"So.... why a probationary superwoman?" I hear you ask. Well, as I was getting mildly stressed the other day (baking, planning a set of reading lessons for my class, and trying to clean the house ready for visitors to arrive) my husband happened to tell me "you're not superwoman, you know. Chill out and let it go."
That's mildly frustrating for me because I think I SHOULD be able to do all these things as once, and probably while I'm re-puttying the kitchen window and making a roman blind for the dining room! So clearly I'm no superwoman (yet) and am horrifyingly normal... but I'm working on it.
I take multi-tasking to a professional level (most teachers do) and feel I ought to be able to do all these things at home as well.
Take this morning, for example. We had a couple of friends round with their young children for an Easter egg hunt. Yes, I know Easter was last week, but that's a whole different story!
So I'm up at 6.30, getting hot cross buns in the oven (made the dough last night but ran out of time to bake them), baking a chocolate cake - number 2 son's request for the week - and some gingernut cookies - number 1 son's idea, cleaning the bathroom, organising the kids to pick up the grass from the garden (husband cut it yesterday evening but I ran out of daylight to get it all raked up!) and get the chairs out, hiding the eggs, tidying the living room, feeding the cat, waking up the husband etc etc. Oh, and I actually made time to eat breakfast as well. And after 4 hours of frenzied busy-ness I threw on a summer dress 5 minutes before everyone arrived.
And it was a lovely morning, the kids enjoyed the egg hunt and the grown ups enjoyed the homemade hot cross buns, the sun was shining and we all enjoyed sitting outside on a glorious autumn day.
But I could have made it so much easier on myself... gifting eggs instead of hiding them around the garden... buying hot cross buns instead of making my own.... not caring if the grass was a bit long instead of trying to get the section into shape during the last few evenings.
However, in my universe none of those things would have been quite good enough, so I get 4 frenzied hours' work, and a bemused husband who thinks I'm mildly crazy.
I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling this way. I'm certain there are other people out there who go to this much trouble over stuff. But until I master the art of being in at least four places at the same time, I'll carry on being a probationary superwoman!