4yr old and 3yr old every afternoon - feel overwhelmed by having to occupy them

[twiddletwaddle]

sounds pathetic I know and I am sure lots of SAHM's have no problem being with their children a lot. I have two children very close in age and one goes to kindergarten (germany) in the mornings and the other will go from August. So I will have the mornings for me to run errands, learn german and hopefully find some nice things to do.

However I sometimes dread the afternoons - the library is closed between 1-3pm and you are not allowed to use the playgrounds. Much as I do like living in germany - I am no hausfrau and every day from 12.30pm to 7pm when they go to be is quite oppressive at times. (DH very rarely home any earlier). I have at least another 1.5 yrs of this, maybe longer so I need for them and for me to get more pleasure out of it but on your own it can feel a relentless grind.

Is there any way of making friends in the area? That way you could meet up for walks, go to each others houses and share toys? Maybe try looking online or asking at the kindergarten if there are any groups for children or networks of mums in the area.

Now that the summer is coming, can you find some nice places to walk? You could bring scooters/bikes if there are any pedestrianised areas.

Don't be too hard on yourself, my first suggestions were going to be parks, playgrounds and library for rainy days so it sounds like entertaining children is much tougher where you are. But other mums in the area must hold the key, as everyone will have the same problems, you just have to get in touch with them.

Good luck!

Must be hard not knowing the language as well. Do you know any people with young children? Why can't you use the playgrounds?

Maybe draw yourself up a plan for the week to motivate yourself. Like one day of craft or baking, a couple of days of walks with scooters or bikes collecting stuff like leaves etc, invite friends children round one day and hopefully get to chat with mum. Are there any soft play areas or swimming pools there?

Good luck, it must be hard living somewhere where you don't know the language.

thank you for the posts - you cannot use the playgrounds because elderly people sleep or rest - i guess it is similar to a mediterrenean country having a siesta - must be why the library is (frustratingly) chut.

I know you are right about the plan - I am a lazy sod, it is like planning meals for the week - know it would make my life easier and stop me going to the supermarket virtually every day but too lazy to do it - need a kick up the backside.Swimming I don't like to do yet on my own so that is a family activity at the weekend. soft play is too expensive. I have found very little indoors to do so while we have a fabulous zoo nearbt which we have a year card for (went today) when it rains, one is buckered.

I am friendly with the mothers at kindergarten but they are either very much younger than me (and speak no english) or they have older children who they help with homework in the afternoon. The children do go to gymnastics and dancing once a week so I have activities but it feels like a hard slog.

Germany sounds like a real pita of a place to have children in.

I used to give the DCs a bath in the afternoon. I let them play in the water as long as they liked, topped it up with hot water as needed. We sometimes read and did painting, drawing, cutting things up with scissors (coffee filte snowflakes and I let them cut old magazines) and they liked building houses for themselves with couch cushions, etc. DD4 got a mini trampoline when she was about 3 and that got used indoors. Then there was the dolls house, dolls, blocks...

Carve your afternoon into chunks so it isn't just a reeeeally long stretch ahead of you until bedtime.

Our rough timetable goes

1pm lunch
2pm DVD or we play a board game (depends if I've been up more than twice the night before with our baby!)
3pm drink and snack
Then head out to park / library / play date /shops / ducks / host a play date - I try and do something different each weekday
5pm tea
5.30 bath
6.00 help bath baby or last chance to play with toys then tidy up time
6.30 stories
7.00 bed

It's always over before I know it

Plus it's nearly summer and then all afternoon can just be long picnics or sling then into the garden. Have you got a sandpit? Or trampoline?

What about letting them play 'tents' with old sheets, towels, etc.? Plenty other good suggestions. That's quite annoying about not being able to use the parks in the afternoon. I'd not be too impressed with that personally. That's a form of breaking up the day in my book...

I like the suggestion of networking with other mums. Are there no other English speaking mums nearby?

Hope things get easier for you.