Beware of the supermum!

So I've been thinking a lot about the notion of 'supermum'. I think all mums do a great job, some work full time, some part time and some are stay at home mums. Personally I think that mothering is the most challenging job you'll ever face and there has been a few blog posts recently about this. For example here and here. I guess my thing about supermums is that they just don't exist. Often when people find out that I have 5 children, their first comment is "I don't know how you do it!" I often get people saying things like 'I just don't know you have the time to do everything' or 'I can't do that I just wouldn't be able to fit it all in'. I have a few problems with comments like these: 1- I'm really not good at taking compliments! and 2- I don't have any more hours in the day than anyone else I guess I just choose to use them differently (hence my ironing pile!). There is no humanly possible way that I could do everything around the house, look after 5 children including a toddler and a baby, act as a taxi service, study and help out with volunteer organisations, and stay sane! I couldn't, no one can. A few months ago I went to BWG's Women's gathering, it was an awesome day and one of the key presenters was Jules Tarrant, she is an amazing inspiring woman and a great friend. She was saying beware of the supermum, how (and I'm para phrasing) you might see these amazing women that always look fantastic, juggling children, work etc and you're likely to think that they really had their stuff together, little do you know that earlier that day they were curled up in the fetal position sobbing! Everyone thought this was hilarious, not just because the way she said it was funny but also, I and I'm assuming all the other women there could relate. I know there has been numerous days that whilst I might start off the day fantastically I end up falling apart. Days where I have found myself laughing at the fact that a then 5 year old decided to drag himself around the house in the washing basket scratching the 2 week old floorboards. I had to laugh,it was either laugh or cry! Days when the kids need to get somewhere, I'm trying to feed, I've been thrown up all over and have dinner burning, when I seem to ask myself 'if this only happens to me?' Days (like all of last week) when I have had to carry a 2 1/2 month old and an almost 2 year old into school at 5 past 3 to pick up children, with snot all over my shoulder, kids coughing and eyes hanging out their heads. I don't care to think what some parents thought then! I doubt that when people see me like this they are going to say how lucky I am to have time to craft! I guess what I'm trying to say that no one is perfect, no one can do everything all of the time without losing the plot. I think mum's in general are too hard on themselves, I know I always have a fear of someone turning up to the house unannounced and coming into the 'bombsite', of being judged as a bad mother for not having a clean house. For not spending enough time reading with the kids individually every night, I always feel guilty that I don't do guided reading anymore and the list goes on. So what am I going to do about it, well I think I have had a bit of a mind shift of the last few months. Up until this year I never asked for help, I felt like people would think that I couldn't cope, I now realise that there is no harm in asking for help. I have wonderful friends that are always helping out and I like to think that I do the same. I'm not going to get hung about the house as much, my friends are comfortable coming into the mess and putting on the kettle and getting there own coffee! Most of all I have acknowledged that I can't do everything and I'm ok with that, and if anyone thinks that they can good on them! I would have my doubts, but good for them! So if you find that your comparing yourself to this fantasy figure that is 'supermum' just stop past my place and you'll see something far from it!