HoneyKids' new Editor, Tracy Tristram fills us in on all things unicorn hair, Koh Samui weddings, grumpy teens and what's cooking for the future at HoneyKids HQ...
You’ve seen her byline, you’ve met her at HoneyKids fantastic events in Singapore, strutting her stuff on stage and making sure everything’s going swimmingly, and now it’s time to meet HoneyKids’ new Editor, Tracy Tristram for real. We get her to dish out her secrets and give us a sneak peek into what’s next for HoneyKids in another of our parent exposés.
Hi, Tracy! You’re Honeykids’ new editor. How does it feel?
Hello, Sheralyn!
Honestly? It feels like I am doing what I was meant to be doing all along! Writing professionally was a career change for me at the grand ol’ age of 40 and I’m really grateful that Chris, Selina et al took a chance back then on a mum who wanted to return to work so she could pee in peace and eat lunch without having to share.
Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
Well, I like sleeping, writing, eating, travelling, drinking cocktails, Netflix, hanging out with the fam, tattoos (I have five), seeing friends and reflexology. The order of preference depends on my mood.
I’ve been with my lovely hubby, Lee, for nearly 20 years (we were a holiday romance that kept on going) and married for 12 years… It took him a while to get around to making an honest woman of me (eight years AND a son to be precise). We wed in front of 30 friends and family on the beach in Koh Samui, thinking we were being exotic, and then moved to Asia the following year.
Together we have three kids (age 16, 10 and six years) and two dogs – Alice, a grumpy old shihtzu and Luna, a 10-month-old Singapore Special (who we adopted thanks to a chance Instagram post).
We arrived on Singapore’s sunny shores 11 years ago when Lee was offered a relocation, and we jumped at the chance to give life overseas a shot. I stayed home with the kids for the first seven years here, and joined HoneyKids just over three years ago, after a friend tagged me in a Facebook post! (Thanks, Nicky!).
I grew up in…
A village near Solihull in the UK until I was 12-years-old, and then my parents moved the family to Essex (near London) when I was in second year senior school. It was, erm, character building. And I learnt to change my accent pretty quick.
As a child, I was…
Incredibly small. My nickname was Titch for years. I was also pretty precocious and rather partial to anything shiny, flouncy and glittery. I was the original Fancy Nancy. Even now I have a penchant for hair that would do a unicorn proud. This is something that horrifies my teenager and elates my younger two in equal measures.
Motherhood to me is…
Challenging. I love my kids, but parenting is really hard. My three are such different ages that it can be pretty exhausting dealing with teenage dramas one minute and a preschooler’s tantrums the next.
I wish I knew…
How to do maths word problems. They confound me completely and it’s rather embarrassing that I can’t help my kids with their maths homework. I am truly diabolical at maths. Off the scale bad.
I can’t live without …
My morning cup of English breakfast tea with a dash of milk and two sugars. It literally fuels me between school runs, dog walks and my dash to the office. I would also be rather loathe to give up chocolate, reflexology and the odd cheeky curry.
Right now I am reading/watching…
I would love to say something highbrow and intelligent, but I am currently watching Poldark (be still my beating heart) and reading The Girl You Lost by Kathryn Clark, one of my fave thriller writers. I’ll read pretty much anything someone recommends to me. I also have dreams of one day being a published author myself, but I just haven’t had time to edit the novels I have written thus far. #ironic
What I absolutely love about Singapore is…
How wonderful it is to live here as a family. The safety and the year round decent weather are huge plus points for me. It’s also the perfect location for hopping off for family vacays whenever we can. Oh, and I have to give a huge shout out to the MRT! Having battled my way into London every day from the ‘burbs for 15 years on the London Underground, it never ceases to amaze me how fantastically Singapore has nailed the train system.
One thing I haven’t tried yet is…
Proper durian. I did try a cream puff once, years ago, but Sheralyn says it doesn’t count. I am immune to the smell these days but I just can’t bring myself to eat it. I also haven’t ever tried driving here! I leave it to taxi uncle.
My kids are…
Mostly cool but they definitely have their good and not-so-good moments.
Jack is about to start a psychology diploma at MDIS, and is a pretty decent, caring chap when he’s not being an obnoxious typical teenager.
Angelica is perhaps the kindest human being on earth. I’ll be devastated if she turns into a teen brat in the coming years, and really hope she stays lovely always.
Rafferty is a whirlwind of menace and adventure all rolled into one kooky package. He makes me laugh a lot. He wants to be the King of Egypt one day.
A milestone I’m most looking forward to is…
Having all my kids on the same school term times and hours! It’s never going to happen but a girl can but hope (I have one in international school, one in local school and one in local kindy at the mo).
Finally: What can our readers expect from you?
We’re really trying to bring more parent interviews, cool finds, magic moments and expert tips to HoneyKids, and let’s not forget our events space which is growing hugely right now. I am very lucky to have a top notch team to work alongside, so there are always plenty of great ideas being turned into stories thanks to our morning catch ups.
If you’ve got a story to share, get in contact at [email protected]. We’ve got tons of exciting things in the pipeline, so don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter so you’re kept in the loop!
Thanks Titch…er, Tracy! Looking forward to reading more from you!
Like this story? Here’s more we think you’ll enjoy:
Juggling motherhood and a career: can women really have it all?
52 mum time moments to bring back a little weekly peace
Returning to work: a glorious comeback or the highway to hell?
14 ways to be a kid for the day
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