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Home ยป Blog ยป Penelope’s Story

Penelope’s Story

by Sarah Turner Clover Lane

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(introduction to series here)

…

My name is Penelope, I live in Auckland New Zealand and am the mummy to two gorgeous boys E (5) and G(3). I have a BA in French, Italian and Political Science; a first class honours degree in French; a graduate diploma in Communications and Public Relations; and a graduate certificate in ESOL . I went to High School in NZ but spent my final year studying in Switzerland. I also spent a summer on a scholarship in Florence, Italy. Before becoming a Mummy I worked as an Account Director in a Public Relations firm specialising in IT and T.

My husband and I meet in a Politics lecture at the University of Victoria in Wellington. The paper was called โ€˜The Politics of the Self and the Political Economyโ€™. Needless to say I remember nothing about it other than the lecturer wore his pet cat to class around his shoulders. We were so proud at the time as we were our only friends who hadnโ€™t met in a bar โ€“ how intellectual!

I had so many plans – I was going to be a lawyer, then a Diplomat and then a PR consultant which fitted well with my language degrees and love of talking J.

After seven years at university I took my career deadly seriously. I was at my desk by 7am and, as someone who naturally works very hard, found myself quickly promoted (three times in two and a half years) to be an Account Director. I was 28 and managing some of the largest PR clients and budgets in my country. 

Unfortunately? I had always wanted to be a Mummy.

I loved the PR industry. I was surrounded by extremely high-achieving females all of whom, when they had children, came back to work and most full-time. I adored these women and many are still close friends, however I did feel like I was playing a role. I was โ€˜just like themโ€™, or so it must have appeared except โ€ฆ except that since I was really little I have loved children and desperately looked forward to having my own. I was that child in my neighbourhood who could immediately sense if a new family with a baby had moved in nearby. I was that child who would be waiting on their doorstep for them to get home with my arms outstretched to hold their baby.

I have great-great-aunts who were among some of the original suffragettes in England. The right of women to vote, participate fully in society, to be allowed to be both mothers and workers was something achieved – not by some obscure history text book women – but partially by my women. New Zealand was the first country in the world to give women the vote and growing up I definitely picked up that it is incredibly important, as a mother, to also work. Maybe not when your children are very young, but ideally as soon as possible after that and definitely by the time they start school. My absolute favourite sweatshirt was bright pink with the words โ€˜girls can do anythingโ€™ on it. It was a hand-me-down from our neighbours so a strong message quite literally circulating the area – although no one clarified it didnโ€™t mean you had to do it all at once.

I donโ€™t feel that any of the wonderful women surrounding me as I grew up told me I had to either stay at home or had to work.  I had great role models on both sides: my own amazing mum stayed at home before we went to school but before that I remember her also doing relief teaching work while I played at other neighbourhood mummies homes as did their children when their mums worked part-time.

My Grandmother, also a teacher, worked when her two children were five. I think for both of them working and contributing financially was probably quite important (I remember my Mum telling me that, ahead of a seven-month campervan trip around Europe with my two year old brother, she worked in a restaurant at night to earn her own airfare). On the flip side is my best friendโ€™s mum who is also an absolutely fantastic mother and chose to work full-time with nannies at home and paid after-school care at other womenโ€™s homes. I love their Mum and have strong memories of waves of perfume, power suits and feet which, confined for long hours in stilettos, could no longer fit flat shoes.  But those were the options โ€“ New Zealand didnโ€™t have childcare centers back then.

The working women I most admired of my generation often stated as a fact: โ€˜I have a brain and I actually like using itโ€™. Here we have paid parental leave for 14 weeks and a year off for maternity leave. I think most people expected to see me within a few months. So rationally, pre-children, I decided I could probably squeeze in two children if I had them closely together. Then, by the time the youngest was say 18 months, the two of them could go off to daycare together. I had mental images of my two lovely offspring holding hands and walking through a childcare gate. Rationally, I concluded I could take maybe three years off? Rationally, I knew, even then, my career would be in tatters.

