Hello all,
I don't post often, but MDC has always been a great resource for me, so I thought I would post here to get some suggestions. I hope it doesn't come across as just whining. Here goes...
I have a 2 year old daughter. I work outside the home 3 days/week, and my boss lets me flex a few hours and work from home. My husband works full-time in addition to being a student. When my daughter was 5 months old, my husband was laid off and we moved in with my parents in another city. This was not without its drawbacks, but it had its advantages. Namely, we had four adults sharing the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. DD was also very rarely bored—an older cousin or two were frequently around to play with her, and there was a large, kid-friendly backyard she loved to play in. She also played quite happily by herself in her room or in the kitchen while I cooked.
Two weeks ago, we moved into our own home. Very exciting! I was so looking forward to it just being me, DD, and DH again, but right now I’m feeling overwhelmed with all the work that needs to be done. Before we moved in with my parents, we had a small house and I did not work outside the home, so it was no problem to keep up with the housework. DD would just hang out in the sling while I cooked or cleaned. Now, I'm in a much larger home and DD is 2. I currently do most of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands, etc while also doing some work from home. As I said, I’m used to sharing household duties so this is new for me. I am not used to trying to fit it all in while keeping my DD entertained, and neither is she. She is frequently bored and is much more fussy than before the move. She doesn’t want to play outside with me and she doesn’t like to play by herself anymore. Lately I have resorted to letting her watch PBS Kids or a short DVD just to get things done. I know these are not terrible shows for her to be watching or anything, but I also know there are other moms out there who are able to keep up the house and take care of a toddler without using the TV as a distraction. What I would like to know is how to do it.
Any suggestions are most welcome. Thanks in advance!
I don't post often, but MDC has always been a great resource for me, so I thought I would post here to get some suggestions. I hope it doesn't come across as just whining. Here goes...
I have a 2 year old daughter. I work outside the home 3 days/week, and my boss lets me flex a few hours and work from home. My husband works full-time in addition to being a student. When my daughter was 5 months old, my husband was laid off and we moved in with my parents in another city. This was not without its drawbacks, but it had its advantages. Namely, we had four adults sharing the cooking, cleaning, and laundry. DD was also very rarely bored—an older cousin or two were frequently around to play with her, and there was a large, kid-friendly backyard she loved to play in. She also played quite happily by herself in her room or in the kitchen while I cooked.
Two weeks ago, we moved into our own home. Very exciting! I was so looking forward to it just being me, DD, and DH again, but right now I’m feeling overwhelmed with all the work that needs to be done. Before we moved in with my parents, we had a small house and I did not work outside the home, so it was no problem to keep up with the housework. DD would just hang out in the sling while I cooked or cleaned. Now, I'm in a much larger home and DD is 2. I currently do most of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, errands, etc while also doing some work from home. As I said, I’m used to sharing household duties so this is new for me. I am not used to trying to fit it all in while keeping my DD entertained, and neither is she. She is frequently bored and is much more fussy than before the move. She doesn’t want to play outside with me and she doesn’t like to play by herself anymore. Lately I have resorted to letting her watch PBS Kids or a short DVD just to get things done. I know these are not terrible shows for her to be watching or anything, but I also know there are other moms out there who are able to keep up the house and take care of a toddler without using the TV as a distraction. What I would like to know is how to do it.
Any suggestions are most welcome. Thanks in advance!
