Hi all! Welcome back to My Mountain – the guest blogger series where we share our biggest parenting challenges. This week we hear from one of my favourite bloggers – Mummyitsok – on how hard it is to keep all the balls in the air…
Being a parent is a challenging job, being a working mum makes it sometimes impossible! I work full-time as does my husband, we have a 3 year old, a house, car, cat – the usual – and yes it’s tough to juggle everything!
I’d love to tell you that the house is spotless and all of the house-hold jobs such as washing and ironing are up-to-date but that’s not our reality. We are out of the house Monday-Friday 8.00am-5.30pm, then when we all get back its time for tea and a bath and a story then its little ones bedtime. I always plan to do something when he’s fell asleep – then he will take 2 hours to go to bed and by the time he’s asleep I’m shattered from fighting him and it’s my bed time too! Saturday and Sunday we like to spend doing things with the little guy as we don’t get much time together in the week and we visit grandparents.
It’s definitely challenging trying to do everything and I’m not going to lie we don’t always manage to do it all! Yes the housework suffers and I could probably do with showing it the duster and polish, the ironing pile – well pile is an understatement, the living room looks like a pre-school is being run in it! The car has seen better days it needs a clean and I think the toys have taken up permanent residence in there alongside some old food packets.
One amazing thing we have done to save time though is to do our food shopping online and get it delivered for an evening in the week. This was the best thing we have ever done, it means one of us doesn’t have to go do it after a long day at work and miss out seeing our son, and it means our weekends aren’t spent rushing around the supermarket with a trolley and a bored toddler. Thank you online food shopping!
However, the little man is well looked after and totally spoilt with love and attention, when we are with him we do loads of activities and teach him lots of new things. He always has our full attention when we are around. He has everything he needs and yes the chores may suffer but at the end of it all an ironing pile isn’t as important and showing our son the love and playtime he needs as a toddler.
So if you come round mine and the house needs a bit of a vacuum and polish, the gardening needs doing and I still need to pick up those dirty socks off the floor, I am sorry for the mess, but I’ve been busy at work and busy being a mum. Plus I have blog posts to write 😉
Oh shit I forgot the cat ….
You can read more from mummyitsok on her wonderful blog or find her on Twitter or Facebook. If you have a parenting challenge you’d like to write about, please find out more here.
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I love the positive tone of this blog. It would be so easy to whinge, but you are upbeat and realistic and it comes across well. It sounds as if you have it all under control and I take my hat off to you! I love your last line 🙂 Alison x #AnythingGoes
Completely agree, I love mummyitsokay’s positivity. Thanks for reading x
Thanks Hun! I think if I didn’t remain upbeat about it all I’d probably go crazy!
It’s hard when you feel like you are doing a lot of things badly. Along with the standard ‘parent guilt’…it can be so draining.
Let the house be a mess! It will all still be there tomorrow.
Completely agree re the messy house lol! Thanks for reading mummyitsokay’s guest post x
I leave the house in the morning it’s a mess, I come home it’s a mess! All you can do is your best. I also find I’ve had to lower my cleaning standards a lot lol!
Mummyitsok recently posted…My C-Section Journey – Guest Post Via Kelly Smith
It’s not easy is it?! I’m pretty OCD about my house, so was juggling that, working full time and getting to the gym everyday too, but sometimes something has to give! Thanks for joining us #marvmondays
Thanks for having us and for commenting x
Definitely! We aren’t super mums we just do what we can when we can!
Mummyitsok recently posted…My C-Section Journey – Guest Post Via Kelly Smith
I know what its like. I work full time as well and its hard keeping up with everything.
I have Lists coming out my ears!!!
