Glitter in the coffee.

Some days call for glitter. Or Splarkelys as Stella likes to call them. Splarkelys make everything much brighter on dreary and funky days, you can't scorn children with glitter on their little button noses!

As a parent we all have 'those' days, 'those' days tend to be my everyday some weeks. But, what if you could turn the day around? Throw a spanner in the works of a glum, tension-filled household? I know that once I am in a funk I find it super hard to get out of it, if our morning is filled with food-spilling accidents, sibling rivalry or a lost piece of jewellery it's pretty easy to write the whole day off as 'one of those'. Self-fulfilling prophecy answers our call and there you have it... a bad day.

Pretty simple cycle to get caught in really and with young children, it is oh-so-easy to do. Lately I have been challenging myself to take every moment as a new one in order to turn our days around and tonight I thought I'd share with you four fail proof turn-the-frown-upside-down tricks to put the shine back in your day!

Glitter makes most toddlers smile. Yeah, it's kind of messy and it gets everywhere, but it makes everything look prettier. Even the mess will look pretty. I have every colour imaginable (Thank you Reject Shop) with a shaker top lid and let Stella shake it onto collages and paintings. When you're drinking that almost cold coffee and saying "Please don't wipe snot in your sisters hair" for the fifteen-hundredth time, the sight of a get away piece of glitter in your coffee has got to make you smile. Or cry. But lets hope for the smiles, at the very least you'll end up with a spot of glitter in your teeth and that will make someone else smile.

I'm a big believer in naps, it really is a shame that my children aren't. Never underestimate the power of a nap for your child. Over tiredness really does fuel temper tantrums and although it may be a struggle convincing them to go, it will be worth it for the refreshed bundles they'll emerge as. Some days, when luck is really going my way...both of my girls nap at the same time or at least for a cross-over period of twenty minutes. Twenty minutes of pure bloody gold. Tea, crackers, Pinterest and grown-up TV; a sure fire way to get you back on your game.

...to anything, for any reason! I've come to realise how much I sing as I 'do'. "Maaaakkking you a sandwich, oh you better eeeeeat it, don't throw it on the flooooor, or I'll probably lose my s#%t. Oh yeahhhhh." Obviously, sensor your raps and versus to suit junior ears. Singing seems to lighten the mood and dancing with a baby or toddler on the hip wards off negative energy.

Tickles fix anything. I promise.

What ways do you brighten a day that starts out dull? Ever found yourself sipping a coffee grainy with glitter?
Plenty of love,

A Date For Two

A date with my little lady, a date just for two. This is what I needed to help me take my mind off my to-do list and chores last week.

We started our morning nice and early before the mid-morning slump stepped in, the plan was to let Stella release her energy on the playground but after a wet night...plans had to be changed. Low and behold, mama had a stale loaf of bread in her handbag (prepared for any situation!) and we fed the ducks at our local city park instead.

From there we walked into the mall and did a little shopping. We stopped for a baby chino and chai latte before visiting some friends at work. Somehow, Stella managed to remain patient and content enough for us to lose the rest of our morning in more shopping, browsing and exploring. We had one last stop before homeward bound for naps, a special treat of hot chips in a comfy booth at the food court.

It really was the sweetest little date! I'll miss these opportunities to just 'hang out' with my eldest girl when our family becomes bigger and busier. It's something I will really try and find the time for as often as possible; sweet little one on one dates. Even if they are as short as a walk to the park or the read of a book.






What little dates have you enjoyed with your babes lately?
Plenty of love, 

Around these parts...

It feels like an eternity since I last posted about life. Just life. The things we've been up to, how our days have been shaped. To be completely honest, since I last posted about my "Momentary Lapse" I have still been feeling a little flat and a little blue. The pre-baby blues? It seems to be pretty common amongst expecting mamas-to-be. I'm hoping it'll pass in time.

So what has been going on around these parts? Well, plenty and not so plenty all at the same time.

