Working and home schooling...does it work?

[Tidbits of Learning]

I may have an opportunity to return to the job I had before children. I would work 2-3 afternoons a week and weekend rotations. I have 4 kiddos...the youngest is 4. My oldest is by law old enough to take the babysitter's class offered and become a certified sitter. I would not go in until noon and the kiddos would all be ready for independent work by then. They would only be home until dh got home. It would mean maybe 3-4 hours 2-3 times a week. On the weekends that both dh and I would wind up working, MIL is ready and willing to take the 4 yr. old.

I have 2 middle schoolers, an upper elementary schooler and my kindergartener. Does this sound like I could do the school and work without putting too much on everyone involved??

Thanks in advance.

[Chris in VA]

Everyone is different, but I will say I'd wait. I just feel I can't do anything wholeheartedly when I'm split like that. I know it doesn't sound like much, but even that much time away *feels* like a lot to me.

 

If you did wait a bit, do you think the job might be there? In, say, 3 years or so?

[Tidbits of Learning]

I honestly have no idea if the job would be there in 3 years or so. I have been out of the work force for about 10 years right now. I probably wouldn't even be considered right now if it weren't for my having already worked there before now.

[JudyJudyJudy]

I worked full-time for six months while trying to homeschool a third grader, and it was awful. Of course, my health was bad at the time, too, so I didn't have enough energy to even do one or the other—so certainly not both.

 

Now I'm working from home 20+ hours per week. I still feel stretched even though I only have one child. Having said that, though, if you could perhaps afford to pay someone to help with housework, cooking, etc., maybe that could make the difference.

[zenjenn]

Be aware that in many states, children under age 16 or in some cases 18 must be accompanied by an adult during school hours regardless of the reason (sickness, homeschooling, whatever.)

 

Check the laws in your state to see if it is even a possibility. Of course, many people break these laws, etc, and the law is rarely enforced if children are just in their own home, but consider whether you'd want to be breaking the law on a regular basis.

 

I do think most of the hardcore schooling can be done before noon. It is how many homeschoolers, including myself, schedule their day. That said, I think homeschooling, 2 working parents, 4 children, is more on my plate than I'd choose unless I had no other choice financially.

[Tidbits of Learning]

I am unsure about it and that is why I wanted others input. I definitely wanted to hear from those working and homeschooling. My dh is fully up to picking up the slack with schooling after he is off work. He said it would give him an opportunity to be more involved in the schooling.

I guess I will go in with an open mind and get a better picture of what the hours truly will look like and really weigh the pros and cons.

I would love to hear any pros besides the money factor of going back to work. I am wanting to really weigh my options and see if it would be worth it to go back to work now or just budget a little more for a little while longer.

[Tidbits of Learning]

Be aware that in many states, children under age 16 or in some cases 18 must be accompanied by an adult during school hours regardless of the reason (sickness, homeschooling, whatever.)

 

Check the laws in your state to see if it is even a possibility. Of course, many people break these laws, etc, and the law is rarely enforced if children are just in their own home, but consider whether you'd want to be breaking the law on a regular basis.

 

I do think most of the hardcore schooling can be done before noon. It is how many homeschoolers, including myself, schedule their day. That said, I think homeschooling, 2 working parents, 4 children, is more on my plate than I'd choose unless I had no other choice financially.

 

There is no law about it unless your children are out and about. If they are out and about a truancy officer can confront them and take them to the nearest school. That won't be a possibility. They will be home.

It would also only be about 10-15 minutes up the road from where I live.

[TCB]

I work 24 hours a week (2 x 12 hour shifts) and homeschool 2DD (ages 11 and 7). I do this because my husband has only been able to get part time work at best, at times in recent past, no work at all. If I had the chance I would not do this. My dh is home with the girls when I'm working and does school with them, but I just feel that I can't give my full attention to schooling that I wish I could. Another thing with me is that my work days differ from week to week so everything tends to feel disjointed.

