Mangoes & Monkey Bread: A Mum Life Success Story.

22/12/2019Jo Caddy

“Take the first Step, everything begins with the first step.”

At Mum Life Stories we are passionate about helping women (especially mums) to discover their own true identity and to develop the confidence they need to pursue their dreams. Discovering your identity is all about embracing who you are, your personality, your character, your body, mind & spirit, your culture, your background and all the experiences (good & bad) that make up your unique ‘life story’.

Sometimes life can take us out of our comfort zone or put us into situations where it can be difficult to maintain a sense of belonging, which in turn can foster a detachment of our self-awareness and identity. Knowing who we are and where we come from, is very significant in developing that sense of identity and helping us to embrace ‘who we are’ so we can start journeying toward ‘who we want to be’.

Emily Joof is one woman who knows who she is and is passionate about teaching her children and other children about discovering who they are and where they come from. She has recently self-published her first book ‘Mangoes & Monkey bread’ in the hopes of bridging the gap between her family’s life in Sweden and their heritage in West Africa. She was kind enough to share the inspiration for her story and the process behind it with me, so I could share it with all my awesome readers.

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Emily

A couple of months ago you might remember me posting a Mum Life Success Story about a lady who opened a Cafe in Africa (C assy’s Cafe: A Mum Life Success Story )? That lady (Cassy) grew up in Sweden and now lives in The Gambia but Emily grew up in The Gambia and now lives in Sweden. I just thought I should clarify that in case the details seem a little familiar but you can’t quite put your finger on why, haha.

Emily was born in Nigeria but grew up in The Gambia. As a young adult she moved around Europe for study, but eventually settled in Stockholm, Sweden when she got engaged to Charles and they decided that greener pastures and a family friendly city was the life they were looking for.

Emily is a Mother to two brilliant children, Ella (6yrs old ) and Louis (3yrs old). She is an Education Advisor who works in international development. She told me “I have always been passionate about development work, specifically working with children and youth and have been lucky enough to build a career doing something that means so much to me.”

As well as her full-time job, Emily is also a blogger, and an author of children’s books. She recently self-published her first book ‘Mangoes & Monkey Bread‘ in English and Swedish.

Inclusion has always been at the heart of everything Emily does “but I only recently linked it to children’s literature. I blog about diversity in children books and try to provide some nuance to the larger conversation. It is important for me to remind us all that inclusion is a human right, one that we promised children everywhere through the United Nations Convention on ‘The Right of the Child’. So we don’t only do ‘inclusion’ from the goodness of our heart, or when we have time, or when we have room for diversity, we have an ‘obligation’ to every child that they feel reflected, that they feel loved, cared for, protected and heard.”

Emily says her next book in 2020 will be for children and their parents to celebrate these rights.

The Birth of Mangoes & Monkeybread

Ella and fav books — Ella with some of her favourite books

As parents we want what is best for our children. We want them to know and love themselves, to have a positive self image so they can face the world with confidence. Most of us are also willing to go to great lengths to make sure they have every opportunity to achieve this. Emily is certainly one of those parents. “Diversity in children’s literature became the answer to one of my most challenging moments in life. Like all children, my daughter then aged 4, struggled to find a space where she felt she belonged. She didn’t feel part of the norm, she felt unpretty, she didn’t want to be brown, she didn’t want to be different anymore.”

Being in a country outside of their cultural heritage did not make it easy for Ella to feel like she belonged. “This universal experience of otherness was amplified by a mainly homogenous Scandinavian environment, and the one thing that lifted her spirits and got her singing again, was books. I had spent hours ordering in books, talking to librarians, reading to her, reminding her of the beauty in her brown, and sparkle in her curls. The message got through, one page at a time.”

Reading these books became their ritual and their remedy. So together they read more and Emily blogged more. “One spring after a wonderful trip to The Gambia, filled with amazing moments with their grandparents, my kids asked for a bedtime story that had mangoes in it. Ella wanted to see the ‘spiky fruit’ she had eaten from grandma’s tree. She wanted to see the frozen green ditakh, that had been ordered just for her, so I started my search again and realised there wasn’t a single childrens book out there, that showed some of the fruits native to west africa that I myself had eaten pretty much every day when I was their age.”

This lack of availability of relevant children’s literature is what inspired Emily to launch her career as an author. “So I compiled our memories and discussions and ‘Mangoes and Monkey bread’ was born. I realised there must be generations of children from the West African diaspora who couldn’t find themselves in the narratives available.”

