Taking the pressure off

[natlou82]

I'm currently very busy, I work 55 hrs per week plus the usual paperwork and I've just started my level 3. I've 2 children of my own an at weekends would love more quality time with them and my DH but often end up catching up on housework, laundry and ironing! Do any of you get outside help with these tasks? Do you find it good value for money?

[moggy]

I try to do as much as possible while working-

I put a load of laundry on when I get up at 7am and it is ready to hang on the line after school run (mindees 'help' pass the pegs or play in garden while I hang laundry)

I clean windows downstairs while mindees playing, they can help (I use plain vinegar in a spray bottle)

I run round with the vacuum cleaner downstairs while children are playing- they might 'help' and they like to press the cord-wind button.

I wash-up or load dishwasher while they are finishing meal, or they help and bring their own plates over etc. I wipe down kitchen, unload dishwasher and prep dinner during nap time.

We tidy up as we go along.

I iron once a week on a Sunday night and DH or I vac upstairs once a week so they are the main things I don;t do while working. Along with stripping the beds and cleaning bathroom.

I don't like to pay for someone to do what I can do while being paid!

[Maza]

I have a cleaner who comes on my 'day off' for three hours. I say 'day off' because I don't child mind on that day but sometimes do supply teaching. When I am at home it is my busiest day because I thoroughly tidy every room so that she can actually clean. If I am working on that day then I have the busiest evening the night before she comes. I clear away all art/craft projects that we did earlier in the week, pack away all toys and laundry etc. I also like to have dinner cooked before she cleans the kitchen. It doesn't seem like much but by the time Thursday (cleaner day) comes around most surfaces in my house are covered with paintings drying, small world scenes, random toys, paint pots that I never got round to cleaning, sensory tubs, treasure baskets etc.

I resisted getting a cleaner for so long, way after all of my friends had one, but it was getting me down as I couldn't stay on top of it. Now I couldn't be without one. I have cancelled her this week because we are going away and I must admit I do feel rich by having the thirty quid in my pocket that I would have paid out. Not that I feel poor when she does come because I can more than justify that cost in many ways - it just feels like a little bonus when I don't have to pay! We won't be at home to mess up anyway!

Some people have a cleaner every other week to keep costs down, but you should look into it. x

[natlou82]

I do understand what you are saying Moggy, I do try and do what I can feasibly do during the day I'm regularly chopping veg, browning meat etc for the slow cooker at 7am and where I can include the mindees I do. My EY children are 16 and 18 months though and can be quite a handful when they are together as you can imagine! As they get older it may get a little easier to get them involved in fun household tasks. I'm starting to consider a cleaner but need to weigh up the pros and cons.

[hectors house]

Are you doing too much paperwork, could you cut down on that? I have been using Tapestry for a year and it does help in that I can type in the details of a craft or outing that all the children took part in and then split it and put in child's own journal, add their photos, personalise the observation eg: x stirred the cake mixture, y cracked the eggs etc, link it to EYFS using drop down menus and that's 2 or 3 observations added to journals in one go.

I am determined to do more of my housework, small chores and paperwork while children are here - I have just finished a level 3 course and have found it incredibly hard to give up my "day off" to do the course and having to give up my evenings and weekends to do the coursework, so I completely understand why you are concerned. Do your mindees sleep at the same time, could you spend an hour doing chores then, I only had 2 mindees on Friday and managed to make a pavlova and a cheese sauce (for cauli cheese) for tea as had whole family coming for roast evening meal while they slept - that really helped.

[natlou82]

Thanks HH I think time management is the key, tbh I've started to panic that I've took too much on. I'll be thinking of better ways to make use of my time and see how I get on.

[Lal]

I get the 'important' ironing done at our local dry cleaning company- its mainly my husband's shirts at the moment. For me it is really food value for money. We worked out it costs much less than the difference between my husband buying lunch everyday and me making him a packed lunch (which I didn't have time to do because I was ironing his shirt each morning).

