Tag Archives: motherhood

There’s no place like home…

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Many parts of Australia are experiencing a heat wave over the coming days. But 40+ temperatures are the summer-norm for some and is just one of the many challenges living in outback Australia… Being a new first-time mother with limited support and resources is another, and today on the blog my good friend Peta shares her story (which never ceases to blow me away everytime I think about it!)…

I live in a small town.  No, not small like Toowoomba, Dubbo, or Bendigo, small like a place you’ve never heard of, on a road not many travel.

Just like ‘city mums’, my daughter and I enjoy walking. Only, our scenery is a little ‘different’ and our choice of routes are somewhat limited!

Eighty-ish people live in my town, and I know them all; by name, occupation and preferred drink.  When I had my first child they knew all about it too.  We called my partner’s father  the morning after my daughter was born, and by 7:45am all members of the community knew the weight, length and name of our little girl… with slight variations on the spelling. Continue reading →

A feeling in my loins…

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As many of you know, I am currently at the very start of planning my wedding. I am completely overwhelmed, terrified, nauseated, and literally sleepless with all the options, costs and ways it could all go very very wrong. To make matters worse, while I am shortlisting venues and finalising budgets, I have had every bride there has even been tell me “Oh it’s all so fabulous! I wish I was planning my wedding day again! It’s the BEST!”

Which does nothing except make me feel like I am missing something. Didn’t anyone else feel the pain of wedding-planning-crazy-land?

Interestingly, as I grapple with the “is it all really worth it – why can’t I just elope” question, it seems one mother in the sorella-hood has also felt a similar confusion when it came to the experience of the birth of her first baby.

Does time heal old wounds? Here’s her story….

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I can recall the painful day after the birth of my daughter… As a result, I was determined she was to be an only child – I had done childbirth, there and then. Finished. Complete! Continue reading →

Baby Prams. Why we need them. But why we really really hate them.

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It’s a common cry heard in car parks across the world.  New parents shriek in pain and frustration at their state of the art, bullet-proof, environmentally friendly, in-vogue pram.

“Why can’t it just fold up easily like the guy showed me at the Pregnancy Expo?”

“Where the hell is that button he pressed to get the canopy-thingy off?!”

“Which of the 3000 fancy compartments did I put the babies drink bottle in? I know it’s here somewhere…..

“Why did I opt for the fashionable cream colour?  Didn’t I know it would get dried biscuit all over it?”

“This bloody thing! If it had 4 doors it would be considered a vehicle and I’d need a licence to drive it.”

It seems we have come a long way in Pram technology – so much so, it’s often too hard to use them. But have you seen the one that can fold down (and back up!) automatically with a press of a button? (Check it out here if you don’t believe me). I need to get me one of these. I wonder if it can lift itself out of the car too?  I wonder if it can also produce me a coffee so I don’t have to maneuver my way into a café – which I basically always avoid because has anyone else noticed that café’s never seem to be built around the caffeine needs of mums with prams?

Looking back at the beautiful prams of old – They are so gorgeous but imagine trying to get one of these into the boot of your car:

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Ok. I promise not to curse at you again fancy modern, can-go-jogging-if-i-actually-really-wanted-to-but-never-do pram. You win!

~ alisha

Do you have a love-hate relationship with your pram?

The joys of being a Mum – Happy Mothers Day!

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In case you have been sleeping under a rock – It’s Mothers Day on Sunday!

So we thought it would be timely to sit down with 5 of our beautiful friends and share what’s special about being a Mum (and what’s on their wish-list this Mothers Day – we hope their partners are taking notes!).

CARRIE

Hello I’m Carrie – I’m a Literacy Coach, wife, and mum of 2 children – Charli who is 10 and Zeke is 6. We live in Geelong in Victoria.

Carrie with her 2 children - Charli & Zeke

What makes being a mum special? 

Just being a mum is special, I feel so blessed! Being a working mum, no matter how hectic my day may have been, coming home to cuddles and my children wanting to share everything with me is truly amazing!

What is the funniest thing your child has ever said to you?

They have said so many funny things but I have such a bad memory when it comes to sharing quotes but an instance that certainly made me laugh was when we were fortunate enough to travel through Europe for my brother’s wedding.  Zeke was just about to turn 5 and one night in our motor-home in a caravan park in France he said, “Mum, say ‘parlez vous anglais’” {Translation: Do you speak English?}, so of course I did – with which he responded in his best French accent “little bit – little bit!”.  I think perhaps he picked up on us wanting to speak more English with the locals than French!

How you will you celebrate Mother’s Day?

