What do you do to relax after a very trying day of school? Do you ever leave the children with a sitter and just go out? After all, we are with our loved ones all day and some times moms just need a little time of relaxation away from the kiddos. So what do you do to relax? I am trying to take a night for just me (although I would love hubby to come) and get out every so often for my sanity :angel: What do you think?
I go on the internet (here at the Spot and Facebook), have morning coffee and watch tv by myself late at night. Otherwise I rarely get out and do stuff by myself (I try to tell dh grocery shopping doesn't count). I really need to figure out how to get more time to myself because I usually get burnt out, cranky and then start yelling if I don't.
I take baths, read, stuff like that. It's funny - I was thinking that the kids are old enough to stay 1-2 hours by themselves if DH and I went out to dinner.... and yet - I would feel odd without the kids. I have my break down moments though. I listen to a lot of audio books.... oh - and don't laugh.... but it relaxes me to butcher the chickens for the market Odd I know - but NO ONE ticks off Mom when she has the butcher knife out - LOL
I try and go out with girlfriends every now and then. It's like therapy only cheaper. Just last Friday my husband went to play Texas Hold'em with some guys from church and me and some friends went and had dinner and margaritas, came back to my house and sat talking until almost 2am! When the weather is nicer and not 110 degrees dh and I like to sit out on the back deck late in the evenings, have a cocktail and just talk.
yepper same here Dana, I feel odd if we don't take the girls. we just watch tv together, read or relax nothing much. I love being with my girls so its no trouble for me..
I always, or usually, have time for myself in the morning. I need this time to prepare for the day. This is my prayer time and Bible study time. During the day, when Ems is working on a lesson, I come to Homeschool Spot. But when I go out, I usually take Ems with me. I enjoy her company. This isn't to imply that I do not need time alone because sometimes Ems stays with my sisters or her friend and Handsome and I hit a movie and dinner. But as for relaxing, I have a more difficult time focusing during the day if I do not spend my quiet time in the morning.
We never really had babysitters. We do things as a family mostly. On a few occasions when I was "up to here" on really bad days, dh would watch the kids and I'd go sit at Barnes & Noble or someplace quiet for an hour or two so I could regroup. DH and I rarely have date night, cuz we like the whole family to be together. However, since my boys were 4 and 2, before my dd was born, I have had Quiet times in the middle of each, or most, day. That way, if there are tensions, you have that 30 minutes to an hour of regroup time. Everyone is in their own area, and have to be quiet--nap, read, play quietly. And mom has to rest too during that time! No phone calls or grading or lesson prep or cleaning, just do something relaxing! That helps a LOT--the kids and you! When you're done with that time, all of you are better ready to tackle the rest of the day! ***Yes, babies and very young children learn to be fine with a quiet time!!!*** I also have my quiet time, when I do devotions, in the morning after dh leaves and before the kids get up. I love that time! Once the kids start getting older it won't be so hard!
I go out once a month with a friend for dinner. I usually go to a women's bible study every other week (we're on haitus until everyone gets back into their school routine). Otherwise, cuddling on the couch with my honey is very relaxing.
We never really used sitters either. If we did have to leave them we took them to grandparents. Now Sam is old enough to babysit for a while. Usually we get pizza and soda for the girls before we go out and they love having their own little party at home.
I work out - but I do it in the mornings. If I don't I get way too stressed about work. At night I like to read and watch a few TV shows.
I get up extra early to have my time, bible prayer and worship around the house. This works great as just My God and me time except when dh works early shift like this week it makes it shorter. And this morning I am having me time as I clean up teh school desk area just a little bit more orgainzing to have it ready for ds... in case I can get his SOS to load on it! Otherwise he will use my lap top for Math and Science SOS. I have in the past gone to ( actually I am the leader lol) Ladies Bible Study on Tuesday but I almost always have taken the kids with, they liked the idea of doing thier school work in the same room as we were doing bible study and dd really knows the Word! She always would listen in, and actually commented now and then on ideas. I will have a hard time doing that this fall, but was supposed to start up again. IF so I will see if ds can sit in school library and do his stuff or sit in same room as usual. I think even ifyou take walks around the block and allow the kids to stay home for that part if they are not quite 13 yet, it is helpful, also I think that grocery shopping counts if you dont take the kids! I can wander the isle for ever thinking about what I am doing for supper this week or what to do for lunches etc.
