Times article ' Life is a see saw for working mums ' a book written by succesful working mother - comments please

[CaptainUnderpants]

Times article

Anyone read it ? Has this been written by a well known mumsnetter ?

I do like the bit that you and your partner must get away at least twicw a year without children for at least three nights !

Her DH is the one that has given up work !

How is a bath a treat?

It's a necessity isn't it? Otherwise one stinks and has no friends?

a bath is definitely a treat in my house, a proper bath as opposed to a 3 minute shower with various of my children hammering on the door . . .

A bath isn't a necessity....

I don't have a shower. Wish I did, think how much quicker my mornings would be.

bloody hell it top trumps all the time isn't it?
She can say nothing valid unless she and her husband are working?
Surely she is talking about the pressures placed particularly on the rare breed of working mothers with sahf but also makes good points for all working women.
There was nothing offensive or wrong in anything that she said and made some decent points...
Can only mothers who work out of the home with partners who work out of the home ever comment or advise other women?
I think not but just mho

Well, after all my scoffing I do actually fancy a bath as a treat! So the article's worked on one level for me. Agree with Ronaldinho though, a bath's not a necessity, though a daily shower/all-over wash definitely is in the oldestcat household.

I think a lot of what she says applies to all mothers, the need for time to yourself is not exclusive to women with paid jobs is it?

She has found herself a f*g wife FGS. If I had a wife I would also have time to write books capitalising on the insecurities of other people.
Blardy irritating school prefect of a women.

Agrree Boffin

My friend works and her DH stays at home.

Is she GUILTY ??

The patronising BoffinMum guide to perfect work/life balance.

1. Remember to get your cleaner to do the bathrooms, because then it saves your nails and you don't have to spend so much time on them or at the beauty therapist.

1. An easy dinner party for friends can be rustled up by shelling out £75 for upmarket ingredients that only need a quick splash of olive oil and putting under the grill. That means you can entertain people on a weekly basis effortlessly, which is also good for networking.

1. Installing a jacuzzi in the master ensuite bathroom and investing in a stash of £40 Joe Malone scented candles enables you to have a full spa experience without having to travel, saving you even more time each week. Having sex in the bath at some point gets that chore out of the way, and also saves going to sleep late and getting over-tired.

1. If you are going on a business trip and staying in a four or five star hotel at somebody else's expense, use the gym there to save time keeping trim back at home. Wear a facepack simultaneously and you save even more beautician time.

1. Design your non-working husband a booklet with menu plans and shopping lists so he can organise the Ocado shop all by himself.

Sorry, but as a working mother of 4, without a housemann to support me, I dont have time to wade through that.

What boffinmum said

Boffinmum, you should write that book because it was a lot more readable than the drivel Ms Hobsbawn is spouting.

Quite tempted actually. I have had enough of posh Londoners telling me how I should be living my life, making money out of it all, and then patting me on the head and making a huge patronising fuss if I give them some surplus jam or cake I happen to have made because I think they might actually enjoy eating it (I actually know some of these blardy women personally).

Her husband's called Alaric - interesting name!

An anagram of his full name would be Bicarb Wash Loam.

Says it all.

her coping mechanisms for working and having a husband at home to deal with the children?

What coping mechanisms are required that are so pertinent to others that they should be shared via a book? They will be relevant to... ohhhh... 2% of the population max.

ugh @ Avril the beautician keeps me sane

Thing is no 'real' working mother is ever going to write a book - because they're too busy working! The fact that you have time to write your pontifications on how to get the ironing done and romance your husband whilst making quiche for 30 is a plain indication that some other bugger is doing the heavy lifting for you!

Agree with Ronaldhinio that she makes some good points in the article about guilt and being a working mum.
But I wouldn't buy the book as it seems to be dressing up and trying to make money out of basic common sense advice that most of us are already aware of and are trying to apply anyway!

Um, I can't say I suffer from guilt as a working mum, admittedly probably because my kids approve of what I do. Do people still feel guilty these days??

I don't feel guilty. Slightly frazzled sometimeses yes but not guilty.

A book written by a working mum on how to cope with the work/life balance would interest me. (I am hoping to go back to work this year and am anxious as to how well I'll cope.)

But I quickly switched off when I saw that her dh was at home dealing with life's drudgeries. Oh what a luxury that would be.

She seems like a nice enough person, and her book is well-intentioned I'm sure. But as PT says, hers is an arguably enviable position taken by all of 2% of the population.

As a SAHM, sometimes I feel more guilty for not working!