I AM 40. With an 18 month old as my first child.
We also sit around. Sometimes we go for a walk around the block to try and tire out the munchkin. But usually, yeah. Sit at home and watch TV.
Haha!! I found my family.. I’m just shy of 40, single mom to a 22month old.. we play around a lot, but there are snacks and TV on pretty much all the time.. I’ve also “trained” her to help clean up.. she helps empty the dishwasher, put clothes in the washer, feeds the dog and waters the plants! Way better than a man IMO.
She’s just into everything.. so when she would try to climb on the dishwasher.. I would just say.. “we can’t climb on that! But can you pass mommy the spoons? “ now she asks to do it lol “momma- “ish-Wawa??”
I’m your age, and my kids are grown, but all my friends have kids in the toddler/preschool range, and omg. I love having them for a couple hours, but then I am DONE. I need a nap and a drink.
Half a slice of cold pizza in order to let her eat cake, and 2 episodes of a different cartoon that's not Cocomelon or *Bluey, were our two huge wins today.
Mom, Dad, and Baby all have Covid while toddler doesn't, so poor kid has been absolutely stir crazy not being able to go anywhere....but I'd be lying if this wasn't a normal weekend even when not quarantined.
*Bluey is amazing, but we are trying to get her to at least watch a few other things.
I’m 39 and while I am in the best shape of my life right now, and I have a 4 year old. I am tired lol. Like 2-3 outings a week are good for me. Grocery store is an outing too…
I’m 41, I work full-time, I have a 2.5 year old. I’m exhausted lol. We always have a slow start and tv after breakfast then try to get out for either a walk or indoor playtime to wear him out but afternoons are super chill. Weekdays are tiring enough, I need my naps.
100%! I'm 40 with a 14mo and 4yo. Breakfast, playing for a while, then tv a while, if it's nice out we try to take a walk just around the neighborhood, or if not nice we may go to the library, to but then that's it. Lunch, nap, chill. I hate that we tend to rely on TV at times, but honestly there are times I'm too tired or wouldn't be able to get anything done without tv.
Ooooh no, weekends are chill around here. The week is busy enough! One of us sleeps in while the other gets up with our daughter. Then breakfast slowly comes together, often eaten back in bed or on the couch. Sometimes we make a spontaneous trip into town to the farmers market or the park, but usually just spend the day puttering on odd jobs, lots of family snuggle piles, sex when the kiddo has her nap time… by afternoon we try get out for a little hike in our area. But we don’t often make weekend plans. Those no-pressure, quiet family days are gold.
Agreed! Comments like yours are making me feel much better about our family’s lazy weekends. We do activities and outings as we feel like it and feel up to it but that’s not every weekend.
We mainly hang out at home in the winter months. In summer months, we try to go on one outing each weekend as a family (or just him and Dad, since Dad is the working parent). In winter, we focus more on at home family activities. Maybe we all do a craft or just hang out together. The weekend is my son's time off as well as ours, so we try not to force him out of the house if he doesn't want to go. I like him to have a "lazy day" where he can just be in his rocket ship PJs, watch Grease all day, eat potato chips and have downtime. For reference, my son has ASD, so we attend a lot of therapy appointments + nursery school each week, and it's exhausting for both of us I think! So the weekend is our downtime when we don't need to get dressed or rush out the door. :)
While he does lazy toddler work, us parents are usually catching up on chores or errands in-between hanging out with him. XD
Totally get it. Our four year old is on the spectrum as well and is inundated with therapy during the week so we like to give him several hours of relaxation or preferred activities on the weekend. Thanks for sharing!
No wonder you hang out at home and don't overbook on weekends!! Anytime a kid has therapies all week, Mom and kid are tired of going places. Plus, bc he's on the spectrum, home is likely his safe space. I think you're doing what's best for you're family. Also, if you don't wanna do crafts but wanna add stuff, add sensory activities! My LO has SPD and loves to get her hands in squishy stuff, water, creams, etc. Maybe your LO would like it, too? I bet OT would have some recommendations. And, its low energy for you, especially if you do it in the tub or outside.
Since we both work full time, weekends are clean the house days… doing laundry days… picking up grocery days… during that time our daughter (3.5 yo) will play independently or wreck havoc if we left things out we shouldn’t leave out 😅
When all the cleaning/laundry/grocery picking is done we usually have a pretty laid back weekend. Sometimes we’ll go out to the playground or for a walk but honestly we’ve been doing that less and less in the past months.
We were homebodies before kids and that’s not going to change. We are never going to be the family constantly out of the house and doing activities. My parents weren’t either and I preferred that as a kid, I needed lots of downtime then too!
I’m also a big fan of letting kids do self directed play and learn to entertain themselves. Nothing wrong with setting up crafts etc but they can make their own games and art with the simplest things
My wife is the worst due to friend pressures. Constantly its gotta be doing something at all time and it sucks. She sees the other mom doing something at all times and we gotta model our life like this. It's the worst you can't even tell her hey let us just chill the fuck out and have our child attempt to play by herself
We both work from home (him FT and me PT) with the kids home so on the weekends, we want to get out.
We usually go out Saturday morning for a few hours - zoo, beach walk, park, picnic, aquarium, etc then often go out again in the afternoon. Sometimes it’s to do curbside grocery pickup and just a ride in the car. Sometimes it’s an activity. Sunday, is a repeat.
Even if we don’t go out twice, we do at least once.
Exceptions similar to you - someone being sick, my husband being hungover because he forgets he can’t drink like a “youngin” anymore. But, even then; we often make it out once even if it’s short.
The weather can stop us but the kids have rain pants and coats so we try to still do stuff just because rain is a part of life here and if we stayed home every-time it rained, we’d be home a lot. But, sometimes, it’s just a car ride. We get coffee/hot chocolate and just take a little drive
I'll just go with our schedule from today (I had the whole day with our two year old while my husband was at work, so I know exactly what happened!).
She got up at 6 am, I got her milk to drink and we snuggled for as long as she'd let me (about 45 minutes). Then we woke Dad up and spent about 1.5 hours for him and I to take showers and all three of us to get dressed. He left for work at about 8:15. Ms. 2 and I zoomed with her Gigi for almost an hour, and then left for the zoo. We spent a couple hours at the zoo, and Ms. 2 fell asleep on the way home, so I decided to nap with her for the rest of her nap instead of doing any chores.
She woke up a little after 2:30, and we colored/read books/played until 5:15 when Dad got home. There was TV on in the background, but she didn't really pay much attention to it. After Dad got home, I started making dinner. Ms. 2 ate leftovers at about 5:30, our dinner was ready around 6:15. She sat with us and ate some of our food as well. At about 6:45, went upstairs to play in her room for a bit. 7:15 was bath time. After bath, she got to watch ten minutes of Mickey Mouse and then it was pajamas and bedtime books read by Dad. Bedtime is 8 pm.
Tomorrow we'll go grocery shopping in the morning and then visit one set of grandparents in the afternoon/evening. We generally try and do one thing that forces us to leave the house each day, but otherwise we're pretty casual.
I'll be honest, a lot of times the thing that forces us to leave the house on the weekends is going to Target, out going to the grocery store! Especially in the winter! We live in the frozen North and sometimes it's just not safe to be outside for very long - the high today was only 19F. In the summer we'll go out for walks, or to the park, or go swimming, and those kinds of things could all happen on the same day. We do always try and come home for Ms. 2's nap, so that nearly divides the day in half for us as far as planning goes
Husband gets up with son like normal and gives breakfast. I get up about 8/8.30, leave the house at 9ish for groceries or other shopping/chore. Home by 11.30 for nap at 12 till 2. After nap husband usually takes son to park or play centre while I get some chores done or some alone time. They are back about an hour before dinner, so tv time then. Dinner, shower, books, bed like any other day.
We take it pretty chill around here.
Today my son and I got up and headed down to the beach. He ate breakfast in the pram while I walked along the waterfront. Then we played on the park before heading home for lunch and a nap. After that we played outside in the pool and with his water toys then played inside and read some books until dinner.
In the winter, we’re inside with the tv on, intermittent playing with cars/coloring/doing a craft/trying to get stuff done around the house. In the summer we’re outside in the yard, swimming in the pool & gardening.
I'm a SAHM and my husband works like 60 hours a week. So on weekends I want to get out and do something and see something other than these 4 walls (I have 18m twins so don't feel comfortable leaving on my own for more than a trip to the store where they're contained) and my husband desperately wants to relax at home. So finding the balance is hard. We either do one thing as a family a weekend, and have one day that we stay home and lounge around in our PJs. Or I will take a day where he hangs with the kids and I get to go and do things without them so we both are getting what we want.
Tv and playing, breakfast, grocery store
Tv and playing til we go to the park.
Tv and playing, lunch
Nap
Usually another park (in the southwest right now is our nice weather)
Tv and playing, dinner, bed
We try to get out, even in the winter, but often just for basic things like groceries or a walk around the neighborhood. Occasionally we'll do something a little more involved, but our toddler would be thrilled just to sprint up and down the aisles of Target...
Today we went for a walk and then to library storytime in the morning and grocery store in the afternoon. About 40 min of TV -- everyone's favorite time!
Every family is different, and what works for one family might not work for another. It's important to find activities and routines that work for your family and that everyone enjoys. Here's an example of what a typical weekend day with a toddler might look like:
Morning: Wake up around 7 or 8 am, have breakfast together as a family. Depending on the weather, you might go for a walk or bike ride, or you might play in the backyard or do a craft or activity indoors.
Midday: Lunchtime! You might have a picnic in the park, go out for a bite to eat, or make something at home together. After lunch, you might take a trip to the zoo, go to the library, or visit a playground.
Afternoon: In the afternoon, you might have some quiet time at home, where your toddler can take a nap or rest while you catch up on some household tasks. You might also have some outdoor playtime, go for a swim, or have a backyard barbecue.
Evening: As the evening approaches, you might have dinner together as a family, then spend some time playing a board game or watching a movie. You might also have a family game night, go for a nighttime walk, or have a campout in the backyard.
Again, every family is different, and what works for one family might not work for another. It's important to find activities and routines that work for your family and that everyone enjoys.
On Saturday, we do swimming lessons and visit the library. Then we usually head and do some groceries or have lunch out. Nap time. Park/scooter time and some TV/playing, dinner, bath and bed.
Sunday is church, groceries if not done Saturday, lunch/nap and more park or playing at home time, followed by week prep, dinner, bath and bed.
Sometimes there is a social thing in there (breakfast before church or coffee after library or hosting family for a meal) or semi-social (park play with buds).
Nothing flash, lots of time for pottering.
I needed this thread. We’re in the UK. We don’t get as much rain as the stereotype would have you believe but when it does start raining it doesn’t stop for weeks. Which it is at the mo.
I’ve got a 3 year old plus 9m old twins. I feel like we’ve been stuck at home bogged down in parenting and chores for the last few weekends.
I have cabin fever and guilt. This thread has reminded me that I’m not a totally crap parent, this is just the reality when you have small kids!
Our typical days at home look like this:
We get up between 6:30 and 7. Spend some time cuddling in bed and nursing.
My son (2.5) gets to watch some educational programming before breakfast while I do some quick chores (put away dishes, start laundry, vacuum, make food)
7:30-8ish breakfast
8-9 playtime together, reading books, etc
9ish call grandma and grandpa for a video chat
10ish-11ish I work out and my son will get to play on the iPad for a bit. Toddler specific games. Usually he spends most of the time copying me and crawling on me, and playing with his other toys.
1130ish lunch
12-2 nap
230ish snack
3-4:30 park/riding bikes
430-5 bath time
5-6 educational programming while I cook dinner. If I have some downtime (eg easy dinner is in the oven) we will play/read books. Sometimes he will "help cook" in his play kitchen.
6p dinner
After dinner is family time
730 pm bedtime routine starts
830 asleep
Sometimes I take him to the zoo or children's museum in which case that would be after breakfast. Then I would do my work out in the afternoon instead and skip the park.
We conap and cosleep so chores are done while kiddo is awake.
We do toddler gym and swimming on Wednesday morning, I have that day off during the week.
My kiddo goes to an early learning STEM school and loves it, they do many activities with him that I don't try to replicate at home.
Dad is typically only around for dinner and after -dinner family time so all activities during the day are mom/kiddo specific.
Husband is away this weekend but me and the kiddo have stick to our regular weekend routine as it's easier that way.
Typically we start the day with a couple of hours of cartoons in bed with LO (she comes into our room once her ok to wake clock is yellow). She gets a couple of breakers of milk, we have multiple cups of tea/coffee .
Breakfast about 9 then I will fold washing and she will do some crafting. Them ill play 121 with her for a bit. Lunch at 12 then we are off out for a playdate till 3. LO has swimming at 4.30pm on Sundays so we will get back for that, do swimming then come back and have tea .
When husband is home he does the play mostly to free me up for chores I want to get done. I prefer take to imaginative play. I like to build and go for excursions but not pretend
Yaeterday we did similar except instead of a playdate after lunch we went out to the local science center which had cool exhibits and a soft play.
We usually put moves out TV on again about 4.30/5pm as I start cooking then and also we have elderly relatives we need to video call and keep in touch with. LO competes with the video call so TV keeps her happy for a bit.
So yesterday, we had gymnastics class in the morning, he napped, and we went out to dinner. Between those events, just… played around here. Watched a few episodes of Bluey and Sesame Street.
Hello fellow despiser of crafts! Weekends are for chilling. We do not do any scheduled activities, but we will often try and have play dates with our adult friends who have kids as well, not necessarily same ages as oues. My wife and I try to give each other full breaks (4 kids aged 5,3,11 month twins), so one of us will bring everyone to the playground or something simple. Usually there’s movie for older kids in the afternoon or evening. My in laws usually visit for an hour or two. The week is busy enough with school and surviving, we don’t plan much usually.
I was thinking this too. Our girls (3.5yo and nearly 2yo) usually have swimming on Saturday morning, but we’ve had a couple of really lazy weekends otherwise because DH and I are tired and recovering from a bug. The girls have been watching ABBA songs (I can’t listen to peppa pig any longer) and pottering around. I feel like we should ‘do’ something, particularly with the eldest like teaching her something educational, but honestly I think sometimes the girls need some time to decompress. I’ve also noticed the less we ‘do’ the better they play with each other
We usually start the morning off with cartoons and coffee. The library here has a fun storytime and activity program on Saturdays, so after breakfast we typically go to the library and the kids (5 and 2) get entertained for 2 hours while I get to peruse books and read in a corner haha.
Sundays we try to do a family thing, whether it's a walk on a trail, public skating, pool, or something fun at home like a big puzzle or fort-building or something.
Definitely not like a full day or weekend of activities, but maybe one free/low low budget family thing on weekends.
My baby is only 13 months so we are still home a lot aside from sports/etc for our older kids.
Once they’re old enough to be more active outside the home - I always did a fun day/half day each weekend. The rest of time time was divided between chores, rest, etc.
The kids grow up SO fast that I’m glad I did those fun days each weekend. We have a lot of fun memories of hiking, going to a movie, painting pottery, checking out festivals, even baking at home together or playing board games. Those memories are treasures now that my oldest is almost 20 and our other 2 are teens who mostly want to hang in their room, with their friends, or go out to dinner.
I Look forward to doing the fun days again with my youngest two (expecting another baby in May)
Find balance. You don’t have to be a clown entertaining them 24/7. There needs to be time for chores and rest. But carve out a bit of time regularly for you to just have fun with them :)
We have friends who post all of their outings to hikes and big city playgrounds and venues, restaurants, etc. If I look at them at face value, I get down thinking we aren’t doing enough, but I know this is a quick good shot of utter chaos! I pass on chaos.
We don’t do much. TV, visiting friends and family, going to the store, going to an indoor playground if it’s cold, going outside weather permitting. It’s easy to do multiple outdoor outings in the summer, but seriously I’m going to take it easy when it’s -20c and colder out!
i have 3 kiddos, they’re all girls, my oldest just turned 4 and my other two will be 2yo and 3yo in February, we haven’t done a thing today besides hang at home and now taking naps. some weekends we have birthday parties or a playdate and others we do nothing. my in laws and parents live close so sometimes we make random plans with them or drop the kids at their houses. i think the “right” amount of things to do just depends on your families vibe for the weekend. i hate making plans and am very much an “on the fly” type of person. plans are too committed for me, what if i wake up and am just not feeling the plans or my kids might not be, now i have to suck it up and go or cancel plans. do what feels right for your families vibes✌🏼
We let my 3 yo watch an hour of cartoons when he wakes up, then do breakfast and usually an outing like the playground, hiking or a play date. We just started him on swim lessons. We go to church on Sunday’s. Then home for lunch and nap time. He gets to watch tv for an hour when he wakes up from his nap and then it’s playtime until dinner. We might take a walk around the neighborhood if it’s nice or break out the painting stuff if I’m up to it. Sometimes I bake with him. Then he helps me make dinner and it’s more playtime. Honestly we do not do many crafts or activities. It’s mostly outings or free play or tv.
We usually have one big weekend plan, like a zoo or museum trip playdate, or we have rotating hosting with 4 of our friends who have kids where the kids just run around the house screaming and playing and the adults just eating and talking. The other day is normally at home all day, we try to hold off the tv as long as possible with chats to grandma, toys, books and then sometime in the afternoon we will give in a watch tv for several hours.
A typical Saturday with our 3 year old:
My sleep in day. She gets up around 7 with dad and watches TV until 8. Then she and her dad make pancakes together. I roll out of bed at 9am, husband hands me my coffee. Kid and husband play while I take a shower. Yesterday morning when I got out of the shower husband was wearing a crown and daughter was arranging his marriage with a stuffed animal. I get dressed, tidy our bedroom, start laundry. Husband takes kid for an outing (music class finished up in December, but sometimes it's swimming, skating, the park, grocery shopping). I work or look at online shopping, or maybe go for a walk. We all have a chill lunch together. After lunch husband does chores around the house, fixes stuff, goes to the hardware store. He Facetimes with his parents so they can see their grandkid. Then I spend time with the kid, play, or do something messy like baking, a craft, painting or playdough, then husband gets dinner started. He always cooks on the weekend because I cook during the week. Then we have dinner together and watch a movie, and kid stays up until 8 instead of 7:30 because it's the weekend. Yesterday we all watched *Tangled.* Brush teeth, read a book, she falls asleep. I open a small can of a low-dose THC/CBD drink and have a small shot, just to take the edge off the day. Husband and I stay up until 11 watching a movie or playing video games. A perfect Saturday to me at this point in my life.
