How Do I Manage My Time Better with Two Children?

The crock pot girl! Load that sucker up that morning. Pinterest has great recipes! That will help with the stress on some evenings and free up some time.

Sit down quietly and write down on paper all the things you do. Then break down the chores by am and pm times and then by day.

Since baby is small you can work around its scheduled naps in am and pm.
I did a daily duties chore list and posted it on my frig when my kids were little.
Tackle living room and baths on Tues and Thursday.
Bath room on Monday and Wed or Friday however you want it.
Bedrooms what day and laundry yours/baby's.
If you have a dishwasher load it up and run it at night and put things away in the morning and reload or however.
At 2pm start dinner, prep work or oven for roast/baking. Continue dinner during the afternoon.
Baby out for air in the pm to meet brother or a stroll around the block with you for fresh air.

Get into a routine and it will flow. Some things may need to be tweaked but it will become easier and less stress on you. In about four weeks it will become automatic. Just keep at it.

I also made homemade bread twice a week and all meals from scratch. Sat night was leftover night.

Since your hubby is a later shift person you might have to change up your schedule a bit so that he gets good solid quiet rest. Take a nap when baby takes a nap in the pm if this will help you some.

the other S.

Make a list of chores that really don't need to get done. Like making all the beds - really, who cares? Take care of the "public" areas of the house first, shut the doors for the bad rooms. Same with vacuuming - it doesn't have to be done every day. Maybe just a quick sweep of the crumbs under the kitchen table and high chair, you know? How many rooms do you have? Can you do one room a day? Do you have a recycling bin right by the door for when you bring in the mail? If you don't let the junk mail accumulate, it helps cut down the clutter.

Limit toys - they can't all be out at once. Have boxes that you rotate, even every few weeks. Have a separate bin of "really rainy day toys" or "sick day toys". There will be a limit to what can be upended and left on the floor that way. Your toddler can start to learn to put away if you aren't totally rigid about it. Make a game of it.

I think I talked about organizer bins in the last post.

Laundry - don't wash everything after every single use. A lot of stuff can be re-worn, especially with the older child. Let her help with things like matching socks and folding things that don't really matter, like underwear. Make a game of it, start naming the colors so the toddler begins to learn them. Use a bunch of small laundry baskets instead of one big one, and hang a tag on the end of each one. I saw this somewhere - like Pinterest or someplace. Then the finished baskets are ready to go to each person's room - no sorting in the bedrooms.

Dinner - try crock pot meals. Also, make a few meals on the weekend that can be re-used in different recipes. Like roast a chicken and use the leftovers in soup and tacos and chicken salad sandwiches, that sort of thing. Rachael Ray and others have a whole bunch of meals like that. And do these with your husband so the kids see that cooking is a family activity rather than something that takes Mommy away from Play Time.

You already got a lot of advice on how to deal with toddler whining, so when that stops you won't feel so distracted.

Have set locations by the door for shoes, coats, backpacks, diaper bag, purse, keys, coupons, grocery list, library books to return, etc. Everything going out has a place near the door so you aren't running around collecting items when it's time for play group or the weekly library visit. Have a toy box in the car that just goes to play group or is for car play or to "restaurant and waiting room" dates. New toys are so much more fun if they are for "special occasions". Works great, keeps you from collecting things to take on each individual trip.

Mostly, cut yourself some slack. Any friends who come by who are judging you by the condition of your living room are just not your good friends!

everyone's routine and priorities are slightly different, but some basic strategies work for most.
if you're picking up toys all day, you have too many available. rotate those suckers out, and for every new one your kids get, one gets donated. your toddler is too young to be of much help yet, but you will do your future self a huge service if you start working with her now on putting the toys back in their place when she's finished with them. don't set a pattern of you constantly scurrying around doing all the picking up.
even with two young 'uns you shouldn't have to do dishes all day long. at most twice during the day run a sink full of hot soapy water, let them soak for a bit, then throw 'em in the dishwasher. 10 minutes tops. get your dh to empty it for you.
i've never had the constant flow of laundry thing. weekends are laundry days, period. pick your laundry day, and do it all then. inbetween loads you can relax, do stuff with your little one, work out or read a book. next thing you know you'll be looking forward to laundry day!
use your crockpot. everyone has one. they are magic. get familiar with 5 different crockpot recipes, make yourself a cup of tea at 4:30, set the toddler up with a snack and some refrigerator magnets, and get the homework knocked out. in first grade it should never, never take more than half an hour. with a crockpot it should never interfere with dinner.
remember that all you should be doing is lightly overseeing the homework. it's not yours to do.
vacuum less.
work out more. 10 minute intervals during the day- yoga, jumping jacks, marching in place, bicep curls. your toddler can join you.
walking the dog is great! i'm not sure what you mean by feeling 'disconnected with the need to get out'. do you mean it's hard to get motivated to do so, or you need more ideas? do try to do at least one outing on most days. mall, parks, someone else's neighborhood, heck just pushing the stroller around lowes will give you and the baby a change of atmosphere. and then the stay at home days feel like snuggle in treat days.
get a maid for the big stuff, and let the smaller stuff go when you're feeling overwhelmed. the dusty tchotchkes and baseboards will keep.
do something for yourself. take one of the free online coursera courses, or learn how to crochet or take a simple foreign language course. i know, you don't have time. but you do. and your brain will love the switchup from mommy things.
good luck, hon. i miss these days, with wonderful little people, but i know older gals like me do tend to haze over the memories of exhaustion and being overwhelmed.
khairete
S.

