Hi Ladies,
So this is the deal. My hubs now works nights usually double shift so he is 7pm to 7am. Comes home around 8am and pretty much goes to sleep. My son and I are up at 6:45 breakfast, get dressed and we walk to school for his early program.Back to the hubs he hears EVERYTHING so I can't clean house or do much while he is sleeping. He wakes up about 2:30 maybe later, at that point I'm off to pick up my son from school. We hang at school yard till about 3:30 and come home, have snack start homework. I start dinner and at this point can load or unload dishwasher. Hubs is out the door by 5:30 and my son and I eat and do our reading after dinner. Then he gets to play or watch tv, I pick up and wash pots and table and general small cleaning, then my son has bath and in bed no later than 9pm. Obviouosly I can't vacuum or do any other stuff because he is now asleep. Now my hubs has ear plugs and I muffle the door and walk in socks but he says he can hear me. And he is working two shifts so I don't want him to lose sleep. I am a SAHM because the company I worked for went bankrupt a year ago, so I haven't really gotten any set schedule down as up till about a month ago hubs, had all different schedules. I am also intensly interviewing again and hope to be back at work soon, becasue frankly not being able to make noise or do anything in the house is annoying to say the least. So here is my question oh wise and orgainized women, how can I schedule my time better to get the actual cleaning done. If it helps we live in an apt so we are on one floor all hardwood throughout apt and the kitchen is right off our bedrooms. Thanks.
Hi Ladies, thanks for the idea of a white noise machine could be the solution for the most part. To Lori K, you are one of the lucky ones that your kids can sleep through anything. My son has some issues that were not relevant to this post , that makes him an incredibly light and desruptive sleeper. And to the vacuuming comment it is for the area rugs. I know I'm gonna have to have a sit down with the hubs and come up with some solution, but he is not used to sleeping during the day and I think he is tired and cranky and just makes more of an issue about noise then necssasary. Thanks again for your input and welcome more suggestions.
It sounds to me that you have a good schedule, you just need to be able to work when hubby is sleeping. How about a white noise machine? With that and earplugs, he shouldn't be able to hear you cleaning, or anything else. Good luck.
I think most cleaning stuff (other than vacuuming) can be done pretty quietly.
Why hang out at school for an hour? You're losing an hour of "legal" cleaning time there! Hubby needs to wear earplugs AND leave white noise (fan, tv, humidifier,etc) on in the bedroom while he's sleeping.
Check out www.flylady.net for some good scheduling technniques.
Just tell your husband HE can vacuum when he awakes up. So if you have placed the vacuum at the door he knows he needs to vacuum that day.. .. I can understand it may wake him.. I can seep through anything..but I also have a fan and a sound machine.. could you get your husband a sound machine?..
Your schedule sounds fine. I would suggest a fan for the bedroom or other white noise machine. Also, make sure the bed isn't against a shared wall. As for vacuuming, why do that with hardwood floors? Get a swiffer or a mop. Or vacuum on the weekends or in the morning before husband gets home.
I'm sorry, I don't get it.
On one hand, I completely understand. You have a fabulous husband who is doing what he can to support his family. But between his schedule and your son's you are walking on eggshells. Or will that make too much noise? ;)
I don't want to get into a debate on right or wrong parenting, but my kids can sleep through anything by design! When the first one was born 20 years ago I worked 12 hours shifts 7 a - 7 p. I had to clean on my days off when I had the energy! My son could sleep through me vacuuming under his crib!
When our daughter was born 4 years later, we didn't let our son be too obnoxious, but we didn't make him sit and do quiet things either when she was napping.
A few years ago we traveled to Japan with dear friends. Our daughters were 11. But my friend came to me and we had to split the girls up because her daughters needed COMPLETE SILENCE AND COMPLETE DARKNESS to sleep. Let's face it, how realistic is that? And it's not that my daughter was watching TV, but likes to read herself to sleep and had one of those itty bitty book lights.
I guess on one hand you need to support your husband, but I would try to do more right after school, as one poster said. And/or try to do more later in the evening so your son learns he can sleep through anything.
