My day normally begins by being smacked on the head with a doll. If I’m lucky it’s a cuddly bear, but sometimes I get the big, heavy baby doll, or the hard, lumpy Dora. My three year old daughter likes to come and wake me, and I then wake our five year old boy as well.
Mornings are a bit frantic- I used to struggle to get myself ready and out of the house in time, so to juggle breakfasting, washing, and dressing three of us, not to mention checking homework, reading, and testing spellings, is a bit of a challenge. Fortunately my husband is very hands on and we share the load (and he even gives me a lie in on a Sunday)!
My working day, then, normally starts at about 9.30 after having dropped my son at school and my daughter at her pre-school. As I write, I spend a lot of time at the computer, and depending on how I feel I can either work in my office, or on my laptop in the living room. I normally work in the office when I am working on technical tax writing as I have all my legislation books in there, but when I am doing other writing (like now!) I can get comfy on the sofa, propped up with cushions and keep warm! We have an old Victorian house, so I have been known to be work with fingerless gloves on because of the draughts!
I do a range of writing work, from writing tax articles, to business blogs for myself (on www.mumazing.co.uk) and for other people, to writing web copy and press releases. My background was in tax and accounts, but by taking on slightly different roles at work I was able to move over into writing, which is what I love doing. I also lecture on tax, both to practising accountants and at a local University.
My daughter only attends pre-school in the mornings, so in the afternoons we try and do something, just the two of us, for a couple of hours until it’s time to collect my son. She is a very girly girl (well, providing that includes beating up her Dad and brother) so she likes doing things “just for girls”.
Most of the time I can arrange my work around the children, so I just catch up on emails (if I can, they seem neverending!) in the
afternoons and save proper work for after they have gone to bed. The hardest part comes when I do have lectures scheduled because if they are a three hour drive away (like next week) I have to call in favours as my husband teaches and cannot always leave early.
The best things about my work is that I can be there for the children- I go and help at school one morning a week and can help on trips and attend (all showings) of the Christmas play. I am also doing something I love, but much as the proverbial cobbler’s children go barefoot, I never seem to have time to write that book I am always on about- I’m too busy writing!
Sam Thewlis – writing genius!
www.samhart.co.uk
www.samthewlis.co.uk
Twitter
www.mumazing.co.uk
