Please check out my new blog at Rollercoaster Mum – I’ll be adding all kinds of articles and stories to help you enjoy your parenting journey – with all the ups and downs. Katie x
Crafty kids
YOGA is definitely a BIG help when you are raising crafty children…!
When I’m cooking, I quite often reach into my kitchen utensil drawer only to find the spatula sellotaped to a tape measure and a bottle top.
‘What is this?’ I’ll ask my son, Lucas, nine, as I hold up the bizarre contraption.
‘It’s my dinosaur,’ he’ll reply enthusiastically.
I’m stuck between feeling indignant that I have to spend a few extra minutes untangling it and encouraged that I have such an imaginative child.
My daughter Indi, seven, also loves her craft – and is even nagging me to get a sewing machine, so she can design her own clothes.
The only problem is El Destructo AKA: Leo – my three year old, is also keen on craft – but he’s motivated by his eternal mission to create as much mess as is humanly possible.
If there’s a spare Texta lying around you can be sure he’ll try to draw on the walls and he likes nothing more than delving into a box and throwing the contents around the room. Any box will do. Any contents.
That’s why life was particularly difficult recently when we had our house on the market. Don’t even ask me about the time when the photographer came and Leo gleefully decided to draw his own designs on my new white bedspread with a green pen! (Let me tell you my calming Yoga breathing practices came in very handy then!)
So that’s why I feel torn when , in the holidays the kids asked to do some painting – on one hand I think it’s great they’re so creative, on the other I groan about the potential mess. But at the end of the day mess can be wiped away – but those memories will be like permanent marker.
On that note – here’s Leo after he decided to redecorate the kitchen with his black handprints…!
I MUST improve my bust!
The forgotten casualty of pregnancy and breastfeeding…
Before I even peed on my pregnancy testing stick I knew I was about to be a mum because my boobs seemed to expand five sizes overnight – and were so sore even walking caused me to wince.
As the pregnancy developed they continued to inflate leaving me with what one “friend” called a “pregnancy trifecta” of two big boobs and a belly to match.
After birth, they turned into milk bombs, inflating even more as my milk came in and then they were gnawed and pawed as my newborn hungrily latched on to my nipples.
When my last bub finally decided to stop breastfeeding (well, I ended up weaning him at 18 months) – they were no longer needed and simply deflated and discarded, like the last guest at the party.
So, I think it’s time we reclaimed our boobs. Of course our breasts, like the rest of our body will benefit from a well balanced diet, adequate sleep, rest, exercise and good hydration.
But it’s also important we have of course a well-fitting and supportive bra. And as our boobs do change in shape, the bras you had before pregnancy and breastfeeding may not be right for you now.
To check, put your bra on by bending from the waist and ensure your breasts are well supported in the cup of the bra. Make sure the straps are well fitting and balanced on your shoulders and not rising up at the back. Your breasts should be completely within the cup – no overhanging bits and no gaps! It’s a good idea to have a professional fitting as often as you can – most department stores offer this service for free.
Blackmores Naturopath, JulieAnne Atkinson says that as pregnancy and lactation will change your breasts, it’s a good idea to examine yourself at the start of pregnancy, to give yourself a good baseline for detecting any abnormal changes.
* And of course, become breast aware – look and feel your breasts each month and if you are at all concerned or notice anything unusual then see your GP.
Box: Pump those pecs!
• Working our pectoral muscles will help to support and work our breasts!
• Sit or stand with a straight spine, take your arms out to the side, at shoulder height and bend at the elbows. Then, as you exhale squeeze the elbows and forearms together, inhale and open up, taking care not to drop the elbows below shoulder height. Repeat ten times!
Pregnancy – the second time around
My first pregnancy was spent in a haze of reading, relaxing and nothing more energetic than a yoga class. Sure I worked, but I clocked off at 6pm and my evenings and weekends were my own.
I wish I’d listened when people told me to appreciate it, because subsequent pregnancies weren’t nearly as romantic or restful!
As a pre-natal yoga teacher, I would say that about eighty per cent of my students are first-time mums – and it’s not because mums who have other children don’t want to come, it’s simply because they can’t. There’s not enough time, no child care and too many other commitments.
And when we’re pregnant and already looking after another child, it’s easy to get run down. When I was expecting baby #2, my pregnancy was a totally different experience. Instead of enjoying nine-months of health and wellbeing, I spent nine months fending off various mishaps and illnesses.
Lucas, who was two at the time, had morphed into a speed machine who raced around about a hundred kilometers an hour, followed by his huffing and puffing Mum!
