Tweet
I started my daycare 4 months ago. I have one full timer, and three part timers, plus my own three kids. I feel like I am so scattered! My house is always a mess, my laundry is never done, I never get dinner on at a decent hour. Tracking paperwork seems like such a huge pain and its all over the place. I'm so tired that my poor husband barely gets a hug at the end of the night. What are your secrets? Is there a breaking in period that I will get over soon and start enjoying this?? Any helpful adivse to not let the stress get to me?
-
-
I think you will get a lot better at it as you go a long. Better at multi tasking and organizing. If you post a specific issues, we can help with ideas. As for the stress, perhaps you started with too many kids, too soon? -
I had the two part timers for year and a half (brother and sister), added an 8 month old when i first got licensed, and now four months later added a 2 1/2 year old. I thought I spaced them out pretty well, but I'm still having trouble. I think if I could get planning of meals and shopping all done on the weekends, it would help so much, but I'm usually getting the all the other household chores done I neglected during the week and trying to have a bit of family time that many times I don't get to it. i end up getting stressed out every time the kids are hungry cause I don't know what to feed them (I have a VERY picky dcb and dcg-all they eat is junk at their house) and am tired of the complaints. i don't know. It doesn't help that the flu has swept through my house, going through each of my kids for the last three weeks so I am drained taking care of them too.Comment
-
Maybe that extra kid was just not a good idea? It sounds like maybe you are stretched too thin for now. I know it is really hard to balance your own kids and a daycare (I have 3 under 5!). The best bit of advice I can give you is to only take the number of kids you absolutely have to and resist the temptation to keep adding kids to the point that you are stressed. My max for now is 3 kids in addition to my own. Seems like everytime I add that 7th kid, things are just too much for me. That will probably change when at least one of my kids is school age but we will see.
As for the food, take the control back over the situation. YOU decide what the kids eat and if they dont like it, they can stay hungry till the next meal. I promise they will be fine. Or you could lower your rate a bit and have the daycare parents send a sack lunch each day.Comment
-
I used to let the kids (the brother and sister) bring their breakfast. Boy was THAT a mistake. They literally brought either donuts, a bag of sugar cereal (trix etc) or sometimes even candy along with a sugar drink, like hi-C. Oh, sooo disgusting. They eat like that every day. And because I only have them part time, I have a really hard time acclimating them to healthy food. *sigh* And can you imagine the whining I had from my own kids when they saw what they weren't allowed to eat?? I think I do need to just serve the food and get a better backbone with the complaints.
Maybe I shouldn't have taken this last little guy...but having him is the only way to start paying off debt. With my other three we just barely pay the bills. Maybe making a menu and sticking to it will help. What do you guys do with complainers? These two complain about any food I serve and usually complain about activities I do too. I'm just feeling tired of the dissatisfaction.Comment
-
And thinking about it more, I really can't complain daycare for all my stress. My dh is working full time AND doing school full time, so for the past 2 years I've basically been a single mom, having to take over all the household chores and kid duty where as before he would help out. So that takes it toll too.Comment
-
My secret is to not take part timers- they are generally harder than full timers, who understand a daily routine.
I have also started having the kids nap for specific times, and not letting everyone get up from nap whenever they want to. Now they have to read a book if they are up early. Momma needs her breaktime!
I also do household chores during the day. I will bring a basket of laundry in the playroom, family room ,etc and do it. I do dishes and clean the kitchen at lunchtime. I do not get to sit down and eat, but I would rather eat on the fly than have a messy home and less time for dh. When laundry does inevitably pile up, I have DH help me-.
Honestly- daycare is crazy,
! You work too many hours and there aren't enough in the day to do everything. You have to multitask- do as much as you can during the day while maintaining quality care.
I do outside and crafts in the morning. Afternoons are for naps and free play.
You will get into a routine that works for you- it took me a year
I make sure though, that everyday at some point I sit down for 5 minutes and enjoy a cup of coffee- preferable on my porch in the sun at naptime!Comment
-
I remember feeling like that when I first started out. Once I realized it was really all about staying organized and implementing a system it became much easier. To this day I have a rotating system for keeping my home clean and for shopping. During the time that my kids were growing up I made sure that they helped out with whatever jobs they could do within their abilities.
As far as the food issues go - I definitely agree with Cheerfuldom - "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" ::
Comment
-
Thanks for all the advise. I am feeling like I want to term my part timers, particularly the brother and sister duo because I also have to do school runs for them which are NOT fun. But I also love their parents and they pay me well. We'll see. Come August when school starts up, I have another one of mine starting school and the school rides just might not work. I think I do need to figure out a system that works for me, which includes limiting my time on here!
Comment
-
1. Kids eat what works for the family. Friday is tuna day because we are catholic. Don't like it don't eat. No complaints allowed at th table. I always make dinner while daycare is open. Kids Free Play or read for the last hr in the living room area while I'm making it. Also, everything is cleaned up 15 min before time to go so I'm not spending my personal time cleaning up toy messes.
2. My kids occasionally get baths during dc. Yep, flame me. Dck read outside bathroom within sight of me or I do quick baths while kids are sleeping or when all but 1dck has left. I have cameras on my sleeping kids so I can see them at all times.
3. I do a wash load every am before kids arrive. I change my kids out of pj's and immediately put in a load of wash. After preschool worktime we switch to drier and then I fold at nap or during free play.
4. Flylady.net has good organizational ideas.
5. I clean during dck too, windows and dusting in living room while kids eat breakfast. 5 min or less a day! Wipe bathroom every third or so day at nap or if my kids are playing really nicely.
6. Ask hubs to help out and give specific jobs.
7. I make freezer meals and they are tremendously helpful to have. One sat of work means weeks of extra time when you need it most.
It will get easier. Good luck. You will get in a routine soon.Comment
-
I started saying that phrase before I had any picker eaters here (well, so picky that I could not convince at all to try one bite). The kids tell it to the other kids now in reference to just about anything. :I remember feeling like that when I first started out. Once I realized it was really all about staying organized and implementing a system it became much easier. To this day I have a rotating system for keeping my home clean and for shopping. During the time that my kids were growing up I made sure that they helped out with whatever jobs they could do within their abilities.
As far as the food issues go - I definitely agree with Cheerfuldom - "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" :::
Comment
-
Thanks you guys! Great advise. I'll try to start doing all that. I like fly lady. I'm just not too good at doing what she says! LolComment
-
you might also check into Dave Ramsey's program for getting out of debt. Thats what we are doing and what several other providers on this forum are doing. Its very eye opening and can make an instant change.
As for letting the part timers go, I wholeheartedly agree with that plan. I would rather work more hours with a full timer than to take a part timer. They are notorious picky, dissatisfied and hard to adjust, just like you said. Its nothing you are or arent doing.....its just the way it is.Comment
-
I love Dave Ramsey! I used to be so great at following his plan but admittedly that is one of the things that has fallen by the wayside since I started working. Thanks for the kick in the pants.
And I think I will really consider terming the brother/sister duo. The 2 year old is four full days so that's close enough to full time for me and he's not a problem. If I was willing to take one more infant, I could easily cover my income from the siblings, but I think I'd be over my head. I get at least 5-8 calls a month for infant spots. Tempting to grab one of them, but I'll pass for now.
I used to be very organized. If I can get that back, maybe I won't be feeling so crazy all the time.Comment
Comment