" Give me 5 minutes peace!"Yes, we all love our families but aren't there are times when things just get on top of you? How can you retain your sanity in five minutes while all hell is breaking loose around you? babyworld mums reveal their top secrets.
'I play my ipod loudly' 'I've taken to sitting in my room with the ipod on fairly loudly so I can't hear the squabbling and general noise from the children. If I get really close to breaking point I make sure I get out without them, even if it is just for a walk after I've dropped my daughter at playgroup.' Sandra 'Retail therapy usually calms me down' 'I have hidden in the loo before! But for me a bit of retail therapy usually calms me down - I throw my purse, keys, water and a snack into a bag, pop Lottie in her buggy and hit the King's Road! Or if Daddy's at home, I just practically run out of the door.' Laura 'I walk furiously fast' 'Going for a drive or a walk. If I drive, I listen to some music and cheer myself up. If it's a walk, I walk furiously fast and work off the tension that way. Both of these things have the added bonus that they make the baby fall asleep!' Lindy 'I take a long bath when my husband comes home' 'I would just wait until my husband comes home then have a long bath while he takes over then have a good moan about everything I have had to do that day. I often resort to putting a DVD on and letting my son sit quietly and watch that instead of his usual wrecking the house! My daughter has a nap midday so that's a nice quiet break too. I never go out on my own though. If I'm really stressed I stay at home and don't do anything and don't have any visitors so it won't matter if the house looks like we have been burgled but they left everything.' Datura 'Roary makes a fab babysitter' 'I don't put any pressure on myself to do housework or anything productive. But my stress breakers involve other people. If my husband is at home or our daughter's nannies have just had her, I am so much calmer when I get her back. If I'm really having a stressful day, there's not much that will alleviate that until someone else takes over. If I'm desperate though, Roary makes a fab temporary babysitter, just enough time to have a cuppa and regain some calm.' CLeBon 'I stomp around the garden for a bit' 'I try to be 15 minutes in front of the children, anticipating their needs so to speak. If it gets to me I just go into the garden and stomp about for a bit. My husband works away during the week so relief is short and sweet. I run in the park for 30 minutes or so early in the morning. John Wesley's mum used to sit in the playpen and put her apron over her head. Apparently then all the children (loads of them) knew to leave her alone.' Deb 'I rely entirely on CBeebies when I'm stressed' 'I rely entirely on CBeebies for these trying moments. It's on now, actually - we've just made Mother's Day cards and I'm feeling a little frustrated as I've got glue and glitter etc to clean up in a minute and it was a bit more stressful than I'd anticipated.' Zoe 'Being in nature is soothing' 'Get out the house - even for a short walk. The kids have something else to look at and distract them and I'm sure we all find being in nature and beautiful surroundings soothing.' Susan 'I buy a chocolate bar and a trashy mag' 'When I'm desperate, I wait 'til my husband gets home, and the kids are in bed, grab my purse, go to the shop and buy a chocolate bar and a trashy mag, go to work (I'm the only keyholder), switch the radio and the kettle on, and sit there with my junk, just me, listening to the radio for an hour. BLISS!' chocolatedippy 'I take a step back and forget what doesn't need to be done' 'I really enjoy motherhood and being a stay at home mom so I don't get too stressed... but when I do it's usually lack of sleep more than anything else. I just step back from feeling anything is pressing to get done and if it doesn't get done that's ok... that makes me feel better and the next day I am fine.' Heidi 'I sometimes hide in the loo' 'I stand on the decking with the door closed watching them squabble and fight over a silly toy in silent motion, or I hide in the loo. Once or twice just before Christmas my partner busted me smoking in the shower or out the bathroom window after I'd put them to bed (I don't actually smoke and the last ones I had before then would have been four years ago).' Lauren 'I visit my babyworld antenatal club' 'I'm really surprised I've not seen anyone say go on Babyworld! That's how I stay sane! The girls on my antenatal clubs are great and never fail to make me laugh out loud! If no one's about then it's MSN. If there's no internet access then it's a bottle of wine and trashy TV for me! pinkladylaura 'Wine helps immensely' 'Usually an immediate handover to my husband when he gets in from work, followed by a good old grumble to him about how awful the kids have been. I find that wine helps immensely.' Dee Where to next?
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