Wonder Woman Series: Erin Williams

This is my first post since our gorgeous baby girl Zara arrived in September and it feels great to be back! Becoming a mum has been such a whirlwind of mixed feelings (crazy love, fear, overwhelm, happiness, gratitude), so I thought it was only fitting to introduce our first amazing lady as part of the Wonder Woman Series – Erin Williams from Natural Mums and Bubs!

Why Wonder Woman? The idea came to me after a beautiful friend gifted me a t-shirt with Wonder Woman on it. She said I was a Wonder Woman to her and it got me thinking about all the amazing women who inspire me with their own unique superpowers. In 2018 I will be sharing their stories in the hope to inspire you to be the very best version of yourself.

Back to my friend and fellow mama Erin…I am in awe of her dedication in helping mums find the perfect eco-friendly/organic/locally-made products and services through her brand new website, Natural Mums and Bubs. Erin has taken the guess work out of purchasing everything from baby skincare products through to toys through her comprehensive directory of personally tried and test businesses. In this interview I asked Erin what inspires her to help others.

Tell us where the idea for Natural Mums and Bubs came from?

When you have a baby there is so much stuff that you need to buy for them. From clothes, to toys, to nappies and wipes. When I was pregnant I knew that I didn’t want to buy too much, but I wanted to make sure the things I did buy were non-toxic, organic where possible, and that would last long enough to use for any other babies I may have.

In doing this I spent hours scrolling through Instagram and on Google trying to find the best of the best, and in doing so I discovered a huge community of Australian mums making handmade, organic and eco-friendly products. I wished there was a quicker way to find all of these amazing brands, and an easier way to discover these brands other than leaving it up to change. And then the idea of creating a directory with all of my favourite organic, natural, handmade and eco brands was born.

So I set to work and I’ve recently launched the largest directory of organic, handmade and eco-friendly Australian brands for mums and bubs. My goal is that the website will not only help support all of these amazing brands, but also be a go-to site for mums looking for products for themselves and their children.

How do you balance being a Mum with work + your business?

The idea of balance is often a tricky one, especially as a mum when so much of how we spend our days (and our nights) is completely unpredictable.

For me, every week is a little different in how much time I spend working on my business, being a mum, and working 3 days a week as well. Some days I feel like I just drag Rory around with me while I’m getting errands done, other days we have the whole day free to play and we spend more time in parks than at home. Some days I smash out heaps of work on my website, other weeks I get absolutely nothing done. And other days I feel like I spend all of my time at work, coming home only to eat and then get us all into bed.

But that’s perfectly ok. I’ve learnt to except that everything will ebb and flow, and I know that everything that needs to get done will get done, even if it takes a little longer than I would like. And even on the busiest days I still get to experience moments with my son that bring me so much joy.

What’s your number one hack for taking care of yourself?

Before becoming a mum self-care was so important to me and it was something I spent a lot of time on. But once my son was born that time all but disappeared. So now I use whatever small chunks of time I can find on myself. I might use 10 minutes of nap time to sit and drink a cup of tea while it’s still hot. When my partner is home I won’t rush my shower and I use the extra time to slowly moisturise (rather than slapping it on) or use a face mask. On days when I don’t have time to exercise, a quick stretch can work wonders.

My number one hack is finding the time you do have and actually utilising it. Don’t wait until you have an hour to yourself when even a few minutes can help. And it’s ok to let the washing pile up or to leave the dishes until later, because taking care of yourself once your a mum is so, so important.

How can we support you?

I’m slightly Insta obsessed at the moment so you’ll often find me on Instagram pretty much every day:  www.instagram.com/naturalmumsandbubs.

And you can head on over to the website and browse the directory at www.naturalmumsandbubs.com

 

I hope you enjoyed this interview with our first Wonder Woman! Be sure to check out Erin’s awesome website if you are in need of any inspiration!