my life: obsessive compulsive

Yep, its a list of what I'm obsessing over right now.

superfood smoothies: I know, I know, this is nothing new. But this breastfeeding gig is making me ravenous (and also time-poor) and smoothies are the answer. Any combination of the following are sure to get me excited: coconut milk, almond milk, cacao, frozen banana, dates, spinach (seriously- you don't even taste it) and maple syrup with a topping of chia seeds and cacao nibs. Ah-mazing. As it gets colder, I plan to whizz these up for longer until the Vitamix heats them up slightly. Hot chocolate, anyone?

gwyneth: Yeah, this is nothing new either. I mean who isn't obsessed with her, even just a little? She is rad. I want to be her.

But since that's impossible, I'll settle with being her in the kitchen. Which is also rad.

Her latest book It's All Good is an amazing compilation of recipes suitable for all kinds of elimination diets. We're talking gluten-free, dairy-free and none of the fun stuff - coffee, alcohol or sugar. But since I don't strictly follow any particular diet (besides an all-around healthy one!), I'm just using it for some much-needed inspiration in the kitchen. I'll get back to you with how that goes.

thermomix: So I've kinda gotten caught up in the hype and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Rob gave me the go-ahead to buy one for Mother's Day (#winning!) so I placed my order a few days ago and am counting the hours until my life changes forever.

If you've never heard of one, then climb out from under that rock and have a look-see over here. At first glance, it all seems a bit steep for a kitchen appliance to set you back just under $2K, but what I will say is this: you can't put a price on time, it's our most precious resource. (Yes, I really did use that line. And yes, it really did work).

And to those of you who may be worried that an appliance like this eliminates the art of cooking? Let me just point out that there is no "art" of cooking at 5.23pm on a Tuesday with an infant on your hip, a toddler giving you hungry eyes and a burnt lentil dahl on offer to those with no sense of smell. My life will now be divided into two parts: BT (Before Thermomix) and AT (Don't make me spell it out for you).

Seriously - I'm so excited, I could wet my pants. But Gwyneth would never do that.

benefits of babywearing

Wow, this post could be a loooong one. I am such a baby-wearing advocate it's not even funny, and not only for the obvious reasons. It just makes life so damn easy. As in, "strap on your baby and carry on with your day" kinda easy. It means I get dinner cooked, any errands run, and the house in a relatively livable condition - and all the while bub happily comes along for the ride. I'm not one to fuss about and I like to avoid excess baggage where possible, so this solution is really a no-brainer: baby on the front, toddler in one hand and then I'm all like, "I'm coming for you Wesfield!" *

*Not really. I'm still a bit scared to brave the mall with two kids. But you get my drift.

Noah babywearing his partner in crime "Monkey".

On that note, let me share another little gem. Sometimes you may hear mothers talk about having "one of those days" when their baby just will not sleep. For me and both of my children, this is more commonly referred to as approximately 4pm. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

OK, OK, to be honest, that was a slight exaggeration. Harry really hasn't been that bad (so far). Perhaps he senses that, being the second child, I'm just not able to sit down with him while he takes his sweet time falling asleep. Or maybe it's because this is generally how we roll once mid-afternoon nap-time hits:

Snug as a bug in the Ergobaby carrier

But that's not to say he doesn't try to fight it. Oh boy, does he try to fight it.

But I always win.

Emily = 1. Harry = 0.

my life: the weekend breakfast edition

One thing we love to do on a weekend is go out for breakfast. It is the best meal of the day after all, and I love being inspired to try new recipes at home after a great meal at a cafe. One of our favourite places to go at the moment is Armchair Collective.

A cafe with an inbuilt homewares shop is my kinda cafe. The fact that the food is rather delightful as well earns major bonus points. I'm a big fan of the Sonoma fruit toast or the granola, and Rob likes to get the spicy scrambled eggs. My order always includes a Chai latte made with tea leaves, which has way more kick than your standard sugary-syrup variety.

My sister and I have given it the nickname of Chai-POW since it tends to be on the strong side - but that's how I like it! I managed to recreate the POW taste at home with Healing Concepts Mother Earth Chai which I got from my friends online shop.

I make it using either home-made almond milk or rice milk. Before you try it I feel like I should warn you: it's addictive!

Rob and Noah on the way to breakfast.

toxic-free tushies

It's time to divulge a little secret: at times I have a tendency to be an extremist. In the most pragmatic way possible, of course. When I really, truly believe in something, I'm not exactly half-hearted in the way I go about it. I'm not always an all-or-nothing kind of girl, but when it comes to the health and well-being of my family, this approach is completely non-negotiable. So, that being said, when I read this article about the dangers of disposable nappies while pregnant with Noah, I knew I was going to have to find another option for his toileting needs. The standard chemical-filled Huggies just wasn't going to fly.

