What does you evening look like?

[Hiccupiscal]

So, im trying to "sort myself out" as in...

1. Not turning to alcohol
2. Getting a good night's sleep
3. Following some kind of bedtime routine

My evenings have been looking like this:
DC into bed around 7:30pm - 8pm.
8 - 9pm eat dinner, make tea, wash and do some beauty care
9pm onwards: upstairs. Light candles. Put salt lamp on. Cup of tea. Prehaps a snack or 10, put a film on - try and select a film under 2hr 30m maximum.
11:30/45 - sleep.

....However my DP is not happy with my new nightly routine. I think he finds it very dull and difficult for me to be "turning in at 9pm" and aiming to sleep before midnight.

I invite him up to watch a film with me so it's not like I'm cutting him out at all.

I'm sure our old way of evenings were not normal... which could be watching TV, listening to music, ignoring each other for our phones, sometimes watching a film downstairs.. 9/10 with a few bottles of something which could escalate to alot more and hangovers in the morning.

I'm trying to escape all this and find a new (even if "boring") normal. Ive personally been enjoying my new routine and would like to sometimes replace films with a book or prehaps even a jigsaw puzzle or the like (although im sure DP will think I've finally lost it)

So I've genuinely wondering what peoples evenings actually look like across the country?!

What do you do on an evening?
What makes you happy?
What would you change about your evenings?
Do you have a routine?

7pm to 8pm - tidy the living room, cook & eat dinner
8pm to 10pm - television, internet, house admin. Sometimes we'll watch something on tv together, othertimes its something for me or for DH and the other person interrupts constantly browses the 'net (e.g. I'm currently doing our family tree)
10pm - I'll go to bed, fall asleep to QI or similar; DH stays downstairs watching the television, browsing the net, goes out to his shed for a sneaky smoke , chats to his DB online, has a late night snack
2am - DH comes up and joins me in bed

Some evenings I am at work, leave around 9pm (shift is supposed to finish at 8.30pm), get home between 9.30 and 10, have a drink while checking facebook/ MN/ email/ the news, often at least 1 DC is still awake so I take over from DH at sitting by DC2 who won't go to sleep on her own, sort out washing etc, do minimal tidying, go to bed at around 11pm, sometimes get chance to read a bit first. Some evenings I work a night shift, so leave for work at 7.30pm.
When I am at home: dinner is at about 6pm, then bath DC, get them ready for bed, read stories, sit by DC2 until at least 9pm reading my kindle (today it was after 10pm when she finally gave in and went to sleep), tidy up a bit, look at the internet, go to bed between 10 and 11pm. DH is usually watching a film when I go to sleep and goes to bed a long time after me.
What makes me happy? None of this.
What would I change? Actually having an evening, having time to relax or even time to do housework so we aren't living in a shit tip, time to watch a tv programme more than once a month which is my current average, DC that go to sleep, chance to communicate and spend time with DH

Right now the kids are in bed and my husband is doing a load of DIY to fit a new bin under the kitchen sink (has to move a pipe and cut the back of the cupboard...) so it's very noisy down there and I'm taking refuge somewhere quiet... if it weren't for Bingate we'd be settled down watching something with a glass of wine!

Atm I wfh until about 6.30/7, then do dinner. We eat that until 7.30 ish, and then I stay outside with dd 8pm is, letting the rabbits have some garden time while I sort out their shed/run. I have a shower, and faff about a bit, we watch an episode of Merlin 9-9.45 and then I go upstairs and spend the next 45 mins nagging the kids (10&12) to go to bed.
I stay upstairs and watch 30 mins of Netflix on my iPad and go to bed at 11, with dp following behind.
Dp and I are missing being able to watch any film above a 12.

I know I've only had a few replies so far but im honestly loving hearing what your evenings look like.

Its also interesting to me that DPs/H do tend to come to bed in the early hours/some time after the partner. I have been wondering if it was unusual for the DP/H to want to follow to bed so late!

Anyone else?....

Incredibly dull here. Dinner for me,DH and teen DS about 7pm. Then DH drinks beer and watches football in the kitchen, DS games or plays guitar, i go on MN or read in our bedroom. Might sit out in the garden when weather allows. I'm usually in bed by 9.30.

Work at home until 6pm nursery pick up (only two days a week at the moment - the other days are a juggling act of failing at work and failing at being a mum)
Chill time until 7pm (chill involving being bitten/scratched/hit) by a tantrumy 22 month old at the moment)
7pm bedtime
7-8pm tidy round and pack bags for the next day, make dinner and meals for the next day if it's a grandparent day etc
8pm -10.30pm couple of glasses of wine/beer and potter around doing laundry/admin/hoovering (has to be at this time once the toddler is deeply asleep or it'll wake him)
10.30pm bed with a couple of chapters of my book.

I have only started reading books again about 3 weeks ago and it's been really enjoyable - more so than endless scrolling. I'd forgotten how good it feels to have a good book on the go.

DH and I both work at home at the moment so I've seen enough of him all day - we don't tend to watch much in the evening together at the moment.

Pre lockdown.
Drive from work to gym and get there at 6. Workout for an hour and get home 7.15.
Quick shower and then start cooking at 7.30
Eat until 8 with my OH
8 - 10 watch a couple of episodes of whatever we're into atm
10pm I'm upstairs to do skincare routine and in bed at 10.15
10.15 - 11pm I read.
11pm OH comes up to kiss me goodnight and I go to sleep.
He plays xbox downstairs and comes to bed at midnight.

Currently
Wfh until 5.30pm.
5.30 - 7pm I go for a walk/run/workout
Then much the same as above.

I couldnt start a film at 9pm. I'd be asleep in 5mins!

I only drink alcohol and dont workout on a friday and Saturday

If DP not away with work we eat with DC at 7, then bath / bed routine til 7.30.
Downstairs to tidy up then sat down by 8ish to watch a box set, bed by 9 as kids are absolutely fucking terrible sleepers so it's the only way to get 7 hours sleep in.

Pre Covid most evenings one of us is out doing a hobby or seeing friends, so the other poor bugger gets to wrestle the kids to bed. DP would then have a beer and watch his shit TV programmes if he's home alone, I'd probably have a bath and do something beauty related.

Usually put DD to bed 7:30, DH currently upstairs with her ATM.

Dinner at 8ish usually then tidy up.
Put something on to watch together, film or something around nine either downstairs or in bed.
Tea at 10ish, always need tea before bed and some chocolate.
Hopefully asleep for 11:30.

Your routine sounds near identical to mine and I love it, some quiet time for the two of us is really needed and keeps me sane! Apart from Saturday as which is takeaway day so no cooking 😊

DC in bed 7.30/8. Sometimes we eat before they go to bed and sometimes after then we’ll watch a film, tv programme or DH watches a film and I read my book. Since lockdown eased and DH went back up work we try to only drink fri, sat and Sunday night and normally just a glass on Sunday night. During the week around 9 I’ll often make a cup of decaf tea and have some kind of treat I’ve been hiding from DC. I normally go up to bed about about 9.45/10 and DH comes to bed nearer midnight.
If I want a bit of time to myself sometimes I’ll go up about 9 and read in bed or watch a programme on my iPad.
I’m on maternity leave at the moment so when I was working dinner would always be once DC were in bed and I’d have lunches to make but now I try to get all that done before their bedtime

Also I’m trying to put my phone to the side in the evenings rather than waste too long just looking online (not worked too well tonight though)

7 -8pm bedtime for a sleep reluctant toddler whilst DP makes diner

8pm - dinner

8 - 9,30:m/10pm sofa, chocolate, wine for DP, TV. I’m pregnant so I tend to go upstairs earlier.

We either watch a series or something and scroll on our phones. Film maybe once A week if DS goes to bed - id love to be more productive but I’m too knackered!!

6pm dinner
7-8.30pm kid stuff & bedtime
8.30 - 11.30 TV on the sofa, snacks we don’t need are eaten and DH rubs my feet.
11.30 Bed, sometimes with 20 mins reading.

Dinner 630-730, around 7 at the moment. DC get ready for bed by 8. They read to us, we read to them, music and wait till they sleep by 9. Each watch a film or read on iPad. I usually go to bed 10-1030, DH 1030-11.

If the teens are home we tend to all eat together about 7.30 - 8.00pm. We leave them to clear away and load dishwasher and DH always makes me a post dinner coffee. Afterward it's usually a mixture of reading, needlepoint, jigsaw, laundry, TV, cobbling together a bit of supper if anyone's peckish. At weekends we often watch a film together, if the teens are home and DD likes all the flourishes and makes hot chocolate and popcorn etc. If it's just DH and me then we might go out for a drive, or watch a film, or pop over the road for a drink.

Normally little one to bed 7, older one stays up reading or on iPad to about 9.

I have dinner about 8.

Read, paint, watch art videos, or sit in the garden (all with wine 🍷)

Bed about 11:30-12, sometimes later if immersed in painting or good book.

Normally little one to bed 7, older one stays up reading or on iPad to about 9.

I have dinner about 8.

Read, paint, watch art videos, or sit in the garden (all with wine 🍷)

Bed about 11:30-12, sometimes later if immersed in painting or good book.

7pm ish finish work and walk to kitchen and cook dinner then eat with family (4 of us)
Maybe watch some TV - usually the news or BBC outside source. Chat for a bit and clear up.
Do vocab as learning another language
9.30 pm go to bed and do my migraine treatment for 30 min. Read a bit of MN whilst doing treatment. Get ready for bed -.clean teeth, shower quickly.
Lights off 10.30pm.

I would feel (more than) a little left out if DW took herself upstairs at 9pm each day for the evening.

That is too early for me to think about going towards bed - and I would be a dishevelled mess by 11:00

I'm astonished how early people go to bed!

I'm astonished how early people go to bed!
DS never sleeps later than 6.
DH leaves for work around 615.
DC start school 715-8 (depending on child).
I need sleep, so I go "early" to bed. 11 is late for me and I feel it the next day!

At the moment I'm having to work from 8:30/9-11.30, so it's not so average, but in general:
6:00- dinner
6:30 - clean up
7:00 - bathe Dd3 and Dts5.
7:30 - put Dd3 to bed.
8:00 - put Dts5 to bed.
8-9/9:30 - hang out with dd13.
9:30-10:30 - chill time/shower/self-care
10:30-12 - hang out with Dh
12- stare at my phone until I go to sleep at some point between 12:30 and 1:30.