24 hours in the life of Dorothy Tucker

CLAIRE ALLISON

Dorothy Tucker has owned Kidstuff for seven years, and is the mother of seven children, aged from eight to 25.

I generally wake up about 6.30 in the morning, so I get up and I try to get to the bathroom first. I don't want anyone beating me to the bathroom. We've got only one bathroom and six bedrooms.

I flick on the jug and the computer, check the headlines in The Timaru Herald, Timaru's weather, and Trade Me. So I have that little bit of computer time to get started.

I either get breakfast or my husband gets it for me. I've had the same thing for 27 years – Vogel's and a cup of tea. I even take Vogel's and Vegemite with me when I go overseas.

Then I start to make school lunches and make my own lunch as well, then tidy up and put washing through, fold washing and put dishes in the dishwasher.

I worked out I've been making school lunches for 20 years, and they all have different things. They probably have some of the best lunches – anything from salad sandwiches to jelly and fruit. It takes me 20 minutes at least to make six lunches – five children's lunches and mine. My husband, Andrew, is usually at home at lunchtime, so he gets his own.

And it's finding things for the kids, doing their hair, listening to all the different conversations, signing notes and things – it's just all that busy morning stuff.

My husband usually takes the kids to school. Sometimes he bikes with the first two to school, then he comes back and takes the next lot in the car.

Generally, at 9am we head out the door and he brings me to work. I come in and pick up where I left off the day before. Usually, I have Trade Me stuff, so I package that up and send it out.

I have a phone list to check with the different reps who are calling, stock starts to arrive, so I help get it out, see what needs to be reordered, and between serving people, restocking, ordering and meeting with reps ...

I'm very visual. I'm always watching and having a look around to see what we might need. The other day, I put on a pedometer and I walked 15 kilometres, just around the store.

I eat on the run. My staff all know that I don't sit down for lunch. I just manage to have something when it fits in. We've got two fulltime staff and two part-time.

Afternoons are usually geared around serving customers and reorganising things.

The business started by selling my children's things. Looking back, I accidentally started.

A friend had a secondhand shop, and I went to help her. Then I went out on my own, selling secondhand stuff, then started to buy in new products, and now it's all new.

All seven children were still at home – the twins were only babies then. Looking back, I must have been absolutely crazy.

My favourite part of it is probably the people – the people and the children, and I guess I like selling things. I'm a natural trader.

I look forward to it. You never know in a day what people are going to want, and I make it a bit of a mission to find what people want, so I do spend quite a bit of time researching products.

People call in, they phone, asking questions. It might be a problem with breastfeeding or toilet training.

I've had twins, I have a special-needs daughter, I've raised children through teenage years, I have a daughter who's a teacher, and I read books. I've got a lot of information in my head.

I don't know what else I'd do. I often have that conversation with my kids. The other day, I had to write out what I did in the past.

I was a waitress for eight years. I did that until I went into retail. This is my second time around.

I had a baby shop, then I had five more children, and I said I'd never go into business again. But in the meantime, no-one else had come along and done what I had done.

I've lived in Timaru all my life. I'm Timaru through and through. It's giving something back to the town you've been bought up in. My generation of mums is coming through now as grandparents.

I'm usually out the door at 5pm. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I head home and touch base with the family, then I pick up my swimming togs and I head to Century Pool. I do some laps and do the aerobics class, and then maybe I go down the hydroslide a few times.

Sometimes I take children, but they know I will be doing laps and aerobics, but they're welcome to join me on the hydroslide.

I go to Vibe on a Wednesday. That's just after work. So I'm only home for tea four nights a week. Something had to give. That's the best time of the day for me, because I'm still on the run. I haven't stopped.

After I've done my exercise, it's time to stop off and get groceries. It's just keeping it fresh for all the school lunches, milk and bread – the sheer numbers of us. I come home and unpack them, check in with the kids, and go on to Trade Me. That's my evening business. I enjoy it. It's quite addictive. I've done 5500 trades, so that's a few, isn't it?

I'll have a protein drink or something if I haven't had tea, because I don't eat after 8pm at night.

So my husband has learned to cook. Sometimes at weekends, I'd cook all the meals for the week, and he just has to heat them up and do the vegetables.

I cook my Dad's tea on a Sunday night and do some housework, and then go swimming after that.

I work on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm, and then go home and maybe have something to eat. I do Dad's shopping on Saturday. Last night, I went and had my swim and then went to get some photos printed off.

I Skype my two daughters who are living overseas. They come on when I'm ready to go to bed, wanting to hear what's happening in the town. I've also started doing some stuff on Facebook.

I was going to church every Sunday, but sometimes I take that time to do the market. I do some gardening, try to clean the house, or jump on the trampoline.

My time just flies. It goes so quickly. If somebody wants me to help them organise something, then I'm there.

On Monday night, I've got a business meeting. On Saturday night we're going to my sister-in-law's for Guy Fawkes. I have to try to fit them all in.

I'm already thinking out to next week. I'm fairly organised. I've been out today and bought a friend a birthday present. I fit it around little five-minute breaks here and there.

Christmas shopping is a little bit of stress, because I still buy for everybody. I sometimes use the internet, but I try to keep it local, and I like to think that people would do that in return.

We've adopted a granddad to help with the boys. He comes to the house six nights a week.

I like to read before I go to sleep. I enjoy a good novel, but it takes a bit longer to finish them now. I'm reading Growing Great Marriages at the moment. We've been married for 27 years, but I'm still open to learning new things.

Andrew's fantastic. He's hockey mad, and loves Tuesdays. He plays on three teams, and he's now got two of my girls into it.

I don't get a lot of social time, but that's why I'm going to Samoa with a friend – because we never have time to meet for a hot chocolate.

Some people are out there doing charity work. I did it with the bras and knickers, a fashion show.

There's a time and season for everything. Right now, it's providing for my family, and being the best parent I can be.

- © Fairfax NZ News