"Can you not sit on a bench and watch DC play in the park for example?
Not for long no. I'd find it mind numbingly boring."
@CrunchyPancakes
I can understand that. When mine were those ages I found parks both boring and frustrating. The constant up and down, never getting a minute alone wjth my thoughts, and the constant "mum mum mum mum, look. Look mum look, mum look".
It was often lots easier with another mum and kids there because the kids would entertain each other and need me less, and I also craved the adult conversation.
However, this was often unplanned. We would bump into these other families by accident, either people we knew, kind of knew, or just strangers that we would get chatting to.
It's hard to arrange park play dates because of things like the weather and also the difficulty of reliably getting two young kids somewhere for a set time.
Also, and I know this may be difficult for you due to your situation with your husband, but things like this were generally during the week. Weekends tend to be family time.
I did have one, divorced, friend during this period who would constantly try to arrange stuff at the weekends and to be honest it was exhausting because she didn't seem to understand that the weekends were generally family time.
I think there are a few issues that you have at play here and I can relate to a lot of them .
I also found being at home at those ages hard, and would fall into the tv rut, so would try to take them out. And it was hard taking them out on my own, so I would also have preferred another adult there or another mum and kids.
But it just isn't possible. Particularly at weekends.
Although I do know some single mums who kind of "team up" in this way, for these reasons. Would that be an option?
But I do think your weekend of play date morning, play date afternoon, then child free evening out with friends is way too much. It's exhausting and I echo others that you need to try and find ways to make your company, and that of your children, be enough for you.