What time do you finally sit down at night?

Time management has never been my strongest point - neither has housework. If I had the inclination (which I don't) I could easily spend all evening tidying and cleaning right up until my bedtime. My friend said she doesn't sit down until 10pm. I stop sooner than that - especially now that my home doesn't have to be ready for mindees the next day. Childminding did force me to be on top of the housework!

Do you guys have a cut off point in the evening where you just sit down and chill? What time do you all go to bed and get up in the morning? Sorry I'm nosey, I know.

Different times on different days but generally in bed by 9pm watch bit of TV or read for an hour. Up at 6am children arrive from 6.30/7. I try and clean/tidy as I go and hubby will do an hour bigger jobs once Iv gone to bed (stops me telling him he's missed a bit!! Lol) X

I start tidying toys as children eat their dinner. Anything after that, they have to put away themselves. Last ones go at 6.15 and I make a cuppa and watch neighbours and home and away on 5Star. then I make our dinner and just clean round, Usually do floors and bathroom in the morning. So in generally I'm done by half 7/ 8 O'clock but it depends on how energetic I feel so I might do more bits and pieces if I feel like it. I'm actually more of a evening person than a morning person.

LOL!

I usually finish work about 6pm, and usually have tidied playroom/minding stuff away by then, if not, just a few minutes zipping round.

I seem to be out and about taxi-ing children, or at my own activities from 6ish - 8ish, and in theory, I then sit down and read/watch tv etc. however, I often find myself doing a bit of observation writing up, or activity planning for the next day! - not because I need to, but ( shhhh! ) because I enjoy it! :laughing: I try to tidy the kitchen as I go, and usually have a quick sweep after tea. WHOEVER is home around 6ish, has dinner together, but usually one or 2 of us are missing!

LOL SYLVIA, I always used to watch Home & Away ( 'cos for a year I nannied for a family who lived opposite the beach they film on! and I liked watching it going ... ooo, they've repainted that or HAHA!; that place isn't just round the corner, it's a 90min car drive away! but I haven't really seen it for ages due to ferrying my children around, and now when I do, I get very confused about who is living with who! )

some nights I am in bed by 9 - but then I read for an hour, other nights its 10 or 11 ( and I still read for a while !)

most mornings I get up around 7ish ish ... depends what time I'm starting and also if I need to make DD a pack up! I clean downstairs toilet in the morning, and make sure everywhere else we use is clean & tidy. I get the veggies ready for the guinea pigs, as generally the first mindees through the door like to feed them!

I don't do a lot of housework, it doesn't really do anything for me! I tidy and keep clean as I go, and then if people are coming, I might have a bigger clean!

Wow, you guys go to bed early! We usually go at 11.30pm. It used to be 11 at the latest before DD was born, but now I seem to cling on to my free time and don't want to waste it sleeping, lol. It's usually about 9pm by the time I get out of DD's room these days - after reading a chapter of Harry Potter to her and having a chat.

I'm not great at tidying as I go along. I need to work on it.

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Originally Posted by Maza

Wow, you guys go to bed early! We usually go at 11.30pm. It used to be 11 at the latest before DD was born, but now I seem to cling on to my free time and don't want to waste it sleeping, lol. It's usually about 9pm by the time I get out of DD's room these days - after reading a chapter of Harry Potter to her and having a chat.

I'm not great at tidying as I go along. I need to work on it.

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I'm actually up late tonight but I'm usually an early riser. 7am is a lie in for me.

I'm good at delegation also so once I have finished for the day we all pitch in . Dd2 loves to hoover up who am I to stop her ?de02?de02?de02

I finish work at 5.30 and usually spend from 5pm tidying with the last lo's helping me. We eat 6/6.30 my ds and me and my dh eats later about 7.30. I'm sitting my 9pm. Don't know when I last saw Eastenders/Coronation Street as I just can't get everything done by then. I try not to go to bed before 11pm as I find I don't sleep as well if I go to bed earlier no matter how tired I am. I love an evening sitting, watching tv or reading or on my laptop. Sometimes I dread being asked to go out for the evening and have to push myself to accept. But I do love going to bed. I'm up at 7am. I potter all day when I get 2 minutes to do little bits here and there. My house is tidy, downstairs, but not spotless. My boys bedrooms are normal teenager chaos and I have to psyche myself to gutter their rooms about one a month with their help.

