We need a secretary. Someone to organise our lives. Maintain our diaries and put the correct postcode in our sat-navs to make sure we get to the right place on time. They could let us know when we’re running out of milk or washing powder. They could answer the phone and fend off the people we don’t need to speak to. They could compare car insurance quotes, remind us to get the car MOTed and fill in the stupid forms to accept our speeding fines (maybe that’s just me). In fact, just telling me what to cook for dinner would be a great help some days.
Don’t get me wrong. I knew when I signed up for this ‘wife and mother’ malarkey there would be child care, cooking and cleaning responsibilities. Fair enough, I thought, I can handle that. What I’d forgotten about (probably because I don’t have a secretary) is that not only would there be the day to day organisational stuff I already did, read the meters, pay the council tax, remember mother-in-law’s birthday, but that the addition of two small children would increase these tasks exponentially once you factor in all their health related appointments, all the paperwork, uniform rotating and reading books involved for pre-school, constantly replacing and storing away outgrown clothes, the planning and buying of appropriate food because falling back on takeaways three days in a row because you haven’t got to the supermarket is no longer acceptable.
What’s panicing me now is that in a week I’ll be back at work and doing all the above, just with 37.5 less hours a week to do them in and thus far my only preparation for this change is the arrival of a slow cooker in an attempt to get all four of us eating the same food every night even if it has to be at different times. So how am I going to make this work without our lives descending into chaos? All suggestions and time/money/effort saving tips will be gratefully received.
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Image: africa / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
faysophie says
Oh goodness I don’t know. I feel I have plenty on my plate and I don’t work!
Christmas is always the most manic though. What childcare will you be using? a nanny/housekeeper sounds ideal
Smiles happily to myself thinking how nice it would be to come home with dinner in the oven the house just the right mix of clean but cozy and children playing happily. ahhh lovely.
right better get some housework done I suppose.
Yellow Days says
A housekeeper? That sounds lovely. Where can I get one that I can pay with biscuits and free use of my broadband?
faysophie says
If only huh 🙂 a rice cooker is my life saver.
Notmyyearoff says
I know exactly how you feel!! I am
Going back in the new year and wondering how the hell I’m going to balance everything. I think we need a slow cooker too!
Yellow Days says
My slowcooker is the best thing about this whole situation. Get one, Get one!
nursemay says
So in the same boat (HELP)… I started back this week (only 25 hours tho) and so today was pretty much a full day of cleaning to catch up!
I’ve just put some cleaning chores on calendar so hubby can help out – ie twice weekly hoover, and cleaning one room a day (6 rooms in total so gives one day rest!!).
Just cooked a chicken and divided into portions for dinner, 2 extra meals (curry and pasta) and made soup with carcass – at least that’s made life easier! Getting my meal plans sorted out today too!
And you just reminded me I really need to get a new cord for slow cooker – mines awol!!!
Good luck – I’m sure life will settle into a routine… not sure when but we can only hope!
xx