U Guys Ever Get Tired?

I put laundry in the washer before I go to bed and then transfer to the dryer when I get up , it does save some time , I also fold it as soon as the dryer ends (stops it getting creased then eliminates the need for ironing). Other cleaning I do little bits here and there , so if the kids are sleeping or at preschool then I will quickly clean a bathroom or run the mop over the kitchen floor. It can't all be done in one go when you have little ones , little bits here and there makes a difference and doesn't take as long.

I work 45 plus hours in the corporate world and go home to do a "mom"s work after. I can relate! Following are some suggestions:

- Ditto on flylady - she has some great ideas. Her site can be overwhelming at first, take it step by step. My favorite suggestions from her are with regard to the bathroom. A simple wipe down takes three minutes but is helpful for days.

- EXERCISE! I cannot stress to you enough how important this is. There are so many days I say, "Oh, I don't need to go run today, I have so many other things I could get done". I regret it every time. There has never been a time I have gone running and regretted it. It makes me a better wife and mother.

- Keep one room super clean. I have to sucumb to a messy home sometimes. But I make sure, before I finally sit down for the first time at 9:30 pm (lol), that the room I will be sitting in is clean. It makes me so much more relaxed. Put toys and things in another room. Forget about the other rooms and enjoy your clean one!

- COFFEE!!

- Take a nice warm bubble bath - I know this can be hard to find the time. If I have to, I take my smallest (4 mo old) in his bouncy seat in the bathroom with me. He sits there and "talks" to me while I bathe. If he gets fussy, I yell for hubby!

- Do something for YOU at least weekly - flylady has tips on this also.

- Allow yourself to feel "crazy" or tired - do not ever let anyone make you feel guilty or that you are "not keeping up" with the rest of the moms. Do not compare yourself - ever. Those that seem like they have it all together sometimes don't. You are doing a fabulous job!

I am a FTWM so I have to have an evening schedule just to keep a clean pair of undies for the week. you NEED to make a list for the week for meals and things that need to get done. Tackle the list one day at a time. here is what i do. The things on my list are things i do AFTER the kid go to bed. each takes approx 1-2 hours per night of extra work..In your case since you are home, you COULD knock alot of this out when they go down for a nap

Sunday - Prepare weekly menu(that i copy from online at allrecipes.com) grocery shop for food, wash sheets, make bed. Make Mondays meal
Monday - pick up toys, clean tv room, windex house, make Tuesdays meal
Tuesday- pick up toys, clean kitchen, dust, make Wednesday meal
Wed- pick up toys, clean all bathrooms, start laundry, make thursdays meal
thursday pick up toys, COMPLETE AND PUT ALL LAUNDRY AWAY( i hate thursdays)
Friday pick up toys, clean up bedrooms/office..relax
I try to not do cleaning on the weekends because that my time off work. I try to schedule things with my (1) kid on the weekends so we are not inside the house makeing a mess. Rememeber that the crockpot is your friend. use it alot. I make crock pot meals at least 3 times per week...dont forget to sprinkle in leftovers one night so you dont have to cook.
Do a schedule...even just for one week ..try it out. i think you will like it.

Drive!
I feel for ya, I do! I'm there !!
Take things one day at a time. Pick days to clean.
Mon - Kitchen floors
Tues - bathrooms
Wed- laundry
etc
Nap time is the BEST.
Even if they don't sleep, put them in there beds for an hour or so for "quiet time"
When they're doing that you RELAX.
Take a hot shower/bath. Veg out on the couch and watch your favorite show.

When all the kids are asleep at night. Go for a walk or a drive.
Walk will make you feel better. Just Walk alone, in the quiet.
Anytime you can find even TWO min alone. take FULL advantage of that.
The house will get cleaned. Try not to just clean when you have time to yourself.

Do I get tired? Only always! I'm a WAHM... so I'm working on top of everything you do on a daily basis. Not easy, but I wouldn't have it any other way; I'm very fortunate that I get to work from home. I just know how you feel.

Easier said than done, but try to take 30 minutes (or 2, 15 minute) breaks every day to clear your head and get your mind back on track. Kind of like meditating, but really just ignoring everything for a few minutes. This helps me re-prioritize as needed.

I am also kind of OCD about making myself lists... okay, very OCD... but seeing on paper what I need to accomplish for one day really helps me stay focused and I don't get overwhelmed thinking of what's coming the next day. I also feel like I accomplished something each time I cross something off my list.

