First weekend without my children

[GambitQueen]

With lockdown, there is literally nothing I can do to keep myself occupied. The kids shall be with their Dad Fri till Monday this weekend for the first time since we recently separated. I am looking forward to a break as it’s being very intense looking after them/working/dealing with my heartbreak but I just have no clue what I’m going to do for 3 full nights an days!

So far I’ve got :
Bubble Bath
Do my nails
Put on a face mask
Tidy the house
Wash all the clothes

And that’s it!! Can’t go see any friends due to lockdown, my sister who is in my single person bubble is busy with her new boyfriend. The only thing I can think of is to go shopping, but due to lockdown the only things I can buy are food! Help!

Do you read? If not...go and get some books and lose yourself in those for a few hours.
Go for a walk and listen to some music.
Take up a new hobby
Sign up to an online course like Future Learn
Have a zoom/whatsapp call with a friend

There really are other things you could be doing to help distract, other than pampering and doing housework. I know it's hard, but this is the time to start thinking about things you want to do for yourself/discover.

Pick the leafs up. Do overtime x

Enjoy your free time! You could do some Xmas shopping, places like Boots, WHSmith and Marks and Spencer are still open over lockdown
Treat yourself to an alfresco coffee and cake. Enjoy having a lie in and binge watch a box set!

Why can't you meet a friend for a walk.

Definitely treat yourself - lie in, read the papers, long walk, exercise. Wine, Netflix and takeaway.
Then get ahead for the next two weeks when the kids are with you - batch cook, do a big shop, wash and iron, tidy out a cupboard. Try and do stuff now so that you are run less ragged when you have the kids on your own.

Audible app and an audiobook. Long walk. DIY project. I find by the time I do the laundry and the cleaning my DD is back from her Dads and all my great plans are for nothing!!

Xmas shopping
Read
Movies with chocolate and wine
Have a lie in
Zoom call and more wine with friends or family
Walk
If you're into it, go visit some country parks
Sort out the draw of shite, the cupboard of doom, clothes etc

My first weekend without dd post separation I had all kinds of things planned. Instead I slept. And slept, and slept.

Great book.
Cook a lovely meal.
Brilliant music.
Dance like a fool after a glass of wine.
Sleep beautiful sleep 💤

Sleep, sleep and more sleep!

Amazon prime. Buy yourself something nice. Buy some Christmas gifts for others. Do Christmas wrapping for the kids if you have any gifts for them already whilst drinking and watching Netflix.

Bless you, it it will be over before you know it.

Take away
Food they hate
Wine/gin etc
Chocs
Netflix
Washing ironing Etc

Get stuff sorted do when they are back your are refreshed and organised.

Ps try and enjoy some it it!

I watched Designated Survivor and cried. A lot.

I remember the first time my dc’s went to their dads, luckily they only go for one day as he can’t have them over night. At first I used to clock watch, now I enjoy the time. You could go for a walk with a friend? I often do this and have done it through lockdown. Have a day doing nothing, watching cheesy Christmas films whilst drinking hot chocolate? Sometimes I do housework or DIY (a bit boring) or just go for a drive on my own via McDonald’s 😛

If I had 3 days off from the kids I would wrap all the Christmas presents, hide them away and plan all the food (place order with butcher, write a Tesco list etc) so Christmas is DONE.

Then I'd spend at least half a day doing those little DIY jobs I've been putting off (including putting up my new picture ledge over the sofa). Then I'd do some online shopping and pick some nice prints for said ledge.

I'd batch cook for the freezer to give myself a few nights off cooking over the next few weeks, while listening to podcasts.

And every night I'd watch a few episodes of The Queen's Gambit on Netflix with a cocktail and then have a bubble bath with scented candles etc.

Oh god, dude, just sleep. Sleep and stay in bed all day and have a cooked breakfast for lunch and read / watch Netflix / whatever your switch-off-brain thing is and have a LARGE gin and tonic and maybe do a long online yoga class with no interruptions and BREATHE and sleep some more and have a bit of a cry if you want to and hug yourself and some more gin and sleep. Lie on your bed and enjoy the silence. It won’t last long, even if it feels at the time like it will.

Yeah. That's true. I used to work really hard doing jobs. I should have done nothing and rested.

You're doing better than I did ! I just sat on the sofa, ate crisps and felt totally lost !!!

Take the time to plan some lovely day trips for yourself and with the kids.

I made lots of plans including decorating. Instead I slept and cried a lot. Felt a lot better afterwards though and it's what I needed at the time.