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Hello All, I am a working Mom, have a full time job. I have 2 kids, 5 and 1. Many days, I feel taht I dont have time to do all the basic things also. Here is my schedule - wake up at 6 and get the kids ready and get myself ready also by 7:30 (husband helps with getting kids ready and drops them) - leave for work, reach around 8, leave around 4:30, pick up the kids by 5, reach home by 5:15 or so and fix some small time healthy snack for the 5 yr old, mostly fruit and milk and in the mean time, give dinner for the little one. Give bath to the little one and make him sleep by 7:30 (an early bird). Give the 5 yr old dinner and finish the bath by 8:00 or so and teach some reading and math for 30 mins or so and some story telling etc by 9:00, make her sleep by 9 or 9:30. I am so exhausted some days that I sleep when I put my 5yr old to bed - otehrwise, do the dishes, sterilize the bottles, make some dinner/lunch for the next day.

All weekend, I do catch up with things - like I do some bulk cooking which I use on those days which I doze off. Husband has to put long hours at work and he takes care of the laundry in the weekend for evrybody. My weekends are so hectic also that I feel that I am not able to spend quality time with the kids even during weekends.

Can you please suggest some time management techniques, any tips which will free my weekends so I can spend some quality time with them? I know that I have the option of leaving my job - but somehow it is very difficult for me to leave my job as I always worked and it is part of me taht I will be emotionally off if I leave my job.

Any suggestions are welcome!!

Thank you girls as always Nishant replied. Cant your in-laws / parents live with you people? You'll magically find a lot more time to spend with your kid, with them around.
Sona replied. Hi Nisha,

Adding few more tips:

1: If your house is far from yr office, I would suggest you to shift house nearby yr office. So u can reduce yr travelling time and can spend more time with yr family.
2: If yr office has flexy time facility so whenever u will be free come home and spend time for yourself, cook something good, watch TV etc. So next day u will be full energetic.
3: Once in two or three months u can plan yr weekend somewhere outside nearby to yr place. In that way full day u will enjoy with yr hubby and kids. Also u will be free with household tension.
4: Hire one helper girl in morning and eve timings, who will help you in small-small jobs like folding cloths, vegetable cutting, packing bags of yr kids, helping u in dressing the kids, etc. So u can save lots of your time.
5: If some day u r very busy and cant spend much time in cooking so can buy one dish like chapati from outside and can prepare curry item at home.

Jk replied. The morning rush. We've all experienced it. Encouraging the kids to get dressed, eat, brush their teeth and hair, and leave the toys and the TV alone; stressing to get out the door so you're not late for work and also so you're not untimely with their daycare provider's schedule; saying your quick good-byes at daycare drop off trying to make it as easy as possible for your child.

Then. you work all day and what happens at 5:00 P.M.? It's rush hour again. In an effort to maintain a good rapport with your childcare provider, you try not to run past the pick up time, yet you still have a pile of deadlines on your desk that are screaming \";if you could just finish one last task today!\";

The kids are picked up from daycare; you arrive home to a house (not to mention a child or two) that needs attention. Keeping the children occupied while preparing dinner is not an easy task, nor is keeping up the housework through this whole process. And so it goes: going through the mail, feeding the pet, eating dinner, quality time with the children, bath time and bedtime.

All of this just to get up in the morning and do it all over again!
It seems like nothing more than a losing battle.

But there are ways to ease the stress.

Hire a maid. Even if it's only 2-3 days a week, it will be money well spent. Just think of it as buying more time with your children.
Try quick one-meal dishes for dinner or soups and sandwiches. Dinner doesn't have to be a 5-course meal. Keep it simple.
Leave work at 5:00 P.M. tomorrow is another day and the work will be right there waiting for you. Think of the important people who are waiting to spend some time with you.
Start a childcare journal that both you and your childcare provider can write in. Have your provider write down the details of your child's day that are important to you. Look forward to reading it each evening. This may leave you feeling more connected with your child even though you're away from him or her for 8+ hours a day.
Take time for yourself. Light a candle and take a hot bath after the kids go to bed. Begin a new relaxing hobby: crafts, sewing, or whatever you like. Go to the movies on Wednesday night to break up the week.
Maintaining a balance between life and work doesn't have to leave you feeling hopeless. The Internet offers hundreds of thousands of parenting sites that contain tips and advice for working parents. Visit them and start conquering the battle today!

The greatest opportunity to influence the world positively is through the children you raise. Can you provide your children with the kind of healthy upbringing that will make you a proud parent? YES, YOU CAN!

5 Guidelines To Being A Better Parent
Spend at least 15 minutes each day talking to your children, to find out what's on their minds.
Lead by example. Communicate your values through your actions.
Pay close to attention to any signs of trouble and seek professional help when appropriate.
Apologize when you've hurt them and admit when you're wrong.
Reinforce positive behavior by praising it honestly.
Don't ignore your own welfare or that of your spouse, by getting totally absorbed in the lives of your children.