I do the majority of my shopping online- I have a delivery pass which means I pay £5 a month for someone else to do the shopping. I've found the best delivery slot for me is 7-8am on a Monday morning. I menu plan for family and minding on a Sunday night then finalise the order. I'm in the process of developing a rolling fixed menu for minding which will make it easier.

I batch cook when I know I can e.g. on a Monday after school I only have my daughter and one other who play really nicely so I can cook then. I box or bag portions up a label them with the date I plan to use them and freeze. I always do a couple of spare portions. I have started to use my microwave more for cooking things like rice and potatoes so I spend less time in the kitchen/ worrying about pans on the hob.

We spend a lot of time in the garden so I keep on top of the weeding etc while they are playing.

I use tapestry so frequently add observations from my ipod during the day.

I do only mind 20ish hrs a week plus my OU study, but my husband usually works 55-60 hrs a week in the office and more at home. We have started to put family time in the diary and make sure we do something as a family.

If I worked more hours or if we had a bigger house I would have a cleaner.

[Mouse]

Does your family help around the house?

My DH used to do very little to help. His attitude was that I was at home all day, so it was OK to leave me to do all the chores! I pointed out that I started working an hour before he was even out of bed and carried on working an hour after he'd got home, put his slippers on and plonked himself in front of the TV after a "hard day at work"!

I still do the majority of the downstairs housework, but I do what I can during the day. He is responsible for the upstairs housework as I can't/won't do that while I'm working.

I try to do the majority of my paperwork during the day, but will spend one weekend every 4 or 5 weeks catching up on anything that needs more attention.

Often on a Friday evening, or the last day before a holiday, I get my children to help tidy up & clean everywhere, so we can all have a break.

The only thing I do get someone else to do is the ironing. I have a lady come & collect it from me, them drop it back again all nicely pressed and on hangers. It just needs putting straight in the wardrobes and that's it done! I do hate ironing, so would have someone else do that even if I didn't work at all!

[k1rstie]

The best ironing advise I have is don't do any!! My mothers advise was to never iron a mans shirt.
My husband irons his own each morning.
My daughter is 15 and she irons her own army cadet uniform. I might iron school shirts on the first week of term.

I wash clothes carefully, and shake the creases out before putting on the line. I sometimes even put them on hangers before putting the hangers on the line. I also have an electric clothes airer from Lakeland. This is brill! I hang my clothes on hangers on this and the creases disappear. My old mans shirts actually need very little ironing.

I am completely disorganised in every other aspect of my life. !!!!!!

I also have an GTECH electric floor sweeper, the noise of this is not too loud, and doesn't scare the children. My kids love to 'Hoover' my living room rug

[hectors house]

The best ironing advise I have is don't do any!! My mothers advise was to never iron a mans shirt.
My husband irons his own each morning.
My daughter is 15 and she irons her own army cadet uniform. I might iron school shirts on the first week of term.

I wash clothes carefully, and shake the creases out before putting on the line. I sometimes even put them on hangers before putting the hangers on the line. I also have an electric clothes airer from Lakeland. This is brill! I hang my clothes on hangers on this and the creases disappear. My old mans shirts actually need very little ironing.

I am completely disorganised in every other aspect of my life. !!!!!!

I also have an GTECH electric floor sweeper, the noise of this is not too loud, and doesn't scare the children. My kids love to 'Hoover' my living room rug

My husband irons all his own shirts and makes his own lunch - I sometimes set the cooker timer for 10 mins before we go to bed and both me & hubby do 10 mins tidying up which makes it easier to hoover up in the morning before kids come.

[natlou82]

My DH is brilliant and does try his best to lighten my load but he also works full time - shifts! I find the week he is on lates the hardest as when my last mindee leaves at 6pm I still have tidying, reading / bathing my own children and then if I have any energy left getting on with my level 3!

