Any old style 'stay at home' mums on here?

FZwanab

I am a sahm to 3 great kids. I love it and I had a "career" in my past, but gave it up to stay at home, even though I was the main breadwinner. Anyway, now my skills include more refined techniques of money management, time management, p.a for my childrens' social activities, advanced cookery skills, better negotiation techniques amongst all the others, like us all.

I do love being a sahm, listening to traffic reports in the morning is one reason to be grateful, but of course there are days when you could scream too, as no 1 is perfect.
I do have one area where I could use some advice, my kids watch quite a bit of tv and I would like to start limiting it, but I need alternative choices, now I love cooking and painting with them, but I need some other ideas of how to fill the time with them if the weather is bad, when we start to play card games or jigsaws, my youngest who is 4 (but on the young side of it), disrupts or breaks up every game known to man. When we try craft stuff eg. playdough it ends up everywhere. Any other ideas very welcome, my kids are 8, 6 and 4. My 4yr old doesn't want to be left out of anything either.

Any advice would be welcome. Well done to those who decided what they want to do is right for them, I know being a sahm is not everyones cup of tea, I suppose I am enjoying it all the more because I have done the university, "good career job" already.

DebbieMids72

I work from home, as I am a PA for my husband. He's got his own business, and I do his accounts, banking etc. And I also have 2 little girls, aged 4 and 6, and I'm happy and glad that I'm they're for them. I also enjoy doing the accounts and using my brain.

1sue23

I am a stay at home mum and my children are now 28 27 and 21 the only time I have worked is part time cleaning private houses and only if needs must which is not often and not for 8 years now and I love the freedom it gives me I qm lucky in so much as hubby is in well paid work and I can manage on very little, I think my children have all gained from me not working as I have always felt it is the most important job bringing up the children and hard work at times .Now that I am in my fifties I work in charity shops unpaid and can choose when I go in I also have lots of pets including chickens so that takes up alot of time .I look after my grandchildren in school holidays and so am now providing security to them i have never regretted not working and do not feel I have missed out on anything so I say if you can go for it.

Churchmouse

Except we should all be adopting the term * paid work*. A cousin of my DH asked me many years ago " Churchmouse, are you doing any paid work at the moment?" I have loved him with a passion ever since:rotfl: :rotfl: Most, if not all, women work until the grave, but a lot of it is unpaid, but not un-essential:D Personally, I raised 4 children, aided by a DH who not only worked shifts ( computer industry:rolleyes: ), but who also lived away from home. I was my children's stability. I was also the mum who *worked* unpaid in their various school classes for at least 15 hours per week!!!!! Some of the *paid* working mums looked down on me, but who helped their kids with reading practice, taught their kids knitting, pottery and sewing?? Yep that's right, boring, unimaginative, no ambition me:D

Once my kids reached a *certain age* I got involved with other voluntary work. Old folks lunches, Church fundraising, fundraising for a local children's charity for severely mentally and physically handicapped kids etc. I don't have time for paid employment:rolleyes: Luckily, my needs have been few, so we've managed financially ( just! phew!!)

Sorry, this has turned into a marathon, but I think the term SAHM ( which I've been happy to be:D ) covers a very wide spectrum.

LouBlue

Hope you don't mind me posting in here as I know I'm not a mum but after working full time for 22 years as a secretary, I have been not working for the past year and am loving every minute of it. And I have really got into OS at home, especially cooking things from scratch and baking, OH is still in shock. We hope to try for a family in the near future so at least I have got used to being out of the workplace and being on one salary. I will be getting some part-time admin/typing work to do at home soon so that is just perfect for me, bring some money in, yet still be at home. I lost my mum last year and got to spend precious time with her that I wouldn't have had, had I been working fulltime, (though I didn't realise at the time, I would lose her, it was sudden) and now really appreciate not being in the hustle bustle of working and wishing it was the weekend and wishing my life away. Losing mum made me realise that life can be too short, you have to enjoy your life, and I am a nicer calmer person to be around when it comes to my OH and the rest of my family through not working fulltime. xx

Triker

I think I'd like to stay at home for a bit and maybe work part time.

I love my job but its very stressful sometimes.

I find myself running to catch myself up.

Although I have a professional job and work full time and have 2 children for some reason the expectation is for me to also do the housework stuff.

Now don't get me wrong, paying for stuff I do, even my own mortgage (my house was bought by me before I met OH, we live in his, mine is now for sale) no problem. I cook all the meals, wash everyones clothes, just basically get on with it to be honest but there is a bit of me hankering to be at home without predjudice. Would be nice, isn't going to happen.

I'll keep working to pay my mortgage, my council tax, the food bills, the childcare, the car insurance etc.

Don't get me started on the guilt, never had any support to be honest, not got one of those parent thingys to help out, friends live miles away.

Yeah I'm one of those parents who fret about each school holidays, those teacher training days send me in a spin, each school performance, each time there is an illness with my children are all my responsibility to cover.

Funny innit, how many women fought to get out of the home and now.....what I would give for the choice.

I'm in considerable debt, mainly due to having to manage the childcare, its all a joke really and if I thought about it too much I'd blow up.


So maybe I'll one day get the opportunity to have the choice, 'cept my lovely girls will have grown up by then.:o

Valjk

I am a SAHM and I love it I used to work early mornings cleaning (3til7) and evenings (7 til 9) so I could be home in time to wake the children for school or nursery until we moved, and hated it. Now I can get up and start the day with a smile on my face:)
My DD's love it that I can walk them to school and meet them afterwards, we have time to talk everyday and I have time to cook from scratch.
Money may be a little tighter but life is a lot brighter

moanymoany

I'm sure there was a thread some time ago where SAHM's told how they saved money, sometime almost replacing the money they had earned before. Anyone remember it?

I'm sure a lot of you would love reading how 'Tightwad Gazette's' Amy organised her life as a SAHM.

Angelina-M

Curv wrote: »

Like Angelina, I lost my 17 year old son to cancer - but it was very sudden. It's true that no one knows what's around the corner. There's not a cat in hell's chance that I'd swap one single moment of time with my husband and kids for any amount of money. I love my life - the only thing that could possibly improve it would be to have my son back, but since that's impossible, I might as well make the very best of everything else and live my life to it's fullest - kind of in honour of the life he can't live, IYSWIM?

*It's a lovely rug but is severely testing my patience.

Curv I just wanted to say hello. I thought I was alone on here. And I see you are from Yorkshire too. I agree with everything you say... we cant ever lay down and let that illness win.

SAVVYMUMMY_2

Hi everyone, I`m a SAHM too, have been for the last 6.5 years and absolutly love it.
I finished full time work when preg with DS1, went back part time in the evenings, so hubby could look after him. Got preg with DS2 and left work. I have never looked back.
I don`t think I could go back to work and let somebody else look after them, in my opinion, I didn`t have my children for somebody else to look after them. I suppose it`s a bit different because hubby has a good job(although he works far too hard), so I don`t need to work.
And yes it does grind my teeth a bit when people say lady of leisure. NOT true ladies, I am full time 24/7 housekeeper
taxi driver
cook
accountant
nursemaid
teacher etc. etc. etc.
Sorry for going on a bit, not usually like this, infact I am usually the complete opposite.
Any way since finding this fantstic site a few weeks back(listened to Martin on the radio) I have picked up such a huge amount of knowledge. I have started doing the grocery challenge and now working my way through the family of 5`shop from home` food challenge. Next will proberly be one of the garden threads, as I want to start growing my own fruit and veg.
Anyway enough from me, hopefully speak later.
SAVVYMUMMY