I'm a working mom, but I work in education and I've always thoroughly enjoyed all my little breaks throughout the year, especially my 8 weeks off in summer. I always feel like I get a little taste of the SAHM life. Although I've also been aware that summer has a different pace- we do fun things every day, the schedule is lax, no school drop-offs, no homework, flexible bedtimes... I looove my summers and live for my summers! I've always wondered if it is much different to be at home with the kids during the school year.
I had my 3rd baby in February and just finished a lovely 10 week maternity leave. I got to experience a different SAHM mom life- for the first time, I got to do the school drop offs and pick ups, didn't experience any pressure to do something fun every single day to keep them busy, and I really honed my time management skills around the kids schedules. (When I had the 2nd baby my 1st wasn't in school yet and it felt the same as summer, no schedule and what not).
It made me wonder what all you SAHM moms enjoy most- the busy structured school year or the long lazy days of summer?
Well Cheers you guys, summer is just around the corner!
Cheryl I used to work year-round school and I loved it! I don't know why more schools don't try it. It was before I had kids though so I never got to experience it as a mom :)
Well I like you look forward to summer. We all need a break from the tutoring, sports practice, CCD, scouts.
Summer! Mid way through August when I start to hear other moms saying that they can't wait until the kids go back to school I start to feel sad that the fun will soon come to an end. I never felt pressured to do something fun every day to entertain the kids. I did something fun every day because that is what I like to do!
Well, we homeschool so I've gotten to where I enjoy the summers more than the kids LOL (though one of mine has graduated)!
When they were in school I felt more of that pressure in the summer to keep busy. Now we just let it all hang out. :P
Summer. Definitely summer.
I wouldn't exactly call them long, lazy, days of summer though. When the kids were smaller, the unstructuredness (?) presents its own set of challenges. But as the kids get older, it just means that their activities change. So instead of being worn out after spending a few hours out in the sun, you go spend a few hours out in the sun, rush home to shower and then are off for some other scheduled activity (piano practice, martial arts, wrestling practice, orthodontist appointments, allergy shots, etc etc etc).. And in the middle, you have to throw in all the stuff they just WANT to do, because they are old enough to actually have their own agendas now.
"I need the next book in this series, can we go to the book store tomorrow?"
"Are we going to town, I want to get some new guitar picks."
"Can we go to the mall, I want to look at _____. Awww... you're going to the grocery store, too? Do I Haaave to go or can we go back later to go to the mall?"
"Can we go try on some shoes?"
"So and so invited me to a party. I need ___ ."
"Can I invite __ over to camp out? We want to make s'mores, too... can we pick up marshmallows from the store?"
Your agenda is less your own, as the kids get older.
But aaahhhhhh, not having to roll out of bed at 5:55 a.m. to get them up and ready for the bus! :D
As I SAHM, I love the flexibilty of being able to do what I want when I want. For example,
-Let's go get lunch.
-It's hot, anyone want frozen yogurt or a dip in the pool?
-Anyone want to go to the park?
-Want to go to the zoo today?
Okay now here's the flipside
-I haven't been able to to go to the bathroom alone in over 6-7 years.
-I always have a someone with me so there's no lunch hr when I can quick-run-to-the-grocery-store for lunchmeat & bread. It's always a production.
So having said that, there are upsides & downsides to both. Perks to both. Loving moments to both. I'll take it either way. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself as a SAHM & will adjust to returning to the work place, too.
I think everything has positives AND challenges.
I say enjoy it all for what it is. Take the ups, the positives, the hiddens gems....when you can! It's all good! :)
I like the change, kind of like the change of seasons. I'm always ready for summer to start, but by the end of August I'm ready for the structure and the time to get things done. I also work from home on a somewhat irregular basis and usually try to get a project started in September. It can be nice to do my own thing and have space to myself.
For us nothing is very structured. I home school my kids. But I enjoy it since it's by choice and we can have flexibility.
I like the summers for all the reason you stated. But I like the school year now, because they are all in school :) It's nice to have my days to myself and work on my business, or get the grocery shopping done without kids in tow, etc... Of course, it was different before they were in school. I had 4 kids in 7 1/2 years and those years were ruled by nap times and baby groups and eventually by drop off and pick ups at school. I guess I just appreciate that things aren't the same all year long, I would have a hard time doing the same thing every day all year long. I guess that's why owning my own business suits me so well.
We love summer. 100 %, I teach so it is my chance (after I get done with June trainings) to relax with the kids and just enjoy.
Our summers are actually somewhat structured. If we don't I find that I go insane too early in the summer, and both of my kids, who tend to like "lists" and calendars, fight more often. That being said, it is very loosely done, so that we can change our plans easily. We have garden time and chore time in the mornings, and reading time in the late afternoons. We tend to do the library on Thursdays (they have an awesome story group, and playground), Craft/Art day on Mondays, etc. The kids help me design it in May so that they get a say in what we are doing. Love summers.
I'm a SAHM and I really enjoy both. I do keep the summer somewhat structured (camps, pool days, library days, zoo days, summer workbooks, etc), because my kids thrive on routine. But, I love not rushing them out the door by 7:20!!
It depends on me, not DD. If I am off work (I work PT) then it is easier to take DD where she needs to go, run my errands, and do whatever. If I am working, then it is better if she is in school so I can be uninterrupted. I think she also likes the break from me, frankly. But I do cherish those "let's go to the pool, just because" kind of days.
I love when the kids are in school. Coming home in the evening makes it so nic e where you have a few hours to do stuff and then bedtime. Your day is yours and you can do your appointments and clean.
In summer there is absolutely no reason to clean because when people are home all day they make messes and no one helps and it's chaos.
I like the structure of the school year but I like the fun of summer more. If we could do year round school where the breaks were more frequent but not as long I think that would be ideal. I really appreciate being able to stay home but by the end of July I'm ready to get back on a routine of school and sports!
I enjoy both, for different reasons.
During the school year, I like the routine of getting our day going, getting Kiddo off to school, getting my housework done without interruptions (which takes a lot less time), getting the day's shopping and dinner prep done, and the blessed quiet.... quiet time to work on housekeeping projects allows me to work faster on things like sorting out papers, clearing out spaces, etc.(This is the phase I'm in now.)
And I love seeing Kiddo at pickup! I feel refreshed and ready to listen to his day...
In the summer, we still have things somewhat scheduled, but a bit more loose. For example, every morning like clockwork, I'm going to be out watering the garden, then come in and make a breakfast for us, we get our tasks done. I don't do well without some sense of structure, so we usually have a plan to follow: pack up a picnic and go to a shady park for part of the day, pack up the backpack and head out for a longer day trip. My son and I both don't do well with endless unstructured time, so I'll be a busier social secretary, making sure playdates happen and that we get him to his judo classes three days a week. It's a far busier time for us, but we also have time for longer projects too.
When I was a stay at home mom I felt so blessed to be home I put in every hour I could at the school. So pretty much my morning was getting the kids ready, then to school, then I stayed at the school most of the day.
Still working now I know it isn't the same as working because I always knew I could blow off a day and it didn't impact my life at all.
Still to answer your question when my kids were little I preferred the school year. It was more structured but I really wasn't responsible for huge chunks of the day. When my kids got older, around seven, I lived for the summers as much as the kids did. Snow days were the greatest!!
