6 weeks holidays

[cjt110]

We're getting our shit together for the 6 weeks holidays. Our first of many.

There's me and DH (I work 30 hours Mon-Thurs, he works 2 week rotas pretty much fulltime)

We are juggling between me, DH and my Mum having DS and him also going to out of school club some days.

What do others do?

Same as you, a bit of me, a bit of DH, a bit of my DM, a bit of MIL, a bit of holiday club, annual family holiday. I think that's what most people do.

I create an excel calendar for the month after consulting everybody as I far prefer to have the whole holidays planned out than have to keep thinking about it!

I've just done similar @TokyoSushi. We pretty much have July covered as he doesn't break 'til 19th. We have a week off (DH and I) w/c 22nd July and essentially the bulk is during August.

Same as TokyoSushi - I create a spreadsheet way ahead of time, and make sure I have every day accounted for by May half-term at the latest so that I'm not stressing at the last minute.

We use a combination of annual leave for me and DH, my parents have DS to stay with them for a few days usually and he goes to holiday club for a couple of weeks too. My DSD (18) also helps out when she's free.

I've just come back from mat leave, so I work Monday to Thursday with Fridays off. Dh works 5 days (and also about 3 weekends during the summer holidays, because it's the busy season for his business in July and August).

Youngest dc is in nursery 4 days, Monday to Thursday, and school age one will go to holiday club 3 days, Tuesday to Thursday (it's only open those days). I have off Fridays so obviously I have them that day. Mondays are for dh to sort. So he'll do a mix of taking days off, bringing school age dd to work with him (he's self employed, so that's possible some days depending on what he's doing), or he will arrange a few Mondays when MIL will come visit (she lives 1.5 hours away, but can drive up for the day/sometimes stay over).

Just thinking about this myself. I don't need childcare for my oldest but I do for my youngest who is 12. I have booked some time off work over the Summer holidays and so has my DH. We have no family to rely on. There are some local holiday clubs that could work but they are usually football clubs (which my DS doesn't like) or run from 10am-3pm (which are no good on my working days as they are not near enough for my DS to walk to).
Anyway, at least I am lucky that the childcare years are coming to an end. It was very hard (and very expensive!) when my DC were younger.

Holiday club
Annual leave

Look at summer clubs can be quite cheap - but they rarely do the last two weeks of August

Here the local one is £80 a week, plus the sports centre do half days £15 morning or afternoon with a choice of clubs and if they bring a packed lunch they can stay and be supervised.

Its baffling isnt it and it's taken me sheduling it in, with colour coding, to see whats what!

You're lucky you have a DH and helpful parents. I have neither. I use holiday clubs and childminders. Costs a fortune.

@sanityisamyth Thats pretty much what got me thinking. I have a colleague who is struggling. I wondered if most do as we do, if they can.

,llopmoo;lk