What Do You Do During the Day?

[momofsix]

This is NOT to sound like the hubby that comes home from work or the parents whose kids we watch that say "so what do you DO all day long?"
From different posts I've read, and from my own experiences talking to other providers--it seems like we as providers might have quite different days. For example: I was talking to one provider that has all older kids and gets at least one book a week read while her kids are playing. I don't ever see that happening at me house- I think I'd feel too guilty getting paid to read!
My typical day is spent :
greeting kids/parents as they come
getting breakfast and clean up
getting everyone involved in an activity in the downstairs daycare room
they have free play while I set up for circle/craft...
I'll change diapers
serve snack and clean up
lead circle
help with a craft
help with another learnng type project/experiment...
bring kids outside, maybe play volleyball w/ older ones, or go to the park where I'm right on the equipment with little ones
prepare and serve lunch
clean up a little
diapers again
get kids down to nap
real clean up
paperwork/planning/housework/read until they wake up
diapers
prepare snack
clean up from snack
get kids involved in an activity or free play outside
prepare for pick-up
greet/talk to parents

I've never made a list of what I do before--and I know i forgot some things-no wonder i'm tired at the end of the day::

So is my day typical, or am I way different than the rest of you ladies? Let's compare and maybe share ideas of how we make our days a little easier too!

[My4SunshineGirlsNY]

I know I need a little more discipline on running my day...I have a loose schedule, nothing I follow to a "T" but same type of routine every day.

I get up at 5:30 to let my 2 schoolagers in...they go back to sleep and I rest on the couch until my 2 year old nephew comes around 7....I feed everyone breakfast as they wake up (during school everyone eats at the same time but with summer I let the ones that want to sleep in sleep and they eat as they wake)....I clean up the kitchen. After I clean up I get out playdough or simple crafts for the kids. My schedule gets loose because I have such age differences and they don't always like to do the same things. I will play kids music in my play area for the little ones (as my own older girls whine and complain that I have it playing) and my older school girls will sometimes read books to the younger ones when I'm busy cleaning up. I get to listen to my older girls complain that they are bored and we can't go anywhere because of too many daycare kids). We also play outside when it's nice.

I do lunch at the same time every day...I have 9-11 mouths to feed and that doesn't include my own. It seems like it takes me forever to prepare it all for that many kids (4 of them are my own). I listen to a few say I don't like that, blah blah...fine it's peanut butter and Jelly then...I have one daycare girl that just won't eat much of anything because she's SUPER picky and then 1 hour after lunch she's asking me over and over when snack is.

After lunch clean up I change the 2 younger daycare boys and put them for a nap and I do outside activities with the older kids while my mom comes over and watches her soap shows (she just lives next door which is awesome, she's retired now)...usually the school agers find something to complain about or nit pick at each other because they think I like to hear whining and complaining all day long. If they get board outside I get out my crafts I got from oriental trading...they like those but don't last long.

The younger ones wake up and I take them outside for free play..bubbles, stroller ride, ect. or if wheather is yucky I read books to them and play on the floor with them and wait for pick up, which can't come soon enough some days!

I NEVER sit too long during the day and feel guilty if I don't have something for the kids to do. I don't seem to get even a 10 min. break some days...seriously, it is BUSY in the summer! My "to do" list is a mile long and won't get done until school is back in session. I often wonder if I had a tighter schedule if the complaining/whining/drama would be less...but I have a hard time with that because of the huge age range in my daycare...I have ages 13, 11, 10, 10, 9, 7, 6, 4 (all girls) and boys ages 2 and 20 months...and one day out of the week I add an 11 year old girl and 5 year old boy. I can't please them all every day...I have tried and failed miserably! Mostly it's mine that like to complain and give me a hard time but have had to iron out things with the daycare kids too.

[melskids]

wow my4sunshinegirlsNY, i could have written that post myself!!! that is my house to a T !!!! except for your mom coming over. i'm by myself so i have to listen to the SA complain about having to be quiet during naptime. i'm in NY too, so i could let them out to play by themselves during the little ones naps, but they just dont behave well enough for me to trust them.

hang in there! its back to school in a few weeks!!!

