school hols? Am I the only one that hates them?

[5babyangels]

I feel horrible saying this as it's not like the children don't deserve a break but I find is such hard work and I'm always the one who is most put out. I had 4xDCs my DH has 3xDCs and we have one DS together. And today we have friend over too.... I work full time running my own business and so does my DH. We work bloody hard. Our tiny tot is nealry 5mo! He's such a gorgeous contented baby. Most of our brood are boys and they are soooo energetic, angumentative, hungary...you know what boys are like. However school hols I can't get anything done, no work whatsoever! House turns into a whirlwind and it's a constant feeding the 5 thousand syndrome! I know we have a lot of kids but school time, there is a routine and I don't feel so overwhelmed. I have tried to be earth mother today and baked cakes, cleaned until my hands are sore, they've got friends today (9 in the house) but my work is stacking up, as 3 days I've done nothing! I know by this evening I will want to kill everyone. I've just cancelled a metting this evening and I really can't afford to. I really love them so much and i love being a mum.....so why do i resent holidays sooooo much?

dont try and work at half term unless you have childcare?

yes you are right but tricky when you run the company

Isn't this why they invented nannies? You can't possibly do everything when they're all at home and you're supposed to be working from home. People in office jobs send them to holiday clubs and nurseries....

Yes i know but money as a major issue currently we just cant afford it. I know its virtually impossible to juggle this week and basically work is going to suffer. Got back at 10pm from an evening appointment. So have done 4 hours work today so perhaps not a total rightoff! My DH parents are dead and mine are 50 miles away. Its the teenagers who are making this week more of a challenge. the little ones it's simple! My job isn't a traditional one. When I was a single mum years ago I would work through the night while they all slept upstairs....easy when they went to bed at 7.30pm!!! I could work until 2.30pm and it was pretty much a full days work without missing anything of them.

Get the teenagers to take the little ones out to softplay for the afternoon tomorrow. They'll moan, but meh.

So do you have your 5 children and 3 step children at yours in the school holidays? No wonder you hate school holidays with 8 kids in your house. I have four kids in mine and it is a nightmare. I feel all I do all day is pick up, cook, clean, wash clothes, dry clothes. That is with only 4!!

I don't know how you manage and you hope to work. What times is your dh home? Those would be the only possible times you would get anything done, in my humble opinion.

yes the children combination is right. although sometimes there are 2 more step children, not often now as they are grown up! yesterday was a total nightmare though as we had 2 more boys over 14 and 11, added to my 13 and 12 year old son and step son, it kinda finished me off! We are very stretched currently. We've got a 2 year plan on how things will improve, it's just coping in the mean time. all of the children except my 5mo are school age, so it's fine term time. Evenings are chaotic but that's family life for you....yes the constant cleaning, washing cooking got top me at the beginning of the week! My DH is on 24hr emergency call out, so I can't rely on him to be here even if he intends to be. My step kids have gone to their mums now for the rest of the week and my DH has been called into london won't be back until 2am. So it's me and mine tonight....actually really looking forward to the break. i'm hopeful i should get about 6 hours work done tonight. I'm exceptionally lucky the baby sleeps anything up 12 hours a night.

So there are 10 children altogether?

I barely cope with my 2 boys!!!

That is why DH took the week off this week and we stuck them in Holiday Club at school!! DH and I had a fab day together and he went to get them at 4.30pm.

DS1 (9y) said it was the worse day ever and he is never going back!

Maybe that will teach him to be more appreciative of us.

I think you need to write off holidays with that many children tbh.

Would it not be easier to take the holidays with them so you do not feel like you are tearing yourself in pieces. Far better to chillax with the kids and do days out than feel that you are neither a great mum or worker IYSWIM.

don't get me wrong I would quite happilly take time off, but unfortunately there is never a steady flow of work. The long term plan is to cut back. finding it extra hard this hols as christmas we had all children the whole time, the other absent parents my ex and dh's ex only had them one day in all and this hols we've had them the whole time again. Easter is well planned for,