A
female
age
41-50,
anonymous
writes:I think my husband and I are getting burned out on the "daily grind". My husband does hard physical labor and I am an office manager of a busy/fast paced construction company. We have 2 small children so our evenings consist of cooking, cleaning and taking care of the kids. I don't have many options as far as a babysitter and our funds are very limited. What can I/we do to try and ease the tention and break out of the daily routine so we're not so burned out every day? Reply to this Question
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female
reader, jabey  +, writes (21 February 2008):
ive been there. Single mum with 3 children and now in a relationship with my 3 girls there all the time.
i managed to find other couples with the same problem and we occassionally have their children overnight, hence giving them a night free and then in return they have our girls one night given us a night free.
The other option is get a close friend to come and stay over at yours when the kids are in bed and do the same for her another time. all free.
The other thing i did, was start up a babysitting circle. there were ten mums in this, we have little tokenns made out of cardboard, worth an hour, or 15 mins or half hour, which added up to 20 hours . Then we would babysit for each other and pay each other with the tokens. That was fantastic and a life saver when the girls were little.
I also use responsible babysitters teenagers and pay them a small amount.
lastly i make sure one day a week is family day, we do an activity, where we down tools and do something as a family... e.g. swimming, bike ride, picnic in park, walk, art activities. and as this involves the whole family it is a good bonding time for all.
Its good you recognise the need for time together, it does not last forever, my girls are now 6,8, and 11 and it all gets easier. good luck xxx
A
reader, anonymous, writes (21 February 2008): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionThose are great ideas deejuliet, thank you.
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A
female
reader, deejuliet +, writes (21 February 2008):
 I know exactly how you feel! I have 2 kids myself and extremely limited funds. If you have a good friend with kids you can offer to trade with her. You take her kids one night, and she take your another. That way you each get a free night, but it didnt cost you a dime. Another thing (and I know this one is hard as you are exhausted by the time you get the kids to sleep), but you can have a 'date' at home once the kids are in bed. Have a candle lit dinner for 2 and cuddle up to watch a movie, all with the kids tucked safely up in bed. Have another family with kids over for dinner sometime. The kids will all play and keep each other entertained and the adults get to have adult time together to talk or play a game or whatever. This doesnt give you alone time, but it does break the monotony and gives you a social life to boot! These are things that have all worked for me. Hope that helps!
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