Mummascribbles – Mummascribbles meets…Milk and Nappies – Mummascribbles

Today we meet the lovely Chantal from Milk and Nappies. Thanks so much for taking part Chantal 🙂

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your family
I’m Chantal, I’m 23 and I live in Cambridgeshire in a beautiful but crumbly house with my boyfriend Jono and our little boy Zach. Jono and I met three years ago at his sister’s birthday party, bonding over a Mighty Boosh joke and a Panic! At The Disco song. We survived two years long distance whilst I finished my degree, and I feel pregnant pretty quickly once I got home! Zach was a massive surprise, but he’s made us into a family and we couldn’t be happier.

What do you like doing to be you, when you are not parenting, working (if you do), or blogging?
I’m quite a social person so I like putting on make up, doing my hair, and heading out for dinner and drinks with my friends. Nothing makes me feel more me than sat with a cocktail in my hand chatting to those I love.

I like doing creative things such as crafts and baking, and I absolutely love cooking and trying new recipes – which is good as Jono is not a great cook! I also spend a lot of my free time on the internet watching YouTube videos and reading other people’s blogs. I find it hard to put down my iPhone!

What is your biggest achievement to date?
Aside from having Zach my biggest achievement would be my degree in Psychology. When I began the course I didn’t think I would make it through the first year, let alone finishing with a 2:1. I told my supervisor that I would be so proud of my dissertation once I had finished it I would want to make wallpaper out of it, she told me I would want to burn it. I was right, we just need to buy a house now so I can make my dreams a reality.

From your own experiences, what do you find the hardest part of parenting and what is the easiest/most rewarding part?
I’ve always wanted to be a parent, but it happened a lot earlier than I had planned and for me I think that is the hardest thing. I only have a couple of friends with babies, and the rest are out travelling, beginning careers and having lots of fun. I feel like that part of my life is on hold whilst Zach is so young. And whilst I wouldn’t change it for the world it can be hard seeing what my friends are up to.

On the whole I feel like I’ve taken to parenting quite naturally, and *touch wood* I find most parts relatively easy. My favourite part of being a parent is that feeling when they’re asleep, the calm after the storm. I find it so rewarding, and each night I think “wow, I’ve kept us both alive and happy for another whole day, I must be alright at this parenting thing.”

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?
Quite honestly, I don’t. Our house is always a bit messy and there are always jobs that need doing. I wish I could be one of those people whose houses are always clean and tidy but life is too short and I hate spending time doing chores. In general we keep the downstairs tidy-ish as that is where people see when they come round, and our bedroom looks like a bombs hit it. My least favourite job is putting away laundry so there’s often piles of clothes scattered around our room!

Why did you decide to start blogging?
I’ve attempted blogging a couple of times, but this time it has finally stuck it seems. The first time I started a beauty blog, and after two posts and a handful of comments I figured I’d achieved something and called it a day. This time around I started writing about how I was feeling as a new mum, letters to my son and anything else that popped into my head. I found it to be a great way to keep my brain working during maternity leave as I’ve found I need to be doing something productive.

Tell me a bit about your blog?
Milk and Nappies is a place where I write about my experiences as a mum, our adventures with Zach and talk about the things that inspire me. I write a lot of posts from the heart about being a mum, how I’m finding it and anything I’m struggling with – because I know so few mothers in real life it is nice to talk to people about these things online.

In general it’s a bit of a mish mash of everything as I’m still finding my voice and discovering which posts give me that warm feeling when I publish something I’m proud of.

What do you want your blog to achieve and where do you hope to see it go as it grows?
I see my blog as being many things: an online diary, a place to share my parenting advice, a creative outlet and a way to make new friends. I’d love for it to be popular, but if it doesn’t go anywhere I’m happy with that too. I enjoy writing it, and I hope that people enjoy reading it too.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about starting a blog?
Just do it! There’s nothing to lose and so much to gain. Try not to get caught up in the figures or comparing yourself to others, although sometimes that’s hard. Find your own voice, everyone else’s is taken.

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

1. Mary Berry, I think she’s amazing and reckon she’s got a lot of stories to tell. I’ve read her autobiography and she’s had a very interesting life. Plus, she could bring cake.

2. Ryan Gosling, because he is gorgeous.

3. Taylor Swift, I think she could be my best friend but she just hasn’t met me yet. I’d like her to bring her cats too!

Tell me three random facts about you

1. I have very limited general knowledge but I can name a ridiculous number of MAC eyeshadows!

2. My mum is from Germany, and my biggest regret is that I never learnt to speak German.

3. The furthest place I have travelled is Nicaragua in Central America, and it was amazing!

You can find Chantal over at http://www.milkandnappies.co.uk and also on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Google+