I pledge NOT to be the perfect mother. Are you with me?

Our 14-point plan to being far from perfect but closer to happy. In or out?

I used to go the hairdresser. But those hours and hours of sitting there used to bug me. So much time spent waiting for the stylist, waiting for the basin to be free, waiting for the hair washer, enduring that head massage.

All the while there was STUFF TO BE DONE AT HOME.

What a waste of time. I now have a friend cut my hair at home. All the things I can get done!

It’s amazing what I achieve.

I can clean the house while the foils set, I can do a load of washing, hang it on the line, prepare dinner, pack the soccer clothes/ ballet clothes/ tennis gear/ karate outfits. I can make beds and mow the lawn. I can do some work. I can bake a cake for the cake stall and load those images on the memory stick for my son’s news tomorrow.

Aren’t I clever to have solved that little dilemma?

Who needs “me” time when it could be “DOING” time?

It is the same reason I carry my laptop to my son’s soccer practice.

The same reason I shop online and cook in batches.

Time saved.

Job achieved.

I can multi-task.

Why do one thing when you can do three? Who has time to read a book, to catch a movie, to sit down for a coffee when you can grab a take-away and hurry off for the next activity?

But. It grinds you down doesn’t it?

You have to occasionally stop (and smell those flowers, huh?) and wonder if all this multi-tasking and time saving and DOING is simply too much.

Is it time to ask why? Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves? Why is there so much to do every day? Why does the STUFF TO BE DONE never stop?

We can’t blame others, can we?

This pressure we feel, we put it on ourselves.

Here’s my first step in defying the perfection. In spurning this constant need to live up to the expectations we place on ourselves.

In saying "No".

Let’s throw it away.

Want to join me?

Here’s my pledge against being the perfect Mum:

1. I pledge to play Lego with my kids rather than clean it up.

2. I promise to declare the cupcakes were store bought.

3. I promise to never cut the labels off Target clothes again.

4. I promise to let them eat dessert before dinner occasionally.

5. I promise to stop saying I’ll watch you in a minute.

6. I promise to stop working on Saturday nights and to sit on the floor and watch Frozen with my 3 year old.

7. I promise to listen and stop saying "hmmm-mmmm" (most of the time).

8. I promise to Facebook a picture of my 3 year old having a tantrum, to Instagram a picture of my frozen pizza dinner and to Tweet how shithouse my day is.

9. I promise to say “Sorry, I am too busy” and to not justify what I'm doing instead.

10. I promise to keep the lolly bag from the next party for you for the next day and not scoff it that night.

11. I promise to say "No". And to mean it.

12. I promise to stop cleaning the house as my mother-in-law drives over. This is what it looks like. If you don’t like it, clean it yourself.

13. I promise to answer the question "Does your 3 year old have a dummy?" with the answer: "Yes, but it is only to stop her having so many bottles at night."

14. I promise to stop saying the fruit is organic when it was actually on special at ALDI.

But I think most off all I pledge to be honest with myself. I am a good mother. I do the best that I can. I pledge that trying my hardest is the best I can do.

Did we miss anything? What else should be in the pledge?

Want more? Try this:

The Stay At Home Mum conspiracy.

Dear stranger, this is why you should be nicer to my mum…