mum

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

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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 

Best planners for 2017

Welcome back to Being Called Mum! We have been missing in action for a couple of months  now but here we are with a new look and a new post for 2017. We will be posting weekly from now on and would love to hear suggestions from you, our readers, on what you would like us to write about. 

But first we have a post on the best planners we have found for 2017. It is a little late but many of us aren’t very organised and will still need to track one down. Here’s the top 5 for 2017 that you can still get your mits on for the new year.
 

1. Erin Condren Life Planner 

Erin Condren has a mass following online and for good reason, her life planners are beautifully made and have everything one may ever need in a planner. You can customise the covers, add your name, pick the layout and the colour scheme. They are expensive, with the cheapest option beginning at $50 USD but a lot of people would say it’s totally worth it. You can get the Life planner here 

2. Personal planner 

Another great option for those of you who want to be able to customise their planner. You can chose your cover, your layout, the colour scheme and can add colouring pages, suduko or note pages to the back of the book. There are 5 size options, with the smallest (mini) starting at $29.95 and the largest (A4) priced at $59.95. All with free shipping you’d be a fool not to check them out!
3. Busy bitch daily planner 

This daily planner is full of sass and colourful illustrations. It contains packing lists, shopping lists and conversion charts. It’s a planner for those of you who want a daily layout with a humourous twist. Priced at $32.00 it as affordable as it is beautiful. Head over to That Effortless Bitch to purchase now.
4. Amelia Lane Paper life designer compact 

This planner is a gorgeous option for people who are looking for something that has sections for to do lists, finances, vision boards and weekly scheduling. Priced at $44.95 and available in sky blue and black. Head over to Amelia Lane to purchase before they sell out! 
5. Kikki K sweet diary 

This diary is for those of you who want something visually pleasing to plan your week in. Kikki K offers this sweet diary in A5 form for $34.95 and can be purchased here. However if sweet really isn’t your style I’d strongly suggest to head to Kikki K anyway as they offer options from a minimalistic diary to full on agendas so there really is something for everyone.
So there we have it, a round up of the best planners for 2017. Leave a comment below with what you are using to plan your new year, a suggestion for upcoming posts or anytjing else you’d like to share

 

Until next time, 

BCM 

ABC Baby name tag

All over YouTube is a tag known as the ‘ABC baby name tag’! Basically you pick a name for a boy and a girl for each letter of the alphabet that you love. I thought this would be a fun tag and might help some of you who are in the process of naming a little one. 

I’m going to be a little bit cheeky and not add in any that I am still considering (code for trying to convince my husband) for our own little bundle. Here goes: 

                  Girls                             Boys 

A:            Amity                              Axel 

B:          Brinley, Brielle              Blake 

C:          Charlotte                         Coby

D:         Delilah, Dylan                 Drey 

E:          Eliza                                  Emerson 

F:           Freya                                Freddie 

G:          Gretel                              George

H:          Hartley                           Henry 

I:           Indigo                              Ira 

J:           Josephine                        Jax

K:        Kinley                               Knox, Kamden

L:       Lilac                                    Luca 

M:     Milla, Matilda                 Maxton 

N:      Noah                                  Nico

O:      Odette, Olive                   Oliver

P:        Peta, Petra                      Paxton

Q:       Quilla                                Quinn 

R:      Rhemy, Reese                  Rocco

S:       Sloane                                Silas

T:        Trixie                                Tennessee 

U:      Ulyana                               Ulwyn

V:      Vivienne, Valentina      Van 

W:     Wren                                 Wyatt 

X:      Xanthe                              Xander 

Y:       Ysabel                                – 

Z:       Zuri                                    Zane 

Until next time, 
B 🙂 

Spoil yourself mama! 

I know that once children come into our lives, that our paychecks tend to go to them and honestly that’s how I believe it should be! It’s totally acceptable for the children to get the majority and the parents to go without. However I know my husband is reading this and wondering when I have ever gone without and that’s because sometimes I think it is totally acceptable to treat ourselves! 

Whether it be purchasing something new, getting pampered or going somewhere that we enjoy. We as adults deserve something for ourselves! My husband and I are really into spending time as a family so we like to spend money doing things all together. I enjoy getting my nails done on occasion and like to splurge on makeup and handbags, my husband also has his vices. We don’t go overboard but we do allow ourselves treats, Rhemy is our priority as are our bills etc, but we like things that make us happy too.

Not everyone will agree with me and that’s okay but I think it’s perfectly acceptable to do things to make yourself happy, even something simple such as a cappuccino before work instead of a instant coffee one morning a week. Im a firm believer that a happy house produces happy children! 
Share your thoughts below !
Until next time

B 🙂 

What being a mother means to me! 

I thought seeing as today is Mother’s Day, I would share with you all what being a mother truly means to me. 
I am forever grateful for having Rhemy in my life as I realise how difficult it can be for some amazing ladies to have the children they deeply desire. I am extremely lucky and have been blessed with a happy and healthy baby girl. One who keeps me on my toes, challenges me and makes me laugh on the daily. She is my biggest achievement in life and the one person I am most proud of. 

I always knew I wanted to be a mother, I knew I would love it, try to to excel at it and learn from it every single day. And I was right, so very right! Some days are hard, Rhemy doesn’t want to nap, would rather cry about not much and cling to me for the entire day. Other days we play and laugh and she sleeps for 4 hours. Without those “hard” days, I wouldn’t truly appreciate the “good” days, I wouldn’t get hour long cuddles and I wouldn’t want to share her with her father when he got home from work. 

