guest blog | The Mummy Code

My name is Kelly. I’m a full time working wife and mumma to a beautiful almost 2 year old boy, and another little boy due at the end of May. Recently, I spent the night in hospital with gastro and dehydration. It was an awful experience! My first pregnancy was plagued with bleeds, hospital stays, threatened premature labour and an eventual emergency C-section 3 weeks early. Up until the point of my recent hospital stay, I was feeling pretty happy with myself and incredibly blessed, that this pregnancy was cruising along, drama-free. So needless to say, as I lay in my hospital bed, as sick as a dog, I shed a tear of self-pity..

My amazing husband must have realized this so he sent me a photo of himself and my son, smiling into the camera. It immediately warmed my heart to see my boys there, smiling for
me! But at the same time, instantaneously, I was hit with a realization. There’s something missing from this photo. Or someone..

Of course cruising through this pregnancy, like anyone, I’ve been filled with excitement and anticipation at the thought of meeting our newest family member. But it wasn’t until this point that I realized, this little boy growing inside me, is already so much a part of my family, that I feel like he is a missing member, like a missing body part!

As much as I absolutely love my boys, I couldn’t help but feel like this photo was incomplete.

I couldn’t help but feel like all my boys, were not in the photo!

I finally recognized the feeling of had a few tunes recently, when my boys and I were doing quality family things, feeling so happy, yet feeling like something was not quite right.. It’s because I’m missing my second son before he’s even breathed his first breath!

Man, that’s a powerful love! A mother’s love!

So as I lay in my hospital bed looking at the photo of my boys, I started to feel a huge sense of excitement… In a couple years’ time, I would be able to look at a very similar photo of not one, but two little boys, excitedly clamouring over daddy, smiling into the camera at a photo they know is being sent to mummy.

It fills me with so much excitement, and so much love!

Hurry up little bubba D, your mummy, daddy and big brother miss you, and can’t wait to meet you!

27 weeks

Kelly – @working.mumma

Tagged family, guest blog, husband, mom, mum, mummy, pregnancy, son

Mar 23 2016

1 Comment

Feature Mummy, Mummies tales

Guest Blog – The Mummy Grind

AM1

As mothers, I think there is so much pressure to be on your game every damn second of the day.

Sometimes this is my face when I wake up realise I have to parent. That’s okay!

Image by @carliewheelerimages

If you complain, you’re not grateful.

If you clock watch till bedtime, you’re not enjoying your children.

If you take time out to do something for yourself, you’re being selfish.

If you are not making fantastical, themed lunchboxes for the kids every day, you’re just slack.

If you’re having one of those days where you could quite easily down three bottles of wine and run around in circles with your shirt over your head, then you’re just a bad mum.

Well, I am having one of those days. My house looks like I’ve been robbed by a gang of toddlers, I couldn’t get to daycare fast enough this morning and I want to call the boss, tell them I’m not coming in today and then sleep until next week.

But my boss is actually a two year old, and a baby, and they quite frankly, don’t give a damn about my excuses. So i’m continuing on with my job, and if I don’t shout from the rooftops how much I love changing poo explosions and cleaning up the same toys 23 times a day, please forgive me.

If you don’t love your regular job, that’s okay. In fact, its almost expected. If your keen to get there each day, and go about your day, loving every single part of your job, good for you, you magical working unicorn! But I’m pretty sure most of us just don’t feel the same enthusiasm.

In a regular job, you check the clock, and you count down to the weekend.

In a regular job, you have bad days. Sometimes you are over it before the day even begins.

In a regular job, you get over it and you fake a sicky every now and then.

In a regular job, you sometimes check out and sit and gossip and/or Facebook for majority of the day (and to my boss who is reading this, I obviously, never ever did this 😏)

It’s assumed that everyone in a regular job hates Mondays, and spend the whole week wishing it was Friday.

But if you do any of the above as a mother… You are a terrible person.

Motherhood is on the same level as a full time job. So why do we get judged for feeling those same feelings that people in the workforce feel?

The only difference is we get paid in kisses, not cash. And we never get to clock off, we are on the job 24/7!

