[sfarrow3]

What do you do with your toddlers in the evening?

We normally don't have time to do much. I pick them up from daycare at 5pm. They normally play outside in the back yard for 30 minutes. Then I cook dinner. Then its bath, bed and reading a few books. A couple of days last week I actually took them to the park right when I got off of work for about an hour. Sometimes I feel there is not enough hours in the day... *sigh*

What do you guys do?

[jessanddane]

What do you do with your toddlers in the evening?

I'm lucky I am able to pick her up by 3:45 unless we have a faculty meeting. then we drive straight home. Daddy is usually already there. We go outside and play for a little bit (she mainly chases the dog around). Come inside. I either cook dinner or we go somewhere for dinner. Straight into the bath with either dad or I. Until 7 we usually just play with toys and read books. I love weekends, we get to do so much more.

[Ally-Mac]

We usually don't get home until 5:30pm. She eats dinner and we may play outside or play with her toys/books inside. That's goes until about 7pm - then she gets a bath (on bath nights), she has a snack and we get her ready for bed. She's usually in bed by 7:30pm. Doesn't give much time for us in the evenings.

[*BabyMaMa*]

I always wondered about this for those who have FT jobs. That would make me so sad to only have a couple hours in the evening. You all are so awesome!! I couldn't imagine!

[Alison79]

Our normal schedule is that I work until 4:30 and then get dinner started. I work from home so thankfully there is no commute. DH works second shift so he's home during the day and I take over in the afternoon. We homeschool so after dinner the school age kids work on various activities, usually handwriting or spelling or whatever they didn't finish with DH earlier in the day, while I clean up from dinner. After that we either do baths or watch a little TV until bedtime. Reid goes to bed at 6:30 and everyone else is staggered after that. On Thursdays we do a night at the park. Picnic dinner and lots of playtime which is a nice way to break up the week since I am on dinner/bath/bed duty on my own M-Th.

[sfarrow3]

Originally Posted by Alison79

Our normal schedule is that I work until 4:30 and then get dinner started. I work from home so thankfully there is no commute. DH works second shift so he's home during the day and I take over in the afternoon. We homeschool so after dinner the school age kids work on various activities, usually handwriting or spelling or whatever they didn't finish with DH earlier in the day, while I clean up from dinner. After that we either do baths or watch a little TV until bedtime. Reid goes to bed at 6:30 and everyone else is staggered after that. On Thursdays we do a night at the park. Picnic dinner and lots of playtime which is a nice way to break up the week since I am on dinner/bath/bed duty on my own M-Th.

I like that idea..I think im going to steal it. ha ha Thanks Allison!

Originally Posted by *BabyMaMa*

I always wondered about this for those who have FT jobs. That would make me so sad to only have a couple hours in the evening. You all are so awesome!! I couldn't imagine!

Thank you Kim!

[Jule'sMomInOR]

I love working from home. My official hours are 6:30am-3:30pm but occasionally I have meetings at 5 am! While this totally sucks, it means I can finish my day around 2 pm on those days and no later than 3:30 on other days. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I take her with me to the gym, where she has to go the the childcare (which I feel guilty about because she's been with the nanny all day) and at least one other day we go for a run in the stroller. Sometimes we go to the park if the weather is nice. The other day we had a play date at 3 pm with some baby friends. It's a little bit less than I would like, but I still get to spend a lot of time with Juliana.

One thing that helps is that I've gotten in a routine of making a huge meal on both Saturday and Sunday. We eat half, then freeze the other half. I have built up a freezer repository of meals, so two nights per week all I have to do is microwave them and we have a healthy, home-cooked meal. I use this on my gym nights because we don't get back until 6:30 and we're ready to eat right away. On other week nights we have something quick, like turkey burgers on the Forman grill.

It's hard for me to imagine getting home at 6 or 6:30 and not getting to spend much time with Juliana. I feel like I'm so spoiled WFH.

[sfarrow3]

Originally Posted by Jule'sMomInOR

I love working from home. My official hours are 6:30am-3:30pm but occasionally I have meetings at 5 am! While this totally sucks, it means I can finish my day around 2 pm on those days and no later than 3:30 on other days. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I take her with me to the gym, where she has to go the the childcare (which I feel guilty about because she's been with the nanny all day) and at least one other day we go for a run in the stroller. Sometimes we go to the park if the weather is nice. The other day we had a play date at 3 pm with some baby friends. It's a little bit less than I would like, but I still get to spend a lot of time with Juliana.

One thing that helps is that I've gotten in a routine of making a huge meal on both Saturday and Sunday. We eat half, then freeze the other half. I have built up a freezer repository of meals, so two nights per week all I have to do is microwave them and we have a healthy, home-cooked meal. I use this on my gym nights because we don't get back until 6:30 and we're ready to eat right away. On other week nights we have something quick, like turkey burgers on the Forman grill.

