“..But I can’t quite bring myself to fall asleep by 10pm. It’s surprisingly difficult. The temptation to just DO THINGS, after the little one is asleep, is very strong. Endless possibilities after 7:30…”
My Little Artist: Maia’s Glorious Self-Expression
Being a Working Woman
The Magic of Sleep
My Little Artist: Maia’s Glorious Self-Expression
I am sat in my pyjamas, part writing this post, part watching Maia as she works on yet another illustration to stick on our living room door. She has been engrossed in her art work recently and I am loving it. (Both the fact she can get on independently and the wonderful desire she has to just draw and paint and paint some more, to her heart’s content. I’m slightly envious.)
Her paintings are stuck up all over our hallway, the doors are plastered and I happen to think it all looks pretty great. Rainbows and fairies and vibrant wacky abstract expressionist pieces (that’s what I call the creations I can’t quite place). Who doesn’t want a more colourful home? It certainly brings the space to life. Not that we had much say in the matter. She requested some sellotape and before we knew it she’d redecorated the place herself.
“How did you get those ones up there?”, referring to the slightly less-reachable parts of the door.
“I used that!” pointing to a plastic stool she often uses as a sort of dinner tray when she wants to eat on the floor in the living room.
“Right, well next time ask one of us to help you, please don’t stand on that by yourself..Otherwise..well done you!! It all looks brilliant!”
I’ve had no objections thus far, though not sure how this could go. The ceilings of my Dad’s shed are already glorified with artwork I’d done at primary school. With the way things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised if I walked in to find Grandad helping her stick her drawings to the living room ceiling. He’d take no issue with it. We have our own little interior designer, and she wants her portfolio seen by everyone. Will keep you updated.
Being a Working Woman
In other news, I have recently started a new job, and I am truly loving being a working woman again. (Yes Motherhood is work. Yes it’s the most important role I will ever take on, but that’s a whole other blog post). I’ve practically won the making-your-hours-fit-around-the-school-run lottery with this position, and was extremely fortunate when the opportunity presented itself. Turns out word of mouth can be pretty powerful. It can even sometimes beat the scroll-through-the-internet-for-hours-applying-never-to-hear-anything-back process of applying for jobs. Tell enough people you’re looking for a job and someone might just get back to you. Shout loud enough and your voice will be heard. (Or in spiritual speak, ask and the Universe will respond. But be specific, I wanted something that would work around Maia, and that’s exactly what I got. Celebration emoji.). I am incredibly grateful to the women who helped in the process of landing me this role, it has quite literally been life changing.
I’ll write more about being a working mother in a separate post, (after all there is plenty to discuss, from the feeling of empowerment, to being in a professional setting, what constitutes office-wear, to the most exciting; money) but for now I will just state the obvious; it is exhausting.
The shift in types-of-energy-required from the Summer holidays, to Maia starting school, to the job hunt, to a temporary stint at a local pub, to a more permament position with better hours. I’ve barely been able to keep up.
But I have. Kept up. Because it’s now half-term and I’m still here, coming back to the blog as I always do.
The Magic of Sleep…
I’ve had a couple of days off work, caught up on some sleep, and now feel like a person again. I’ve truly embraced not having to set my alarm the last few days. (I’ve also embraced other home-based luxuries, like not wearing makeup, or deodorant, or a bra. Basically I just want to vegetate when the opportunity arises). Sleep heals, I think we all need more of it. I was ill for a while, (the usual, feverish, bad throat/colds) feeling drained, running on far too much sugar and not enough rest. You may be familiar with the conveyor belt notion, one thing after another after another.
All health was restored this weekend, rising from bed at the blissful hour of 12:13 on Saturday, going for mood-lifting walks in the sunshine and spending some chilled time with the little one . It was my first weekend completely “off” in over a month and I can already feel the difference.
Back to work tomorrow, and I am aware the joy of not-having-the-school-run will make the week fly. I am still not a fan of the 6:30 starts. I want to be, for productivity reasons, I so want to be. But I can’t quite bring myself to fall asleep by 10pm. It’s surprisingly difficult. The temptation to just DO THINGS, after the little one is asleep, is very strong. Endless possibilities after 7:30. I’ve had to set myself a rule in order to encourage a shift in my circadian rhythms :“Turn WiFi off on phone at 9pm.” I’ve yet to implement the rule, but I’m right on the edge.
Conversely, I am also on the edge of setting my alarm for some ridiculous hour just to work on my side-projects. I miss being creative. But again, that’s another blog post: “How working motherhood has led me to give up my hopes and dreams and goals and creativity altogether.”
Ha. Just kidding.
The dreams are more alive than ever thank you.
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The Colourful Kind 