Week 4 of being back to work full time… I honestly did not think I would still be functioning at this stage! Or at the very least that the house would still be standing!
The fear of the unknown was real as the end of August came barreling towards me.
My head was spinning on and off with all the wondering…
How will I adjust?
How will the boys adjust?
Will I be completely useless after 5pm every day?
Am I going to be spending my evenings doing housework?
Are lazy weekends a thing of the past?
When will I ever get a window of time for myself?
Is everything going to be just chaotic?
So much wondering… I suppose it’s actually called anxiety!
Four weeks almost done now & I am pleasantly surprised…
My evenings are most certainly busier, the weekends are definitely less relaxing, every morning is early and hectic…
But time is flying.
And everything is going fine.
I leave the boys in bed (being occupied by a screen🙃) for 15mins each morning so I have lunches & breakfast ready when they come downstairs… everyone is dressed & fed by 8am which leaves 10mins free for TV time. This makes sure the boys don’t feel like they are being dragged out of the bed & into the car and helps to keep things calm.
Work is bananas and before I know it it’s time for pick up…
We get home around 3.30pm and it’s feeding time at the zoo… they chill, watch TV and play around.
I take a breather for a small while, steal a cup of tea if I can, then crack on with prepping a dinner.
I usually get the laundry turned over as dinner is cooking; throw in a wash while the onion is frying, fold a load while the kettle is boiling, hang some up to dry on my way upstairs etc.
Little and often is my key to success…
I am #blessed to have a husband who does bedtime every second night so whoever is not on bedtime duty is on dishwasher duty & that is a pretty decent reset for the morning ahead.
When I was part-time my fave catchphrase was “ah shur I’ll do it tomorrow”!!! Ain’t nobody got time tomorrow….!! So it has to get done today, that’s the biggest change for me when it comes to the housework!
There is no deep cleaning, there is no dusting or polishing, the windows are just about see-through… but bellies are full, clothes are clean and that’s as good as it needs to be for the time being.
Hell there was no deep cleaning while I job-shared either so nothing seems too different on that front!!
So far so good, I am happy that the boys are not feeling hard done by, there hasn’t been a peep out of them since Day 2 of school. I was expecting a lot of tears over me not being involved in any pickups or drop-offs for the first time ever, but luckily they are so at home with their childminder that they aren’t feeling neglected!
The most affected family member is probably Hubby…!
No company for his work-from-home lunchbreaks…
Nobody to drop a cup of tea and a treat out in the middle of a long Teams meeting…
Nobody to twist his rubber arm and drag him outside to play at 2pm…
Needless to say he’s in the office a lot more often🤣
I won’t lie, the full time paycheck was a nice little reward after the first few weeks back… let’s not even mention the tax increase though…!
I am very aware of how much easier it is for me than most because I finish earlier etc, but nevertheless it is a big change for this household & it is a big milestone for me personally.
I am also aware that the age of my boys also helps a lot, they are at a much more independent stage now, playing together, occupying themselves, wiping their own bums…not needing me every second of the day. This is a HUGE help when it comes to keeping everything else going.
If you are still at the bum-wiping and always-needed stage, chances are you will feel like you are sinking and drowning while trying to keep it all going.
You can only do so much.
My windows will be staying dirty, and my surfaces will be staying dusty.
I can only do so much.
Cooking is being done, laundry is being done, that will do me for now!
Millennial Irish Mammy 