loving : children of the tribe bags

i'm on the hunt for a new handbag and the process of finding just one perfect candidate (i was hoping for at least a two option situation) is proving more difficult than first thought. welcome, handbag, you've now been placed into the category where 'it's time for a new pair of sunnies' resides; a place where an item needs to be delegated time, patience and constant attention, which then normally results in an extremely happy owner once desired style is found (mainly because it's taken so damn long to find).

 

sigh.

 

but i am loving the new statement bag from children of the tribe that i've come across in my bag travels. i loved their sleepover and swimming bags, and now the goodness bag is just so much more versatile.

 

perhaps an 'in-between-handbags' candidate? hmm...

threads on thursday

are you doing the instagram thing? if you are, would you like to join in with us on a thursday to share your wardrobe style? ...or your kids style, or your nans style, or even a sneaky stranger shot style {you get where i'm going with this?!}. the bestie and i thought we'd try and drop some more fun into the instagram thing and start a hashtag : #threadsonthursday.

it's not about designer clothes and showing off. it's about giving yourself a little push into your wardrobe and mixing some outfit combo's you might not have pulled off before. it's about $15 kmart mint jeans. it's about those new shoes you just couldn't resist. it's about sharing style idea's. it's about having some fun. it's about getting creative with your camera. it's about replicating your pinterest boards into your real life. for me, it's about neon and blazers right now {because i am an obsessed neon freak, but you already knew that if you follow my pinterest boards}.

in around-about way, this started from 4 years of wardrobe neglect. i am certain i am not the only mum out there who has been obsessed with dressing their little people in gorgeous, adorable, too cool for school ensembles. it brings me so much pride to have my little people looking their cutest. i love my kids, i love fashion. it fits together. but i lost "me" along the way. somehow. i had style in my 20's, for years i was all about the denim with heels and a tee. along with many new years resolutions this year, one of them was to re-build my fashion style and add some new clothing pieces to my wardrobe. and now, i'm seeing my old style peeking through at me from my wardrobe and you know what, it feels awesome to want to get up and push my wardrobe limits each morning.

we'd love you to join in and play along too, you don't need to be asked to hashtag your image, just chuck the hashtag on and mingle with some instagrammers like yourself, who have "stuff" in common. if you're a private user, you can still play too - only your followers will see your image in the hashtag gallery, anyone who doesn't follow you won't see your image. and of course, all public profile images are there to be seen by anyone {this is the mingling part i was talking about}.

i'm on instagram as @becwatts - i'll see you tomorrow!



stepping out

i remember when i was pregnant with my second child, loads of mum's told me that it's much easier second time round. mmm... that hasn't been the case for me. so not the case. the last 12 months has been a long road, adjusting to the multi tasking of two beautiful children and a household, myself and a small business. i am one super organised person, and it has even caught me off guard and disorganised. it takes me approximately 2-3 weeks now to respond to a text. and only today, almost 12 months after my second baby came along, do i feel like i've caught up on the washing. the washing. one small child has thrown the washing regime waaaaaaaaay off track. but today i've caught up. i'm not even going to go there with the gardens (ha-hum, weeds)...!

my bestie goes out for a coffee every day. sometimes twice. truth be told, sometimes she even goes three times, depending on her day! it might only be a takeaway, or she may sit in. but this is her thing, the thing she likes to do for her. and sure, she no longer has a baby in her arms, her babies are walking and talking, more independant. and right now, for maybe quite possibly the first time yet, i miss my own independance. i miss me, i miss real coffee, i miss "having the time".

so i decided that one day a week i would go exploring this beautiful city i live in. get myself out of the house for an hour, away from the nursery and the routine, away from the chores and abc 4 kids, and into the fresh air. to go and find a place i have yet to visit. somewhere new, somewhere different, somewhere hidden. somewhere that might brew coffee, so i can skip my usual nescafe that day, and sit with my little people, sipping on awesome espresso, people watching and exploring. meeting and greeting.

so i started doing this a few weeks ago and thought i would blog about the places i have visited, and share my finds with you. i've got three to catch up on, stayed tuned...

