make do and mend for tougher times

Popperwell

How things move along quite quickly...looks pretty good and positive within a short time...

Monday will soon be here so you can contact the council...

fuddle

I already emailed family information services

I'm keeping it under wraps re: family and this going to show a very selfish side to me. I'll explain. When I was working full-time when I had my first DD we had to fork out £550 per month just for the childcare. It crippled us and is a factor in why we ended up bankrupt. All that time I asked for help from my family, just a day of week would have helped us out financially. No one was able or willing to do that for us. Now people all around us have had children and annoyingly family members are helping out with the childcare. My sister is pregnant with her second child and has already asked if I would look after the baby when she goes back to work.. for free. I said no, selfishly. No body helped us, why should I do it for free. My excuse was that I would be too busy with my degree. Being a childminder I can't use that excuse but I'm still not wanting to look after her baby for free when that baby could end up taking a place of a child that could bring me an income. Like I say, a selfish side to myself. I don't know what I'm going to do about it really but I'm definitely not doing it for free. My family needs an income too. Whatever happened to family helping out family eh? I am bitter about it and embarrassed that I'm sharing this with you, maybe if they had rallied about me and my children when I needed them then I wouldn't feel so badly about it and would help out family members. My sister and her husband earn a lot of money. I just can't do it because it makes me angry thinking about the whole thing.

mcculloch29

fuddle wrote: »

I've enjoyed our day out. A bit upset at falling for a chugger in the garden centre. A lovely lady, asking if we were an outdoors family, really engaging the kids and giving them leaflets about free activities to do in and around Teesside over the holidays, telling the girls that the charity she worked for would send them stickers and magazines through the post. Kids enthusiastic, mammy and daddy signed up for £5 a month direct debit. Really cross with myself for listening in the first place. I'll have to wait till the first magazine or pack comes and then cancel the direct debit.

We've had a bit of a brainwave. DH and I have been talking and we've decided that as the girls are at school in September full-time but I'm still a mam and housewife, why don't I become a childminder? I've umpteen years of experience working with children so why the heck not. I'd like to supplement our income somehow and still me a mam at home for my children.

I have applied for funding for a OU course titled 'childhood'. I'm changing my degree, no longer wanting to teach but work amongst young children - doing what I know and love. I guess being a childminder I'm keeping my toes in the water so to speak.

Go for it. I have also been one, I ended my childminding days teaching the Diploma in Home - Based Childcare for the National Childminding Association. My daughter really struggled to find a childminder in the town starting with S that is 4 miles from me (the one with the Loco Museum.) All my contacts are a bit out of date as it's 10 years since I retired from minding and 4 years since I taught it. However I've lots of advice on account keeping etc.
Do, do join the National Childminding Association once you get going. The help and advice from them is worth the membership fee five times over.

Fervent37

Fuddle really pleased that your LL has not been obstructive with your plans. From all of your posts that I have read childminding appears to be right up your street. Good luck with the next step of the process.

katieowl_2

fuddle wrote: »

I already emailed family information services

I'm keeping it under wraps re: family and this going to show a very selfish side to me. I'll explain. When I was working full-time when I had my first DD we had to fork out £550 per month just for the childcare. It crippled us and is a factor in why we ended up bankrupt. All that time I asked for help from my family, just a day of week would have helped us out financially. No one was able or willing to do that for us. Now people all around us have had children and annoyingly family members are helping out with the childcare. My sister is pregnant with her second child and has already asked if I would look after the baby when she goes back to work.. for free. I said no, selfishly. No body helped us, why should I do it for free. My excuse was that I would be too busy with my degree. Being a childminder I can't use that excuse but I'm still not wanting to look after her baby for free when that baby could end up taking a place of a child that could bring me an income. Like I say, a selfish side to myself. I don't know what I'm going to do about it really but I'm definitely not doing it for free. My family needs an income too. Whatever happened to family helping out family eh? I am bitter about it and embarrassed that I'm sharing this with you, maybe if they had rallied about me and my children when I needed them then I wouldn't feel so badly about it and would help out family members. My sister and her husband earn a lot of money. I just can't do it because it makes me angry thinking about the whole thing.

