I thought life would be easier once they started school ...

[sandyballs]

.... but I was wrong. I just seem to be rushing the poor girls every morning and every evening with no time for fun . I'm sitting here at work feeling bad because I feel we barely said 10 words to each other this morning other than me yelling "eat your breakfast", "get your book bags", "where's your pe kit". I can't even remember kissing or hugging them much until I left them in school.

Well we've never been late for school but its the process of getting there thats the problem.

Do you all work or do you pick the kids up after school closes at 3 or whatever?

I'ma SAHM and pick mine up after school - dd finshes at 3.15 and goes to after school care for a bit as ds doesn't finish until 3.45. So I usually get there about 3.30 and collect her first.

I work 3 days and pick up 2 days. Well actually 3 days I pick up from childminder and nursery and 2 days I pick up from school. Don't usually drop off when I'm working unless DH is messing with his hours. Like today.

I asked as I know my day is wrecked if I feel like ds1 and I had a bad morning before he went into school, but as I pick him up every day I've only got 6 hours to stew. It must be harder working till 5 and having to wait longer to see them again.
Then again maybe being at work would take your mind off the arguements whereas sometimes I feel as I'm at home usually alone I fret about them all day....

My poor dds get out of bed like robots to start getting fed and washed and dressed and they are half way out the door befor ehtye have even woken up. Hate it
Much prefer jim jam days at home.

How early do you all leave in the mornings?

We're out at about 10 to 9 and always late!!

when i do the nursery run I have to leave, with the baby, at 7.50am.

school run days (I alternate with DP) are relatively relaxed in comparison to nursery run days. we leave the house at 8.30, walk there and arrive at 8.45. on a good day. it's only about half a mile but my 4 and 5 year olds aren't fast walkers.

My solution has been to get up earlier, so that we've got a bit more time to do everything. It's made a noticeable difference. On the mornings when everything goes smoothly, I make a big point of saying to dd "hasn't this been a nice morning without rushing around. Let's do it more, it's so much nicer this way". On the mornings it doesn't go smoothly, I grit my teeth and look to hail a taxi, rather than walk.

We aim to leave the house by 8, by the way.

Actually find the days I work less stressful in a morning but I think that is because we have had 4.5 years of doing that routine. Actually the breakfast/wash/dress routine isn't so bad although DS has to be nagged to get dressed. Its the getting out of the door with book bag/fruit/water bottle/reply slips/library book/dinner money/hats2/coats2/shoes*2 that tends to go wrong. I think part of the problem is that we have a few large steps up to the front door and the pushchair is kept folded up in either the garage or car so there is a bit of juggling to do.

We leave at 7.50 four days a week. Actually we're quite used to doing this, have done for years. And if we are five minutes late it doesn't matter too much, although I get VERY shouty if that looks likely. Then we walk to DD2's childminder and on to DD1's school and I walk back. Takes about an hour and a bit all told.

mi,laughing at your reference to bread being sliced the night before.
I'm like that with dh not on the scene much.

I even have dd's school stuff laid out on a chair in her room. It was all put there a month ago,in readiness for my return to the UK in the earl hours of Sunday morning (sans dh needless to say.)

What a tiny dull little life I have.....

our current morning routine is a bit of a nightmare we have to leave the house by 745 for our 40 minute drive to the dd`s school. i have to be super organized to get them out of the door in time (which is very unlike me) roll on when we move & only have a 5 minute drive to school then we can get up later, go to bed later, & actually spend some quality time together.

fs,does that mean you spend over 2 1/2 hours doing school runs a day??

Blimey....

Blimey, I'm really going to make the most of the next couple of years at home with dd.

We have very chilled mornings here, don't get dressed until about 10, unless I'm working, in which case I sort myself out and deposit dd at Grandma's still in her PJs and unfed.

The school run is going to be a complete shock to my system, and we're only 5 mins walk away.

well we are out the door by 7.40 every day. they get up at 7, get straight into their uniform, which is all laid out the night before, and then have a good half hour for breakfast, hair, teeth. bookbags etc are done the night before.

It is pretty calm in the mornings with us actually, maybe helped by the fact that they know mornings are just dress and breakfast and out, we don't do any mucking around with television or toys etc.

Oh and god forbid I had to produce lunch every day - bloody hell. No, they eat at school. Home cooked and either organic or school-produced (name that cow, then eat it a few months later )

I should add I actively enjoy quite a lot of the school walk. DD1 and I pootle along and talk cheerily to each other.

Yes we do.
It is a mile exactly.
We see sheep, a horse and pass two little rivers,one of which often has a heron in it.
Pass a chapel,cemetery and the village shop.

Rural idyll.

In Turkey we pass an open sewer,a garage built from the proceeds of drug dealing,a hospital teeming with the sick,lame and insane from the surrounding villages and a military HQ surrounded by nervous young men with machine guns.

Quite a contrast.

Can I share my latest bugbear and only have one of three children at school. We got a small container to raise funds for children in need (25%) and school (75). You have to fill this container with as many things beginning with P,U,D,S,E and Y as you can. I JUST CAN'T BE BOTHERED. The kids are supposed to be sponsered for this and there is a prize for each year group. What is the point about being so competitive about something so trivial. I'd rather just give a tenner to school funds. I'll probably be slaughtered for this but anyone have similar experience?

God,I refuse to have anything whatsoever to do with Children in Need.
So bloody smug.

We're supposed to be pleased that tenth rate celebriddies (who I've never heard of anyway) deign to do a bit of amateur dramatics for the proles??!!

I would kick it all the way to school Mog.

I thought it would be easier too, instead it is a constant rush, with drop offs and pick ups throughout the day. I also thought the older the children got the easier parenting would be ........

Yes, it's the rushing around I don't like (I have one at school and one with a childminder in the week). Had a day off work yesterday and took dd into town, met a friend for coffee and then had another friend back for lunch - it was so lovely... [sigh]

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