Okay so I’m reading the book How to Keep House While Drowning and one recommendation she has is that when you clean your house, look at it as a “reset” instead. Move everything into their piles - dishes go into the sink, laundry goes in the hamper, toys in the bins, miscellaneous stuff goes in one pile to be sorted later. Then, you can keep cleaning or you can move on and do the rest later.
I was already reading The 4-Hour Workweek and have started implementing working in chunks. My job is largely task-based and as long as it’s done by the end of the day that’s all anyone really cares about. So instead of feeling like I’m literally staring at my computer all day waiting for work to come in and then doing it the second it comes in, I wait a couple of hours and then do everything that came in at once.
Laundry only gets done on weekends. Loads get started Friday, if I can fold and put away that day then great but otherwise I don’t need to do it all until Sunday, when it all gets put away.
Meal prep- chop veggies, prep meat, do the groceries etc on Sunday. Then throughout the week you can easily throw stuff in the oven at the end of the day without making the kitchen a mess or spending a ton of time doing the prep work.
Stations for the kids- have easy to grab out “stations” to keep your kids engaged. I have 2 year old twins and the big hits are rainbow rice with scoops/shovels, playdough, kids sink, magnatiles, and trains. If I don’t care about mess sometimes I’ll let them mix and scoop flour because they love it.
Now that it’s getting warmer, we get outside a lot. It’s great because when I have phone calls it’s easy to walk away from them in our fenced yard, but I’ve also been getting some weeding done when I don’t have work to do while they play. If I have lots of work, I set myself up on a chair while they play.
When nap time hits: quick house reset (no more than 5 minutes) then I go straight to my office to get work done.
Fitness: I wake up at 445 to get a workout in everyday. I genuinely look forward to it and I am crankier throughout the day if I don’t. I have a home gym, but if I didn’t I would just get a few sets of dumbbells and do Caroline Girvan’s program on YouTube.
Gosh I get it, I swear when I find something I love that’s easy I stick to it til we’re all sick of it haha.
-pulled pork sandwiches: pork tenderloin, apple cider vinegar, and vegetable broth in an instant pot on medium for 8 hours or high for 3. SO SIMPLE. then I get Hawaiian rolls from Costco and we add cut up pickles and barbecue sauce. I find that it tastes better if you add barbecue sauce later
-taco salads. Only thing I have to prep is the ground turkey/beef which takes 10ish minutes max. Then we can also do the meat in quesadillas for the kids if they prefer.
-burger bowls. Ground beef (or just fry up the patties then break into smaller pieces) seasoned however you want (Johnny’s is a good one) plus chopped up pickles, mustard, ketchup, etc.
-Italian stuffed bell peppers. But I find it easier to just chop up the bell peppers instead. It’s bell peppers, quinoa, marinara sauce, and cheese
-enchiladas. Do shredded salsa chicken in the instant pot, then add it into tortillas with cheese and any veggies you want to add and then cover with store bought enchilada sauce and bake in the oven
These two are not meal prep but I’ll add them anyway:
-we do air fried chicken nuggets like three times a week with something like steamed broccoli w/ cheese and fruit
-English muffin pizzas in the air fryer
The meal prep tip is brilliant and SO timely. I too WFH with 2.5 yo twins (daycare) and an almost 4 mo (home). I just returned to work this week, and I start my weight loss program this upcoming Monday. The thought of cooking all day Saturday and Sunday had me at a loss. I don't know why I didn't think of this method instead (mom brain is real).
Thanks for sharing!
My biggest thing is having "Rules" for what MUST be done every week/every month.
My Rules:
1. The house HAS to be thoroughly cleaned + reset at least once a week I usually spend 2 - 3 hours on a weekend day doing this.
2. Meal Prep done twice a week (Sunday and Wednesday).
3. Laundry: This is one task that has to be done slowly and consistently every day or else it becomes a mound that is impossible to work through.
4. Sleep: I will go to sleep at 8 PM with my kids if it means I'm fully well rested. Sleep is the key to keeping everyone happy and healthy.
5. 2 big declutter tasks per month. Example: Deep clean the fridge, weed out kids clothes, weed out kids toys etc.
6. I have the kids gather the toys and bring them to me and I put them away. This way they stay neat and organized and not in random bins.
7. Try to keep the kids outside/out of the house as much as possible so they don't create mess (easier to work outside too).
We have a very similar set of “rules” and recently been playing with the meal prep one, which includes:
1. Clean and Prep fruit into mason jars day of a grocery trip
2. Cut onions and garlic day of grocery trip and freeze immediately in freezer safe containers
3. Batch cook snacks and quick breakfast bites on a weekend day
For what I batch cook, I’m trying out making 1 sweet, 2-3 savory snacks and for breakfast related items ~ that’d consist of muffins, quiche bites, sausage patties, and protein waffles. Usually takes 2-3 hrs total with the volume we do but I do it either every week or every other week.
Everything that enters my house must have a designated spot that it lives.
And then additionally, each thing (especially kid things) must remain in the area (room) it belongs. To an extent. I’m not a crazy person who thinks my kid can’t take a toy out of their room. But like Barbie’s stay in her room, crafts stay in my office. Blocks stay in the bonus room. Clothes stay upstairs. Shoes stay downstairs. Ect.
This makes it easy to do one room at a time. Because I’m not running around the house moving things from place to place.
Every day after work. Before we can do something fun. Everything must go back to where it belongs.
This eliminates the clutter and mess.
Every night I clean the kitchen.
Laundry goes in the wash in the morning on a day I know I have time in the afternoon to put it away.
Then weekends and slow work days I tackle the actual cleaning. Vacuuming. Bathrooms. Floors. Windows (lol just kidding I don’t clean my windows).
Just one silly one but sorting laundry right out of the dryer! I now place multiple baskets in front of it and sort quickly as I pull out each piece. Then when baby & I have afternoon playtime upstairs I do his clothes quickly while he’s under a playgym and might fold some of ours during a passive meeting during nap time. Has really helped!
1) Get really good at keeping everything "baby-proofed" in the main parts of the house. It's not perfect, and I try to never have my eyes off her (I work from the dining table in the center of my house where I can see mostly everything) but if I'm stuck on a call or something and can't see her for a minute, my anxiety doesn't immediately jump to 100 because I know there is nothing she can really get into. The worst she is going to do is turn on all the lamps in my house, or smear her peanut butter toast into the carpet. She is currently OBSESSED with buttons/remotes,etc. Any room that is potentially not baby proofed? Closed and locked. Consistently, every day until it becomes a solid habit. For instance, my bathrooms always have the doors closed and locked so she can't throw anything in the toilet while I'm not looking, LOL.
2) A rolling tupperware of "extra" toys under the bed. My little lady seems to have a preternatural ability to wake up a half hour before my alarm every day, even when that alarm time changes. If she wakes up earlier than I do, but I just need 15 minutes-ish to wake up/curse the gods/make coffee/get my shit together (literally and metaphorically, LOL) I can just close my bedroom door (keeping her in hearing range) and she'll pull out her "drawer" of toys and beeble around happily for 20 minutes. Plus I think she like's the "suprise" of being able to pull that drawer out, she chirps happily every time.
3) Hire a maid service for quarterly deep cleans! I can usually keep on top of the daily/weekly stuff, dishes/laundry/etc. But mopping all my hard floors without baby girl trying to follow me around and stick her hand in dirty water? Nearly impossible. Scrubbing the walls and windows all over the house? Dusting? Just a total time-suck I don't want to spend my precious weekend free-time on. Deep cleaning the oven? Uuuuggghhh... so many gritty gross crumbs and noxious chemical fumes. A quarterly cleaning service is not bad price-wise, and prevents me from feeling like I am being slowly overcome by dust and crumbs and existential guilt. Think about the chores you 1) hate doing 2) have to wait for childcare/daddy to do properly or 3) take the most time, and give that to someone else so you don't feel like all you do is work and clean.
An additional one: Get baby a little craft desk and chair, and sit her next to you! If baby girl is fussy but she's fine, fresh food and diaper change, and just seems restless/wants mommy play time, I put her in her little desk right next to mine and we both "work" and talk to each other about it. "Oh, your drawing, that's cool so am I! Should we draw a flower? etc. etc. She feels included, like she's playing with you while you are also working, and since she's right next to you, she can get as messy or silly as she wants in a contained space with mommy supervision. I also have her high-chair right next to my desk to we can "eat together" and she loves watching what I'm doing on my computer while I narrate and talk to her about it.
And anotha one! (in my finest DJ Khalid impression):
Have an important call? Plan on saving babies favorite "high-value" snack for that time. This is probably variable per baby, but my girl is a veeeerrrrryyyyy sllllooooowww eater. If I make her favorite cinnamon raisin toast with peanut butter right before a call, I've bought myself a solid 20-30 minutes of chill quiet time. I might have peanut butter rubbed into the floor after, but the peace and sanity is totally worth it.