My nesting instinct has kicked in and at an extreme level, I have re-vamped our bedroom and Stella's bedroom, re-decorated the loungeroom and re-arranged the playroom. I am also baking quite a lot here and there, slowly getting our freezer full of 'heat and eat' meals for when baby arrives. A new post update of our pregnancy so far is in the works, something that I tell myself  I'll sit down and write nearly every night. Maybe tonight? Yes, I WILL do it tonight. (maybe)

Whilst the man in our lives has been busy at work, Stella and I have been a little restricted by the wet and dreary weather. Usually, I adore this weather. It is my ultimate favourite season and I love nothing more than a dark sky. Not just for hibernating either...when the weather takes a turn like this I feel a strange sense of excitement. I want to be rugged up and out shopping or sipping hot Chai in a park. However, with a toddler...this weather is unfortunately not ideal. There are runny noses and muddy parks to take into consideration. Stella still begs me to go outside everyday, and we make many, many little trips to our grassed courtyard, the clothesline and the letterbox. I can tell it isn't satisfying her yearning though. Perhaps that will be my goal for the coming weeks, to tackle as many outdoor adventures as possible when the weather is less dark and moody. Dragging around this big, heavy body especially with poor iron levels and dizzy spells really doesn't do much for my motivation for such adventures sadly.

Our indoor activities have included plenty of play dough rolling, dolly role playing and drawing. I recently picked up a tin of chalkboard paint... and have developed a very strong urge to paint every surface in the stuff. I have made Stella two chalkboards so far, one hung on the playroom wall at perfect scribbling height, and another just big enough for writing a word. My intention was to write a new inspirational word for the day on this little chalkboard every morning, or maybe even help Stella in beginning to recognise her name and some simple words. However, the word 'Tuesday' has been written on it for well over a fortnight now...that's life for you...busy and full of wonderful intentions.






Coming up this weekend, I am looking forward to our maternity photo shoot, something we have had booked and planned for quite some time. I have our outfits ironed and ready and even got a spray tan in an effort to feel more vibrant. What a wonderful way to celebrate Mothers Day, with some snapshots of my dear little growing family.

In the coming weeks, I hope to bring you the many posts that are on my to-do list. A DIY of the mobile I made for baby, some 'baked with love' posts, more links of late, the exciting big baby purchase we made and my re-decorating efforts.

What have you been up to lately? Has life been busy and full of wonderful intentions? Link me up with your happenings of late so I can return the love of the blogosphere. Remember, you can also find me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram (username natalie_winterlove) and Twitter if all is a little quiet on the blog front.

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,

Stitching at the seams

As mothers, we are the binding forces that hold our family together, the glue in the joints and the stitching at the seams. We watch over our children and partners with protective, nurturing eyes...always making sure that needs are being met and that desires are being fulfilled. But what happens when you start to lose your stick? When your thread becomes unstitched and you are no longer holding the seams together?

When you are a mother, having a 'bad few days' brings more than just feelings of the blue shade but also intense feelings of guilt. Guilt that you are unable to hold your own head up high, let alone help your children hold theirs. How can you encourage your toddler to laugh, when you, yourself are struggling to smile?

The past few days have been...really hard. It's not easy to open up and admit defeat to the world, let alone to yourself. But in doing so I actually feel slightly better. I imagined that caring for a toddler, whilst being pregnant would be hard, a lot harder than a first pregnancy. But I didn't imagine that it would seem very hard, so very suddenly. Everything felt manageable and in control one moment, only to feel like the worlds biggest challenge the next. The past few days, I found myself really struggling to juggle the day to day basics of my life. To get my toddler dressed and ready for an outing, as well as myself dressed and ready for an outing was becoming a physical and emotional challenge too large to tackle. To keep the house in some sort of orderly state was a challenge that although I wanted to tackle, I physically wasn't able. And when I find myself struggling to complete the daily basics of being a mother, the guilt that comes along with it fuels my overly emotional state. And overly emotional I certainly have been.

Perhaps its due to hitting that 6 monthly mark of pregnancy and the stress of knowing that very soon things will be changing very drastically. I also know my hormones are largely to blame for the unsteady emotional mama I have been. I've found myself unable to sleep at night with the fear of juggling two children playing in my mind, I've found myself in a puddly mess of tears when nothing in my wardrobe is fitting well or when catching sight of my thighs in the mirror. Shopping for baby items has become a teary, stressful venture rather than the exciting experience I want it to be.

I know that no one likes a Negative Nancy, but just as equally no one likes a Cheerful Charli so today I am posting as a Down-to-earth Darla. I may have had a bad few days, but I am hopeful that as my hormones level out a little and my pregnancy comes to an end I begin returning to the cool, calm and collected mama that I pride myself on being.

I owe such heartfelt thanks to my fiance Nick, he has forced me to stop and put my feet up and given me a shoulder to rest my head on. And that sneaky little post he wrote for me after a particularly bad day; so beautiful. 


Plenty of love,

Today I...

Today I...

