Month: December 2015

New year, new me? 

It’s approaching! It is that time of year when we begin to hear all the promises from people to become a better version of themselves in one way or another. It is also when out come the critics, having their say on how stupid they believe new year resolutions are.

What camp are you in? Are you for resolutions of against? Myself, I am for them and I make them, I think they are great incentive to try and stick to something or to change a habit that you are unhappy with. I don’t always follow through but I try and I find no harm in that. 
This year in fact, I truly hope to become a more organised, together woman. I feel like my house is always a mess and my head in the clouds trying to work out what way is actually up! 2016 brings part time work and study so I will have limited time for everything and I know that being organised (or at least attempting to be) will help me stay on top of it all, so I am truly inspired to try and stick to my resolution this year. 
I have always had a diary/planner. I am normally very good about knowing what I have coming up and filling in the days accordingly but since Rhemy come along that has gone out the window, so 2016 I am coming for you! 
What’s your New Years Resolution? Or do you think they are just a waste of time? Let me know below! 

Featured Image credit: http://www.mumcentral.com.au

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Do you use a baby bag? 

Anyone who knows me, would tell you I am massively into handbags. Some might say, I have an actual problem! So naturally when I fell pregnant the idea of getting a nappy (diaper) bag excited me! 

I began searching forums and reviews to find out what one would best suit my lifestyle. In the end, I purchased a beautiful Oroton bag which I believed to be functional and the perfect accessory for when my baby arrived. 

Fast forward 10 months or so (I bought it very early on in my pregnancy) and it isn’t getting the use it deserves or that I imagined it would. When I was breastfeeding I used it a lot. I put nappies, a change of clothes, spit rag, etc in and off I went. Now I am bottle feeding I seem to carry more bulky items that struggle to fit comfortably in the bag. 
The nappy bag is too big for the basket under my pram so I have to carry it when I have the pram and to be honest I find that to be a massive inconvenience! So now I just put a lunch bag (holding multiple bottles and formula powder) and a large clutch (with nappies, wipes, spit rag and a change of clothes) in the bottom of my pram and away I go. 

I know so many things on the many, many lists of what you need for a baby are not necessities but I truly didn’t think a nappy bag would be one of them. At least not for me! 
Do you use your nappy bag? Did you waste money on anything with your first born? 

Comment below and let me know I would love to feel better about myself haha! 

Transitioning a swaddler! 

Our five month old, has just began rolling and can even sit for small intervals. We are so proud of her milestones and it is so wonderful to see our little offspring develop and progress daily. 

What we don’t want is our cub to roll in her sleep while still in her Swaddle Up. So a week or so ago, we began the tedious task of transitioning her. The transition swaddles from Swaddle Up are genius and have made the whole ordeal much easier then we thought it would be. 

That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been without its complications. The first few nights after we removed the first arm we had a very interrupted sleep, with Rhemy waking herself up constantly. It was tiring but a success so we moved onto the second arm and that is where we are  right now…

3.30am and wide awake, talking to herself and truly doing anything to keep from drifting off to the land of nod. While I know past experiences have shown me after a couple of nights of this, we will be through the worst of it. I can’t say I’m not missing my sleep or a little grumpy that my little miss has decided that 3.30am is not only when she will be wide awake but so will her Mumma. 

How did you transition? What tactics worked? What didn’t? 

Let’s share and compare, below in the comments. 

Baby name trends! 

Naming our baby was a much harder task then either of us expected. My husband likes names slightly more conservative and myself, a little out there. We “vitoed” each other so many times, I thought that was going to end up being her name.

We settled on multiple names, to then change our minds a week later (okay my mind, I changed my mind)! There really was some goodies in there, so we have no intention of sharing, you know just incase the next one is a girl.

I have read so many articles relating to the trends of baby names, but I have to admit this this last trend has taken the cake. According to Baby Center  #instagrambabies is now a thing! Parents are naming their children after Instagram filters and other related editing apps. Now while some of the filter names are usable, Willow anyone? I am interested to see where our next naming inspiration comes from.

I completely understand the attraction of using a name from somewhere the majority wouldn’t expect, but I do have to wonder where do we begin to look next?

Now I have to say, I support everyone’s decision to name their child whatever their heart desires, it has long been the case that what one couple thinks is beautiful, another does not!

So I ask you, what do you think?

Is your next baby going to be called Valencia or is there somewhere else we can look for the names of future children?

Comment below!

What would your 10 year old self be proud of? 

When you look back on your life, what can you honestly say your ten year old self would be proud of? It doesn’t have to be ten years old, it could be thirteen, eight or even sixteen. It signifies a time when you had an idea or a plan of what your life would turn out like. When you weren’t afraid to dream and when you weren’t jaded from experiences in the ‘real’ world. 
I have given this a lot of thought and my ten year old self would be proud of a few things: 

Firstly, Rhemy! I know, I know how obvious but I always knew I would become a mother, I always wanted a daughter and I had to be young enough to enjoy her. So ten year old me, we did it 🙂 

Next is University. Not necessarily because I grew up knowing what I would be, but that I would study and continue learning throughout my life. I wanted to be educated in as many things as possible. Online learning has been a major reason why this has become a reality for me. I have done tafe certificates but deciding to go to Uni as a mature student is something I know ten year old me would be very proud of. 

Last but not least, my travel experiences. Now I haven’t seen everywhere, and there are so many places I am still dieing to see but I always wanted to see the world and I am certainly slowly ticking off all the cities and countries I want to visit. 

