DANCE MAGIC DANCE

So like I said last post, it isn't that I am no longer buying anything. I am just trying to be a lot more thoughtful with my purchases. These shorts are a pretty good example of that more thoughtful process. At this beginning of this year I went to down to Melbourne for my gorgeous sisters wedding. When it comes to weddings I love to wear something sparkly, if these is a chance to dress up I love to be really dressed up and for me that means sequins. I still don't fit a lot of things in my wardrobe so I decided to buy something new.

Every part of me wanted to buy an amazing sequin dress but I had to be honest with myself and accept that lately I just haven't had many occurrences where a sequin dress was required. So I decided to treat myself to this amazing Gorman skort and wear an  , iridescent top that I already owned. I already have got so much wear out of the skort, it's really great for dressing up or dressing down and because of the design of the pattern if you end up with inevitable mum stain it just looks like part of the pattern! perfect!

On the subject of practical mum stuff, I thought I would put together a bit of a list of things I found super useful for my child for the first year and beyond and maybe some things I thought I would need that I didn't end up using. If you are only here to see what I am wearing I'll put this content a bit lower.

Gorman Collage Skort - Gorman 

Plain white tank - topshop

Fruit necklace - Flea Market in LA - I love this because it reminds me of those lollies called runts :) 

Vans Classic slip on platforms - Violent green (no longer a store)

Ok you have been warned, baby content to follow. I remember when I was pregnant I would ask people what is the one thing you found super useful for your baby and a lot of people struggled to answer that question.  Now I realise it is most likely because they were so overtired they struggled to remember their own name let alone answer my question. I am going to share what I found useful, Ill break it across a couple of posts because sitting down to write lists is a bit tricky with a toddler haha :) starting with nappy and changing and feeding:

NAPPY & CHANGING

Change Table: Ok so this was something that a lot of people had said to me was a waste of money and we didn't end up buying one. Instead what we did what purchase a change mat from Ikea and pop it on top of a chest of drawers. We use it for every change, It is in our bedroom so perfect for the nighttime change. My back would not have copped with changing him on the floor. And of course the most important advice for changing at a height, always one hand on bub, so set everything up so that you can reach it without removing that hand.

Nappy Bin: This was another thing I was told was a waste of money. Because our change table set up is in our bedroom it is an essential. When that bin is shut there ain't no baby stank getting out! There are a few options when it comes to baby bins and the one I chose I chose for two reasons, firstly, I will be honest, aesthetic. And second, you can use standard garbage bags. So the actually bin itself is a bit more pricey but you don't have to keep buying specific bin liners that end up adding to be a fortune. 

Ubbi Nappy Bin

Nappies: We buy Huggies Ultimate, we have tried others and they just haven't been as good. My son has very sensitive skin and after reactions with other ones we decided stick with this brand

Wipes:  Joonya Wipes!!! Love this brand! When you are are the primary caregiver you have an enormous mental load. You have a million trillion things to remember and all of them are important. So if you can tick something of your list that you no longer have to think about, do it. These are automatically delivered and if you run out early you click a button and they get sent out early. I don't think I have ever had to wait more than three days for them to arrive. Again my son has sensitive skin  (eczema) and we have had not one single problem with these. Can't rave enough about how much I love these wipes

if you want $10 off your order use this code JR27WNAI

EATING

Milo is breast feed, 15 months and going strong. When he was really little we had to do top up feeds with expressed breast milk and those were done with a little cup. I was nervous about nipple confusion so we never introduced a bottle and that has worked for us. So anything we had that was bottles didn't end up being useful. I think the best advice is to not open everything up until you actually need it, that way you can always return it or resell it. 

I demand fed and still do and that worked for my family. My child feeds for food, for comfort, to fall asleep and it isn't restricted. I don't believe in "bad habits" when it comes to breastfeeding. Everyone has their own path and that is my approach. When feeding I would say start with say left breast and then if bub fell sleep I would do a nappy change and offer right breast for "dessert", next feed I would start again on the right side. This helps with effectively draining the breast and avoiding mastitis. If you do feel anything like that starting to come on the "dangle feed" is amazing.  

