Mummascribbles – Mummascribbles meets…Entertaining Elliot – Mummascribbles
Today we meet the lovely Elaine from Entertaining Elliot. Thanks so much for taking part Elaine
Tell me a little bit about yourself and your family
My name is Elaine, I’m 34 and I live with my husband of 13 years and our son Elliot who is 3 in November. We live in Dorset which is a beautiful part of the UK – there is so much to see and do here and we love being so close to the sea.
I met my husband Paul 15 years ago through mutual friends and it didn’t take long before we were engaged and then married! We both quit our jobs in 2010 to start our own business and we opened our first Laptop Fixers shop. Working together day in day out was tough sometimes but there’s nothing like being your own boss!
Elliot came along in 2012 and we absolutely love being parents, it’s hard to remember life before he came along!
What do you like doing to be you, when you are not parenting, working (if you do), or blogging?
I don’t get a lot of time between parenting, working and blogging but I really look forward to my Wednesday evenings when I go along to my local choir, Just Sing, and I can just be me. Not Mummy, but Elaine! It’s a great stress buster and it gives me a real buzz singing with so many talented and lovely people.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
I know it’s a cliché but becoming a Mum is definitely my biggest achievement – I still can’t believe I grew a human being in my tummy!!
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 when Elliot hit one and started testing the limits a bit. The running off, the refusing to eat meals, the not listening! Also the frustration on his part where he couldn’t tell me what he wanted or what was wrong. I have to say, it’s so much easier now he’s at the age he is – I love being able to have a conversation with him!
The most rewarding is seeing what a clever, polite and funny little boy he has become. He’s like a little sponge when it comes to learning things and hearing him do his ABC’s just makes me so proud!
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’m very lucky that I only work one day a week so I’m pretty much a stay at home mum. We have a busy diary and sometimes housework gets put on the back burner whilst we go out and enjoy ourselves! If the hoovering has to wait ’til the next day because we were out making the most of the sunshine then so be it. As long as Elliot is happy and healthy then everything else can wait!
Why did you decide to start blogging?
A friend of mine started a parenting blog and I enjoyed reading it. It led to me finding lots of other blogs to read and I started thinking…hmmm could I do this?! I’ve always loved writing but I didn’t think anyone would ever read it. In the end I just took the plunge and here I am a year later!
Tell me a bit about your blog?
The blog is called Entertaining Elliot because that pretty much sums up my life! I like to write about all the fun stuff we get up and I feature lots of days out write ups and local attractions. I also include a bit of toddler fashion, product reviews, general mum posts like “you know you’re a mum when…” and lots more. Elliot and I also have a bit of an obsession with Andy Day from Cbeebies so he’s mentioned a lot too 😉
I’ve just recently launched my very own linky called “Love Where I Live” and it’s been a great way of discovering new places to visit!
What do you want your blog to achieve and where do you hope to see it go as it grows?
To be honest, I’m just happy people read my blog! Of course I’d love my stats to increase but I have to remind myself that I write for me and that I’ll never be one of the big name bloggers, but that’s ok!
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about starting a blog?
Go for it, whats the worst that can happen?! I would say be prepared to put in the time though, I had no idea that blogging would take up so much of my spare time but it’s very rewarding and it’s a great way of meeting new friends!
If you could have dinner with three people (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
1. Kiefer Sutherland – my husband and I become abit obsessed with 24 last year and we were watching 2/3 episodes each evening. Jack Bauer became part of the family! Kiefer seems like a really nice bloke…plus he’s on my “list” 😉
2. Kate Middleton – I’d love to know what it’s like being part of the Royal family and I’m sure we could bond over toddler tales!
3. Justin Fletcher – it would be great to see what he’s like in real life, surely he can’t be THAT happy all the time?!!
Tell me three random facts about you
1. I can’t eat jelly and ice-cream from the same bowl, I hate they way they mix! So if my mum ever dishes up that for pudding, I get two separate bowls!
2. I’ve won a few competitions in my time and when I was 14 I got to attend the Batman Forever premiere thanks to a Smash Hits competition! We were sat a few rows from Ryan Giggs and Eric Cantona in the cinema which was just the most exciting thing ever to a 14 year old me!
3. I have driven from Chicago to LA down Route 66 – best holiday ever!
You can find Elaine over at www.entertainingelliot.com and also on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest