Stay at home moms, what to do when the kids go off to school (ideas, games)

[skoe]

My youngest went into grade one this year. That means for the first time since I was 20 I have the whole day to myself. Now I don't know what to do. I have cleaned the house so many times I am starting to feel useless.

My mom says to get out and walk or join curves or something but I want to do something more useful. Make money!!

It's funny how I should thank my lucky stars that my husband doesn't want me to go out and get a job but all I can think about is how I want to make money. Does anyone know how to do that from home? I do make crafts that I sell every year at craft shows around Christmas but that is just not enough. I also can't go get a full or even part time job outside of the house because I still need to be here when the kids get off of school and for all their afternoon/evening sporting events.

Please give me your ideas on how to keep myself busy. It scares me how I feel like I can sleep every day away. That is no fun!!

[aiangel_writer]

I am so very lucky to have a job where I work from home. My husband has his own business, and I handle the office work for him, scheduling appointments, invoicing, phone, etc.

But, I also do something else pretty exciting.

Where I live, our water is not owned by the town but from a local water association. This job fell into my lap almost ten years ago. It started out part time, but has quickly moved into full time work.

Basically, I am the sole person for the office of our public water. I answer phones, take payments and deposits, log in receipts and readings and keep us compliant with the state department of health.

Check out local listings in your paper to see if any offer work from home, if not, do an internet search for companies that outsource work. Make sure they are reputible companies.

[dncngrl1964]

Originally Posted by skoe

My youngest went into grade one this year. That means for the first time since I was 20 I have the whole day to myself. Now I don't know what to do. I have cleaned the house so many times I am starting to feel useless.

My mom says to get out and walk or join curves or something but I want to do something more useful. Make money!!

It's funny how I should thank my lucky stars that my husband doesn't want me to go out and get a job but all I can think about is how I want to make money. Does anyone know how to do that from home? I do make crafts that I sell every year at craft shows around Christmas but that is just not enough. I also can't go get a full or even part time job outside of the house because I still need to be here when the kids get off of school and for all their afternoon/evening sporting events.

Please give me your ideas on how to keep myself busy. It scares me how I feel like I can sleep every day away. That is no fun!!

well ya know all those pictures you have taken over the years

Start scrapbooking its alot of fun and makes the pictures more cherishable

[movingtohouston]

Before i had my youngest I had several years of "nothing" to do. I had huge gardens, flowers, vegtables. That kept me pretty busy most days in the summer. You could maybe do some volunteer work. It doesn't pay but maybe through networking you could find something that would suit you.

[gardener34]

I don't know any family that couldn't use more money. Check with your school district, ours has openings for lunch ladies and cafeteria help among other paid positions, that fit into your children's schedules.

Good luck!

[South Range Family]

Sounds like you need a big box of porno magazines to help pass the time away.

Okay, Okay. Seriously now. Can you bake? When our kids were still young, my wife baked cookies, pies, banana, and zucchini bread. A friend of ours owned a convenience store. He sold her items in the store for a percentage of the profits. It was in Pennsylvania, and she was only required to list the ingredients. No health license was necessary. It has since grown into a full fledged concession business. We now have to get an annual license, weekly health inspections, and carry 2 million dollars worth of insurance. I have no idea how Canada works, but it might be worth a try.

[Brooklyn_QueenBee]

Besides doing activities that you enjoy, join a class at the local college. I was a stay at home mom for three years, but had a network of family and friends to watch my child. Although, I had a degree I took extra courses in sociology and education just to get out of the house for a couple of hours. The time alone was well spent and helped me when I transcended back into the work force. Just the adult conversations could make you feel like you are alive.

[skoe]

Wow, thanks for the great responses! Selling stuff I make and taking a class appeals to me the most. I guess I am so use to being mom that I am having a really hard time letting myself do something for me. It is so easy to put ourselves on the back burner.

Sounds like you need a big box of porno magazines to help pass the time away.

Do any of you do online surveys for money? I am a member of one site that makes me about $50 a month. ooohhhh, aaaahhhh!!!

[momof2dfw]

As a stay at home mom (that works some part time for my husband to fill in but only while the kids are at school) I've never understood how someone could say they are "bored", lol. I've been BUSY! I have two in school and they are both active so during the day is when I can get all of my errands done (grocery store, shopping, bank, cleaners, etc) along w/ clean and everything else that needs to get done. I also volunteer as room mom for both of my kids. With my eldest when she was in kindergarten and first grade I volunteered one day a week at her school as they really liked having another set of hands to help the kids and keep them on track. They did A LOT of projects at her school. All of the room moms in that grade had lunch or breakfast a couple of times a year and also got together to plan all of their class parties. I go on most field trips for both kids. I don't work in the classroom as much w/ my youngest as she is kind of clingy but I do other stuff at the school. Rarely do I ever find a time during the day that I don't have anything that needs to be done or that I want to do. I don't have time for a part time job, lol, much less time for me to do some kind of craft to sell. A couple of years ago my oldest asked when I was going to get a "job". I responded that I had one and she said no she meant one that I went somewhere and got paid. To which I responded, "you know all of that stuff I do during the day like going to the grocery store, bank, cleaners, cleaning, etc? If I worked I'd have to do all of that at night and weekends w/ ya'll in tow and that would mean you could not be involved in as much as you are w/ soccer or dance." She then said, "oh, that is okay then, don't get a job anywhere else." LOL!!!

[kitty71]

I have to guiltily admit that I have fed my video game addiction more than I should since the kids went off to school. Not that I am a total slacker or anything, but games like Final Fantasy and Xenosaga a couple of hours here and there sure did lots for my boredom. I realize this isn't for everyone, but hey... I also love reading and was able to do lots of that, too. cleaning isn't really my thing....