Calling all dosmestic goddesses!

[doubletrouble9]

What is your average weekend like, particulary if the weather is pretty awful. Here's mine:
7.30
Twins wake (aged 3), get into our bed, tv on, wait at east an hr before i move downstairs for toast etc.
10.00 - strain myself to get everyone including myself dressed, cup of tea time
11.00 - the discussion of what to do today starts with dh which results in nothing cause the weather is bad
11.30 - dh gets laptop down and you know it will be on for the duration of the afternoon - twins are still watching tv
12.00 - more tea, start to think i better 'do something' with the kids, start to resent dh for sticking his head in the laptop but then again i have nothing to suggest, oh and make some lunch
1pm - state there is to be no more tv but then panic what to do next. get out for a bit to the supermarket for no real reason other than to kill time
3pm - back from trip out, countdown till dinner time, more senseless tv, bit of colouring
5pm tea and bath time
7pm kids are in bed, now wait for it maybe you think it will get better but....both mum and dad put pyjamas on, get into bed, tv on, phonecall to friend
11pm lights out

the 7pm pyjama thing happens every night, to be fair it's cold downstairs and pj's are so comfy!!!
I did one weekend make a chocolate cake - it wasnt too great

So come on all you DG's out there, what would you do, come on change my life!!!
thanks in advance :)

[doubletrouble9]

OMG. thought i was abnormal!
seems not

[cestlavielife]

no such thing as bad weather only inadequate clothing. buy them suitable wellies, rain togs etc.

start planning on taking the dc out EVERY saturday morning to park, leaving house at 11.oo take snack/sandwich/ back at one pm. jumping in puddles or if really wet library/soft play/musuem/ona local bus etc.

they need to get out and about even if raining even for one or two hours.

then lunch then continue as before.

[Lweji]

Not sure if it's helpful

Saturday
variable times - wake up
9:30 am - getting out of the house for Krav Maga lessons (DS and I)
2pm - take away lunch (exhausted)
3pm - I go for a looooooong bath while DS amuses himself
5:30pm - DS goes for his cathequesis, I make weekly shop, then church
8:30 - dinner
9:30pm - DS goes to bed
11pm - quiet, relaxing night in, MN, TV


Sunday
7.30 - asleep. Perhaps DS wakes up and asks to watch tv or starts a conversation
10.00 - breakfast
11.00 - DS and I discuss what to do for the day if no plans. He insists on going out if the weather is good.
11.30 - DS and I on laptop/watch tv if weather is bad
12.00 - start thinking it's time to make lunch.
1pm - have lunch
3pm - consider going out, if not away during the morning. Or consider cleaning up the house if not done during the morning
5pm - consider having snacks
7pm - consider making dinner; DS talks to his dad on Skype
8pm - dinner
9:30pm - DS goes to bed
11pm - quiet, relaxing night in, MN, TV

DS is 8.

[doubletrouble9]

haha cestlavie, you sound just like my friend!!
ok, maybe i can do that...keep it coming folks

[doubletrouble9]

lewji - hilarious, lots of considerations there and things i havent heard off
:)

[doubletrouble9]

u know i put the laptop on over an hr ago and twins are sat either side watching strawberry shortcake, suns out, maybe venture to the park, maybe...

[gaggiagirl]

OP your weekend sounds like mine although me and DD are on our own most weekends.
We sometimes walk to the shops, same as you just to kill time.
I'm counting down the seconds to bed time as soon as I open my eyes in the morning.

[doubletrouble9]

its no way to live is it gaggia
we need to get this sorted
need more goddesses input first tho!!!
jsut mentioned the park - they said no!!! result!

[Shmumty]

I wouldn't ask the twins whether they want to go out to the park. Tell them. :)

[ginslinger]

it's a long time ago now but we used to do family swim on Saturday morning which fills hours mainly through trying to find socks and knickers that went missing between the cubicle and locker.

We did swings at the park, bikes at the park, feeding ducks at the park and running about at the park. I would have had a nervous breakdown without our park.

