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Positive Affirmations for kids of all ages – including free printables!

What are positive affirmations? Basically they are ‘statements that affirm something to be true’ and by using positive affirmation cards for children you are allowing them to use positive, repetitive phrases to encourage and support positive thoughts and perceptions from a young age.

In this house we have recently  introduced our children to  positive affirmation cards. Miss R thinks they are fun and asks to do them and I feel that anything where we can support and encourage our children emotionally and guide their inner voice and self perception in a positive way is okay by me.

Affirmation cards contain simple positive phrases that are read to the child who is encouraged to repeat them back. If your child is able to read, then they should read them aloud to themselves. Some of the phrases these cards can include are, I’m a good student, I’m a great listener, I am kind etc. The less fancy and in depth they are, the simpler they are for children to follow and the more likely they are to do them all. Obviously cards are not needed and many of us say many positive things to our children every single day, however I find they make me acknowledge all their traits, and remind them of many positive attributes to their little developing personalities. Even if a child, does not believe the cards to begin with, the theory is over time the repetitiveness of the phrases get into their subconscious and the positive thoughts become their reality, and if I can contribute to allowing my children to lose any negative thoughts they have of themselves then I am one happy mama!

There are many companies that are now selling affirmation cards, books and posters that you can purchase such as Nuture Cards,  and there are also apps that provide digital copies.

If trying affirmation cards with you kids, is something you are interested in, I have included some free printables for my readers below, simply click on the link, print and use with your little ones.

I am perfect just the way I am

I am loved

I am a good friend

I’m kind to others

every problem has an answer

It’s so good to be back sharing with you all,  I have lots of new content scheduled for the next few weeks so please keep your eyes peeled. As always I love suggestions, so if there is anything you would like to see please comment below. At this stage I am planning a new post once a week, but hopefully that increases in time.

I would also love to know if anyone uses the printables, and how they go so please let me know.

BCM

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Mama’s beauty go-tos 

Hi everyone, 

Today I thought it would be fun to share the makeup I have been loving lately. Not because I am good at doing at my makeup (full disclosure I am not) but because these are products that work for me and ones I find extremely easy to use and thought maybe some of you may want to give something new a try. 

The first product is foundation:


Wet & Wild Photo Focus is my new all time favourite foundation – It’s medium coverage, feels lightweight and has a semi-dewy finish. I purchased from Crush Cosmetics for $15.00 and in my opinion you just can’t beat it!!! 
Next is bronzer 


Soleil Tan De Chanel – its a creamy, warm bronzer. It can be used as a base under your foundation or over the top. I use it in place of a traditional powder bronzer. On occasion I use it as an eyeshadow too. It’s a bit on the pricey side but it is a large container and will last ages & ages. I purchased from David Jones for $69.00
Next is an eyeshadow palette 

Marc Jacobs Beauty Style Eye Con in 204 Starlet – is a great every day palette with lots of colour choice and I like that it is small enough to fit in a makeup bag when travelling, yet still has a decent sized mirror. The payoff is gorgeous and I feel like a little bit goes along way. I purchased from Sephora for $89.00 (currently out of stock) 
Lastly is lipgloss & lipstick 

I love lipsticks and lip glosses and honestly my favourites haven’t changed for a very long time. My favourite lipstick is Chanel Rogue Coco hydrating lipstick in Rose Cosmete. Its a nice pale pink and one I feel comfortable wearing everyday. I can’t find this colour readily to buy, however I orginally purchased from David Jones and they still have a great variety of colours for $53.00 


My favourite lipgloss is Marc Jacobs Beauty Enamored Hi Shine lipgloss in the colour Sugar Sugar 312. It can be worn alone or over the top of lipsticks, I do both but love wearing it alone when I haven’t got any makeup on but want to look a little put together. This lipgloss was ‘free with purchase’ so is a dinky travel size however Sephora sell the full size for $42.00 and it will be a purchase I make once I run out of this little baby. 
What have you been loving lately? What’s your go to makeup items, I would love to know! In particular mascara, I have the hardest time finding a mascara I actually like. 

