Working Mummies Support Group

Just want to sense check something - things like childcare benefit are worked out based just on income right - they don't take into account the fact that your income may be higher because you are a contractor and therefore theoretically are being paid more to cover no leave entitlements etc???

I am trying to work out what to do post July - and DS is sick with hand foot and mouth - and has really brought home to me the issues with contracting - e.g. if I don't work I don't get paid but still have to pay for the childcare (As this week is short week due to Anzac looks like DH can take tomorrow and probably Wednesday off, and he already had Thur Fri off so not too problematic this week). So now I am trying to work out whether I would be better off being permanent (if I could get that) - overall income would be less but then would get some/more CCB plus get entitlements more security etc - or how much more I should try get if I do another contract - to make sure I am covered for these things.

On average how many days do you think you or your DH takes off a year due to child sickness? I reckon 5 between us per year so far (all with HFM!), but a friend said that seemed low?

I understand there are different ways of contracting - and at the moment really I am just like a PAYG through a contract house because that was quickest/easiest at the time - but maybe I should have done it differently.

Just want to sense check something - things like childcare benefit are worked out based just on income right - they don't take into account the fact that your income may be higher because you are a contractor and therefore theoretically are being paid more to cover no leave entitlements etc???

I am trying to work out what to do post July - and DS is sick with hand foot and mouth - and has really brought home to me the issues with contracting - e.g. if I don't work I don't get paid but still have to pay for the childcare (As this week is short week due to Anzac looks like DH can take tomorrow and probably Wednesday off, and he already had Thur Fri off so not too problematic this week). So now I am trying to work out whether I would be better off being permanent (if I could get that) - overall income would be less but then would get some/more CCB plus get entitlements more security etc - or how much more I should try get if I do another contract - to make sure I am covered for these things.

On average how many days do you think you or your DH takes off a year due to child sickness? I reckon 5 between us per year so far (all with HFM!), but a friend said that seemed low?

I understand there are different ways of contracting - and at the moment really I am just like a PAYG through a contract house because that was quickest/easiest at the time - but maybe I should have done it differently.

Days of DD off sick - very dependent on the year. We had a year where it was nothing, but last year she had at one whole week off at a time, as well as a few other days. DD was at day care 5 days a week, but DH is a teacher so she had every holidays off which may have helped with reducing illness.

If you're being paid as a contractor, your income would be higher because of the no leave entitlements - but if you had days off for sickness where you're not getting paid (say 10 a year if you were FT), wouldn't the wage allow for that? So yes, your daily rate is higher, but works out to be the same over the year (unless you had no leave/sickness).

As for who looks after her when she's sick, it usually falls to me for the first day. As DH is a teacher, he has to give plenty of notice and can't walk out if she comes down with something in the middle of the day. If it's going to be more than one day, we try and alternate, with lots of emails in the afternoon discussing if we think she'll be right the next day.

:

---

If you're being paid as a contractor, your income would be higher because of the no leave entitlements - but if you had days off for sickness where you're not getting paid (say 10 a year if you were FT), wouldn't the wage allow for that? So yes, your daily rate is higher, but works out to be the same over the year (unless you had no leave/sickness).

---

Yes the rate would work itself out somewhat at the end of the year if have the days off - is more the impact on cash-flow I am trying to work out, as that higher rate impacts the CCB level and as childcare is main expense - until we have some sort of buffer in place maybe permanent would work better.

My DH is a full time dad, so I basically never take time off on account of the kids being sick.

I did once when DS1 was in and out of hospital (turned out to not be anything too serious, but there was 48 hours of tests and paeds and terrifying unknown) and DH needed me.

I have taken a day or so off too, when DH has been sick and unable to look after the kids.

When DH was working though (for about 9 of the 20 months between babies!) he probably took 10 days leave because DS1 was sick. His work actually gave him a really hard time about it.

Douchebags.

I work full time and am lucky enough to have boys in school now. Beforehand, it was really hard working out daycare, Poppycare (thank goodness for my Dad!) kinder and school. Particularly when I lived 20 mins from the school.

I've now moved house and am 14 houses from the school. Means the boys walk up with my Dad - I get to walk to the station, and everyone is happy.

(I'm also single, so no partner's income or any issues like that, and am lucky enough to earn enough that I don't have FTB/CCB issues either, although when the kids were younger that was an issue.)

I can't take days off for sick kids - and am effectively a "contractor" so don't get leave, sick pay, carers leave or anything else. If I don't work, I don't get paid. And I do a lot of after hours work too. It's really hard to juggle everything. When I moved, I also got a cleaner and a gardener. Life is now fabulous.

It's much easier when the kids are in school, the hours are regular and everything is predictable. Until they start after school activities like footy, cricket, basketball....

:

---

It's much easier when the kids are in school, the hours are regular and everything is predictable. Until they start after school activities like footy, cricket, basketball....