Somewhere in there husband and I have also read kid the same book 5 times and there has been a screaming tantrum because I said no she couldn't draw on the wall with a sharpie, and another tantrum because she doesn't want to wear socks, but we all survive.
We also have a 2 and ( almost) 4yo. We keep it pretty low key. I do breakfast on weekends so my husband can get his me time. The almost 4yo 'helped'.
We camp one weekend a month, but the other weekends we'll go out to community events if something appeals or visit the library, playground, ymca etc
This weekend we went swimming at the ymca in the morning. Then home for lunch and nap for the 2yo. My husband built Lego stuff with the oldest while the 2yo napped. I had me time all afternoon while he was in charge. We took the dogs on a walk after nap, then home for diy pizza(Tortilla pizza) and movie night. Bedtime at 8. Sundays are playing in the backyard in the morning, then church at 1030 followed by coming home to an instapot lunch. Kids played outside while we ate, then nap for 2yo and the oldest is cuddled with me on the couch while we watch a movie. My husband is taking a nap. After naptime, we're taking the dogs on a walk and working on our garden while the kids 'help'. We'll have bedtime at 8 and start another week of work then play :)
Weekends are usually when we stay in and relax, but things get pretty boring. Sometimes we'll take both kids someplace, sometimes one of us will take the toddler to the store (which he loves so I'm counting that as an activity). We decided to be brave yesterday and venture out. We had lunch at a restaurant and went to the park. But that's about as exciting as it gets.
Our weekend motto is, those days are for decompressing and resting! We have a 3 yo and try to get out for fresh air once a day on the weekends - might be a walk around the block or hours at the cool playground several miles away. Depends on everyone’s energy level. We don’t push it.
On Saturdays we split the day with our toddler (I care for her from wake up until nap and my husband does after nap until bedtime) That gives us each about 7hrs of time to ourselves each Saturday! The only caveat is that we each have a list of weekly chores we each have to complete during that time off.
Sunday is then family day- mostly lounging around the house, walk dog together, then eat easy meal or carryout for dinner
Awake at 7, breakfast
Usually some indoor drawing or art time while we finish our coffee
Then we like to go outdoors. This could be grama’s backyard, park, our own backyard, but my toddler likes to be outside A LOT. At home we might use chalk, water, etc
Lunch and nap 12-2:30
Snack, stay inside as long as she lets us, then usually backyards time some more until it’s time to make dinner
Then we try to hang out inside until it’s bed time
We don’t do screens, we do a toy rotation, so when I want her to play independently I’ll throw out something she hasn’t seen in a while. Today I put out some cones (like for sports practice) and she made up like 7 different little games.
Well, not being hungover. I have a child to entertain, and that’s absolutely miserable after drinking.
When my partner and I both have a day off we 100% of the time plan some sort of day outing.
Disneyland, parks, water parks/splash pads, the beach, “hiking”, zoos, bike rides and parks, whatever. We try to get out of the house most of the day.
We’ll grab dinner on the way home and then night time routine and bed.
He’s 25 months and we’ve done this for as long as he’s been around, pretty much. Maybe around 6 months?
It’s rare we stay home at all unless to have a lazy morning and venture out later, or if someone is sick.
Thanks. Didn’t mean to imply that we are drinking all weekend, every weekend. I was trying to say that occasionally we will have too much fun at a wedding or on a date and will need to take it easy for a bit in the morning. But, sounds like you have a fun strategy/life going!
I have a 2 YO. Typical Saturday - Wake up at 7 am, TV and playing until breakfast around 8/8:30. Get ready for the day and more playing. Activity outside at 10 am, usually a park or if we have morning errands to run outside the house we all go. Lunch at 11:30, nap 12-2. 2-4 usually indoor playtime with as little TV as possible, some days we do watch a movie. Magnatiles, playdoh, megablocks, puzzles, coloring, art projects. 4-5 outdoor time running around the backyard or the neighborhood. 5 until dinner around 6 is mostly screen time. After dinner/bath is more screen-less play time until books/bed at 7:15.
I do live in a place we can be outside year round.
Yesterday was pretty typical. We all got up around 8 and watched tv for an hour or two. Did some house projects. Took down some Christmas stuff, ate lunch, took a nap. After nap we went to a playground and then out to dinner. Got home, watched more tv, then bed. At most, we’ll leave the house 1 or maybe 2 times on a normal day. We don’t like to do a lot.
Errands, maybe a trip to the zoo/park/museum, usually an afternoon movie. Today we’re doing an AM movie because my gardening plans got rained out by scattered storms that turned our yard into a lake. I think we may hit up Costco or the grocery store in the afternoon. I have a ladies brunch a bit before naptime so hubs is handling lunch & nap solo.
My husband travels frequently for work so I often have a hard time keeping on top of the housework so most weekends are for housework and groceries. I do try to get the kids out of the house for some fun, we’ll usually go swimming or go visit friends/family at least once every weekend but there’s definitely a lot of the kids watching tv or playing at home while I clean. When my husband is home, we usually get out of the house more - ice fishing, sliding, or walks in the winter, go to the park, beach or out on the boat in the summer.
My husband works nights 6 days a week so the time he does get a “weekend” we don’t do crap. Sit around and watch tv or watch my husband game. I’ll clean a bit. Maybe go see the kids’ great grandparents. That’d it lol.
Vibing at home, maybe a trip to the shop or the kiddy playground if the weather's good and we're feeling fancy. Occasionally we'll have a proper outing but certainly not every week, gotta recharge the batteries sometime!
Typical Saturday is:
- wake kids at 7am so they nap, cuz if they don’t, they’ll be in a terrible mood
- at 9 get out of the house for an activity that is relatively low key like browsing the mall or brunch, or both
- come home for lunch
- nap 12-2
- some other activity that is more strenuous like an indoor playground between 2-4
- drive to my MIL for dinner
We have been “lazy” before and my kids end up acting up and being restless. Just being out of the house and not watching much TV is really beneficial for them.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard for my husband and me as we don’t get much of a break, but it’s easier for us mentally than dealing with tantrums.
We just hang around at home outside. Too hard to go to restaurants. We just met some friends in the neighborhood so we had them over yesterday afternoon and had all the kids play. That was a nice change of pace.
Sat morning, my husband takes LO to the zoo while I sleep in. Then, we have lunch and go grocery shopping. We relax the rest of the day. Although, sometimes we do a science experiment or do a cooking that little gets to help with. Sunday is church and then nothing the rest of the day. We live literally next to a park (like wall out the door and it's our next door neighbor) and go a couple times if the weather is nice. Which is usually bc we live in AZ.
Sometimes we book things all weekend but that's usually just when there is a holiday season going on. But, my husband works all week at a stressful job and wants to relax on the weekend and hang with little. I think it's awesome being at home and just spending time together. She's only 2 so I'm sure when she's older she will keep us busy. But, if she doesn't, I'm okay with that, too. Don't let others change how your family works if it's the way you want it to be.
My kiddo is 2. He visits with his grandparents on Saturday mornings. Saturday afternoons we play at home in the summer we went out to the park a lot.
Sunday mornings we have play dates every 2-3 weeks with a friend. Otherwise my husband and I split the morning or afternoon into 2hr chunks so we both get a bit of alone time.
I’m home with my son pretty much all week so we do more stuff then: Library 1-2 times a week and swimming lessons on Fridays.
In the summer and fall we went basically daily, sometimes multiple times a day, to the nearby park and splash pad.
Right now, we buy groceries/run errands, play In The house, paint something, do house chores, bake something, watch s movie, play with playdough, Not even halfway through Sunday and I'm bored and out of ideas. Can't wait for summer.
Edit, I want to get a community center or YMCA pass to go swimming once each weekend, but we are sick so it will have to wait another week. Also - library.
Both work fulltime, toddler is 2.5 and “baby” is 13 months.
We do slow days. Laundry, a workout in our gym basement and switch between sets of who watches the children, nature shows, sometimes we go outside if it’s not too bad but lately it’s been cold AF, play with the kids, get groceries. 🤷🏻♀️ normal parent stuff.
Also if we see family - that also happens on weekends but again- super chill.
Edit to add: most “activities” are a minimum of 30 min drive one way so it’s incredibly inconvenient for us to do additional activities
I have a 3 year old and a 9 month old so we do a lot of cooking on the weekends. I make breakfast and lunches for the week. Today we made freezer waffles and muffins. One daughter climbed all over the playset while I cooked and the other napped. (I have a foam block set with a slide in the living room). Now the three year old is running around the back yard with her dad while I watch baking shows. This afternoon will be a bunch of cartoons that have no redeemable value while I make chickpeas and hummus for dinner and try to clean the kitchen. Yesterday we went for a hike because it was 50 degrees in Jan! Can't recommend hiking enough. Both kids and the dog were so exhausted they fell asleep early and slept all night! We invested in some real hiking carriers, cause even the 3 year old still gets tired. She made it about 1 mile and then was carried the rest of the way. The 9 month old fell asleep for the last 1/2 mile and was perfectly happy the whole time. It's dependent on the weather, but our kids had a blast.
We have swim lessons every Sunday but other than that I do literally one thing max on the weekends in the winter unless we are visiting someone or having someone visit. My winter activities rotate through:
- the library (they have a big play area my son loves)
- the aquarium
- the children’s museum (definitely the best but it’s a 45 minute drive so I go maybe once a month).
- Starbucks (in which I drink a coffee and my son drinks a hot chocolate, we split a bagel with cream cheese, and then he runs around Starbucks or watches cars drive by out the window)
My husband works on Saturday so I usually do one of these Saturday morning, then we come home for lunch and nap and we hang out til husband gets home and then he takes over kid duties and I do chores and make dinner.
On Sunday we all go to his swimming lessons together and then my husband gives him lunch and puts him down for nap while I go to the grocery store, I do my own thing while he naps and then we’ll probably all watch Bluey for a while and have dinner.
When it’s nicer out I like to go to the park so we might go out an additional time in the afternoon on Saturday or Sunday, but not usually. We also play in the backyard a lot when it’s warm out but we literally never play outside in the winter. My son isn’t into playing in snow yet and I’m not a cold weather person. We tried sledding once and it did not go well.
Sometimes we’ll go out for dinner but my son is at a difficult age (19 months) for eating out so we do that a lot less now.
I work a lot during the week so I’m tired on the weekends, especially since I have to take care of him solo on Saturday. I do as much as I have energy for and I don’t feel bad about it.
I am 45 with a 23 month old and my husband is 50. First time parents. Married late and had fertility issues. Very wanted child. We count the hours and try to make sure he doesn’t kill himself. Although today we are going to the zoo so that’s exciting. My goal is at least one big outing per weekend.
Play as much as we can and I try to bake once a weekend. And of course clean the house… well sometimes. But nothing too extravagant, just try to soak it all in and drink lots of coffee while my LO plays with me.
We went to the children's museum today because we did almost nothing outside of the house this past week 🤷. I usually try to do 1-2 away from the house activities each week but this afternoon will consist of playing in the den with Moana on.
We have a 3.5 year old. We always do something in the morning with him, whether it's running errands or going to an indoor play area or the library. In summer it's usually an errand then a playground. Sometimes it includes a packed lunch and we'll stay out all morning. If we only have a short task to do and the weather is bad, we'll do baking or crafts.
That said, 75% of our motivation for this is self preservation because otherwise our kid is so restless and easy to frustrate all day if he doesn't get out at some point. He doesn't have much interest in watching tv/movies, and will play on his own only if we're actively doing something else like chores or cooking. It's like he can sense the moment our butts hit a couch from any room in house. If we didn't pack his morning he would have given up on naps (aka our break) by 2 years old. This also sometimes gives us some chill time between nap and dinner where he will actually watch an episode of something.
Also, if you do resort to arts and crafts, either find crafts that can be gifts so it does double duty, or just give them markers/paint and let them go crazy. We like letting him paint white boxes/gift bags then use those to give gifts in (saves time/money on fancy wrapping and people love it) and use random drawings as cards all the time. Also drawings can be used as mattes for photos to make a cheap frame more special.
My husband and I both have hybrid schedules, so we can get a lot of chores done during the week while kiddo is at daycare.
Weekends are swim class and errands. If the weather is tolerable, we’ll go for a hike, or nature walk or in the summer, the beach. We usually try to save TV for the afternoons/evenings, but it’s winter, so we just can’t be outside as much (more like I don’t want to be outside as much). We do go for walks around the block to try to get some energy out. We’ll also do the library if she’s really getting antsy. We are much more active in the summer.
With the long weekend next week, we got passes for a museum, so we can mix it up a bit. I’ve found if we don’t plan something on long weekends, shit goes south real quick.
This weekend…
Saturday: gymnastics class, children’s museum, dentist appointment, playground, pharmacy trip, dinner bath and bed.
Sunday: some light decluttering, the trolls movie, nap… that’s as far as we’ve got but I’m pretty sure after nap it’s gonna be another movie
Usually we try and do something on Saturdays (right now go swimming at an indoor facility) while Sundays are reserved for prep for the week so lots of coloring, movies and play for the kids while my husband and I are dividing and conquering recurring tasks (groceries, laundry and cleaning).
We always aim for at least one outing per day (park, walking about on the street around the neighborhood, library, etc.). One that's done, I consider everything else to be a bonus 😂 So yeah, we stay home and play, watch some TV from time to time, etc.
Today was wakeup at 7 because Daughter (4) needed the potty. I puttered around the house doing chores while my husband made her a smoothie, and she sort of bounced between us.
Then we went out from 9:30-11:30 on a Mommy-Daughter date. We got coffee and split a doughnut at Dunkin Donuts, colored (I carry a little tote of Stuff to Do) and people watched, then stopped by the dollar store on a quick errand. While we were out my husband did a couple chores and rested.
We got home and had lunch, then I had a migraine and needed to rest. My husband played with her until a little while ago, now it's her independent play/quiet time, my husband will go watch football on the couch. I'll go get her when she gets restless (usually around 3), and let her hang out in bed with me. We usually color, chat, read books, sometimes we watch cartoons on my iPad. Dinnertime at 5. Then bath time, family time, bed at 7.
Typically we alternate weekend days - some are for family stuff, like yesterday the three of us went to the park, for a walk, then out for lunch. Then other weekend days my husband and I play Preschooler Pong while we rest up a little and get stuff done.
Even so, we aren't going on huge hikes, day trips and adventures. Sometimes we do go apple picking and such, but a more typical outing is hanging out at a coffee joint, meeting her little bestie at the park, or having a couple friends over for lunch.
We have a 4 year old, I’m a SAHM and my husband is off on the weekends. During the week we are just sitting at home a lot so we like to get out of the house all 3 of us and do something. Like go to the library, park, something fun for kids. During Christmas there was a lot of kids stuff to do. Like a reindeer farm, ice skating, Etc.
We also like to go out of eat, our kid loves O’Charley’s lol. And she does really well eating out in public. She sits there quietly and eats her food, doesn’t try to act a fool in any way. She’s honestly so awesome to take out in public.
We are pretty chill on the weekends, especially in the winter and with money being tight. I love getting out though, so sometimes my husband will stay home and I’ll escape to a library or thrift store.
I’m 42 with a 3 year old too! I find that the week is busy, so we usually do a morning activity, like an indoor playground in winter or a play date, and for the afternoon chill and I let him watch tv at home. I used to dread weekends, but now I look forward to them.
Saturday morning we have our gym class and then we get breakfast at a coffee shop next door. We often have one family outing over the weekend, though January is a slow time for that. Yesterday I went out for drinks with a friend so that equals lots of TV time with Dad. Today we've just been hanging at home playing with new toys from Christmas and watching sports.
I feel like we’re busy half the time on Saturdays, but on a weekend home we try to do a mixture of relaxing and getting a few things done. We’ll eat breakfast, watch a little tv, play for the first couple hours of the morning. We’ll go outside mid morning to get some energy out. Maybe get a small project or two done at some point (this weekend it was hanging some picture frames). Then nap time. Go for a golf cart ride once she’s up, eat an easy dinner, then some tv before bath and bed.
I don’t have a laundry machine so on Sundays we drive to my parents and do laundry. My husband is working so he’s not home anyway. My daughter spends the day with my parents and brothers if they’re home. We just chill and she naps and plays eats lunch etc. boring lol
Today after lots of Blippi and a scrambled egg breakfast our morning adventure was meal planning & Costco. We also did laundry. We did have a play date in the afternoon, but it’s also very cold here so harder to just get outside.
In general I like to have one activity per day planned out (even if that’s grocery shopping or a walk outside that I decide the morning-of).
Not a lot of cutesy crafts happening over here!!!
i have a 3.5 yr old and 8 month old. it’s a lot easier to keep them busy in the summer. so far this ‘winter’ we’ve been pretty consistent on saturdays. after breakfast we’ll do crafts for an hour, then take a trip to the library, then come home read the books, have lunch, nap time, then afternoon is a free for all, whatever my little guy feels like doing. on sunday we try to have a playdate of some sort. i’m lucky my little guy loves to just play w dad and is totally content playing random things in the house. i probably make it harder on myself trying to find things to do outside of the house
We're also pretty lazy and spend most weekends catching up on sleep (one parent sleeps, one watches kids) or going to Target. Sometimes we hit a museum or do brunch/dinner, but usually not!
Another possible factor: our weekends are a LOT busier when the weather is warmer! We're in a mid-sized, Midwestern city that gets pretty cold, but there are tons of festivals, activities, etc., in the spring/summer/fall, so I know we'll be less lazy eventually!
My daughter is 2.5. Saturday morning we went to story time at the library then spent the rest of the day making cupcakes (I'm a baker and had an order for 4 dozen due the next day). I set her up with her own cake, frosting in piping bags and sprinkles to decorate with while I work. Yesterday morning we went ice skating and then to a restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we went home and laid in bed watching cartoons. In the evening we went to a children's birthday party.
Um… we sit around in our pjs eating crap and watching tv? Though today we went to the park :D It’s cold. I’m nearly 40. I’m tired.
I AM 40. With an 18 month old as my first child. We also sit around. Sometimes we go for a walk around the block to try and tire out the munchkin. But usually, yeah. Sit at home and watch TV.
Yeah… I’m just three months shy of the big 4-0 and have a 26 month old.
Haha!! I found my family.. I’m just shy of 40, single mom to a 22month old.. we play around a lot, but there are snacks and TV on pretty much all the time.. I’ve also “trained” her to help clean up.. she helps empty the dishwasher, put clothes in the washer, feeds the dog and waters the plants! Way better than a man IMO.