Emily was moved by the obvious need for not only her children and other West African children to learn about their own heritage, but for children of the world to discover the diversities of another culture. “I want to share our stories as far and wide as I can. In my house we read about galaxies, about sushi, we learn about nomads and Latin American festivals, we open up our children’s world and encourage to discover. We want African diasporan culture, colors, stories, to be part of that journey of discovery for all children.”

Emily’s book is available on Amazon Kindle and in Paperback form.

Mangoes & Monkey bread (Buy it Now)

Balance

Something I always ask my Mum Life Success Story Mums is “How do you find balance, if you do?” Emily answered “Last year a friend asked me if I had a new year’s resolution for 2019. I said I didn’t, but I hoped to learn how to do one thing at a time. I can tell you now, I have failed miserably. I want to do everything, all at once, motherhood, parenting, writing, publishing, mentoring, traveling, inspiring, everything! Perhaps I simply find balance in the imbalance.

In reality balance to me is more about a feeling of fulfillment which I see in my daughter’s eyes when she tells people, ever so proudly, that she is a character in a book, or my son pointing at the illustration saying ‘mummy its me’..everything in my life is balanced perfectly knowing they feel that self worth.”

The Future

I asked Emily where she saw herself in 5 years. “In 5 years, I hope to be a happy mom, with independent self-assured kids who still come to me with their secrets and for cuddles from time to time. I hope to be a person who has inspired someone to believe in themselves and take a leap towards whatever that dream is that makes their heart beat, that little bit faster. I think the biggest obstacle for me is time. Time to do it all, fit it all in 24 hours a day, everyday.

Advice

Emily’s advice to anyone who has a dream they are not sure how to chase, is short and sweet but to the point and so simple it’s perfect. “Go for it, reach out to me if needed. Take the first step; everything begins with the first step.”

You can read Emily’s blog Here

Follow her on Facebook at Mbife Books or Instagram @mbife_books/

Thanks

Thank you for reading this blog, I hope and pray that you receive inspiration and motivation from these posts to go forth and chase your dreams. Don’t forget to follow us (bottom of page) or sign up to our mailing list to keep up to date with all the latest stories, news & promos including giveaways and writing competitions, plus receive a FREE Ebook, exclusive to our email subscribers.

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HURD & CO – A Mum Life Success Story

30/11/2019Jo Caddy

Hey everyone, I’m finally back. 3 weeks of sick kids, sleep deprivation and no time for anything has finally ended and I have a day off to get some writing done. Procrastination has stolen my morning but my determination to bring you this months Mum Life Success Story has finally won out and here I am typing, typing, typing with a thousand thoughts running through my head about what I need to get done for Christmas and my sons second birthday on the weekend.

Isn’t that just a typical Mum Life Story though? I mean, there’s always so many things to do and to organise, it’s a never ending juggling act of priorities and responsibilities that go through seasonal ups and downs where we sometimes have it all together and perfectly balanced and other times we have to put some priorities on pause while we attend to the most important responsibilities in our lives.

What’s important is that we don’t let those momentary deviations reroute us, but we get back on the horse so to speak and get back to juggling and balancing our butts off! Perseverance is the key if we want to succeed in those goals we have, to make our dreams a reality. Perseverance and hard work, nothing can beat it!

One lady who’s perseverance and hard work has seen her, in her own words, evolve from a table top scarf seller to an influential ethical fashion brand, is Dawn Hurd, founder of Hurd & Co. Dawn is basically a one-woman fashion store. The designer, the maker, the marketing department, admin department, finance department, etc, etc and her hand-made products are winning awards and getting her noticed in the world of ethical business.

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About Dawn

Dawn Hurd lives in Somerset, England with her husband, affectionately known as Mr. H, (whom she started dating when she was 17) and their 3 children, Joshua 16, Jake 11 and Olivia 10. She is 46, a wife, a mum, a part time admin assistant for her husbands construction business and a mumtrepreneur.

Dawn didn’t always know what her business would be one day but she always had an entrepreneurial spirit. She says “I grew up in a small village in Somerset surrounded by family and open fields. I scrumped apples, played in hay barns, scuffed my knees and rode horses. I started my first business when I was 13 making and selling jewellery to holiday makers from the local pub.”

