I was the proud owner of two happy and healthy girls, work was going well, we had a lovely house and life was ticking along just fine.
But there was just one teeny tiny little thing in the back of my mind that just wouldn’t go away…
The URGE to have a third baby.
Outnumbered
“Why would you want three?”, people would say. I’d have to get a new car, new house and a new body apparently! But although i knew two’s company and three’s an army, i kind of liked the idea of having my own little army marching around.
Decision made
The hubby, who was obviously going to be playing quite a large role in this decision was the next obstacle as he was more than happy with our family of four. However, after endless nights of talking (persuading!), we decided to go for it (he gave in!).
Feeling complete
After a few little hitches, we were blessed to find out we were expecting a healthy boy. From the moment we saw his little legs and arms bobbing away at the scan, there was an overwhelming feeling that our family was complete.
Nine months down the line and here are just a few of the things I’ve learnt since having three lovely little humans in my life…
Our house is more chaotic, but more fun.
You can’t wait for them to all be in bed, but miss them when they sleep.
You don’t take your third to every class under the sun – yes, they do learn to speak without going to Baby Signing every week!
Someone always wants to be fed, watered, played with or cuddled, but the older ones learn to be more helpful – yes, it is possible!
When one child is out, you’ll wonder what on earth you moaned about when you just had two.
The older ones don’t get all the attention like before, but you’ll find comfort knowing you’ve given them a playmate for life.
You’re NEVER EVER alone, but you know you’ll miss it when they’re 18.
You feel exhausted and tested, but then your proudest and happiest.
Three is definitely my magic number.
The hubby got the boy he never thought he needed, I can’t take my eyes off of the three of them together and the girls adore every single bone in his body.
Thank goodness i went with my heart and not my head.
So, I’m not going to lie… when I first heard that there could be a chance of my lovely (but lively) 5 and 7-year-old girls being home and homeschooled for the foreseeable future, I was just a teeny tiny bit scared. Trying to work that around my own work, a 7 month-old baby and a new puppy suggested four words to me – COMPLETE AND UTTER CHAOS!
However, I decided to take a deep breath and realise that actually, there were a lot more serious things going on in the world at the moment and my problems were miniscule compared to what other people were going through.
So I put my big girl pants on and put a plan in place.
Luckily, I have been building my own home businesses up for a while now, so I’m quite used to working from home in my slippers! The question was, like it is for so many mums everywhere… how was I going to juggle everything?
Serious Scheduling
Children love routine and although our house has been a little chaotic to say the least recently, I thought a simple timetable might help make sure we’re all at least on the same page.
One of my lovely friends sent me this timetable that she was doing with her little girl before the Easter holidays and although we didn’t massively stick to it, having a rough structure to our day has helped us all understand who’s doing what and when. Work time, fun time, creative time, tech time, mummy time, do whatever you want time (but please don’t kill each other time!).
Dress up. Show up
Although it’s very easy to sit around in our PJs all day at the moment, getting dressed and putting a bit of makeup on makes me feel ‘work ready’.
Ignore the mess that surrounds you (how much mess do these children make, by the way?!), the piles and piles of washing you need to put away and just find your work head space.
Work that works for you
Having a set area to work in really makes working feel like you’re working. Even if you don’t have your own office or spare room, choose an area in your house where you keep your laptop, folders, notebook or whatever it is you need to work from and make this your designated, CHILD-FREE area.
You snooze. You lose.
Just the thought of getting up early is tiring in itself with little ones, but just an extra hour in the morning to do those jobs allows you that extra hour later to get on with your work.
Try it for a few days and I promise it will soon become a habit.
Mums that mean business
If you’re a mum that works, you’re ultimately being asked to take on two jobs at the moment. So take that to do list, throw it in the back of the cupboard and come back to it in a few weeks, maybe months! If you’re stressed, your children will be too and they’re your number one priority at the moment.
Work from home with me
If you’re enjoying working from home and would like to make it a permanent fixture or you’re just in need of an extra income, I’m always looking to work with new people, so please feel free to drop me a message.
Stay safe. Stay happy
Your house won’t be sparkling clean, your work may not be perfect, but the most important thing is that you and your family are healthy and happy.
Hopefully one day we’ll look back on these weeks and realise that although it was challenging…
Pregnancy… that wonderful (and sometimes not so wonderful!) time in our lives where we feel like we can eat, eat, eat and then eat some more. Well, we are eating for two, aren’t we?
Nope. The bad news is, you don’t have to eat that much more, especially in the first two trimesters. However, third time around and carrying a boy for the first time… I felt like I wanted to eat absolutely EVERYTHING in sight.
Three stone later and I definitely looked like I’d eaten everything in sight!
OH BOY!
When this gorgeous bundle of joy arrived in our lives I was on cloud nine. Proudly showing him off at coffee (and cake!) mornings and loooong lunches was my thing. But when your middle child asks “Why is your bottom wrinkly, mummy?” when you’re at the swimming pool, you know it’s time to do something about it.
A WEIGHT OFF MY MIND
As Kate Moss said, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”, so losing the first stone definitely tasted good. However, realistically, our new little man weighed quite a lot of that, so trying to get rid of the second and third stone was the biggest challenge.
They say it’s a dream until you write something down, and then it’s a goal. So on January 1st, I set myself a goal to get back to my original weight by Mother’s Day. So if any mums are reading this and feeling a bit frumpy like I was, here are just a few of the small things I did, that made a BIG difference.
