Balancing household tasks between adults

[westcoastmom]

DH has been searching for a job for a few months. He works in Technology which is a volatile industry and this his fifth job change in a decade (some due to company closures, buyouts etc)

 

I currently work 2 days a week and might add a third day. My work hours are roughly 8:30-3:30 (in a school) I also have a consulting business that has been sadly neglected due to lack of time; although I am ramping this up as it has a lot more flexibility in terms of work hours. Although dh makes decent money, I feel the need to have more reliable income.

 

We are currently homeschooling 2 of our 3 children with the oldest in PS by choice. We have some funding to hire some help as one of our homeschoolers has Aspergers funding.

 

I'm interested if people have any good suggestions for balancing household tasks between dh and I. I usually cook most of the meals and he does the dishes. Saturday he was washing dishes from the previous 4 days. We are often digging out in this manner. He likes to swim (although he hasn't been for a couple of months) but also enjoys listening to music videos, reading internet, reading books and playing a few video games. Needless to say job searching, child pickup and drop offs also take time. I'm looking for ways to help schedule household tasks so we can stay on top of it and end the digging out. I'm also planning to get the hired help to spend some of the time helping the kids keep their room tidy and do chores. They are happy to do stuff to earn some iPad or Khan Academy time.

[Dynamite5]

DH has been searching for a job for a few months. He works in Technology which is a volatile industry and this his fifth job change in a decade (some due to company closures, buyouts etc)

 

I currently work 2 days a week and might add a third day. My work hours are roughly 8:30-3:30 (in a school) I also have a consulting business that has been sadly neglected due to lack of time; although I am ramping this up as it has a lot more flexibility in terms of work hours. Although dh makes decent money, I feel the need to have more reliable income.

 

We are currently homeschooling 2 of our 3 children with the oldest in PS by choice. We have some funding to hire some help as one of our homeschoolers has Aspergers funding.

 

I'm interested if people have any good suggestions for balancing household tasks between dh and I. I usually cook most of the meals and he does the dishes. Saturday he was washing dishes from the previous 4 days. We are often digging out in this manner. He likes to swim (although he hasn't been for a couple of months) but also enjoys listening to music videos, reading internet, reading books and playing a few video games. Needless to say job searching, child pickup and drop offs also take time. I'm looking for ways to help schedule household tasks so we can stay on top of it and end the digging out. I'm also planning to get the hired help to spend some of the time helping the kids keep their room tidy and do chores. They are happy to do stuff to earn some iPad or Khan Academy time.

 

 

It's hard to be busy and still have all of the housework waiting, isn't it? You might be able to release some pressure if you set up some basic Fly Lady type schedule. (Do dishes right away--do a 15 minute declutter (maybe right before dinner and again right before bed)--swipe bathrooms as you go--those sorts of things.) Make sure your kids are helping, too. Even if they can't do much, they can do some things, and even if they are helping in small ways, it's building a good work ethic.

 

You don't say why you are playing catch up on the weekends--is it because you both are tired at the end of the day and it's hard to get motivated to do dishes? What are your priorities like--do you choose to get housework done before sitting down to read or watch tv? is your hubby?

 

The thing about housework--it's always there, and it's never-ending! Just like meal planning. Bleh! :tongue_smilie: