toddler – aliceinhealthyland

What is in my toddlers lunchbox? Feat. Australian Certified Organic.

September 25, 2017June 9, 20203 Comments

What is in my toddlers lunchbox?

Feat. Australian Certified Organic.

Packing my toddlers lunch box daily can be a bit of a challenge as Cruz (nearly 2) can like something one day and then change his mind the next and say his famous “no” to what I have on offer. So I like to mix up his lunchbox with a few different yummy goodies and options but also like to offer him some of the same foods daily even if he doesn’t eat them because tomorrow he may haha.

Continue reading “What is in my toddlers lunchbox? Feat. Australian Certified Organic.” →

Newborn Photoshoot – Celebrating our Winter Rose.

August 23, 2017May 18, 2018Leave a comment

Photoshoot Captured by Jennifer Horner Photography

Hair by SarsHair Studio

Make up done by a sleep deprived mumma haha.

Gown by Eden Elizabeth Creative

Jennifer Horner is a stunning photographer from Brisbane, Queensland. She shoots maternity, newborn, family & children and motherhood sessions. I feel very lucky to have crossed paths with her. I met her during my maternity photoshoot, she was so down to earth and so easy to work with. Jennifer is an incredibly gifted woman and I am so blessed that she was able to capture some newborn photos of our darling Winter Rose.

Continue reading “Newborn Photoshoot – Celebrating our Winter Rose.” →

Alice In Pregnancyland #32weeks-38weeks

June 22, 2017June 22, 2017Leave a comment

Pregnancy Emotions. Pregnancy Eating. Pregnancy Exercise. Pregnancy Style.

I actually cannot believe I am typing the last blog of the Alice In Pregnancyland series. (for now haha) I remember chatting To Tahlia about collaborating with me for the #bumpstyle shoots and now here we are at 37 nearly 38 weeks finishing off the bump series. I have really loved building a friendship with Tahlia from @wyldefolkstudio_ while we did the photoshoots she is such a kind hearted person. I now have a friendship for life with her. Not to mention how blessed I was to collaborate with so many gorgeous labels and maternity brands. throughout the 9 months. A huge thank you to everyone that followed the series and continued to send through such beautiful feedback. Big Love to you all.

Pregnancy Emotions

The last few weeks I have been on a emotional roller coaster. I have been so excited to meet the little one, I have had mum guilt with my one on one time with Cruzie, I have cried happy tears and I have cried god knows what tears. To me having a good cry really does help me just let it all out, breathe and then let it go. All these new emotions feel like it’s my heart is expanding and I am ready to meet our new little one now.

I finished up work at 36 weeks. Best decision as I was going to work to 37 weeks, the heaviness of nursing and being on my feet got to me a little. So I am so glad to be on maternity leave. It feels so different not having to go to work again.

I have been making the most of my time with Cruzie too. I have been taking him to singing and reading at the library, reading and extra snuggles at night time, park hangs and babycino dates. I am loving being off work with him again.

Everyone has been asking how Cruzie has been? Does he know? I think he knows a change is coming. He won’t let anyone rub my belly but David, he pushes their hand away or pulls my top down. We brought him a little dolly and he has been kissing it, changing its nappy, pushing it around in a pram. It’s so cute to watch. I think he will be a great big brother.

I keep telling myself that I need to slow down as my body is tired, but its true “nesting” is a real thing. I keep thinking of new things to do and clean. I forget to rest and I am on the go all day. Then I have the worse braxton hicks and back ache in the evening. So I should listen to all the advice and just put my feet up. Haha easier said than done though. Plus entertaining my little man. He sleeps well in the afternoon so I should just lay down then and watch some Offspring on tv. Maybe tomorrow? haha.

I went and seen my midwife for a 36 week scan and check up. The cheeky bubbas legs are sitting frog legged but the head is right down there. I keep thinking in my head that the baby will be here early because Cruz came early but I shouldn’t get my hopes up. I discussed my birth plan and what I wanted. My birth plan is to have a natural birth, hopefully not be on the monitor like last time, have a bath or hot shower, use essential oils and just have David in there. David is my rock and he really did help me through the breathing techniques last time. I do still feel anxious about the birth experience and labour but I am just trying not to think about it, what will be will be.

