Last week I bribed myself with a bottle of bubbly (a treat for me!) to fold the washing that had piled up. This week I thought I'd do the same thing, but when I sat down at almost 10pm Friday night to do it, I gave up after 3 or so items. The pile is now sitting next to me and I think I will ignore it again another night.
Sidenote--I have taught my girls how to fold with me, it is a part of their home education to help me with some of the household chores. But lately I have been ignoring it. Things feel so busy even though I've spent practically the whole week at home.
Anyway, I just think that it's ok to have some washing piled up. I mean, we have clean clothes to wear, my children are looked after, the house is mostly clean and in order, and we are getting through each day. I have time to spend with my darlings and that is what matters. I may look back on this period and think yes, I had a lot of washing waiting to be folded, but I will also look back and think of all the fun times we spent watching movies together, playing games, reading books, cooking, breastfeeding, changing nappies, trying to get Flopsy to smile etc., and at the moment that feels like time much better spent than folding the washing :)
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Monday, 29 October 2012
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Family business
Did you know that 99% of small businesses fail? Did you know that a large contributing factor to this statistic is a failure to adequately plan. This was one of the first facts I learnt in my high school business studies class.
A love for business was born in me back then which I have not been able to shake since. 14 years later, I have graduated from a degree in business, only my role now is in our home, not out running a business.
Since graduating, I've spent quite a lot of time feeling stupid for holding our family up financially, by investing in an [expensive] education that we can't use to better our financial position. What a waste of time and money I've thought. But do you know what I'm now learning? This degree has taught me plenty for running a successful household and managing money. See, I'm starting to see that families are not all that dissimilar to a small business.
You have the CEO (the husband), the leader of the whole company. The Managing Director (me - the wife) who oversees the day-to-day running of the household. The CFO (someone who controls the finances, in charge of the budget and paying the bills). Money comes in (income or profits) and money goes out (expenses). A place (home) is required for the base operations to take place in. The company (family) has a vision, where they want to be, and a core service offering: providing a nurturing place to support, strengthen and encourage people (children), a platform from which to propel them into the world to achieve all that God has planned for them. Running a successful family requires intense management of resources, money, time and energy; and significant collaboration between the senior management team (husband and wife).
Back to my introductory statement, many small businesses fail for lack of planning. I wonder if this can be true for families also. Many families, while still together, may not achieve all they could or want to for lack of planning. Planning keeps you focused, on track and working together. Planning creates a peace around achieving goals. It increases success and the beauty is that it comes in all shapes and sizes. I like plans and I think they are important. Can you tell? ;)
Anyway, I wanted to encourage all the wives (and mums) out there. If you are a wife or a mum, your role is incredibly valuable, you are also a Managing Director with the potential to have a very successful business!
A love for business was born in me back then which I have not been able to shake since. 14 years later, I have graduated from a degree in business, only my role now is in our home, not out running a business.
Since graduating, I've spent quite a lot of time feeling stupid for holding our family up financially, by investing in an [expensive] education that we can't use to better our financial position. What a waste of time and money I've thought. But do you know what I'm now learning? This degree has taught me plenty for running a successful household and managing money. See, I'm starting to see that families are not all that dissimilar to a small business.
You have the CEO (the husband), the leader of the whole company. The Managing Director (me - the wife) who oversees the day-to-day running of the household. The CFO (someone who controls the finances, in charge of the budget and paying the bills). Money comes in (income or profits) and money goes out (expenses). A place (home) is required for the base operations to take place in. The company (family) has a vision, where they want to be, and a core service offering: providing a nurturing place to support, strengthen and encourage people (children), a platform from which to propel them into the world to achieve all that God has planned for them. Running a successful family requires intense management of resources, money, time and energy; and significant collaboration between the senior management team (husband and wife).
Back to my introductory statement, many small businesses fail for lack of planning. I wonder if this can be true for families also. Many families, while still together, may not achieve all they could or want to for lack of planning. Planning keeps you focused, on track and working together. Planning creates a peace around achieving goals. It increases success and the beauty is that it comes in all shapes and sizes. I like plans and I think they are important. Can you tell? ;)
Anyway, I wanted to encourage all the wives (and mums) out there. If you are a wife or a mum, your role is incredibly valuable, you are also a Managing Director with the potential to have a very successful business!
