yet another night stuck in front of the tv......

[purpleshark]

Is it just me, or does it get a bit boring, slightly depressing that night after night once children are fast asleep, you're then stuck doing the same thing as you did last night.
My OH works shift work, so some nights i'm sat here alone, if this was a once a week thing, once a month thing etc, i'd probably enjoy the control of the tv etc. But thats not the case. I settle DD down and then i'm alone. Most of the time, this is fine, but there are times, like tonight that i just feel bluh.
But then i feel bad for feeling that, i mean, i chose to have a child, and i wouldn't change that for anything, never ever!! But it doesn't stop you thinking about the things you could be doing.
I don't have anyone other than a mum, who has a better social life than me might i add, who can look after DD for me to be able to have a night out. There is my soon to be XH's mum, but why should i phone her, want her to make the effort to get in touch to see DD not for me to get in touch with her.
Someone said on twitter tonight that i should sign up for a nanny agency for a babysitter for the evenings, i can't leave DD with someone i don't know personally and trust. There is no way thats happening. Do people use babysitters they don't know, really?? Couldn't do it!!

I couldnt leave dd with someone I didnt know.

What about having a friend over to your house for coffee / wine?

Or starting a distance learning course? Taking up a new hobby? Read nore (just glanced at your profile!)

Pleased its not just me!! Can't even begin to imagine leaving her with someone i had only just met. Thats the thing, the friends i have all go to the pub, they aren't really the sort that go for coffee or round for wine unfortunately. Haha i should read more yes. Normally i'd be fine, but sometimes you know, it just gets a bit much. I'll be back to normal tomorrow :) just having a moaning night about it

It's Groundhog Day innit. DP and I could take turns going out but who can be arsed.

Well, there's LOADS of things you could do that don't involve 'just sitting in front of the tele'. That's just what you are choosing to do.

Re the babysitter question. Of course people don't go out with a big net and drag strangers in to look after their children, but there's a whole heap of possibilities inbetween 'not being able to go out' and 'stranger looking after your dc' you know.
Mine are old enough not to need sitters now, but we've always had to pay sitters, but, oddly enough, we used teenagers / students we either knew, or were recommended to us.

but where would you go, what would you do even if you had a babysitter, surely you cant be arsed out socialising every evening , sign up for an on line course/how old is dd?, i did the gardening tonight with dd and had a bonfire, put her to bed at 10pm and then had a bath, enjoying a wine now and then off to bed, so tv has not been on much this evening in my house. I know the feeling though it is just dd and me and so i often have her up with me on a saturday night just to avoid that boredom. Im doing a degree so in the week im normaly bogged down with study, not sure what i would do otherwise, would definatly feel the same if I had nothing to do.

when I say I have dd up to avoid the boredom, of course im not relying upon her for my entairnment, but more that she enjoys that time with me and it is nice to either be doing something with her or cozing uptogether with a book or magazine or something.

@BackforGood I never said that i 'just sit in front of the tele'!! I normally do lots of different things at night, its just sometimes you just can't be bothered to do any of those things then end up feeling crap.
And the babysitter thing, there are people out there that employ strangers to look after their DC, i've seen it for myself and have had someone tell me to do just that, tonight on twitter! They think that because they are 'vetted' by a company, then that is fine. That for me, isn't good enough. I don't know any students or teenagers, so don't have that possibility. And would again, still need to know the person personally before leaving them in charge of my DD.
@turningitonitshead haha no, wouldn't want to go out every evening, wouldnt' have the energy or the money for that. Would just be nice once in a while, at a weekend, to be able to go out thats all :) DD is 6 years old. I work full time, so the idea of doing an online course right now, arrrggghhhhh lol. I have a few hobbies that i do most nights, its just that there are some nights where they just don't do anything for the entertainment aspect.
Haha i'm sure that your DD loves that extra time with you when she stays up extra late, a treat for her. i do the same with my DD sometimes, we sit and watch a film with popcorn :) but she's a right grump the next day, as she still insists on waking early no matter what time she goes to bed lol.

my dd is 6 too, would love to go out sometimes aswell, but the odd occassion i do I often wish i hadnt bothered. I always swear ill have an early night but never do either, do you read. I used to read alot when I was working but I cant read for pleasure anymore now i have to read for uni. I worked full time aswell and just did an OU course as i found I had long evenings doing nothing, two years down the line I resigned from work and studying full time, best thing i ever did.

I was quoting your thread title yet another night stuck in front of the tv......

When I was young, I babysat for quite a few people that I didn't know / they didn't know me in the first instance. The general way it worked is I would be recommended by someone they knew, and whose judgement they trusted, then I would be invited round to get to know the dcs and the parents, to some extent.

My Mum started a babysitting circle, so parents helped each other out.

We've had a couple of colleagues of dh's sit for us, and, now I come to think about it, 2 colleagues of mine, over the years.

Teenagers have been people such a neighbours kids, or youngsters who helped at things my dc go to (swimming club, Scouts, etc.), but I know a lot of people ask the staff from their dcs nurseries. In fact, our first babysitter was our CMs dd.

If you choose not to work out a way to get a sitter, that's absolutely your perrogative, but I can't understand how anyone has been a parent for 6 years and not had any opportunities to get to know someone who might be willing to sit occasionally.

@BackforGood sorry, i stupidly read my thread back and thought, well i haven't put in there that i just sit and watch tv, only when i came back and had to click on the thread, did i realise that doh, its in the title haha.
Doing it that way, being recommended by people and then getting babysitting jobs that way, i can see that that is the better way to what i was told to try tonight.
I went back to work when my DD was 3 months old (couldnt' afford not to) so don't get opportunities to go to groups etc to meet people. It is hard to understand something you do not know yes, but for me, i haven't had the opportunity to meet someone who would be willing to look after my DD for me occasionally. I work, then pick my daughter up and we go home. We do things as a family at weekends. Or meet friends (who don't live close enough for me to ask them to sit for me) So it is possible not to have opportunites come up to get to know someone who might be willing to sit occasionally.
@turningitonitshead I do read yes, have lots of books that need reading here, keep buying more too. Could possibly start up a mini library lol. Haven't been in a reading mood for a while though. Should stop buying them really. I can understand that, not able to read for pleasure when you have so much reading to do for your course. I will be doing the degree for my work one day, just need to wait for things to sort themselves out in other areas first. Sounds like the training suited you really well and you're enjoying it, pleased its working out for you :)

thanks, hard work but loving it, you should push for it at work, maybe just what you need for things to get soted out. x

Not quite ready for that just yet, lots of things happening at once, so need to sort them out first, before adding to it lol. But yes, once i'm ready, will be going for that. Already qualified in what i do, but would like to further that qualification.
Even better if you're enjoying the learning/training too :) always helps. x

Groundhog Day it is!! Funny someone should start a thread on something I've been thinking about just recently...every day just does feel like the last one, and the one before that. No wonder I don't know what day of the week it is!!!

OP I completely understand what you mean though by starting this thread. DH and myself sit and watch TV once DC are in bed. What has my life become! I do occasionally read too, but most nights I'm that fatigued I've no energy to go out and do something 'different'. Think many of us are in the same boat!!:)

My dcs are older but when I do go out (say to the pub) I often wish I hadn't. I get nothing of any substance done the next day! I've changed recently and only go out when I know (or hope) that it's going to be a good night, e.g. a friend has asked if I want to Ascot (for ladies day). It will be bloody expensive but it should be a laugh. I am lucky that my mum is around and will look after the children until I get home. OP - could you not arrange something like a school reunion (I went to one recently for sunday lunch), and see if your dd could go to your mum's for the day.