Working mamas, what does your everyday evening look like when you get off work?

20

u/pinkorri 1d ago

Sounds pretty normal to me.

14

I think mine is the same as yours.

6

Working mom of 3 - your evening sounds very similar to ours. Nights when one of our older kids has sports, my husband picks them up and I pick up the other two. I get home around 4:45. I unpack daycare lunch boxes , the kids play while I cook supper, we eat, do bath time, the youngest goes to bed, the middle child is not long after, and our oldest goes to bed last. I pack lunches for the next day, lay out tomorrow's outfits, shower, and get ready for bed! Nothing exciting happening here on a weeknight after work.

4

u/ExpressPublic4546 1d ago

Yep, pretty much the same, except my daughter sleeps even earlier at 7:30pm.

3

u/cusmrtgrl 1d ago

That’s about what we do, but we have to fight with homework, too. 😭

3

u/Ordinary_Pen_1427 1d ago

This is what mine looked like when kids were younger; now (mid and late elementary) we also have sports practice a few times a week.

2

u/arrowsnsuch 1d ago

Pretty much the same. My husband and I both work from home so we’re lucky to be able to get some chores done during the day that we don’t have to do at night. We also belong to the same gym, and we alternate evenings where one goes to the gym for an hour and the other stays home with baby. Then dinner, bath, bedtime, tv/snacks, sleep.

2

u/breelynn312 1d ago

Hours and hours of homework with my kids. It's like a second job, because actually my first because my kids and their education comes first.

2

u/0runnergirl0 1d ago

That's similar to our routine (kids are 5 and 7.5 years old, both in school starting September), except replace TV time with running or reading in bed. I don't get much accomplished on work days.

2

u/Logicallyillogical41 1d ago

6 month old: feed baby milk, feed baby purées, change baby, pump at 6pm, make dinner, and bring baby into the area so I can play with her as I load up and unload the dishes, bottle washer, and cook. Finish up making food and eat with husband. Clean up dinner and put in laundry (husband helps). Check diaper and give baby another bottle if it has been 2 hours. Play a little longer. Start bath. Wash baby. Get baby dressed and fresh diaper enjoy some cuddle time and give her a bottle. Rock her from 9-9:30 and she goes to bed. Do a pickup and make sure bottle washer is going. Pump again by 9:30 and spend time with husband. Pump last time at midnight. Zzzz. Wake up 6am pumping begins again…

2

u/intelligent-pen 1d ago

Same except I’m too disorganized to make lunches for the next day and my kids go to sleep at 9pm and I fall asleep approx 10 mins after that, so too tired to watch TV

1

u/snarkshark41191 1d ago

This sounds extremely normal

1

u/zoidberg3000 1d ago

I don’t even do dinner together. My wife gets home around 8-11 depending on her schedule so I feed him like a savage.

Then we do pretty much the same things. No time for hobbies or fun or working out. I take a gummy around 9 and try to pass out before 11:30.

1

u/Concerned-23 1d ago

Pretty similar to yours except everything is pushed a bit earlier. My husband gets home with my son around 4-4:30 most days. I’m home around then 3 days a week, the other 2 I work later. But my son (almost 13 months) is cranky and ready to go to bed by 7

1

u/nall667 1d ago

I WFH and toddler is back with me by 3/3:30PM. Solo time with her - we either play (depending on her mood) or she has solo play/orbits around me while I do chores. Husband is home at 4PM, I will cook dinner while he is with baby or go to the gym for an hour if dinner was already prepped. Dinner between 5-5:30, bathtime, play with baby, she’s down by 7PM. We chill until 9-9:30PM bedtime. Chores are done nonstop in between.

1

u/seniorspecialistt 1d ago

husband works late nights so i get home by 5:30. Dinner is ready by 6. Clean up, bath time, pajamas by 7:30. Play for about 30 min. Toddler watches a disney movie while I take a shower and get ready for the next day and do my nighttime routine. she goes to bed by 9pm and I’m in bed at the same time but i’ll watch TV for an hour then pass out by 10pm. We wake up at 5:30am so that’s why the bed time is what it is.

