It has been 75 days since we took the decision to not send our toddler to daycare. Since then, life has been a bit of an emotional and physical rollercoaster. Our household consists of 5 people (me, my husband, my toddler and 2 cat babies) and somehow, we all have learned how to be professional jugglers. We all do our parts like a well-oiled machinery (at least for the most part), just as long as there is a routine to be followed.

But here’s the thing. Other than being mom, wife, home-maker, cook, cleaner, gardener, virtual (social) butterfly, a designer and a hard-working employee, I suddenly have one more key role to play – Life Manager. And that’s not just me managing my own life, but 4 other’s.

It’s tough. Really tough. So today, I’m here to talk about 9 REAL STRUGGLES that are unique to this situation.

1. Staying productive at home and work
2. Staying healthy (and coping with a new disease called germophobia)
3. Keeping a 3 year old productively busy, happy and healthy
4. Trying not to kill your partner.. err.. or shoot yourself in the head
5. Staying optimistic about the future (and trying not to imagine a zombie apocalypse)
6. Not becoming a complete social outcast
7. Finding time to do the things you like
8. Tackling all of the 10,000 different emotions and finding your ‘me’ time
9. Living (even enjoying) the current reality

Click through the following pages to read what I do to keep my head above the water (that has worked so far), some tipping points and a modest attempt to develop a hindsight – because someday, this too shall pass.