A day in the life of a "lockdowner". (Feel free to pass on by if this is boring, and don't make snarky comments)

[pollyglot]

How do you spend your day under lockdown? Perhaps I'm just a bored curtain twitcher, but I do find it interesting how people manage on a day-to-day basis.
Polly's day (recently retired teacher, over 65, living very remotely)

6.00 Get up to enjoy the early dawn and watch the sunrise. Tea x2
6.30 Feed cats-our two, plus all the strays that have adopted us
7.00 Watch BBC news.
8.00 Mooch, coffee, toast, chat with 'im indoors. Basic housework
9.00 Into garden -2-3 hours heavy digging/weeding to work up
sweat
12.00 Lunch. Wine. nap
2.00 Working on computer - researching family history. Also doing
Future Learn on-line studies. The Old Guy in workshop.
5.30 Wine. Prepare supper. Feed cats
6.00 News. Wine
7.00 Supper. Tidy up. Chat online with kids. Feed cats.
8.00 TV .
10.00 Bed. Listen to podcasts in the dark.

My own kids, with their own families, obviously have a very different lifestyle. One working from home, with a toddler, one on the hospital frontline, one on furlough with 2 smalls. Wish I could help them out a little. Have SO much admiration for all you young 'uns coping with babies and small kids in confined conditions.

Polly, I enjoyed reading about your typical day.
DP and I are mid 60s/early 70s, retired, inner London.Our typical day is:
Both up breakfasting in pyjamas by 8 latest.
Pilates workout
Shower, dress, walk.
Home by 11. Coffee, in garden if warm enough, or sometimes doing some kind of video call with friends/family.
Rest of day a mixture of reading, life admin, piano and language study (me), online bridge and OU course (DP), gardening, video contact with grandchildren, all punctuated with snacks and meals.
Supper 7 or later, with friends via Zoom or Facetime two or three times a week.
We usually watch the coronavirus update at 5 followed by news.
Telly after supper and bed before 10.30.

Family of 4 me and ds1 with ADHD and DD2 with ASD and dd3 with suspected epilepsy(only mention this so I don't look neurotic)

Me up at 7, half half hour to myself come round.

7:30 get DD1 up as she has to be awake earlier than my other two in order to come round with quiet.
8 wake DD2 up sort out breakfast.

9.00 get DD1 dressed and get DD2 clothes brush hair this takes me up to 10 as DD1 has sensory issues and takes time to change her clothes and brush her hair.

10 wake DS up. DS need to be left alone a hour before he will get out of bed so take breakfast into his room.

Sit down with DD1 and DD2 for their school work 12:00 do lunch with a drink of milk to make sure DD1 drinks for all 3 dc.

1:00 each child cleans their room while I clean downstairs

3 do yea and biscuits for all 3 dc.

4 encourage DD1 and DD2 to play together while supervised.

5 start cooking dinner finish cooking at 6.

Eat dinner at 6.

7 bath both DD1 and DD2 together ( do it together as DD1 has sensory issues with bath and DD2 cannot be left unsupervised.

8 out my girls to bed watch a bedtime episode of Disney plus then go to sleep DD1 falls asleep about 9. Then I get up and go lie down with DD2 she falls asleep about 11.

At 11 get up go make sure DS has showered fix him a snack and sit down watch one episode of a tv series then turn electrics off at 12:

DS asleep but 1

I stay awake until about 2 in order to sit down and relax before going to bed.

3:00

Sorry loads of typos wrote it while half asleep

This is strangely interesting op

I’ve been furloughed from work, dh is still working (atm), dd1 is a limbo teen whose exams have been cancelled, dd2 is in year 9. Life up until a few weeks ago was a pretty frantic whirlwind of work and running the dds about. Now it’s become very slow and slightly surreal.