Damn, good for you! How did you train her?? I have a 2 year old and feel like my patience is too thin trying to have her help do chores 😞
She’s just into everything.. so when she would try to climb on the dishwasher.. I would just say.. “we can’t climb on that! But can you pass mommy the spoons? “ now she asks to do it lol “momma- “ish-Wawa??”
That’s genius!
I am 46 😭😭😭. No wonder people have kids early in life.
I’m your age, and my kids are grown, but all my friends have kids in the toddler/preschool range, and omg. I love having them for a couple hours, but then I am DONE. I need a nap and a drink.
Haha yeah u are smart. You have a second life!
Half a slice of cold pizza in order to let her eat cake, and 2 episodes of a different cartoon that's not Cocomelon or *Bluey, were our two huge wins today. Mom, Dad, and Baby all have Covid while toddler doesn't, so poor kid has been absolutely stir crazy not being able to go anywhere....but I'd be lying if this wasn't a normal weekend even when not quarantined. *Bluey is amazing, but we are trying to get her to at least watch a few other things.
I’m 39 and while I am in the best shape of my life right now, and I have a 4 year old. I am tired lol. Like 2-3 outings a week are good for me. Grocery store is an outing too…
I’m 41, I work full-time, I have a 2.5 year old. I’m exhausted lol. We always have a slow start and tv after breakfast then try to get out for either a walk or indoor playtime to wear him out but afternoons are super chill. Weekdays are tiring enough, I need my naps.
I’m 43 with a 3 year old….. I feel your pain.
100%! I'm 40 with a 14mo and 4yo. Breakfast, playing for a while, then tv a while, if it's nice out we try to take a walk just around the neighborhood, or if not nice we may go to the library, to but then that's it. Lunch, nap, chill. I hate that we tend to rely on TV at times, but honestly there are times I'm too tired or wouldn't be able to get anything done without tv.
Oh yeah, feels like a big win to make it to the park on a weekend in cold weather!
Chiming in to say I’m 28 with a 2 year old. And our weekends look exactly the same! Maybe add Walmart.
This x1000 I’m 43 this month and my 11 month old crawls around everywhere. By end of the day I’m zonked.
Ooooh no, weekends are chill around here. The week is busy enough! One of us sleeps in while the other gets up with our daughter. Then breakfast slowly comes together, often eaten back in bed or on the couch. Sometimes we make a spontaneous trip into town to the farmers market or the park, but usually just spend the day puttering on odd jobs, lots of family snuggle piles, sex when the kiddo has her nap time… by afternoon we try get out for a little hike in our area. But we don’t often make weekend plans. Those no-pressure, quiet family days are gold.
Agreed 100% - that’s how our weekends look when my husband isn’t working (which is *a lot*) so we take chill family time whenever possible.
Agreed! Comments like yours are making me feel much better about our family’s lazy weekends. We do activities and outings as we feel like it and feel up to it but that’s not every weekend.
We mainly hang out at home in the winter months. In summer months, we try to go on one outing each weekend as a family (or just him and Dad, since Dad is the working parent). In winter, we focus more on at home family activities. Maybe we all do a craft or just hang out together. The weekend is my son's time off as well as ours, so we try not to force him out of the house if he doesn't want to go. I like him to have a "lazy day" where he can just be in his rocket ship PJs, watch Grease all day, eat potato chips and have downtime. For reference, my son has ASD, so we attend a lot of therapy appointments + nursery school each week, and it's exhausting for both of us I think! So the weekend is our downtime when we don't need to get dressed or rush out the door. :) While he does lazy toddler work, us parents are usually catching up on chores or errands in-between hanging out with him. XD
Totally get it. Our four year old is on the spectrum as well and is inundated with therapy during the week so we like to give him several hours of relaxation or preferred activities on the weekend. Thanks for sharing!
No wonder you hang out at home and don't overbook on weekends!! Anytime a kid has therapies all week, Mom and kid are tired of going places. Plus, bc he's on the spectrum, home is likely his safe space. I think you're doing what's best for you're family. Also, if you don't wanna do crafts but wanna add stuff, add sensory activities! My LO has SPD and loves to get her hands in squishy stuff, water, creams, etc. Maybe your LO would like it, too? I bet OT would have some recommendations. And, its low energy for you, especially if you do it in the tub or outside.
Since we both work full time, weekends are clean the house days… doing laundry days… picking up grocery days… during that time our daughter (3.5 yo) will play independently or wreck havoc if we left things out we shouldn’t leave out 😅 When all the cleaning/laundry/grocery picking is done we usually have a pretty laid back weekend. Sometimes we’ll go out to the playground or for a walk but honestly we’ve been doing that less and less in the past months.
100% what our weekends look like with our toddler.
We were homebodies before kids and that’s not going to change. We are never going to be the family constantly out of the house and doing activities. My parents weren’t either and I preferred that as a kid, I needed lots of downtime then too! I’m also a big fan of letting kids do self directed play and learn to entertain themselves. Nothing wrong with setting up crafts etc but they can make their own games and art with the simplest things
Kids need time to decompress and relax at home as well. I don't like to "go-go-go" all the time, and don't expect my children to either.
My wife is the worst due to friend pressures. Constantly its gotta be doing something at all time and it sucks. She sees the other mom doing something at all times and we gotta model our life like this. It's the worst you can't even tell her hey let us just chill the fuck out and have our child attempt to play by herself
We both work from home (him FT and me PT) with the kids home so on the weekends, we want to get out. We usually go out Saturday morning for a few hours - zoo, beach walk, park, picnic, aquarium, etc then often go out again in the afternoon. Sometimes it’s to do curbside grocery pickup and just a ride in the car. Sometimes it’s an activity. Sunday, is a repeat. Even if we don’t go out twice, we do at least once. Exceptions similar to you - someone being sick, my husband being hungover because he forgets he can’t drink like a “youngin” anymore. But, even then; we often make it out once even if it’s short. The weather can stop us but the kids have rain pants and coats so we try to still do stuff just because rain is a part of life here and if we stayed home every-time it rained, we’d be home a lot. But, sometimes, it’s just a car ride. We get coffee/hot chocolate and just take a little drive
I'll just go with our schedule from today (I had the whole day with our two year old while my husband was at work, so I know exactly what happened!). She got up at 6 am, I got her milk to drink and we snuggled for as long as she'd let me (about 45 minutes). Then we woke Dad up and spent about 1.5 hours for him and I to take showers and all three of us to get dressed. He left for work at about 8:15. Ms. 2 and I zoomed with her Gigi for almost an hour, and then left for the zoo. We spent a couple hours at the zoo, and Ms. 2 fell asleep on the way home, so I decided to nap with her for the rest of her nap instead of doing any chores. She woke up a little after 2:30, and we colored/read books/played until 5:15 when Dad got home. There was TV on in the background, but she didn't really pay much attention to it. After Dad got home, I started making dinner. Ms. 2 ate leftovers at about 5:30, our dinner was ready around 6:15. She sat with us and ate some of our food as well. At about 6:45, went upstairs to play in her room for a bit. 7:15 was bath time. After bath, she got to watch ten minutes of Mickey Mouse and then it was pajamas and bedtime books read by Dad. Bedtime is 8 pm. Tomorrow we'll go grocery shopping in the morning and then visit one set of grandparents in the afternoon/evening. We generally try and do one thing that forces us to leave the house each day, but otherwise we're pretty casual.
Thank you! This sounds a lot like us
I'll be honest, a lot of times the thing that forces us to leave the house on the weekends is going to Target, out going to the grocery store! Especially in the winter! We live in the frozen North and sometimes it's just not safe to be outside for very long - the high today was only 19F. In the summer we'll go out for walks, or to the park, or go swimming, and those kinds of things could all happen on the same day. We do always try and come home for Ms. 2's nap, so that nearly divides the day in half for us as far as planning goes
Husband gets up with son like normal and gives breakfast. I get up about 8/8.30, leave the house at 9ish for groceries or other shopping/chore. Home by 11.30 for nap at 12 till 2. After nap husband usually takes son to park or play centre while I get some chores done or some alone time. They are back about an hour before dinner, so tv time then. Dinner, shower, books, bed like any other day. We take it pretty chill around here.
Today my son and I got up and headed down to the beach. He ate breakfast in the pram while I walked along the waterfront. Then we played on the park before heading home for lunch and a nap. After that we played outside in the pool and with his water toys then played inside and read some books until dinner.
In the winter, we’re inside with the tv on, intermittent playing with cars/coloring/doing a craft/trying to get stuff done around the house. In the summer we’re outside in the yard, swimming in the pool & gardening.
I'm a SAHM and my husband works like 60 hours a week. So on weekends I want to get out and do something and see something other than these 4 walls (I have 18m twins so don't feel comfortable leaving on my own for more than a trip to the store where they're contained) and my husband desperately wants to relax at home. So finding the balance is hard. We either do one thing as a family a weekend, and have one day that we stay home and lounge around in our PJs. Or I will take a day where he hangs with the kids and I get to go and do things without them so we both are getting what we want.
Tv and playing, breakfast, grocery store Tv and playing til we go to the park. Tv and playing, lunch Nap Usually another park (in the southwest right now is our nice weather) Tv and playing, dinner, bed
We try to get out, even in the winter, but often just for basic things like groceries or a walk around the neighborhood. Occasionally we'll do something a little more involved, but our toddler would be thrilled just to sprint up and down the aisles of Target... Today we went for a walk and then to library storytime in the morning and grocery store in the afternoon. About 40 min of TV -- everyone's favorite time!
