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Better late than never... Finally shared some my reflections of the @100daysproject @100mumsproject on @medium #100daysproject #100daysnz #100mumsproject #100mums #mymum #thankyoutoallmums #worklifebalance #linkinbio

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What a wonderful creative community vibe @100daysproject #Day100Show - Thanks to EVERYONE for coming along to check out all the amazing #100daysnz projects, sharing your #100mums experience and to say "hello" too! JTT :)xo 🙏👋👶🏻❤️💯 (at Thievery Studio)

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100 mums project reflections

"How do you balance a career that you love and a family that you love?"

When I found out I was pregnant, I was excited, elated & somewhat petrified of what was to come. I've never been an overly maternal person, and I loved work. So much so, I had my identity intertwined with it, and I was worried about how I was going to balance a career that I loved and a family that I loved.

So I did what I always do. To find things out, I began by asking questions. A few questions to a lot of mums, working mums, new mums, mature mums, experienced mums, single mums, step mums... all awesome mums! And after interviewing over 100 mums, I've learnt an incredible amount, heard so many wonderful stories, gathered a few insights and realised a number of things...

Here's the top 10:

It's not easy... actually, let's be honest, it's f*cking hard.

Every mum is dealing with different challenges, regardless of their current situation, what generation they're from and/or societal pressures they face.

Every mum is doing the best they possibly believe they can for their baby/children.

Many mums deal with guilt, the guilt of being at work v/s being at home, the guilt of not doing enough and/or being enough.

Pre/Post-Natal depression & miscarriages are much more common than people think, and mums feel comfortable talking about.

For some mums, culture, family/whānau & wider community play a big part in their support network. (After all, they say it takes a village to raise a kid.)

For a few mums, going back to work isn't a choice but a necessity, especially with the cost of living increasing significantly in certain cities.

For more mature mums, it was almost expected that you stayed at home as society deemed it to be a valid full-time job. Times have changed... and for new mums, they're often not satisfied by solely being a homemaker, but also determined to succeed at what they choose to do professionally.

Discussing parenting styles & approaches is almost as bad as discussing politics and/or religion.

Regardless of how it appears on the surface, no one really has this whole work/life balance perfected. And just when you think you've nailed it... it constantly changes, and mums are constantly trying to figure it out.

And to that note, after interviewing all these awesome mums... I'm personally still trying to figure it all out too. Something tells me, it's going to be a lifelong journey.

A huge THANK YOU to all the mums who contributed their time, energy and shared their experience with me. I'm forever grateful to you all for keeping me sane (& bebe.taylor entertained) during my Pregnancy/Maternity Leave. And as I often emerged out of the newborn fog/phase/haze, these interviews were the highlight of my day!

Unfortunately, I was inundated with awesome mums to interview in the end and didn't get a chance to feature them all. However, I have a little feeling that this project could potentially extend beyond the 100 Days Project.

Admittedly, there's still a lot of interview notes, scribbles and voice recordings that need to be transcribed. And I've been asked whether I would turn it all into a book, a podcast series or something else... The opportunities are endless, but in all honesty, right now I'm just taking a bit of a breather, a moment to stop, to reflect and to celebrate on all the awesome mums out there!

However, if you would like to contribute to the evolution of this project, i would love for you to share your experience with me, or just keep updated, feel free to follow/connect with me below:

🔴  Tumblr: https://100mumsproject.tumblr.com/

🔴  Instagram: https://instagram.com/100mumsproject/

🔴  Twitter: https://twitter.com/100mumsproject

🔴  Website: http://bit.ly/100mumsproject

🔴  Email: 100mumsproject@gmail.com

Hope to see you all at the upcoming 100 Days Project exhibition show on 30 September!

Best, Jade

P.s I also want to acknowledge and thank my super supportive husband Adam Taylor who woke up extra early every day (5:30am) to entertain our lil bundle of joy, so that I could have 30mins of uninterrupted creative time first-thing in the morning – before my day was all consumed by the lil one.

