Kids summer hols - how do you cope?

[blossom]

I work from home and love it.

I also love it when the kids are off for their 6 weeks summer break but since the business is pretty busy we don't get to go out and stuff as often as we used to.

My own way of keeping all my regulars happy and spending a bit of time with the kids is to do a lot of appointments in the evenings, keep daytime appts to a minimum if possible, and to work Saturdays where I wouldn't normally. The kids (8 & 10) are brilliant and amuse themselves when I do have clients in.

Just wondering how all you mums cope with the summer holidays. And have you booked any time off for yourself at all? (I've booked the last week of Aug/beg Sept off, just before they go back, as hubby is also off.) Looking forward to reading your replies xx

 

[1999judy]

I also have to work more evenings but luckily this year my eldest has left school and will babysit for me....at a price though:lol:

 

[Bagpuss]

I'm the same ...mine are 6,7 and 12....and i try to just do evenings during the holidays but its not always possible and i have to do some clients in the day....way i see it is this, if i went out to work they would be stuck with a minder all day so at least this way they are in there own home with there own things.

They are good while i work and a few clients have commented on how quiet they are, then they can let rip and dance around the room when the clients gone..:lol:

Would like to see the hubbies taking the kids to work with them and seeing things from our side ...

 

[Cathie!]

I'm salon based and these hols are posing a nightmare for me,I have my kids (5,6,10) booked in to holiday club on Thurs and Fri every week of the hols at a cost of £42 per day, the rest of the week I am relying on my regulars to take evening appointments...

trouble is I'm stuffed for new clients, although I do have some cover from my se beauty therapist and part time se nail tec......I do wonder, when having done so much work in promoting myu business that I will suffer from this.....the short holidays are so much easier to cope with..

 

[Bagpuss]

those kids club things are so expensive arnt they....my kids came home from school last week with forms about them...when i worked out how much it would cost for my 3 i worked out that i would be working for nothing and it would still end up costing me.

 

[chantell simone]

i work 3 days a week but i send my 7 year old little girl to playscheme monday-friday so i can do my clients on my days off

the playscheme is fab, its local and only costs me £40 per week!

 

[Cathie!]

When you have 1 child, it's not so much of a nightmare/issue....as in loss ....multiple young children certainly push the cost up and the profit down :biggrin:

 

[stampy]

Marry a teacher ... that's what I did!!!! x

 

[Vetty]

Mine are booked into holiday club every friday and I'm swapping kids with a friend one day a week to save us both some money (means I have 4 kids one day a week though!). I'm taking 1 week off and hubby is off another week to give me some more time to work.

Other than that I'm working more evenings and begging favours...... 6 weeks off are a nightmare......

 

[nicky's nails]

this is exactly what ive been wondering, how you all cope, so far ive only worked from home for hubbys business and occasionally go into office, so the holidays have never been problem for me, apart from boredom , cost and me being driven insane, by lack of adult convo lol, but ive just had leaflets printed ready to start manicures.pedicures etc, was gonna get kids delivering them last week, then suddenly thought, what do i do, if people actually book? i have no way of doing any work whilst kids are off, i have no money for sitters or kids club , and they kids are fighting and goading each other so much at the moment, i couldnt leave them in with eldest for more than 15 -20 mins, so thats out, wonder if theyd be ok, if i brought people to me to work, but house is a tip at the moment with building work and i dont have a room to use, we'd just be in dining room, so im going to leave it til after hols, get kids to post leaflets in last week of hols, and see how it goes, hopefully next year kids will be able to be left in at times or ill be earning a little bit and could put them in clubs one or two days etc

hats off to you mums who manage to navigate the school hols, you must be very patient, clever, people and yes wouldnt it be nice for the fellas, to take them to work and try and manage,

great thread xxx

 

[Brandywine]

I haven't got a large client base, so I can fit them mostly into the evenings. I also do a swap with a friend 2 days a week so 1 day I have her two and the other she has my 3, so we just have to be very organized! Its not easy but the kids get on great so it works quite well.

 

[blossom]

I had no idea the kids clubs are so horrendously expensive lol!

 

[Zo Zo]

I'm taking 2 weeks off... hurrah... this is the first time I have had a proper holiday since I started my business, I normally go away (in the UK) for just a few days, often leaving on a Sat after work and coming back the following Weds. Last time I went away for a week to the coast I actually came home on my own mid week to work a full day!

In the past my daughter has gone away for a week with her Dad too, so that was a big help, even though I missed her terribly, but this year they are not going as his current gf is expecting a baby which is due 29/8.

So for the three weeks that I need to cover I will use a local town council playscheme which is about £17 per day, and half days are also available, so I just have to be strict about consolidating my clients on particular days, so I am not putting her in the playscheme unnecessarily. But tbh I think that it's excellent value because a bikini wax and e/b shape covers that. Anything else is mine!

I'm just really pleased she's not a baby in f/t nursery, that used to cost me £880 pm and that was years ago, I hate to think how much it would cost now!

 

[dee]

i am lucky we have daves mum and dave works shifts so can juggle his days round a bit , and we only have 2 wks to cope with then we are off on hols for 3 wks , hooooray

 

[sarahnorton]

ive been dreading the holidays too, i have 3 kids age 6, 4, and 12 weeks , and i work from home 7 days a week, most days i do like 8 or 9am to 10pm with a few little breaks, i am a text operator at the mo which i love but the hours r mad, plus im tryin to get back into doing nails, luckily my kids r really good but i hate that i cant spend the time with them that i want to even tho im here u know?? the people i work for are really good and understand my kids come 1st to me, so i can finish now n then to be with them but id still rather have more time with em! x

 

[extensionten]

I had no idea the kids clubs are so horrendously expensive lol!

Well the people working in them need paying..... can't expect them to not want a good wage either can we!:wink2:

I have 3 kids and when I worked in an office full time I actually paid my child minder more money per week than I brought home! But, you can't stop working for the holidays can you? (unless your a teacher or in an education based job). I used to get a loan out to pay the minder and pay back over the year. I was a single parent and yep, it kills you.

 

[*JOANNE*]

my 3 boys 9,10 and 12 are pretty good they are so used to people coming here for their nails that in the holidays i scale things down, but during appointments the boys have their own room do veg, watch tv etc and i have never had to tell them off ever when i have a client, i reduce my mobile clients to regulars only and my friend will have the boys for an hour or so.