'It's not that bad! At least you are at home!'

**EmmaReed84** · 03-12-2013, 07:21 AM

If one more person says that to me, I am going to scream!

At the moment, I work from 5.30am-7.00am going my wood prints, then from 7am-5pm childminding, from 5pm-9.30pm back to doing my wood prints. I work 5 days a week doing this, 16 hours a DAY! Then I do another 8 hours wood prints on Saturday and 4 hours on Sunday a total of 92 hours a week, 7 days a week! Add on top of that my slowly failing Kidneys and the fact that I have two children, one of which has ADHD and various other additional needs!

But it's not THAT bad, at least I am at home!

I am not looking for sympathy, I am not looking for some to go there there, you poor thing, I am not even looking for some to praise or anything like that... I am simply just looking for a teeny bit of recognitition that I actually DO WORK! Just because I am at home doing this WORK does not make it any less WORK.

Yes, at least I am at home, however, now my home is my place of work, I feel like I never leave it! I am surrounded by my work day in day out, I have no clocking off time or get to think... 'phew, home time now' the only break I get is when I fo to the gym, when I have the time!

Sorry for the rant, just needed to get that off my chest!

**Koala** · 03-12-2013, 07:41 AM

There, there, you poor thing - join the club.

What is wood printing?

**EmmaReed84** · 03-12-2013, 07:47 AM

Originally Posted by Koala

There, there, you poor thing - join the club.

What is wood printing?

I make wood plaques, but instead of painting them I do print transfers and the photo wood prints are doing really well, especially on the lead up to Christmas LOL!

This is my neice and nephew, I love this picture! lo

**skatie** · 03-12-2013, 07:59 AM

Ooh, love your wood prints! Do you have a website?

I hear what you are saying! I work a 10.5 hour day, 5 days a week and I think that's a lot... No time for me :-(. Everyone wants a piece of me... Couldn't even ask for a 15 minute shower, get dressed and dry my hair in peace this morning. Cue massive hissy fit!

As childminders we can understand! Well done for being such an amazing resilient person, you should be proud of yourself! I would love to throw my husband into a pit of children for the day, make him wash, clean, iron, make beds, make dinner etc etc and see what sort of a wreck emerges at the end of the day!

**AliceK** · 03-12-2013, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by EmmaReed84

I make wood plaques, but instead of painting them I do print transfers and the photo wood prints are doing really well, especially on the lead up to Christmas LOL!

This is my neice and nephew, I love this picture! lol
Olivia Charley with Bow.jpg

Wow, I LOVE that. You are clever

xxxx

**Mummits** · 03-12-2013, 08:30 AM

Emma, you are a star, but I think you need to be kinder to yourself or you will harm your health and be no good to anyone. Yours isn't a realistic timetable to keep up long term.

**EmmaReed84** · 03-12-2013, 08:42 AM

See, I like coming here because people know exactly what I am talking about lol!

With my wood prints, I do have a website, but it is not all that good www.marcthomasdesign.com I have a FB page which is used more. just www.facebook.com/marcthomasdesign

With regards to my timetable, I am not looking at keeping this up. I am hoping my wood prints pick up, from September I am losing my full tiime mindee and I am hoping to not take on any more children and just keep my part timers. I know I am going to need a transplant in the near future and the possibitly of dialysis before hand. So I want to slow down the childminding and hopefully my wood prints can pick up what I lose.

Just a bit of a hard slog between now and then. I am off from Mon 23rd to Thur 2nd so will have a nice break!

**Lottie** · 03-12-2013, 11:10 AM

((hugs)) Emma. I hear you. I work 55 hours a week and am studying a full time degree on top of everything else …. BUT WOW!! you really sound like you have a lot on your plate. I think you sound a pretty amazing person. Just try to look after yourself a bit more. You're no good to anyone or yourself if you become unwell.

p.s I really like your wood prints too.

**sing-low** · 03-12-2013, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by EmmaReed84

owever, now my home is my place of work, I feel like I never leave it! I am surrounded by my work day in day out, I have no clocking off time or get to think... 'phew, home time now'

This is EXACTLY how I feel too. You never get away from work when you work at home. So in that way it can be worse than going out to work. Part of me would love to have an office to leave at 5 o'clock and forget about, although I do love the kids.

**EmmaReed84** · 03-12-2013, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by sing-low

This is EXACTLY how I feel too. You never get away from work when you work at home. So in that way it can be worse than going out to work. Part of me would love to have an office to leave at 5 o'clock and forget about, although I do love the kids.

