MANAGING TIME

Sometimes I look at my watch and it is already 10:30am and I have literally done nothing.  Sometimes the simplest of tasks like convincing a child to eat their breakfast and then get dressed take me over an hour.  Sometimes it's 5pm and all I've managed to do all day is walk the dogs and feed my child. 

There is always a never ending amount of washing and ironing, there is always a never ending amount of dog hair on my beautiful cream tiles and there is always, always glass that needs cleaning thanks to two wet noses and a pair of constantly sticky hands!!

So how do some do it?  They work full time, their house is immaculate and they still have spare time for playing, arts and crafts and family time.  I barely have time to straighten my hair! 

I'll admit, Harriet isn't the earliest of risers (lucky me), so I take full advantage of this and stay in bed too!  I'm not a morning person, even when I worked full time I would hit the snooze button 74 times before I dragged my butt out of bed.  This I fear, may be my biggest down fall. 

I am always complaining that I can't get any housework done when I'm alone with Harriet.  She tries to ride the hoover and clean the dogs.  She empties the cupboards and drawers as fast as I'm putting things away.  I end up getting about one quarter of my list of jobs completed and it takes me all day.  On the very rare occasions that I am bright as a button early in the morning, it is true I get so much done.  But other days I take full advantage of my husband leaving at silly o'clock for work and I starfish in our bed until I hear 'Mummy, mummy, mummy'.   Does this make me selfish?  Lazy?  I think not.  We all have good days and bad days.  Sometimes Harriet sleeps all night, sometimes she doesn't.  Sometimes I nearly murder my husband when his snoring is still keeping me awake at 4am and sometimes I don't. 

But from the minute she wakes we don't stop.  Most mornings Harriet accompanies me on the morning dog walk along the canal.  It's so peaceful in the morning and so beautiful.  Now she's a little older she can help feed the ducks and we talk about the different animals we meet along the way.  It's then home to quickly change and eat a snack before we head out to her first activity of the day.  We meet friends, we play, we make things and we walk the dogs again in the afternoon.  We are always super busy but sometimes I am my own worse enemy when it comes to time management.

I have really enjoyed writing my blog over the last couple of months but I have been quiet for a couple of weeks.  I complained to my husband I hadn't had time, that every time I sit down to write, a toddler is screaming for my attention.  But truth is, I could be a little more organised.  I do think that because I am not working I am missing structure.  I insist Harriets days are quite structured (but not regimented) but I never follow my own advice.  I need to be more disciplined with myself and start organising my days better especially when she goes to sleep in the evening. 

So although I plan to be more organised and I have promised my husband I will cook more (yeah right!), if you do visit me and my home doesn't look 'insta-beautiful', that's because we are out having fun; we are learning and exploring.  Let's face it, the dogs are going to shed more hair tomorrow and Harriet will spill more food! 

Victoria
xx