Housework during daycare hours

[gcj]

oh , it's mostly rest for me...or yoga. But I can get a lot done in the first 20 minutes...then I get an hour 40 for ME!

[Inspired by Reggio]

Life is about balance for sure over here ~ I have a very bad back so trying to do ALL my cleaning at once is risky ~ so I have a list of things broken up into 15 minute max chores that I do each day during nap time to stay on top of cleaning ... so I will do a chore like clean a bathroom and than sit for a bit and rest my back, do a chore like clean the other bathroom and than sit for a bit ... all those things that are 'quiet' to clean while they are resting. One of the perks of the Enjo cleaning is that there are no 'chemicals' so I do not feel bad cleaning while the children are here and floor system is awesome as it makes no noise ~ I can sweep and mop during nap time even right under a sleep child's cot and they are clueless.

Stuff that is WORK related ... cleaning or laundry that is directly childcare related, meal prep work, program prep work and so forth I do within daycare hours as much as possible and get the children to HELP were developmentally appropriate so they can learn respect of their environment and importance of team work and well cooking/baking has lots of science/math ~ we already work a long day so I prefer to minimize how much work I do once the kids go home!

[sunnydays]

I keep telling myself I will do one chorse per day at naptime to minimize the weekend cleaning...but I rarely get to it! At naptime, I just want to relax and enjoy the only quiet time I get in a day because after daycare hours are not quiet...I have my own kids and husband then who are anything but quiet

[jazmic]

Thanks for the tips! gcj, I just tried the doing some chores for about 20mins thing, and I feel really good about it! I still have some rest time, and the house is looking better. It's not perfect, but at least my evening when dh comes home should be more enjoyable. I really appreciate that tip. I had always felt like if I did cleaning during nap time, I would lose out on my rest time, but I now see that doesn't have to be the case! Thank you! Now we'll see if he notices anything different or not when he gets home! LOL.

[monkeymama]

I throw a load of laundry in before kids get here, then fold during snack. Second load goes in during nap and gets folded during afternoon snack. I do dishes and wash the floor during nap. Bathrooms usually after everyone leaves for the day. I sweep 3x a day after every meal. I just do my best to stay on top of it. Im lucky right now dck dont arrive until 8:15 and 2x week Im only open until 4 so I try and use that time wisely to get things done.

[Inspired by Reggio]

.... Now we'll see if he notices anything different or not when he gets home! LOL.

The cure to my spouses 'noticing' if I missed picking up a toy or crumb under the snack table is to have him COVER for me and see how well he can manage keeping the house tip top while chasing after 5 children all day long feeding them, changing them and keeping them safe ... in fact my spouse just did this yesterday for me for a couple hours while I ran to the lab for some blood work and I returned home to find morning snack mess and clothes just abandoned still on the table when it was almost lunch time and the toys had blown up all over the playroom and he was doing some art with them without having 'cleaned up' the toys first ~ so I took the kids outside for fresh air while HE cleaned up the mess from when he was on duty and last night I got a nice long back massage and a thank you for all the hard work I do

Every time he starts to 'forget' and dares to comment on something I arrange to need his help covering for something to remind him that while I may make it LOOK easy in his opinion it is not REALLY easy so he should be helping out more around the house

[jazmic]

Every time he starts to 'forget' and dares to comment on something I arrange to need his help covering for something to remind him that while I may make it LOOK easy in his opinion it is not REALLY easy so he should be helping out more around the house

LOL! The problem with my dh is that he probably WOULD do a better job than I do. He loves organizing, cleaning, etc. It's almost like he gets a high off of it. Me, on the other hand... not so much! lol. Plus when he cleans, he does it better in like a quarter of the time it takes me. The last thing I need is he looking at me like 'See? It's not so hard to clean as you go."

[Sandbox Sally]

I suspect others' daycares are more structured than mine.

I do circle and story, and outside time in the mornings, but other than that, it's free play. I don't do lessons as part of our day. Afternoons are nap, outside time or craft time, and other than that, free play. I have plenty of time to play and clean and prep food on the main level, where my daycare is.

The upstairs is always a mess though.

[Inspired by Reggio]

well that trick would back fire on you for sure ... I am the anal organized multi tasker in our house ~ my other half is a neat freak too he is just much slower at it!

[kidlove]

I do a TON during nap, and manage to get dishes done and run to basement for laundry throughout the day. That is a perk of staying home to work, you can throw all your household duties in the mix, sure beat waiting until after hours to catch up on the mess. My house is always clean by the end of the day and I try to have supper on the table by the time the last child pulls out of the driveway! THIS is why things like nap time are so important in this job, not so we can sit on our tushies...but so we can get all the extra work from the day care and other done during that brief time or quiet.