After leaving school, she couldn’t settle “I worked in a yoghurt factory, I picked peas, I drove a 7 ½ tonne lorry for parcel force, I worked as a cashier, a cleaner and a barmaid before settling as a lifeguard, then Gym Manager and eventually started a successful Fitness & Lifestyle Consultancy.”

Dawn loved the fitness side of her business and business was booming with 3 local council contracts as a GP Referral Coordinator. “I worked as a link between the GP’s, referring patients with medical conditions like asthma, angina, arthritis, diabetes, etc. I worked to educate them and increase their confidence so they could get into mainstream gyms. I did a bit of cardiac rehabilitation work also, which I loved.”

A Change of Trajectory

Things were going really well, but sometimes life can throw us a curveball and we are forced to change our trajectory in a completely different direction. “Due to 8 miscarriages, I was advised to stop exercising as my doctor felt I was over doing it. We have since discovered, due to a bone fracture, that I have Coeliac Disease causing malnutrition which caused the miscarriages as well as Osteoporosis.”

So the fitness side of things had to be scaled right down, but just three months later she was pregnant again, this time with her son who is now sixteen years old. Dawn turned her attention toward her family and became a stay-at-home mum, but the entrepreneur in her could not be silenced and she ended up running a craft business called Ribbons and Rosebuds.

But it wasn’t until 2016 and three beautiful children later, that the opportunity would present itself for her now successful, ethically sustainable business. “In early 2016 a friend popped in for lunch. She spotted a scarf I had made and asked me to make fifteen scarves for an upcoming fashion show she was assisting with. They sold out. This was the beginning of Hurd & Co. I managed to convince my husband this was a good idea, he gave me £400 which I have since paid him back…….with interest.”

As most mums know, juggling a family, work and a life is no easy task and finding the dreaded ‘B’ word can sometimes be an exercise in futility. I always ask my interviewee’s how they find balance and the answers are always different. For Dawn, balance takes the form of ‘self care’. “I ‘attempt’ to dress in workout gear every morning for the school run so that when I return I have no distractions from getting onto my mountain bike and cycling every morning straight from school……However this does take second, third, fourth place more than it should. On days where I need head space I head to the nearest woodland. I cannot describe how at peace I feel when I’m surrounded by trees and nature, it’s a good place for me to be. I also feel a huge amount of pressure to inspire my children, especially my daughter, I want them to see that hard work really pays off. They are the Co. in Hurd & Co and they help me whenever they can.”

Three years later, Dawn has a whole range of products and her business is championing conscious fashion. On her website, you’ll see that Hurd & Co are committed to providing a sustainable, ethical business model in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. So not only is her business becoming more successful, but it is playing a huge role in reducing the environmental footprint of the production industry.

This success is now being recognised by the industry.

“In early September this year I headed up to the NEC in Birmingham to the Spring Fair to receive an award for Fashion Accessory of the Year ‘Made in Britain’ category, from the BTAA (British Travel goods Handbags & Accessories Association). It is the greatest highlight for the business so far. I still catch myself smiling in disbelief that I actually won, I am thrilled to bits.”

Obstacles

I asked Dawn what the biggest obstacle was in moving forward in the business and how she overcomes it and she said “My biggest obstacle is lack of funds, however, this has always been my largest hurdle and up to now through determination, creativity, collaboration and hard work I have managed, on a shoestring, to grow the business. I shall continue with the belief that if I work hard enough for it I will achieve it and although it may take me a little longer to get to the point where I have a large enough budget to invest in my business I am under no illusion that there will ever be enough money in the budget because there will always be opportunities requiring cash investment. Sales equal income, so for now I need to get my head down and keep knitting.

I believe Dawn is an awesome example of how perseverance and determination can turn opportunities into successes. Dawn didn’t get where she is because of a university degree, or lot’s of cash or a huge following on social media. She is where she is because she believed it could happen and she took the opportunity when it came and worked hard to make it happen.

The Future

Dawns business is already involved in some great causes, she is an official supporter for the Campaign for Wool, she supports the Global Goals for Sustainable Development and 10% of her customers purchases are directly donated to the mental health charity MIND. When I asked her where she saw herself and the business in 5 years, she said that in 5 years she will:

Have set up community Sit & Knit sessions for elderly people living in rural communities who are suffering with loneliness, isolation or depression issues. Welcoming them to gather together to drink tea, eat cake, knit and natter in a safe environment where they can share any worries, concerns laughs and tears all funded by Hurd & Co.
Have donated a minimum of £1000 to charities dealing with loneliness, isolation and depression.
I will have a team, a group of women employees knitting my collections allowing me the time to develop the business.
I will be mentoring other women hoping to start their journey to running their own successful business.

I can’t wait to interview her again in 5 years and see if she has indeed reached all these goals but I am sure that she will have not only reached them but far exceeded them.

Advice

Dawn‘s advice for anyone looking at delving into the world of mumtrepreneurship (should definitely be a word) is “Download the Youtube app. Being a mumtrepreneur can be an extremely lonely place where ‘Imposter Syndrome’ creeps into my head daily. I am constantly listening to motivational speakers, podcasts, ‘how to’ tutorials etc.
My time, like yours, is so very precious, so if whilst I’m making beds or hoovering I can have my earphones on with Tony Robbins motivating me to believe in my abilities, to work for my goals or Jasmine Star explaining how to nail social media or an SEO ‘how to’ tutorial to educate myself to take the business further, I come away feeling I have been super productive with my time and I feel inspired to give the business my all for another day. I have had some huge failures which have eventually resulted in lots of lessons of what not to do, so that eventually I can learn from my mistakes and start again. Having the school of You Tube behind me assists me in learning for free.”

When it comes down to it, no one’s story is exactly the same. We all have obstacles to overcome, failures to learn from, fear to fight and losses to recoup, but if we stay the course, learn from our experiences and never give up, we can accomplish anything.

If you’d like to see Dawn’s work, you can visit her website www.hurdandco.com or follow her on Instagram.

“Failure doesn’t bother me, fear and regret do.” ~ Dawn Hurd

Thanks

Thank you for reading this blog, if you’d like to have your story featured just like Dawn’s, please email us at mumlifestories@gmail.com

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FROM POVERTY TO PROVIDER: A Mum Life Success Story.

27/10/2019Jo Caddy

Success cannot simply be defined in terms of wealth, achievement or fame.

The Oxford dictionary describes success as “The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” This says to me that success can look differently to each individual person and for someone who grew up in abject poverty, any and all positives in life could be seen as success. Having food to eat and a roof over your head can be success. Having a family can be success, just waking up still breathing can be a success.

If simply living and breathing and having provision is success, then how much more is it if you not only gain those things for yourself but can you can be the catalyst in providing those things for others? I think that’s more than success, that’s profound victory!

Nankabirwa Tendo Kambugu, is a Mother, a Wife, a Minister of Religion and a Provider to many parentless children. Nankabirwa’s story is not all that uncommon in Ughanda, but for those of us in the Western world, it’s unthinkable.

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Abandoned

“Unlike many other Children” she tells us “I experienced a difficult start in my Life, I never had the opportunity of having the Love of a Mother or a Father. They abandoned me as a Child.” Nankabirwa was raised by her Grandmother, in a little mud house in a poor village called Mubende. Her grandmother’s generosity in taking her in, could not be matched with her ability to give her everything she needed, for she had very little to give, even the poor called her poor. “She struggled everyday to see that she could put food on the table for us.”

Her grandmother did the best she could to take care of her but without money, all she could provide were the bare necessities. Nankabirwa was never able to attend school because there was no money for books or even shoes to wear and healthcare was something they could only dream about. “When I was 14, my grandmother suffered pneumonia, not having or being able to afford proper medical care, she grew weaker and passed on. The only Person I knew was gone.”

A New Hope

Left alone to fend for herself, her only option was to go to the Capital City, Kampala in search of work as a house maid, but it was all in vain as she could not find anyone to take her on. “I went to Christ is the King healing Church to seek refuge, it’s there where I sank into the Gospel, learned more about Jesus’ love and my hope was restored.”

While she served the Lord, singing in the Choir, helping out as an Usher, sweeping and cleaning the Church and toilets, she met Pastor James Kambugu. “A great relationship was built between us that led to him proposing, asking for my hand in Marriage. I said yes, we got Married and then we together later started a Church.”

The Beginning Of Hope For Many

This new found life and love Nankabirwa found, made her feel very fortunate and it wasn’t just her life that was changed for the better. “My first adopted girl I got from one lady that I used to stay with before I met Pastor James. When that lady got sick she asked me that ‘if I die, please stay with my baby girl’ so I stayed with Winfred from 3 years old when that lady died.”