Pregnancy Eating.

With eating I have been a bit all over the place.

I wake up so hungry and have to eat before I go for a walk. For breakfast I normally have smoothies or protein pancakes. Thats its the I just swap it up between the two.

Then for snacks I have almonds, nuts, apple or a bliss ball. Sipping on so much raspberry leaf tea to ha.

Lunch is lots of greens and a source of protein or a chia sourdough with cheese, figs and cucumber sandwich or the same combo on rice cakes.

I am obsessed with Bolognese at the moment with zoodles (zucchini pasta), I am addicted love it. I also love white fish or salmon with greens for dinner, I have gone off all brown rice and sweet potato probably because my belly already fills so fall at night.

Cravings – organic milk chocolate from Flannerys Health Shop … YUM!!!!

Pregnancy Exercise

Walking 30-45minutes around the block (filled with hills) but very slowly as I get pelvic pressure. I put my podcast on and enjoy the metime I love it. Makes me feel better. I love doing about 20-40 push ups daily on the kitchen bench and 20 squats on the shower too. About 3 times a week I use my little 2kg weights and do a little arm workout too. If I have having an exhausting day I just don’t exercise at all. Maybe just do a stretch. The last week I have really slowed down, but thats okay, my body needs the rest.

Pregnancy Style

So besides loose boho styles and a few tight comfortable maternity dresses I have been living in maternity leggings and a jumper. Argh so comfy. I do love dressing up the bump, but I feel my wardrobe has become very limited and don’t really want to add to it till the baby is here.

For this #bumpstye shoot I wore a dress I purchased for a hens day a few months back. Its called the FAWN WRAP DRESS and I brought it from the @theselfstyler online. Guess what they just restocked it too. You can buy it HERE. Its perfect to take you through your pregnancy journey and will be great for breastfeeding too. Its not actually a maternity dress but it should be its so comfortable.

Tahlia and I decided for the last bump photoshoot we would find a beautiful spot with long grass (secret location) and invite David and Cruz to come along for some family photos. We had a lovely afternoon watching the sunset and Tahlia came with her family too, so nice. I hope you all enjoy the photos.

Thank you again for reading.

Big Love,

Alice (in healthyland) xoxo

#showtherealyou Tahlia Aubusson AKA @housewifestyle

May 15, 2017June 9, 2020Leave a comment

This weeks #showtherealyou girl, is someone I have been fan girling over for a while now. Her name is Tahlia Aubusson. If you are not already following her then you should as I know you will fall in love with her as much as I have.

Tahlia runs her Instagram account @housewifestyle and a beautifully, raw, written lifestyle and motherhood blog.

Tahlia is a loving wife to her husband, a gorgeous mumma to her beautiful daughter Ambria, a singer, a self proclaimed for house and fashion, a writer and a photographer. I believe she is also one of the most kind hearted people I follow on social media. She has the most beautiful photos on her Instagram page but her words of honesty truly touch so many hearts.

Put your feet up, make a cup of hot cocoa and take 10 minutes to know the gorgeous Tahlia Aubusson AKA @housewifestyle…

Favourite Hot drink?

Hot chocolate, sadly I am not a coffee drinker.

Who is the Real Tahlia Aubusson?