My daughter is my legacy, my family. She is my heart wandering around outside my body. I never knew what it was like to love someone so much until she came along.. and that is what being a mother means to me! 

 

Changing your surname after marriage.

I have seen many articles popping up on the big wide web exploring the shift in women not changing their last names after marriage. I find these articles extremely interesting. I also found it fascinating that a lot of countries lawfully do not allow women to change from their maiden names once they are wed. 

After I married my husband I did not legally change my name straight away. We were travelling and I did not wish to get a new passport. However on return from our travels (approximately 6 months after our wedding) I changed my surname and what a pain in the backside that turned out to be. There are so many places you need to go to change your name and they all want to site your marriage certificate or have a certified copy sent to them. It is long process, one I am glad will not be happening again. 

Before we were married we discussed if I was going to take my husbands name or hyphenate (haha – my maiden name was ten letters long, I think not!). Keeping my maiden name once I was a wife was not something I ever considered. I come from a traditional family, my mother took my fathers name, my grandmothers their husbands. I knew we’d eventually have children and I wanted to have the same surname as them. To me that made it a simple case. I will admit it wasn’t easy to leave my maiden name behind. I am proud of who I am and where I am from. I love my maiden name and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss it because I do. 

I want to know your opinion, did you take your husbands name? Why or why not? It’s such a personal decision and as far as I can see there is no right or wrong answer. 

If we are going to be friends.. 

If we are going to be friends I think it is a good idea to share with you some facts about me! Maybe you will find we have a lot in common, maybe you will find –  we do not! 
I am a little (okay, a lot) obsessed with Friends, the TV show. I watch them constantly, it is my happy place. I can (and do) quote parts of episodes. My family (dad, in particular) is also bad for this. 
I am somewhat nerdy, I’m really into the new tech items that get released. My Apple Watch is one of my best Christmas presents to date. I may have got up at 2.30am last year just to watch the apple conference, so I knew what was coming out and when. 
I am utterly obsessed with handbags, this obsession has been around for as long as I can remember. Louis Vuitton is my favourite brand, but I’m really into almost anything.
I started wearing  glasses all the time when I was 22, and I have hated them ever since! My husband also wears them, but unfortunately for him he has had them since he was a baby. One day, when we can afford it, we both would like to get laser. 
I am studying Bachelor of Education – early childhood. I do this online, and struggle to find the time to study. I am trying and not overly succeeding to find a balance that works. 
I have been a dental assistant since I was 16, I enjoy my job, but can’t wait until I become a teacher. 
Now your turn, tell me about you. I’d love to know the your quirks, if we are going to be friends. 

My Mama always told me…

Today, I’m going to share some things my mother always told me, that I intend to use myself as my child grows. 

1. “We will see”; growing up I always thought that when my mum said “we will see” that she meant it, however as I have gotten older, she disclosed to me, that she used this to see how much I wanted something before having to even consider giving me an answer. If I wasn’t asking for it a couple of days later, obviously it wasn’t that important. Cheeky (clever) mum!! 

2. “If you have done something, it’s best to tell me first. It’s better for me to hear it from you then from someone else”; I was always told that if I did something, I knew was wrong or that I knew my mother would disapprove of, then it was always best if I told her first. I grew up in a small town, and my daughter will too, so it is inevitable that word gets around. It’s true that other people love to dish the dirt and it took the fun out of it for the gossipers if mum already knew! 
3. “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”; self explanatory, used by many! But in a world dominated by social media and keyboard warriors, I believe it is now more important then ever, that my child learns to keep nasty thoughts and comments to herself! No one likes a bully! 
4. “It’s more important to participate, then to be the best”; I grew up playing sport, keeping my parents’ weekends full and wallets empty. I was taught, that I may not be good at everything (ain’t that the truth) but that I should always give it a go. Sport and other hobbies, allow kids to meet new people, develop skills and confidence. I look forward to passing this onto my offspring. 
5.”I’m your mum first, your friend second!”; I have always been close with my mum, it’s always been a wonderful relationship. But when I was younger, when it mattered most. I was taught that while we might have a close friendship, that she is my mum first, friend second. Now I’m older that has changed but especially as an adolescent I think it’s extremely important that these lines don’t become blurred. So Rhemy Sharen, I say to you, I will always be your friend, but first I will always be your mother! 
What traits, sayings, tricks has your mother passed down to you? 
Share below! 

It may controversial but..

Is it just me, or is anyone else over all the “controversial” posts everyone puts up these days? I am so over someone’s person opinion of what they feel works for their family being labelled as controversial. I don’t agree with most things I read, I have a very particular idea of how I intend to bring up my child but that does not mean I judge others for their choices. 
I haven’t breastfed my baby since she was 2.5months old, she has slept in her nursery since we came home from Adelaide (at two weeks old). She eats packet baby food, loves her dummy and sometimes sleeps in our bed. My choices probably make many shudder,  I mean who would give their baby food that wasn’t organic? But to that I say a big eff you! My choices are exactly that, my choices. If you are not hurting anyone, then really it is no one else’s business! 
To anyone who is co-sleeping, exclusively breastfeeding, exclusively bottle feeding, to the Mummas that work full time and the ones that are staying at home with their kids, I give you all, a big high five! We are all working towards the same goal to bring up wonderful children, in a sometimes shitty world! So next time you find yourself labelling someone, or judging perhaps you should shut up and try giving them a pat on the back instead!
We are all doing a wonderful job, the only way we know how!