Mummy Time (Guest Post)

I would like to thank Janell Fowler for taking the time to share her story about the advantages of "time out" for mums. Please read on for Janell's story and don't forget to leave your feedback, we would love to hear it! Also ensure you visit her website, she has kindly offered a discount code for all MCM followers!

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The juggling act is in full swing. I have a toddler to care. I run a business from home, including managing the whole thing and making sure I have time to properly make the products I’m making available to you. I have a husband and a home to care for, too, but sometimes I think I am forgetting something  ... oh, wait, then there’s me to think of, right?

Finding the time for it all is a delicate balance of organisation. Often I schedule days to do certain activities including having set hours to work allocated to the making of products, updating the site, bookkeeping and all the rest of it ... and getting done all the things I don’t like doing!

The temptation, of course, is to work at night to get everything on your list ticked off.  That is OK sometimes but it’s too easy to fall into a pattern.  You stay up night after night, juggling work and night feeds, and you end up not getting enough rest. 

It’s important to take ‘mummy time’.  Don’t feel guilty about it (yes, I saw that look on your face!) It’s your physical and emotional health at stake, here.  If you want to be the best mum, wife and person you can be, you need to be well. 

I find that I don’t need a lot of time, but I need to take it regularly.  Whether it’s having a nap when bubs is sleeping or having a night out with the girls, mummy time gives you back your energy.

Time gets sucked up by all sorts of things so you MUST (yes, capital letters on that one) schedule mummy time into your calendar.  Book a babysitter or give your husband notice that he will be holding the fort.   If you don’t, you won’t get it. 

It’s amazing how refreshed you can be after a coffee with the girls or a night away from home.  Stop worrying about what other people think or whether you’re doing the right or wrong thing.  You have to look after yourself if you want to truly care for your family.  It took me a while to clear the guilt which blurred my vision but now I understand that I am vital to my family so I need to take care of myself for them as much as for myself.

There are a lot of demands on my time but it’s about being realistic in working with the time I have.

I have some business development time worked into each month, and I schedule in some personal development or quiet time for me.  It’s the perfect balance. Just do it! It’s for the benefit of everyone.

Bio: Janell Fowler is the owner of BabyButton- handmade items made by a mum for mums. Head over to www.babybutton.com.au and receive 15% off as a MiddleClassMama follower on a large range of bibs, breastfeeding covers, burp cloths and a variety of items ideal for mums and bubs! Simply enter the code: MCM1231