It's you or the house....

Does anyone else feel like managing a family and running a household is an impossible task?

From day to day, I seem to run from one thing to another, with precious little 'me-time', all while trying to maintain the air of coolness and sophistication that accompanies the carefree lifestyle of those who don't have to hunt for lost shoes/dummies/book bags each morning. 

Today's schedule looked like this: get woken up, before my alarm by my eldest, feed the boys, grab cuppa, dress boys and myself, apply bb cream and lippy in half light of dawn, walk to school, walk back, put on laundry load, sweep up breakfast crumbs while playing hide and seek with my toddler, chase said toddler around local toddler group, come home to feed toddler, put him down for a nap, switch on laptop and catch up on emails and articles in between mouthfuls of a hastily made salad, wake toddler, put laundry out to dry, walk to school to collect 5yo, walk home, begin process of entertaining and feeding boys whilst cooking dinner and washing up breakfast dishes before hubby comes home. Upon his arrival, bath kids before dinner, put them to bed, eat dinner, drive to grocery store for weekly food shop, drive home to unpack grocery bags, write menu for the following week, check school bag and change bag and fill water bottles and depleted items, check on boys and iron uniform for next day, finally lock up and check cats are fed and watered with clean litter tray. 

I am exhausted!! In amongst all these chores I desperately want my house to remain clean to the high standard it was pre-children, and I want to maintain a half decent appearance so that my husband will recognise the wife of his youth and not be faced with a dishevelled, tired looking stranger when he walks through the door. More importantly I want to enjoy some quality time with my husband, talking, playing games, watching movies not to mention being close to one another physically.

But how on earth do people find the time to be the perfect wife/girlfriend/mother/friend/cook/housewife?

My hubby is amazing and helps no end in the house and especially with the boys, but I do find myself regularly thinking I just cannot keep up with everything and there is always something that suffers from my multitasking mayhem. I can be the perfect sex kitten wife with happy kids and a trashed house or a house proud stepford wife with immaculate floors, bored kids and a frustrated husband. And that's not even talking into account my working hours!

So my darling boys (big and small), I feel I must say that my attention can only be split so many ways during the day, so you just choose - it's you or the house! ;)

R x 

Why getting damp could be good for you

No one likes being damp. Least of all me on the school run.

The sudden onset of winter has taken us all by surprise after such a lovely summer and mild autumn, and the constant rain hat we have been having has been particularly unwelcome by most. My mantra has always been 'there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing' and although I still stick by this saying, the Great British rain storms have dampened even my spirits when it comes to the repeated trips to and from the school gates with my buggy bound toddler in tow.

I have never been a fan of damp, especially after having to leave our previous home because of it, however God reminded me this week that being damp can have its uses. This revelation came to me whilst quietly ironing yesterday as I discovered that some of my husband's shirts had gotten quite damp from the iron leaking on to them in the ironing basket. Thinking that I would just iron them anyway then leave them to air, I was surprised to find that it is actually easier to iron clothes that are not fully dry as the creases aren't so set in to the fabric. Feeling rather pleased that my least favourite chore of ironing seven plus shirts had become far less arduous I felt God whisper into my spirit "that shirt is just like you".

Excuse me? I put the iron back in its rest on my battered ironing board and asked God "How exactly am I like a damp shirt?"

"Because when you are in the storms of life, stood in the relentless rain and finding your spirits dampened, it is then that you are most malleable and most receptive to my Holy Spirit speaking into and changing your life".

The reply stopped me in my tracks. It was so true, the times of greatest change and transformation in my life had been in times of difficulty, despair and disappointment. I have learnt more about myself and about the God I love and serve during hard times than I have in times of blessing and abundance. That is not to say that to experience a closeness and intimacy with God you need to endure trials, quite the opposite as God will meet you in whatever circumstances you are in. However for me I know that my strong personality is like those stubborn creases that just refuse to budge no matter how hot the temperature is on the iron, but with a bit of steam added they smooth right out.

God is a loving God who wants to bless us, and help us in our day to day lives, and He knows what is best for us.

"For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future" Jeremiah 29:11

So next time you feel under the weather, that your spirits are dampened, be encouraged and turn to God and allow Him to get to work and start smoothing out the creases of your life.

R

School Run Style: Why I don't want to be a slummy mummy

I am sure that when my husband walks in he must think that I have spent hours in a wrestling ring, and to an extent he is probably right.

