An army of supporters.

Who is your support network? Do you think about the people in your life who help you every day? Are you lucky enough to have an army of helpers around you, or one of the unluckier ones?

I'm not talking about those mums (or dads) with a gaggle of nannies (if that is the correct term for a collective of them), but about those of us who have others we can turn to at times when we need a bit of extra help. 

Yes! Apply within.

Last week, we had illness in our house. First it was the children and then Dad. I had a lot of help from different people in my life. Even people who gave a small amount of help have no idea how useful they were to me. 

First there was my mum and mother-in-law. Apparently, humans are one of the few species (if not the only one) where the female lives longer than her reproductive life, and it is argued that this is a result of either good design or evolution for the purpose of helping younger generations with their own child-rearing efforts. Whatever it is, it rocks!! I so could not have battled through these last couple of weeks without the help of the older females in our extended family. They came over after work and helped with mealtimes, or looked after the children who were well so I could concentrate on the poorly ones. Amazing.

Then there were the other parents in our community. Especially the ones who were kind enough to collect the well children and take them to school in the morning, or collect them from school later and bring them back. They have been a godsend.

The neighbour popped over a couple of times to see if I needed anything from the shop. She tried not to come too far in to the door, or to breathe in hard, but she was able to keep us stocked up on milk.

As I did not show my face in the school playground for a few days, the school have been fantastic in making sure I have been kept informed of anything by email or book-bag notes. Thankfully, there's not been much to worry about. 

The receptionist at the GPs surgery has been wonderful. I know some of them are complete jobsworths, but ours is ace and it would have been a lot more difficult for us if it was a major issue to be able to get reassurance from our lovely doctor. 

I am so grateful for the little army I have around me. It doesn't matter that if we were ever in a fight, they would be rubbish because keeping my family going is the only battle I concern myself with and whoever can help out with that, whatever the circumstances, can be my wing-man any time. 

Who could you not cope without?

Under Friendly Fire

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Some days you start to wonder whose side you're on. As a stay at home mum it can be tough feeling like you're on your own all the time. It can feel like a long day, especially when you have young children. They go from one undesirable activity to the next without really stopping for breath. You can't wait until 5 o' clock when the reserve forces are due to turn up.

Sometimes, you're in for a long wait. They might show up hours late, or have been redrafted somewhere altogether. If they do show up they can be a bit of a disappointment. Yesterday I was feeling a bit under the weather, nothing much, just a cold. The children had been tetchy and I just wanted a bit of help. I couldn't wait for the husband to come home. In my head he would look after the kids, make the dinner and clear up, while I sat in a darkened room and rocked a bit.

When he did, he was grumpy, and I could see that help was out of the question. He immediately switched on the telly and put on Top Gear. Great. When I asked if he'd watch the children while I made the dinner, all I was greeted with was a huge sigh. I went and put on the dinner and five minutes later the children were all in the kitchen, trying to climb in the oven and play with the boiling pots. When I questioned him, I was accused of dumping the children on him as soon as he got home. Apparently, when he gets in I think I can swan off and have a rest. He didn't seem to notice the dinner I had made and cleared away, and the children I had juggled whilst doing it.

So am I expecting too much? I know it's hard working and then coming home and having no moment to rest. But when do SAHMs have time to rest? What about you, does the working partner help out when they get home or do they expect it to be done for them?