Managing the juggle – a piece for MAMA UK

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Tags

.motherhood, being selfish, me time, taking time out

Before Christmas, I felt like I was about to crack. A family bereavement, 80 hour weeks, pressures in my working life and sheer exhaustion had me on the edge. I felt like I was swimming upstream in a river, against an incredibly strong tide, trying to keep afloat. Actually, I felt a bit like I was drowning.

That was November and December, but January and February have been different. My attempts at regaining some kind of control over what I take on and how I manage the working mum juggle seem to be working (most of the time).

I’ve made a few changes and taken a good look at what I can physically manage with the time I have to do what I need to do. It’s helped. I no longer feel like I’m drowning. Instead, I’m drifting along on a canoe, floating with the tide rather than trying to swim against it. Continue reading »

Lessons from Mum

24 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by Molly in Motherhood, Relationships, Work

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

.motherhood, life lessons, mother daughter relationships, working mums

My mum is wise and funny and – despite what I may have thought as a teenager – often right about most things.

A little while ago, she started sending me postcards with little life lessons on the back. The theme is “Bringing Home The Bacon”, so each note focuses on something work / life balance orientated. It’s her way of sitting down for a cup of tea with me at the end of a long day, even though she now lives four hours away.

When I was little, Mum worked full-time. She’d strap me onto the back of her bike, cycle across Bristol and teach a full day at school, before collecting me and cycling home. This was pretty much the case until my sister came along when I was four. Then Mum worked part-time for a while before returning to full-time work a couple of years later. Continue reading »

Friendships worth making an effort over

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by Molly in Motherhood, Relationships

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

.motherhood, friendships, relationships

You know how, in life, you meet lots of people but don’t necessarily keep in touch with them all? I’m not on about “Facebook friends” or acquaintances you bump into in the street, I’m on about REAL friends. The ones you’d drive hundreds of miles for. The ones you’d answer your phone to in the middle of the night.

Growing up and going through changes in your life is always a good indication of the resilience of a friendship. I remember being at university and thinking every single friend I made would be one for life. Being a pretty sociable person – out every other night with different groups of people – I had quite a few friends. But I can count on one hand the ones I’m still in touch with now. Continue reading »

Bedtime reading for toddlers

20 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by Molly in Books, Play

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

bedtime, books, children's books, picture books, Reading, reading with children

Review

It’s fair to say we’re a bookish family. At least, I am bookish and my daughter is bookish, but my husband prefers films and computer games, only picking up reading material on a beach when there’s “nothing else to do”. Anyway, this post isn’t about encouraging a 32 year old man to read, it’s about toddlers.

So.

We were sent a bundle of books to review by Maverick Books recently. It’s one of those parcels that you just don’t open right before bedtime, because the excitement is sure to mean a hyper two year old who will not sleep before 8pm. Did I mention that she LOVES books? Continue reading »

Celebrating the ordinary

18 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by Molly in Family, Social media, Work

≈ 18 Comments

Tags

being ordinary, family, honesty, life, Parenting, Social Media, work

Celebrating the ordinary: managing to persuade a toddler to have an afternoon nap = win.

Last week I wrote a post admitting I often struggle with feeling “not good enough“. It was one of those posts that sees you hesitate before hitting publish. I worried that I’d been too vulnerable, admitted too much, been a bit needy. No one likes needy.

But I’m glad I wrote that post. The huge range of comments it provoked, both on the blog, Twitter, Facebook and Google+, all made me realise it’s not just me. It would seem every single one of us has the odd nagging doubt from time to time.

I admitted I sometimes didn’t feel like I was doing “enough” in my working life (despite often working around 70 hours a week). I held my hands up to the fact I very rarely felt like I was doing “enough” in my role as a mum and wife. I openly shouted that I’m RUBBISH at keeping on top of the housework and the washing. Continue reading »

The dance of the potty

17 Sunday Feb 2013

Posted by Molly in Family, Toilet training

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

family, Parenting, potty training, toddlers

I have become one of those mothers. You know the ones; the ones who want to tell the world how “clever” their child is because they did a wee on the potty.

I know. I hate myself too.

The thing is, no one told me that having children would mean there would be a moment in my life when I would find myself dancing a celebratory conga around a potty. I was completely unprepared for the sheer joy a potty training triumph would bring. There is nothing like the all-encompassing pride at hearing the tinkling notes of your child using the potty as it was intended (not as a hat, pillow, cereal bowl or weapon). Continue reading »

When “good” isn’t good enough

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Molly in Motherhood, Social media, Work

≈ 49 Comments

Tags

.motherhood, being a success, being a wife, being good enough, career, having it all, journalism, radio, working, writing

Do you ever get the feeling you’re not good enough?

Not successful enough? Not rich enough? Not achieved enough in your career? Not been a good enough parent or partner?

Because I get that. All the time.

I got a postcard from my mum today. She titled it “Bringing Home The Bacon” and put a note on the back, reminding me that it’s important to be ambitious but not to the point where you set yourself targets you can’t reach. She is wise. Continue reading »

Sometimes it’s easier to get messy

12 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by Molly in Play

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

messy play, Parenting, sensory box, sensory play, tantrums, toddlers

There’s a point in the afternoon that every parent I know dreads. As 4pm ticks ever closer, my blood pressure starts to rise. I’ve heard some call it the “Witching Hour”, while others call it “Tantrum O’Clock”. Either way, 4pm in our house often signals a one way ticket to Tantrumville. And it’s not pretty.

The thing about 4pm, is that it often coincides with the exact minute that my energy levels have dipped below zero. By this time in the afternoon, all I want to do is crawl under a blanket on the sofa and give in to exhaustion. My toddler’s fractious behaviour, however, would never allow it. So I’ve started trying to ward off 4pm and greet it head on, with a pre-planned activity. Yesterday, it was all about the Sensory Box.

Mother's Always Right

~ If not, ask Gran

Monthly Archives: February 2013

Managing the juggle – a piece for MAMA UK

Lessons from Mum

Friendships worth making an effort over

Bedtime reading for toddlers

The dance of the potty

When “good” isn’t good enough

Sometimes it’s easier to get messy