Real Mums – Janine’s Little World

I started this feature to celebrate real mums. Mums come in all shapes and sizes but sometimes we can feel alone, we can feel as though we are the only ones struggling to keep on top of things. I want to lift the lid on motherhood so we can all feel a part of sisterhood, to feel proud about our own achievements and know that we are doing the best we can!

Without further a do let me hand over to Janine!

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.

We are now a so called “gentleman’s family”. There is me (Janine), hubby, Matthew who is nearly 2 1/2 years old and now Chloe born 1st February 2015.

Describe a typical day in your life

Now that we have 2 children and I am on maternity leave, my day is structured a bit differently.

Matthew wakes up anytime between 7 and 8am. We are aiming to have him in nursery by 8.30am to 9am. Hubby drops him off normally unless he is away a night. After a hard night with Chloe (so far it has been tough every night because she is a night owl), I would get up either at 8am if I got some decent sleep (3 hours) if not, I would get up at 10am. Off downstairs having some breakfast. Chloe is having her nap until her next feed which is around 11am usually. She feeds every 3 1/2 to 4 hours. The afternoon is my relaxing time where she sleeps and I get to blog, watch TV or do housework like clean the kitchen or put on a wash. Around 3pm we are off out for a walk then around the estate.
I collect Matthew from nursery around 5pm and he is getting his dinner around 5.30pm/6pm. Depending on what we are having for dinner, he gets his own dinner. It’s playtime then until around 7.15pm. Every second day is bath night. Matthew is off to bed at 8pm after story time. I have to trial this at the weekend to see how I juggle between Chloe crying and putting Matthew to bed but hopefully she will settle into her own little routine soon.

What is the best thing about being a mum?

Sometimes in the evening time hubby and me are sitting down wondering what we did before having kids. I honestly cannot even remember. Life must have been boring because every time Matthew goes for a 2 hours nap at the weekend I am bored out of my mind! Having the 2 of them makes life so much fun for example going out for walks, going to the local play centre, having cuddles on the couch, watch a family movie together.

What have you found hardest about motherhood?

Starting off as a first time mum is always hard. You want to do everything perfect and have the perfect routine. Looking back now on raising Matthew I think I was a bit too “military” with his feeds 4 hours on the button. What I did find the hardest was the weaning. I am not that kind of person who likes cooking a lot but he turned out well and eats absolutely everything including fruit and veg.
Another hard thing was letting him off to nursery at 5 months. I am so glad he went now and he is so happy to play with his little friends everyday. His sister will join him the same age. He is so social.

How has your body changed?

After having 2 I thought it would take my body ages to look normal again as they say with the second one you are always bigger. I was lucky. I am only 5kg away from my pre pregnancy weight! Their is still that wobbly bit but I am not too bothered about that.

Do you wear makeup? If so, what does your routine look like? 

Yes, I don’t go out without makeup. A bit of foundation and mascara is a must everyday to look half decent.

What’s in your handbag? 

Receipts, receipts, receipts and my wallet.

What is your relationship with housework?

I always have to keep on top with housework. By that I don’t necessarily mean the heavy housework like hoovering or mopping the floors. We have a big counter/island in the kitchen that can build up a lot of stuff. I’d like to keep that tidy everyday and tidy the dishes away into the dishwasher and not have them sitting on the side of the sink otherwise it just builds up more everyday. I am trying to keep on top of the washing too. Luckily hubby likes cleaning too so he is responsible for the hoovering in the house.

How do you relax?

Sitting down on the couch browsing the internet, blogging, doing some online shopping. I also used to be big into writing letters to other people but I haven’t touched a letter in a few weeks now.

What’s the best parenting advice you have ever been given?

I haven’t been given any parenting advice really. The only thing I do remember is if baby is a night owl make sure you turn her around asap starting the day at 7am so she understands the difference between night and day. We don’t want to be walking around looking like zombies. 🙂

For any new mums out there, what would you like to tell them?

Don’t follow any books. Certainly there is some advice you can take from a book but in general I would go with the flow. Mummy instinct is the best.

What makes you happy?

Having a house, an amazing car, a gorgeous caring husband who helps out so much and 2 beautiful children. I have been really lucky.

And finally, complete this sentence:

I am a great mum because….. I am caring as good as I can for my children providing them with everything they need. A little spoil is a must there especially now that we have a new born in the house and Matthew might feel left out.

Thank you Janine, you are so right- mummy’s instinct is always right! I also agree about getting baby started at 7am although I have to admit I haven’t been great at that second time round! 

If you want to find out more about Janine and her blog then head over to Janine’s Little World.

She is also on Twitter so go say hi!