**Snug Baby was sold in 2012 and no longer trades under this name**
When I get up at about 7am, it’s all go straight away. The hour or so before school seems to be one of the most stressful of the day. I jump in the shower while Lee makes the children their breakfast, then I make Ben’s packed lunch whilst badgering them to brush their teeth, combing my hair and checking emails. Once Ben is at school, Josh and I do some chores and have a play, and generally potter and tidy up before I make us both some lunch. I think spending some one-on-one time with Josh is important, so I try to do as much together as we can, and we talk, read, make things – pretty much anything, but we do it together and chat a lot as we are doing it. We have to eat early as Josh goes to nursery in the afternoons, and starts at 12.30pm, so we usually eat by 11.45am.
After Josh is dropped off, the real work begins. Although the laptop is usually on whenever we are in the house, it’s only when I am home alone that I can actually knuckle down and get some serious work done. So, depending on what I have on, it’s a mixture of emails, admin, accounts, packing orders, sewing, networking and blogging. And that carries on until it’s time to take the dog out before I do the school run, which is usually about 2.45pm. I really enjoy my dog walking time. It’s me time – I wind down a bit and relax and just enjoy my surroundings. I have started trying (and usually failing) to learn how to take decent photographs, so I often take my camera out with me too, and see if anything catches my eye.
The children get picked up at 3.30pm, but with the various after-school activities that Ben is doing (and soon Josh too) it can be a bit staggered. Some days I end up making four trips to school and back! After school we either come home, or go to my parents’ house, and after the children have got changed out of their uniforms, it’s homework time. Most days this is just reading, so once that is done it’s playtime until tea. After tea, depending on what day it is, there is time for a bit more playing before bathtime, but then it’s story, supper and bed.
Once the children are in bed, it’s time to make tea for Lee and I, and then sit down to do a bit more work. I find it hard to actually get back up to do manual things in the evening, so sewing has to be done during the day, and evenings are reserved for admin type jobs and marketing. I am also the Vice-Chair of the school PTA so on the rare occasion I run out of things to do for Snugbaby, I have plenty to do for that aswell. I do make an effort to spend some quality time with Lee at least once a week, where we both turn our laptops off, eat at the table instead of on the sofa, and watch a film together, and this is one evening I really love. It’s amazing how easy it is to fall into a pattern of working until bedtime, especially when you both do work at home.
I am very conscious that I run Snugbaby in order to ensure that I can spend time with my family, rather than going out to a more conventional job, which would mean I saw less of them. So sacrificing some of my evenings to work means that now I am able to take weekends pretty much off to enjoy that time with my husband and children.
Claire Willis
Snug Baby
Constant cuddles on the go…
Slings and Baby Carriers Finalist – Practical Parenting Awards
Best Online Business 2009 – Mumpreneur Awards
Web and IT Award Winner 2010 – CN Group Awards
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Brilliant insight! I was yawning looking at what you fit in, then realised I do much the same, and I’m guessing many Mums who work from home do. You’ve a very lucky family, I know how hard you work so they don’t do without Mummy & Wifey time x
I know she puts me to shame!!