This month on MBTribe we had the pleasure to interview Meg Laver, the face behind The Guilty Mummy. Not only is she a mum, she is also a blogger/vblogger and a Social Media Manager with the focus of her site being her two gorgeous boys.
Name: Meg Laver – The Guilty Mummy
Location: Dorking, Surrey
Contact: contacttheguiltymummy@gmail.com / 07872587497
Website: theguiltymummy.co.uk
What inspired you to start The Guilty Mummy?
I started the Guilty Mummy when my eldest son (Marley) was one. I wanted to try and combine words and pictures so that I could remember every detail of my journey through motherhood. Not just the joys but the struggles too. As the months went by other mums became interested in my blog and my life. And so The Guilty Mummy blog was born.
How do you balance work and home life?
Much of the time I would say I don’t balance it very successfully! As well as being a full time stay at home mum to a 3 year old and a 1 year old I work as a social media manager from home and I also run my Guilty Mummy blog/YouTube channel. I try to make sure that I work when my youngest is napping and my eldest is watching a film or focussed on an activity. I then spend most evenings working and have one afternoon a week where both boys are with their grandparents. My blog is the story of my life as a mum and so it can sometimes be tricky to separate work and home because the boys are of course the stars of the blog. Life is a juggle to say the least but I think that being a mum is always a juggle no matter what else you are doing around it.
Describe your typical day from AM to PM.
We all wake quite early in our house! My youngest (Felix) is usually our alarm clock at about 6am. I try to keep mornings as quiet as possible in terms of play-dates etc. Felix still has his morning nap so when he goes to bed I focus on cleaning the house, getting Marley ready for the day and then I try to do an activity with him whilst replying to emails on the sly! Sssh don’t tell him 
When Felix wakes up the three of us sit down for lunch together. I really love lunchtime because we always listen to fun music and make up silly songs about whatever we are eating for lunch. Then each afternoon we try to get out of the house. We have national trust cards and I love visiting Polesdon Lacey with the boys when the weather is nice. We also use the afternoons to meet friends and go to play dates. The boys usually go to bed around 6.30pm. I then sit down with my laptop and a glass of wine in hand so that I can catch up on work. I then cook dinner for my husband and me and we usually watch a series (at the moment it’s Greys Anatomy) Then FINALLY its mummy’s bedtime. Hurrah!
How has The Guilty Mummy helped you to grow?
The Guilty Mummy has taught me a lot about myself. I have been brutally honest with all of my written pieces and vlogs. In many respects this is a way of showing other mums that sometimes its ok not to be ok. Yet when I look back at some of my earlier posts I realise just how far I have come as a mother myself. I had a very rough pregnancy with my second baby. He was born early and spent time in the neonatal unit. The months following his arrival were the hardest months I had experienced as a mum. I suffered from Post Natal Anxiety, Post Natal Depression and struggled to bond with him. Those months were a blur and if I hadn’t of documented them through my blog I would never be able to look back and see how far I have come. Although I feel like I’m still learning and still making mistakes I can see that I have grown so much and I have overcome hurdles that I didn’t know existed. Not only have I learnt how to help myself but I am now able to help other mums and that is so very rewarding. It is more than I could have hoped for.
In the next 3 years where do you see yourself?
In 3 years time I would love to see the blog continuing to blossom. I’m not about follower numbers of the number of reads/views I get. I spent a lot of time worrying about that in the early days and I have come to realise that in the grand scheme of things it is irrelevant. I have just started my Mumpreneur Monday project that focuses on showcasing small business made by mums. I want to shout about these amazing mamas who were brave enough to take on a challenge whilst juggling children. In addition to this I would like to also focus on supporting mums mental health. Organising mummy meet ups and a support system for mums that are struggling. I would also like to continue my work with bigger brands and take on more paid projects so that I can put that income into growing the “supportive” side of my blog. I have lots of plans and hopes for The Guilty Mummy and I hope that over the next few years I can make them happen.
What advice/tips would you give to someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
DO IT! If you have a dream just do it and don’t look back. Two years ago I decided I wanted to document my journey through motherhood and that was that. I wrote my first post and here I am today…still writing posts and now I’m writing answers to an interview! I still can’t believe people are interested in my life and what I do but they are and I feel so very proud of that. Blogging isn’t at all glamorous. You document the highs of your life and the lows of your life. You document your achievements and your failures. You allow people that you don’t know into your personal life. You will get judged, you will come across people who don’t understand what you do and think it is ridiculous, but you will also get the most amazing opportunities. You will meet people that will inspire you and drive you forward. You will make life long friends. But most of all you WILL help someone, somewhere. And that is the very best feeling in the whole world.
Interview and Copy by Mama
Images by Meg Laver
The post MBTribe – The Guilty Mummy appeared first on Mummys Bubble.