Has anyone ever employed a "Mums Help"

[Wills]

I just need someone to help out a few hours a week. I have 3 kids aged 1, 4 and 7 and I'm just attempting to start up a business. I just want someone to come in for a couple of hours a day and help pickup things, a little bit of cleaning and most importantly distract ds if I need to make business calls. For some reason I'm finding it incredibly hard to negotiate prices down over the phone with a toddler hanging off my leg screaming NOOOO! Too often I'm negotiating with bribes to be quiet and I feel this is all going to go seriously pear shaped.

So what can I expect of a mum's help and how much an hour should I pay them?

Watch out
you will get a hard time for being smug

ah feck it fret not about inverted snobs coming and harrasssing you

i'm about to lose my mothers help - have had for 6 months (ds2 6mo)

she is 20yo, has nursery experience plus 6 months mothers help experience when she started here

she works M-F 8-5 and we pay her £1,166 net a month. htink it grosses up to about £17.5k pa

but you will struggle to find a mother help who is happy to clean

ime they will expect to help with kids, cooking, maybe some tidying up and shopping

Smug and lazy

Our cleaner is always happy to distract dd if I have a call

Why not advertise for a cleaner who is happy to do odd bits of childcare (assuming you will be there)

yes cd

agree that would be better

lodas of polish girls around with childcare experioence who are happy to clean

polish girls cleaning, well they would, wouldn't they?

Actually that would be fine Tutter. BUT to all those that think I'm being smug and lazy as we all know motherhood is blooming hard work and I'm trying everso hard to start a business but that means I've got to advertise and put loads of effort in and I feel that at the moment my ds has two options either being bunged infront of the TV with a load of chocolate biscuits (he wouldn't mind!) or going to Nursery. When he does eventually go to nursery I'm going to miss him sooooo much I just thought this would be a good way around it.

wills stop it

they windeth you up

quatt (for that is what i shall call you ) yes i find too that they curtsey beautifully and respectfully avoid eye contact

Didn't mean it Wills - just smarting from being called smug, lazy, bizarre and sad.

CD fared worse though, she was smug, lazy unfunny

God that moved fast

OK I have a cleaner once a week (now I'm looking seriously lazy!) but she wouldn't be happy to look after ds however her daughter is 22 and pregnant (about 7 weeks) and desperate to do some work. I'm meeting her tomorrow I just wanted to know if I could expect her to simply help much in.

Oh don't worry ladies wasn't take offence, had realised you were joking me. But I suppose I still worry that people feel I'm just not working hard enough. Really wish my mother in law live round the corner as she adores the kids and would be perfect. When she comes to visit its like a washing fairy has walked into the house.

And to think I was secretly considering a 4th.....

ooh link to kicking off smug and lazy thread please

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/1375/462012?stamp=080122132245

Yes sounds like a fab idea - there are links on the nanny/aupair sites describing the sort of things you could expect mother's helps to do - I think washing fairy is part of the job description

I'm not sure why but the move from 2 kids to 3 kids seemed somehow to put the washing machine into a daily necessity rather than nicety. A friend of mine recently commented that she always packed loads of clothes when going on holiday because she was NOT going to do any washing. But I don't think dh and I would be able to lift/drag any suitcases large enough to enable me to go a fortnight without washing!

Oh and I only insist on clean knicker each day!

am now ing myself for my comment: "lodas of polish girls around with childcare experioence who are happy to clean"

becasue if i substitued any other nationality (e.g. indian) for polish it would sound pretty vile

but then again, where i used to live there were simply lots anmd lots of polish girls desperate for cleaning and childcare jobs - i used to get one or two notes a week through my letterbox, plus my polish cleaner was always asking for babysitting work - and for more work for her friends

hmmmmmmmm

Big bottoms?

Well mine certainly is!

Mine too. DH's has spread somewhat too

Mine too. DH's has spread somewhat too

is that doubly