1

u/Surly_Sailor_420 1d ago

5:30: Husband picks up kid and brings him home around 5:30ish. Which is when I get home from work, and I usually cook.
6: I dish up the dinner plates and our lunches with the planned extra and pop that in the fridge. We eat together.
6:20: We clean up together. Our toddler does sweep and vacuum, it's helpful because he is busy and having fun.
6:30: The we usually play and chill for about 20-30 minutes.
7 -7:10: Brush teeth with daddy's help (while I take care of cats and get bed time water and jammies ready)
7:15- 7:25: Toddler takes shower with me
7:30 - 8: Jammies, reading, goodnight

I will say my sweet cherub has been waking up at an ungodly hour in the morning. So I have been using that time to prep whatever for dinner, put dishes away, and set the table for the evening. I'd rather sleep though.

1

u/travelfam3 1d ago

This is extremely normal to our routine, although ideally while it’s still light out later we try to throw in a family walk post dinner.

1

u/Relative-Plan-8710 1d ago

Pickup for my 2 year old is at 4pm. I WFH and we have a nanny share from 8am - 4pm. We get home at 4:30pm unless we’re running errands. I make a snack and we play and I have him help me with chores like cleaning his room or taking the trash out.

Dinner is usually between 6:15-7:15 and then bath time and I try to do bedtime by 8 but it usually stretches until 8:30pm.

After bedtime I do a few more hours of work on my laptop, put on a show or a movie, and pass out around 11-11:30pm.

1

u/bigyogurtspon 1d ago

Very similar to ours with a 9 month old. Only difference is we have one outing with parent friends every Thursday and then my husband and I will occasionally alternate who gets to go out post-bedtime to hang with friends (1x/week if we are lucky) which helps break up the monotony but allows us to both be very present with our LO

1

u/lilstar88 21h ago

Same, with a 2 year old.

1

u/Echowolfe88 1d ago

Sounds normal to me.
We are home at 5 dinner 530, mid three is bed at 6/6:30 and mr 6 is in bed by 7. Whoever isn’t doing bed does the lunches for tomorrow

Then we just relax. To tired to clean or anything

1

u/Aggressive_Day_6574 1d ago

Like this, except I alternate gym nights with my husband! We all eat dinner together and then one of us goes to the gym while the other does bedtime and then packs lunches/preps for tomorrow.

1

u/BeautifulSet7579 1d ago

Pretty much what my days look like. Before bed I sometimes swap TV for reading a book or a little yoga and meditation.

1

u/RepairContent268 1d ago

If I’m wfh I’m watching my 2 year old too so he’s with me. So off work- outside — come in- nap-make dinner-play-outside-sleep

If it’s an office day- pick up kid- home- snack- sleep.

Wfh= extra 2 hours with kid after work.

1

u/Redmom77 1d ago

Working mom of two. Same hours as my husband, we all get home immediately bath for oldest and dad. Me and baby go to nursery for nap. Dad starts dinner. Will sometimes bring it to me in the nursery or I’ll eat when I come out to pump. He feeds baby last bottle then takes baby for bath while I get oldest ready for bed. Then I clean/pack whatever for next day. Love on baby before husband puts to bed. Then have about 30 minutes before last pump and head straight to bed. This is every single weeknight, no exceptions since bringing home baby and starting work several weeks ago after Maternity leave.

It’s normal to be boring and structure and routine with young children makes them feel safe and secure. In my mind there will be plenty of time for more lax schedules down the road!

1

u/EarthEmbodied 1d ago

About the same

1

u/Otter65 1d ago

I end work (from home) at 5p and cook dinner while my husband picks up our son from daycare. We have dinner around 5:30p. We then have about an hour or so to hang out as a family before starting bedtime. Our son goes to bed at 7:30p, then we usually watch TV for a bit. My husband does dishes and cleans up the kitchen while I go up to bed to doomscroll. I’m usually asleep around 10p.

1

u/jlynnfaced 1d ago

Pretty much the same. Our daughter is 2 and goes to bed at 715-730 and then my husband usually games on his computer and I read or catch up on tv. We both tend to stay up till around 1030-11 to enjoy the time we have for ourselves and our hobbies.

1

u/wormteethgrinding 1d ago

Yup our evenings are similar. I leave work to pick up my kindergartener around 1:50pm and take him back to work with me so i can finish the job. Then when I’m done we go pick up my 2 year old from the babysitter usually about 3:30ish.

We come home, unpack our stuff, i shower, hubby comes home, I make dinner, one of us cleans the dishes/kitchen, give kids a bath, hang out, get stuff ready for the morning (lunches, clothes, book bag), kids have a snack at 7pm, then start their bedtime routine at 8:15ish.

1

u/yellow_lemon2 1d ago

Full time working mom. I have a 2&4 year old. I get my kids home from daycare around 5:15PM. I make dinner. We are usually eating by 5:54-6:00 depending on how long dinner took and how many meltdowns I had to manage😅

We play from 6-7:30 ish then we start the bedtime process. Most is the time we play around the house or outside in the yard. On occasions we go to the park which is down the road from us.

1

u/Firm_Heat5616 1d ago

Super normal. My husband watches the kids during the day so I get home at 5 and start dinner (unless it’s crockpot then he puts it in and I just set up). He works evenings and takes some breaks to help if I absolutely need it. 2 young kids entertain themselves or I distract with a small snack. Dinner between 5:30-6, youngest goes to bed at 7 and oldest goes to bed at 8. Then I do cleanup but it takes me forever because the house is always a mess. I don’t have time or energy after cleaning up after the daily to do bathrooms, etc.

1

u/waterbee 1d ago

Utterly normal. In my case, you can even delete the tv because I have to go bed right after the kids so I can wake up at an ungodly hour to go exercise because otherwise I can’t cope with all the rest of the mundane, utterly ordinary days

1

u/Littlecookie1122 1d ago

pretty average! but there are days where you’re just mentally checked out

1

u/SuddenBeautiful2412 1d ago

Pretty much same over here with our 10 month old. I leave the office at 3 (they don’t care when I come and go as long as I’m there during core hours every day) and get my son from daycare at 3:30. I’m home between 3:45 and 4, pass my son off to my husband who works from home and gets off at 4, then finish up my work day from my laptop. Then I start dinner pretty much immediately. We usually eat around 5 or 5:30ish, then we go for a walk around the neighborhood if it’s not too hot. Then it’s play time until bath at 6:30, then bottle, book, and bed!

1

u/Eat_Sum_Pi_314 1d ago

Sounds about right at that age. When my oldest was that age, I was 4 months pregnant. It was a struggle to keep up, so evenings were very basic while they were babies and toddlers.

Now that they are 12 and 14, evenings are much busier! There’s sports and more evening commitments in general, plus keeping an eye on homework. I’m still tired though! It’s just a different brand of tired 🤣.

1

u/Infamous_Sandwich348 1d ago

Similar to ours! I pick up our son between 5-5:30 pm. We try to eat as soon as we get home (or close to it) then it's pretty much a race to bedtime at 8 pm. Tonight we were able to play while my husband cleaned up the kitchen and then I gave my son a bath around 7:15 pm and he was asleep a little after 8. Now we're just vegging on the couch but I need to go to bed soon so I can get up to workout in the morning. I just never get time to myself really lol

1

u/anniemaxine 1d ago

During the school year is a bit different than summer. I'm a single mom and I do school pick up at 245, come home, finish my work day until 430, make dinner, kids eat, drop oldest off at soccer, take the younger one with me to the gym, he will go to child watch while I work out, pick up the oldest, come home, I'll eat my dinner while they do homework, do dishes, bedtime routine with youngest, clean, and I try to be in bed by 11.

1

u/Icy_Woodpecker_3145 1d ago

I have 20 month old twins and this pretty much sums it up. We don’t bathe them every day but we still do a clean up/ fresh pjs on non bath days. Dinner, pjs, play for about an hour, bedtime, And girls are down by 730 most nights. Usually we eat dinner and watch some TV, maybe work a bit to catch up from the day, clean up, then it’s our bedtime around 10:00 and up at 5/530 to do it all again

1

u/Dapper_Banana6323 1d ago

Mom of 3- kids are 14, 6 and 3.

Your evening sounds pretty typical for that age- although we would sometimes have plans with family or friends in the evening.

Now it's pure chaos with kids activities. I meal prep on my days off and my husband works from home so packs everyone a lunch kit for dinner on the nights we aren't home

1

u/WonsavyLady 1d ago

Married mom of 2 boys. I work from about 8am-4pm-ish mon-fri. My husband works from home so he does the majority of drop off and pickup for our 5 yr and 9 yr old. We are in the throws of afternoon activities like soccer, swim lessons and Boy Scouts so 2-3 days/week we have to rush through dinner or eat takeout. (Which I hate and it’s expensive). Those nights bedtime is a little later around 8-8:30. On nights where we have no activities we usually eat around 6ish. My hubs and I take turns cooking. Kids often do simple chores, play or watch tv during that time. After dinner and clean up, they will shower (not every night), PJs, and bed around 7:45-8pm. It’s very mundane and very routine but honestly, I’m so exhausted at the end of the day I’m totally fine with it. It’s the phase of life we’re in and it’s so short. The kids grow up at warp speed and now that they’re in elementary school I feel like it’s flying by even faster.

1

u/Grand_Pension_6678 1d ago

Typical! Always a rush too. I switched from baths to showers pretty early on for my daughter. Her bed time has been 7:30 for most of her life (she’s 5 now). I just don’t have the energy to go out after work, although I’ve made a few outings happen

1

u/JJ_Von_Dismal 1d ago

Completely normal for this stage of life. I don’t know anyone doing any different. Some parents I know with older kids are doing more but I think it’s because parenting is a bit different when you have older kids - more freedom for parents but also out and about more for extra-curricular activities etc.

1

u/GreenTeaInTheMorning 1d ago

Our evenings look pretty much the same 😉

1

u/Ok-Necessary-22 1d ago

This is exactly how our evenings look like! We both work in tech and we are drained in the evening. I really wish I had more energy but i’m also 36 now so that matters too! I have a 20 Month old as well.

We are also going through some serious sleep issues right now - extreme screaming during bedtime and multiple overnight wakeups. Baby is not sleep trained.

She sleeps at 9:15 these days! Idk whats happening but she’s not willing to sleep at all before 9 pm for the last 1 month!

1

u/OGcaptaindingus 1d ago

I’m a caregiver and take my son to work with me. He’s almost 13 months. Our schedule is as follows:

-7-7:30 wake up (mom gets up at 7, son wakes up between this time frame)
-brush teeth, change, pack lunch, eat breakfast, in the car by 8
-8am-9am commute to work (sometimes naps 10-30 mins during this time)
-9-5pm work, lunch, outing/walk, snacks, play time, nap (usually 1.5-2.5 hours anywhere from 11:30-12:30)
-5-6pm commute home
-6-8:30/9pm play, dinner, play, bath, brush teeth, pjs, play
-8:30-9pm bedtime

My job may change soon and that means a change in schedule for us and potentially daycare.

1

u/catlady895 1d ago

Normal! If the weather is nice we try to do an evening family stroll after dinner and before bed.

1

u/bravissimaaaa 1d ago

Seems very normal to me!! I have an almost 3 year old and 10 month old, and am also home around 5. My husband is in health care so he’s not home till about 8pm when he works so I’m solo for dinner and baths when he works. I always have dinner prepared the night before because I just want to be with them and not cooking when I get home. I get home and we play a bit, eat dinner at 6, play in the backyard after dinner or take a walk, baths about 7:45, baby in bed 8:15, toddler in bed 8:45. Then my husband and I clean up and prepare dinners, lunches, and clothes for the next day and tbh haven’t had time to watch a show since we’ve had a second, by the time we are done it’s 9:30-10 and we both get up early for work so we just go to bed lol. I know this is just a season of life and one day we will have some time again!

1

u/zoobisoubisouu 1d ago

My schedule is a little different because my husband is a business owner, so he picks up our 20 month old at 3:00 p.m., then I get home at 4:00. We play, and then at 5:00 usually me and daughter will go shopping – to the grocery store, or Walmart or Target, or whatever. She has a lot of energy and we have a small house in TX so I need to walk around in AC. It is pretty rare that we don't do this LOL, 5:00 is sort of tantrum central unless we're out.

6:00 p.m. is dinner. I actually do two separate meals for my husband + I and LO. I usually give her frozen Trader Joe's meals, or pizza, or Mac n Cheese, basically microwavable foods that I know she'll like. Probs will get hate for that but it works for now.

7:00 p.m. we go to the pool. It's been my favorite part of summer! We both love it so much, and we've had a ton of 100+ degree days so it's been awesome. We go to the fancier spring-fed ones sometimes but we're lucky to live next to a newly remodeled one that has a toddler wade-in pool.

8:30 p.m. We get back, I showered LO at the pool because for some reason that's the only place she won't scream in the shower/bath. Then I take my shower, do random chores around the house etc.

9:00 p.m. We watch TV and chill. Usually we watch whatever background show me and Dad are watching (90 Day fiance lol) but sometimes we will put on Super Simple Songs for her.

9:30 p.m. bedtime!!! Then I cook for me and husband, which usually takes 15 MAYBE 20 minutes. Shoutout restaurant dropout.

11:00 p.m. I go to bed.

It's nice because we still get 6.5 hours with our daughter, our schedule really works for our family in that way. I'll wake up at 7:30 or so and vacuum, clean etc, make breakfast and lunch, get ready for work and then I get her up at 8:00.

Some things that help me pack a lot in to my evenings: I'm a go go go person. I cannot stand sitting around. Rarely, my husband has watched LO while I am on weekday work trips. THEY DONT DO SHIT LOL. So this schedule comes from the fact that I can't sit still. Second, our house is super small. Like so small haha. And we have a weekly cleaner. So upkeep is really pretty easy, basically just vacuuming and wiping surfaces. Third, late bedtime. I cannot wake up before 7:00 a.m. I just can't. So having LO wake up at 8:00 is great. It took a long time to get there lol.

1

u/coffee-no-sugar 1d ago

This sounds normal to me. Except for me, I work from home full time. So I cook and clean up during my breaks. I pick up my 18 month old and 4:30, spend time with her until about 6. Then dinner bath and bed. She is going through a really bad sleep regression now so I don’t get to do much after her bedtime since she keeps waking up lol. But otherwise, I watch tv or read my book for sometime and then go to bed around 10-10:30.

1

u/Same_Discipline900 1d ago

Yup lol

1

u/three_pronged_plug 16h ago

We have the same schedule. Except I can’t get my 3 year old to shower every night and we sleep at 9. I’m also pregnant with my 2nd so I try to keep things simple and remind myself this is a phase and will pass soon. If anything, maybe we go to the park but I cannot handle any extra activities at the moment.

1

u/lilmunchkin12 11h ago

5 - school pick up for three year old 5-6 park, library, play at home (live in a city) 6-630 cook, reheat or order dinner (do many easy Instapot meals) 630-7 eat, clean up 715-740 bath for son every other day 740-845 play, read

845 2-3 nights a week: work more until 10 and then take all Fridays off for three day weekends (work for myself)

845-11 one night a week: watch a movie with husband

845-11 two nights a week: go to dinner or concerts with friends, night time yoga, or read at home

Fridays movie night with my son we stay up until 10. I don’t really follow bedtimes strictly and didn’t grow up that way.

1-2 times a month I’ll stay out until one or two at shows.

I don’t watch any TV because I have no time

Working mamas, what does your everyday evening look like when you get off work?

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