Urgh.......That feeling.....

Come on.....You know the one I mean! I'm positive I'm not the only one who feels it!

It usually comes on a Sunday evening, when you know you have to start getting prepared for the working week ahead!
The working week doesn't start on a Monday morning, it starts on Sunday, preparing lunches, ironing work clothes etc,etc...

Every week the same feeling of sadness hits me, and the same question gets asked...why oh why can't weekends be longer?

Well, this weekend was longer due to the bank holiday, which was fab! 3 day weekends are the way forward! You actually feel like you've had a sufficient break from work, you get chance to do things, see family - as well a fitting in a lazy day he he... Well that's what we did :o)

But now I have that sad feeling again, only it's on a Monday rather than a Sunday because of the bank holiday, and because I've had longer away from the work place 'that feeling' is a whole lot worse!

Urgh! Work!.........Can't I just stay at home with the little man? Please?

.....No!

OK - its a silly question, I know! I need to work, bills need paying... Blah, blah, Blah!

Gone are the days of me lounging about with the little man, not needing to set the alarm for the next day....

Anyway, I know 'that feeling' will go once I'm in work! Plus it's a nice short week now! I just wish I didn't get that feeling every week!

Motherly Love!

Becoming a Mother has been the most amazing,wonderful thing to have happened to me! I feel complete now I have my little boy.

Sometimes when I look at him it actually hurts because of how much love I feel for him.....

Here is a small selection of things I love about the little man.

• I love to watch him play, and watch how he studies his toys or get excited when he throws a ball.
• I love seeing his proud smile when he has done something for the first time.
• I love it how he always has a quick glance at Mummy and Daddy to check we are still there.
• I love it when I give him his bottle in the morning, hes still half asleep, just snuggled up in my arms.
• I love how he understands certain words and now kisses and waves when asked. He also gives cuddles now too but not when asked, just when he wants one.
• I love the scent of my beautiful little boy, I wish I could capture it and bottle it.
• I love that when hes told no, he gives us his cutie pie face and a kiss (he knows how to get us round his little finger already he he)
• I love seeing his gorgeous smile when I go to get him from his nap, or when I come in from work.
• I love to watch him sleep and him looking so peaceful.
• I love to hear him giggling his head little head off.
• I love the way he pats his mouth to make the cute 'ow ow ow' sound

I could honestly go on forever and ever, as I'm sure is the same for most parents.

Everyday I feel truly truly blessed to have been given such a little miracle, he has changed me and my life in such a good way! I now have totally different priorities, and I have a totally different outlook on life.
I'm also truly grateful for each and every minute I get to spend with him.

I thank you - My dearest other half for our gorgeous little boy, I feel such a lucky lady to have you both in my life.

LOVE YOU BOTH XXX

I'm so excited... Wooohooo.... and I just can't hide it....

Yay!!!! My dress arrived today!!!!! Wooooooooooooohooooooooooo!!!!!! Its gorgeous! Pink satin, with a black tie around the waist and I got some new sparkly shoes too!

What for you wonder?

Well in a few weeks time, myself and 6 of my good friends are heading into town for a good ol' boogie and a cracking girlie night out. We're going to celebrate one of 'the girls' birthday and I can't bloody wait!!!

It's been soooooo long since I've been into town for a proper night out! It's been...er,....well....too long!!! Seriously, well if you think the little man is now 10 months and my last night in town was well before I found out I was pregnant! You do the maths....

Don't get me wrong - I've not been house bound for the last 19 months ha ha, me and the girls have met up for tea and a good gossip a number of times, and us who have children often meet up for a play date which is all good fun, but I need to dance the night away :o)

I can't wait for the excitement of getting ready (oh I do love that bit) getting the music on whilst getting all done up and starting the night of with a few cheeky glasses of rose....Yum Yum!

I'm just hoping my body will be kind to me and not give me a hangover the next day.... Pretty Please!

I don't think the little man will be very sympathetic towards Mummy's hangover do you?.....

A lovely summers afternoon :o)

Today has been a lovely summers day!

We actually had a full day of sun, and no rain!!!!!!!! So we decided to make the most of it......Well you have to! We live in Manchester, and seeing the sunshine is a rare sight! We usually get 2 nice weeks of sun a year, and if were lucky maybe 4 weeks! 2 weeks in the spring and 2 weeks in summer! (well that's how its been for the past few years!)

It's actually quite funny, the slightest glimmer of sun and out come the shorts, the BBQs, and most of us end up red raw as we have soaked up too much sun, and we end up sporting some very fetching white lines too! Ha!
I don't think that's just us Mancs though, I think that's us Brits in general!

Our neighbours are no exception, they were out in the garden from about 9.30am, shorts on, sun loungers out, ready for a day of sunshine!

