Mummascribbles – Mummascribbles meets…Devon Mama – Mummascribbles

This week we meet the lovely Hayley from Devon Mama. Thanks so much for taking part Hayley 🙂

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your family
Hi, I’m Hayley and I live in Devon with my husband, son and dog. I met Dave (my husband) at work and that was that, we moved in together three months later. We got engaged in 2014, married in 2015 and had our son in 2016 so I’ve got hopes that 2017 is going to be a nice quiet year for us! We’re very fortunate that we live exceptionally closely to our families, everyone is within a 20 minute radius of us which makes for a hectic but fun environment to raise our son in.  

At the start of 2017, I went back to my role as Content Marketing Director on a part-time basis which has meant some major adjustments for us as a family. My son spends two days in nursery and a day with my mum whilst I pretend not to enjoy being an adult for that time. In the limited free time that I get, I can usually be found blogging, attempting to cook or sorting out the next major project on our house; we’re literally about to start a huge renovation project any day now so it’s all go! 

What do you like doing to be you, when you are not parenting, working (if you do), or blogging? 
If I’m not doing any of those three I’m usually asleep! If I get some me time I like to have a long hot shower, laze around on the bed and watch some trashy American TV dramas, Dave is always teasing me about them. I love reading (never happens anymore) and I actually enjoy doing exercise, I just hate the idea of it. My dream day would just be a lazy day at a spa/on a sunbed by the pool, good book, no deadlines or chores and plenty of snacks. 

What is your biggest achievement to date? 
Aside from the fact I probably should answer with ‘having my son’, my biggest achievement to date is joining the Board of Directors at the company I work for. It’s my family company which means people often think it’s easier but in actual fact, you have to prove yourself even more. I’ve worked there since the age of 13, came back after university and have been there since. I was the youngest head of the management team and joined the Board of Directors in 2014 again as the youngest member. I’ve always given work my all and adjusting my priorities since having a child has been a hugely difficult task for me. I love my work, I love making decisions and I love proving to people that you don’t have to be a fifty year old man to be on the Board of a successful national company.  

From your own experiences, what do you find the hardest part of parenting and what is the easiest/most rewarding part? 
The hardest part for me has been the amount of unknowns. I’m very much someone who likes figures, facts and goals, even in labour I was asking her to give me a percentage of how far I was along! With a baby, that goes out of the window. Every baby, every parent, every situation is different so there’s no right or wrong answer, no absolute age for them to be doing things. Things like weaning or sleep patterns have stressed me out because I’ve tried everything I can do but he still doesn’t eat well or nap well… adjusting to that lack of control is hard work!  

The most rewarding part is seeing your creation grow, develop and learn. I love watching him with my husband, his grandparents or even just his friends. Seeing him interact and bring joy to others is incredible, I have to pinch myself that I made him… from scratch! (Okay, okay, with a little help!) 

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? 
Being organised the night before is what gets us through. On the days that I work I have everything laid out and ready, including his clothes for the day. I leave for work at 7.15 so my husband is in charge… I’ll never make the mistake of letting him choose the outfit again! That said, we actually don’t juggle everything. There are always balls that get dropped, meals that we get to and realise the ingredients are still in the freezer (or Tesco!), appointments that get forgotten. That’s part of our lives and we’re learning to be okay about that. I think you need that acceptance. You’re a parent, not a superhero, it’s alright to miss something here and there. 

Why did you decide to start blogging? 
I started when I was pregnant, I knew that I wanted to document things and I’ve never really kept a diary. I liked the idea of writing it all down and in my role at work I needed to learn more about social media – it seemed like a great way of combining the two. It actually took quite a back seat until my son was about five months old. I decided to up my game and commit more time and effort to it, suddenly it became a proper hobby and outlet for me; a bit of adult me time in amongst the baby zone 

Tell me a bit about your blog? 
My blog’s main aim was to keep a track of our lives but I quickly found I enjoyed having other things on there. Funny facts I’d picked up parenting, products we loved using, recipes I’d used or developed along the way. I write it as though I’m talking to a friend and through promoting it I’ve made great friends. Blogging has helped me find a whole community of like-minded people and a new source of advice. I hope my blog will be that advice or friend to someone one day. 

What do you want your blog to achieve and where do you hope to see it go as it grows? 
I know a lot of bloggers start because they want their blog to become an income stream and I’d be lying if I said earning a little money didn’t interest me… who would turn down being paid for doing something they love?! That said, I love my job, I earn a pretty decent wage and I’m unlikely to ever make that kind of money through blogging. I think that removes some of the pressure for me, I’m not in it to be big or find a career, I blog because I enjoy it. Because of that I’d just be happy if it helped other parents out in some way. I love when people say they’ve read it and found something funny or useful. It’s incredibly satisfying! 

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about starting a blog? 
Blogging is hard work. It’s not as simple as just writing and posting, there’s a whole other side to it; promoting, photography, networking, design… I think it’s important for you to know why you’re doing it first. If you’re doing it to try and make money then don’t think it’s an easy way of doing it. If you’re doing it because you want to meet people, share your words or learn something new then hop on board! Throw yourself into networking on Facebook and Twitter because there really is a wonderfully supportive community out there and they’ll have all the answers to the silly questions that we all have from time to time! 

If you could have dinner with three people (dead or alive), who would it be and why? 
Argh, I HATE this question!! It always makes my mind go blank. I think I’d have to say my brother, sister and husband. My brother lives in Australia and my sister in Bristol, I’ve not sat down to dinner with them together for ten months and even then it was just as I was about to give birth so I couldn’t fully relax. We grew up very close and have lots of in-jokes, I’d love to just sit round a table with them for a natter… oh and my husband because he’d be grumpy if I didn’t throw him into the mix! 

Tell me three random facts about you 

1 I wanted to be a doctor for years and took three science A-Levels. Just before applications were due in, I did a training week at a local hospital and got to stand in on an operation. They pulled a vein out of the patient’s leg and blood flew across the room and landed on my face! I had to be swabbed and disinfected for hours, it really put me off! I quickly changed my mind and did business at university instead. I still (sometimes) regret that decision, I’d love to re-train but I don’t think it would be fair on my family and frankly, I can’t stand the sight of blood! 

2. I hate lasagne. I can’t stand the stuff, I was once very ill after having it and since then can’t bear to eat it. It’s my husband’s favourite meal in the world so very occasionally I’ll make it for him if I’m going out. 

3. I have a worrying ability to remember song lyrics from fifteen years ago but often can’t remember what I did yesterday. If I could just find a job where that would make me rich, I’d be a millionaire!  

Along with her blog www.devonmama.com, you can also find Hayley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.