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If it was me I would look for PT job! Bring in a few bucks but still be home when they get home and able to participate in extracurricular activities, etc.

Go back to work, absolutely. Hopefully something part time.

I am currently working and this is also the million dollar question in our house because I have come to realize that schools today really do ask a lot more of parents in terms of coming into the school and helping out. It isn't so much about being there before and after for the kids, it's being able to talk to other parents regularly, volunteer to be the reader for the day, etc that is very difficult as a working parent.

I love working, but I also have an interest in my son's academic career. I wish I didn't have to choose.

SLEEP. At least, that's the dream. For real though, I think about graduate school, but honestly I'll be busy with the kids either way- I plan to walk them to school and back and be involved in whatever. I didn't have that growing up so I would like to be available to them.

If we somehow were able to swing me being a SAHM until LO was in school (which I don't think we can, but lets pretend), when she went to school I would ramp up advertising for my photography business and start taking day sessions again. Right now I am sort of limited on how much I can work because I do a lot of newborn/baby shoots and the best time to do those is often weekdays. But right now I can only work weekends.

I will probably be involved at school and do other volunteering.

@Torchwood: nice! I think I'd enjoy being in that environment.
I also currently do volunteer work and will have more time to do daytime work with the org.

I plan in going back to work. But by that long out of the labor market, I'm not sure.

Although I daydream about just staying in my PJs, going back to bed, watching netflix, going to a yoga class, meeting DH for lunch. That's what it's like, right? Right???

I'm going to do somethjng fun like become an aerobics instructor.

Volunteer - I used to volunteer a lot when we had a nanny and I miss it. And consider having another baby, if we haven't already done so by the time my youngest goes to full time pre-k.

I am a WAH mom, but I still consider myself a SAHM since I am with the girls full-time throughout the day. My plan is to pick up more hours and more clients once they are in school full time, and basically spend the time they're in school working. Since I am self-employed, I would still be able to volunteer in the classroom and go on class trips. However, I love what I do, and I am really looking forward to the school "season of life" in terms of my career. I'd love to work more (and actually have the time to do it).

@Rainbow Sprinkles: @birdofafeather: totally agree! I WAH but my youngest only goes to half day daycare, so I'm also kind of a SAHM. I am looking forward to when I have more normal office hours (LO2 should be in daycare full time this fall) instead of just half days so that I can work more. I also love what I do and wish I had more time for it!

Get mani-pedis. Just kidding, we plan to homeschool for a few years so I'll be pretty busy for a while.

My plan is to go back to work part-time and then go from there. My youngest is going to be 3 soon and my thoughts are to enroll him in the local "kindergarten" program in the Fall which goes from 3-5/6 years. It's full time so I'll have some time to do other things. I've been enjoying my yoga classes now and hope to continue while working part time. I feel like my brain is slowly getting really blah, as you can tell by my wording here!

@blackbird: Similar situation here and that is what has shaped my views on things. My mom went to back to work as a teacher/guidance counselor once my youngest sibling started school and her hours were nearly the same as ours. We went to a babysitter for half an hour before school and half an hour after school whilst my mom was commuting etc, but then we were home with her. We loved it and have such great memories of spending time with our mom after school, talking about our days, doing things together, etc. I really hope I can do the same for my LOs...

My mom worked as a teachers aide in a Kindergarten class for 16 years. She recently retired and her comment to me was that it's not all that it is cracked up to be, especially since there is so much pressure on kids in the classroom...and then you have the behavioral issues, the parents, etc.

Let's just say this kind of job isn't for me, even with the flexibility. This is why I think it is the schools that need to adjust the schedules, not the parents adjusting the jobs. Our current model is so outdated and doesn't fit the needs of working parents, which is a fact of life these days.

@looch: @blackbird: I am curious what you would have schools do differently to be more accommodating for full time working parents?

@Mrs. Lion: In a perfect world, on site before and after care would be fabulous! I mean, yes, it's a long day for the kids, but that's kind of life when you work 40 hour weeks. It'd be nice if America could adopt a 30 hour work week, LOL but that ain't gonna happen. But oh man, especially if they had a big play area for the kids to burn off energy! I would 100% opt in to paying for an on-site childcare type of program (breakfast, too!). Since my husband's off work at 2:30, we would need morning care.

I'm really not in a situation to speak much to it, though, i just imagine that you have a lot of shift workers or people who work non flexible jobs or 12 hours at hospitals or have a hard time making parent teacher conferences...I mean, with daycare, the vast majority of kids have two working parents who obviously have the money to PUT their kids in daycare. In a school system, you have the gamut of financial situations.