 

If I were giving advice, I would say only do this if you absolutely have to.

[Nakia]

I'm an RN and work 24 hours every other weekend and then pick up an occasional shift on the opposite weekend. I am also a photographer, and the time involved with that varies. We couldn't pay our bills without the money I make, but I don't think I could work any more than I do. Sounds like you would be putting in a lot of hours. If you must have the money, then you must, but otherwise, I think it would be too much. Hope you can figure out the best solution!

[Joanne]

I have worked and homeschooled.

 

It is doable, but difficult. My oldest was about the same age, but my youngest was older than your youngest.

 

For me, the decision would be "what hard to do want" or "what stress do I want the most to be rid of"?

 

Do I want the hard of financial struggles? Of not having an identity outside the home? Of being with the kids nearly 24/7? What effect will having a messier house, more convience foods, possibly acting out kids have? Will it be worth the benefit?

 

I don't have proscribed answers on the above, btw. :001_smile: I just wanted to give you some perspective on what to consider.

[Desert Rat]

If I didn't have to work, I wouldn't. After dh was laid off, I started cleaning houses 4 days a week and working with hoarders on the weekends. It was fine until he went back to work. Now, on top of homeschooling and working, I'm picking up all the shopping, etc. he was doing while he was laid off. I'm getting used to it and I'm fortunate to be very good at time management and organization.

I can only judge by my experience. It's really hard.

[YLVD]

I currently do it and work, albeit from home. I still put in a good 8 hours at least though. I previously did it while working full time. My DD was and is older though.

 

It can be done. It's easier if you are organized and or adept at time management. I struggle in those areas myself which made it more difficult!

[Brigitte]

I work full-time as a realtor (have done so for the last year or so), so my kids can go with me when I need to be out of the house working. Dh has worked mostly evenings during this time, making schooling somewhat easier and allowing the girls to stay home more. However, this is all changing soon. Dh got a job teaching. I am going to continue to work (no choice financially speaking) and will have to do all the home schooling (which is fine, because dh didn't always follow through with what I needed him to get done).

 

We have made and will continue to make this work for us. But, I will be perfectly honest, it is not an ideal situation. I would quit in a heart beat in order to do a better job on my kids schooling. Things fall through the cracks around here.

 

As for your situation, I don't really see how the olders can do their independent school work and keep a 4 y.o. occupied. BUT, some families are able to pull things like this off very well. Can you give it a try and see how it works? If it doesn't work out, quit.

[swellmomma]

It is do-able BUT I would not leave your oldest in charge of the rest and expect school work to be completed. It sounds like your oldest is still pretty young if just old enough to take the babysitting course. That is a lot of responsibility on a young teen very suddenly. If your MIL would watch the Ker that would be best imo.

 

Aside from that homeschooling and working at the same time can be done but you have to be very organized and let some things go. YOu may find that you have to drop a subject in school, or change your housework routine etc. There simply is not enough hours in the day to get school, work, housework etc all done to the level they would be if you were only doing a couple of them kwim.

Edited July 22, 2011 by swellmomma

[YLVD]

It is do-able BUT I would not leave your oldest in charge of the rest and expect school work to be completed. It sounds like your oldest is still pretty young if just old enough to take the babysitting course. That is a lot of responsibility on a young teen very suddenly. If your MIL would watch the Ker in addition to the 4 yr old that would be best imo.

 

Aside from that homeschooling and working at the same time can be done but you have to be very organized and let some things go. YOu may find that you have to drop a subject in school, or change your housework routine etc. There simply is not enough hours in the day to get school, work, housework etc all done to the level they would be if you were only doing a couple of them kwim.

 

:iagree:

 

I somehow missed this part in the original post. I would not do this and think that it would be too much responsibility on the teen.

 

I will also add that it's crucial that your spouse does his part in terms of cleaning, cooking, however it's divided up. He will need to do that to keep things running smoothly IME. This is not just schooling, this is the actual cleaning, etc.

