Too Many Spinning Plates...

I sometimes feel like I have too much to do. Too much to keep going all at one time like spinning plates and I struggle to keep them all spinning.

I have one plate whirling round for each child's happiness,
A plate for cooking breakfast/lunch/tea,
One for baby weaning/bottle times.
A spinning plate for cleaning,
Shopping,
Clothes washing,
Diary planning,
One for my relationship,
Another for friends,
One for family members,
A plate for exercise (my jelly belly isn't going to shift itself is it?!)
Additional plates may be added at any time for things such as illness, holidays, birthdays etc.
.....and somewhere in amongst them there should be a plate for 'me time'. This plate is stationary most of the time.

It's easy to think that we don't do much with our time and lots of it is spent on the sofa, while some days this may be true - your brain never switches off from keeping those plates going round and round. Even at weekends The Man might be around to help but he'll still ask you when the next feed is due because you're the one who has to keep on top of it. Your every waking thought is about what someone else needs next, which one of the children do I need to attend to next? What time do I need to get tea on for when The Man gets home? How many loads of washing can I get done before I meet my friend this morning? What do I need to buy while I'm out? Whose party is coming up soon?

In order to get me time I still have to think of others before doing so. I need to make sure that someone is there to look after the kids, will I go out before or after they go to bed, will I still have to make tea even if I'm eating out? (that answer is usually yes) so it doesn't really feel like a break does it?
I spend so much time thinking about the other people in my life, the multiple daily decisions that have to be made, the focus on one plate while keeping all the others spinning, that every now and then I want to just let all my plates fall to the ground because I'm overloaded.
I admit it. Sometimes it's all a bit too much for me to handle.

Keeping organised helps. Writing it all down in this blog helps. Talking to my friends helps. But it doesn't change it does it? The amount of plates I need to keep from falling will always be there because we are Mums. This is what we do.

Speak soon x