My whole routine is about to change

Should I work Fridays again?

I’ve got that nervous “new year new me” energy. Yes I know it’s August but in a month’s time my son will be starting at a new nursery that is attached to a school. So not school school but for all intents and purposes (school uniform, book bag, shorter school days, school holidays etc. etc.) it’s basically school.

But why is it giving me “new year new me” energy? Well because as the primary carer, the hours I have available to work on my paid job and my business are about to completely change. Currently, I take Fridays off to parent so come September I’ll suddenly have 9am-3pm available to me on Fridays for the first time in THREE YEARS to do with what I please. Granted the other school days are shorter than his current days at a childminder’s but once he’s settled we plan on using wrap around care and after school club on some of the days.

If we ignore the absolute chaos of the first two weeks of September when the kids are “settling in” and going in for half days here and there, very soon I am going to have a lot more time on my hands. So what do I do with it?

I started working a 4 day work week and taking Fridays off before I became a parent. I made a whole video where I tried it for a month and loved it so much it stuck. But now all these years later I cannot actually remember what I did with myself on those Fridays - WHAT DID I DO?! Rewatching that video (also omg I am pregnant in half of that video but I just didn’t know it yet!!), here’s some of the things I did in my Fridays off that first month:

• life admin

• chores

• medical appointments

• lunch with friends

• reading

So not super glamorous but I like that. Here are some ideas I have for other things I could do with my Fridays (that aren’t my job) and I quite like the idea of not planning too much and just seeing whatever takes my fancy from the list:

• cinema

• meal prepping for the following week

• sleeping

• moving my body (running, tennis, pilates, swimming)

• arts and crafts

What would be on your list? What should I add to mine? Should I work on Fridays again…???

I’m feeling very nervous and excited about this upcoming change. I think because I’ve also taken on a big commitment in September so I’m worried about fitting that in around trying to settle into a new routine. Wish me luck! And parents, any tips for dealing with school times/days/holidays much appreciated!

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✨ my website has been updated! ✨ - it only took me 1 year and 7 months to update my website with information about my services and work with content creators. Very proud of moog and I for finally getting this done, especially right before I go on holiday! Feels so good to have finished this big work thing AND it was one of the things on my bingo card!

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I am back in the underwired bras club. After years of lockdowns, pregnancy, and breastfeeding I am done with wireless bras (for now). This to me feels like another sign that I am coming out of the early motherhood trench. My priorities have changed! It’s no longer about comfort and boob access above all else, I actually care about what my boobs look like in clothes again! 😮

I recently got the Millie Bra from Bravissimo in purple and I love it! If bras for big boobs weren’t so expensive I’d get it in multiple colours! 😅

I went back to my uni because I’m on the University of Birmingham’s Creative Industries Advisory Board and I made a lil nostalgic vlog of my trip!

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Exciting things happening in TCR at the moment! It’s coming up to one year since we created the TCR TBR (The Common Room To Be Read) list as a community and so we’re beginning to collect a bit of a long list of book suggestions to go on the list for this year. These are books lots of folks in the community recommend/books people get introduced to through the community. And we’re also planning on a survey of last year’s list! We want to know which books got read the most from the list, which is the favourite/least favourite of the community and other things! If books, community, and data nerdery is your jam - come join us!

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