Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Staying Organized as a Full Time Mom, Wife & Employee

So, I've had a couple of people ask him how I stay organized as a full-time working mom, and I want to start this post off by saying that most of the time, I'm not organized at all. I feel so unorganized in day to day life, and I never feel like I get it all accomplished. More often than not, I feel/know that I'm failing at something. I often feel like I'm not good enough, because I can't keep it all together.

Here's how I "attempt" to stay organized...
  • Our week starts on Sunday, so every Sunday during nap time, I sit down and write out our menu for the week including breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as, snacks. I also make sure that I get a copy of the lunch menu from daycare for the week, so that I can pack food for the boys, if they don't like or I don't like what's being served.
  • After nap, William and I usually go to the grocery store, and I prep food for the week. I cut up veggies, make muffins for grab and go snacks and breakfasts, etc.
  • I set out clothes for the boys every single night before we all go to bed, so if I'm getting ready, Grant can dress them for the day.
  • I do one load of laundry everyday, so I typically fold the load from the night before, and I wash and put the new load in the dryer. Yes, I have to refresh our clothes, but it's worth it. I don't have to wait for the load to finish before heading to bed.
  • I have a lot of help...Grant is great, and he's a huge help to me around the house. He washes all of our dishes and cleans up after dinner. He bathes the boys every night, and he gets Weston to bed. If Weston wakes up in the middle of the night, Grant tends to him. Grant gets both kids up in the morning, and he feds them breakfast while I get ready in mostly peace and quiet. ;)
  • I schedule everything, and I write our schedule on a big board every week including both our weekly menu and any appointments or after work obligations.
  • I prepare bags, bottles and lunches the night before. I always make William's bottles the night before, as well as, fix lunches the night before, so we can just grab them and head out the door in the morning.
  • If I know that dinner is going to take some time to prepare, and I haven't already done it, I use my lunch break to run home (2 miles down the road), and prep for dinner. 
It may sound like I have it all together, but I feel like I don't get it all done in a number of areas...
  • Work - I often have to leave early due to a sick child or arrive late, because we couldn't get out the door. I rarely can work in the evenings, and I often get that request, but my family is more important to me. This is an area where I often feel like I'm not doing a good job.
  • Health & Fitness - I want to work out...I do, but William still wakes up in the night, and since he's our last baby, I'm not in a hurry to get him to sleep all night, so I'm tired in the morning. I don't have much spare time between work and home, so I don't get to do this as often as I need or want to. 
  • Grant - We have been working to have a great relationship and spend that important time together, but it's SO easy to slip. It's so easy to be so busy and the hustle and bustle of life, and it just gets away from you. It's gotten away from us this week, and we need to reign ourselves in a bit and focus on one another.
  • Housework - I want to keep a clean house, and my house is very clean and organized. I pick up toys and wipe down counters every night, but I don't dust as often as I should, clean the bathrooms nearly enough or mop the floor regularly. I want to, and I try, but it's just one of the things we let go to an extent to spend more QT with our kids.
That's our schedule...I hope it helps someone out there with organization. I'm totally OCD, and so some of this is difficult for me, and I'm never perfect, but we are trying. :) 

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