Not being deliriously happy in every.single.moment of your parenting life does NOT mean you don’t love or appreciate your children, it means you are human! It’s the most rewarding job, but it’s also the most challenging. And you are doing the best you can. And that’s the most important thing.

(And if you are doing the working mumma thing…. :O You are my hero. I don’t know how you do it, you deserve a medal… and all the wine!)

You go, Mumma.

Shani Archer – The Awkward Mummy

www.instagram.com/theawkwardmummy

www.theawkwardmummy.wordpress.com

am4

Tagged #children, baby, guest blog, honest, love, mom, mum, stay at home mum, working mum

Mar 02 2016

NOTHING COMPARES TO YOU

It was high school when I started comparing myself to others. Make up, material things, my period, my boobs, boys and first kisses were all areas that I would compare myself against my friends.

10 years on it was my body I was comparing. Life went on and in the background my fertility struggles had begun. I compared myself to those who blinked at their partners and fell pregnant.

CE1

Without a doubt the biggest comparisons of my life so far started as soon as became a parent. Nothing would compare with the love I had for him but I also started compared him to every other baby I came across. I also started compared myself to other mums.

I compared my 33kg pregnancy weight gain, my c-section birth, and my 4 months of breastfeeding to the women I saw who lost their baby weight instantaneously, had natural non-medicated births and breastfed for as long as they chose to. I compared my son who had colic and reflux to those whose babies ate at longer intervals and slept well.

As months went on I compared my son to others who were in a different percentile in height or weight, to those whose babies smiled and laughed and sat up and crawled and stood and walked before my little one did. Comparing my sons’ peers speaking in sentences whilst he was saying his first words.

CE2

It’s all pointless. ALL of it. Unnecessary stress is added to your life due to bloody comparisons. What a joke. None of it matters.

Here’s a thought….instead of comparing ourselves to others why not compare this….

If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world.

If you have money in the bank, your wallet, and some spare change, you are among the top 8% of the world’s most wealthy.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million people who will not survive this week.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most not do.

If you have just finished reading this, then you are more fortunate than 3 billion people worldwide who cannot read at all.

CE3

STOP COMPARING.

Don’t give up on your dreams and the things that you want in life, but don’t compare your chapter 1 with someone else’s chapter 20.

BE YOU.

NOTHING COMPARES TO HAPPINESS AND SELF-WORTH.

Suzy @childrens_empire

Tagged #children, blog, guest blog, love, mom, mother, mum, mummy, parenting

Feb 24 2016

2 Comments

Feature Mummy, Mummies recipes

Guest Blog – The ultimate healthy lunch box

When Rachelle and I were discussing opportunities to work together, I knew exactly what I was going to write about and exactly what recipe I wanted to share. Why? Because this year has (already!) been such a huge year for me as a parent and business owner, for my family and also for my future! What has brought this on, you might ask? School! My big boy Lucas started school this year along with hundreds and thousands of other primary school newbies and at one stage I found myself sitting back just going wow.

The Baby Bistro journey started when Lucas just a babe – and now he is off discovering the world for himself, eating bigger foods, playing bigger games, dreaming up bigger dreams…

It also means my routine has changed – and I don’t just mean the eternal uniform struggle, or mad dashes out of the house to make it to school on time – I mean the food. Baby Bistro started when Lucas was starting solids: Lucas needed solids so Mama made him some. Then Mama made it into a business. When Lucas started developing the need for more texture, flavour and more variety, Mama made that too. Now, Lucas needs a lunch box 5 days a week and so Mama got to work on making that healthy, simple and quick! And now Mama is getting ready to launch Big Eats by Baby Bistro.

Each morning when I pack Lucas’ lunch box, and get Thomas ready for day care I think about how much has changed (and yes, it catches me in the feels many a day!). Gone are the hundred tubs of baby food with nappy wipes and bibs filling bag upon bag, now I just have this neat little box to fill up with goodness so the boys have energy to play and learn. In saying that, I still have to put plenty of thought and effort into what I pop into these neat little packages – if not more because they are very independent (VERY independent) little boys and like to make their own choices. So I would like to share with you my top 5 tips to creating an enjoyable, healthy lunch box that actually gets eaten! And below, I have shared a very special, fun and super-pretty Bento Box for lunch with healthy choices and a colourful selection!

