Wow, I knew this term would be hard, but I didn’t quite realise how tough it was going to be.

I returned to work at the beginning of September after a little over 8 months of maternity leave.  I was ready to go back in so many ways, but completely unprepared in others.  I’d forgotten what a wrench it is to leave your kids with someone else all day.  Toddler B was more than ready to start at Nursery, but the long days are tiring him out so much that by the end of the week he’s a grumpy little wotsit!  The rest of our childcare revolves around our extended family, for which I am forever grateful; it makes my working life infinitely easier and the kids get to spend lots of time with their Aunt, cousins and grandparents.  On the flip side of all this, I was so ready to get my brain working again and to have a conversation with another adult that didn’t revolve around nappies, sleeping habits (for both the children and myself) and/ or the ever changing moods of my toddler!

With the commitments I have at work and my desperate attempts at keeping a routine in place for the family, the blog has had to take a back seat.  I haven’t actually generated much to post about.  Another function on my kitchen appliances seems to die on a weekly basis at the moment, I’m now down to a hob and a microwave for cooking our family meals since the oven functions decided to give up one at a time.  Fortunately our new kitchen arrives at the end of the month – I’m really hoping that it will be fitted before Christmas too, but I’m not holding my breath.  The building trade seems to work on a different timetable to the rest of the world!  I haven’t got near to my sewing machine for months – I’ve got a huge list of things I want to make but, as a teacher, my evenings seem to be disappearing into marking and preparation as I find my feet in a new year group sharing a class and my management role with another member of staff.  On the evenings when I’ve cleared the decks I find I’m too shattered to even think about concentrating on a sewing project.  Being up at night with a teething baby and trying to work all day do not reallly go together.

After a week off with the kids, I’ve realised that I’m tired of this routine.  I need to find more of a balance.  I need to do things that make me happy and keep me sane.  I’ve also realised how organised I need to be.  If it isn’t written down, it doesn’t get done as my brain is like a sieve due to the lack of sleep.  I’ve started experimenting with planners.  I’ve gone through a few layouts and I seem to be finding one that works for us and keeps all the many balls juggling in the air.  I’ve started to plan my day out in far more detail than ever before and it seems to be helping.  I’ll share the different layouts in future posts – you might find one that helps you!

What helps you to keep your family organised?