“When no one’s looking I dip 100% dark baton chocolate into my green tea, don’t judge!” Sarah Gregory – mum-of-four, author and co-founder of Make Motherhood Diverse – discusses family life on the London-Surrey borders…
Sarah Rose Gregory, 38, lives on the London-Surrey borders with her partner, their four children: Tom, 19, Amelie, 10, Edith, seven, Agnes, five – and two cats Frank and Margo. Alongside being a mother, she’s an author – currently writing a fictitious interview with a black British female on why she became a revolutionary and took up the baton for her cause. Sarah is also a co-founder of Make Motherhood Diverse.
Our mornings are … are filled with the calmness of meditation, enjoyment of breakfast interfused with the mad dash to make the school gate before it closes, without forgetting anything.
I’d describe our house as … a tardis in which everyone fits, a hub of activity where you will never get bored and it is a very loud space with never a dull moment.
My kids mainly wear … what they choose to. Their outfits normally consist of clashing bold patterns and one-off statement pieces: girls after my own heart! I draw the line at hotpants on the trampoline in the snow, though.
I cope with clutter by … limiting the ebb and flow of the stuff that enters into our house. Once it gets through the door it tends to be there for life! With four children comes a lot of arts and crafts, nik naks and general tat – therefore, it has to be managed!
Our favourite family meal is … almost always an adventurous, flavoursome one pot meal of some kind: risotto, casserole or curry.
I never leave the house without … my coat, because even during the summer months I am cold. Everything else – even my phone – is negotiable.
When no one’s looking I … dip 100% dark baton chocolate into my green tea, don’t judge!
Having a child has made me … intensely reflective, analytical and given me the ability to have a deep dark sense of humour.
I encourage creativity … because it is a spark and joy that everyone should possess in one form or another. It does not begin and end with arts and crafts and we all have a special gift to offer. I encourage my children to look for theirs.
I’ll never be able to part with … my thirst for knowledge – I always want to read, learn and create.
Bedtime tends to be … the time when the kids realise that all the important things they needed to complete for the day have now become a top priority – and that they cannot sleep without completing them – be that reading War and Peace, writing War and Peace or acting out War and Peace.
When all else fails we … cuddle and hold each other close with no intention of letting go.
Follow Sarah Gregory on Instagram: @srosegregory