Penny Webb is 36, married to Adam and has two boys – Charlie aged 3 and Oliver aged 1.
She lives in the Hills District of Sydney, where she returned just a year ago after two years in Tasmania for her husband's work.
She's a lecturer, event contractor and runs
Working Mums Masterclass.
Penny Webb
C4K: You seem to have a lot of different elements to your home and business life. How do you manage your time?
PW: Yes, life is busy! I lecture in event management, do contracting work for corporate clients, and run events for working mums Working Mums Masterclass.
The day starts at 5am when I get up before everyone else to sneak in a couple of hours work. I only work when the children are sleeping or at day care so I have to really make that time work for me – I am a To Do list champion!
C4K: So how did you come up with Working Mums Masterclass?
PW: After my second child, I was struggling with the day to day juggling act of working, daycare, cleaning, washing, ironing, cooking, food shopping, social time with children, social time with adults, breathing etc etc.
Within one week, I received two phone calls from working mum girlfriends who were feeling under pressure, so as an event manager, I decided to create events that give working mums practical tips on getting through the day in a supportive and fun environment. It's important to let them know that they're not alone and that it's okay to raise your hand and ask for help.
We run fun and interesting events on specific topics. Real, achievable, practical advice for mums and each second month we focus our events, website info, resources, articles, Facebook page and Blog on a specific area. So this JAN/FEB is all about GOAL KICKING! Not Goal Setting. And celebrating when those balls hit the back of the net!!
C4K: So when did you go back to work after having your children and what motivated you to do so?
PW: With my first son I went back after 10 weeks (luckily working from home, thanks to a flexible HR Director!) and 10 weeks after my second son was born.
When you've invested time and effort into a 15 year career, it is hard to step away completely. I returned to work part time which allowed me to keep my toe dipped in the event management water and still spend time with the kids.
I was also keen to finish a cup of tea completely and go to the toilet by myself and work provided that option!!!
The logistics of work and day care days were hard, but once I got organised and into a rhythm it became second nature (although we won't talk about the time Charlie went to day care without shoes or the day I left their bags at home!)
C4K: How do you manage child care when you're working and how did you find your child care arrangement??
PW: Charlie and Oliver both go to Kindalin at Glenhaven two days a week. We went there because their cousin went there and my sister in law gave us a great idea of what to expect. Word of mouth carries so much weight.
As my work hours change regularly, I have a wonderful support network that includes my Mum and a super sensible and reliable friend who looks after the kids when something crops up.
I have also used a nanny from DIAL-AN-ANGEL on a number of occasions when I have had to work 3 – 5 days in a row or especially long hours.
C4K: What were you looking for in your child care arrangement for the boys?
PW: Balance was most important for me for our child care arrangement. I think it's important they are exposed to a number of different people, behaviours and environments. Family, long day care, a casual nanny and, of course me, helps keep that balance quite organic.
Interaction and cuddles are important too. The carers at Kindalin are fantastic and love spending time with the boys, especially Oliver as he's a cuddler!
C4K: What are the main benefits of your child care arrangement?
PW: Definitely the balance and being exposed to different types of people. We all play different games, sing different songs, behave in different ways – it's a great cross section of age, education and fun.
Consistent boundaries and discipline are important when you have a multi-faceted care arrangement. So we address that with communication up front and we tackle any issues together. Everyone has respected my requests and parenting style, so we made it through the terrible two's intact!
C4K: With your work being geared around contracting, how do you manage inconsistent working days and is there anything else you'd change about child care if you could?
PW: The difficulty in our area is definitely child care availability and affordability and as I do a lot of contract work, I don't necessarily work on specific days, which is why I have had to have this multi-faceted approach to care. It would be great if child care could be a little more flexible.
Cost is a big issue too. I have said no to some work, because it actually would have COST me money once you throw the cost of childcare, petrol, tolls etc into the mix. While the child care rebate is fantastic, paying it every quarter doesn't help with cash flow of a household that's dealing with rising interest rates and utility bills. So the changes to the rebate being paid fortnightly from July 2011 is a fantastic initiative and will help us a great deal and I'm sure thousands of other working families too.
We have had great experiences with daycare. The carers are very understanding when the kids turn up without shoes or bags every now and then!! Don't worry – they're not judging you. They've seen it all!!
To find out more about Penny and Working Mums Masterclasses visit www.workingmumsmasterclass.com.au
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