Weekends - Exciting & fun or dull and same as weekdays?

[bacon]

Cos with two boys 19m & 5yrs I am stuck what to do. Apart from endless walking by myself whatelse can you do?

I'm fed up with weekends, they are exactly the same as weekdays, cooking, cleaning,tidying, stroppy children etc.

Am I patheticly weak or something, yes, you can go off on your own and spend a fortune on parks etc but the 19m is limited. I dont want to spend my weekends driving up and down the motorways.

I live in the country - semi rural.

Hubby works some of the weekends but he can sometimes take the 5yr old with him which leaves me with the very demanding 19m old.

I cant do much in the house either as the baby wants attention, always pulling on my top or grizzling about something.

Painting a very bleak picture here but my life is generally ok. But weekends are rubbish - Do I have to accept that until the baby is a little older we can do more things and the older boy can go off with clubs etc.

Does your OH give you a break at the weekend or give you a few hours so you can nap/go for coffee/do a hobby etc?

Duller than dishwater. I tend to keep the dc's (4yo and 2yo) in one of the days as they have such a busy week at nursery and are shattered by the weekend. Obviously I'm climbing the walls and want to get to the gym by saturday lunchtime .

I don't like taking them to the shops as it's so busy (and we don't really need anything) and they are a handful at the park so we usually avoid busy places.

We have had some success going out for a meal though. If I had the money we'd do it every weekend.

Yeh, I agree that its good for freeplay and time to chill watch a DVD without being dragged around getting upset and stressed.

Both boys are mad though! DS2 is worse and really naughty - always dragging stuff out of the cupboards, always up to no good - he drives me mad with rage!

Why not get your housework done in the week and cook ahead a lot so that there are minimal chores to do at the weekend?

I used to love just taking mine to the play park or for a walk by the river at that age, or a trip to the swimming pool - although you might need dp for that one as well with 2 tinies. Do you not catch up with friends and family at the weekend?

Everyone needs some time to themselves so I think both you and your dh should get maybe a lie in each and a few hours to yourself without the kids.

There are some Saturday morning clubs ( even for 5 year olds), but round here clubs are either on weekdays or Sat am so I am not sure that your kids will be off to clubs at w/ends in the future other than Sat am?

Does your dh have days off in the week if he works w/ends?

Are there art clubs and family sessions for little ones at local museums and gardens at the weekend? We do them at the place I work, and it's generally accepted that the older siblings will do art and the younger ones will run round and create havoc pursued by their parents. That might take up your Saturday mornings, at least once a month.

We live in London so we tend to spend Saturdays out and about at museums/galleries/cafes/parks - we're really spoiled for choice and most things free. If we're not out on Sunday then we spend it chilling at home, cooking, gardening, local parks, walking, watching DVD, playing. Chores are limited to an hour on weekends. We want to keep them as free as possible. So no, weekends very different from weekdays (which are spent working for DH and I anyway).

Our DD is 2.5 years old though so a little out of the excessive clinginess stage (though still tantrums out and about as well as indoors - we just get on with it).

Is DS1 into football? A company called Little Kickers does stuff on weekends, some of the groups even start from as young as 18 months so DS2 could do it too. I'm hoping to join with DS in the spring to burn off some of his energy!
Swimming is free for under 5's at our local pool and I think everyone expects children to be a little bit mad at the park!
We tend to do stuff as a family at the weekends, more fun that way but then I only have the one DC.

"Does your OH give you a break at the weekend or give you a few hours so you can nap/go for coffee/do a hobby etc?" - Yes, often, and he's given me breaks by looking after DD for entire days from when DD was 2 weeks old!!! He never sees it as giving me a break or looking after DD - he sees it as his pleasure to spend weekends with his child after rarely seeing her all week as he works long hours. Your DH needs to give you some time alone away from your DC during the weekends and he should not see it as a "chore". Be firm with him. Simply say that you have to go out and be matter of fact about it then you go and watch a movie :-)

Also, plan out your weekends. Arrange in advance the things you will do as a family so you have things to look forward to even if it's only that you and your DH (together!) take both boys to the park (=free). Save up for activities that cost money and petrol and do them together as a family. When out and about, give your DH responsibility for the more demanding 19 month old and you spend quality time with the 5 year old for a change (hopefully=less demanding DC).