I’m sure there are many things in my life that ten year old me wouldn’t approve of, that as a child was not in the plan. But we can save those for another day. 
Now it’s your turn, comment below – tell me ! What would your ten year old self be proud of? 
Until next time 🙂 

Review: Closer To Nature Electric Steam Steriliser 

Today I thought I would review a product that is used in our house daily, our electric bottle steriliser! 

Made by Closer to Nature and purchased from Big W here in Australia for $199.00. The steriliser came in a set that included a bottle warmer, a dummy (pacifier for our USA friends), insulated bags for a single bottle and formula containers that hold enough powder for one bottle. 

The “extras” I could have lived without and I don’t feel like we needed to spend the extra money on the set and instead should have purchased the steriliser on it’s own. A single insulated bag is a waste and so are the formula containers. I use a lunch bag which holds multiple bottles and a third party formula container which holds three lots of powder. 

We do not need a bottle warmer! I don’t know about you, but have you ever been heating a bottle at 2am and have a screaming baby who does not care for the 4min wait for the water to be warm? I’m sure a lot of you have, and a lot of you probably have more patience than me! We were done with the warmer after a week and instead use the microwave to warm up her bottles! We heat the water first, add the formula and then shake well to minimise hot spots! 

I did my research and there was nothing that showed me enough evidence to say I shouldn’t use it! (Waiting for comments to say otherwise) So I did and I have to say 15-20 seconds has been a much more reasonable wait for little miss! 

Back to the steriliser, it has been a great buy and one I do not regret making. I did a lot of research before buying (can you sense a trend?) and wanted an electric one rather than a microwave one. 

Let’s start with the pros: I like that we have the steriliser set up all the time and that it is easily accessible while being out of the way (we have a lot of unused bench space). 

It holds 6 bottles and uses minimal water (80ml) a cycle and takes about 4 minutes to sterilise the bottles. We only use 6 bottles in a 24 hour period, and because Rhemy was EBF for the first 3 months we have never needed more. It’s easy to clean out, simple to use and even to move around, if required.
Now we will move on the cons: first and foremost, it is expensive! It is not a purchase every one can make or justify. Without the bench space we are lucky to have, it could be in the way and a pain to put away and get out as needed. You also need a spare power point which we know can be difficult to find. It is a steam steriliser so can be a hazard if you have older children and they must be aware of not opening the steriliser straight after cycles have finished. 

At the end of the day, you know if you want a steriliser, you know if you want it to be electric and you know what you can afford to spend. But if you are looking at the Closer To Nature one you will not be sorry. 

I have included a link for purchase if you are interested. https://www.bigw.com.au/product/closer-to-nature-electric-steam-steriliser/p/WCC100000000005675/ (please note it is also available from Target)

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me and I will endeavour to help you as best I can! 
Feature image credit to Big W online

November Favourites 

I watch a reasonable amount of YouTube and a lot of people on there do monthly favourites! So I thought it might be fun to share our monthly favs with you all! I have made a list for Rhemy & one for myself (cause mums are still allowed to love things outside of parenting – right!😜). Okay so let’s begin with baby. 


Rhemy’s Favourites in November: 

Scooby Doo: a puppet purchased by Rhemy’s Nan and Pop at Movie World thinkng it would keep her entertained/happy while we were there. This has ended up being the first toy she has loved. She snuggles him, chews him and just adores him. 

OBall (rattle ball): I bought this after a suggestion from one of the mothers in a mother’s group I am part of, after I was concerned about Rhemy not grabbing things. A concern that certainly isn’t an issue today. (Hello hair pulling, necklace pulling, face pinching) 

Dumbo Mat: We worked hard to get Rhemy to like laying on the ground. It wasn’t until we got this Dumbo mat from Target that she began to like it. Now she loves this mat she’s always grabbing its feet(?) and is so content playing on it. 

Doc McStuffins: Before anyone says anything, this is on in the background not something she stares at for hours on end but when this show comes on she is so happy talking to the television and happy squealing. 

Dummy Cords: We have these plaited leather ones that are made by me and they are a love hate thing. Rhemy (and I) love them because no more dropped dummy’s! However she grabs it and pulls out her dummy all the time, then is very unhappy when it happens! She’ll learn haha. 
Okay now Mum’s turn: 

Flower Crowns: If you have been on my Instagram lately then this is a pretty obvious one but I love Rhemy in flower crowns! I love making them for her, I love how beautiful she looks in them. I just love them!! 
Louis Vuitton 6 ring Azur keyholder: This was a present last thing in November but I am counting it. Sean bought this for me for our 2 year wedding anniversary! I love Louis Vuitton! This was my first Azur piece and I am over the moon! 
Diamond drop earrings: I haven’t been wearing earrings for a while and then I decided to give these a whirl and I have been wearing them ever since. They are a beautiful present from my parents on our wedding day and I think they are amazing! They are white gold, I am normally a rose gold girl but lately have been loving mixing golds! So I wear them with whatever is going!
Quay Australia My Girl Sunglasses: I never wear reflected lenses, but when I saw these glasses I knew I had to have them! They are huge and blue but they are incredible. Quay is such good quality at such a great price point! These will definitely not be my last pair! 
Birkenhead Kairo: Last but not least, my Kairos! I bought theses recently as I have been having issues with one of my feet, the arch has collapsed and I can not wear shoes with no support for extended periods of time. Enter my Kairos! I got them in black so I could wear them with everything and I do. Next time I will get a pair that I can just slip on, without having to buckle them on but they are worth the extra few minutes it takes to do so! Bye bye Havis! (not entirely) 
Now it’s your turn! Tell me, what’s been your fav things last month?