He was also a bundle of cuteness who attracted everything – including germs, dirt and other nasties. And he liked nothing more than to give me a big sloppy kiss or to shovel a half-eaten rusk into my mouth.
But it wasn’t just viruses I had to contend with in my pregnancy, it was a series of bizarre mishaps that struck me too. One time, in my second trimester, I was doing the housework, when I grabbed an old cloth from the laundry.
As I shook it out a spider fell on to my arm. At this point I started running around like a wild woman, flapping my arm and no doubt alarming my unborn baby – much to the amusement of my toddler.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked my husband, as I pranced into the lounge. ‘Look!’ I cried holding out my arm. Thankfully he deftly flicked it away but not before taking a quick look and discovering it was a White Tail.
‘You were so lucky,’ he said (stating the obvious).
I was relaying the story to a friend of mine a few days later. We were standing on her verandah and my bump was pressing up against the timber railings. Just then I felt a sting. ‘What’s that?’ I yelped and saw a caterpillar nibbling my stomach.
I brushed it away and hot-footed it to the pharmacy, to show them this strange red lump circling my navel.
‘What is it about this pregnancy?’ I wondered – ‘Am I just a pin cushion for insects?’
Again, it turned out to be harmless, but that night I began to feel contractions, they were so intense I headed to hospital, keen to avert any more disasters.
‘I think the baby’s coming,’ I moaned. But after a quick exam they were able to confirm that no. ‘It was most likely a nasty bout of gastro!’ the midwife said.
Thankfully my daughter was born a week later. And for the record she was perfectly healthy (unlike her poor mother). She’s now six and has a stronger constitution than anyone else in our family.
So to anyone out there in your first pregnancy – enjoy it and appreciate it! And for anyone in your subsequent pregnancies – your baby is likely to be even stronger for all the germs!
How to work from home
In a former life (before I became a full-time parent and yoga teacher), I was a journalist…
My goal as a journo was to avoid sitting in an office from Monday to Friday. I craved a working day packed with variety, new experiences and travel. And I was lucky, I traveled around the country interviewing amazing people with extraordinary stories.
But as time, cost cutting (and the nineties) evolved, I ended up doing my interviews by phone and sitting in an office, filled with wall-to-wall booths.
My journey to work involved the choice of ninety minutes stuck in traffic or a tedious bus journey attempting to stay upright while the driver negotiated ninety degree bends at 60kmph.
It wasn’t long before I spent a big chunk of my day watching the agonizingly slow crawl of the hands on my clock. Life, I decided was too short for this.
Then I fell pregnant and my life changed – and not just because I was the proud mother of a gorgeous boy, but I’d suddenly swapped my office for my house.
Home ceased to be somewhere I stored my belongings and slept. Now it was our family nest. Then when Lucas was three months old, I lost my job (full-time or nothing, I was told). I chose nothing… then panic set in.
So rather than stepping happily into working from home, I was most definitely pushed.
At the time it was a major adjustment, but within a year, I couldn’t imagine working life any other way. I now have three children and I’ve been working from home for nine years.
I’m so pleased I don’t have to begin my day before dawn, rousing the kids and dropping them off at Before School Care. I’m delighted I’m not sat behind my steering wheel, silently seething as the traffic lights turn red. I’m thrilled I don’t have to sit in a meeting rather than attend my daughter’s dance show. And I’m so happy I can just race down to my office in my PJs and slippers rather than dress up in a power suit and heels.
Yep, I have to say that working from home is great! I’m a huge advocate. Although I have to say, I’m a lot more passionate about what I do since having a major career change. Although I still write, I followed my heart and turned my passion for Yoga into my own business, Yoga Babes.
Of course, there are drawbacks. Your home – once your oasis of calm, is now your workplace. It’s hard to ignore the dishes piling up in the sink. I find myself taking breaks to hang out the washing and feeling rather sorry for myself, but then there’s also the bonus of having my lunch while watching Oprah!
There’s the nagging feeling that because you’re at home, you can’t really be working… so others can ask more of you than you think is fair. And it’s also hard to switch off or feel motivated, depending on your disposition. And unless you have a big support network, you can feel isolated.
Luckily I continue to teach yoga, so I’m forever meeting new people and the school run has replaced my daily commute (and it’s far more fun!). I’m lucky enough to have a separate office, which I make sure I lock at night.
On balance, I don’t think I could ever return to my previous office-based job. After all, it’s not like us mums will ever really be off-duty, so why not be paid for it?!