And then I had E. And even today I cannot write those words without catching my breath because that boy made me a mother.  From the second he was born, six weeks early, within seven hours – everything changed. I no longer cared what anyone thought, who I might disappoint or even who I might make proud. I immediately felt an overwhelming, humbling, certainty that I had been put on this earth to be his mother and the fact that I could, hypothetically, โ€˜achieve so much moreโ€™ was the most false statement ever written and least important thing I could ever waste my time thinking about.

I got to be his Mummy.

My husband is a teacher, so our plan was to wait until E was born, sell our house over the summer, find him a job in Wellington and move into my grandparentโ€™s house which my mother still owned. This meant we could have me at home for hopefully a few years. We put our house on the market the week before the Global Economic Crisis hit and there it sat. Selling our house was the only way could afford to have me at home as I earned about 60% of our income. It didnโ€™t sell. We had offers but the banks werenโ€™t lending and it kept falling through. I remember being shell-shocked and utterly terrified โ€“ my baby had just come home from NICU and I was facing the certainty that I was going back to work. I remember having a conversation with my mother where I sobbed devastated and uncontrollably, watching her heart break for me, as I told her we couldnโ€™t make this happen.

The turning point for me was, however, not that moment, but the day a local warehouse had a huge fire. I stood watching the flames from my kitchen window. It was about 6pm and I was about to bath my baby when I realised that, because of the fire, our power was also off. I went into the bathroom to check for hot water and put my foot through the floor and realised our whole bathroom floor was rotted and this was just the first tile about to go. I may possibly at that point have said a very bad word very loudly but it was at that moment, profanity and all, I decided that I was going to make this happen or I would gladly die trying.

We cancelled all our bills that werenโ€™t necessary, no cable for us, very basic internet plan that was so cheap and from such an obscure local company that more often than not we had no internet or landline, we wore layers of clothes rather than use heaters ,one car only used when necessary. I cooked exclusively from scratch (although my husband does remember the day I rang him at work to ask how to work our oven. We had already lived in our house for two yearsโ€ฆ.). No new clothes, no coffees, no haircuts, if it wasnโ€™t literally a basic need it didnโ€™t make the cut. Even then we had no chance of breaking even and lived in savings for more than three years (thanks to money from my grandparents, a teacher and English professor, who spent their whole lives counting their pennies).

Still today when people ask how we can afford it I am quick to tell them โ€œoh we absolutely canโ€™t.โ€ Now, as years lead to promotions and pay increases (my husband is now the head of English at a local highschool) we are in quite a different position financially. That said, staying at home has been absolutely financially crippling for us and we have quite literally watched every single dollar we have ever earned, or been fortunate to receive, pour down the drain. Thank goodness that drain is so cute J Only now are we plugging that drain and building things back up again.

Many of my friends work part-time, all are extremely careful about any childcare use and all adore their children as much as I do โ€“ but, and there is a but โ€“ I wonder if this being โ€˜justโ€™ a Mum is getting the same level of encouragement as working does, particularly for those of us with degrees, with sparkling careers and prospects. I canโ€™t help but feel there is a collective sigh of disappointment and wringing of hands over the waste when yet another Mum doesnโ€™t return to the office.  I wonder if I see it slightly differently though.

Going to university, in my family, might as well have been part of compulsory education. My grandfather had a PhD from Oxford and my grandmother went to the University of London. My father went to five universities, my mother two, one in NZ and one in France. My brother is a lecturer at the University of Cambridge. I was always taught that education was for educationโ€™s sake, it was because of, and with the express purpose of furthering, a love of learning. It was never to get a job. Sure it made getting a well-paid one much easier but that wasnโ€™t the reason for the degrees. So if I think what all those lovely letters after my name mean and how I can best use them, it really is within the walls of my home and in fostering that love of learning to my children.

