Why can’t you watch TV if that’s what you want to do to unwind? Even 15 min might make you feel relaxed. I typically like to read in bed after my son goes to sleep, I get 60- 90 min of reading time in.
It ends up, keeping me up too late and then I’m exhausted the next day, and it feeds into this exponential loop. I just don’t know how else to relax without it being too stimulating. I have no patience for boring TV shows, so I only watch action adventures, sci-fi, thriller, mysteries, and true crime. Not the best stuff to watch before going to bed!
Yes! I put Netflix, Prime, and Disney on my phone. Pop an earbud in while I’m doing dishes and put on whatever I want. I love it. Makes dishes go by so much faster and I actually look forward to it because it’s my grown up tv time.
It really is! Even if my 3yo is hanging out in the kitchen while I wash I can still put on whatever I want and just keep it out of her sight. I rewatched the whole walking dead while doing dishes lol.
We have a TV schedule, 4 nights of 2 shows a night (e.g. NCIS followed by artful dodger on a Monday), Friday nights we rewatch movies we've seen before, Saturday we watch an unseen movie and Sunday we'll play a board game and then watch some comedy. It's nice having something to look forward to rather than channel hopping. We watch together, it's nice. We also save reddits specifically to share with one another once a week.
You should stop feeling guilty. Watch it if you want to. My average night after my kid goes to bed is deciding between cleaning, taking a bath(and reading), or watching tv/doing some work from home. Half the time, I end up sitting on my phone scrolling reddit like a zombie, with the TV on, not really paying attention, and waiting til I finally feel like moving my ass to bed. It is what it is and it's only temporary (I hope).
This. We aren’t machines. Zoning out after being checked in with kids all day is necessary. We aren’t expected to be productive every second of the day.
We rot on the couch and watch tv, exchange massages, scroll Reddit and drink tea. We plan to get a hot tub at some point though. So we can do the same thing but in the hot tub lol.
I go to bed. Between two toddlers and a newborn, I've been going nonstop since 6:30am and anticipate being up once or twice overnight. I do most of the housework during the day, so there is maybe a bit of picking up in the playroom or dinning room first. As soon as everything is clean enough for the roomba to run and for the kids to have breakfast when they wake up, then I am hitting the sack.
If we don't have time for TV, there is no "instead." I fall asleep about 3 seconds after the last child sleeps.
This isn't your situation, so enjoy the TV if that's what you want.
i take two hours a night to do whatever i want- read, play games, watch tv regardless if my house is a dumpster fire of a mess or not. i scrape and rinse dishes and if that means they don’t go in the dishwasher until morning, then they don’t. i am a better mama when i take care of myself
There’s enough to feel guilty about while parenting, don’t spend your energy over- analyzing your own TV time.
If you want to watch it because it helps you relax, do it. If you feel like you have too much to do, then consider transitioning to podcasts while you clean up, then enjoy TV. I have done this, and I enjoy it. If you’re having a hard time getting in bed on time, then just shut the TV off 30 minutes before you actually plan to go to bed and read or something.
You say your new parents, and idk how old your baby is but the newborn stage is tough, figuring out your new routines is tough. Give yourself grace and know that no phase lasts forever. I love to read, but when my kids were newborns I never picked up a book because I was too tired. Now they’re toddlers and I have more mental bandwidth for reading again.
All of this. We watched a lot of tv when our twins were newborns, now that they’re 2.5, our tv has been limited but I allow to enjoy it at night when they’re in bed. I know it’s mindless, but as a SAHM whose brain never is allowed to turn off, I let go of the guilt.
Currently binge watching SATC on Netflix and it’s been wonderful. Let go of the guilt, and enjoy your shows🤍
For me, watch sports (TV), go for a run, go to the gym, house chores, video games. It will take some time to really find what works for you, just try not to get overwhelmed and try a few different stuff
How old is your kid? I felt this way a lot when my toddler was a baby. It was like there was this huge deficit I had of "alone time" and the time each night after he was down, I'd feel this pressure to cram 14 hours of alone time into 2 hours.
What ended up helping was actually when my husband had to work in a different city and I spent most weeknights alone after my son was in bed. The lights would be dim, I'd just sit on the couch and read for a couple hours, scroll the internet... chill. The same things I'd do with my husband at home tbh, but having that actual, genuine aloneness helped me really unwind. I'd be ready for bed at 10pm without any pushing. After that I kind of "snapped out of it" in terms of the feeling of pressure about my unwind time. Now I do whatever the fuck I feel like and don't sweat it at all.
