Time on my hands

This morning the three of us visited a lovely little day nursery just down the road, near the Oval.  It has only been open since 2012, with a small intake, but already has gotten a great reputation and we know at least three other children who are very happy there. As a stay-home mum I'm not looking for full-time childcare - more, a few hours a week where the boy can hang out with his peers in a slightly structured environment, giving me some time for other things.  This nursery is one of the very few I have encountered which does not have a minimum number of days which your child must attend each week. They are flexible, and happy to fit around our needs.  We hope to sign the boy up to do two afternoons a week, starting after Easter.

This might be a controversial thing for a "full time" mum to do.  I'm not planning to go back to work (not yet anyway), and my business plans are a long way from actuality.  I don't have a newborn on the way, or other family commitments.  No.  I am solely planning to use these precious hours to catch up.  With my housework.  With my grown-up friends (remember those friends who don't just happen to be the parents of your child's playmates? Nope, me neither).  With all the personal admin piling up by the door.  With my mental health charities work.  With my beloved stray dogs needing walked at Battersea Dogs Home.

For around the cost of a dinner out at a local restaurant, this arrangement will allow me to catch up with all these things.  The hope is that once I'm caught up, the time that I do then spend with the boy is of a much better quality: I won't be on the phone, or on twitter, or trying to turn housework into some sort of toddler game... I'll be focused on the boy. 

I love being a stay-home mum (contrary to that American Greetings viral video advert, it's the best, most fulfilling, most rewarding job I could ever hope to hold). But running after a toddler, while also trying to manage all the other things in my life, can mean that the parenting becomes somewhat one-handed.  He never quite gets my full attention, as I'm always trying to work out how I can fit in the other stuff.

I hope this way I can carve out some precious time - for me, and for the boy.

Why cleaning with a toddler never works...

I'd love to read your thoughts on the challenges of being a stay at home parent, and the role of childcare options - so I am linking this up with