My career background is in TV and video production. For many years I storyboarded, wrote, filmed, edited and voiced-over programmes on a broad range of subjects including heart and hip surgery, sports coaching, space satellites and corporate promotion. I was also a partner in the company, so marketing our company and producing our company website also came under my remit. I worked hard and put in long hours with the aim of producing perfect results every time.
When my first son was born, life as a stay at home mother came as a bit of a shock to me. Although I had always wanted children and loved looking after my little boy, I felt somewhat inept in my new role as home-maker. I found that my time was no longer my own. My job had been project based and I often collaborated with powerful personalities such as CEOs, directors, academics, scientists and celebrities, so I wasn’t used to the lack of adult company or the repetitive mundane tasks which come hand-in-hand with motherhood . I felt very isolated at home with a small child. In short I realised that, despite all my expectations to achieve perfection in my career, I was not a perfect stay at home Mum. Fortunately I benefitted from the incredibly valuable support of a close antenatal group and my local NCT group, so I had people to turn to for advice or to go for a coffee with when I needed some adult company or just wanted to get out of the house.
When I moved to Portishead, just after my first son turned one, I didn’t know anybody here. Starting again in a new town with no social network or local knowledge, albeit only a few miles up the road from my native Bristol, proved to be a very steep learning curve.
Seven busy years on and the mother of three growing sons, I have built up a broad network of local Mums and local knowledge – some from my years of running the local NCT playgroup, some from the three different schools and playgroups my boys attend and lots more from the various coffee mornings, singing groups, swimming clubs etc. which they (and I) have attended over the years.
I realised recently that my experience as a real Mum put me in a great position to set up a web resource to share the information which always seemed to be lacking. This website aims to share local information to make life easier for other busy parents and help them make the most of their valuable time with their children. I hope you enjoy Practically Perfect Mums!