Well - Due to how rubbish the weather has been recently, our garden isn't looking its best, so spending a day in it really wouldn't be much fun at all!
Gardening is the other half's chore, and as he was working for the morning there was no chance the garden would be in a nice enough state for us to enjoy the afternoon....

So I spent the morning chilling with the little man, which was nice, we had a morning of playing and dancing about the living room.
The little man is a right little mover ha ha! God knows where he got that from, I dance like I'm wrapped up in cling film (the other half calls it the worm dance) and the other half dances like he belongs in an 80s music video ha ha ha! (Sorry love!)

After a nice Mummy and Son morning, the other half arrived home from work at about 12.30, and we head off out for a lovely family afternoon :o)

We head to Lymm where we have a lovely stroll by the canal, there were tonnes of boats on the canal. It seems one of the local cruising clubs had something going on....The other half actually used to be part of the cruising club as his parents used to have a boat, so as the boaters go past he lets on to them all and tells me little stories about them while I give them a polite smile.

During our nice afternoon stroll we fed the duckies and fish, as well as eating ice cream, what more could you want from an afternoon?
I reminisced about some of my childhood memories. (My Grandad lived in Lymm before he passed away and we had many happy times feeding the ducks, nice walks... although sadly I didn't appreciate it as much at the time..... I even lived there for a while.)

Afterwards we decided to go for a drink which finished off our day nicely!
The little man seemed to really enjoy the day he was so excitable when we got home :o)

Just a perfect summers day.........

I could get used to this.....

So today I was due to work til 8pm again, but after how hard I found doing the 8am-8pm last week I decided to do a 12noon til 8pm rather than working extra hours to claim back.

Yay!!! A full morning with the little man, plus a little lye in, WOOOHOOOO!!!!!

Ha, a lye in who am I kidding?....

Well, you would be forgiven for sat there thinking I didn't get my much needed lye in because my gorgeous little man woke me up early! But No! - It wasn't the little man who woke me up, it was my other half! (Thanks Love!)

8.15am - OK, so yes I know this is a little lye in, I do usually get up at 5am so I did get an extra 3 hours sleep :o)

Anyway 8.15am my phones goes, and in my sleepy state I actually think it was my alarm as I use my phone for my alarm, I then realise its someone ringing. It was a withheld number which usually means work! Damn!
I bet I need to go in earlier than planned, so I clear my throat and say hello politely just in case it is work but its not, the person replying is the other half!..
He was surprised to hear I was still in bed, but you see, we are very very lucky parents and even though the little man goes bed in between 6.30 - 7.00pm every night, he happily sleeps until 6am the next morning, when he will wake for a bottle and then if offered he will then go back to sleep until 9am (sometimes 10am!) which I'm sure you will agree is fantastic for a 10 month old.
Usually though on a work day I will wake him at 6am and keep him up so I can see him before work, but weekends we let him go back to sleep, which was my plan for today...

Anyway as I was speaking on the phone to the other half, the little man must have been disturbed and woke, so up I get to start my day...

I had a lovely chilled out morning with the little man, it was like being on maternity leave again, but instead of slowly getting ready to go to a baby group I had to get ready for work.

It did beat the rush of a normal week day though......

Ahhhh I could get used to these late starts.....

6 years of happiness and many more to come :)

Today is mine and the other half's 6th anniversary!!! And what a happy 6 years they have been :)

It's hard to believe it was a whole 6 years ago when he asked me out! 6 years!!! That time has just flown!!! I still remember clearly the day he asked me to be his girlfriend! It feels like it was a few weeks ago not 6 bloody years!!!

I was a young 16 year old (aw www) and it was the summer I had left school, I was at work at The Deli - it was my little part time job that I had started when I was 15. It was a Thursday (I remember that because I used to work til 10pm on a Thursday) and it was time for my break, so off I went to my locker to get my bag. I first checked my phone as I always did when I started my break - I still do actually....

Anyway there was a text from who is now known as 'the other half' which wasn't unusual as we were always texting each other, so I sit down in the break area and start to read the text, well my heart starts thumping hard, it was as if it was going to burst out of my chest! You know the feeling!....
......No, I must be reading it wrong! Surely I'm imaging these words! so I re-read the text a few times over before it sinks in, I then realise its nearly time to get back to work! SHIT!!!! OK what should I say back? I mean, yes of course I wanted to be his girlfriend, but I can't just say yes, I need to write something nice back but I don't have to much time to write a message back, but I also can't keep him hanging on for an answer, he might change his mind ha ha....

I can't remember exactly what he text me now, nor can I remember what I text back but, what I do know is he asked me out and I said yes :)

6 years on were now engaged with a son and totally happy!

