Welcome back to another installment in our new series – I’m A Mom With Tattoos. In case you have missed the last couple, don’t forget to check them out here.
My Mom in law has put in a leave day today, so I’ll be running around on school runs, entertaining a busy toddler and doing more school and ballet run arounds today. I know this is normal for a lot of Moms, but I kind of love these short glimpses into “Stay At Home Mom”ness.
Today we meet one of my favourite people on Twitter. With both our boys named Knox and Traceys latest and most adorable addition to the family being called Zac, we share a kindred spirit of baby naming (if we had another boy Zac would have been his name). Besides this, she is a genuinely fabulous person and I am so chuffed to have her share her story here.
Your name and blog deets: Tracey-Leigh Preston
Your age: 38 in September
Your Occupation: Freelance Graphic Designer
A Mom’s favourite thing to do is talk about their children – tell us about your family: We are a blended family, with this being both Luke and my second marriage. We each have a gorgeous kiddie from our first marriages and two from our marriage together. Four…FOUR KIDS!! We’re thrilled, we now have a full pit crew, should we wish to go racing. We have a different view on family. We believe that those who accept your love and respect and love and respect you back are most definitely your “family”, we’re not big believers in blood bonds holding you together. We refer to our motley crew as our TRIBE.
- Luke Preston – @PluckyLuke – 33 – Writer/Thinker/Car nut
- Tracey-Leigh Preston – @Pixelslave – 37 – Designer/Wannabe fulltime Mommy/Nutella devotee
- Jemma Gabriella (Noodle) – 12 – Passionate horse lover/intent bookworm/MASSIVE drama queen
- Vaughn Luke (Mr V) – 6 – BIG TIME tennis fan/Proud Garvs mini rugby player/Ninja Turtles buff
- Knox Oliver (Knoxling) – 17 months – Drooler of volumes/ Gabbler of plenty/Crusader with a toilet brush
- Zac Luca (Mouse) – 5 weeks – Gummy Smiler/Prolific hiccuper/Last edition to our tribe
If you work, tell us a bit more about your working environment – are you regularly in contact with new “clients/public”: I’m a freelance Graphic Designer…. For now. I have been doing this since I was 19 and have been wanting to change paths for a while now. I work from home, so with two little people in the house at the moment it’s pretty much a three ring circus! I do love what I do and am passionate about keeping my clients happy, but really want to invest some time into learning a new skill. I want to get stuck into textile design and kick my illustration skills back up again. I miss working with my hands. So hopefully I will be able to eak a few hours a week for myself between the kids and work to steer myself onto a new path in the next few years. Let’s face it, have you ever seen a designer in their 60’s? No, that’s because we all magically dissapear when we hit 40. This industry is not very forgiving when it comes to age, and at 38, I’m teetering on the brink of vanishing 😉
Tell us a bit about your tattoo’s, what they are, why you have them, where they are located:
My only tattoo is just inside my right hip, on my lower belly. I designed it myself, it’s a tribal dragon (because I like that style, yes, even if it’s “uncool” these days, my body my choice). I also realise that dragons and tribal are worlds apart, but juxtoposing the two was important for me. My chinese birth sign is a fire Dragon. So I mixed something I found attractive, with something I wanted to be (Fierce, strong and yes, perhaps I was keen to be able to breathe fire) I got it shortly after leaving a very controlling relationship and for me it was a way of reminding myself that I was strong enough to leave.
How old were you when you got your first tattoo: 28
Which tattoo is your favourite and why? Being my only, I love it. I still smile if I catch a glimps of it.
Do you plan on getting more? I would love more ink yes! I’d love a small one on my wrist. I have tinkered with a few designs, but nothing I’ll put to skin yet.
How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Not many people have seen it in the flesh, so not many reactions to it. My husband loves it, and my daughter thinks it “very cool mommy, but I’m NEVER getting one”. Hahahaha. Never say never.
What is the general reaction that “the Public” have towards your tattoos? Have you run into any negativity or adversity because of them? I posted a belly pic once when preggie with Knox on Facebook and you could see my tat in the pic, and I got some lovely comments about it, nothing adverse
Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed? Just make sure you love it, it’s with you for life. Your body, your choice.
Remember to get in touch if you want to feature 🙂 (cindyalfino (at) gmail.com)