God L. I feel for you. You poor thing, home alone with two kids, no real friends, husband gone all the time. You've posted more than once about this, and I honestly wish I could come over (whenever your husband is home, when exactly is that?) and take you out for cocktails!!!
GET A JOB. It's not a bad thing. Or GO TO SCHOOL. Just do something besides being home alone all day (and yes, unless you have the mentality of a toddler then being home with one is absolutely like being alone.)
Staying home only works for people who actually like being on their own a lot and it really doesn't sound like that's you.
I at least had some mommy friends to hang with, do play dates, get together as couples/families on a regular basis, but it doesn't sound like you have even that :-(
Please think about that. Please. Your kids deserve a happy mother!!!

Downsize your chores. Use a room ba, batch cook, stretch your laundry (can those jeans go a second wear without a wash?) downsize your clean up. Take only one toy out at a time. Enlist your toddler in clean up before taking out the next thing.

And remember this too shall pass
F. B.

I LOVE my crock pot ! I throw an organic chix in the crock pot with a few sweet potatoes and carrots underneath the chix....I pour a small carton of organic "Loaded Baked Potato Soup" atop and set it on high 5 hrs ! I put enough food in there to last 2 nights. Chix soup is great in the crock pot, too! I toss 5 lg potatoes, several carrots, sliced celery, basil, oregano and parsley in the crockpot. I put 4 or 5 split, organic chix breasts atop. I pour 1 carton of organic chix broth over the chix!

I used to rotate toys. I would put a box of toys out for a few days. Then, I'd put it in the closet at night.... And set other box out for a few days!

Have a special snack or toy your toddler gets at your other child's HW time.

Put your toddler in a stroller and walk the dog daily. The pup needs to walk and the fresh air is good for your little one. I used to make this part of my routine, so I got exercise, too. If it is part of the routine, your child will learn to sit in the stroller...

I had a Mother's Helper come in once a week for 2 or 3 hrs...so, I could get
a power walk in or walk with the dog without the stroller...

You sound as if you're a bit bored and also overwhelmed. I felt this way when I was first at home with my little ones. It's a different pace and it can be isolating at times. It sounds like you are looking for ways to fill your days and get things done.

Suz has lots of ideas below, as with the moms who've already posted.

Is there something you can do for you? Because I find (I am home, without a car) that if I have something I want to do for me in the morning - then the housework, chores, kids, etc. all factor in around that - and you don't feel so overwhelmed or bored so much as that you have your own purpose. Even if it's just a small project you start and spend 45 mins a day on. Or a hobby. I am redoing our house bit by bit. That's my focus on days when I don't go out - instead of the laundry. The laundry still gets done, but as needed.

Not everyone is cut out to be a SAHM. I found I nearly went bonkers to begin with. If it's not for you - if you find this increasingly painful - then consider part time work, etc. Could you get a sitter so you could get out on your own? My sister used to hire a local young teenager for just a couple of hours after school a couple of days a week (I did this for a family also) so the mom could get out without kids.

I always start supper in the morning. If late afternoon/supper is a hard time, maybe switch homework to after supper when your husband can watch the toddler. I used to juggle the toddlers' naps to suit me - or have quiet time (even put on a 1/2 hour show) to distract them when I was focused on the other older kids. Change it up a bit to find something that works for you better.

One thing that kept my sanity was I used to get out (even if it was a walk) in the mornings. When I drove, I always got up and out super early and did the errands with the little ones. Then the rest of the day was ours for whatever - no schedule, just whatever we happened to want to do. It gave the day structure and also flexibility for the rest of the day. Sometimes I'd grab a coffee and head to a park. The outing was a positive start to the day.

Good luck :)

This maybe more work can you feed your toddler dinner or even a snack during homework time? Keep her quiet and busy so you can focus on homework.