Attention Stay at Home Mom's or Dad's This question is for you...

[ThreeMusketeers]

My dd will be starting school in a couple of years..yes, 2 years away..but this time has flown so fast already... I am getting nervous. What do you do while your child is away at school..or what are you planning to do? Going back to work? Going back to school? I think its very important for me to be here for her after school, and I will not compromise that...but I think I will feel strange staying home and her being at school.. What do you all do??

Thanks.

 

[HopperFan]

...but I soon found I didn't have enough time. Volunteering at your child's school is a great way to know what is going on in the school and classroom. All of my kids loved having me there. I signed up for a few jobs in the classroom, I preferred ongoing things that would allow me in once or twice a month as opposed to the parties, I volunteered in the library once a week (for the entire 6 yrs my youngest was in ES) and I volunteered in art room (art teacher always needed extra hands). And then it just snowballs....team Mom for sports, getting them to afterschool classes such as dance and art, I did all my chores while they were gone so they had my attention after school. Picked up some home projects, painting walls or sewing curtains and got interested in gardening. I have even more jobs now that they are all double digits than I could imagine.

 

[angiedora]

Well, when my youngest went to school (1/2 day kindergarten) I had 40 pounds to lose, so I joined a gym. I worked on it for about 7 months and lost it all. Then I started thinking about those aerobic instructors... I was thinking Hey, I could do their job! So, I took the Group Fitness exam and then 3 years later the Personal Trainer exam. So now, I help other people lose weight and get fit and I do it all between the hours of 8am and 1pm.
I also volunteer at the school (helps you get to know who your child's friends are) and attend a Bible Study. HTH!

 

[JVL1018]

When my son starts 1st grade(we have half day K here) in 2007, I am going to go back to work.
Years ago I subbed for the County Special Services as a teachers asst. It pays pretty good-the assistants in special ed get paid the same as substitute teachers in the non-special ed schools.
My hours will be about the same as the kids, so I will be there right after school. I can pick and choose days to work so anytime I need to be there(volunteering/sick days/vacations/field trips etc.), I just won't work.

I can't see going back full time(I worked in banking for 5 years before I had my daughter) because I just can't deal with all the juggling that would need to be done. Plus I need to be here all summer for the kids.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We are homeschooling--but if we weren't, I'd be going to the women's bible study at church, increasing my community volunteering, as well as volunteering at their school and spending more time on my hobbies.
The hobbies that I would continue working on that are on a very long hiatus: Piano Lessons/Voice Lessons and scrapbooking.

I like angiedora's plan of becoming a personal trainer. Met someone over the summer that does this for a living. Sounds really neat.

 

[annie1995]

After my kids started school, I found a part time job at the school district as a lunch lady. I only work 2 hours a day. That leaves plenty of time to volunteer in the classrooms and gives me extra money to save up for my Disney Trip!!

 

[Camping Griswalds]

You will find that as the kids get older (mine are 13, 9, and 1) and more involved in sports or other after school activities that the only time you may very well get anything done at home is when they are in school. I cook dinner, do the laundry, grocery shop etc because the moment they are out of school, we start to "RUN!!!" It's nice when the house is clean and dinner ready so all we have to do is travel to the various activities, come home, eat, do homework and bed. My time is plenty full without voluntering, or picking up extra hours at work. And now this past year we added the baby so I was moooore than busy enough. I use to just work 2 days a week and it proved to be too much for me. I now work one or two nights and just barely get enough time with my family.

 

[Danemom]

I am a preschool teacher. I volunteered at my kids' preschool and that evolved from occasional subbing to teaching my own classes. I did have to go back to school for about a year to be a lead teacher.

I can pretty much change my hours around to meet my kids' needs for each year. For example, I only taught mornings when my kids were in afternoon kindergarten so I could transport them to school.

I don't have to worry about child care for the summer and I know I can always get a day off for field trips, etc. It has really been a perfect job for me. The only real downside is that it's not a high paying field. I make around $9/hr and consider myself on the high end of the pay scale. No insurance or retirement benefits. But all the other benefits definitely outweigh the negatives!

 

[LCTsMom]

I am in FL and my DD just started Kindergarten last week. She is the youngest of three (my two DS are 12 & 14). I have been anticipating having some time to myself for 5 years. Since I have three kids in three different schools, it doesn't allow me a lot of time to get a traditional job. I would love to find something that I could do from home but that's not as easy as it sounds. I plan on spending a lot of time volunteering in the three schools. Between chauffering kids from school, dance classes and work (DS 14 has a part time job) at many different times I am keeping busy as it is. When my middle DS started school, I cleaned houses part time to bring in some extra cash. It allowed me a flexible schedule so that I could volunteer whenever needed. Enjoy your solitude!