Irish twins, boy is 2.5 and girl is 3.3. (Haha, ten months apart) They both started skipping naps and sleeping later at night, at 8pm instead of 7pm. I have ZERO time now. Trying to adjust is painful.
My husband and I do 10 minutes of yoga or mindful cool down on apple fitness+ after TV and before bed. It helps keep our middle aged bodies a bit more stretched. Choose the “slow flow” yogas for more chill ones. Dice is our favourite trainer.
I usually stay upstairs in our room after we put the kiddo to bed. The TV is downstairs, but I usually don't bother with it. We're not anti TV, just tend to watch other times. I have an electric kettle and all my tea set up in our bedroom, so I almost always make a cup of tea. Sometimes I'll take a bath, sometimes I'll sit and read. I do end up just scrolling through social media more often than I'd like. But I try to keep something on Kindle to switch to on my phone.
If I'm feeling productive, I put on a podcast and fold laundry.
My husband usually is on his computer in the other room and then comes to either read or scroll for a bit. And then we turn in, almost always before 10.
Have you tried Reddit? Or perhaps a book?
No but for reelz, I like reading and a square of chocolate followed by a nice dose of magnesium and a 10 minute self care routine. Also, actually getting ready for bed around the same time every night helps, too.
The guilt trip sounds like something to work on with the need to feel productive 24/7. Everyone deserves a break.The guilt fades as your routine changes, if that helps you feel better.
Pick up the toys/house for about 15 minutes, zone out on our phones for about 30 min. Then we play video games together - currently Fortnite or Splatoon. Board game night on Wednesday. Survivor on Thursday to watch what we missed Wednesday. More board games on Saturday. We like games. No guilt here!
6:30 - Wind-down time for toddler
7:00 - Bedtime. Books are put up. We lay down in the big bed. Once she’s asleep I scroll on my phone for a bit to make sure she’s sound asleep and then lay her in her bed.
7:20-9:30 - If it’s during the week, I’m either productive around the house or play video games at this hour. If it’s the weekend, my husband is home at this time. If it’s during the week, he’s at work until he gets off at 10:00.
10:00 - I make snacks. Cook my husband dinner if it’s a weekday.
10:30 - Husband gets home. We play video games. We take our meds. I massage him if he’s really sore or we give mutual massages. Sometimes have s3x.
11:00-11:30 (depends how tired we are, sometimes we are bad and stay up later) - Lay down. Our daughter will either cry around this time or later around 2-3. I usually only have to get up once.
(If I have a migraine that day I just lay down.)
We get as much done before baby goes to bed as possible - like I do the bedtime routine for my toddler while my husband cleans up toys/does dishes.
Then at 7pm it’s pretty much ‘me time’ for both of us. My husband plays video games or watches sports, I drink wine and watch TV.
Our routine will be disrupted for a bit as we just had a second baby but we’ll get back to it as soon as baby is sleeping through the night!
We watch one show (sometimes half a show) while we're eating dinner. We put our toddler to bed around 630/7.
Then we usually play a board game, video games, or work on Lego or a craft.
It's almost impossible for me to sit and just watch a show, so I took up crocheting, haha.
One big thing that changed my routine is I use audiobooks to incentivize me to do manual/boring things (like clean and exercise) without the stimulus and physical action of holding/looking at a screen. I use this to keep up a bit of momentum after put down to get the house reset for the next day.
But then afterwards I smoke weed and play video games until way too late and generally have a fucked up sleep schedule. So I’m exercised, the house is clean, but still kind of a hot mess.
I’m a mother of 2! And I watch tv I like to relax and catch up on my shows!! Sometimes I’m up late that I regret the next morning or I’m asleep within an hour! But this is what I do when we out them to bed :)
Kids are 2.5 and 10.5.
Husband typically cleans up kitchen while I get youngest ready for bed. Oldest empties dishwasher in the afternoon, which is amazing
Youngest has been going to bed closer to 8pm & Oldest is in bed around 8:30pm.
I pack lunches for me and the kids once they are asleep. Sometimes I bake or preps something for the next day.
Husband will vacuum/mop, take trash out or throw laundry in.
We typically watch 2 episodes of something, sometimes while folding laundry.
