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Tagged encouraging reading

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encouraging reading
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‘Bring A Book To Life’ Gift Box Review: The Perfect Present

May 18, 2020
A box of utter wonder.

About me

Honest Mum

Hi, I’m Vicki, mum of two, blogger, vlogger, author and former filmmaker and TV director. I often pop up on TV as a parenting expert (regularly appearing on BBC News and Sky News) and I’ve spoken about maternal rights and flexible working as well as perinatal mental health in the House of Commons.

If you’d like to work with me, please email me at vicki@honestmum.com.

You can read more about me here.

Come Join My Working Mother’s Academy

Working Mother's AcademyI’ve shared all I’ve learnt in a decade of blogging and vlogging professionally in my video course business, The Working Mother’s Academy. Check it out HERE.

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Order My Book

Order my #1 bestselling book Mumboss (UK) HERE. My debut book is my guide to surviving and thriving at work and at home and offers insight into how to create a digital business, or return to work with greater confidence.

It is released as The Working Mom in the US/Canada on Sept 1st 2020 and be pre-ordered HERE.

'Mumboss' by Vicki Psarias - book cover

The Working Mom

My TV and Campaign Showreel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjNU277Pje4

Lets Get Social

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My Interview with Kim Cattrall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf7gFTn7dnc

… And Westlife

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCJE7KJwEvA&t=1s

Featured / Written For

S Seen In / Written For: Good Morning Britain, Red Magazine, British Vogue, The Daily Mail’s Femail, Fabulous Magazine, The Sun, The Telegraph, The Guardian, Grazia, The Independent, Lorraine, Sky News, BBC Breakfast, Closer magazine, Channel 5 News, This Morning, E! News, BBC World Service, Huffpost

