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Being a mum is hard work sometimes….actually….a lot of the time! Not only is becoming a mum like someone catapulted you into another dimension where this is very little build-up to the transition (I don’t think you can call maternity leave or childbirth a transition really can you?) more like being lulled into a false sense of security and then BANG!….Jesus what on earth happened, I’m a deer in headlights that will probably not sleep properly or have an adult conversation for an eternity.

For eons after that, your life revolves around the kids and is it therefore any wonder that because of this we are as a species have less kids (probably better for the planet to be fair so at least we can pat ourselves on the back for that!). But it’s not only sleep that is interrupted – but also your thoughts, relationship, career and not to mention sanity.

Don’t get me wrong, being a mum is hard but is also singly most incredibly rewarding thing I have done in my lifetime…and well, I had definitely lived a life worth living before that. It will test you to your limits, push you to the brink, then snap you right back again a bajillion times over. And if you are a mum currently finding that being a mum is hard, then you will also know these motherhood truths – written and illustrated by Martyna Wiśniewska Michalak, author of the deeply relatable The Very F*cking Tired Mummy to be 100% true.

Ain’t no mum like a fun mum

I want to be a fun mum, but between school runs, dishes, taking the cat to the vet and making a costume for school pirates day, I realized that I’m running out of fun ideas.

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Suffocation by laundry is real

I’m currently not a funny mum, more like buried deep under a pile of laundry, leave me alone (the cat can stay) and eating ice cream mum.

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The desire to pee alone is overwhelming

I don’t want to play hide and seek or what’s the time Mr.Wolf or watch Spiderman. I just have a burning desire to want to pee alone. And you know what, it’s OK. We have the right to be tired and sad and overwhelmed.

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The constant calling of “mummmmmmm” really can drive you crazy

Maybe one day we’ll miss those times when our name was shouted from the bottom of the stairs 64 million times a day. But then again, maybe we won’t.

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Motherhood drives you to the brink, but fills your heart with joy

At the end of the day when my kid is finally asleep, I can honestly say that she’s the most amazing thing that happened to me. But also, I’m not looking forward to tomorrow. Because parenting is f*cking hard and we all just pretend that we know how to run this operation. And if you DO have the answers then please give me a call, because after almost 6 years as a mum, I still have no idea what I’m doing most of the time!

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Know what I am talking about? I bet you do especially after Covid and being locked up with our beloved little humans for months. My way of surviving pandemic parenting and keeping sane was to write a book about how being a mum is hard. Truth be told, I also wanted to prove something to my husband, who said I wouldn’t be able to finish it. Now, a year later, the book is about to finish its crowdfunding campaign and be published!

The Very F*cking Tired Mummy is a hilarious picture book that captures every parent’s struggle of balancing life’s admin, work and entertaining their children. Born from my own experience of taking care of my daughter during COVID-19 quarantine, the parody of the beloved The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle was my way of documenting my frustrations and the sheer exhaustion of taking care of a toddler while stuck in isolation. Now, after becoming an online sensation, the book is finally on the way to parents all over the globe!

Please pledge to get a copy here: https://unbound.com/books/the-very-f-cking-tired-mummy/

You can also follow me on social media here: https://www.instagram.com/marti_presents/ and https://www.facebook.com/martidolls