Aaaaah parenthood..

Almost 3 months in and I have come to notice some significant changes to my personality and life.. Aside from the obvious addition of a baby, of course!

1. The question "what day is it?" Is almost used with as much regularity as "how are you?". 

2. Major Achievements now include: getting a load of washing on..Major Bonus points for dried, folded AND put away; getting dressed before 11am, Major Bonus points for having eaten breakfast by then too.. Being able to have an adult conversation with more words than 'charades-style' actions. Not talking about poo.. Or nappies.. In a conversation.

3. I automatically recite that 'special weight', with metric conversion, date, time and height as though saying my own name.. Which I have, however, forgotten once or twice.

4. My idea of fun also includes two words: Getting.. Sleep!

5. I now have an intricate packing and unpacking system before I go out, with 'must-haves' included as a standard.. Not lipstick, flats, band-aids and pillow feet.. No, wipes, spare baby clothes and nappies.. And I get immense joy when I get the numbers and ratios right, more than once in a row! (Have recently started to pack a spare top for me also, high 5!!)

6. I have an alter ego that speaks in high, sing-songy English and tells people what I (aka Mummy) and Stella (aka The Bubba) would like, want or need. She's extremely bossy, but super friendly all at the same time..!

I wonder what the next 3 months will bring, here's to parenthood.. The Joys, The Laughs, The Unforgettable, Immeasurable Moments.. Here's to what we live for.. The Loves of Our Lives, Our Kids! 

The Answer is Hope

What was left when everything else had flown out of Pandora's box? Hope..

This advert is exactly that, and my hope is that people will begin to live their lives just a little more like the man featured here.. That is all it takes to stop wars.. The smallest of kind gestures.

Watch..

http://youtu.be/cZGghmwUcbQ

Becoming a mother is like..

So I've been thinking of how to best describe it to my childless mates, as we only were hear the cliche's and they NEVER seem to come close.. After seeing a very close friend and his family on Sunday, and their looks of disgust/sympathy when I answered truthfully about the new "night's sleep" of 4hr avg.. It surprised me as I'm honest having a blast!! So then I realised.. In non kid terms, having one, to me, is like going out on a random night out, knowing you should probably head home, but deciding to stay our anyway, and then meeting the most incredible person, whom you chat and dance and generally have a ball with.. You go home eventually, an wake up the next day, after 2hrs sleep, but still buzzing with excitement and the thoughts of endless possibilities that the future may hold for further adventures with your new found soulmate.. That is what it is like, for me, every, single, day! It's the most wonderful gift I've ever been given, motherhood, and I think that's because I was in some ways so fortunate to have many experiences, bad/good/painful/uplifting which taught me to savour each moment and know that life is a gift in itself, that's most certainly not a promise.. So I enjoy each and every moment, and stop to bask in it's sweet glow, knowing with all my might, the depth of its beauty, fleeting and fragile as it may be. xx

Jar of Power

I had this idea today after 3 busy days, 2 of which had me skip breakfast and feeling like I was in lala land or going to faint.. Not good for me OR bub, so I am putting a stop to it, and this is how..

With my gorgeous, stylish, practical Jars of Power!

In mine I have the following bought from Woolworths and Target (Mason Jar set of 6)

For each Jar of Power you will need:

125g of Swiss Bircher Muesli

1tbsp Super Acai Powder

1tbsp Quinoa Flakes

1.5 tbsp of Chia Seeds

1.5 cups of unsweetened almond milk

2 tbsp of Raspberries (I used frozen, but fresh is always best)

2 tbsp of Blueberries

2.5 tbsp of Greek yoghurt

1/2 tbsp of LSA mix

1 tsp of natural honey.

Place Bircher Muesli in the jars, then later your Acai, Quinoa and Chia seeds on top. Pour 1-1.5 cups of unsweetened almond milk into your jars, the almond milk ought to be 'flush' with the level of mixture when you initially pour it, not less, and not so much that you drown it and cannot see it any longer. Then spoon in your raspberries, they should completely form their own, single layer, add as many as required. Then spoon in your yoghurt, I used a honey, sweetened one, add your blueberries, sprinkle your teaspoon of LSA on top, and a dash of honey. Voila! Put in fridge overnight, or if you make all 6, as I did, for the week! 

The beginning.. 8 weeks after birth

This is me now, currently my beautiful baby girl is 8 weeks old. I had put on just over 20kgs during my pregnancy. I have been walking about 2-5 times a week, up to 2.5km, but sometimes making a km would be an achievement! I have been Breastfeeding exclusively since Stella was born, drinking as much water as possible, at least 2-3L per day, and eating as much fruit and veg and protein (eggs, dairy and chicken mostly) as I can, in between looking after my often vocal (don't know where she got that from) baby. 

I find my abs and back, and what sometimes feels like my organs, get really sore if I do lots of walking or lifting, so I try to limit my exercise to low-moderate mostly, with perhaps one big walk a week currently.

I feel pretty great though to be honest, I love my baby, I take each day as it comes, some days I feel better than others, I try to get out of the house every day, but some days we just have very quiet, 'catch up' days, and mostly, I'm just so incredibly grateful for the experience that I'm living! 

Check out my next post for the exciting and 'mummy saving' breakfast idea I had today.. xx Kate