Until next time, 

BCM

Travelling with kids 

When we become parents we don’t wish to give up the opportunity to travel, however travelling with kids can be daunting and overwhelming to say the very least. Being a parent doesn’t mean you can’t travel, it just means you may have to travel slighlty differently. Taking the kids along on your holidays doesn’t have to be painful and I’ve got a few tips that might help! 


Personally we have only travelled by car with our little ones, they have yet to experience air travel. Travelling by car has its perks, in that we have an immediate way to get around the destination and we can stop whenever needed to give the kids a break. However just as car travel has its perks, it also has its negatives, such as the added length of time needed to reach the destination, the boredom the children face from being strapped in the car for hours and the lack of being able to move around without stopping and losing yet more time. 

I’ve found the best way to tackle travelling with kids has been organisation. It is impossible to have a smooth trip, without being adequately organised. I start packing days before we leave and have a huge checklist that I slowly tick off and even add to, as I remember other things we need. Having a 9 month old means we always take a portacot with us, it’s cumbersome and takes up a lot of boot space, however I don’t like relying on cots supplied from accommodation. It’s not always to our standards and is often forgotten. We pack bottles  half full of water for the car and a thermos of hot water to add to ensure the temperature is just right. I used to put formula into travel containers but found this unnecessary in the car, so I just have the whole tin in an easy to reach spot and add it straight from there. (I still pack our empty travel formula containers, to use while on holiday) 

We are lucky enough to have a dual screen DVD player in the car that was gifted to my eldest for her birthday and that thing has been a favourite since it was installed. It may not be everyone’s idea of entertaining children but it works for us. We also have toys in reach for the girls to play with and snacks upon snacks readily available at any given moment. 

We have a double pram and tend to pack that whenever we have the space, however an umbrella stroller and carrier can work just as well and take up much less space in the boot. Another thing we have found helpful when packing the boot is to pack the kids clothes in a small bag each and our clothes in one large bag, it allows us to make the most of the small available areas that always tend to appear when stacking a boot. 

Travelling with kids, toddlers and babies can be daunting and does mean that you usually travel with a lot of extra things but with a lot of organisation and smart use of the space in your car  it can be (nearly) painfree. 

We have yet to travel by air with the kiddies but the moment we do, I’ll be sure to share my tips on that too. If you have any tips please comment them below. If you have found my post helpful please like and share. 
Until next time 

BCM 

The terrible twos! 

The terrible twos, we’ve all heard of it, a lot of us have experienced it and others are dealing with it right now. But how terrible are the ‘terrible twos’? 

I’m the latter, I’m completely in the middle of the terrible twos, we’ve got the tantrums and the blantant disregard of rules. But is it terrible? No, I don’t think so, I think there is a lot more to a toddler than we realise. 

I know a lot of people think this generation is too soft on their kids, but I think that is utter bullshit. We may parent differently than older generations but it doesn’t mean it’s the wrong way to parent – it’s just that, different.

I think the terrible twos are the time in a toddler’s life we they are beginning to learn about their emotions and how to handle and process them correctly. I know even as an adult,  this can be an extremely hard skill to master. (Some days I totally want to throw myself on the ground when I don’t get my way) Feelings are difficult to understand and toddlers are experiencing new ones all the time. It can be really overwhelming to feel extremely upset about something that they aren’t able (allowed) to do simply because they are too young or small. And that’s where pushing the boundaries begins to come into it, once they realise that they are aren’t allowed to do certain things, such as take toys off their sister (I wonder who does that?!) they want to find out if that rule applies every time and to everyone or only in that particular situation – I guess it really is the best way to learn. 

So I say that for the most part the terrible twos are not actually ‘terrible’, they are simply the phase in a child’s life where they are beginning to understand their emotions and that they have to behave a certain way, and sometimes it just becomes way too much!

Of course I’m not saying sometimes children aren’t naughty – because they are (don’t I know it) but I don’t believe in saying a particular age is terrible. Lets be real, children can be naughty at any age! 
Until next time, 

BCM

Baby names we love but won’t be using… part 2 

Hi again, 

Last year I shared baby names we love but won’t be using and thought that I’d do it again, seeing as we had another visit to the baby books for our newest baby and had to go through the naming process all over again. (Isn’t that one of the hardest parts of having a baby) 
1.


