I love half-term, but for all the wrong reasons! Anyone else with me?

[ContessaGoesMarchingDOWNTOHELL]

I LOVE half-term, but people act like I'm a selfish monster when I explain why!

1. The kids spend all day happily bouncing around and going on exciting adventures with their (reasonably priced) holiday club, staffed by long-suffering yet kind childcare professionals with a great sense of humour. They return home exhausted, grubby and happy (the kids....mostly)

2. We avoid having to battle the bored half-term masses at every free activity and save a few pennies not buying entry to overpriced attractions and buying desperately-wanted cheap tat/sugary things

3. I spend the week working, mostly from home, for which my teams are grateful because generally we're short-staffed at this time

4. I get to leave work at my usual time (school hours) and have a happy few hours ponking around the garden every afternoon

5. We get to save up our leave (and money) for the 'big' holidays at Christmas/Easter/summer, and have a few days left over to attend school events during the year

This thread isn't meant to devalue the experiences of those who love having half-term with the kids; I just wanted to extol the virtues of another approach

Anyone else with me?

@Ozgirl that would be marvellous! Although I have just remembered that Australia grows spiders the size of cats. Am conflicted.

Ah, that’s ok, you don’t see them as often as you would expect really. Plus our house has a pest spray, so nothing with over 4 legs lives here...I ask for the “napalm death special”

We did have a death adder last year though but then two firemen turned up to rescue it/me.

Not being a mum I never realise when it is half term and then wonder why the buses/shops/cafes are filled with kids who should be at school!

We don't have October half term here so I have the joy of getting up at 6.30am and shoving them out the door as usual.

OTOH it's Thanksgiving week soon and it has (slightly unusually) already snowed and our local ski resorts are open and I'm seriously contemplating paying my oldest child to take my younger two skiing every day so I don't have to.

Oldest would sit in the lodge filling in university applications binge watch something while the younger two (15 and 13) terrorise the mountain.

Seems reasonable yes?

Have to admit I'm struggling a bit here. I think it largely depends on your circumstances as to whether it is a welcome break but for me ( dh who works full-time) there is no extended family/friends to look after the children and I am full-time sahm. I am chronically sleep deprived because of waking baby which isn't a good start, throw and a reception age child into the mix and it isn't a great combination. My eldest occupies herself well but mobilising my youngest two children is hard work (dc2 has challenging behaviour, perhaps bordering on SEN). With no transport, I spend a lot of time in the park etc. because usually dc2 finds someone to play with and the fresh airs seems to do us all good. It feels a bit like groundhog day...preparing meals, clearing away, changing baby, giving dc2 attention (sometimes craft related) and so the cycle begins again with often no adult company in the mix. I get that slowly dying inside feeling if I am unable to secure a bit of 'me' time, like I'm doing now and I suppose I am guilty of looking at school as a provision of childcare which enables me to grab a bit more time for myself and hence I feel more like myself. When I had only dc1, we had loads of play dates and she was far more portable so we were here, there and everywhere = different circumstances.

I personally didn't like childcare for my kids, never used it as I believe I can do much better.
But I love school holidays and never really want them to go back.
I'm a sahm though, and prefer 1 to 1 care from a parent.
We are all different though.

We are all different though.

And many of us don’t have the luxury of choosing not to work.

I'm a sahm though, and prefer 1 to 1 care from a parent.

didn't like childcare for my kids,

How did you arrange 1 to1 if you have children?

@BangingOn This isn't about that though... the OP is clearly at home yet chooses to send her kids to HC.
Not that I'm judging, I honestly couldn't give two hoots what other people do with their kids.

But this thread isn't working parents vs SAHP

She’s working from home though, not sitting around all day.

@BangingOn Good point 🤔😬

lavender that sounds pretty brutal. I only have 2 DC but they are very close in age, so I found the early days... well, brutal. It's got easier as they've got older, but I still struggle internally sometimes.