With all the whispers around my house at the moment I’m excited to see what is planned! My husband is so unbelievably thoughtful and he always helps the children make it a special day.  I also love catching up with my mum so hopefully we’ll get together for lunch or dinner.

What’s on your Mother’s Day wish list?

I only have two things on my list! After receiving my sorella & me sleepshirt for Christmas I have pretty much lived in it each night when I get home and with the cold weather coming on I need something a bit warmer.  So kids if you read this I REALLY WANT a grey lounge wrap and evening sky drawstring pant…PLEASE!!

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The day I realised I am turning into my mother

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It was that moment when you heard the words come out of your mouth – and you knew just as soon as you said it: they were the words of your mother.

We joked about it in our 20’s out of a false sense of security that it was surely just a myth.  But the bubble has burst and many women are realizing that the ’joke’ about girls turning into their mothers is everything but (and you can hear the shrieks of self-realisation and terror from all corners of the country).

The metamorphosis is nothing less than horrifying, especially when you actually realise just how much you now look, sound and act like your mum*

* this does not mean we do not love every ounce of our Mums – it just seems a bit weird to now be a version of her when you thought that you couldn’t be more different, and more to the point, you vowed you would never let it happen. Furthermore, the comment “you’re so much like your mother” seems to be accompanied by an evil laugh from our husbands/partners/sisters/brothers and is extremely annoying. Continue reading →

How will my body change with pregnancy and birth?

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Today Anna contemplates (and is terrified of) the changing body she is told to expect following pregnancy and childbirth.

Like many women, I have spent a lot of my life begrudging my body.  At the ripe old age of 33, I still don’t know why we do it – it’s exhausting to say the least.  I seriously waste so much time with my head stuck in the back of my wardrobe trying to find something to wear when there is simply nothing to wear. It’s ridiculous. I could spend that time doing so many more fabulous things – like drinking French Martinis. Or getting massages.

I remember being as young as 9 years old and comparing my features to my best friend. Why did her legs look so much nicer than mine in her sports uniform? Why did she have such fancy hairstyles tied up with beautiful ribbons when it was all I could do to get my hair in a ponytail by the time I got to school? Why does she have the most beautiful brown  skin, and I have THESE freckles. I HATE freckles! Continue reading →

Breastfeeding: When it’s time to hang up your nursing bra

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Breastfeeding is always a topic that sparks debate with many differing opinions, ideas, do’s/don’ts, and should-haves.  There always seems to be research or recommendations we need to be across. Even just this week new research has suggested that introducing solids earlier can reduce a child’s risk of allergies.

One thing we should agree on though is that none of us have the same boobs or the same child – and that’s where, with a little help and advice here and there from the experts or our brave ‘sisters’ that have gone before us, the mother should have the right (and the thinking space!) to make her own decision on what is right for her and her child.

We will be coming back to the topic of breastfeeding in the sorella-hood regularly to discuss different issues and experiences. Our first post delves into the dreaded topic of ‘supply’. That is, how long can the milk bar stock the milk? Alisha tells us her story.

sorella & me maternity sleepwear - nursing cami

model wears sorella & me maternity sleepwear - nursing cami & pant (both in evening sky). Image by sorella & me

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The one thing that unravels me in my job as Mum

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Mums are supposed to be tough. Any time I saw my mum shed a tear it made me feel very unsettled (and as a woman I’ve since come to realise she must have shed a hell of a lot more than what she let me and my 3 sisters see).

So I try to be the strong mum for my children, that my mum was to me – but there is one thing that just never fails to unravel me. The dreaded needle.

I spent my childhood praying for a pill that would replace all needles, and I still don’t understand why someone hasn’t invented one.  A fainting spell in grade 6 while getting the rubella vaccination set me up for a lifetime of fear associated with needles.  Any sight of a needle on TV and I’m looking for a pillow to hide behind.  It’s not so much the pain of the needle that bothers me, it’s just the idea of the sharp end piercing my flesh and going down under my skin. Yuck. Continue reading →

It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to

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The days of ‘Pass the Parcel’ (with just the one present at the end), ‘Statues’, ‘Pin the tail on the Donkey’ and a plate of fairy bread are officially over.

It seems children’s parties have morphed into a dizzying heights with each party pushing the fun-limits of the one preceding it.  Jumping castles, face painting, fairies, and the most perfectly iced cupcakes.

And, if ‘Pass the Parcel’ is played, there must be a present in every layer.  Why? Because we need to teach kids that life is fair and everyone has an equal chance and (more to the point) I really don’t want tears and tantrums.  I want everyone to be happy and have fun, so everyone opens a layer and everyone gets a Freddo Frog… Life in kids-party world is fair.

Continue reading →