I am in my element at home, i am such a homebody. I love rainy days where I can get all cosy inside and watch a movie with my husband and daughter Ambria. My true passion is singing and song writing, another reason I love being at home, this is what I do in my spare time. I consider myself quite funny and I’m always the one to make my friends laugh, I absolutely not not care if I make a fool of myself in fact ill do it just to make other people happy, I am down to earth, easy to talk to and genuinely just want to help and connect with others. I am all about uplifting other women and have absolutely zero tolerance for any individual who tries to intimidate or discredit another person, if you don’t have something nice to say then don’t say anything to me at all. I have the most beautiful marriage and I am so blessed to truly live each day with my soul mate, James, he is 100% my best friend whom I love indefinitely. I am fiercely loyal to the beautiful people in my life, once you are in my circle I will support you and defend you no questions asked. I LOVE being a mother and can honestly say I haven’t had one day that I haven’t absolutely loved being Ambrias mother. I hate the gym but I love competitive team sports! Up until I had Ambria I had played rep soccer all my life, I also used to dance and sing professionally in stage shows across NSW. My life now revolves around raising a beautiful human being and immersing myself in my work and passions in my spare time. I have a successful home beauty business which I open 2 days a week (Monday & Tuesday) and I am thankfully booked out in advance. I love having those 2 days to work hard to be able to contribute financially to my family whilst still having the rest of the week free to be with my daughter. If I was to describe myself I would say I am arty, I love my photography, styling, fashion and music, I am a softie, though sometimes I can be head strong I will easily cry. I am happy with the simple life and it will always be enough despite me wanting to always grow and improve I am so thankful for the life I already have, I am a huge animal lover and have 2 dogs, I love food way to much and I’m constantly at war with myself over the amount of my chocolate consumption. I am happy, grateful, fun and honest and believe everything in balance, except maybe chocolate.

Could you please share a day in the life of Tahlia?

Our average day starts by me being woken up from Ambrias chattering in her cot, its the best and sweetest alarm clock ever. We always start the day by playing, ill chase her up the hall to change her nappy, we will put music on and have a dance around while I make her breakfast. We always go daily to buy fresh ingredients for dinner, after our grocery shop we will go for a walk to meet friends at the park for morning tea, I luckily have lots of friends with toddlers so we are always having play dates, I always park on the opposite end of town so i have to walk to get groceries, to the park and then back to the car. During the week Ambria has lots of different activities, kindy gym, swimming, mothers group and now she has also started 2 days of day care and ballet. On the days she has day care I work from home doing my singing, recording, blogging and the good old house work… someone has to do it, I have also started dedicating one of those days to doing something relaxing for myself like getting a massage. Afternoons james will come home and spend time playing with Ambria, we will usually cook dinner as a family and 50% of the week we have friends over for dinner, our home is the hub to all my friends.

What drove you to start your Instagram account @housewifestyle

I love fashion, photography and styling so wanted a place where I could showcase my passions and use it as an artistic outlet. I wanted to connect and form friendships with other mothers to benefit from their experiences. I also wanted to build a platform for me to share my upcoming music. I believe having these social media platforms has helped me maintain my passions and identity since becoming a mum.

What do you think attracts women to your social media platforms?

My page is full of prettiness but my captions and words are full of heart. I love being able to showcase a visually beautiful page that gives people and insight to who I am whilst maintaining a rateable and very real aspect through sharing real feelings and experiences that make people laugh or cry. I try to always respond to every single enquiry or comment for a more personal connection and have made beautiful friendships along the way by doing so.

What advice would you give people wanting to start a blog?

Only do it because you enjoy it, make it for you before you make it for someone else. I started this journey because its an outlet for me, I enjoy the calmness I get when writing and the excitement I get when taking photos, I love it! A following will come naturally with persistence, creative content, heartfelt or interesting words and passion. Dont give in to gimmicks and want quick success, you wont build a genuine community by doing so, be patient, be yourself and just enjoy doing your own thing.

Favourite Quote or Mantra to live by?

“ Be yourself, people don’t have to like you and you don’t have to care” I love this because since my early teenage years I’ve had more stones thrown at me than a witch in the 17th century! I let it hurt me so badly that for many years I had no clue who I was, who I wanted to be, what I was doing wrong or why I was a target, now as an adult I know the answer to all of those things, I am confident and content with who I am and I don’t apologise for it, i embrace it and share it with others, if they are not accepting I truly do not care.

What is something you practice daily in relation to self love?

When getting dressed I’ve stopped picking apart my body, I now focus on how my outfit looks, not my size or figure, I actively tell myself positive things and don’t focus on my flaws. I buy clothing that is flattering on me and makes me feel good,I learnt what style suits my shape and accept the way I am. I am constantly reminding myself of whats important in life and prioritise what matters. every night I will finish my day with gratitude, no matter how stressed I am ill lay in bed and think about all the things I love about my life, all the things that make me happy, whats important and whats not important and very quickly the things that had been niggling at me making me feel insecure and quickly become insignificant.

How often do you move your body?

Ill be honest here, this could use a little work. I try to go for a walk most days and will do small home work outs while Ambria sleeps, it makes me feel so energised on the days that I do make moving a priority and if you are an anxiety sufferer like myself its so important to make some form of exercise a part of your daily routine.

Favourite items of clothing in your wardrobe?

Can I say two?? I cant decide!!!! Id have to say my flowy elegant Zimmermann dresses and my casual comfy Spell Designs dresses! All are my favourites lol.

Favourite Mumlife moment you wish to share?

How on earth do you pick a favourite mum life moment. There have been so many that have filled my heart with so much love that i never knew existed. From her first smile, first steps, first hug, her crazy dance moves and bursting laughing its hard to pick one favourite but one thing that makes us smile and laugh every single day is when james comes home from work he will yell from the door “Fee Fi Fo Fum I smell the blood of an Aubusson” and Ambria will squeal and run with excitement, james and Ambie will wrestle and tickle for half an hour of huge giggles, its the highlight of my day.

A mumlife moment where you have felt overwhelmed?

For me this was probably before Ambria was even born. I suffered multiple miscarriages and recently shared my personal story about this on my blog. I guess my whole pregnancy with Ambria was a very stressful time for me and I had many moments where I cried hysterically from fear and anxiety. I am so blessed that she has been a dream baby, allowing me to heal and have a beautiful transition into motherhood letting go of sadness.

Do you make time for a date night? If so what do you get up to?

Luckily James and I get to have an uninterrupted evening together most nights, when Ambria goes to bed at 7.30 we will always sit down and have dinner together and talk, usually followed by watching an episode from a series we are hooked by. We actually prefer doing things as a family on the weekends but every so often my mother will take Ambie for the night and we will get dressed up and go out for a nice dinner just the 2 of us. Most weekends we have all out friends over for a get together, whilst we are not alone its still adult time we enjoy together and of course we still ALWAYS have a snuggle at night!

Want more from Tahlia?

Instagram @housewifestyle

Facebook tahliahousewifestyled

Blog https://housewifestyleblog.wordpress.com

Alice In Pregnancyland #week24-28

April 17, 2017April 17, 20171 Comment

Pregnancy Emotions. Pregnancy Exercise. Pregnancy Eating. Pregnancy Style.

Pregnancy Emotions.

My emotions in the past 4 weeks have recently been pretty stable. David and I have been really good and although I am feeling really tired, my body is just getting on with it and handling it. There is one thing that is pulling on my heart strings a little though, is that I am going to have to share my time between Cruzie and this new Bub. I hope I don’t hurt his feelings to much, when I have a screaming baby and I can’t put him to bed like I normally do. I am truly treasuring those cuddles to sleep in his room every night at the moment. Sometimes laying there a little longer to just enjoy my one on one time with him. I also get emotional thinking about having to leave Cruz at home while I go and stay in hospital to have the Bub as well. My heart does feel completely full thinking about the first time Cruz gets to meet his baby brother or sister though. He is so sweet with his baby cousin Arliah, always blowing her kisses and patting her gently and smiling. Makes me smile so much.

Pregnancy Exercise.

So the last 4 weeks I have just been walking for 30-45minutes everyday. I feel it’s getting harder and harder to push the pram up and down the hills with a growing bump.

I have been doing yoga a little but not as much. Maybe once or twice a week. I do love the feeling after yoga, it’s just the motivation to get the mat out and do it at home while Cruzie sleeps.

I have also been doing some lite weights from the @grace_powerfit POWERFIT E BOOK. I am currently using the MY POWERFUL PREGNANCY PROGRAM ebook to help guide me, depending on my strength and energy everyday I tailor it to suit me. My veins in my leg and pelvis can feel more heavier on some days than others, so I just take each day as it comes with my workouts.

I love doing squats, so I make sure I do 20-25 a day in the shower and I do 20 push ups on the kitchen bench too.

@xothreeactive for more details on the maternity and breastfeeding active wear pictured above.

My little arm candy I use as daily motivation, to move my body in some way each day. Bracelet by Fit & Style

@fitandstyle_ for the motivational #fitnessbracelets
Pregnancy Eating.