---

I'm actually finding the opposite - we don't have access to before school care, so I can't drop DD off until 8:30. I'm lucky to get to work before 9, whereas when it was a day care drop off I was able to get there at 8:15.

I've got a pretty flexible workplace. So far I think I've taken abt 4 days off due to DD being sick (abt 8months worth of work). DH hasn't coz he can't put her down for nap so it has to be me. But when she's ok, I catch up on work at night or when she's down for naps. I've actually got time in lieu to use too from extra work.

im really lucky with my work as well, they are very flexible and have a strong belief in work/family life balance so if my DD is unwell, then they are rushing me out the door to be with her!

DH is self employed so generally i pick up the slack wheh DD is sick but when i need him to he steps up no complaints.
we also have flexible working hours so as long as i do my 7.25 hrs a day i can start and finish when i like

I'm lucky there too. Completely different when you work for a small business. Family & school are number one for my boss. I take DD with me every day, but I've had both her & DS with me sick & was told to take them home :lol: Its only me, so I'm not exposing anyone else to the sickness, so depends on how they are. Since they both slept for 3 hours I was able to get my work done quicker & get out earlier.

I'm only a casual worker. So no sick pay etc here. But I don't do school holidays :) I have no one who can care for the kids (no day care, after school, holiday care at all) & even though I could probably take them all with me, this way I still get to do camping trips or whatever. I've let them know I'll still come in any time they need me though.

I'm trying to organise for exSIL to come stay in Aug/Sept to be my nanny for a few weeks. We have a huge agricultural thing on here & the caravan park where I work put out an extra 70 odd beds around town for workers to stay in. So I'll be doing full time for about 3 weeks & will need someone here. She's 20 & still at home not really doing anything other than a few hours work at the local pub a week, so I think it'd be good for her to get out & kind of leave home for a bit. Her mum agrees :lol:

Better go start getting my house back together since I've done nothing for 2 days...

Probably 50/50 sharing the sick days. Really depends on who has unbreakable commitments at work or who may also be feeling unwell also. There are days where we share, or I might take the sick on into my work for an hour or so, then DH picks up to go home.

I did find with childcare only it was easier to work due to the hours. School, kinder and childcare is a nightmare to juggle. Sadly no after school care that is accessible. Waiting till next year when both girls are at school, will then need to have both at Vacation care (which DD2 seems so little for :( )

wysiwyg: I would be more inclined to go permanent rather than contractor, just for the certainty of pay and knowing leave days are paid for. Even with permanent though, it pays to keep track of actual vs reported income through the year, as bonuses, pay rises and overtime can throw things out. I always overestimate a few grand to cover those.

I think you are right Astrid permanent would be better if can wangle it - it sucked today leaving DS sick at home with DH when he wanted me (he has never napped for DH) and the decision had to be made on purely financial basis - if we were both permanent at least could take all factors into consideration (although as they get older the need for it to be me will decline I would think - DS is still BF and would have liked to be able to feed him while sick). I think once is next financial year will be easier as we get no CCB at moment even though within rates because we had CCB while I was looking for work and for DD while on mat leave so now I am effectively paying that back (a fact I hadnt quite grasped when calculating child care fees) - is a shame they don't treat it differently if you are returning to work after a child like they do with FTB B.

You know the thing I hate about working most at moment - is having to wake the kids up and get them out of bed and dressed in this cold weather - they are so peaceful and snug - it seems so mean. Is funny the set patterns you have in your head, 7:00 is so fixed in my head as being appropriate time to get up, just need to convince myself that is perfectly fair to get them up at 6:30.

i feel your pain, DD is terrified of the ducted heating at the moment and so DH doesnt put it on so she can sleep as long as possible before i wake her and dress her to get going.

we have had issues with child care and DD being bitten, its a long running issue and this week i was seriously considering why i was working, i just wanted to be home with my girl kowing she was safe and not at the risk of being bitten.

child care have moved her now after me putting in notice to remove her, its so annoying it takes so long for proper action to take place!

Crumpet - that is awful about the biting, glad they have eventually done something. We seem to have avoided that although DD bit me tonight and I cried and she was so sorry but when I asked her why she did it and is generally having lots of strops at moment she said someone bit her at childcare but there are no marks and she didn't complain to anyone so think she is fibbing - although she has had bite marks before but has always said she has done them herself - kids eh who knows.

we have been really lucky DD hasnt bitten anyone. the staff seem to think the 2 kids that have bitten her have been lacking communication skills so are hoping things improve when they can speak.

The guilt still happens at school age. DD1 carries on that she misses me when she is at school, kind like blaming me for working, hard to get through to her that she would be going to school regardless of me working, it is just that I am less able to help during the day. Same with DD2 and her days at Kinder.

