When my husband Ash told me he was planning to turn down some perfectly good job offers and start his own business, I was surprised. I advised against it. But Ash's mother, who had run her own business, said: "Why not give it a go?"
My mother-in-law was right. Ash started Present Model Management. He loves it: the pressure (压力) he has now is lower. Plus, he can take the kids to school if he wants.
Watching him succeed inspired me to take my own leap. After 12 years of working as a childminder, I knew that something had to change. I loved the kids, but I'd been singing "Twinkle Twinkle" for 12 years. I only became a childminder in order to be home with my own children. Now that they are more independent, I have time to try something more exciting.
I set up @family feasts to record what our family eats: healthy, tasty meals on a sensible budget (开支). From there, I started a WordPress blog to hold the recipes (食 谱). When I started sharing weekly meal plans, the feedback (反响) was amazing. That's what people want: inspiration.
At first I wanted to teach workshops for parents. To prove that I could teach, I started a cooking class for 8-10-year-old children at my daughter's primary school.
It sold out overnight. A year later, I have a long waiting list. It's so meaningful to watch the kids learn: they've burnt and cut themselves, but they're really starting to understand flavors.
The next thing that took off was children's cookery birthday parties. People have booked those through word of mouth. From the strength of my blog, I've published recipes with the BBC and Co-op Food Magazine. My final dream is to write a family cookbook one day.
I'm so glad that Ash and I took this leap. We plan our work around the kids. We pay ourselves less than before, but we also spend more sensibly. I love the freedom of our life, the time we have together, and the excitement of building a community of kids who will be able to feed themselves.