Rocking chair: I bought a gorgeous Ikea rocking chair and I used it a grand total of maybe 1 time to feed. I fed in bed mostly and getting a  hang of laying down breastfeeding was a real game changer. 

Nipple Shields: These were a life saver in the early days, I think I ended up using them for the first 12 weeks. I will say though I think it meant I ended up having to spend more time breastfeeding I am guessing because it slowed the flow of milk. But I would have taken slow milk over sore cracked nipples any day haha. The ones I used were the medela brand and I found them really good. 

Breast Pump: I used a tommee timpee breast pump which did the job but I think if you were going to be doing a lot of pumping you might want to look at investing in a really good one. I've heard the most positive reviews about the Medela swing. 

Feedbaby: In the early days I found this to be a really helpful app, especially for remember which side I had fed off of last. I remember thinking how will I ever be able to remember which side I fed off last and then you get to a point where a simple squeeze of the boob tells you.

Breast feeding info: Breastfeeding can be tough, it can be exhausting and there seems to be an overwhelming amount of information flying at you.  I would highly recommend the Australian Breast Feeding Association for answers to your questions or for support you can find their website here https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/ or call them in 1800686268.

Highchair: There are a lot of amazing looking highchairs out there, especially the vintage ones. BUT remember the a cute highchair is a pain in the ass when it comes to cleaning.  The Ikea ANTILOP doesn't have little  gaps for food to get caught and you can hose it off or chuck it in the shower - excellent price point as well.

Food pouches: These are great for bub to hold themselves with yogurt and better for the planet than the pre packaged ones. I couldn't resist these ones with the little cute animals

I can't say that I have found any plates or bowls that have been stand out, although I do prefer things made from bamboo for their supposed antibacterial quality,

SOLIDS: We did a combination of baby led weaning and home made puree.  I love these little pods for pre making purees  to freeze and now I use them for making up a batch of lentils or spag bol to freeze, you can also use them for making muffins in the oven. I now own three of them, I also love the bowls that you can use to heat up the little serves, or good for heating up some peas or whatever.  The brand is Weanmeister and I purchased it from here https://www.eatteethsleep.com.au/

I also found this chart super helpful to know the difference between choking and gagging

Both my partner and I did a baby first aid course which I couldn't recommend enough just to make you feel more confident. We did the course through a place called my baby basics.

Next post I'll do sleeping, clothing and some other bits and pieces. Let me know if you want to know anything else I found handy xxx

Behind the scenes haha 

A JOY IN ALL I CAN SEE

You will probably notice as we moved forward through the year that some/a lot of the things in my outfits have made an appearance before. You'll also notice a bit more of a repetitive back drop. The repetitive backdrop is because my outfit pictures are taken quickly whilst my baby sleeps, but don't worry kids are great with technology these days and I’ll have my son trained in taking photos and scouting out good walls by the time he is two I am sure (I jokkkee haha).

 Like nearly every person on the planet recently,  I have watched the Marie Kondo series on Netflix, Tidying up. I think it’s important to add that I haven’t read the books, so my understanding of her methods are move of a gist of it. I am going to be honest with you and say I actually enjoyed watching Consumed more. Anyway, somewhere between watching those two shows I started to look at my wardrobe more and started to think about what was sparking joy for me and what wasn’t. I did not take all my clothes and put them in one massive pile in a room. Even typing that makes me feel sick, there is no way I would be able to actually do that, it would end in one way, me unable to fit in the room having a panic attack.

