Maternity Leave started - what to do with myself?!

[princesspeahead]

Well it is my first day of maternity leave (as it is for Marina I think - hope you are enjoying yourself so far Marina!). I spent an hour or so yesterday sorting out baby clothes - all present and correct - and have done a bit supermarket shop and now I've hit a blank. Not due for 8 weeks yet, but shouldn't I have a big list of things to do which I should be getting out of the way earlier rather than later? Anyone have any suggestions?!
Feeling a bit useless...

Go shopping and buy yourself some things for after the birth.......sales are on maybe a few things you "might" fit into soon

PPH, I've been at home with no child here during the day for a couple of months now (was working before that while he was at school) and my suggestions are:

• Day time TV. I've found This Morning particularly amusing. I love the way they jump from "my partner's been sleeping with someone else" - sincere faces all round - to "How to look great on the beach on a budget," hilarious stuff IMO. OK, you probably couldn't face it every day but it can kill 2 hours some mornings and it is oddly soothing sometimes I find.
• Get some films out and watch them. This also feels very indulgent but hey, you won't have the time again so enjoy it.
• Ditto books. I've managed to spend whole days lying in the garden reading/phoning friends for a chat
• If you like cooking (and I do), spend the morning reading cook books and deciding what to cook and the afternoon shopping and cooking it. Or just do the reading bit and explain to dh later that you're too tired to actually cook but you've got some great ideas if he wants to do it.
• Sleep whenever you want and don't feel guilty. This is the first major chunk of time I've had to myself in 5 years and once this one comes along time will be a precious commodity once again so I'm making the most of it.
• Mumsnet too, obviously. It's easy to lose a few hours a day here I find, especially if a row kicks off

great ideas everyone, apart from other people's gardening and ironing, ta very much. and bobsmum's ideas, which would be marvellous if there was a cafe that sold anything at all (let alone rocky road) within 50 miles of where I live. or a cinema for that matter!
have just read OK for the first time in about a year (victoria beckham and czj's tans are COMPLETELY out of control by the way) whilst scoffing a miniroll and think I shall shortly go and have a nap. keep em coming!

Sorry, I didn't read everyone else's first and realise I've repeated lots of them. Ah well.

CZJ is orange isn't she? And doesn't Michael Douglas look awful in the latest OK!?

www, our posts cross. I love the idea of menuplanning so my dh can cook! Looks like lots of slightly burnt dinners at about 10.30 pm on the cards for me then, but certainly worth it.
Daytime tv is maybe a step too far - I've avoided it for 34 years and not sure I could bring myself to watch it now, but I can certainly do old Deanna Durbin movies or whatever it is they show on movie channels mid morning!

Mumsnet obviously kills some time, but it has been a bit quiet on here in the last few weeks, has anyone else found this?!!

I think Michael Douglas has had dermabrasion and foolishly went out and allowed himself to be photographed before the redness had died down..!

PPH, I agree with you on the mumsnet thing. I quite often pop on in the afternoons whilst DD is napping and it is DEAD. Typical as I have just handed in my notice.....

PPH and WSM we obviuosly need an all day bar - don't let Breeze and Whymummy have any time off.

wsm, we'll have to start some enormously contentious thread to start some action in the afternoons. something highbrow we can really debate at length. something like "is drew barrymore too fat to be a charlie's angel?"!

Too many folks away on holiday or just had new babies PPH! That'll be why it's quieter.

Plus.... I have been on my best behaviour. I will be back on Mumsnet loads once the novelty of Sky TV dies down.

M2T are you watching Sky at work then?

Hmmm, good one PPH. I quite like the fact that she's a bit doughy compared to the rest of 'em. Makes me feel like I could be an Angel too (I kick ass !)

You could of course prepare many nutritious and delicious meals for the freezer, embark on a moderately stretching exercise programme, and read some of those books you've meant to for years...

..or alternatively sit in the sun and eat ice cream.

I think DB is only doughy compared to the others, unfortunately. A UK size 10 at most?

