People with kids!?

Question

Assuming you can't leave your house or send your kids to grandma's..... What is a good way to de-stress? For example, do you lock yourself in the bathroom and have a bubble bath? My boys (5 and 7) can make me crazy. Boys are so rough and noisy even when they're just playing - not fighting. What are some good suggestions for a 15 minute chill-out? I'm a responsible adult so no alcohol while watching the kids... sigh...

Answer 1

At 5 and 7 it is perfectly fine to sit your children in front of a video and take a 15 minute chill-out. Don't listen to those people that tell you you shouldn't have kids if you weren't prepared to be around them 24/7. It is perfectly normal to need some alone time and it's actually better for both you and the kids. They will do better when you are less stressed. Here are some ideas:

- Read a book
- Take a bath
- Do some yoga
- Meditate or spend 10-15 minutes sitting in a quiet area focusing on your breathing. This really will calm you down.
- Call a friend
- Answer a few quesitons on Yahoo! answers
- Watch tv
- Do some gardening. It's good to get outside.
- Do anything you enjoy.......

Of course you should do these somewhere where you won't be interrupted. I agree, no alcohol in the afternoon. However, an occasional drink is okay once they have gone to bed for the night. I have a glass of wine on Sunday and Thursday evenings (while watching Desperate Housewives and Gray's Anatomy).

Good luck in finding things that will help you relax.

Answer 2

My son is 5 years old and i know what you mean. However i do not believe in babysitters because i feel like i am the only one that can watch him really good. Once a week (maybe) i will go to bingo and play. It helps! I am gone for about 3 hours but i leave my son with his daddy.... Do something like that. Take a walk or go and visit a neighbor. I do that from time to time. I have never though been away from my son more than a night and that was when i was in the hospital suffering from a miscarriage.
I will go upstairs at times when i am feeling stressed out and take a long bath or read a book.

Answer 3

I am a homeschooling stay at home mom, so I KNOW what you are talking about! I like baths, so Monday night is my night. I will light candles take a bath, and relax, no kids allowed! As for daily breaks, for 30 minutes a day we all spend time quietly in our rooms doing whatever we want. I don't care how old a child is, if mommy is happy, everyone is happy. 30 minutes can mean the difference between mean mommy and happy mommy :) If the kids fuss over this, then too bad, they'll learn that mom needs a break too. After while they'll get used to "quiet time" and you'll be so much less stressed!

Answer 4

The children should be old enough to understand if you tell them that "Mommy needs a time out". Then go in another room by yourself...go take a bubble bath...lock yourself in your room and read a book...or just enjoy the quiet...if you have a fenced in backyard you could let them go outside for a few minutes while you relax.

Answer 5

My kids are 6 & 4. When I need a break sometimes I will put a movie on for them, get them settled on the lounge, get them a drink and some snacks. Then go in my room and read, or just have a coffee and think or have a shower and relax.
Otherwise I tell them to play in their toy room, so Mummy can have a coffee and read.
When they are super hyper active and I feel like I've just had enough, I just retreat to my room and lay on my bed. I leave my door open so I can see what they are doing. Or we all climb into my bed and I read stories, that way they calm down and I calm down.

Answer 6

Honestly I've always waited until naptime (on weekends) or I've stayed up a little late after my daughter and husband have gone to bed to get some quiet time. Anything longer than two minutes is impossible for me to get during the day because I work outside of the house, and by the time I get everything done that needs to be done after I get home, it's usually late. I've been trying to stick to a better sleep schedule recently though, and instead of staying up late, I've been going to bed earlier than usual and then getting up earlier that usual (3-4am) because I've always really enjoyed those early morning hours, and I have a chance to shower and get a cup of coffee before everyone else is up.

Answer 7

If you have a fenced back yard, send them outside to play while you sit back and put your feet up. Or start implementing a 15 minutes of quiet time EVERY single day. Make it a part of the daily routine...give them books to read and set a timer for them. When the timer goes off they can go back to being noisemakers. I also suggest that you start learning to tolerate the noise because they're not going to get any quieter as they get closer to their teens.

Answer 8

I am a stay at home mom myself, with a beautiful 5 year old girl. It is hard to have any relax time when you have children unless you have someone to help you out. I myself do not have anyone. The only time I get to myself is when she is in bed. A relaxing candle lite bubble bath is always a nice way of relaxing at the end of the night when the little one is in bed (door open of course). Or I always love to curl up on the couch in my P.J's. a warm blanket and watch a couple of chick flicks. During the day, it is nearly impossible for a 15 minute chill out unless you can find something to ammuse them for that amount of time so you can relax.

Answer 9

A bubble bath sounds wonderful, but where would the boys be during that time?
Take them outside or to a park. Sit and watch them while reading a book.

Answer 10

Well i am a single mom and my family is not nearby either. But mommy takes 'time outs'. To read, To listen to soft music. To mediatate. And yoga is my time, join in or get out of the room. don't watch me, don't talk to me. Also we have 'couch time' were we sit on the couch and do nothing. Just quiet. It is good to teach kids to be still.... about the peace in silence, then after some queit time... we will chat quietly about things or just get up and do our own thing. If I am really tense we will read. I will put on classical music and everyone grabs a book and we all sit there and no one talks.. we all read, but we will share funny parts of our book. Things like this totally change the energy and atmosphere if previously stressful... oh my daughter likes candles.. she find them relaxing in the evening too