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Regular
Posts: 82
| Have a schedule, stick to it, and don't sit down! I don't multi-task, but I don't waste time either. Horses stand tied for an hour or so before getting ridden while we eat. Crockpot handles the cooking and I know that morning what I am putting in it because I planned the week on Sunday. Laundry, dinner list, and all shopping is done Sundays. Only things that have to be done on weeknights are ride, eat, kids homework, and get everyone to bed clean. We don't ride much during sports seasons. It is too stressful for all of us. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 276
| The minute I get home from work, I go inside the house only to change clothes and head to the barn. I get home around 5:20. My husband and I ride anywhere from 2 horses(usually on a Monday after a weekend full of rodeos/jackpots) to 6 horses. Usually when it is too dark to see anything we start putting horses up, feed, and get in the house always at least an hour after dark. We eat fast dinners, especially in the summer when it is so late. Not much time for housework or anything else really before we crash, so I save that for a possible Sunday that I might be home, or I will do a little here and there to keep above water. I will hire someone to clean if I get too behind. I hate doing that, but sometimes we just have to. Horses and rodeo are passions of ours and we know we have to work extremely hard to reach our goals! | |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | My days are super busy as well, and have been for as long as I can remember. My schedule doesn't allow for more than 1 horse for me though. But, here is what I do on a weekly basis. I look at the family schedule for the whole week, horse shows, school functions, any dinner dates or get together with friends, pretty much anything that requires my time and plan my riding around those days and times. On rainy days I cook freezer meals so that I can pull something out and just heat it up. I also have had to cut back on my riding days and only ride about 2-3 nights a week because it was affecting my family life, so I had to make a choice. Hence why I also had to cut down on the number of horses I have. But I have established a good routine so that my husband and kids know that on nights when I ride that I'm not cooking that night. I work M-F and am either home at 3pm or 6pm depending on the week. It's tough but it can be managed. Good luck!!  | |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Texas | I have a routine that seems to work for me. BUT I did have to come to the realization that I will never ride like I did before. Horses are not my number 1 priority but they are still my sanity. LOL!
5:00 pm - leave work and head to day care to pick up my son
5:30 pm - arrive home and start dinner & eat
6:30 - 7:15 pm - play with my son and do some picking up (I do have a cleaning lady)
7:15-7:30 - bath time
7:30-8 - unwind and get him ready for bed and in bed by 8
8:05 - head to the barn to ride!!!
I do have to be pretty dedicated. In the winter I never get to ride in the light of day during the week. I ride one and pony the other and the next day I switch. My horses usually only get ridden 3 times during the work week.
My husband works really odd hours so I never know when he can help or if he is working or sleeping. I do have a baby monitor that reaches to my arena so if I am home alone, I can hear if my son wakes up while I am outside.
May not be the ideal situation but it has allowed me to stay in the game! :) You will find your way too.
Edited by barrels1 2014-09-30 3:45 PM
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 Ima Fickle Fan
Posts: 3547
 
Location: Texas | Here is what I do, partially for sanity, partially cause as a mom I have LOTS of crap to do and I'm OCD about what I eat. (Background for ya: I have two boys-5 years old and 7 months old, work full time, finishing my doctorate, and am on a committee outside of work and family.)
Lists - if I don't write it down, I don't remember and it won't get done. Plus, it helps to see stuff crossed out. Then I feel like I've accomplished stuff.
Planning - I plan EVERYTHING. Again, if I don't plan, it doesn't happen. Winging it doesn't work when you function as "we" rather than "me." I plan everything from all meals to what errands are done on each day. My iPhone also helps me remember when I have appointments, etc.
My mornings start at 6 a.m. with feeding baby. I get ready, lunches are leftovers from the night before. Breakfast is a protein shake with all ingredients sans milk and ice in the blender (do that the night before). I get ready in less than 30 minutes (I shower the night before). My hair lives in a ponytail. Drop kiddos off and then I go to work. I have a fitdesk (think bike with platform for keyboard), so all day I pedal to nowhere. Mommy time is at 10 & 2. During that, I take my laptop and work on my dissertation. At lunch (when I don't pick up the oldest from school), I go to the rec center on campus and do strength training. At 5, I get boys and head home. Then it's feeding time for youngest. Hubby gets home, we eat, and then one of us rides. Both of us will be able to ride when youngest gets older.
