happiness

Sunday morning I uploaded a post on Facebook of my girls with the caption ‘mini me’s’. In one photograph Sophie (just turned 10) was applying a full face of makeup to go to the park, I say full face I won’t let her use foundation but a serious amount of contour was in play and her highlight was indeed on fleek. In the other photo Sienna (15 months) was breastfeeding her baby doll while on her pepper pig phone.

It was a cute post and a bit of fun but it did make me a little thoughtful…

I’m hoping Sophie’s need to wear makeup whenever she can is her experimenting and exploring how she looks and not as I’m sure most mothers fear, from feeling she is not beautiful without it. I wear makeup pretty much every day which I never used to do, and that gave me a wake up call to dial things back. I do not live a life that requires me to look my absolute best on a daily basis and I am a little ashamed of the routine putting on a full face has become.

Sienna is boisterous, cheeky and on the go 24/7, I often take the chance when she is feeding to sit down and relax, make a tea and reach for my phone, using this quiet 15 minutes to reply to texts and check social media. This is also a routine I am going to break. Sienna will stop breast feeding soon and I intend to use these last few months to stare at her beautiful baby face and feel her chubby sweet baby body in my arms the same way I did when she was brand new and I cherished every single second of her.

My son is 12 1/2, my patience has been fairly thin with him lately, I feel we are at logger heads more and more. I do try to see past the mood swings and back chat and focus on the nice times we have together, it is hard, I will keep trying. I know soon he will not want to come to the park and beach with us, I am sure once he is allowed to stay home I will miss him, and wish he was there to argue with me.

This week I am going to try extra hard to be in the moment with them, to be silly and fun and take the time to appreciate them…

…they are after all my whole world.

Hope you all have a lovely week, and to all the mum’s reading this, you’re doing great x

Thanks for reading,

As always Nicola x

As a proud mummy of a 14 month old almost all of my conversations start with what new word or action Sienna can do, how she has developed and what new part of herself she has discovered.

In the first year of Sienna’s life, and my first year as a Mum of three I feel like I have also learned a few new things about myself

I love sleep

I took it for granted and I did not give it the respect it deserved. I miss sleep and I await for it’s return with open arms.

Winged eyeliner makes me jealous

How HOW did I ever have time for such frivolities as a cat eye??
I have a full face down in 8 minutes, yet if I attempt to start with my Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner I know there will be a baby wrapped around my leg and it will all end in tears (hers or mine or both)

A shower in peace now has the same effect as a spa day

I need that ten minutes, my sanity depends on it. It is important to make time to unwind, however hard that is and however it comes, take it.

Life is not a competition

I am a worrier by nature, I question and doubt myself and I need to ease up.
I now surround myself with positive encouraging and supportive people. People who listen and are there for me, who can give practical advice and do not pull me down.
There is too much negativity and rivalry in motherhood, who has the best outfits, the best party, the best cake, who looks the happiest on Facebook.
Just be happy do not compete and therefore you have already won. Being a mum is hard work, a few real friends and it is a lot easier.

It is ok to make mistakes

Some days my patience is tested, some days I do not make it out of the house or my pjs
My style of parenting is not what some would agree with (attachment parenting), and my to-do list is never ending, but I try my best and that is and should always be good enough.

I am in love with my kids

Yes I know everyone loves their kids and of course I always knew I was in love with them, however now I see them in a new way and I love who they have become.
They know things that I did not teach them, they are funny and have personalities that are complex and thoughtful. They have their own lives with things going on, relationships and disputes that they need to work through, that I cannot work through for them.
My eldest children are 12 and 9, I hate that the time in my life I get to have them all to myself is running out, they have grown and are growing. I am however so incredibly proud of them I could burst

I am sure as my family grows, so will I.
I am not the same person I was last year and I am sure next year when I look back I will see I am now slightly different, growing and changing and trying to be better, I’m sure this is what life is all about.

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