3 ingredient pancake recipe

it's saturday 6am. the mini me's are up and at em'. there's no weetbix in the house. there's no banana's or fruit. the pre-schooler is hungry and doesn't "like" toast. of course. mummy's tired. sigh. mummy sucks it up, takes a breath, puts her happy face on and makes a coffee. actually, the coffee came first. "who wants pancakes" she suggests in a loud fun filled voice. "meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"...

the easiest thing to make with the biggest satisfaction ever. 1 cup of self raising flour, 1 cup of milk and 1 egg. combine well and away you cook. get your cookie cutters out and shape them into love hearts. add mayple syrup. and what the heck - add ice-cream too. serve on adorable love mae melamine. eat.

happy kids. happy mummy. happy start to the weekend!

101 uses for your jellystone necklace

number 4 : try clipping it around the shopping trolley handle. guaranteed at least 10-15 minutes of non squirming out of the big girl seat during the shopping, and is sure to please those teething gums.

i may not be able to come up with 101 uses, but i can definately give you a handful of handy idea's that our jellystone designs necklaces can provide for you! and seriously, for cost of $16, these silicone pendants are worth every cent! give it a try for yourself.

sharing a story {my story} in cosmo pregnancy

every mum-to-be has a tale to tell of her nine-month journey. in the newest issue of cosmo pregnancy, autumn 2012, i share some of the emotions i experienced while having a low-lying placenta during my second pregnancy.

i was excited and nervous about sharing my little pregnancy story with the world. pregnancy and motherhood can be very touchy subjects, and some of us have very strong opinions on certain issues and procedures. and so we should. i like to share. i like to help. if someone wants my thoughts on a subject, i love talking about my own experiences, and on the flipside of that, i love listening to other parents and parents-to-be tell me their own experiences - the good, the fabulous, the not-so-good, and the really crappy parts - it all helps me grow into the person and mother that i am.

so a big thanks to the girls at cosmo for sharing my story with their readers. and big love photo credits to our favourite photographer, naomi v photography for our maternity photo's used in the article x

yummy mummies has checked in to : her blog

yep, at long last, i am feeling "back into it". back into business and back into the blog. i've been all caught up in our new baby bubble here, i've hardly had a spare minute to even look at my blog, let alone log into it! but you don't need me to tell you how busy life is, cause you've got your own going on too.

children are the absolute best and most fun time wasters there are. i love it. i love being the mum. i may whinge about being tired, it's true. i may be off in tired fairy land, that's true too. even this morning, i paid for my "quick shop" at coles, and headed off with both girls sitting in the trolley, but forgot to collect my 4 grocery bags. i'm tired, it's true. but i still love it. i love being the mum of my two little people. the boss. the mum.

i've got so many idea's and stories i want to share with you this year. i've got loads of product reviews coming up, some fashion tips and how-to-wear idea's, new winter stock to tell you about, and some changes happening to our shopping site also.

i might be a month late, but here's to twenty twelve. i hope YOUR twenty twelve is filled with awesomeness. check you back here soon x

love it or hate it. it's monday.

love it or hate it. it's monday.

loving : binny pinky & pocket tshirt dress

and if you're a leopard lover, have a squiz at the curlewis street maxi. leopard print at it's gorgeousness!

{ http://www.shopbinny.com/shop/index.php }

love it or hate it. it's monday.

love it or hate it. it's monday.

kindy kat

that's right, there's no abc kids playing in the background at our house today. my biggest little girl started kindy for her first time. today is going to be the start of a whole new chapter. i am so proud right now.

love it or hate it. it's monday.

love it or hate it. it's monday.

love it or hate it. it's monday.

my mother's day gift

frankie mae {14 days new}

it started at 11.30pm on a saturday night when i was tucked up in bed trying to get to sleep. i was 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant. i had been struggling with my sleep for quite a few weeks by this stage, i just could not get comfortable, i couldn't fall asleep, and if i did i would wake up after an hour with a massive pain right up under my ribs. yes, little feet were tucked up in there, stretching as long and straight as they possibly could! i was up and down for the past hour going back and forth to the toilet, more than a normal night, and each time i wondered if this is when my waters were going break. laying back in bed, i heard a pop and within a split second they had broken. finally, it was game on!

