Make a plan for each week. Some ‘at home’ times playing / tv / baking etc. some going out for free duck feeding / park / riding bikes/ scooter. Some play dates (either with the other mum staying if you get on so you have company) or with people who will then reciprocate and take your 2 for a couple of hours. Some trips to places / library / swimming / museum etc that may / may not cost money.
we had very little money when mine were little as I was Sahm - so couldn’t afford massive trips to theme park etc - but I used to look for everything that was free / low cost (local library craft event £1 etc) and schedule these in first. Would have an ongoing craft project such as making papier-mâché masks as you need to do a bit every day then dry , then paint them / decorate them etc - so really was a daily extended project.
would make a simple event into a major one - e.g. baking fairy cakes - we’d write / draw the shopping list - then walk to the shop - they’d pick up the ingredients - let them pay for their 2 items each (they can self scan / tap your card etc) then walk home - then bake / then cool then decorate. One batch of fairy cakes has kept them busy all morning rather than it being a 1/2 hour event.
All depends where you live - we are in a town and are lucky that a lot of places can be walked to. Also we’d go out on the bus as kids live that and around here only pay for adult do we’d bus to park further away with our pack up lunch etc - play / have a picnic…
even if it pours with rain - you adjust the plan and have a picnic in the floor in a different room of the house.
liberal use of timer to give yourself time to breath / do things e.g. if they want to play with the cars / set them up then tell them you are busy until the timer goes off doing the hoovering / having a cup of tea.
keeo on top of them with toys etc.so the house doesn’t look like a bomb has gone off. I’m strict - once they finished playing with the train set - it was tidied into the box before the next thing came out. Saves a massive muddle of stuff all over the house and things don’t get lost.
Don’t beat yourself up if they watch a bit of tv… if it keeps you all sane and allows you to breathe / cook / paint your nails / do whatever job you need or want to do it’s fine. Unless that is all they are doing - it is not a crime to watch a few Disney movies or episodes of pepper pig on their holiday! Let them have a bit of down time and don’t feel bad for that!
6 weeks is a long time to fill but if you plan little ‘events’ and pace yourself you’ll get through it.