Welcome back to the second in my cuppa with series. I hope you enjoyed having a cuppa with Ruth last week - I had mine in a mini eggs mug that I may have stolen from my son last Easter....  But thank you for coming back and I have another great interview lined up for you, enjoy! 

It's really nice to meet you - please introduce yourself to us all! 
I'm Naomi, a 33 year old blogger and English teacher, originally from Somerset.

Where do you live and what do you like/loathe about it? 
I now live in Lancashire (a long way from Somerset) and I absolutely love it. We moved here nearly 2 years ago after 10 years of living in Manchester, and every day I am glad that I get to love in a place that is so beautiful. 

How many kids do you have? 
Two: Ben, aged 3, who is superhero obsessed and Samuel, aged 6 months, who thinks that sleep is for the weak.

What is the best thing about motherhood for you? 
I didn't expect to enjoy my children so much. I mean, I knew I would love them and wanted them, but I actually really enjoy spending lots of time with them and doing things with them. Since becoming a mother for the second time, I've been amazed at how much they have loved each other without any prompting - they are absolutely devoted to each other. 

And what is the worst thing?! 
There are some days when you feel that you can't get anything done as their demands are relentless. There are other days when you just want to speak to another adult. It can be quite isolating and lonely if you don't make the effort to get out and about. 

How do you try to help your children connect with God and the bible?
We talk about God a lot, and go to church each week. We read the Bible and pray before bed each night. Over Lent, we really enjoyed doing 40 Acts of Kindness. 

What is your "mission-field" at the moment? 
It's definitely other mums. I'm currently on maternity leave so I'm not working at the moment, but I have made a lot of mum-friends recently, and I'm always honest and open about my faith.

I am also really passionate about helping people to grow in their faith. I write notes for our church's small groups sessions which encourage discipleship. 

What causes or activities are you particularly passionate about and why?
Anything to do with education, particularly educating those who are disadvantaged. Nelson Mandela once said that 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world', and I completely agree with this. We sponsor a child through Compassion, which is an amazing, life-changing charity. 

Perhaps more personally, I'm very concerned about the unrealistic demands placed on teachers at the moment - I really feel we are heading towards a crisis in education, and we're losing our best teachers. I'm not sure what to do about it though! 

Where do you blog and what do you blog about? 
I blog about our life in Lancashire, with recipes, activities, crafts, organisational hints and tips, and musings on life in general. I'm over at http://lifebynaomi.com 

Thanks so much for having a cuppa with me!

Lovely! Thank you! By the way, I was actually drinking tea while writing this :)

Love Naomi

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