It's hard for me to imagine getting home at 6 or 6:30 and not getting to spend much time with Juliana. I feel like I'm so spoiled WFH.

Love that idea too! I really wish I could have Mariah or Becky's job! Well maybe not the work..but at least you are HOME!!! That is just such a blessing!

[shockandawe]

I love the picnic night idea too. That would work awesomely here in the spring/summer/fall! I'll have to try and remember this by next May!

I also WFH and I'm so blessed to have that opportunity as well. BUT, we still have the challenge at night too. I finish work at 4, and I spend half an hour playing with Maggie OR I get straight into figuring out dinner. We do any errands or chores that have to be done then too. I am relying on my nanny much more than I originally was, and this leaves me with at least an hour or so with Maggie. DH is home by 6 and so dinner feels like it stretches on forever. Maggie needs food by 5 to stay human. Bedtime is at 7:30, and it seems like the time just flies through our fingers once DH gets home.

[sfarrow3]

^^^O man! I guess you and me are in the same d a m n boat!!!! LMAO

[MelKD]

I work 10:00-7:00 all week, about 35 miles from my house. I'm up by 6:00 in the morning to try and get ready before the kids wake up between 6:30-7:00, because once they wake up, it takes me twice as long, trying to juggle taking care of them with putting on makeup, fixing my hair and ironing clothes. Brian is out the door for work by 7:30. So, between the time they wake up and the time I leave around 8:30/8:45, I just try to enjoy as much time as I can with them, whether it's feeding them breakfast or playing with them. I tend to get home anywhere between 7:30-8:00 in the evening, and by that time, Leila is already in bed, or very close to going to bed because she gets completely unmanageable (tired) between 7:00-8:00. If she so happens to still be awake when I get home, I don't make it further than the front door before I'm dropping my purse on the floor and picking her up for kisses and hugs, and I play with her for as long as I can until she just can't stay up any longer. Josh usually stays up until 9:00, so after Leila goes to bed, we'll sit on the couch and cuddle watching TV, or we'll get on the floor and rough-house. I try to make the most of every minute I can get with them, which is why I'm really not on here too terribly often!

[sboricua]

I feel like im a part time mom on the weeknights. we wake up at 6am, get ready to head out by 7-30 and I take them striaght to school. I pick them up at 530 and dont get home til 545-6. I drop everything and start cooking (if Darwin is working) then we eat. hang out and play. By 730 we are upstairs getting bed time routine started. By 8-815 they are in bed. I have them full time on the weekends. lol. I have more time with the girls when Darwin is off b/c he will have already cooked. So we eat and after dinner we take an hour walk as a family while Jasmine is riding her bike and desi in the the stroller. she loves the walks! shes just so calm and enjoying the ride!

[-erin-]

I'm so happy to see more working moms in the same boat I'm in. There aren't many in my PR (May, but my DD was born in June). I'm up around 6:15, get ready, get Juliet up at 7, out the door around 7:20 to drop off at daycare around 7:45. I get to work at 8:30 and work til 5. Get to daycare around 5:45, home by 6-6:15. Then it's a rush to get dinner together and all of us fed. After dinner I've started letting it all sit (except putting leftovers away) to get in some playtime before bath/bedtime starting around 7:45 to get her in bed by 8ish. After she's in bed I try to clean up the kitchen and sometimes other areas of the house. Lately she's been really grumpy in the mornings so I'm worried I have to start putting her to bed earlier, which will cut into our time even more. I feel selfish for worrying about that, since if she needs more sleep, she needs to go to bed earlier. But I'm also thinking it may have to do with the time changing so it's dark in the mornings now.

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Originally Posted by -erin-

I'm so happy to see more working moms in the same boat I'm in. There aren't many in my PR (May, but my DD was born in June). I'm up around 6:15, get ready, get Juliet up at 7, out the door around 7:20 to drop off at daycare around 7:45. I get to work at 8:30 and work til 5. Get to daycare around 5:45, home by 6-6:15. Then it's a rush to get dinner together and all of us fed. After dinner I've started letting it all sit (except putting leftovers away) to get in some playtime before bath/bedtime starting around 7:45 to get her in bed by 8ish. After she's in bed I try to clean up the kitchen and sometimes other areas of the house. Lately she's been really grumpy in the mornings so I'm worried I have to start putting her to bed earlier, which will cut into our time even more. I feel selfish for worrying about that, since if she needs more sleep, she needs to go to bed earlier. But I'm also thinking it may have to do with the time changing so it's dark in the mornings now.

Erin this is exactly how I feel as well. ((Hugs))