To wonder what you all do at the weekend?

[Sparklewithme1]

Just that really. Every weekend we seem to just sit here wasting time. I’m a single mum with 3 kids (ds12) (dd8) (dd4) my ds wants to do nothing apart from pay on his Xbox and I end up sitting in the garden with dd’s fighting over the paddling pool then they get fed up and end up watching the tv. There is literally no one outside and even the playground is empty, I’m sure when I was a kid we used to be out all the time?

If it was for DS, we would spend every single day of the week inside connected to the Wi-fi. But I also have a right to a good weekend so I don’t let him get his way all the time.

Most of us, single parents, complain about the lonely weekends, so it may be a good idea to get to know some others as they are often up to meet in a Sunday for a picnic at the park, a bike ride or even just going for a meal.

The advantage of this is that you get some adult conversation while the children play, so everyone gets a good time. If nearly teen DS refuses to join with the younger ones, invite a friend of his (or send him to the house of his friend 😉)

Our weekends are quiet family time and probably very dull to outsides but we like it this way!

On Friday evenings I tend to feel exhausted, as are the DC (6 and 9). I'm a teacher and work until 5.40pm on Fridays. The DCs attend my school. The 3 of us took the bus home. When we got home they had a snack (some strawberries and banana). DH was out. We went out with them on bikes and me jogging to a park about 5 minutes jog or cycle from our house. Hung out there for about 45 minutes. Came home and all showered, then read our books/zonked out on the sofa. When DH got home he "made" vegetable soup and cheese and crackers for dinner. Then the DCs played/read in their rooms while we washed up and put some laundry on. DH read the DCs their bedtime stories and put them to bed. I also went to bed, DH watched a bit of TV then came to bed too.

Saturday we all woke up at 8 ish and had coffee or milk and toast then caught the bus to the sports' centre where DS does tennis and DD does dance. I played basketball there too. DH went for a run. Then DH took the DCs home and I went for coffee with a friend. Got home and we had lunch. DCs did their homework then played with their toys and DD had a little nap. I did some schoolwork and DH some work on his laptop and also had a sleep. Then we went to the swimming pool, got a takeaway for dinner, played a couple of board games before DD went to bed. DS played in his room a while longer and played a card game with DH while I did some schoolwork.

This morning we all woke up at 8ish, had fruit salad for breakfast, went out to the park (DCs and DH on bikes, me running/walking). Came back an hour or so later. I showered while DH and the kids took out the rubbish and recycling and went to buy some fresh bread, then we made eggs for lunch. After that we slobbed for a bit, watched the news (shameless ogling of royal wedding fashions by me). DS had some more homework to do, DH made some calls, DD played in the courtyard with neighbouring children. In a short while we'll go to the pool for a couple of hours, then shower and get schoolbags ready, etc., have dinner (I'm planning to do poké bowls for the first time ever ) then the DC will go to bed after a bedtime story and DH and I will frantically rush through all the work we need to finish for tomorrow.

A relatively lazy weekend for us. Usually I'd spend a lot more time working but I've just felt very tired. Sometimes the DCs have a party on a Friday evening or Saturday afternoon but otherwise this is their usual routine in the warmer months.

I like to pack my weekends - they're precious! I'll usually cook a fancyish breakfast for me and DH, do parkrun on a Saturday, go to the farmers market, go for a walk somewhere pretty, go for lunch, host dinner parties, go to a museum or gallery, cinema, watch a movie, bake. Not all of this every weekend obviously

Fully appreciate that not having DCs gives me the luxury of time and money, however.

Myself and DP alternate lie ins. We tend to do the shopping on Saturday then go out somewhere, museum, shops, park etc. Sometimes the library. Sunday is housework and sometimes go out somewhere but I try to have a bit of chill out time at home. Once a month we'll do a proper day trip somewhere.

Saturday mornings, if we don't have to get up earlier for sports, me and DH lie in till about 10am, drinking tea and reading, while the DC play on the ps4 (they're 11 and 13). Then I get up and make a nice breakfast and then we walk the dogs for an hour.
What happens next is different each weekend. Yesterday I took the kids to the opticians and then clothes shopping (Dc1 has outgrown everything!), then home. DC1 was reading in his room, while DC2 decided to practice knife throwing in the back garden (I now have 2 ruined steak knifes but hey ho). I went to b&q and spent too much money on plants and to Asia to buy beer for DH and the FA cup final. He had a friend round to watch it so I lay on the garden sofa and read my book in the last of the sun.
Then the friend left, we all watched some comedy on TV and the kids went to their bedrooms to play ps4 till 10.30pm and me and DH watched Lucifer until bedtime.
Today the morning was much the same and then I spent a couple of hours planting out the stuff I bought yesterday. This afternoon was spent chilling out in a friend's garden and now she's cooking us all a curry. DH was off doing his sport all day and is hopefully joining us soon.

This thread makes me want either a bigger city, family to visit or more money. As it stands we've visited everything we can afford and we can actually get to. Unsurprisingly, I'm quite bored.

We generally go to 2 soft play places, park, cinema and library if there's a craft club but that's only 1/ month .

There's an aquarium, but mega busy on a weekend so go during the week with 3 y.o. DS.

Desperately trying to get DS in some clubs, but there isn't a lot for his age or very expensive compared to what we can afford.

Live in the midlands. Train to London Fri after work - met friend and kids for dinner and play in the fountains. Next day had brunch, then scavenger hunt, then took boat to Greenwich and chilled in the park before heading home. Today family 10k fun run, then picnic lunch, then shopping in nearby big city, now just chilling a bit.

We live in a semi derelict house on a farm. Well, it’s not quite semi derelict anymore, but it still a lot of work.

Lack of funds, and frankly because we enjoy it, we have done nearly all ourselves.

Hence, weekends are spent doing fun stuff (competing our animals) and visiting places during the day, we have friends and family in the evenings quite a bit, and spent doing DIY and yard work.

So we had three friends turn up on Friday night (we love droppers in, but I can feel the collective weight of MN cringing) just after I got home from my four hour commute back.

So we walked the dogs all together, made chilli and drank cider.

Think they left at midnight- I’m not sure, I went to sleep on the sofa . They put my dogs out for a pee and locked the gates on their way out- DH got back about 1am and had to climb the gates to get in and shove me off the sofa into bed.

Saturday we had friends from 10-6, so chatted, dog walked, made cake and lunch, drank wine and tea. I did the yard jobs after DC went to bed. Then I watched Hidden Figures on now tv and husband made me supper.

Sunday, went riding to the beach this morning with dC and ponies, walked dogs and went to the park, then spent the day weeding drive, fixing some fencing, repairing the top shelters after winter, repairing swearing at some broken machinery and watching DC learn how to drink from the hose pipe- more complicated than it sounds, it’s an agricultural high pressure one.

Now husband is working, I’m having a coffee on the sofa, DC and all the animals are asleep and I’ll drive to a hotel when husband gets home about 1am. I’m working four hours away tomorrow so I’ll leave here at 1.15am when DH gets in, get to the hotel at 4.15, three hours sleep and then head to client site.