[Enough]

I only work part time (10-20 hours a week normally, but a few times per year I am gone all weekend/all week), but I think your situation sounds very doable to me, depending on your educational philosophy and the ages of your kids. :) For *me*, the 3Rs are of the utmost importance and the rest is gravy- we do a thorough, rigorous job with the 3Rs in 3-4 hours in the morning. I would be comfortable with this schedule at least through middle school. Even if I wasn't working, I'd want to be done with "school" or seatwork/teacher-intensive type work by noonish, so my homeschooling philosophy is already set up to allow for me to follow other pursuits (be they career or otherwise).

 

Having said that- do you WANT to go back to work? If so, then I definitely think you can do it. :) Your potential work schedule is flexible enough, your kids are old enough, you have support from your DH and your MIL... sounds like you have an IDEAL set up, frankly.

[DawnM]

I worked and homeschooled and it didn't go well, but it might when the boys are older.

 

I found that I was cramming in school the days I was off and missed out on the fun stuff.

 

Dawn

[laurad1125]

but you will never stop working and I wouldn't do it if I could avoid it.

 

I work 25 hours a week - most of them at home. I also only have 2 kids who are 8 and 12 (though I've worked at home since they were 1 and 5) the thing that affects me most is that I work All. The. Time. I'm either doing paid work, or school work, or house work - and it doesn't feel like I do any of it very well. When I do take breaks (OK, so I don't work all the time - it just feels like it) it's because I'm too tired to do anything else not because things are done. Even with working that much, I feel as though things are mostly managed but not completely. I worry that I'm short-changing my kids because I'm always tired and more than occasionally irritable.

 

So, yes, it can work but, like everything, with a price. :sad:

[TracyR]

Like others have said. Yes, it can work. But it is difficult. I've worked part time and full time and have homeschooled. But at the time my girls were young and didn't require much 'school work' at the time, and I was younger and had more energy too. The way life is for us now I could never do it.

I would never expect my oldest to make sure that the school work got done either while I was gone, because if it were left up to her she would never do school work. But in the same breath if you have the right support things can get done. I would pick a very independent curriculum to get it done though. There would be no way you could manage it with a teacher intensive curriculum.

If your mother in law is willing to sit in and do some of the teaching and making sure they complete their work then it will work.

I don't have that kind of support. My in laws want me to throw my girls in school, they don't support homeschooling.

But be prepared to be super organized.

[G5052]

I wouldn't say that it is for everyone though. I worked full-time at a job with long hours and travel plus went to graduate school for years, so I went into this phase of life used to not much downtime. Thankfully my work is contract work for others, so there are peaks and lulls such that I am not busy all of the time and I set my own hours mostly. Summers I usually only have one contract and only for 8-10 weeks, so that is my time to catch up and relax.

 

I don't think that I would stay sane if it was all deadlines all year.

[smillard00]

I worry about the amount of pressure it will put on your middle school child. I have a 14 year old and we leave him in charge occasionally when we go to the gym or something like that and we do leave him alone more often than that. But I think leaving yours in charge a couple of afternoons every week plus time every weekend, even if the little one goes to grandma's, would be a lot of stress. Especially if there is school work to be done. Kids are kids and they are going to have trouble maintaining the discipline to get school work done when home alone in the afternoons. Not having an adult present may not seem too bad, but it will be stressful on them.

[Brigitte]

but you will never stop working and I wouldn't do it if I could avoid it.

 

I work 25 hours a week - most of them at home. I also only have 2 kids who are 8 and 12 (though I've worked at home since they were 1 and 5) the thing that affects me most is that I work All. The. Time. I'm either doing paid work, or school work, or house work - and it doesn't feel like I do any of it very well. When I do take breaks (OK, so I don't work all the time - it just feels like it) it's because I'm too tired to do anything else not because things are done. Even with working that much, I feel as though things are mostly managed but not completely. I worry that I'm short-changing my kids because I'm always tired and more than occasionally irritable.