i didn't have any pains, no contractions yet. i rang the hospital. i rang my mum. my mum lives an hour away and the plan was for mum to come to our house and stay there with our 3 year old while i was in labour. so by the time i had made the phone calls and started getting organised, the pains and contractions had come to say hello. big hurty hello's! there wasn't going to be any time to wait for my mum to arrive and watch our daughter! "scott... pack the car and get summer up... we need to go to the hospital now!"

so off we go. it was about midnight by this stage, the 3 of us are in the car. contractions in the car don't make for a nice car trip do they?! my daughter was saying to me "don't worry mummy, we'll be at hopstable soon". god love her little soul. a contraction starts, i look at the clock and it's 12.18am. i breathe big and slow. i work through the pain and the contraction stops. next contraction starts, i look at the clock and it's 12.21am. farout, they're only 3 minutes apart and we are still driving to the hopstable. we finally pull up out the front and work our way through the emergency section to get into the hospital. i stop for another contraction and as i look around i see some pretty rare sights sitting in the outpatients room. considering the fact that i look like i have just wet myself and am holding on to the wall for support, i look rather normal in comparison to what's around me {don't forget, it's a saturday night}!

we make our way to the lift and up to the delivery suite. the ladies show me my room and i tell them i desparately need to go to the toilet. except it was no toilet visit i needed. it was my baby, ready to rock and roll it's way into this world. i struggle to make it to the bed, but i get there. the midwife gives me a check over and officially announces that the baby is almost here. seems we made it to the hospital in the knick of time! my mum was still on the road, the change of plans ment she would need to meet us at the hospital. one of the student nurses takes our daughter up to the tea room for a cup of milk and a biscuit while they wait for my mum to arrive. back in the delivery room, it was push time! i had only 2 midwives and my partner in the room with me. the midwives were amazing. so calm, so helpful. within the next half an hour they helped me deliver my baby with no drugs and no tears. dare i say it, i had a wonderful and almost enjoyable birth. don't get me wrong, it bloody hurt, and scott had a few pinch marks on him afterwards, but i was focused and somewhat in control of what was happening. it was all in the breathing.

at 1.04am we were blessed with a 7 pound 10 beautiful baby girl who we named frankie mae. a little sister for summer leonie. a daughter for scott and i. it was now mother's day and my mum comes in with summer and we all look at and admire our newest family member. summer is absolutely smitten with the new baby. she just watches the baby's every breath and move. i take a few minutes to look around me. scott was smiling at me. my mum and summer were smiling at the new baby. and i lay there and let a few tears of happiness roll down my face. i feel like the luckiest woman there is.

and just like that, my pregnancy is over and within an hour and a half after laying in bed on that saturday night, i give birth to my precious frankie mae. i am now a mum of 2 beautiful little girls!

love it or hate it. it's monday.

and i seem to have officially lost my feet. if memory serves me correct, which it may not, last time i looked they had red toenails. if you see them, be sure to let me know!

today i am thinking about...

pink diamonds : cyclone yasi : new stock due to arrive on the website {shabby chic aprons, hair clips, winter clothing} : exciting things that are happening for a few of my girlfriends : if something is triggering my heartburn : mum's 50th : making a vintage mobile for the nursery : magazines & advertising : taking up the 2 dresses sitting on my dining table : finding a new hairdresser : what to cook for dinner

image : yesterday summer received her new head band in the mail from tippie toes. i think it is just divine and even had a little wear myself. but tell me, please, how do i get summer to keep a head band on her head?! the record thus far is 3 minutes!

loving : valentine's day paper goodies

valentine's day makes me feel all lovey, sweet, generous and calm. or is that the second trimester hormones kicking in?! either way, it's all making me feel nice today. i'm really loving this belle & boo card for valentine's day.

i'm also adoring the love is peachy valentine printables that sarah at style me gorgeous has made. it was only last week that i was saying to my partner how clever i think my graphic designer is, and then bam, she comes out with my fave of her collection thus far!

yesterday i ordered some pink and red pom pom's from the awesome daneve at ah-tissue for a little birthday gathering i'm having on the weekend. today i'm thinking i could use the pom pom's again for valentine's day, along with these other goodies, and spoil my valentine with a yummy home cooked meal and dessert and have a quiet romantic night in. just need to find myself a babysitter...