I used to childmind when my kids were little... think it's a great way to stay at home with your kids. Also you can do school pickups/drop offs with slightly older ones, which is a bit less work. It was all so long ago though they've probably changed all the do's and don'ts.

Re your sister...In the immortal words of my DS - two words - OH WELL!!!

Too bad if she is put out, you will not be running a charity you will be earning a living, and working hard too. If she can't see that she's an idiot. Now if she were to pay you the going rate??? That would be another matter entirely!

Kate

kidcat

Fuddle there is tonnes of paperwork and regulation etc you could easily explain you cannot take a freebie due to regulations. For starters if you had your books examined and werent charging that would count as depriving yourself of income. Any child in the house counts off your total and you need a certain number to break even so your sister would have to pay. If you were feeling generous you could offer a slightly reduced rate but personally I would not want to mix business with family.
I had a friend who expected me to have her son 3 days a week (he was my godson) and then added another CM for the other two days - I was not happy. I quickly learnt that if anyone asked I would get in quick with my rates and explain I would require a proper contract etc it worked with all but the most determined.

Mrs_Chip

Afternoon All

Fuddle - so pleased that things look good for your new career - well done! As for sister - simply say that you will happily child mind for her at going rate, as it is your business (we were given sage advice when we started "treat friends and family like your clients") and cannot afford to do it for nothing - I would be very strongly tempted to throw in the fact that no one was there for you when you needed them, and now you need to put your family first - and if they don't like it well that's their problem!

Lovely day here today, and a lot of traffic on the road so holiday season kicking in already.

OH was on the harbour sorting out the van and a previous customer happened by up and put in an early order. She mentioned that one lady at the camp site has extended her holiday by a day so that she can have our fish and chips! High praise indeed!

We should start working three evenings a week now but camp site can't say how busy they will be this week - lots of enquiries but people just turn up??? I certainly would want to know that I had somewhere to kip for the night, and would worry that camp was full, which would spoil things for me. I know some people like to just get up and go, but not for me.

Hope everyone is having the same good weather as us, cross everything that we have seen the back of the awful weather.

Popperwell

Easy for me to say not having children but I can see where you are coming from Fuddle. I don't see as being selfish either. Even if some private/unofficial(ahem)agreement was reached and it meant you were better off finacially and those(family)members paid you less than these new child minding schemes charge.

Times are difficult and you need to think about you and your family's well being and yes having a bit more thante State pension to live on when(and we cannot stop it happening)you retire. If it's bad now who knows what it will be like a few years down the line...

Popperwell

I still feel reasonably bright but feel the need to have a look out for an hour even if I trod the same streets and pop into the same shops, I should not spend but probably will. It's ok whilst I can but how will I feel when I can't or know when I have spent the little I have I have to wait and do without.

I mean i like fruit and salad and it's good foer me but turn around and you've spent £10-£12...

Good job I eat less and my portions are smaller...I'll enjoy whilst I can...

monnagran

Fuddle: Well done you! To earn money for something that you enjoy doing is a huge blessing. As for sister, I would offer to look after her child free for as many days as she did it for you. That's a fair offer isn't it?

What a glorious day today. I had to visit a supermarket with the car today. I usually go to a local shop and can only buy what I can carry home - keeps me to the essentials. But today I threw caution to the winds and did a bit of stocking up. Bread flour, ordinary flour, tinned milk etc. We have an excellent shop here that has great bins of stuff that you can help yourself from so you can have as much or as little as you need, and cheaper too.

Have just wandered down the garden to give the last rites to my one remaining runner bean. There it lay, surrounded by silver slug trails. RIP little bean. GreyQueen, I am usually a peaceable person but murder has entered my heart too. My Dad used to have a book called 'Vegetable Growing or The Care and Feeding of Slugs'.
I then proceeded to the greenhouse to speak gentle words of encouragement to my 2 green tomatoes.:eek: All the leaves have turned yellow and some have given up the ghost completely. I usually keep us supplied with fruit and veg throughout the winter but this year I've finally thrown in the towel and our veg will come from the farmer's market - that is if the farmers have had more luck, if not it will be Mr Birdseye I reckon.

Love to you all.

x