How do you get the right life/family balance?

[littleraysofsunshine]

Tips please! Including compels time too..

Let me know when you find the andwer

Good question as I would imagine it is different for everyone. I work 3 days and week and have two days at home. My dd's are 2 and 4. I try do a couple of me things each week like going for a swim. I try not to worry too much about housework and like to get out with the family at the weekend?! It is whatever makes you are your family happy

Blimey! One of life's great unanswerables.

In all seriousness though, for me personally I think I'm not far off because I love being busy. I work FT and DP is a SAHD. My day goes a bit like this:-

6am - get self up, get DD up and feed her, take her and dogs for a walk.
7.30am - off to work.
5.30pm - back from work. Play with DD for a bit.
6.30pm - bathe DD, put her to bed.
7.00pm - and relax! However I'm usually in bed by 9pm though, I do like my bed.
Weekends we share parenting and try to grab a few hours each of no-baby time. We both go out once in a while (once a month or so) and less often together, when we can bribe persuade my DSis or DPs mother to babysit.

I love my work but very rarely ever work beyond my contracted hours. I find I can get the job done in those hours and don't feel the need to prove myself by doing any extra. I am very lucky in that my bosses recognise 100% that family come first.

I do have a proper dip once in a while when it all catches up with me but I don't really think I'd want to take my foot off the pedal for very long though.

Totally agree that it is down to each individual as to what they need out of life as to whether their life balance is right, but I'm happy with mine.

Currently on mattie leave, but will be returning to mornings only work, so will pick up DS2 at 1pm every day so get to spend a couple of hours with him before getting DS1 from school. We play before tea, then its dinner, playtime, bath and bed.

Couple time starts at 7:30pm every night :-) Mostly, we just chat and watch some programmes we've recorded, sometimes we get romantic, sometimes we play games and/or read.

I've never understood how people seem to equate 'couple time' with 'going out' as if you can't enjoy each others company unless you're done up to the nines and are eating out?

We're not doing evenings out just now (DS2 is only 9 months) but once a month the inlaws take DS1 for the afternoon and me, DH and the baby go out for lunch.

When I was working, DH used to take the odd half day, and we'd meet for lunch just the two of us (with dS1 at childminder) which was nice for a change, and we'll probably do that again once I start back.

Dd1 3.5, dd2 22m, ds 6 weeks.

I never have time to breathe. Dp works his socks off all week. Goes to football on Saturdays. (Which is usually the day when the girls want to melt down)