Weekends: Do you get quality time together with partner or time to yourself?

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I'm wondering really. What about time to escape for your hobby or interest/gym? Just a few hours to reset your brain.

relaxing Saturday nights in or out without dcs?

The odd weekend break?

Devoted hands-on grandparents? or am I dreaming?...my head is going to explode!

No, never get that.

We live 125 miles from family so don't go out without dd unless we pay for transport down for family.

If I'm lucky I get an hour to go get my eyebrows waxed or hair cut, although this is only once a month at most.

I do get a lie in most weeks though, we split the days.

We don't have family nearby so 90% of weekends it's just DP, me and the DCs. We do go to visit family and have them to stay quite often so it's not every weekend.

DP works 5 out of 6 Saturdays so it's just me with the DCs then and on Sundays we either do something together with the DCs, or split the time between us depending on how knackered we are/weather/what's on locally, etc.

This weekend for example: DP was working yesterday, I took DD to her ballet lesson, cafe with DS while DD was in ballet, then took both the DCs to soft play, got home about 4, DP took over while I sorted out washing, etc. DP made dinner, DCs went to bed at 7ish and DP and I watched Eurovision (annual highlight in our house!).

This morning DP took the DCs to the museum and lunch out while I pottered in the house and sorted out paperwork, etc. They will be home soon then DP is going to visit a friend for the afternoon and am planning on doing painting/playdough type stuff. DP made dinner before he left this morning so I will just need to warm it up later.

That's a pretty typical weekend for us.

DP and I both work full time so love spending the weekends hanging out with the DCS. We have offers of babysitters all the time but very rarely go out as prefer to all do stuff together. Saying that DP and I are going away to Paris for the weekend in October for his 40th...

Not really. Dh works away from Tuesdays to Fridays and I work on Saturdays so Sundays are our only family day. We like to spend them with the kids.

Saying that my parents tookthem to Wembley yesterday and they didn;t get back til 10pm so we did have a nice relaxing Satu afternoon/evening watching the cup final and Eurovision together.

Unfortunately I can;t have hobbies due to lack of time and childcare. I would love to join a choir again or something but it is impossible to go anywhere without the children.

DP gets a few hours each weekend to go for a run.

He's outside playing with the DDs right now, DS is napping so I am having a quiet 30 mins on here.

Never go out as a couple we don't have babysitters.

My parents live close-ish but I'm not at that stage that I'd leave ds (5 mo) with them just yet (well, I say that but seeing as I'm going back to work tomorrow and mom is looking after him every now and then I guess the time is now!).

Normally our weekends are spent together, but if dh or I want to do something on our own the other takes him for a few hours, even if it is just pottering in the kitchen or around the house. E.g. today DH took him to B&Q for a wander so that I could have a shower, tidy house, change bedlinens in peace. Sounds really dull but actually it was really nice :)

DH travels such a lot and it often affects weekends. Today is a good example because he went to Abu Dhabi at 7.30am. We also don't have family around, so am often home alone with the DC. Tis how it is!

no, nothing regular.

Before we moved overseas my sil used to have the boys overnight once or twice a year so we got a little bit of time together. I do miss that. We are trying to do babysitting swaps with another couple over here but it's not something we can depend on.

We used to split the lie-ins but I'm 31 weeks pregnant now so I just refuse to get out of bed and dp has to deal with the kids when they demand breakfast . I'm not sure how much extra sleep I actually get though, as our bedroom is right next to the living room, so I doze to the sound of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games or something similar.

We have both had patches where we did exercise (swimming/surfing lessons for dp and running for me) but we are both being quite inactive at the moment.

A friend unexpectedly looked after ds1 on Saturday but then we had her son on Sunday in return, and still had the other two boys, so it wasn't really much of a break.

I do a couple of exercise classes during the week in the daytime, plus two arts classes at the local college while the DC are at school. Even when they were under school age I'd let them go to nursery a few times a week so I'd get a bit of time to myself.

