December 2010 Moms

speaking of working...

how many of you work from home or have worked from home? 
 how do you work it out?  
are your babies in preschool/daycare?  or do you have a nanny come to the house?  or do you manage without either?  (i assume this is impossible for most people).
where in the house do you work?
do you recommend it? or do you think its better for you to work outside of the home and why?

i am wanting to work a couple of days but trying to decide if i want to work from home or out of the house.  i am leaning towards home, but my husband thinks it would be better to get out.  change of scenery, adult interaction and all that.

thoughts?

Re: speaking of working...

  • I work M-W in the office and am gone from 8:15-4:30 on those days. My mom watches the boys M & W and my MIL watches them on T.

    Th/F I am home with the boys and try to log-in another 3-5 hours of work from home. Most of that is during their nap time in the afternoon and after they go to sleep for the night. With two active toddlers I definitely don't get much done unless they are asleep.

    image

     Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • I don't really work but I would love to work part time as well. It's the damn child care that kills you.I would have to make pretty good money to be able to afford child care, so we are waiting a few years until the kids are in school.
    I can imagine that working at home would be pretty difficult unless you had a nanny.
  • Loading the player...
  • I can't work from home (nurse) but DH has and is going to again.  There's no way though he could work and watch the kids though so we have a babysitter come in and play with them instead.  H is available for emergencies, otherwise she does her own thing with the kids including feeding them and putting them down for naps.  H usually sequesters himself away in our office upstairs with the door closed so the kids can't go running in and bang on the desk, push printer buttons and wreak havoc like they usually do.  It's worked out great in the past and I'm looking forward to him not having to be fighting traffic 2 hours a day just to get to/from work.  More kiddo time in the evenings now.

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic
    Lilypie Third Birthday tickers Lilypie First Birthday tickers
  • thanks for your input ladies!
    yes, i will definitely have to get childcare.  i would be doing speech therapy online and would need a quiet space.  i think my comfort level is to work from home.  not because i dont want interaction with coworkers but because i want to be there in case of emergencies and because i dont want to waste time driving that i could spend with the boys (basically the benefits you mention, enjoylife).  
    i kept O home from preschool for another year because im home with D anyways.  now im wondering if i should have just sent him.  im asking around about nanny costs now.
    why cant money grow on trees?
  • When I was on extended maternity leave I did at home days but ditto PP - work got done during nap times. I think to doe full 8 hour days you'd need help.

     I prefer the office for long days. I work from home on occasion now and I just don't have a comfy home office. I prefer my office with my huge dual monitors and comfy desk and chair.
     Daisypath Anniversary tickers        Daisypath Happy Birthday tickers

    Oct Angel*BFP 1/25/14 * EDD 10/6/14 * US#1 2/26/14 *US#2 3/3/14 no heartbeat*d&c 3/12/14*

    BFP 1/17/15 * EDD 9/30/15

    image







  • lulu8109lulu8109 member
    edited October 2013
    I work full time, M-F. Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays are in the office about 30 minutes away (which is considered an excellent commute around here). Wednesdays and Fridays are at home. DS is at an in home daycare about 5 minutes from my house.

    I find it easier to work from home than go to the office because I don't lose the time commuting to and from the office and I don't have to get all dressed up. I kind of have a special case though because all the people I work with are in other offices, so even when I go into the office I don't see the people I'm working with.

    I could not work from home and watch DS. I wouldn't get any work done.

    Also, I have a setup at home similar to the office - with a dedicated workspace and the ability to use dual screens.
    Pregnancy Ticker

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
  • I WFH F/T. Other than weekly video conferences, my time is flexible, so long as I meet my deadlines. I switched to WFH after I had DS.

    I had an actual home office, but it became DD's room. So, we had our basement finished & my office is set up down there now, (along with a tv/couch area & a play area for the kids.)

    Our daycare situation is: we have a mix of daycare center, family & neighbor babysitter for about 70% of my work time - meaning, I make up the rest of the time at night, during naps & on weekends. It's tiring & stressful at times, but as you put it, it's where my comfort level is. It's also what is affordable for us.

    DS started DC last January & while his transition was pretty rough, we are happy he is there & so is he. It's good for him to have some structure, and of course to socialize with other kids.

    WFH has its pros & cons. I do have more kid time, there's no commute & I don't have to dress up! But, I am never truly offline & the line between home & work life is definitely blurred. I also feel like days are monotonous bc there's rarely a change of scenery. That can easily put me in a funk or lead me to have a shorter fuse with the kids.