What I ended up with was firstly, that I have to much in my wardrobe. When I look at it I don't feel joy, I feel stressed and overwhelmed. The most enlightening realisation I had was how much of a sentimental attachment I have to my clothes. I keep everything, like literally everything and that is why my wardrobe(s) are bursting at the seams. One of the reasons for this is I have a fear of getting rid of something and regretting it, as weird as it sounds I still regularly think about clothing I have lost, rip blondie jacket and Alexander Mcqueen singlet that got left on the bus. I also look at an item of clothing and remember doing a thing wearing it or spending time with a person and I hold that memory in that item of clothing.  I don't know why realising I felt that way made me feel able to start getting rid of things. I looked at clothing and thought about whether I truly loved it or loved the memory associated with it, because if it is just the memory I still have that without the item of clothing. I made an instagram which you can check out here if you are interested in any of my second hand wares:

https://www.instagram.com/hbhbcloset/?hl=en

It's a slow process but it has been really quite refreshing and I must say it makes me super chuffed when someone else gets excited to find a treasure amongst my wardrobe to add to their own.

One of the things that I think is really disappointing about the hype of Marie Kondo, and I have said the hype because I think that this is people misconstruing the message, is people chucking away lots of stuff.  Bags of clothes being dumped at second hand stores till they have to refuse to take anymore and worse still things being thrown directly into landfill.

It has made me think a bit more about fast fashion, "inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends.". I think people are very quick to blame the fashion industry and perhaps should be taking a little more accountability as consumers.  Go out and buy some fabric, sit down at a sewing machine and make a t.shirt and then try to work out how that could possibly be selling for $5.  It doesn't add up and it doesn't make a lot of sense and this is where fast fashion is now at, out of control and unethical. I am not going to explore the ethical side of this here because I think it is a big topic and one that I don't feel I am educated enough on to provide a comprehensive enough opinion on - not to say I don't have an opinion on it.  I don't know if this is where fast fashion started but this is where my knowledge of it began. Topshop. I am pretty sure there was a situation where Topshop brought out a copy of Balenciaga jacket and hand it in store before Balenciaga. Back then that seemed mind blown but as technology has progresses this has become the norm and Topshop has become an expensive fast fashion brand in the grand scheme.

Copying designers is not a new thing, this has been done in the fashion industry for as long as it has existed. Pre internet in its current state, buyers would head off overseas on buyers trip looking for things to buy, sketch, take photos of to bring home as inspiration. So obviously this was a much slower process than is today, there was actually seasons of fashion rather than what it is now, almost weekly new trends. Things tended to be more inspired by rather than direct copies. Fast forward to now everything is online, we can see designer shows virtually as they are happening. Mere moments after a fashion show has taken place we can view ever little detail of every garment and every accessory. Which means production of fast fashion copies can start instantly.

I think a lot if people have got this mind set where they think things should be sold for the exact make cost, but this make cost they are imagining is maybeeeee the cost of the fabric? Surely that is the only way you can rationalise a $5 t.shirt. I find it strange that a lot of people seem to feel like they don't need to pay for the design element. That innovation and creativity is seen as something with no value. I think that sometimes when we buy fast fashion that is such an obvious copy that is the clear message we are sending.

So where am I going with this. Am I committing to 100 percent never buying fast fashion? No I am not quite there yet but rather that I want to start being more thoughtful in my purchases. I have actually set my self a limit of how many non-essential items I am allowed to buy this year. It's kind of a fun challenge. I'll want to get something and rather than just heading to the shops I will try and scout it out second hand. It almost makes it feel more like a treasure when you do find it and sometimes you have to wait because no one is selling it at that moment so it challenges whether or not you actually really want something. When it comes to fashion purchases, if you are dressing in a way that is your style rather than a trend you will find your pieces are going to last because they don't "go out of fashion". Now is the time to be buying second hand because everyone is getting rid of all their things that no longer spark joy and there is copious amounts of second hand joy to be found.