 

So, yes, it can work but, like everything, with a price. :sad:

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree: You put this very well.

[Holly IN]

I work full time and homeschool. It is NOT easy at all. If you have to work then do it but hubby has to be on board with you as far as housework, schooling and other odds and ends things regards to the home. If you do not have to work then don't.

 

Work out your details if you do have to work. It can work but it takes alot of dedication and patience to pull it off.

 

Holly

[Alice]

Both dh and I work part-time. I work one day from 1-8 pm and one from 7a-1pm. I also go to the hospital each morning to see patients.

 

Pros:

-Enables me to keep active in a career I do love. Provides intellectual stimulation in a way I wouldn't get otherwise.

-Money (really for us the biggest factor as we could not live in the area we do on dh's salary alone)

-For us, dh stays home while I work so he gets to be involved with schooling and parenting in a way he wouldn't if he was the full-time at work parent.

 

Cons:

-As others have said, I never feel like I'm doing anything as well as I want. I'm constantly thinking about the next thing to do or the next place to be and it's tough to just enjoy what I'm doing in the moment.

-Dh and I have very little time for just us. We often are ships passing in the night as we switch off who is home and who is going to work. We have to work harder on our relationship because of this and be more intentional about spending time together, having good conversations, etc.

-More and more in the past year I've felt that my heart is really at home. I think I would give up work and stay home full-time if I could, but it's not feasible financially right now. I am very aware that we have a good situation and are lucky to have what we do.

 

For us, it works only because between the two of us we make one full-time stay at home parent. Dh and I are both "do what needs to be done" kind of people. So we both do laundry and vacuum and clean. We both grocery shop and do all the little things around the house that need to be done. I think working would be near impossible if he didn't do all that he does. He also does some schooling, although right now it's about 90% me (more because I don't want to give up control than that he doesn't want to help more).

 

The other thing I'll say is that I too thought "we can easily be done by 12". And while it's true that most of what we need to get done can get done in half a day, it makes for a very inflexible schedule. On days that I work, I sometimes feel like we are rushing to meet a deadline rather than enjoying learning. Hopefully, that will change this year as I give my son more to do on his own and as I give up control a bit and involve dh more.

[JudyJudyJudy]

The two consistent themes I'm seeing in these posts (and I agree with them) are

 

*don't do it unless you have no other choice,

and

*this could be too much on your oldest child.

[plansrme]

I also work part-time outside the home, and between that, school and my children's crazy-busy schedules (I have a gymnast and a swimmer, and they both dance, if that gives you any idea of what my afternoons look like :auto:), it often feels like I am going from 5:30 am until 9:30 pm, and it feels like that because I am. But it is doable, and it works for us.

If you can, I would try to have someone come in one or two of the afternoons, so that afternoon care does not fall entirely on your oldest middle schooler. I also would find some kind of reward for the oldest to make it worth her while. If you do not have house cleaning help, I would look into that--nothing beats having your entire home clean, at the same time, every couple of weeks.

 

You can do it. You may not love it, but you also may all benefit from the break.

 

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

Terri

[black_midori]

I work 20 hours a week (2 - 10 hr shifts) and up to 40 during tax season - and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!

 

I started working after 5 years out of the work force due to finances - my hubby's business was in trouble and we had a lot of debt to pay off. After the first season, though, things got in-line for finances and he started making a good annual amount. Now, I work because I LOVE IT!!!

 

I love my job, and I'm pretty durn good at it. I love the people I work for & with, and they treat me like they want to keep me :). I love the time away from home - but I love that it is not so much away that I'm wishing desperately to be home. They are also very flexible during non-tax season (and reasonably flexible during tax season).