There's no easy answer, it's trial and error... and sometimes one thing will work for a while, and suddenly it won't. You'll get there :) Once you have a grasp on it, take mental note of what helps you maintain your sanity, and apply it every day :) Hang in there!!

Mom's don't have sanity, or did you miss that memo? At least *I* lost mine a long time ago.
I usually try to not do it all in one day. I break up chores. Throughout the week I keep things picked up as best as I can, that way it doesn't get out of hand. I do laundry and the bathrooms and maybe one bedroom. Day 2 I will do the kitchen and vaccum, dust and do the other bedrooms. This way seems easier to me because it all gets done and isn't so overwhelming.
Last, I don't sweat the small stuff too much. Life's not going to end if I don't get it all done, and it doesn't look perfect. If babysitting the 4mo old is adding to your stress factor, I think I would give that up. You have to trim the fact to keep some of your sanity.

I'm totally exhausted all the time! And she is 6 now. I don't know what it is like to feel rested. I work from home and homeschool. I did feel like I was losing my mind - going crazy. When I started doing yoga just 10 mins a day. I thought to myself I can let go of 10 mins a day to do this for myself. then I found that it helped so I started doing 15mins a day. I began to feel much more calm and peaceful even when the stress was still there that now i'm up to 20 mins a day. I just have to focus on the "moment" b/c if I start thinking about everything I get overwhelmed. There is a chemical release in the brain when you do yoga that helps. I don't drink either so that wasn't an option for me. Kids love to hangout when your doing yoga.. You can even do yoga with your kids - I have a DVD. Other than that - I drink Valerian tea it is caffeine free and helps relax me on those really bad days... E dad work 14hrs a day...so it is all on me all of the time.. I do understand... Blessings

I don't have an easy answer either but all I can say is that when you can get a break...get out and go walking, shopping catching up with friends etc....Make date nights with your hubby so you feel human..Rest whenever you can...Who's idea to get a puppy???? LOL!

flylady.com has wonderful tips and techniques

now that the weather is warmer, picnic lunches outside does keep the kitchen and dinning room a bit cleaner.

Do a little each day. This is what I do. Yes, it may take longer to do a task or get an entire room cleaned but it keeps me from feeling overwhelmed. Right now I'm 34 weeks pregnant with my 4th baby. My two oldest are in school but the youngest, 4, is still home with me. One day last week all I did was the ceiling fans (6 in total). And the light fixtures. It nearly took me all day but I got it done. Today, I finished a sewing project, mended a wall with drywall compound (primed it) and it will be ready for paint in a couple of hours. I also dusted our entertainment center and cleaned some picture frames. May not seem like much but for my pregnant self that tires very easily, this is a lot. As soon as I put a coat of paint on my wall, I'm done for the day. Do what you can, don't over do it so you don't exhaust yourself and save the rest for another day.

Hi T.,
The answer to your question is YES, I get tired!!!! We have a 4 year old, an 18 month old, and my husband works a lot also. That makes it even more overwhelming to have the puppy and babysit a 4 month old!!!

I think a lot of the mess and laundry that seems never ending has to do with this stage of life. The kids are not in school yet and they require a lot of attention. I had to become more comfortable with things not being perfectly clean and orderly. I know it may be hard to do when you are feeling stressed and overwhelmed, but try to enjoy this time with your kids amongst all the mess because they grow up SO fast.

Ok, so some tips for getting things done and keeping your sanity.
-Do you have a mom's group that you go to so you get some support and adult conversation?
-If you are financially able, try a mother's day out program so you get a break once a week.
-A lot of time that I seem to waste has to do with thinking about not wanting to clean something or not wanting to do something. I have figured out that I waste more time thinking about not wanting to do it than if I would just get on with it. Sometimes I won't start a big task because I know I can't complete it all at one time. I have to get over this because that is the way it is when you have kids - you get interrupted all the time! So just get on with it and get what you can done. If you don't finish, it is ok.
-I don't have a certain day I do laundry. When the basket gets full, I just do it.
-Deal with things one time, the first time. Here is an example of what I mean: when you get your mail, don't set it on the counter to deal with later. Go through it, throw away what you don't need, put your bills in the pile to pay, and deal with whatever else is there. (Either pay your bills as they come in or pay them on the 1st and the 15th or whatever schedule works for you.)
-Check out flylady.net. She has a system where each day you do a little cleaning and eventually your house gets clean. It is more about maintenance than spending all day cleaning. I like it because I get an email from her each day and it just says what to do. I don't have to hem and haw (and waste a bunch of time just trying to make a decision) about what mess I am going to clean up today - I just do the one she says to do!

