Tag Archives: work

When radio and blogs collide

01 Friday Feb 2013

Posted by in Work

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Photo credit: C.P Storm

When I write this blog I’m always aware that my written voice might sound different to my “voice” voice. You know, the one I use when I’m talking and stuff.

Considering one of my jobs is working on the radio, I like to think I speak the way I write. Or perhaps a better way of putting it would be that I like to think I’m real and honest on my blog, in the same way I’m real and honest on the radio. I’m me. Me is what you get.

All of this is a round-about way of saying please do have a listen to my latest demo. Here are some snippets of what I’ve been up to over the last three weeks or so with Adam Ball on Heart Breakfast in Wiltshire. Continue reading »

Me and The MADs

29 Tuesday Jan 2013

Posted by in Social media, Work

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MAD Blog Awards

If you’re a blogger, the chances are you’ll be aware of a certain annual event called The MAD Blog Awards. If you’re not a blogger, you may already be scratching your head.

These awards come around every year and are – in the most part – received with a great sense of excitement in the UK parent blogging community.

For some, the idea of an awards ceremony for bloggers isn’t that appealing, as the idea of pitting bloggers “against each other” and creating a sense of competition isn’t what blogging is about for them. For others though, they see the awards as a great way to showcase their blog and find new blogs they’ve never come across before. It’s a celebration of the diverse talent around, even though it’s clear we can’t ALL win. Continue reading »

Me Time and Mum Time – striking the balance

27 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in Motherhood, Work

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A perfect bath

This picture sums up a discovery I’ve made over the past few weeks. To be the best mum possible, you need to strike a balance and find some time for yourself. Even if it’s just a little sliver.

I made a decision over the Christmas break to try and regain some kind of balance. I wrote recently about how being self-employed can make it hard to get that balance right. Although I love every aspect of what I do, I’ve come to accept that I do need some element of non-work, non-mum life too. I need a piece of something for myself. Continue reading »

Balance? Not in my world.

04 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Family, Work

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“Balance”. It’s a word I’ve seen so many times in the last four days. It seems to be at the top of many New Year resolutions lists and a topic much coveted by magazines and newspaper glossies at this time of year. Understandable really, what with January 1st being an obvious time to reflect on the year ahead and make promises to ourselves.

The thing is, I’m not going to make a promise to myself about balance. I’m not going to kid myself that 2013 is going to be the year I find that elusive work / life balance, or find a regular slot of time for myself. I know it won’t happen – and I know I’m not alone. To be frank, balance is a luxury I can’t afford. Continue reading »

When being a working mum sucks

20 Tuesday Nov 2012

Posted by in Motherhood

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My strength at juggling has been tested to the extreme today. And I must admit -  just between you and I – that I have failed. Dismally.

I’ve worked as a presenter on a breakfast radio show since January and since that time we’ve had a few childcare emergencies. In each case, Frog hasn’t been particularly poorly. Either it’s been a cold or a cough or her childminder hasn’t been able to take her because of her own little boy being ill. Today was the first time I’ve been pulled completely in two.

I always promised myself that when I took on a contract that saw me working away from home for part of the day, I wouldn’t let it compromise my number one job: being a mum. Continue reading »

This is my wealth

01 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Family, Motherhood, Play

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I spend much of my life at the moment striving. I strive to work, to earn money to save for one of those huge deposits for a mortgage that you need these days. I strive to put a hefty chunk of these earnings aside each month, because I’m self-employed and one day I’d like not to have to work 70 hour weeks. I strive to do all this while being a good mum and showing my daughter what’s important in life.

What’s important….

Funny how that first paragraph was mainly about earning and money and striving for a financial balance. Because, to us, what’s important is NOT money. Continue reading »

Your career ends when you become a parent

23 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by in Family, Motherhood, Work

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When I was pregnant I lost count of the number of times I came across a certain myth. “Your career ends when you become a mum” was right up there with “babies sleep through the night by the age of six months” and “if your tummy sticks out at the front, you’re definitely carrying a boy”.

I became pregnant with my daughter when I was 26 years old. It was a planned pregnancy, despite what many people assumed. I was not married. We did not have a mortgage. I had not reached the “right” stage in my career to “take a baby break”. Continue reading »

Keeping broodiness in check

12 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Family, Motherhood, Pregnancy

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I was writing a blog post for a company the other day about pregnancy. As I scrawled through some suitable bump images to include in the post, the (self-proclaimed) Nothern Love Machine looked over my shoulder and laughed.

“There’s nothing attractive about pregnant women is there?” he chuckled.

My scowl made him quickly back-track, as he was actually looking at a picture of my own bump, taken just over two years ago now. But, equally, I completely disagreed with him. Continue reading »

Oprah gives it to me straight

23 Saturday Jun 2012

Posted by in Motherhood, Work

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Photo Credit: Alan Light

My inner Oprah Winfrey needs to be channelled. She’s sitting on the sofa today, demanding I take notice of her life coaching advice.

I can’t ignore her any longer.

She tells me to stop for a minute. Just a minute. And take a moment to recall the events of the past year. She tells me that, rather than berating myself for not achieveing the mountain of tasks on my to-do list this week, I should take stock of what I have achieved.

She tells me to look at the bigger picture.

Apparently, I need to remember where I was this time last year. I need to remember that I was yet to get married. I was in a haze of last-minute planning for said wedding. I was attempting the beginnings of a blog, a freelance career. Continue reading »