I don't get out much just by myself. Sometimes when we need TP or something like that I go to the store by myself after the kids go to bed. I end up wandering the store and I find that it is a good time for me to contemplate my thoughts and evaluate how I am doing with my kids. Might seem weird that I can do that at a store, but when I was a teen, shopping was the way I relaxed...I guess it stayed with me, only now I can't buy everything I want. I also have a girls night out with my friends every 6ish months and the husbands get together on the same night and watch all the kids. When my dh and I go on dates we drop the kids off with the grandparents and we end up going to dinner and then we go back and get them. Usually we are only gone 2 hours. My friends think we are weird that we want to be with our kids so much, but I really couldn't handle being away from them that long.
well thanks guys, at least I know that I am not alone in not getting out too much! We have what hubby calls family dates, he takes us all out, but every once in while we get to go out just the two of us! Tonight is that night, but i always feel bad about not taking the girls even though i feel like i need to got out! does that make sense?? I am also up early doing my quiet time and I do stay up waytoo late at night for some quiet time!
My kids are old enough stay by themselves a bit, so I either walk or jog 3 miles every morning--rain, sun, or snow. Like another poster said, it clears my head for the day and relieves any leftover stress from the day before. Often, my dh goes with me and we get some alone time to talk too. Carol
I will occasionally go out to eat with the teachers I use to teach with; they go out once a month. This past spring, I was signed up for three Sundays of all day quilting. When they were done, my WONDERFUL oldest daughter bought me three more sessions for my birthday. Once a month, from noon 'til 8. ("Mom, what do you mean you're not going to do any more? You LIKE it! You REALLY need to go! How about if I pay for it for your birthday?") I REALLY do enjoy that!!! Carl and I also try to walk around the block in the evenings. And (VERY rarely, lol!) Carl might take all three kids at once. OH!!! And since we have Saturday evening services and not Sunday, there's been a group of us ladies meeting and walking together at a park on Sunday AM's! One of my hs'ing friends has a dh who, when he decides she need a break, will fill the bathtub, light candles, and ORDER her to take a bath, lol!
We try to go for a walk (either around the neighborhood or at the state park) at least 3 times a week. It's relaxing for all of us. Dh & I have 'us' time after ds goes to bed. We curl up & watch a movie or our TV shows or play games. For relaxing by myself, I mainly do that after everyone else is in bed. I paint & etch glass, paint pictures, make beaded jewelry, make stuff to decorate the house with, etc. I also read, write, work on my products, research stuff for the kids' school, or research stuff I want to learn about. I also find cooking/baking very relaxing & cleaning is a great stress relief, so I sometimes do those in the middle of the night too (nothing relieves stress like scrubbing the floor at 1am). When I really need a break from everything, I get dh to watch the kids for a day & I go hang out with a friend, my sis, or just by myself at the library or bookstore. DH & I only get to go out a few times a year. Not many people can watch our kids, so we don't get a lot of time without them.
I read, internet surf, write on my blog, go out with a friend or alone. Sometimes just sitting down and watching a movie helps reset my mind. I used to work out and I am going to get back into that again. Working out really helps!
I read,knit or go ride my horses. Dana I love what you said about butchering, it just doesn't work at my house. Can you say science lesson, the girls love to help me with that.
I don't want my kids to grow up fast, but some times I really look forward to when my daughter is old enough to stay alone with her sibs. I love to run, ran cross country & track in high school, but my husband is always out of town so I can't do anything regular. I'm planning to start running on the treadmill Monday, since I'm going to have to start getting up <gag> early for a M-F church thing at my house, but I'd rather run outside. I am apparently evil, we have a 2-3 hour "rest time," while the baby sleeps and the older kids read in their rooms. It actually started off that long right after #4 (now 2 years old) was born because I just needed a nap; now I use it to goof off, read, watch TV mainly. Sometimes clean. I stay up too late at night, I'm a night owl, again TV and online, brainless stuff because I'm worn out. But that will have to stop on Monday, so I'm really milking it right now. I take a bath with a book almost every night, that's my biggest decompression time.
