Hormone hell … and how I survived it!

This is an official thank you to one of my very best friends (she knows who she is!) for getting me through “one of those days” earlier in the week … not to mention saving my children from their demented mother! Hormones have an awful lot to answer for. But whatever the reason, as a mum, there are times when you just need someone else to take over for a while - blow noses, wipe bottoms, wash faces and put food in hungry mouths - and a friend who’ll do all that for you (or rather, for your little ones!) is a true friend.

So, having survived my hormone hell, coming out the other side and getting back to work feels like going on holiday. Suddenly the fog has lifted and, in the words of a song, “I can see clearly now the rain has gone”! (Whoever was it who sang that?) Driving to the office today, the skies were blue, the sun was shining and the world looked like a pretty lovely place after all. It’s scary how much of a difference a few days can make.

Anyway, things are hotting up a bit now. I’ve taken the plunge and booked to exhibit at the Prowess conference and at the One Life Live show, both of which are happening in the next six weeks or so. In an ideal world I’d have a little more time to get everything ready, but what the hell, I’m just going to go for it. I’ve always found that having a deadline is a surefire way of getting the adrenaline going and getting stuff done! And if the website isn’t completely finished by then, I’ll use it as an opportunity to generate interest and get people signed up to find out more. I suspect the key is going to be to keep it simple and low-tech … and just give out loads of free chocolates!

Had a chat this morning with the guys in my shared office who specialise in search engine optimisation. Interesting. It’s a whole ‘nother world! I now understand why some websites have strange, repetitive, contrived-sounding language … just to get their key phrase density up so that they’re ranked more highly. Of course it’d be great to come top on Google , as long as Mummo still sounds normal! So that’s the challenge.

In the course of the conversation, I also found out about all sorts of new things, like social bookmarking, Stumbled Upon and Squidoo! I swear, you could spend your whole life online … if you didn’t have kids, anyway!

Gone are the days …

Yes, gone are the days when a Friday night was drunken, debauched and (thankfully) difficult to remember! These days, instead of fighting my way to the bar, you’ll find me sat peacefully at my laptop writing my blog, with one eye on … wait for it … DIY SOS! If it wasn’t for the large glass of red wine by my side and, come to mention it, the bottle next to that, I’d worry I was properly middle-aged! And I’m not even 40 yet.

Anyway, as Nick Knowles is not as good viewing as he might like to think, I thought I’d update you on a few things that have been going on in my world. Firstly, I forgot to tell you that I went to my first Ladies who Latte meeting the other day. Bit of a bizarre experience to start off with as there was only one other woman there - I was just about to do a runner when she spotted me and then there was no getting away! But as it turned out, I met several really interesting people and it only cost me a coffee, so think I will definitely go again. After all, the networking ‘experts’ say that it’s about relationships rather than referrals, so even though I don’t need a luxury black coach, a wedding photographer, a caterer or an image consultant right now (okay, that last one’s debatable!), who knows what might happen in future?!

As the Mummo website is beginning to take shape, slowly but surely, I’m starting to think more about how to spread the word once it’s live. For example, I’m contemplating attending the Prowess conference in February next year, but then there’s also One Life Live and The Baby Show and The Business Start Up Exhibition … and I can’t do everything! Or can I …?

Perhaps coaching would help me to make some of these decisions? And to challenge my limiting beliefs?! Striding Out offer monthly coaching circles where you get together with a handful of other entrepreneurs to share your business challenges, bounce ideas around and generally pick their brains. Sounds great, but it costs … and of course it also means trekking into London. I still remember the first time I did that, just after the nanny had started working for us and I’d finally got a bit of freedom back. It was a magical experience back then … but I have to admit that the novelty has slightly worn off now!

Really don’t want to complain, though, partly because I’m still attempting to live in ‘Pollyanna’ mode, and partly because I’ve just read an article about Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese freedom fighter, in January’s Easy Living magazine. I’m ashamed to say that I’d never heard of her before, but I am now in awe of her courage and the incredible personal sacrifices she’s made for what she believes in. She effectively gave up her husband and sons in order to fight for justice for the Burmese people, and that is something that not many people could or would do. I can’t imagine what cause would ever prompt me to give up my children, but I guess in the end it’s all about keeping the bigger picture in mind. Food for thought.

Didn’t really mean to get quite so profound, especially as it now feels inappropriate to go and stuff my face with Jaffa Cakes. But there you go, life sometimes seems like one great big confusing muddle of chaos and contradictions. I’m sure that somewhere in the midst of it all is the little peace of calm that you find at the eye of a storm, but hey, right now, I’m loving the mess round the edges. And my quest for mindfulness continues …