Confessions of a Working Mom - Part II : Scheduling is the Key

I've never been good at the whole house-cleaning and laundry thing. I'd much rather spend my days doing something enjoyable. I am blessed with a husband who is wonderful at deep-cleaning and getting things looking spic and span - I know, what a blessing. However, we both err on the side of laziness so the house never gets as clean as I want it as often as I want it. So, I was thinking to myself the other day and wondering why I function so well at work and get everything done right on time and in an organized manner. Same with Annabelle. I never have a problem keeping things organized and doing things on time with her. But for some reason, my house always suffers. So, the longer I thought about it the more I discovered it's all about being on a schedule and doing everything in a timely manner. At work, I have a strict schedule to my day and have to follow it to a T. We have a certain number of hours designated to teach our science, math, ELA and social studies block. If we don't teach them when we're supposed to, we aren't meeting our goal. Same with Annabelle, I have her on a strict three hour schedule (thank you, Babywise). She eats, we have a little bit of waketime, and then she sleeps. I knew I had to do the same thing at home. Ever since Annabelle was born the whole cleaning and laundry thing has gotten worse! I just can't get it together. So, last week I put myself on a schedule at home. My goal: to clean one room of the house a night, one load of laundry and fix dinner. This way on the weekends, I will have all the laundry done and I won't be spending my whole day doing it, I have a clean house and I can enjoy my family. I have a late night at work one day a week to get all my planning done, so that is Austin's turn to cook dinner, do the laundry and cleaning for the week. This plan has only been put into action one week, but thus far it has been a success. I just came to the conclusion I am the type of person that needs to follow a schedule, or it won't get done. I have to hold myself accountable. When I was home with AB for maternity leave, I had no problem cleaning up after everyone and tidying up, but since I've gone back to work it gets overwhelming. I figure if I keep it up and I clean one room a night the cleaning will be minimal for the next week and easier to keep up. It's still hard not being home with my baby. Work has gotten much, much easier and I'm adjusting and back into my teacher groove. I still can't help but miss my baby during the day and wonder what things I am missing. Andrea is awesome about keeping me informed and sending me pictures. I love that. Even though the schedule thing has made my life easier at home, it still doesn't help me from missing my AB.