I am a first time mum, a bit of a late starter on the family front. When I was pregnant my husband and I discussed that I would stay at home with baby until he was two. I was so excited with my misty eyed, airbrushed idea of being a stay at home mum. Long, happy, relaxed days of me and baby playing together, learning together, having fun together stretched before me like a beautiful sunrise.
Wow, when reality hits it really knocks you out! Sleepless nights, fraught days of cooking and cleaning with a screaming baby hooked under one arm, never managing to eat a hot meal or drink a whole cup of tea, even the most basic activities like finishing a conversation or holding a train of thought was a thing of the past. I have done a fair amount of varied jobs in my time but this was the hardest and most demanding. I found myself after six months feeling envious of friends who were going back to work, what with their morning coffee and hour long lunch breaks. I had loved my pre-baby job and had had such a lot of fun. When would this stay at home sentence end?
My son was crawling and doing more when I had my epiphany, I was suddenly struck by the realization that this maternal role was whatever I made of it and was potentially the most fun job in the world. Now my son and I have as many adventures as we can fit into one week. We are on a very tight budget, like most families, so we find exciting things to do that do not burn an irreparable hole in the pocket. We discover new and strange places to picnic, we bake cakes together, we paint and create