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LucyLu21
LIF Adolescent
Member since 5/09 603 total posts
Name:
Lucy
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Routine question for FTWM with school kids
I'm going nuts over here  So my oldest DD just started Kindergarten. She's been going to a babysitter up until now. Since I work full time, she goes to scope after school where I normally pick her up around 5:00 (with my 2 YO).
I know I'm not the only one in this situation so, where do you guys go from here? How do you fit in homework, shower, dinner reading, etc. all before bedtime? I feel like I'm in a constant rush.
Basically, what is your routine once you guys get home? 
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Posted 10/2/15 12:24 PM  |
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JennP
LIF Adult
Member since 10/06 3986 total posts
Name:
Jenn
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
Posted by LucyLu21
I'm going nuts over here So my oldest DD just started Kindergarten. She's been going to a babysitter up until now. Since I work full time, she goes to scope after school where I normally pick her up around 5:00 (with my 2 YO).
I know I'm not the only one in this situation so, where do you guys go from here? How do you fit in homework, shower, dinner reading, etc. all before bedtime? I feel like I'm in a constant rush.
Basically, what is your routine once you guys get home?
My DS also started K.
I pick him up around 5:40ish from SCOPE.
He has a snack and plays while I cook dinner. If any homework needs to be finished, he'll do that after snack but before playing.
I keep dinners simple during the week - tacos, etc.
DH gets home around 6:30 and we eat around 7-7:30. I also have a 14 yo SD (she lives with us) and she will do her chores around this time too.
Around 8 is bathtime. DS bathes only every other night unless he gets very dirty on the playground. If he needs a bath and it's an off night, we make it very quick. One of does the bath while the other cleans up and occasionally does a chore like laundry if it can't wait. I sometimes have work to do at home, too, but I keep this to an absolute minimum i.e. an email that can't wait.
DS will then have a little bit of quiet play and be in bed by 9:30. This is also when we read (in bed.) I usually do bedtime while DH does something with DSD (homework help, watch a show etc.)
We are trying to move up his bedtime, so unfortunately that will make things tighter, which will mean less playtime, as that is the only thing that will give. I am sure that will go over well.
Message edited 10/2/2015 1:04:42 PM.
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| Posted 10/2/15 1:03 PM |
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ali120206
2 Boys
Member since 7/06 17789 total posts
Name:
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Routine question for FTWM with school kids
We are kind of winging it right now lol.
DH is home some days which helps and my inlaws have been helping. I get home around 6:20 and the kids have been fed. DH will cook for us if he's home, if not, I will eat something quick. We will play for awhile (no homework yet), get ready for the next day, shower around 8, in bed by 9.
Our school just transitioned to full day K so they feel that the day is long enough right now.
I usually exercise between 9-9:30, shower and in bed by 10:30-11.
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| Posted 10/2/15 1:27 PM |
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ds319
LIF Adolescent
Member since 5/07 659 total posts
Name:
Dena
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
My older DS is in 2nd grade and my younger DS is in prek. I also get out of work at 5 and the older one goes to SCOPE also. Luckily for me they do his homework there. I try to prep dinners as much as I can on Sunday otherwise I keep it simple like the PP said. Also 2x a week I cook in my crockpot. If DH picks up the kids, I check homework as soon as I get home. The kids play while I cook dinner. We eat, the kids will get a bath every other night, and they go upstairs at 7/730 and watch a little TV in their room before lights out at 8. There's not that much time during the week and I feel like I'm always running so we try to do something fun as a family on the weekends. You're not alone 
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| Posted 10/2/15 1:28 PM |
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DancinBarefoot
06ers Rock!!
Member since 1/07 9534 total posts
Name:
The One My Mother Gave Me ;-)
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Routine question for FTWM with school kids
DD's school day ends at 3:10. She goes straight to aftercare where she is expected to finish any and all homework before she gets picked up by DH between 5:45 & 6:00pm. Each night of the week is different after that because I go to physical therapy 2 nights per week, and we have dinner w/ MIL one night a week.
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| Posted 10/2/15 8:04 PM |
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luvmykids8
LIF Adult
Member since 9/15 2050 total posts
Name:
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
Get home at 5:00 pm, put a load of laundry in
Start HW with DD, then they will play while I start dinner.
DH comes home anywhere from 6:30-7:30. I usually feed them before. On his earlier nights, he'll eat and then play with them while I clean up. If it's late, he'll eat and give them bath while I clean up, get clothes ready for next day, lunch, etc. Bedtime is 8:30pm
Then I'll do my stuff.
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| Posted 10/4/15 8:17 AM |
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busymomonli
Resident Insomniac
Member since 4/13 2046 total posts
Name:
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Routine question for FTWM with school kids
umm, running around like a chicken without its head. That's what I do. I get in the door about 5:45. I immediately start dinner, and on a good night, we can be eating by 6:15-6:30 and cleaned up by 7. Then we move on to homework. My ds is in middle school and doesn't do his homework by himself most days. He likes me to help him, because dang, its hard. We are doing homework and average of 1.5-2 hours on average. My daughter is in high school and she does everything on her own. Then we start the bedtime routine. I fall into bed exhaustedly at 10:30ish. Only to start it all over at 4:30am the next day.
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| Posted 10/5/15 8:23 AM |
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JandJ1224
Member since 6/06 5911 total posts
Name:
Jannette
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
We are always go go going...
I am usually home around 5:30. My kids have extracurricular activities most days to add to the mix.
So on Tuesday our busiest day my daughter has dance 5:30-6:30
dinner- out 6:30-7:30
Religion 7:30-8:30
home, get ready for bed read for 20 minutes
Bed around 9:30
It is not easy. I'm lucky that my mom has them after school and will sometimes get homework done which is a big help.
