Apparently the average British mum carries out up to 59 different tasks every single school day.
It all starts at 6.38am when mums βleapβ out of bed before the rest of the family wake in order to βget aheadβ according to aΒ new study.
This involves βnipping quietly downstairsβ to empty the dishwasher and fill water bottles for school before packing school bags,Β opening the curtains,Β making the beds and working out what to doΒ for dinner.
Unsurprisingly, theΒ poll of mums by Simply Beef & Lamb (which is plugging its mini roasts as an easy dinner) found we fall into bed exhausted at 10.23pm (ok, I added the exhausted bit).
Iβm afraid to say I routinely carry out 48 of the 59 jobs mums doΒ on school days, which are:
1. Decide what to make for dinner
2. Cook and serve the evening meal
3. Tidy up the dishes
4. Wake the children
5. Open all the curtains
6. Wash up or pack the dishwasher
7. Tidy the house from top to bottom
8. Make and serve the breakfast
9. Make sure everyone is ready to leave the house on time
10. Do the childrenβs homework with them
11. Get the children ready for bed
12. Get yourself showered, washed and dressed
13. Check the children are wearing coats and have all their belongings
14. Get the children their morning milk/drink
15. Go to work
16. Do the morning school run
17. Do the afternoon school run
18. Make your own bed
19. Nag the children to do their teeth
20. Put a load of washing on
21. Lay out the school uniform/help children into the school uniform
22. Pack the childrenβs lunches for school
23. Tidy around
24. Play with the children
25. Fill up the water bottles
26. Nag the children to eat their dinner
27. Listen to the children read
28. Encourage the children to wash at the end of the day
29. Check the calendar for events the following day
30. Pack the childrenβs bags/P.E. kit for school
31. Do the childrenβs hair
32. Ferry the children to clubs and sports
33. Lay out all the bags and clothes for the following day
34. Read the bedtime story
35. Putting away the dishes
36. Make the childrenβs beds
37. Remember after school clubs
38. Pack your own work bag
39. Feed or walk the animals
40. Complete school paperwork/permission slips and remember to send in with the children
41. Pack the appropriate kits for afterschool clubs and sports
42. Put out the rubbish/recycling
43. Keep on top of the calendar for birthdays, school events, social events
44. Fill in the childrenβs reading records/homework books
45. Pack your own/your partnerβs lunch for the day
46. Ensure the children go to the toilet before leaving the house
47. Unpack the dishwasher/put the dishes away
48. Remember school dinner money
49. Hang out the washing
50. Give the children their medicines for the day
51. Usher the children into the bath or shower before school
52. Help your children learn their spellings for the day
53. Put sun cream on before school/rain coats
54. Check you havenβt forgotten a mufti day/cakes for the school fair
55. Vacuum
56. Iron
57. Help the children practise their music/sport/words for the school play
58. Read with the children
59. Volunteer at the various clubs, school, and sports.
Now I’m assuming the 1,583 mums polled aren’t all single, otherwise the headline would have been ‘the 59 jobs single mums do every school day’. So I have just one question: where the f**k are the dads when all this is going on?
Linking up with…
I think getting washed and dressed is not really a job otherwise we’d be naked if we decided to skip that one!
Very true – didn’t think of that! That said, I do find myself walking round in bra & pants a lot!!
I only do about 40-45 of these things! Though there are probably more to be added. Maybe we need to make another list – stuff that can be delegated to dads!
‘Only do’…that sums it up!!
Too true! I wonder what would happen if we went on strike?? This list is one of my main motivations to work (3 days of ‘freedom’)!
If we went on strike nothing would get done – it would all pile up!
Eek no wonder I’m exhausted reading that list when you add blogging, answering a ridiculous number of emails etc etc in to the mix. Though Si works really hard too so we’re exhausted together at least π
Thanks for linking up to #Picknmix
Stevie x
Good on you for sticking up for your man!!x
That is a very good question! AWOL?? We are always the ones who forget the cakes for the school fair etc! #abitofeverything
To give Misery Guts his due he did once make Peppa Pig cupcakes for BB’s nursery party – but only because I’d just given birth and was otherwise engaged!!
…and that’s why moms can’t afford to be sick…ever! Celebrate the jobs you do get done and don’t worry about the ones that don’t get done…after all, tomorrow is another day, lol. #abitofeverything
The trouble is I’m always saying tomorrow is another day!
Rev T would have been doing alot of that while I worked up in town … I obviously didn’t participate in the survey!
Lucky you!!
Hahahaha…Good question to ask – where are the Dads? They should probably be on the list then! And I think there should be more than 24 hours for a Mom—there doesn’t seem to have much time for anything else??? Where do I have time for chooclate/cake eating? Thanks for linking with #abitofeverything
There are sooo many things I don’t have time for!!
Haha I love the last line – I think this most days lol!! Thanks for linking up with #justanotherlinky xx
I’m not the only one then…
This is so true of a typical Mum’s day. I feel like this every day – although on the days I’m working I definitely do less, because when I get in I’m too zonked, and feel like everything can wait until tomorrow. But on days I’m home with baby, I go into duracell bunny drive! Yes, where are you Dads?! #picnmix
I just feel totally overwhelmed on the days I work!
Sometimes I feel like I never stop. I have a 7 year old and a 9month old and I’m a single mother. But this is just women in general single or not. Would you let your other half actually be in charge of any of this stuff is the real question lol a 2 second job is a 15 minute job for my boys dad, I don’t have time for that. #TheBabyFormula
Pauline x
I honestly don’t know how single parents do it – hats off to you! It takes Misery Guts 15 minutes to do something that should take 2 seconds too!
Hahaha, love the bit about dads π
My little boy is only 10 months old so I haven’t quite got to the crazy school days part, but from this I can honestly say I’m not really looking forward to it!!!!
Oh no – I don’t want to put you off!!
Wow, and I’d been looking forward to the break my son starting school would bring lol! Exhausted just reading this π #thebabyformula
I wouldn’t really call it a break…!!
hahaha yes: where are the dads? Don’t they do ANY of this? Even just helping with the nagging ‘eat your dinner’ π
It is an impressive list though, thanks for sharing & hope you can join next week too #thebabyformula
I’m sure the list could be longer too!
Haha! To be fair my husband is pretty good, he gets up and feeds the big one and baths them both. BUT while he is bathing them both I am tidying downstairs and starting dinner. If I bath them he is busy on the iPad……
Misery Guts is pretty good too, however he does need ‘prompting’ to do things too!