Treat Yo Self

You have got to look after yourself.

Mum tells me this.

Rob tells me this.

I say this to friends.

My friends say it to me.

We all say it to each other. 

But....

When work is busy, baby is hungry, emails are unanswered, to do lists rage on, the house is a mess -  well, you get the picture.
My new goal, is trying to fit in some little things each week as a little treat for myself.

This weeks treat - an organic body scrub from My Scrub. 

My Scrub, is a small company that started purely because they tried a coffee scrub, and liked it, but didn't love it. So they made one themselves, and focused on a natural product that can be tailored to different skin types. All natural and vegan ingredients, which I am all about for my skin. I really get freaked out when you look at body products that have a gazillion products in them.

And you know how I am with companies, I think it is so important to follow and support those who do good for others. A portion of profits from scrubs sold goes to Beyond Blue, which is such a worthwhile charity here in Australia.  As someone who has dealt with depression in the past, I think it is rad that My Scrub is helping out with their cause.

During pregnancy my skin was so nice, it glowed and needed very little maintenance. Since Soph was born though, I really feel like the fatigue from being a Mum has taken its toll on my skin. It is so dry and lifeless. It doesn't really help that in Winter I am covered up in stockings and cardigans, so my skin hardly seems like a priority. I don't know if any other Mums got epically dry skin while breastfeeding, but mine dried up like crazy!

I was super excited to find these scrubs and see if I could make a difference with my skin. I decided to try the Orange Zing - I was tempted with ALL the varieties, and was even tempted to make my own. But to be honest, I loved the sound of the peppermint and citrus for refreshing my skin. And I was not disappointed!

You guys. This stuff is the goodness. 

Why do I love it?
First of all. It's kind of a novelty and I was giggling as I did it. Because well, who stands in the shower rubbing coffee on themselves?!
Second of all. It. Smells. Amazing. Like. Amazing. Zesty and refreshing. I could smell the citrus all evening and then on the bus in the morning.
Thirdly, a couple of days after using this, it was quite warm at work, so I peeled off the cardigan. Was suddenly like, ah, I haven't moisturised for ages. Looked down, and boom my skin was all happy looking, and not dry at all. That my friend is a good result.
Finally, there is nothing like a good scrub. Scrubbing of ze body. It feels amazing. And then using all the stuff in the bottom of the shower to scrub my feet.

Et VOila!
You can actually see how good my skin looked afterwards! And it smells so good. SO, so, so good! I know I am using a lot of exclamation points but I am really happy with this product.

I feel so good. And I keep smelling my hands. I can actually just smell orange around me. It's lovely! My skin feels epically recharged. And for such a small time investment - important with baby and working and all the things!

GIVEAWAY

I like the scrub so much that I am shouting one reader to a scrub on me! Visit the My Scrub site here and tell me what you would choose, let me know below and you will go in the draw to win a My Scrub to try. For an extra chance to win, visit my Instagram page to repost the competition picture.

Good luck!  

Because of posting the coffee product, this is open to Australian residents only, sorry my international lady pals xx 
Giveaway is open for one week.

Baby Brain

Baby brain

I did not believe this existed.

I admit it. I was a complete cow to my sister when she said she had baby brain.

“There is no such thing”

“I bet a man came up with that”

“Whatever”

A thousand apologies my beautiful sister.

IT DOES EXIST.

And I am sure it strikes the second your egg is fertilised.

I struggled so much at work during my pregnancy.

Then I had Sophie and it went up another level.

Now I am trying to adult and simultaneously be a petrophysicist.

I can’t even keep the days straight haha. 

Here is life with me and my baby brain. 

I literally never know what day it is. Unless its Monday. Even I know Mondays. Today I messaged someone and said Happy Wednesday. Apparently its Thursday.

I repeat the same questions to Rob again and again –

“Do you remember the time we went to the Alamo?”

10 minutes later

“hey meow, do you remember when we went to the Alamo?”

5 minutes later

“Do you remember the Alamo?"

To get into my floor at work you need to swipe a security badge (it has been that way since before I started which was 2009). Last week I stood in front of the door waiting for it to open for 5 minutes before I realised it was waiting on me.

I have forgotten to tag off with my bus card several times. Then panicked. Then tried to run after the bus.

Needed panty liners. Went into Priceline. Spent $94. Realised later I forgot to get liners. And bought the wrong shade of foundation.

Realised the foundation was the wrong colour after wearing it for a few days and wondering why my face looked different.

I literally never manage to shut the fridge door.
...although in fairness, that isn't a new thing.

Lost approximately seven cups of tea. I don’t know where they went.

 Started so many trains of thought and conversations and then completely forgotten what I was…

Wait.
What was I saying?

At the coffee store I often stand there waiting for change when I haven’t paid them. Or when I don’t need change. Or just because I am unaware of other human beings around me.

And, it appears that in true baby brain nature, I forgot to hit publish on this post. Isn;t that lovely?

She's worth it though :p 

Flying with Bebe - lessons learned

I have been  meaning to write this for ages. But you know, life and stuff.
Then a pal of mine messaged and asked if I had some tips so I was like, okay, I will get my ass into gear.
So now my ass is in gear.
And here we go.

These are my tips for flying with a baby.

Give yourself a lot of time.

We are chronic “early arrivers” at airports. But even with all the time we gave ourself, we ended up rushing. Things just come up with babies. For us, we were on time until we hit a big cue at the petrol station on the way to the airport. And, then, as we were packing our stuff on to a trolley and about to head to the airport bus, Soph had a poo-splosion (her first ever – right out of her pants, into the baby carrier and down my front). So we had an emergency nappy, and outfit change in the car boot in the dark in the carpark.