[boysx5]

during the summer my schedule goes out the window. I do try to keep in better during the school year. I feel like somedays all I do is put fires out all day. Always something needs to be done. We try to go outside at least twice a day if its not too hot and I always do a craft with them. Its hard having different ages in the summer so it makes it hard to find stuff for all. I keep saying only four more weeks left of the summer for me I have one more week vacation and then life will be back to normal. I have been having some rough days with one older girl I have and keep saying it won't be long til she is gone

[laundryduchess@yahoo.com]

Here is mine

4:30-7 arrival & family interaction
child’s choice cooperative play
7:00 bathroom & diapers
7:30 morning songs and sharing
8:00 child’s choice gross motor play or games
8:30 bathroom & diapers
9:00 snack
9:30 group activity & foundation skills
10:00 child’s choice rotated center items & bathroom/diapers
10:30 child’s choice gross motor play
11:00 literacy language development
11:30 social sharing, lunch
12:00 bathroom & diapers
12:30 nap time
2:30 bathroom & diapers
2:45 snack
3:00 child’s choice centers & creative expression
3:30 child’s choice decided daily
4:00 bathroom & diapers
4:30 literacy language development
4:45 bathroom & diapers
5:00 family interaction, child’s choice gross motor play
5:00 to close cooperative play child’s choice

This is a general schedule that will be adjusted daily to meet the needs of the children or to take advantage of special activities.

[melskids]

mine is more like this.....

7:00 greet screaming 2 yr old who wants his way and mother who gives in and spends WAY too much time coddling him at the door instead of just leaving....

7:30 argue with SA about how much time they get on the playstation and whos turn it is (they only get to play until breakfast is ready)

8:00 change diaper of 10 month old who wont lay still and is grabbing his poopy and smearing it up the wall....

8:30 serve a homemade breakfast to 8 children who would rather have doritos and chocolate to eat....

8:45 throw away 95% of the food i made for breakfast.

9:00 pull 3 year old off of the dog, whom he thinks is his personal mode of transportation

9:15 watch 2 yr old have 1/2 hour tantrum cause he cant have the mini magnets to play with

9:30 attempt to apply sunscreen to 8 wriggly children who wont stand still

9:45 spend the next hour and 1/2 yelling at kids to stop throwing sand, to not beat each other with the bats, and to put down the mulch/rocks (and these are the 7 year olds...)

11:00 attempt to make another homemade meal while listening to the SA complain that they are bored and there's nothing to do.

11:30 infant is teething and by this point has been screaming bloody murder for 2 hours

11:45 serve homemade lunch to 8 children, 3 who are so picky they simply cant find ANYTHING on their plate they like.

12:00 have 10 month old throw his food at me and cover me in spagetti sauce

12:30 throw away most ofhe homemade lunch again

12:45 attempt to get everyone under 5 years old to sleep at the same time

1:00-3:00 trying to keep 4 SA from being loud, killing each other, and tearing up my house, while i do dishes, floors and paperwork

2:30 notice 4 yr old has temp and try to get ahold of her mom

3:00 watching 8 children SCARF down snack because they wouldnt eat all day, and complain cause there isnt "enough"

3:15 little johnny has gotten into the ficus and dumped the dirt all over the carpet and is smushing it in deeper with his feet

3:30 break up 2 children fighting over the same green lego, even though there is 100 more green legos in the bucket, still trying to get ahold of mom to pick up girl w/ temp

3:45 answer a phone call , perspective client who wants to chat for what feels like forever about how "gifted" her child is

4:00 attempt to go back outside and deal with another round of SA fighting over toddler bikes their not supposed to be riding anyway

4:15 clean and sanitize the hands of a 2 yr old who decided to literally squeeze the guts out of a toad

4:20 comfort and console 2.5 yr old girl who now lost her "bestest friend froggy" to toad heaven

5:00 greet mother who was supposed to be here at 4 to pick up sick child

5:15 continue to greet parents who want to stay and complain about their day/boss/job for way too long while their kids terrorize my cat and jump on my couch

5:30 greet hubby who's home from work, asking what i did all day and why i look sooo tired

can you tell its been a looonnnggggggg summer?!?!

i wanted to add, i do really love this job.....its just some days are better then others...

[katie]

Melskids, I laughed so loud. Thank you for that! On that note:

6:45 Stare at alarm clock, turn it off, get up to greet parents
7:15 greet parents and forget it's payday b/c I'm still half asleep. They have amnesia also.
7:15-8:00 Read books my own kids drag in one by one
8:30 Homemade breakfast my kids eat but dc kids stare at
9:00 cleanup and free play/color, etc
9:15 chase around 15 month old who has diarrhea that is leaving a trail
9:20 mop up trail with bleach
9:45 nurse own baby
10:00 we're hungry! duh! you didin't eat!
11:15 cave and fix lunch, they stare at it
11:45 more diarrhea
12:50 Nap! 15 month old cries for 45 minutes
3:00 is it really 3?
3:15 snack, stare
4:00 outside to play, she's touching me, he hit me, she's got my toys,
it's too hot, i'm bored.........
5:00 clean up for parents....In zombie state
5:30 pickups now, my next job as cook, cleanup and wife can begin!

What a great and rewarding job, we get to be with our own, but it does take a special breed of person to do our job for sure! Stay at it great moms!::

[TGT09]

mine is more like this.....