I have had friends grappling with what to do and while I absolutely know what is right for my family I choose to have a limited opinion about what the next family should do. Yet I know, that if you want to stay at home it is rare that it canโ€™t be made possible, while still personally knowing women currently suffering the pure heartbreak of it being simply impossible.

However for me, it simply has to be me, it must be me with my children. Not for all those gorgeous toddler moments saying cute toddler things โ€“ Iโ€™m pretty confident any one could manage that well –  itโ€™s when they are sick or tired and quite frankly horrendous. It has to be me because I love them with a love so infinite that I can move mountains. Only I can kneel beside them, stare back into their eyes and have them to know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I love and understand them better than anyone and I will do whatever it takes to work with them and make it o.k.

I want my boys to have a long, calm, confident childhood and grow up absolutely enveloped in the love we have for them, to know there is no place I would ever rather be even if that place has to be the now repaired bathroom floor singing songs and cheering on toilet training.  

Everybody has heard the saying that no one, on their death bed, has wished they spent more time in the office and I canโ€™t help but wonder if this might be a big part of the solution. My hope is that more women will choose for themselves to take a deep breath, to leave those beautifully framed, hard-earned, expensive degrees on the wall and close that office door. My hope is that women will come to know that its ok, itโ€™s a valid choice, you are wasting nothing and you might just come to gain everything youโ€™ve ever wanted. You too educated, successful women, get to come back home. 

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March 26, 2014 ยท 31 Comments

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  1. Mary says

    March 26, 2014 at 9:58 am

    Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. This made my day. Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Jeanneke says

    March 26, 2014 at 10:50 am

    Amen!

    Reply
  3. Sarah says

    March 26, 2014 at 11:00 am

    Wonderfully written and I agree with these sentiments 100%!

    Reply
  4. Maiden Jane says

    March 26, 2014 at 12:30 pm

    Beautiful sharing of your heart Penelope!

    Reply
  5. SuburbanWife says

    March 26, 2014 at 1:10 pm

    This has to be one of my favorite guest blog posts ever! Beautifully written.

    Reply
  6. Unknown says

    March 26, 2014 at 1:44 pm

    Amazing story Penelope!! So enjoyed this ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  7. Jennifer says

    March 26, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    Truly inspiring…thanks so much for sharing your story, Penelope (and Sarah)! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  8. Seriously... says

    March 26, 2014 at 2:48 pm

    amen! i have an MBA and had a promising career….but left it all 10 years ago to stay at home with my baby….now 5 kids later i have never looked back and never regretted that decision….best 10 years of my life!!!

    Reply
  9. NicoleWoods says

    March 26, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    I loved this. Thank you for sharing this beautiful message and reaffirming my decision to stay home with my children. I know it is right for me and my family, but every now and then I'll admit somebody says something or I read something that lets doubt creep in. I will remember these words!! Thank you!!!

    Reply
  10. Unknown says

    March 26, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    This is such a beautiful piece!!! Brought tears to my eyes….thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  11. Karen says

    March 26, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    Fist pump! I gave up a promising career to raise my three children. That was over 20 years ago, and while they were some of the most challenging years of my life, I wish I could do it all over again. Best years.

    Reply
  12. Tess says

    March 26, 2014 at 6:05 pm

    Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for posting this. I am sitting here in my cubicle at work tearing up over this beautiful reflection. I have been trying to discern whether I will keep working after my baby is born next month, and even though I think we can swing it financially, I have felt torn over abandoning my "future" and "possibilities" and allowing "gaps on my resume" … all the usual worries. This was EXACTLY what I needed to read right now. I am so grateful for this post and Penelope's wonderful witness.

    Reply
  13. Emily says

    March 26, 2014 at 6:11 pm

    Beautiful. I am right there with you!