This was a name my husband wanted for Rhemy, I liked it, but didn’t love it. We revisited it for Miami as he still really liked it, but I couldn’t commit. 

2. 

This one I still love and my husband likes it too. It was a contender, but I guess Miami was just the winner this time.

3. 

This was our boys name, we found out the gender of baby #2 as well, so we didn’t look at many boys names. 

4. 

This was my baby girl name for as long as I can remember. I really don’t know why it wasn’t used for either girls, I guess it just never felt right.

5. 

Simple and elegant. I love this name, my husband loves this name. Just not enough. 

6. 

I love this name for a girl, my husband wouldn’t budge! 

7. 

We talked about Rosie, it has sentimental value to us, but I just didn’t like it with our surname. 

8. 

I loved this for a girl, my husband didn’t hate it, but just wasn’t as big of a fan

9. 

This was a high contender for Miami, we both really liked it, and then I changed my mind! 

I’d love to hear your names that you love but won’t be using, post them below in the comments. Share around with your friends and see their names, it can be a great source for names for other parents. It can be fun to see what a couples baby could have been named, etc.

Until next time 
BCM

Mummy guilt! 

I know I have talked about this on a lot of my blog platforms in one way or another but it is one that is most relevant to right now. One I think most (if not all) of us feel at one point or another. Mummy guilt! 

It’s a bitch! It creeps up on us when we don’t expect it too, when we are going about our every day, when we are working, when we are trying to sleep! 

I feel it a lot – I feel it for Rhemy and how quickly she had to grow up. For the moments she needs me and I can’t be there for her because her sister needs me more, for the times I realise I expect her to be older than she really is and for making her share us before she really had too. I feel it for Miami because she doesn’t get the attention she deserves, because I feel like I haven’t got the time to give to her like I gave to Rhemy, I feel it because I can’t always be there when she needs me to be and that she always has to share us. 

I blame myself when Rhemy is naughty – even though I know it’s the naughty twos! I blame myself when Miami isn’t crawling – even though I know kids do things in their own time! I blame myself when they are hurting and think of ways I could have prevented it – even though I know I really couldn’t have! I blame myself when I miss things when I’m at work – even though I know being at work means I can give them more.

Let me tell you though that mummy guilt subsides when I see them playing together, Miami laughing so hard and Rhemy being so kind. When Miami lights up when I see her and Rhemy tells me she loves me. When they hold hands because they want too or when Rhemy tries to show Miami how to crawl. 

Mummy guilt is a bitch but deep down I know I’m doing this mama thing right! 

home is where the heart is…

When you become a parent, there are certain things, memories or feelings from your own childhood that you wish to recreate for your own children. Something that always made you feel comfortable, safe or happy.

For me the thing I most wish to recreate for our girls is the security I always feel in my parents home. I have not lived with my parents for 10 years, however their house is still without a doubt one of my favourite places in the world. The comfort in their four walls is something that I cherish. Their house is home, no matter where I live. As a child, coming from a close knit family, meant I enjoyed movie nights with my family, hanging out on Sunday afternoons or playing the nintendo until bed time (even though I truly sucked compared to everyone else). We created fond memories and they still radiate in the walls of their home. The familiarity of everything in that house calms me and is my happy place if I ever feel like I need picking up.

I want this for my girls, I want to create a safe haven, a cosy home for them to cherish. I want them to love being here with us and to feel the same warmth in our home, as I feel in my parents’. I want us to be their security, for our house to hold our family memories and for it to comfort them when they need it.

I want the photos on our walls to tell one story and the familiarity of our rooms to tell another. I want them to feel at peace here. I want to pass on the feeling of being in a strong family unit. I want this house to be their happy place and for it to be their home no matter where life takes them.

All that I am, all that I’ll be – I owe to my mother and father. (and I hope one day, my kids say that about us)

What do you want to pass on to your children? Or even what do you not?

 

Until next time,

 

BCM 

An open letter to the random man in the Doctor’s waiting room

To the random man in the Doctor’s waiting room,

Somehow we have both managed to be sitting in the same waiting room for the obstetrician. You are here with your partner and I am here with my entire family. We don’t live in this town you see, so we do not have the luxury of having our children minded, they have to attend whatever appointments we have. Seeing that the obstetrician we are seeing delivered both of our babies, I don’t think she will mind too much that they have accompanied us today.

