#Mumchat - Ellie Keene on juggling life with a busy two year old

NAME: Ellie Keene

AGE: 37

NATIONALITY: British

LOCATION: Dubai

NUMBER OF YEARS BEING A MUM: Almost 2!

TELL US ABOUT YOUR KIDS:

I have a very wild toddler called Ruby. She was an angelic little bundle as a baby and has decided to go into her toddler era with a cheeky grin and devilish look in her eye – mum’s will understand this look. Fun…right?

INSTAGRAM HANDLE: @wellkeene

I am an almost 40-year-old (eeeeek!)-latte-consuming-workaholic-reality-tv-loving-CEO-and-Founder. My first baby was my F&B PR agency, KeenePR (recently rebranded to KPR). My newest baby is Ruby Iris Abby King, she is the apple of my eye and a little legend.

I often look at her and question if she is mine (she doesn’t look anything like me!) – but then remember the very graphic video of her coming out of the sunroof. I have lived in Dubai for 12 years and love everything about it (minus the traffic and cost of a box of strawberries).

What’s one thing you wish you’d known before becoming a parent?

We’re all just winging it. Honestly, there should be a manual. The fact you leave the hospital and are trusted to keep this tiny human alive blew my mind. Am I a grown up now then? No one knows what they’re doing and every bedtime, you will question how you managed it another day.

What’s something you swore you’d never do as a parent—but do now?

A dummy! I always hated them and always said I wouldn’t be the parent to shove a dummy in. BUT….my wonderful Dr (shout out to Uloma at Kings!) said it’s better to use a dummy, than let your child suck their thumb….you can remove the dummy, you can’t chop of their thumb….smart woman! So you will absolutely hear me frantically asking the nanny where the dummy is to avoid a meltdown.

What was the BEST piece of parenting advice you’ve received?

Do not compare yourself to other parents. We are all doing things at a different pace and style – we all have our strong points and weaknesses. Do I start a puzzle in the hope Ruby will be entertained for more than 10 minutes? Yes. Do I end up whacking on Peppa Pig….also yes. We are all coping in our own way.

Share with us your biggest “parenting fail” – we promise no judgement here!

Repeating meals – Ruby is obsessed with eggs. She will devour them. So sometimes she will have scrambled egg for breakfast, an omelette for lunch and then something else with egg for dinner – celebrate the small wins…she’s eating it all and goes to bed full!

How do you balance life?

I won’t lie – my wonderful nanny Nyasha has saved my life (and marriage!), on more than one occasion. How lucky are we to have these people in our lives making sure everything runs smoothly in the house? I was stuck in the UK for a month last year and there was a big Nyasha shaped hole in my life. I know we are so so privileged to have help, but as I remind friends and family in the UK, we don’t have any choice in Dubai if we want to work and raise a family at the same time!

One parenting hack you’d like to share with us.

If you want your little one to do something for you (but you know they will kick up a stink), turn it into a game. For example, going to the car….ask them, shall we jump to the car? Run to the car? Walk backwards to the car? Make it fun so they feel like it’s a game and not an instruction they ultimately don’t want to do.

What do you hope your kids say about you when they’re older?

I always felt safe with mummy. I could always go to her with any problem and she would always be a safe space for me to be honest and myself without judgement.

3 words that describe #MumLife to you

Hard but amazing!

If you'd like to share your story on #MumChat - email sarah@raemona.com