I have said this to DH many times. We were talking about moving and I said I would love to have a house with a separate dining area that I can use for Childminding, then have a nice adults lounge so at the end of the day when I close the doors, it feels like I have left work behind! it is crazy just how important it can be just to have that sense of 'work is finished' DH does a lot of study at night, but he still does not get that when he calls me up from work on his way home, he is sighing and saying 'ah, one day over with, leave work, come home!' I wish I had that sometimes LOL! Instead of 'at least you are at home'

**Tulip** · 03-12-2013, 07:06 PM

You work exceptionally hard, you're amazing perhaps you could ease up a little somewhere to help yourself after all if you don't look after no.1 no-one else will.
Loving your prints

**jadavi** · 03-12-2013, 07:42 PM

I love your prints too.

Can you give us a price for An A5 size?
Looks just the job for a present to the parents this year xxx

**dawn100** · 04-12-2013, 10:49 AM

We all know what its like, you do seem to be working exceptional number of hours the wood prints look fab I hope they take off for you.
The other phrase I hate is 'you've got a nice little job' I do have one day off a week but in 4 days I work 35-37 hours and that's not including prep or paperwork but my family think of it as a little job! Then as soon as I finish work I'm driving my kids here there and everywhere! I don't think unless you're a childminder you can really understand what it's like.
My dh can also drive me up the wall when he gets in from work and has a snooze on the sofa whilst I'm still trying to get my kids tea and into bed yes he does work long hours and does work hard but so do I and if I decided to have a sleep once all the mindees had gone nothing would get done!

**Bluebell** · 04-12-2013, 12:30 PM

huge respect to you for working so hard! I would never be able to put in the hours you do! I get up at 7 and have an hour to sort myself and my kids and finish latest at 7pm - and am ready to drop and not do anything else. I used to work weekends but needed the time to myself.
You are obviously an amazing person who works very hard for you family and if others can't see that then more fool them for making silly comments. most people have no idea!
Just one thing - how on earth do you find the time - or the energy - to get to the gym!? Even more respect to you for that! You are very inspiring!

**bunyip** · 04-12-2013, 12:53 PM

I think everyone who works from home gets this.

I have an ad hoc client who sometimes works from home. She's always being 5la88ed off by the playground gossips for sending her DD to a CM when she's "at home anyway". They somehow seem to think she can cook dinner and support her DD's homework, etc. whilst simultaneously conducting trans-Atlantic conference calls, webinars and doG knows what else.

I used to get a similar thing when I worked in a booksellers'. People would say, "It must be lovely to work in a bookshop - you must get so much reading done while you're there."

**EmmaReed84** · 04-12-2013, 01:21 PM

Dawn: ARGH @ Nice little job. I hate that one too!

Just recently my husband has come home from work and then started studying for some IT exam. He passed it last night, went to the off licence and bought some beers and said "Ahhhh, back to being able to have a rest in the evenings now!" I laughed and asked if this meant he would be helping a bit more with the house work on the weekends seeing as during the time he was studying I did ALL the house, ALL the washing, ALL the cooking, ALL the cleaning! His response was delayed! I think he was going to say something stupid when he saw the look on my face and then said "Course babe!" then took a massive glug of beer! LOL

BlueBell, I try to get to the gym at least twice a week, but lately it has been more like once a fortnight LOL! I like to get to the gym as it is the only time I am truly 'away' from everything. I have such a laugh there and it is a great release!

I like to keep busy, if I am not busy I can quite easily turn in to a couch potato and then I get thinking about all my crappy health issues which gets me down, so by being busy and active it is kind of like me saying I am bigger and better than the stupid problems I have and I am in control! Silly I know LOL!

**KatieFS** · 04-12-2013, 01:23 PM

Wood prints look good. Ill share them on Facebook
I felt like this going my level 3. Long days fitting in studying around a long day with 3 littlies, then my own family dinner chores etc.... Was easier when I had two days off so I could dedicate longer stints on the study. Everything gets thrown into chaos when someone is ill, dog has accident - tough times!
But better now as I've finished level 3.
I do think I'd look at your Timetable. Very long days and you need to look after yourself.
Best wishes x

**bunyip** · 04-12-2013, 01:31 PM

On the positive side, we don't have much of a journey to work.

Mind you, at my age, it's one h3ll of a commute just to get from the duvet to the coffee machine..................

**kel1983** · 05-12-2013, 11:08 AM

I know how that feels. I work from 7.30 am till 6 maybe 7.45pm some evenings. I then work on my painted furniture till about 9pm maybe a little later if I have a deadline to meet. I spend weekends sanding and prepping the furniture whilst it's light out. I love doing the painting though and it seems to be very popular at the moment. Oh and the extra money is lovely to have. This time of year out dining room turns into a painting studio.