Double check everything.

But not at 3 am. The night before we left I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited to see my parents. So I decided to check our luggage allowance on the website. Read it wrong. Got up and repacked the suitcase. Added more things.

Then when we checked in the suitcase was 8 kilos over and we had to be the people that go to the side and repack all their bags. Much to Robs horror lol.

Checking baby stuff.

As far as I can see, most airlines give you an allowance for certain baby items. You know, like a portacot, pram/stroller and maybe a car seat. Check it out first. But yeah, from what I can see most normal (like, non-budget) airlines give you an allowance to check 3 baby items. Keep in mind though, you will probably need to lug them down to oversized luggage section. Another reason you want to give yourself heaps of time.

Carrying.

Wear that baby. If you aren’t into wraps, get a more conventional baby carrier. Either way, it makes it was easier. Gives you your hands back. And makes each process smoother.
Also - in the time leading up to your trip, if you or babe aren't so comfortable with the baby carrier, try and use it around the house and get used to it. That way there is one less stress.

Stuff.

Limit your carry on items and stuff you carry. So, what I mean is, if you have jackets and aren’t wearing them - have them in a bag, if you have multiple carry on items, plus a baby, you are bound to get frustrated and wish you had packed differently. Or, if you have multiple carry on items, make one a backpack so your arms are free. Have one as a nappy bag with babes stuff in it. If you have a laptop or ipad and need to take it out as security you will appreciate having your arms free. 

Identification.

Check what babe requires. All babies need passports for all international travel. This much I know. Domestic travel policies vary in each country. For domestic travel within Australia, you need to have your Medicare card with baby's name on it. I am not sure what you need in the US, probably your SSC. 

Security.

Before you turn up, know what you can take through. EBM, formula, water for making your formula? If you are in the States, wear slip on shoes so you don’t have to then sit down balancing a kid while sorting your shoes out.

When you go through security, baby HAS to come out of the carrier. The carrier has to be xrayed and baby needs to be carried through. So if they are due for a nap, TRY to keep them awake until you get through the security checkpoint. Soph fell asleep just before we went through and lost her shit when I had to wake her up.

This is what it looks like when Sophie finally falls asleep, and then gets woken up to go through security. 

Poor thing. 

Take off and Landing.

Babies have to wear the little seatbelt when taking off or landing, and this can be when they are in most discomfort because of the pressure changes. If you can, feed/nurse them now – it serves as a nice distraction, plus the sucking helps relieve the discomfort. 

Meals.

Be prepared to take turns eating. It is worth eating a cold meal (which I am sure you are pretty much used to at this point) to not have babe flipping out.

Note to breastfeeding Mamas. I normally drink heaps and heaps of water during the day, however, on flights I hate getting up and normally don’t drink much at all – this led to a sudden and massive milk supply drop. It bounced back a few days later, but yeah, it’s not worth it. Keep drinking water!

Seating.

If you can it is worth having an extra seat between you for babe or babes things. I couldn’t book one when I chose our seats ahead of time but the check in lady helped get us some extra space which was lovely.

Air Hostess Pals.

Make friends with your flight staff. They can be a huge help whether you are flying solo with baby or in a couple/group. They have pillows which help with nursing or balancing a sleeping babe. They can help juggle babe if you need to use the toilet. And they can bring you an extra wine if you need it!

Plan ahead.

How much of parenting is planning ahead? (And then usually changing things up on the fly :P). How long is your flight? Do you have all the changes you need? Do you have enough nappies and wipes?

Can you book connecting flights with a generous lay over? Like, not super long but enough time to account for an hour delay. Is babe teething? Do you need to bring panadol or bonjela with you? Make sure they are small enough to bring in your carry on.

Chill Out.

You know what? If your baby cries the whole time and you are worried about pissing people off, don’t worry. They will get over it. There is always gonna be someone who gets annoyed about nothing. Most people will love the cute distraction of a baby.

And chances are, this is far more eventful for you than babe. For them, its just another day hanging out with you (except with a lot of randoms around). Soph was a champ. She totally rocked it and enjoyed sleeping and playing. 

Keep calm.

Baby reads your feelings (as I am sure you have heard heaps already). We once saw a family rushing to catch their next plane, they were so stressed. They were so stressed in fact that the father was rushing to get their documents to the Customs officer and dropped the passports down the side of a gap in the desk and they then had to wait for the whole desk to be taken apart by airport staff. Rushing made them miss their connecting flight all together.

Oh and lastly, 

Don’t bother buying a magazine.

Chances are, you won’t get time to read it haha.

Etsy Love: For My Mama

Oh how I love my Mummy. I miss her like crazy when I am away, and there is nothing like seeing her waiting for us at the arrivals gate in Auckland. There is nothing like her hand holding mine when we are walking down the road in a fleating moment to ourselves in Pukekohe. And there is no one else who can make me feel happier, more relieved or less stressed when I facetime her from the States.

This weeks list is all the things I would buy her and ship to her if I owned shares in a shipping company, but seen as I don't, she will get something else. It is the thought that counts right Mama?

I love you Mum.
x

Skoope Home

Prrint

Lola's Little Palace

One Elm

The Vintage Read

Farizula

Hearts Grow Fonder

Dotty Dictionary

Dolly Doulton 75

Barking Sands Vintage

Shop Hoopla

Seas and Peas

Amber Lynns Closet

Satsuma Street

Witsicle