Me? Sit down

I am a Gamileraay woman who wants to leave this world better than it was when I arrived but we are going backwards which makes me angry and the result is I have a lot to say and sometime, the truth makes me unpopular.

I am also a suffering optimist, I try to see positivity in things but find that is generally only my family that provides the positivity in an otherwise politically depressing world.

Stick around and nod your head, join the discussion and give me a piece of your mind.

Follow me on twitter: https://twitter.com/nataliecromb

Monday 6 October 2014

Trying to control the chaos.............



There are many celebrities, tv personalities, bloggers, writers and home making commentators out in the public sphere that often tout new and interesting ways to "make life easy" and allow you to multitask.

But do they ever really tell you what it actually takes to fit everything in for the average, everyday person that does not have assistants, nannies or housekeepers?

Let's face it, we have the media telling us we are not pretty enough, thin enough, young enough, we aren't good enough if we aren't throwing Pinterist styles kid's birthday parties, we need to succeed in all things and look flawless while doing it.

This is not a criticism of the women that want to be successful and look good, I am one of them. This is, however, a frank account of what it takes in the real world without nannies, assistants, agents and managers to be successful at home, at work and in your health.

Let me preface this blog entry by saying, I am not an expert (in anything), I do not think there is a one size fits all approach to anything and especially not something as essential as planning your life but I do firmly believe in taking stock of your responsibilities in order to prioritise your time accordingly and hold yourself accountable.

This blissful long weekend just passed, I listed my priorities as follows:

a) being a mum;
b) working full time;
c) studying at uni;
d) writing;  and
e) running a household..............

A recipe for chaos right? Add to that, I have embarked on a lifestyle change to improve my health and fitness.

Honestly, and I know it is boring, but I have a schedule and this allows me to ensure I am fitting everything in. My day starts at 4:50am and finishes in the territory of midnight to 1am. Yes, this is ridiculous. Yes, I am very tired. But this is what it takes for me to "do it all."

"Do it all" to me means; being the best Mum I can be but also striving for the best at work. My chosen career (law) requires lengthy days and long haul hours but in order to still manage this workload whilst being a present and good Mum, I leave work earlier than I would if I weren't a Mum (6pm-ish) in order to race home for the dinner, bath and bedtime routine because singing lullabies is something my little one is now accustomed.

The cost of having this glorious time with my daughter is that, once she is peacefully slumbering with the contented knowledge that she is the centre of my universe, I spend some time with her Daddy while wolfing down dinner and if we are lucky, watching a little television while I fold washing or catch up on emails. After that, I am logging onto my laptop to do some more work/study/writing.

When I finally get to bed after showering and preparing for the next day, it is often well past 11pm and I then set my alarm for the next day to do it all again.

I know I cannot always operate to this extreme, it is unsustainable given that I am existing on around 5 hours sleep a day (if I'm lucky) but this is what it takes to get all of the above priorities into my day.

I am not Gwyneth, I don't have an at home gym with my own personal instructor, I don't have nannies or babysitters, I don't have an agent or personal assistant. I just have 24 hours in a day and a partner to help me get through the daily tasks to continue getting through the grind.

My new beauty staple......

Coconut oil!

I use it in home made coffee scrub, I use it to moisturise my terribly damaged skin coming out of the winter months and I use it to nourish my hair, skin and nails. It is so versatile and has made my skin completely transform and look younger.

Get some................yesterday!!!