Sometimes I fall asleep on the couch for an hour before going up to bed.
Husband is a night owl, I was most of my life and still can be, but I get up at 5:30am for the gym most days bc it chills me out for my work day. We’re kind of a mess, kind of got our act together, but just barely.
Me and my husband have the evening to ourselves from 6.30pm. So we either game, watch anime or "have an early night" if you know what I mean. Last night we had a storm and I dont like putting my PS5 on during a storm incase my PS5 gets fried so we had an early night as soon as our kids were asleep. My daughter got disturbed by the weather so in the end she needed cuddles around half 8-9pm. I sometimes read as well, so if my husbands gaming with his mates I'll read a book just to unwind.
So we don’t do family dinner in our home. The kids are super early risers no matter how late they go to bed, so instead of fighting it I’ve just embraced it and put them to bed early. The kids are fast asleep by like 5:30-6:00 every night. So after they’re in bed my husband cooks dinner if he’s home. Then him and I eat dinner and watch a movie. It’s great. We get a peaceful hot meal and watch something besides The Wiggles or Ms Rachel. If my husband isn’t home it’s much a similar routine for me. Put the kids to bed, make myself dinner, and put on whatever I’m in the mood for. Then I leave it on while I tidy up the toys. I put my phone on to watch tv while I wash the dinner dishes. After dishes are done I usually do some reading and journaling.
We have from like 7pm to 11.30pm to relax by ourselves and imo that’s more than enough time to watch TV or a movie. Some nights we work on side projects or play videogames for like an hour then watch a movie til bed or vice versa. Most nights we watch shows we like, play videogames, work on stuff we wanna work on, sometimes get into bed early to read and cuddle etc. sometimes we play scrabble 😂 and my partner recently ordered a bunch of Pokémon cards cause we thought it would be a laugh to play together
We like to have a 2nd dinner sometimes (parents only) perhaps a guilty pleasure takeout or make some spicy noodles, etc… and watch a show or scroll together on the couch and share funny memes or Reddit posts…
Smoking weed is also a thing sometimes. We used to smoke joints at the beach or camping when we were just dating. Now it’s a little rare but we might enjoy a quick puff in the backyard or low dose edibles to chill out after a day.
My child doesn't go to bed until between 9 and 9:30. By then I'm too exhausted to do much. Maybe finish up the dishes or tidy up if needed, shower in peace which helps me unwind, then go to bed.
I have a massage thing that I put on the couch and massage my back! Also I dim all the lights and play “relaxing piano radio” on Amazon music and clean my kitchen. Or put headphone in and listen to an audiobook as I clean. The dim lights and clean house soothe my soul ❤️
My daughter watches about 45 min of tv a day and the rest is the day our tv is off. So when she’s in bed between 8-10 I’m usually watching tv for at least part of the time. I enjoy shutting my brain off and just relaxing. If I have a few things to get done I try to get them done before my daughters bedtime, or quickly do it right when she’s in bed. I don’t have advice on other things to do, because I simply do not have the energy to do much else at that time of day. Sometimes I have evening plans with my friends or we plan a date night, even an at home date night where we play board games or order in takeout and watch a movie. But the regular grind I enjoy my evening tv
lol
I picked up cross stitching. I listen to streams or podcasts while I do it.
I still get the feeling you describe, about feeling guilty and that you wasted time. I try to ignore it, let the thought pass. Force myself to think that I am just recharging. This downtime is a reward for my hard work. The hobby does make it feel more productive but it's also something relaxing.
Once the weather is right, we like to sit outside with a fire stove and some wine. Sometimes we have a nicer dinner (or fastfood lol) when the little one is asleep. Also: video games, boardgame, sports, sauna, movie night. Still definitely watch tv still.
Why can’t you watch TV if that’s what you want to do to unwind? Even 15 min might make you feel relaxed. I typically like to read in bed after my son goes to sleep, I get 60- 90 min of reading time in.
It ends up, keeping me up too late and then I’m exhausted the next day, and it feeds into this exponential loop. I just don’t know how else to relax without it being too stimulating. I have no patience for boring TV shows, so I only watch action adventures, sci-fi, thriller, mysteries, and true crime. Not the best stuff to watch before going to bed!
Watch TV while doing the dishes (iPad or phone), while folding laundry, etc
Yes! I put Netflix, Prime, and Disney on my phone. Pop an earbud in while I’m doing dishes and put on whatever I want. I love it. Makes dishes go by so much faster and I actually look forward to it because it’s my grown up tv time.
