I am a teacher that wants to stay home next year! I'm thinking of doing daycare since I'm used to be around kids so much anyway. Someone mentioned "cabin fever" does mean you really can't go out at all? Not even to the park or grocery store or anything? My husband is worried about me getting unhappy be at home ALL the time. Also, is it hard to keep your house clean with more kids in it? I have just 1 right now but the plan is to get pregnant this summer so then next year I'll have 2! Anyway, any advice you could give would be great! =)

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~Julie :love:

I think it depends on your situation. I have a friend who takes her "kids" everywhere - the library, parks, etc. But her van is big enough, and I since she is only watching one family she doesn't have to be certified as a Day Care Provider.

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I babysit..and I didn't advertise or tell anyone! LOL I had someone ask me...a stranger...when I stopped off at her garage sale! I guess I have "stay at home mom of six" written all over me! She is a school teacher, and I have had her little boy since August fulltime...and it is wonderful. It gives us spending money, gives ME another baby to love on, and her schedule fits around my kids' schedules!
I would definitely just start mentioning it to friends, family, church (if you go), even your pediatrician and dentist offices. Another place, if you have school aged children is to mention it at the school. With summer coming up, a lot of people are going to be looking for sitters! HTH!

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I have done homedaycare (ten years ago), where I had six fulltime, and six part time kids. It IS hard to go out. It DOES get to you sometimes that you are home so much. However, when working, it also gets to you that you HAVE to go out. It gets to you that you CAN'T stay home. So, there are perks and cons for both ways. It is what you make it. I would recommend starting off with no more than two extra kids at first...so that way it is "only" four. Four is usually manageable as far as loading in and out of vehicles, being able to take to a store or the park, etc.
As for a clean house...again, it is what you make it. I kept everything pretty darn organized because of the number of kids! You said you are a teacher...at what age level? I would think you would be pretty good at rotating things in and out, etc at school, and you do the same thing at home. You allow things out in bins, only one or two bins at a time. You keep a schedule of what they are doing when (and yes, be flexible!!), and it really keeps things running smoothly. To me, my house stayed cleaner with keeping kids...cause the parents were coming, and I didn't want THEM seeing MY house messy!!!
Good luck, and if you have any other questions that I can answer, let me know!

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There are definitely some days that my dh comes home and I can't wait to get out of the house!! Even just to the library by myself!! I was a teacher, too, and a para-educator, so I have been in schools and around kids all my life, which has been a help. I know this won't be the way I'll spend every day of the rest of my life, so I'll just smile and be grateful for the time I get to spend with my kids while they're young. Here's another idea:

When my first dd was born, I worked in a childcare center, in the infant room with my dd. I worked M-Th. from like 7-noon. It was the best! It was a great center (in the beginning, it ran into financial hardship two years later) and they were honored to have a former teacher working there. It also gave me the flexibility to be home in the afternoons and on Fridays, to go out of town or whatever. We then moved into a house (from a condo) with a much bigger mortgage, I did pick up full-time hours, but we just couldn't swing it. I was also pregnant with our second dd, and I wouldn't have made enough $$ to make it work. You may want to visit some centers around your area and see if this is anything that could work for you. Just an idea.

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~Jenn~

I am interested in babysitting in my home, too. My daughter is starting half-day kindergarten in the Fall, so I am wanting to babysit other half-day kindergarteners. I have read so many good suggestions here! Is anyone else willing to share how much they charge? I know it is different depending on the area of the country, but it would give me a range, anyway. Thanks!

I sell stuff on Ebay to make extra money.

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I have an aunt who got certified through the county and got paid well to take care of children from low income working families, her daughter qualified and my aunt started watching her son was how she got into it. But my aunt even got money for expenses for the kids, like she bought a swing set, sand box, toys, etc...

As far as what to charge, I would just call around to other home childcare providers (there is probably some resource for you to find out who is in your area) and/or call a few centers. Other factors to consider are whether you feed the kids or not. This could change what you charge (more or less than other people.)

As long as you're paying taxes, you can write off, or deduct, anything you buy for your house that the kids you watch play with, even if your kids do, too. There are a lot of things you can deduct, actually. I haven't heard yet how our tax situation will be this year (first year taking taxes out) but it should be ok. Or, you can get paid under the table if you so desire. There are tax credits for childcare that the parents can claim, though, that's why I'm doing the whole tax thing for the families.

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~Jenn~

Don't take money under the table. I do part time day care and tax time this year ROCKED. You can write off everything. All your utilities, car payment, car insurance, house payment, food, supplies, computer, toys, etc. It was so awesome. I've been doing daycare part time since last year. I really enjoy it as my kids have someone to play with too.

I also sell for a Direct Sales company which gets me out of the house...