Stella Winter; 22 months old

22 months old and with a personality bigger and brighter than ever. Stella is certainly the light that brightens our skies.

I have so much confidence in the big sister she is soon to become. Her confidence, helpfulness and willingness to please will be traits that make her a joy to have share the experience with.

Her self-awareness has grown in incredible leaps and bounds lately, not only has she figured out the world around her, but also how it works in relation to her. She points a little chubby finger to her chest and proclaims "Sdella" with pride. Everything in Stellas little world has a place, a purpose and a meaning, and watching that deeper level of understanding unfold has been a precious experience. With understanding has come an abundance of questions and queries, she is forever asking what things are and who people are. Her favourite game to play is called "Name that thing"... where she points to an object and tells us what it is and what it does. This game can seriously go on for hours.

Following me around the house I hear "Beep, beep, beeeep. Washing machine? Sdella help, outside? Boots on, Ok mummy!" Her little toddler speak and disjointed sentences are one of my most loved sounds. She commentates our lives with her sweet little voice, making every mundane task seem like an exciting adventure.

This later stage of toddlerhood has been challenging on my patience and physical energy more than anything. Emotionally, she is a dream. We certainly get a fair share of tantrums and defiance, but nothing that can't be calmed with tact and experimentation. If our week is a total tantrum throwing frenzy, it is usually for a good reason. Either she is struggling to master a new physical milestone or is reacting to something going on around her that she simply doesn't understand; why mum can hold a hot cup of coffee and she can't, why she can't have a banana in her hand whilst playing with her toys or why toilet paper shouldn't be ripped up into tiny little pieces. With a deep, calm breath and a lot of trial and error situations can be diffused prettily easily and permanently over the course of a few days.

However, keeping up with this little spark of light can be one big physical challenge. Perhaps it is just the large bump that I am carrying around causing the puffed out sighs and sleepy yawns when Stellas little chubby hand reaches up for mine. "Come on, mama" she pleads with me. I find that struggling to stay energised and motivated for such long days of intense exploring really have an effect on my self esteem as a mother. I feel guilt ridden and saddened that I am perhaps not giving her all that I could.

Despite the struggle, I still find such joy in my days spent with Stella. The way her face lights up when she hears any kind of music, the way she tugs at my arms to sing "row row", the way she looks up in awe and whispers at the stars when the sky is dark.

That is my Stella, the Latin meaning of Star. She lights up my each and every moment.

In the bag...

Labour and Maternity bag? Packed! It feels so good getting this major 'to-do' finally ticked off my list. It gives a little peace of mind that no matter how busy we are leading up to the babys arrival, we are ready to just grab that already packed bag and run out the door.

My first pregnancy, I had my bag packed even earlier than this time around. By 25 weeks it was choc-a-block full and bursting at the seams, and it sat bursting at the seams for a whole 16 weeks longer. Looking back I can now see what I would change and what I would add or subtract from my bag to make my hospital stay more pleasant. So this time, my motto is "Minimalism". Considering the average length of stay for a public health patient with a natural birth is between 4 and 48 hours, it really isn't necessary to take five outfits and three pairs of ugg boots.

I thought I would share with you whats in my minimal maternity bag, and what I am yet to add. What did you pack in your hospital bag? Anything you forgot or wished you had thought of? Or like me the first time around, did you pack to excess?

In the minimal maternity bag;

* A large, comfy, cosy hoody. The one I purchased is actually made for maternity wear so it has a roomier fit around the stomach and an elasticised waist.

* Button down tops. There is nothing worse than needing to entirely strip off for feeding your baby in winter, button down tops give a little more modesty and warmth. Also, tanks designed for nursing with easy 'clip-down' access.

* BDDU'S. Big Dark Daggy Undies...enough said.

* Sleep and day pants. Rather than packing separate pyjama pants and trackpants, I have packed loose and comfortable track pants because lets face it... post-birth there is no difference between night and day.

* A pretty pair of PJ's. Every girl needs one pretty pair of pyjamas, baby or no baby!

* Nursing supplies; washable or disposable nursing pads (I purchased a combination of both), a nipple cream like 'Lanolin', nipple shields and nursing bras.

* Maternity pads, and lots of them.