My once carefully applied makeup has been kissed or rubbed off by small chubby hands, my hair has been pulled on as I have adopted the role of ride on entertainment for my two sons or I have been so thoroughly soaked during the school run itself or during bath time. By the time I have dressed and fed our boys, coerced them in to getting out of the house on time for the school run, frog marched them to the school gates in biting winds and horizontal rain, returned home to play cars/trains/drums as requested by my toddler, cooked lunch, marched back to school to collect the big boy before returning home for CC time (cookie and catch up about our day), re-enacted scenes from Cars/Toy Story/Spiderman, provided ride on entertainment and had several tickle fights, I am not surprised that I look a little windswept by the end of it.

I have such good intentions when I start the day, have a shower and attempt to control my naturally wavy hair using brute force and straightening irons before carefully selecting a comfortable and warm outfit, plus coordinating accessories. Granted some mornings the shower is skipped in favour of a wash and I admit defeat and scrunch my tresses into curls to save a bit of time, and yes a long waterproof coat does cover a hoodie and weetabix splattered jeans on a bad day. However looking good makes me feel good so I make a conscious effort to look my best each day, even if that simply means a slick of lip gloss, and a sweep of mascara.

I think my image consciousness comes from not only being interested in fashion and wanting to make the most of my figure/face in my thirties, but also from the fact that I don't 'go' to a place of work. As a working at home mom, I am privileged to fit my writing business in around my children, however not dressing for and travelling to an office can leave me feeling feel less motivated as I could work in my PJ's all day and am less likely to push myself to develop new skills and succeed. Having battle Post Natal Depression following the birth of my second son, I like to dress well so that I feel more 'put together' and ready to face the world and as my house is filled with boys I also enjoy dressing in a more feminine manner whenever possible, adopting dresses and skirts over leggings and tights if the weather permits.

Please understand that I have nothing against moms who wear hoodies and slouchy jeans for the school run (although I draw the line at pulling a three quarter length coat and ugg boots over the top of your PJ's unless you seriously overslept!) if anything I applaud them for being so comfortable in their own skin to wear practical, comfortable clothing.

For me, fashion and a sense of style is part of my identity as a woman and it also boost my confidence, making a concerted effort helps me to feel more confident in all areas of my personal and professional life, from meeting new moms in the playground to writing website content for a new client.

The beauty of fashion nowadays is that it needn't cost the earth, and some of my greatest finds have been in charity shops across the UK. As a parent to a boy who thinks flinging his food and drink around at every meal time, I have quickly realised that nothing is safe from mischievous sticky fingers, therefore buying preowned clothes that cost less than a brand new item in Primark is far more preferable to scrubbing stains out of a favourite blouse that cost my whole wage packet. Furthermore, I am doing my bit for the environment by reusing and recycling in the process, and what's better than bagging a bargain whilst saving the world one clothing item at a time?

R

Rainy school days and waterproof washouts!

Aaron and I were somewhat excited about our first rainy school run.

It was an excuse to get out the waterproofs and boots and proudly display to the world how undeterred we were by the Great British weather. 

However I rather drastically underestimated the gale force winds and torrential down pour on the school run, and as I arrived at the school gates with my somewhat dishevelled and soggy children, I conceded that I really should have taken the car this morning.

The truth is, school is literally a 15 minute walk away and I had bravely told my husband that he should take the car instead of the motorbike, as we were all kitted out with wet weather gear, however our Trespass jackets proved no match for the horizontal rain, and I also forgot that jackets do not, I repeat do not cover the thighs (mommy fail) so despite our best efforts in wearing our boots the boy and I had very wet thighs by the end of the journey. The baby fared the best in his pushchair however even he had wet feet after sticking his toes out of the cover, will be wellington boots for him too this afternoon!

I have also come to realise that my cute fringe (bangs to my US friends) does not fare well in wet weather, and that perhaps straight styled hair for the school run will be a thing of the past.

So how exactly does a momma remain remotely fashion forward in the UK winter? I am desperately in need of a full length waterproof mac that won't make me look like a fisher man, and my trusty knee high boots have clearly seen better days....

Once home I had to have a complete outfit change but all is well now I am curled up with a cuppa and my little man. Lets hope the coats have dried off by this afternoon!