Their bright smiles, sandy blonde hair and equally toned bodies could easily have Tiffiny Hall and her mum Jeanette confused for sisters. The TIFFXO.com founder shares a strong bond with her mother, which now extends to include her son Arnold, 18 months. Speaking to WHO, the pair open up about what makes their relationship so special and how they’ll be spending this Mother’s Day.
How do you like to spend Mother’s Day?
TIFF: I’ve only had one Mother’s Day. And I was in the trenches of newborn – it was the baby stage, so I’m really looking forward to this Mother’s Day because Arnold’s a toddler. He’s understanding presents and he says “mamma” and he understands family.
JEANETTE: I usually like to cook and have as many of the family around as possible for a meal. Then we might go to the park afterwards. We would normally go for
a walk around the river.
TIFF: She’s such a great cook.
Jeanette, what’s different about being a grandmother to being a mum?
JEANETTE: This is really interesting because people used to say it was different, and I just didn’t understand how that could be. But there’s something very, very special, intrinsically, about being a grandmother. I think the word ‘rich’ is really a good way to describe it. I think that it’s because you see your children parent and you enjoy that. It also reminds you of what your children were like as little kids. It’s so precious.
TIFF: Arnold has such a special connection with his nanna. Oh my God. He loves her, his first word was “nanna”!
Has Tiffiny becoming a mum changed the dynamic of your mother-daughter relationship at all?
JEANETTE: A little, because we used to get together for dinners, but we can’t do that anymore. It really needs to be lunch because you need to work around their behaviour and children are better in the middle of the day, or after their morning or afternoon sleeps.
TIFF: Yeah, Arnold’s in bed early, so we have a lot more lunches than dinner now.
JEANETTE: Also quick, fast visits. My husband loves to go and take him for a swim, and that’s their thing and it’s great.
What’s been your proudest moment in Tiffiny’s life?
JEANETTE: It was amazing seeing her get married. The wedding day was fantastic because I knew you and Ed were so happy. Of course having Arnold was also amazing. Every artistic and academic achievement with Tiffiny has been pretty mind-blowing because she’s someone who sets her mind on something and then delivers.
TIFF: I said to my mum, “I’m gonna start my own business and it’s gonna be like I’m gonna train people on the internet!”
How has being a mum changed you, Tiffiny?
TIFF: I’m a very disciplined person and I love habits. I was really attracted to doing taekwondo and I was raised in the dojo with my parents and their martial arts school halls – and I love that discipline and structure. Then Arnold came along, and he blew up all that structure. I couldn’t do what I wanted, when I wanted. It was on Arnold’s schedule. And so I’ve become more flexible.
Would you like to have more kids at this stage?
TIFF: I went back to work very, very fast because I run my business, and because my business is me, I can’t hire or outsource. So I guess the hardest challenge is just feeling guilty. I feel like if I’m at work I’m being a bad mother, but if I’m at home I’m not giving to my business, so it’s very hard.
How do you two keep so fit?
TIFF: I do TIFFXO and I love martial arts. I believe that martial arts is transformative not just for the body, but also for the mind. Even if you only do five minutes of a martial arts based workout, it’s just as good for you as doing two hours of steady state cardio. I also don’t drink alcohol at all.
JEANETTE: I train every morning – it’s the first thing I do when I wake up. My lifestyle has always been healthy.
TIFF: She’s a fitness instructor.
JEANETTE: Taekwondo, pardon me.
TIFF: And you’re a black belt, Mum!
JEANETTE: It’s also what I cook and eat. Sometimes I’m a little bit of a plain cook and I do that deliberately. Not because of taste, I just like to eat clean and I love buying fresh food every day.
You can read the rest of the article in this weeks WHO magazine
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