What time do you actually get to sit down and relax at night?

[jacintac]

Hi everyone,
My daughter is 15 months and she goes to bed every night at about 7pm.
How well she settles depends on her health - so over the winter months, she had a cold, infection, or virus repeatedly for a few months, so did NOT settle easily, but now that she is well (touch wood!!!) she settles quickly.

But, as much as I'd like to fall in a heap at 7pm the day just never ends!!!!
Sometimes I do not get to sit down until 7:30 and thats just to eat dinner and then I keep going until 9 or 10! Its so tiring!
I work 2.5 days a week and do some online work from home when I can too. i do get to sit down during the day sleep (except its to work) and I was just wondering how other mums out there are doing it?

When do you get to relax? Do you actually sit and have a glass of red or white at the end of the day? And who does the cooking?

Looking forward to comments!

Jacinta

[aussienic]

Well both dh and I do the cooking. Unless he is working then I do it. I sit down at 7 ish. So once my kids are in bed I sit. Everything else can wait till the morning. The kitchen is generally cleaned straight after dinner so I have a good 2 hours or so before the bedtime routine begins. We at dinner early. Generally around 5 but sometimes it is as late as 6

[Babyluv]

Sit down and relax, what is that? haha.
I put baby to bed at 7:30 but that can be an event at times. Usually then have to clean up after dinner etc. I have orders to do for my small business during the day plus I work a cpl shifts a week and I am studying so I don't get much time to just chill out. I may be sitting but it's usually while I'm doing my studies or sewing.

[beansbeans!]

The girls go down at 7pm every night, most night I eat with them because its just the 3 of us for dinner.

But once they go down at night..

I normally sit down and be quiet whilst they go to sleep becuase they are shockers for wanting to get up if something else is going on.
But once they are asleep, I shower, wash clothes, clean the kitchen, put away toys, and anythinig else that needs doing.
I normally get to sit down round 8:30-9pm, but most nights its a heap later than that.
Through out the day (like now) I get sit down whilst they eat lunch, check emails read mail etc. But thats it because they dont do day sleeps.

[sloane]

we eat dinner together before DS goes to bed but at the moment he's going through a stage of not going to bed until about 8.30 & he's taking up to an hour to fall asleep. most nights i don't sit down till around 9.30. it would be later if i did the dinner dishes but i'm afraid that they get done in the morning when i have more energy! no drinking at the moment, but i've never been one for drinking at home....i do the cooking.

[LuluHB]

For the moment, things are pretty good here at night. The girl are in bed by 8pm so that's when the end of my day is. I generally manage to get all the housework done during the day, but things are sliding a little at the moment. I do all the cooking, and we all eat together around 6pm. If it doesn't go in the dishwasher then its washed the next morning. Early pregnancy is killing me, so I just don't have the energy in the evenings to do anything, and fight to stay awake long enough to spend some time with DH.

No drinking here - DH doesn't touch a drop and I've never been one to drink alone, and certainly not now - but our naughty indulgence after the kids are in bed is icecream.

[MumtoA]

we bubs in bed for 7 and then finish having dinner and clean up and showers by 8.30...i work 2 days per week and uni one day but by 8.30 i dont care what is happen i go into shut down mode!!! everything else can wait otherwise DH and i would never get 5 min and i would be exhausted!!!

[kelsbels]

I've learnt to do as much as I can during the day, then I crash on the lounge once DD is in bed, around 7.30 - 8pm.
I don't deal well with little sleep so I have my wind down in front of the tv then crash in bed early. When I wasn't pregnant I tended to stay up and sew or read but at the moment I'm just too tired to concentrate by that end of the day!

[~Hestia~]

We eat dinner together which I think makes a big difference in our house. It's usually around 6:30pm depending on what else has happened during the day. After this I do a basic tidy up of Moo's toys, pets get fed, table gets cleared. I might do the dishes here, depends on how late it is! Then Moo gets his bath if my DH is not working otherwise it's a shower with me.

By the time the whole bedtime routine is done it's no later than 8pm. Daylight savings has thrown a bit of a spanner in the works If I haven't tidied the kitchen up this is when I'll do that, I can't stand getting up to a dirty kitchen but that's just me.

After this I sit! I don't do any laundry or anything like that. I am heavily pregnant at the moment so I've actually been going to bed myself once Moo is asleep.

