Ya, it's really a challenge every weekday but sad to say, it's a norm for all FTWM. To manage the mad rush everyday, it's important to get your hubby involved. Get him to help in areas like bathing the children, doing housework or looking after the children when you are busy. E.g. my daily routine when i reach home every evening (around 7pm) is to to cook first. While i am cooking, my hubby (if he is at home) will bath the baby while my elder one will play with his toys or watch his favorite shows. When dinner is ready, #1 will eat on his own while i vacuum the floor and clean the play mat. Hubby will bath my elder one while i play with the baby. When all is done, i will spend time with elder one by reading, drawing or playing lego etc. Hubby will play his computer games with baby by his side. Will give baby a final feed before both children are sent to bed. After which, I will wash clothes, prepare the ingredients i need for next dinner and then snooze. (P/S: If hub is not around to help, then my elder will settle himself and occasionally asking for attention.)
Your #1 should be about the same age as mine? At their age, they should be able to do most of the things independently esp if they are in CC environment. When i knew i was pregnant with #2, i started getting my boy to eat on his own. Playing alone has never been an issue coz we are always around him. When i mopped the floor, i will ask him to play on the couch and he won't come down until i ok-ed coz he knows it is slippery.
Regarding housework hor, as time goes by, any OCD we previously had will diminish over time coz really have no time. IMO, i think spending enough time with the children is more important than the housework and cooking. Once this stage passed, we will never be able to turn back the clock once the children prefer to do things independently. I am not saying cleanliness is not important, but there should be a baseline. E.g. With a baby who is learning to crawl, i have to make sure that the floor is vacuumed and the play mat be wiped daily when we are home. Clothes can wait coz dun need to wash everyday. Or just dump into the washing machine. For clothes with thrown-up milk, poop etc, will have to scrub before dumping into the WM. Adults clothes is even easier. Just scrub my hubby's necklines (shirts) and dump into the WM. Ironing will wait till Sat when the children are napping/sleeping.
I am now considering ordering tingkat every weekday and outsourcing the washing and ironing of hub's shirts to a laundromat. If it works out, i should have more time to my children and some time to myself bah.
For now, i think you have to start anticipating the challenges and make the adjustments slowly.