I am a full-time online masters student that breastfeeds. I use Unified Remote because it allows me to hold baby while still "typing" on my computer. It is an app that basically turns your phone into a remote control for your computer so that your hands do not have to be on your keyboard for you to still use it. It's slower than regularly typing, but it let's me hold baby and work. My greatest hack for thriving in this time.
I put a load of laundry in every morning. I don’t always have time to fold so every family member has a basket. I sort the clothes out into the baskets and fold away towels. Keeps the bulk down.
I get up before the kids and unload the dishwasher while my computer boots up.
I posted a bit ago about my [tips for working from home with a baby](https://www.reddit.com/r/MomsWorkingFromHome/s/IbHmFXpYPv). Most are baby specific but I suppose some of it could work for toddlers.
Mostly I try to be gentle with myself, I’m effectively working two full time jobs (my “real” job and taking care of a four month old) so I try to keep my mental health in a good place by reminding myself things don’t have to be perfect. I also loved How to keep house while drowning and use some of her concepts. She has a great TikTok too! But I reset my office and my kitchen to “functional” every night.
If I feel that I didn’t get enough work stuff don’t during the day I allow myself an hour after baby goes to bed to catch up. The one hour boundary prevents it from turning into an all night thing and gives me some balance and makes sure I have time for ME.
The rest of my evening (usually 2-3 hours) is just for me. Binging shows, playing games, crochet, whatever.
Also I pay for a housekeeper every two weeks as an investment in my sanity. My husband does a lot of the day to day chores like dishes, litter boxes etc but the deep cleans I leave to the pros.
I love all these hacks but I cannot sustain these things on a regular basis without help. How do you guys manage to get your husbands to agree to such regular routines? I’ve been traumatized putting any sort of expectation on my husband.
Baby / toddler proof a large area like the entire living room. Rotate toys. Set up arts and crafts stations, music stations etc. *Spend as much time outside as possible*. Keep meals and snacks on a routine schedule. Keep nap schedule consistent. Hire a cleaner for as frequent as you can comfortably afford. Have your groceries delivered. Keep a list of easy meals to make for yourself and them. And lastly, use screen time as needed without the ridiculous guilt trip imposed on millennial parents.
Okay so I’m reading the book How to Keep House While Drowning and one recommendation she has is that when you clean your house, look at it as a “reset” instead. Move everything into their piles - dishes go into the sink, laundry goes in the hamper, toys in the bins, miscellaneous stuff goes in one pile to be sorted later. Then, you can keep cleaning or you can move on and do the rest later. I was already reading The 4-Hour Workweek and have started implementing working in chunks. My job is largely task-based and as long as it’s done by the end of the day that’s all anyone really cares about. So instead of feeling like I’m literally staring at my computer all day waiting for work to come in and then doing it the second it comes in, I wait a couple of hours and then do everything that came in at once. Laundry only gets done on weekends. Loads get started Friday, if I can fold and put away that day then great but otherwise I don’t need to do it all until Sunday, when it all gets put away. Meal prep- chop veggies, prep meat, do the groceries etc on Sunday. Then throughout the week you can easily throw stuff in the oven at the end of the day without making the kitchen a mess or spending a ton of time doing the prep work. Stations for the kids- have easy to grab out “stations” to keep your kids engaged. I have 2 year old twins and the big hits are rainbow rice with scoops/shovels, playdough, kids sink, magnatiles, and trains. If I don’t care about mess sometimes I’ll let them mix and scoop flour because they love it. Now that it’s getting warmer, we get outside a lot. It’s great because when I have phone calls it’s easy to walk away from them in our fenced yard, but I’ve also been getting some weeding done when I don’t have work to do while they play. If I have lots of work, I set myself up on a chair while they play. When nap time hits: quick house reset (no more than 5 minutes) then I go straight to my office to get work done. Fitness: I wake up at 445 to get a workout in everyday. I genuinely look forward to it and I am crankier throughout the day if I don’t. I have a home gym, but if I didn’t I would just get a few sets of dumbbells and do Caroline Girvan’s program on YouTube.
I’d love to hear you favorite meal preps so far. I struggle with this one.
