SAHM's how do you keep yourself from going mad?

[cupcake78]

I have not worked for a year now and made the decision not to return to work only a couple of months ago. However I hate to admit it but I'm starting to go round the twist already.

DS is 10mths old, alot of my friends are busy back at work or have more than one child so their life is totally hectic. I am twiddling my thumbs to be honest. I play with DS loads, my house is clean and resonably tidy. I can't do anything for a long period ir gardening etc because DS gets restless after a short time. We go out most days even if its just an hour in the park, but I feel like I am starting to lose the plot. If I spend time with anyone they are usually over 65(grandparents).

How do you all do it? What do you do to fill in your days? I want to enjoy my time with my ds but am finding myself becoming more bored.

Surely what we all do, actually, is while away the hours on Mumsnet?

haha! SP i was very surprised to see you here - you do a great impersonation of someone who is very sane!! Oh yes, i will print out copies and hand them out!

I too found it a shock going from working to SAHM and when DD1 was around this age I remember quite clearly one afternoon at around 3 o'clock staring at the stcking rings on the floor between us thinking "I can't do this for the next 4 hours till DH comes home, let alone for the next 4 years".

Keys for me have already been mentioned above

1. I decided to treat it as my 'job' and became a one woman nursery school with different planned activites (ideas from the internet)for each 'session' (am/pm)

1. I too had a very comprehensive baby group timetable - mine was on Excel and had a very tasteful colour scheme (ok I admit maybe I was losing the plot slightly at this point.) I found loads in my area - parent and toddlers, baby gym, baby swimming, singing, messy play sessions. Check out the library, internet, SureStart centres, leisure centres, church halls, notice boards in doctors waiting rooms.

1. Made as many friends as I could and then spent mornings/afternoons and sometimes whole days esconced in someone else's house with a cup of tea in hand watching our children play happily/attempt to kill each other.

1. Also kids do get more interesting as they get older and you can do more things with them. I find babies adorable but they can be very tedious company - it gets better.

Even now with DD1 (4) and DD2 (2) I have to have a plan for the day/week in order to give myself some kind of 'workday' structure.

i went back to work part time instead...worked for me!

"It's the strange combo of being utterly bored yet not having time to do anything that gets to me!"

Absolutely! I do find though that this dreaded and potentially v. depressing combo is LOADS worse if I stay in alone. The moment I get out to toddlers' groups or whatever, it's nowhere near as bad.

Also, the worst part of the day is 4.00 to 7.00 - so much activity crammed into 3 hours, all of which comes at that time of the day when you're most knackered. If only it was possible to clock off at 4 this whole business would so much easier.

The neighbours didn't mind, i've only got hens no cockerel.
I managed to do most of this once DD1 was at least 9 months old and she would go to a childminder once a week, so that i would be able to help out with the meals on wheels and the gardening.
The rest of the things were done whilst she was having a nap (she would sleep for 2hrs+) some days so was quite lucky .
Whilst she was a tiny baby was when i got to find out about websites like MN! They were and still are my lifline.

Lifeline even!

Its so lovely to know I'm not the only one. Most of the groups that I used to go to have finished for the summer as well as college hols so I think this is compounding the issue. Swimming pools packed during hols as weather is so bad. So only really have the park to go to or it will involve me spending money which is something I am trying so hard not to do over the summer as I know winter will be really hard financially.

I think a timetable is a great idea especially including all the groups etc. I would hope that things do get more interesting the older he gets and once he can move I am sure he will be less frustrated and grumpy baby.

Thank you for starting this thread cupcake - it's given me the nudge I needed to get off my arse... Now, what to do?.............

god am so totally impressed with ripeberry! most of the time i fall into bed in exhausted heap when my ds is having a nap....couldn't have gone out and done voluntary meals on wheels would have fallen asleep and dribbled in the dinners!!!! maybe it's my age (and having disabled dh around all the time to make an utter bloody mess help is a factor! he he)

make an utter bloody mess

am getting of big lazy butt and going to make a timetable of ds' activities...right now....any minute now....just going....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz dribble dribble

Cupcake, it is harder during the summer holidays when your children are very young.

I've been a SAHM for over 7 years and feel as though I'm just coming out of the woods now, iyswim!

This week has been hard though; crap weather plus practially all the dcs friends are on holiday in the same fortnight.

I want to build an altar to hairytoe and light candles in front of it and pay my respect to her! She knows the mysteries of how to enjoy being a SAHM!

I used to be so selfconscious about my house I didn't do nearly enough of that. But I eventually learned, loneliness is next to lunacy if caring for young children. It is simply a road directly to madness imho!!!!

My ds is 7 now and I'm about to have another. I'm really nervous of how I'm going to manage this time, I think that the other mothers in the playgroups will run away thinking I'm too old to play!

yep, I have to emphathise with OP. I'm a SAHM but went back to work part time when my DS was 6 months old, done a few months then resigned, and have been a SAHM since. But...I'm now getting itchy feet to return to work again. It's the boredom factor that really gets to me, some days I really love it and other days I just think I'm going nuts! lol.

I suppose it's fair to say that we won't be confined to the home forever, it's only a few years til they go off to school then we'll manage to find other pursuits (leisure or work related) to fill our days.

A combination of playgroups, parks, friends, long long walks, organised groups (swimming with baby is brilliant, music,etc.) and then a little activity in the evening for you...a course or socail activity. Or like me you could just have another and another and then another.