Juggling it all

I bumped into a friend the other day that I haven't seen for a while. "what are you up to these days?' she said. "Well, I'm working full time at Grove Farm and studying for a Masters degree in Media Enterprise. Er, and still trying to keep the craft workshops going as well." (Apart from having 2 school age children, a husband and house to take care of but that would have sounded like I WAS actually some kind of Superwoman)

"I see" she said "Quite busy then" I wondered whether it had sounded boastful reeling off all these things that fill my days. I certainly didn't mean to but it did make me realise that there is quite a lot happening and just how do I fit it all in?

OK, so the reality is I'm not Superwoman and some days I don't fit it all in. Like last night when I should really have done some studying but sat and watched The Apprentice with a glass of wine instead.  I'm actually quite hard on myself and don't think that I do nearly enough. Not enough cleaning, help with homework, nutritionally balanced meals - that kind of thing and get quite low on a regular basis for failing everyone including myself. I am very lucky to have a husband who, with the odd exception, is very supportive and lets me do these crazy things when we could just do with a steady income and stay home mum. I'm grateful too for my 2 children who have to cope with a very flexible routine (of course, they may just benefit from this - possibly?) But I look at other women and think 'How?'. How do you run that business empire, achieve all that success, appear to be omnipresent?

I'm off to work in less than 20 minutes so for now I'll just; put the bin bags out, shut the chickens in, wash up, sweep up, put the washing out (did I see the forecast?), fill in the children's report reply slips, write a shopping list for all the stuff we've run out of (toothpaste fairly desperate) and then off to work. The business empire will have to wait.

Recently I signed up for motivating emails from www.coachingmums.co.uk. It's a great site set up by a mum, Amanda Alexander who helps other busy mums in the real world see how much they can achieve by staying positive. She says ....

'Do what you can when you can with what you have got. And don't beat yourself up about the rest.'

That will do for me!