Does anyone have a 7-3:30 WOH schedule?

[Globetrotter]

Does anyone have a 7-3:30 schedule, where you HAVE to report to work at that time? How do you like it? How do you manage in the mornings when dh travels? (both my kids are in school - they are older, 9 and 12 - and leave the house at 8)

DH has a somewhat flexible schedule and can take calls from home, but he does travel for a day or two from time to time.

No job yet - I'm just thinking of possibilities at this point!

[vludmilla]

I have to be at work at 7:45(ish) and I can leave at 3. I LOVE it. On the days that I leave at 3, I run an errand, pick up DD and make dinner by 4:30. It's pretty cool. I don't feel the crazy dinner/homework/evening rush, that most of my working friends experience. I wake up at 6 and leave the house by 7:30. DH does the drop off at school for DD but I used to do it and just left by 7:10 to drop her off.

[HIU8]

I used to when DS was a baby. I left the house at 6:15 am WITH DS to go to daycare. I needed to be on the road again at 6:30 to be at work by 7 am. We switched to a preschool when DS was 2 and DH took him (it was on his way to work). When DH had to travel (not frequently then) I would make arrangements with my boss to work 8-4:30 (b/c DS's new preschool had their earliest dropoff at 7:30 am).

[fivi2]

I work 7-4 (I wish I could leave at 3:30!). I get up at 5:45, leave by 6:45. The girls get up around 6:30 and dh takes them to school by 7:45. (school is near where we both work.)

On days when he travels, I take the girls to to school. I get to work by 8 on those days. My boss has a small child and is very understanding. She lets me work through lunch on those days so I leave at the same time. I put up with low pay because it is such a family friendly place to work. Both my supervisor and the big boss are very understanding when I need to take time for the girls. I can run out if I get a call from school and no one bats an eye.

eta: I forgot to answer the how do you like it part... I do like it a lot. I am NOT a morning person, so it has taken some getting used to (seriously I am not a morning person, never have been.) But our afternoons are so much better than they would be if I left at 5. Traffic would be twice as long, homework would never get done - I don't know how people do it! And there is little to no traffic that early in the morning.

[ahisma]

My DH does. I'm generally home though and I WAH 90% of the time for now.

When I do WOH or travel, DH drops the kids at a home-based sitter who lived next door to the school. DS2 skips preschool those days (no transport to preschool) unless MIL or a friend is free to pick him up and drive him. DS1 gets walked to school at noon (PM pre-K). DD gets herself off to school, she leaves about 45 minutes after DH (13 yo).

[egoldber]

At my old job I worked 6:30-3 or 3:30 depending on the day.

But when DH was out of town, I couldn't do it. I had to use leave for those missed morning hours or try to make up the time another day.

I had to get up at 5 to be there at that time and it was really, really awful. After 2 years of it, I was literally a walking zombie. If I could have gone to bed at 9/9:30 then it might have been OK but if I did that I would never have had the time to do stuff at night.

ETA: I work 7:30-4 or 8-4:30 now at a place with a much shorter afternoon commute and it's amazing what a difference just that small time shift makes.

[TxCat]

I just started a job where I'm working 7-3, M-F, with an overnight or weekend 24-hour shift twice a month. So far, it's great, but I'm used to being at work early - the last 5 years I've had to be at work anywhere from 5:45 to 6:30 am at the latest, depending on the hospital I was working at, so 7am is an improvement, although I still usually get there around 6:40 or so. I LOVE getting out at 3 - I can go to the gym or the store and still get home at 4 and still have time to take DD for a walk or to the park, get dinner finished, etc. It's wonderful. On mornings when I don't have DH around, my plan is to ask MIL to drive DD to school, or to ask a babysitter to help out.

[Globetrotter]

Thanks for the input! I am so NOT a morning person and stay up way too late, so I would have to retrain myself to sleep at a reasonable time.

I was thinking the pros were:
* being with the kids after school
* no traffic in the AM and much less in the PM, which is a HUGE thing over here. I would also get good parking if I went early (that is always stressful for me, esp. in a place that is known to be crowded).

cons:
* when dh isn't around, mornings would be tough. I could go in an hour later (by 8).
* have to become a morning person :D
* relying on dh for morning duty - this could actually be a good thing as he doesn't appreciate the fact that i've been there all this time - he said he will do morning carpool (that's our shift), which would be a huge change for him.

