Celebrating our #PhillyandMums community this Mother's Day

Celebrating Philly & Friends' Mums and Mums-to-be: What we call #PhillyandMums

In celebration of Mother's Day, we asked mums in our community some questions about their motherhood journey and how they have navigated the last year.

 It's been a crazy year, one none of us could ever have prepared for. That's why we want to use this day to shine a light on some of our outstanding tribe members and #PhillyandMums. From children's book authors to logistic professionals, these mums have kept going through the lockdown. As we begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel, let's shake off the lockdown blues, with stories from mums to warm the heart.

Rukayyat Kolawole, Author of Magical Baby

Tell us about your motherhood journey - when did you become a mum and how has it impacted your life?

I became a mum on the 19th of October 2017. It has been a blessing and very tough as well. I would not change it for anything in the world.

What is your proudest moment as a mum?

Every day is a proud moment for me as I watch my daughter grow and become the beautiful, confident, and assertive girl that she is.

If you run a business (or have a career), how have you juggled business with motherhood? Especially this past year.

I run 2 businesses. One is called PaceUP Invest which provides holistic tools for women to act on their financial and investment goals. The other is as an author of Magical Baby- a book to encourage diversity and representation right from an early age of 0 to 5 years. Both websites are themagicalbaby.com and paceupinvest.com.

It has not been easy but what I did was to have a schedule that worked for both of us. I was also lucky to be able to access the emergency care coverage for her in Germany which enabled me to continue working remotely whilst she attended kindergarten.

What has the last year taught you about yourself as a mother?

Resilience.

What’s your number one mum hack?

Singing. Songs calm my daughter. She loves singing and dancing!

What’s your favourite thing about being a mum?

Looking after, caring and loving a little person. Hoping to mould her into a better person.

Desriee, Founder of Little Omo, an inclusive luxury brand for children

Tell us about your motherhood journey - when did you become a mum, and how has it impacted your life?

I’m a single mum to my son Isaiah who I gave birth to in January 2020; motherhood has honestly changed my life for the better. I look at life and people a lot differently now; Isaiah has honestly brought me so much joy; before being a mother, I was happy and enjoying my life, but motherhood has challenged and pushed me in ways I could have never imagined for the better.

What is your proudest moment as a mum?

My proudest moment was when my son Isaiah started walking; it was just amazing to see him go from crawling to trying to stand then fall down to fully running around the house. It’s just amazing how fast children grow, from being a little baby in your arms and not moving when you change the nappy to being so independent.

If you run a business (or have a career), how have you juggled business with motherhood? Especially this past year.

Being organised and having a schedule has honestly been how I have juggled business alongside motherhood. It has been super hard because I have raised Isaiah and launched a business during the pandemic. I try to give myself breaks as often as possible by going to the park, praying and doing stuff I love besides business. If I do, I feel very overwhelmed; whether it’s business or motherhood, I always make sure I ask for help from family and friends.

What has the last year taught you about yourself as a mother?

Motherhood has taught me to be more selfless, to love my current body and to self-love. I’ve also learnt to live in the moment and not worry about if my hair is sticking out in the photo, or my outfit isn’t the cutest. It’s just about creating memories.

What’s your number one mum hack?

My favourite hack has been getting the car organiser; it’s fantastic. I keep nappies, toys, wet wipes, anything baby related is there; if we are going on a long drive, I bring my IPad along so Isaiah can watch some of his favourite programmes.

What’s your favourite thing about being a mum?

My favourite thing is when I’m laughing at something on TV or just find something hilarious. Isaiah starts laughing with me. It’s honestly the best thing in the world, and then we are both just sat there laughing for ages. Another thing is just waking up to my happy and healthy son every single day.

Alexa Virdi, Co-founder of Super Sapiens, a card game to help change the world

Tell us about your motherhood journey - when did you become a mum, and how has it impacted your life?

I became a mother on 26 September 2016 - it has been the most wonderful, tiring, fun experience.

What is your proudest moment as a mum?

