Blended family stress

Does anyone else find the whole ‘blended family’ dynamic really exhausting sometimes? We have 4 wonderful girls between us (11, 8, 5 and 6 months old) and most of the time it’s SO lovely being together - they all get on really well (with normal sister bickering but that’s to be expected!) and all love their new baby sister to bits. But some days (like today) just make me want to run and hide!!! I have a splitting headache from the bickering, the constant demands, the jealousy, everything really… it makes me question all being together every other weekend, but then some weekends I love every second and feel incredibly sad when two SDs go back to their mums. Can anyone else relate? 😩

in our community

Bestie where are you?!

Hey I really need to make some friends being a mom is so lonely. Distance does not matter to me (I can’t see waves)

Love my husband. Love my kids. But…

I’m 32 weeks pregnant with twins. I take care of my 4 yo, 2 yo, and 1 yo. I barely have energy to stand anymore. I cuddle and watch movies with my kids all day at this point. My husband is less pushy in this pregnancy in wanting to be touched or love up on me. But I feel more like a tool these days more than ever. He gets frustrated (not to a crazy degree) but I can tell he huffs because he’s probably sexually frustrated from me not wanting to be touched on. (my boobs are super sensitive atm) I love having the babies part, but the pregnancy also now has me feeling like a baby making machine. And a tool with big boobs made for touches and my husbands pleasure. Ofc I love my husband and kids, but with my hormones all wack, it really doesn’t feel the same when you’re not turned on. It’s so hard for me to get turned on. I’m uncomfortable all the time in my own body. Babies moving in there all the time. My children cuddle me all day but get rowdy at the end of the day, so I end up getting touched out and I can get irritable when my husband tries to touch me affectionately. He doesn’t have the tact necessary for me right now, when I wish he wanted to go in for a normal comforting hug I’m let down more often than not, there is almost always a boob groping involved as well. I tried to just let him touch me last night so he could get it out of his system, but he could tell I felt tense. Wish my boobs weren’t such an uncomfortable place for me to be touched. Idk why I’m making this post. Probably just to vent. Wish men were equally as emotionally intelligent as women. Wish I didn’t feel like I still owe him something because he’s picking up a lot of the house load and yet I still need to ask him to do more before these twins arrive. He’s tired every day when he comes home, so he takes a shower sometimes works out, and helps get the kids to bed. So it’s a struggle getting him to help any further than that. Weekends are my only time to get to him. But it’s a struggle to find time on weekends too. I know if he wanted to he would. But there’s just no drive.

If you DO NOT buy things second hand, it is mainly because:

Answer only if it applies to you.

Go to dinner ideas

Looking for recipes you use in your family that are not the traditional lasagna, shepards pie, ect

Maternity leave Employment rights?

I have 6 weeks left of work and they have completely changed my job spec including my job title and all my responsibilities, they have done this ahead of advertising my maternity cover apparently to fit business needs which I am fine with but i explained as long as it doesn’t effect me before I go. They have now turned round and said they want me to do the training for it before I go and want me to sign a variation in contract asap. Are they allowed to do this? I thought you had the right to come back to the same job within 26 weeks and I haven’t even left yet and they’re changing it? I was going to see what the job was when I got back and go from there but now they’re wanting me to sign this change in contract before I go I don’t know what to do, do I have to sign it ?

Baby groups?

Hello there!!
I hope you enjoying the 5month babies 🫠 the cuteness outweighs everything over here.
We live in the area of Croydon & need to start going to baby groups ( I NEED it more than him though) but I am a little bit clueless. Any recommendations?
We are happy to travel a bit too.
Thanks ☺️