Balancing Work and Home

[AuntieWOW]

Can it be done successfully? If so, how?

[frozen5]

Hi! I am looking for suggestions on how to get the family to help out with the chores and such. I have recently gone back to work after 4 years of staying at home and I think I have spoiled the kids and the hubby! Can anyone help? Trying to juggle work and all the things I do around the house is exhausting!

[DrHilieWho]

((((frozen)))) Congrats on your new job and I LOVE the smiley! LOL It's so cute!

The only tip I have is for clothes and how to get them picked up. Basically, if it isn't picked up by the person who owns it, it stays where it is. If it's not in the hamper it doesn't get washed. Eventually someone at school or work will say "you stink" and the clothes will end up in the hamper.

This worked with a certain person I know *g* If anyone has ideas on getting the dishes washed, or the garbage taken out OR the catpan cleaned, I'd love to hear them. Thanks.

[LiamFan!]

I do the dishes most of the time.

Garbage...if I'm going out the door and the bag is full, I'll take it out. If I'm not going out, but I know someone else is, I'll take the bag out and tie it up and leave it by the door, and it gets taken out by the next person going out the door.

[kathe nichols]

My husband and I always kind of split the chores along our tolerance levels.. I don't mind clutter, but HATE dirty dishes. He hated smelly dogs so he washed them, I made sure they had food. Pretty much whoever couldn't stand some condition around the house, took care of it.

That doesn't work so well now that our kids are older (9 and 13). Their tolerance level for things is just too high. So when my husband or I can't stand something and don't have time to clean it up, any idle child is fair game. They have learned to keep busy... :::weg:::

[christa]

For some stories of women who really do it all check out this site called ?Women Making History ? Today.? (www.csmonitor.com/women) it?s a facet of http://www.csmonitor.com, the online edition of The Christian Science Monitor.

Comprised of more than 150 past Monitor articles on women, it is a great resource because it is updated weekly with fresh content. It covers the topics of work, home & family, body/ image, religion, sports, politics, and women's rights

Check it out at http://www.csmonitor.com/women. I hope you?ll find it to be very useful.

[LiamFan!]

A fine paper...thanks for the resource, christa!

[frozen5]

I am beginning to think that this will forever be a balancing act. And I am almost possitive that in the next couple of months my hours will be increased which is wonderful but means less time for things at home. It's a never ending battle isn't it?

[WahmWOW]

Yes, yes, and yes How is your job going frozen? Have you gotten the kids and the hubby to start pitching in around the house a little more? Hopefully school starting will help out.

[WahmWOW]

Yes, yes, and yes How is your job going frozen? Have you gotten the kids and the hubby to start pitching in around the house a little more? Hopefully school starting will help out.

[DLC55]

WOW..how'd I miss this folder, lolol...

(((frozen))) years ago, I worked full time, had two young children, a husband who is now an ex, did most of the yard work, gardening(2 btw)house cleaning etc,and went to school part time taking accounting.

I often, especially lately, look back and think how easy it was compared to now. I'm thinking it was the job that made it easier... Throughout the years I've moved up in the company and found it harder and harder to balance it all so I quit school, divorced, move to the county vs the country and stayed with this company all these years. I loved every job I had with this company, but the stress wasn't worth missing out on times spent with family and friends.

Almost 3 years ago, I started stepping down in positions. It still isn't any easier, but it's getting there. The day I gave up two pagers and a cell phone, 12 hours a day 6 days a week on call was one of the best days of my working career. It won't stop there either. I'm constantly looking for that stressless job:-P

[Sunshine]

Recently, I chose to work a schedule of four-ten hour days. Which means I am gone for at least 13 hours a day. This really limits what can be done. I am so bogged down with this schedule and it seems that my husbands priority is to watch T.V. and lounge around. Am still trying to be creative with solutions. Any ideas would be appreciated, with the exception of dropping the T.V. out of the second story window. Sunshine

[bebe]

Hi there! The balancing act is the most challenging thing I've had to deal with (besides rasing my kids.) I work full-time and own a home. I have only one child (if you count the husband, that's 2!) at home, he's 10. I get home at 6 p.m. every night and my husband puts in 12 and 13 hr days. Our house is never really clean and we have talked about getting a maid but it wasn't in the budget then. Now, things are a bit better so we may be able to squeeze $140 every 2 weeks out for a good cleaning. Lately, we've been putting off house cleaning a lot and it's really bothering me. I don't feel I have to devote all of my free time to cleaning. Although my husband has been good about doing his share, he's slacked off considerably since his job became more demanding. My son does his room, takes the dishes out of the dishwasher, sometimes he vacuums and cleans one of the bathrooms. Of course, I always have to ask him to do it. I wish I had the answer, but I don't. When we're all tired from a hard week, there's just no energy for the upkeep of the house.

[LiamFan!]

I sympathize totally with you, bebe. I was just talking to someone today about this. Weekends are something I look so forward to, but by the time they roll around, I'm so exhausted from working all week that I can't do anything. It's a vicious circle.

[Lou]

Hi. When I had two small children at home, I could not keep up with the vacuuming, dusting, mopping, etc., and had to just lay down any old beliefs I'd held about sanitation and what constitutes a good woman. <g>

But back then, my mom would pay me visits on Saturdays (she held a full-time job), and during those visits, she'd smoothly and quickly do all the ironing, clean my stove, mop my kitchen, and voila! --things were done. I didn't know how she did it; I was just grateful.

Now, my own daughter has two small children, a husband, a big house, and she teaches part-time. She says that she looks at the stove and hasn't the energy to clean it. I understand. So, when I pay a visit, I scrub her stove top, mop the floor, iron my s-i-l's shirts, and water the yard--all as quickly and easily as my mom once did my chores.

I think about my mom while I am doing this, understand now where she was in her life back when she was helping me out, understand the joy that comes from being helpful, wanted, needed, loved.

I look at my infant granddaughter sometimes and think about all that I want to tell her. :-)

Can you get yourself a grandma? <g>