Getting a Break

I don't really ever get a break. I am a single parent. We live with my mother who works shift-work, 90 hours per fortnight, so she's always either out or in the house sleeping. My brother and sister both live in Auckland but far enough away that they can't help out too often, but anyway they both work full-time and brother is away a lot for work anyway. I don't really have any friends who can look after my daughter as I moved right before she was born, so I don't know too many people around here.

My mother took Izzy to the supermarket this morning - it was the first time they had been out without me. Izzy apparently had a great time and didn't notice that I wasn't there. They were only gone half an hour, so just long enough to have a shower and that was it! But half an hour is long enough when it was her first time and she's only eight months old. Hopefully, now it's been done once successfully, my mother will be happy to do it again (although as I said before, she doesn't have a lot of free time).

Isla's been in daycare starting with just a few hrs a week since she was 1yr 3mths old. When she was just over 2 I went back to work 2 days a week, and increased her daycare hrs, so she was in one of the 2 days I was at work, and also on a wed and fri morning for 3 1/2hrs. Wed mornings were my time off so would go to town or whatever I wanted, then fri am would be cleaning etc at home.
We now have good family support here, so I have done lots of little tripe without the kids, like to the shops etc, mostly bewteen Aidens feeds cos its such an effort to express. Started Zumba last week, so will be doing that 1hr a weeks while Mum has him. As I get fitter wuld like to also do an evening class one night a week too.

If DH is in the city, then I get 1 night a week where I can go and do something, but usually we arrange for people to come around so we can both socialise.

If he's away (6 months of the year), I arrange for the girls to come round once a fortnight for dessert and movies, and my parents have the kids every once in a while (usually every 2-4 weeks, depending on how long DH is away for).

When DH goes away for 4 months at the end of June, I'm arranging for my parents or MIL to have the kids every fortnight (so once a month between them).

I do class work as me-time though, because it's a different environment and I love my job/s

I get out at least twice a week for my training sessions. Although MIL comes over on the Tuesday night and on The Sat mornings they come with me but are looked after by my step dad who they love. My DF isn't too selfish to have them but he is working 70+ hours a week at the moment and isn't home.

PS I'm not taking the pi$$ ... there is just no way I'd ever let DH get away with that and don't know anyone personally who would either.

I have 2 afternoons a week (2 hours each) so I can go to uni. We are contemplating 1 morning and 1 overnight a week at my parents beginning in July. Not sure if that'll happen, though my Mum would love it.