How and when do you find the time to.....MEME

I was tagged by Mum’s The Word for this meme started by Sex, Drugs, Rocker and Stroller.  I’m quite excited; it’s the first time I’ve ever been tagged! J

Rules:

• Please post the rules.
• When answering the questions, please give as much detail as possible!
• Leave a comment on Sex, Drugs, Rocker and...Stroller, baby, so we can keep track of the meme and I can totally steal your routine tips to make my world a happier place. 
• Also if you want (and I'd really like you to!) add a little paragraph at the bottom to give a general summing up about your weekly routine!
• Tag 3 or more people and link to them on your blog.
• Tweet tweet tweet #howdoyoufindthetimetomeme

Here are the questions...

How and when do you find the time to...

....do your laundry?

I try and do this at least once a day, but it doesn’t always happen.  We keep our dirty laundry in the kitchen, so it’s easy for me to bung it in when I get time.  Sometimes it’s when Aled is at school; sometimes it’s when I’m cooking the tea!  One of PJ’s chores is normally to empty the washing machine into the tumble drier, so I ask him to do this when he gets home from school when I remember.

....write a blog post?

This is usually done while Aled is at school.  Some mornings I do get caught up in other things, in which case I may do it during the afternoon.  Quite often I have drafted something up in my head before writing it down.  For my Week That Was posts I take advantage of my desktop ‘sticky notes’ and jot down notes to remind me what I have been up to.

....look after yourself...i.e. wash your hair, paint your nails, take a bubble bath etc?

This depends on the day and what I have planned.  More often these days I end up just having a quick shower in the morning or before my evening job, so to have time for a bubble bath is a real treat!

....spend time with your other half?

This is something that seems to be getting less and less at the moment.  I work 1-2 evenings a week and during the day over the weekend.  Hubby is also a Scout Leader on a Friday and I will be starting back up with my darts team on a Tuesday.  That only really leaves us with Monday and the weekend evenings to spend any quality time together.  We try to do something like watch a movie together (with our 13 year old!) on these nights.

....do fun stuff with your LO?

I am home with the two little ones during the day.  Aled goes to nursery in the mornings and Noah goes to crèche every Wednesday and Thursday mornings, so we generally have the afternoons together.  With the summer coming up I am hoping on more trips to the park with the two little ones.

....spend time with family?

I usually get to see my mum about once a week.  Mostly she will come to us as it’s easier than dragging all of the kids out, but we sometimes go to visit her.  My littlest sister lives and works with my mum, so we see her quite often as well.  I see my other sister less often, but usually every couple of months.  All of hubby’s family live back home in Wales, so we only get to see them every few months.

....socialise with friends?

Socialise, what’s that??  In just over a weeks’ time the dart season starts up and I have just joined a women’s darts team.  I am really looking forward to this as it is an opportunity to get out on a social level.  Other than that, I don’t go out very often.  Over the last year or so due to various circumstances, I do feel that I have become a bit estranged from my ‘real life’ friends and don’t see much of them anymore.

....prepare an evening meal juggling a baby/toddler bedtime routine?

The evening meal I try to wait until PJ gets home from school and has chance to do some homework.  I normally start cooking about 5pm.  On really organised I will prepare a meal in the morning and chuck it in the slow cooker.

The little ones bedtime is usually done by hubby.  That is their time together.  They go to bed at about 7pm.  On the nights that I work I leave at 6.30, so hubby does it all.  Other nights I usually get the kids pyjamas on and mostly hubby does the bedtime story.  When hubby does the story they get an interactive one on the iPad, but when I do it they get a ‘normal’ book.

....deep clean your house?

Sorry, what now??  I must admit, I hate cleaning with a passion.  The toys get tidied away every evening after the little ones have gone to bed and the vacuum goes on every few days (more if needed).  The dishwasher gets done daily and the kitchen sides are wiped down, but too be honest, that’s really about it unless it really needs it.

....do the food shopping?

Up until recently this was always done online, however, over the last few weeks I have found it a bit of a routine of me and Noah going to Iceland on a Tuesday morning while Aled is at school and then get the shopping delivered in the afternoon.

....bulk ironing?

Ha, after reading the other answers do you really think that I bulk iron?!  Ironing is done as and when it’s needed.  I try to hang up stubborn clothes when they come out of the tumble drier so that they are not too bad to iron.

So, there we go.  I am going to tag…

Cupcake Mumma, Little Blue Feet and Mama Owl

Have fun ladies!

Jackie. x