 

For me, it works just right! I have a 1st grader & a 2nd grader, so our school days is fairly short but very teacher-oriented. We do school 4 days a week (and have a longer school year), have a sitter on the 2 days I'm at work, and take Sunday off.

 

Amusingly,I was always going to be the one to keep working & my hubby was going to do the HS (pre-planned from before I was even pregnant). I ended up quitting right after my first son was born, though, and didn't go back until a couple years ago. When I started up again, I realized that I really, truly MISSED doing accounting work and being involved in that area of business (and also participating in adding to the funds!).

 

The only thing I would be concerned about is having them all at home alone. It might not be a big deal if they are very responsible - especially if you can have your MIL watch the 4yo - but I'd be worried that they wouldn't get a lot done (or done efficiently). I wouldn't think it wouldn't be easy for the older kids to be responsible for the 4yo entertainment duty as well as their own tasks - I know my 5yo can be a full-time job sometimes! Is there any way you could hire a sitter for a couple hours, just to have someone older there to keep a general eye on things?

[happyhomemaker]

I had to babysit my siblings for large blocks of time, like you are describing. I do not recommend putting a teenager in that situation unless it is a necessity. In our case, it was and I did understand that but I also felt resentful- like my adolescence was being sacrificed for the family good. It led to a bit of a strain between my mom and me for a while in my early teen years. It is also hard for a teenager to turn authority over siblings on and off. I would get corrected for correcting my siblings in front of my parents, but it was just an automatic response on my part b/c I was in charge so often. I came to feel like a third parent and my relationship with my siblings has taken a while to adjust from being a pseudo-parent to being just a sibling again. Personally, I would not put my child in the situation I was in unless I had no other choice.

[Sunshine State Sue]

but you will never stop working and I wouldn't do it if I could avoid it.

 

I work 25 hours a week - most of them at home. I also only have 2 kids who are 8 and 12 (though I've worked at home since they were 1 and 5) the thing that affects me most is that I work All. The. Time. I'm either doing paid work, or school work, or house work - and it doesn't feel like I do any of it very well. When I do take breaks (OK, so I don't work all the time - it just feels like it) it's because I'm too tired to do anything else not because things are done. Even with working that much, I feel as though things are mostly managed but not completely. I worry that I'm short-changing my kids because I'm always tired and more than occasionally irritable.

 

So, yes, it can work but, like everything, with a price. :sad:

:iagree::iagree::iagree: (sound familiar?)

 

I've always worked and homeschooled. I have an only child. Until ds was 12, I worked 20hrs/wk. Since then, I've worked 30hrs/wk. The last 9 years from home.

 

How many hours per week are you considering? I will say that 20hrs/wk was much more manageable than 30hrs/wk. With 30hrs/wk and hitting peri-menopause, it's just exhausting.

 

Is dh willing to pick up the household chores as well? Who will be preparing dinner 3 nights per week if you are working afternoons?

 

Here are a few more pros (borrowed from my sister when she returned to the work force):

• they appreciate me
  
• they think I'm smart
  
• they say thank you
  
• they pay me
  

:D

 

Best of luck with your decision.

Edited July 22, 2011 by Sue in St Pete

[Tidbits of Learning]

I appreciate all of the words of wisdom. I originally sought about 15 hours and was explicit about this when I first approached them about working. I was hoping to work 2 days a week and Saturday morning. The week days my kids would only be home 3-4 hours before dh would be home. When they called though...it was for the longer hours/more responsibility position. I am going in to talk tomorrow.

I realize that I am ready to go as far as experience and training so that is probably why I was offered the 25-30 hours or more if you want position. I briefly spoke on the phone and tried to steer it towards the position that I originally intended to be seeking. I am going in tomorrow to talk with them.

It is not crucial that I return to work. It would be helpful, but we won't starve otherwise. We may struggle for a few more months. My MIL works all week long and can only help on the weekends. The main concern I have is too much pressure/responsibility on oldest dd and middle dd who are only 13 months apart, but middle dd is not old enough to take the babysitter's course.