For anyone who's interested, I'm only working a half day tomorrow (at home) and am going to take a punt on letting the DC watch TV and entertain themselves in the other room while I do so. If they behave themselves then I might be more willing to let them do the same again at another time - DS2 is particularly struck by the fact that he'll be allowed to stay in pyjamas until lunchtime so, we shall see!

It's tough going Contess but I wouldn't be without them, having such a gap was just the way things turned out. I think I have some kind of virus which is making me feel a bit less energetic/lower ebb than usual.

Well I hope for your sake that's it, lavender; otherwise you might want to get your thyroid checked out. I thought it was normal to feel half dead until it turned out my thyroid was f**ked! It's taken a couple of years but I'm finally properly medicated and feel like I have energy. I recommend getting checked!

I only work half the week but love half term as school traffic disappears and we don’t have to get up / dressed / out the door for anything in particular until we feel like it. Also the night before reading / kit / uniform panics when you have a million other things to do go away for a week. Now I just need rugby / swimming etc to follow suit.

My daughter loves her gymnastics club during holidays and would be bored silly at home on her own for weeks over the summer. I use the extra time I have after work to do housework and shopping etc. I then enjoy the time I do have off with her. She didn’t want to go to holiday club this week so is off with dad. I have started and finished earlier so we all have some time together and working from home tomorrow so can finish at 2pm

I love half term too. We’ve been pumpkin picking this week and had lunch as a family at one of our favourite places to eat. Also we’re going to a Halloween party at the weekend. My family love sleeping in as well as getting exercise. Not sure yet about Sunday.

Thanks Contessa, I have a GP appointment booked for a couple of weeks and thyroid issues is one of my concerns will ask for it to be checked then.

Stupomax sounds like a cracking plan. I’m sure the mountain will cope! :o

Contessa I’m stealing ‘ponking’ as it is a fabulous addition to the batshit!dictionary/thesaurus. Many thanks!

Op I think your half-term approach is very sensible.

I have had a few days leave from work this week, during which time we have done seemingly idyllic activities like pumpkin carving, bonfire in garden, NT properties etc. Behind the scenes WW3 was about to break out most of the time, and I am exhausted. Kids are off to a holiday camp tomorrow and they're thrilled. So am I!

Now 3 of mine are all grown up I yearn for those days when we just had fun together and did nothing. I teach so holidays are/were down time for all of us. Only one of my babies is still at home and we're going to have as much fun as possible. Just back from a trip to Barcelona.

All I have in my head at the moment is that Abba Slipping through my fingers song. Enjoying dd3 (14) all I can.

Ahhh I remember those good old days! My two are teens now so can't pack them off to holiday club anymore but I was the same as you!
Even if I finished early I would still wait until 5pm to pick them up

Lavender hope the GP visit goes well :)

Incy I am delighted to have influenced another family's vocabulary

wentmad I understand - I think when my DC are teens (I.e. hopefully relatively pleasant to chat to and not running jumping on furniture anymore) then I too will be all "BUT MY BABIES" when I think of them leaving.... right now I'd probably help them pack, most days!!

I get half terms off cos I work in a school. DH feels that I should spend the holidays doing improving activities with DC3, such a museums and whatnot. I feel that I don’t want to do anything that feels at all educational, for me or DC3, as that’s what we are having a break from.

We sleep late, watch tv, potter about the garden, go to the shops, maybe have one ‘treat’ thing like cinema or lunch out. Plus do the boring life admin like dentist and haircuts and major sortout of his bedroom.

He also spends a lot of time on his computer and I spend a lot of time on MN. We also have tea and biscuits all day and maybe a walk to the park. It’s very low-key.

I have a week off work and spend most of it getting prepped for winter and Christmas while the teens sleep and drift around the house in PJ's. We have a day where we go on an outing - usually a theme park Halloween event, and a day where we meet my parents and go for lunch and a good walk. At the end of the week I've usually got a full freezer, tidied the garden for winter and have a good clean up/clear out of the house. Love the October half-term!