Okay, so eating. Well I think I am doing okay! I haven’t been eating as much as I usually do as I get that full feeling super fast with my bump growing. I have been having my Bulletproof coffee smoothie (filled with lots of good fats and frozen banana) every morning with my @ponoprobiotics in them. The recipe is on my Instagram if you would like it.

PONO PROBIOTICS – Coconut and Manuka Honey

For snacks I usually just eat rice cakes and peanut butter or just a apple or a quest protein bar (maybe once a week), or rumbles paleo bars are good too.

Lunch is either a organic salad + tuna quinoa wrap OR tuna + sweet potato + broccoli OR EGGS + sauerkraut + sourdough + spinach.

Dinner has either been salmon or white fish with steam veggies or homemade sweet potato chips. I have also been digging homemade spaghetti bowl.

We just finished Easter so I totally smashed an Easter bunny over Easter too. I normally eat my raw chocolate most nights, but on Easter Saturday and Sunday I totally ate Easter choccie. #noregrets

I had all of my glucose tolerance tests finally competed and all came back negative so I am completely over the moon with that too.

Pregnancy Style.

So my style during these four weeks is all about maternity clothing and Kmart stretching skirts with a t shirt knotted on top. The pre pregnancy wardrobe is getting used less and less. I have been loving the simplicity of my wardrobe as I have to think less about it as I wear the same clothes often now. Unless I have an event or something on.

With my work uniform I have been using the mini bump belt to add a bit of stretch to my work pants. It’s by Fertile Mind. It is amazing, stops the restrictiveness across your belly. I love it. They have different sizes for different stages of your pregnancy! #lifesaver

I had my gorgeous friends hens during this thing so I brought a nice boho flowing dress from The Self Styler for that occasion which I felt great in.

@theselfstyler Fawn wrap dress, available in other prints online. Hair by Emma @c_ba_hair

For this #bumpstyle photoshoot with the talented Tahlia @wyldefolkstudio we thought we would do something a little different. All I was wearing was white lace.

We collaborated with @littlebairn a business that provides organic and all natural skin products for mother & baby, to bring you a milk bath maternity photoshoot. Boy did I love doing this. One and a half hours of pampering bliss. Although for Tahlia is was more challenging, watching our little babes and climbing the bath all the while shooting me in the bath.

A special thank you to Amy from Daisy & Co Flowers for providing the stunning flower crown.

Thank you again for tuning in to this weeks blog. I truly appreciate you reading and commenting on all the pieces. Plus you have all been so supportive and provided great advice during this pregnancy and my journey through motherhood.

Big Love Alice xoxo

Lace, milk and blooms – maternity milk bath photography 🌿

Alice In Pregnancyland #week4to8

January 2, 2017January 3, 20174 Comments

Pregnancy Emotions. Pregnancy Style. Pregnancy Exercise. Pregnancy Eating.

Thank you all for tuning into my second blog of my series “alice in pregnancyland” your support and love has been seriously overwhelming.

Like I said in my previous blog post, little did David know that falling pregnant was just the beginning of my crazy, hormonal emotional rollacoster that he was about to jump on with me. Over these weeks I remember crying a lot! Crying because there were tears of happiness, crying because I was bloated, crying because I couldn’t stop throwing up or feeling like I was on a boat sea sick, crying because Dave didn’t put the garbage out (no joke) and crying because Cruz did something ultimately adorable! Who the efff am I? I started the NO SEX drout too. I didn’t want to be touched not even cuddled. I was on a total high at times too as I am so pleased that Cruzie Poozie is going to have a brother or sister.

Exercise, hmmm well honestly it dropped from 4 HIIT classes a week to just one or two. I felt like every opportunity I got to lay down and rest I did as I was so ill and nauseated. I did still push through the sickness and walk every day even if it was just 30minutes. I did this first thing in the morning as my nausea was the worst at night. I also did a floor pregnancy “booty and thigh’s” workout on youtube twice a week and I did Katy Appleton’s Pregnancy Yoga three times a week, which I just get off you tube and play through my Apple TV or laptop. I found the pregnancy yoga a huge help and the breathing really helped with the nausea and helped me to relax.