If they are willing to offer what I originally sought to help us out, then I will give it a go before school starts back and see if it is too much to handle on everyone concerned. If they only offer the almost full-time position, then I will thank them for their time and ask that they think of me first if a position is available with the hours that I need.

I guess I will see what happens tomorrow.

[TxMama]

I work 4- 12 hr shifts every 2 weeks. 2 of those shifts are on the weekend so that means I work 2 weekdays every 2 weeks.

 

It's doable. I've been doing this for so long that I'm not sure what a non-working homeschooling schedule looks like. :tongue_smilie: I generally don't expect my kids to get any school done while I'm gone. However, when my older 2 were teens they would typically do math, writing and reading on the days that I work. Everybody in the family pitches in for housework/laundry. Everyone over the age of 10 ( including DH) is responsible for their own laundry. DH does dinner on the days I work. The older kids from middle school to college were responsible for keeping the main areas of the house clean. ( I miss those days. LOL) I currently have a college age dd at home and she does my usual housework jobs on the days I work. Typically, directs youngers for pick up, sweep the floors as needed, wash a load of dishes, etc.

 

I never made my older two responsible for the care of my youngers on work days. In fact, my college age daughter is not my first child care option. Backup yes....first choice no. I pay grandma to watch my younger children while I'm working,and my college age daughteris back up if grandma has an appt or needs to leave before dh gets home from work. My dd will occassionally watch the youngers for an entire day but this is not the norm nor would I want it to be. Meaning....if I need her for an entire day, I ask if she is available, and I'm willing to adjust my schedule if the answer is no.

 

Will the shifts be 2 or 3 afternoons per week? I Do you have another child care option for your younger kids for the afternoons? OR are you willing and able to not have any school work done on these afternoon shifts? Who is responsible for dinner on those nights? Does the entire family pitch in for housework/laundry?

 

Working and homeschooling is a viable option. I love my job and am very thankful that I get to work. For us, the pros win. In addition to the money....there is retirement, health insurance, extra money for fun stuff....and Mama is happy! I would only quit if there was no other way for us to continue homeschooling. In fact, I would probably work nights (dreadful alternative) to create a workable schedule that did not require childcare before quiting.

 

HTH

[Tidbits of Learning]

I work 4- 12 hr shifts every 2 weeks. 2 of those shifts are on the weekend so that means I work 2 weekdays every 2 weeks.

 

It's doable. I've been doing this for so long that I'm not sure what a non-working homeschooling schedule looks like. :tongue_smilie: I generally don't expect my kids to get any school done while I'm gone. However, when my older 2 were teens they would typically do math, writing and reading on the days that I work. Everybody in the family pitches in for housework/laundry. Everyone over the age of 10 ( including DH) is responsible for their own laundry. DH does dinner on the days I work. The older kids from middle school to college were responsible for keeping the main areas of the house clean. ( I miss those days. LOL) I currently have a college age dd at home and she does my usual housework jobs on the days I work. Typically, directs youngers for pick up, sweep the floors as needed, wash a load of dishes, etc.

Our only childcare options are the older children. There is no neighbor or relative that I could get to watch them. Hiring a sitter would cost more than my going to work with having 4 children.

 

I never made my older two responsible for the care of my youngers on work days. In fact, my college age daughter is not my first child care option. Backup yes....first choice no. I pay grandma to watch my younger children while I'm working,and my college age daughteris back up if grandma has an appt or needs to leave before dh gets home from work. My dd will occassionally watch the youngers for an entire day but this is not the norm nor would I want it to be. Meaning....if I need her for an entire day, I ask if she is available, and I'm willing to adjust my schedule if the answer is no.

We have no viable childcare option from relatives. My child's friend's mother does clean houses and might be an option if the charge is not too high. It is a thought I have tossed around of having her come and do dinner and laundry on the 2 days I might work. It is really just an idea right now. I would still be relying on the girls to watch the boys, but there would be another adult in the house and her child would be with her as well.

