frustration

I wonder how many other wives out there are in a similar state of frustration as I am. Sometimes I feel guilty for not being a good daughter, and producing little grand kids for my parents to look after and indoctrinate with their good habits. Yet in the UK, without help from family it's an uphill slog to pursue a career, send the kids to nursery at a minimum of £700 a month per child, with practically no tax breaks, and paying a cleaner to clean the house. Let me work through the costs. If I were to have 2 children, and work a minimum of 8 hours from Monday to Friday, I would need to pay £1400 a month on nursery fees, £100 a month for a cleaner to come to clean the house once a week for 2 hours a go, about £500 for children's food / nappies / toys / clothes. That's £2000 just for the children, not counting anything for myself or my husband, or even the mortgage, utility bills, council tax, tv tax, car, insurance. Add those in and it comes to an amount close to £4000 a month. I pay 40% tax, therefore I need to earn at least £100,000 a year!

Unbelievable. I need to move away from the UK and set up home elsewhere. Either that or give up completely on work and just be a baby producing machine. A couple with 8 children receive £38,000 a year in benefits. Very likely a house is included on top of that for free. That means I'd be paid close to the equivalent £80,000 before tax by the state just to sit at home and look after my children. It's no wonder that there are so many teenage mothers out there - they've realised this much sooner than I have.

a new year

Hmm... well my husband is still unemployed. But he's still making delicious dinners. It's got to the point that I prefer his cooking to going out and eating in a restaurant. Therefore we only go out to restaurants where it is difficult to re-create the dishes with the ingredients available in the UK. For example, Japanese food. Mmm... I've somewhat given up on nagging him in the interests of keeping peace in the house - there are blessings, not least the food and the massages. Perhaps I shouldn't be too upset about his lack of motivation to find a job.

The only thing that bothers me slightly is that I should be having a child soon, being over 30 and all. Feeling the obligation is a far cry from the actual deed, however. Somehow I can't see myself in the role of nappy-changing house mom. I'm more of a hire a nanny to look after the little kiddies, and a maid to clean up after them type of woman. Plus a gardener to do the garden. Help is not too expensive even in the UK. Something to consider and keep in mind for the future. In the meantime, it's time for my yummy lamb stew dinner.