Time Management - How do u parents deal with it?

[Luvkid]

Haiz.......it really take effort to manage our time well, especially as being FTWP. :celebrate:


My weekday schedule (not including school holidays nor public holidays):-

After knocking off from work at 5pm (so far so good, has been on the dot :love: DON\"T ENVY ME HUH, my pay is low.... ), if weather permits, i will have a short 15 mins brisk walk (no dress code for my work place, so ususally i put on fitted T shirt with a pair of jeans or pants, and my worth buying pair of \"walking slippers\" :shock: and my bag too) before fetching DS2 (4 yo) from CCC.

Usually reach home by 6.20pm-6.30pm, including DH will be able to fetch DS1 (8 yo) from school. Most of the time he can make it... :love: I will make \"lazy\" soup (dump ingredients like meat, carrot, fish cake/ball, tofu,crab meat, vege....) to go with rice or noodles. Sometimes, i can be lazy and packed food from coffee shop. Will settle DS2 shower time;sometimes NEED to help DS1 in order to get things speed up :!: Will have dinner together at 7-7.15pm, without DH cos he is on diet :?: ????? If dinner finishes early, both DS will have time for TV. DS2 not a TV lover though, just let him be free & easy....DS1,however, will be attracted by the TV,no matter what programme, from chn drama to cartoon, everything also can.

My time with DS1 will start off at 8pm, just sit with him while he does his homework/learn spelling,revision if allow; DS2 still quite clingy to me, he is still having his free & easy time while DH can be there just watching TV :rant: or even sometimes :snooze: :snooze: !!! I will juggle through with DS1 till 9-9.30pm, and there goes his TV time while i have my shower time & watch up the boys' uniform. The rest of the laundry will leave it till weekend.... DS2 will still need the \"full strength\" of milk before bedtime.....

By 10-10.30pm, both boys got to brush teeth and followed by story time. DS2 still needs me to read for him while DS1 will read by himself if he is willing to... Sometimes, i will change story time to play time (not the rough play though....) and 3 of us go :snooze: I used to get up again after they sleep, BUT, my body dun allow me anymore cos no stamina .

At times, I will try to schedule in bicycle ride (15-20 min) instead of TV time, hence, shower time will be swopped with dinner time.

There are times where things dun go this way when DS1 attends his taekwando training on Wed, so on that particular day, his study time will be rushy & shorter. :roll:

My weekend schedule or school/public holiday or friday nite:-

FREE & EASY!!!! RELAX, or else very siong!!! We will try to bring the boys to farm visits, grocery shopping, or even just have car ride-wandering in the car at the less remote place in Singapore.....All of us just :love: & enjoy it!! :celebrate:

[Luvkid]

lovekidsverymuch:

Luvkid your schedule very nice leh... u almost supermom :celebrate:

Everyone here is supermom/dad, including u LKVM :love: .i am still trying very hard to be one..... Really force myself to this schedule. Before DS1 was in K2, our schedule was TV time from 7 to 10pm. Dinner infront of the time. At then, my knock off time was not that early too . I would have toilet break, played a while with DS1 (DS2 only came along in 2006) during commercial break. I would tell DS1 commercial break over liao, mummy wants to watch TV liao :!: :stupid: When DS2 came along, our schedule more or less was the same, TV time from 7 to 10 pm. I would put DS2 on the baby bouncer, gave him milk (bottle),changed diaper,rock him on the bouncer to sleep (when necessary), all this done infornt of the TV :!: :faint: :rant:

I had been telling myself to kick off this stupid/unhealthy schedule all that while....Had been telling myself to start coaching DS1 before he entered P1.....Kept on teliing myself from N2 (kept giving excuse DS2 needed my attention.... :idea: ) to K2.... :oops: Somewhere mid of K2, after i changed to this current job, I really changed my schedule more or less. Started off with 1/2 hour study with DS1 (with DS2 clinging on me ), TV time for 1 hour;and slowly increased study time and CUT OFF TV time!! :celebrate: And yes, i made it!!

I can get lazy at time..... as being human, we tend to be lazy... :idea: But of cos i try to be a BEST (no nagging and shouting-which i am still doing it) mum as much as i can.....

[Emelyn]

starlight1968sg:

I am in the same situation too and am a working full-time mum.