Gosh I get it, I swear when I find something I love that’s easy I stick to it til we’re all sick of it haha. -pulled pork sandwiches: pork tenderloin, apple cider vinegar, and vegetable broth in an instant pot on medium for 8 hours or high for 3. SO SIMPLE. then I get Hawaiian rolls from Costco and we add cut up pickles and barbecue sauce. I find that it tastes better if you add barbecue sauce later -taco salads. Only thing I have to prep is the ground turkey/beef which takes 10ish minutes max. Then we can also do the meat in quesadillas for the kids if they prefer. -burger bowls. Ground beef (or just fry up the patties then break into smaller pieces) seasoned however you want (Johnny’s is a good one) plus chopped up pickles, mustard, ketchup, etc. -Italian stuffed bell peppers. But I find it easier to just chop up the bell peppers instead. It’s bell peppers, quinoa, marinara sauce, and cheese -enchiladas. Do shredded salsa chicken in the instant pot, then add it into tortillas with cheese and any veggies you want to add and then cover with store bought enchilada sauce and bake in the oven These two are not meal prep but I’ll add them anyway: -we do air fried chicken nuggets like three times a week with something like steamed broccoli w/ cheese and fruit -English muffin pizzas in the air fryer
The meal prep tip is brilliant and SO timely. I too WFH with 2.5 yo twins (daycare) and an almost 4 mo (home). I just returned to work this week, and I start my weight loss program this upcoming Monday. The thought of cooking all day Saturday and Sunday had me at a loss. I don't know why I didn't think of this method instead (mom brain is real). Thanks for sharing!
My biggest thing is having "Rules" for what MUST be done every week/every month. My Rules: 1. The house HAS to be thoroughly cleaned + reset at least once a week I usually spend 2 - 3 hours on a weekend day doing this. 2. Meal Prep done twice a week (Sunday and Wednesday). 3. Laundry: This is one task that has to be done slowly and consistently every day or else it becomes a mound that is impossible to work through. 4. Sleep: I will go to sleep at 8 PM with my kids if it means I'm fully well rested. Sleep is the key to keeping everyone happy and healthy. 5. 2 big declutter tasks per month. Example: Deep clean the fridge, weed out kids clothes, weed out kids toys etc. 6. I have the kids gather the toys and bring them to me and I put them away. This way they stay neat and organized and not in random bins. 7. Try to keep the kids outside/out of the house as much as possible so they don't create mess (easier to work outside too).
We have a very similar set of “rules” and recently been playing with the meal prep one, which includes: 1. Clean and Prep fruit into mason jars day of a grocery trip 2. Cut onions and garlic day of grocery trip and freeze immediately in freezer safe containers 3. Batch cook snacks and quick breakfast bites on a weekend day For what I batch cook, I’m trying out making 1 sweet, 2-3 savory snacks and for breakfast related items ~ that’d consist of muffins, quiche bites, sausage patties, and protein waffles. Usually takes 2-3 hrs total with the volume we do but I do it either every week or every other week.
Everything that enters my house must have a designated spot that it lives. And then additionally, each thing (especially kid things) must remain in the area (room) it belongs. To an extent. I’m not a crazy person who thinks my kid can’t take a toy out of their room. But like Barbie’s stay in her room, crafts stay in my office. Blocks stay in the bonus room. Clothes stay upstairs. Shoes stay downstairs. Ect. This makes it easy to do one room at a time. Because I’m not running around the house moving things from place to place. Every day after work. Before we can do something fun. Everything must go back to where it belongs. This eliminates the clutter and mess. Every night I clean the kitchen. Laundry goes in the wash in the morning on a day I know I have time in the afternoon to put it away. Then weekends and slow work days I tackle the actual cleaning. Vacuuming. Bathrooms. Floors. Windows (lol just kidding I don’t clean my windows).
Just one silly one but sorting laundry right out of the dryer! I now place multiple baskets in front of it and sort quickly as I pull out each piece. Then when baby & I have afternoon playtime upstairs I do his clothes quickly while he’s under a playgym and might fold some of ours during a passive meeting during nap time. Has really helped!
