loopyloulaura

Life has been very full on over the past month as I have been doing 5 jobs part time.

I am mentally exhausted from the effort of remembering where I am meant to be every hour. My diary/calendar is my best friend.

On top of that, there have been multiple events for the children in the lead up to the summer holidays.

Then there are the usual household which need to be completed and the general management of a family (laundry, shopping, food, visits, parties, playdates, Beavers etc).

This all constitutes WORK.

Now I am in no way suggesting that I work any more or less hard than Chris who leaves the house by 6am each day and does more than his fair share of the housework. But I would say that my brain is more frazzled as I am juggling more, keeping track of all of us, knowing what appointments are coming up or need to be made.

With my feminist hat on, I would also argue that my work is more complex but less valued (by society not my family!) as it has less worth in economic terms. Women across the world take on the majority of the childcare which is both a privilege and a heavy reponsibility.

Here is my Tuesday:

6.30 Zach stumbles in and needs a cuddle until his wriggling annoys both of us

6.45 get up and dressed. Get breakfast for all. Plan tea. Change meal plan after original rejected by beloved offspring.

7.45 get Zach dressed. Check Matthew and Anya’s teeth and faces have been cleaned. Repeat once it has actually been completed! Check their uniform for odd stains that the kids forgot to tell me about. Get school bags ready with drinks and snack.

8.15 Matthew announces his shoes are too small and he needs his 4th pair in less than a year! Mum picks up Zach and I walk the children to school and my work as an admin assistant

10.30 leave work and pick up Zach. Blog post preparation and photos for new toy. Put on dishwasher.

11.45 lunch for Zach and I

12.30 take Zach to preschool and go back to work

3.30 finish work and pick up all 3 children. Snacks for all. Deal with Zach sobbing for another biscuit…

4.00 unload dishwasher. Plan washing for Thursday when Chris working from home so able to hang out. Find letters from Matt’s school that need to be back in the morning. Double check paperwork for evening meeting. Arrange work at other school for next week. Start work on this blog post 🙂

4.30 close eyes for 10 minutes

4.40 Chris arrives home and probably thinks I’ve been sleeping all day

5.00 start tea: bolognese for the kids and tofu curry for us.

5.30 eat! and catch up on each other’s days

6.00 watch Peppa Pig because Zach insists he has to cuddle up with me and no one else. Listen to Matt’s plan for world domination and his future career prospects. Tell Anya not to hide her KitKat wrapper in the sofa. Try to plan sports day picnic for later in the week. Decide on weekend plans including shoe shopping. Confirm with Chris when Ollie’s vet appointment is.

7.00 off to work for evening meeting

9.30 home then watch a little TV while blogging. Check Global Blogging links. Organise Anya’s disco ticket and payment. Despair at to-do list

10.30 bed!

My grandad asked me how motherhood was just after I’d had Matthew and I replied ‘relentless’. How little did I realise that those early days are physically and emotionally draining but this is later replaced by mental tiredness.

I am blessed with 3 highly intelligent children who talk non stop and this means I have little time alone with my own thoughts. They also have very strong opinions and rarely agree on anything so emotional management and negotiation is a key part of my parenting regime!

I love my family and my life. The past few weeks have been tough but it means we have extra spending money for our holiday and makes me feel like I am contributing to our family. Working gives me a sense of identity as a person rather than as a mother. Blogging provides me opportunities I never imagined 5 years ago.

Thank you to my husband for his unswerving support at all times, and my parents for being so involved with the children’s lives.

These days seem to last forever but are speeding by so fast. Another school year is almost over and the kids seem to be getting more grown up every day. I know from the input of my own parents that my work as a wife and mother will never be done and I feel grateful for our time together as a family.