Sorry If I have rambled and not really got to a point, I haven't slept well in well over a year haha. Let me know if there is anything you want to see me write about xxx

Pastel Check Blouse - Lena Loved Vintage

Baby Don't Cry back pack - Harajuku

Egg Circle Skirt - Lazy Oaf

Mint Croc Stan Smiths - Adidas (purchased in New York)

Ice Cream Socks - Modcloth

WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND NOT SO WISE

Oh hey remember me !
I was down in Melbourne recently to watch my beautiful little sister get married. I caught up with my darling friend Mel while I was down there and being the incredibly generous friend she is she gave me this dress and a few other gorgeous vintage pieces from her label Lena Loves Vintage. You can check out Lena Loves Vintage on instagram  or drop her a dm to find out when she is going to be at a market near you. I felt like this dress was the perfect outfit because it exudes mum vibes, more like a late 80's, early 90's mum vibes as appose to a current one. I could almost picture my own mum wearing this when I was younger, although I'd say it wouldn't be in this shade. 

And I'll dive straight into new years resolutions, one of mine this year is to commit to outfit blogging once a month.   I think one of the crucial things with new years resolutions is you need to set realistic goals. Once a month is a pretty realistic goal for me at the moment. I got to the end of last year and realised I didn't have a lot of photos of myself which I think that is a pretty common theme for mums. You always end up behind the camera or you just feel ratty looking and not camera worthy.

I have a bad habit of not keeping up with blogging because - a) life gets busy and b) I overthink it.  I think sometimes when you are blogging you can start to feel like a person standing in a room talking to yourself because you don't really get much feedback about whether people give a shit. I was at a family do recently and one of my gorgeous cousins commented on how much she had enjoyed my blog growing up and then really made me chuffed and I guess the lit the fire underneath me again.

So moving forward I am going to try to avoid over thinking it. My posts are probably going to look different from how they use to as the photos (like these) will most likely be a rush job in between putting Milo to sleep, boobing him, playing with stacking cups etc.

Ok well here's to keeping new years resolutions and I will see you next month. Please feel free to let me know by commenting below if there is anything you want to see/me to write about xx

How cute is the back detail on this dress!!

Lazy Oaf Quilted Metallic Heart Bag - ASOS

Gold mermaid shell belt - this is vintage and I think I thrifted it somewhere in Melbourne 100 years ago 

Black and white gingham frill socks - Cotton on body 

Lazy Oaf x Vans - Ok so you wont be able to get these anymore they sold out super quick. Your only hope of getting these is to start trawling for someone getting rid of a second hand pair. These would have to be up there as one of my most favourite pairs of shoes of all time. You can probably tell by how worn they are. 

And of course a mum bun xx 

CARRY ON THE LEGACY IT'S TIME TO RAISE A FAMILY

I had good intentions to keep up blog posting during my pregnancy because I figured it would be quite an interesting thing to document. It didn't end up happening because in all honesty I found maternity fashion and the way I felt about my body to be quite challenging.  It's weird that after a few weeks postpartum I can already look back at photos of my big round belly and think it looks beautiful but at the time I certainly didn't feel it. I felt hot, sweaty and uncomfortable in my own skin. Being pregnant is weird because you never get a chance to feel comfortable with your body because it is so rapidly changing. I had all these grand ideas about managing to pull together these cool maternity outfits that would prove that maternity fashion didn’t have to be daggy or a singlet dress with stripes on it (aka every maternity dress ever).

 Years ago when I was studying clothing production, I did a week of work experience at the clothing label One Teaspoon. I spent most of the time counting buttons and trims which for anyone who has worked in the fashion industry is a pretty honest summary of how unglamorous the fashion industry really is. I didn’t care I was so ecstatic to be there and grateful to spend a week soaking it all in and enthusiastically counting buttons. During my week there the owner/Head Designer Jamie was only in the office once as she was quite heavily pregnant.  When she did come in I was struck by how good she made pregnancy look because I had never seen anyone do that before, I had never anyone make pregnancy look cool. She was wearing a raglan tee and boyfriend jeans, a relatively simplistic outfit but it looked amazing. This was at the time when the only jeans anyone was wearing was black supa tubes, the boyfriend jean trend was about 10 years off, so it was simplistic but also super fashion forward in an effortless way. I remember thinking, one day when I am pregnant I want to do everything she was doing with her pregnancy style.