[notagiraffe]

You have 3 year old twins who wake up at 7.30 am??? You are a domestic goddess for that alone. My toddlers woke at 5 every day, always, so by 7.30 they were square-eyed with dvds and TV and we had to go out just to do something.

Do you have a park nearby? Just kicking up leaves, looking at bugs, feeding ducks, stomping in puddles is fun. Definitely, I'd include that every weekend day.

You could take them to a library on Saturday then come home a read a story with them?

Make playdough?

Have a dance round the kitchen?

Let them play the game called sorting washing - whites from darks. Winners get a biscuit.

When they're little, baking is easier with cake mixes - Betty Crocker are good. Or make chocolate crispy cakes.

Make bird cake for the birds with suet and seeds and left over cereal.

Wrap old towels round their feet, mop the floor and turn them into human floor polishers. My DC loved that game. (Lots of 'games' with feather dusters and cloths are brilliant at killing time and keeping the house looking passable.)

Jigsaws, brick towers, all that stuff. Spend more time putting it away than playing it but at least they enjoy it.

[Thatsnotmyfigure]

I quite like the sound of it as our weekends are always manic, and I am rubbish at just relaxing/ chilling! Do you have a garden? We spend 2 hrs when DS is asleep every Sunday pm gardening and DH can be persuaded to take DS out in it whatever the weather!
Can you persuade your partner to plan ahead with you one nice thing to do as a family every wknd -doesn't have to cost money - park/ swimming/ walk ...? (OK swimming costs) My DH is rubbish at planning ahead but being spontaneous just doesn't seem to work with kids

[notagiraffe]

Just realised - where's their nap time? 1-3pm was my sanctuary - Two hours of doing nothing while they slept. Though if your DC don't wake til 7.30 maybe that's why.

If you have the money, going out once a week to a café or pub for lunch or tea would be fun, or to Saturday morning cinema. Odeon club has (or used to) cheap kids films on Saturdays.

Just go for a ride on a bus or train - look out the window, talk about what you see. Feels dull to us, but they love it and you are still sitting down. Also, if you discover something good, like a new play park or toyshop you can jump off and have an adventure and explore it.

If you are near any good ones, a very quick visit top museums and galleries are good. We used to go and look at one picture or one room of a museum. Leave as soon as they start to fidget.

Can you and yr DH at least join Love Film so you're watching films you really want to see at night. Or invite friends over for wine and snacks and a game of cards? Or do a baby-sitting swap so you and DH can go to a comedy or quiz night at a local pub. Anything to get you out and about a bit. It's those groundhog day years. You've got to fight them!

[Bloob]

We have days a bit like that sometimes I think it's quite nice!

Here's ours if its any help

Saturday:

6am: I get up with ds
6.30 dd up
Tv while I drink tea, wake up, mn etc.
7ish breakfast
8 ish clear up breakfast things go upstairs and get everyone dressed. Wake DH
8.45 take dd to ballet
10 home from ballet. have a nice breakfast: bagels, eggs, pain au chocolat etc. dd usually watches tv for some of it, or
11.30 ds for nap. DH and I clear up and do any jobs that need doing, play with dd etc.
2 ish either play at home or go out somewhere e.g park, the common for a walk, soft play sometimes, for a coffee, library etc.
5:Home for tea and bed

Sunday: 6am DH gets up with the dc
8.30 wakes me. we all get dressed and ready and go out somewhere e.g national trust, rhs, for a walk, swimming etc.
1pm home for lunch naps tv etc
3pm homework, reading quiet play
5pm lovely dinner
7pm bedtime for dc

[craftynclothy]

Look for free/cheap museum type places.

Also shops, particularly if you can go somewhere a bit quieter than the usual shops - my Dc loved going to the garden centre because it sold animals so they got to look at those and the fish. Ikea has a creche which we've used a few times and is pretty cheap for lunch (only helpful if you have one near you!).

Baking - B&M often have those boxes of cake mix with the rice paper toppings really cheap.

Playdough, colouring, sticking, stamping type stuff always goes down well.

