9 Reasons to Appreciate Stay At Home Mums

There seems to be such a lot being said of SAHMs in our society, a lot of it pretty negative. All this 'talk' prompted me to think about the benefits SAHMs actually bring to society. If it's not accusations of SAHMs allowing their brains to become as soft as "over cooked spaghetti" (thanks Lowri Turner), it's the assumptions they are all addicted to Day time TV ( Jeremy Kyle seems to feature quite frequently) and coffee mornings.

          Source: www.popsugar.com

In a small effort to redress the balance, here are 9 reasons to appreciate a SAHM

1. They call the fire brigade on an empty house letting off smoke (a true story - I honestly did call the fire brigade, turns out is was a real fire, brought under control just in time)

2. On the return journey from the school run (the journey to school is far too stressful to stop for anything), they actually read notices of missing pets taking note to look out for them. 

              Source: Pinterest.com

3. They drop in on an elderly person providing much needed company.

4. They organise school Christmas fairs and other fund raising initiatives, raising money to improve school facilities and therefore improving the community's schools.

              Source: Pinterest.com

5. They are the class reps who remind you about own clothes day or that cake sale.

6. They are regular users of local businesses. SAHM's are more likely to take a trip to the local butchers, then the bakery next door and that old clichè - the coffee shop. All this before the Tesco delivery arrives and just in time to turn the slow cooker off

7. SAHMs help make neighbourhoods communities. Since joining the ranks of  school goers, our family's world has really opened up in an unexpected way. Meeting other local families with similar interests means we are exploring our local facilities more. We are looking out for each other's families and really want to make our community a great place to live.

8. They are the unofficial neighbourhood watch - because they are home at "odd" times, SAHMs will soon spot undesirable situations in and around the community and report or question things which may otherwise go unnoticed.

9. They are neighbourly - from taking in deliveries during the day to moving your wheelly bins off the public pavement or walk way - SAHMs look out for their neighbours.

So you see it's not just coffee mornings and Jeremy Kyle for company. SAHMs are not just good for their own children and their immediate families, they do infact have a wider impact on their community, and dare I say, society.

Here Comes Half Term - 5 things to do

So we are nearly at the finish line of the first half of term one. I'm not quite sure why it feels like the time has passed so quickly given that this first half term has been life changing. In these last few weeks we've discovered jolly phonics and numicons, we've realised just how busy the roads are at 8.30am and 3pm, and have been surprised to learn that most 4 and 5 year olds are gifted with more dexterity and self control than we previously gave credit for or dared to discover for ourselves.

            Crossing the finish line 

I've been fortunate to have hit the "I don't want to go to school" wall only once so far. However I am no stranger to the after school challenge where by mummy gets  everything so wrong. Things like forgetting the Thomas the Tank engine umbrella ( it wasn't even raining); forgetting the helmet ( ok fair enough, I left in a hurry); talking to the other mums for too long, thereby wasting precious walking home time; and after a long day at school, serving up the wrong food.

So with half term upon us there's a part of me that just wants to relax and not rush around for anything. But there's also a part of me that is addicted to routine and therefore I need to have some kind of schedule in place. (Besides two young children will never permit an entire week of relaxation). So inspired by a half term planner I saw on netmums.com, I thought I'd loosely plan some half term activities.

 

1. A trip to London to fulfil that London bus fascination - probably to the natural history museum - hello dinosaurs

                 A London bus

2. Visit the local museum - 20 mins drive for a free day out with arts and crafts and musical instruments. This should please both children and the purse.

3. Crèche - mummy still needs gym time even at half term. A gym session will re-energise me for mum duty. Besides both children seem to enjoy the fact that this is something they can do together, parent free.

4. A day of boredom at home because boredom breeds innovation and creativity. I'm hopeful but can't deny a little nervousness.

5. A play date - a long awaited catch up with friends from nursery. I wonder if previous best friends can still hold this title after being apart for weeks.

Making this list only serves up a realisation that we will probably have another busy week. These 5 items don't even include the School Halloween disco, the party on Saturday followed by another party on Sunday. 

The business of parenting is relentless work!

What have you got planned for planned half term?

8 Things No one Told Us About Starting School

As a first timer with the business of the school run, there are a few things I have come to realise I just wasn't prepared for. Despite my dry runs, timing the walk from door to door (I even considered investing in a pedometer to get scientific verification of which of 2 routes was more efficient), I am surprised to be surprised.  

1. At least twice a week, a scooter will collide with the back of your legs. The correct response by the way, is to genuinely accept the other parents profuse apologies because you will be seeing them again and there is a strong likelihood, your child will scoot into their legs before the weekend.

2. The PTA - to join or not to join?

The school PTA is a good gang to associate oneself with. Such was my strategy anyway until I was scared off when the role of Treasurer was announced as vacant and urgently requiring a volunteer. I don't want to be the treasurer! That means being responsible for the school's money. Anyway I suspect you have to be atleast a part qualified accountant to be an effective treasurer and actually enjoy it. I think I'll stick to making pretty things for the Christmas fair and helping the teachers with organising the class room and resources.

3. The head teacher makes me want to behave. I like the fact that the head teacher is a strong no nonsense type, but even I feel I have to sit up straight and tuck my shirt in in her presence. She just commands authority.

4. Road safety ground rules.

Road safety has taken centre stage in our family since the start of school. Despite my confidence that my child understands the rules, I have to remember children get carried away and they will influence and be influence by others resulting in scooter races at rush hour. Confiscation of the scooter is not out of the question.

5. The Ice cream van. 

I find the presence of the sugar dispenser, I mean, Ice cream van right outside the school premises irritating to say the least. I wonder when it will be replaced by a fruit and veg van.

6. A 4/5 year old is actually capable of carrying their own tray of food from counter to table - AMAZING! We are only a few weeks into the first term of school and not once has the loss of lunch through clumsiness been reported. I'm too nervous to try this out at home.

7. Your child will make friends beyond the control zone. There will be new friends whose presence in your child's life you did not orchestrate. Don't we all get used to arranging play dates with parents we like? Those who we consider like minded? Well, it's all about to end because children will make their own friends at school and inevitably, you'll be asked to arrange a play date with a child you know nothing about. This could be awkward!

8. The comradery - meeting other mums and families who are actually, genuinely like minded people. The parenting tips, the recipe sharing, the decorating steals and uniform swaps ... I could go on but I'll stop now before I start declaring undying love and detailing weird codependency habits.

Is this how it should be or am I still high on new starter enthusiasm?

How have you found starting school?