Sometimes, having one or both parents at home means that your finances can run extremely low, resources can totally deplete and this can be stressful.

Make use of what you have, this sounds simple but it is true, that the less I have in life, the more I make use of what I do have. You don’t have to spend a fortune to feel good, so even if it means buying something small to pepper up your day or your mood, a nice soap, a candle, a really good book, excuse the shameless plug there! Or not buying anything at all but appreciating what is around you. I am actually slightly done when it comes to consumerism however a small thing can be lovely. Even if that treat is a free online class at the moment then go for it!

Enjoy what you have with the knowledge that the time you have with your children you can never get back again and money comes and goes. I often think there will be a time when I will be able to fully 100% focus on my work life in a way that I can’t now, so I accept that in some ways this has been a trade off. We have not had much money but we have had a lot of great time with our children so on the days when everything has been a stretch I know it has all been worth it, as we can never get that time back.

Here is a quick reminder of how quickly childhood passes.  Dutch artist Frans Hofmeester has taken pictures of his daughter Lotte from birth till the age of fourteen see here in this beautiful clip.

After all, what we to take to the grave are our memories and experiences, not our accumulated stuff.