To have become bored with Sundays on my own, dh at work, 2small dcs to entertain?

[Spookey80]

Sorry, I know haw lame this must sound if you are a single parent, or oh who works away (maybe you will be the one who can advise me), but my dh works most weekends 13hr shifts, and although sometimes see family and very occasionally friends, don't like to ask as most people with oh at wkends.
I just find myself struggling sometimes (ok, most of the time) to be motivated all the time to entertain little ones!
We generally get out to the park or shops, or even just around the block, but sometimes even thats an effort.
For example- this morn- have done brekkie, put washing on line, just trying to start getting ready, now have one dc dressed, I'm still in pjs, and dd throwing books into bath whilst running tap. Dd hitting ds, both screaming and shouting. Dd screaming, wants o wear shorts and pink vest only.
I now can't be bothered, all requires too much effort, by the time we get out, will need to get back for lunch, ds tired needing nap.
Is it all a state of mind? Do u think I will drown in a pool of self-pity?

You could turn it into a fun pyjama day at home - a day where you avoid as much housework as you can. Have a picnic lunch on the carpet/in the garden, in the evening watch a film with a bowl of popcorn. Make you could make something with the kids - a den or a big rocket ship out of cardboard boxes (and then have a quiet sitdown while they play with it ).

It'll get easier as the weather gets better.

Thanks- that is a good idea. I have actually decided to abandon the getting out of the house idea and am about to have our snack in the garden.

"....motivated all the time to entertain little ones! "

You're not a children's entertainer, you're a mother. Don't hover all the time or feel you have to keep them busy 24/7. Give them space (garden?) and toys to play with and then have a

I always find weekends really hard when dh is working. I have a friend who is a single parent so we often meet up on a. Saturday or Sunday, even to just go into town.

Our library usually has craft stuff on Sundays, sometimes we do baking or visit family (hour away)

Today I am meeting with another friend and we are going to an Indian restaurant for lunch with the kids.

I think it is a mental thing more than anything, as I don't mind nearly as much during the week.

how old are they?
agree with the staying at home day suggestion, if you really cant be bothered to go out. you can make a list of fun activities or ideas for home then try to do one each sunday, so you feel as though you still had a fun time while at home? i have one of these lists somewhere although dont always do it but it can be good. then after doing some 'special' activities you wont feel guilty later for relaxing and letting them get on with it, or housework and letting them get on with it.
i know what you mean about weekends though, because it can feel like everyone else is busy with their oh and family time so if your alone regularly on weekends it starts to suck (mine does not work weekends, so only now and then when hes been travelling away or busy a lot etc i have felt like that)

I often end up entertaining the kids on my own on the weekends.
I do find that our time at home is usually a lot calmer if we've been out.
How old are your dcs? Could you get them into an activity like swimming on Sunday mornings?
When the weather gets better, put a water activity table in the garden.

Its worth just getting out usually. Take sandwiches with you and just go to the park or a walk somewhere.

Garden? Doesn't matter what they are, or aren't wearing. Cooking lunch and a pud together?

Don't put pressure on yourself you don't have to do something special.

You could bake some fairy cakes and then let them decorate? Or rice crispy cakes? Or washing tge bikes ? Or cleaning tge car?

obstacle course building is always fun, you make tge first one then it's their turn...,

Thanks-all good ideas. Ages dd- just turned 3, ds 17months.
Ds- wonderful, but unhappy most of time unless sleeping or eating, or being cuddled. So can make me feel stressed, just can't seem to get out of the house as he cries a lot. He was up early today, so is a bit tired.
Thinks always seem better when get out the house, but getting out of the house often the problem. Me reaching melting point prior, or me not managing to get myself together at all.
Think will stay at home and maybe aim to head out after ds nap.

I sympathise spookey80 my DH works every weekend and they can be very lonely. Like you say other people tend to have their weekends as 'family time' so they aren't so abailable as they are during the week. I'm lucky enough to have a very resourceful lone parent friend who obviously has it a fair bit harder than me. She went to great lengths to find weekend activities to keep her DS amused and get out the house. And now I tag along!

I'm really not one for constantly entertaining the children, I believe they should be able to entertain themselves for a reasonable amount of time. But I found I was getting bored, lonely and frustrated by being in the house all day alone with DD. Now I potter with her in the morning, then go out mid morning to a cheap copycat tumble tots group, where she can run around for an hour, then friend and I have packed lunch with the kids and we get home in time for nap time. It's honestly been a godsend. If you can trawl the net or ask around and see if their are any weekend toddler activities they are a great break up to the day, plus you might end up meeting people (like you and me) who are in a similar situation?

Abailable? Starting to sound like DD

It will get sooo much easier in a year or two.
I am single and ds is 5, and after years of dreading Sundays, I now love them.
We mooch about in our pjamas.
I have Radio 4 and MN while he has Milkshake on the telly, then if its nice we go out to the park/woods/ occasionally visit someone.
I rarely do big activities. Sunday is my lazy day too, and ds is knackered from school and happy to play with his toys
I think wen your two are older they will be happy to just play together and you can ignore them a bit!

