To ask what you do between 8pm and 10pm

[NewPinkSocks]

Ok so I need to be more productive.

I think I should be doing more between this time but I do also want to start going to sleep by 9:30.

The children are normally asleep by 8pm if were lucky.

Then I sit and waste an hour before bed. Maybe pottering around tidying up the dinner plates and vacuuming the living room again if its needed (I also Vacuum at 5pm)
DH empties the bins if needed and puts the diahwasher on before bed.

Would you mind letting me know what you do so I can see whats reasonable to get done in this time? I feel I need to be doing alot more in this time and just need a MN Kick up the bum

I absolutely would not vacuum twice in one evening as standard.
Are you a SAHM? Sorry if I've missed this.

Have supper. Chat. Watch a bit of telly. Bed and a book at 10

DS is 11 and doesn't usually go to bed until 9, later if he has Scouts or something.

Once he's in bed, I do the usual bit of tidying/ironing/sorting things out for the morning but I try to get most of it done before he goes to bed so that I can just relax when he does.

I'll chat on the phone to my boyfriend, or hang out with him if he's here, watch TV, knit, read, piss about on my phone/laptop. I sometimes have evenings when I just play daft games on my phone which makes me feel vaguely guilty but meh, I work hard all day and as long as I've got everything done that I need to, I deserve a bit of down time.

Knitt while I catch up on a box set

My DC are usually in bed reading/faffing about by about 8. Unless one of us is going out, DP and I make and eat dinner, I write my diary, quick tidy up then collapse in a heap to unwind before bed. We usually watch TV for an hour or so on a week night, longer at weekends.

I'm too exhausted by 9pm to do anything productive. It's the only time of the day when I get to relax and not move. I treasure it!

Trying to "be productive" with every minute of your day sounds like a recipe for failure and disappointment and poor mental health.

I'm a big believer in doing 'just enough ' to ensure the house is vaguely clean and tidy, we have clean clothes to leave the house in and food on the table.

If there were crumbs/bits dropped on the floor following dinner I would just pick the bits up, rather than get the hoover out.

I will normally tidy around, load/ unload washing/ washing up if it needs doing whilst the dinner is cooking.

At some point in the evening I'll tidy the kitchen by putting stuff in dishwasher and get lunches ready for next day but the majority of my evening is spent sitting in my chair reading, watching TV/film/Netflix or on MN. Sometimes I'll chat to DS if he's sitting downstairs. I love my evening sitting quietly and relaxing. DH works shifts so I'm often sitting by myself and I love this. If DH/DS are around in the evening I tend to stay up late just to get that peaceful time alone.

I think my life is probably a lot easier than many peoples though as DS is a teenager and I work PT so I have a day off in the week and working days am home nice and early to walk the dog before collecting DS from work and making tea.

I mainly sit in the sofa, mumsnetting, reading or watching TV. I used to go to yoga but I stopped. In summer I'll play tennis once or twice a week before it gets dark.i like to outside when its light.
Your 'D'H needs to learn to wipe his feet!! Or hover up after himself. Or simply take his shoes off at the door!

Play video games and ignore the state of the house until the weekend.

I'm winding down for bed, so TV if I have something to watch, or otherwise bath/bed and read/draw/puzzle book/listen to podcasts depending what I feel like.

If you want to be productive, you can read books on subjects that interest you maybe? Or listen to podcasts - there are very informative podcasts on lots of subjects.

I'd much rather vacuum first thing in the morning than last thing at night.

I draw as a hobby, so if you have a similar hobby, doing it in bed can be a good way to wind down - but as you have a partner you might prefer to do it in the living room. I'd definitely see this time as time for a 'winding down' hobby rather than housework.

I’m a lazy parasite according to mn aka I am housewife. Therefore once dinner is washed up and the children are in bed - both of which are my responsibility - I sit down with h. We talk, play on phones or watch tv. Sometimes we just have an early night.

Curl up with DH and watch whatever boxset we're working our way through.
Our kids are adults though so nice to have some 'us' time at the end of each day.

Do you have a really quiet vacuum, or a really big house? If I vacuumed after putting the kids to bed they'd be immediately awake again!

8pm-10pm is strictly nothing time for me. Tv is on and usually also scrolling on my phone. Any chores that aren’t done by then can wait till the next day

Dd2 goes to bed at about 8 so I read her story etc, then I come down and start working again. I'm a teacher and the trade off for leaving school at 4:30 is that I then need to do a couple of hours work in the evening after the DC are in bed. So I mark a set of books and/or plan a few lessons. Or write reports, etc.

I play Pokémon on the switch

Clearing up after dinner. Maybe a bit of soaps, but lost track to be honest. Like to watch Mummy vloggers on YouTube for a bit, you can get a bit of inspo and tips for home organisation etc. Then Netflix with the hubby. Latest watch is 'You' and recently finished 'The Sinner'.

Netflix, doze off on the sofa like a granny.

I work (teacher) or I cook stuff we can heat up fast. Down time is 10 - 11 now. Although as I get older I think it's going to have to change as the early mornings are getting hard.

8-10pm is dinner time as I don't get home until 8-8.30pm

On the rare occasion I am home earlier 8-10pm is the wine and TV slot.

And who hoovers twice in the same day?! I am a slovenly sort - the cleaner does it weekly and that's it.

Sit down and relax is what you should be doing IMHO!

Basically relax unless anything urgent needs done.

2.5yo DS goes to bed at 7pm and we may spend some time tidying up / doing chores if we have managed earlier but basically we have 2-3 hours to ourselves in the evening.

For context I work 3 days a week 10-4.30/5. At home 2 days but DS naps for 2 hours still.
DH works 5 days, leaves early but is in by 4/4.30. Neither of us work at the weekend.
We also have a weekly cleaner for 2 hours and a gardener. If we were both working full time and had a non napping toddler plus no help in the house then we wouldn't have as much free time.

I'm still tidying up and getting children in bed/helping with homework until 9pm. Then, usually sit down and watch TV for an hour. I sometimes do admin at the same time (was sorting out some guiding stuff last night and previous evening was doing some CPD).

TV, bath...go swimming.

I do my chores as soon as I get home around 6.15. DP usually cooks dinenr so I will clean the plates up, make lunch for the next day and hoover, put washing machine on.

The times you have listed IMO should be for relaxing

Clean then sleep. Am own my own with 3 under 5.5 80% of the time so no down time available right now as nights are still broken with wakings.

Quick clean up - do dishes etc
Watch the soaps
Drink tea or wine
Mn/online