What are your evenings like?

**AnyDream** · November 9th, 2014, 04:07 PM

Just wondering how other people structure their evenings with school aged kids. When does the homework get done? Baths? Tidying? What do you (and the kids) do to relax, and how do you fit that in with everything else? What time do the kids go to bed? When do you?

**Artechim** · November 9th, 2014, 05:39 PM

Usually DS will do his homework as soon as he gets home from school. Then there is a couple of hours of free time when they can play. After tea it is bath and usually a game of superheroes or tickle or something. Then teeth, bed and stories. Dishes are done during bath time. Kids are hopefully in bed at 7.30pm and asleep by 8pm all going well. I stay up until about 11.

**Tinks** · November 9th, 2014, 06:47 PM

Mine are boring. Everyone has their heads in their phones.

**Amity** · November 9th, 2014, 07:18 PM

Depends on the night and how many kids we have. No TV or screen Time during the week unless for homework.

Monday no kids.
Tuesday boys 9 and 11. No structured activities so lots of homework. Try and walk the dog. Dinner bath books and bed by 8.00. Read for 30 mins. Then I do my work or study until about 10.30

Wednesday 11yo basketball training 5.30-7.30. Work dinner around that. Homework early. Bed by 8.30. I'm then working/studying.

Thursday I coach my basketball team 6-7 and ds9 trains 7-8. Dinner around that. Girls 13 and 14 are here too. Lots of homework but no structured activities for them.

Friday soccer. Saturday three games of basketball. Winter Sunday footy

I also am secretary of a number of committees and doing my Masters of Laws. I run my own business full time which requires long hours and interstate travel.

How do I do it? I have no idea.

**~Kim~** · November 9th, 2014, 09:01 PM

We are out every afternoon except Mondays from 4.45is until 6.30ish (BMX, Guides and gym, gymnastics, cricket and BMX).
My kids used to go to bed at 6pm (yes I'm not kidding) and our routine has only just expanded to add in 3 extra arvos of activity.
I'm happy for them to have half an hour of down time when they get home (usually to cool down after actually being outside) doing whatever they want - play, watch telly, read what ever.
Then i try and get their readers out of the way. Mine are both still year 2 and under and the school doesn't believe in any more homework that that for younger kids.
I am now trying to have dinner ready to serve as arvo tea just after 4 as their activities are fairly physically demanding and by the time they are done they are too tired to manage dinner, so I just do supper for my big kids when they get home.
Bed as close to 7 as I can manage.
DD1 (8.5) reads until about 8.30 but DS (5) is asleep very quickly.
Then I tidy up, finish folding, mop, make lunches - whatever needs to be done. Then TV/surf the net, do nothing generally until I go to bed about 10.30.
I don't normally harp at the kids about their rooms until the weekend.

**Rouge** · November 10th, 2014, 10:09 AM

We walk most days. Unless friends visit. Afternoon and a little tv. Unwind and discuss the day. Then homework and guitar practice. We have Cubs, Guitar as weekly activities. DD also has choir. Then dinner, family time and then bed for DS at about 7:30-8 where he reads till 8:30. DD in bed at 9:30 - 10pm. Or earlier if she needs it. She pretty much determines how much sleep she needs. Then me and DH might spend time together or I might relax/read/knit/browse online whilst he games.

I love my home life. Perfect balance. Love it.

**Astrid** · November 11th, 2014, 11:05 AM

Depends on the day. The main thing is of course dinner, bath, milk & biccie, then bed with reading for the kids.

We have Cubs one night, after school activities that vary depending on the term. Sometimes I take the kids straight home after school, other times we might visit friends before getting home in time for dinner.

DH's and mine activities vary depending on what we feel like and what needs to be done. Sometimes I sew, surf the net, watch tv or game. DH games, surfs the net and watches TV. Sometimes he does try to get some gardening in before Dinner.

We have a few meetings over the month, I have school council ones and DH has 4WD club and sometimes CFA.

