WHAT DO YOU DO?

[johannaviles]

Well, as some of you know, I live in the caribbean (Dominican Republic).  I work every day from 8am-5pm.  I dont get to go home for lunch, so I just get to see my husband and baby girl before work and at night.
Mu husband does the same, he leaves home before I do (7am)
You need to work real hard here to get a good life,  thank God we own our home and have "most of what we need"  but i would do anything to be a stay at home mom.  I know some of you ladies are and I think that is the most beautiful job ever: you're so lucky!

So I have questions: who works, where or doing what? who gets to stay at home?

Looking foward to get to know each other better!!!

[honey1982]

i work at a clinic as a medixal assistant. from 8 am until 8pm. 3 days a one week and the next week i work 3 shifts from 8 am until 8pm. and every other weekend  from 9 am until 5pm. so one week i work 36 hours and the other week i work 40 hours . hope i dind't confuse anyone.

[rachjas0623]

I am a teacher.  Summers off. : ) My typical school days has me leaving around 6 am getting home around 3pm.  This will be my second year! I start back August 15.

[Latrice414]

Congrats on your pregnancy, sorry that you have to work, work does s-uck. I have a 13yr old, i had a missed m/c june12th and a d&c june 17th. Im ttc again and hoping to get a BFP middle of august.  I work full time, but im self employeed, i had the same client for 5 years and i make my schedule to fit my needs.  Once i get preggo, i will be taking off for 6months to a year(im a nurse) my fiance will graduate in october and will provide for us until i go back to work.  I get bored staying at home, i dont believe in day cares until my child can talk, luckly i have wonderful parents who have watched me and my siblings kids for us while we work, so i plan on letting them watch the baby once i go back.

Ive never been to the DR but ive heard its beautiful their, me and my fiance is planning a cruise wedding, and hoping to get married in St Thomas. im 32 and he is 30 with no children and we're hoping to have 4 kids SOON:)

[sweetangel7]

I'm a teacher (3rd grade) and a professor for one graduate level night class (Master's)...Not pregnant yet but I see my hubby only after work (he goes to bed super early because he gets up at 2 to go to work so some days, he is asleep when I get home from work) and on the weekends and it would be the same if I had a child...I'd only see them after 3:30 and on the weekends =(  It is not an option for me to be a SAHM and I'll only be taking a four week maternity when we do have our baby.  It is very expensive to live where I live too...bummer!  

PS  What a great post...it is nice to have a better idea of what people do!

[JoyRenee]

I'm a stay-at-home mom. My husband is a pastor. We make less than $27,000 per year but we make it work!

I do get bored staying at home so I have to find things to occupy my time and interest me. If you have motivation and interests you're less likely to get bored!

I also plan on homeschooling our children as well.

[johannaviles]

Latrice414: It is beautiful here, hope you get to come!  I really recommend Punta Cana (Its paradise!). Im also lucky to have my mom watching over my daughter, she's 3 years old and goes to pre school and stays at my moms house after w/ the nanny.

Sweetangel7:  Luckily we get 12 weeks of maternity leave (paid on a 100%), Im so looking forward to that!




,

[LauraB78]

I work in insurance. Mon - Fri. 8 am - 4 pm. I get no paid maternity leave and I am single..

I will figure it out. I had always thought I would be a SOHM for the first few formative years but my situation has not allowed me this freedom, but I do get holiday and weekends off..

[LauraB78]

*SAHM* oops

And 12 weeks paid maternity leave?? WOW. I have NEVER heard of that. That is lucky

[sweetangel7]

WOW, your maternity leave is great!  I get three weeks and then we have to dip into our savings to pretend that we are getting a paycheck...I'm the so called bread winner so it would be tough on us without my pay...When I was pregnant last time (I mc'd in Dec) we had tried to plan for a summer baby and WE DID!  I was soooo excited, baby was due on my last day of school, so I could have taken my three weeks before school ended or in the fall to extend my stay at home...BUT that wasn't the way things worked out...Right now, if we do get prego this cycle, we'll be in for an end of April baby =)

[honey1982]

i know i think at myu company we get 6 weeks and any pto and floatingh hours that we have accrued. thats the good thing. we get 10hours pto every month and a floating day(8 hours( every three months.

[casandbaby]

I'm a stay at home mom, I love it. It is unlucky that you have to work! Only thing i wouldn't mind would for my hubby to know what its like to be a sahm LoL! He thinks it would be a piece of cake. it's unfortunate that not everyone gets to stay at home.

I agree great post idea =]

[sweetangel7]

Is that 6 weeks paid?

[luv2bmommy]

SAHM here, but I have also been a working mom. I LOVE staying at home with the kids! I am lucky that my husband allows it and actually prefers it. I also plan to begin homeschooling my children this year. We are moving back to Tx. soon and my husband will be away on deployment. My days consist mostly of cooking, cleaning, and playing. sounds simple enough but some days I believe Id love to just yell out "alright guys, Im going to the nut house, see ya later!" haha, which is Im sure something every mom- working or non has had the urge to do. I remember when I used to work, I would miss the kids greatly, but I would also enjoy the break. I still get breaks though, I just wake up before the girls do most days and have my coffee in peace. lol in order to finish this paragraph I had to hold my sqealing and giggling 2 yr old down with my leg while she tries to attack me with tickles, now im going to get her back!