When my daughter reminds me to 'breathe in and out, and calm down when I lose my temper at her

If you run a business (or have a career), how have you juggled business with motherhood? Especially this past year.
I am a lawyer who has just completed a PhD from Oxford University and co-founder of Super Sapiens. I have juggled it by working part-time and spending lots of time in fields over the past year!

What has the last year taught you about yourself as a mother?

That I need to put myself and my self-care first (which I do! ;-) so that I can feel well and enjoy my life which will make me a better Mum! That it is totally fine to let kiddo watch 2 hours on the iPad so I can do exercise and a bit of rushed meditation.

What’s your number one mum hack?

Shuck em in the bath and play an audiobook - they are distracted for an hour!

What’s your favourite thing about being a mum?

I love laughing together and feeling like we are breaking the cycle of family dysfunction (our daughter may see it as otherwise!)

Roxanne-Sasha Jennings, Founder of The Resilient Mum, seeking to inspire independent mothers

Tell us about your motherhood journey - when did you become a mum, and how has it impacted your life?

I became an Independent Mother to my daughter in 2015. Raising my daughter has been such an insightful journey, but at times, a challenging experience. My daughter is a very spirited little girl with a bold personality, big ideas and even bigger aspirations; she knows exactly who she is and what she wants! I do love that about her. I am proud to call her my daughter. I often look at her in awe, thinking, "you're all mine; I created you!"

What is your proudest moment as a mum?

I have so many! One of my proudest moments as a Mum is when my daughter said her very first words; she left me astonished. She said, "Mummy, Ma, Mum." All in one go! I knew from that moment that my daughter was very special. She came into my life at a time when I needed her the most. She definitely completes me.

If you run a business (or have a career), how have you juggled business with motherhood? Especially this past year.

I am the founder of The Resilient Mum, and I am the owner of Amateurs De Papiers. The past year has been difficult due to the pandemic and other predicaments, but by God's grace and a very understanding daughter, I have been able to organise time to spend with her and time to focus on my work. She is always helping me, which I appreciate, so it makes everything run smoothly. We are a great team!

What has the last year taught you about yourself as a mother?

The last year has taught me that I do a lot, and it is okay to step back and be still. I made several decisions last year and this year that has benefited both of us greatly. I will always go the extra mile to see to it that my daughter is happy. My daughter will always come first because she is my number 1 priority. Whatever makes her happy makes me happy.

What’s your number one mum hack?

My number one mum hack is to be organised and to strive to be as prepared as you can. Even if it means you have to prepare from the night before, do it! Being organised ensures that you will have a less stressful morning and you will be better organised to focus on other things the next day. Preparation is very important; without it, life can become chaotic. As mothers, we have already got a lot on our minds, so this is a great way to take some of the stress away.

What’s your favourite thing about being a mum?

My favourite thing about being a mum is knowing that I get the opportunity to raise this beautiful little girl. I teach her, moulding her and helping her grow into what God desires for her to be. Life, for me, does not get any better than that!

Olamide Fafemi, Author of Èbùn the Exotic Elephant

Tell us about your motherhood journey - when did you become a mum and how has it impacted your life?

I am a proud mum of 2 beautiful kids (Aged 6 and 3 years). Being a mum transformed my life and to be honest put a hold on the ‘supposed’ plans I had for me. It did so for the better; I love the person that I have grown into and I have experienced the grace of God in a completely new way.

 What is your proudest moment as a mum?

Tough one, so many moments. I look at my children and I am in awe of what God is doing in their lives. I would say, seeing the sibling love that my kids share is top of the list.

If you run a business (or have a career), how have you juggled business with motherhood? Especially this past year.  

Last year was especially tough with home schooling. I often heard people say “lockdown has been great, I have freed up so much time, I can do so much more etc”; this didn’t resonate with me; let’s just say I’m thankful things are going back to some sort of normal. To keep afloat it was so important that my husband and I worked as a partnership, he is a supportive and present dad and that really made things work better for us. Also having a group of friends who could relate and just knew the right things to say definitely helped too.