Top 5 tips for a healthy lunch box

Ditch the traditional sandwich and switch it with a flatbread roll. Many commercial breads are loaded with refined sugars.
Say goodbye to overly salty, processed chips and replace with dehydrated fruit. They still get the texture and feel like a treat but it’s a healthier version
Think brain food – Carrot / cucumber sticks add a nice fresh crunch
Aim for natural sugars – include a piece of fruit in every lunchbox
Let them choose one item themselves. They need to learn about making food choices and I find it a great way to get my boys to try new things by also giving him the independence and freedom to pick something they want, while offering balance.

Flat bread Bento lunch box by Baby Bistro

Ingredients for a healthy and delicious spread…

1 can chickpeas drained

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons baby bistro carrot purée

Squeeze lemon juice

Sprinkle Cumin powder (to taste)

Easy as 1, 2 ,3!

Pop all above ingredients into a food processor and blend until a nice smooth yet textured spread.

Spread onto your mountain bread then add your “sushi” fillings. We used cucumber, avocado, ham, chopped egg, and a few more – but you can use your imagination! Roll up tight and slice into small, mouth sized pieces. The rolls may unwind a little depending on fillings so be gentle (TIP: slice everything nice and thin to help the fillings move with the bread more and try to prevent unwrapping!)

Processed with VSCOcam with f2 preset

While it makes a very pretty lunch box, you could also try this when entertaining at home, at a BBQ, for a Sunday picnic with the family or really, anywhere!

Sevi @babybistro

Tagged baby bistro, delicious, easy, feature, guest blog, mother, mum, parenting, school lunch, yum

Feb 17 2016

Guest Blog – LIVING LIFE WITH BABY

Hey everyone! My name is Ebony-Rose and I am a 22 year old wife and mother.

Four months ago I became a Mummy to, in my opinion, the most perfect little guy on the planet and my life changed forever, but not in the way people seem to think it would!
When people look through my social media they will see a lot of baby spam, selfies and a lot of food photos, and once they see this I always get the same question… “Who looks after your baby?” and I always give them the same answer “I do, he’s always with us!”

My husband is a chef and eating out has always been a big part of our relationship. We have always enjoyed trying new places, appreciating great meals and just love the experience of going out. When I fell pregnant I was determined that that aspect of our lives would not change, and it hasn’t. We still frequently go out, I still get my hair and nails done, I still go out with friends… I just have a little human with me!

I get a lot of questions about how I do this, so I thought this Guest Blog would be the perfect opportunity to share a few tips on how to keep on living life when you have a baby!

Get your baby used to it:
I have to admit I am extremely lucky. Leo is a really happy and easy going baby. But still, we have gotten him accustomed to being out and about. The day I came out of hospital, when he was not even 24 hours old, we met my best friend for coffee. So we definitely started him young! We kept him around noise so he had no issues sleeping in a bustling café.
Don’t be ashamed:
Babies cry. End of story. There are going to be days when you are “that woman” with the screaming baby in the restaurant. Scoop them up, take them outside and settle them, and if anyone gives you a dirty look keep your head held high. Why should you sit at home all day in fear your baby will cry in public?
On this note though, please don’t ignore your crying baby. Other people are there to enjoy their meal. If your baby is full on crying, be courteous and go outside as to not disturb others.
Be prepared:
If you know when your baby is due for a feed try and plan to go out after this so they are settled and hopefully will sleep. My little one eats at 6pm, so I always book dinner at 7pm and 99% of the time he sleeps through our dinner date. Make sure wherever you are eating is pram friendly and are happy to accommodate your child. There are some places that wont and that’s fine, there are also plenty that will.
Enjoy yourself:
Your baby is not the end of your fun. It just means it takes a little bit more planning and some patience, but I promise it is possible! Not to mention your little one will hopefully develop great restaurant manners and people skills by being out and about.

