The life of a working mum:
5.15 am: Wake up to have a quiet cup of chai before the madness starts. Read the newspaper.
5.30 - 6.15 am: Start cooking and packing lunch dabbas for 3 people (me, Ads, Y - husband not being around is a bonus in this aspect - one less to do!). As things simmer on the gas, get going on the laundry, laying out uniforms etc etc.
6.15 - 6.40 am: Wake up Ads, supervise teeth-brushing. Eat my breakfast while he sips his milk.
6.45 - 7.15 am: Help Ads with geting ready, prepare and serve breakfast. Cuddle a morning-blues Y if she wakes up while making sure Ads doesn't feel left out :)
7.15 am: Accompany Ads to bus-stop if Y is awake. If she is still asleep, he goes solo.
7.30 - 9 am - Repeat morning routine with Y while getting ready for work myself; pray silently that my house-help will land up.
9-9.10 am: Leave the house with Y and all our luggage (laptop bag, Y's backpack, my lunch, her lunch), see her off to school and immediately leave for work
9.45 am: Reach work.
2.15 pm: My outer limit for leaving the office else I'm not going to reach home in time for school bus drop-off.
2.50 am: Reach home, drop my stuff in the flat and rush back to bus-stop to retrieve the 2 kids :)
3-4 pm: Washing up, milk-drinking and general catching up with kids.
4-4.30 pm: Attempt to take a 20 min power nap (husband's brilliant idea). Have failed consistently due to screaming matches between kids, potty breaks, doorbell ringing etc.
4.30 pm or earlier - 6 pm: Start preparing evening snack for kids. Cut fruits for Ads tennis class (they have a snack break). Wait for cook to arrive. Supervise Ads' homework if any.
6 - 7 pm - Hopefully dinner is prepared by this time. See off Ads at swim or tennis class, take Y to park. Catch up with mommy friends/neighbours.
7 pm: Buy milk and other staples for next day. Head home.
7-7.30 pm - Bath-time.
7.30-8 pm: Dinner time and cleaning up.
8 - 8.30 pm - Cuddling in bed, quiz time, "discussion"time (with Ads!) and finally bed-time.
8.30 - 10 pm - Catch up with work and emails.
It's exhausting. A lot of people don't realize that flex-working means, in the end, a lot more work. You have to be more efficient (no idle gossiping over the office water-cooler!) and you are never disconnected from work, even at home. I like my schedule even though it gets crazy at times. I've never believed in the quality time argument; for me, quality and quantity are must-haves. This way, I get more time to be with the kids. I like to be there waiting for them when they get off the school bus. I like to listen to their childish prattle as they relive their day in school. And as much as I may crib about it, even their squabbles are something I wouldn't want to miss!
The bottomline is I am grateful to be doing good work when so many others don't get such opportunities. I'm neck-deep in recruiting for my office now since we are doubling our staff strength and I am meeting so many women who are looking for flexible schedules, have been in fact hunting for that elusive opportunity for years and have not reached there yet. It beats a couple of my previous jobs anyway where I was far less physically spent than I am now, yet the prospect of getting out of bed every morning and facing another day in the office was sheer misery.
I don't know how long this run will continue - hopefully for a few more years. I would hate to have to be in an office 9 to 6, however fantastic the work is and however awesome the pay packet (For the record, my pay truly sucks!).
I don't know how long this run will continue - hopefully for a few more years. I would hate to have to be in an office 9 to 6, however fantastic the work is and however awesome the pay packet (For the record, my pay truly sucks!).
Childhoods are too fleeting. This time around, my fingers are well and truly crossed.
Hey Aparna, touchwood! You are able to do the work you like and spend time with kids w/out having to trade one for the other, that's simply great. Childhoods are too fleeting, so agree. Wow, you do have a packed schedule. Best wishes to you!
ReplyDeleteThanks chatty wren. I'm really really tired esp because husband travels most of the time- and his support is something I lean heavily on. But hey -- I'm not gonna complain :)
DeleteReally appeciate the fact that you have thought out your priorities .. I have seen so many working mothers at my workplace pining for their children yet away at work for 13 hrs.. Ask them why they are working at all and they are cluelless !!
ReplyDeleteVery surprising , but too many people do not sit back and think what they truly want in life .. They just go with the flow of the world around them ..
Very true aarthy. I want to do a post on that. Thinking through one's priorities is so important.