Good luck! You are not alone!!
Cyndi

I feel for you! My situation is completely different but I am always tired... My DH is a disabled veteran who stays home with our kids and sometimes his illness allows him to pull some weight and clean and do laundry and other it doesn't which leaves me to do it all. It is really hard. Just try not to put so much pressure on yourself and makes things fun. Find some activities your girls like to do that will keep them busy and safe for about 30-45mins and try to clean then. Coloring or bubbles or crafts or whatever... ALSO, my 4 year old LOVES to help. So I let him... he helps with the dishwasher, by drying all the dishes and i take them from him and put them away, he loves to get the clothes out of the dryer and moves them from the washer(on his own, I am not enlisting him in child labor) ;) I hope that helps... but know that everyone feels that way some/most of the time.

Any chance you can hire a service to housebreak the dog? The best kind are where you send the dog off to school for a week or two, and they come back ready to roll.

As for the kids, any chance there's an education day program a couple a days a week or free book time at the local library? It might break up the week so you're not stuck inside so much. Maybe hire a teen to come by for an hour or two in the afternoon, so you can read, rest, or run an errand and get awy for a while.

Tips for getting things done? I wake up earlier than everyone, and do a load or two of laundry then. I try to do a load a day, to keep the workload small and things moving. While laundry is going, I clean. Keep kids toys in locked cabinets so they can haul everything out. They can only have a few things/toys at a time. This really cuts down on clutter. I use a grocery delivery service, and order things on the internet to cut down on shopping trips. I keep the dishwasher running after every meal, and load dirty dishes directly to keep kitchen clutter minimal. I know some say it's not cost effective, but I'm a big fan of paper plates, paper bowls, and plastic utinsils. It really makes cleanup easier. Make the kids put things away every couple of hours. Make a game of it, of course. But then they look forward to it. I use a crockpot alot for simple ready made meals. Leftovers are my best friend when it comes to quick lunches. Don't be afraid to let the kids watch a video or two if they won't nap and you need a mental break! When the weather is nice, it's very recharging for everyone to just sit outside in the yard doing nothing but soaking in the sun, air, grass, trees and flowers.

If by ever you mean almost every day, then yes, lol
I try to go day by day, not always possible and some days seem to never end. But if possible I let my body and mind to lead the way,some days I just get this urge to clean, clean, clean, and do it all, and it feels good, tired but good.
Others I put my head on sand and repite to my self:
"The kids are healthy, there is food in the refrigerator, food and pooh is where they each belong and I am not open the door today, my mess will stay a secret"
or
"How my kids are going to appreciate a clean house if they don't know what is not to have one" lol.
or
"People that thing I am not doing enough don't know what they are talking about...even if they know who cares"lol

Next day I take a double dosis of coffee and I tell my self:
"All this cleaning is making me lose tons of pounds"
"My kids will brag about how mom is so fast/organize"
"Is only today, tomorrow I am locking the door again"

Give your self to laugh and love EVERY day, there is nothing best.

All the time, I get tired of the same old routine day in and day out.

First off, with all those young, active toddler and babies around, I would recommend you get rid of the puppy and adopt a housebroken animal from the shelter. I would go nuts cleaning up puppy messes and toddler messes.

At this stage I would recommend a systematic approach. Every morning start a load of laundry. I would recommend everyone in the family wears the same colors socks and underwear, so there's no searching for those little pieces that always get lost. I have a SIL who would buy adorable outfits from Gymboree with matching socks and then be insulted that my son was not wearing the complete outfit when she saw him. She clearly does not have children.

Every meal should be healthy, balanced and the same for all. Don't cook up different things for different tastes. Just add variety. They'll get what they need.

Kids are great at helping to sort laundry, and unload the dishwasher especially if you have plastic plates and cups for them and store them down low for them to put away, and setting the table, and cleaning up spills. Keep them quarantined to certain rooms that have their favorite books and toys. Keep the bathrooms off limits, only one at a time, so they don't gang up in there and pull it all to shreds.

Get out of the house everyday for a trip to the park, a stroll down the street, walk the malls if it's cold to break up the day. I used to take my kids to the local airport to watch the airplanes take off. Before 9/11. We would park for $1 and take the free shuttle to the airport and ride the escalators. They had lots of running space.