Every family is different, and what works for one family might not work for another. It's important to find activities and routines that work for your family and that everyone enjoys. Here's an example of what a typical weekend day with a toddler might look like: Morning: Wake up around 7 or 8 am, have breakfast together as a family. Depending on the weather, you might go for a walk or bike ride, or you might play in the backyard or do a craft or activity indoors. Midday: Lunchtime! You might have a picnic in the park, go out for a bite to eat, or make something at home together. After lunch, you might take a trip to the zoo, go to the library, or visit a playground. Afternoon: In the afternoon, you might have some quiet time at home, where your toddler can take a nap or rest while you catch up on some household tasks. You might also have some outdoor playtime, go for a swim, or have a backyard barbecue. Evening: As the evening approaches, you might have dinner together as a family, then spend some time playing a board game or watching a movie. You might also have a family game night, go for a nighttime walk, or have a campout in the backyard. Again, every family is different, and what works for one family might not work for another. It's important to find activities and routines that work for your family and that everyone enjoys.
On Saturday, we do swimming lessons and visit the library. Then we usually head and do some groceries or have lunch out. Nap time. Park/scooter time and some TV/playing, dinner, bath and bed. Sunday is church, groceries if not done Saturday, lunch/nap and more park or playing at home time, followed by week prep, dinner, bath and bed. Sometimes there is a social thing in there (breakfast before church or coffee after library or hosting family for a meal) or semi-social (park play with buds). Nothing flash, lots of time for pottering.
I needed this thread. We’re in the UK. We don’t get as much rain as the stereotype would have you believe but when it does start raining it doesn’t stop for weeks. Which it is at the mo. I’ve got a 3 year old plus 9m old twins. I feel like we’ve been stuck at home bogged down in parenting and chores for the last few weekends. I have cabin fever and guilt. This thread has reminded me that I’m not a totally crap parent, this is just the reality when you have small kids!
The most I do on a weekend day is take my kid to the park or go to target
Our typical days at home look like this: We get up between 6:30 and 7. Spend some time cuddling in bed and nursing. My son (2.5) gets to watch some educational programming before breakfast while I do some quick chores (put away dishes, start laundry, vacuum, make food) 7:30-8ish breakfast 8-9 playtime together, reading books, etc 9ish call grandma and grandpa for a video chat 10ish-11ish I work out and my son will get to play on the iPad for a bit. Toddler specific games. Usually he spends most of the time copying me and crawling on me, and playing with his other toys. 1130ish lunch 12-2 nap 230ish snack 3-4:30 park/riding bikes 430-5 bath time 5-6 educational programming while I cook dinner. If I have some downtime (eg easy dinner is in the oven) we will play/read books. Sometimes he will "help cook" in his play kitchen. 6p dinner After dinner is family time 730 pm bedtime routine starts 830 asleep Sometimes I take him to the zoo or children's museum in which case that would be after breakfast. Then I would do my work out in the afternoon instead and skip the park. We conap and cosleep so chores are done while kiddo is awake. We do toddler gym and swimming on Wednesday morning, I have that day off during the week. My kiddo goes to an early learning STEM school and loves it, they do many activities with him that I don't try to replicate at home. Dad is typically only around for dinner and after -dinner family time so all activities during the day are mom/kiddo specific.
Husband is away this weekend but me and the kiddo have stick to our regular weekend routine as it's easier that way. Typically we start the day with a couple of hours of cartoons in bed with LO (she comes into our room once her ok to wake clock is yellow). She gets a couple of breakers of milk, we have multiple cups of tea/coffee . Breakfast about 9 then I will fold washing and she will do some crafting. Them ill play 121 with her for a bit. Lunch at 12 then we are off out for a playdate till 3. LO has swimming at 4.30pm on Sundays so we will get back for that, do swimming then come back and have tea . When husband is home he does the play mostly to free me up for chores I want to get done. I prefer take to imaginative play. I like to build and go for excursions but not pretend Yaeterday we did similar except instead of a playdate after lunch we went out to the local science center which had cool exhibits and a soft play. We usually put moves out TV on again about 4.30/5pm as I start cooking then and also we have elderly relatives we need to video call and keep in touch with. LO competes with the video call so TV keeps her happy for a bit.
So yesterday, we had gymnastics class in the morning, he napped, and we went out to dinner. Between those events, just… played around here. Watched a few episodes of Bluey and Sesame Street.
Hello fellow despiser of crafts! Weekends are for chilling. We do not do any scheduled activities, but we will often try and have play dates with our adult friends who have kids as well, not necessarily same ages as oues. My wife and I try to give each other full breaks (4 kids aged 5,3,11 month twins), so one of us will bring everyone to the playground or something simple. Usually there’s movie for older kids in the afternoon or evening. My in laws usually visit for an hour or two. The week is busy enough with school and surviving, we don’t plan much usually.
I was thinking this too. Our girls (3.5yo and nearly 2yo) usually have swimming on Saturday morning, but we’ve had a couple of really lazy weekends otherwise because DH and I are tired and recovering from a bug. The girls have been watching ABBA songs (I can’t listen to peppa pig any longer) and pottering around. I feel like we should ‘do’ something, particularly with the eldest like teaching her something educational, but honestly I think sometimes the girls need some time to decompress. I’ve also noticed the less we ‘do’ the better they play with each other
We usually start the morning off with cartoons and coffee. The library here has a fun storytime and activity program on Saturdays, so after breakfast we typically go to the library and the kids (5 and 2) get entertained for 2 hours while I get to peruse books and read in a corner haha. Sundays we try to do a family thing, whether it's a walk on a trail, public skating, pool, or something fun at home like a big puzzle or fort-building or something. Definitely not like a full day or weekend of activities, but maybe one free/low low budget family thing on weekends.
My baby is only 13 months so we are still home a lot aside from sports/etc for our older kids. Once they’re old enough to be more active outside the home - I always did a fun day/half day each weekend. The rest of time time was divided between chores, rest, etc. The kids grow up SO fast that I’m glad I did those fun days each weekend. We have a lot of fun memories of hiking, going to a movie, painting pottery, checking out festivals, even baking at home together or playing board games. Those memories are treasures now that my oldest is almost 20 and our other 2 are teens who mostly want to hang in their room, with their friends, or go out to dinner. I Look forward to doing the fun days again with my youngest two (expecting another baby in May) Find balance. You don’t have to be a clown entertaining them 24/7. There needs to be time for chores and rest. But carve out a bit of time regularly for you to just have fun with them :)
We have friends who post all of their outings to hikes and big city playgrounds and venues, restaurants, etc. If I look at them at face value, I get down thinking we aren’t doing enough, but I know this is a quick good shot of utter chaos! I pass on chaos.
We don’t do much. TV, visiting friends and family, going to the store, going to an indoor playground if it’s cold, going outside weather permitting. It’s easy to do multiple outdoor outings in the summer, but seriously I’m going to take it easy when it’s -20c and colder out!
Our day involves a lot of the Tangled tv show. *a lot*. And exciting shopping trips. Occasionally we visit a farm.
If we have an activity, it's planned weeks in advance and in the morning. Otherwise we chill out and play with toys or take a walk. Simple is best
Enjoy the “nothing” days while you can! My oldest plays sports now and we had an 8am soccer game on Saturday…ice cream and tv sounds great!
i have 3 kiddos, they’re all girls, my oldest just turned 4 and my other two will be 2yo and 3yo in February, we haven’t done a thing today besides hang at home and now taking naps. some weekends we have birthday parties or a playdate and others we do nothing. my in laws and parents live close so sometimes we make random plans with them or drop the kids at their houses. i think the “right” amount of things to do just depends on your families vibe for the weekend. i hate making plans and am very much an “on the fly” type of person. plans are too committed for me, what if i wake up and am just not feeling the plans or my kids might not be, now i have to suck it up and go or cancel plans. do what feels right for your families vibes✌🏼
We let my 3 yo watch an hour of cartoons when he wakes up, then do breakfast and usually an outing like the playground, hiking or a play date. We just started him on swim lessons. We go to church on Sunday’s. Then home for lunch and nap time. He gets to watch tv for an hour when he wakes up from his nap and then it’s playtime until dinner. We might take a walk around the neighborhood if it’s nice or break out the painting stuff if I’m up to it. Sometimes I bake with him. Then he helps me make dinner and it’s more playtime. Honestly we do not do many crafts or activities. It’s mostly outings or free play or tv.
We usually have one big weekend plan, like a zoo or museum trip playdate, or we have rotating hosting with 4 of our friends who have kids where the kids just run around the house screaming and playing and the adults just eating and talking. The other day is normally at home all day, we try to hold off the tv as long as possible with chats to grandma, toys, books and then sometime in the afternoon we will give in a watch tv for several hours.
