Mrs Woog is the author of the hugely popular and hilarious blog, Woogsworld.
Mrs Woog can be found in the laundry - folding laundry, sorting laundry and dropping off the dry cleaning.
She is mum to two boys, boss of her husband and master of a cat and two guinea pigs. Come nightfall, she watches TV while tweeting, which drives Mr Woog insane.
She likes to read cookbooks and eat out. During her waking hours she ferries kids around in the Mazda, while drinking takeaway coffees and listening to talk back. She thinks about going to the gym every day.
She used to work in the publishing industry before she realised it was nothing like Elaine Benes from Seinfeld made it out to be!
"Mrs Woog"
C4K: What sort of schedule do you have on a daily basis?
MW: I wake up at about 7am and my husband brings me in a coffee. Every day. I had it written in as part of our marriage vows. He goes to work and we have a leisurely morning. Not having to be in an office at 9am means no rushing. It was not always the case! I used to be out the door with a toddler at 7.15am. We would normally both be crying!
I take the kids to school, come home and work till 1pm. Then I do housewifely stuff until I pick up the kids at 3pm. This year I have dramatically cut back after-school activities to just one a week. Talk about total bliss! We do homework, Mr Woog arrives home and does manly ball kicking with the boys and I start on dinner, often assisted by a glass of cold wine.
After years of hectic struggling and "balancing" I just got rid of stuff that did not fit into our lives. Works better for us as a family. Not being a sufferer of guilt also helps!
C4K: How do you juggle work, children, home and sanity?
MW: Say no often. It is amazing how free you can be. When you are constantly saying yes to everything, your stress levels sky-rocket and the only one who will really suffer is you.
With work, I have very strict boundaries of what I am able to take on. Sure it ebbs and flows, but listening to your instinct is important. I juggle the kids as best I know how, which is totally based on trial and error. I am far from being a perfectionist so that helps. As far as sanity goes, well I bid that adieu the day my first son was born. I know I am probably supposed to say something like exercise or yoga here, but I cannot lie.
I try to make life as simple and as easy for myself and focus a lot on fun. I have a cleaner and an ironing lady as I hate doing it and would prefer to work a little longer to pay for someone else to do it. Lazy maybe… Smart? YES!
C4K: What sort of child care do you use?
MW: With both kids now at school, it is like winning the lottery in some ways! But they do attend After School Care 2 days a week. We have a great babysitter who takes charge in case Mr Woog and I fancy a night out and all grandparents are willing and able carers.
C4K: Was it difficult to come by? Are you happy with your arrangements and why?
MW: Yes, we are happy with the level of support we get from family and friends. Having a child with special needs (My 5 year old son Jack is deaf) has not been an issue.
C4K: Do you think that there's enough support out there for working mums from employers, government and society in general?
MW: I do not believe there can EVER be enough support for working mums, especially single working mums or working mums who also care for kids with special needs. The cost of childcare is beyond a joke.
C4K: With the benefit of hindsight would you have started trying for babies younger?
MW: Nope. I was 29 when I fell pregnant unexpectedly and although I was very shocked at the time, looking back I can see it was the perfect timing for us.
C4K: Can mums "have it all"? What do you think that is anyway?!
MW: Mums can "have it all" if they want. You just need to work out your list of priorities starting with the most important to least important. Then take out every second priority and you will be left with a list that is manageable. Just.
C4K: What's Mr Woog like at sharing the load when it comes to child care and the daily juggle?
MW: We are probably more traditional when it comes to roles. I often refer to myself as the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and Mr Woog is the FEO (Financial Executive Officer). As far as ruling the roost and decision-making, I am your gal! Mr Woog takes care of things like weekend sports, whereas I do the weekday commitments when it comes to running the family. We are like a well-oiled machine! We have a family meeting once a week to look at what is coming up. All that and I still manage to forget stuff and constantly run late. Mr Woog is more anal. We are a good match.
C4K: Do you think child care is too expensive or do we need to get real with the cost of quality care?
MW: Childcare is far too expensive, especially where I live, where you can for out up to $120 a day per child and remember, this is before you pay tax on that cash! I believe the government has a responsibility to subsidise, more generously, the amount that working parents have to pay.
C4K: Nannies currently don't have the same status as child care centres and other "approved care" in terms of the tax rebate, but they're often working mums' only solution. Should they have the same status?
MW: I have friends with little babies and due to financial commitments, have had to return to work early. Not being able to get a place at a childcare centre means that a private nanny is the only option. Once you pay tax and super plus the nanny's wage, they are left with very little. This is why I gave up working for a company. It all got too hard.
C4K: What 3 things could you not do without as a working mum?
MW: The three "Fs":
Friends! Someone to call and just say: "I am having a shocking day…" and have an empathetic ear on the other end of the line.
Foxtel! You know the moment the kids are in bed and the hubby is off doing whatever… I love to have a hot bath and curl up on the couch for a few hours of idiot box indulgence.Focus! I so do not really always practice what I preach, but making the most of the time you have to commit to your work will see you achieve more. For me that means switching off, shutting the door and getting on with it. Do not let your work spill into your "real" life.
Go to www.woogsworld.com to follow Mrs Woog's humorous take on the daily drudge!
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