    Another issue I personally deal with is the assumption that I will always be here. Since MH works outside the home, his job is more important by default. He works late like 3 or 4 days a week, and so all the kid & household stuff falls on me.

    image
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

  • My job allows me to work from home two days a month. (Not much but I'll take it). I like it because I sometimes have writing or other projects that require quiet time, and I tend to have fewer interruptions when I am working from home. (Well, usually anyway, sometimes my husband and son find me!)

    I think it's a personal preference though. Maybe you could keep both options open, if possible, and see what you like best.
    Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMugPhoto & Video Sharing by SmugMug

    AlternaTickers - Cool, free Web tickers
  • My job allows me to work from home two days a month. (Not much but I'll take it). I like it because I sometimes have writing or other projects that require quiet time, and I tend to have fewer interruptions when I am working from home. (Well, usually anyway, sometimes my husband and son find me!)

    I think it's a personal preference though. Maybe you could keep both options open, if possible, and see what you like best.
    oh, i wish i could do that.  i do have options of where to apply.  but each of them is strictly one or the other.  so, if i apply to a local school district or private practice, its in person work.  if i apply for  a long distance contract, its online/from home.  
    our space at home may force a decision.  we dont have an extra room to work in. so, if i want to work while the boys are awake (morning), i can work from home.  if i want to work during nap (afternoon) i need to go out.  decisions decisions.
  • jnicolen1 said:
    My job allows me to work from home two days a month. (Not much but I'll take it). I like it because I sometimes have writing or other projects that require quiet time, and I tend to have fewer interruptions when I am working from home. (Well, usually anyway, sometimes my husband and son find me!)

    I think it's a personal preference though. Maybe you could keep both options open, if possible, and see what you like best.
    oh, i wish i could do that.  i do have options of where to apply.  but each of them is strictly one or the other.  so, if i apply to a local school district or private practice, its in person work.  if i apply for  a long distance contract, its online/from home.  
    our space at home may force a decision.  we dont have an extra room to work in. so, if i want to work while the boys are awake (morning), i can work from home.  if i want to work during nap (afternoon) i need to go out.  decisions decisions.
    Ok, that makes sense.

    Honestly, the space issue is something you might want to think about. I love working from home, but it's hard not having a dedicated space where I can put my files and reliably take phone calls without background noise. I think if I did this full time, I would want an office or at least a dedicated space in my bedroom. If you'll be talking on the phone a lot, you might also think about how sound-proof your home is. We have a pretty small condo, so it's hard to block the noise. When DS was a baby, I had some CWs comment that they could hear him crying, even though DH had him in the nursery with the door shut. :(

    Hope this is helpful and doesn't make the decision even harder. LOL Good luck with your decision!
    Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMugPhoto & Video Sharing by SmugMug

    AlternaTickers - Cool, free Web tickers
  • jnicolen1 said:
    My job allows me to work from home two days a month. (Not much but I'll take it). I like it because I sometimes have writing or other projects that require quiet time, and I tend to have fewer interruptions when I am working from home. (Well, usually anyway, sometimes my husband and son find me!)

    I think it's a personal preference though. Maybe you could keep both options open, if possible, and see what you like best.
    oh, i wish i could do that.  i do have options of where to apply.  but each of them is strictly one or the other.  so, if i apply to a local school district or private practice, its in person work.  if i apply for  a long distance contract, its online/from home.  
    our space at home may force a decision.  we dont have an extra room to work in. so, if i want to work while the boys are awake (morning), i can work from home.  if i want to work during nap (afternoon) i need to go out.  decisions decisions.
    Ok, that makes sense.

    Honestly, the space issue is something you might want to think about. I love working from home, but it's hard not having a dedicated space where I can put my files and reliably take phone calls without background noise. I think if I did this full time, I would want an office or at least a dedicated space in my bedroom. If you'll be talking on the phone a lot, you might also think about how sound-proof your home is. We have a pretty small condo, so it's hard to block the noise. When DS was a baby, I had some CWs comment that they could hear him crying, even though DH had him in the nursery with the door shut. :(

    Hope this is helpful and doesn't make the decision even harder. LOL Good luck with your decision!
    yes, this is helpful, thanks.  preplanning an organized space would be key.  as would testing noise level (larger condo with two floors), as id basically be skyping/video conferencing the whole time.
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"