I am who I am

I’m a freelance writer..
People hear this and look interested.
“Oh! Do you write books?”, they ask.
“No, I write press releases,do translations,produce web copy, ghost blogs, articles and 101 other bits and pieces”
And the shutter comes down.
“Oh, so you don’t writer proper stuff?”
Ermmm.

I’m a blogger.
In fairness the shutter barely wobbles in the wind with this one.
The common response goes along the lines of…
“Oh, really?”, without looking up.

I’m a Mummy Blogger.
I have to say as labels go this isn’t one of my favourites. I find it slightly disconcerting to receive emails addressed to “Mummy” that haven’t been sent by my kids. “Mummy blogger” is a title loved by some and hated by others. As there is with all labels, the Mummy Blogger label has a stereotype attached to it. Mummy bloggers are those who make stuff up all day to get freebies right? Wrong. As a Mum (or a Mummy) who blogs (so you can see where Mummy Blogger comes from) I enjoy writing about my family, our home, our lives and our opinions. It is unfortunate that this is a label that can be used negatively as I know many people who fall under the Mummy, or Daddy or my preferred name parent blogger tab who are simply bloody wonderful people and talented writers.

I’m a WAHM (or work at home mum).
“So you work from home and look after kids at the same time?” *Insert raised eyebrow here*
Good Lord, is it possible that I may be able to work from home full-time and not damage my children? Clearly I neglect them terribly. As a WAHM I am bound to be letting something important fall by the wayside, (I agree with this actually, in my case it is usually sleep and dusting behind things).
Believe it or not thousands of men and women work from home very successfully, with children in school, nursery or at home. The joys of organisation i.e. working like a ferret on speed during nap times, and after bedtime as well as at a ridiculously early time of the day can all be part of the parent who works from home.

Some might say I am a mumpreneur.
“Oh God, not another one!”.
Calm down folks, it’s just a title. I am a Mum who runs a business. You have to admit that mumpreneur sounds infinitely better than Mumisiness-woman? It isn’t a term that I use myself but hey-ho.
Personally I couldn’t give two hoots what people call me (to my face or otherwise), a label is just a label. People are often grouped together by common interests, goals and other life choices. Ok, there is the potential for stereotyping and abuse with this but from a personal standpoint I don’t care if I am a blogger, a WAHM, or a Mumisiness-woman.

If you really want to know who I am, my name is Nicki.

"Nicki" (prounounced Nick-ee). Mother, wife, daughter, sister, writer, blogger, cheese eater, social media addict, flower lover, interior design show fanatic, Slimming World member, user of sarcasm.

Shopper Personalities – Supermarket Insights

What a fancy title!

photo by Olaf via PhotoRee

I’ve just come back from a pre-half term goodies top up and as I was meandering around I took the time to observe my fellow shoppers. I hate labeling people, labeling people is bad! So I am going to categorise them for you instead!

Bargain Hunter: With dedication and skill that would wow even the most competitive Olympian, these shoppers race down the aisles, using a system known only to themselves to scan for yellow tickets, stickers and introductory offers. These guys and gals are savvy, they know the game, the players, the rules… they will save the maximum amount of money possible when doing their shop. Advice. Do not hog / obscure the view of a BH, particularly not infront of the sales and reduce to sell sections.

Trolley Watchers – I’ve mentioned these before. These trolley pushers are blatant in their quest to unearth possible gossip and scandal, purely by looking closely at the content’s of people trolleys. Only if they see something of interest will they look up at the trolley owner.

The list-losers. Those who have forgotten to write a list or have left it at home, whether they are in a rush or shopping at their own pace, the result is the same. These head scratching, bemused-looking people will go home with everything they didn’t need and nothing they did.

Social shoppers. These are people who see Tesco / their supermarket of choice, not as a place to shop as such, but as a meeting place for friends and acquaintances and the social hub of their world. Social shoppers are usually found congregated in clumps (with large nearly-empty trolleys) at the end of aisles.

I have to be honest, I do most of my grocery shopping online so aren’t really practiced enough to fit into any of these categories. Today I was an expert procrastinator, mooching around the shelves, watching others, and avoiding the housework that was awaiting me at home.

So come on, what are you? Do you fit into any of these categories, or do you have a different supermarket shopping style?