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Originally Posted by Maza

Time management has never been my strongest point - neither has housework. If I had the inclination (which I don't) I could easily spend all evening tidying and cleaning right up until my bedtime. My friend said she doesn't sit down until 10pm. I stop sooner than that - especially now that my home doesn't have to be ready for mindees the next day. Childminding did force me to be on top of the housework!

Do you guys have a cut off point in the evening where you just sit down and chill? What time do you all go to bed and get up in the morning? Sorry I'm nosey, I know.

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I feel like I'm constantly cleaning and tidying! I try and keep on top of tidying as I go but my own kids carry on playing after the mindees have gone home. I eat dinner at the same time as my kids and any mindees. I guess I sit down in the eve at about 8 and normally into bed by 9.30. I am so tired but the end of the day. Up again at 6am for more cleaning and setting things up before my own kids get up at 7.

When my boys were young and I was working full time and studying for my career, I had a hysterical Sunday - this was the day that my priorities changed.
DH and I sat down and reflected on our life. The boys were number one, our relationship was a close second, my career and ambitions , three, DH career next etc... and house work at the bottom.
As long as the kitchen and bathrooms were clean and the living room comfortable to sit in and welcome visitors without a panic, the rest would be a weekly/ fortnightly / wait for a holiday / manic panic clean if grandparents were visiting task. It took me a while to settle in to this as I used to want things as perfect as I could ( it came from our parents not happy with me going back to work after my first child, I had to be the perfect everything to prove to them that I wasn't compromising 'their son's ' or ' our grandchildren's' lives. )
So, in this plan we all took on responsibilities in term time, mine was cleaning, DH was ironing and cooking, the boys washed the car, kept their bedrooms and the summer house tidy (!) mowed in the summer, sorted recycling and my oldest, who loves paperwork filed our bills, receipts etc and kept our family calendar in order. Eventually we had a cleaner, so my bit was taken over and I then shared DH's jobs, then he mowed.
I missed the oldest's contribution when he left home and he continues to keep our family's joint digital diary, he often files on his weekend visits home too, though I do try to make sure I am up to date just to show him I can now manage this on my own! I miss our cleaner now too, but I can't justify the cost.
So, I continue my long term daily timetable, though on the days I don't work now I do sometimes think I should alter, have a lie in or break a routine.

I wake up at 5 and clean toilets and kitchen ( deep clean, a shelf, or a cupboard or work surface DH ticks it along) , walk, take photos, check emails, prepare the garden and downstairs for the working / non working day. The children arrive at 8-8.30 And leave at 4-5, most things are tidied by then and just the last session's activity resources ( jigsaws, books, music usually) are out. I then sit and do the diaries, observations and planning whilst DH clears away and preps dinner. I am lucky to have DH as he tidies and cleans up art etc throughout the day and he cooks and bakes and clears too, but this was our business plan from the set off, I am the childminder and he is the cook, cleaner, caretaker and admin staff. We cook together, i.e, he cooks I sit and chat, usually around 6 where we reflect and review our lives usually and listen to music. This is our calm time and breaks the day from work into leisure.
The boys used to be doing their own thing ( hobbies computer, games etc) at this point. We sit at the table and eat together, used to be before or after music/ sport practise. After dinner, after the boys homework and bedtime about 7.30- 8, DH and I would work, now we still work, but at things we want to do, my studies or hobbies. The after dinner session is when the boys ring or FaceTime so I still give them that time in the day even though they are now grown up.
I rarely watch TV, if I do I find it just eats into time and I don't have time to do my leisurely activities. I tend to watch catch up or box sets in the holidays.
I go to bed at 10ish and read, but lately I have got in to audio books so my eyes don't close over whilst reading and I have to recap the next night.
Asleep usually by 11.00.

Thanks guys. Interesting reading how you all manage it!

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Originally Posted by Maza

Time management has never been my strongest point - neither has housework. If I had the inclination (which I don't) I could easily spend all evening tidying and cleaning right up until my bedtime. My friend said she doesn't sit down until 10pm. I stop sooner than that - especially now that my home doesn't have to be ready for mindees the next day. Childminding did force me to be on top of the housework!

Do you guys have a cut off point in the evening where you just sit down and chill? What time do you all go to bed and get up in the morning? Sorry I'm nosey, I know.

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I do a bit each day as I go along. Working with my husband helps as he does bits too throughout the week. I've used a free web email thing called Flylady for about 10 years. It splits the house into zones and gives you by emails little tasks to do each day on top of the usual daily routines. It works for me! It reminds me to get dinner out the freezer in time and to drink water too which I struggle with!