freelancers' watercooler: anyone else feel like they don't have a "proper" job?

[hatwoman]

I feel in need of a multiple water cooler rant...please join in

summer holidays: juggling and muddling, falling behind, not doing anything properly. I'm so ready for term to start...can't believe it's another week

dh's climbing trip and my deadlines: just as the school holidays ends and I should be able to back to normal routine (working full day Mon and Thur, school hours the other days) dh is going off climbing for a week. I have two deadines in 3 weeks' time, one of which involves standing up infront of a load of people and talking about the work I've been doing over the summmer

wishing I had a proper job: oh I know all the pluses but I just want an office and colleagues and working hours and child care.

please talk to me and tell me I'm not alone

Unfortunately after having had 4 months of guests in our house, a real job which would enable us to have some weekends off sounds most appealing at the moment. DC's are struggling with it and I need to put them at top of priority list.

sounds sensible to me!

as DHs work bookings are WAY WAY down I may nood to do some short term real work this autumn to keep myself in the style to which I have become accustomed!

Good luck about your jobDorset, hope you hear about a positive result soon. I am thinking of doing Agency work to pay for a large job that needs to be done. Ideally I need to arrange something around school though - does such a job exist?

I am a consultant working with applicants trying to get external funding. I may have made the spreadsheet sound more complicated than it is; it is a template someone else has made that I need to fill in. Formulae sounds loads more complicated.

Good luck Dorset, how was the interview and when will you hear?
Little sleep again last night - something to do with first week of school making all my children want to sleep in a big heap on top of me? Still, no hangover today, which can only be an improvement :) And my stress is lower as I persuaded the baby to sleep for an hour while the big girls were at school so I got halfway through the chapter I am working on. And I got paid :)

Good luck Dorset!

Sorry you're tired bigbadbarry. My DS3 is asleep so this is now my work time - me, the cat, a can of diet coke, on the sofa with a laptop - bliss.

bigbadharry - sounds like a very productive day.

BeckyBendyLegs - It has been two years since we had a naptime for DS and I still miss it.

Rule number one - never wake a sleeping baby; rule number two - never wake a sleeping baby.

rule three
make sure you have a babysitter booked at least once a month so that you and DH can talk, properly over a nice meal
about business strategy
and it goes through the accounts cos I'm his company secretary!

Chinese methinks!

Huh

Go out 4 times a year but get together twice a week at home - one night takeaway/nice dinner/wine; second night film/dvd.

I miss adult company though and chat like a loon when my OH gets home. When I get more organised, I am going sort something for myself.

oh gawd dh and I NEVER make time/get babysitters just for ourselves. invite to a party or dinner at friends? we're beating down the other villagers to get to the sitters. time to talk to one another? suddenly £25 before we've got a g&t seems too much.

as we both wfh 3 days a week we did recently make a resolution to go out for lunch together but then it was the summer holidays and we never got it off to a start. but lunch is rubbish cos I'm just thinking about work.

I pick DC's up from childminder at 2pm and my most productive hour definitely 1 > 2. And I'm always, running late, in a knicker twist frenzy to get out the door, post my orders etc.

I need to get more organised, trouble is, it's just not in my nature. Do you think you can really change? Or is it better just to accept that this is the way you work. For some reason I find it easier to do 5 things than 1, I'm just not a plodder. I do totally envy methodical people who seem to work in a structured way though. Maybe the grass just looks greener. I was reading a thing about the Pomodoro Technique, has anyone tried this? Might give it a bash.

Spent night before last up every 20 minutes with DD who is cutting molars and has what must be a very painful mouth ulcer. Finally ended up sleeping in her cot with her! Leg cramp, not funny. It was the only way to get any sleep - ended up getting about 3 hours. Had massive deadline next day, had to call and beg for some wiggle room, then felt totally unprofessional.