I get up anytime between 6-8 depending on how I’ve slept. Despite my leisurely life I’m suffering from bad anxiety atm.
Coffee, dishwasher, feed animals (in the reverse order) and check emails, headlines etc.
Shower, dress, sit ups/yoga etc
Wake dds
Go out to buy milk and bread from local deli
Re-wake dds!
Chat to them while they eat breakfast and then nag them to get dressed etc
Do baking / work on my website / help dd2 with school work / housework
Lunch
Walk dog for an hour
Help dd2 with school work / washing / website /
Chat with dd1 and help her with any project she’s working on to keep herself busy / relax in garden if sunny
Feed animals
Dh home
Start making supper. Have a glass of wine or a beer.
Eat around 6
Watch TV or read
Bath
Read
Bed

A lot of these days sound pretty relaxing! My days have got less peaceful since my son’s nursery shut unfortunately. I have a four year old and a small baby. A typical weekday is:

7.30 Four year old gets up. Get him breakfast, eat breakfast ourselves
8.00 Shower, get dressed
8.30 Get four year old dressed
9.00 - 12.00 My husband goes to work upstairs. Play with four year old for three hours while juggling often feeding/screaming baby. Four year old only wants to play energetic superhero games. Watching TV is the only chance I have to sit down but he will only watch superhero cartoons.
12.00-1.00 Lunch with husband and four year old. This hour always goes really fast!
1.00-5.00 Finding more games to entertain my eldest. Sometimes manage to persuade him to go for a walk or play in the garden, but mostly he wants to stay indoors, so I don’t get much sunshine.
5pm Husband takes over eldest and I go off with baby to collapse together upstairs.
7pm Four year old goes to bed, we eat dinner
8pm Load dishwasher, empty washing machine, try to clean up some of the day’s chaos.
9pm Go to bed
12pm Feed baby
2am Feeding baby
4am Feeding baby
6am Feeding baby...

This is a lovely thread, oddly interesting.

My household is me on mat leave, DH (wfh), DD1 2yrs old dd2 4 months and my mum who's staying with us long term (pre lockdown).
7-10 everyone wakes up, I take DD1 and DD2 downstairs with clothes. Give DD1 breakfast, make a pot of coffee and toast, dress both girls and eventually dress myself. Drink lots of coffee, feed dd2. Try to wrangle DD1 into shoes/wellies so she can play in the garden, give her second breakfast if she's still hungry. Clean and tidy kitchen, empty DW, put a load of laundry on. Sometimes, instead of this we all go up to my mum's room and DD1 plays in there while me and my mum put the world to rights. 10-12ish DD1 plays in the living room or the garden, I play with her, do chores, entertain dd2, then get a bottle ready DD1 and put her in the buggy, dd2 goes in the sling and we leave the house for a walk/nap. She'll only nap in the buggy so this is an essential point in every day! Sometimes my mum comes too. Come home and usually have about an hour so I make more coffee, watch some TV, do laundry or start supper prep. 2pm DD1 wakes up and has lunch with my mum then more playing in the garden/baking/I'll set a little activity up for her and more coffee for me. Constantly tidying up, doing dishes, putting laundry away or toys back. DH finishes work around 5-6 and takes DD1 to the park to see the ducks. When they get back I do supper for her and bath. By 7:30 DH does her bedtime and I put dd2 to bed. Around 8:30 we both emerge, eat supper with my mum and watch some TV until 10pm roughly.

I know you asked for no snarky comments OP, but this is mumsnet after all so I’m going to say it...you drink a LOT of alcohol.

Hey, user... One 5 quid bottle of NZ Sauv Blanc lasts me 4 days. I didn't think that was excessive, but am willing to be instructed. I use very small glasses.

@Nutellapastries

My 3yo gets forced outside whether he likes it or not. He is unbearable otherwise. As soon as we get round the corner he immediately starts enjoying himself and runs off into the trees. I also have a bf 4 month old so that morning walk is my sanity too!

6.30 woken by screaming 3yo. Baby would happily go to 7.30 if left alone but he pokes her..
7.00 tea
7.15 tea
7.30 coffee
Try to get clothes onto 3yo
Change baby
Try to get breakfast into everyone
8.30 out for walk in woods
9.30 back home. Try to entertain car obsessed 3yo. Do dishes if my turn. Try to go to loo alone.
Try to survive to lunchtime.
12.00 lunch. Try to get 3yo to eat.
Try to survive to dinnertime.
18.00 dinnertime. Try to get 3yo to eat.
18.30 baby bedtime.
18.30 try to get 3yo to sleep on his own. Fail. Pass out with 3yo.
21.00 wake up. Too tired for dinner. Go to own bed.
01.00 feed
02.00 feed
04.00 feed
05.00 feed...