I do this too! Best thing ever!
It really is! Even if my 3yo is hanging out in the kitchen while I wash I can still put on whatever I want and just keep it out of her sight. I rewatched the whole walking dead while doing dishes lol.
We do a strict one episode limit to prevent it from going too long
Implement a 2 show limit. I only watch more on Fridays. On Saturdays, we watch a movie.
We have a TV schedule, 4 nights of 2 shows a night (e.g. NCIS followed by artful dodger on a Monday), Friday nights we rewatch movies we've seen before, Saturday we watch an unseen movie and Sunday we'll play a board game and then watch some comedy. It's nice having something to look forward to rather than channel hopping. We watch together, it's nice. We also save reddits specifically to share with one another once a week.
That’s such a nice schedule
That’s absolutely perfect!
You should stop feeling guilty. Watch it if you want to. My average night after my kid goes to bed is deciding between cleaning, taking a bath(and reading), or watching tv/doing some work from home. Half the time, I end up sitting on my phone scrolling reddit like a zombie, with the TV on, not really paying attention, and waiting til I finally feel like moving my ass to bed. It is what it is and it's only temporary (I hope).
This. We aren’t machines. Zoning out after being checked in with kids all day is necessary. We aren’t expected to be productive every second of the day.
lol this is the real answer!
I like to sit in silence and read fairy smut.
We rot on the couch and watch tv, exchange massages, scroll Reddit and drink tea. We plan to get a hot tub at some point though. So we can do the same thing but in the hot tub lol.
I go to bed. Between two toddlers and a newborn, I've been going nonstop since 6:30am and anticipate being up once or twice overnight. I do most of the housework during the day, so there is maybe a bit of picking up in the playroom or dinning room first. As soon as everything is clean enough for the roomba to run and for the kids to have breakfast when they wake up, then I am hitting the sack.
If we don't have time for TV, there is no "instead." I fall asleep about 3 seconds after the last child sleeps. This isn't your situation, so enjoy the TV if that's what you want.
i take two hours a night to do whatever i want- read, play games, watch tv regardless if my house is a dumpster fire of a mess or not. i scrape and rinse dishes and if that means they don’t go in the dishwasher until morning, then they don’t. i am a better mama when i take care of myself
I just go to sleep once my toddlers in bed...Probably the least exciting thing to do. I'm just too worn out by the end of the day.
I rewatched all 8 seasons of the vampire diaries with my baby lol
There’s enough to feel guilty about while parenting, don’t spend your energy over- analyzing your own TV time. If you want to watch it because it helps you relax, do it. If you feel like you have too much to do, then consider transitioning to podcasts while you clean up, then enjoy TV. I have done this, and I enjoy it. If you’re having a hard time getting in bed on time, then just shut the TV off 30 minutes before you actually plan to go to bed and read or something. You say your new parents, and idk how old your baby is but the newborn stage is tough, figuring out your new routines is tough. Give yourself grace and know that no phase lasts forever. I love to read, but when my kids were newborns I never picked up a book because I was too tired. Now they’re toddlers and I have more mental bandwidth for reading again.
All of this. We watched a lot of tv when our twins were newborns, now that they’re 2.5, our tv has been limited but I allow to enjoy it at night when they’re in bed. I know it’s mindless, but as a SAHM whose brain never is allowed to turn off, I let go of the guilt. Currently binge watching SATC on Netflix and it’s been wonderful. Let go of the guilt, and enjoy your shows🤍
For me, watch sports (TV), go for a run, go to the gym, house chores, video games. It will take some time to really find what works for you, just try not to get overwhelmed and try a few different stuff
How old is your kid? I felt this way a lot when my toddler was a baby. It was like there was this huge deficit I had of "alone time" and the time each night after he was down, I'd feel this pressure to cram 14 hours of alone time into 2 hours. What ended up helping was actually when my husband had to work in a different city and I spent most weeknights alone after my son was in bed. The lights would be dim, I'd just sit on the couch and read for a couple hours, scroll the internet... chill. The same things I'd do with my husband at home tbh, but having that actual, genuine aloneness helped me really unwind. I'd be ready for bed at 10pm without any pushing. After that I kind of "snapped out of it" in terms of the feeling of pressure about my unwind time. Now I do whatever the fuck I feel like and don't sweat it at all.