Friday, 14 October 2011
Home sweet home
We are home and back to reality... hmph. It is good to be home, but honestly, a bit sad! It was a wonderful trip and most of my hopes were achieved. We spent loads of time with family, saw some great old friends and had a ball just plain hanging out with family some more. I loved it!!
My plans for learning weren't quite as achieved - we didn't get to the planned journal writing, or the reading, but natural learning was there never-the-less. Socialisation a-plenty, and lots of fun times. It was lots of fun. Did I mention it was fun? I thought it would be hard, with the 3 darlings (without Westley's help), but really it wasn't at all. Family was very supportive and it was a joy.
So yeah, we are home. I had a good catch-up with friends this morning and I have now had a couple of days of no tears about being back to reality where I need to do lots of stuff, think ahead, plan meals, cook meals etc... so things are looking up :)
My plans for learning weren't quite as achieved - we didn't get to the planned journal writing, or the reading, but natural learning was there never-the-less. Socialisation a-plenty, and lots of fun times. It was lots of fun. Did I mention it was fun? I thought it would be hard, with the 3 darlings (without Westley's help), but really it wasn't at all. Family was very supportive and it was a joy.
So yeah, we are home. I had a good catch-up with friends this morning and I have now had a couple of days of no tears about being back to reality where I need to do lots of stuff, think ahead, plan meals, cook meals etc... so things are looking up :)
Friday, 23 September 2011
Our big trip - me and 3 kiddos loose in —town
I live about 10 hours drive away from my parents and in-laws. It is hard. I miss them all, and I miss the support that having family close by can bring when you are at my stage in life. To even have somewhere I can go and spend an afternoon when I'm at my whits-end and just need a cup of coffee and some wise parental perspective. It is our own fault. We choose to move down here 7 years ago before we had children for a lifestyle change. Now we are kind of entrenched down here - we have friends, a good church, Westley has a pretty good job and we have cheap rent. So it is kind of hard to move back home at this point even though it would be sweet to live close to family.
My ever-giving eldest sister lives very close to my family and has thoughtfully bought me and the children flights back to the town where I grew up to spend 2 weeks, living at her house while she is away and visiting my Mum and Dad and a few days with my in-laws. We fly there tomorrow and I am all excited to embark on a trip of a lifetime. We don't have a lot of money to spare, so flights 'home' have always been a luxury that we have not been able to partake in. Westley will be at our real home here as he needs to work, so it will be me, 3 kiddos loose in —town. I will miss Westley, however, him being at home will free me to do just what I want to do, when I want to do it, so that has advantages! ;)
Here are my hopes for this trip:
My ever-giving eldest sister lives very close to my family and has thoughtfully bought me and the children flights back to the town where I grew up to spend 2 weeks, living at her house while she is away and visiting my Mum and Dad and a few days with my in-laws. We fly there tomorrow and I am all excited to embark on a trip of a lifetime. We don't have a lot of money to spare, so flights 'home' have always been a luxury that we have not been able to partake in. Westley will be at our real home here as he needs to work, so it will be me, 3 kiddos loose in —town. I will miss Westley, however, him being at home will free me to do just what I want to do, when I want to do it, so that has advantages! ;)
Here are my hopes for this trip:
- to spend lots of relaxing time with my Mum and Dad. Drink lots of coffee together and chat.
- to spend quality time with my sister and her family (when they return from their trip) and with my in-laws and all other local family and friends I plan to see. The name in-laws seems so cold, I don't mean it to. I am blessed with wonderful in-laws who I consider to be my real family, I just could not think of a better way to group them together in a way that you would know who I meant.
- to enjoy the time with my children, their first plane rides!
- to enjoy 'pretend' living in —town. Visit the shops and parks.
- to saturate myself in Wuthering Heights. I am finally moving on from my world of Jane Eyre and onto another great Bronte classic. I'm excited and sad about Wuthering Heights (I know how it starts and I wonder how it could possibly be made good).
- to get some Kirsty Allsop, Phil Spencer and Kevin McCloud action on television - I will take what I can get, Location Location Location, Relocation Relocation, Grand Designs, Grand Designs Revisited, etc. I don't mind really, I just miss these guys and would love to catch up on as much as I can on my family's pay tv :) It is for these shows that I would find a life without television very difficult!
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