Ideas or Suggestion for a Single Working Mom

When I was a single mom, I had an infant and a toddler and a teenager. I had to do as much as possible before they woke up and after they went to sleep.
Get up, brush my teeth, makeup, hair, etc. I would get myself totally ready before waking them. Then get breakfast ready, and wake the kids up. feed and clothe them and out the door. Drop them off.
I tried to get as much done at work, as possible. I would try to grocery shop or run to Dollar Store for supplies on my lunch and on the way to pick kids up.
Then pick them up, get home, start a load of laundry, feed, bathe, play with kids. Pick up around the house. Kids to bed. Then choose outfits for the next day, pack diaper bag and backpacks. Wash dishes, more laundry.
Then sink my butt on the couch to watch tv.

I love how people say being a sahm is the hardest job in the world. Not even close. Being a single working mom is. You have to do all the same houseowrk, cooking, cleaning, shopping, running errands as a sahm. PLUS figure out how to pay for everything, PLUS be the disciplinarian, mom and dad all at once, PLUS satisfy your boss and prioritize work. When a kid gets sick you're torn between being able to nurse them or support them. It's so hard.

My suggestion is to get a back up sitter that doesn't keep any other kids. Like an older woman. That way you don't have to call in everytime your child has a fever.

And keep a box of redwine in the fridge for emergencies!

pretty much what everyone else said i also do. re: food, i don't do well cooking ahead b/c if i freeze it i usually forget it's there & it's still not ready to eat in time. so i make food every couple days. always keep a real easy recipe on hand that takes approx 30 mins. it's hectic
7a - wake up
8a - leave for daycare/work
830-430p - work
5p - pickup
5p - 8p - seems like a long time but it FLIES by....meal prep, eat, clean up, deal w/behaviors (ARGH!), walk if nice outside, try to play together on the floor, bath, meal prep lunch for me, make coffee, fold clothes, unload dishwasher, etc., etc., etc.,
830p - books, snuggles, prayers, bed
9p - finally freedom & i'm completely wiped out at the end of every day!
good luck fellow single mama

I am not a single mom, but both my husband and I work full time and my mom was a single mom with very little family to help(so I empathsize with your situation). I have a 3 and 5 year old and out typical schedule is below-
5:50-I wake up, shower, get ready
6:30am-wake kids up get dressed
7am-leave house and drop kids off at preschool and daycare
5pm-leave work pick up one or both kids about 5:30pm
6pm-get home, cook dinner, eat, homework
7pm-baths, playtime
8pm-read a book and bedtime for both kids

We also have Tae Kwon Do twice a week from 6:40-7:20pm which makes for a very hectic night, and my husband leaves early in the morning so I do all morning stuff myself. I make lunches the night before and I buy easy, premade dinners, or something that takes under 30 minutes for weeknights and then I cook better dinners on the weekends.

When I was a single working mom, I paid for the kids to be in aftercare so I picked them up after work. I made cooking as easy as possible. I would brown 3-6# of hamburger at a time and freeze it in serving size zip baggies and use for tacos, pastas, soups, etc. Same thing for boneless skinless chicken breasts...put in a crock pot with some seasoning on top and cook on low all day while at work. Chop up and do the same as the beef. Super fast and easy and then dinner can be made in less than 30 minutes. I wasn't good or crazy about doing housework so I would just try to keep up with it the best I could. Also, you didn't say how old your kids are, but start to get them to help as much as you can. Good luck!!

Hi. Well I'm no longer a single mom, and I just went down to part-time, but up until last summer I was working full time and caring for my son on my own, and until this month, I was working full time but had SO to help, so hopefully I can offer some help.

A typical weekday for us looked like...

6:00 am - I get up. Start coffee pot, get out breakfast stuff (ie pour a bowl of cereal, set out vitamins, meds etc.) for DS. Drink first cup of coffee in peace.

6:30 am - Shower and dress

7:00 am - wake up DS if he hasn't already woken himself up. Make sure he gets up, dressed, and headed to kitchen for breakfast. Finish getting myself ready while he eats.

7:30 am - out the door.

7:45 am - Daycare drop off.

8:00 - 4:00 work

4:15 pm - Daycare pick up and head to t-ball, park, or grocery store etc.

6:00 pm - cook while DS sits at table and works on something.

6:30 pm - eat

7:00 pm - walk/bike/scooter around the neighborhood.

7:30 pm - DS get ready for bed.

8:00 pm - clean up kitchen, tidy house, set out clothes for tomorrow, pack lunch, etc.

8:30 pm - watch tv/ get on computer / phone/ whatever

10:00 pm - bed and it starts all over in the morning.

To plan meals ahead of time, I tried to grocery shop on Sunday with a plan for the week. Usually one night a week (especially when he had evening practices) we would order pizza to keep it simple. Other times, the semi-prepared meals from Trader Joes were a huge help.

I dropped my son off at daycare on my way to work and picked him up on the way home. He definitely had to go to extended care up until this month.

I always tried to fit some relaxed "us" time in the evenings, but it can be tough. I put him to bed pretty early (now he goes to bed at 8:00 so about the same) which means less time together, but a much happier kid all day.

It's totally doable, but I can see how it would be hard going from having help to not. I went the other way, so I feel like every day is super easy now :)

Well looking at your questions I was not normal. My older kids were 16 and 18 when I divorced and between the two of them it was better than a husband. They actually did what I said.

I know there were times when my school schedule conflicted with their school so I hired a college student who's classes were later to kick my kids to the curb in the morning. I found it to be cheaper and less stressful than latch key.

My kids always went to be at 8:30 at the latest even when I couldn't be home till 9:30. I always found "spending time" with them on weeknights was more for me than them and it just wasn't worth messing up the next day so I just kept that the same, ya know?

Hope that helps a little. :)

Okay, here's how I recall the typical day:

Drop off at daycare at 8:15
Be to work by 8:30
Daycare picked up at child's school for after school care
Pick up child at 5:30
Home and start dinner
While dinner cooking, help with homework
After dinner and homework, bath time
After bath, dessert
Reading
Bed by 8:30

For meals, I would make a large batch of homemade waffles on the weekend and then freeze them for weekday mornings. Much less expensive than buying Eggos or other already made/frozen waffles. On the days she didn't have waffles, it was instant oatmeal - very easy and fast.

Also on weekends, I would make like a big pot of spaghetti sauce for use during the week. Same for stew (eat on Saturday; left overs on Wednesday) YOu can also mix up a meatloaf the night before so that it's ready to pop into the oven as soon as you get home. And the crock pot will be your best friend. A pot roast and potatos put in in the morning makes for a wonderful homecooked meal that night.

Don't worry too much about housework during the week. Just keep things picked up and do the actual cleaning on the weekends.

It is hard and you will be busy but you can do it and you will have a great sense of accomplishment and pride in yourself once you realize that you've got it figured out (for the most part).

It definately depends on your work schedule, so you would have to adjust the times accordingly, but here you go. I would make up a menu every Saturday, and make my grocery list accordingly. Sunday was always cleaning day. Mon-Fri I got up at 5:20 to get ready for work (super easy since we wear uniforms, hair nets and safety glasses, so no need for hair and makeup). Wake son up at 5:45. Leave house by 6:20 to take him to day care, where they fed him breakfast. Be at work by 6:45 to clock in before 7. Get off work at 3, pick son up from day care, if it's nice we will spend about 30 minutes playing outside or at the park before going home. Once we get home, wash up, have a snack. Start supper about 4:30-5. Eat, then bath time. After bath time, reading time. Son in bed by 8 pm, shower for me, then I went to bed usually around 9.