Much food for thought- I'd love to hear more!

[KHF]

Thanks for the input! I am so NOT a morning person and stay up way too late, so I would have to retrain myself to sleep at a reasonable time.

I was thinking the pros were:
* being with the kids after school
* no traffic in the AM and much less in the PM, which is a HUGE thing over here. I would also get good parking if I went early (that is always stressful for me, esp. in a place that is known to be crowded).

cons:
* when dh isn't around, mornings would be tough. I could go in an hour later (by 8).
* have to become a morning person :D
* relying on dh for morning duty - this could actually be a good thing as he doesn't appreciate the fact that i've been there all this time - he said he will do morning carpool (that's our shift), which would be a huge change for him.

Much food for thought- I'd love to hear more!

I work 7:00 to 4:00 and your list of pros and cons is exactly the list I would produce based on my experience. I've been working these hours since way before the kids came along. It's gotten more challenging with them, but DH has helped.

DD is in first grade and DS is 3 years old. We get up at 5:40 every day and I get the kids dressed while DH packs DD's lunch. DH drops both of them off in the morning at about 6:45 at our daycare. The daycare takes DD to school at 8:30 and DS is in full time care there all day. The daycare also picks DD up at 3:40. I usually get to the daycare to pick them up about 4:30.

It's a long day at daycare, but I do have more time with them in the evenings than lots of WOH parents do. DH has a much longer commute than I do, and he works until 5:00 so his traffic is terrible. He doesn't get home until 6:00 or later. The kids go to bed by 8:00 to allow for their early wake up time. Everyone in our family is morning people though...except for DH. He's had to acclimate to it. Even on the weekends, the kids are usually up by 5:00 or 5:30 :(

[egoldber]

Yes, those are the same pros and cons I had.

I guess I ultimately decided that the stress level on me of having to work alternative hours when DH was gone (he is gone a fair amount not just occasionally) and feeling like a zombie was not worth the additional hour I got with my kids in the afternoon. But that tradeoff/balance will be difference for everyone.

My oldest is also at an aftercare where she does ALL her activities (dance, swimming, piano lessons) so I don't have to run her around places after pick up, which is huge for me.


relying on dh for morning duty - this could actually be a good thing as he doesn't appreciate the fact that i've been there all this time - he said he will do morning carpool (that's our shift), which would be a huge change for him.

This has been by FAR the single most positive outcome of me being a WOHM. He now gets it. He gets the kids up and dressed and fed and out of the house every day by himself. He is truly competent with the kids now whereas he was just sort of meh before. And the kids know they can go to him and not just me for things. I feel like this has done wonders for our relationship and mitigated a ton of resentment that I had.

[TwoBees]

I do. I don't love it, to be honest. I'm not a morning person. I actually don't HAVE to work those hours, but they work out best for our family's schedule. I have a very long commute, plus traffic arround here is awful, so the only way it really works is to leave the house early in the morning. We make it work. I don't see DD at all in the morning as she gets up after I'm long gone, but I get to pick her up at daycare and have the evening with her, which is wonderful.

[Meatball Mommie]

I work 7:30 to 3 and my commute is 5 minutes but I work at our family business, so I didn't seek the job for those hours, rather my hours change as the kids' schedules change.

I prefer to start early and end early, honestly! I am not a morning person, but it's better for me/our family if I am home when the kids get home from school and I can take them to sports practices, help with homework, and get dinner ready.

The kids get picked up for school at 7:05-ish so I have a couple of minutes at home to straighten up and leave after they're gone. They get home a few minutes after I do usually.

[Swallowbird23]

They changed the school hours at work and I now work 7:30-3pm. I love it! Last year, I worked 8:30-4pm and without a child yet, could sleep in until 7:30. Now I have to be up by 5/5:15 because of my pumping/feeding issues. I'm not a morning person at all but I am actually liking the new schedule. I enjoy being home with DD in the afternoons, having time to cook, clean, play with her, etc.

I am lucky though because I have DH doing morning drop off for DD at his moms house. If I had to do that, it would add on about 45 minutes to my day since it's the opposite direction as work. If I had to consider that, my opinion of the early hours may be different.