So one of the first things I bought when I was pregnant was a three pack of men’s raglans tee’s in pastel colours. They showed up and the colours weren’t how they looked online and when I put them on instead of being magically transformed into this super cool pregnant person I looked like a frumpy person wearing an ill fitting raglan tee... disappointing. I don’t think at any point during my pregnancy that I achieve Jamie level of fashion but here is a little video of what I did wear.

I think one of the hardest things about buying maternity clothes is that it feels like a waste of money. The further along you get especially it just seems silly to be buying clothes that you will be wearing for such a short period of time, although at the time it does feel like forever. So I though I might share some of my favourite purchases that I thought were worth spending money on.

TOPS
Oversized tees - I've always been a fan of an oversized tee, pregnancy gives you an opportunity to see what all your oversized tee's look like as fitted tees.
Tunics and stretchy mini dresses - Maybe not the best option for anything too expensive because it might go a bit out of shape but the wider hip section on stretch mini dresses and tunics are great over the bump, extra points for length as well.
Mens Singlets/Tees/Tall Tees - Mens Tees are basically what you will get from a maternity, size/length but for about half the price. Pastels being on trend for men mean a better variety of cute colours!

DRESSES - 
Slip dress - These are essential, layer things over and under these using what you already own. Really great for adding length to dresses that have become a bit short as a result of your bump.

Something like this

Vintages Dresses - Think 80's - bit more over sized and elastic waist that you can sit above your belly and below your bust.

Asos Maternity - There is always a really good range of pieces on sale in the Asos maternity range and I got some of my most worn things from there including

0:05 - ASOS Maternity Nursing Scallop Wrap dress - super comfy, great colour, looks good during and after pregnancy, practical for breast feeding.

0:17 - ASOS Maternity T-shirt Midi dress in rainbow stripe - This is something I'd buy as a non maternity piece, got lots of wear out of it and loved the rainbow stripes - there is not enough colour in maternity wear! Unfortunately  totally useless for breastfeeding :(

0:21 - ASOS Cami smock Dress - You can get these in all sorts of colours, I grabbed the pink and yellow, easiest throw on dress especially if you having a baby over summer.

BOTTOMS

0:08 - These gingham pants from asos are super cute but they are the ones that sit low and have a bit of elastic that stretches at the front. I wasn't a fan of these as I found that when I wasn't very pregnant they fell down and then when I was super pregnant they also didn't sit right.

Over the bump jeans: I love these and had a pair I wore to work all the time. They have a stretch material band that sits nearly under your bust, also excellent for after pregnancy when heading out for all you can eat dinner. There is a good range on asos but i'd recommend doling what I did and buy them second hand on ebay.

Elastic waisted skirts are your best friend and also mid length stretchy tube skirts, I bought a cute pastel pink one from supre.

In my video you'll notice a pair of pink and a pair of lilac pants pop up a few times. These are chinos from Cotton On, I bought the pink pair a few sizes up (yay elastic waists) and end up going back and getting the lilac ones as well. Absolutely loved them.

BRA'S - I tried both cotton on bras and bonds. The verdict was that cotton on had a lot more of a cute range but not nearly as comfy as bonds. They had underwear in a maternity bra..... terrible terrible idea. I've now hit a point where I am too large for bonds maternity so if anyone has any suggestions for G/H cup bras please comment below!

UNDIES - Again tried both the cotton on and bonds maternity both were great. I would recommend going with cotton. But by the end the best underwear you can wear is men's, like the cotton boy leg ones, they just fit so much better and are so much comfier.