With eating I didn’t like ANYTHING I normally like to eat so I had to find alternatives to make sure I was nourishing my body. I liked tuna and fish to begin with but then about week 7 I started to hate eating meat, eggs and fish. So I looked to vegan options for nourishment. I purchased some Franjos Kitchen Pregnancy Cookies and Crackers to give me something to munch on. I actually have become addicted to the crackers, they are made from charcoal and organic ingredients, I have these a lot for lunch with a little salad. I did LOVE salad and fresh juices that was made by others. Loved sweet potato chips. So I pretty much turned into a Sweet Potato.

I loved carbs too. So this spelt organic loaf was epic for breakie instead of my smoothie.

Pregnancy Crackers and Cookies by Franjo’s Kitchen

Cruz & Summer enjoying the cookies at the Week 4-6 Photoshoot

I spoke to my good friend Tania from Naturally Nourished who is a naturopath and she put me on some Zinc and Activated B6 vitamins that really helped with the nausea and that cut it back to just the evening. Gave me more energy too. I loved to sip on Mama Body Tea too. The Mama Body Tea has a Soothing Tea which is great for bloating after eating and they also have a Morning Wellness Tea which is made especially for Pregnant Mamas to help ease the symptoms of Pregnancy.

BUMP STYLE -Well firstly I went and brought myself some overalls as my belly was super bloated so I hated wearing shorts. The overalls in the shoot are just from Kmart for $15 and the blouse is a Spell & The Collective I love Spell as you can wear their clothing not pregnant and pregnant as they just hang so beautifully. I had a wedding to and I also wore a Spell two piece.

Thank you to the gorgeous Tahlia from wyldefolkstudio and thefiedlerfolk for taking these beautiful images of my 4 to 8 week bump ( well mostly just a bloated belly hahaha ) we will be collaborating together a lot to share with you some stunning pieces you can wear to rock your bump during the 9 months of pregnancy.

Still cannot believe Cruz will be a big brother. Playsuit by Frankie Loves

thumbnail_132a6933 — Spell & The Collective Gown.

Bump at 7 weeks, wearing Spell & The Collective to a wedding

Strawberry and Pumpkin Little Bites

November 4, 2016June 10, 20202 Comments

Continue reading “Strawberry and Pumpkin Little Bites “ →

Megan Desmond – #showtherealyou

October 3, 2016June 9, 2020Leave a comment

I have had the pleasure of meeting this beautiful woman about two years ago. We went to French twist in Bulimba and it was absolutely lush. We talked all things fashion, blogging, food and photography. I started following Megan on Instagram just over four years ago. We both had a love for Samantha Wills jewels and I loved buying Megan’s pre loved pieces.
Megan and I have always stayed in touch, we were pregnant at similar times and our babes are around the same age. Thanks to the world of social media we are able to support one and other when needed. Megan lives in Melbourne so Snapchat and Facebook messenger has helped for us to stay in touch. I know that you will love getting know Megan and her gorgeous daughter Poppy as much as I do.

Get cosy with your bed socks, make a cup of hot tea and enjoy this weeks #showtherealyou feature …

Megan Desmond

Favourite hot drink?

Tea and coffee! At the moment I am loving the Caramelito Nespresso, and the organic Pukka Night Time Tea. I have one every night after dinner, it helps me unwind and actually makes me sleepy, magic!

Can you tell me who the REAL Megan Desmond is?

To be honest I don’t really know anymore! It’s only now one year after having Poppy that I am able to get some ‘me’ time back! And also, everything has changed, including myself. For 11 years I worked the same job, and my interests didn’t really change. I also lived at home! Being a stay at home mum, and now home owner, it has been so inspiring, and I have many new interests including cooking, baking, gardening, plants, interior decorating, as well as my old interests of photography, crystals, and Melbourne in general. So I am excited to discover the new ME.

Tell me about a day in the life of Megan?