We moved in together after 13 months, it wasn't the nicest of flats but it was our first home -well you've gotta start somewhere don't you :o) ....and over the years we have gradually upgraded.
In 2005 we moved into a gorgeous apartment (I miss that place) and then in 2007 we bought our house! Yes 2007! The peak of the housing market! Not that we knew that at the time :( We were desperate for a house and a garden though, and we knew that one day we would have a family, so getting a house was the next natural step for us.

Just months after moving into our house we decided to start trying for a baby :o) and in Feb 2008 we got our positive pregnancy test! WOOOOOHOOOOO!
9 months later our gorgeous son arrived - the day before his Daddies birthday (and no I really couldn't wait the extra day ha ha!) this then made us grow from a couple to a family! A very happy family. About 6 weeks after the little man was born, the other half proposed! It was such a shock! I honestly never expected him to propose! Of course I am happy he did though :)

So now here we are....
I'm a very happy girly, I have my dearest other half, my 9 1/2 month baby boy, were due to get married (one day), we are all healthy and love each other dearly, and most of all we are happy!

I'm soooo looking forward to all the happy years we have ahead of us.

I honestly know that before we know it we're going to be the old couple sat on Blackpool promenade, our walking sticks will be placed at the side of the bench and we will be sharing a bag of chips reminiscing over the past 60 odd years we have shared, talking about our beloved children and grand children..........(OK, OK! we might not share a bag of chips, we might have a bag of chips each instead! I don't share food ha ha) but nether the less reminiscing about our wonderful life.......

....................HAPPY TIMES :o) xxx

Happy Anniversary Babe! I love you with all my heart!!! xxxxxxxx

Lets end the day on a high :)

Well I don't like to leave my blog feeling a bit low, and I hate to end the day feeling sad, so lets end it on a high :o)

Yes, I may feel guilty leaving my son to go to work, but lets face it, I'm doing it for good reasons! I am doing it to make our life comfortable! I can't think of anything I'd hate more than us having to stress about money because I'm not working, with me working full time we eliminate some stress from our lives....

The time I do get with the little man really is so precious, and I appreciate every minute I do get to spend with him! Seeing him smiling and happy when I come home from work is enough to make make me the happiest girl ever... well that and the fact I have an amazing future hubby to be!

I have a good life, we are a happy little family, we are healthy and we have each other! What more could I honestly want!

I mean lets be honest, I'm not the first Mum to have gone back to work full time, and I certainly will not be the last!

If I wasn't feeling guilty about this, then I'm positive there would be something else to feel guilty about!

That's parenthood and I wouldn't change it for the world! x

The guilt sets in.....

So yesterday was my 5th day back in work, and it has been going very well :o). I have surprisingly really enjoyed being back at work - (that is not something I ever thought I would say!)
When I started my maternity leave I was adamant the life of a Stay at Home Mum was the life for me - but after almost a full year off work I now know I am the working type!
Despite knowing I am a working gal, I spent all of the Monday prior to returning to work in floods of tears at the thought of 'my 1st day back'......Eurg! The thought had made me feel like vomiting, it had filled me with dread for weeks and weeks and I was so scared to leave my precious little man.

Anyway the day came, tears were shed as I left the little man, but once I was in work I was fine, I actually really enjoyed being in work. It was great to realise I had not forgotten how to do my job (not all of it anyway) and it was fab seeing and speaking to everyone again! The days have been going quickly, so I'm home before I know it! This is how my first 4 days had been - Happy days I thought! Being a working Mum isn't as hard as I thought it was going to be......

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!

Well yesterday started well, I was all set to work late (I usually work until 4pm, but was planning to work til 6pm with the other half)
Anyway halfway through my day that had changed, I had to stay and support until 8pm. That then meant that I wouldn't see the little man as he will be in bed by the time I get home :(
That's OK its only once! It's not as if I do it everyday, I'm usually home by 4.30 and get a good amount of time with him. I'll be OK, I'll be strong! I'm sure the little man won't even notice......

So I get home at about 8.25pm, I decided it will be a takeout for tea, as I knew I wouldn't be in the mood for cooking. Takeout was ordered to be delivered at 8.30pm.

I had just had chance to take my makeup off and have a peek at the little man before it arrived. (he looked so peaceful asleep - I could watch him for hours!)

Food was eaten, then time to think about what needs doing for the next day....

- Work clothes need ironing, the little mans stuff needs sorting for my Mum, lunch needs preparing, a bit of time to chill,then off to bed! Normally I'd have a lot of other things to do but the other half had done most of it :o)

So that brings me to today!

I decided to get the little man up a bit earlier than normal so I got extra time to see him!

