Tag Archives: being a mum

The Motherhood Test

06 Monday Jan 2014

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Motherhood tests

There comes a time when, whatever it is you do, you have to call upon all the skills you have ever learned in your field to overcome a particularly tricky problem.

Maybe you’re a newly qualified doctor and have to administer CPR for the first time in real life. Perhaps you’re an accountant and the Inland Revenue decide to audit one of your clients. Or you might be a firefighter coming up against the worst building fire you’ve ever seen.

Today was that day for me. I encountered my first ever Big Test as a parent. It required quick thinking, clever tactics and the ability to draw upon everything I have learned in my life thus far.  Continue reading »

Why we should ban the term “Full Time Mum”

04 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by in Motherhood, Work

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When I was pregnant, I had no idea of the minefield that women must endure after they’ve had a baby. I’m not talking about breastfeeding vs bottlefeeding or cry it out vs co-sleeping. I’m talking about labels. Big fat labels that all women are made to wear around their neck once they bring a child into the world.

I’m not a fan of labels. I think they divide us rather than bringing us together. “Attachment Parent”, “Stay At Home Parent”, “Natural Parent”, whatever the label, they all make me feel kind of itchy.

I have no problem with the concepts behind the label, but the idea of belonging to a “club”, likening parenting to being a fan of a particular football team, just doesn’t sit well with me. I was the kid at school who loved Take That but also had a secret soft spot for East 17. So you see, I’ve never been very good at choosing sides. Continue reading »

Giving up the guilt

05 Friday Apr 2013

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Guilt wine

Guilt wine

What is it about parenthood and guilt?

My life seems to revolve around a continual cycle of guilt at the moment; guilt at working too hard, guilt at not working hard enough, guilt at spending too little time with my toddler, guilt at worrying about spending too little time with my toddler, guilt at eating too much, guilt at eating too little, the list goes on and on and on.

Guilt, guilt, guilt.

It’s exhausting. And also, totally pointless. Continue reading »

Me Time and Mum Time – striking the balance

27 Sunday Jan 2013

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A perfect bath

This picture sums up a discovery I’ve made over the past few weeks. To be the best mum possible, you need to strike a balance and find some time for yourself. Even if it’s just a little sliver.

I made a decision over the Christmas break to try and regain some kind of balance. I wrote recently about how being self-employed can make it hard to get that balance right. Although I love every aspect of what I do, I’ve come to accept that I do need some element of non-work, non-mum life too. I need a piece of something for myself. Continue reading »

You’re just like my mum

17 Tuesday Apr 2012

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My mum can take a back seat for a while. She’s not needed any more. I’ve got you, afterall.

When I rang my beloved mother yesterday in a fit of worry, terrified that my daughter was unhappy and withdrawn, that I’d made the wrong decision sending her to a childminder, that I should give up my radio job and just work from home, she didn’t answer the phone.

This was probably a good thing, because I would just have transferred the worry to my own mum. And, while Mother Worry is bad, Grandmother Worry is ten times worse.

So, instead, I turned to you. Continue reading »

One today

02 Thursday Feb 2012

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Once upon a time there was a woman.

She had a wobbly tummy, big bags under her eyes and a yummy little baby.

But, despite this woman’s attributes, she was worried.

The whole year stretched ahead of her and she didn’t know what it would hold. She didn’t know when her yummy little baby would start sleeping through the night. She didn’t know if she would return to her old pre-baby job. She didn’t know how long she could continue to pretend she had a clue what she was doing when it came to being a mum. Continue reading »

Me right now

01 Wednesday Feb 2012

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It’s just after 9am on a Wednesday morning.

We’re into the last hour of the show and I’m catching up on tweets. Twitter says I’ve missed a good week on The Gallery.

I’m a bit miffed. Work and mum duties tend to have a habit of getting in the way of the blog at times.

So I ask our lovely producer Adrian to take a picture of me, right now. No fussing with hair. No trying to put my head at a flattering angle. I’m even still biting my nails.

Frog, this is what your mum does when she’s at work. This is me, right now.