You seem to be bothered though, my eight week old is happy enough but does demand some attention, to be honest what eight week old doesn’t? My sixteen month old has travelled six hours in the car and then been made to wait for an appointment half an hour longer then we had hoped. She is restless but well behaved, she wants her parents to read her stories and to play with the older children in the waiting room. She only wants to say hello and then she moves on. She is a young child, a baby even, a simple hello and then continuing on with conversation is all that is needed, not snide remarks about how close our children are.

You see, random man in the waiting room, it’s really none of your business how close they are. You do not have to have children close together, you don’t have to have any if you choose. That’s the thing with freedom of choice, its one we all have. We are parents of a young family, who are treading through the first few years of being Mum and Dad. We are happy and our children are loved, supported and provided for. Their age gap is really none of anyone’s concern, especially someone like you, someone we have never met. I didn’t need to hear your remark to your partner and to be honest neither did anyone else is the waiting room. Your partner seemed uncomfortable like she knew I had heard, but you didn’t seemed concerned at all.

I’m a strong girl, and to be honest, I really couldn’t give a shit, what others think of me or my life choices, but others may. I have bounced back from my pregnancy and giving birth well, but others may not. Words hurt random man, and I hope you think twice before expressing your opinions of another so they can hear in the future.

 

Regards,

BCM 

 

He may be my best friend, but he doesn’t bring out the best in me! 

Now before you start scolding me, I think I best explain the title of this blog post. As you may have guessed it is referring to my husband. We have been together since I was a wee fourteen year old. He is without a doubt my best friend, my shoulder and my biggest supporter. But he doesn’t bring out the best in me, I do. 

I’m a traditional girl, I am all for the big wedding, the white dress and taking my husband’s name but I do wonder sometimes if some memes and old thought patterns really are sexist in the way they define important aspects of relationships. How I feel may not be everyone’s opinion, in fact I could be completely in the minority. However I don’t believe you can look into another person to bring out the best in you, especially if you can’t bring it out of yourself.

It’s not about self love, however that does help and should definitely be something you aspire to achieve before you can expect someone else to love you. It’s about being comfortable with who you are, being able to support yourself in your accomplishments and your failures. It’s about realising that being in a relationship is not about being dependant on someone, it’s about co-existing. It’s about being your best self because you want too. I don’t mean that you shouldn’t be with someone who you believe helps you to be a better version of yourself but you shouldn’t be dependent on someone to do something for you that you should do for yourself. At the end of the day no relationship is perfect and they shouldn’t be. You spend a lot of time with yourself, so you may as well enjoy the company!  

My husband doesnt bring out the best in me, I do. (And I wouldn’t have it any other way) 
Until next time 

BCM

An open letter to all the mothers…

Hey there, yes you ! 

To the mother trying to pretend she has it all put together, the mother who actually does, the mother  who has had nine hours sleep last night and the mother who has actually had none! To the mother who’s house is immaculate and the mother who’s house is a dump, to the mother who’s baby weight fell straight off and to the mother who is heavier then before. To the mother of one and to the mother of ten! 

We are all the same, treading water in the same crazy wave pool! Trying to raise a family, raise decent, loving, honest children. Some times they love us, sometimes they don’t! Sometimes days are smooth and wonderful and others are long and exhausting. Sometimes we feel like we are winning and sometimes we truly feel we are not. Sometimes we need a shoulder to cry on and sometimes we need to be that shoulder! 

We are all quick to judge – forgetting that we are all heading towards the same goal! Others try and advise mothers how to bring up their children. When we all know its always best to leave the decision making up to the child’s parents. What works for you, doesn’t always work for them! We should build each other up, not tear each other down. 

So next time, you see a mother dealing with a toddler tantrum – give her a compassionate smile, not a condescending sneer! Next time you see a mother with two young kids and another on the way, offer your congratulations not a chuckle under your breath! (It’s not as subtle as you think)

We are all in this together, the more we feel supported, the easier this crazy roller coaster ride of parenthood will be! 

I support you, do you support me? 
Until next time, 
B