Growing up very poor and finding hope and help through church and Pastor James, made Nankabirwa feel great empathy for others in the same or similar situations. “When I met Pastor James, we went into the village to minister together but we found that in that village there where many kids who were not going to school. I asked my husband what we could do to help the kids in this village so we started to think about that.”

It was 2010 and at that time Nankabirwa’s husband had an American pastor that was donating $150 per month to them. They began using those funds to help kids from very poor families. There were 13 in total, 7 of them were orphans. “Today we run a Children’s Ministry that is reaching out to help Vulnerable, Orphaned and Destitute Children. Over the years we’ve seen many lives transformed and impacted. We haven’t been doing this alone though, it’s all been possible with the help of our Facebook Friends, Partners and Sponsors.”

Today they have 4 adopted children and 3 biological children of their own, along with 72 children in the ministry, ranging in ages from 4 years to 17 years. A lot of the children have poor single Mothers or their parents have died from various diseases, including AIDS or been killed due to persecution.

Nankabirwa and her husband Ps. James Kambugu run the childrens ministry with a handful of teachers, alongside their ministry ‘Kingdom Lighters Ministries’ which seeks to not only protect these children but provide the education that many of us in the western world take for granted.

Persecution

Doing good can often be met with opposition from the darker elements of this harsh world we live in. Nankabirwa and her husband have had more than their fair share of persecution. All three of Nankabirwa’s pregnancies have been difficult, seeing her ending up in hospital all three times with high blood pressure and emergency c-sections. Another time she was poisoned by witch doctors in the area for providing spiritual healing to those who had visited with the witch doctors.

Last year, their ministry and orphanage was moved off the land they were leasing, forcing them to leave behind half-built amenities which they’d recently received funding for. They were given just 3 months to find an alternative and by a miracle they were able to purchase their own land, through the generous donations made by long term supporters of the ministry. Over the following 6 months or so, they were also able to finish the buildings they required to house the orphans and provide education.

How You Can Help

Whilst they were fortunate to be able to purchase land for their school building and some amenities, they are still trying to find funds to purchase land to plant and grow their own vegetables so they can have a regular supply of food to feed the children. Costs for the children’s care is an ongoing issue. The number of children needing a safe place to live and a chance at an education and a better life, grows every day and it’s only through the generous donations of people like you and I, that ministries like these can keep operating and making a difference in the world.

You can help Nankabirwa and Pastor James Kambugu change children’s lives in such a profound way by making a donation to their ministry. Every single cent is a blessing and helps to give a child hope. Hope in the future and in a better life than the one they have experienced so far. Even if all you have is $5, $10 or $20, it can make a massive impact on a little child’s life, giving them basic human needs and the education that can mean the difference between a continued life of poverty and a happy, healthy future for themselves and their families.

You can make a donation to Kingdom Lighters Ministries through this GoFundMe link https://www.gofundme.com/kingdom-lighters-ministry-uganda or directly through Paypal here http://bit.ly/Donate2KingDomLightersMiNiStries

Also keep up to date with what’s happening in the ministry through their website www.kingdomlighters.org and their Facebook page.

Thanks

Thank you for reading this blog. If you have a Mum Life Success story you’d like to see featured on this blog, contact us at mumlifestories@gmail.com or visit our Mum Life Stories T & C’s page for more info.

Don’t forget to sign up to our mailing list for all the latest stories, news and promos (including writing competitions and giveaways), plus receive a FREE ebook with tips on how to accomplish more in a fraction of the time.

You can read more Mum Life Success Stories HERE

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$Accomplish more IN a fraction of the time$

With this ebook you will learn to approach your days in another way, reducing stress and getting results through prioritizing, leveraging and focus!

EMPOWERED MUMTREPRENEUR: A Mum Life Success Story

31/08/2019Jo Caddy

Have you ever wondered what people mean by the term “Mumtrepreneur”? If your like me, you would assume it meant an entrepreneur who was also a mum, right? Of course we would be correct in that assumption, but I believe the subject of my latest Mum Life Success Story put a more accurately defined meaning on it when she told me that she didn’t really feel like an Entrepreneur “I am a mum who runs her own creative business” she said “I suppose you could call me a Mumtrepreneur, because my children come before my business”.

