Today I’m introducing you to a mommy who is brilliant at business, cooking, and mom-ing! (Yes I know that’s not an actual word, but don’t you feel like it should be?! ?) Jeanne-Riette is one of the lovely mommy bloggers whom I met last year, and who has since become a friend. I love her amazing recipes, and her sense of humor. And I’m so happy that I get to feature her here this week.

In case you missed it, you can read last week’s feature here: Meet the Mommy [Week 22] – Luchae from My Spreadsheet Brain.

Now let’s meet Jeanne-Riette.

1. Please tell us a little – or a lot (we like details) – about yourself?

My name is Jeanne-Riette (aka MammaChef Jozi, aka Mommy-Mommy-Mommy-Mommy….).

I am married to the real life SuperDad, and am mommy in a modern family. We have a daughter, Caroline (21 – his), 2 sons Wade (8 – mine) and Blake (4 – ours) and furbaby Creasy.

During the day you will find me running around Jozi with my Human Resources consulting business, which I absolutely love. I have a degree in Industrial Psychology, and after years of building up HR and Payroll Management experience internally and as a consultant, the opportunity came along to start my own business and I pretty much jumped at it. Being self employed has its challenges, but it’s also incredibly rewarding.

The rest of the time, I am either next to a sports field, or doing something that involves food, whether cooking or eating with family!

2. What’s the one thing you find most challenging about being a working / stay at home mom?

Keeping track of everything is probably my biggest challenge. I let teachers know in advance that I am that mom who needs constant reminders to send or do something, or be somewhere etc.

I’ve accepted that I was just born with a terrible memory, and I am lucky to have SuperDad who functions as my external hard drive. ?

3. We all know there are challenging moments – moments which call for chocolate, or wine (or both), to soothe those mommy nerves… Forgetting all that though, what is your absolute favourite thing about being a mom?

Hugs and giggles! My boys’ hugs and laughter just make the world a beautiful place!

4. From the experience you’ve gained since becoming a parent, what is a pretty cool piece of advice you would give to other moms?

Don’t sweat the small stuff, be gentle with yourself, and drink lots of water! That’s for the whole family.

5. Share with us one of the funniest moments you’ve had since becoming a mom.

Oh gosh… so many! I must tell you that we’re a family who loves to laugh. We laugh together, we laugh at ourselves… we dance and sing, and we’re silly whenever possible!

Wade has a belly laugh that makes everyone crack up, SuperDad tells the most classic Dad Jokes, Caroline loves to tell a story of how I got a little tipsy at a wedding, and my “body surfing” at the beach is quite famous too! Blake, being 4, always says the funniest things… many of them having to do with bodily functions.

6. Please tell us where we can find you online.

Blogsville: https://www.mammachefjozi.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mammachefjozi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mammachefjozi
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mammachefjozi
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/mammachefjozi

Thank you Jeanne-Riette for giving us a glimpse into your life as a mom. ?

How this little series was born… A while back I was thinking about how all the moms I know are different in many ways – be it their parenting style, or whether they go to work, stay at home, or work from home. Some have one little person, while others have three or four. Some of our babies began their journey inside us learning the sound of our heartbeat, whilst some began in another only to meet us later and hold our hearts forever. Whatever the differences in how we became moms, how we parent… Being a mom, plus ALL that comes with it, is what we all have in common.

And that’s how I came up with the Meet the Mommy series – an interview with regular moms like you and I, where we get to “meet” mommies who are different in many ways, yet have so much in common too.