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| Posted 10/5/15 10:19 AM |
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lorich
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Member since 6/05 9987 total posts
Name:
Grammie says "Lora Gina"
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
It's truly non-stop. The one thing that makes it "easier" for me is that DS is an only child.
I pick DS from aftercare around 6. From there it's nonstop homework, dinner, bath, bed. There are nights he has extra curricular activities and that just means more rushing...and I'll try to pick him up earlier. I make sure DS (1st grade) is in bed by 8 or 8:30 the latest.
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| Posted 10/5/15 10:55 AM |
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MrsO
Big Brothers to Be
Member since 1/07 4520 total posts
Name:
Maureen
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
There isn't much free time - Boys come home from school and have to do all writing and math homework with nanny.
DH prepares dinner and feeds boys when he gets home. I get home around 6 - we have a little play time then we work on reading/math facts, bath time, 15 min of snuggle time/ and then bed. between 830 and 900
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| Posted 10/5/15 12:24 PM |
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
My DS is in 3rd and this is the first year I feel like I have a grip.
Granted from k-2, I was a single mom. So he would go to aftercare, get picked up by a sitter from aftercare and hopefully (I would literally pray lol) do his homework at one or the other.
Then we'd do a shower, dinner, reading, bed int he span of an hour and a half.
This year, he spends two afternoons a week with his dad, he gets home at 7:30 and usually we have to finish some homework, we do shower, and relax on the couch until 9 and he goes to bed.
The other days my boyfriend picks him up from latchkey and does his homework with him and then we all have dinner and do the same routine.
I am a lunatic still, but I feel like we've finally settled into a routine, probably because I finally have help lol
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| Posted 10/5/15 3:56 PM |
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Funkybutt
LIF Adult
Member since 4/15 3049 total posts
Name:
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Routine question for FTWM with school kids
Scope at my son's school sets aside 40 minutes for homework - which worked well for us last year when he was in Kindy. This year, we asked that he not do homework b/c we noticed answers that were influenced by older kids (a penis drawn on a picture of an X-ray!). So here's our schedule:
We pick him up between 5:30 - 6:15 (the later time is if we go to the gym). When we get home, one parent cooks and the other parent supervises homework. Eat dinner and then more homework if it wasn't finished before (he doesn't have a lot - just has trouble focusing sometimes). There's still plenty of down time for him to play, then shower, and reading in bed (lights out by 8:30).
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| Posted 10/6/15 10:07 AM |
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stinger
LIF Adult
Member since 11/11 4971 total posts
Name:
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
Posted by LucyLu21
I'm going nuts over here So my oldest DD just started Kindergarten. She's been going to a babysitter up until now. Since I work full time, she goes to scope after school where I normally pick her up around 5:00 (with my 2 YO).
I know I'm not the only one in this situation so, where do you guys go from here? How do you fit in homework, shower, dinner reading, etc. all before bedtime? I feel like I'm in a constant rush.
Basically, what is your routine once you guys get home?
DD are now in 5th and 7th grade and I have been a FTW single mom for almost 6 years. I basically spoke to any teacher who was giving so much homework in grades k-3 that it affected our evenings and stress level. The teachers listened. Kids should NOT be doing HW for 2 hours each night! The after school programs HAVE to help with HW. I had many conversations with the teachers there as well. HW except for reading HAD to be done by 5:30 when I picked them up. Interesting that HW grades on NYC report cards were taken off last year!
Showers were every other night. We didn't do any weeknight activities until this year! A lot of dinner prep was done on Sundays. We had NO TV or screens Mon-Thurs up until this year. There WAS no time for it between coming home at 5:45 and bedtime.
With all of the above I actually managed pretty well! This year with kids being older things have changed and I am more stressed! Go figure!
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| Posted 10/6/15 11:35 AM |
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Sash
Peace
Member since 6/08 10312 total posts
Name:
fka LIW Smara
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
It's a mess because l work in the city. I get out of work at 6 and don't get home till after 7pm. By the time I get home he is bathed and ate dinner most days, homework done.
I get home, look over hwk, fix it with him (because 2nd grade hwk stumps my DH sometimes ), study for any test, brush teeth and prayers with him. In bed by 8 or 8:30.
Then I prepare dinner for the next day and make sure his uniform is clean and ready for the AM.
We had a babysitter who was picking up from school instead of doing after care but she started a new job. It was so much easier because she would do hwk, study and take him to karate. We are trying to find a replacement because it's so much easier when he is home when DH and I get home from work.
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| Posted 10/7/15 7:51 AM |
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LucyLu21
LIF Adolescent
Member since 5/09 603 total posts
Name:
Lucy
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
Thank you all so much for sharing! I think just knowing I'm not alone and hearing all of your stories is comforting I'll be taking little tips from you guys and hopefully my evenings will be a little less hectic.
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| Posted 10/8/15 9:50 AM |
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Sash
Peace
Member since 6/08 10312 total posts
Name:
fka LIW Smara
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
Posted by LucyLu21
Thank you all so much for sharing! I think just knowing I'm not alone and hearing all of your stories is comforting I'll be taking little tips from you guys and hopefully my evenings will be a little less hectic.
I love these threads as well because I just started working full time and still teaching at night temporarily, so it's been such an overwhelming feeling and huge adjustment for my family! So I love hearing everyone's story and learning things I can do differently as well!!
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| Posted 10/8/15 2:12 PM |
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nycgirl
Angels!
Member since 3/09 7721 total posts
Name:
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Re: Routine question for FTWM with school kids
5:00 I will get home
5:00-6:00 chaos/dinner prep/backpack prep
6:00 dinner
6:30-7:30 study time
7:30-8:00 free time
8:00-8:30 bedtime
We don't shower every day.
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| Posted 10/10/15 11:55 AM |
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