Does anyone else find working when you've got kids REALLY hard?

[dollybird]

I have been back at work three days a week for two years now since my 2nd child was born, and I am finding it harder and harder to cope with juggling everything. This is partly as the job has changed from one I loved to one I put up with, but mostly because I find it such a nightmare getting the kids ready for nursery in the morning and when I pick them up in the evening they are so hyper and I am tired etc - I just hate it.Every week I wish I could give up work (can't afford to), but by Sunday I am usually glad of a break. Does it ever get any easier?

made it to meditation class, and got lots of promises of more help from dh. only time will tell about that.

Better joke -?- they seem to make pizza after the class at a Buddhist centre-what would you give me to say "Please, make me One with Everything" next time I go?

moving right along, what am I going to DO help help help-I am now stuck with dd2 for the next 48 hours with no DH, -well big deal I guess THAT doesn't matter much, but more of a problem, no nursery and no little friends available, it is very very wet outside and my back is killing me so I dread playgounds swimming etc too much to do it. I have to be in this afternoon to train new cleaner and see how she gets on with dd, so can't go out to museum or anything (takes too long to get anywhere from the wilds of north london). Now remember I nod off (at best, at worst start Those Bad Thoughts again) after about 6 minutews of noddy or whatever she wants to do oh no here she comes byeee.

Majorstress, Come on, that joke was crap. Try again.

If I were you I would spend the next 48 hours doing the things you need to do but involving DD2. For example, do you internet shop? If you are prepared to spend 3 times as long as normal by getting her to "help" - choosing biscuits etc then that should both occupy her and get something useful done.

Similarly, can you get her to "help" with cooking? Provided you can face the mess (and if you've got a cleaner coming this afternoon then it's not even you that's got to clean it) then again it should both occupy her and get something done. I find biscuits quite good - it doesn't take long to make the mixture - children can take ages cutting them out and shaping them, they cook quickly and then you can occupy ages in icing, decorating etc. DD2 could make a welcome home surprise for DD1 perhaps.

Also, you may not like watching Noddy but if you can develop the trick of reading your own book whilst she watches it then it's not so bad.

thanks mrs W, i don;t mean her watching Noddy, I mean me reading or doing her current fave which is a board game with her. She's engrossed with Cbbebies right now but soon I will have to do something. We "did" waitrose yesterday (in every sense of the word) resulting in me leaving behind several items in the trolley, but at least she didn;t get run over or yelled at by the snotty young man she was hitting with her bag of bagels.

But we could do some baking alright, and clean up is not a problem, you are right!!! it has dried up a bit so I'd better take her to park first before it starts raining again, must take some painkillers first for back. wish me luck

good luck!!

havent had time to read whole thread - but just to revive it the most annoying thing I find is dropping my year old DTs at nursery which is in the grounds of a primary school. I am the only woman there wearing a suit and I get the most disapproving looks you can imagine from all the mothers at the school gates. I know that some of them could be going off to work themselves but I still feel their stares as i pootle up to the nursery with my buggy. It could be my imagination of course (DH thinks so) but I cant help wondering where all the other workign mums are?

Message withdrawn

cos my suits are crap and falling apart at the seams as i spend large part of earnings on nursery. AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH think I should start up another thread about losing my marbles.

ps what does chippy mean other than place to buy tea?

Our nursery is in school grounds too, but I haven't experienced this - maybe 'coz we get there at around or just after 8? All the mums turn up later! Surely there are other mums dropping off at nursery in a suit/work gear?

just read thread quickly, it is hard to work and raise babies (including bf!) i still find it hard even though i've been back since sept, its disheartening when him indoors won't realise/ comsider that when he does 1days o/t, it takes me nearly week to earn that. does any1 else have same prob?