What is a normal evening routine?

[AnnaKerice]

DH parks himself on the sofa at about 8pm and stays there til bedtime. Sleeps til 7am so that’s 11 hours of rest!
I do about an hour of telly but also potter: get things ready for school for the kids, tidy kitchen, put away washing, have shower etc
It feels so unfair!
What’s normal in your house? How many hours of telly do you rack up in the evening?

We eat at about 7pm. Whoever didn't cook washes up/dishwasher/tidies kitchen.

We watch a bit of a TV series we all like or DS goes upstairs to watch football or chat to his mates.

DS goes to bed about 10pm (he's a young teen) and then DH and I might watch an episode of something less family friendly or the news if we aren't too tired.

I try to not do much housewise in the week but do a quick tidy when I get in from work (DH works later then me) so the evenings are free

get things ready for school for the kids, tidy kitchen, put away washing, have shower etc
It feels so unfair!

Are there lots of chores that need to be done or do you not enjoy sitting down to watch tv? Why don’t you just tell him to get up and play an active role in the family?

Honestly by 8pm most of the pottering about and tidying has been done and both of us are sat down to watch some tv. We still have a baby who is up and down with sleep and don’t have much energy for anything else.

Tea at 5:30ish
Watch an episode of tv together (currently dad's army)
Either take dc to evening activity or out in the garden/do something active indoors if raining
Run dishwasher/washing machine, quick tidy up
Medications at 8:45ish
Younger 3 to bed at 9
Dh watches tv with older ones while I put younger ones to bed
Older dc to bed at 10:30
Dh and i either watch an episode of something and then go to bed or sometimes just go to bed.

Forgot to say not always in that order, depending on timing of activities. On Monday we go out at 7:30 so washing/dishes done before we go out. Tuesday, piano lessons start at 6:30 so washing/dishes are done afterwards.

No one in my home 'potters' after 8pm and there are 6 of us here. By 8pm we are generally chilling.

Dinner for us between 6:30pm-7:00pm (depends how long takes me to cook)

Ds2 (3) and DD (2) in bed after dinner. DH and I usually share bedtimes but this week they’ve been insisting I do both bed times so while that’s happening DH does the dish washer

DS1 (10) tidies up there living room while watching some tv. Then he either plays on his switch or watches tv until bed (about 8:30)

DH and I usually then watch some tv or play board games together until bed.

Some evenings DS1 has various spots clubs so I get tv time alone to watch my shows that one sense likes

I am a single parent and my dc are now teens. Once we have dinner (any time from 5.30-6.30) and I've tidied/washed up, I usually spend the evening on the sofa unless I am taking one to a club or something. I make sure all jobs are done before then - so cleaning at the weekend, packed lunches in the morning, washing done during the day as i work, etc.

Even when they were younger and I wasn't a single parent, me and exh would relax in the evenings unless there was something that had to be done (kids clubs, etc).

To be honest, I am a morning person and by the evening I am too tired to start doing jobs.

I'm not sure I consider a shower a chore? It really does depend - is this all stuff that has to be done and has to be done now? Because yes, then you should split this - he gets kids stuff ready while you put away washing or whatever.

But if you're like DH who struggles to just sit down and chill out, then I'm less sympathetic. He will be at home with the kids all afternoon, not doing much, but then put a load of washing on at 6pm to hang up at 9pm. I refuse to feel guilty if I'm sitting on the couch at that point.

We have three young kids so their bedtime takes til about 8pm. Usually we eat with them at about 6pm.

Then I often do an online workout while DH tidies up a bit and puts a wash on etc, we both shower after that and then sit down about 9-9.30pm and watch a bit of tv for an hour. This is pretty much every day, only variation being if we fancy a takeaway so we don't eat with the kids and wait until they are in bed.

Evenings are pretty hectice. Both work f/t, so dinner around 6.30-7.30, then various chores, tidying, getting stuff ready for the next day, ferrying DC3 to his sports things, walking the dog and doing his training. I rarely sit down - although that's probably not a bad thing after being on my bum all day in front of a laptop.

Our evenings sound similar to yours but I choose to potter. I’m not very good at just sitting.

6pm have evening meal
6.30 dishes and make packed lunches
6.45 tidy around whilst children play
7.15 get littlest into bath I may get in with him or shower why he’s in the bath
7.30 story time for youngest
7.45 reading book for eldest
8.00 shower for eldest
8.15 read to eldest and tuck him in bed
8.30 put washing in drier/ tidy lounge
9.00 watch TV chat to husband
10.00 bed

I come home and spend time with the kids, get lunches ready for the next day, give them snacks etc and then do bedtime while DH cooks dinner. We eat dinner and I might load the dishwasher but then try to sit down and either watch tv or read from 8.15/8.30 until bedtime.
The things you do in the evening we fit into the mornings as kids are up early; I do the washing in the morning, hang it up and put the dru stuff away or if I don’t manage to then I do that while kids are around in the evening, DH will empty dishwasher and wash up anything left in the morning and we shower in the morning.
I need that time in the evening to chill out

No kids. After dinner, watch a bit of TV then switch off spend the rest of the evening reading, listening to podcasts, internet surfing.

DH comes home any time between 5.30-7pm, I normally have tea ready soon after as he gives me three rings when leaving work (my idea). Eat on settee catching up with news. DH does washing up. DH always has a shower before 8pm. The rest of time he'll watch tv, read a book, short out anything paperwork wise and also sometimes studies (he has to keep updated on work matters as part of his job and voluntary job). One day a week he comes home as he does voluntary work (from home) so that throws routine out a bit. I'll watch tv, mess out on internet and always get some reading in.

Dinner at 6. Watch a.bit of portillo with a cuppa. Whoever didn't cook, washes up. Kids are older teenagers so we don't see much of them after tea. Tuesday big shop, wednesday bin night. Get clothes ready for.next day, sometimes shower on a night instead of next morning and that's it except for watching the telly. Have recently quit a 3 night a week evening job and I'm bored. I need an evening hobby. Hoping things will be better.next week when it is lighter

We don't have any kids. Work finishes between 6 and 6.30, we usually eat some time between 7.30 and 8.30, stick the dishwasher on and then we're watching telly, reading with the radio on, dicking about on the internet, doing (sedentary) hobbies until we go to bed around midnight.

It's generally me that does the cooking, but that's my choice - I really like doing it and DP is usually doing something at the kitchen table so we can chat and listen to the radio while I'm sorting dinner. Clearing up afterwards is kind of a joint effort I think.

I cook as WFH, we usually eat around 7pm, DH gets home around 1830. DH clears up kitchen or leaves it until the morning which really pisses me off

After that we don't really do much in the evenings, kids take themselves to bed around 2030. Anything that needs to be ready for school the next day is done when they come in from school after homework. Go to bed around 2200, or at least upstairs to read / watch the news.

Not much happens here in the evenings!

Currently
We get in about 6 and DP gets his shower and clothes ready for the morning , whilst I cook supper , we eat around 6.30 chat and catch up with how the day has gone , he does the cleanup in the kitchen after supper then works for a while , I get a bath , sort tomorrow's clothes then also do some work , we both get ready to chill for a couple of hours around 9 pm in front of the tv with an episode of what ever boxed set we are watching
I make sure the downstairs is clean as tidy before bed
Bed roughly him @ 11 me @ 12
Just us no kids

We are definitely both on the sofa watching TV as soon as DD settled. That’s usually 8.30ish. All pottering is done earlier, but I’m quite willing to leave a mess or jobs undone as life too
short IMO!