Our new routine

The end of this week marks the end of my husband's current client project so he no longer will he endure the five hour round trip commute on a daily basis to Leeds, just so he can spend his evenings with me and our little man. Hurray you might expect me to say - and yes, that's great news.

There's just a slight downside.

The new client project he will be working on for three, possibly four, days a week is based in Woking. As it involves two trains, the journey isn't commutable so from next week, hubs will be working away from home and staying at a hotel for two nights a week.

Damn.

When I was pregnant, he was based in London so I spent the working week alone, with just my doggy and two cats for company, plus the occasional Skype call when the hotel's wifi was working. It's the life of a consultant and not one to moan and stamp my feet when something like this arises, I accepted the circumstances for what they were; not ideal, but necessary. I'd try to keep myself busy at home on those evenings alone, enjoying the programmes I like to watch on TV and going to bed early just because I could. I tried my best to stay positive and, for the most part, I succeeded but if I think back to those eight months he was working away during the week, I have to admit it was hard. Even harder with a bump and no friends or family to check-in on me or keep me company.

I could have let it break me but I chose not to. Stephen was working hard to do well at work and I was busy building a nest for our future bundle of joy.

Fast-forward nine months and we have a baby boy who's settled well into nursery, I'm back at work and we're all pretty used to our new routine.

Now it's all change again!

For the foreseeable future, Monday to Wednesday, hubs will be working in Woking, travelling on a Monday morning and returning on Wednesday night. The hope is the remaining two days of the working week can be spent on project work from home, but we'll see. With my non-working day being Wednesday, that means there's quite a long period of the week when it'll just be me and my little man, eating together, playing together and hopefully, having sweet dreams together (that is unless his teething continues causing the odd night-time troubles).

Ethan is young enough to adapt to the change without much difficulty. He's taken to nursery so well - he's a very happy, content boy and the team there say that the younger the start, the easier it is for them to settle into the routine.

I'm not quite so young but I've had to look after the house by myself before and at least this time, it won't be every day of the working week. It's hard for hubs to be away from us but we have to focus on the positives and make the most of our time together. Those two nights will be a breathing space for him, and he's already planning trips to the cinema and meeting with people he knows in the area. For me, it'll mean quality time with Ethan and that's so important now I am a working mum.

I know so many mums, including ones I have met through this blog and Twitter, have to do the same and no matter what your circumstances, you find a way to make it work.

I just need to remember that everything we do, we're doing for our future. With that in mind, we can get through anything.