Listening to Boo snuffle away in the travel cot while I relax with a cold drink overlooking Media City; I could get use to this living in a hotel room lark.

Ok so I exaggerate. Slightly. I’m staying at the gorgeous Holiday Inn at Media City ahead of mine and Boo’s appearance on BBC Breakfast tomorrow morning. We’ve been invited onto the red sofa to give the Mummy perspective on the revelation that David Cameron and his wife Samantha recently left their eight year old daughter, Nancy behind in a pub.

The debate that has followed has been enormous with people coming out in strong opinions for both sides. So is it a human mistake that could happen to the best of us? Or is it something that should never happen and is unforgivable?

As it stand I haven’t left Boo anywhere and it seems that the Stinkies have a rather good homing device inbuilt so no such luck there! (I can assure you I’m joking!) Yet I’m not about to judge what happened. We all make mistakes and yes Boo is my world and is precious beyond words, yet I’m sure to have my fair share of Mummy meltdowns.

As it happens this isn’t our first time on BBC Breakfast we appeared back in December 2011 talking about blended families – one of our specialties. This time there’s a new studio so Boo insisted that she need a new outfit!

This example had a happy ending and I know that is sadly not always the case. My amazing Grandmother once told me that the crisis itself is not as important as how you react to it. Any parent when reunited with their child be it after 3 minutes, 3 hours or even 3 days will feel such relief, anger at themselves, guilt, love and a whole other bundle of emotions all rolled into one. That’s what comes from being a parent. Loving, living and learning together.

This evening started like all other Wednesday evenings, He was playing soldiers at the TA and I was charged with making sure that Boo and the Stinkies made it to bed successfully. So at ten to eight when I was about to bath her highness there was silence; we’d had a power cut, and by that I mean a proper one that was down to a faulty generator (or some such electrical jargon) and immediately I will admit I started to panic – no sterilizer I could deal with, and Boo could go one night without a bath but what about the baby monitor?

 

This got me thinking, have we become over reliant on technology when perhaps we should be tuning into our mother instincts?

I know this is purely a first world dilemma and I am in now way suggesting that without technology you are unable to do the best by your baby. Yet why is it that I a perfectly well-informed, educated individual felt real anxiety at the thought of putting my healthy baby down for the night without a baby monitor to listen to her every wimpier and snuffle?

 

The power was restored 67 minutes later and the Stinkies declared they were delighted to be able to read before bed – although somehow I sensed a slight air of sarcasm!

 

For the duration of the power cut I was camped outside Boo’s bedroom door nosing at her falling asleep to the extent that I’m pretty sure I delayed her drifting off for a few minutes.  Also seeing as I didn’t have the internet my mind began to wander: what about the GroEgg? It’s such a humid night surely I need to know if it’s too hot!

 

I must sound like an utter freak banging on about something that in the grand scheme of things is really rather insignificant – but for me as Mummy I was angry at myself, why couldn’t I be able to sense when something was not right? After all I grew her, I should know everything that is of her.

 

The truth is that not me nor any other mother I know is superwoman, we can’t be everywhere at once; throw into the mix other children in my case Stinkies and it’s physically impossible. So yes I’m not ashamed to admit that baby technology has become my security blanket literally it is my eyes and ears.

 

Note one important thing: regardless of how much technology I fill the nursery and indeed the entire house with, my gut instinct will always be what I base my decisions on.  Technology like all other aspects of our lives is a tool by which to aid our daily lives; an enhancer not a restrictor.

 

Forgetting the power cut this evening was a treat, I watched Boo fall sound asleep.

Munching a dirty yet very tasty Burger King meal I am joined by the masses who are on the last train heading for the east midlands tonight in what can only be described as typical commuter territory.

 

This evening I attended the #AWtweetup held by Anywhere Working.  The idea behind the event was for people to get together with a common aim: exploring how flexible working can help not only the individual but organisations and the wider economy.

 

The venue for the tweet meet was The Driver, Kings Cross a beautiful boutique gastropub with a walter as a seat – I kid you not! On offer was drink, food and surprisingly massages which looked divine although I didn’t take advantage as I was scared I may fall asleep.

 

Attendees included representatives of the founding members of the consortium: Microsoft, Intel and also those who are in support of flexible working: Mumsnet, WWF.  Although the real star of the night was a four week old baby girl who accompanied her radiant looking mummy.

 

Getting down to business we were there to talk about one thing: how to make flexible working work? My perspective as a parent blogger and social media specialist is how do you juggle a basket load of spiked fire balls? The children will always come first, this is a given; however it is still important to develop our careers to achieve and who knows even exceed our potential.

 

The benefits of flexible working from the point of employers is pretty obvious.  2012 is a busy year for Great Britain, with the summer seeing the biggest test on the country’s transport infrastructure.  There is also big pressure on organisations to reduce their carbon footprint, so flexible working offers a diverse opportunity for these organisations to strengthen their progressive development.

 

The benefits for a freelance individual such as myself are a little less clear cut.  Yes I gain valuable family time and reduce the amount of money that is spent on childcare if I were working full time, however this gain is quickly taken away with the uncertaintiy that comes with unsecured work and the associated issues trying to find childcare that matches the flexibility of your work.

 

Flexible working as promoted by Anywhere Working is great and I am in no doubt that it will allow the landscape of the working environment to change not as in a revolution but more like a gradual shift that will be sustainable and seismic in shaping how we work; perhaps even the content that we produce.

 

Apart from meeting a pretty great bunch of people what I have learnt from this evening? Well with answers come questions, so yes I accept that what I am doing is following a growing movement and that I’m not some lonesome figure tapping away at a computer in my converted home office, struggling to play peekaboo with a teething baby while all the time sounding professional and together on a conference call.

 

But and this is a big but: hot desks are all good and well but they’re no use to me unless there is the equivalent in childcare.  Express nannying is something that I pray everyday will catch on. I suppose what I’m trying to get at it is flexible working can only succeed for all member of the circle if other aspects of our world are flexible; childcare, schooling, even relationships!

 

Flexible working is not the answer to a flexible lifestyle it is the beginning of a journey to a fully integrated flexible community.

 

You can find out more about Anywhere Working and what they’re up to at www.anywhereworking.org

After months of looking and a million yes, no and maybe piles not to mention the lists, relists and short lists we finally found our Brady bunch bunker.

What seemed like an eternity of house viewings, bubble wrap and constant stubbing of toes on packed boxes we upped sticks and moved ourselves in April. At the time I was dead set against us not having removal men and looking back I still am; it was a nightmare but we got through it learning that next time I’ll get the professionals in and even get them to pack too!

I moved into our old house when I was six months pregnant and He was away on tour; it was our perfect little townhouse castle, which we couldn’t wait to welcome Boo into. With the sudden addition of the Stinkies in September it quickly went from being a dream home to the house from hell. Let me tell you – open plan living does not work well with pubescent boys especially if you want to keep your sanity and to go longer than a day without developing a migraine.

The biggest issue was that Boo had been albeit lovingly evicted from her nursery to make room for bunk beds, dirty socks and that unmistakable pong of stale Lynx.

Six weeks into our new residence and we’re starting to feel settled – and despite getting through a good thirty litres of paint there’s still the living room, kitchen and our bedroom to go; I fear poor He shall cower when he sees the overalls come out in the future.

The best room is Boo’s, simply because she has one. Sometimes we go up there in the afternoon for no reason but to sit and look at all her pretties; including the five foot life like Giraffe who goes by the name of Gerty – a nursery must!

The biggest downside to the move was being without internet for three whole weeks – how is a Mummy to survive without the virtual key to the big wide world, no online food shop – so apologies if you saw me in the supermarket and I ignored you, I blame it on the two brimming trollies I was trying to navigate towards to the checkouts.

We all know moving house is stressful at the best of times, so throw into the mix a Boo, three Stinkies and a disorganised He and you’re heading for gin o’clock!