SimonJT 32 London

6am wake up and exercise (insanity workout today)
6:45 relax on balcony with morning cigarette and non-alcoholic beer.
7:00 sort the cat out
7:15 either go back to bed for a bit or stay up and start work early (actuary).
8:30 my son wakes up so I get him washed, dressed, fed and watered then I show him the days plan and we play together for a bit. Boyfriend gets up as well.
9:30 work for two hours
11:30 press up challenge
12:00 make lunch for everyone
13:00 work for two hours
15:00 do whatever activity I arranged in the morning with my son
16:00 work for an hour
17:00 make and eat dinner
18:00 go out to the park
20:00 get home, get some in the bath and in bed
20:30 finally get time alone with my boyfriend
10:30 he goes to sleep, I play something (animal crossing at the minute, or do some more work)
1am ish bed

Mine has a bit of variety as I’m still at work/child at nursery 4 days a week but on our lockdown days:

5 - woken up by 3 year old. Cuddles/stories in bed

6 - up/snack/tv for dd, shower for me

7 - play with dd

7.30 - bit of phonics/numbers

8 - breakfast then play with dd

9 - joe wicks

9.30. - very long bath for dd and dressed

10.45 - snack for dd

11 - dd nap/ I tidy/read/ sleep

1 - dd up - lunch for both

2 - walk through woods

3 play in garden

4 cook tea/batch cook for work days

5 tea with dd

6 kids tv and wind down

7 dd story and bed

7.30 get everything ready for work/nursery/general housework

9 collapse into bed with audible

Sounds really boring but our work/nursery days are long and frantic so we enjoy the slow pace of the lockdown days

at the suggestion of you drinking a lot.

My day is very similar to yours OP. But each glass of wine is 250ml

We are all on Easter holidays here, as I am a teacher. DH is out to work mon-fri 6am-5pm. Two primary-age DC.

7ish I wake up; DC sharing a room ATM, both awake on their phones. Mooching around.

8:30 have a cuppa together and watch a programme on TV

9 Joe wicks

9:30 I do some yoga; DC playing in their rooms/on phones/showering

10-12 housework or listening to a podcast while getting some steps in. DC still upstairs!

12 DC plan and prep lunch, which is usually cold

1 DC plan and prep some baking

2 while baking is cooling, we go for a bike ride (DC) and run (me). They cycle home together while I run the long way back, to keep to the once-a-day rule

3 we enjoy the baking together; back on phones/playing/podcasts

5 DC usually involved in planning and cooking dinner, which we always now eat round the table together

7 family film with popcorn

8:30 we chuck the DC upstairs and I fell asleep on the sofa

Two things I have noted: we eat a lot of baking, and the DC are on their phones too much! Tho they are usually chatting with friends

7am 2 year old wakes me. We join 6 year old for tv and toast. I empty the dishwasher and tidy.
8am 4 year old joins us
9am. Kids dressed and teeth. I shower. Exercise thing on YouTube. Dh gets up.
10am all in the garden/ schoolwork if a school week
12pm lunch. Put little one in stroller and short walk for a nap.
1pm playing in the garden/ crafts/ out for a walk
4pm tv on
5pm dinner
6pm start bedtime routine
Takes forever. I have to sort this. It's killing me. We were always crap at bedtimes but with lockdown, clock change and good weather it is ridiculous.
9pm start work
11pm go to bed

Not sure why (no offence op) but I’m enjoying this thread way more than I thought. I’m particularly enjoying the calm days of the over 60s. It sounds absolutely lovely.

3ds 9/7/4

6.15 woken up by ds2 asking if he can go downstairs
6.30 here footsteps of ds3 before he leaps in bed for a cuddle
7 make coffee and bring into bed and open blinds
8 make breakfast
9 do some kind of activity with the ds- obstacle course in garden/walk in woods etc
12 lunch
1 activity with dcs clay/drawing/wildlife watch
2.30 read to dcs while laying in garden
3 FaceTime my mum - all boys speak to her and sometimes read to her
Jobs round house washing etc
4 make dinner- usually ds3 helps, sometimes one of the others do
5 eat
5.30 film on sofa
7/7.30 bed for dcs
8 tv/Mumsnet
10 bed

Disclaimer- this sounds nicer more relaxed and calmer than it is. 3 boys is hard- they wind each other up/fight etc and some days all I do is referee/shout/despair/threaten punishments etc but actually there is some peace and enjoyment to be taken from it all.