My BIGGEST TIME SAVERS:
- Grocery shopping with my entourage is done Saturday mornings.
- ALL meal prep for the entire week is done on Sundays. This may be cooking it all so we reheat, or just chopping up everything so it's ready to go. This also includes washing and bagging fruit and veggies so they are easy to grab. (I'm overboard about healthy eating.) But even if you're not into eating super healthy, meal prepping shortens cooking time if everything is ready to cook during the week with no prep work needed.
- Laundry is presorted underneath the washer and dryer. Hubby built a table for me that the washer and dryer sit on and baskets are underneath. When a basket is full, time to do a load. It's easier to do it throughout the week, so it doesn't all have to be done on the weekends.
- Cleaning - I spend 15 mintues each day picking up, so it's not a huge mess. But I have kids, so clutter is typical at our house. I've learned to let that go. However, the biggest sanity saver is that I have a lady come clean every other week. (Happy wife, happy life)
Edited by aggiejudger 2014-09-30 4:16 PM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1034
| classicpotatochip - 2014-09-30 12:09 PM
I'm not a mom, but I'm working 70-80 hours a week. The very very best advice I can give you....crock pots and hire a good cleaning service. You have no idea the joy of a good weekly cleaning by someone else. They probably do laundry, too. Also, invest in lots and lots of lights. I get by when necessary without lights to ride, but I always always have lights to feed, clean stalls, lunge, etc. For real though, get house cleaners. They have been the key to my happy marriage, happy horses, and happy bosses at work. I just don't have the required 4+ hours a week to jack with something that never ends.
THIS. Get a cleaning service and don't kill yourself on meals. I have four kids and I'm a law enforcement officer (graveyards, court, hold overs, callouts, you get the picture). There is no way in H E double hockey sticks I got time for that.
Also, someone said lists. YES.
And you have to prioritize. You MAKE time for what's important to you. | |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| Some of those chores will slip. I use to do a full clean on my house every saturday. Now its about every 2 weeks. Before I had a kid, I couldnt stand having any dishes in my sink,now days I dont freak out if I miss a day. Life shifts alot after having kids but women are great at multi-tasking. The best advice I have is try not to clean or fold laundry all in one day. Mop the floor one day during the week, fold just one load of laundry instead of 3. Then when tomorrow rolls around finish folding laundry. Just space chores. Plus when you have kids, the scheduling gets more defined. (i.e. From 4-5pm I have time to ride, From 5-6pm dinner and some house chores, From 6-7pm play with the kids/Feed animals, From 7-8pm shower/bed time prep) | |
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 Veteran
Posts: 253
Location: EDGE OF INSANITY | Stay tired all the time? lol. My husband drives a truck and is NEVER home. My day is crazy, and unless its summer time I never get to ride in the daylight, honestly, most of my riding is done in the dark. I work 45 minutes from home and have a 2 and 8 year old. We leave at 6:55 in the morning, drop off at school, drop off at daycare, and off to work i go. I do a lot of my day to day errands on my lunch break (not much eating keeps me skinny lol) Leave work at 5, pick up kids, get home by 6-6:15. This time of year my 8 yr old plays football, so 3 nights a week we are at practice from 6:30-8:30, get home eat (i second the crock pot, or sometimes on sunday i make a big pot of something to last a couple of days) homework(normally its done at afterschool but not always finished), baths, etc. Its usually 9:15-9:30 before i get out to ride. I have 3 to ride so i rotate who gets ridden and always pony one so they are all worked atleast 3-5 times a week. I dont normally get in bed until 11 or 12 and get up at 5:30 to do it all again. I am literally exhausted and consume WAAAYYYY too much coffee lol. Somedays i dont know if i'm crazy or have major commitment to my riding, sometimes i have to make myself go out and ride, but i'm always happy that i did. With all that said, when the husband is home, i hand over the kiddos and check out (usually mentally, sometimes physically lol) I'm sitting at fb now, praying the coach calls practice early | |
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