things to do after school

[mydoorisalwaysopen]

At Christmas I changed my working hours round so that I could pick up DS1 from school every day. DS2 has also started a new nursery whcih finishes at 3.15 so I have a fairly manic hour when I rush from work to nursery to school. I'm finding that i'm frazzled by the time I get home so the imagined couple of hours of fun and games, stories, homework is not happening. Slobbing out in front of the telly is more the thing - while I cook dinner. Or I lose patience with the kids as we are all tired and tetchy. I've introduced a healthy snack as soon as we get in to try and fend off the nasties caused by hunger. I still feel like a crap mum who should be doing more constructive stuff after school. We go swimming once a week and sometimes go to the library or my mum's. What do you do?

The main thing is not to beat yourself up about what your routine is, you could waste your entire life imagining what other "perfect" mums are doing with their kids, and I tell you what, I bet its pretty much the same as you. Children are tired after school/nursery and need some down time (am I sounding too American here?) I know mine do. We only do stuff straight from school once a week, and on two nights a week they do activities later. Our usual routine is : dump bags, have drinks and sugar, oops I mean a healthy organic snack, TV for 30 minutes then TV off whilst they do homework in shifts whilst I cook tea and look after the toddler. Then they are free to do as they please. Let them chill out and you too.

My ds has beavers on a tuesday and swimming lessons on a wednesday, he'll be 7 in June and I think thats enough for him at the minute, as and when I may introduce more clubs as he gets older.

My dd is only 2 but as she gets older I'd like her to have some groups and clubs to go to, I think it's healthy for them to have some interests and to meet lots of different children, the thing is to have a good balance and to let them have chill out time also, we have a lazy day on saturdays, we don't go out, we stay in our pyjamas and nothing is expected of us (well except me of course, i still need to cook and play buy ykwim)

Echoing the don't be too hard on yourself. When I first became a SAHM, it took me from breakfast till lunch to make lunch!! It will get easier with practice!!

I try to make food that can be either chopped up and put in one pot to cook, or is super quick and easy. If tea is going to be a while, we do have a snack and it's not always a healthy one. Sometimes we make something (jelly / chocolate crispies) while tea is cooking to encourage good eating!!

I try to get DS to read / practice writing while I cook, he reads to his sister (3 year old supervising 5 year olds homework!!).

We have colouring, playdough and craft stuff, books and toys in the kitchen so they can occupy themselves while I cook too.

There is also a lot of "stop winding your sister up", "can you not do that" and me running out of the kitchen to kiss a bumped knee (and burning the tea in the process!). Sometimes TV works well but I try to keep it till after tea as mine are a bit of a pain to drag away from it once it is on - iplayer works better as it's easier to control when things start and finish, also gets over the "I don't like that one, can I wait till a good one comes on" discussion.

I'm looking forward to better weather when we can go to the park on the way home or play in the garden. Spring / summer is much more fun than winter!!

I was going to post the same - so shattered by the time they're home that I'm the one who needs them to slump in front of the TV so I get the chance of a cup of tea and unwind. After that - they go in the garden or play Lego or more often wrestle and giggle all over the sofa while I cook. After tea it's homework, bath, reading stories, unless they have a club or Beavers. Not a lot of time. We do sometimes play a board game or go home via the park, but usually it's TV and cooking tea.