@honestmum on Instagram

Missing my old life tonight. I’m definitely not Missing my old life tonight. I’m definitely not missing my dark hair though. My blonde highlights have been working hard for over 9 weeks, hiding the sprouting greys!
Extract (full post linked in the bio-please read i Extract (full post linked in the bio-please read it all, word limit here cut me off). My therapist suggested I write 2 letters to myself relating to an insecurity I’m facing. The first is a letter stating how I feel, the second, a response to the first, written as if by a close friend. A powerful tool in rethinking negativity, why not try it. Warning: this might trigger some. Letter to myself: The list of things I hate about myself is long, so long, I’d really bore you if I told you every little thing. To hone in and pick just one thing I hate about myself for the purpose of this exercise, one single worry that overrides the rest, is hard. The smaller niggles would be a nose too big when I smile and too small a top lip I’m too scared to plumpen. The biggest worry by far though is my body image. A body that does not behave. A PCOS and Hashimotos adled figure that literally fights to be fat, day after day. The fact I never feel happy in my own skin, like the world tells me i should, and I never know how others see me or how I see myself, even in a mirror, saddens me. For 30 long and wasted years I’ve hated my body. From a slim child to a plump tween with putty fat, to a yo-yoing teen and adult-three decades on, I still don’t love myself. Not wholly, probably not ever. On reflection, I’m not sure the catalyst to this level of body shame came from wanting to conform, to look like models in magazines with legs for years. Yes the media played its part but mostly it’s been down to my own body and DNA, the way its needed strict management and control and from an early age. An age where other girls weren’t yet sprouting breasts or worrying about how much sugar they were eating. My body has a life of its own. Small shoulders, big hips, which puts on weight with such ease and always did and my concerns over it, are now making me feel fatigued. Babies, bless their hungry hearts, destroyed my body but 7 years since my second son was born means really, I’m the one at fault not them. I’ve lost weight, lots of weight over the years but it always seems to find me again. Nothing tastes sweeter than mouthful after mouthful of emotions right?...Cont. in the link in my bio 👆
I wish that Iife, right now, resembled this happy I wish that Iife, right now, resembled this happy photo of me appearing to seamlessly make deadlines while juggling homeschool when it actual fact, my work day starts at 9pm most days and sometimes only ends at 2 or 3 am. I’m not complaining, I feel grateful to have a job when many have lost theirs or are working on the frontline, but after receiving DMs asking me how I’m ‘doing it all’, I wanted to be honest... Some days feel positive and others are so overwhelming, I would quite like to run away, thanks. It’s an exhausting, boring and trying time for many of us and today I described myself to a friend as feeling like Cinderella. My groundhog days are basically cooking, cleaning, caring, teaching and entertaining in that order, in any order, in utter disorder mostly. In many ways, I feel like I’m a better mum in lockdown, my time and attention isn’t spread so thinly as my commute, filming and school commitments have disappeared and my work schedule is far more bearable and staggered so I can give my children my full attention by day. I finally feel more mindful as a mum. I also know the changes I want to make when this period is over. To not sweat the small stuff as much, to spend more time pushing myself out of my comfort zone (painting again and starting new projects/a business during this period has reminded me of that) and also that I’m stronger than I think. What have you learnt in lockdown and how are you feeling?
Another tip in the series. The Work/Home divide at Another tip in the series. The Work/Home divide at home 🏠
It’s Creative Women Wednesday again, with @lucyg It’s Creative Women Wednesday again, with @lucygriffithsdotcom and @mammabelle18. Come join in and network with fellow female creatives on the Gram. Simply leave a comment below about your work/business/insta account, tag some creative friends and scroll through all the comments to connect with others at the party. Please do share the badge in stories or your grid to let others know about the linky! I’m loving discovering so many new accounts each week 🎨 💻 📱 😘
The irony of distracting you on social media with The irony of distracting you on social media with my tip on avoiding social media distractions, is not lost on me I promise 🤪
Huge thank you to the new business @bringabooktol Huge thank you to the new business @bringabooktolife for these beautiful and inspiring gift boxes for my bookworm boys. Founded by Kate Andrews, a primary school teacher of 15 years, her brainchild boxes truly bring a book to life with carefully curated themed books, toys, trinkets and Russian dolls to paint to help spark the imagination and encourage imaginative play. With treasures hidden within a personalised box beneath crinkled streams of paper and jingling silver bells, there’s even sachets of hot chocolate, catalysts for kids to make a ritual out of reading, and rightly so. The boxes are themed, changing with every month, and in our case fittingly focused on magic, with books The Magical Kingdom of Birds by Anne Booth and A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison along with thoughtful letters from the authors, making reading, and even writing a book, seem more tangible and real. These boxes really do inspire their young recipients, and on so many levels. A layered, enchanting gift for kids up to the age of 12. <gift>
My next Working From Home Tip. Ironic as I was tem My next Working From Home Tip. Ironic as I was tempted to work from bed today. Don’t do it! Beds are meant for sleeping in and ‘magic cuddles’. They are not makeshift offices 🤪
Next tip in my series of Homeschooling Hacks: don’t forget to have fun 🙌🤪👏😂 #mommin #momminainteasy #momminsohard #mommingainteasy #stopdropandmom #honestlymothering #myhonestmotherhood #therealinstamoms #lifedailymoms #parenthood_unveiled #inspiremothers #lifeasmama #gettingmommywithit #messy_motherhood #moments_of_mom #beyond_motherhood #momitforward #heaventhrumylens #motherhoodlens #momentsinmotherhood #ohmamamoment #mommystatus #momdotme #mommylifestyle #momcommunity #instamamagang #amomentinmotherhood #rememberingthesedays #beinthepicture #honestmum
<Ad> New blog post on our home decor style + compe <Ad> New blog post on our home decor style + competition to win £50 to spend on @lovewilko storage and kids’ activities products at Honestmum.com. Link in the bio 👆😍. #onlineblog #mydailypost #cornersofmyworld #thatauthenthicfeeling #stillwithstories #thesimpleeveryday #asecondofwhimsy #memyselfandportrait #showupforyourself #curatedlife #femfeed #isawitfirst #inspopost #picsoritdidnthappen #everysquareastory
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