    Reply
  14. TJ says

    March 26, 2014 at 7:49 pm

    What a moving and beautiful testimonial….I agree whole-heartedly! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  15. Wendy says

    March 26, 2014 at 8:10 pm

    Thank you for this beautiful post. When I was pregnant with my first (now have 3) I had my degrees and a great job and a beautiful resume. They begged me to come back to work after maternity leave. I went back and forth on it for some time as my husband was just finishing up school (baby came 4 days after graduation) and I didn't know how finances would all work out. I had a co-worker that had worked in the office for many years and whenever I'd ask her how her day was going she would always say "Same stuff, different day." One day at the end of my pregnancy that response hit me like a ton of bricks. Did I really want to leave my beautiful baby for some office where it would all boil down to "same stuff, different day"???? No way did I want to do that. I'd never ever trade it for anything!

    Reply
  16. Erin Southwell says

    March 26, 2014 at 9:41 pm

    Bravo!! Wonderfully written!

    Reply
  17. Hannah says

    March 26, 2014 at 10:57 pm

    I can't even put into words how much this moved me today. Literally sitting here with tears running down my cheeks.
    Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
    (Also I too am from New Zealand!!)

    Reply
  18. Alyssa says

    March 27, 2014 at 1:10 am

    Wow. Amazingly beautiful!

    Reply
  19. Christine says

    March 27, 2014 at 1:20 am

    I have a cousin living in NZ! This was right from the heart. Being there for them when they are little but also when they are teens. Seems like they got …neeeeedier! touching pictures.

    Reply
  20. Tasha says

    March 27, 2014 at 2:58 am

    What a beautiful article. I agree whole heartedly with your thoughts. Thank you for sharing your story. I have a favorite quote that relates to what you have shared:

    "Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. . .It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for."

    -Rachel Jankovic, in Neil L. Andersen, "Children," Ensign, Nov. 2011, 28 (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/children?lang=eng)

    Reply
  21. Unknown says

    March 27, 2014 at 5:51 am

    Thank you so much for writing this, I felt like I knew it word for word. My sister told me to read it because it reminded her so much of me! My Business Degree in getting dusty in the cupboard and sometimes I feel guilty for not achieving more like some of my Uni friends have but then I look at my daughter and I regret nothing, nothing at all. (I'm from Australia ๐Ÿ™‚ )

    Reply
  22. So Long Lives This says

    March 27, 2014 at 6:21 am

    Oh my word thank you so much for all of your lovely comments! It makes me want to email you each individually to say thank you. It was massively out of my comfort zone to write this, and I came so close several times to trying to say a polite no to Sarah when she so kindly asked me to, so all of your kinds words are really appreciated.

    Penelope

    Reply
  23. Unknown says

    March 27, 2014 at 1:38 pm

    Penelope-I just loved your writing. It really spoke to my mother of 5 heart. I am able to work part time on off hours so spend the majority of my time with my kids. Reading your words today will make me a better mom!

    Reply
  24. CathyMA says

    March 27, 2014 at 2:47 pm

    Awesome! so, so, lovely.

    Reply
  25. Carolyn says

    March 27, 2014 at 3:31 pm

    I made the same decision you have and am so grateful. I, and my children, are better off for it I know. However, I have to thank my husband for working hard, because without him I couldn't do this. My brother-in-law won't do that for his wife, so she has to work so they can eat. Makes me sad to see her children so sad.

    Reply
  26. Raluca says

    March 28, 2014 at 6:38 am

    Dear Sarah, Erin, Penelope and all the mothers to come, I want to thank you so much for these interviews! I am from Romania and here the concept of SAHM is not popular at all. I'm in maternity leave since 2009 and still employed, but I plan to stay home with my kids longer and, probably, quit my job. So I have on my desktop a document where I collect such testimonies; I labeled it "pleding for SAHM" and I read it from time to time, just in case I would ever doubt about the best job I ever had – that of a mother.
    Million thanks for your effort of writing here! You really make a difference in my life!
    Kisses from a mother of three from Europe!
    โค

    Reply
  27. Lynn says

    March 30, 2014 at 12:54 am

    My Gran had told me once that I could do anything I ever put my mind to, but not at the same time if any of it was to turn out well. That sentiment never left me, therefore, I knew when my children came along that it would be my time to do that most important part of my life at home with them.

