As the weather has become chillier and wetter, and the days are far darker, it has forced us to stay inside far more, and in turn has given me a big push to sort out the spaces within our home. We moved into our home three days after Eilish was born (the second move within the time of pregnancy), and it was a rush move due to a difficult rental situation and the imminent arrival of a baby. This has meant that it has taken so much time to sort, declutter and really enjoy our home.
Read MoreMotherhood is a constantly shifting and mercurial state for me. It changes often, its demands and necessaries are both constant and transitory. A story-teller, a sleep-whisperer, an entertainer, a clown. A safe space, a food source, a cleaner, a laundress. A snot-wiper, a tear-kisser, a cook and a knight.
Read MorePower to the Mother is a series of interviews on the transformative and empowering experience of motherhood.
On Power to the Mother today, I’ve been very excited to speak to Ruth Poundwhite, mother of one and creative business owner. I love Ruth’s podcast, Creatively Human, and really connect with the stories she tells as well as those of her interviewees. Ruth’s son Rowan is quite literally about to turn one, so this felt like a very special time for her to share her experiences with me. Here we talk about motherhood not being quite as expected, the drive to make changes post-baby, and learning to love yourself. I hope you enjoy Ruth’s answers as much as I did!
Read MoreChristmas as we know it, if you celebrate it, can be a tricky time. As a small income family, I know how difficult it can feel, particularly when surrounded by some of the images portrayed through social media. Last year I panic-bought an almost four month old more toys on December 22nd, because when I wrapped them it didn’t look like enough. Ask me now what I got her, and I mostly can’t remember. Suffice to say she slept through about 85% of the gift-opening affair.
So much of my focus has shifted since having Eilish. I think its always been there, but this year, the desire to live far more intentionally has really made itself known. With the 1st of December approaching, its been interesting to note that my attention and excitement is centred around the advent period, the festive season, rather than the big day itself. I’m looking forward this year to creating a cosy lead up to Christmas, lit with the glow of candles and lots of conscious, quiet celebrating. Creating traditions that we can continue and adapt as Eilish grows.
Read MoreThis is a story that is mine. It is one that I get to choose how to tell. The language is mine, the narrative I craft is mine, and the emotions that run deep and earnestly throughout are all mine too. It is a story that I have held back on sharing because I was scared of marring the face of birth positivity, something that I feel is so important. I was worried that by sharing an experience that is at the very crux and core of me I would be letting the side down. I do not let it define me, but it is inherently woven into the tapestry of our lives. To ignore it is to ignore the yearning I have to share with you, it is to ignore the important message I feel exists in its past and present. It is to ignore the all-encompassing empowerment it gave me now and at the time.
Read MoreWe are not a lone species, but we isolate and categorise. We are not supposed to do this alone, but surely we do. We can’t ‘have it all’, so why do we think we need to? Why have we gone so far from the village, when it is what we truly need.
This is tiring. The first year of a child’s life is exponentially and earth-shatteringly tiring. You have just birthed a human, and now you are feeding them (definitely) with your body (maybe), functioning on little-to-no sleep and carting this extra person around wherever you go. Your life, your meaning, your entire reason for being has shifted while simultaneously leaving you the same, but so so different. It is a lot.
Read MorePower to the Mother is a series of interviews on the transformative and empowering experience of motherhood.
Today on Power to the Mother I welcome Beth, mother of two and blogger at Someday Slower. Beth writes about minimalism and motherhood in such an approachable way that I find completely inspiring. Speaking to Beth I felt a real connection in our experiences, she speaks with such honesty. Here we speak about the ways minimalism changed her life, difficult births, and of finding yourself in motherhood.
Read MoreLife lately has been fast, fast, fast while simultaneously all the slow. Slow mornings at home, slow walks around the park, days full of nothing and everything all at the same time. But the speed, the speed comes from nap time typing and plotting, evenings working and weekends at courses. Next thing, next thing, next thing.
But you, you are my consciousness, intention and mindfulness practice. You are my reminder to stay in the present. You are my reminder to stop, slow down, hide that phone away. I breathe. Do you ever look down at this little being, when you’ve stopped rushing around, and suddenly remember that oh, this tiny person is a person with a personality and that face you love and those breathy sighs that instantly calm on the increasingly rare occasions she falls asleep on you.
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