 

Will the shifts be 2 or 3 afternoons per week? I Do you have another child care option for your younger kids for the afternoons? OR are you willing and able to not have any school work done on these afternoon shifts? Who is responsible for dinner on those nights? Does the entire family pitch in for housework/laundry?

The kids have long had chores and are well into responsible behavior. We just spent 3 months in my home state (over 800 miles away). My mother is battling cancer and the girls were left in charge more than once and also left with my Mom to be able to call someone if needed. They have had a lot of responsibility thrown on them in the last few months.

 

Working and homeschooling is a viable option. I love my job and am very thankful that I get to work. For us, the pros win. In addition to the money....there is retirement, health insurance, extra money for fun stuff....and Mama is happy! I would only quit if there was no other way for us to continue homeschooling. In fact, I would probably work nights (dreadful alternative) to create a workable schedule that did not require childcare before quiting.

The last time I worked we were ships in the night and I do not want to go down that path again. It was before the children were in school and we had 3 kids, but he basically got off and I went to work.

 

HTH

 

We have the orthodontist appt. this morning. My interview is at 11 am. I plan to gently turn down the full time position and seem really interested in what will work for our family. I have narrowed it down to 2 afternoons a week and Saturday mornings is all that I am available. I am not sure if this is something that will work or that they would need me for those times. I can only go in and see.

Thanks for all the words of wisdom and encouragement.

 

[TxMama]

We have the orthodontist appt. this morning. My interview is at 11 am. I plan to gently turn down the full time position and seem really interested in what will work for our family. I have narrowed it down to 2 afternoons a week and Saturday mornings is all that I am available. I am not sure if this is something that will work or that they would need me for those times. I can only go in and see.

Thanks for all the words of wisdom and encouragement.

 

 

I hope this works out for you!

 

This sounds like an awesome schedule. Your children should be able to get school done in 4 mornings and 3 afternoons. Your older children sound like they are ready for the challenge of watching the youngers a few hours a couple days a week. Having DH on board sounds like a winning combination for all of you!

 

Have you considered paying your children that are old enough for the sitter course? Make it more of a job with a detailed list for them with specific responsibilities.

 

Good luck on the interview!

[Mynyel]

I also work from home, I need to work 28 hours a week. It isn't easy at.all. I won't say it isn't doable. It is, I do it but sometimes school gets put on hold for work and vice-versa. It is a strain.

 

I do nothing really but work. Even when I "play" I still am working here and there.

 

It would take a strict schedule (which is pretty much impossible with a 3yo, at least my 3yo) to get things done.

 

Needless to say things don't get done. I do not have a home I would ever invite people over to. Although in all fairness to me, it isn't just because of messiness. I rent and it is just an ugly house, just ugly, even if it is sterile it would look dirty. Anyway...

 

If you need the money I would say do it, try it for awhile, get into a routine and see what happens. Just because you take the job doesn't mean you can't say it isn't for you later on.

[Tidbits of Learning]

I went to the interview and it went well. I don't think that it went great, but definitely well. I think they are looking for someone who could do a bit more hours than I can, but I do have the experience and would not need much training at all.

They are going to let me know something on Monday. If I get it, we talked about Tuesday and Friday afternoons, and Saturday mornings. There is supplemental health and dental insurance (after 90 days) and an IRA after 2 years.

The dental alone is worth the 3 days a week. My oldest just finished phase I at the orthodontist and we are geared up for phase II, new pictures ($280 just for those), and the parent meeting to discuss braces and cost and payments in November. It would time perfectly with the 90 days required to work before getting insurance.

It is definitely doable and my friend that also home schools and lives near where I would work has offered to help with my littlest one if I need it sometimes.

