Have you thought about family day care. Contact your local council for your local scheme, there is some work involved setting up, but can be quite rewarding, you don't have to work full time and can be at home with your kids. I started when my eldest was three, (he's almost 16 now), took a couple of years off with my youngest and have been doing this for years. Gives me the opportunity to be at home for my kids (before and after school, school holidays, etc) and still be able to make a decent income.