Then do just one household task a day. Come up with a list of chores that need to be done weekly...like clean the bathrooms, then pick a day for that. I like to vacuum on Friday's and Monday's.

Also, come up with a couple of favorite meals and make enough for lunch or another meal. Basically, cook once, eat twice. Like lasagna and spaghetti can be made in large batches. They are easy to freeze and reheat.

Hang in there, these years go by so fast.

Find something that keeps the kids busy like finger painting, playdough, etc while they are doing that, you can do dishes. While they are playing in the living room, you can sit on the couch and fold laundry. I found that choosing a day for certain things helped while my kids were young. Monday was vacuum day, Tuesday was bathroom day, etc I don't have a schedule now b/c I am too busy! ha ha
Laundry is never done and neither are the dishes. Just do what you can. I wash my kids clothes together, they are smaller clothes and they all fit in one load usually. the puppy is probably your most stress, animals make it hard b/c it is like having another kid. I think once the puppy is trained, things will ease up. I watched a baby when my son was young and I found I was REALLY stressed and only could do it a year then had to quit. Maybe you could stop watching the baby. As the baby gets older, it will get harder.
I would also let the kids go outside to play but felt like I had no time to just sit outside and watch them so I would bring my mail outside to go through, any backed up magazines or the newspaper that I had to read to clear away, etc don't put too much stress on yourself, let things go that can be let go. Drop a load of laundry in and go do something else, even before running an errand. When dishes are clean in DW and you don't have time to unload right away, use the clean dishes out of the DW when serving lunch and dinner. It isn't an easy job but you can make it a little easier on yourself by not feeling you have to be supermom. Take some time to relax and just watch the kids play.

Getting rid of *stuff* is a big way to retain your sanity. This may mean selling stuff at a yard sale, tossing it, putting it on ebay/Craigslist/cheapcycle, giving it away on freecycle, boxing it up and putting it into storage, rotating boxes of toys every month (box up some or most of your toys and getting out a "new" box every month while putting away the current "old" ones), or otherwise minimizing stuff. Less stuff = less stuff to clean!

Getting a schedule is also good -- FlyLady is a good resource for that (but just print off the things -- don't go browsing on her site, or you'll be there for hours!). ;-) Having set times that you do things makes it easier for you to get them done.

Involve the kids -- my 4-y/o loves to help me put clothes in the washer and dryer, as well as to fold towels and things.

As for laundry, you may want to lower your standards of when to wash things - i.e., let them wear the same clothes for a couple days unless they're visibly dirty, wash bath towels once a week (you're clean when you use them, so why do they need to be washed every time?), etc. -- to reduce the amount of laundry you have.

I'm tired all the time since I have two kids and work outside the home. How do I cope?

First, I let things go. Things don't get done as frequently as I'd like them, but its OK.

I also enlist the help of my husband. I leave the house at 715 and don't return until 6pm. He works, too, so there is no reason I should have to do it all. I cannot praise my husband enough because there is nothing he will not help with!!

Plan ahead. I double up on meals at times (like casseroles) and freeze them. We also try to plan things that make sense (like, I might grill chicken one night, then have grilled chicken salad the next night, so we don't have to cook again).

I also listen to books on tape. I used to LOVE to read, but I don't have the time anymore. I listen in the car, when I do chores and sometimes when my little one is fussy and needs mom sitting in her room to go to sleep. It is ME time. Come up with creative ways to make time for yourself.

Hon, it never stops. I'm 58 and I still have kids at home (I started late, and I have foster kids.) Just focus on trying to be more comfortable with mess and fuss and stuff being broken, and do what you can. I always get up early so I will have time in the mornings to have my coffee and listen to the birds sing while the sun comes up, in addition to starting the laundry, feeding the pets, cleaning up a little in the kitchen, and compiling my "to do" list for the day.

Make sure you start now getting your 4 year old to "do chores," even if right now it takes a lot of your time and effort to show her and supervise her. When she is older she can help a lot, and she will be a better, more independent person because of it. I think kids should always be held responsible to help run the house. And try to enjoy everything, because the time passes faster than you think!

First off I have to wonder why you assume people are going to tell you to drink? There are so many ways to unwind work out, take a warm bubble bath, play computer games. And if your so overwhelmed why on god's greene earth add a puppy to the mix,.. Crate train the dog or idk but adding stress won't help. I understand being stressed I have 4 children, 8 cats, 2 rabbits and a bunch of fish. Plus go to college and have health issues that prevent me from working. Just do things as you can ..after you have kids the laundry is never full caught up