If your an Entrepreneur you know that running your own business is hard work, it takes passion, commitment, perseverance and a LOT of time. As a Mumtrepreneur you have to divide your time between your family and your new venture, in a masterful balancing act. Some of us can accomplish this with the effortless ease of a duck gliding on water and others of us sink to the bottom of the pond like a carelessly tossed pebble. Roslyn Whiting is a great example of the former (or perhaps she would say she’s somewhere in-between), running her own business (Roslyn Whiting Leathercraft), using traditional methods to make quality leather goods that are made to last!

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A Passion Ignited

Roslyn Whiting currently lives in the beautiful town of Melrose, in the Scottish Borders, with her husband and 2 children (13 & 11).

Hand-tooling leather is not a common craft in the UK. “I first learnt how to do leatherwork when I was 13 at a Christian youth camp (SEP Christian Activity Camp). Most of the activities were sport but I wasn’t very sporty so I decided to try Leatherwork. The first time I tried it, I found it hard. The tools were not easy to use and are totally different to anything I had used before. The second time I had a lesson, it clicked and I loved it”.

Although she enjoyed it, Roslyn doubted that she was any good. To her surprise she won an award at the camp and was both thrilled and inspired. “My confidence grew after winning the award and each year I got better and better and won more awards. It’s amazing what one bit of encouragement can do”.

Fast forward a couple of decades and a few years ago, Roslyn, her husband, and their two children went back to the youth camp to volunteer. She found herself helping out with the leatherwork activities and a passion was reignited. After finding out where she could get the tools, she decided that now was the time to start her creative business. “I had been a stay at home mum for over 5 years and as much as I loved it, I felt I needed to be creative again.”

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7 Years in the making

Roslyn has been running her business for 7 years now and has described the process as an interesting personal journey. “The first few years I was finding my feet, developing new products and going to every craft fair I could. I quickly discovered that not all craft fairs suited me as leather is an expensive product and some people are just looking to buy something small and cheap. However over time I have found the right places to sell my goods and my business has grown. I’ve worked hard and feel blessed to have had the opportunities and sales that I’ve had. I’m not a salesperson, a problem a lot of makers suffer from. We prefer to make our products than sell them.“

As her business grew, Roslyn found herself spending more and more time on it, squeezing in making products whenever she could. Then came the obstacles that forced her to change the way she worked.

Injuries started to happen, some due to the business and some not related at all. She could no longer make lots of small items at cheap prices. Eventually she realised that because she uses traditional methods, she “can’t” and “shouldn’t” be rushed. “It’s about applying my craftsmanship and taking my time over every stage to make the best quality products.”

She described this new direction of the business as very exciting. “I decided to create my own design of wallets and card holders, taking inspiration from the Eildon Hills that I can see from my workshop. I use top quality British calfskin for my wallets and I’m going to use leather from the last British tannery to use oak, to tan it’s leather for my belts. The oak is slow growing, therefore takes longer to tan (up to 14 months) and this makes a stronger leather.”

A turning point

Anyone who’s ever run a business would know that building a reputation and establishing a brand is a complex thing. In this age of information we live in, the options available for expansion and marketing etc can often become overwhelming as we weigh up the choices for which direction we should go in.

Roslyn was so excited about growing her business in a new direction that she began listening to a lot of different podcasts and following lots of coaches on social media. “They were saying lots of different things and my head was full of ‘noise’ and I didn’t know which way to go and how to run my business.”

Then everything changed. She woke up through the night in extreme pain and had to go to A&E.

“Well as you can imagine I prayed! My husband had to go back home to look after our children so I was alone. The pain eventually eased but they kept me in, to do tests. My first day in hospital one of my friends messaged me with a simple message ‘how is your year going?’ Wow, the one time when I needed a friend. She was a great help supporting me. I ended up having to have a major operation. That was me out of action for around 6 weeks. Then I got a large order from one of my main wholesaler which was just the encouragement I needed. It may take time but everything will work out.”

Empowered

I know from experience that there are often things that come across our path that seem small or irrelevant, that end up becoming opportunities or events that change our lives or looking back were instrumental in our growth. Roslyn had such an experience that changed her perspective in a positive way.

Roslyn explains that there was one final twist in her story. There was a book that she’d been thinking about buying for quite some time called ‘The Empowered Entrepreneur – Elizabeth Cairns‘ but had put off for various reasons. Just before she went to hospital she finally decided she would buy the book and see how it went.

The book happened to arrive just as Roslyn got out of hospital and provided a welcome distraction to her recovery. “It is one of the best books I have ever read. It was also great having the time to read it. The author talks about giving yourself time out and breaks to be creative, for example go for a walk in a wood. Scientists have proven that walking in woods and amongst trees helps your wellbeing. She spoke about things being bigger than us and that things will work out if we just wait for the right time. Because of my beliefs I would put God there. I realise this isn’t everyone’s beliefs, including the authors, but I found it helped me to be patient and wait for the perfect timing and it will work out.”

Roslyn explained that the author (Elizabeth Cairns) talks about taking things slowly, listening to your gut. We know our business better than anyone else, we are our business. We are all unique and therefore our businesses are unique and we deep down know the best way to run our business. “This released a huge weight off my shoulders. I had been watching so many other people on instagram and facebook that I wasn’t taking the time to be quiet and reflective to take into account my own intuition and passion to determine what direction I need to take my business.”

The Empowered Entrepreneur (Buy it Now)

Whilst Roslyn still doesn’t have her full energy back after the operation she is excited to know that she is now opening herself up to listen to where she needs to go. “Something that isn’t easy when our time gets eaten up by so much. People buy from people and want to know the person behind the photos on instagram and facebook. Because I now allow myself the freedom to run my business my way, it is easier for my customers to get to know me and build a rapport. I still listen to some podcasts but they tend to be more the testimonial type.”

Finding Balance

A question I ask all my Mum Life Success Story subjects is how do they find balance. “That’s an interesting question. I don’t think I manage it really. It’s not easy juggling being there for my children and making commissions, but is worth it. It is important to me to try and be there for my children. I work from home so if they’re ill, I’m able to look after them etc.”

Roslyn has a very supportive husband and two great children, who now understand that she needs time to work during their school holidays. She makes sure to take weekends off to spend with the family and if she receives emails in the evenings or weekends she either doesn’t reply until her working hours or tells them she’ll get back to them when she’s in the workshop.

Not everyone understands the difference between huge online retailers and individually run creative business’. “People have got so used to Amazon etc… where they’re open 24/7, they forget that there is a person behind the business, although this is why my customers buy from me and are great (I think I have the best customers).”

Roslyn knows that there are things she needs to pay more attention to and looking after herself is one of them. “I need to get better at taking breaks and going for walks during the day. I work within school hours and that makes it difficult.” I think all of us as Mums know how difficult it can be to fit in “me time” but also realise that it’s a vital part of maintaining that sense of self we can often lose in all the busyness and commitments to others, which can lead to Mum Life Burnout.

The Future

I asked Roslyn where she saw herself in 5 years time. “I want to be known and respected for making unique, quality leather goods that will last for years. I would like to have more sales through craft events and online shopping and continue to draw inspiration from my beautiful local countryside to make unique designs.”

Roslyn says her family still comes first, so she doesn’t go to events and crafts too far away from home. “I realise that I need to branch out further than the Scottish Borders. It is hard to know which events are good and where my ideal customer goes but I’m sure it will get easier as the children get older and my confidence grows.”

Advice for Mumtrepreneurs

Roslyn had this advice for mums thinking of starting their own creative business. “If you are thinking that you want to start your own business and still be around for your children, I would definitely say go for it. It is one of the best things I have ever done. Yes, it’s hard work but it is worth it. To still be there for the big moments in your child’s life but also to be creative is great.”

Finally “My biggest tip is to believe in yourself, give yourself quiet moments so you can listen to God (If that is your faith) and your instincts about where to take YOUR business.”

If you’d like to see Roslyn work, you can visit her store at https://roslynwhiting.co.uk/ or follow her on Facebook or Instagram.

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Fiona M. Jones: A Mum Life Success Story

11/04/201931/08/2021Jo Caddy

This months Mum Life Success story is all about one of our very own contributors, Fiona M. Jones. If you’ve been following me for a while you may have read some of her stories (Mud, Tiny Green Apples). If not, you really should check them out.

Fiona lives with her husband and 2 teenaged sons in Fife, Scotland, where she works, writes & ministers. Fiona writes very short things, including stories on Mannison Press and Monstracity, and essays on Wizards in Space and Folded Word. Her published work in fiction, CNF and poetry is linked through @FiiJ20 on Facebook and Twitter.