    I also remember Jackie Kennedy being quoted as saying that if she missed raising her children nothing else would ever matter much.

    I was forced to go back out to work when my two youngest were in kindergarten because their dad left us and I really do long to be back in the home able to concentrate fully on my children and our home. Maybe, someday, God willing. God bless your beautiful family Penelope!

    Reply
    • Anonymous says

      April 2, 2014 at 9:27 pm

      Your Gran was very wise. I have come to understand that I can do anything I put my mind to, but not at the same time.
      I hope that someday soon you will be able to fulfil your desire to be back at home with your children.

      Reply
  28. E.Clare says

    April 2, 2014 at 1:32 am

    Fantastic piece:)

    The part the really resonated with me was being there for the 'worst' of them. When my girls are sick, tired or overwhelmed as their mum I know what they need to sooth them. No one else knows them the way I do, other people don't recognise that when my youngest gets whingy it's often a sign she is hungry or that when my eldest gets overwhelmed what she really needs is some quiet cuddle time to regain her inner balance.

    It truly is my privilege to be there for those moments:)

    And as an aside – as an Aussie reader of this blog it's nice to see a guest post from our end of the world;)

    Reply
  29. Anonymous says

    April 2, 2014 at 9:24 pm

    Your post really resonated with me, having been on a very similar journey. It took a while, and some hard decisions and big changes to our life, but now here I am in my home, with my family and I are enjoying a much better life that I have created without the corporate life and paypacket which goes with it.

    Reply
  30. artfullycarin@gmail.com says

    April 12, 2014 at 3:33 pm

    This in an amazing story and so moving!

    Reply

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When our first baby was placed in my arms I knew there was no place I wanted to be other than home with him every day. Twenty five years, and five more babies later, (six children, now ages 26-8), I still feel the same. I blog here about motherhood, how to make a house a home, easy recipes, and simple living. You can read more about me here.

