I have had a taste this week of how my life would be if I were a SAHM...

[MrsSchadenfreude]

...I am off work, looking after DD1 who is Unwell. My days have involved a lot of toast, at least one packet of jammy dodgers and buckets of tea. I have done exciting tasks like clean the dishwasher, wash the kitchen floor and fold up washing. I have discovered the "delights" of daytime TV (what is this obsession with property and making a bit of money from old tat?) and Jeremy Kyle. I have an exciting trip to the post office to post a parcel and buy some milk. I had a limited exchange with the man in the post office and a lady who was buying a paper, in which we all agreed that it was cold and hoped it wouldn't kill off the daffs. I had a more limited exchange with the man who came to mend the dishwasher. ("Broken again, has it? Same thing as last three times? Mary next door gone out, has she?")

Is this it? Am I missing something? What do people do all day for excitement/interest if they don't work and their children are at school? Because, quite frankly, I am miaowing with boredom here. DD1 has spent most of the time asleep (poor love) and I am itching to get back to work. I am now debating whether to start the ironing, have a nap or polish the hall floor. None of these options fill me with joy. But I suppose if I do them now then I won;t have to do them at the weekend.

Frankly, my lovely, if you have polished the hall floor you have only yourself to blame

sarahjct, but you have a 5 week old and thats all 5 week olds do....

TBH i love being a sahm as it means I don't miss out on the lovely stuff....dd playing,dd helping mum, walks with ds and dd etc..I don't have to read about them in a nursery diary iykwim.

Lailasmum, what a lovely post . I agree, I so love to sit and watch and listen to dd as she makes conversation with her toys. Sometimes I leave the room and peek through the door at dd (2.6) and ds(1) playing together etc and it gives me such a lovely feeling.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

I lunch and shop and gossip and play with my baby during the day.

But I tell everyone that I am a writer

sarahjct - you need to get a hob kettle that you have to go back to when it whistles. That way you don't forget to make yourself a drink!

I got a tefal quick cup thing recently precisely for making tea/coffee in a hurry type incidences. Its not had much use yet but I expect it will soon as I am two days overdue with baby number 2 and expect I will need it then.

Don't think you can use it for making formula though as it doesn't quite boil, gets to 98 degrees or so but could use it for hot water to warm baby food/bottles if needed.

It wasn't meant to be patronising. It was a genuine question. And if your children are at school, you aren't "at home with the children" (apart from after 3.30, that is). That was my question - what do people do between 8.30 and 3.30 if their children are at school and they don't work outside the home? And thank you to those who answered.

Apologies for coming back to this thread late, but DD1 suddenly took a turn for the worse and ended up in hospital for a few days. And my God, any boredom at being at home with an ill child was eclipsed 100% by sitting in hospital with a very cross ill child. And of course it was much worse for her - there is a limit to the amount of reading, word puzzles and board games you can play without going off your tree.
She is home now, and well on the way to recovery, thank goodness.

And Chelsygirl - as soon as she's fully recovered, I will, of course be rushing back to my high-powered, well paid job (hahahahaha). Well someone has to pay the mortgage.

Don't you think that having a week at home is similar to having the odd week in an office with no one telling you how to do things? Surely you would be bored while you worked out what was going on. At least you have a bit of a start being at home but you really don't know how to organise your time or what is available in the world outside during 9-5.

"...you really don't know how to organise your time or what is available in the world outside during 9-5"

Gosh, I am a grown up. I do know what time the bus goes into town. I could even drive there if I wanted to. Or to a gym or somewhere like that, I guess. Or I could go to a coffee morning, I suppose. Or get my hair cut or have a facial. I could go for a walk (we live in the middle of a field, so lots of countryside around!). Or go to the pub, even.

Why should the fact that I work mean that I can't organise my time or that I don't know what's going on in the village or town?

Okay - different for you maybe. But when I stopped work, the world suddenly opened up. I was happy at work and enjoyed what I did and was reasonably involved with the social side. When I left work I felt isolated and cut off for a while. But then I discovered that the world didn't close down while at was at work
Just my experience of it and I shouldn't project that on you who is obviously much more aware than I ever was

I hate being a stay-at-home-mum, and I'm shit at it.

me too Colditz Three days a week is enough for me, though would prefer to finish earlier so not so rushed in the evening.

I am strongly inclined to think that I would be as well, Colditz and Kewcumber.

Maternity leave drove me insane. I mean the breastfeeding bit was okay but I was literally inventing chores for myself. DH came home to some exquisite meals every night (excuse to shop, cook and prepare) and I added a lot of recipes to the repertoire. The house was tidy beyond belief. Every shoe was polished until it shone. The cats were combed. Every window sparkled. I went to the gym every day. It was only when I'd decided it was necessary to shop for fresh fruit and vegetables daily that I realised I had gone quite mad.

Quattrocento - I went back to work early after DD1. I had an exam to do about two weeks before going back to work and thought well, if I'm going in to do the exam I might as well go back to work properly.

Well I have had over 6 years at home with all my children at school and it's been great.
Life is what you make it. I have been very involved with school activities and fundraising, and have also had regular commitments with 2 other voluntary groups.

I have had time for my own family history research and to take part in the freeBMD project as a transcriber. I have had the time for several other hobbies as well as just time to read, listen to the radio, go on the computer or whatever else takes my fancy. I could be as busy or as lazy as I liked - both are equally valid at different times I think.

And I've done the occasional bit of housework over the years too - although I suspect far less than many of my friends who have worked all those years, I've often just been too busy! My husband and children have always had to ask what I've got up that day or have planned for the next, no 2 days have been the same.

I'm now working a grand total of two mornings a week, but if and when finances improve again I could quite easily go back to not working. I have found it a busy, fulfilling life without all the childcare and other hassles that others seem to have. When my children have had TD days or holidays or needed taking to the next town for an orthodontist appointment, or the rare times they've been ill, I have been there for them with absolutely no hassle. The evenings and weekends have been 'ours' because I have generally got much of the mundane stuff out of the way, unlike working friends who have to fit all the non-working bits life throws at them into their precious evening hours.

My gran always used to say 'only boring people get bored', and perhaps there's some truth in that. Being 'at home' doesn't have to mean sitting at home in front of the television all day or cleaning all day, that certainly wouldn't do for me. It can be as varied as you like, as busy or as relaxed as you like.

I'm a SAHM and have been for 5 years, mainly because DP works away and childcare would cost more than I used to earn anyway. I have to say I don't think it's done me much good on any level. I'm often fed up, get very grumpy with the children and generally see far too much of them. now that my youngest is at school, I thought I'd have loads of time on my hands. But I still don't! I do some work from home (approx 1.5/2 hrs per day) and am also studying for a degree (approx 1 hr a day). So by the time I've done all the normal household stuff and work I have very little time left for watching telly, going out etc. We also have quite a big house, and don't have a cleaner so I do that too.

On the plus side, it's nice not having to rush in the mornings, as I know I can come back after the school run and have breakfast/wash up etc. But that's about it. I think you plan your life to fill the available hours. Am planning to go back to work after the summer hols though, just for some company