Currently feeling like a circus clown who’s been forced to juggle in front of a judgemental crowd but who’s actually really shit at juggling...... (I just hope my lipstick is better than a clowns to be honest...) I’m hoping you get the picture.
I work full time. I have 2 kids. I have a Dad who lives with me who is pretty much a 3rd child. And I’ve just started my masters in HR. I’m no hero, plenty do more but I’m currently feeling like I’ve bitten off a little more than I can chew.
I’m a sociable bunny who loves to see her friends, likes to exercise, likes to spend time with my babies, likes to cook fresh and also try to be a good wife. And I find I’m asking myself.....is it all possible? Does this superwoman I’m trying to be exist and is it sustainable?
And I’ll tell you something....Mum guilt is real. I worry that I’m not around enough, not there enough when it comes to school/nursery drop offs, and then when I do the drop offs and pick ups I worry I’m not doing the most for my job. I can’t get the bloody balance right. I worry that do they know I love them, if we’ve argued the night before, do they know I’ve driven to work wondering what I should have done differently....?
And then there’s the friend and wife guilt.......worrying about whether I’ve made enough effort, seen people enough, been thoughtful enough, remembered birthdays, made it special......the list goes on.
I mean some days it’s fine and we just crack on.....but some days it’s so overwhelming.
I’ve pulled together the top things I do to try and get through this crazy rollercoaster we call life.......
Lists, lists and more lists:
Ok so I love a notebook and I need to put the massive pile I have to good use. I plan everything......
- School admin (which can I say no one warns you about....birthday party replies, kid play dates organisation, school forms.....it’s heavy...!)
- House jobs (this list doesn’t get touched much)!!
- Life admin lists (birthday present buying, filling in dog training forms, organising friend dates....)
Lists keep me focused and I love ticking things off....!
Planning food:
My biggest cause of weight gain is my food and when i don’t ever properly I’m a moody bitch. I plan my food a week in advance for all the family, I use online shopping so I don’t impulse buy and I can add to the basket as I go. I plan so that we don’t waste food and make sure that we have food in to cook healthy in the evenings.
I usually prepare a meal on a Sunday so we have something cooked for one evening. I pick quick, healthy recipes, Joe Wicks is a favourite.
Delegate and use what you’ve got:
Share the workload. We operate a real teamwork approach.....and we have pink and blue jobs....sorry not very girl power but he is responsible for the blue jobs and me the pink ones. Putting the bins out is a definite blue job....as is filling the car with diesel. I’m the cook (definite pink job) and I sort the washing.
My company is also awesome at recognising work life balance and I use flexible working all the time to help me manage drop offs/ school appointments or just spending some time with the kids. I can’t fault them and it really helps having understanding managers and a company that supports this.
Diary Management:
I plan when I will exercise (often early in the morning so I can have the evenings for some study and to spend time with the kids). I plan when I will see friends and I plan when we plan to have no plans. (Its a thing....) I’ve only discovered this recently and I bloody love it. We keep some weekends free just incase. And if we want to have a quiet one and catch up we have this snippet of time.
Most importantly my final tip.....
Don’t be afraid to fail:
Sometimes I screw up all of the above...and no amount of planning and lists can help. We are human and sometimes we don’t have our shit together.
I often struggle with this one......but a few things are clear.
- We’re all in this together.
- We all cry from time to time.
- We’ll be ok.
Over and out.
H x