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Many Hats

Sometimes when we think about writers, we imagine them sitting at a desk in front of an attic window, typing away at an antique typewriter or computer, a set of glasses perched on their nose and a focused look of determination on their faces. Am I right, or is that just me? Well, however you imagine a writer, chances are their lives are often very different from what our mind illustrates to us. For example they often have to steal moments of time to create their writing because they have families and day jobs that fight to monopolise their day. Sometimes they can wear many hats, especially if they are a parent.

Apart from her writing, Fiona has 2 sons to take care of, is the wife of a Baptist Minister and is currently teaching French in 2 different primary schools. “At the moment I do one day a week teaching French in one primary school and two days a week with five-year-olds in another school, filling in for a teacher who is on long-term sick leave. Teaching French for the past two years has really extended my own second-language skills, but my favourite subject area is science/ecology. I get to do Outdoor Learning and an ongoing ‘Living Things’ topic with the five-year-olds, plus Family Learning (an opportunity for parents to come and join in with their children’s lesson once a week).”

Obstacles

As many Mothers (and people in general really) can relate, life is full of obstacles. Even though there are many out there (and Instagram will confirm) that seem to have it all together and be living the perfect life, the majority of us have trials and set backs that prevent us from running like a toddler from a nappy change, toward our dreams and goals for the future. Hopefully though we do not let these obstacles and set-backs overcome us. Fiona knows all to well that life is not always easy, having recently been through cataract operations on both eyes and being unwell for quite some time.

“I suffer from long-term post-viral fatigue, and find teaching quite exhausting, but there are advantages to being a supply teacher. For one thing, I generally have more freedom to teach my own ideas and techniques, and for another, the paperwork and admin commitments are lower. Supply teaching is flexible, too, which means that I can vary how much I work according to my health and my other commitments: family, relatives, church and so on.”

The Dream

Fiona has always dreamed of having a book published, maybe a collection of short stories. “I think my biggest obstacle to this is the current publishing market, with its expectation that authors should self-edit, self-publish and self-market their work. With my tendency to anxiety I am pretty sure this is not a path I could go down. During the next few years I want to find and establish what my “voice” is as a writer, and find my niche if it’s there. Somewhere along the way I would like to write devotionals; I used to contribute short scripture-based pieces to a church website, and I found it very satisfying.”

For the last sixteen years or so Fiona has been writing for church and community resources, but it is only in the last two years or so that she’s had the nerve to submit stories to publishers. “I have had some limited success here” she tells us humbly “ten stories accepted for pay and various other stories scattered widely around the Internet, pulled together on my public Facebook page. I hope that as my writing continues to improve, I will be able to earn enough money by it to justify doing stories when I should be doing housework.”

Apart from writing a book, Fiona hopes that in five years time she will still be riding her ancient Yamaha RXS-100, her children will be transitioning towards leaving home, and she and her husband will be able to travel more and spend time with farther relatives. “My husband is a Baptist minister, so I imagine my church commitments will also increase as time goes on, and I will remain part-time as a teacher.”

Balance

I always ask my mums how they find balance (if they do) between family, work and chasing their dreams. I am always pleasantly surprised to find that I am not alone in my struggles to reach the illusive concept. “I can’t claim to have got it right yet, but in the last ten years I’ve had to admit and adjust to my limitations in health, energy, etc. Working part-time seems to be the right way for me to go. I meet a surprising amount of subtle disapproval for only working part-time, but my children are always the first to tell me off for fretting about what other people think! In a way I like to think that they have learned from my mistakes. I love spending time with them, walking with my older son and listening to his explanations of the mathematical laws of the universe; and doing activities with my younger son, who has very broad interests and is always trying something new. I still read with them every night, some French, maybe a little short fiction, and always some Bible.”

The Institute by Stephen King (Buy it now)

Advice for Success

You’ve probably heard a lot of similar advice when it comes to achieving your goals and realising your dreams, ‘Just do it’ is a popular statement that comes to mind, along with ‘don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t’. Both are amazingly simple yet profound pieces of advice that I believe we should all hang our hats on but I really liked Fiona’s advice to anyone who might be thinking of chasing their dreams in a creative field.

“Always keep the creative side of yourself alive. Singing, drawing, writing, baking, sewing – whatever it may be. One day you will need it.”

If you’d like to hear more about Fiona or to read more of her stories, simply visit her Facebook page. To be featured as one of our Success Stories, please email us at mumlifestories@gmail.com and check out our T&C’s page for more info.

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Emily

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