5.45am - I go into his room and start rustling about..... His head pops up and a he then beams a HUGE grin my way :o)
I give him his bottle, and just enjoy having him in my arms for a little while. After he had finished his bottle he stayed on my knee, but he kept looking at me and then burying his head onto my shoulders to give me hug, he did this over and over again, it was as if he were thinking Mum your here, please don't go again! :(
This really got me! I had to fight back the tears as I really didn't want him to see me upset... he then hears movement for our bedroom as the other half get up, he gets excited and climbs down my leg to go see Dad...

6.20am - The other half leaves to pick my Mum up, so I get the little man to myself again - YAY! We have a little play and story time.......the other half and my Mum arrive, but My mum arriving now signals to the little man that Mum and Dad are about to leave which made him bursts into tears! This then makes me nearly burst into tears but again I fight them back......for a while anyway!.....

I had fought the tears back all the way to work, I even make it until about 9am, but my friend came over to my desk and asked how I was - I bet she didn't expect me to burst onto tears!

Why is it I manage to stay strong all morning, but then the minute someone sees if I'm OK i crumble?

So it's official the guilt has set in........

I hope it gets easier, as today had been hard! Very hard! But hey, tomorrow is a new day!

Monday...Monday....

OK, so the week starts here!

So a typical day for me should start with the alarm going off at 5am, me getting out of bed and sleepily wandering into the bathroom to get showered, dry my hair, straighten my hair, put on my makeup and get dressed, all before 6am when I should then go into the little mans room with his bottle in hand and feed him his first lot of calories for the day.....

Well I say 'should' - That did not happen today! - The first bit happened (well that's good start isn't it?)...My alarm did go off, and yes, I clearly remember me telling myself to 'get out of the bed' I obviously didn't listen though, as I then suddenly jumped up from our bed to check my phone, only to see it was 5.23am! WTF! Where did those 23minutes just go?!..... SHIT!!! I must have dozed back off!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!!!

OK so I know its not the end of the world and it could have been a lot worse! It could have been 6.23am instead of 5.23am, but those 23minutes are very precious! Those 23minutes I just wasted by dozing means I'm going to have to sacrifice something......

My mind quickly remembers the list of things I have to do before I leave the house at 6.50am...

Normal Day -

5.00am - 6.00am
- Shower
- Dry hair
- Makeup
- Dressed
- Make the bed
- Tidy up my crap (makeup/brushes etc...)


6.00am - 6.50am
- Feed the little man
- Take him downstairs..
- Change his nappy
- Pop him in his highchair
- Put kettle on
- Brush little mans teeth while kettle boils.
- Play with the little man
- Mum arrives
- Tell Mum what food to give the little man, and give any general advice...
- Cuddles with the little man and a story
- Me and the other half leave for work....

As you can see it's quite a lot to squeeze in before I leave the house.

OK...So what do I sacrifice?....I refuse to miss out on the 50 short minutes I do get with the little man in the morning, and I did have a bath last night...so........no shower for me today! That's that decided!

I then start to try squeeze in all the other things I have to do!

Isn't it funny.... do you ever notice that when you get up late, you end up panicking and rushing about so much your usually ready with extra time to spare...Why don't I manage to get ready this quick on a normal day?

Maybe I could have had my shower after all....

Yes - Another one jumps on the blogging bandwagon...

Well Hello!

Here I am jumping on the 'bandwagon' as they say, but I've been so inspired by reading such fantastic blogs that my Mummy friends have been creating, that I thought I'd join the world of blogging too!

So welcome to the 'Tales of the Working Mother' - That's ME! :o)

Hmm...where do I start?... Well maybe I should tell you a little bit about me first?

OK so I'm a young Mum to our gorgeous little man! Well, I say 'young mum' I'm 22 almost 23, but I certainly do not feel very young, but hey that is what I am classed as in today's society! My dearest other half proposed about 9 months ago, and I recently re entered the working world after 50 weeks maternity leave - So, in short, I'm an engaged, young, working mother...Yes! that sums me up quite nice.

Our little man is almost 10 months old, and wow, you would not believe how much one little boy can change so many peoples lives - Especially mine!

Becoming a parent is the most amazing thing to have ever happened to me, I feel like I have finally found my 'purpose' in life, but believe me, it can also be very challenging too!


I'm one of those you call the 'lucky ones' the little man has been a very easy baby! He has 3 regular naps a day in his cot, sleeps through the night 12hours or more, eats fantastically and seems to be quick at reaching his milestones, you know, crawling, cruising etc....Having said that, there is one milestone he just doesn't want to reach! He just doesn't seem to want to say the words we are desperately waiting to hear..'mama' and 'dada' instead we get a 'rarara' or the general baby babbles....Humph!

Maybe I should thank myself lucky, as most parents spend months teaching their children to walk and talk, but then spend the next 18 years telling the to shush and sit down..

I wonder if i will become one of those parents?.......