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Nothing pretty, flashy, or spectacular. Just an o Nothing pretty, flashy, or spectacular.  Just an ordinary Monday morning breakfast counter after the kids leave for school.  Because ordinary gets the short hand in our culture but really it's extra special. 
It's a symbol of unselfishness, contentment, prudence and gratitude.  There is a certain peace about the ordinary.  It's the opposite of temporary-it holds the joy of contentment and gratitude and prudence all in one hand.  It's lends itself toward peace, and a settling in, not a constant search for more or less or anything.  Ordinary is authentic and good enough- in short it's a gem in disguise. ๐Ÿƒ
I love my home and I hope you do also. With all t I love my home and I hope you do also.  With all the imperfections and maintenance it requires, when I pull up and walk in I want to stay, to relax, to feel safe, for daily life to be easy, and to care for "home". I want simplicity, ease, convenience.  To me when my home is simple, without being filled to the brim of things that just take up space I love it best.  I hope if you've participated fully or even partially as time allowed in 40 Bags in 40 Days you've found that joy and pride in your home.  I plan to share more little challenges and tips as the year proceeds to trouble shoot areas and keep maintenance effortless and the house love flowing.  Daily life in our homes should bring us joy and ease while we care for our families, we should be thoughtful stewards of our money and of our time and simple living is the answer to that. 
Thank you for participating! ๐Ÿก
I think this is one of the best things about the 4 I think this is one of the best things about the 40 Bag decluttering process.  When I know what I have and have removed all that I don't, it cultivates more discretion and caution about what I bring back in.  I think there is also some realization of how much money is wasted on fads, or thoughtless purchases.  It's quite eye-opening.  I've become so much more careful, and find we all take better care of things, as do my children.
The final week of 40 Bags in 40 Days! I've tackle The final week of 40 Bags in 40 Days!  I've tackled all the areas of my home with exception of my oldest daughter's room (not the photo)- which she is excited to work on this week.
The simpler the room, the easier it is to clean an The simpler the room, the easier it is to clean and straighten up.  And then the more enjoyable it is to actually sit in that room.  It's not a hard equation, all it takes is ruthless purging-and not just little things but larger items also.  Functional furniture is the key and very few decorative pieces especially when children are in the home, makes life so much easier. 
๐Ÿƒ
As we head into the last week of the 40 Bags in 40 As we head into the last week of the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge I'm hearing from so many of you what a difference it has made in your appreciation of your homes, a certain contentment, and at the same time a thrill of looking in on the organized kitchen, closet and living space.  I agree!  I love purging, cleaning and organizing a space and then going back later that day just to get that wonderful sense of accomplishment.  It makes such a difference! 
๐Ÿƒ
A lighter, fresher, calmer home is the result of de-cluttering.  I even had a participant who had been planning on listing her home, start 40 Days just to get her house ready to sell, and then was so ruthless in the process and also thrilled by the results that they decided to stay put in what seemed like a new home to them.  What a savings of time, money and energy. 
๐Ÿƒ
Next week I will be talking maintenance and answer all questions! โ˜€๏ธ
Tips For Shared Kids Rooms- This bedroom has seen Tips For Shared Kids Rooms-
This bedroom has seen every configuration possible.  With kids spread out 18 years apart, I've had to be creative over the years-which I think is the key to sharing rooms.  It is all possible-I consider it a rare luxury and privilege to not have to share a room although I know that is not the norm today. 
๐Ÿƒ
I like to create a simple look with white furniture (this ends up making room transitions easier also when moving someone out and someone else in.) I also like to match bedspreads for a cohesive look. 
๐Ÿƒ
Clip on bed lights save space. 
๐Ÿƒ
A simple shared book shelf can hold a child's special books and knick knacks and if necessary can be assigned per shelf.
๐Ÿƒ
When my kids were younger I had my dad build me a large wooden roll out box for under each bed.  This held each child's toys. 
๐Ÿƒ
All clothes are kept in a closet instead of dressers to save space.
I feel like I bailed on everyone following 40 Bags I feel like I bailed on everyone following 40 Bags progress and tips.  My excuse is the stomach flu ravaging us all here in the last week with me being the last to fall and the slowest to recover.  On top of that the weekend before I tried to roller blade (don't even ask how many steps I made it) and majorly bit it.  Thankfully I think I just sprained my arm. So I've been using one arm for nursing sick children back to health, and doing whatever cleaning and cooking and straightening I can do.  Alas, last week was a wash.  We have two weeks to go.  I'd like to continue and end on a high note.  How about you?  Even a little de-cluttering counts! Spring is in the air and I can't wait to throw open my windows and let fresh clean air circulate through my fresh clean orderly home. โ˜€๏ธ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒฑ
Especially where kids are concerned- we tend to th Especially where kids are concerned- we tend to think that the more things they have the happier and more occupied and loved they will feel.  Nothing can replace human interaction and I've found that too many toys has the reverse affect.  They cause overwhelm-just like us - we'd rather sit in an orderly space than one filled with too many things to do and too much stuff.
โ˜€๏ธ
When it comes to kids closets here are some tips-
1. Hand me downs don't all have to be received.  Or received at all.  Be choosy and keep just what they will use and need.
2. When children are presented with too many choices, tension and acrimony can exist.  Being able to open a closet with a reasonable amount of outfits can create more peace.
3. Cultivating independence in care of clothes is easier when there is less and the space is simplified and organized. 
โ˜€๏ธ
More tips coming on the blog this week.  I am moving my blog platform so I can't make any promises - it's under construction and that's exciting!
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