I’m super excited today!
On Monday I thought, “hey, it would be so awesome to interview Work From Home Moms now that I have first hand experience in how crazy tough it is”…any work that needs to be done between changing your boss’s nappies, is going to be difficult me thinks.
I sent out a message into the social networking sphere asking if any moms would be willing to chat to me between their spa days and personal trainers (HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA they wish) between the school drop offs and stock taking rather, and the response was overwhelming.

Today  I start with Mandy from Pregnant in Cape Town and Ever After, I love her blog and her supermom series and was really thrilled that she agreed to chat to me…here is what she has to say.

The former PR exec whose hair makes Rapunzel jealous, works from home as a freelance writer with her bundle of joy Charly and like me she is lucky enough to have her mom help out with the baba

Tell us about your family.

Brett and I were married on our 7 year anniversary because we wanted to start trying for a family. One month later exactly we fell pregnant with our honeymoon baby 🙂 Charlotte Rose (Charly) was born a teeny weeny 3.19kgs on 10 February 2014. She is now a scary smart little action madam, who is happiest wearing a tutu and gumboots, running full pace and kicking a ball or “reading” a book out loud to anyone who will listen. My mom is an integral prt of our little family as she “works” for me by taking care of Charly 4 days a week from 8:30 – 3:30 (excluding nap time when Miss C only sleeps with me); we are incredibly lucky to have her here. The timing worked out perfectly as her company changed locations out of her range and I realised there was no way I could continue working at home while taking care of C on my own; so we made an arrangement that gives her the financial freedom to not have to go in search of a job and I don’t have to worry about my daughter for a second. Winning all around. Brett, Charly and I live in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town with our two cats, Trigger and Gizmo.

Why did you become a work from home mom?

I was headhunted a few short months before my wedding to work at incredibly busy PR agency. I adored the job and the people, and we worked incredibly long hours under intense pressure, which was fine at the time. I found out I was pregnant at 5 weeks and resigned a week later. The long hours and stress weren’t good for me or baby and I always planned to work from home when I became a mom. I am a writer first and foremost and one of my previous clients insisted they wanted to be my first client the second they found out I was freelancing, so they signed a retainer and I was officially a business owner with my own client getting paid to do what I love 🙂

What was the most unexpected part of becoming a wahm?

I love that I get to keep my mind stretched and engaged and I get to practice my writing and editing skills; and I am loving even more helping small businesses get out there and build their brands more effectively. I have always been incredibly dedicated and focused. At the same time, I love spending time with my daughter and knowing that she knows she always comes first. The unexpected part for me is how much I struggle to do both effectively at times; feeling like I’m never quite focused on one or the other. I have always been great at multitasking and splitting my focus without being distracted, but being a sleep deprived mommy seems to have messed with that superpower. While WAHMs definitely have many of the benefits of a SAHM and working mom, we also definitely have all the worst of both too.

What has been the hardest part?

Focusing enough to be able to deliver high quality work without falling asleep on my keyboard. Tied closely with balancing my time with big blocks of time taken up with my relationship with my baby. I stop no matter what the deadline or how engaged I am in the process, to visit with her if she needs it, to “come see mama”, to calm a bad tantrum, to give her kisses or play a game of hide and seek, to breastfeed her and settle her for her nap when she is ready between 11 and 12 and then I have to stay next to her until around 1:30 (because she wakes often to check if I’m there and won’t sleep if I’m not). I work on my phone so it’s not the end of the world, but it can be very disruptive.

What is the most rewarding part?

I also don’t work on Wednesdays. My mom can’t be here and I can’t work when she’s not here, so Wednesday is Charly and mommy day. I love that I can choose to do this and be there for her!

What is your day like?

From 2-3:30 I try to focus fully on PiCT work for my series or giveaways, the things that take research and contact and in depth writing. 

Tell us about your business.

Where did business idea and name come from?

What sets you apart?

By focusing on what I love, I have been able to constantly improve and expand in specific areas, which means I don’t get bored and wake up every day excited to get going (even when I’ve had no sleep the night before). 

I also practice what I preach; I write and edit every single day for my own brand Pregnant in Cape Town & Ever After. I have also just done a complete brand review of my own and have seen phenomenal growth in a very short time. 

Where do you see it going?

I hope it stays exactly on track as it is! I love the direction I am growing, expanding more into parenting writing for other brand and I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about my new venture… No really, I can’t tell you no matter how much I want to!! It’s of the bounce up and down, squeeeeeee level of excitement though. 

YOU CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH MANDY