How to spend a regular day off

[PrincessWatermelon]

Before children I worked FT. Since having 2 DCs I have been fortunate to work PT. My youngest starts school in Sept and for the first time in as long as I can ever remember, I will have regular child free time. I work full days Mon and Thur, then half days Wed and Fri (to allow me to do school run) and have Tue off.

My DH works FT and so we have had a cleaner (who we love and would make other sacrifices before giving her up!). We don't need me to pick up more hours financially and he is happy for me to be more relaxed and is not pressurising me to work more.

However the idea of having 9-3 once a week to myself feels so strange! I plan on doing an exercise class, but I'm afraid I'll end up MNing and watching Netflix and then getting bored.

What do other people do on their days off? Thanks.

I never get bored. There's always something to do.

Decorating and general house maintenance
Decluttering
Gardening
Doctor/dentist/hair appointments
Car service/MOT/clean
Plan holidays
Household finances
Volunteer at school
Movie
reading
Coffee and shopping
Sunbathe in peace in the summer

I spend my days of prevaricating,have good I mentions then realise as my DD gets home that I have done non of them.

Well since she started school I've been sorting the house. Slowly but surely. But then my house was never a house that was immaculately tidy and clean. Next job is sorting and cleaning the kitchen.

After that little bits and bobs that need doing.

Cooking for tea

I'm a long way from having time to sit and watch tele/read still

I have two days off per week. Those days are fairly structured:

Work out at the gym
Study (OU course)
Language meet up
Work for two trustee positions
Laundry
Supermarket shop

The key for me is to keep to a sort of timetable so the regular gym session and language chats are at specific times which helps and mean I don’t fall into the staying in bed trap. Also, I never turn the TV on until after 8pm which has made a difference.

I work 4 days a week, both dc are at primary school, DH works FT.

On my “day off” I shop/get a home delivery order for the week; cook a few dishes ready for after work meals; bake; deal with stuff like MOT, boiler service, dentist etc, see physio; bit of cleaning, household admin, miscellaneous other things that crop up!

I also try and get in a long bike ride, run or swim, since I spend the weekend facilitating everyone else’s sport!

I supermarket shop because I don't like online for my family's food.

Do jobs.

Read.

Sometimes do a bit of prep for work.

Often waste time on MN.

Feel more relaxed!
Occasionally catch up with people in person and often on phone/on line.

What's wrong with just relaxing?
Hair, nails, massage appointments? Cinema trip? Good book? Binge watch a tv series?
Not every hour of our lives needs to be productive and accounted for.

Kaytee - in theory, nothing. But up til now my working day has always been full with productive activities or at least activities that have been determined for me. I know it'll take some getting used to to 'allow' myself time to relax or be lazy.

Some great idea here - appreciating both the ideas and the knowledge that others are able to take time off for themselves.

Is there something such as decorating a room or improving something in the house or garden that you have been wanting to do for a while, that could be a project for a few weeks or months? Or something such as a new language that you have always wanted to do?

I love my Fridays off!

I have our food shop delivered after work on a Thursday evening, put it away and declutter before the cleaner comes on Friday morning.

On Friday I do the school run at 9am, cleaner 9.30-12.00. I use this time to walk 10k with a friend including a coffee stop, and I book any hair, nail or beauty appointments I need.

I guess with time I might make more of an effort with the garden. And there's a room that definitely needs work, although a lot is putting big stuff in the loft and then figuring out furniture to work. Mind you, with 6 hours I could get to Ikea and back! Gosh - that's a liberating thought 😂

I do feel like I have a bit of a mindset where I should be doing something. I didn't used to. I don't know why. Is it because I work part time and most people I know work every day? Or just because I don't deserve it? Don't know. Don't have anyone to tell me what a good job I'm doing it that I should relax or anything. I do feel I have to prove myself all the time

I take as much time for myself as I can manage whilst still meeting my responsibilities as a mum, wife and worker. I don't feel guilty in the slightest at spending an entire morning getting my hair and nails done. Or spending an hour in the bath with a good book.
I genuinely think this time makes me better at all of my other 'duties' and I love my life, we're so happy. I wouldn't be as happy if i made myself be productive all the time or felt guilty about making myself a priority too.
Just now I don't have a regular day to myself but my DH and I work round each other so we both get time and I occasionally take an annual leave day while ds is in nursery.

