Back to reality

Today it’s back to reality. My husband has had some time off work so for the past 11 days it’s been the 4 of us every day which has been fantastic. Been lovely having an extra pair of hands to help with bedtime, dinners, housework etc as well as do some fun family things together. Love having more time together whether we are just sat around at home, or out and about. But – yes there is a but – it means we have completely got out of “routine”

We’ve never had a regimented routine. I have been a very baby led parent, and that still continues to an extent, but we do have a rough routine with meal times, bedtime, playschool, dog walks. As hubby has been at home all dog walks have been done by me alone and although it’s so much easier for me, I think this can have an adverse on my eldest who is used to her run about and bit of fresh air every day.

Couldn’t be a worse day to start though. My husband works shifts and this week it’s earlies. On a Monday that means a 6am to 6pm shift, home about 6.45pm shoves dinner down his throat then out to pool. I am used to it as its been going on for years but today when I’ve already been asked 10times “where’s daddy?” it’s going to be a struggle!!!

At least we’ve only got a 4 day working week then another 4 days together!

Leaving little one for the first time!!

Tonight we are leaving our youngest with a babysitter for the first time. She is just over 11 weeks old and I feel sick with nerves.

I can’t remember how old our eldest daughter was when we left her for the first time but she must have been a good few months old.

Now I trust our babysitter implicitly. We are leaving Lauren with my mum and besides my husband, there is no one I’d trust more; but I can’t help feeling nervous.

Will she need me?
Will she be upset if she wakes and I’m not there?
Will she take expressed milk from the bottle?

I know deep down mum will manage just fine. We aren’t going far, and can’t imagine we’ll be very long. But she’s my baby and besides the odd dog walk I’ve not been without her.

Playschool – time for me to relax or do jobs?

My eldest goes to playschool two mornings a week for 3 hours at a time. It only takes me 5 minutes to walk there so essentially I have 2hours 50minutes without her twice a week.

This morning is one of those mornings. After dropping her off I took the dog for half hour walk then I came back and plonked myself on the sofa to catch up on EastEnders…….. But I feel guilty. There’s a stack of ironing to be done, and really I could be doing that while watching TV couldn’t I? So why do I feel the need to just sit…?

Actually I didn’t just sit. For the first half hour, I was expressing milk. Now I know we woman are renowned for our ability to multitask but I think expressing & ironing at the same time is pushing it!!

What do you do during the time you don’t have your children? Should I feel guilty for relaxing for a short while?

A new blog…

Hello!

I’ve recently been chosen by Munchkin UK to be a Munchkin Mummy for the next year which has prompted me to start a blog about my life as a Mum. I will share funny moments, boring moments, touching moments, troublesome moments (hopefully rare!) and the odd review here and there of Munchkin UK products.

I now get to ramble away on my favourite topic of conversation – my pride and joy – my family!!

So who are we?

I am Kerry. I’m 32 years old but feel like that’s crazy and I can’t possibly be that old!! I’ve been out of work since I was made redundant in November 2009. At that time I was 3 months pregnant with our first child so it was just a natural progression into my role as a stay at home mum. If I hadn’t been made redundant I’d probably have gone back to work, but instead I revel in being able to be in my dream role.

I am married to Damian. We’ve been together since May 2005, and got married in May 2009. We had a bit of a whirlwind start to our relationship and started living together after 6weeks! It feels like we’ve been together a lifetime and I know it’s corny but he really is my best friend as well as my husband. He works incredibly hard meaning I’m able to stay at home to bring up our children. He’s a brilliant dad as well as an amazing husband.

Our first daughter, Taylor, was born in May 2010. The little monkey was so comfy inside me that she was born 17 days late by the time she was forced out by drugs and a tug of forceps (perhaps I’ll share birth stories another day!) Taylor is an incredibly bright little girl. Her speech is very advanced for her age and she takes after me in many respects; She’s a chatterbox and a bossy boots! Taylor is very eager to learn and has a brilliant memory and likes to put everything she learns into practice.

Then in December 2012 along came our second daughter, Lauren. After how late Taylor was I’d tried not to focus on a due date but I needn’t have worried as her birth couldn’t have been more different. An incredibly quick labour and only missing her due date by 1 hour 17 minutes. Lauren is already proving to be very much like her big sister and I think the pair of them will run rings around Damian and I when they are older.

Our family also includes Ash. He’s our 10 year old black Labrador. Ash is a fabulous laid back dog who has had to take a back seat since the girls came along but deals with it very well. I believe having a pet is good for kids and our daily walks are not only great exercise for us all but can be a great learning activity too.

So that’s us.
There’s so much I haven’t told you but they are the basics!

I look forward to sharing many more bits of our life with you.