Finding my Blog Voice

I have been thinking a lot lately about finding my blog voice. I feel like I am a bit all over the place and I need to hone in and figure out exactly what I want to do.
Do I want to join the masses of Mummy bloggers, or do I want a crafty diy focus, do I want to be about home decor and renovating, or the myriad of other things that interest me. How do I want to continue to go about this blogging thang.

The bottom line for me is that I want my blog to be encouraging.
To be helpful and to serve some sort of purpose.
Because even though it is about me,  I want it to be  so much more than that, it is about connecting and communicating in a way that heartfelt and honest, because sometimes that can be hard to come by.

I think about what I like in blogs, and why I continue to keep visiting them.
I like blogs that are real, and are not trying to 'impress' anyone.
I like blogs that are pretty and inspiring and have lovely pictures
I like blogs that make me laugh and that I can relate to
I like blogs that make me feel like the writer is a real person.

I want to blog about what I love, and what I am passionate about, rather than blogging about things that I think will get more visits or followers. Because I feel that being genuine and true to myself is important.

I know that a lot more people read my blog that just the people who publicly follow, of course I would love everyone who is a return reader to 'follow', because I am a sticky beak and I want to know who reads my blog. Also because I love comments and communicating with people.

These are my thoughts on my blog.
As a new stay at home Mum I feel I have a bit more time to focus on my blog now, than when I had a million things on my plate with uni and work and everything else.  So, I really want to improve it and keep moving onwards and upwards.

On The Hunt for a Nappy Bag

I have a nappy bag, but it is one my Mum picked up from the op shop. For the last few months I have been carting around this rather frumpy, large, not super stylish bag. I have decided that for Christmas I want a nice new nappy bag that doubles as a stylish purse! So I have been on the hunt, and this is what I have found. I thought I would share, so the other nappy/diaper bag hunters out there can be saved a little legwork!

This is up the top of my list. The OiOi Hobo bag in White English Rose, I love it. I'm very into the print, I just am not sure if I will be that into it in a few years. For $169 I better be into it in a few years.

It and other beautiful bags can be found at www.oioi.com.au

 

This sachel bag by Isoki is really cool! I think it is pretty trendy, and a really good price ($89) it comes in blue and black as well. 

www.isoki.ashop.com.au

 

This is the Vera Bradley Baby Bag for $99US, unfortunately you can't get it in Aus, but I am sure you can find someone selling it on ebay that is will to ship it over here. There is a massive variety of the lovely Vera Bradley patterns as well!

www.verabradley.com

 If budget wasn't an issue, I think this Storksak Sofia bag is really nice, but I don't feel like spending almost $400US, or even more here in Aus at a whopping $499 .. ouch. 

www.storksak.com.au

Vanchi also have some really cute bags, and lots of different sizes. This is their Hobo bag. The nice thing about Vanchi is they have really reasonable prices, this is around $175. They also come with a lot of necessary accessories. 

www.vanchi.com.au

This Cream and Black 'Alice' Shoulder bag by gr8x is pretty nice as well. Especially if I decided I wanted something a bit more low key that hubby wouldn't mind carting around. Not a bad price either at 169.95, it can be found at www.gr8x.net

For a smallish, really cute bag, that looks nothing like a nappy bag this 'Amanda' bag by Babymel is really adorable.  It is $139 retail. Which is a bit cheaper than so many of the others I have found that I like.

www.babymel.com.au

And just in case the guys felt left out (although I doubt any of them scrolled down this far), I really like this one for Dads

This is the OiOi Military Satchel, and is on SALE right now for $89 bargain! Love the Camo.

If you have a nappy bag that you LOVE.. please let me know, because I really don't know how practical these are!! Always looking for more cute bags so I would love to hear your thoughts!

Family Halloween Costume Ideas

I love Halloween, mainly because it means dressing up. I love a good dress up, when I was in grade 10 at school we had a fancy dress formal and I went dressed as 'The Ocean,'  what was I thinking! I painted my whole body blue with white swirls, including the boob tube I was wearing, I sprayed my hair blue and stuck shells in it. I made a skirt out of some old material and stuck sand and shells to it,  I found out the hard way that with all that glue the skirt didn't actually bend so I had to stand up the whole time.

Unfortunately we actually rarely dress up anymore, and Australia isn't big on Halloween like the USA. Now that we have a little guy to dress up I started thinking about fun family Halloween costumes, and did a little digging around for some ideas.

 

Where the Wild Things Are, how awesome is this? I love it, I bet this little boy just had the best time.

Yes, I believe in the 80's a mobile phone was about the size of a baby! So funny!

A Family Smore

Pac Man, look at those cute little ghosts

This one made me laugh. Don't know that many babies who would enjoy being stuffed in a pot.

We could dress Angus up as Fluffy and Ez as Harry Potter.

Who ya gonna call?? Ghost Busters! How cute is the little Slimer

I like to wear Stretchy Pants!! Nacho Libre, this isn't really a family costume, but it brings a big smile to my face, so i just had to include it. 

All of these pics are from Pinterest. If you click on the photo caption it will take you to the original link.