 

[bigmac5]

I am a very part time nurse and full time Mom. I hate to say "stay-at-home" because I am never at home. I have three boys 11,13 and 14. I have volunteered in all there classrooms until they were in about gr. 6 when they only wanted you for school trips and the odd project. My children are in two schools(this year it will be three) I am on the PTA and school councils of both schools. I organize food days for both schools, and am active in the fundraisers for both schools. I drive boys to team sporting events and occasionally I clean my house.


If you want to be involved in the school you can be very busy and it can be very rewarding. You get to know your child's friends and their teachers. I don't regret a minute of it, but I do sometimes look at the nice things some people have and wonder but at the end of the day I am happy with my life.

 

[Disney_1derland]

between volunteering at school and working out at the Y, I am busy! I also make sure to take one day a week to go to my local coffee shop with a good book and just sit and sip coffee and read! You've probably missed out on a lot of good books since she was born, I know I did those first 5 years

 

[akamom]

I'm currently a part time college student working towards my Associates degree in Nursing. So once all the kids are in school, I'll be going back work. But my oldest starts school next month and my youngest is 9 weeks old, so I have a while yet.

 

[tessqt]

I have a dd entering 3rd grade and a ds who is FINALLY going into Kindergarten (full-day!!) I can not wait!!! LOL I have alot planned I hope I can get some if it done. We have ALOT of STUFF in our house and I guess I must be watching too much HGTV and their "declutter" shows, I'm on a roll. While I'm doing that I will be volunteering at my kids school, I'm currently on the PTO board, and chairing a fundraiser. I work from home, which is not alot, and I occassionally go into the office, which will be alot easier now. My Curves workouts will be alot easier when school resumes, now it is whenever I can get there and I don't like that. I have lost almost 20 pounds and would like 10 more off before our trip later this year.

Maybe when they get older I will go back to work, we will see when the time comes.

You will find things to do, don't worry!

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful replys..if anyone else wants to share their experience...i would still like to hear more!
Thanks again.

Nicole

 

[isla bonita]

Both I hope. Only part time though. I still need to be available when needed. I think it is very important to be involved. My opinion.

 

[terri01p]

I can remember the time when my last DD went to school and I was alone for the first time, I sat at home and wouldn't leave afraid the phone would ring and they would be needing me, it was so weird to be alone. Finally, my routine was just a simple one, they went to school , I would clean the house, do my laundry, grocery shop, some days hit the mall, prepare meals and by that time it was time for everyone to stay piling in from school and the rest is family stuff, they are grown now and I pretty much still do the same stuff, maybe I should have done the gym too...never thought of that, isn't that sad, I still sometime feel I don't have enough time in a day.

 

[PaulaSue]

Once my youngest starts preschool I will be able to help out more at Preschool and school during the day, I do PTO stuff for both now at night. I even thought of trying to get a job in one of the district schools PT once my youngest is in school full day.

 

[pennst8r]

I always said I'd go back to work when DSs were all in school. Well, it occured to me along the way---what do you do in the summer?? I plan on losing my "baby" weight, finally! And I'm already active with PTA and the school. Thinking of getting my real estate license, tho.

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

I love the going to the gym idea too! And PTA, Do any of your "other halves" wish you would go back to work while the kids are in school? My hubby is supportive..but I think he has it in his mind that we are going to go back to double income when my dd is in school.

 

[pyrxtc]

Well, when my youngest went to school (1/2 day kindergarten) I had 40 pounds to lose, so I joined a gym. I worked on it for about 7 months and lost it all. Then I started thinking about those aerobic instructors... I was thinking Hey, I could do their job! So, I took the Group Fitness exam and then 3 years later the Personal Trainer exam. So now, I help other people lose weight and get fit and I do it all between the hours of 8am and 1pm.
I also volunteer at the school (helps you get to know who your child's friends are) and attend a Bible Study. HTH!

This sounds like a great gig! I think I'll look into that next year when my older DS goes to school. I can leave the other in the childcare. By the time he starts school, I'l lok like I did in high school.

I will also be working "mother's hours" when my youngest goes back to school but I wil work only in the winter time with summers off. I will just be expanding my weekend winters only hours at the ski resort.