[Maza]

When you say 'reading' do you mean listening to your children read their school books? Could you possibly do this while your mindees are there? My mindees know that this is what we do and I give them something quiet to be getting along with while I hear DD read, because she is too tired once the mindees have gone home at 6.15 and makes more mistakes. I won't budge on that one.

I don't know how old your children are but sometimes I put my DD in the bath when the mindees are here. I'm lucky in that I live in a flat and so the bathroom is right off the dining room where we do most of our playing, so she is close by. She is 6. It takes the pressure off the evenings as there isn't much time between 6.15 and bedtime.

Now that the weather is getting better, try to do some outdoor picnic dinners - less clean up and it means the mindees are outside and not 'messing up' indoors. You could all have a tidy up before you go out and then it is done.

Look at your routine throughout the week. My cleaner comes on a Thursday and so we don't do any really messy activities after Wednesday as I like to head towards the weekend with a few clear surfaces! x

[natlou82]

Yes Maza I do mean my own children reading. I try and do it when the mindees are here but I have 7 every evening so sometimes it is difficult. I love the picnic idea and do have days where I do lighter dinners. Thanks so much everyone for your input. Lots of food for thought I just need to make it all just run a bit more smoothly, some of these suggestions are really helpful and I will definately be giving them a go :-)

[FloraDora]

7 every night sounds a lot, including the two under 2?

I find tidying up half an hour before home time helps, we all tidy up together, then we just have quiet music and puzzles or games. When the last one leaves the house is tidy and free from Childminding resources in the living room and dining room.

Could you all get up a little earlier and do reading in the morning - when they are more refreshed? We used to run a reading club before school and the parents said their children made much more progress when they read in the morning than the frought ' I am tired/ parents are frought/ not enough time in the evening scenario.

Like Maza, as a working mum I did hold off long after my friends in employing a cleaner, but once I did.....I would do without every luxury to afford her - she was with me in the end for 20 years and only left when my husband retired ( she retired too). She always made my beds look like they were a posh hotel bed- she loved children's toys and had 4 children so if she tidied up the boys toys she made set ups- they loved it and her, they wrote messages to each other too!
My latest cleaner ( DH) isn't a patch on thoroughness but doesn't cost anything!
So, YES, try to afford a cleaner would be my advice. If the average is £30 then that's just one child on one day that pays for her/him.

[Maza]

Wow Floradora, 20 years with one cleaner! I have had a cleaner for three years and have had 6 different cleaners! One returned to her home country, two got pregnant and I let two go because they weren't worth the money at all. All very sweet.

Seven children each night does sound a lot. I pay my cleaner £10 an hour but I am in London. I go without other things to justify the cost because it really does help my stress levels.

Now you see morning reading would not work for my family. Mornings are more frought than evenings in this house! I have occasionally had to do morning reading and even had to do it at the bus stop and on a crowded bus on the way to school. To think, in my former job as Literacy co-ordinator I used to do talks/presentations to parents ever year on how to hear your child read! We are all human and reading on the bus certainly wasn't the norm!

[natlou82]

Tbh one of the school Mums used to clean hotel rooms as a job but now works part time in a shop so I may ask her if it's something she'd be interested in as I'd feel happier with someone I know and trust. I like to try and be superwoman, and I get so annoyed with myself when I feel something is slipping. I really would like to figure this out without outside help (control freak in me lol). But am thinking that a cleaner could be really helpful. Another option I've thought about is getting an apprentice, not to increase my numbers btw but to be an extra pair of hands. Lots to consider!

[hectors house]

This afternoon while one mindee was in bed, my other mindee aged 3 years helped me bath my smelly dog - mindee wore his coat and wellies, I put some water in bottom of shell paddling pool - dog and mindee stood in it, mindee enjoyed pouring warm water from watering can over the dog and helping rub in shampoo, rinse off again and towel dry. His mum thought it was a great idea and suggested he went home and bathed his own dog too.

