I'm sure there was a thread about balancing work and life but I thought I'd start a new one.
How you do balance work/home/kids/life and find time for yourself?
I work eight hours a day and get off work at 4:30pm. I pick my 8 yr old up from the after school program she attends and we get home around 5pm. My 8 yr old does her home work in the after school program so all I have to do is check it to make sure it's done.
I go through the mail and take a few minutes to relax. Then around 6pm I start making dinner. Dinner usually takes me about half an hour to make so we usually eat dinner at 6:30pm. After dinner I try to alternate spending time with the three most important people in my life, my two daughters and my SO. One night I'll play cards with my 8 yr old, the next night I'll watch a Youtube video with my 15 yr old she wants me to see. Then the next night I'll watch a movie with my SO. Some nights we'll spend all together, we'll go fishing or watch TV together.
Then 8pm rolls around and it's time for my 8 yr old to get ready for bed. Thankfully by this age she's old enough to take her own shower and get herself ready for bed. We spend a few minutes reading and it's lights out by 8:30 for her. My 15 yr old spends time from 8-8:30 doing what she wants on her own, reading or talking to her friends, then at 8:30 she gets ready for bed and her bedtime is 9pm.
I usually take my shower at 8:30 or 9pm, then I'll spend some alone time with my SO. Then I'll read or watch TV for a little while longer then go to bed around 10:30pm or so.
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I run errands after work or on my lunch break. I do the bulk of my grocery shopping every two weeks, so I only have to pick up a few items during the week if at all. I work out twice a week, one night a week and once on the weekend.
On Saturday mornings my girls and I clean the house. We split all the duties up so it only takes us about two hours to do everything. My SO takes care of the yard work and trash. Everyone is responsible for picking up after themselves and keeping their room clean during the week, so on the weekend the only stuff that really needs to be cleaned is the bathrooms and floors.
Saturday afternoon I take my girls to tennis and then drop them off at their father's. Saturday afternoon I relax. I might run an errand, read a book or do some crafts. Saturday evenings are date night for my SO and I.
Sunday morning I usually go work out and then in the afternoon I'll take my girls to the library or the park. And sometime during the weekend I'll find a couple of hours to do laundry. My SO does his own laundry, and between my girls and I we average about three loads a week, so it usually doesn't take that long to do. I'll watch TV or read with my 8 yr old while the loads are in the wash.
Sunday I usually cook a big dinner, stuff that I would not have time to cook during the week, and we'll eat the leftovers on Monday. Sunday night I'll spend with my girls and then it's a new week all over again.
Life is busy, but thankfully my girls are old enough now that I don't have to do that much for them now. They can get their own snacks if they're hungry, they can take their own showers without any help. I just started teaching my 8 yr old how to wash her hair in the shower so I don't have to do that for her anymore. Amazingly, I do have time to sew and do crafts, often I'll do them while watching TV with my girls.
The only thing I don't like is so many after school activities don't accomidate a working parent's schedule. They start at 3 or 4pm, and I don't get off from work until 4:30pm. I have difficulty finding things for them to do that start a little later or are on the weekend.
How you do balance work/home/kids/life and find time for yourself?
I work eight hours a day and get off work at 4:30pm. I pick my 8 yr old up from the after school program she attends and we get home around 5pm. My 8 yr old does her home work in the after school program so all I have to do is check it to make sure it's done.
I go through the mail and take a few minutes to relax. Then around 6pm I start making dinner. Dinner usually takes me about half an hour to make so we usually eat dinner at 6:30pm. After dinner I try to alternate spending time with the three most important people in my life, my two daughters and my SO. One night I'll play cards with my 8 yr old, the next night I'll watch a Youtube video with my 15 yr old she wants me to see. Then the next night I'll watch a movie with my SO. Some nights we'll spend all together, we'll go fishing or watch TV together.
Then 8pm rolls around and it's time for my 8 yr old to get ready for bed. Thankfully by this age she's old enough to take her own shower and get herself ready for bed. We spend a few minutes reading and it's lights out by 8:30 for her. My 15 yr old spends time from 8-8:30 doing what she wants on her own, reading or talking to her friends, then at 8:30 she gets ready for bed and her bedtime is 9pm.
I usually take my shower at 8:30 or 9pm, then I'll spend some alone time with my SO. Then I'll read or watch TV for a little while longer then go to bed around 10:30pm or so.
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I run errands after work or on my lunch break. I do the bulk of my grocery shopping every two weeks, so I only have to pick up a few items during the week if at all. I work out twice a week, one night a week and once on the weekend.
On Saturday mornings my girls and I clean the house. We split all the duties up so it only takes us about two hours to do everything. My SO takes care of the yard work and trash. Everyone is responsible for picking up after themselves and keeping their room clean during the week, so on the weekend the only stuff that really needs to be cleaned is the bathrooms and floors.
Saturday afternoon I take my girls to tennis and then drop them off at their father's. Saturday afternoon I relax. I might run an errand, read a book or do some crafts. Saturday evenings are date night for my SO and I.
Sunday morning I usually go work out and then in the afternoon I'll take my girls to the library or the park. And sometime during the weekend I'll find a couple of hours to do laundry. My SO does his own laundry, and between my girls and I we average about three loads a week, so it usually doesn't take that long to do. I'll watch TV or read with my 8 yr old while the loads are in the wash.
Sunday I usually cook a big dinner, stuff that I would not have time to cook during the week, and we'll eat the leftovers on Monday. Sunday night I'll spend with my girls and then it's a new week all over again.
Life is busy, but thankfully my girls are old enough now that I don't have to do that much for them now. They can get their own snacks if they're hungry, they can take their own showers without any help. I just started teaching my 8 yr old how to wash her hair in the shower so I don't have to do that for her anymore. Amazingly, I do have time to sew and do crafts, often I'll do them while watching TV with my girls.
The only thing I don't like is so many after school activities don't accomidate a working parent's schedule. They start at 3 or 4pm, and I don't get off from work until 4:30pm. I have difficulty finding things for them to do that start a little later or are on the weekend.