I feel so heartened to hear other peoples musings about fitting it all in, and wasting time on the internet. I so try not to, but it seems to happen almost unconsciously. I seriously might try that Freedom thing. Can you still get messages on your blackberry though ;-)

Tyri
DO it.
DH and I started booking the babysitter when DS and DD were small and we realised that we had not been out a deux for 18 months
we tend to be home by 10 but the principle is there

we had some good ideas for his website over the dim sum too!

OH has always been against a babysitter but I know DS would be totally fine as he goes to bed ok. Once home renovations have been completed I WILL arrange this. In the meantime, we can now do a monthly lunch whilst DS is in school. Gavel.

I may give Pomodoro Technique a whirl. I find it hard to get started but then can work for 12 hours without any breaks. Is it odd that I don't know what to do on a 5 min rest break? Internet/ MN would be deadly. There is a danger I would procrastinate making lists before getting started.

Our babysitter is great
she is the manager of a yellow dot nursery so LOVES spending evenings with lippy teens
the kids get to watch trashy TV that I will not have on when I'm in
its a big game
and a treat for all

lunches out are GOOD
go for somewhere with food that the kids will go yeuch at and enjoy

I had a productive couple of days completely due to using the Freedom software to cut out my Internet connection. Truly a marvel.

I have a Pomodoro app on my phone and it's really really useful when I need a kick up the backside. 25 minutes to start on something seems to do the trick. During the 5 minute breaks I can't go online (no Internet) so I have a list of odd jobs like fold laundry, put a wash on. Most of the time I go downstairs for a drink of water and by the time I'm upstairs the break is up anyway.

DH and I are never able to go out on a weeknight as he works long hours but we regularly book Fridays off when DD is in childcare and mooch around together (usually go out and do things and also have a nice lunch out). And we always go out just the two of us whenever MIL is staying over.

O.M.G how about this for time management. At 3 o'clock I was working away and the phone rang. "Hello, it's Mrs G, LittleHat's teacher." [mind starts to wonder, in an unpanicked way, if she's fallen badly, thrown up, or got in a fight, but hey, shit happens] "She's still at school." [mind starts to become confused. Erm, yes, I know she is. There's nothing remarkable about my child being at school at 3 o clock. hand reaches for mouse to make the clock on the computer appear] ... shit it's FOUR o clock.

now how the feck did that happen?

BsshBossh - I took break too literally. I was thinking of nice things I would like to do rather than chores.

I'm gonna get an app. for doing a little spreadsheet on my day off.

OMG hatwoman - I can totallly see how it could happen. Hope you/hatgirl are ok.

Hello! I'm writing from a caravan near the sea in Wales (belongs to my dad and stepmum). I've brought all the DSs here for a 'you survived week one at school so let's have a weekend at the seaside' treat, leaving DH to look after the cats at home. Of course I've brought the laptop, the '3G stick', and have done a fair amount of urgent spreadsheet sorting out but they've had a lovely time despite that. DH and I get to go out about four times a year, including wedding anniversary and his birthday and two other random trips to the cinema.

Becky what about your birthday, or do you go out with friends?
Working from Caravan beats working from home anyday.

Wales in a caravan is indeed a seaside treat. It has just occurred to me that my 4 yo has never had a holiday in a caravan. Off to fix this terrible state of affairs.

Yes, what about your birthday?!
Caravan sounds fab. At the risk of outing myself to anybody who knows me IRL, my DH got back from Shanghai on Friday night and is off to the states tomorrow morning, so he has been distinctly chocolate-teapotty this weekend. While I have a large and looming deadline so I made him take the kids to soft play this afternoon and have cracked on. I've done pretty well, had my head down for a good 2 solid uninterrupted hours. Reckon I deserve a cuppa now.

cuppa what though !!

I'm going to cuppa what tonight. I will put it in a wine glass though.

BigBadBarry - Are you Barry White?

Work has been cancelled and so I am unexpectedly off next week again. I need to get on with sorting stuff around the house whilst I can. First week ever with OH and DS out of the house and no firm plans.

That should be have a cuppa what.

V tired - up most of night.

Tryinonloving my birthday is December 25th - I've never ever been out for a meal on my birthday, unless you count at the 'in-laws for lunch and presents.