[shasy03]

Although I'm not a mom yet...I do work with children.  I have 28 3-4 year olds and 10 1 1/2- 2 year olds.  I LOVE EVERY ONE OF THEM...this summer my schedule has been very weird.  Some weeks I work 3 days some 4 and some 5.  With normal hours I work Monday-Friday 8:30-5:30.  I also work Saturday and Sunday at a restaurant just to see my hubby.  He's normally off Tuesday and Wednesday.  So when I do actually get two days off they are normally Tuesday and Wednesday.

I am looking at a job that is 8:151-2:30 with the school system here.

[shishka]

I am a stay at home mom. I just had my son 3 weeks ago and I am loving every minute of motherhood. I have not been working for the last three years. When I started doing fertility treatments it became very hard, so my DH asked me to stay home. I am very thankful to be able to be SAHM.

[Atlantisea]

I am a SAHM. I live in Australia, and anyone here can stay home with their baby if they want to. We are fully supported with fortnightly payments until the child is 5yrs, then we are required to find at least part time work.

Healthcare is free. Hospital is free. Education is free.

And we get $5000 at the moment, just for giving birth.

(that's per child. So $10,000 for twins)

I keep busy during the week. I help at kindy. Take my daughter to swimming lessons. Cook, clean and meet up with other friends with children for playdates. I also own my own home.

My DH studies part time, and works part time.

[honey1982]

yes its six weeks paid.

[LauraB78]

Don't ever move to the states. We DO NOT have benefits like that..

My health insurance doesn't cover the birth of my child in full.,., I have a $1,000. L&D deductible. I get NO Paid maternity leave.. In fact, when I have Dr. appt.'s I have to work through my lunch break so I don't get docked time.. I am starting to think I should move to another country. Seems like quality of life is much better!

[nursekim]

I am a nurse on a cardiac unit.  I work 3 twelve hour shifts a week, but I am currently on 12 weeks maternity leave.

[taken062406]

I am a IT recruiter in a small office and I am fortunate enough to get 6 weeks paid maternity leave (my boss is being really cool about everything).  But since my work is all over the internet I will have to work some while I am on maternity leave, for instance when Chloe is sleeping.  But when I do go back to work I will be able to bring her to work with me.  So I wont have to have a baby sitter.  Thank god.  My DH just finally found a welding job.  He got laid off 4 months ago and hasnt been able to find a job.  We live in a small town and with gas prices, we couldnt afford for him to drive 30 miles to work and back everyday.  I am so thankful he found a really good job.  Things are going to still be pretty rough when we add a newborn in to the mix.  We also have three full grown boxers and a cat.  Our dogs are very needy.  and eat a ton of food.

[elementus]

hello ladies, I work 8am-6pm as a customer care office in a logistic firm in Lagos Nigeria(west Africa) I dont enjoy most of the benefit you all get. I have a 12wks maternity without pay. I have to pay for all hospital bills for L&D and any other treament inclusive. However life in Africa is very different and quite stressful. The state Government of where I live (Lagos) pays for consultantion and its quite cheaper to use the government hospital than a private hospital because they have more experince doctors and treat lager numbers of different cases than private hospitals in Africa.

I am married and my husband works 8am-4pm but i dont think I can be a SAHM because we cant afford it and I want the very best for my child, up till now I have not been able to know the sex of my baby and am 23wks. The doctor have not given me the approval for an U/S though I can do this on my own but i just want to wait I guess am not in a hurry to know the sex of the baby yet.

I wish I can have a maternity level of 12wks with pay. I hope I have not bore you all with my story, just to let you all know that I enjoy this forum always.

[BTS1022]

I am a SAHM although I have worked before. When DH was in the Army I was working as a veterinary technician, I also cleaned houses for extra income. Now that I am pregnant I will continue to be a SAHM until the baby is atleast 2 yrs old. After that I plan on going back to work. My DH as of now is 100% disabled and doesn't work either.

I plan on finding something to do so I can work from home and make some extra money.

[toes33107]

I am a teacher, so I have the summers off!  I found out I am pregnant at the end of June, so I will be due in March.  I will be taking the rest of the school year off once I have the baby, because I have saved up my sick days throughout my years of teaching.  So, it is paid because they're my sick days.  Unfortunately, I will use the majority of them for this first baby and not have many saved up for a second baby in a few years...hopefully!  That's the way it goes, I guess!

[Jen133]

Hey Johan,

You live in my country, even though I have not been there since I was 12.  I'm 26 I have an eight year little girl and I'm trying for the second one but is not happening.  Whenever God wants, then it will be.

Well I live in New York and I'm an Administrative Assistant to an Orthopaedic Hand surgeon.  My husban is a supervisor in this big company called USA signs.  He make the "barnes & Noble" signs, the "Payless Shoe Source sign and all those other.

I didn't  know that in DR you get a 12 week paid maternity leave.  I should live over there then.  I would get the same here but is not 100% paid.  It *****.  

By the way if you're ever by a little pueblo they call "matahambre" tell my dad I said hello :-)