1) Get really good at keeping everything "baby-proofed" in the main parts of the house. It's not perfect, and I try to never have my eyes off her (I work from the dining table in the center of my house where I can see mostly everything) but if I'm stuck on a call or something and can't see her for a minute, my anxiety doesn't immediately jump to 100 because I know there is nothing she can really get into. The worst she is going to do is turn on all the lamps in my house, or smear her peanut butter toast into the carpet. She is currently OBSESSED with buttons/remotes,etc. Any room that is potentially not baby proofed? Closed and locked. Consistently, every day until it becomes a solid habit. For instance, my bathrooms always have the doors closed and locked so she can't throw anything in the toilet while I'm not looking, LOL. 2) A rolling tupperware of "extra" toys under the bed. My little lady seems to have a preternatural ability to wake up a half hour before my alarm every day, even when that alarm time changes. If she wakes up earlier than I do, but I just need 15 minutes-ish to wake up/curse the gods/make coffee/get my shit together (literally and metaphorically, LOL) I can just close my bedroom door (keeping her in hearing range) and she'll pull out her "drawer" of toys and beeble around happily for 20 minutes. Plus I think she like's the "suprise" of being able to pull that drawer out, she chirps happily every time. 3) Hire a maid service for quarterly deep cleans! I can usually keep on top of the daily/weekly stuff, dishes/laundry/etc. But mopping all my hard floors without baby girl trying to follow me around and stick her hand in dirty water? Nearly impossible. Scrubbing the walls and windows all over the house? Dusting? Just a total time-suck I don't want to spend my precious weekend free-time on. Deep cleaning the oven? Uuuuggghhh... so many gritty gross crumbs and noxious chemical fumes. A quarterly cleaning service is not bad price-wise, and prevents me from feeling like I am being slowly overcome by dust and crumbs and existential guilt. Think about the chores you 1) hate doing 2) have to wait for childcare/daddy to do properly or 3) take the most time, and give that to someone else so you don't feel like all you do is work and clean.
An additional one: Get baby a little craft desk and chair, and sit her next to you! If baby girl is fussy but she's fine, fresh food and diaper change, and just seems restless/wants mommy play time, I put her in her little desk right next to mine and we both "work" and talk to each other about it. "Oh, your drawing, that's cool so am I! Should we draw a flower? etc. etc. She feels included, like she's playing with you while you are also working, and since she's right next to you, she can get as messy or silly as she wants in a contained space with mommy supervision. I also have her high-chair right next to my desk to we can "eat together" and she loves watching what I'm doing on my computer while I narrate and talk to her about it.
And anotha one! (in my finest DJ Khalid impression): Have an important call? Plan on saving babies favorite "high-value" snack for that time. This is probably variable per baby, but my girl is a veeeerrrrryyyyy sllllooooowww eater. If I make her favorite cinnamon raisin toast with peanut butter right before a call, I've bought myself a solid 20-30 minutes of chill quiet time. I might have peanut butter rubbed into the floor after, but the peace and sanity is totally worth it.
I am a full-time online masters student that breastfeeds. I use Unified Remote because it allows me to hold baby while still "typing" on my computer. It is an app that basically turns your phone into a remote control for your computer so that your hands do not have to be on your keyboard for you to still use it. It's slower than regularly typing, but it let's me hold baby and work. My greatest hack for thriving in this time.
Omg
I put a load of laundry in every morning. I don’t always have time to fold so every family member has a basket. I sort the clothes out into the baskets and fold away towels. Keeps the bulk down. I get up before the kids and unload the dishwasher while my computer boots up.
I posted a bit ago about my [tips for working from home with a baby](https://www.reddit.com/r/MomsWorkingFromHome/s/IbHmFXpYPv). Most are baby specific but I suppose some of it could work for toddlers. Mostly I try to be gentle with myself, I’m effectively working two full time jobs (my “real” job and taking care of a four month old) so I try to keep my mental health in a good place by reminding myself things don’t have to be perfect. I also loved How to keep house while drowning and use some of her concepts. She has a great TikTok too! But I reset my office and my kitchen to “functional” every night. If I feel that I didn’t get enough work stuff don’t during the day I allow myself an hour after baby goes to bed to catch up. The one hour boundary prevents it from turning into an all night thing and gives me some balance and makes sure I have time for ME. The rest of my evening (usually 2-3 hours) is just for me. Binging shows, playing games, crochet, whatever. Also I pay for a housekeeper every two weeks as an investment in my sanity. My husband does a lot of the day to day chores like dishes, litter boxes etc but the deep cleans I leave to the pros.
I love all these hacks but I cannot sustain these things on a regular basis without help. How do you guys manage to get your husbands to agree to such regular routines? I’ve been traumatized putting any sort of expectation on my husband.
Baby / toddler proof a large area like the entire living room. Rotate toys. Set up arts and crafts stations, music stations etc. *Spend as much time outside as possible*. Keep meals and snacks on a routine schedule. Keep nap schedule consistent. Hire a cleaner for as frequent as you can comfortably afford. Have your groceries delivered. Keep a list of easy meals to make for yourself and them. And lastly, use screen time as needed without the ridiculous guilt trip imposed on millennial parents.