WEEKEND STAFF ROOM

[coolj]

Good morning everyone. I actually had a lie in this morning. 8.50am wow. (although I was up a couple of times in the night).

Ive got a new mindee starting Monday every morning, but probably only up until Xmas .

Still its better than nothing.

Hope everyone out there has a good day.xx

Hiya coolj.

I had a little lie in too, but was up late.

Ofsted did not grace me with their presence yesterday so still have that hanging over me.

AND my NVQ assessor called, somehow neither of us have noticed there was a whole unit untouched in my portfolio! Which needs to be given in Monday morning.

I was allpositive hoping for a chilled weekend with DP and DS. Now have NVQ work to do. And SEF if I can add extra hours to the day.

Bugger. Forgot I have a mystery shop booked! Aargh!

hello. i'm going to visit my family today, yeaaa!
random question, is anyone else really fed up of random, quite rude enquiries for childminding??? i've had a couple now and i just want to scream down the phone at them!!

goodluck with your nvq today sammyk

Hi everyone!
Just a quick hello before we venture out to soft play. Brave or Stupid?

Pleased you both got lie ins, I did too, baby only woke at 5.10am and then went back to sleep until 7am but I stayed in bed til 9am

CoolJ - good luck with new mindee

SammyK - I just can't believe your luck, poor thing. Hope you get it done asap and manage to get SOME time with your family. It's horrible never having the time isn't it, and I don't even have an NVQ going on (and won't until ds2 is a little older!) What a pain about the inspector not coming. When did they say they would come? It's a pain having to have it hanging over you for the weekend isn't it!

leonifay - never had rude enquiries....I tell a lie, i did once and yes, felt like shouting down the phone!!! They got annoyed with me because I couldn't pick up from their school though was a totally different direction!!

Well, I have a feeling Ofsted are going to surprise me soon with an inspection so I'm trying to get all my paperwork up to scratch and get to grips with EYFS. Ds1 has gone away with my db for the weekend now, he decided to go to our sister's as then he's got his cousins plus it's by the beach and cheaper than a travel lodge Ds2 is napping at the mo and I've sent dh out to buy an activity table from Argos in the hope that it will keep ds2 entertained for the weekend so we can get on!

Right, time to crack on before he wakes up. If you see me in here, shout at me to get on with my work!!

Have a good weekend all

I made £51.70 at my sale

Which I am quite pleased with

Poor you Sammy

Soft play....Deft

Rude enquiries - lots - I rise above them

Just having my lunch (made by DP), feel so overwhelmed and shitty that DS is parked in front of a dvd again.

Aww Sammy it's no fun sometimes eh ?

We've been to School Jumble sale today, DP and DS1 have popped out to try to find a new mattress, then we are trekking out to Monmouth to get new trainers in a bit.

How has everyone else's day been? That's good sum KM

I have made steady progress on my NVQ work, I have given up on getting SEF done though, I don't need the pressure and if inspector marks me as just satisfactory I will try not to care. Inspestor told me 5 working days so last thurs, and friday, adn then mon, tues wed. So want it all over with!

Everyone sounds so busy.

I am feeling really fed up today. Worked a 50 hour week last week (same as always), and by the time the weekend comes I am totally worn out. Plus have 100's of jobs to do.

Im not sure my batteries will be re-charged by 7.30am Monday.

How do you do it all?

Abba Fan I work 4 days a week, Friday is my day off.

I have worked five days for a short stint, no more than two months and it was just Too Much for me. I need that extra day just for relaxing/catching up/banking/hairdresser before the madness that is the weekend.

Could you manage moneywise by cutting out a day? Obv you would have to do it gradually, carry on with the existing families you have, not working the extra day with any new family - eventually as your current clients move on your workload will lessen.

The cut in income is sometimes worth it for the you time IYSWIM.

Sorry for huge ramble btw.

(Am replying to you instead of doing my Assignment for Unit 4 CACHE urghhh)

aawww thanks boys

I did used to work mon-thurs (which I loved, and like you I needed that day off), but one of my mindees wanted to switch from 1 day a week to 5, so I started from September. At the time I was so happy because I had another mindee leaving to start school and didn't have anyone else lined up.

However it is starting to take it's toll, and I am so tired at the weekends. Plus I am also doing the DHC like you, and with EYFS to deal with it's just so hard.

I just need to get into a routine I guess.

Thanks

Well done Katy

Try not to feel too guilty Sammy, although my 5 yr old is away for the weekend to give me chance to get on, my 4 month old is still here and since his long nap earlier, I've been moving him from playgym to activity station to floor with toys to seat in front of the tv - yes, tv for my 4 month old . But he loves it and doesn't watch it much as don't have it on when I'm childminding so I figure it won't do him any harm. But I do understand the guilt. I'm so pleased my db has taken my ds1 away for the weekend as he wouldn't get much of a look in all weekend otherwise and I feel bad enough with the amount of times I tell him I'm busy etc Hope you get it all done soon hun and once you have and your inspection is out of the way, give yourself some time to just chill if you can

Abbafan - sorry you're fed up. Must admit I've felt a lot like that recently. I feel guilt for never having any quality time with my family, I feel that my kids would get more from being with a childminder themselves and me working during the week!!! You should have seen me back in Sept. I started back working the full 51 hour week when my own baby was 10 weeks old and EYFS kicked in on my first day back. I was so tired, stressed, down etc, a lot being because I had 3 under 18 months every day and a lot of clingy issues etc. Thank god that's all sorted and I am back in the swing of things but the bloody paperwork side is what gets me down now. I haven't even managed to finish reading EYFS pack yet! . I agree with the working less days if possible. Unfortunately I've never been able to do this as just can't afford to not work the full week but my aim one day is to have a day off to catch up with housework, paperwork etc so my weekends are more for me and my family!