After dinner, everybody is dead tired and still needs to do homework or check through schoolwork etc.

Me too. In same situation. With DS1 (P5), DS2 (P3), and DD (K2). Last dec sch holidays, i bought a couple of assessment for DS1. Until now, we have yet to touch on any. He has no time !!

[Leia vader]

[quote]all this done infornt of the TV :!: :faint: :rant:


I had been telling myself to kick off this stupid/unhealthy schedule all that while....Had been telling myself to start coaching DS1 before he entered P1.....Kept on teliing myself from N2 (kept giving excuse DS2 needed my attention.... :idea: ) to K2.... :oops: [/quote]LOL! you are so funnie! but heh that sounds exactly like my family of N2 & K2 going kids! haha!!

my hubby and DS1 are tv addicts and do everything in front of tv.

[MMM]

Leia vader:

LOL! you are so funnie! but heh that sounds exactly like my family of N2 & K2 going kids! haha!!


my hubby and DS1 are tv addicts and do everything in front of tv.

Was just sharing with a mum that my kids used to have withdrawal symptons when I stopped them from watching channel 8 9pm drama. After awhile, they got used to it and don't crave for it as much. You can do it. You just need to be determined.

[Luvkid]

Leia vader:

.....LOL! you are so funnie! but heh that sounds exactly like my family of N2 & K2 going kids! haha!!


my hubby and DS1 are tv addicts and do everything in front of tv.

Hey Leia vader,

Change that schedule, before DS enters P1 in months time. Put some time aside for study time then ONLY follow by TV time. Fix to this schedule from Monday - Thursday... :celebrate: Infact can start off together with your N2 DD too!! Since they are just 2 years apart! Start today,hmmmm no, today friday, start on next monday, dun say tmr & tmr & tmr, cos THAT TMR seems to be faraway.....

my 2 cts worth...

p/s: Realise your DS & DS has the same birth date?? Good enough to celebrate together..

[mummy of 2]

Since the kids were born, I have more or less given up watching TV while they are awake. Now the only TV i watch is children’s dvd, and Hong Kong TVB serials when the kids are asleep or taking nap. Also no more mahjong on Friday night/weekends. Only play like two three times a year.

[Luvkid]

mummy of 2:

Since the kids were born, I have more or less given up watching TV while they are awake. Now the only TV i watch is children's dvd, and Hong Kong TVB serials when the kids are asleep or taking nap. Also no more mahjong on Friday night/weekends. Only play like two three times a year.

mummy of 2, u r the good mom here...... :celebrate:

[pinkapple]

Wanta start my 4-year old son on Yamaha Junior music course.


but how to find time to practise on the keyboard/piano daily when we get home around 8pm everyday. still gotta do housework, etc, howta supervise practice?

[fristrom]

I am in a similar situation... my daughter started violin at 3.5 on her request. The first month was a disaster as both of us did not know what to expect. She is 4.5 now and things are running smoother these days i.e. things do get better if you are willing to put the time and effort into it


She is in full-day childcare till 5:30pm and goes to bed at 9pm. On a typical day, I come home ard 7pm and we start practicing around 7:30pm, finish in about 45mins. Apart from practice, she also have homework with note reading etc. As she does not know how to write her A,B,C etc., homework is more a headache so I usually get her to do it on the weekend when we have more time.

My advice are as follows:
- Be clear of your objectives and expectation on why she is attending the class.
- Fixing the number of repetition (e.g. song A 3 times, song B 3 times etc.) is better than fixing period (e.g. 30 mins) as there will be a lot of breaks in between
- Be persistent: there will be days that she does not want to practice and I believe giving in will only makes it harder the next day... having said that, on the days she is tired, I will reduce what she has to practice. If she is sick, there is also no reason to force her either.

Personally, I have no expectation as far as exam and grading is concern. My only requirement is: as long as she is going to class, she has to practice. It is hard work but it is something that I look forward to everyday. Now that she knows a bit more, we can talk about major, minor, arpeggios etc. etc.

In your case, if your son only comes home at 8pm and you still have housework to do, I am not sure whether it is worth the additional stress. There is no \"advantage\" to start playing instrument so young. Anyway, good luck and enjoy your musical journey