Are there any full-time working mom's out there? I see a lot of sahm's posting about making homemade pasta or something and I'm thinking... what working mom has the waste of time for that! I's love to hear from women who bust their bottoms working and coming home to bust it again playing, caring and loving their kids. I'd love to talk costs about daycare and tips to get food on the table that doesn't come in a happy meal box. C johns

I am a full time working mom, have been almost the entire time i have been a mom... unfortunately it is my bedtime - I have to get up at 6am to go to work. I will provide some details tomorrow evening

I am a sahm now, but I use to work full time. I use to work 50 hours plus every week. I have only been a sahm since May 2006. I have a 5 & 4 year old and a 17 month old. So I had two children when I was working. I have always cook up meals for my family. I DO NOT make my own pasta but I still put time and effort into my meals. I always cook lots of food that can be leftovers for another dinner or lunch or freeze the extras. I do spend about one sunday per month cooking meals that can be frozen for later use. I buy big ecomony packs of meat and seperate it out and freeze it for later. I get stuff ready the night before for meals that I will make the next day. I think that you cant go wrong with any meal that can be throw into a crock pot. There are some great recipes on this website that are quick and easy but also yummy. Dont get me wrong, I am not saying that I dont take it easy once in a while. I do things like almost every friday I cook a frozen pizza for dinner. I buy the family size frozen lasagnas-I can get one of those for less than $10.00 and get two meals out of it. I watch the grocery store flyers and base my weeks meals on that.
I am also a fan on an occasional happy meal for dinner too.

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I am a full time working mom that works outside the home M-F. SAHM are full time working moms also. I understand about how it can be frustrating to work outside the home & try to get home & get dinner fixed & clean the house. I plan out a menu for the whole week & buy my groceries off of that. I make big meals over the weekends so I will have leftovers for lunches & other meals. I will also make big meals during the week on a night when it is not a busy night for us. There is plenty of times where we have just had sandwiches, mac & cheese or whatever we could find that was quick. I try to do one room in the house a night. Like monday's I clean my kitchen, tuesday the living room & so on. Sometimes it doesn't get done, but I do not let myself get stressed out about it anymore. I just want to spend time with my kids.
You will find some great recipes & tips on here. Jump on in.

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Mommy to Ariana 8/11/01 & Davis 4/11/05
I love my kiddos!

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Hi, and welcome to Mommysavers. I realize you are new, but this site welcomes SAHMs, WAHMs and Moms who do both! We have quite a few full-time work-outside-the-home moms who then come home to another full time job. We ALL bust our butts for our families and our lives. This site has quite a few who are dealing w/the daycare costs, along w/quick and easy meals, as you will read in the posts as you explore. Take the time and look in our recipe areas.

There is no right way to raise the kids when this subject comes up, and we support each other no matter which choice we make. Those who make pasta at home aren't wasting their time; they are using their talents and creativity to create something, and I know moms who work 9-5 who make their own pasta, too. It's all about choices.

Feel free to browse and learn what we all deal with - there may be some eye openers, along with the hints you need. And if you don't see questions or hints given that you want, ask! Share your own hints. How DO you do it all and feel balanced?

I, personally, am a SAHM, but did do the full-time job and then full-time mom, also. We SAHMs bust our butts, too, AND we don't get lunch and bathroom breaks! We don't have commute time to think to ourselves and decompress. I worked full time and was a full-time mom, too (although I felt like a part-time mom, which was why I made the choices I did), as I was constantly at the daycare during lunches and nursed during the night. It is hard. But again, it's all about choices. In each case, something's got to give, but something else is gained. I think we make our choices by what the gains are, and respect those who may make different choices.

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Ummm...well, here is the thing. I have done and been both. Whether I worked outside the home or not, I am a crafty, homey kind of person. I cook from scratch when at all possible (I don't consider it a "waste of time"...it is what I love to do, better for my family, and for us, more economical.), make homemade things with my kids, for my kids, etc, and whether I was working IN the home or OUT of the home, you can guaran-dog-tee I was busting my butt! Maybe I am the classic "over achiever mom", but I just don't think so. I think you are limiting yourself if you are only looking for tips from other moms who work. Some of the at home moms may be able to help you with some ideas, too!

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I recently worked full time until the birth of our third child, so I have experienced both situations as well. I understand that it is difficult to go to work and then come home and cook, clean & play with the kids. However, I think you will find that the SAHMs "bust their butts all day" too. That being said, there are many excellent ideas for how to do anything and everything that a mom needs to do, all over this website. It is like having hundreds of friends, all who provide great advice.

I think the biggest time saver for me when I was working outside the home was planning my dinners for the week. I found that when I didn't have a plan, it was a lot easier to pick up pizza or stop at the grocery store on the way home.

I work out side from my home and it is hard. I go to sleep around 1:00 a.m. and then I am up by 6 or 7a.m. so I am lacking on sleep. I try to get dishes, laundry (1) done by the morning and water my yard. Laundry is only one loud a day to keep up. I work from 2:30 p.m. until 11:00 or 12:00 am. Also I do Hospice visit during the day on m. w. f. so as you can see I really am busy. My kids dh takes my oldes to school on his way to work and then my other I take to school. I try to sleep a couple of hours during the day. right now the girls are out of school so I do stay up to spend more time with them..

I work fulltime outside of my home. When my kids were younger I would work midnights so I could be at home for my kids. Now they are older I work 2 midnights 2 afternoons a week

I would have loved to have the option to be a SAHM but my DH was disabled and he is a SAHD. It is not for everyone but we adapted to it.

I love to cook from scratch and try to prepare homecooked meals as schedule allows.

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I also work outside the home full-time and I am a single mom of 2 girls (7 & 5). I try to live as frugally as I can but lately I have fallen off the wagon so to speak and I am climbing aboard again.
I do use coupons and yes I do buy convience foods for next to nothing. I buy meats in the family pack. I bought a chest freezer and a foodsaver and I buy my freezer bags from Ebay.
My kids do go to daycare full days and half days when they are in school. I do get assitance with the payments/
I have gotten our clothes from Ebay and freecycle (and so far I have had great luck). I have never turned down anything free. I have read somewhere that if someone offers you something never say no even if you don't need it. You can pass it along because they may never offer you anything ever again.
I also buy clothes off season. I hit the clearance racks and put the stuff away.
I have a co-worker who is a haridresser and I just started bartering haircuts. So far she has permed & colored my hair and cut both girls hair for next to nothing.
I am almost done Christmas shopping. I started after last Christmas and have been putting stuff away in my gift closet.
I try to keep up with my housework as much as possible and now that my kids are at a good age they chip in.