Anonymous wrote:I patched together an arrangement - kids were handed off between 3 neighbors/mom friends when I had a medical emergency. Not a snow day, but similar. This is why you need to make friends now.

Re: snow days, other days needed off, people will lie and fake a need for a sick day for themselves. It's not pretty and you could lose you job, but people are desperate. No easy answers.

Just make sure you don't take advantage. I will do most favors for friends without expecting anything in return because I want to, but if I agree to watch your child ALL DAY, feed her/him and deal with moodiness and kid disagreements, etc, then you need to reciprocate. I don't expect this for a short playdate, but after 8 hours with your kid, I expect you to be there for me too.

Anonymous wrote:Hire a highschooler. You may want to try him/her out a few times on weekends first. Then set up an agreement that when it snows, he/she will babysit and if sick hopefully the person will ask her/his friends. You may want to have a few different highschool students you could hire when in need.

Forgot to add I give a tip too or a bonus after I have used someone for a while. I want to make sure the person jumps at the chance to babysit.

Hire a highschooler. You may want to try him/her out a few times on weekends first. Then set up an agreement that when it snows, he/she will babysit and if sick hopefully the person will ask her/his friends. You may want to have a few different highschool students you could hire when in need.

Anonymous wrote:Two parents, both work outside the home, no chance for working from home. Two kids, 5 and 7, not old enough to stay home by themselves. Helpful neighbors who can watch one or both children for an hour or so, but that's it. We're new to Fairfax County and each parent has taken about 10 hours of leave this week -- new jobs so no leave built up. How do you cope? Are there backup places where kids can be with other kids for the day?

You need to build a community of friends. Join a church, moms groups, Scouting, something that gets you networked into the area.

Lifetime Fitness snow day camps suggestion is also good if there's one around you.

There is a group of families we usually switch off with, so it works out that each family only has to take off about every five or six days off of school.

DH and I alternate who takes the day off, depending on each of our workloads and deadlines. I have a little flexibility to work from home, but it's hard to get much done with 4 and 7 year olds.

Or, we call one of our neighborhood teenage babysitters. They're off school also, and usually happy to earn some money on the day off. Sometime they tag-team, take a partial day while DH or I take part of the day off (or work from home), or we drop the kids off at their house and their SAHM (good friend of ours) helps out as well.

Grandparents can help in a pinch, but live an hour away so it's not ideal for frequent use.

Join Lifetime gym. They have camps on snow days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a huge fight with DH about this. I have taken the hit 95% of the time. DH's job is apparently more important.

That's your problem.

over the years we've changed who takes the hit. I know when hubby had deadlines coming up and he knows when I've had jobs that weren't flexable. Hubby and I make about the same. But, my SIL makes nearly 3times as much as my brother - he's the stay at home parent for the snow 95% most of the time (he also has the more flexible job).

Anonymous wrote:I had a huge fight with DH about this. I have taken the hit 95% of the time. DH's job is apparently more important.

That's your problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a huge fight with DH about this. I have taken the hit 95% of the time. DH's job is apparently more important.

Who earns more and by how much?

Why?

Anonymous wrote:Two parents, both work outside the home, no chance for working from home. Two kids, 5 and 7, not old enough to stay home by themselves. Helpful neighbors who can watch one or both children for an hour or so, but that's it. We're new to Fairfax County and each parent has taken about 10 hours of leave this week -- new jobs so no leave built up. How do you cope? Are there backup places where kids can be with other kids for the day?

A mix of taking time off, taking turns (with each other and neighbors) - staggering one going in really really early and coming home midday and the other going in and working really really late. One I even took my child to work with me.

What kind of before and after care do your children have?

We did all of the above last year -- fought about fair sharing, whose job is more important, bit the bullet, relied on neighbors (no family that close, and how do you repay the favor when you're away at work?), brought kids into the office (disaster!), split days (great source of recriminations!), went skiing as a family, went sledding, went to the movies, did "homeschool" etc.

This year, I found a teacher who can care for them on the very days that school is off. She's the first to know of a closure, and we work with her on those days. I bet there are other teachers in your neighborhood who might be willing to take them on. I ran into my sitter through a different connection, but I bet spreading the word at school might yield a teacher or a substitute willing to help a few families in her home or yours. It's been such a huge relief.

Anonymous wrote:Au pair.

This is the best solution. They are living with u so they don't get stuck in the snow.

I patched together an arrangement - kids were handed off between 3 neighbors/mom friends when I had a medical emergency. Not a snow day, but similar. This is why you need to make friends now.

Re: snow days, other days needed off, people will lie and fake a need for a sick day for themselves. It's not pretty and you could lose you job, but people are desperate. No easy answers.

Anonymous wrote:I had a huge fight with DH about this. I have taken the hit 95% of the time. DH's job is apparently more important.

Who earns more and by how much?