SingaporeMotherhood | Parenting
April 2015
She Spins, she Twirls, she Writes. Meet Jasmine Han of I’m Not Perfect. I’m A Mom
Frankly, it’s shocking.
“My husband has never seen me perform,” says Jasmine Han, 36, owner of Slap Dance Studio <http://www.slap.sg>, where women of all ages (as long as they’re over 21 years of age), shapes, and sizes learn to slink, strip and saunter, and to twirl themselves around shiny metal poles.
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“He’s very conservative!” the 36-year-old stage whispers, eyes large and innocent. Her husband, a 49-year-old Irish man, works in the oil rig building business.
Well perhaps he’ll read her book.
After all, Jasmine the dancer is also fun mum to two adorable, crazy-haired toddlers, and the co-author of a non-conventional parenting book that will be out in stores 10 April.
I’m Not Perfect. I’m A Mom is a labour of love between Jasmine and her co-author Shelly Holly.
The two mums met by the pool where their children were having swimming lessons. Several playdates and much conversation later, they realised that they shared many similar pregnancy and parenting experiences, decided to marry these, and the idea of a book was conceived.
When I was pregnant I read a lot of parenting and pregnancy books, and realised that all of them were written by women in other countries. Where were the local ones?
Less than a year later, I’m Not Perfect. I’m A Mom was born.
The book is described as “a hilarious book about parenting, marriage, sex, husbands, and friends” in its maketing material.
With chapter titles like ‘Pick my boobs up from the floor’ and ‘I thought I knew it all, and then I had a kid’, this sounds like a book that every new mother should have — if only for the fact that it could possibly help chase away the post-natal blues.
“It’s rude,” Jasmine warns. Perfect!
How Did She Do It?
So with two children (then) under the age of three, one thriving business to run, and no domestic help, how did she do it? “By being very organised!” Jasmine (who had aspirations of becoming a broadcaster when she was young), tells us.
“I started by writing notes in my phone. Everything went into my phone. And when I had time — even if it was just 15 minutes — I’d transfer it into the computer. Type fast!
I have my mum who sits with the kids two afternoons a week for a few hours while I teach my classes. Then my hubby comes home to tend to the kids when I teach in the evenings (twice a week) and one morning each weekend.
Second, don’t be too fussy. Your home does not need to look super organised or well stocked up all the time. Just so long as it is clean and the family does not go hungry or thirsty (for too long), that’s all right.
I do the floors and countertops three times a week, send out the towels and sheets to be laundered (delegate and pay if you can afford it) and swiffer lightly a few times each day. It only takes a few minutes. My husband is very domesticated, so that helps a great deal. He is my Clark Kent!
LastIy and most importantly (luckily), I am able to work from home (or any place with an Internet connection) most of the time. I can take my kids to the studio when I’m looking after reception, when there are no classes running.
Being able to be a hands-on mummy is a privilege. It is what you choose to make of it. Some may look at it as being a chore for the majority of the time, others may see it as a joy for the majority of the time. I am probably one of the luckier ones as I see it as the latter.
Do people get excited when you tell them about your business?
The studio is a very important part of my life. We have 500 students who range from 21 to 60 years of age. At least 80 per cent of them are local. It’s not just a job, it’s a joy as well. I got lucky here in that I have a great team of people and we all work very well together. There is always plenty of moral support all of the time.
My biggest thing is to surround myself with the right people, like-minded people, people who can take hardship, who are emotionally independent, and who have some sort of common sense.
I am not one who needs time away from my kids, my husband, or my work as I see joy in what I do. So balancing it all is pretty simple; just prioritise what is important to you.”
I’m Not Perfect. I’m A Mom ($24.90) will be available in bookstores from 10 April 2015. You can also sample and pre-order the book here. Watch Jasmine and Holly talk about the book here.
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