Can I join in? I work 2 days a week. I'm a Visiting Teacher of the Deaf and I was FT until about 8 weeks before DD was due, but I didn't need to take mat leave until about 3 weeks before thanks to school holidays :) She took another 2 weeks to arrive so I had my longest school holidays ever! She's 14mo now and I've worked the last 3 months. The hardest thing I've found is trying to fit all my work into those 2 days. I just donor have enough time and usually end up doing work while she naps during the day (so housework suffers) or in the evenings (less time with DH). I'm so glad I only took on 2 days!

Welcome phebee - sounds like an interesting job. I think most jobs you always end up needing more time than you have - even when full time I still managed to bring stuff home - although DH never brings stuff home - I think he is very good at saying 'No' - whereas I have a real need to do things properly and often find myself thinking would rather spend extra hour at home on this than leave it as it is, I find it very hard to detach from it. I used to hope that contracting instead of being a permanent employee would give me more distance from my job and not get so (I want to say emotionally attached but it is IT and logistics - so you can't really be emotionally involved with it) - so I will say entwined with it, but hasn't really made any difference.

Welcome phebee! I'm with u, struggle to accomplish/feel productive with 2 days so end up doing albeit here and there. I keep forcing myself to remember this is DD's time. I try anyway.

Today's the last day of my maternity leave. I'm totally gutted, teary and emotionally spent today. Back to full time work Monday. DH is off for the next 18 weeks on long service leave then I go part time in September.
I'll be popping in to chat with you guys if that's cool x

Hugs. That's a bit adjustment.

Hugs MummyNaomi, you think is harder this time leaving two or easier because you have done before?

I think there are three reasons making it harder this time babe

1. I'm still Breastfeeding this time. DS had weaned months before so I didn't have that to consider

2. Yes, I am leaving 2 this time. I don't think it will affect DS so much, he is used to childcare and much more used to Dad doing things for him but I've barely been apart from DD since she was born

3. I also think that as this is my last maternity leave this is a factor. When I returned from having DS we were planning on another baby at some point. We have completed our family this time and although I am content with that it means now I will be working until retirement now. No big chunks of time with the kids. I guess I feel a sense of loss at that.

I wonder did others feel different returning to work for the second or subsequent time?

:

---

I wonder did others feel different returning to work for the second or subsequent time?

---

I had been looking for so long I was just excited to start so at the point of return didn't think much about it, but now am at work the feeling is different because I know this is it forever, last time I knew/hoped was just till had next baby and returning to work actually made me have DS a year earlier than had planned. I am thinking more long term these days and some of those thoughts are depressing.

Both times I returned to work after only a couple of months (9 weeks the first time, 8 weeks the second) and both my boys fed exclusively until 6 months, and comp fed until 10 months, so there was a lot of expressing!!

I work shocking hours, but it was just part and parcel of the arrangement.

I didn't find two any harder than one, but I always knew that I'd be going back to work - I never thought I'd be staying at home, so it wasn't upsetting the way it could have been otherwise ITMS.

I've been at my place of employment for 7.5 years, so I can take long service leave any time now, which is good to know. At my job, I'm allowed to take it in chunks of no less than one month, so I can have (in addition to my 4 weeks annual leave) a month long holiday every year for the next three years if I want.

Realistically, I'll probably wait until DS2 is a little older and then we'll go on two long trips.

When the boys are older, at school, and DH is working full time again I will probably try to work more family hours, to be regularly home for dinner and homework and special sports events and all those things :)

But for now, I'm focusing on quality as quantity isn't a readily available option.

Pn I always thought that it was 10 years for long service?

Depending on which state you live in, you can acess prorate LSL at 7 years.

Mixed feelings second time around. Over joyed to had found a great job with great hours. Relieved to be finally bringing in money. Sad at leaving DD2 as she really is and was a home body mummy's girl. She really struggled with it. Excitement at getting to the next stage of our lives, where we could finally make long lasting decisions as our family was now done.

Hope your first day went ok MN.

Today reminded me of a few things

1. I hate working when it is raining because pushing kids round to daycare in the rain is no fun.

2. Is more fun being at home when is not raining.

3. A cool thing about work is meeting DH after work to do stuff. Fri - went to cinema, today off to rugby (in the rain though most likely) - ok can only do this when have mum as our live in child wrangler but is a good thing at the moment.

4. Working is bad for waistline - why do all these people have to have birthdays and force me to eat cake :-)

Wysiwyg:

I agree with (4). Except I'm usually the one providing food coz I'm generally bored!! :)

:

---

Hope your first day went ok MN.

Today reminded me of a few things

1. I hate working when it is raining because pushing kids round to daycare in the rain is no fun.

2. Is more fun being at home when is not raining.

3. A cool thing about work is meeting DH after work to do stuff. Fri - went to cinema, today off to rugby (in the rain though most likely) - ok can only do this when have mum as our live in child wrangler but is a good thing at the moment.

