isn’t an exact science and I often go back and find mistakes or amend things from my phone!
…..look after yourself…i.e. wash your hair, paint your nails, take a bubble bath etc?
erm, I have a shower every morning after my cuppa and making the lunchboxes etc. I jump in after the hubby and he takes over Child Watch to ensure I get at least 5 minutes peace. I rarely, if ever, paint my nails and a bubble bath is a weekend treat on a Sunday as I am now working from 7.30am on a Saturday. I do wish I could find some more “me time” though.
…..spend time with your other half?
If I am honest we don’t do this enough, but it is better than it used to be. Now I am working from home we see each other on days off, as before he used to look after the kids when I worked! We are very rarely child free and the last time we had a break was my birthday in 2010 when he took me to London to see Legally Blonde.
…..do fun stuff with your Little Ones?
We try and do something at least once a week. We are really lucky to live so close to the beach, New Forest and Jurassic coast so there is always something to do that doesn’t cost the earth.
…..spend time with family?
We try and get together with extended family at least once a year, as we are dotted all over the country. My husband’s parents live up the road, so we see them fairly often and his niece attends the same swimming lessons as Isaac. My parents I see less often, as they live an hours drive away, so probably about once every 3 months!
…..socialise with friends?
I cannot remember the last time I went out with friends – in the evening anyway! Most of my friends have families, so we tend to meet up and do things with the children, but it is really tough when we all work different hours!
…..prepare an evening meal juggling a baby/toddler bedtime routine?
I prepare the children’s and mindee’s meals at 4.30pm to dish up at 5pm, then it is bath and wind down time and they little ones are in bed by 7pm. I then prepare our meal once they are in bed so we sit and eat about 8pm.
…..deep clean your house?
Since my home became my business I am far more focused than I was before, but my husband is a tidy freak so he tends to do all the furniture moving so we deep clean once a month! I hoover every day out of necessity and dust a couple of times a week.
…..do the food shopping?
I don’t have my own car, so we are restricted to food shopping on hubby’s days off. I wish we could say it is once a week, but we always end up needing a top up shop!
…..bulk ironing?
I don’t mind ironing, but it doesn’t get done often enough. The kids all have uniform that does not require ironing so it normally comes down to when hubby tells me he only has one shirt left in the wardrobe!
So, now it is my turn to tag three lovelies – I choose:
The gorgeous Maria at FeistyTapas
The lovely Elizabeth and Donna at MummyCentral
The beautiful Kerry at MultipleMummy
You sound like you have a great routine in place and that life works just fine as a result. Half of me misses the evening meal time you have. I remember a glass of wine with “In the night garden” before lights out and some peace and quiet to prepare our meal. Now it is a lovely large family gathering but anything but peace and quiet! thank you for finding the time to carrying on the meme and for the lovely introduction on me.