Have you looked into Family Day Care options in your area (sorry, I lost the bookmark :( )?

They have flexible options for parents who work early shifts, night shifts, weekends or even in emergency situations.  They are run by people who care for your kids at their home (the carers home that is), and it is less 'structured' than a daycare centre and more relaxed and not so overwhelming for children.

In an ideal world you'd find a great housemate... Got any single friends who might need cheap accomodation? That's what I did. For a couple of years a woman I used to chat w/ for hours on end every time I saw her, lived w/ us... Rent free. Her work was at different times to my study-commitments (she was a commercial cleaner). So she'd get home from her morning stint just as I needed to leave to get to school.... She'd take my daughter to school then grab a nap to prepare for her evening work then pick her up after. Sometimes we'd have time for a brief catchup when I got home, before she had to go & do her evening jobs. My daughter got very attatched to her & we stayed in contact for many years.

If you don't know anyone personally. you could try to get in touch w/ a network of house-sitters & see if anyone who does that would be willing to become a housemate & standin Mum... There's a lot of women, usually in 30-55yo age group who house-sit as their main source of accomodation these days... They have to have impeccable references otherwise people wouldn't leave them in charge of their pets & belongings for months (sometimes years) on end. You'd probably have to 'fluff' her a bit; treat her like a guest when you're home & give her plenty of space to herself (& her own room too). But it could be ideal for eveyone & if all goes well your kids'll aquire another aunty/granny in their lives & you'll get another friend.. Could be a win/win all round!

 Rosalinda

You could put your name down for in-home care as you qualify being that you are working outside child care times. Worth a try but that can be a long wait but sometimes you can be lucky and have a carer available to start in your area. Going to a private nanny in the meantime is an option but is a bit more costly. Worth a try to put your name down though. Good luck in your decision. Hard trying to juggle. xx

When looking at a night shift position you need to seriously consider your own sleep patterns.  Day sleeping during the week and then night sleeping on weekends..  You could find that long term this is no good for you or the children.

Good luck in finding a job that works best for you and your kids.

 i dont know if you have looked into before school care, there is a place here called jellybeans child care that take and pick up kids from school. I dont know if there is any near you, but it could be a option :)