I hope this has given you a little more confidence to head out with your new baby and that you can go out and enjoy yourself!

Ebony-Rose

Tagged baby, blogger, feature, going out, guest blog, mom, mum, mummy blog, newborn, pregnancy, pregnant

Feb 14 2016

Guest blog – Spinach Pies

I’m super excited to do my first guest post for The Mummy Code.

These individual pies are filled with the classic combination of spinach, cheese and herbs.

Pies are a great way for toddlers to eat their spinach which is a powerhouse of nutrients. As well as being a good source of dietary fibre it contains B vitamins, vitamins C and A to help boost your family’s immune system. Spinach also contains iron (great for vegetarian children), magnesium, zinc and small amounts of omega 3. And if that’s not enough, it also has antioxidants which help fight against disease.

Now, there is nothing better than homemade pastry, it is fresher than the commercial tasting dough’s and the frozen kind tend to break too often if opened too soon. To make sure you succeed on your very first attempt I have put together step by step instructions to show you how easy it is. Also perfect for all kinds of sweet and savoury pies.

Recipe by @myhungrytoddler

Makes 8 individual pies

Ingredients for the pastry

500 gram of plain flour, extra for dusting

1 tablespoon sugar

14 grams of dry yeast

1 tablespoon salt

1.5 cups of lukewarm water

6 tablespoons of olive oil

Begin by placing the flour, sugar and yeast into a large bowl.

Make a well, and then add three tablespoons of the olive oil, salt and water, mixing it well and then kneading it with your hands.

Shape the dough into a ball, and brush it with the remaining olive oil and allow it to rise in a covered bowl in a warm area, for approximately one hour.

Ingredients for the pie filling

1 large bunch of fresh spinach, chopped

2 lemons, juiced

150 grams feta cheese, large crumbled pieces

50 grams parmesan cheese

100 grams tasty cheese

2 eggs, beaten

4 tablespoons of olive oil

A handful of mint, chopped

A handful of dill, chopped

A handful of parsley, chopped

A few stalks of spring onions, chopped

In the meanwhile heat four tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onions about two minutes. Add the spinach and herbs and sauté until the leaves have wilted and the liquid has cooked off, about ten minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool somewhat. Squeeze any excess liquid using a strainer. When cool enough to handle, add the lemon juice, beaten eggs and mix in the cheeses well.

After approximately one hour the dough will rise and more than doubled its size, it will become very fluffy when ready.

Place the dough onto a clean work bench, dusted with flour and knead. Divide into eight even pieces. Place one ball of dough at a time on a floured surface, coat your rolling pin with some flour. Make a circle of dough with your hands, now you are ready to roll! Ensure that your dough has plenty of flour to prevent it from sticking to the working surface or the rolling pin.

Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough, until it becomes a very thin round sheet; the thinner, the better.

Tip: A pasta machine will do a great job also.

Place an eighth of the spinach mixture onto the rolled pastry and fold into a pie shape.

If you prefer not to make individual pies, this recipe will also work well with a whole pie.

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly oil (always use olive oil!) a long metal baking tray, placing the pies onto the tray and brushing each pie with olive oil. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and set aside for five minutes to cool.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice. Enjoy!

Nikki @myhungrytoddler

Tagged delicious, easy, guest blog, recipe, toddler food, yum

Feb 10 2016

1 Comment

Mummies tales

Guest Blog – Does the pregnancy glow wear off?

Does the pregnancy glow wear off? Is it something that comes and goes with my mood swings? A glow of fire out of my nostrils, when I slice the ham to thick or realising I’m crying for no good reason for the 3rd time in one day.

Where is the glow in my pimples, the ones I only ever get when I’m pregnant. My constant oily hair, or nails which grow as you cut them.

Maybe it’s the sun glistening off my hairy legs, I don’t know because I can’t even see my toes let alone my legs, or bend down to shave them.

“Oh it’s such a magical feeling”

Well yes sometimes I can lay there and admire the small twitches and movements. But this getting kicked in the ribs and playing hop skip and jump on my bladder isn’t my idea of magic.