Hi princesspeahead - without doubt the best time is the time you had off before your first baby is born. YOU NEVER, EVER get that same peaceful, so-much-time-to-do-anything&everything AGAIN. How I wish I had appreciated the time. It's hard to remember (6 years ago) but I did spend time in the garden getting a tan and vitamin D (as previously suggested), caught up with friends (it may be a while before you get that child-free chance again too), had nights out, and went shopping with my husband.
You could always start christmas shopping if you were at a loose end? One thing I wish I had done, is helped friends who had more than one child, offered to babysit or looked after them for a couple of hours in the afternoons or helped my friends 'get sorted' - it is only now I realise how hard it must have been for friends who had children long before us ........

christmas shopping rosehip??!!!!
and sadly that idyllic pre-children time ended 5 and a half years ago for me with the birth of my 1st child - this is my third!
nutritious and delicious meals for the freezer is probably also something that should be on my to do list. And I'll start on the tan as well - apparently it will be 26 degrees by thursday hurrah!

Hi pph - first day of my maternity leave too. Spent it running (literally) around my 3yr old. She refused to go into nursery this morning, got seriously upset so she had to accompany me to B&Q and Sainsburys instead ! The afternoon was spent at the zoo - really really wonderful! Wish I'd started sooner. Probably tempting fate and all but not going to bother with clothes washing and getting ready for the baby until after we get back from holiday - next week. Will still have 4.5 weeks at that point to go - possibly cutting it a little fine but this week will be spent getting ready to go on holiday and next will be holidaying! Really looking forward to it.

I was busy thinking the same thing a week before my maternity leave was due to start when dd made an unscheduled appearance 9 weeks early. So my advice is - get your bag packed (unless you're having the baby at home, of course). Good luck - and enjoy your 8 weeks.

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but I sorted out all my photo albums when on Maternity leave. It was great to get it all sorted before all the millions of photos of dd1 and dd2 came along.

Batey - did that on dd's maternity leave. This time round the help from dd might be too much to bear . Judetheobscure - must admit it is tempting fate, its just that last time with dd she was fully engaged at 32 weeks and all the mws and docs were telling me she was going to be early etc and they still had to crow bar her out at 40+4. I know that next ones come early though - however my mother and a couple of friends would all rally round and the loft would be emptied faster than fast. Still it is a job I'm looking forward to - handling all those tiny clothes getting everything ready etc. The nursery needs emptying first and getting straight - gosh I am tempting fate aren't I.

I second judetheobscure, having gone into labour without emergency hospital bag packed, dd1's overnight bag packed, or birth plan written - and children's bedroom only sorted the previous day (and cot mattress arrived in post that morning)- thought I had at least 2 weeks to do it, realistically, and was even thinking I shouldn't tempt fate by sorting it all - get it done now!

OK OK OK - point taken. Mattress has just been ordered .

having baby at home - do you think I should pack a hospital bag anyway? I SO don't want to, but I suppose Miss Sensible would do it...
Also putting off buying maternity pads. Eughhh.

princesspeahead - after a couple of very uncomfortable nights it has prompted me to think about getting a bag ready. Only 9 days to go now until "allowable" homebirth period but I suppose you should still have one as you never know. So far managed to throw in some breast pads and my notes and thats about it though. My heart is not in it.

Regarding the maternity pads - as I am going to use washable nappies this time I decided to go the whole hog and get washable pads too. Have got some moon mammas which are made of fleece and some pleasure puss which are made from cotton and amazingly thin. I've been wearing them as pantyliners the last couple of weeks and they are really really comfy. I couldn't go back to the old ones now, espeically the maternity ones. You just put them to soak in a tupperware of cold water then chuck them in the wash. They come in gorgeous prints and I am totally converted. Even DH now takes delight in working out new ways to attach them to the clothes airer and rayburn to dry (considered sticking them on the guyropes when camping! ). They are not cheap (£4 - £7 each) but of course you get your money back over time as you don't need to replace them. Just a thought as its like wearing slightly thicker knickers rather than horrible lumpy pads and no danger of accidental "bikini waxing" either. I love them for comfort reasons as much as green ones.