How are you supposed to fit everything in?

[NAB3lovelychildren]

Home between 3.35-4pm.
Tea for 3 to do.
20 minutes of reading to do with DS1.
A book to read with DD.
Homework with DS1 twice a week but takes most nights to do (I currently cannot do the homework he has to do so DH has to do it tonight which makes eveyrthing late and DS1 doesn't get his chapter of Famous five)
They have a bath every other night.
And go to bed early I suspect compared to most 7 year olds so what are you supposed to do?!
I also like to let them chill when they get in and have some play and tv time.

Have to go to get them now.
DS2 still asleep!

You need to either clone yourself or develop a potion that enable humans to function prefectly on only 2 hours sleep a night.

I have done neither successfully so far [weary smile]

Dh will do his maths and spelling homework if I do the books.

What is the problem, you have at least 3 hours a day for these tasks?
I get home at 6 and kids go to bed at 7.30, still manage to bath, feed and go through homework for 20 mins.

Prepare tea in advance if you are at home in the afternoon, so it only needs switching on or reheating

Have 30 mins nothing time when you get in

Set them up with homework while you are cooking tea, so they do it mainly themselves, you are nearby to ask help with genuine problems

Eat tea

Chill for 30/60 mins, do 10 mins of reading homework when the bath is running or just before wash/teeth

Bedtime story, bed

I used to get 4 in bed by 7pm every night, it's planning ahead that helps, I agree though it's hard to fit everything in

They don't need a bath every other night

I have tea prepared/in the slow cooker/ready to throw in the oven before I go to collect them...sometimes if I am working I peel spuds etc at 7am

DH HAS to help out (I work 2 jobs, 60 hour week)

My 7 year olds go to bed at 715...it isn't easy I admit!

Indiechick - great you can manage.

He needs full supervision for homework.

Right. Lets think. You need to sit down and work out what things are essential for every single night.

Obviously, dinner needs doing every night But maybe the baths can be changed a bit. What time do they go to bed? You say earlier than most, is it worth adding half an hour onto their day? You could maybe do the bath thing in the extra half hour? That'll at least help them to wind down for the night.

When does DS have to get his homework in by? If it includes a weekend, could you maybe save it up for a Friday night, when he doesn't necessarily have to be in bed at a certain time and neither does he need a bath!

Chilling is, imo, the most important part of the day for primary kids and time for you to enjoy them and not nag about homework/bath etc. Any chance you could get them up a smidge earlier for bath in the morning?

Just a quick reply as DD wants the computer.

DS1 gets homework on Tuesday to go in on friday and some on Thursday to go in on Monday.

OK, we'll chat later. The Thursday stuff can defo wait though! I think I'd make sure that Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday nights are non bath nights, unless he's migging!

is there any way of bathing in the mornings instead.

I found with my lot that with all the after school things, plus tea, plus homework, plus relaxation time, it was impossible to do everything so now we get up at 6.45am and I start bathing them then.

for us, it works well......baths always wake mine up (even when they were tiny a bath before bed made them more alert.....not for me one of those babies who would wind down and associate a bath with bedtime), so a bath first thing does wonders for getting them alert for school.

it does take organising tho as it can still take them a while to get dressed and have breakfast.

What age are they? Mine are 5, 3.5, and 14mths, an our routine goes like this:-

3.00- set off for bus stop to pick dd1 up off school bus with other 2.

3.15- dds bus arrives

3.30- home. dd1 goes to get changed (clothes all left out), then we do her reading and sums

4.00- usually try to do something with the girls if ds will sleep! (eg baking/ art projects etc)

4.30- have a coffee, do some MN'ing ().

5.00 (ish- depends what we are having- sometimes I start earlier) get dinner on

5.30- we all have dinner

6.00- kids watch TV while I tidy up and hoover downstairs

6.30- start running bath

6.45- all 3 in bath

7.00-ds upstairs for his milk, then into his cot

7.15- one of us reads 2 stories to the girls (a story choice each)

7.30-8.00 (depends how long the stories are!! My dad usually gets conned into long ones!) Kisses from me, DH and my dad, lights out

8.00- RELAX!! (although tues and wed I go to the gym)

I have done both books and DS1's maths homework. (Surprised how good he is! ) DH is now helping him do his written work again as he didn't do it right.

Skipped baths for tonight.

DS2 and DD are in their pjs in their rooms. Dinner is on.

DS2 is now crying.

They are 3, 5 and 7.

The thing to remember is, we're not all as perfect as Indiechick, so don't stress about it. Stressing will no doubt cause DS to stress about his homework and it'll take even longer!

I think the key thing is to relax a tiny bit about the bedtime for him and shelve the bath, whenever you can see yourself not having enough time.

We've all been there. It's an impossible task to be perfect every time!

Feel very proud I could do DS1's maths homework though struggled a bit with English. I might have gone to 9 schools but I missed the bit where we learnt what an adjective and a verb was. (DH had to tell me!)

Brace yourself NAB, you've got similies, metafors and not to mention onoematopoeia to go master yet!