FOOTWEAR - If you have read more than one of my blog posts you will be pretty familiar with the fact that I love shoes, particularly sneakers. Something absolutely devastating happened during my pregnancy, my shoes did not fit.... My feet were so hot and swollen and the only thing that I could cram them in and not feel 100 degrees were my slides. I lived in them my whole pregnancy.
Here are some cute ones :

Puma platform slides

Hologram/Black Nike Benassi

Puma Leadcat satin slides

HOT TIP
You might not have your pre pregnancy body back for a while, might never have it back, might not want it back. It is good to factor in whether or not you can feed (if you are planning on breast feeding) in the pregnancy clothing you purchase so that you  can get more longevity out of them.

xx

STAY UP LATE

If you don't follow me on instagram or aren't one of my facebook friends, you are potentially thinking I look a lil different in my most recent outfit photo. It is with great excitement I share the news that my partner and I are expecting a baby in January, 2018!

This blog for me has always been a "lifestyle blog" so naturally (when I remember to post) the content will shift with the shift in my life. I know there is an overwhelming amount of mummy bloggers and I don't see that being the direction I head in (although I don't say that with one hundred percent certainty) but rather a place to share fashion adjustments and more pregnancy and baby focused wish lists. If there is anything in particular you are wanting to see me post, please comment and let me know :) 

I am heading towards the half way mark of pregnancy and I still have that feeling like I have fudged my resume and gotten a job I wasn't quite qualified for. From multiple conversations I am starting to realise that it isn't a feeling that will necessarily go away and like any new job you sort of have to sit at your unfamiliar desk smiling, looking busy and acting like you got this.... hoping that eventually the whole fake it till you make it will come to fruition.  

When I was in the sixth grade I cut my hair off into a bob cut, I got home and tried on all my clothes but nothing looked quite right. I remember looking in the mirror and howling with regret over my new hair cut because now I needed a whole new wardrobe to match my whole new hair, which as a sixth grader earning approx zero dollars was not going to happen. Eventually I adjusted to my new hair cut and my clothes began to look normal and everything was fine. This flashback is a pretty accurate summary of how I feel about my current wardrobe, nothing I own looks quite right. I don't have time to adjust to my new body like I did my sixth grade hair cut because it is constantly changing. 

As women, (not discounting men's feelings, just not something I have experience with) we spend our whole lives with such a strong focus on our physical appearance with a pressure to have our bodies look a certain way. We are continually crushed under the weight of a societal pressure that tells us that one of the worst things you can be is "fat" or "big", just to clarify this is not a point of view I agree with (if not obvious). So after thirty two years of having this drilled into me I am suppose to be instantly comfortable with my growing, bigger, fatter body. I look at other women bigger than myself and think they look glowing and radiant but personally I haven't adjusted to this unfamiliar body and I don't have time to feel comfortable with it because it keeps changing. Once you are pregnant it is like it become taboo to talk about  your body in a negative way because as a walking baby oven you are suppose to be this wonderful,happy, glowing beacon of light. To concern yourself with such trivial things like body image seems to be seen as superficial, yet at the same time you are also suppose to be navigating people commenting on your growing appearance daily. 

This is probably all coming across as a bit negative but I felt like it was something I wanted to write down because it is a part of my current journey and I am sure a lot of other women's. The way I dress is a huge part of my identity and not being able to wear a lot of my clothing this early on has made me feel a little lost in myself.  So now I am going to force myself to see this as a challenge to find the pieces that make me feel comfortable and fit my aesthetic and to work with what I have got in my wardrobe that fits. So far I have found most maternity clothing to be so boring, if you don't wear black, grey, white, navy or striped very few stores cater for you. I feel like I have rambled on a fair bit so far so I might leave maternity clothing exploration for the next post. xx

Mel Stringer Earrings - Etsy

Donut Bag - Kmart Kids

Jaded London Festival Sequn Bomber Jacket - Asos

Pastel Necklace - Sad Gal Craft

Maternity Bardot Dress with Half Sleeve - ASOS

Nike Roshe BR - Hype DC