* Struggled to wake at 6:00am when Stella started her day
* Am wishing that I could break my addiction to sugar
* Got a slight tan on my shoulders from the fifteen minutes I spent in the sunshine
* Baked heart shaped scones
* Ate heart shaped scones (they were pretty damn good!)
* Am anticipating the arrival of Easter!
* Started to search for Easter craft and cooking ideas online
* Vowed not to nap when Stella did...successfully
* Vacuumed toddler crumbs from the floor four times
* Felt frustrated by my body image
* Watched Stella giggle (numerous times). This never gets old
* Talked about buying a slow cooker with Nick
* Pinned some pretty Wedding Inspiration ideas to Pinterest
* Daydreamed about a new hairstyle
* Found chalk, playdough and flour under my fingernails
* Kissed my daughter 8 times before bed
* Cursed my posture whilst doing some sewing
* Sat in silence cuddled up with my Fiance


This post is inspired by one of my favourite reads; Bleubird Vintage. What small treasures did your day hold? Any you are willing to share?
Plenty of love, 

Baby can bake!

Since being bitten by the strange baking bug during this pregnancy, I have adventured a little further from the standard cupcake (This is a really big step for me). I also went out on a limb by deciding to involve Stella in one of my out of character bake sessions. I propped her up to the bench with her highchair and got started on a simple, kid friendly cookie recipe. Her eyes widened with joy as she had her first beater licking experience, and she concentrated hard whilst stirring imaginary ingredients in a bowl with a sneaky mouth full of cornflakes. I neglected to take photos of the actual baking process, I was somewhat distracted and multi-tasking to my limit, however I did catch a few candid shots of Stella licking, mixing and helping.

The messy yet fun bake session resulted in scrumptious little snacks to keep on hand in the pantry (that are far more economical than buying pre-packages biscuits and crackers). We may have had a broken mixing bowl along the way and had a kitchen floor covered in flour, but it was well worth the little extra time and trouble to involve Stella in the fun.

I found this recipe for easy cornflake cookies via an amazing website called The Stay At Home Mum (The secret to living on one wage). I have also downloaded the app for my iPhone to easier access the recipes and cleaning tips at all hours. I highly recommend this recipe as a simple one to start with if you are looking to do some adventuring in the kitchen with your child.

Have you baked with your children before? Was it disastrous or delicious? Worth the extra effort?
Plenty of love,

Mama said, there'd be days like this.

I try to keep my posts documenting life in an honest and balanced form. I don't like to sugar coat things and will often write about the less than pleasant parts of parenting, I also don't like to be a Negative Nancy and will often write about the happy hours and days in the life of this mama.

But, as the lyric goes. Mama said, there'd be days like this. Days like the last two. The past 48 hours has included two of the above extremes; a totally drab day and a totally fab day. Drab-fabulous to say the least.

Yesterday I woke up with a short fuse, probably around the exact same minute that Stella woke up; on the wrong side of the cot. Together we grumpily got up and started the day on the wrong foot. I reached for the sugar laden breakfast to pick me up, and Stella reached for the peanut butter toast I'd made her...to throw at my head. Yesterday was not a day to get dressed, so we didn't. It wasn't a day to clean up, so we didn't. We remained inside playing with toys, cutting out paper snowflakes and lazing around with pyjama pants on. The kettle was boiled for a cup of tea a few too many times and the kids channel on TV was on for a few too many hours. When the mess started to frustrate me, we ran a bath and hid out amongst the bubbles together for... a few too many hours. It was a day of avoidance and indulgence, and the evidence of my negligence was clear! (try saying that five times over!)

Today, I woke up not knowing what side of the bed I'd risen from. It turns out, the day had decided for us. It was definitely the right side. We were up, dressed and ready to leave the house before 8am to run errands. We called via the park and visited some ducks, then browsed through the mall ticking things off our list. Stella even sat down to spend ten minutes drawing so I could eat some very late breakfast and we managed to catch the bus home without tears or screeches of boredom and protest. My cheeky, sometimes devilish, darling daughter had been overtaken with a sense of calm, co-operative serenity. I am still reeling with pride and disbelief.

The last 48 hours has proven right a little saying I like to tell myself when things get drab or difficult. "Each and everyday is different", I try to repeat inside my head, "Everyday is a new day". It couldn't be more true. 48 hours and two total opposite days, two extremes of mood and emotions and two very different degrees of enjoyable and productive.

I like to think that I embraced them both.
As the lyric goes; Mama said, there'd be days like this.


Plenty of love,

Work, life, balance?

Working more often certainly has its upsides, not only is the extra money beneficial but I sometimes find the 'alone time' to be my sanity time, the time I regroup my thoughts and feelings, prepare myself for the days ahead and reflect on the future.