Now if you haven't heard of modern cloth nappies, then prepare for your mind to be blown. They are nothing like the folded terry-towelling nappies of the past. They are pretty much a cloth version of a disposable nappy - same shape and similar absorbency but they rank much higher on the cuteness scale. Take a look here if you are interested in the specifics of how they compare to disposables. Take a look here if reading isn't really your thing and you're just interested in seeing a cute baby in said nappies:

Better for the environment and less chemical exposure for super-sensitive baby skin? It's a no-brainer for me. Now I must admit, I do still use disposables from time to time and when I do, this is my brand of choice:

They are chlorine-free, breathable, biodegradable and affordable - much better than the standard bleached plastic-lined nappies that line the majority of the baby aisles, and their wipes are fantastic too. The extremist in me has absolutely no time for toxic and unnatural substances, especially in products designed for children, to be used directly on their skin. There is a time and a place to be vigilant about chemical-free living and in my opinion, this is most certainly one of them!

my (boys) fashion: wares from the warehouse

It was a lazy Friday morning and there was a warehouse sale for one of my favourite kids clothing labels practically around the corner from my house. It would've been rude not to go. And I hate being rude.

I picked up a few goodies for Noah (and my niece on the way!) and renewed my love of organic cotton clothing. It is just so much softer and the quality is so much better. Cotton is the most heavily sprayed crop in the world, and we wear it all day, every day. I hate thinking of what residual chemicals are sitting on our skin. Gaia has the most adorable ranges. I am already picturing this shirt paired with the suspenders I bought for Noah from Seed. Now all he needs is a fancy occasion to wear it all.

It was worth stocking up as the majority of boys clothes out there don't excite me very much. I often struggle to find anything I like since I have an aversion to graphic prints, slogans and Pumpkin Patch in general (although clearly no aversion to jackets/beanies/anything with ears. That will never get old).

amber is the answer

When Noah was about three months old, the number of "Isn't she pretty?" compliments thrown our way increased about ten-fold. I knew it wasn't just because of his ridiculously long eyelashes or the fact that he was often dressed in leggings and fluffy booties. My guess is that it had something to do with the beads hanging around his neck in the form of an amber teething necklace. As a natural analgesic, Baltic amber is known for it's healing and anti-inflammatory properties, so it was a no-brainer when he needed some pain relief. It's not exactly breaking news when I say that I'm all for natural alternatives, and anything that is going to reduce the use of medicinal pain relief will always be my first port of call. There will always be sceptics but I can honestly say that I don't doubt their effectiveness in the slightest.

Nikolai, Noah and their necklaces

And hey, if it's good enough for Miranda Kerr...

Credit: Splash

pure beauty

My bathroom cabinet has had a makeover. I've been slowly getting rid of all the chemical-laden beauty products and turned to (what else?) natural alternatives. The best bit? They're gentler on the skin, there are no synthetic ingredients, and they work.

It's no secret that I have a slight obsession with coconuts. You're probably already sick of me rambling on about them (heads up: it ain't stopping anytime soon). We've all heard about the many benefits of including coconut oil in our diet, so why stop there? It is hands-down the best skin moisturiser, hair treatment and make-up remover.

This is my oil of choice. I put it in my hair the night before a wash and let it work its magic. Olive oil works well too, but doesn't smell nearly as divine (although a lot less like a Piña Colada).


For the face it's all about Organic Rosehip Oil. I thought this would make me breakout as my skin is naturally an oil-slick but it actually had the opposite effect. Bonus. I use it every night.

A great all-rounder is Egyptian Magic. Made with olive oil, beeswax and honey bee pollen, it's an age-old formula used by the Ancient Egyptians. Hey, if it was good enough for Queen Cleopatra, then it's good enough for me! I like to think of it as the Elizabeth Arden Eight-Hour Cream of the natural world.

Other brands that rock my socks off are Sukin, bod (love their face wash), Vanessa Megan and Butter Nail Polish. Make-up-wise I've swapped my Chanel foundation for Lavera, which gives great coverage - I was pleasantly surprised. Mascara is by Ere Perez, which has an almond oil base, and lip balm by Shizen. I've found most of these brands in my local health food store.

At first I was slightly devastated when I started throwing out all of my beautifully-packaged bottles of perfection (I even held on to a few of my favourites so I can still get my toxin-load on for a special occasion).  But for everyday use I remind myself of the golden rule: if you can't eat it, then you most definitely shouldn't put it on your skin.

health, wellness and happiness.

Tonight I went to the launch party of a friends new online health shop Choose Life!. The food was absolutely delish and right up my alley - think brown rice balls, spinach tarts, raw chocolate cake and coconut smoothies (some of it was provided by The Healthy Chef and Iku Wholefood). 

It was a great opportunity to talk all things health and wellness while testing out some great products. I finally picked up a Cococut opener for my coconut addiction. Pretty sure Rob will be happy that he'll no longer find his drill in our pantry!

I also bought an Environmental toothbrush for Noah (as used by Miranda Kerr for her son Flynn!). They're made from biodegradable and environmentally sustainable bamboo, so instead of ending up in landfill you bury it in the garden! 



Now this is my kind of product. We go through 30 million toothbrushes in Australia alone every year, and the plastic they're made of wont break down in our lifetime, or the lifetime of our children. Just think about that for a minute...


The highlight for me was winning Teresa Cutter's cookbook in the door prize giveaway. 

I love pretty much everything on the menu at her Avalon cafe and it has been sold out there for ages. I'm planning to get stuck into a recipe or two over the weekend.