“Wow still 9 more weeks? Your about to explode”

Thanks, not only do I feel like a beached whale, you just confirmed it for me.

“Your going to have your hands full aren’t you”

Honestly, it might just be my hormones but I could punch you right now. How dare you doubt my abilities, I’m going to fucking ace this two kid thing. Yes my toddler will most likely strangle the baby as he attempts to show him some lovin’, probably tip the bassinet by trying to climb up and see the baby and his help may not always be very helpful. But I’m going to love every minute of it.

My feet and hands are puffy and swollen, I’m edging towards hitting the 100kg mark and I now wake up to use the bathroom at least three times per night.

But I’m glowing; I’m glowing internally, full of happiness and gratitude. I’m thankful for the ability to be able experience pregnancy, I’m thankful for my cheeky thriving toddler and my supportive fiancé.

Mummy Blogger xx

Tiarne

Tiarne Straatman

tiarne.straatman@gmail.com

http://www.yourmummyblogger.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/yourmummyblogger

https://www.instagram.com/mummyblogger__/

Tagged baby, blog, glow, guest blog, mom, motherhood, mum, newborn, pregnancy, pregnant

Jan 27 2016

1 Comment

Mummies tales

Guest Blog – @therealmummmy

23.

that’s how old I am.

I have two beautiful babes. Cooper 4 & Lyla 2.

I had Cooper when I was 19. I got married when I was 20 and had Lyla when I was 21.

To say I bit off more than I could chew would be an understatement

All of my life I wanted to be a mother. When I was a little girl I would spend hours imagining finding love and having a family. I couldn’t wait to find the man of my dreams and have perfect children. I thought it would be just all so perfect.

It was perfect some days, some days were crazy. I knew having a newborn and toddler was going to be hard and I knew I would cry over the silliest of things. But I wasn’t coping at all.

I didn’t want to admit that I had depression, seemed so weak, I was not weak but I just had this feeling of emptiness. Truthfully I had been feeling it for year before I had the kids.

After about 4 months of this feeling, this tired feeling, not wanting to get out of bed, fighting with my husband, blaming him for everything, I even had days where I would just want to get in my car and leave. I eventually went to the doctor. I told no one. I even took the kids with me.

Usually I would see if someone would mind them for me. I was so scared of one of them melting down and everyone staring at me and a screaming child. I was not in the right frame of mind to deal with that. I know I shouldn’t care what people think… right? It’s very hard telling a person with depression and anxiety to just not worry about what people think. You cannot just tell your mind to stop.

The doctor was awesome to talk to, the doctor suggested I talk to a psychiatrist or try medication. I did not want to talk to anyone about this, I felt embarrassed. So I took the meds. For me that decision turned out to be a mistake. They made me feel so sick for the first few days. Which is a normal side effect. By then I had told my husband what had been going on.

I kept taking the pills. I noticed a slight change in myself but nothing major. I went back to see my doctor a few times and she put up my dose up a few times. Still nothing really changed.

I decided I wanted to come off the pills. After about a week I started to lose my shit. It’s hard to explain how I felt but I just couldn’t control how I felt, I yelled at the kids for absolutely no reason at all. I was not in a good state of mind.

I was losing a handle my life. So I gave in to the pain started taking them again. It was easier to go back to them than to try and fight it.

A few more months went by and I ended up going to talk to a different doctor. He told me that the medication I was on was not his favorite to prescribe. Great. He told me it has an addictive affect . Really ? hadn’t noticed.

He talked me into seeing a psychiatrist. I made the appointment and all. I didn’t go. I was just so lost, I didn’t know what to do. I was just existing. This was no life for me or my kids. But I couldn’t help it.

I ended up deciding one day that those pills don’t own me, I’m going to start again… exercise every morning and go cold turkey on the anti-anxiety pills. It sounded so much easier in my head. I did try though. It was hard, I wanted to go back to them so many times. I think I just knew in my head enough was enough. They didn’t help me they just made me worse if anything

I did it though. It probably took me a good 2 months not to want them anymore but it got easier as each day went by.