Also after reading your post today, I have made myself make a bolognese that children can eat tomorrow and I can batch freeze the rest - I just chopped veg while they were eating their lunch and browned mince, added sauces (I don't make my own) and left it to simmer for couple of hours. (It always tastes better the next day).

[tess1981]

I always get the children to help tidy up at the end of the day... After all the mess was created by them and I count it as part of my job to tidy up together. If the children were not here that mess would not be here. When I worked in a creche we tidied up before we went home and the children were still there. The children like to load the washing machine and attempt to fold clothes. I often cook extra so I can freeze it. Someone mentioned cleaning windows. If I walk into a room and see the Window is dirty I will clean it. It leaves all the windows get done at some stage just not altogether. And not in the same week lol. When I'm outside I weed a little or brush up the play area while the children are with me. It's important I feel they see this happens as it teaches them to tidy up after themselves and keeping things in good order. I have got children to help me make a bed or put stuff in my children's room like a pair of shoes or a coat... This only happens on occasions but somewhere in the day they get a wee job to do even if it's only pitting that one stray brick we found under the sofa into the box. The oldest boy at mine started to ask could he help me.prepare snack and lay the table and clear the table... of course I said yes... They were only little jobs but it all helped

[natlou82]

Thanks I do need to get better at this. You've all given me a lot of ideas where I could potentially manage my time better. I will definitely start doing a few more tasks whilst the children are here and getting them more involved. I am getting better at making sure the toys are tidied away before the children leave we usually have a tidy up sing and everyone works together which is great! Sometimes time gets away with me though and everyone's gone and it's still a mess so I'll get my act together on that. I'm going to attempt to do the reading when the mindees are still here and see how it goes. I've been getting better with cooking as I've been using my slow cooker a lot which helps, I would love to batch cook but my freezer is too small and I never have enough room to store meals. At some point it'll need replacing (it's 12 yrs old) and then I ll buy a more suitable one. I'm also going to try and do my paperwork at nap times. My husband is also going to help me more as we've chatted about it. I'll make these changes and see how I get on :-)

[hectors house]

Sometimes I think to myself "it's not worth starting that as only have 10 mins before children arrive or until we have to go out" then I remind myself that when I am swimming on a Sunday morning that I manage to swim 1/4 mile in 10 mins and that a lot can be achieved in that time.

[tess1981]

Sometimes I think to myself "it's not worth starting that as only have 10 mins before children arrive or until we have to go out" then I remind myself that when I am swimming on a Sunday morning that I manage to swim 1/4 mile in 10 mins and that a lot can be achieved in that time.

Those wee 10 mins here and there always help....

[Lal]

I also remind myself that if I wasn't working at home I'd need to spend at least 15mins each end of the day commuting. I have started to make sure I use this time effectively and view it as bonus time for either childminding or home tasks. I have found that thinking about what I would be doing if I wasn't minding makes it seem more worthwhile e.g. I can get extra loads of laundry done on a dry day or be around to get washing in if it starts to rain. I also remind myself on a busy day that if I've only done one housework job while minding its one more than I would have done than if I was working in a nursery.
I also often use the shorter dishwasher cycle so I can empty and reload quicker (I only have a slimline dishwasher and everything apart from non-stick and sharp knives go in so its a busy little machine!)

[Lal]

The little one I have love playing the sock snap game- lots of learning opportunities too- colour, size, pattern .......:)

[VeggieSausage]

I am just getting a cleaner, she is coming to see me tomorrow....at first I really struggled but as time has gone on I have got better at time management but work really hard all week and I don't want to spend all weekend cleaning....so I am getting someone in. I think if you have 7 children after school etc then your time is short so why not get one and lighten the load, what are we working for after all if not to make life better. I do things like when I hang the washing up I immediately fill the machine again so the next morning or whatever I can just put it on. I have reduced the clutter, bin stuff I have been keeping just in case if it hasn't been used in a half term, finish what I am doing before moving on to the next thing.....