This 'Drop Your Pant's Here' sign is really cute!

Lately, my plate has been full of responsibilities. On top of working full time, helping my husband with his projects, and school part-time, I still have to keep the laundry under control and the bathrooms fairly clean. My husband has been wonderful picking up a few of my usual chores. For instance, he has been throwing laundry in when he sees the basket overflowing. Of course, he sometimes forgets the laundry is in the washer or dryer, then we have to deal with ironing or redrying, but it’s better this way than not at all. He also has been making sure I eat a nutritious meal. When I come home on my one late day, he has dinner waiting for me at the dinner table.

But, I still need to get everything accomplished in a timely manner. How do I do it? I multi-task like crazy! I wake up one hour earlier than normal so that I can squeeze in some time for me, meaning time to write this post and comment on some of my favorite blogs. If I didn’t use this time wisely, I’d never have any ‘me’ time, and that would make me cranky. At school, over my breaks, I try to plan and organize the classroom so that I can leave right away at the end of the day. That might mean planning for the week ahead, entering test scores on the computer, preparing an art or writing project, or grading tests.

When I come home, I quickly make sure no one is looking for me, meaning a client that needs something. I check my email and respond to those that only need a few-word reply. I ask my husband, while throwing in a load of laundry, if he needs my help before I spend an hour or two reading for class. If my help is needed, then I allot an hour to a client project, leaving me an additional hour to read or write a paper. Before walking to the bedroom to read, I might water my potted plants on the back patio. Luckily, they are drought-tolerant and only need watering a couple of times a week. Purchasing low maintenance items make life a lot easier.

Since eating doesn’t take much time, I chow down a meal between books so that I have the energy to continue studying. One day during the work week I make sure I spend 30 minutes to an hour completing any papers I have due that Friday. On the weekends, I schedule one half-day to completing longer research papers.  Before my one weekend work-day begins, I can usually clean both bathrooms, minus the shower, and have another chore completed, and the bathrooms in decent condition. Usually setting aside 3 to 4 hours will suffice and I can accomplish enough so that I can spend some quality time with my husband on the second weekend day. As the evening is approaching, I can complete any laundry I forgot about or spend time with my husband, who has lately been neglected.

My one weekend day off, I indulge myself with sleeping in. My husband and I might decide to go to breakfast, a favorite local place that only charges $10 – $12 for the both of us. Living frugally the majority of the week, we feel we can splurge on this one meal. We establish our grocery or shopping list and take a portion of this day to shop. In the early evening, with the weather still warm, we might decide to grill out on the patio. Since I am usually caught up on school work, I don’t feel stressed or guilty that I can take one day off to enjoy the day. Multi-tasking makes my one guilt-free day possible.