I am in the throes of thinking about returning to work.  Come September I will be back in the classroom three days a week.  Erin will be returning to grandads one day a week and spending two days in nursery which she loved pre spica.

However as Erin is nearing three she will soon be eligible for the 15 funded hours of Early years nursery education and I am unsure how best to use them.  For my understanding most providers use the 15 hours over three days and not two.  Therefore I am thinking should I be using our full entitlement and adding in an extra morning nursery session on one of my days off?  What is the benefit?  I really enjoy spending time with Erin and after all she has been through this year I want to enjoy watching her catch up with her peers and learn all that has been put on hold this year. I like it just being us – I make time for the older two when she is in bed, but the daytime is our time.  We swim, we attend music class.  Something would have to give.

But the idea of a morning home alone which would give me the peace and space to do my marking and lesson prep is  also appealing.  It would mean that the weekends could be pretty much a work free environment – which would be lovely for the whole family – although daddy will still be doing his prep and marking.  Teaching is not a job that finishes when the school bell rings whatever Waterloo Road might have suggested!

Quite often I think we do too much with our children, they actually need some downtime and to be bored and to entertain themselves.  Living in a society where they are constantly entertained and stimulated is not healthy for emotional and physical well being.

Decisions decisions – I would love to know whether other families take up all their funded hours and how they are used.