DeleteI know...I understand..childhood will not come again..am happy too to have taken a decision to enjoy my son's childhood and God willing I hope to find that work-life balance too that you've found. Having a travelling hubby is very difficult. Kudos to you for being able to sail through, however difficult it may be.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree about people having mixed up their priorities completely. A lot depends on how disciplined a person is. Not many have a sense of time, discipline or passion to lead a sensible and healthy lifestyle. A post on this sometime ;-)
PLease do write a post! Good idea. The more I see of people, the more I find people indisciplined, undependable and lacking integrity. I guess I'm getting older!! :(
DeleteLove this kind of post. Gives you an idea of the every day life of the person you read so often and feel like you know well. It's not easy to juggle things...and it is not easy to always be so disciplined and organized. Good at least you have help coming for clean up/cooking etc. Here I don't know how women manage cooking and running to a million classes and working full time. May be once they get into the routine they are able to do it. Being a sahm now, it seems mind boggling to me when I see them. Sometimes what you prioritize as being important to you may not always work out. If I had to write down priorities on paper, I would surely put down work as being important. I never ever thought I would be a sahm ever. But practically speaking, with the responsibilities I have esp when I have to take care of my mother or FIL about 8 or 9 months a year when they are here, I feel like I will go nuts managing everything and really being there for my children and at the same time not ruining my health completely. That is my limitation. I just feel this is how much I can handle in a way that my children don't feel the stress. Of course once KG starts full time school, doing a part time job will be doable. But getting that dream job is not easy. In that sense, I am really happy for you. It is good to have both going.
ReplyDeleteThanks noon. I've been there. When I lived in the US, I was in total awe of the women who manage so much. Total respect! In India, I feel working women have it so much easier. Yes the help may be unreliable but atleast it's there. When I see couples at the mall with just 1 baby and a maid in tow (holding the baby, baby's things, stroller etc), I feel like laughing. It looks so ridiculous! We are truly spoilt.
DeleteCan understand your constraints - it would be very diffiicult to manage with multiple responsibilities. At some point, kids do feel the stress. Hope u get your dream job some day and soon.
You sure have a hectic schedule, but at the end of the day, what you say makes so much sense! I would love to get a flexi job - even if it means having to do much more work. I have to start looking once we settle in Bangalore properly. Fingers crossed, I'll get something like you have - something that makes me happy while allowing me the time I need to spend with daughter.
ReplyDeleteAh -- I wish you all the luck, smitha! Flexwork has tons of opportunities these days. I see the settling in is happening steadily for you - good luck with getting the house all done up.
DeleteI'm in the same situation with you too. I start my day at 5.30.. packing for 4, send them and get back at 6pm. Help the homework and coaching.. While I feel I work harder (may be to finish off the work), I but don't mind it coz' I FEEL the extra hours at home!
ReplyDeleteHi geeth,
DeleteLooks like ur day is super-packed! More power to you :)
Hey My first time here. You seem to have achieved the perfect work life balance. Even though your schedule is hectic you seem to be spending quality time with your kids and derive satisfaction from your work at the same time :)
ReplyDeleteNow this inspires me to write about a working day in my life :)
Hi,
DeleteWelcome here and thanks for the comment. I would love to hear about your work day. Hopping over to your blog now :)
I loved your post. It is a glimpse into your life and shows how one can achieve that elusive work-life balance. I left my corporate life for spending time with my daughter and have never regretted the decision. I am treading into a work-at-home career now and even though I am at home full time I have been having a hard time managing my well, time. Seeing your jam-packed makes me see that I can do it just have to put my mind to it. :)
ReplyDeleteSure you can Swapna. It just takes a little time to get used to the craziness that results when home and work boundaries get blurred. Good luck!!
DeletePhew!! That's quite a schedule!!! And yes, I am finally managing to see blogspot on Opera - don't know how long it'll last so quickly catching up on my favourite blogs :).
ReplyDeleteApster, what IS happening with you and blogger? :((
DeleteHonestly.. I'm just completely irritated and don't know what to do at this point :(. Have literally tried all the browsers one after the other. Now Opera (with turbo) seems to work on/off, but yesterday when I tried to comment on your next post, abruptly stopped working again :(... So so tempted to shift to Wordpress or something, but considering how occasionally I blog it would be such a pain to try to change it all around!!
DeleteI kinda like the sound of your schedule. Though it is hectic indeed, it looks like a great combo of work and home life. I would love to have such a life in future, when we have kids, and that I don't have to give up being with the kids or my career altogether.
ReplyDeleteI work from home, too, and can understand what you mean by the boundaries between work and home blurring. :) It gets totally crazy at times, but I like doing it this way. It helps retain my sanity. :)
Yeah I like it too. I used to work from home on and off even when we were kid-less and I loved it even then.
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