After hours childminding related work

**janminder** · 11-05-2015, 09:09 PM

I wonder how many parents realise the amount of unpaid hours we do. Finished after 6, did some paperwork and phoning to juggle extra days needed and holiday cover, tidied away resources inside that were still out washed up the tea things, tidied the garden stuff away (could leave out but foxes have been known to scatter toys around). sorting some stuff ready for tomorrow, putting prams away (double and single used today). This morning was doing some folder work before children arrived at 8am.

Worn out and am now going to face family dinner washing up.

And it's only Monday

**shortstuff** · 12-05-2015, 06:58 AM

Yep i totally relate. My last mindee left at 6.30. I swept the dining room up while oh washed up. Went on a run for batteries as oh wanted to then clean the fish tank and the vaccuum thingy had been left on last time. Then grabbed 5 mins with ds before going babysitting till 9.30. On my return i got an enquiry from an adhoc family for Thursday.

**shortstuff** · 12-05-2015, 07:00 AM

Oh i should have added that i took my laptop to the babysitting to do some level 3 but forgot my bloomin hard drive which has all my work stored on it. So i could only do some reading n no actual effort towards any essays :-(

**lollipop kid** · 12-05-2015, 07:17 AM

Totally relate to this. Last mindee left at 6.15pm, then I put all the garden things away including washing out the new water areas (x 3) that I made up yesterday.

I hate waste, so this included watering the garden with the water and using the remainder to part-fill some numbered bottles for use today. Tidied the main childminding areas (all of downstairs), washed up, watched my daughter cook a really complicated meal (she's 13 and was marinating lamb cuts - and guess who had to clean up the previously clean kitchen again afterwards!) Answered a couple of emails, went on the forum, then realised it was 7.30pm!

Watched a minimal amount of TV upstairs then came down and sorted some family laundry (as I don't like doing this kind of stuff during my childminding day).

Think we're all bonkers!

L

**tess1981** · 12-05-2015, 07:43 AM

The mess I make during the day is cleaned up during the day.... The last hour here is wind down time. Children pack away all the toys I load dish washer or wash the dishes. I brush the floors and bleach toilet if needed. If I didn't work from home.early this mess would not have happened.

**Mouse** · 12-05-2015, 07:45 AM

I make sure everything is packed away before the last child goes home, including garden toys. The children help put everything away. When it's time to come in from the garden they park the bikes & scooters in the playhouse, put any toys away, pick up the balls, pack the chalks & paints away etc. By the time they come in it doesn't look like a childminder's garden any more.
The same with indoors - all their washing up is done straight away, toys are packed away before home time and everywhere is sorted. I don't need to do anything once the children have gone.

The majority of paperwork I do during the day, particularly after lunch when the children sleep or rest. I will do a minimum amount at night, then I set aside one day a month to catch up on anything that needs doing.

In the morning I have a hoover round, wipe round the bathroom and have a quick polish. I often only set toys and activities out when the first child arrives as they like to help. Family washing I do during the day (I couldn't keep on top of it otherwise) and I will have another quick hoover if I need to. The kitchen is kept tidy all day as I do whatever needs doing as we go along. I do family washing during the day, otherwise I couldn't keep on top of it. DH is responsible for cleaning upstairs, so I never do that!

In total I probably spend no more than half an hour in the morning preparing for the day and no more than 10 minutes at the end of the day tidying up any loose ends.

**janminder** · 12-05-2015, 08:22 PM

10 minutes at the end of the day Mouse sounds great. Must organise a new routine!!

**Mouse** · 12-05-2015, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by janminder

10 minutes at the end of the day Mouse sounds great. Must organise a new routine!!

It hasn't always been like that!

When I first started out I didn't give myself a minute all day. I'd rarely have lunch, rarely sit down, rarely even go to the toilet! Over time I learned that the children didn't need my attention 100% of the time and I relaxed. Now I'll sit and have a coffee while they play, I'll catch up on paperwork while they sleep and I'll sit on the garden soaking up the sun while they're chasing around happily

They all know our routines and packing away at the end of the day is one of them. It really does make a huge difference if everything is packed away before they go home

**crumpet54** · 12-05-2015, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by Mouse

It hasn't always been like that!

When I first started out I didn't give myself a minute all day. I'd rarely have lunch, rarely sit down, rarely even go to the toilet! Over time I learned that the children didn't need my attention 100% of the time and I relaxed. Now I'll sit and have a coffee while they play, I'll catch up on paperwork while they sleep and I'll sit on the garden soaking up the sun while they're chasing around happily

They all know our routines and packing away at the end of the day is one of them. It really does make a huge difference if everything is packed away before they go home

Brilliant mouse I'm certainly planning to start as I mean to go on! Great advice x

**lollipop kid** · 12-05-2015, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by Mouse

It hasn't always been like that!

When I first started out I didn't give myself a minute all day. I'd rarely have lunch, rarely sit down, rarely even go to the toilet! Over time I learned that the children didn't need my attention 100% of the time and I relaxed. Now I'll sit and have a coffee while they play, I'll catch up on paperwork while they sleep and I'll sit on the garden soaking up the sun while they're chasing around happily

They all know our routines and packing away at the end of the day is one of them. It really does make a huge difference if everything is packed away before they go home

I decided to try starting quiet time/tidy-up time at 4.30pm tonight. We did tidy up time first (I got all of the children to pitch in), and everything was put away by 4.45pm. TV went on so the children could enjoy quiet time (while I did dishes) until parents started arriving! I was gob-smacked having a clean and tidy house before the first parent got here. It went better than I'd hoped. (Much better than last night's efforts pre-Mouse post.)

Thanks very much for the inspiration, Mouse! It worked a treat!

L