When ours were little DH worked almost all the time and the weekends were the hardest because other friends were doing family things and I felt a bit "alone". Got into the habit of going to church on Sunday mornings - and to the park if the weather was fine or the museums if it wasn't.

I'd make it your mission to go to the library every Saturday morning
And swimming every sunday morning
In afternoon go to the park or out on bike for older one

Love your post NowthenWreck - your Sundays sound lovely! My DS is 18mth and weekends are hard work, even with two of us to wrangle him.

I look forward to Mondays - sad innit.

Roll on the pyjama years :)

Well- i got thru it! Bth now in bed, bit of a tidy and sort dinner for dh, when he gets home.
We have a reg day for library already and swimming difficult with the 2 of them on my own. Also no clubs/ activities at wkends where I live, so will stick with aim to get out, and try and cheer up a bit!
Thkis for all the advice- gratefully received. Hopefully will feel bit less depressed next sun.... Or may be seeking advice again.
.....what did I do before mn?

Weekends when the kids were tiny (or tinier) were miserable to be honest, I was knackered and it was more of the same, trying to entertain them but with the feeling that everyone else was having a lovely rest. To some extent you have to let kids get on with it but toddlers, especially energetic ones do need a certain amount of supervision so you can't properly relax.

It's better now they're 4 and 2 now with 4 year old is in school and school changes the dynamic of the week so weekends feel more relaxed (no school run).

I find its actually enjoyable doing things with my four year old, he's got to the point where he has opinions he can share and ideas and doesn't need carrying, bum wiping, tantrum avoiding. He's good company!

Also DH and I tag team a bit so we each get a morning of lie in or time out and that makes things better.

So I understand where you are coming from but I think it does get better. x

For various reasons, we each have the children one day each from early until about 3. Not ideal, but cannot be avoided. I used to freed it but now have 'traditions' on My day. ( otherwise know as a bit of a routine!) So we always start the day with a fry up, then there are two shows we snuggles on the couch and Watch, then they play while I do housework, then lunch, then a nap for the little one, then out to swimming. It gives a rhythm to the day that er all appreciate.

I have this every Saturday, as my DH works 6 days a week. Our only family day is Sunday.

I try to make plans with a friend who is single parent at least once a month. Other than that I try to do fun stuff such as sitting and watching a film together. I have 3 and don't like taking them out, for a day trip type outing, on my own very often as I find it exhausting

You do have my sympathy and I am in much the same situation. My children are 2 and 4 and I also have most of my weekends on my own. I do find I feel better if I get out of the house at some point. I have to admit I have found churches quite good places for children's activities. I am not particularly religious but our local church runs messy church activities which are free and very relaxed.
I think that this age gap and stage is hard work, mine constantly niggle each other and so staying at home for what I used to consider a realxing sunday is not on the cards!!! Give yourself a break, this is a day of work and it will be tricky. I agree with another poster that it is a mental thing. Make a plan to get out early, feel you've acheived something and then relax in the afternoon while the little one naps. Good luck x

Have you suggested meeting up to any of your friends? My DP was studying for exams at the weekend for much of last year &, at first, I thought everyone was hanging around with their other halves doing family stuff but, after a few weeks, I began to realise that my friends' other halves may be working at the weekend themselves/playing a round of golf/wanting to watch the footie & my friends were delighted to have an excuse to get out of the house & meet up with someone in the park/soft play/museum/each other's houses. I was really surprised but it worked out really well. Weekends by yourself with kids can be tough as there aren't as many activities going on & you think everyone else is having a wonderful family time together - even though many of them probably aren't! Now, if I get a call from a friend asking to meet at the weekend for a couple of hours, I often agree even if DP is around as it means he gets the house to himself for a bit and can do his own thing.

Me too.I was single parent for years with older dc's and used to love weekends,a lie in,nice food,mooch around the shops maybe a daytrip with dd or cinema. Now im married and have a baby i do find the weekend fairly hard when dh works (most weekends) It hard to see other famlies out having fun together or seeing family or friends,being up at 6am and having to make massive prep to get out does not make for a relaxing weekend and then im at work on Monday,i feel as if i never get a break some weeks.
The summer is better as we have a nice outdoor pool nearby and we tend to migrate there for the day.

I'm a single parent so this is normal for me. I makes lots of plans. I search on the Internet to find out what's happening locally, places we can go, things the kids will enjoy. I make a list of what I need to take the night before, then just set to in the morning and gets us all out of the house. I do this on one of the weekend days. The other day we just potter at home, play in the garden etc.

I'm a LP and weekends can be a killer. We can't go out all the time as I have housework /chores to do.

We have the odd pj day, LOADS of cbeebies, I chuck them in the garden with snacks so I can tidy up, the odd day out, wander to the park etc. If I'm lucky they will behave so I don't have to shout too often.

I think tbh i was better at it when i was a lone parent,i had fab weekends but i did have lots of single friends who are now all hitched to 9-5 workers.

The age gap makes it hard for me-10 and 1. When dh got home last night me and dd1 went for a bike ride and stopped at a friends for it was lovely but not doable with a baby in tow.