When do you do your planning/preparations?

[Houlgated]

Just wondered how much stuff you do when your mindee's are actually with you and how much you do outside of your minding hours. For example when do you prepare meals, craft activities etc.?
At the moment i only have one mindee for an evening meal and as he is only 1 and eats at 4pm i usually portion something up/freeze for him earlier in the week and then just defrost/heat it up. But if i get other mindees that i need to cook for at a reasonable time then i would arrange it so they eat with my own children, but just wondered if i should prepare meals when they are with me or if this should all be down outside my minding hours. With the last mindees i had for mealtimes i used to prepare whilst they were playing but i could not do that with my current mindee as he is very clingy and i just wouldn't be able to do it without leaving him to cry as he wasn't physically attached to me.
do you do paperwork when midees are with you or after they have gone home?

[twinkletots]

Hello,


I have two assistants and we look after between 6-10 children each day, I have found that booking a days holiday with parents and working with my assistants for a day three days over the year we work out planning topics, key children, observations, outings etc it has worked a treat!

[mrs robbie williams]

i usually do my planning and obs on a thursday morning as have no lo's until 1230 but if not its done at the weekend setting up activities either before they arrive or while they are having free play, dinner is at 5 along with my children and its either in slow cooker prepared in morning during free play or its done while they are playing my ds9 keeps the older ones busy and ds15 loves babies so is happy to help out while i pop in and out of the kitchen i have stair gate to kitchen but can still hear/see them all the time xx

[Tinkerbell1979]

Meals I batch cook on a Sunday and freeze.

Paperwork is done whilst they sleep and evenings (hubby works nights so its boring once my kids in bed)

[Houlgated]

Thanks for the replies, i think i will have to cook at the weekends if/when i get more children. I currently only work 3 days per week, but will be losing my only ey mindee in a few months. I'm going to have to start advertising that i'm available full time as i'm hoping then i might get some enquiries, even though i don't want to work full time, but knowing my luck i'll have to. I really ought to try and do my paperwork whilst he is sleeping so i keep on top of it but i use that time to do one to one stuff with my 3 yr old boy.

[kp0781]

Hi I used to batch cook on the weekend and that got a bit much!! I have 4 till 6 4 times a week. I try and an our meals do that the kids have something re heated from the night before. Tonight we have casserole I will put in slow cooker this morning and they will have at 5 and we will have later. Paperwork I do in my own time unless I am very lucky and they sleep at the sand time!!!!

[kellyskidz!]

I usually have Friday mornings off and swear I will do everything on my to-do list in that time... Never happens. I always end up doing it Sunday night (planning, folders,) which is a shame as I really do think weekends are for relaxing. Should get more organised, envious of the Super Minders in my area who seem to have no list of things to do because they've already done it all!