Today’s interviewee is not typical (but hey who is) she wasn’t sure if she fit into the wahm box as she is a speech therapist, bakes cupcakes and cakes to order, studies teaching and is an agent for two companies while taking care of her mom who is recovering from brain surgery. ( I wasn’t sure if she wasn’t actually a superhero or a robot)
I had to take some time to even fully process what this woman’s days must be like and am inspired already… Also I kind of feel like a lady of leisure after reading this, she puts me to SHAME 🙂
Here Lauren’s story
Tell us about your family:
I live in Clanwilliam with my husband, Shaun, and our amazing 15 month old girl, Mila. My mom is staying with us for a while as she is recovering from cancer and brain surgery. I try to spend as much time as I can at home, Mila is learning so many new things now, and I want to stimulate her as much as I can.
Why did you become a work from home mom:
I used to work at a well-established speech therapy practice in Cape Town, but decided I want to start my own practice so that I can have my own hours and be my own boss. At the time we were also planning on having a baby, so it would have been perfect to work from home.
What was the most unexpected part of becoming a wahm:
The amount of time that I had to spend away from home!
What has been the hardest part:
All the admin! At the previous practice we had a receptionist that made all our call, did all of our admin, filing, etc. Now, with all of the different things I’m doing, I have so much more admin, and nobody to help with it.
What is the most rewarding:
Knowing that I worked hard during the week and being able stay at home on a Friday and have pajama day with my baby J
What is your day like:
Every day is different. On a Monday and Tuesday mornings I’m free to do as I please, I follow up on orders, reply to emails and plan my week. Sometimes I bake or do deliveries. In the afternoon I go fetch two kiddies and bring them to my home for extra homework help (I help them on Mondays to Thursdays).
On Wednesday and Thursday mornings I see a couple of kiddies for speech therapy, then I spend a few hours with my baby until I go fetch the homework kids.
If I bake, I usually do it on a Friday as most birthday parties and babyshowers are on Saturdays. The rest of the Friday is all mine!
In between all of this I try and see my mom for therapy for at least an hour a day, do assignments for university, do the shopping, cooking & cleaning, and sleep!
Tell us about your business:
My practice is registered as Lauren Taljaard Speech Therapy, but I wear so many hats that I don’t have a company or company name.
What sets you apart:
A lady commented on my cupcakes and told me “I love your cupcakes because you love your cupcakes”. I love everything I do, be it baking or giving speech therapy, and the fact that I do it out of love first and necessity last shows in my work.
Where do you see it going:
In an ideal world I would be a speech therapist for two mornings a week and run a playgroup for two mornings a week and be with Mila in the afternoons, and have enough cupcake and cake orders to keep me busy all day on a Friday. I want to keep my weekends open for family time, which to me is the most important time of all.
Also if you in the Clanwilliam area contact her for cuppity cakes
* If I contacted you about an interview and you have not been featured yet feel free to drop me a line I have quite a few interviews in the pipe line SERIOUSLY had no idea how many Wahms there were in the country!!! LOVING THIS SERIES!!! hope you do to 🙂
I'm loving this series too!! Lauren is a trooper!
Hi JustEllaBella readers,
It is now almost a year down the line, and I thought I’d give you an update on my life.
Shortly after EllaBella’s blogpost I was approached by a pre-school in the area, and I accepted a job as a Gr. R teacher. I put my practice “on hold” and was a teacher for the whole of 2016, but decided that it was not for me, and I would rather go back to my Speech Therapy practice. So now I am back where I was, struggling to make ends meet at the moment, but I am happy in my choice because this is what I was meant to do in the first place. I am still studying, luckily my last year, and I am definitely still baking.
My mom is doing fine, and my darling Mila is almost turning 3. She keeps me on my toes and challenges me like only a daughter can. I don’t know where she gets her stubbornness and will from… actually, I think I do 🙂
Keep going, mommies! If you haven’t sold your kids on Gumtree you are all doing a great job!
Take care <3
so glad things are going well 🙂 and you are so right lady , follow your passion