A Humdrum Mum

Looking around the Netmums webpage, I found this title of their latest book. I liked the last Netmums book I bought, the food one, and the one before, about toddlers to teenagers or something. Very good, written by experts AND people like you and me. Anyway, I saw a review of this book and it included a summary of what the book covered. I thought I'd add my comments in here to the list of How to be a happy mum! Friends: why we need mum friends and how to keep them I would be at a loss without my mummy friends. I have a group of both NCT and mummy friends. We are an excellent support network and have been through so much together: PND, returning to work, miscarriage, more pregnancies... How to keep them? I have a revolving group that I see on Mondays, and another group on Fridays. Then there are the friends who live further away and I admit I have to make an effort to keep in touch and meet up with them. My friends are my life support. Sleep: Without sleep everything seems wo...

This week's theme at The Gallery is Creatures . I zipped through my pictures on my other blog during my lunch hour (far too hot to go out) and found this one. Elf is of course... the creature called SPIDERMAN! And what is he carrying under his arm? A piece of plastic piping of course. It was part of a game the details of which I cannot recall.

Last Friday I was sunbathing on my picnic mat whilst my son played a game involving pussycats and buckets of grass, thinking about what to in my next blog post. As I "announced" on my blog recently, I have a new column (ooo exciting!) and I was commissioned to write a piece on work life balance. (More details to come later about my column). Work life balance to me is the choice of earning less, but the chance of having much more. I’m that part-time working mum chasing her tail, remembering the toy for her four year old son’s Show’n’Tell, before rushing to get to work. I work three days a week, partly for sanity purposes, partly for money.

This is my first go at The Gallery so apologies if I don't do it right! Here's my entry - simply myself, my son Elf and my mother (my template for motherhood). So Elf, if in 20 years you think I did a good job, thank Nana. If not, hmmm blame Nana.

Today Elf went to his new school for a practice run. There he was, dressed in his party shirt and vest and smart shorts. What a big boy he is, off to school. A few tears at drop-off with Daddy, but a happy boy came out to meet me at pick-up time before lunch. He was in his vest as he'd taken his shirt off (how embarrassed was I, they must have thought he'd worn a vest instead of a t-shirt!). Armed with his bag and a drawing, he ran to me and told me he'd been fine. He'd cuddled a boy called J who was now his friend. He waved to S on the way out and all seemed fine. We know the headmistress Miss P, and she called around this evening to see how Elf had got on. Fine we said. She said she'd seen him sitting nicely playing with cars, ahh how sweet. Then Elf came to the door to see her, and as is normal for playtime before bed, he was dressed only in his pants. (Is this a boy thing?) Guess what he did? He pulled down his pants and showed his headmistress his willy. We...

I'll hold my hands up and admit that I've stolen this title from I'll think of a title later 's last entry. I just want to list the things I have been doing, to make me feel better about not having blogged for 12 days. Here goes: Being ill with a hacking cough that appeared without the preceding cold - bloody annoying Looking after a supposedly-ill child who is off nursery with bottom issues, but seems quite normal to me Spending two days in Bournemouth with my mum and dad, and Elf - lovely sunny days on the beach Sorting out my speeding fine and deciding whether to go on a Driver Awareness Course (I am, but it's in the next county to me) Worrying over whether we can afford our new house - status: survey done on ours for buyer, and our offer on our desired house accepted too, survey to be booked next week so not there yet but getting closer Being published - more details later but I have been asked to write a small piece on Work Life Balance for a local public...