Mummascribbles meets…The Moderate Mum – Mummascribbles

Today I have the lovely Charlene from The Moderate Mum featured. Thanks so much for joining in Charlene

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your family
I’ve been with my partner Graham for nearly fourteen years. We live in Brighton and our son Roscoe is 16 months old. Graham runs a training company and I’m lucky enough to be able to work with him one day a week. The rest of the time I’m at home with Roscoe and our high maintenance cat.

What do you like doing to be you, when you are not parenting, working (if you do), or blogging?
I won’t lie, those three things don’t leave a lot of space for much else! I recently got into using the gym. There’s a great one near me that has a crèche so I get a couple of hours a week to myself. It’s sad that those hours are spent in pain, but any way I can get them! I also enjoy the hobby of indulging in inappropriately timed bottles of Prosecco with friends.

What is your biggest achievement to date?
I’m not one for marathon running or mountain climbing so I don’t have a stand-alone moment but the twelve years I spent working in family support, as a collective experience, is something I’m very proud to have been a part of. I also know all the words to ‘Under the Sea’ from The Little Mermaid – so there’s that.

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 that fact that you have to be so vigilant all the time, it can be emotionally draining. There’s rarely a moment in which you can completely switch off. The easiest part is when they’re asleep and you can look at them and go, ‘Look how cute they are. Aren’t I clever.’

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?
I don’t. Everything doesn’t get done. Yesterday my husband came home to find two loads of laundry in the bath. I force myself to prioritise. I love to hang out with my son, I love to blog and connect with people and I love to eat well – so those are my main goals each day. I am a bit obsessed with schedules and I write new daily and weekly schedules at least once a month. They’re usually ridiculously over ambitious and have me waking up at 5AM. One day I might even stick to one of them!

Why did you decide to start blogging
I wanted to write, I wanted to support people and I want to be at home with my son. I thought a blog could help me to achieve all those things. I also want to be part of a parenting community online. I’m loving it so far and I just want more! Virtual hugs for everyone!

Tell me a bit about your blog?
My blog offers parent focused advice on the problems that arise after inviting children into your life. There’s a lot of information on how to help children; I want to help adults try to adapt their own thinking, rather than their child’s behaviour and help readers to become more confident parents. I love to link with other bloggers and explore issues they have had or have within the wonderful world of parenting.

What do you want your blog to achieve and where do you hope to see it go as it grows?
I want to be part of a community of parents and parents to be that are speaking honestly and openly about the trials of having and raising kids. I’d really love it if in time my space on the internet could be somewhere that people turn to if they want support (or a giggle, giggles are good too).

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about starting a blog?
Pick a lane. I don’t think it has to be super focused but have an idea of the direction you want to go, e.g. fashion, beauty, diary. This can change over time but I think in the beginning it will help people to know who you are and helps you choose what to write about.

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

1. Oprah Winfrey because she’s Oprah.

2. Julie Burchill because I’m obsessed with her and she lives in my town so we could share a cab home.

3. Jake Gyllenhaal because have you seen him?!

Tell me three random facts about you

1. The smell of tomato ketchup makes me ill.

2. When I was pregnant I had a condition that made my bump twice the size it was supposed to be but I didn’t realise for ages because everyone was too polite to tell me.

3. I interrupt my own dreams to change events to my advantage.

You can find Charlene over at www.moderatemum.co.uk and also on Twitter.