7:00 greet screaming 2 yr old who wants his way and mother who gives in and spends WAY too much time coddling him at the door instead of just leaving....

7:30 argue with SA about how much time they get on the playstation and whos turn it is (they only get to play until breakfast is ready)

8:00 change diaper of 10 month old who wont lay still and is grabbing his poopy and smearing it up the wall....

8:30 serve a homemade breakfast to 8 children who would rather have doritos and chocolate to eat....

8:45 throw away 95% of the food i made for breakfast.

9:00 pull 3 year old off of the dog, whom he thinks is his personal mode of transportation

9:15 watch 2 yr old have 1/2 hour tantrum cause he cant have the mini magnets to play with

9:30 attempt to apply sunscreen to 8 wriggly children who wont stand still

9:45 spend the next hour and 1/2 yelling at kids to stop throwing sand, to not beat each other with the bats, and to put down the mulch/rocks (and these are the 7 year olds...)

11:00 attempt to make another homemade meal while listening to the SA complain that they are bored and there's nothing to do.

11:30 infant is teething and by this point has been screaming bloody murder for 2 hours

11:45 serve homemade lunch to 8 children, 3 who are so picky they simply cant find ANYTHING on their plate they like.

12:00 have 10 month old throw his food at me and cover me in spagetti sauce

12:30 throw away most ofhe homemade lunch again

12:45 attempt to get everyone under 5 years old to sleep at the same time

1:00-3:00 trying to keep 4 SA from being loud, killing each other, and tearing up my house, while i do dishes, floors and paperwork

2:30 notice 4 yr old has temp and try to get ahold of her mom

3:00 watching 8 children SCARF down snack because they wouldnt eat all day, and complain cause there isnt "enough"

3:15 little johnny has gotten into the ficus and dumped the dirt all over the carpet and is smushing it in deeper with his feet

3:30 break up 2 children fighting over the same green lego, even though there is 100 more green legos in the bucket, still trying to get ahold of mom to pick up girl w/ temp

3:45 answer a phone call , perspective client who wants to chat for what feels like forever about how "gifted" her child is

4:00 attempt to go back outside and deal with another round of SA fighting over toddler bikes their not supposed to be riding anyway

5:00 greet mother who was supposed to be here at 4 to pick up sick child

5:15 continue to greet parents who want to stay and complain about their day/boss/job for way too long

5:30 greet hubby home from work, asking what i did all day and why i look sooo tired

can you tell its been a looonnnggggggg summer?!?!

i wanted to add, i do really love this job.....its just some days are better then others...

Now THAT'S what I'm talking about! THIS is what at least 3 of my 5 days feel like every week! Except for a few changes this is pretty much it!

[DBug]

Hmmm, if we actually counted up the number of things we do in a day, I wonder what the magic number would be? Something like 1,234,476 would be my guess!

My day goes something like this:

5:00 -wake up, shower, get dressed
5:30 -throw in a load of laundry, hop on stationary bike and do devotions/prayer time (talk about multi-tasking!)
6:00 -get 3 or 4 cups of coffee and breakfast for me, make lunch for hubby (& kids during the school year), get breakfast ready
6:30 -greet first dc kid (who usually arrives anytime between 6am and 7:30am)
7:00 -a whole bunch more dc kids arrive, they all eat breakfast whenever they arrive
7:30 to 8:00 -kids have free play while I clean up breakfast, throw about half of it out, unload and load dishwasher, wash table & highchairs, sweep, say goodbye to hubby for the day
8:00 - potty/diapers
8:15 -kids have free play while I prep the day's circle time, crafts, and any outdoor activities
9:00 -potty/diapers
9:15 -get 6 kids sunscreened up to play outside
10:00 -wrestle kids back inside for potty/diapers
10:15 -prep & serve snack
10:30 -clean up dishes, load dishwasher, wash table & high chairs, sweep while kids play
10:40 -chase kids while attempting to get them to clean up toys for circle time
10:50 -circle time (while repeatedly reminding the younger ones to "Sit down on your mat. No, not his mat. YOUR mat!")
11:00 -craft time ("You may NOT eat the crayons. Please stop ****ing on the glue." Repeat ad infinitum.)
11:15 -worksheets for the older ones while the younger ones go back to playing
11:30 -force the older kids to stop doing worksheets and go play, clean up table, sweep, then start lunch
11:45 -lunch; older kids take about 2 minutes, younger ones up to a half hour; they play when they're finished; I eat now (I don't have any babies to spoonfeed right now), check out the forum, check email (my netbook is right beside the kitchen table)
12:00 -most kids are done, so I start to load the dishwasher, throw out most of the food, wash the table & high chairs, sweep the floor, then mop when everyone is out of the kitchen
12:30 -herd everyone back upstairs for potty/diapers
12:45 -get younger ones in bed in playpens upstairs
12:50 -get older ones to clean up playroom (still while helping them - the "older ones" are all around 24 months)
1:00 -get out cots & pillows, turn on music. SA sit at table colouring or reading
1:05 -spend FOREVER getting the toddlers to sleep
1:30 -write out communication logs, put crafts in cubbies,
1:40 -either send SA outside to play or set them up with crafts at the kitchen table
2:00 -switch laundry, sit down for a breather, surf, check email, forum, etc.
2:30 -say goodbye to two SA, while trying not to wake up the sleepers
3:00 -turn off music, get toddlers up, cots & pillows away
3:10 -upstairs to wake up little ones, potty & diapers
3:30 -herd everyone back downstairs for snack
3:45 -clean up dishes, wash table & high chairs, load dishwasher, try to figure out what I'm making for dinner ...
4:00 -sunscreen and outdoor time
4:30 -say goodbye to most of the dc kids
5:00 -come in and try to make dinner that was supposed to be ready at 5pm, while dc girl is screaming for water and snacks and dcb is screaming just because, and while hubby and my kids are asking when dinner will be
5:15 -get family to table for microwaved dinner
5:30 -clean up table, load dishwasher, start dishwasher, prep for snack
5:40 -dc snack
5:45 -diaper check (or whenever i can fit it in)
6:00 -dc kids get picked up.