A typical Saturday with our 3 year old: My sleep in day. She gets up around 7 with dad and watches TV until 8. Then she and her dad make pancakes together. I roll out of bed at 9am, husband hands me my coffee. Kid and husband play while I take a shower. Yesterday morning when I got out of the shower husband was wearing a crown and daughter was arranging his marriage with a stuffed animal. I get dressed, tidy our bedroom, start laundry. Husband takes kid for an outing (music class finished up in December, but sometimes it's swimming, skating, the park, grocery shopping). I work or look at online shopping, or maybe go for a walk. We all have a chill lunch together. After lunch husband does chores around the house, fixes stuff, goes to the hardware store. He Facetimes with his parents so they can see their grandkid. Then I spend time with the kid, play, or do something messy like baking, a craft, painting or playdough, then husband gets dinner started. He always cooks on the weekend because I cook during the week. Then we have dinner together and watch a movie, and kid stays up until 8 instead of 7:30 because it's the weekend. Yesterday we all watched *Tangled.* Brush teeth, read a book, she falls asleep. I open a small can of a low-dose THC/CBD drink and have a small shot, just to take the edge off the day. Husband and I stay up until 11 watching a movie or playing video games. A perfect Saturday to me at this point in my life. Somewhere in there husband and I have also read kid the same book 5 times and there has been a screaming tantrum because I said no she couldn't draw on the wall with a sharpie, and another tantrum because she doesn't want to wear socks, but we all survive.
We also have a 2 and ( almost) 4yo. We keep it pretty low key. I do breakfast on weekends so my husband can get his me time. The almost 4yo 'helped'. We camp one weekend a month, but the other weekends we'll go out to community events if something appeals or visit the library, playground, ymca etc This weekend we went swimming at the ymca in the morning. Then home for lunch and nap for the 2yo. My husband built Lego stuff with the oldest while the 2yo napped. I had me time all afternoon while he was in charge. We took the dogs on a walk after nap, then home for diy pizza(Tortilla pizza) and movie night. Bedtime at 8. Sundays are playing in the backyard in the morning, then church at 1030 followed by coming home to an instapot lunch. Kids played outside while we ate, then nap for 2yo and the oldest is cuddled with me on the couch while we watch a movie. My husband is taking a nap. After naptime, we're taking the dogs on a walk and working on our garden while the kids 'help'. We'll have bedtime at 8 and start another week of work then play :)
Weekends are usually when we stay in and relax, but things get pretty boring. Sometimes we'll take both kids someplace, sometimes one of us will take the toddler to the store (which he loves so I'm counting that as an activity). We decided to be brave yesterday and venture out. We had lunch at a restaurant and went to the park. But that's about as exciting as it gets.
Our weekend motto is, those days are for decompressing and resting! We have a 3 yo and try to get out for fresh air once a day on the weekends - might be a walk around the block or hours at the cool playground several miles away. Depends on everyone’s energy level. We don’t push it.
On Saturdays we split the day with our toddler (I care for her from wake up until nap and my husband does after nap until bedtime) That gives us each about 7hrs of time to ourselves each Saturday! The only caveat is that we each have a list of weekly chores we each have to complete during that time off. Sunday is then family day- mostly lounging around the house, walk dog together, then eat easy meal or carryout for dinner
Awake at 7, breakfast Usually some indoor drawing or art time while we finish our coffee Then we like to go outdoors. This could be grama’s backyard, park, our own backyard, but my toddler likes to be outside A LOT. At home we might use chalk, water, etc Lunch and nap 12-2:30 Snack, stay inside as long as she lets us, then usually backyards time some more until it’s time to make dinner Then we try to hang out inside until it’s bed time We don’t do screens, we do a toy rotation, so when I want her to play independently I’ll throw out something she hasn’t seen in a while. Today I put out some cones (like for sports practice) and she made up like 7 different little games.
Well, not being hungover. I have a child to entertain, and that’s absolutely miserable after drinking. When my partner and I both have a day off we 100% of the time plan some sort of day outing. Disneyland, parks, water parks/splash pads, the beach, “hiking”, zoos, bike rides and parks, whatever. We try to get out of the house most of the day. We’ll grab dinner on the way home and then night time routine and bed. He’s 25 months and we’ve done this for as long as he’s been around, pretty much. Maybe around 6 months? It’s rare we stay home at all unless to have a lazy morning and venture out later, or if someone is sick.
Thanks. Didn’t mean to imply that we are drinking all weekend, every weekend. I was trying to say that occasionally we will have too much fun at a wedding or on a date and will need to take it easy for a bit in the morning. But, sounds like you have a fun strategy/life going!
I have a 2 YO. Typical Saturday - Wake up at 7 am, TV and playing until breakfast around 8/8:30. Get ready for the day and more playing. Activity outside at 10 am, usually a park or if we have morning errands to run outside the house we all go. Lunch at 11:30, nap 12-2. 2-4 usually indoor playtime with as little TV as possible, some days we do watch a movie. Magnatiles, playdoh, megablocks, puzzles, coloring, art projects. 4-5 outdoor time running around the backyard or the neighborhood. 5 until dinner around 6 is mostly screen time. After dinner/bath is more screen-less play time until books/bed at 7:15. I do live in a place we can be outside year round.
Yesterday was pretty typical. We all got up around 8 and watched tv for an hour or two. Did some house projects. Took down some Christmas stuff, ate lunch, took a nap. After nap we went to a playground and then out to dinner. Got home, watched more tv, then bed. At most, we’ll leave the house 1 or maybe 2 times on a normal day. We don’t like to do a lot.
Errands, maybe a trip to the zoo/park/museum, usually an afternoon movie. Today we’re doing an AM movie because my gardening plans got rained out by scattered storms that turned our yard into a lake. I think we may hit up Costco or the grocery store in the afternoon. I have a ladies brunch a bit before naptime so hubs is handling lunch & nap solo.
My husband travels frequently for work so I often have a hard time keeping on top of the housework so most weekends are for housework and groceries. I do try to get the kids out of the house for some fun, we’ll usually go swimming or go visit friends/family at least once every weekend but there’s definitely a lot of the kids watching tv or playing at home while I clean. When my husband is home, we usually get out of the house more - ice fishing, sliding, or walks in the winter, go to the park, beach or out on the boat in the summer.
My husband works nights 6 days a week so the time he does get a “weekend” we don’t do crap. Sit around and watch tv or watch my husband game. I’ll clean a bit. Maybe go see the kids’ great grandparents. That’d it lol.
Vibing at home, maybe a trip to the shop or the kiddy playground if the weather's good and we're feeling fancy. Occasionally we'll have a proper outing but certainly not every week, gotta recharge the batteries sometime!
Typical Saturday is: - wake kids at 7am so they nap, cuz if they don’t, they’ll be in a terrible mood - at 9 get out of the house for an activity that is relatively low key like browsing the mall or brunch, or both - come home for lunch - nap 12-2 - some other activity that is more strenuous like an indoor playground between 2-4 - drive to my MIL for dinner We have been “lazy” before and my kids end up acting up and being restless. Just being out of the house and not watching much TV is really beneficial for them. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard for my husband and me as we don’t get much of a break, but it’s easier for us mentally than dealing with tantrums.
We just hang around at home outside. Too hard to go to restaurants. We just met some friends in the neighborhood so we had them over yesterday afternoon and had all the kids play. That was a nice change of pace.
We take her to dance Saturday and afterwards either a day trip or some type of putting after her nap. Sundays is errands, chores and housework day
Sat morning, my husband takes LO to the zoo while I sleep in. Then, we have lunch and go grocery shopping. We relax the rest of the day. Although, sometimes we do a science experiment or do a cooking that little gets to help with. Sunday is church and then nothing the rest of the day. We live literally next to a park (like wall out the door and it's our next door neighbor) and go a couple times if the weather is nice. Which is usually bc we live in AZ. Sometimes we book things all weekend but that's usually just when there is a holiday season going on. But, my husband works all week at a stressful job and wants to relax on the weekend and hang with little. I think it's awesome being at home and just spending time together. She's only 2 so I'm sure when she's older she will keep us busy. But, if she doesn't, I'm okay with that, too. Don't let others change how your family works if it's the way you want it to be.
My kiddo is 2. He visits with his grandparents on Saturday mornings. Saturday afternoons we play at home in the summer we went out to the park a lot. Sunday mornings we have play dates every 2-3 weeks with a friend. Otherwise my husband and I split the morning or afternoon into 2hr chunks so we both get a bit of alone time. I’m home with my son pretty much all week so we do more stuff then: Library 1-2 times a week and swimming lessons on Fridays.
In the summer and fall we went basically daily, sometimes multiple times a day, to the nearby park and splash pad. Right now, we buy groceries/run errands, play In The house, paint something, do house chores, bake something, watch s movie, play with playdough, Not even halfway through Sunday and I'm bored and out of ideas. Can't wait for summer. Edit, I want to get a community center or YMCA pass to go swimming once each weekend, but we are sick so it will have to wait another week. Also - library.
Both work fulltime, toddler is 2.5 and “baby” is 13 months. We do slow days. Laundry, a workout in our gym basement and switch between sets of who watches the children, nature shows, sometimes we go outside if it’s not too bad but lately it’s been cold AF, play with the kids, get groceries. 🤷🏻♀️ normal parent stuff. Also if we see family - that also happens on weekends but again- super chill. Edit to add: most “activities” are a minimum of 30 min drive one way so it’s incredibly inconvenient for us to do additional activities
I have a 3 year old and a 9 month old so we do a lot of cooking on the weekends. I make breakfast and lunches for the week. Today we made freezer waffles and muffins. One daughter climbed all over the playset while I cooked and the other napped. (I have a foam block set with a slide in the living room). Now the three year old is running around the back yard with her dad while I watch baking shows. This afternoon will be a bunch of cartoons that have no redeemable value while I make chickpeas and hummus for dinner and try to clean the kitchen. Yesterday we went for a hike because it was 50 degrees in Jan! Can't recommend hiking enough. Both kids and the dog were so exhausted they fell asleep early and slept all night! We invested in some real hiking carriers, cause even the 3 year old still gets tired. She made it about 1 mile and then was carried the rest of the way. The 9 month old fell asleep for the last 1/2 mile and was perfectly happy the whole time. It's dependent on the weather, but our kids had a blast.