Try yoga op, if you get a good leader then it's so relaxing.

I try to book all of my doctor / dentist / physio etc on my day off (I condense 5 into 4).

I also go into town quite a pick to pick up click and collect stuff, or do little top up bits of shopping.

And I have an allotment (or we do, but in reality it's my idea / baby!). I spend a fair amount of time digging / planting etc on Fridays.

I have a running list of ‘day off’ jobs, posting things, returning things, clearing the freezer, household admin, that sort of thing.

I intend to exercise but rarely do.

I always do washing and food shopping and often bake something. We eat better on those days.

Meet friends for breakfast or lunch.

Oh yes, and haircuts and beauty stuff

Catch up with bed changing/ laundry
Eye tests, Dr appointments, hair cuts
Household admin; insurance, car tax, bills etc
Some sort of exercise
Meet friends for lunch.
I love my midweek day off.

I do a fair bit of volunteering and stuff in the community, I help at the local Food Bank, I cook lunches for old folks, am trustee on a couple of organisations.
I see my elderly parents, go walking (rarely !), I like exploring different towns, just going to a different supermarket makes a change, meet up with friends - not necessarily local ones but with a whole day you can travel a bit further.
But I also just relax and do nothing quite a lot of the time,... I hate the attitude that we have to be busy all the time, I didn’t dare contribute to the recent thread on ‘how tired are you’, I never get tired because I make sure I structure my life to have plenty of ‘free’ time, I know not everyone has the luxury of choice. But for example this afternoon, I am having a late lunch as I worked all morning and walked home to get some exercise, DH is watching rugby on TV, DS is out at football, there is plenty of housework/cooking etc I could get on with but I shall take a coffee and my book back to bed. . And before anyone says why isn’t your DH doing the housework/cooking, he has been decorating all morning and as he works 60 hours a week (plus extensive travel) & I do 24 hours a week I do tend to do most of the housework & cooking.

My happiest days are ones out with my camera and the dogs. We live fairly close to the Malvern hills so it's very satisfying to pack a backpack with coffee, sandwiches, a book and my camera..... we often walk for 2/3 hours and have a nice stop along the way.

Otherwise look for some Meet Up walking groups; find a yoga class; cookery class. I refuse to spend a day off picking up other peoples crap and mess at home!

My day off is my sort of catch up day
Things I've done recently
Dentist/prescriptions/haircut
Wilkos trip to stock up on cleaning stuff, screwfix for new bath panel, measuring for blinds
Food shopping and prepping food for work, batch cooking and freezing food
Bath, Netflix, didn't move all day
Went into town to the cat cafe
Tried a new restaurant for lunch
Went for a sports massage and a pedicure
This is so MN but there is nothing better than going for a cheap spa day when it's pouring down outside

Agree with Catniss I don’t use to my free time to do chores or run everyone else’s errands, and I choose to work weekends so I can have more free time on my own .

Go to the gym - one day a week where you can exercise, listen to podcasts or music, go to yoga or Pilates, faff around in the pool, go into the steam room/sauna, have a ten minute long shower with the nicest shampoo, put on clean clothes, blow dry your hair, do your makeup and there is nothing urgent that needs doing.

On your way home, you could go and get whatever you fancy for lunch, making sure you get lovely looking fruit/veg/whatever you like but don't normally have because others want it/don't like it, eat lunch in the park if you like, then go home and potter around pleasing yourself until school run time.

I can't think of anything more pleasurable than a guaranteed six hours of peace and freedom every week for a Mum of small children. Don't commit yourself to something that put demands on your time just as you're free because you feel like you should be productive.

You are a fortunate person - enjoy it without an ounce of guilt.

My youngest started school September just gone and I’m still adjusting to having 2 days to myself. I do the food shop, go to the gym, batch cook, meet friends, mooch round the shops, see my mum......I feel quite busy. I love it!