How many hours do you spend doing things YOU actually want to do per week please?

[Countingthegreyhairs]

Hi all, not quite sure where to post this to be honest and it's a bit of a ramble. Also, to those of you with more than one child, I'm sure this will sound like a pathetic whinge but here goes:

I'm just trying to sort out my schedule for September and would really appreciate some advice.

Currently, I only have one 4-yr-old dd who will be at school 8.45-3.30 every week-day and I'm really lucky because I also work those same hours Mon, Wed, Friday, plus three hours on Thursday.

Shouldn't therefore complain but looking at my schedule, it's full of things I have to do, such as shopping, washing, cleaning, language learning (have to for work) and any time I have left I feel I should (but don't really want to) devote to doing some form of exercise (starting slowly - twice a week).

I like to be there for my 4 yr old from when she comes in from school to when she goes to bed and I do - mostly - cook from scratch (apart from Sats). Dh also travels every week but surely motherhood doesn't have to mean giving up everything you enjoy?

Where am I going wrong? Perhaps I'm just really disorganised. I guess this question is really about how to 'triage' personal priorities ...

What do you do when life seems a bit grey and you appear to have no time?

Should I expect to have two or three hours a week to myself to be able to do something I enjoy or is that an unrealistic expectation?

Genuinely interested to know how many hours per week do you get to do something you really WANT to do?

[scattyspice]

Hmm, know what you mean.

[Nip]

i work full time, get home with DS at 5.00pm, play, tea, bath, and in bed by 8. One washing up, clothes washing etc is done then i stop. I'd love to go back to the gym and get fitter but i dont have the time. At weekends i really throw myself into spending time with DS (the guilt of working fulltime!) and if i go anywhere he comes.. usually tesco's or other shopping.

So all in all the only time i get to myself is when i'm either asleep or in the shower!

[12lbnaturally]

I get no time to myself on a daily basis, which is why I have to take an annual leave day from my part time job, tell my partner I'm going to work as usual (he looks after the sprogs the two days I work) and then I get the whole day to myself, shopping, having my nails done, whatever I want to do. I do this once every 4 months, that is all the time I get to myself.

I absolutely love my me day and really look forward to it.

[HonoriaGlossop]

That 'me' day sounds a fantastic idea. It's just SO sad that you have to tell your partner you're going to work as usual! Would he really not support you to have that day as a treat day for you?

[Clary]

HG that's exactly what I thought.

In fact I still have acouple of day sannual leave to take before end Sept so oddly enough not needed for school hols (they were really but it was a cock-up) so may take one as a me day!

Will tell DH tho!

Counting, glad to help. I do sleep, honest, but I never go to bed before 11pm and often later. I am aware that many mums I know go to bed a lot earlier than that.

The cleaning schedule is great - now I don't need to think "gosh haven't hoovered upstairs for ages" as I know I did it on Wednesday.

Also you only need to do that day's jobs without werriting about not having cleaned kitchen bin that day - that's a Saturday job! hoho.

(If you all came to my house btw, it is clean but also very untidy and full of boxes of, errr, well stuff really [sigh] Just not enough space!

[Countingthegreyhairs]

Nip, 12LB naturally, you put me to shame! You have much less spare time than me.

Agree with HG and Clary though 12lb - could you persuade your dp to get on board? - 3 times a year is not very much to ask imho ...

Clary - if you don't mind me asking - are you officially 'flying'??