I’d say I am fun-loving, outspoken and free-spirited.
Ah, actually I’m not a full-time mummy. I’m in the unusual position of being a part-time mum, or ‘shared care’ parent.
When myself and my partner split four years ago, my ex was desperate to have as big a role as me in Ella’s upbringing and didn’t want to be relegated to being a weekend dad. The official arrangement is we share her care 50/50. In reality, I try to have her a lot more than that.
Before I had Ella I was an IT marketer and copywriter for a creative agency. I do the same thing now as a freelancer, working from home, which is much more fun.
I met Susanna, the founder of British Mummy Bloggers, at a creative writing course in Oxford, and she encouraged me to write a post for one of her blogs – Thames Valley Mums. I wrote about Ella’s opinion of my upcoming wedding, ‘But Mummy it’s My Wedding Too!’ and loved it so much I decided to start my own blog.
I find that having my own blog gives me the chance to explore and share the highs and lows of being a part-time Mummy. I love getting feedback on my posts – it’s great to find out other parents’ take on things.
The best comment I’ve had so far was in response to one of my posts featured on The Times’ blog Alpha Mummy. It said something like ‘Part Mummy Part Me is so funny, and true. In my opinion it’s the best blog on the internet.’ I was flattered beyond belief…
Zen Habits zenhabits.net is one of my favourites. It’s all about simplifying your life and giving you practical ideas to inspire you to be happier, fitter and more productive.
I get little flushes of pride a lot. Recently, I’ve been really proud of Ella learning to read and of how she is embracing our new ’chores for pocket money’ system. She tidied her bedroom pretty much by herself the other day. Fabulous.
When it comes to food it’s "Just try it, one mouthful that’s all I ask."
Not really, it’s usually the other way round. I am prone to expressive hand gestures (no, not the rude kind) and enthusiastic displays of emotion – like jumping up and down in excitement. El often tells me off if I’m too expressive in public. Singing in Tesco is definitely a no-no in her book (though I still can't help myself)!
At the moment I’m focused on helping Ella to manage her emotions without stifling them or letting them completely take her over. So, when she’s scared of wolves in her bedroom at night we start talking about happy thoughts like our recent trip to Euro Disney. If she can’t get the wolves out of her mind we talk about how they are like dogs and she can make them her pets in her imagination.
I’m keen to encourage her to see that she can control her thoughts, which in turn makes it possible for her to change the way she feels. I think it’s one of the most valuable life skills I can teach her. Although I must confess, being quite a sensitive soul as I am at times, I am still learning that skill myself...
Usually I would pick a social entrepreneur like Jamie Oliver or Bob Geldof, but I’m so keen to lose weight at the mo that I’d prefer to be more shallow and ask Lily Allen how she lost her weight. Did you see her Glastonbury performance? She looked fantastic.