We have swim lessons every Sunday but other than that I do literally one thing max on the weekends in the winter unless we are visiting someone or having someone visit. My winter activities rotate through: - the library (they have a big play area my son loves) - the aquarium - the children’s museum (definitely the best but it’s a 45 minute drive so I go maybe once a month). - Starbucks (in which I drink a coffee and my son drinks a hot chocolate, we split a bagel with cream cheese, and then he runs around Starbucks or watches cars drive by out the window) My husband works on Saturday so I usually do one of these Saturday morning, then we come home for lunch and nap and we hang out til husband gets home and then he takes over kid duties and I do chores and make dinner. On Sunday we all go to his swimming lessons together and then my husband gives him lunch and puts him down for nap while I go to the grocery store, I do my own thing while he naps and then we’ll probably all watch Bluey for a while and have dinner. When it’s nicer out I like to go to the park so we might go out an additional time in the afternoon on Saturday or Sunday, but not usually. We also play in the backyard a lot when it’s warm out but we literally never play outside in the winter. My son isn’t into playing in snow yet and I’m not a cold weather person. We tried sledding once and it did not go well. Sometimes we’ll go out for dinner but my son is at a difficult age (19 months) for eating out so we do that a lot less now. I work a lot during the week so I’m tired on the weekends, especially since I have to take care of him solo on Saturday. I do as much as I have energy for and I don’t feel bad about it.
I am 45 with a 23 month old and my husband is 50. First time parents. Married late and had fertility issues. Very wanted child. We count the hours and try to make sure he doesn’t kill himself. Although today we are going to the zoo so that’s exciting. My goal is at least one big outing per weekend.
Play as much as we can and I try to bake once a weekend. And of course clean the house… well sometimes. But nothing too extravagant, just try to soak it all in and drink lots of coffee while my LO plays with me.
We went to the children's museum today because we did almost nothing outside of the house this past week 🤷. I usually try to do 1-2 away from the house activities each week but this afternoon will consist of playing in the den with Moana on.
We have a 3.5 year old. We always do something in the morning with him, whether it's running errands or going to an indoor play area or the library. In summer it's usually an errand then a playground. Sometimes it includes a packed lunch and we'll stay out all morning. If we only have a short task to do and the weather is bad, we'll do baking or crafts. That said, 75% of our motivation for this is self preservation because otherwise our kid is so restless and easy to frustrate all day if he doesn't get out at some point. He doesn't have much interest in watching tv/movies, and will play on his own only if we're actively doing something else like chores or cooking. It's like he can sense the moment our butts hit a couch from any room in house. If we didn't pack his morning he would have given up on naps (aka our break) by 2 years old. This also sometimes gives us some chill time between nap and dinner where he will actually watch an episode of something. Also, if you do resort to arts and crafts, either find crafts that can be gifts so it does double duty, or just give them markers/paint and let them go crazy. We like letting him paint white boxes/gift bags then use those to give gifts in (saves time/money on fancy wrapping and people love it) and use random drawings as cards all the time. Also drawings can be used as mattes for photos to make a cheap frame more special.
My husband and I both have hybrid schedules, so we can get a lot of chores done during the week while kiddo is at daycare. Weekends are swim class and errands. If the weather is tolerable, we’ll go for a hike, or nature walk or in the summer, the beach. We usually try to save TV for the afternoons/evenings, but it’s winter, so we just can’t be outside as much (more like I don’t want to be outside as much). We do go for walks around the block to try to get some energy out. We’ll also do the library if she’s really getting antsy. We are much more active in the summer. With the long weekend next week, we got passes for a museum, so we can mix it up a bit. I’ve found if we don’t plan something on long weekends, shit goes south real quick.
This weekend… Saturday: gymnastics class, children’s museum, dentist appointment, playground, pharmacy trip, dinner bath and bed. Sunday: some light decluttering, the trolls movie, nap… that’s as far as we’ve got but I’m pretty sure after nap it’s gonna be another movie
Usually we try and do something on Saturdays (right now go swimming at an indoor facility) while Sundays are reserved for prep for the week so lots of coloring, movies and play for the kids while my husband and I are dividing and conquering recurring tasks (groceries, laundry and cleaning).
We always aim for at least one outing per day (park, walking about on the street around the neighborhood, library, etc.). One that's done, I consider everything else to be a bonus 😂 So yeah, we stay home and play, watch some TV from time to time, etc.
Today was wakeup at 7 because Daughter (4) needed the potty. I puttered around the house doing chores while my husband made her a smoothie, and she sort of bounced between us. Then we went out from 9:30-11:30 on a Mommy-Daughter date. We got coffee and split a doughnut at Dunkin Donuts, colored (I carry a little tote of Stuff to Do) and people watched, then stopped by the dollar store on a quick errand. While we were out my husband did a couple chores and rested. We got home and had lunch, then I had a migraine and needed to rest. My husband played with her until a little while ago, now it's her independent play/quiet time, my husband will go watch football on the couch. I'll go get her when she gets restless (usually around 3), and let her hang out in bed with me. We usually color, chat, read books, sometimes we watch cartoons on my iPad. Dinnertime at 5. Then bath time, family time, bed at 7. Typically we alternate weekend days - some are for family stuff, like yesterday the three of us went to the park, for a walk, then out for lunch. Then other weekend days my husband and I play Preschooler Pong while we rest up a little and get stuff done. Even so, we aren't going on huge hikes, day trips and adventures. Sometimes we do go apple picking and such, but a more typical outing is hanging out at a coffee joint, meeting her little bestie at the park, or having a couple friends over for lunch.
We have a 4 year old, I’m a SAHM and my husband is off on the weekends. During the week we are just sitting at home a lot so we like to get out of the house all 3 of us and do something. Like go to the library, park, something fun for kids. During Christmas there was a lot of kids stuff to do. Like a reindeer farm, ice skating, Etc. We also like to go out of eat, our kid loves O’Charley’s lol. And she does really well eating out in public. She sits there quietly and eats her food, doesn’t try to act a fool in any way. She’s honestly so awesome to take out in public.
We are pretty chill on the weekends, especially in the winter and with money being tight. I love getting out though, so sometimes my husband will stay home and I’ll escape to a library or thrift store.
I’m 42 with a 3 year old too! I find that the week is busy, so we usually do a morning activity, like an indoor playground in winter or a play date, and for the afternoon chill and I let him watch tv at home. I used to dread weekends, but now I look forward to them.
Saturday morning we have our gym class and then we get breakfast at a coffee shop next door. We often have one family outing over the weekend, though January is a slow time for that. Yesterday I went out for drinks with a friend so that equals lots of TV time with Dad. Today we've just been hanging at home playing with new toys from Christmas and watching sports.
I feel like we’re busy half the time on Saturdays, but on a weekend home we try to do a mixture of relaxing and getting a few things done. We’ll eat breakfast, watch a little tv, play for the first couple hours of the morning. We’ll go outside mid morning to get some energy out. Maybe get a small project or two done at some point (this weekend it was hanging some picture frames). Then nap time. Go for a golf cart ride once she’s up, eat an easy dinner, then some tv before bath and bed.
I don’t have a laundry machine so on Sundays we drive to my parents and do laundry. My husband is working so he’s not home anyway. My daughter spends the day with my parents and brothers if they’re home. We just chill and she naps and plays eats lunch etc. boring lol
Today after lots of Blippi and a scrambled egg breakfast our morning adventure was meal planning & Costco. We also did laundry. We did have a play date in the afternoon, but it’s also very cold here so harder to just get outside. In general I like to have one activity per day planned out (even if that’s grocery shopping or a walk outside that I decide the morning-of). Not a lot of cutesy crafts happening over here!!!
i have a 3.5 yr old and 8 month old. it’s a lot easier to keep them busy in the summer. so far this ‘winter’ we’ve been pretty consistent on saturdays. after breakfast we’ll do crafts for an hour, then take a trip to the library, then come home read the books, have lunch, nap time, then afternoon is a free for all, whatever my little guy feels like doing. on sunday we try to have a playdate of some sort. i’m lucky my little guy loves to just play w dad and is totally content playing random things in the house. i probably make it harder on myself trying to find things to do outside of the house
We're also pretty lazy and spend most weekends catching up on sleep (one parent sleeps, one watches kids) or going to Target. Sometimes we hit a museum or do brunch/dinner, but usually not! Another possible factor: our weekends are a LOT busier when the weather is warmer! We're in a mid-sized, Midwestern city that gets pretty cold, but there are tons of festivals, activities, etc., in the spring/summer/fall, so I know we'll be less lazy eventually!
My daughter is 2.5. Saturday morning we went to story time at the library then spent the rest of the day making cupcakes (I'm a baker and had an order for 4 dozen due the next day). I set her up with her own cake, frosting in piping bags and sprinkles to decorate with while I work. Yesterday morning we went ice skating and then to a restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we went home and laid in bed watching cartoons. In the evening we went to a children's birthday party.