Not long now............!!!!!!!!!!!!

suki1001

I love having my children around, so I don't want the holidays to end. I work from home, so I just worked a bit differently to spend more time with them.

11yo DD learnt to bake cakes by herself, so she did that quite a lot - great when she'd appear with a plate of cakes!!

The house was a bit messier, but I got them to tidy up the mess they'd made, more often, then it wasn't!

8yr DS made a boat out of scraps of wood in the garden, so there was a good mix of them occupying themselves.

We had a lovely caravan holiday in Wales for a week - and got fab weather. Children got on well and it's been nice, not tearing my hair out.

toffee'n'tom

suki1001 wrote: »

I love having my children around, so I don't want the holidays to end. I work from home, so I just worked a bit differently to spend more time with them.

11yo DD learnt to bake cakes by herself, so she did that quite a lot - great when she'd appear with a plate of cakes!!

The house was a bit messier, but I got them to tidy up the mess they'd made, more often, then it wasn't!

8yr DS made a boat out of scraps of wood in the garden, so there was a good mix of them occupying themselves.



We had a lovely caravan holiday in Wales for a week - and got fab weather. Children got on well and it's been nice, not tearing my hair out.

But do you have an OH supporting your being able to work from home? There are 1000's who don't and would love the opportunity to spend quality time without pressure with their children.

onlyroz

toffeentom wrote: »

It appears to me from reading these posts that anyone who has had a great time has either had huge family support, had their children in nursery/holiday clubs for the majority of the break, or totally loaded and able to either take the summer off or spend the majority of it on a fantastic holiday/break.

I have also been wondering how so many people appear to have had a jolly summer spending every golden moment with their darling cherubs. Doesn't anybody go out to work anymore?

toffee'n'tom

onlyroz wrote: »

I have also been wondering how so many people appear to have had a jolly summer spending every golden moment with their darling cherubs. Doesn't anybody go out to work anymore?

Please tell me how you manage this. I am a single parent, have to work and have stringent rules at my workplace with regard to summer leave. I have been allowed a maximum of two weeks leave out of the seven my children have been away from school.

Ok if you are lucky enough to be financially able to do this but please mention this in your posts as it tends to make the rest of us feel totally inadequate.

onlyroz

toffeentom wrote: »

Please tell me how you manage this. I am a single parent, have to work and have stringent rules at my workplace with regard to summer leave. I have been allowed a maximum of two weeks leave out of the seven my children have been away from school.

Ok if you are lucky enough to be financially able to do this but please mention this in your posts as it tends to make the rest of us feel totally inadequate.

I have taken 9 days annual leave this August. I have also used a holiday club for 10 days (£28 a day) and Granny for the rest (I know I am lucky in this regard as not everybody has this option available). My daughter's nursery only closes for two weeks in August, but my son has been off for the usual 6 weeks.

Presumably you get paid more than £28 a day?

suki1001

toffeentom wrote: »

But do you have an OH supporting your being able to work from home? There are 1000's who don't and would love the opportunity to spend quality time without pressure with their children.

What do you think I am some little woman who earns a bit of pocket money?

I earn a wage working from home, in fact I'm the main earner. I work full time, but because my work is internet based I can manage my own time. It's irrelevant whether I have an OH or not. Normally I work school hours, then later at night. In the holidays I cram it into maybe three days often working to the early hours,, or i get up really early as opposed to the school hours.

I would do the same if I was a single mum, I don't manage financially because I have a partner, I manage financially in my own right because I work hard, as well as keeping the house tidy/clean it, doing the garden and ferrying the children. I'm not loaded, I don't have frivolous holidays. I still have to work if I'm ill, I get 1 weeks holiday a year.

jackieb

Seven weeks summer holidays here too. My daughter has asperger's and has only went out of the house 5 times in total in that 7 weeks. She won't even step out the back door when it's nice. The only reason i'm glad that school is back is that at least she's going out again, even if it's just to school. I tried and virtually pleaded for her to come out with me. I offered to take her anywhere she wanted (within reason of course - cinema, eating out, shopping, even just a run in the car).

[Deleted User]

sweetme wrote: »

Mine went back to school two weeks ago. I miss the summer holidays, lazy mornings, day-trips out, coming home late. I really enjoyed this summer with my kids. Counting the days to September weekend now!

I agree. There are advantages and disadvantages to school hols. I love having a laugh with my children, love not having to live to drop off and collection times etc. But also have a slowly growing desire for school to start again.

Unfortunately, as I have got a few messes going on in my life that need urgent sorting out (and I have a course to start Sept 4th).., life is going to get an awful lot more hectic next week! I'm not looking forward to that aspect of things.

Spendless

raven83 wrote: »

But they break up earlier don't they? So still have six weeks off I think the summer hols are too long, I think it should be 4 weeks tops then split the other 2 weeks and add them to the other half terms, would be soooooo much better, IMO

They have longer off in Summer as they don't have May 1/2 term (not sure about Feb 1/2 term). Depends whether you think it's better to have longer in Summer or break up more frequently?

My youngest goes back Tues, but my son's school is having an extra inset day and he doesn't go back till Wed and starts mid-morning. As me and hubby are both at work think I'm sending him round a friends, rather than spend the morning wondering if he fell back asleep after I left or if he remembers to lock the front door. Am also looking forward to getting in more of a routine. I'm working f-time till end of month, so need to get some structure in place.

delain

I'm at home but childcare costs for 5 would be more than I'd earn! I've been thinking about getting an evening job though just to help with the money, august is as expensive as December in this household what with new bags, coats, uniforms etc. And that's with my nan very kindly taking them for their school shoes and we're still flat broke and behind on the bills.

I've been a single parent before and it is really really hard, my OH is a total pain in the bum sometimes but I do know how lucky I am that he helps out with things.