Once the kids are home from school, what do YOU do?

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I can't believe I'm the only on that feels like this?

Once the kids are home from school for the day I feel rather trapped and strange...

There are lots of things/ projects/ tasks etc I know I need to get on with, but once they are here I think "oh, I can't do that - they'll want a snack soon, or I'll probably have to help with the computer game, or I'll have to stop them fighting...
So I only every end up doing tasks which take about 10 minutes each, and which won't matter if I get interrupted in the middle.

DH doesn't do this - he can launch into a major task and disappear off soemwhere and almost ignore the kids.

Am I strange? Does everyone feel like this?
Kids are 7 & 4 and little one has just started school last year, so maybe that's why this all feels so different.

I encourage friends to come and play or for DD to go to play at a friends They then disappear upstairs or to the play room, and I am left on my own to sort out some dinner for the - I give them a piece of fruit and a drink when they get in. I then potter about doing whatever I need to do.

If just DD, she might help me cook or she might go and play on her own. Or she might have a bit of TV time. I avoid any games/activities that require adult supervision after school - for weekends and holidays only.

no you're not strange. I hae a number of things I want to do (kind of work-related - involves sitting at computer) and I just can't do them when the kids are around - it doesn;t feel right. feels like I'm not doing what I'm meant to be doing. though what exactly I am meant to be doing, I'm not sure. permanent source of frustration for me.

I usually end up loading/unloading washing machine and tumbler, putting clothes away upstairs, preparing dinner and in between I'll be giving them drink and snack and dealing with any altercations!!

So just potter really and they come adn talk to me sometimes while I'm doing it. If I go upstairs, they might follow me and play in the bedroom while I'm putting clothes away.

I always think I should be sat down doing something with them but there is so much to do, plus, I have 3 of them adn they manage to entertain themselves most of the time.

I find things become rather kid-centric when they are home - I get them drinks, clean out their lunch boxes, check the book bags, cook their tea - that takes up to about 5pm.

Then supervise tea, cook mine and dh's dinner, supervise homework, if any. Eat my dinner, sort out baths, get them to bed, clean up kitchen.

and fit in a bit of intermittant mumsnetting and of course refereeing the squabbling

Hatwoman - yes! That's exactly the same thing for me - there are various things I need to do which involve me being on the computer or makign phone calls, and you're right, it 'just doesn't feel right'?
But it's not as if I go and play games with them or directly play with them either.

I had this discussion with DH tonight, and asked him the question 'how much 'active engagement is right/ enough'? At least if I could decide that then maybe once I'd done say, an hour, I could happily go off and do what I need to do without feeling so terribly guilty and frustrated?
We couldn't decide

I find the time between them coming home from school and dinner a pain in the bm it kind of cutsd the day in half and I faff about not really gettinganything done as I am running back and forward helping with homework and sorting out other things for them. Dh never in at this time.

OK. At the risk of sounding a little earthy mummyish..... I used to pretty much try and do my own jobs etc until 5.00 when the dinner, bath bed routine kicked in. The problem was that they caused so much extra work (i.e. creating a mess) that I took a leaf out of a friend's book. Now when they get home I play a couple of games with them. Agreed I'm not doing jobs but at the same time they're not messing the house up!

lurk on MN of course

I have this feeling much of the weekend too. now mine are 6 and 4 and pretty happy playing on their own I feel very redundant and inbetweeny - not removed enough to get on with my own projects - or even just read a book - but not particularly wanted for play purposes either(not that I'm very good at playing). a life time of pottering stretches before me and fills me with horror.

Hatwoman - that exact phrase is why I can never seem to pluck up the courage to give up work! Mine are nearly 8 and 6, btw.

i work 3 days. and the idea is to develop some freelance work to fill the other 2, now they are both at school. I harbour dreams of brilliance in my field but sadly know that - even if the brilliance was there inside me - I haven't got the concentration/discipline/single-mindedness required to favour work over pottering.

I try to spend some time playing with them - some board game or other, and I read with dd1 (her reading to me and vice versa). I also cook tea, clean out the lunch box, do other bits and pieces arond the house - the time absolutely flies by!