**dinky** · November 11th, 2014, 11:24 AM

Our evening routine is pretty laid back. I don't tend to be too strict on anything, but it varies all the time and sometimes ends up total chaos and I feel out of control when that happens, so I try to sort of keep it in check. DD9 has netball training on Tuesdays until 5pm, so that means that she is usually super tired and hungry when she gets home, so its an early dinner night for her. Most nights we will try to eat by 6.30pm, but DH sometimes works until 8pm, so on those nights he will eat later when he gets home. The older girls usually are doing something, the eldest is usually working night shifts, so she usually starts at 9pm, so I make sure that she has a snack or something to have on her break.
Sometimes I have to work late too, so some nights I don't get home until late, so the older girls will take over. DD9 is in bed by 8.30 and then its time for us to relax or tidy up.

**RainbowRiver** · November 11th, 2014, 11:44 AM

330 we get home (unless I stand around talking at school)
4 home work begins - one does it while other kids have afternoon tea..then swap etc
445ish kids go outside to play
5 I prepare dinner
530 I feed DD3 and others shower
6/615 we all sit down to eat
7 kids brush teeth and have quiet time (reading, drawing, playing) in their rooms
730 lights out. DH and I shower DD3
8 bottle for DD3 turn bed

we usually head to bed around 1030

**Astrolady** · November 11th, 2014, 03:24 PM

We're normally having tea around 5pm. Kids don't to extra curricular activities apart from Kameron in the footy season. I have a timetable for when it is the boys computer time, so if they're not on the computer they are supposed to be doing their homework. HA HA. Homework is usually a last minute thing here, as much as we try to tell them to do it earlier in the week.

The kids shower when they want. There is no set time. Sometimes it is before school other times it is after school. I work half days Wednesday and Thursdays so that is a general tidy up day. Sundays is usually a bit of a deeper clean. I like to read to relax. The kids have been meeting me at the car after school, so I read then while I wait for them.

My younger two go to bed at 8pm. Now that Kameron is 13 he goes to bed at 9pm. I go anywhere between 9pm and 10pm usually. Has been a bit later just of late.

**AnyDream** · January 30th, 2015, 06:31 PM

My kids (esp DD2, who is 7) seems so tired all of the time, and the tired grumpiness seems to slow the evening routines down. Any tips on how to make the trajectory to the pillow as short as possible? ETA, DH and I both work, so DD2 goes to OSHC (which I suspect is half of the problem - too much play, no enough downtime) so it shrinks the time we've got for anything in the evenings.

**Mum2SweetCs** · January 30th, 2015, 06:55 PM

My kids (esp DD2, who is 7) seems so tired all of the time, and the tired grumpiness seems to slow the evening routines down. Any tips on how to make the trajectory to the pillow as short as possible? ETA, DH and I both work, so DD2 goes to OSHC (which I suspect is half of the problem - too much play, no enough downtime) so it shrinks the time we've got for anything in the evenings.

Dd1 is exactly the same. She is even too tired to tell us what she did at school.

My husband and i work full time and both 2 hrs away from home so i get home at 6.00 and he gets home at 7.

Do homework, cook dinner, chill

By that time we are both exhausted from work and dd is from school.

Kids sleep at 9 on a school day

Im so envious of all the above posts with the kids having routines and extra curricula activities.

**MrsFabuloso** · January 31st, 2015, 06:59 AM

We usually get home around 3.15pm. On Mondays, we have little kickers for DS1 and 2 from 4.30-5.30. Wednesdays, it's dancing for DD from 6-7. Fridays it's karate for DD abd DS1 of them 6-7.

They relax and have afternoon tea for about 30mins- an hour or so, before the big kids do homework. Then if there are after school activities, we get ready for those and go. On those days I either try to have an easy/already prepped/quick cook meal to have for dinner, or I have something already cooked earlier or something in the freezer.

On the days there are no activities, the kids usually play outside together after afternoon tea (or in summer, we go to the beach on hot days) or they can have an hour of computer time, dinner is at 5.30/6pm. Then it's bath time after dinner, and then the kids can choose what to do until we start the bed time routine at 7.30, which is toilet, brush teeth, read books and lights out by 8pm.

I tidy up/crochet/surf the net/watch a movie or tv show/shower/spend time with hubby/call friends...... after the kids are in bed.

**Artechim** · February 10th, 2015, 05:07 AM

It seems life with two at school is hectic!! After the bus pick ups it is around 4pm, then they play/have quiet telly time depending on mood. Then I am making tea, bath etc. I have absolutely no idea how to fit homework into the mix lol. DS has always just done it on his own - I need to figure out a way to help DD1 with hers in amongst everything else.