30 something with toddlers!

[mjm3xs]

how does a man with two toddlers,job to pay bills,wife nagging,reading and posting here, find time to work on all the hobbies he enjoys? don't get me wrong
, love my wife and kids, but the time seems to go by so fast,should i be up til midnight to do the things i'm passionate about?any thoughtys or others in the same boat?

[rockrat]

Get the wife to make more money and pay all the bills. Then you only need to be a boy toy when she is home. When she is at work, you get to the garage and start making a stirling engine or something.

Otherwise, you have found all of the same problems that we have. I read an article somewhere where a fella ran thought his day after work. It was something to the tune of.....

Got home and took care of the bills
Walked the dog and took care of the kids
Then got to the shop
Had to clean up after the work done over the weekend fixing the bathroom.
Needed to make a small tool to finish a little project
Found the material after 20 min of looking
Clean the mill off to make a cut.
Reset the lathe to turn the od
Oh, look at the time, got to get to bed so I can go to work tomorrow.
Nothing done-

Yup, something happened in our lives. I at on time had to work a 42 hour week from Monday to Thursday. Thats friday off! I got all sorts of stuff done.
Now, I have to put in 47 hours and if I'm out of there before 4:00 on Friday I'm doing good.

I think that with kids, things change. Talk to the wife and work out a plan. You watch the kids for "x" hours in trade for "free time" of 2 hours or so, what ever you can manage. Just remember, it all give and take.

You give and everyone else takes

rock-

[mjm3xs]

THATS THE PROBLEM! I HAVE FIRDAYS OFF so she writes a list of things to get done!she doesn't get a day of rest i don't get a day of rest and so on.

[sidegrinder]

My oldest son had just started toddling around when I came down with this metal affliction/addition. Things are tough enough with little ones around. I tried to get into my shop, even if it was only for 15 minutes every couple days, just as a type of escape. I have learned to treasure the time with the little guys. Small projects can span several days and lengthy ones an eternity, but I figure I will have my toys 'til I die--my boys will only be around and interested in what I'm doing for a few years. If you miss the time with your kids, you can't get it back. It can be a challenging time, but try to make the best of it. I have a fairly child-safe corner in my shop with paper and crayons etc. which has worked out well for me. My boys progressed from this to pounding in nails and making their own "toys". It has worked out well and keeps them out of the Mrs. hair, which has benefits of its own.

[mjm3xs]

totally agree love the time with my kids, i do alot of woodworking in the basement and have a little dvd player for my oldest which is two to watch w=hile i do a little work, of course i have to send her up stairs every time i run the saw or router,but it keeps her content. the only thing is i have to not keep an eye on what i'm doing but her as well, kind of a destractrtion for safety.

[davidh]

this old guy has gotta agree with mr sidegrinder about the kids. they grow up way too fast.
just last year my 18 year old was 9 and trying to get me to go into the workroom and cut some wood with him. we also cleaned a bunch of dimond willow sticks we cut in the backyard.

when they are old enuf,, buy a hot glue gun and cut them a bunch of odd shaped wood pcs to stick together. maybe even a cheap jig saw. tell them a few times about the hot or the sharp tool, they will test it to see how hot or sharp it really is, and learn, not getting terribly hurt in the process. its good for them, and you ... do projects that involve them. . .

it will be a bunch easer when they do go off to college to remember that you did spend their childhood with them, guiding and teaching. . . and besides, thats YOUR job as a parent. your time will come after they are grown. sorry but thats how its suppose to be. . . . .

sorry, my old fingers have trouble reaching for the shift key and i am lazy.

davidh

[mjm3xs]

i hpoe i didn't come across as being selfish, because i'm not, i spend as much time with my kids as i can. i just hope that after they are at that age where they don't want to spend time with dad, that dad has enough life left to spend on himself.

[HTRN]

how does a man with two toddlers,job to pay bills,wife nagging,reading and posting here, find time to work on all the hobbies he enjoys?

Simple - The Frank Barrone school of Chore finishing. You do the job so awful, she never asks you again.


HTRN

[JRouche]

Cute kids guys. I am only 42 and have two rugg ratts, seven and three. The gurl is three and she is more interested in the handcranks in the shop than the boy. Im fortunate enough to get off work at two thirty so there is plenty of time, just means going in earlier. I actually hope to retire at the beginning of march so that will leave more time. Oh, but Bronwyn (bread winner) says I will be picking up more of the kid duties and such. Thats ok, still leaves enough time to work some metal during the day. JRouche

[mjm3xs]

good rply i have found found myself doing that from time to time like getting the wrong noodles and sauce, now she never asks me to go grocery shopping but i like doing that.update wife just told me need to fix the washer or buy her a new one!

[mjm3xs]

ok sorry about the raving and should have posted this as off topic!

[Furnace]

You figure it out, please tell me. Im 31 and my son turns 2 next month. I bought a 11x30 Clausing lathe 2 years ago and its setting in the same place that it was the day I put it in the garage, still has no power and the compound slide has been setting on my workbench for the past year and a half. Not enough time in the day for it right now.

[mjm3xs]

i hear you furnace , i have a rockford 13x40 sitting in my mother garage that i would like to use.i just can't seem to get it home.

[loose nut]

how does a man with two toddlers,job to pay bills,wife nagging,reading and posting here, find time to work on all the hobbies he enjoys? ?

That's a good one, do you do stand up comedy too. This was suppose to be a 4 day weekend for me and I had planned to be in the shop for most of it. So far I had to work OT for the first two day's and I'm sure the rest of it will get used up on something other than what I wanted to do. That's life. Ya just got to live with it.

[mjm3xs]

yeah, loose nut , i agree , but it sucks. boo hoo, i had all these expectations for myself. ideas running through my head whatif i ie.