Is it just me or does anyone else feel the need to regroup. I feel so burnt out right now that I can't do arts & crafts with the kids or anything. I just watch them play, I sing and dance with them but I can't wait until they are picked up. I love being my own boss and the job that I do but lately I am sick of the kids. Does that mean I need to find another area of work or is this normal in the field of child care? I am looking so forward to the Holiday break and have plans to be brand new when I reopen but is afraid that I will feel the same way. Please tell me I am not alone and that after the 2 weeks break that things will most likely be much better. Anybody that can give me some pointers on how I can come back and be all geared up and ready, I welcome your input. I love the kids and really want to give them the best of me and bring out the best in them.

Thanks

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Oh you're not alone. I feel the same way. My temper is short right now. Well more so with 1 parent, but still I feel burned out too. Can't wait for Christmas break either. Hang in there!

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I always take the week of Christmas off because of this very reason. It's just a draining time of year all around. I also think we are too hard on oursleves - are the kids happy? Are they playing? Are they being cuddled and read to? I'm assuming the televison is not being used in excess? In my mind then it's all good.
For what it's worth I've really gotten away from the "crafts" in the last year. I find more and more that it's mostly me doing all the work. We do more open ended art and I feel a lot better about it.

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ME! I'm going to pull myself together this weekend and try to have myself organized for next week. I think I'm just ready for a week off.

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I am counting down the days until my nice long holiday break! I really need to recharge...I'm so looking forward to taking MY kids out to do stuff during the DAY Ice skating, indoor roller skating, movies...sit in front of the fire and snuggle, watch movies...I've been feeling drained the last few weeks and really need this time off!

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Me too!

Feeling the same way...worn out and ready for a nice break with my own kids and family. Not only do I need a mental break, but I think it has to do with all the sickness that has been here lately that's making me feel down and out. Of course it makes it worse that my newest family thinks its ok to drop early, pick-up late, not bring things their child needs for the day and my personal fav go home to nap since they got off early while I watch their sick child AND TELL ME all about it!

I've already decided that 2013 will be the year I take no BS...NONE! My stress is far too high and everyone knows the rules, they've all signed my contract and while I enforced most things, I need to do a better job and not allow things that I don't want happening in my daycare. I've learned alot from this board and have noticed that the happiest care providers here are the ones who don't take any BS and make the rules to be enforced since this is a business! It'll be hard at first, but I've already started and I feel good about it!!

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I get in these funks too. Sometimes I am more excited to plan and implement activities with the kiddos and then there are phases where I just feel like sitting and watching them. I always find that after a little break I am raring to go with them, sometimes even just a 3 day weekend helps.
I'm sure after your break you'll find you miss them (well I usually do after a week) and that you'll be ready to get back in the game.
It can be a high-stress draining job. Make sure you're getting 'me time.'

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So there with you. I just sent my husband to the store to buy lottery tickets, just so I can stop doing this!

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You're not alone; it isn't just you. I've been in the child care business for 16 years and while overall I love what I'm doing, I've noticed that these kinds of feelings tend to go in cycles for me. I feel energized and happy for a while and then I'll get into a funk. It feels like all of the energy is drained out of me and it takes a collossol effort to get through the day. I've learned to take a "this too shall pass" attitude when I'm feeling less than 100%. It always does pass eventually. Hopefully the 2 weeks you have off will help. It always helps to have time away from any job to feel a little more refreshed.

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I just know that I'm so busy and stressed about getting things done that some things suffer. For example, arts and crafts this week and next seems to have completely taken over circle time and school time. On top of that, I have everything else I'm trying to keep up with that I do this time of year. I just want to be done with the baking and clean up that I try to accomplish before Christmas!

By the time Christmas rolls around, I will have sent out or hand-delivered 50 cards, baked/made 10 batches of cookies and candies, purchased and wrapped gifts for everyone in my family, purchased and wrapped gifts for the daycare kids, purchased gifts for donation plus delivered them for my kids and the daycare kids, made a card for the elderly from the daycare kids and delivered it, sent out cards to Santa from all the kids, done countless seasonal arts and crafts (including the primary gift to the daycare parents from the kids), plus deep-cleaned the house from top to bottom. This is on top of all my normal work that keeps me swamped as it is.

I am available 2 days after Christmas for child care (Thursday and Friday) and so far one will definitely not come. One I think may be going out of town, one is off of work and I doubt she will come and the last child normally has those days off (although we shall see if they change their schedule that week.....). I really really hope that I have the whole week off spontaneously!! I could really use a break!!

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I feel better now...) I have the kids ready when mom or dad comes. Hat, coats and gloves and all. I thought, "this is crazy" but I am beat. Getting up at 5:00 am and working til 5:30, I am ready to clock out.

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find something to do to relax then an exciting training, a trip with other providers walk and look in a craft store. pinterest, all those things get m excited again.

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I'm in my 5th year and I have been where you are now. It happens a couple of times a year so I've started over the past 3 years making sure I have regular scheduled vacations, one week in the spring, one week in the summer and one week in the fall. Also, I schedule my vacation weeks so that there is a long weekend at the end so that I have 10 days total. Then I have Christmas Eve Day as a closed paid day so 3 days off that week because I'm really busy with my family.

Take care of YOU!

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I fee the exact same way! I am sure that when our clocks Spring foward and we have more daylight our moods will pep back up. When I move, I am definitely redoing my handbook. When I wrote it, I lived in a fantasy world where I would never take a sick day and would always have family member to fill on when I needed a vacay. NOT! Luckily this is just my "tester" daycare. I knew I'd be moving. Hang in there. Don't feel bad. We have all been peaking throught the curtains at pick up time with kids all dressed and ready to go!

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3 years of this and I have my moments too. I just decided I'm going to go to Florida for a few months. I have only 1 kid right now. So I'm going to drop her and go on a long much needed vacation.

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