To ask what you do with your evenings

[TooLittleTooLate2]

Just that really, what do you do with your evenings? I feel like I am setting a terrible example as always exhausted by the end of the day after working and looking after family. I am much more productive in the day but just don't feel motivated in the evening so end up faffing and wasting time. I live rurally, nearest town 20 minutes away, so nothing locally to do. How do others spend their evenings once the kids are in bed?!

Gardening 😉

Same, most evenings I’m exhausted! Generally end up mooching on my phone or iPad. Always tell myself I’ll get my kindle out and read but often can’t be bothered!

I end up thinking about all the things I should be doing while struggling to keep my eyes open on the sofa.

By about 9pm I give up the struggle and crawl under the duvet. Lucky to find me still awake to be honest.

Earlier tonight i was in the hot-tub drinking brandy with my boyfriend.

No kids here though they've all left home now.

I love the evenings. Cooking, reading or watching TV in bed, hot baths. My favourite time of the day.

Last night I went to a book launch and had a drink with some friends I ran into afterwards. The night before I had a t’ai chi class. Tomorrow night some friends are coming over for dinner. No firm plans for the weekend other than a sea swim and sauna on Sunday Mir ING, as the weather is nice.

Chatting with friends, gaming, yoga, movies/tv, wine and snacks, learning a language, or catching up on work projects, or doom scrolling…

Horses, dog walks, exercise, cleaning, ferrying DC to and from stuff, prepping for the following day. Occasionally finishing bits of work but that’s only a few times a year. More recently, helping my mum out since my dad died. I love an early night and am rarely not in bed by 10pm!

Work, usually.
Home at 6. Gym one night, perhaps a run on another. Have tea. Do more planning/ marking/ data/ mopping up shit that i didn't have head space for before leaving work. Acknowledge teens and dh.
In bed by 930. Read. Go to sleep before dh and teens.

Term time is shit.

And then I never know what to do with my evenings in the holidays.

Tv
book
swimming in summer

I want to be like you. I think I am just overwhelmed with all the jobs but perhaps I should just learn to love the quiet time to do more relaxing things

Depends on how much energy I have. I'll usually either watch something (film, YouTube) or listen to a good podcast and spend some time on a hobby (lately that's either art-related or quilting-related). I've also started playing games on my laptop this year, which I'm enjoying. I choose something relaxing (Tiny Glade, Garden Galaxy, Dorfromantik), and before I know it, it's time for bed.

Read, TV, Mumsnet.

Like you, I’m productive during the day. Once the dinner dishes are in the dishwasher and the kitchen tidied, I’m in relax mode until bedtime.

Watch a film or a few of a series with DH. Rat dinner, talk, bed by 10 😄 some sneaky phone time although we try not to use them when we're watching something together 😳

Cooking, reading, TV, pilates, acupuncture/chinese massage and dog walking. And the occasional wine!

Eat not rat... My cooking is not great but I draw the line at rat!

One evening a week I go to a Pilates class and another evening I take DS to football training. Otherwise, yes, after the washing up I just read / watch TV / go on mumsnet.

My kids aren't sleepers (SEN) so "after the kids are in bed" as a time to do things is a bit alien to me really. I sleep when they do ready for the next round to begin at 7am 😫 But if I can get a few minutes I like knitting.

After work, between DH and I we cook dinner and wash up then put DC to bed. He often plays games and I do some exercise and I often watch tv before bed. I have a physical hobby I do a couple of times a week.

I cooked dinner, watched an old episode of Poirot (such comfort viewing) and have just crawled into my freshly made bed to read Terry Pratchett. Plus Mumsnetting of course!

Rat dinner? How do you cook that? Is it stewed? Roasted? 😆 🤣 🤭.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I don’t have young children anymore so probably have more energy than you! (I remember those days of exhaustion only too well)!

I get home from work around 5.30, have a quick tidy/put a wash on, then 3 nights a week I have an exercise class (yoga, Pilates, strength training) and the other 2 nights I go for a 5k run. Home, shower, pjs on, dinner, bit of tv and then bed around 10.30/11ish.

I’m a night out, everyone else in the house is a lark, so both kids are usually asleep by 7:30, my husband usually by about 9. Once cooking etc is all done and the kids are in bed we’ll read, do a puzzle together, watch something, have a bath, have a wine in the garden etc. Not on the same night obviously! If its a hobby night it obviously looks different as on those nights one of us doesn’t get back until about 8:45.

I have Pilates one night, gym one night and walk another night.
its only really an hour/90 minutes out of the evening so not the whole night but those things are pretty locked in around ds and his clubs (I walk when he’s at football, and we both go to the gym together along with dh). Aside from that I will hang out with the dc catching up on the day, play a game (they’re 14, 20 and 21 and are still up for games which I love), might meet a friend or family for dinner out, go for a walk with dh or we might go for a drink in the nicer weather, or have after work drinks with colleagues.
i like making the most of my evenings after work, I have a really good work life balance and chose my job to enable this - I like it and it doesn’t destroy me (like my old job used to, I used to finish there and want to crawl into bed and felt like I was wasting my life away).
Also dh does the cooking so I don’t spend any time in the kitchen of an evening and have the time to do things so I make the most of it.
From about 9:30 if I’m home dh and I start to chill, bath and MN time, telly or reading. Winding down for bed really.

Do a workout, make dinner, do a bit in the garden, put washing on, read, watch an hour of TV, bed at 19, read til 11.