Loving time to spend with these nutters! |
Most days I find this going through my head, I am amazed
really. How on earth did I use to work, volunteer and look after my family and home?
Now I’m not working outside the home it completely baffles me, I can see why I
used to look tired and withered most of the time.
Here I am now with loads of time on my hands and still I don’t
sit around and twiddle my thumbs, in fact I’d like a few more hours in a day. I
suppose it is a change of priorities and activities rather than having stopped.
Things before which had to be pushed to the side can now be undertaken.
It gives me an immense amount of satisfaction now to be able
to do reading, times tables, spelling and homework with the kids every day.
Before I struggled to do it twice a week. I tried to push the guilt away, who did
it help if I felt bad that I was not doing enough educational things with the
kids but realistically in the short time we have been here Miss E has made
really great progress with her reading, something she struggles so much with.
When I see that progress I know it is totally right than I am not working right
now.
The smallest things gives me joy at the moment, like the
fact I’m able to use up those plums that have not ripened. Before they would have
ended up in the bin as there was no time for anything else but now I can use
Maggy’s recipe and enjoy plum cake with custard. We can have roast dinners on
week days, I can make curry from scratch and hot puddings come from the oven
not a shop-bought container. Never has so much flour, eggs, butter and sugar been
used in my house!
I have an immense respect for working parents, having done
it for 10 years myself I know it is hard work and right now I’m blessed to be
trying something different out. I felt the benefit of not working this week
when late Sunday afternoon Miss M broke her elbow. As I spoke to dh on the
phone as we waited in our local A&E all I could say was thank God I can
just stay home with her and not worry. If we had been back in Hertfordshire one
or the other of us would have felt compromised trying to sort out work around
caring for our babe.
I understand I’m really blessed to have been able to make
this decision, not everyone can. I have a husband who understands this is right
at present and we have agreed that we will make financial sacrifices to be able
to do this - plans for future abroad holidays and large purchases are gone but
for us we really are feeling a difference in our quality of life.
For sure I’d urge anyone to seriously consider giving up
work and spending some time at home to really be with your kids and to be able
to feel as if you are on top of things. Turn back the clock and never would I
or anyone who knew me say that I’d ever suit being a stay at home mum but we’d all
have been wrong. For now it feels good and that’s enough for me.
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