I would love to hear any other ideas you have for Family Halloween costumes!! What you have done, or what are you planning on doing this Halloween

On Recovery & Being a New Mum

All the new Mums I talk to say the same thing, Why didn't they tell us more about my body and issues in the recovery from childbirth. During pregnancy we are so consumed with the changes in our bodies and paranoid about any niggling feelings. In our mind looms "the big day" when we will be in excruciating pain, we worry, plan, research and get strategic on how we will make it through the 'delivery' and analyze every possible problem that could happen. In the end I could have gone through the delivery with my eyes closed because I was surrounded by professionals that held my hand and encouraged me through the whole process. My birth plan went out the window and I just followed their prompts and by 9pm it was over. Of course it is important to know what your in for, because after all it is all about bringing new life into the world!

What I didn't really prepare for, or put as much time as I should have into, was understanding the recovery and changes from that big day. They didn't tell me about the issues so many women have with breastfeeding, and that 35% of women give up in the first month. You rarely hear about cracked, sore, bleeding nipples and rock solid painfully engorged breasts, infections and the paranoia about 'is my child getting enough to eat', maybe because they don't want to put women off. That pretty much sums up my first couple of weeks of motherhood (but has drastically improved since then!!). That, mixed with the actual physical recovery from the birth, sleeplessness and feeling alone and unsure can be a recipe for a pretty upset Mum. My child health nurse told me last week that it takes your body 18 months to recovery from having a baby. I can believe it, and your body probably still wont be what you started out with. I guess, from my experience, if I had any advice for soon to be Mums it would be, read up about recovery, and breastfeeding, and practice those pelvic floor exercises before you have the baby, afterward you may not have a lot of time. Don't freak yourself out, but be prepared. Have good support in place, and don't be afraid to ask questions or share about what your going through, YOU are not alone. Also, seek as much help as you need from professionals...NOT GOOGLE, nobody expects you to go through it alone.

As Mums we have put our bodies through the ringer, and they don't always bounce back to the way they were. I'm 10 weeks in and still have a long way to go. I know the cliche saying is "but it is all worth it", its true, but that doesn't mean it is easy. It is amazing just talking to other Mums how we share so many of the same experiences. I guess there is a bit of silence around the subject because it is a bit embarrassing. I put so much thought into the birth, and my new baby, it was easy to forget about ME..and it is so important that Mums are healthy, happy and taken care of, so they can do the best job possible.

I really love this quote, and it reminds me again why I did this to my body...
Did you feel you were under-prepared for the recovery? And, what advice would you give new Mums?? I hope this is helpful for anyone embarking on the adventure of motherhood, and I guess it wouldn't be an adventure if you didn't walk away with a few battle scars!

365 Days of Creating

I came across this blog the other day, and I wanted to share, because it really inspired me. Lucky Jackson is creating a new work of art everyday for a year. Wow.. what commitment and hard work. I have no idea how you would find the time, or the inspiration. But, it is so fun. Her embroidery pieces are really great, I especially like the Bombshell week range, where she has stitched such bombshells like Joan and Betty from Mad Men!
What a fantastic idea. I also love the vintage style material. Very beautiful.
If you want to check out more of her work go to

www.365luckydays.blogspot.com

Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop Week 20

This week I decided to link up with the Gussy Sews Inspiration Workshop for the first time. I think that it is pretty great to be able to link in with other bloggers in a type of online community!
This week the inspiration is the colour RED...

I took some pictures this week of my little man. I can't believe he is already two months old.
How awesome are little Red Vans crib shoes. Seriously cute, now Ezra can dress just like his Daddy! Jeans and Vans.

 I love little Red Shoes, and these authentic Tartan booties all the way from Scotland are so gorgeous. Even if he doesn't look anything like me, at least he can represent my Scottish heritage!

A little paint goes a long way: Baby Cot/Crib

So we did a bit of an Ikea Hack on the $99 cot from Ikea and painted it tea house grey

After researching and searching for the perfect cot/crib for our nursery for  Ezra, I was quite discouraged. The really stylish ones were so expensive. I could have bought one, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend that much. I have found that baby stuff is like wedding stuff, for some reason just because it is for a baby, companies feel like they can charge an exorbitant price. The mid range cots just didn't really fit the vision of what I had for the nursery, the style was very different for what I was going for and they weren't what I wanted.  I couldn't find anything  I really liked that fit into the price range I wanted. I kept getting so discouraged because I found these great cots in the USA for such good prices, then I look them up here and they are twice the price. SO I had to get a little more CREATIVE. Now I have a finished project and a cot that only cost $99, I am really, really happy.

We bought the raw pine finish IKEA cot that cost $99. I then primed it, and painted it one of my favourite colours that was left over from when we painted our back room, Dulux's Tea House Gray. Ignore the rug in the after picture, I still need to move that out of the nursery and get one that is suitable for a little boy.

 

Now just to get the rest of the nursery out of my head and in to real life. 

Daddy's Boy!

So we visited the Doctor yesterday, and when Joel put Ezra down on the table for the doctor to check him out, she said ' Wow I have seen babies look like their Dads before, but this is just uncanny, I could pick your Daddy out in a crowded room'
She continued to tell us that the reason that babies look like their fathers is so that the Father doesn't kill the baby, from early human days apparently. Joel commented when we got home, how does the Father know the baby looks like him, if they didn't have mirrors or cameras back then. Maybe by their reflection in the pond?

I pulled out Joel's baby pictures, and well it is in fact uncanny, I think anyway, they look like the same baby.

The two above are Joel! Mr Ezra below, I don't have identical pictures of them both, it is easier to see when you see Ezra in person and look at Joel's old baby pics.