Working mother...

The lovely Natalia Vodianova and her son.

For the first time for a very long time, last week I had a week off work and we did not go anywhere. We had a 'staycation' or a 'home-a-day'. We did try to get a last-minute trip away; we wanted to get some sun in Florida, but could not find a flight out of the UK when we checked about a month ago. Even if we had found a flight we would have been going nowhere due to the volcanic ash! Strange how it goes...

So no work for a week. I was a full time Mummy for a week. Different kind of work. It was lovely. In more of the best laid plans my husband had the week off too so we were going to gad around together with the children, trips out and family time. As it happened he got an attack of Gout; he gets this periodically. I know, its the affliction of kings from the Middle Ages, but in reality its ridiculously painful and completely debilitating. So he was laid up. Oh to have a crystal ball to have seen those two things coming!

The funny thing about not working was how easily the corporate life just slipped out of mind, without a trace. The ease with which I morphed into Mummy-life surprised me and has made me wonder - why do I work? Or let me re-phrase: why do I work so hard at working? Of course there is financial necessity (handbags don't come for free) but on a wider point, was the joy of this release from work something I should consider more deeply?

I have always been a working mother, part time, but always working. I love my job, but in the same breath, the logistics of working and being a Mummy can be crippling and exhausting. I do genuinely wonder if the head space that it all occupies could be better used?

My working has always been tied up with lots of other stuff, like the fact that when I am alone too much I think too much, I like being good at my job, I get a 'shopping fund', I don't instead of working, by default, spend all my time cleaning my house (you know I would...), it usually 'works' for us as a family. I can balance it.

If I didn't work what would life be like? Its a big unknown for me and - truthfully - probably a hypothetical. But this last week has been thought-provoking, for sure. In true piscean fashion - I am undecided. This is likely just be a little waver...but the thing is, I have remembered that it is a choice.

Meanwhile on the topic of motherhood, I found out from a commenter that I have been nominated for a national blog award - The MADs (The Mummy and Daddy Blog Awards)! How novel, I have no idea who nominated me, but I am up for 'best new blog' and 'best looking blog'! I have never been nominated for the best looking anything...its quite exciting... :-)