Does anyone else manage to do anything else other than parenting on mat leave?

[anotherbitofcake]

I think I overestimated what I would be able to do on mat leave ha! I had visions of catching up on DVDs, reading, cooking, sewing, starting a new business etc etc but as yet I barely manage to grab lunch and a shower. All my time is spent looking after LO.
This post is not a whinge, it's a general interest one - what else have u managed to do on mat leave, if anything, other than the most important job!! And if so at what point were u able to?

I watched a lot of tv because DD only slept on me. Never got organised enough to put a dvd in the machine before she slept though!

The one thing I did manage was putting a wash on overnight - I could usually find 10 minutes in the morning to hang it up. Now I am back to work the washing mountain is eating the house.

I made lots of friends which was very important for my sanity. I managed to go out and about to museums, galleries and baby friendly cinema screening which were also important for my sanity but that's about it.

I watched quite a number of complete boxed sets.

And once ds was over about 7 months old my house was actually tidy for the first time ever as I managed to get him to nap twice a day. That only lasted until I had to go back to work though.

This time I need to carry on with my OU degree so I'll be studying throughout. I'm terrified as I keep remembering things like the meltdown I had when ds was 8 weeks old and all I wanted to do was wash the dishes but couldn't put ds down long enough to do it. Don't know how I will fit studying in between caring for a newborn and a 4 year old. I've already mentally given up on caring for the house.

Personally for me it comes in waves.

Some days I can't do anything except wash and feed myself, others we get out, do loads of stuff. For the most part we go out, go to stuff at the children's centre, see friends, go on nice walks, go to galleries, cafes etc. Maybe one thing a day on average. There are a couple of days a week where we don't do anything, I quite like those days.

In my head though I was going to learn French and bake more. I know see that this was highly unrealistic!

It watched a box set when number one was young but kept the tv off once he started to pay it attention. With number one I was just overwhelmed by the lifestyle change and lack of sleep so got nothing accomplished.

With number two I was run off my feet by a baby and a young toddler.....only accomplished losing some of my sanity.

One of my friends whined incessantly about how she wished she could "have a whole year off".....she would fulfill her dream of writing a novel

I watched all of Desperate Housewives. At the time it seemed like quite an achievement, now, not so much.

Dd2 is 4.5 months and I try to get out of the house every day- just walking around, coffee out, cinema, window shopping, doing errands etc. Can't stand being home as it feels like I'm in a constant housework battle. (Dd1 and DPs mess) I haven't aspired to anything grand though. I'm happy to chill.

I had fond ideas of writing a novel - haha! I did try, grabbing half hours when he slept sometimes, but had no comprehension of how tired I would be and how much I would just want to crash or chill. I have never looked back over the quarter novel of I am sure rubbish I produced until I got sick of it! Now I am working part time and he sleeps through the night I am seriously working on another one and enjoying it hugely. Life gets so much easier for that sort of thing after that first year, I found anyway.

My DS is 12 weeks and it's a good day is I manage to eat lunch at lunchtime and maybe out a load of washing on or empty the dishwasher or similar... But rarely manage more then one if those things in a day. He still feeds to sleep on me, so I am watching a lot of tv and spending hours on the internet on my phone!! I expected it to be full on but hadn't really comprehended how little I would achieve each day. I used to live life at a crazy pace and whilst loving a more slow pace of life, I do struggle when I can't do the basic of things in a day. And I really miss baking. Maybe once he starts napping better in the day (and not on me) then it might be better

Ah yes, writing my book. I did get as far as scoping out the structure and starting the research writing down random things in a pretty notebook but that was during my pregnancy when still at work!

During my actual mat leave, I walked lots (got down to a stone less than my pre-pregnancy weight), kept on top of the housework with the help of the cleaner, cooked a meal most days and only went marginally loopy.

It was an odd time. Just pretty surreal. I'm enjoying motherhood so much more now I'm back at work and it's part of my proper life rather than this all consuming pause from reality. Maybe that's just me though...

dd1 - i supervised the builders fixing up our new house (just around the corner from the rental where we lived). it worked well because she was of an age (4-6 months) where she was happy to be in a sling while I wandered around shops ("look baby - exciting taps!") and talked to the builders.

dd2 - I took her to give academic talks at a couple of conferences in europe - it worked because she was an easy baby and I only went to events where I had a friend as backup to take her out if she cried.

for both, I continued to supervise PhD students. But I found it impossible to get any 'thinking work' done - no writing papers or reading complex books. talking work is much easier the writing work when sleep deprived.