Stella now spends one whole day a week in childcare, starting at 9am and finishing at 5pm. Every time we pick her up she chatters a new song from the backseat of the car, complete with hand actions and giggles, she is exhausted and a little grotty but happy and learning. I am still finding the morning drop off to be an emotional experience, even four months down the track. Sometimes she will have a grizzle but then quickly round up a toy to play with or most recently, a little boy to kiss. Sometimes she will protest at being put down and sometimes she will cry and reach out for me. That is what I find the hardest, I am not one of those mothers with inner strength, I know she is fine when I eventually leave but I just want to pick her back up and head straight back home. A few weeks I have gone to work with hormonal tears in my eyes after a difficult drop off.

Regardless of the emotional mama meltdowns and separation anxiety, our childcare experience so far has been very positive. I am considering keeping her in a half day per week once we are graced with baby #2, to keep her socialising and maybe to help mama with resting? That will be a whole new story of balance then, one that I need to start mentally preparing myself for sooner rather than later, admittedly I am worried about how to successfully balance our new lifestyle in five months time. But for now, we got balance down pat.


Do you feel as though you have good balance between work, childcare and home? How did you deal with balance changes when expanding your family?

Plenty of love,

Play, fun... Ugh

 These pretty little toy boxes used to say "Play, fun, laugh". Stella decided to do a little altering and they now say "Play, fun Ugh". I cant help but empathise with her... There's so much play, so much fun, and a little ugh in every day. I wouldn't want it any other way.

The grass is getting greener.

The one and only word to describe my garden lately, would be abysmal. Or given two words; shockingly neglected. With the cold, unpredictable Tasmanian weather playing a large part of this. The other large part would be my reluctance to actually venture into this cold weather and my lack of mad gardening skills.

But with the sneaky teaser of some sun, warmer days and more motivation I have managed to weed, prune, rake, sweep and water until my hearts content.

One significant realisation I have come to after spending a few days each week in my humble little garden is that Stella thrives on being outdoors. If there is one considerable difference between Stella the child and Natalie (myself) the child, it is her love for being outside. I would like nothing more than reading, writing and imagining indoors where as Stella loves nothing more than rummaging, exploring and 'excavating' outdoors.

She had an absolute blast of a time finger painting with mud, touching different flowers and trying to use a broom, unfortunately though it hasn't exhausted her to the point of sleeping in a little later than 5:45am.

Goodbye dreaded Geranium plant!

I will keep you updated on the garden progress as the season begins to change and the weather starts to show improvement. Perhaps I will become one of those elderly garden addicts after all!

Plenty of love...

Twilight wandering.

Tonight, Stella and I went for a twilight stroll. It was beautiful. Cold and fresh. People were bustling home from work, switching on lights and preparing dinner. We walked past a house with the curtains wide and the light within shining out onto us. A little boy lay on his brightly coloured bed sheets. Toys of all sorts lined his dresser and coloured pictures were blu-tacked to the walls. His father was in the kitchen running water and organising pots and pans. In the drive, a young girl and her mother were getting out of their car, the girl was wearing a leotard and ballet shoes, the mother was grabbing grocery bags from the boot.

I don't usually people watch so intensely, but tonight I let my gazing get the better of me. What I was watching, is what I have always wanted. It's what I aim to have. Simple family pleasures of cooking and eating together, running errands and raising children. I want coloured pictures on my fridge and lunchboxes waiting to be filled. I want to be at dance lessons and football training, parent-teacher interviews and school plays.

This isn't something that I've just figured out, I've always been very maternal. My answer to the "what do you want to be when you grow up?" question was always..."A mother and a wife". I've yearned for family life for so long, and now I am living it. A slightly altered version of it. I hope to one day have all those little extras, the 'real deal'.

I know that it isn't the typical dream of a 21 year old, but that doesn't make my dreams and goals any less legitimate. I will work, learn, have a career, save money...but all of that will be in the background. My passion and goal in life is family. Watching this family tonight just fuelled my desire. 

Do you have that same strong yearning for a family and for love? Or do you yearn for something entirely different? Perhaps travel or climbing the corporate ladder?
Plenty of love...

Lost in the laundry.

Motherhood; warm hugs, quiet moments, storybook reading, peacefully sleeping babies. Picture a perfectly manicured woman, not a hair out of place. Her clothes are crisply ironed and her house sparkles as she gracefully feeds a well behaved, quiet baby. She is slim, healthy, organised, calm, relaxed, caring, patient, kind, a good friend, a good lover, the perfect mother.

