Embrace the school holidays I hear myself say…..
There are thousands of us working Mums all looking at 7 weeks of our children at home and wondering what on earth are we going to do! Easter and Christmas are somehow manageable with a bit of help from family, a bit of paid for help and maybe a club or two but the summer holidays are a different ball game!
I have two gorgeous children aged 5 and 8. Never have I seen two more excited children at the prospect of breaking up this Friday. For me – the white knuckle ride is about to begin – I am now entering into one of my busiest periods of the year – my summer sale on the basically black site, the new autumn winter stock arriving, all the new seasons photography to be done in time for September and if that lot isn’t enough, the buying of my Spring Summer 2010 collection THIS August. It really is completely bonkers! Don’t get me wrong – I love what I do and I wouldnt change it for the world but the plate spinning really starts when the holidays do!
As the summer holidays approach, I can feel the panic rising! I see the children getting more and more excited at the prospect of not going to school and then I feel the pressure of how can I make their holidays everything they are expecting them to be. I have decide that the only way to approach this is by taking one week at a time. Of course, it will all get sorted – it always does! What else can one do? I went to a childrens party at the weekend and nearly all the working Mum’s there were in the same boat as me. It is quite a juggling act! Funnily enough, one Mum who was not working and has two younger children than the rest of us pointed out that she is looking at 7 weeks, with no nursery or time AWAY from her two children! I guess that is the other side of the coin! Whilst us working Mums are frantically juggling child care and trying desperately to squeeze in quality time with our children, others at home are going completely nuts and cant get away from their kids!
There is a balance there somewhere – its just a question of trying to find it!
When I launched basically black last year, I knew the school holidays would be tough but so far I have managed to strike a balance and make sure the children dont suffer. I guess I put more into what I do when I know the children are sorted out so that when I have them, I know I can relax and enjoy quality time with them.
I find talking to friends who are also working is a great help. It usually helps me to come up with ideas for the children that I may not have thought about or make me realise that what I am doing is ok and just the same juggling act they are all doing! The joys of being female hey! I dont hear many Dads fretting about the summer holidays! I wonder why??