4. Working is bad for waistline - why do all these people have to have birthdays and force me to eat cake :-)

---

First day hurdle done, it went ok, lots of tears and DS cried when I dropped him at childcare, I think my emotion got the better of him. However the day flew and I was home for the best cuddles of my life :)

I agree with Point #4. When I went back to work after DS I put on 10kg in 12 months, too many morning teas and lunches. This is quite the culture in our workplace and sitting at a desk all day means my incidental exercise is minimal. I am now 15kg down on my pre-pregnancy weight so am determined not to let this happen again.

What I remembered today is that when I come home and DH is cooking tea, I get to play with the kids, which pretty much means arsenic hour was non existant as the kids had my full attention. An added bonus!

double post

I need to seriously consider what I want to happen with my contract as is up mid July. Any advice on what to think about how to calculate etc. I don't think permanent will be up for grabs yet as they have just taken on the other contractor as permanent so don't think any headcount yet - but suspect they will want to renew for at least three months ( will have to be three days a week I think as mum will be going home). There is no such thing as short day care is there? Ideally I would like to work 7:00 to 15:00 as some others in office do but I would still pay same in daycare whatever. 7:00 to 15:00 would be my preferred for when at school so maybe should just try moving to it now. Not ask for more money but the different hours.

You could find a family day carer happy to do hours like that, but you might find the cost the same. I used FDC for awhile, whilst I only paid for the hours I booked, I had to provide food, had times when I had to pick up early as she had an appointment, there was a fee from the council for handling it all. So overall I found it was not cheaper to LDC.

Any chance or a nanny? Would that work out better?

Good luck :)

I was talking with a client today, who said that his wife had gone back to work for 3 days a week, and he was so glad, because "she was literally getting dumber by the day". :o Do people really speak like that about mothers (parents) who have been SAHP? He wasn't saying that she was glad to be more stimulated, or to be among grown ups, or appreciating different types of challenges, or urinating without an audience ... he was saying categorically, to his lawyer over coffee that his wife was haemorrhaging neurons being away from an office so it's good she's "back in the game" three days a week, so that he's not being made stupid by association through the lack of intellectual conversation over his meat and three veg at 7pm every evening.

FFS. Some people.

Even if he's repeating something she's said, that doesn't make it ok for him to say it about her behind her back. So disrespectful. If my husband said that about this working mumma, I'd be livid.

Rant over.

A few people have said nanny but if I am honest I think our flat is too small and we have no garden ( and ocassinally complaining neighbors ) - I like the extra room they get at childcare and I think I would find it stressful having someone come here. When I am home with them we go out alot but I think them being here five days a week even with plenty of outings wouldn't be so good. In my mind when first investigating childcare I think I always thought there must be short day care because why else would it be called long day care if not to distinguish it :-)

I think really whatever happens with work they will stay where they are for childcare they love it and I really like center too apart from cost (apparently one of cheaper ones too!)

What a stupid thing to say about your wife especially to someone he had no idea what views they held.

Peanutter: I would have had a really strong urge to thump him. ;)

Wysiwyg: have u looked at occasional care? They're shorter hours usually but sometimes cost as much.

:

---

Any chance or a nanny? Would that work out better?

Good luck :)

I was talking with a client today, who said that his wife had gone back to work for 3 days a week, and he was so glad, because "she was literally getting dumber by the day". :o Do people really speak like that about mothers (parents) who have been SAHP? He wasn't saying that she was glad to be more stimulated, or to be among grown ups, or appreciating different types of challenges, or urinating without an audience ... he was saying categorically, to his lawyer over coffee that his wife was haemorrhaging neurons being away from an office so it's good she's "back in the game" three days a week, so that he's not being made stupid by association through the lack of intellectual conversation over his meat and three veg at 7pm every evening.

FFS. Some people.

Even if he's repeating something she's said, that doesn't make it ok for him to say it about her behind her back. So disrespectful. If my husband said that about this working mumma, I'd be livid.

Rant over.

---

wow, id be horrified if my husband spoke about me like that! :o

he has said to me im much more on the ball now im back at work but he would never say it publicly!

Wow - what a horrid man. I'd slap my DH if he spoke about me that way

Going well here. DH is loving the SAH gig and doing so well. Dinners cooked when I get home, housework done, happy kids. I reckon he is almost as awesome as me PMSL

WYSIWYG - hope you get a contract renewal that suits you and the family.

I'm winding down the pumping at work. Only getting 30-50ml when I pump so it's almost pointless. I think my boobs gave adjusted to not feeding during the day. I'm feeding in the morning, when I get home, bedtime and the one overnight so DD is happy. I miss the kids like crazy though. Although work itself is busy, interesting and fulfilling, by Thursday I am totally over being away from my babies. Can't wait for sept when I go part time