P.p.s And yes, I've also been asked about #100DadsProject... Hmmm maybe he could do it when he’s on paternity leave ;) 

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#Repost @100daysproject with @repostapp ・・・ That's it folks! Until 2018....😳😬😂 Some of us are getting together in Ak for a celebratory drink tonight, join us if you can! (Details over on fb <<) Where ever you are, however many days you got to, well done, thanks for taking part and sharing your amazing work. 💯❤️🎉 #100daysproject #100daysnz #100daysproject2017

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DAY 100/100: "Despite having a 15 year plan... (5 years travel, 5 years work, 5 years family) I’ve now realised that nothing really ever goes to plan and nothing has taught me that more than having a baby." -- Jade Tang-Taylor, Designer, Dreamer, Doer, Founder of #100mumsproject & Mother of 1 #100daysproject #100daysnz #100mums #designer #dreamer #doer - Thanks to Annie for the interview, and @pukeko_ for the photo! 🙌❤️💯

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DAY 099/100: "I'm very involved in my work, it's a huge part of a my life and who I am. But flexibility in my work is very important, and I'm constantly weighing up in my mind how to balance it all." -- Penny Hagen, Design Strategist, Participatory Coach & Mother of 1 #100daysproject #100mums #100daysnz #design #strategist #coach #flexibility #balance #important #involved #worklifeblend

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DAY 098/100: "Do something for yourself each day, your happiness is vital to you baby's happiness and tomorrow is a new day to start fresh. You are the most important thing for your child so try and be kind to yourself." -- Whetu Silver, Youth Development, Theatre Professional, MC & Mother of 1 #100daysproject #100daysnz #100mums #youthdevelopment #theatre #mc #happiness #tomorrow #freshstart #bekind

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DAY 097/100: "Setting boundaries is really important... Life is never the same again... So find a new equilibrium." -- Annette Culpan, Philanthropy Consultant, Founder of Torukaha & Mother of 1 #100mums #100daysproject #100daysnz #boundaries #important #life #new #equilibrium #philanthropy #consultant #socialentrepreneur

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DAY 096/100: "I've always been someone who smashes down stereotypes, and demonstrates that the impossible is possible. Limitations are just a state of the mind. But once baby comes along... Keep reassessing what equilibrium looks like. Believe in yourself no matter what, because your baby believes in you." -- Leilani Tamu, Politician, Poet & Mother of 2 #100daysproject #100daysnz #100mums #stereotypes #impossible #possible #politician #poet #equilibrium #limitations #beliefs

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DAY 095/100: "It's hard. Be brave. You're constantly questioning & defending who you are as a human v/s who to are a mum so trust your instincts. And whatever it takes to make you happy, is what's best for your kid... Happy mum. Happy baby." -- Ella Mizrahi, Event Manager, Creative Director of MAD & Mother of 1 (soon to be 2) #100daysnz #100daysproject #100mums #brave #question #defend #identity #mum #human #eventmanager #creativedirector

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DAY 094/100: "Like teaching... You can only learn, by doing it." -- Jill O'Brien, Teacher & Mother of 3 #100daysnz #100daysproject #100mums #teacher #learn #do

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DAY 093/100: "I was all or nothing, I’m either in or out... With the first one, I felt I had no choice but to go back to work after only a few weeks. But with the second one, when the kids were a bit older I decided to take 2 years off just to be at home. Whatever you decide to do, don’t feel guilty about it." -- Sina Wendt-Moore, CEO, Leader, Trustee & Mother of 2 #100daysnz #100daysproject #100mums #allornothing #inorout #CEO #leader #trustee #diversity

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DAY 092/100: "This work opportunity was too good to pass up... I want to be the best role model for my daughter. And when I am with her, I'm fully present." -- Jenna Ash, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Programme Manager & Mother of 1 #100daysproject #100mums #innovation #entrepreneurship #manager #opportunity #rolemodel #present #WorkLifeBalance

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DAY 091/100: "You're so busy, you can't breathe... This is not what I needed. Family was more important to me at the end of the day" -- Vivian Ball, SPACE Coordinator & Mother of 4 #100daysproject #100mums #busy #breathe #family #important #decisions

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DAY 090/100: "I was so career driven, I wanted to go back straight away... But now I don't. So we've made compromises & changes to make our lifestyle work." -- Leanne Shaw, Teacher, Team Lead & Mother of 1 #100daysproject #100mums #career #driven #compromise #change #lifestyle #teacher #leader #WorkLifeBalance

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DAY 089/100: "Ideally, I would want enough work for mental stimulation and for mum time too... A healthy balance of both." -- Jenny Boswell, HR Consultant & Mother of 1 #100daysproject #100mums #consultant #HR #mumtime #parttime #mentalstimulation #WorkLifeBalance

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DAY 084/100: "Take the fourth trimester seriously. Relax at home, allow people to help you and bring you food. Don't feel pressure to leave the house and do things. Make friends with online grocery shopping and never feel bad for being "trapped on the sofa" under a sleeping or feeding baby. Those cuddles are so precious." -- Carmen Basu-Timai, Pediatrician Doctor & Mother of 1 #100daysproject #100mums #solidadvice #doctor #fourthtrimester #relax #pressure #cuddles #precious