Ten signs that you might not have the motherhood and life balance thing exactly right
Alisa at Project Happily Ever After set the mommy blogger community a challenge: How do you deal with balancing the all-consuming job of being mummy with the rest of your life?
Good question. This should be easy. The first thing you should do is, er, ummm, oh forget it, all I can think of is examples of how I DON'T get the balance right.
So, I have my list below. But I'm not sure it's exactly what Alisa had in mind…
By the way, if you haven't seen her blog yet, check it out. It's full of all kinds of practical advice on how to live "happily ever after". I'm an avid reader, one can always live in hope.
Ten signs that you might not have the motherhood/life balance thing exactly right:
1. You allow your kids to eat whatever they want, whenever they want. If they don't want the pancakes you made them for breakfast, you offer them sausages and scrambled eggs or waffles and bacon or crepes. They end up ordering all of the above and go to school with their tummies full and you spend the morning groaning about cleaning up the kitchen.
2. You micromanage every minute of your child's time. You hover over them at playdates and the playpark and spend your afternoons ferrying them to football, French and their best friends' house. All in the same day.
3. You panic when there is a term break. Then you FREAK OUT when you realize you have fourteen FULL DAYS of entertaining your offspring with just your wit. And the TV, if it's working.
4. You haven't been away overnight with your husband and without the kids. Ever. You don't seem to mind.
5. You call a friend who is going through a rough time and spend the whole time talking about your daughter's urinary tract infection and your son's underachievement. Then you ask if she's OK.
6. The subject of poo sneaks into every conversation you have. Even with the postman.
7. You use your gym membership so infrequently that each visit costs you about the same as a trip to Costco.
8. As soon as your husband comes home from work you surround him with samples of wallpaper and paint. For the dolls' house.
9. It annoys you when your carpool wants to switch days. Don't they realize what a packed schedule you have?
10. You start writing a blog and think that your whining are really pearls of wisdom 😉
Photo credit: gilest
Susanna (A Modern Mother) | 12th Jan 09
OK, to set the record straight, I only offer them one cooked item in the morning now, not three 😉
Jo Beaufoix | 12th Jan 09
I’m impressed with the morning cooking too. Wow. Mine get toast or cereal and maybe porridge on a really good day. Blimey. The rest is so true. Very funny. 😀
Expat Mum | 12th Jan 09
Phew – I managed to put a cross against most of those, however, as my blog readers will attest, although I don’t talk about poo much, I do seem to have a fixation with public loos! Obviously a deep-rooted something or other!
Just a Plane Ride Away | 12th Jan 09
LOL, especially #10 😉
Working Mum | 11th Jan 09
Good list, now add in working life and things get really interesting!
Thanks for popping over to mine.
Susanna (A Modern Mother) | 10th Jan 09
I’m afraid all of this happened to either me or a close friend at one point in motherhood. I have become more relaxed with every child, thanks God.
Bee | 10th Jan 09
Susanna – Very hilarious list, hopefully exaggerated in order to make “good copy?” I am continually reminded how different it all becomes when your children get older. My husband and I were very negligent parents, actually, and our children learned how to scavenge breakfast for themselves at quite an early age.
TooManyHats | 9th Jan 09
LOL, excellent list.
Laura | 9th Jan 09
Oh my god. Do you really have time to cook any of the following in the morning? … sausages and scrambled eggs or waffles and bacon or crepes.
We offer a strict one bowl of cereal policy. If anyone dares to utter the word ‘toast’ I lose it COMPLETELY and start ranting.
“Toast is for weekends” I scream whilst pushing them out of the door.