Great Post
Lx
http://workingmumy.blogspot.com
#bigpinklink
Thanks for reading and commenting x
Hahaha ah the good old list! I have everything in my iPhone calendar if I lose it or it breaks I’m screwed
Mummyitsok recently posted…My C-Section Journey – Guest Post Via Kelly Smith
I wouldn’t be so worried about vacuum and gardening… Having lovely memories with the little one is so much more important. You house is to be lived in, not only to be cleaned up, that’s my motto hahaha
#bigpinklink
the frenchie mummy recently posted…It’s 7am and I am already crying
Great perspective, thanks for reading x
I’m definitely rocking the lived in house look!
Mummyitsok recently posted…My C-Section Journey – Guest Post Via Kelly Smith
Agreed, a bit of household mess and a few chores missed doesn’t compare to that precious time with your little one! Liking the tip for online shopping it might be something we pick up, even for dry goods and do a quick veg shop at weekends. #marvmondays
blabbermama recently posted…No.1 Parenting fear: When the Baby pulls a HULK strop
Online shopping is a lifesaver for us, I really don’t fancy walking around the supermarket after a day at work or on the weekend with the 3 year old who wants to buy every chocolate suprise egg in sight! Stops us spending money on the offers they have out!
Mummyitsok recently posted…My C-Section Journey – Guest Post Via Kelly Smith
I just returned to work almost full-time (4.5 days), and I’m just starting to try to get into our new routine where I don’t get home until around 5:00, and then it’s dinner/bath/bed by 7:00. I miss spending time with my daughter, but I’m finding that I appreciate the time we do spend together more. And yes, online food shopping is a must! #bigpinklink
Squirmy Popple recently posted…From stay-at-home mum to working mum
I finish at 5pm to, it’s tough trying to fit it all in a few hours before bed. Best time of the day is cuddles before bed with the little one.
Mummyitsok recently posted…My C-Section Journey – Guest Post Via Kelly Smith
This was refreshing to read as I’ve recently been having a ‘low’ time about getting housework etc done. But it’s good to be reminded that you can’t do everything and in reality a bit of dust won’t hurt! I work 3.5 days over 3 but with the commute on top, the days are quite long. On Mondays and Fridays I have to keep the LO busy and now she’s almost 18 months, it’s impossible to do much housework whilst she’s awake. I started feeling guilty for not using the entire nap time on the house but it’s literally the only time I can sit down worry-free and I shouldn’t feel bad for that. As my husband said when he had to look after her alone a couple of weekends ago: “It’s a bit like being at work looking after her all day.” so I remind myself I am actually working 5 days a week, but just across 2 jobs!
She’s happy, healthy and the only danger to her is the perilous tower of ironing like you have, so I don’t think she cares that I haven’t dusted for a couple of weeks!
And yes, online shopping is the only way!
#marvmondays
Same as you I work full time as does my husband ..the way I see it somethings gotta give ..and it has to be the housework ! Absolute bottom of my priorities
Refreshing to read an honest post – I’ll be going back to work full time in a few weeks and dreading to think what it’ll be like – my housework suffers already being at home full time!! But as you say, you just have to get on with it and do what you can #marvmondays
Abi recently posted…Dress to Impress: Booby style
hehe this is true 🙂 great post. I work four days and that is enough to keep me super busy. in the end I decided to get a cleaner to come in for two hours a week to do the kitchen and bathrooms. money well spent for us 🙂 #AnythingGoes
Oh the housework! Don’t get me started! I work from home and so we’re all here a lot more and my goodness they trash it. Online food shopping is bliss though isn’t it?! Thanks for linking! #bigpinklink
Louise Pink Pear Bear recently posted…Big Pink Link 27 June
Lovely post. And sod the housework! Spending time with family definitely more important. #MarvMondays
Oh my return date is looming (like a matter of weeks) and we still haven’t made a decision about what we are going to do! I love reading about others experiences and what works for them. Oh and all hail the online shop, best.invention.ever. #marvmondays
The housework will always be there! Working and balancing family is so difficult. So smart not to waste your free time grocery shopping! Great post! #marvmondays
This was so helpful and easy! Do you have any arlteics on rehab?