I didn’t end up seeing a psychiatrist, I kind of want to but my anxiety gets the better of me. I have completely lost my confidence when talking to other people, let alone someone that I have to try and explain my whole life too.

I’m not on anything anymore, I feel as though my depression has backed away for now but It’s not gone. My anxiety is probably the worst it’s ever been. I don’t know why it just is.

In the middle of all this craziness, In September 2012 one of the most terrifying things happened to us.

We all had the flu. My son Cooper was 2, my Lyla was about 8 months old. Cooper was sleeping all through the day and all the night. When he would wake he was thirsty, like unnaturally thirsty. He would wet through his nappy at night, even when we changed him throughout the night to try to prevent this from happening. We couldn’t work it out.

I was on the phone to the nurse on call about 3 or 4 times. They just told me that it was his body’s way of dealing with this wicked flu.

I remember my Mum came over on the 3^rd or 4^th day of having this flu. I was changing Coopers clothes, he was just so tired and lethargic, barely staying awake.

Looking at his normally healthy body was shocking… he was honestly just skin and bone. It freaked me out how much weight he had lost only in a day or 2. Mum said take him to the doctors. So I did. He vomited all over me in the doctors waiting room, after that the doctors bought us in straight away. She took one look at him and told me get him straight to emergency.

The doctor called the hospital to notify them we were coming.

I should add that we had both kids at emergency the night before with high temps and was sent home.

We get to the hospital, James, Cooper, Lyla and myself. We get taken in straight away, The nurses start taking blood and asking all these questions. Almost like we had starved him.

I guess we couldn’t blame them, that’s what he looked like. The hours go by with still no answers so I take Lyla home as she was still sick, hadn’t slept, hadn’t had lunch. My Husband told me he would call me if he had any news.

He called. I answered…… ” Cooper has type 1 diabetes“. I wasn’t really sure what to think. I don’t know anything about diabetes. Nothing. The worst part of it all was when I got back to the hospital, James told me they were planning on doing a bone marrow test on him. They had him all prepared for a needle in the spine, just waiting on the anesthetist. I was pretty angry that they planned on a performing such an invasive procedure like a bone marrow test before a simple finger prick to check blood glucose levels. I mean I know it’s rare to get type 1 so early on but that was scary.

We both had to learn everything about type 1 diabetes. He needed insulin to survive and constant fingers pricks to manage his blood glucose levels. Without constant management of his diet and the right control of his insulin dosage there are serious and even deadly consequences. We even have to check him throughout the night….. everynight.

It gets easier, but with age comes other complications. Having two young kids and now this. If I wasn’t coping well before how the hell am I going to deal with this. He has ‘hypos’ which is low blood sugar levels. He can go into a coma if not treated right away. His blood sugar levels are high when he takes too many carbs in and the insulin amount was too little. Everyday is different.

James is amazing, without him I would not be here. I honestly know that. He has saved me. So many times I have wanted to quit. So many times I have felt like the biggest failure as a Mother and I tell myself I don’t deserve this life. He was the one to bring me through to the other side. I’m not completely there yet but I know with a little hard work, I can be. I am trying meditation , I am honestly the last person on the planet to try meditating. But I did. James asked me to. It is amazing. Completely relaxes your body. I think everyone should try it just once.

If I can help just one person sruggling like I was, whether it is just with everyday life or if they have been going through a similar situation as I was. You are not alone, even though it feels like you are.

@therealmummy

Tagged anxiety, birth, diabetes, feature, guest blog, mom, mother, mum, mummy, pregnancy

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Kelly Dernehl

The Mummy Code

Tag Archives: guest blog

Guest Blog -Sharna @jameshealthjourney

Guest blog – It wasn’t love at first sight for everyone

How is it possible to miss someone you’ve not even met?

Guest Blog – The Mummy Grind

NOTHING COMPARES TO YOU

Guest Blog – The ultimate healthy lunch box

Guest Blog – LIVING LIFE WITH BABY

Guest blog – Spinach Pies

Guest Blog – Does the pregnancy glow wear off?

Guest Blog – @therealmummmy

Tag Archives: guest blog

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