Blog Post
Self Care Sunday
Milly Fyfe • Mar 12, 2023
Top tips from multitasking farming mums. That was the title of the piece I’ve been featured in for the 10th March 2023 edition of the Farmers Weekly.
As a busy mother of two young boys, living on a working farm, supporting my farmer husband, having creative projects and running my own business, there isn’t much time for me.
However I am a strong advocate for self-care.
Because if I’m not well or firing on all cylinders, then I can’t care for my boys, my husband, support my clients or represent the farming industry with my ambassadorial work.
So here are just a few of my top tips to help with positive mental health, which provide me with the ability to spin those plates.
- Making a conscious effort to consider self care in your daily / weekly routine. We can be too wrapped up in the fact that we are ‘busy’ but factoring in some time each day to stop, pause or reflect is a positive step.
- Go for a walk. You may have seen the campaign #WalkWithMe which was instigated by a good friend of mine Chris Manley. Well, like Chris, I make time to go for a walk in the middle of the day. This helps me to get away from my screen, helps me to appreciate the world around me and I often bump into a neighbour to have a quick chit chat. I also find that ideas come into my head when I walk as I’ve allowed my brain to do something else. It’s when I can be most creative and inspired.
- Meal plan. I’ve got into a habit of thinking ahead to what I’m going to cook. That way I can remember to get things out of the freezer or throw things into the slow cooker in the morning so I’m not under pressure when the kids come back from school and are ravenous. You can find a few of my recipes on my food blog No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents.
- Drop the bar. Sometimes it is OK to have beans on toast or turkey dinosaurs for tea. We are not superhuman and sometimes meals like these really save the day.
- Make a list. At the end of each day I work out what is going to happen the next day and make sure I’m prepared for it. This could be working out what work task I will complete first when I get into my office which makes me more focused or productive. Or thinking that when I’ve done the school run I should pop to the post office or run a few errands.
- Share your calendar. My husband and I have synced our outlook calendar so we know who is doing what and when. We also have a white board calendar on the fridge which I fill in on a Sunday night which helps to remind us what the children are doing, where I’m going to be. I’ve also got the weekly meal plan on their too.
- Exercise. After having the children, I have had a lot of complicated health issues. So attending a weekly pilates class has helped me to build up my core strength, but I also get an hour of ‘me time’.
- Make time for your family. Our children are growing up fast and I’ve made sure that my husband is a big part of their lives, rather than living to farm. Of course during busy periods such as lambing and harvest this might be difficult. But having a family holiday or an afternoon in the garden for a kick around and ice-cream will be what the kids remember.
People often say to me ‘Milly I don’t know how you do it’.
And whilst I’m not saying that every day is a breeze, especially as I live in chronic pain. Having a few boundaries in place, the ability to say ‘no’ when other people might be adding to the pressure, and make self-care part of your routine, are all positive steps to help manage what life throws at you.
You can read the full article from the Farmers Weekly here: https://www.fwi.co.uk/farm-life/top-tips-from-three-multitasking-farming-mums
Other News / Blog Stories
Northamptonshire Farming Entrepreneur Milly Fyfe® ARAgS will head up a new radio show called ‘Tastes of the Shire; exploring Northampton’s food and farming scene from field to fork’ airs for the first time on Saturday 1st June. The show will feature a variety of interviews with grassroots farmers, producers, makers and foodies from Northampton and the surrounding countryside, to discover what is made, produced, sold and available to enjoy around the local area. Milly commented ‘I have a real passion for sharing amazing stories interviewing inspiring people who grow, rear, and process the food and drink we can enjoy, found right on our doorstep. I hope to take you all on a culinary journey exploring the people behind the farm gate, shop counter, restaurant kitchen and factory wall to discover what makes Northampton taste great.’ The show launch coincides with Northamptonshire Food and Drink Week , which is a campaign to bring people together to celebrate the food and drink scene across the county. Available on 106.9FM, NLive Radio is Northampton’s local radio station and hosts a variety of different music, business and specialist shows including Open4business, 90’s, R&B, rock and the Golden Hour. Station Manager Martin Steers commented ‘We are very excited to welcome a new food and farming show to our station, packed full of engaging conversations with local businesses, producers and food brands. Milly has really grasped the opportunity and we hope that many people tune in to learn more’. The Tastes of the Shire radio show with Milly Fyfe will air on the 1st Saturday of each month, 3-5pm on NLive Radio, the station that loves Northampton. Notes Who is Milly Fyfe ® ARAgS? Milly is from Yelvertoft ( Northamptonshire) and farms with her husband Andrew alongside their two young sons, where they rear beef cattle, sheep, arable crops a few pigs and a kitchen garden. Milly has a background in Marketing and PR and also founded a social enterprise called No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC , helping more people to cook from scratch using local, seasonal produce. In 2023, Milly was awarded an associateship from the Royal Agricultural Societies , farming’s equivalent of an MBE, for her work connecting consumers with UK food production. She is also the current NNBN Northamptonshire business person of the year, a silver Local Food Hero through Northamptonshire Food and drink awards, has a podcast called The Countryside Kitchen meets and was recently recognised by Small Business Britain as a top 100 female entrepreneur in the UK. You can find out more about Milly on social media using the handle @ MillyFyfe on Twitter and Instagram or @MillyFyfeOfficial on Youtube , Facebook and Tiktok . About NLive radio NLive Radio is the local radio station for all the people of Northampton, it operates under a not-for-profit community radio license from Ofcom which is held by and run in partnership with the University of Northampton. All the presenters are volunteers made up individuals from across the community, including staff and students from the University. The station broadcasts on 106.9fm across Northampton, online at nliveradio.com and it's on dedicated smart phone app, as well as on smart speakers via “Launch N Live Radio”
Somerset and former politician Neil Parish launches a new podcast today
A collaborative farming industry event taking place on 27th February at 1 birdcage walk with TIAH, CARAS, IAGRM, FCN and the Farmers Club under 35's
Here is is the 2 minute clip which was produced and shared across social media to highlight the harvest on our farm - Enjoy!
