What do you do all day? - Page 2

[Momto2boysNagirl]

I've got a 7 yr that I have to cart around to school and baseball or whatever activity he is in at the time. I try and clean and do laundry everyday. The two little ones seem like they are always eating so I spend alot of time in the kitchen. We tried the playgroups and going to the library, but we just didn't get into it. A couple of friends I met on another board try and meet up with our kids every once and awhile, so that helps. Now that it's nice out we have been spending alot of time at the park. I try and take them to a new one everyday to keep things exciting...:LOL
They like to help me clean and put stuff in the dryer for me. Oh and my dd broke a dish this morning trying to help me unload the dishwasher.
I don't get much alone time, but me and my friends are going to start going out once a mth without any children. The husbands will be home with them. We went out this past weekend and it was wonderful except all we talked about were the kids.

[AngelBee]

:

[thoesly]

My kids are 6, 4, and 2. We all do better when the day is divided into predictable chunks of activity. For summer, the time between breakfast and lunch includes a walk, outdoor play and chores (cleaning and dinner prep). After lunch, we do crafts and reading/writing/math activities, followed by a video for them and MDC time for me (the video is the closest they get to nap time now, and they need the downtime). Following that, they do more outdoor play while I sit and watch while working on classwork, reading a book, or knitting. After dinner, they hang out with my husband while I do evening chores. We do an early bedtime prep, but once they are ready for bed, they are free to play together in their rooms until bedtime stories.

[applejuice]

I (XXXX) work outside the home - now since my DH died.

When I was a SAHM, I had a routine around the house that involved a task for the house once a week in the morning (as in clean the bathroom), and a daily task (as in clean up the breakfast dishes), and then I would play with the baby...in the house, in the yard, in the park, with the stereo, or in the library...

I straightened up before DH came home and dinner was always waiting on the table.

So much fun!

[applejuice]

:

I never watched daytime television...a real waste of time in my estimation. JMHO.

I did listen to tapes with my baby and I listened to talkradio. MMM, we all have our addictions. :

[lauraess]

Applejuice: Im wondering why- curious as He#$ - why you Capitalized the word "work" in your first post???

~L

[Lucky Charm]

I am a parttime wohm, so i hope you dont mind me chiming in with my experience.

I have three kids, and when i was home full time (as it is i am home 5 out of 7 days each week), I really liked story time at the library, and sometimes at the local Barnes & Noble book store. Just getting out of the house for a non errand reason really helped.

I also lived in Florida for many years so the weather was usually nice and we went to the park alot, even when they were small. Digging in the sandbox and swinging on the swings even for a short while really perked me and the kids up. Of course, we also swam....alot, as it was always so hot! (this of course required effort on my part, but worth it because the kids napped hard afterwards)

When we moved here to colorado, i was not used to the winters and the isolation it could breed. So i would often take my youngest (who is 8 & 11 years younger than the first two) to the mall to one of theose indoor playgrounds. I would sip coffee and he would play. And we went to the library for story time and books.

I was never part of a playgroup either, and in some ways i regret it. It might have made *my* time at home a bot easier, kwim?

I think what you are feeling is normal, and reflects the way alot of mamas do, Not every mom is a playgroup/support group type of person. And 15 months is where things really start to change for your child. Personally, i always loved loved loved the toddler years, in some ways more than the infant/baby stage. They are such fun! enjoy it! savor it!

Good thread

[vermonttaylors]

Hey artist mama,
my ds is almost 17 months, and our days are predictable but very flexible. We have a playgroup once or twice a week, library hour on thursdays, and usually 2 or 3 playdates as well. We are in a super rural part of Vermont, and yet ds has a busier social schedule than my nieces and nephews in NYC. Some of my mama friends and I were trying to figure out why, and how, in such an isolated spot, we wind up doing something with friends almost everyday. We decided that we think it's because we expect to feel lonely and isolated out here, so we are extrordinarily proactive about seeing each other. There are a remarkable number of little ones around, and while I don't feel a kinship with all the mamas, everyone is really nice and fun to talk to, and some have become valued and beloved friends (as well as MDC mamas. Hey Elsa and Kerry!). My point is, and I do have one I promise, that sometimes it is good to go ahead and go to a playgroup, even if you're not sure you will hit is off with the mamas. You never know where friendship is lurking, plus it was around one that my ds started LOVING being with other kids.

So, our day revolves around spending as much time outside as possible. Usually we have some date to go to, but when home we do what a lot of the mamas here have mentioned: reading, playing, making a mess, dancing, napping, eating, etc. We watch almost no tv with the exception of a few sign language videos he loves. We wrestle and garden and take a 1 to 1-1/2 hour walk with the stroller or backpack everyday.

It's fun to get together with other families, I highly recommend it. Being around other mamas is refreshing in a way. And while the talk is usually about some aspect of parenting, there is also talk about books, movies, music, food, travel etc. Plus, nothing makes for a good nap like a great playdate at the park!

Cheers!
April - dh , ds Kai b.12/30/03 - a. 9/2/04 Kazakhstan
menagerie : : : : : :
waiting for a referral for a baby girl from Kaz :

[Hey Mama!]

At the moment, Mondays are the only days we usually stay home. I take dd#1 to preschool school on Tues/Thurs mornings, and then dd#2 and I go to playgroup at that time. On Wednesdays, we usually go to the pool or park, and Fridays, playdate with friends or I take both girls to playgroup. We are usually out of the house everyday from 8:30-noonish, (some days we have a morning and afternoon activity)then we come home, I make lunch and then put the girls down for a nap. Usually they wake up right before we pick up dh. I rarely do housework while they are awake-it seems pointless as they are just going to mess it up again :LOL

Dh asks why I do so many things with them, and I tell him it's because we all go crazy being at home all day. The days we do stay at home they spend a majority of it outside, but they still get bored, as do I.

[applejuice]

Originally Posted by lauraess

Applejuice: Im wondering why- curious as He#$ - why you Capitalized the word "work" in your first post???

~L

I am sorry - it is a typo and I will correct it for you if it is too disturbing. to you.

All mothers are working mothers, in my honest opinion.

No one would take a vacation doing what SAHMs do.