Here is our interview you lovely lot:
Hi Jenny and welcome to Bad Mum magazine. Thank you so much
for giving up your time to answer some questions.
I absolutely love the Mamazou concept and I love even more
that you have such a positive vibe for all parents. Is this something that is
important to you?
Thank you so much, that means so much to
me!! I’m all for sending out positive
vibes. We spend so much time feeling
guilty or not good enough when it comes to parenting that sometimes we forget
to focus on the good we’re doing.
There’s nothing nicer than sharing the love and supporting one another
because truthfully, we’re all doing the best that we can… and that in itself is
just amazing!
I myself have felt very lonely in the past and rather
isolated too when it has been just myself and Jake all day, every day. How
would you encourage parents to seek someone to speak to and to ensure they are
not alone in this parenting roller coaster?
I’d tell them to sign up to Mamazou! We have such a friendly
community on our forums and on our
social media channels. We’re all about support
without judgement. It really is a safe space. As isolating as this parenting journey can
be, you’re never alone and sometimes we need to be reminded of that.
I also found that for me, it was really
important to venture out of home. I took
H to many playgroups and have made some lovely friends as a result of it.
You must be one busy lady with Mamazou having a shop also,
how do you find the time to fit it all in and juggle being a business Mama too?
It certainly keeps me on my toes! The shop hasn’t launched yet but it will be
launching very shortly which I’m exceptionally excited about. Working with a charity, and one as incredible
as Kids Out is such an honour. The
juggling hasn’t come naturally but it’s something that I’m definitely striving
towards. I’m fortunate enough to work
from home and tend to work in the day and once H has gone to bed but I also
make sure that I exercise regularly too.
Heading to the office on a weekly basis also helps me find that “health
balance”. On weekends I try to avoid
social media more than usual and focus on family time. When we’re together, especially at dinner
times, I make sure I put my phone down.
My husband and I also go on a date night once a week.
At Bad Mum I want to represent the real face of parenting
rather than the sugar coated, pink fluffy version some media companies would
like us to believe is the normal for all families. Do you feel it is important
to show real life on social media to give people a realistic view?
YES!
Totally – I actually posted about this the other day. When browsing on social media, people tend to
get so caught up on striving to be “perfect”, (hence my Perfectly Imperfect
Parenting slogan). We’re all guilty of it – guilty of comparisons, guilty of
feeling anxious, guilty of feeling inadequate and that’s not cool. Take my IG for example, I love posting my
“pink fluffy” photos because they make me smile but my captions aren’t always about
those moments – I’m open and honest. I
like to share when I’m feeling vulnerable or when H is being a pain in the ass
etc, because that’s real life. Why
sugar coat it?!
Can you tell Bad Mum how the hell you get through a bad
(going to throw my child out the window soon) day? We all have them and we all
survive the best way we know how. If we all share then we can all breathe a
sigh of relief knowing we are not alone!
Hahaha – truthfully, I sometimes don’t even
know how I get through those days.
Distraction is key and I’m slowly mastering the art of it! “Look, there’s a bird!” When I’ve distracted H, I try to take
a deep breath and reset or I phone my husband and say “Do you have any idea of
what she just did?!” , to which he normally response with “I can’t help you,
I’m at work!” - But distraction and changing the subject
tends to be the key to dealing with those terrible tantrums until we’re ready
to address it and sort things out when we’re both a little more level
headed.
If anyone is reading this and wants to start something new
but finds it all a bit daunting (or scary) what advice would you give to them
and how did you just take the first step; starting?
Do it.
Yes, it’s scary but if you don’t you’ll regret it. The first step is the hardest but if you
believe in your idea, don’t let anything hold you back. Make notes, don’t rush and do your research!
From everything you have learnt from becoming a Mum to
starting up Mamazou, what is your one bit of golden advice you can share?
It’s OK to be selfish from time to time. Being a mum, having a business and working
along side it is full on. It doesn’t
matter what kind of mum you are (SAHM, Working mum etc), motherhood is full on
– whilst it’s incredible it’s exhausting and you deserve to have time out, you
deserve to be kind to yourself. I learnt
this the hard way and it’s something I’m putting to practice much more these
days.
Lastly, everyone must leave us all with a parenting
confession they have never told anyone else before! Go and do a shot then write
it down.
I didn’t change one poopy nappy for the first
2 weeks of H’s life. It totally grossed
me out so my wonderful husband did it instead!!
That’s love.
Once again thank you so much and please continue what you
are doing as us Mum’s need all the help we can get!
To see Mamazou's full profile then please go to the Bloody Truthful Mama section at the top now!
If you would like to be featured on Bad Mum please get in contact with me!
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