In Conversation with a Stay at Home Mum.

Over the months we have looked at various ways people live there lives. Food Writers, professional bloggers, designers and makers. One of the (many) roles we are missing is Stay-At-Home Mums. They are heroes. It is a seven days a week, 24 hours a day role. It is not something that is always possible, either because of financial restraints or because it doesn’t suit the person. (Just to be clear, we think working mums and people without children are amazing too. But today we are concentrating with Stay-at-Home-Mums). It is a wonderful way to spend your days, but can also be hard.

Home of Juniper spoke to the lovely Jessica from @homeisacottage on why she decided to be a stay at home mum, and the ups-and-downs of being one.

Hi Jessica, can you tell us a little about you and your family?

I am mummy to Ruth (three and a half) and Chloe (eight months). I met my husband, Francis, on the first day of University, almost 13 years ago. He was just starting a medical degree and I was starting Geography. He is now a GP and I became a Secondary School Maths teacher, after doing a year of Maths after my degree finished. After having Ruth I didn’t go back to the classroom, I became a Stay at Home Mum.

Why did you decide to become a Stay at Home Mum?
I really always knew I wanted to stay at home once I had children and I remember having long conversations with Francis about two years after we met and started dating, essentially sounding him out about it all! Although he did just the same to me and sounded me out about how many speakers would be acceptable in a future TV room (the answer was eight…although I am told technically it is 7.1)! My Mum stayed at home until my brother went to school, and as a teacher I guess I wanted to teach my children in their early years…and boy it is a lot of fun.

We are assuming everyday is different, but what would a ‘normal’ day be like for you?
My daughter Ruth would try very hard to stay in her bed until her sun comes up at 6am (the groclock sun) and then she would bounce through to our room and my start to the day is her great smile as she climbs in on my side of the bed and snuggles up with me. Chloe gets Daddy cuddles and then we go down to have breakfast. Daddy goes to work and the girls finish getting ready.

Ruth goes to preschool three mornings a week, which is plenty for me. If it isn’t a preschool day then we will head off to a playground and maybe pop to the shops to get food supplies for dinner and to give Chloe a chance to sleep in the car. In the afternoon we usually play in our garden or the playroom. Ruth loves playdough, crafting and duplo and is learning the shapes and the alphabet. Preschool starts doing writing with her next year so I am sure we will be practicing that soon. I didn’t think I was a very arty person in school, but it seems I excel at preschool art so we always try to some something crafty or arty each day.

What is your favourite thing about being a Stay at Home Mum?
I feel so lucky to be at home with my two girls. I got to see all of Ruth’s ‘firsts’ and I will get to see Chloe’s too. I get to laugh at all the hilarious things Ruth says. I get to bang drums, play musical instruments and sing at the top of my voice. And I get to come up with all sorts of crafting things that Ruth is always very polite about…even if they don’t turn out so well!

What is your least favourite thing about it?
I guess after a really hard night it is sometimes quite a struggle to get going and throw myself into all the things I could do with Ruth, when really I just want to sit quietly…especially when Chloe is asleep. And some days feel long…really long, and it can be hard trying to think of things to do to entertain Ruth.

You run instagram page @homeisacottage, with beautiful photography, what other hobbies do you have?

Well I do love to cook, but I’m not such a fan of washing up. And other than cooking with Ruth, it can be a bit tricky to do something special for dinner with a baby on my hip!  I have picked up calligraphy and that is a brilliant hobby that can come out for five minutes or more if I have time. We have a big garden and while I do like gardening, finding the time is hard at the moment (and the number of weeds makes it an overwhelming task!). So for now I just have to enjoy my children and soak them up as much as I possibly can.

Have a look at @homeisacottage Jessica’s beautiful Instagram page. Her gorgeous profile is filled with lovely (square) snippets of her life.  Baking, flowers, her kids and more. Beautiful words and imagery that gives you an idea of what it is like being a Stay-at-Home-Mum. All images in this blog are Jessica’s.