Alongside juggling my kids with a professional career, I also decided to venture into the world of children’s literature. My sister and I co-authored our first children’s book Èbùn the Exotic Elephant (we would love to hear from you, please check https://www.landesafricantales.com/ for pre-orders/more information). We are so excited about sharing it with you and your children!

 What has the last year taught you about yourself as a mother?

Self-care is so key!!!

 What’s your number one mum hack?

Bulk cooking and having some meals part prepared in the freezer!

What’s your favourite thing about being a mum?

Seeing the world through my kids eyes; they are so joyful about the littlest things. It’s a pleasure to see but it also makes me more reflective of my character.  

Pamila Acheampong, Logistics professional

Tell us about your motherhood journey - when did you become a mum and how has it impacted your life?

I became a mother at the age of 28 years old, a year after getting married. This is when I physically became a mother, but it took me a year and half to fully understand my new role as a mother. Let me break it down. The first year of a child's life is all about mothers responding to their kids primary needs such as feeding, sleeping and playing. Looking back, I felt like I was more of a caregiver.

Everything started to change when my lil one started to become more aware of the world around her. Here is when I realized what is the real meaning of motherhood or in general parenthood: responsibility. I came to understand that responding to her primary needs was no more enough, and that I had to step my game up as I was responsible for her education and soul as the early years of a child are fundamental for their future... This impacted my life massively as it urged me to start working on myself in order to be an example for my kid. For instance, I used to perm my natural hair since I was 7 years old as that was what my mother introduced to me as normality. I wanted my little girl to love her curly natural afro hair and be proud of them.. but how was I going to teach her this lesson if I myself was not applying to me? I transitioned from permed to afro hair and started to learn how to manage this type of hair.

In summary, i can say that becoming a mother has impacted my life in so many ways and has given me the strength to be a better version of me everyday,

What is your proudest moment as a mum?

I am proud when my lil one feels free to express her emotions to me as this is something that i did not have the privilege to do in my childhood.

If you run a business (or have a career), how have you juggled business with motherhood? Especially this past year.

I work in the logistic sector and for this reason I am considered as a key worker. My lil one was able to attend nursery as normal.

What has the last year taught you about yourself as a mother?

The last year has taught me to be more active as a woman and as a mother and to do more activities with my lil one and cherish every moment passed together. Before the pandemic, taking my lil one out for a walk at the park was something that I had to force myself to do as she would spend hours playing and convincing her to come home would have been a big issue. After a year of limitations on social distancing and premises, I have a long list of activities to do with my lil one once the lock down has been lifted and businesses start to operate as normal. I have learned that kids learn from every little activity and that the world outside presents numerous learning points to explore together to open her mind and enrich her personality and life.

What’s your number one mum hack?

To teach kids to play with household items as it opens their imagination and let them be less attached to toys or technologies such as tablets. My lil one favourite activity is still playing my food cans and spoons as when we was a baby and she is now almost 4 years

What’s your favourite thing about being a mum?

It is a continuous learning journey

A note from Vese Aghoghovbia, founder of Philly & Friends

Here at Philly & Friends HQ, we love engaging with other parents, carers, educators and those interested in child development. We are firm believers of the African proverb which says, "It takes a village to raise a child".

Since I published my first children's book, Who Do I See in the Mirror? I have met so many amazing women (and men!) doing remarkable things. We have shared tips, ideas, hugs (virtual and physical), encouragement and much more. There's such a great online community of men and women championing each other's lives, businesses, achievements, and so on.

Philly & Friends supports mothers who are running a business alongside raising a family.  I founded Philly & Friends and wrote my first book during my maternity leave. Since then, I have come to understand the resilience motherhood builds in mothers. Somehow, we come through the journey wanting to leave the world a better place for our little ones. This comes across in different ways, from launching businesses to smashing career goals to stepping back to raising our kids full time.

Motherhood is far from easy, but it births the best of us in many different ways.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! You are more incredible than you would ever know. Keep shinning, keep growing, keep loving yourself and your little ones.

Enjoy your day and lots of love.

Vese.xx