Wow, your day is my dream day.
5.30am 8 month old wakes up, go into lounge and play with her.
6am - 3 year old wakes up, do breakfast, get everyone dressed.
7.30am onwards - total carnage, entertaining 2 young children, trying to get things done around the house, whilst cradling a cold cup of tea every now and then.

This is a strangely interesting thread.
On the first week my routine was as such;

6am - 9am: Have a coffee, get dressed, wash news, wake kids, feed breakfast, kids dressed

9am - noon: Joe Wicks, Brain teasers, work books, draw / colour

Noon - 3pm: eat lunch, play toys, free time

3pm - 6pm: house chores, daily exercise, bath time, into PJs

6pm - 9pm: eat dinner, screen time, bedtime routines

9pm - Midnight: adult time! watch series, play computers etc

It kind of fell into the pattern, rather than be organised really. After the first week or so it all went to shit, and I don't even really know what day is

@PippaPegg thanks - your day is the most similar to mine so far! Before CV I used to force him out, but the current situation has got me down. The having to watch his every move outside, crossing over pavements to avoid people, feeling like I can’t stop to breast feed, not being able to use the play areas, has stripped the pleasure out of going out with him. Often if we do go out he will spend the whole time saying “Can we go home now?”. Sometimes I take a walk after 5 instead with just the baby, which is much more relaxing.

6am wake up and and have coffee with birds
7:30 3 year old and dh wake. She watches telly. I go for walk or run.
9-11 DH works, I look after small child. Garden, art, tidy house
11-1. I work. DH looks after child.teens wake up
1-2 family lunch
2-6. Husband and I stagger work. Teens do 90 minutes childcare. Lots of TV for little one
6-8 dinner, bath, facetime grandparents. Little one to bed
8-10. Maybe watch movie/play board game. Often DH and teens do something geeky and I read
10 - bed

I am an out of the house kind of person. Writing this long, boring (if pleasant) day makes me feel claustrophobic.

To reiterate - I am in awe of you folks who child-wrangle in such difficult circumstances. You are, to a woman, total stars. Thank you for sharing your stories

2 dcs

7am-7.30 wake up
8am do breakfast
8.30 -kids washed dressed
9am something active joe wicks/cosmic kids/I’m normally cleaning and trying to join in
9.30 kids do virtual play date with friends normally for 45 mins or so/cuppa and emails for me
10-11.30ish playtime - Lego/toys/colouring in playroom/while I work
11.30 ish more cosmic kids/more work for me
12 lunch
12-1 Ipad/school apps for kids. I clean up and do laundry
1-3 play in garden/I call friends and play too
3pm virtual science class
3.30 maths/English
4.30 dinner for kids
5pm cartoons while I clean or they play with Dh back from work
5.30-6ish kids record messages for their friends and write letters to them/FaceTime etc
6 call family and FaceTime
Bath time and story time for kids
7.30 bath shower for me
8pm catch up on more work
8.45 sit down with a beer and have dinner watch telly
Bed for 10-11pm

Get up and do it all again
We do go out for a walk but less so than the first week people not very good st social distancing where we are and garden good size so we tend to use that most of day instead

Sounds like some of you have really tough days to get through (and others sound like lovely days )

Mine:
6.30 am: up with 2 year old, get showered and dressed
7am: log on to start work in our study while husband has DD
Next 7 hours spent trying to work/conference call/fend off DD/ help with tantrums etc.
2pm: my shift with DD starts so husband can work. Usually try to drag her out in the garden or for a walk, failing that then the usual faffing/playing/baking/tv inside.
5pm: dinner for DD
6pm: attempt to make something for us for dinner with DD clawing at my feet
7pm: bed for DD, lie on her floor for at least an hour waiting for her to sleep
8pm: log back on to work, eat dinner at laptop
10pm: stare at my phone in bed for 30mins
10.30: hopefully sleep!!

It does feel rather relentless and like I can't do parenting or working to any decent level at the moment...

I’m currently furloughed, DH still working full time from home, DD 19 months, DCat who wishes we would all get out and leave her in peace

7am - DD wakes up, milk and breakfast, get her changed and dressed

8am- DH has logged in by this point. Take him cup of tea and some toast

9am- 11am - Start the day with watering our plants and playing on the balcony. Then whatever morning activities I’ve planned with DD. This week we’ve sort of had an Easter theme so we’ve painted decorative eggs, coloured in Easter pictures, made chocolate nests etc. Next week it’s safari theme...

