Stay at Home vs. Work Debate

We hired a housecleaner twice a month, and accepted that we couldn't possibly keep up enough to live in a place suitable to be photographed for House Beautiful.  You decide what's important to you, and let other things slide.  Accept whatever help is available from friends and family, and make sure your partner/other adults in the household if any pull their weight!

Gwen

Thanks, Toni!

Coming into this late, and you've probably gotten some of this advice already.

1. Give up on getting everything done (I hired a housecleaner).
2. Cook on the weekends, eat leftovers during the week.
3. Work part time or stagger your work hours (I've done both). It's well known at both of my jobs that my spouse does drop off, and I do pick up. So I gotta leave at 3 or 4 pm. Period. I have friends who do both drop off and pickup. It's brutal, especially if you are trying to work full time.
4. "It's not fair for other people to pick up the slack". Get over that. I spent 5 months sick as a dog (went to work anyway) when I was working full time and nursing and pumping. Now, I haven't been sick in a year and a half. Don't drive yourself crazy worrying about other people (I leave at 4 every day, but I also am more willing to come in on Sunday to get a few things done as necessary.) Do your best. I've DONE my time. I've worked the 60-70 hour weeks, the weekends, etc. I'm not in a position to do that right now.
5. You HAVE to have a spouse who does half. I cook and grocery shop. Spouse does dishes and ALLLL the laundry.

Still, it's a delicate balance. Right now we're slammed, and I'm working 45 hours a week, and it sucks. I hate it. Luckily my 3 year can "Help" me make dinner, keeps him occupied (he shreds cheese and spins lettuce mostly).

My schedule now:
Up at 5.
Gym 5:30 to 6:30. Shower 6:30 to 6:45. Commute 6:45 to 7. At my desk at 7, reading email, drinking tea, eating breakfast.
Lunch break is about 1/2 hour, though some days I go for a 30 min walk, and I end up with a full hour.
Leave at 4 pm.
Pick up child at 4:20 pm (but as late as 5 on a bad day).
Cook dinner (6:30pm, spouse gets home at 6), color, farmer's market or grocery shopping sometimes, depending on day of the week.
Pack lunches, dishes, read books, bedtime (8 though he's pushing it to 9).
In bed at 9 (me)

That's 2 days/week. Other 2 days spouse goes to the gym, and I "sleep in" until 5:45 am. I usually am awake at 5 anyway, and I just lie in bed. Snuggle if my son comes in at 5 (usually he wakes up, comes in, and sleeps until 6:30). Spouse comes home at 6:45 and I head to work.

My son gets dropped off at about 8:15 am at preschool.

Mind if I add one other tip to your list?

In order to save time and frustration in the mornings, every weekend I get together 5 work outfits for me - even underwear and accessories - and hang them all together in one spot.  That way, there's no crunch for time looking for something to wear in the mornings.  It's all right there and I can just grab one outfit and go with it.   

I used to do the same thing for Joel, too, when he was little.  In his case I folded shirt, pants, socks, underwear into one little packet and put them in his drawer that way.  He's in charge of that now, of course, but for a while there it saved me a lot of headache on weekday mornings.