Right, I've been at the paperwork all afternoon apart from stopping to bath baby and put him to bed. I've got a nice cuppa now and going to do a bit more work and then stop when the X Factor comes on Think we deserve a take away tonight too - I really can't be arsed to cook tonight!!!

Hope you all have a good evening x

Thanks Looney - it's so great to have other CM's to chat too, and to know that other people know exactly how you feel.

Enjoy your Saturday night

Hello again!
Just had a lovely day out with my DS & DD. Went to soft play on a Saturday, which is usually a bad idea but today was lovely. Thik aliens had replaced the children. DD 1YO played in the balls with 2 other babies while DS 4YO (nearly) played like a wild thing with 3 other wild things in the soft play, but all managed not to hurt eachother! Now both are shattered and ready for bed and DH is taking them up for a story

No probs Abba, that's what we're all here for

Pleased you had good time mumnosbest, hope you enjoyed the wine!

Well, I've got my cup of tea, dh in bed and baby on playgym chatting away (I just nod my head and say yes ) and I'm getting my paperwork out ready for another day of it! Just hope ds2 will be content for a while and if not, hope he enjoys the new activity station like he did yesterday, to allow me to get on with my work. Poor ds, apart from being given milk, all he'll be doing today is getting moved from playgym to activity station to door bouncy to seat with tv on etc, with some naps in between. I MUST make the most of this time with ds2 away. It's so strange him not being here. My brother sent some pics of them on the beach yesterday and then of him asleep in his bed last night which was sweet.

Right, I'm off to start it, can't delay any longer!

Have a good day everyone

Morning Looney and everyone else if you are up. Im having an early start today too. I printed lots of photos off last night and am just going to do lots of paperwork now to slot them into EYFS.

Hope you all have a good day

Morning everyone

yesterday I had 50 questions on nvq to do - I now have 7! Also need to straighten house up, it's seriously gone to seed!

Have a good day all.

It's gone 4.00pm, and I am not a happy bunny. I have been doing childminding "paperwork" since mid-morning, and I am sick to death of it. This is supposed to be the weekend - you know, the time we should have without any work.

I'm with you TP. Yesterday I did about 8 hours and today I've been at it since 8am but with poorly 4 month old crying in pain on and off for most of the day so not achieved as much as I'd hoped.

I will not be sorry to get my weekends back to me, when I finish next year.

I have spent this weekend doing NO paperwork, (It has been our Anniversary today, as well as thinking SOD IT, after last weeks Ofsted Inspection).

And we have been told that EYFS will not be extra work for us and that we must just keep doing what we normally do.

Bllcks

I am sick of being told that the EYFS will not involve any more paperwork, and that I am "already doing it" - well actually, no, I have not already been doing it, because if I was then I wouldn't have to be re-doing everything to suit the EYFS.

I was writing diaries, but this is not acceptable as "written observations" - not in the way I have to for the EYFS apparently, because I haven't linked it to what the children are learning, I made them a "fun" thing for parents to read. Silly me. Doing something of interest for the parents.

All my painstakingly-written policies and planning etc. now have to be amended to take account of the EYFS. Oh joy.

Don't get me started!!!

TP, Me and you both.

It is driving me nuts. I am so petrified that OFTSTED are going to call me. The only reason why we are bloody doing all of this is for them! Yes, I know it is compulsory blah blah blah.

But we would not be doing all these things purely in the belief that it will be in the best interests of the children we care for.

Hi everyone, Ive just come on here for a rant. Im so pssd off.

Someone tell me what use are DPs??? Mine has sat on his FA all day playing his XBox. Ive been up since 8am, got DS3 ready, walked dogs, went to shops, did about 5-6 hrs EYFS crap, walked dogs again, played with DS, fitted in lunch, hoovering, gutted out my playroom blah blah blah. I asked my DP to do dinner (all he had to do was shove some chicken in the over FFS). End result, chicken that was soooo overcooked, a large GREEN baked potato that was well off and some well overcooked beans. I always manage to do a Sunday dinner!!! Its not as if hes been busy all day.

Even my dogs wouldnt eat the chicken as it was too dry.

[scream emotion]

On top of this he has decided to decorate this week.

I will be settling in a new mindee this week. The last thing I need is to be stepping over wallpaper and crap.

If youve read this far you deserve a medal. [reaches for Valium]

Thanks everyone, I feel sooo much better