DH and I have a 'date night' once a week, we have to pay for a babysitter as both sets of parents live too far. But it's important to us and the nursery and babysitter were both agreed before we had the children. I would have gone stir crazy without it and it's one reason we stopped at two.

Not often.

DH is a full-time student, works 27 hours a week and has various other important unavoidable commitments.

On a good Saturday he takes DS out for a bike ride so I can MN do some housework in peace, and gets him up in the morning so I can have a shower without a toddler joining in. Other than that, DH is working the whole time.

We do try to sit down together one evening a week though. We'd go out occasionally except that DS won't be left with anyone other than DH or me.

I laugh at the thought of structured quaility time with DH.
We get what we're given. When the kids are sleeping, although 4yo DS only sleeps 10 hours anyway, and 1yo DS2 is awake just about at late as us.

Last time we had a night out (last year) I was too tired to enjoy it.

We did this weekend, my mum bless her had all 3 kids for a sleepover (only from 7.30pm to 9am so not too grim for her!).

DH and I went for a long walk and spied on the music at a local festival, it was lovely

Fairly unusual for us tho it must be said. And obv only feasible on such a scale because my mum now lives really nearby.

We both do a fair bit for ourselves tho - DH goes to footie 1/2 times a week in the season and is involved in a couple of other things; I do a lot of voluntary stuff, coach footie and also am studying 2 evening classes a week but that's really to get a better job. Do go swimming and run/do aerobics at least twice a week as well.

Last time we had a night out (last year) I was too tired to enjoy it
so true!!! having spent a whole long most demanding saturday with both boys I'm on my last legs and far to miserable to socialise!

Strange that a post like this - doesnt attract those lucky ones are have weekends away and time out. Believe me I am surrounded by friends and relations who cant beleive that I cant possibly get to the gym, or have some time with hubby (who has worked 14hr days this week including w/e - self employed).

Does get to a point though when I'm feeling so miserable - the trapped feeling!!!...cant be the only one.

DH takes the DCs for an hour or so each weekend day so I can go and do something, but our own quality time is generally at lunchtime when they're both asleep! Nights out are a dim and distant memory.

Family live hundreds of miles away, so we don't have child free time at weekends.
We do often go out for a meal at weekends - either lunchtime or early evening, but we take DD (3) along with us. I still view it as quality time, as it is nice to chill out and chat in a restaurant and not have to cook or wash up, but we have to leave in time for DD's bedtime, so it doesn't last as long as we'd like.

I get to have a long relaxing child free bath at the weekends, which is my recharging batteries time, and I really appreciate it.

God yes.

I go to the gym 3 times a week whilst ds2 goes to creche there.
Dh windsurfs every weekend its windy (one day only not both)
I like the odd spa day
We have about 3 weekends a year away without dcs
We went for weeks holiday for the first time this year without them, we will definately do it again, it was lovely to realise that we can still spend time together, get on, laugh etc

DH and I do our own things (separately) - if that makes sense ie: he goes off cycling/sporty activities, I do shopping cultural things or voluntary work (yes, I love it ) or the gym. We don't have any family to look after DS and are too mean to pay babysitters although now he is getting older we do leave him for an hour or so to go for a walk or a drink occasionally .

I dread weekends for this very reason, even if i plan it it's just so hard to get any time to myself. DH would never just take the dcs off for the morning so i could have a break. I have to actually leave the house otherwise I get dragged in to whatever they're doing. If I'm getting ready in the morning they come into the bedroom to hound pester talk to me. If I'm having a bath they're in there with me clamouring for my attention. DH is as bad as the dcs, he never ever gives me space, it has caused and continues to cuase huge issues between us.

However that said I go to the gym saturday mornings he takes dd to her ballet class and ds who likes watching (he's only 20m he likes the music). Then when they're back he goes off mountain biking. If I ever need to go shopping I have to let him know well in advance otherwise I get loads of s**t for it.

Re time together yes ocassionally the dcs will stay at a gps overnight which is great and we do have babysitters ocassionally. Or when dd is unescorted at a party and ds is having his nap we get an hour but that's usually spent clearing up the mayhem that the 2 of them seem to make when they're awake.