Inspection and Mojo!

[TheBTeam]

I am due my inspection this year, and have all policies procedures, resources in and out and with the one exception of a photo of all resources for the children to select from, which i am working on now, and my sef is still the old version so have that to fix, I have everything I should have!

EXCEPT the biggest thing i need, the energy and enthusiasm to be bothered with it all at the moment! I am hoping the better weather makes me feel better, but i am so fed up with my own family.

My house never looking how i want it, downstairs is fine, but the lack of time to be everywhere means upstairs is becoming a disorganised dumping ground, it is fine cos the doors stay shut, but i still now it is there and have no time with football all weekends and working long hours all week and the committees/clubs that I am on and the kids have to go to!

I dont feel like I ever get a proper break from children, no one to babysit to get out with dh, the downside of working together is it never happens that all children are off or sick together so we never get a surprise time off in the week, we feel guilty for taking time off and wanting to be with our children when they do something special.

I am physically sick of washing, cooking, cleaning and being shouted at by all and sundry, people finding it funny that they walk away with my pay in their hands and forgetting to give it to me, that it is only my money so I can wait!

It feels like a treadmill that is getting so fast you cant get off, I am missing my mil like i never knew i ever would and have no one to talk to, my own children are starting to treat me like a doormat and my dh will not back me up to sort them out!

I know I have got myself into a state, if the inspector turns up anytime soon she is going to be asking me why the h*ll I bother doing this job, because i am about as animated as a dead fish!

Sorry for the long post, just thinking if i saw it in writing it would stop me being so silly and sad!

[little chickee]

Console yourself with the thought that you are not alone - it is the end of winter blues and there are lots of us feeling the same.

Spring is on its way - light nights and light mornings will make you feel better. Try to get outside for at least 1 hour a day to top up your vitamin d. Can you set aside a day at the weekend when your hubby could maybe do the football run etc and take the kids out, roll up your sleeves .put some good music on and have a spring clean.

Hard work but you will feel so proud of what you have acheived it will be worth it.

I've got to run - i've a son to collect from football! but i'll check back in.

[Heaven Scent]

Oh dear I know how you feel - you see the taking of the photos is probably something nice an inspector saw somewhere and is in actual fact totally unnecessary but its now expected that we have them - how does something like that improve the care we offer to the children - I think not because if it is a chore for someone to produce then it takes away from the care we give to the chilren as we are focusing on that and not on the children.

I know how you you feel about finding time for you and your husband and feeling guilty about spending time with your chilren and for attending occasions that they are involved in. I gave up my teaching job to do this so I can devote more time to my children and its just not happening - I decided that OK pehaps for the first year or so I would have to put in the extra effort to get all my paperwork properly in place and financially I knew I would have to devote a great deal of my income to purchase resources as I'd given everything my children had away when I moved house 3 years before I gave my job up - I think the whole inpection system has lost focus on what we are supposed to be doing i.e. offering home from home childcare and that is all that should be inspected and not our ability to produce reams and reams of paperwork with tonnes of photographic evidence at the end of our often long working days when we should be spending time with our own families.

I admit if a minder does go down the accreditation route then they should be able to demand a higher fee to cover them for the extra paperwork and qualification/training required and be in a position and prepared to provide education to the children. - But sadly that is not the way of things and unfortunately the families and children in England are losing some really brilliant childminders who have been doing a fantastic job for years. It does make me sad. In the past year I have seen quite a few minders in tears and some on more than one occasion now that does tell me that there must be something truely wrong with the system.

[angeldelight]

I am due my inspection this year, and have all policies procedures, resources in and out and with the one exception of a photo of all resources for the children to select from, which i am working on now, and my sef is still the old version so have that to fix, I have everything I should have!

EXCEPT the biggest thing i need, the energy and enthusiasm to be bothered with it all at the moment! I am hoping the better weather makes me feel better, but i am so fed up with my own family.

My house never looking how i want it, downstairs is fine, but the lack of time to be everywhere means upstairs is becoming a disorganised dumping ground, it is fine cos the doors stay shut, but i still now it is there and have no time with football all weekends and working long hours all week and the committees/clubs that I am on and the kids have to go to!

I dont feel like I ever get a proper break from children, no one to babysit to get out with dh, the downside of working together is it never happens that all children are off or sick together so we never get a surprise time off in the week, we feel guilty for taking time off and wanting to be with our children when they do something special.

I am physically sick of washing, cooking, cleaning and being shouted at by all and sundry, people finding it funny that they walk away with my pay in their hands and forgetting to give it to me, that it is only my money so I can wait!

It feels like a treadmill that is getting so fast you cant get off, I am missing my mil like i never knew i ever would and have no one to talk to, my own children are starting to treat me like a doormat and my dh will not back me up to sort them out!

I know I have got myself into a state, if the inspector turns up anytime soon she is going to be asking me why the h*ll I bother doing this job, because i am about as animated as a dead fish!

Sorry for the long post, just thinking if i saw it in writing it would stop me being so silly and sad!

Oooooops that sounds like you are speaking about me :laughing: :laughing:

You are not silly or sad but if you are then I am too

Sometimes I think we get like this

Keep your chin up and know that you are not the only one

Hugs

Angel xx

[Ripeberry]

Do you know what, that is exactly how I feel. My house is a tip, Ofsted are coming next Tuesday and I just don't have the energy. To top it all I had a big row at my mum's today.
She asked me to get some growbags and potting compost when I came to visit.
She lives over 2hrs away, so I drove all the way there and she wanted me to go and dig the garden.
My dad was already out there, moaning at me about having to dig in the garden when he has tons of work to do. They have not touched the garden for 10yrs and it's full of dog poo.
She then said I was an ungrateful daughter, so I just saw red and stormed out and drove all the way back...with the compost as my dad did not want it in the garden or anywhere in the house.
I'm staying in bed tomorrow and not lifting a finger for anyone :(

[Ripeberry]

Oh dear I know how you feel - you see the taking of the photos is probably something nice an inspector saw somewhere and is in actual fact totally unnecessary but its now expected that we have them - how does something like that improve the care we offer to the children - I think not because if it is a chore for someone to produce then it takes away from the care we give to the chilren as we are focusing on that and not on the children.

I know how you you feel about finding time for you and your husband and feeling guilty about spending time with your chilren and for attending occasions that they are involved in. I gave up my teaching job to do this so I can devote more time to my children and its just not happening - I decided that OK pehaps for the first year or so I would have to put in the extra effort to get all my paperwork properly in place and financially I knew I would have to devote a great deal of my income to purchase resources as I'd given everything my children had away when I moved house 3 years before I gave my job up - I think the whole inpection system has lost focus on what we are supposed to be doing i.e. offering home from home childcare and that is all that should be inspected and not our ability to produce reams and reams of paperwork with tonnes of photographic evidence at the end of our often long working days when we should be spending time with our own families.

I admit if a minder does go down the accreditation route then they should be able to demand a higher fee to cover them for the extra paperwork and qualification/training required and be in a position and prepared to provide education to the children. - But sadly that is not the way of things and unfortunately the families and children in England are losing some really brilliant childminders who have been doing a fantastic job for years. It does make me sad. In the past year I have seen quite a few minders in tears and some on more than one occasion now that does tell me that there must be something truely wrong with the system.

That is so true and very well put, They are treating us like mini nurseries and in all my life I have never produced so much paperwork. Not even when I worked in an office :(
At least with other jobs you can forget about it when you get home, but of course childminding is more of a calling than a job as it is with us always.

[TheBTeam]

taken post out as i have gone off of why i started this in the first place!