Justine Davies
Justine is a financial planner and member of the Financial Planning Association. Her first book, How to Afford a Baby was released by ABC in June 2007 (www.shop.abc.net.au). Her second book, How to Afford a Husband is available in 2008. She is also a freelance journalist, writing for Brisbane and national publications. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and three children.
How many children do you have? What age / sex are they?
We have three children, all girls. Thea is 4, Caitlin is 2 and Lucca is 5 months. They keep me busy!
What has surprised you the most about becoming a mother?
The sheer volume of poo that I have to deal with daily. Thea is toilet trained but the other two are still in nappies (trying to toilet train Caitlin at the moment - it's not going very well!) Between the kids and the dog, my life just seems to be full of poo.
Do you miss anything about your life prior to having children?
Our disposable income and morning sleep ins. And the ability to enjoy having a big night out - it'd really no fun anymore, knowing that I'll be woken at the crack of dawn! Mind you, the trade-offs are well and truly worth it - I wouldn't change a thing!
What is the hardest part about being a mum?
Gosh, there's quite a few hard parts really. Probably the hardest for me is amount of patience that Mums need. I'm not a naturally patient person and I really have to bite my tongue sometimes and keep quiet.
How has your relationship with your partner changed since becoming parents?
We have to work together as a team so much more now. We're no longer two individuals living together - we are now part of a family unit. It's a big mind shift, but a good one.
What advice do you have for new mothers or mothers to be?
Well, as a financial planner I encourage all parents-to-be to sit down and get their finances in order before they have their baby. Do a written budget, start a savings plan and know how much you need each week to live on, particularly if you are going to drop from two incomes to two.
There is nothing worse than being a new mum, with sore boobs and other parts, trying to learn how to look after a little baby on bugger all sleep and being stressed about finances as well. You just don't need that added stress.
However if you are already a Mum take heart - it's never too late to get your finances organised.
What are you great at?
Cooking from recipe books.
What are you terrible at?
Cooking without a recipe book - it's always an absolute disaster!
How has your attitude to work / career changed since becoming a mother and how do you manage the juggle of family and work?
Ha, ha, ha, that's a great joke! The work/life balance is a pipe dream, I reckon. We muddle through though - I'm super-organised about house chores, shopping and so forth. I make heaps of lists and everything has a set day to get done (apart, of course, from the daily unexpected calamities, of which there are usually heaps).
My attitude to career actually changed a lot when I had our first baby. Prior to that I was extremely ambitious and had plan to own my own business and expand and so on. But once I had Thea I realized that for me none of that mattered at all and our family was the most important thing. It was just an instant mind shift.
What do you think about "me" time? Do you practice it, preach it or have you resigned yourself to the fact that you will have to play catch up later on?
Yep, with three children under 5 I'm going for the catch up thing later on (God know when though - perhaps when they move out of home!). I do like solitude though, so I walk the dog whenever possible to have some time to myself. It's good for Daisy Beagle too.
Who do you admire? Why?
I admire anyone who can be a really good parent. It's the hardest job in the world, 24/7, and I think we all do a great job.
What kind of 'Australia' do you hope for your children's future?
Well, I'm pretty happy with the one we have now. I hope as a country we manage to keep our quirky sense of humor and laid-back attitude. It's the whole Peter Allen "Still call Australia home" I guess.
How do you know of the Essential Baby community? Is there anything you would like to say to them?
I don't remember how I first heard of Essential Baby to be honest. I've been a member for ages - it's a fantastic resource for parents and expectant-parents and people who might want to be parents at some point - it's great.
Finally, a question all mums must face (no matter who they are!) - What are you feeding your child(ren) for dinner tonight?
Well, I'm serving then chicken schnitzel and salad. Whether they eat it or not is another question!
