News — chores

My Autumn Reset

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My Autumn Reset

I don't know about you, but September always feels like a perfect time to 'reset'.  This year, more than ever, by the end of the school year, my head was so foggy. Our routines were non-existent, as was our family's focus on nutrition, the environment and making sure screen time was limited. Summer Holidays I took the whole Summer 'off'.  I mean, being a mum and running your own business, you're never really off, are you? But... I didn't drive the business in the way that I can; I didn't worry about posting regularly on social media; and I just...

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#tbt One from the Archive: i could have danced all night… and still have begged for more.

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#tbt One from the Archive: i could have danced all night… and still have begged for more.

(First published on The Contented Calf website on Wednesday 14th August 2013. I'd just spent a week attending the London Amateur Ballet Summer Intensive, and I was buzzing...) In the words of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady: I could have danced all night!I could have danced all night!And still have begged for more…. I could have spread my (swan) wingsAnd done a thousand thingsI’ve never done before. I’ll never know what made it so exciting.Why all at once my heart took flight. I only know when he (actually, they - the rest of the London Amateur Ballet Summer Intensive Company, that is) Began...

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#tbt One from the Archive: A Good Morning All Round!

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#tbt One from the Archive: A Good Morning All Round!

(First published on The Contented Calf website on Wednesday 12th September 2012, when we had a 3YO and 5MO.) After a happy drop-off at nursery with all smiles, no tears, as I headed back home on the bus, I realised that today was turning out to be a good day. It may have only been 8:35am, but already I was ready to brand it a success!  And here’s why: Successes 6:19am – after last week’s horrendous lack of sleep, for the second day in a row, I woke naturally –yey!! 6:20am – snuck downstairs, drank half of a smoothie I’d made yesterday,...

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#tbt One from the Archive: What did you do today? I was ‘busy doing nothing, working the whole day through’

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#tbt One from the Archive: What did you do today? I was ‘busy doing nothing, working the whole day through’

(First published on The Contented Calf website on Tuesday 25th October 2011.)  One Thursday morning a couple of months ago, I suddenly realised it was approaching 11am and BF and I had not really done anything. I wasn’t really that bothered as it was half-term from her usual Thursday morning swimming lessons and so we didn’t have to rush anywhere. And to be honest, I was quite enjoying just pottering around. However, it did spark off me hearing this song on my internal jukebox. I’m not sure the words are entirely correct, but these are the ones that came to me,...

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The Strategy(?!?) of the #MumHustle

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The Strategy(?!?) of the #MumHustle

Many years ago, when 9YO was still very small, I was lamenting to a (male, without kids) friend of mine about how one of the things I really missed about work was being strategic. In response, he asked me the seemingly simple, innocent question, designed to make me miss my work life less: "Why can't you be strategic in how you're raising your kids?" He wasn't being facetious, or uncaring. It was a genuine question. I can't remember exactly what my response was. I wasn't rude. I didn't smirk, or rant. I think I just said something short about 'fire-fighting'...

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