We do swimming sometimes at a weekend but I appreciate it's not always cheap.

[Hareseeker]

OP the bad weather is a challenge but despite not loving art and crafts, we have a large box we pull out onto a large table with lots of stuff from Tescos craft department and just let them go for it.

I will have to be about more creative as in our house the TV breaks down the minute the sun shines and the girls can spend hours outside in imaginative play.

I will be looking forward more bad weather suggestions.

[MuffCakes]

Mine are slightly older so it is different but we go out every weekend no matter weather or money and I don't drive.

We go to the park, we go for long walks and bike rides, we go to the charity shop to buy them a new book, we go shopping for baking stuff (well already baked gingerbread men they just have to decorate), we see friends a lot even if it's just at the park and we go out to eat even if it's just weatherspoons and local softplay has wifi so often we go there and they go off and play while I MN on my tablet. Softplay is also in a pub so we usually eat out there a lot to.

[craftynclothy]

Oh yes, agree with PP. Sat kids cinema deals - Vue, Odeon and Cineworld all do them near us. If there's nothing on then a cheap DVD/on demand film and some homemade popcorn in a bowl.

[fedupwithdeployment]

Mine are older 6 and 9 and if I don't get them out, I want to kill them, and them me!

Up 7.30 and maybe a bit of tv. Breakfast together.

Little one does football usually outside even if raining, older one cycles with me to velodrome...we get wet, he cycles home. On Sundays if it is foul and we have no plans, swimming is a good option.

Then lunch, then they do homework or play. Poss shopping. We might watch a bit of telly in the evening or late afternoon. It works quite well. Even when younger we had to get them out, but a wet walk or museum trip might do.

Good luck!

[PublicEnemyNumeroUno]

[doubletrouble9]

ok, so were making progress
just to clarify twins are 3 and a half and sleep 7-7, yep they do!
But what im really after is a DG who does all the goddess things, you know like anthea turner haha, ok, i get all the suggestions but is there anyone out there who...
gets up first in the house to do chores or bake bread, runs up repairs on the sewing machine, does all home cooking etc etc. would like to know what their day is like,
mine seems to involve sitting down then making a huge effort to stand up again
in bed again by the way...
so what are evenings like - is it just me that gets into bed when the kids do, should i be freezing downstairs doing something goddessey!

[dippingmytoeinagain]

I try to do my 'goddessey' things with my kids - make pancakes for brunch (they do cereal when they get up, allowing me a lie in without being told that they are dying of starvation!) and then I waft in at about 10am and delight them with pancakes (which also stops them from grumbling about being hungry until lunch time!)
Home cooking - I make goddesslike stews and homely stuff in about 10 mins flat thanks to my fab slow cooker and use my bread machine to whip up dough for homemade pizza and rolls.
Housework is done 'on the go' so there is never a really big cleaning session needed, and the house generally looks tidy (ish)
I also have a few tried and tested cake and pudding recipes that mean I can make them something nice within 10 mins whenever the oven is on (I keep the staple ingreds stocked up all the time)
I really am no domestic goddess but at times I feel like I'm faking it well enough

[doubletrouble9]

hats off dipping my toe!
'whip up dough for homemade pizza and rolls' now thats the stuff were talking about! Just how do you go about 'whipping up dough' For me it's a major effort bending down to get all the bowls out!
Housework on the go I like the sound of.
Right all you anthea's, how about a timetable of your fun filled jam packed goddessy day so I can at least copy a couple of hrs!!

[Hoofdegebouw]

I'm no domestic goddess, by any means, but I do like making bread with the dc's - they love it as they can just punch dough for 20 minutes, it makes them laugh a lot.
It's very very easy - google the real bread campaign, foolproof v simple recipe, flour water dried yeast salt that's it.
Mine are 4 and 6, they swim on Saturday mornings, always a massive mad scramble to get there on time (9.30) but it means we're up and out, and if its not pouring down we usually stay out for a while, go to the playground, have lunch in park caff(cheap).