Since when did my life become so busy I don’t even have time to breathe?

I am about to start seeing a breathing physio. 

Oh yes, amongst my many skills and talents, breathing apparently isn't one of them.

How on earth can I forget to breathe when at any given moment I only have a wordpress site to build for my blogging 9 year old daughter on a mission to become a discovered poet while getting a 6^th round of toast for my unfillable 7 year old son  while reading the deeply philosophical tome “Bees are Stripy” (so they are) for the 100^th time that day to my 15 month old (who has become rather Father Jack in her single word demands of late ‘READ’ ‘READ’) while thinking about the presentation I am giving tomorrow and the tweet I must send and the text I haven’t yet answered to my best friend, stirring the supper while coming up with the killer 48 point word on the ‘Words with Friends’ app on my iphone to beat my adversary in tennis and words games alike (aka my Dad) while sorting out the uniforms for the morning and testing the middle child on his spellings while googling the address for his match on Friday and musing if we have enough bedding to clean the blasted hamster who seemed like a good idea at the time (whose early demise I secretly fantasise about) while on the phone to Mr D to discuss the progress on the refund for the hire car idiots in Portugal who thought it perfectly reasonable customer service to drag a family party of 6 to an industrial estate in the middle of Lisbon post flight only to inform them they didn't actually have the 7 seater we’d booked AT ALL but here, have a 5 seater, Grandma in the roof-box, no problems and oh could he possibly stop and pick up a bottle of red on his way home and and and…..and BREATHE.

Your 30s are, so the research tells us, the busiest time in a woman’s life. Apparently there’s only 1 hour in every 24 that we have to ourselves. The ever present 21^st century juggle of work and family compounded by the multitude of communication channels we wrap around us leaving us, literally it seems, struggling for breath.

What to do? Employers I think, nowadays, have an even greater responsibility to ensure their staff are allowed to strike the right mutually beneficial balance between work and home, and work extra hard to create positive brand centred cultures in their workplaces. Putting employees first.

Mine? Well JM has happily agreed to let my physio session take place in the office as Woodreed live (and breathe!) the importance of looking after your employees to increase engagement. (Although secretly I think she wants to chuckle at the ‘OMMMMMMMMMs’ that will invariably be emitting from the boardroom as I am finding the time to learn to breathe.)  

Having a little bit of it all

I read in Campaign this week about how hard it continues to be for women to combine a career in our industry and have kids. I felt cross and let down by our industry for not doing enough about it (I wonder how far we've come since Mad Men).. It then made me grateful for how lucky I am to be able to combine a career I love with raising my children I adore.

This is mostly down to 2 things, well not things, ladies actually - a brilliant mother who’s there to pick up the slack when needed and a brilliant boss whose belief in working mothers (she’s one herself) means she goes out of her way to make the work/life balance possible for her staff who have kids.

I think that being able to enjoy a career without the guilt that I shortchange my kids (I don’t – I work part time around them) is wonderful and makes me come over all Spice Girl (I am not going to suggest which one) with a big girl power salute at how us ladies (my friends and my fellow mama colleagues) find creative ways of combining work and mothering. That being said I have had some funny moments when work and mothering are just a tad too cozy: house at full noisy pelt, supper overdoing in the oven, 4 year old son in major protest mode clinging to my foot like an angry blond fluffy haired slipper, fielding questions from my 6 year old girl about the history of the British monarchy (watches too much ‘Horrible Histories’ on CBBC if you ask me) while sending emails of great strategic importance to clients. Would I change it? No way and here's why.

It's about...

• Still having my own bank account ( I was shocked to learn some of my married stay at home friends only have joint accounts)
• Relating to point one, being able to spend a ridiculous amount on a pair of shoes without needing to justify it to anyone, (ie husband who thinks shoes should be bought on a needs not wants basis, oh so very wrong)
• When we’re at a dinner party or other such social event, being able to talk about what I do for work.
• Work banter – couldn't be without it. (still chuckling at the account handling team's elegant simile to describe the new layout of mine and Jo's office)
• Men! The world of the stay at home mama is a frightfully lady-based land. Don’t get me wrong, I love my girlfriends, but I also like hanging with the chaps too.
• The fact that having to think for a living just about keeps my brain this side of mush.
• Getting dressed up. Only the really super yummy mummies look hot 24/7. Coming to work gives me the perfect excuse to put on the heels, makeup and a dress 2 days a week
• Because it proves that women can go a little way to having it all (although of course this will never really be totally possible)
• Setting a positive role model for my daughter that woman can have careers just as much as men. My daughter’s current career aspirations are as follows: Scientists / pop star during the week, Magician on Saturday, Sunday off. You go girl!