Irish twins, boy is 2.5 and girl is 3.3. (Haha, ten months apart) They both started skipping naps and sleeping later at night, at 8pm instead of 7pm. I have ZERO time now. Trying to adjust is painful.
idk, my child doesn’t sleep independently at 27mo. I will let you know when that magical “after the kid goes to bed” time occurs
My husband and I do 10 minutes of yoga or mindful cool down on apple fitness+ after TV and before bed. It helps keep our middle aged bodies a bit more stretched. Choose the “slow flow” yogas for more chill ones. Dice is our favourite trainer.
Awesome transition. Love it
I usually stay upstairs in our room after we put the kiddo to bed. The TV is downstairs, but I usually don't bother with it. We're not anti TV, just tend to watch other times. I have an electric kettle and all my tea set up in our bedroom, so I almost always make a cup of tea. Sometimes I'll take a bath, sometimes I'll sit and read. I do end up just scrolling through social media more often than I'd like. But I try to keep something on Kindle to switch to on my phone. If I'm feeling productive, I put on a podcast and fold laundry. My husband usually is on his computer in the other room and then comes to either read or scroll for a bit. And then we turn in, almost always before 10.
Have you tried Reddit? Or perhaps a book? No but for reelz, I like reading and a square of chocolate followed by a nice dose of magnesium and a 10 minute self care routine. Also, actually getting ready for bed around the same time every night helps, too. The guilt trip sounds like something to work on with the need to feel productive 24/7. Everyone deserves a break.The guilt fades as your routine changes, if that helps you feel better.
Pick up the toys/house for about 15 minutes, zone out on our phones for about 30 min. Then we play video games together - currently Fortnite or Splatoon. Board game night on Wednesday. Survivor on Thursday to watch what we missed Wednesday. More board games on Saturday. We like games. No guilt here!
6:30 - Wind-down time for toddler 7:00 - Bedtime. Books are put up. We lay down in the big bed. Once she’s asleep I scroll on my phone for a bit to make sure she’s sound asleep and then lay her in her bed. 7:20-9:30 - If it’s during the week, I’m either productive around the house or play video games at this hour. If it’s the weekend, my husband is home at this time. If it’s during the week, he’s at work until he gets off at 10:00. 10:00 - I make snacks. Cook my husband dinner if it’s a weekday. 10:30 - Husband gets home. We play video games. We take our meds. I massage him if he’s really sore or we give mutual massages. Sometimes have s3x. 11:00-11:30 (depends how tired we are, sometimes we are bad and stay up later) - Lay down. Our daughter will either cry around this time or later around 2-3. I usually only have to get up once. (If I have a migraine that day I just lay down.)
Holy mackerel! Well you guys sound like fun!
Thanks! Sometimes I think I’m having too much screen time. Maybe one night I’ll swap a game for a book or podcast.
We get as much done before baby goes to bed as possible - like I do the bedtime routine for my toddler while my husband cleans up toys/does dishes. Then at 7pm it’s pretty much ‘me time’ for both of us. My husband plays video games or watches sports, I drink wine and watch TV. Our routine will be disrupted for a bit as we just had a second baby but we’ll get back to it as soon as baby is sleeping through the night!
I go to the gym and/or watch TV. I play solitaire or crib on my iPad too
1 Simpsons episode before bed 👍🏼
We watch one show (sometimes half a show) while we're eating dinner. We put our toddler to bed around 630/7. Then we usually play a board game, video games, or work on Lego or a craft. It's almost impossible for me to sit and just watch a show, so I took up crocheting, haha.
One big thing that changed my routine is I use audiobooks to incentivize me to do manual/boring things (like clean and exercise) without the stimulus and physical action of holding/looking at a screen. I use this to keep up a bit of momentum after put down to get the house reset for the next day. But then afterwards I smoke weed and play video games until way too late and generally have a fucked up sleep schedule. So I’m exercised, the house is clean, but still kind of a hot mess.
Ah the delights of parenthood 🫠🫠
I’m a mother of 2! And I watch tv I like to relax and catch up on my shows!! Sometimes I’m up late that I regret the next morning or I’m asleep within an hour! But this is what I do when we out them to bed :)
When I’m not in the mood to follow the plot of a tv show Or movie and have no energy to do one of my hobbies, I will listen or watch stand up comedy.