Poppy wakes me up (very early at the moment), I feed her in bed and we have a little play, I hate getting up straight away! Then we get up, she plays in her play room and I make our breakfast. We then eat together, and she plays again. I like to get any house work done at this point so it’s done for the day. Then she has her morning tea and a nap, we are just transitioning to one day nap now. When she’s asleep I usually have a cuppa and either keep cleaning, or lay down myself if I need to rest, hang washing out, shower and plan my day!
When she wakes up I get her dressed and we will have lunch, outside if it’s nice weather which we love! We haven’t been doing much lately because of the horrible weather, but as it’s warming up I have been taking her out when it’s nice. We live near Williamstown which is a beach town here in Melbourne, and there are so many great parks, cafes, and of course the beach!
Afternoon I get dinner ready for us all, we always eat together as a family which I really enjoy. Then my partner baths Poppy, I do dishes, she goes to bed and we like to have a cuppa while we watch a show together or a movie. This is when I usually go on my phone and catch up with my friends!

Your little girl Poppy is just gorgeous! How are you finding #mumlife

I love it! I have always dreamed of this and feel so blessed to have her. I have had many struggles, I have recently learnt to think of it more as a learning experience rather than a struggle, with your first you have no idea what it’s going to be like, and when something happens it’s literally trial and error till you find what works for you and the babe!
My main concern was sleep, and feeding Poppy to sleep was the only way I could do it. It was heavily taking a toll on my body and mental health. I think I was so extremely tired that I got quite bad anxiety, possibly even post natal depression. I was up all through the night and doing whatever I could to get her to sleep during the day, I had no downtime at all and was constantly stressed. I always wished she could just be awake all day and I didn’t have to worry about it. Her awake time was so fun and happy, but I would dread nap time.
It’s so hard because you feel all these feelings, but then you are so incredibly happy at the same time. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say it can be daunting to get help, you almost feel like you are failing. But I did and it has been life changing, we all get sleep and are much happier for it.
What is your favourite quote or mantra?

I don’t have a favourite! I find affirmations and quotes detrimental to a positive mind so I have had many, many, over the years when I have gone through different experiences with work, love, life. I will say this one is a good all rounder “A negative mind will never give you a positive life.”
How often do you find the time to move your body? I know it’s crazy busy as a mum! Do you find time at all or is it a challenge?

I have found it a challenge, being so sleep deprived it was the last thing I wanted to do! I love walking, I’m excited now it’s spring and we are only doing one nap I have more time to get out and about with Poppy and move! She will be walking soon too, so I am very excited to chase her around in the near future!

Favourite activewear?

I don’t have much at all! My partner got me a pair of Skins when I was pregnant, I won a pair of Jaggad compression tights, and that’s about as far as my collection goes! Do shoes count? My Reebok X Face Stockholm peach trainers have been life changing, so I’ll say them!

Go to healthy recipe?

We are loving zucchini slice at the moment. And it’s great to pack in the nappy bag to have when we’re out.
But we do have marinated chicken thighs and salad for dinner a lot.
Chicken thighs whole (or sometimes I use tenderloins), splash of olive oil, turmeric, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, splash of soy sauce. I don’t really use a ratio!
The summer salad we LOVE is rocket, mango, and walnuts with a dressing of olive oil, lemon and salt/pepper! Or a greek salad.
I have loved following your blog posts over the years! You are a real talent with the camera and such a beautiful writer. Being a mumma is a busy gig do you think you will get back into it?

Thank you!
Definitely! I have slowly started getting back into it, I haven’t had much to share lately, nor did I have the time or energy. I just posted about our sleep training experience, and some family photos. I’m also going to share Poppy’s first birthday party soon which was really beautiful! I always posted about Melbourne and the coffee/food culture, also fashion. I will change the direction of the blog to suit my life now.
Do you ever find time for date night? If so where would you go?

We do now! But because we are so use to not doing it we always forget. I could never leave Poppy as I fed her to sleep and she didn’t take a bottle. We have some weddings coming up which I am excited for. I am also DYING to get to the cinema and see a movie together!!!! We have had a few nice dinners together, but it is definitely something we have to do more often.

Want to get to know Megan a little more?

Blog – http://meganmynameis.blogspot.com.au/

Instagram – @megandesmond

Facebook – https://m.facebook.com/Megan-Melbourne-241073425925522/?ref=settings