I thought that maybe a little introduction was in order.
So, hi! I’m Lainy. I live in Glasgow with my husband and two little boys. I have a chronic medical condition called endometriosis which affects roughly 1 in 10 women during their reproductive years. Endometriosis is when endometrium like tissue, normally found inside the uterus, is found growing outside it – in my case on the outside of my ovaries. Not only can it cause debilitating chronic pain, especially around your menstrual cycle; it can cause issues with fertility. So while kids were always a part of my life plan, I never knew if falling pregnant would happen naturally for us. We’re absolutely delighted that we’ve been lucky enough to have two perfectly healthy children though. My oldest is 6, with a huge imagination and more creativity than I could ever imagine having. My youngest is 1 and a bit of a daredevil, so that alone keeps life very full and interesting. You’ll more than likely be hearing some more about them if you decide to stick around.
Because of my chronic illness managing the day to day isn’t always normal for me. I can have flare-ups of pain and fatigue out of the blue. Throw parenting a toddler and a school-aged kid into the mix and my energy is normally pretty spent by the time the boys go to bed. I usually explain where I’m at on my own personal pain/exhaustion scale using Spoon Theory which uses spoons as a unit of energy. It’s a great indicator to those I’m closest to of how I’m feeling day to day without having to openly admit defeat to my chronic pain. (You’ll hear me talking about being a spoonie and using up my spoons quite a bit, but if you’d like to know more there’s a great article here from Healthline.)
The best way I have found to balance my health, children and a career is through freelancing. Right now I run Pretty Bonnie, a digital marketing and content creation business that helps other small, independent business owners tell their story and connect with their ideal customers via social platforms. I absolutely love what I do and for the past five years have had an immense amount of pride in working to be the voice of other indie businesses. I’ve been lucky enough to have some really understanding and flexible people around me while I built my experience in digital marketing at agencies and other roles, but it was inevitable that freelancing was the best way for me to still be all the things I wanted to be without aggravating my chronic illness. Plus, I love the freedom of being able to help more than one business at a time. Freelancing fits perfectly around parenting and my endometriosis because I’m in control of my schedule.
I suppose the last big thing that I should mention here is that after a ten year gap in my higher education I finally start my Masters degree in Digital Marketing. When I completed my BA in Media and Communications a decade ago I was not in a financial position to go straight into my masters. Since then, life has been happening, as it does, at a ridiculous pace. This year has brought me a new sense of balance, with my pain management, the kids’ routines and my freelance work. My chronic illness has always given me perspective and determination when it comes to my personal goals and completing my masters has been a life long one.
Am I apprehensive about another big commitment? I’d be lying if I said I’m not nervous, but as with everything else that makes my life so full and eventful, it’s something that I can adjust my spoons around. Now feels like the perfect time for me to take this huge step towards my education goal and the growth of my freelance career.
Thanks for stopping by and reading a little more about who I am and why I’ve set up this blog. I love to read other blogs in my spare time so please feel free to introduce yourself to me on here or Instagram (@awholelottalainy). I hope you’ll stick around and we can get to know each other more.
A Whole Lotta Lainy 