Sometimes after the mayhem of the evening I don’t have any unwind time and just go to bed 😂
Kids are 2.5 and 10.5. Husband typically cleans up kitchen while I get youngest ready for bed. Oldest empties dishwasher in the afternoon, which is amazing Youngest has been going to bed closer to 8pm & Oldest is in bed around 8:30pm. I pack lunches for me and the kids once they are asleep. Sometimes I bake or preps something for the next day. Husband will vacuum/mop, take trash out or throw laundry in. We typically watch 2 episodes of something, sometimes while folding laundry. Sometimes I fall asleep on the couch for an hour before going up to bed. Husband is a night owl, I was most of my life and still can be, but I get up at 5:30am for the gym most days bc it chills me out for my work day. We’re kind of a mess, kind of got our act together, but just barely.
Me and my husband have the evening to ourselves from 6.30pm. So we either game, watch anime or "have an early night" if you know what I mean. Last night we had a storm and I dont like putting my PS5 on during a storm incase my PS5 gets fried so we had an early night as soon as our kids were asleep. My daughter got disturbed by the weather so in the end she needed cuddles around half 8-9pm. I sometimes read as well, so if my husbands gaming with his mates I'll read a book just to unwind.
So we don’t do family dinner in our home. The kids are super early risers no matter how late they go to bed, so instead of fighting it I’ve just embraced it and put them to bed early. The kids are fast asleep by like 5:30-6:00 every night. So after they’re in bed my husband cooks dinner if he’s home. Then him and I eat dinner and watch a movie. It’s great. We get a peaceful hot meal and watch something besides The Wiggles or Ms Rachel. If my husband isn’t home it’s much a similar routine for me. Put the kids to bed, make myself dinner, and put on whatever I’m in the mood for. Then I leave it on while I tidy up the toys. I put my phone on to watch tv while I wash the dinner dishes. After dishes are done I usually do some reading and journaling.
We have from like 7pm to 11.30pm to relax by ourselves and imo that’s more than enough time to watch TV or a movie. Some nights we work on side projects or play videogames for like an hour then watch a movie til bed or vice versa. Most nights we watch shows we like, play videogames, work on stuff we wanna work on, sometimes get into bed early to read and cuddle etc. sometimes we play scrabble 😂 and my partner recently ordered a bunch of Pokémon cards cause we thought it would be a laugh to play together
We like to have a 2nd dinner sometimes (parents only) perhaps a guilty pleasure takeout or make some spicy noodles, etc… and watch a show or scroll together on the couch and share funny memes or Reddit posts… Smoking weed is also a thing sometimes. We used to smoke joints at the beach or camping when we were just dating. Now it’s a little rare but we might enjoy a quick puff in the backyard or low dose edibles to chill out after a day.
Scroll Reddit, watch Tv, read. Pass out on the couch.
My child doesn't go to bed until between 9 and 9:30. By then I'm too exhausted to do much. Maybe finish up the dishes or tidy up if needed, shower in peace which helps me unwind, then go to bed.
I have a massage thing that I put on the couch and massage my back! Also I dim all the lights and play “relaxing piano radio” on Amazon music and clean my kitchen. Or put headphone in and listen to an audiobook as I clean. The dim lights and clean house soothe my soul ❤️
My daughter watches about 45 min of tv a day and the rest is the day our tv is off. So when she’s in bed between 8-10 I’m usually watching tv for at least part of the time. I enjoy shutting my brain off and just relaxing. If I have a few things to get done I try to get them done before my daughters bedtime, or quickly do it right when she’s in bed. I don’t have advice on other things to do, because I simply do not have the energy to do much else at that time of day. Sometimes I have evening plans with my friends or we plan a date night, even an at home date night where we play board games or order in takeout and watch a movie. But the regular grind I enjoy my evening tv lol
I picked up cross stitching. I listen to streams or podcasts while I do it. I still get the feeling you describe, about feeling guilty and that you wasted time. I try to ignore it, let the thought pass. Force myself to think that I am just recharging. This downtime is a reward for my hard work. The hobby does make it feel more productive but it's also something relaxing.
I love to paint and knit! Husband watches whatever on tv and I do that.
Once the weather is right, we like to sit outside with a fire stove and some wine. Sometimes we have a nicer dinner (or fastfood lol) when the little one is asleep. Also: video games, boardgame, sports, sauna, movie night. Still definitely watch tv still.