* Travel sized Toiletries. Shampoo and conditioner, body wash, moisturiser, lip balm, toothpaste and tissues.

* Facewash and moisturiser (post-baby hormones can wreak as much havoc on skin as those teenage hormones we've wished goodbye!)




I still need to add a few finishing touches to my bag, mostly little comforts that will make our wintery stay cozier.

Firstly, a heatapack or hot water bottle. Hospitals can be surprisingly cold places. I also found with Stella that post-birth my uterus contracting was more uncomfortable and painful than I had expected. A heatpack helped soothe these niggles that came especially whilst feeding. My favourites include this cable knit hot water bottle by Sussan, and these sweet little printed heatpacks from Etsy.  Secondly, I am dreaming of these Peter Alexander homeboots for wandering around the cold hospital corridors with my baby in tow.  Did someone say 'push present'?

Other small comforts that I have deemed totally necessary are; A stash of my favourite lollies, my everyday makeup necessities by Glow Cosmetics and of course, my iPhone for endless photos, videos, breastfeeding apps, social networking and sharing our news with friends and family.




Of course, this is just the bare minimum, if you were expecting to stay longer you could pack more, and more elaborately. I found that when I packed far too much 'stuff', I struggled to find what I was looking for and ran out of room in my small corner of the maternity ward. It also meant that unpacking the bag once arriving home was a big, ugly chore.

I'll soon share with you what is packed in our baby bag for hospital; little all-in-one suits waiting for little feet to fill them!
Plenty of love,

Baked with Love; Mustard Chicken Casserole

This recipe is yet another one taken from the Stay-at-home-Mum website, I would be lost without this website. I use the app for iPhone daily for inspiration on meal ideas, cleaning solutions and making household chores easier.

Mustard and Chicken Casserole



Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
3 chopped carrots
1 broccoli
1 tin condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can of milk (measured using the soup tin)
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
1/2 cup grated cheese

Method:
In the bottom of an oven proof dish, layer the vegetables. Cover loosely and microwave until tender. cut chicken either into long, thin strips of bite sized pieces. Season chicken with salt and pepper and seal each piece in a fry pan. Place the chicken pieces over the vegetables in dish.

In a jug, whisk together the tin of soup, milk and mustard. Pour mixture over vegetables and chicken and top with grated cheese. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes.

This meal can be adapted to suit what ever you have laying around in the fridge, any combination of vegetables would work fine. Happy quick and scrumptious cooking!
Plenty of love, 

A sweet {but salty} DIY

Saltdough. Probably one of the best things I have discovered since Etsy. Well, not quite. But crafting with salt dough is becoming quite an obsession!

I recently decided to try making some salt dough as a craft project with Stella, and it was a success! She loved making patterns with her fingers in mounds of flour and copying me knead the dough. The mess was relatively manageable and the outcome? A toddler full of smiles and an oven full of sweet little birdies and buttons.



I have been using our salt dough creations to adorn gifts, stick to walls and more recently...to make our babys mobile! It really is a cinch for any mama and babe to try... here's how!

* In a large bowl mix 1 cup of salt and 2 cups of flour
*  gradually stir in one cup of water (lukewarm) until mixture becomes 'doughy'.
* Knead your dough for at least 5 minutes. (The longer you knead, the smoother it will be).
* Place your creations on a lined baking tray and bake at 120 degrees Celsius. Depending on the size, they make take anywhere between 45minutes and two hours in the oven...Remember to keep peeping at them regularly!





And that's it! How simple is that! You can paint your little ornaments once they have cooled or leave them their natural colour. You can even colour them before baking by adding some ingredients from your pantry to the uncooked dough. I used cinnamon, coffee and curry powder to create different shades of latte, brown and mustard.

What crafty projects do you think are manageable with a toddler? Any favourites you'd like to share?
Plenty of love, 

Heartfelt touches

"To give handmade whenever possible..." Has been a mantra I am trying to live by lately. Not exactly a chore as I love crafting and creating, and even better when you can craft and create for someone you love! A handmade gift, or even little handmade gift wrapping touches to a bought present personalises the experience tenfold.

My latest gift giving venture was for a dear friend of mine turning 21. I baked her cupcakes and cookies and adorned them with handmade paper buntings. Her present? A store bought book on photography to fuel her passion for the camera, which I wrapped and decorated with homemade salt dough ornaments!