28 DAYS OF SWEAT
Tummy time for Jack meant tummy time for mummy. Amongst the morning madness of two girls getting ready for school, a newborn and a seriously crazy puppy, I challenged myself to get up ten minutes earlier and do the Joe Wicks 28 Days of Sweat.
It’s amazing how just a bit of exercise in the morning can set you up for the day and it also made me feel less inclined to dip into the snack drawer!
SQUEEZING BACK INTO THOSE JEANS
I started drinking lemon and hot water every morning as it’s meant to kickstart the digestion process for the day. Sometimes I just go for the coffee as I fancy a hot drink, but hot water and lemon can actually give you the fix you need sometimes – and if it’s good enough for Victoria Beckham, it’s good enough for me!
GETTING FIT(BIT)
The hubby bought me a Fitbit Charge 3 for Valentine’s Day (not quite sure what he was trying to say!) and it’s been such a great motivator. Seeing how many steps you’ve done each day makes you want to go that bit further. The aim is 10,000 a day, but as a busy mum running up the stairs hundreds of times a day, 19,877 is my record so far!
A SHOT OF ENERGY
Healthy eating has always been top of my priorities, but I also cut down on my portion size and curbed the carbs. I’ve always started the day off with a homemade smoothie and a shot of Forever aloe vera as it’s full of vitamins and minerals and gives me the energy that those little ones can often steal from you.
A WEIGHT OFF MY MIND
So… I’m nearly three stone down and I’m feeling healthier, happier and more like my old self again.
Has it been easy? No.
Has it been worth it? Hell yeah!
Feeling lighter honestly feels so much better than feeling tired and sluggish.
And apparently I’ll need every ounce of energy I can get, as it won’t be long before my little man will be running all over the place and adding even more steps to my FitBit!
GET IN TOUCH
If anyone needs any help or advice with losing their baby weight, or any weight, please feel free to get in touch.
Happy Mother’s Day everyone and a big shout out to all you amazing mummas doing the hardest, yet most rewarding job in the world 🙂
I’m a busy mum of a 7 year-old girl, a 5 year-old girl and a 5 month-old boy. Plus, just to add to the chaos… we now have an 8 week-old puppy!
So, i thought it would be nice to write (sometimes rant!) about it.
I’m a writer, blogger and network marketer as I love being my own boss and being able to work from home around my little monkeys. I’m always looking for lovely people to work alongside me and earn an extra income working from home.
I’m on a big health kick starting from Jan 6th, so if you’d like any advice on getting started or some amazing health and weight management products, please feel free to get in touch.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy and super-successful new year,
January is the month for New Year’s Resolutions, starting afresh, throwing old habits out and bringing in a healthier new you.
But unfortunately that bottle of wine still chilling in the fridge and those leftover Ferrero Rocher winking at you in the cupboard are enough to make anyone’s willpower wilt.
Just 8% of people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions, but that’s often because we set our sights too high. We all want to look good and feel great, so here are a few simple and achievable ways to help you have a happier and healthier 2020.
Catch some ZZZZ Never overestimate the value of sleep – if you sleep for at least seven hours a night you’ll regenerate your body and stabilise your energy levels. Sleep helps you live longer, lowers stress levels and sharpens your memory, so if you snooze, you really can’t lose.
Water works Bin the booze and caffeine and drink two litres of water a day – your skin, hair, brain and blood pressure will thank you for it! Grab yourself a time marker bottle so you know exactly how much you’re getting throughout the day.
3. Snack attack Park the Pringles and tide yourself over between meals with healthier snacks. Fill your cupboards with nuts and dried fruit and stick some carrot sticks and hummus in the fridge as they’re perfect to nibble on in between meals.
4. Pick up the pace Sweating liberates toxins. Just a mile a day can go a long way, so brush the dust off of your trainers and get 2020 off to a running start!
5. Cleanse your body Do you start a diet on Monday, eat and cheat on Tuesday and then decide it’s best to start again the next Monday? Well, join the club! It’s time to get some structure and focus this year. The Clean 9 is a fantastic 9 day programme that’s designed to cleanse your body and adjust your mindset. Based on Forever’s best-selling aloe vera gel, it’s the perfect starting point for transforming your diet and fitness habits, in just nine days.
6. Taste the rainbow Bright coloured fruit and vegetables are high in anti-oxidants that give a boost to your health by removing free radicals that damage your cells. So why not start every day off with a super-smoothie this year?
7. Fibre friends Cleanse your body in its most natural form. Brown bread, cereal, wholemeal pasta, fresh fruit and veg help move food through the digestive system and give you lots of energy at the same time.
8. Worry less. Laugh more Laughter is a powerful tool. Studies show that a big belly laugh can have positive effects on your health. So ditch the Debbie Downers in your life and spend time with people that make you smile!
9. Go green By buying organic food you can minimise your intake of toxic pesticides. It may be a little dearer, but it provides pure nutrients so your liver can cleanse (and make up for that extra Bailey’s you had on Christmas Day!).
10. Enjoy the moment It’s easier said than done, as there’s always so much going on in this busy world we live in, but forget the past (there’s nothing you can do about it) and live for the moment. Happy New Year – let’s make it the best one yet!
Happy Mums 