11.30-12pm- Make lunch for all of us

12pm- Eat lunch- DH comes through and joins us usually

12.30pm- Put DD down for nap

1-3.30ish - While DD naps I either shower / wash my hair, do housework (quietly as she’s asleep and DH is often on calls) or try to have some time to myself to read and enjoy the sun on our balcony

3.30-5 - DD is up, more playing, a bit of telly, go on to our balcony

5pm- Start cooking dinner

6pm- Dinner for everyone

7pm- Bathtime, books, pjs etc

7.30-8pm- Bedtime for DD

8pm- collapse into heap on sofa while surveying carnage of living room. Force myself to tidy up a bit. Either watch tv or last night DH and I did a virtual pub quiz. Wednesday I had zoom drinks with 3 friends instead. Some nights just watch telly. Usually don’t have a drink unless it’s for a social thing like above.

10.30-11pm ish - head to bed, read in bed until my brain has stopped overthinking

We have been in isolation due to DD having a fever so haven’t been able to do any exercise out of our home. We are excited to go for a walk tomorrow when our 14 days is up 😁

This is really interesting OP - it’s so easy to get stuck into how hard it is for you during these times, and forget about others:

6am: 16mo up so all of us up. DP does morning milk while I shower and dress, then we swap.

7.30am: Toddler breakfast while we either sneakily eat in kitchen or put on CBeebies so she doesn’t shout for our food (even though it’s the SAME AS HERS!).

I take toddler outside for a play and run around, then 9-10.30ish DP entertains her while I work (teacher, he’s unable to work from home so isn’t earning at the moment).

10.30am Toddler snack

11-12am: Toddler nap, I work and DP makes us early lunch so we can eat in peace.

12.30pm: Toddler lunch

1.30-2.30ish: Family walk - we live on the outskirts of a beautiful village so are lucky we can walk from our front door, but windy roads with no pavement so toddler has to go in buggy and then run round the garden for half an hour when we get back.

3-4.00pm: DP entertains toddler and gives her a little snack while I work

4.30pm; Toddler dinner, followed by her running riot while we try and tidy up the house and DP preps our dinner.

6.00pm Toddler in bath while FaceTiming grandparents (they normally look after her full time while we both work, so she’s missing them a lot), then bottle and bed - usually asleep by 6.45pm.

7.00-9.00pm: Adult dinner, chill out in front of tv while I try to catch up on subject leadership stuff for work. I go to bed early, DP doesn’t need much sleep while he’s not working so stays up.

Interspersed with this are times when the toddler is left to entertain herself while I clean, do washing, general life admin etc and DP preps meals for her and us, does repair jobs and organises food shop.

I feel like we’ve just got into a manageable - albeit boring routine - so of course it’s all likely to change soon!

Household is me, DH (both furloughed) and 5 year old ds with HF ASD.

Wake up between 6-7am based on when DS forces us up.

Make ds breakfast, have cup of tea, go into the garden for a cigarette (I'm a light smoker maybe 5 a day)

8-9am - brush teeth, get washed, help ds do the same. Feed the dog and fish. Hate to admit but we're not getting dressed on the days we don't have to do essential errands. Later in the day one of us will get dressed briefly to walk the dog.

9-10am start our "home schooling day" with arts and crafts every morning as ds moans if we jump straight into pencil/paper work, after fighting this for 4 or 5 days at the start we've now settled into this routine. Anyone else have enough arts and crafts creations to fill a museum right now?

10-12pm school work for ds with a 15 mins snack break thrown in. As he's only reception year I have to sit with him and talk him through everything, helping him sound out words etc.

12-1pm lunch.

1-2pm school work for ds. Reading books together.

2-5pm schools over, madness ensues. During this time one of us will walk the dog or play in the garden with ds or he'll go on his trampoline for a while, then back inside and he'll either play playstation or watch iPad so DH and I tidy up during this time and then chill on our phones.

5-6pm cook and eat dinner.

6-7pm bath for ds , fresh pj's on to sleep in for us all. Bit more tidying up, dishwasher etc.

8pm put ds to bed, try not to fall asleep. Watch some Netflix, fall asleep early anyway.