The perfect text book mother.

I, however am not. I feel frumpy, my hair is frizzed, my skin needs help and my nails are chipped. There are apples stewing on the stove and peelings on the floor, there is cheese squished into the carpet and a baby screaming "more!". There are 5 loads of washing waiting to be done, my eyelids want to close. I walk past a mirror and wonder "Who is that?!" Who is this tired looking, frustrated feeling woman?

Don't get me wrong; I love motherhood. I love that I am privileged enough to be able to stay home and experience my daughters vital years of growth and development. I love caring for and nurturing her, I love joining her on play and exploration. I love being a mother. But sometimes I feel as though I am lost in all of this...lost under 5 loads of washing, lost under 5kgs of apples. I am just a machine.

One of my lovely Twitter friends suggested I read this book. I read the description and put it on my credit card straight away. Perhaps it will give me some insight and help me reflect. Maybe it will help me understand how to be more than 'just a mother', help me be more satisfied. Maybe it will do my washing?

Have you ever been through this brief restlessness that seems to plague most mothers at some time or another? How did you break through the pile of washing and begin to see some light? As always, please share! 
...Plenty of love...

My view from here.

I just had to share with you what I see through these eyes. I wish I could take snapshots of my memory and replay them. This moment was just beautiful. Late night cuddles with Stella, she layed her head on my chest and was holding her comforter with a chubby little grip. She layed still for a whole half hour, just watching the television and blinking slowly in a sleepy daze. I just breathed in her adorable-ness and shed a little emotional mama tear over how amazing she is.

*Sigh*, this life is just beautiful. 

Mama in the kitchen.

Today was another cooking day. I much prefer to cook all Stella's food in bulk for the freezer rather than cooking every night. It saves time and stress after a long day when Stella is tired and needs entertaining. I've actually started doing the same with my own food in a bid to eat healthier. I cook up simple beef casseroles and chicken pastas in bulk so I never have an excuse to grab some chocolate for tea.

Todays menu for Stella came from a book I thrifted at the charity party 'Healthy home made food for babies and toddlers'. It looks a little dated; the fashion screams early 90's. But, the recipes are incredibly easy to follow and gave me some inspiration to make something a little different to the usual meat and veg mash. I made bulk batches of cheesy cauliflower, fish creole and a chicken and celery stew. Easy peasy mama-made-it-with-ease-y!

Bad habits.

In the past 2 weeks Stella and I have formed some bad habits. I am totally procrastinating about breaking them and wondering how we acquired them in the first place, but these things happen.

The first one is the dummy. As a newborn Stella would never take a dummy, she didn't know how to suck it and it never really gave her any comfort. So we didn't bother again, she has gone a whole year without knowing what a dummy is. She became curious when she saw Evie sucking one and would try to pull it from her mouth intrigued but would chew on the wrong end if she managed to get a hold of it. She is currently cutting her 5th, 6th and 7th tooth all at once, so in a bid to provide some pain relief I covered a dummy in bonjela and put it in her mouth, not thinking she would actually keep it in her mouth. Not only did she keep it in her mouth but she loved it, she loved it that night (sans bonjela) and managed to fall asleep sucking on it and keep it in for the majority of the night. So, at age one Stella has discovered the dummy and is hooked. I know it's not a 'bad' habit, but it seems a strange habit to start at this age. I'm now wondering when, how and if I am ever going to be able to get rid of it!

The second habit, which I am slightly ashamed to admit because I know the health warnings, is a bottle in her cot. If she wakes (which she still is nearly every night) at around 3am, instead of letting her self settle, I have opted for the easier option in my sleepy haze...giving her a bottle in her cot, which she usually falls back asleep with still in her mouth. Not only is this bad for her teeth in the long run but it has created a terrible sleep disruption. She now wakes for that bottle at 3am because she looks forward to it, she doesn't want to go to sleep unless she has that warm, comforting milk there with her. I am not looking forward to the habit breaking process, although once I break it her sleep should settle back down. The major hurdle with this one is Stella's Dad, I am going to pass some of the blame onto him (which takes away some of the guilt from me) for giving me this 'too good to be true' quick settling tip that he started at his house. I'll need to make him join me in the breaking of this habit, which we might start tomorrow night. Or perhaps Saturday night. Or maybe Monday night, best to start on a new week right? Right?! I will break it soon, I swear.


Do you have any bad habits with your child that are proving hard to break? Some that you don't like to admit? Do you have any advice or empathy for out current bad habits? Do share!

...Plenty of love...