Super Mama Series: Pamela Jones
PHOTO CREDIT: SWEET PEA PHOTOS
Welcome to the Super Mama Series! I created this as a way to showcase actual messy-but-beautiful lives of women who are mothers and live creatively. By no means are any of us perfect, but we are striving to do our very best. Super Mamas are women who mother sacrificially, love deeply, and acknowledge their weaknesses gracefully.
Meet Super Mama Pamela Jones (PJ); mama to Ollie, and owner of Pemberley Jones, an online shop for natural and organic beauty products. She’s also an esthetician who loves to draw, decorate, cook, and drink wine.
ON WORKING FROM HOME
"I want to be brutally honest here for the sake of other work-at-home moms who are struggling. Owning a business and being the sole-caretaker during the day is really, really hard. It’s not how I would have planned it but it’s how it has to be for now. My day is based around Ollie’s schedule, so every day is different. I don’t always track or even manage all of my responsibilities as well as I’d like to and as Ollie is still a baby, he needs a lot out of me. Every day right now is pretty full and I don’t always feel that “super.”
With that said, my ideal day, and I have had many of them, goes like this: I play with Ollie in the morning, and try be really present with him so that I don’t feel guilty when I have to be less attentive later on. When he goes down for his first nap, I get to work on emails, scheduling social media, taking photos for the site, ordering inventory, etc. When he wakes up I pack orders in my office while he jumps happily in his jumper. Sometimes we fit a play date in before that second nap where I get more work done. All of this is of course split up by feedings and cries for attention.
At night after he goes down, I catch up on social media, mainly on instagram and twitter. There are plenty of weekends that I’m writing marketing emails, etc. It’s A LOT of work! It’s a very imperfect system, but I’m lucky to be able to do both. In fact, that’s probably the best reward, despite how hard it can be some days."
ON MOTHERHOOD
"Becoming pregnant was a total surprise, and my mom gave me the best advice, which I of course rolled my eyes at at the time. I was panicking about how I would handle the business I had just started and raising a child. My mom said to me, “It won’t matter. You’re gonna love that baby so much that it will all be fine.” I was seriously annoyed by that advice at the time. It made no sense! I thought it was was infuriating and dismissive of the very scary reality I was facing. But she was right. You love your baby so much that you just figure it out and things fall into place. Stupid, right? It’s true.
PHOTO OF OLlie, COURTESY OF PAMELA JONES
Every moment and every brainwave is split for me right now. There’s what’s going on in front of me, and then Ollie, Ollie, Ollie! You have your eye or your mind on your child every second, whether you're with them or not. I think you can put yourself into the shoes of other moms more easily so you suddenly have more empathy for families everywhere. It can be overwhelming too, but I remind myself that it’s temporary, or at least this level of intensity while they are young is hopefully temporary! I have so much more respect for moms now. You don’t understand the sacrifices they make until you’re making them yourself. (Thanks mom, love you!) When Ollie smiles at me or laughs, every crappy day or tough moment I’ve had melts away and puts life in perspective again. I know that sounds so cheesy but it’s so true!"
ON QUALITY TIME
"I have always been an artist, but after starting the business I stopped doing anything “artsy” outside of photography and design for the business. I recently got back into drawing and I’m making abstract patterns and things that I’ve never drawn before, so that’s got me really excited. Doing something totally different and unexpected has a way of energizing you. When you make something that surprises you, you just want to do it again and again!
[On an ideal Saturday] the weather is perfect so it starts with a family walk into town for coffee, the farmers market, and a trip to the record store in the morning. In the afternoon Ollie naps a ton so that we get to do a house project or have some time to draw or read. Then my husband and I enjoy a great meal (we love to cook!) with a nice bottle of wine. Doesn’t that sound great? I hope I get to experience it again soon!
We recently visited family in South Carolina and it was heavenly. My sister in law just moved into a pretty log home with live oaks and spanish moss everywhere. It was dreamy! We love it there."
ON MUST-HAVE BEAUTY PRODUCTS
"I love Apoterra’s Hydrating Rose Toner, Skin Owl’s Mangosteen oil (it really helps when my skin looks as tired as I feel!) and Kahina’s Eye Serum-- I live for this stuff. [I wear] Alima Pure’s Lip Tint in Petal when I’m in a rush. I’m also loving Agent’ Nateur’s deodorant so much right now. It works great and it smells so good that it’s become kind of a highlight in my routine!"
ON HER FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK
"Little Owl’s Night, by Divya Srinivasan. I love the illustrations, and it’s such a sweet little story. It’s also the first book I ever read to Ollie and he loves it."
ON HER SIGNATURE STYLE
"Jeans, tunic, black boots. I have no creativity right now in the fashion department! Having a baby changed my body and my priorities so I’m in a bit of a rut with style right now. It’s just easiest to keep things simple!"
AND WHAT SHE ALWAYS RECOMMENDS
"Skin Owl Lavender Drops for acne, Meow Meow Tweet Baking Soda Free deodorant (I think switching to a natural deodorant is really important), and Benecos Natural Mascara." All available on pemberleyjones.com!