Small details giving big heartfelt touches.




I can't wait to share a salt dough DIY with you very shortly, little Stella and I have been busy rolling and cutting shapes to be baked for the past fortnight, it has become quite the addiction!

Have you given anything handmade recently? Perhaps received a sweet gift yourself? Here's to spreading the handmade love!
Plenty of love,

A momentary lapse.

Some days I am up, some days I am down. Some weeks I fly at a hundred miles per hour, other weeks, well... I crawl. This is just how I am.

I have always had large bursts of motivation and inspiration...both creatively and just generally, when these bursts come they can last for a few days, a few weeks or even a few months. I am like a positive steam train, chugging along with my load in tow. No stopping, no hesitating... Just steaming along, quickly and productively. Then, My steam seems to fade and I start to slow. Sometimes for a few days, sometimes for a few weeks. I begin to crawl along dragging my load with resentment and struggle, until I find that steam again. This is just how I am.

Wouldn't it be lovely to always have balance within ourselves? To balance our energies and emotions so that no extreme ever took hold, and a happy medium of travelling was achieved. It would be lovely, but the reality is some of us rarely reach a happy medium and maintain it.

I've recently exerted all the positive energies I had waiting to be harnessed within. I spent weeks and weeks with to-do lists coming out of my ears. I was blogging daily, cleaning daily, baking daily and crafting daily. I was researching toddler development and adjusting our routines to best suit Stellas current learning patterns, I was creating new, fun and exciting activities for her and scheduling them in like clockwork. My manicure matched my pedicure and the bed was always crisply made. I was moving furniture, spring cleaning wardrobes, stocktaking paperwork and revamping finances. I was chugging along at the speed of light. Until... I just stopped. A week ago my train stopped.

I didn't want to get out of bed, I couldn't keep up with the washing or bother to cook a meal. I didn't want to face a lunchdate and grocery shopping seemed like a challenge. An unmade bed ruined my entire day and days and nights became one and the same. I slept in trackpants, that I wore the next day and my hair didn't get removed from its unwashed topknot for a week. I guess this kind of behaviour can be seen as socially unacceptable, as lazy and unmotivated, as strange and extreme. But, I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that this is just how I am. These momentary lapses, are just that... momentary. I burn and burn until I burn out, then... I flick my light again and climb back on that train.

I recognise when my lapses occur and whilst I let them take hold for perhaps a week or two, my conscientious nature soon tries to take back to control. I seek it from within, or externally. A few close friends said to me earlier this week... " You've just got to try and refresh your perspective of why you need and want to do things and see the results that will follow". "Sometimes it's a struggle, but you've just gotta do it." I looked for my push, and I got it. So, Here I go... jumping back on my train. This is just how I am.  

Sometimes we just need to accept the way we are. Let your energies and emotions take over... even if just for a little while. Don't question it, just let it. And then seek back the control to be the best you know you can be.

What about you? Do you maintain a happy medium? Or like me, are you very high when you are up and very low when you are down?
Plenty of love,

Links of Late

This weeks smile inducers...

* You can never have enough DIY sites bookmarked for inspiration right? This one is my current favourite, full of sweet ideas!

* The most commonly overlooked thing in toddler discipline is remembering to respect the child. This post titled "Stop being mean to your toddler" gives a new insight on toddler tantrums and discipline.


* I love the Positive Parents website, it always inspires me to be the most positive parent I can be. read here for 5 simple ways you can build a happier family, all of which require little money or resources...just plain old fashioned positivity.

* This post makes me so incredibly grateful to have had quite breezy pregnancies. Having such extreme sickness would not only be scary, but so very challenging. Even easy pregnancies are in fact hard, so a hard pregnancy? Terrible.


* Why be grateful for exhaustion? Here is why! 


* Wanna glow while you grow? I have recently become a big fan of a lovely Instagram mama friends store. Yummy Mummies & Mini Me stock a beautiful range of maternity and children's wear. Topping my Wish list currently? These cable knit leghuggers!


* Are you dating a gamer? Perhaps married to one? My lovely cousin has written this as support for all you women out there dealing with a new aged guy and gives you 5 rules to live by.