[vonfirmath]

I work 7:30-4:30

I've got it easy in many ways because my kids seem to be morning people on their own. My alarm is set to 5:30 in the morning. If I get to bed at a decent time, this works even though I'm a night person. These are VERY common hours in the jobs I've had so I've just learned to work with it. I am currently often woken up 4:30-5a by my DD. My son wakes up on his own between 5:30 and 6. I wake him up at 6 if he isn't up yet.

Our childcare does not open until 7a so when I do drop off I have to be johnny on the spot. We leave the house at 6:45a those days.

[BabyBearsMom]

My DH usually works 7 to 4 and it works out really well. He does have to be at work on time everyday which means he is out the door at around 6:15/6:30 every morning. I usually do all of the kid stuff in the morning and he does pick up in the afternoon. Right now I am on a lifting restriction with the pregnancy, so DH spoke with his boss and he is working 8 to 4 until I have the baby, so he does pick up and drop off. He usually does a working lunch and if necessary will do a little work from home in the evenings.

We consider his schedule one of the keys to making our busy lives workable.

[TxCat]

I am not a morning person by nature, and I still go to bed way too late (11pm on average for a 5:30-5:40 am wake-up), but it did get easier for me with time. And it has been nice to turn over the morning routine to DH. I miss not seeing DD in the mornings, but I also enjoy the peace and quiet in the mornings where it is "me" time and I can eat breakfast, listen to the news, etc. And I feel really lucky to have more time in the afternoons where I cam really take advantage of time at home, and it's not all business like the morning prep for the day.

[Globetrotter]

My oldest is also at an aftercare where she does ALL her activities (dance, swimming, piano lessons) so I don't have to run her around places after pick up, which is huge for me.

NICE!



This has been by FAR the single most positive outcome of me being a WOHM. He now gets it. He gets the kids up and dressed and fed and out of the house every day by himself. He is truly competent with the kids now whereas he was just sort of meh before. And the kids know they can go to him and not just me for things. I feel like this has done wonders for our relationship and mitigated a ton of resentment that I had.

really? That is my dream, but I know it could backfire as this will also create a different kind of stress for dh, who is used to doing whatever he wants at work (for the most part - he does adjust to some degree if I need him home early).

[Globetrotter]

My kids would love to spend more time with dh in the AMs, so that might be another benefit for them and that way they could keep their schedule.

[ellies mom]

My husband has to be at work at 5:45am. When I went back to work, I didn't know if I was going to end up on days or nights. If I worked days, I'd have to be at work at 6am. Daycare centers in my area don't open until after 6am. I ended up on nights so technically, I'm supposed to get off at 6:30am but that doesn't always happen. So obviously, there is going to be a bit of a gap there on some days no matter which shift I worked. My solution was to find someone who could come to the house and fill in that gap. If I worked days, the plan was to have the person bring them to the day care center at a more reasonable time. Since I'm coming home in the morning, our sitter just hangs out until I get home. But there is the possibility that I will start having her take the girls to the day care center in our neighborhood if I'm getting off late more often than not.

It would be a perfect job for a college student to make a few bucks before they go to school for the day.

[niccig]

This has been by FAR the single most positive outcome of me being a WOHM. He now gets it. He gets the kids up and dressed and fed and out of the house every day by himself. He is truly competent with the kids now whereas he was just sort of meh before. And the kids know they can go to him and not just me for things. I feel like this has done wonders for our relationship and mitigated a ton of resentment that I had.

:yeahthat: I'm back in school full time and depending on my classes, Dh takes DS to school 2-3 days a week. I still make lunch, and I make double batches of pancakes/waffles on the weekend, or put steel cut oats in rice cooker over night - so I suppose I am still doing breakfast. DH just has to serve it up. Before this, DH had to only get himself ready, it's been a nice change.

[egoldber]

That is my dream, but I know it could backfire as this will also create a different kind of stress for dh, who is used to doing whatever he wants at work (for the most part - he does adjust to some degree if I need him home early).

It is a little stressful for him, but far less stressful than him being the only breadwinner. I didn't realize how stressful this way for him until it was gone.

