Life of a Professional Juggler - Being a wife, a mother, a career.....

" I have 2 kids, pregnant with the 3rd, I live and work in Lagos, resume work at 8:00 am as a P.A and don't close from work till 6:30 - 7:00 pm, drive for at least 2 hours to get home to my 2 warriors and husband, all tired.

Currently I am sourcing for a house help and so I have a whole lot to handle. However, I am blessed to have a husband that helps out in the house (when he feels like), but am still grateful. my kids are hyperactive and wont stay away from me. I shed tears of frustration sometimes.

Lately, i have started considering resigning from my job and focusing on my family and business but i want to wait until the baby comes."

Nowadays it appears women are doomed to perform a balancing act. We have to look good for ourselves and our husbands. We have to raise kids that won't be a menace to society. We have to keep our homes clean and tidy while pursuing careers in order to add to the household income. All this, and still have to go to perform our wifely duties void of hands smelling of onions or hair smelling or sweat or a shoulder smeared with regurgitated milk...Many ladies age faster than their husbands as a result of years of this balancing act.

Is it wrong to want the best of both worlds? Is it wrong to aspire to combine the work of a regular home wife and that of a white-collar lady? Aren't there greater chances of failing at either one? But staying a dormant, clueless housewife is equally interactive. You must take it that your primary duty is to make the home happy.

1. Sit your husband down and let him see why you need help. It is more joyful when you do all these things together and takes less time, and you would be able to spend quality time together.
2. Plan ahead your visits to the cinema, grandma or your games of monopoly.
3. Spending the whole weekend in the kitchen is a no-no. As long as you are not using charcoal or firewood, this shouldn't be the case. Cook 2 soups on Friday and store in the freezer for use during the week.
4. However, sometimes, no matter how you plan, you cannot squeeze everything in, or worse, you might burn yourself out by spending too much energy trying to balance work and family. If you can afford it, hiring someone to do the laundry, cook and clean can be a very worthwhile investment.
5. If you are going to get a house-help, remember that overworking her will only cause her to make more mistakes and misbehave. Get the children involved by assigning age appropriate chores to them.
6. And always remember, take out time to pamper yourself once in a while, get a massage from hubby or a professional, get a manicure and pedicure, chill in your room with some chamomile tea while watching your best DVD or if you're like me; curl up in bed with a lovely book. When you are refreshed, you can refresh others.

Being a wife and a mum centers around a lot of sacrifices but with a submissive and devoted heart God will help achieve his purpose for our families through us.

Ijeoma Olujekun