I’m Josie and I blog about my life as a work at home mum. I live in Chelmsford with my two children, Boy Child, aged 11 and Girl Child aged 9, plus a husband (who’s age he’d rather I didn’t mention). We have one cat called Hera and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel called Baxter. I love reading, eating and occasionally cooking. I work from home running baby and children’s nearly new sales, tutoring on distance learning courses and blogging. I always knew a “proper job” wasn’t really what I wanted. I’m 43 and between education, maternity leave and working part time I have managed to only spend 6 years in full time employment. I’ve been self employed for around 8 years now and don’t think I could ever go back to having a boss. I’ve recently written a book called “How to Become a Work from Home Mum” to help other mums who’d like to have the flexibility of working from home.
At university I studied Business and then completed a postgraduate diploma to become a Careers Adviser. A few years before I had my children, I completed a Masters Degree in Information and Library Management and worked in public and academic libraries. I’m still passionate about the importance of reading for both children and adults.
I found the baby, toddler and preschooler years really hard, I had postnatal depression after Boy Child was born but even without that I think I would have struggled. I found the adjustment to motherhood really difficult and am just not temperamentally suited to looking after small children. My parenting style is more #ThisTooShallPass than #TreasureEveryMoment. My struggles where probably in part to do with being an introvert. I need a certain amount of time alone to function and toddlers who want to accompany you to the toilet really don’t allow for that! Now that my children are older and in school full time, I’m enjoying parenting much more (6 hours a day of absence has certainly made my heart grow fonder) although it will always have its moments. I still dread the words “Play with me Mummy”. I love chatting with them, cooking with them, reading to them and taking them places but the truth is I find “play” incredibly tedious.
I am passionate about the free range parenting movement that has become popular in the US and that’s something we are incorporating into our day to day life. I’m keen for my kids to have some of the freedoms I had a child (and I’m keen to have some of the peace and quiet it gave my Mum!) so I am helping them to become as independent as possible.
I also LOVE baby names, if I headset found the early years so hard I might have left on having babies just for the fun of naming them! Since I can’t do that I spend lots of time writing about baby names instead. I write particularly about middle names, probably to appease my inner child who has never forgiven her parents for not giving her one!
Finding parenting so hard in the early years taught me not to judge others for how they get through it and I try to extend that to myself. I shout too much, my kids spend too long on screens, I hate crafts (although I love process art) and my cleaning standards leave a lot to be desired but my children know they are loved and that’s the most important thing.
In this blog I aim to share what I’ve learnt in my time as a parent and hope it will help other mums on their journey, both in practical ways, and to feel less alone if they are struggling with the challenges of motherhood.