Actual stuff that matters and you could put on a CV or talk to people about. ...... Not really.

This is dc3 and the others are school age so I have mostly kept on top of their stuff. I have watched the entire series box sets of:
The Sopranos
THE WIRE
Greys Anatomy
The Good Wife
Sherlock

No. No way. Just keeping DD happy (well, not screaming anyway) and getting enough sleep into her was as much as I could manage. I didn't even manage the much-advertised sitting in cafés.

Watched a lot of the winter Olympics while ds slept on me. Otherwise haven't done much. Ds isn't the best sleeper, so when he does nap I'm on the couch having a rest. House is like a dump and I'd love to have time to cook nice dinners for myself and dh, but tthere will be time for that in the years to come.

I've done loads of stuff in the 4 months since DS was born, but none of it exciting.

Everyday stuff like school run twice a day, housework, taking DC1 to various activities and playdates, been on holiday and visited relatives in other parts of the country.

Usual baby stuff - I've looked around nurseries for when I go back to work, been to baby groups, been to baby cinema screenings and seen some great films.

But we've also sold our house and we're now looking for a new one, and DC1 was picked up as having possible SN when DC2 was 2 months old so all the hassle to do with that. So that's all been a bit stressful!

DC2 is probably a bit of a neglected 2nd born!

With DS1 not much was done other than parenting, when DS2 was 5 months old I began running a charity which was fairly time consuming, I think I just became more organised with the second baby.

Looking back I wonder why it seemed so hard with DS1, he wasn't a good sleeper even in the day so I am sure that makes it much harder.

I started a business while TTC so I could be a SAHM but we'd still have two incomes. It's going ok. It was tough at times (working nights after DS was in bed) but I HAD to make it work.

I think the best thing had been that as my hours are limited, I was forced to put my prices up which in turn has led to better clients and better jobs. Without DS I might have just carried on doing lots of lower paid hours.

I watched the 2012 Olympics with DD. Watched a lot of TV in fact. Ate cake. Sat in coffee shops for hours reading the paper from cover to cover. Sat in the park.

With DS I'm not even getting that much done, but there's only 18m between them so not surprising.

Nothing very productive!

"I'm enjoying motherhood so much more now I'm back at work and it's part of my proper life rather than this all consuming pause from reality. Maybe that's just me though..."

Me too, Blankiefan, though tbh I did need the time to get my head around keeping small person alive. TBH just learning that occupied most of my time.

I did manage to do some professional stuff, but it pretty much took me several weeks for each thing (where I'd normally have expected it to take a couple of evenings). Also my mother, bless her, signed me up for a fucking class that I didn't want to do and deeply deeply fucking resented, because it shat all over the last few months of maternity leave.

DS is 3 months, EBF (every 90 mins in the day!) and a crap sleeper so I am pretty much zombified at all times.

Most days it's all I can do to make sure we are both washed, dressed and fed. I try to leave the house if only to go and buy some fresh veg to go with the freezer>oven dinner.

He will only sleep in my arms so I'm pinned to the sofa, I've watched a lot of TV.

Slightlyglittered I also feel rather strange about mat leave - rather in limbo land in a zombified way!

I love my little guy to bits but when I get a spare half hour I often think now what do I do! And end up doing something pointless like watching crap or something mundane like next washing cycle.

I think before u r used to having blocks of longer time to do things. Now it's very random and spare time is not v much plus my brain is like mush it doesn't think like it used to!

Ive done a lot each time. Returmed to full time studenr twice after 2 weeks on 2 of my maternity leaves, then on other renovated whole flat which meant having no water except in kitchen sink for nearly 4 months so no bath, shower etc. I am a slot the baby in round me type of person. Its not that I dont ever get stressed its just I dont think things stress me out long term as much as a lot of people seem to be on here.

I had a (laughable) plan to paint the upstairs when the baby was napping. Ha ha ha...how little I knew. After the first 8 weeks, which I wearyingly spent sitting in the garden, on the internet or in cafes with babe in arms. I got out. Did a structured baby activity every day, did a walk everyday, did alot of sitting under the baby and cooked a nice meal everyday.

I enjoyed it. I made new friends and had a nice structure to my day. I'm exhausted all the time now that I'm back in work.