Hats off to all you lone minders

Last thursday my mum and co-minder went on holiday so I have been minding pretty much on my own (my sister has helped out for a couple of hours) the children we usually mind together :eek:

Wow the week has been hectic. I really do feel for you minders that do it on your own everyday. You can't go to the loo without working out how your going to keep the lo's safe. I have hardly drunk anything and not been cooking dinner for myself until about 7 when I really dont feel like eating anything.

Most days I have had the max of 6 children. They have not been a handful but they were just tiring. All wanting your attention. I had to prepare their dinners whilst watching them all.

One other thing I have noticed is the dihwasher doesnt get emptied, the plates pile up on the side and the washing ends up staying in the washer for the day.

So hats off to all you minders who go it alone :clapping: I am looking forward to my mum returning next week.

I do that 2 days a week and I spend the next 2 days recovering! :o

If we're taking hats off, I'll take mine off to the full timers who do it all week! :eek: :clapping:

Ive just moved from a setting with 2 minders and an assistant and 6 under 5s to a setting by myself and currently 1 or 2 under 5s.

Its certainly diffrent to having a busier setting of more adults.

Im having to be alot more organised.

I dont cook complicated meals during the week things that take 30 mins max. I ensure I have a large plastic beaker of juice around before the mindees arrive and make that last til snack time.

We go to toddler groups most days to give both the LOs and myself some company.

its not just the help you miss... i work alone but meet up most mornings with other cm's and its the adult chatt i miss,

the huggs and advice from others esp if we feel down.

if i never met up with my friends i would go mad so hats off to thoes who care and help us through the day

We meet up with 8 or 9 minders every day, go to the same toddler groups, have our own support group run by the sure start center term time and run our own minders and mindee fun days in the holidays.
We go on trips and outings together and tend to work very closely.

I wish I had other miners around I me do I could meet up. I do go to sure start play and stay and mother and toddlers playgroup twice a week so do get out and about but think other childminders would make me feel like I wasn't so alone .. I have three most days under five four days week have them plus two before and after school.

I have only been minding since Oct, on my own with 2 under 14 months and my own DS 18 months. I went to some training this week and it was the first time I have met other childminders since starting !
The playgroup I go to is new so only I attend at the moment :( i don't drive so getting to other groups is impossible.
I now regard this forum as my staff room !
Thank you all for keeping my sain ! (almost!)
SO HATS OFF TO YOU :clapping:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kel1983

Last thursday my mum and co-minder went on holiday so I have been minding pretty much on my own (my sister has helped out for a couple of hours) the children we usually mind together :eek:

Wow the week has been hectic. I really do feel for you minders that do it on your own everyday. You can't go to the loo without working out how your going to keep the lo's safe. I have hardly drunk anything and not been cooking dinner for myself until about 7 when I really dont feel like eating anything.

Most days I have had the max of 6 children. They have not been a handful but they were just tiring. All wanting your attention. I had to prepare their dinners whilst watching them all.

One other thing I have noticed is the dihwasher doesnt get emptied, the plates pile up on the side and the washing ends up staying in the washer for the day.

So hats off to all you minders who go it alone :clapping: I am looking forward to my mum returning next week.

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:laughing: That is me this week. Been really busy with 5 / 6 children all week, had my assessor round and generally been rushed off my feet in the evenings too. My dishwasher is usually on 3 times a day but this week I've been so behind with emptying it before it's needed again and I think my washing has been sitting in the tumble dryer for about 3 days :blush:

xxxx

LOL - I do that Mon-Fri :laughing: I've lost count of the amount of people (including the parents) who say to me "I don't know how you do it". You should see the state of my house at the end of each day. We made playdough yesterday and before I could clean up properly, the little 2yo mindees had walked through my (carpeted) house with cornflour on their feet...I had little footprints everywhere :laughing:

i would find this job really hard without the CM friends I've made. I used to work in an office in HR so if I wasn't talking to my dept, I was talkign to managers, employees or interviewing potential ones. I talked all day :laughing: :laughing:


I have a few close CM friends that we meet up or go on outings smallscale and one or two groups that we visit regularly. i'd go mad without them:panic:

I work on my own altogether I have 3 LO and 9 school children on my books. Thursday and Fridays are the quiet days (thank god) and it can be lonely. by the end of the week I am shattered. I dont drive so have to walk to school and playgroups.

I enjoy being round the kids but you do need adult company as well.

I wouldn't change it for the world:laughing:

I work alone and I would find it hard if we didn't get out and meet up with other cm friends most days.

Miffy xx

Today I have had it easy. Just had 1 x 2year old whose mum is going to collect earlier today and got 1 after school whose mum has also said she will be here by 5pm :clapping: Looking forward to eating my dinner at a reasonable time tonight

To be honest as much as I love my CM friends and taking the kids out and about this week has been LOVELY. I've done the normal toddler group and CM group but Monday & Wednesday I spent it at home, just chilling and playing, not rushing anywhere or meeting anyone. Its been lovely for the kids as well - just getting their toys out and playing on the carpet etc.

I must spend half my week in company of others and the other half on my own and I have to say I appreciate both sides of CM. BUT I couldn't go back to not having a close CM network - I rely on them to keep my sanity and give me a boost when life is getting in the way of being a big kid. Its really important to have people to bounce idea's off and important to have someone who you can phone and say 'fancy some company this morning?' but equally because the first 2 years of minding I did solely on my own with no network - I learnt how to operate without that support. It means that whilst I appreciate the support that is there - I don't rely on it to get through my day.

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Originally Posted by The Juggler

i would find this job really hard without the CM friends I've made. I used to work in an office in HR so if I wasn't talking to my dept, I was talkign to managers, employees or interviewing potential ones. I talked all day :laughing: :laughing:


I have a few close CM friends that we meet up or go on outings smallscale and one or two groups that we visit regularly. i'd go mad without them:panic:

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Before my own kids came along 10yrs ago, I also worked in an office (call centre) and talked non-stop all day.
I meet up with other CMs on Thursdays and Fridays and on Monday I meet some mums and a couple of other CMs, so I get to talk.
But this forum is great for having a chat :thumbsup: