Mummascribbles meets…Lena Hedges – Mummascribbles

Today we meet Lena Hedges who blogs over at Art on the Nose and Wrong Century Write Life. Thanks so much for taking part Lena.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your family
I’ve been with my partner nearly 3 years after meeting via a dating site and initially becoming friends. I have a (almost) 6 year old son from a previous relationship who lives with us and is the light of my life. My partner also has a child from a previous relationship, she is 7 and visits for weekends and some days in the holidays.

We have 2 dogs which have had puppies previously and are about to get fish for my sons birthday (for some reason they are on the list).

I have a very close extended family on my mothers side, being Spanish you have to be close. I have a sister who is 5 years younger and is a doting aunt. I’m lucky enough to still have my grandparents who I adore plus 2 aunts and 4 cousins. My dads side is English and unfortunately not as close knit.

My son was born is Sheffield (where I lived for 10 years) and his dad and uncle still live up there.

I studied English and Media at college and Film at University. Then followed a multitude of different jobs before I finally settled as head chef/kitchen manager in a children’s nursery. I love my job and the people I work with.

Being a writer/journalist was always my dream but other things got in the way and I didn’t pursue it hence why I was attracted to blogging.

What do you like doing to be you, when you are not parenting, working (if you do), or blogging?
Read!! I’m an avid reader, I will read everything and anything though I prefer thrillers and the paranormal.

What is your biggest achievement to date?
I know it’s soppy but my son!

From your own experiences, what do you find the hardest part of parenting and what is the easiest/most rewarding part?
The hardest part is the guilt. Guilt for working full time, guilt if you can’t afford something, guilt when you tell them off…

The most rewarding is when your child tells you that they love you and when other people tell you what a credit they are and how well behaved/polite etc…

Parenting in itself is no mean feat; how do you juggle everything you need to in order to get everything done on a daily basis?
Sheer luck! We have a routine during the week but relax it at the weekend. Help from family is immeasurable. Multitasking. Not chastising yourself if not everything gets done, as long as the family are happy healthy and fed the rest can wait.

Why did you decide to start blogging?
As I said previously writing was a dream I hadn’t pursued and was always something I regretted. My partner encouraged me to start the blog as a way to release that creative tension.

Tell me a bit about your blog?
I write two very different blogs.

The first ‘Wrong Century Write Life’ began as a fashion blog but I felt limited by what I could write about so it has expanded into a Lifestyle blog. I feature days out, product reviews, linkys, tags, fashion, cookery…pretty much anything goes.

My second blog is ‘Art on the nose’. It began based solely around nose art due to my partners passion for aviation. My interest in aviation has increased along with the blog and it now covers airshow reviews, biographies and all things aviation related.

What do you want your blog to achieve and where do you hope to see it go as it grows?
I would love to one day be able to earn a living and write full time.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about starting a blog?
Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what you want from your blog, that way you won’t have to make changes further down the line.

Join blogger groups on Facebook, I didn’t do it until a few months ago and wish I had done it right away. It’s a great way to network, find blogger ops and get information and advice.

If you could have dinner with three people (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

1. Coco Chanel – amazing designer who had such an interesting life.

2. Noel Coward – fabulous writer who led a fascinating life and even went to jail just for being himself.

3. Marilyn Monroe – much more intelligent than people gave her credit for, I’d love to see what she was really like.

Tell me three random facts about you

1. I used to own/run a business called Scarlet Harlots where we supported men who wanted to do drag or were transvestites. We did makeovers and lessons including deportment, took them out, offered counselling and helped them make contact with others.

2. My aunty used to be a dancer/singer on the West End and I saw lots of shows with her in, including Fame, Oaklahoma and Oh what a night.

3. I very recently discovered I love shooting an air rifle and crossbow, and I’m actually quite good at it.

You can find Lena over at www.forayintofashion.com, www.artonthenose.com and also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Lena also runs the Facebook pages Aircraft Nose Art and one dedicated to writing.