[Miss.September]

Dinner is at 6pm here, and we eat together. From there, dishes are done, DD goes in the bath, then she gets her milk and then story time in bed. She's usually in bed between 7 and 7.30. I guess it's been the last few months that we haven't had to sit with her while she'd fall asleep. Now she goes to sleep quicker if we're out of the room. From there, I hit the shower and that's it. I do everything I need to during the day, do a big clean up with DD helping (toys away, etc) at around 4pm and I cook dinner each night. I stick to a routine, nothing gets forgotten that way (works for me anyway) and it means I'm not worrying about all the things I should be doing at night because they're usually already done.

[BlackRose]

My 16 month old has dinner at 5:00pm, then a bath at 5:45pm, then a bottle and a story around 6:30pm and is asleep by 6:45-7:00pm. DH generally does the bottle and book so I can start dinner. It's their time together and I know he loves it. So I guess by 7pm we're done for the day.

[Erin_25]

I always sit down and relax once the kids are in bed, with a wine, tv, chocolate...whatever. Yep just chill and let the stuff take care of itself later. I keep the house tidy as I go during the day, dishes are always cleaned up after tea. Someone cleans up the dishes, kitchen toys etc whilst the other supervises bath time. Then kids to bed and relax on the couch or study. If something has to be done it gets done but if it can wait then it does.

[Trillian]

Probably 8.30, but sometimes 8pm - ideally 7.30pm! LOL. My kids are older though so it's easier to get everything done so you have plenty of time for yourself.

[~Kim~]

As selfish as it sounds, sometimes as early as 6.24pm lol.
My kids are in bed at 6.30 at the latest, but sometimes earlier if they're tired. I rush and tidy up the dishes/kitchen and then it's my time. Whatever needs to be done can be done in the daylight hours either with the kids or while they're occupying themselves.
Once a week I mop after they're asleep but that doesn't take much.
I make lunches while I'm making dinner. Make sure school stuff is ready before bed.

[Jellyfish]

I'm probably the luckiest (laziest?) 'housewife'... DD is in bed by 6-6:30 (I still feed her to sleep so we just lay on her bed and it usually only takes 5 minutes now that she doesn't have a day sleep), DP does the cooking every night (by choice, he wants to be a chef and loves to cook) and does the dishes when he gets up with DD in the morning (letting me sleep in till he has to go for work at 8). We also spend most of the day outside so the house never really gets too messy and I always enlist my little helper about half hour before DP gets home to help straighten things out I always do laundry etc during the day with DD, she loves to sweep or press the buttons on the washing machine, hand me pegs etc.

But yeah, once DD is in bed, we kick back and relax. She does still usually wake once overnight but that is almost always after we go to bed so we have a good few hours to just chat, watch TV, game or enjoy an adult only desert haha.

[glenny_c]

dd is in bed around 6-6.30. She self-settles after her bottle so doesn't usually need me after bottle. (Don't ask me how- she just started doing it!) After that we do dinner and prepare the bottles for the next day (sterilize ect) at the moment DH is doing dinner and I crash on the couch as soon as DD is down. I am so tired with this pregnancy if it were up to me we'd have beans on toast every night! But even when I was doing dinner by 7.30 we'd be settled on the couch watching tv or chatting. I agree with the other mums- we clean the kitchen after dinner but everything else can wait- relaxation and time with dh is more important.- Having said that though, I am not working OR studying. My hat goes off to those of you who are!!

[Lenny]

As selfish as it sounds, sometimes as early as 6.24pm lol.

NOT selfish. Smart! And doing what works so that you don't collapse in a heap!!

My two are often in bed by just past 7pm, so then i stay quiet for about half an hour, then do a few things that might need doing like mopping etc. Usually by 8/8.30 i can sit and relax.

Ask DH though...once the kids are in bed, he's done for the day!

[RhiChiChi]

We all eat dinner together at about 6pm with both DH & I sharing the cooking duties and dishes duty. DD usually has a bath or shower before dinner time and is in her pj's.
Usually between 6.30 & 7pm the dishes are done, kitchen cleaned etc... and we can chill out until DD goes to bed.
Our DD goes to bed at about 8pm, but we have quiet time with her on the couch from about 7.30pm
I do have a glass of wine from time to time but usually later in the week or on weekends.