Now I get to wait and think about how I should have answered some questions in the interview. It has been forever since I have even applied anywhere and I was definitely rusty on some things. I was very honest about the hours I could work and it not becoming overwhelming for my family. They will either really respect my honesty or not. I knew I could answer and give them what they wanted to hear, but it would bite me later.

Hopefully, this time next week I will have a part time job and a solution to our financing dd's braces!

[pageta]

I work from home. Last year I was doing about 10 hours a week. This year I'm doing about 20. And I have a lot less time for myself. The money is definitely nice. I like what I do. I like doing things that people appreciate and being appreciated for my knowledge and advice.

 

When I was a kid, my parents started a business when I was 10 and my sister was 8. By the time I was a teenager, we no longer went to a sitter but just went home every day after school. It was out job to practice our music lessons, clean the house (on Thursdays and Fridays - we had a list each of us was to do). And cook supper. I learned how to cook by my mom telling me over the phone what to make for supper and how to do it. We got home around 3:00 and they didn't get home until 6:30 or 7:00. We had plenty of time to read and do things we wanted to do even with having to complete our list of responsibilities. My parents were 25 minutes away.

 

With that said, I didn't feel like my teenage years were stolen from me. My parents grew up on the farm, and kids were expected to do chores. I think learning how to clean and cook supper is life skills which all children need to know, so this would be a great opportunity for them to take some responsibility and contribute toward household responsibilities. They really ought to be doing these things anyway. So, I say DO NOT go out and hire someone to clean your house - not with children that old.

 

My oldest is 8, and I will leave him in the house in charge of my 4 year old and toddler while I mow for an hour and a half. The 4-year-old will often come outside with me, and the toddler is really pretty easy. My oldest reads books or messes around and is in the same area as the toddler, and I come in for drink breaks from time to time.

 

As I am working more this year, I have taught my two oldest children how to wash dishes and clean up the kitchen. At this point, they need an adult in the area but can work mostly on their own. I've also been teaching them how to do various cleaning tasks. And they fold their own clothes and put them away. So as my work load has increased, I've made it a point to turn more and more over to them. I am also working on making my oldest more independent in his studies, though right now I only spend about ten hours a week on school related activities with him.

 

When I was in school, I was in a multi-grade classroom, and I was generally the only one in my grade. I did almost all of my work without someone telling me what to do or explaining the concepts to me. We do not use curriculum that is quite that independent, but in a couple years my oldest should be 80% on his own (when I start with the next one). I actually found it frustrating once I got to high school and college when I had to sit around and listen to lectures on stuff I could figure out myself if I sat down and looked at the materials. My current career is something which I am self-taught and have simply figured out myself and become well respected for my skills. So I see nothing wrong with kids doing at least a portion of their work on their own.

 

So going back to work as you described may require some changes for your family, but I see no reason why it could not be done. I think kids have it easy these days and that they would get much further in life if we expected more of them. I know moms with eight kids (age 9 and younger) whose kids are far more responsible than mine are. I feel bad that mine don't do more.

[Sunshine State Sue]

There is supplemental health and dental insurance (after 90 days)

This is generous for such part-time work. I'm glad that you are clear about how much you are willing to work. I hope everything works out well for you. :thumbup1:

[musicmommy]

I do work and homeschool. Although I work from home, it is about 15 hours a week that I'm not available to the kids. It is difficult and frustrating at times. Part of it is that none of the other homeschool moms around really understand what my time is like and the working moms don't really get the fact that I'm still educating my kids. Does that make sense?

 

I have become very structured in our days to accommodate my working and that has helped. It took a while, but we have finally got a rhythm to our days that work for us.

 

The thing to realize is that something has to give sometimes. My house is never as clean as I'd like, I'm never as prepared as I'd like, I don't bake the bread anymore, etc... You just can not do it all. Once I became ok with that, it all worked a bit better.

 

I do a lot of my prep work over the summer when I have fewer students. All of my printing is done and in file folders. I have holiday activities planned out and all that fun stuff.