This is THE craziest, most busy job I've ever had -- not sure how long it'll take me to run down, but for the meantime I'm enjoying it. I do tend to pray for patience quite frequently however

[My4SunshineGirlsNY]

Melskids that is GREAT!!! There is no "masking" what the day is really like, that really sums up the truth!...I can't see myself doing anything else right now as I don't want my kids in daycare but seriously...it's not always glamourous and fun. When the kids are separate, they are great kids...but together every single day is not always pretty. I have just come to terms with the fact that I cannot please every child every day.

[Lianne]

Wow, my days are a lot more relaxed. I have five kids in care ranging in age from 2-5. My group plays together really well so maybe that has something to do with it. I had two kids arrive between 8-8:20am. They've been playing with Littlest Pet Shop toys ever since. Between the two arrivals I threw a load of laundry in the washer and wiped the bathroom down. I've spent the last 30 minutes eating my breakfast and browsing my online forums. As soon as I'm done this post I'll tidy up from my breakfast and pack the wagon for our morning at the park. A friend and her five daycare kids are coming here then we'll walk to the park for the morning. We both bringing communal snacks and it's likely the kids will snack through lunch. We'll head home and it'll be quiet time for 3 hours. The kids will get up and we'll play in my front yard with another snack til their parents pick up.

If I was on my own today I'd bring my book with me and read while they played at the park or in my backyard if we were sticking close to home. My group needs little interaction from me unless they can't solve some bickering on their own. I can leave the room and get some housework done, use the washroom or fix a meal with no issues. I will sit and play a board game with them or do a craft or a puzzle with them but if I don't things don't fall apart. Tomorrow afternoon we're having our annual Lemonade Stand. Tomorrow morning will be spent mixing up lemonade and decorating & hanging signs. On Friday we'll take a trip to the ice cream shop with our lemonade earnings.

[AnythingsPossible]

Melskids that is GREAT!!! There is no "masking" what the day is really like, that really sums up the truth!...I can't see myself doing anything else right now as I don't want my kids in daycare but seriously...it's not always glamourous and fun. When the kids are separate, they are great kids...but together every single day is not always pretty. I have just come to terms with the fact that I cannot please every child every day.

Isn't it ironic when we do daycare because we don't want our kids in daycare? I started daycare 8 years ago because I didn't trust anyone to watch my kiddo's now my income depends on people doing exactly that. An interesting scenario in my opinion!

[My4SunshineGirlsNY]

Isn't it ironic when we do daycare because we don't want our kids in daycare? I started daycare 8 years ago because I didn't trust anyone to watch my kiddo's now my income depends on people doing exactly that. An interesting scenario in my opinion!

Yes, I have a very very hard time with it...I wonder if anyone else feels as strongly as I do...I think I have an issue with finding it hard to pass on my responsibility as a mom...like I feel nobody can do what I do for my kids. Is that crazy? Now that my youngest is approaching 5 I get that feeling a lot less as she is becoming more independent...

but also just don't want someone else raising my child...it's very personal to me..almost 2 years ago I had to go back to work 40 hours/week as we were financially struggling with no daycare calls coming in...I worked for 6 weeks, my youngest was 3 at the time and only in daycare for 6 hours since my husband's work shift varied from mine, and I felt so guilty...I felt bad for my provider as my daughter was a busy girl and was afraid she couldn't keep up with her like I could .