Depending on what time your day is finishing, you might think of turning in early. More sleep will give you more energy to deal with the challenges the next day and perhaps you won’t feel the need to simply unwind the next day. Obviously going to sleep at 7 is not what I’m suggesting, but it won’t hurt to turn in at 9:30 or 10, especially if your kids are early risers. You may want to rework your afternoon/evening schedule to not leave yourself with so much seeming free time. Unwinding can be done, if your kids cooperate, by reading a few chapters of a book while on the couch in the room where they are playing on the floor, going to the park with them in the afternoon, or other activities that you find enjoyable to do with your kids. If you are re-energized, you can take care of small household activities, including a bit of laundry, cleaning up the kitchen, getting ready for the next day, etc. If your spouse wants to participate, then he can either help or at least sit in the room and talk with you while you’re doing things. Some people I know take a baby sitter in the afternoon hours (assuming you don’t come home from work only at 7), while they rest and then they have energy to deal with the evening routine.
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