it’s so cliche, but i’m so grateful for the chance to be a mum.
i rocked Jovie to sleep earlier tonight, as i do most nights now, and instead of trying to rush through it like i do with most things these days, i just looked at her perfect sweet face and smiled.
just before bed time, we took Jasper outside and he pointed out to me where Mars is. MARS. it blows me away at how amazing the littlest people in your life can be, every day.
i might not have a million bucks in the bank, but i think i’m pretty rich when it comes to this.
so i never really talk about work here, for privacy reasons, and because i don’t think it’s professional of me to do so and i’m not about to start talking about it. but i do want to talk about being a working mum and i’ll probably start blogging about it a bit more.
now and then i see news articles or tv segments about “what’s best for baby” and often it’s “mum stay at home with the baby”. in a perfect world, would i have loved to had done that? of course. but reality is, like so many other women out there, i didn’t have paid maternity leave and i had to return to work very early on in my children’s lives. with Jasper, i went back full time when he was 5 weeks old. with Jovie, we managed to arrange it so i went back when she was 11 weeks old.
the question is – do i regret it? and after thinking about it for years/months now, i’ve promised myself that anything that has to do with my kids, i will not regret for one second. we’re so bombarded by the media, our parents, our friends, ourselves – to think a certain way or to react a certain way because that’s “what you’re supposed to do” and then face wave after wave of “you’re a bad mum if…”. instead, i want to spend my time enjoying my life and not put myself into the naughty corner because i didn’t spend 18 hours with them today. yes in the beginning it was very hard (to the point of losing it completely) but then i felt i could go one of two ways – get pouty and make day to day life miserable – or embrace it and make everyday awesome whether i’m at work that day or not. i want my kids to know that every day i gave my best, not just for them but for myself too.
i don’t post this as another one of those annoying “working mums vs stay at home mums” rants – i honestly think whatever you choose to do is your own business, just don’t let anyone make you feel like you should regret it in any way. own it and love it and just smile at the people that tell you “but how come you didn’t…” because alternate realities belong on the sci-fi channel, not in my home 😉
are you a working mum? did you find it hard to adjust to your new life with kids and a job?
Over the New Years celebrations, I opened up A Day In The Life to get an insight on how everyone has spent their New Years! (Admittedly, I didn’t do a very good job promoting it, as always – even forgot to blog it here!!)
Our New Year was very much a family day – Regan was working New Years Eve and New Years Day and the kids are still too little to take them to see the fireworks in person. Here’s how it went –
It’s been a great way to document the kid’s day – if I look back to other day’s that I’ve played it, it’s a little bit different each time. As I get older, priorities change – an early night in is a real treat for us (so is 5 hours straight of sleep!).
Did you take any photos over New Years Eve or New Years Day? Share them over at sh1ft.org projects!
