Groundhog day life,anyone else?

[ellebelli]

I love to be organised and I also like routine but I am utterly sick of my daily/weekly routine.
I am self employed and do like my job but it is quite a lonely one and follows the exact same pattern each week.
Once I am home from work its the same thing daily till bed time.
This changes slightly at the weekend but that to follows a routine of shopping,lunch out,dog walk on the sat and kids activities,breakfast or lunch out and dog walk on the Sunday.
I have spoken to my partner who says we probably do more than most(!) An cannot afford to be doing something all the time,he would be happy doing nothing at the weekend but I need to get out the house.
There is no spontaneity or change,just exactly the same thing day in day out.I guess this isn't easy with younger children that need to be factored in to everything.
I do want to make a change but not sure how.
Does anyone else feel this?
Maybe it's something more at play, as I have been feeling a bit down lately but that is in part to the boredom of my daily life.

Peri menopause?

With young kids it's the best time to do fun stuff at the weekends! Get merlin passes. Plan trips. Go to New parks. New soft plays etc. I love it. Find new beaches, country parks. Good cafes.

They won't want to hang around with you when they're teens so make the most now.

Unsure. Ft working parents here both of us, with 7 yo and 3 yo who have numerous sports/activities etc.

My only thought is - whilst the routine may well be groundhog, the nature of the content is can perhaps we jazzed up.

for example, sure, 9-5 is "work", but in my career I have choice to mix things up, so I do "nice" work at my best times, and "drudgery" at non good time. When WFH - make sure to build in time for interesting dog walks, when at work build in regular colleague lunches or catch ups. So still work 9-5 but mix things up.

Likewise - 5-8 is sure childcare time. But Weds dinners are always on the floor with blankets, cushions and pizza. Fridays are often dinner in the park by summer, takeaway by winter. So 5-8 still childcare chaos, but little bits of mixing it up.

And other random things like scheduled going out nights, outings etc. But depends on budget too.

My main point is - if routine/skeleton of days cannot change, play with the content perhaps?

Forgot to mention
Cinema
Ice skating
Swimming etc

Lots of stuff to do that doesn't have to cost much. And plan stuff to look foreard to, I've already booked stuff for summer and christmas 2023. But maybe see your GP of your general mood is bad.

Honestly I think life with young kids is like this to some extent.

Can you mix it up at the weekend a bit - even if it’s just doing the dog walk in a different place - might be less convenient but at least it’s different. Maybe ask some friends over for coffee or arrange to meet at the park if weather is nice. Small things but a little bit different!

Are you able to go away at all - holidays really help provide a change even if they’re nothing fancy.

I am wondering if its peri menopause, I do just feel shit.
My children are 15(so he entertains himself and does have a good social life)and 8 so he's now at that age were he doesn't want to do certain activities which we have previously enjoyed,it is getting harder to find things.
Plus he wants to play out with his friends too so that means we are stuck in the house because we can't leave him so that can also distrupt plans etc.
We try to go different dog walks and cafes etc as much as possible.
Cinema and tea during the week is one thing I did think of.(waiting for a film we can all watch)
I dunno 😕 just feel really fed up and I literally tick off the days till weekend.
Maybe it is partly my job but I really don't know what else I can do that fits nicely Iinto our life(I choose the hours etc)
We constantly live off our overdraft and that limits us.
Thank you for your replies.

Well sort that out for a start - you shouldn't be living in your overdraft. Maybe make that a bit of a different task for this weekend - a budget plan. Cut back so you can save for a holiday or something. Review all your outgoings. Honestly you sound depressed. Def see your GP.

Oh 15 and 8 sorry I was imagining little ones.

I notice you’re having two meals out at the weekend, that’s quite pricey? Maybe use those funds for something else that would tempt the 8 yo away from playing out? Or as PP says, save it towards a night away or a bigger trip.

Budget and health reviews would be a good idea