My sister sent me these photos of John on Wednesday. I was working and her & my Mum were watching the boys, a weekly occurrence on Wednesdays. Of course, I laughed. A lot! I wonder if it's because I work in optics and spend most of my days selling, adjusting & fixing glasses that I find it particularly funny to see my biggest boy having a shot of his Granny's glasses and loving it. (But then maybe kids in big glasses is universally funny? You tell me!)
John is getting into a good wee routine now where he expects to see his Granny on a Wednesday and that Monday & Thursdays are nursery days. Tuesday's & Friday's have always been days with Mummy & Saturday's are the 3 of us in the morning until Daddy gets home. With Sunday's being dedicated to boys only days. Which if you're following me, equates to Daddy working 5.5 days a week and Mummy working 4 days. But this might be changing soon.
When I returned to work after having the boys I was only doing 3 days a week, simply because the cost of childcare wouldn't allow me to do any more. Plus the boys were merely babies and I felt like I couldn't be away from them for more than 24 hours a week. But they grew...quickly...and my bank balance didn't grow with them. So I started doing Sunday's to make the whole work-scenario a bit more worthwhile. And we've been making it work. Two days at nursery, a day with Granny & a day with Daddy; a nice balance.
Recently though, there's been talk of me upping the work once more, which would bring me back to full time hours. It's been something that's played on my mind for quite a while. We're by no means 'well off' and the extra cash would be hugely beneficial, especially with bills to pay, debts to clear and a wedding to start planning. I mean, it'd be silly not to, right? Yet, I still feel torn in half.
Between two wee boys who would happily spend every moment in the company and being able to actually provide them with the possibility of a forever home & not just a rented flat. It's he difference between planning a wedding in the next 5 years and the next 10. And it's a case of working my ass off now, paying off debts before the boys go to school so I can maybe even manage to pick them up from school in the afternoon, even a few days a week. Yet, I still don't want to leave hem; mothers guilt & all that.
It will mean missing out at times, letting nursery be there for some of the firsts & milestones, and hoping that Granny will get photos of the moments she has with them too. But my heart tells me I'm better doing what I've got to do now, whilst they're young & adaptable, so that I can be there on the days they need to come home from school earlier because they're not feeling 100%, without worrying if the bills will still be covered. Or take time off in the school holidays, without thinking we'll end up living off a tight food budget as a result. To be able to marry Iain in the next 5 years and to buy a house in the next 10.
Nothing is finalised yet but it's looking like it's heading that way. 5 days of working times two. 3 days of nursery, one day with Granny, 1 day with a Mummy & 1 day with Daddy, with one final day as a family...once Daddy finishes work in the morning too. At least until we win the lottery that is!
Your week sounds a lot like mine - juggling two working parents and childcare. I can't imagine working full time now, but if I did it would have to be Mon-Fri in my job and there would never be a family day. Well there would, but every 6-8 weeks. At the moment we get one, sometimes two family days a month and I treasure them. Your balance sounds good with a day with the boys, Iain having a day and a day as a family plus it's nice that Granny gets a day with them too :)
ReplyDeleteWith my financial/banking head on I would agree completely - do what you can now and benefit from it later on :) x
That's it, Donna. It's a head over heart matter! Time for work now and hopefully in a few years time we can be all about the play!
Deletexo
I think you have to do what's right for your family and only you know deep down what that it is. But I think that you can definitely benefit from working and extra money- we are working every hour we can at the moment, albeit we both work at home, but to get money and security for our family. PS Super cute in those glasses! x
ReplyDeleteThanks, Katie. In an ideal world we'd win the lottery and being able to live comfortably right away but for now that isn't reality (boohoo!). Fingers crossed for working from home one day - just got to figure out doing what first...
Deletexo
It's so hard to balance what's right for them now with what's right for the family in the future isn't it - it sounds like you're doing a great job juggling and balancing the long and short term priorities, and I rather suspect that whatever the decision, the mummy gilt comes along in some form or other!
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