And this miraculous transformation did not happen overnight. ;) It took several months. But he is now the dad who can do girly hair, knows how to match outfits and remembers when it is show and tell or crazy hair day. He also cooks a hot breakfast for the kids every morning (eggs and toast, not anything crazy). We have the advantage of living 5 minutes from school and older DD's elementary school does not start until 9, so their morning is not that crazy.

Things do fall through the cracks sometimes, but I honestly think this is healthier for us and the kids. I gave up a lot of my sense of having to "do it all". I think the kids seeing that a lot of this stuff is small stuff not to be sweated is better than seeing me trying to be super mom.

[niccig]

Things do fall through the cracks sometimes, but I honestly think this is healthier for us and the kids. I gave up a lot of my sense of having to "do it all". I think the kids seeing that a lot of this stuff is small stuff not to be sweated is better than seeing me trying to be super mom.

I agree. I thought Valentine's Day was Thursday so plenty of time to do cards, pick up something for DS to take to class as a treat (Teacher said red or pink fruit or vegetables - I was going to cut up a watermelon). Then last night realised it was TODAY. Oh crappola. DS wrote his name on 25 cards in about 15 mins, which was amazing. I told him I didn't have anything for snack, but could buy something after school drop off and bring it back. He told me "Don't mummy, not everyone is bringing snack and that's OK with me." So I didn't. He was just worried about the cards, and we got those done.

[BabyBearsMom]

NICE!



really? That is my dream, but I know it could backfire as this will also create a different kind of stress for dh, who is used to doing whatever he wants at work (for the most part - he does adjust to some degree if I need him home early).

My work schedule has forced DH into these kinds of roles with DD and he is doing very well. I think a lot of times women think that their husbands can't be good at these things, but you just have to give up the control, let them mess up and deal with the consequences and they will learn. You weren't born with this knowledge, but you picked it up with practice and time and so will your DH.

[ellies mom]

This has been by FAR the single most positive outcome of me being a WOHM. He now gets it. He gets the kids up and dressed and fed and out of the house every day by himself. He is truly competent with the kids now whereas he was just sort of meh before. And the kids know they can go to him and not just me for things. I feel like this has done wonders for our relationship and mitigated a ton of resentment that I had.

I agree. My husband didn't really step up to the plate while I was in nursing school other than getting our oldest off to school 2-3 days a week. So I didn't have high hopes when I went back to work. But I was really surprised. He has done a great job. He's been catching all the mental "balls" I've dropped recently. He remembered that DD2 needed a family picture for school, he remembered and helped her with all her Valentines and he remembered that Ellie needed to do homework (OK, I did tell him which assignments he should have her work on but he did it).

I even heard him tell someone that being a mom is really hard. He's all "First, I have to get Ellie up, pack her lunch, make her breakfast, do her hair and get her on the bus. Then I have just enough time to read part of the paper and drink some coffee before Audrey wakes up and then I have to make her breakfast, get her dressed, do her hair and take her to pre-school. Then a few hours later, I have to go pick her up and right after that, Ellie comes home and it is really hard to get anything done." Really, who knew?

[Globetrotter]

Thanks for the feedback! It is reassuring to hear that dh's handle it well.

DH is a very hands-on parent and can do almost everything as well as I can (and does when i go away - I arrange playdates and where they will be after school, but he handles the rest), BUT the reality is he isn't around much to do it on a regular basis so it has come on my shoulders. I think it would be healthy for him to take on some of those tasks and not take me for granted! Frankly, this is one reason I want to go back to work because, like egoldberg said, I do have some resentment around this.

My dh has financial anxiety for no real reason as we're doing just fine (the anxiety has been greatly reduced since we did our will and trust) so I think he might be calmer if I also bring in some money.

I do agree it's good for the kids to learn that they can't always get what they want when they want it (good for your ds, Niccig!).

[niccig]

I do agree it's good for the kids to learn that they can't always get what they want when they want it (good for your ds, Niccig!).

I checked with him today. 3 kids brought in a treat - the teacher said it was optional and 22 parents all decided to opt out. Probably for the same reason as me, it took all we had to get the Valentine's Day cards done. I asked DS if he minded not taking something, he didn't care about it. Next time, I'll try to get something to school.