I figured that summer would be a good time to establish an evening routine for myself that would help me unwind, give me time to myself, and help me get ready to face another day. Here’s what I’ve worked out…
My evening involves putting a 2 year old to bed so to fit in any time for myself I have to get creative:
6 PM ~ I start cooking dinner while the hubs plays with the little dude. I like cooking so this is a form of ‘me’ time.
6:30 PM ~ We sit down to eat. In the summer we try to eat on the patio as much as possible if it’s not too hot.
7 PM ~ Clean up the kitchen while the kiddo runs wild. I sit down and plan out tomorrow with the Any.do app. I hop on the computer for a minute and work on blog posts or scroll Feedly. I take a hot minute to jot in my journal.
7:30 PM ~ I turn up the music and we all dance and be silly for a bit. Trying hard to get all the wiggles out.
8 PM ~ It’s bath time and Hubs also handles this. I put my headphones on and spread out my yoga mat. Feels so good! I’ve been trying to take better care of my skin so I also use this time to wash my face, brush my teeth, and get in my pjs.
8:30 PM ~ Little dude has escaped the bath and is running around the house naked and screaming. By 9 we’ve managed to wrangle him, strap a diaper to him, and pull some PJ pants on.
9 PM ~ Picture Book time in bed.
9:30 PM ~ Lights out. I listen to my audiobook while I wait for our son to fall asleep.
10 PM ~ Hubby and I get up and watch a show or just talk.
10:30 PM ~ Lights out for the big kids. G’night.
I’m so very lucky to have a husband that handles most of the parenting in the evening. In the past I’ve used this time to mindlessly scroll my phone and veg out on the couch. With summer here and the longer days, I feel motivated to use that time to get in a yoga practice, mindfully plan my next day, and journal. It makes a huge difference in how I feel the next morning.
How do you wind down for the day? What does your evening usually look like?
// Comments //
fishgirl182
This is structured but quite efficient. Usually by the time I get home from work my brain is just fried and I am lucky if I can even feed myself. Glad to hear you’re taking the effort to take care of yourself though.
Tanya Patrice
I totally you having an evening routine! I’m always frantic in the evening and wishing that there was more time in the day … and staying up way too late. And love the pics by the way 🙂
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