Home » Posts tagged 'Grace'
Dear Dad, as I sit here on the Eve of Christmas watching our baby boy play, I can’t help but wish you were here; yet…something in the twinkle of his eye and the curve of his smile tells me you are 💙
I will always love you, I will never forget you… Thank you for being my Dad, my hero, our guiding star 💫
Here’s to those special souls who cannot be with us this Christmas; whose presence, though deeply missed, will be always be felt,
Love always,
Hayley xx
Becoming a mother shook me to my core. I resonated with Mayim Bialik when she said: “I came to parenting the way most of us do — knowing nothing and trying to learn everything.” I soon discovered there was so much conflicting information ‘out there’ that I began to doubt what I instinctively felt was right.
I was, and still am, learning; but the biggest lesson I’ve learnt is that there are no rules to parenting. No one way fits all.
As soon as I began to tune out to the world and tune into my baby; everything just sort of fell into place.
The stress and anxiety and self-doubt subsided and I finally feel like I’m not such a rookie at this parenting business after all. The joyful moments now outweigh the ‘oh f*ck!’ moments and I can safely say “I love being a Mum.” It’s the most natural instinctive feeling in the world. Heart explosions occur as often as poop explosions (and believe me, that’s a lot!) As cliche as it sounds, the love and protection you feel for your child is overwhelmingly profound and no other feeling comes close.
Motherhood is by far the most challenging, magical and wonky journey I have ever voyaged; but if I am to remain cast away at sea without a sail amidst the turbulent adventure that is parenting, then a sailors life is for me.
Love always,
Hayley xx
3 months… 12 weeks… 84 days… 288 hours… 17280 minutes… 1036800 seconds… However this precious time spent with you is to be counted, I choose to see it as eternal and forever imprinted in our hearts… 👣❤️
Here’s to sleepless nights and poonami explosions, milky voms and ‘stinky ear’ cuddles, cherished memories and forgotten dishes, endless rocking and dribbly kisses, tantrums, tears and toothless grins and a whole bunch of love, weirdness and belly laughter in between 💝
I’d do it all again for you in a heartbeat baby Kole 💙
Love always xx
Our subconscious mind can be our worst enemy, yet it can also be our greatest teacher and ally.
Most of our habits and automatic reactions stem from our subconscious mind. These auto responses are usually triggered when we’re caught off guard.
For this reason, most of us have a negative relationship with our subconscious mind because it seems to keep us stuck in the past, binding us to old worn out beliefs.
But without our subconscious mind we’d be f*cked.
We need auto responses. It’s what enables us to drive a car without too much thought and allows us to walk without thinking.
We couldn’t always walk and drive this way. It took a lot of falling over, stopping and starting and stalling before it became easy. But we got there in the end through practice, patience, perseverance, sheer grit and determination. Why? Because we believed we could.
Our subconscious mind is trained to act out our beliefs.
What beliefs are holding you back and keeping you stuck on replay? Is everyone out to get you? Is money hard to come by? Trust no-one. Nothing comes for free! Life is hard…
Today, make peace with your subconscious. Consider which old, worn out beliefs are standing between you and the life you deserve.
What new beliefs and behaviours can you make part of your present day reality? Now, just like this little girl, ☝🏻 put one foot in front of the other and don’t give up.
Dare to take that first step towards your dreams.
Love always,
Hayley xx
Nobody wants a fair weathered friend who only shows up when your life is flowing with ease and grace.
We can’t all ride the limo of success and happiness all of the time, but if you have a handful of loyal souls who walk beside you through thick or thin, then consider yourself blessed, for those are the truest of connections worth treasuring.
Be grateful for those willing to ride with you aboard that rickety broken down bus; even when it’s hitting all the pot holes, coming up against roadblock after roadblock and struggling to get over the hill.
Today, express your love and gratitude for the people in your life who remind you that you’re not alone.
Who rides with you through the good times and the bad..?
Love always,
Hayley xx
I couldn’t agree more; parenting without a sense of humour is like a hamburger without the burger… Thankfully, my man and I have enough weirdness between us to rival the entire cast of Spongebob Squarepants 🤪
Humour makes even the toughest of days lighter, and if you aren’t already, I encourage you to add a hefty dose of belly laughter to your daily parenting rounds.
As cliché as it sounds, laughter really is the best medicine. You’re going to need it when your little one poops what resembles butter chicken all down your front for the third time that week💩💩💩 …and spews milky voms into your hair on a daily basis 🥛🤮🙈
What gets you through those tough days? Who’s your banter buddy that makes it all worthwhile?
Love always,
Hayley xx
There have been moments during the past seven weeks of parenting that I’ve experienced mild to moderate, to at times, even manic overwhelm. But I know not to beat myself up.
Mumming and breastfeeding non stop around the clock with little to no sleep can send even the most grounded of persons spinning off the earth’s axis.
I am not perfect, nor must I try to be.
In spite of the craziness, I love my little family unconditionally and wouldn’t trade any of this madness in for the world. For amidst the mayhem are bountiful blessings that make it all worthwhile; I am Mum to a beautiful, spirited son who lights up my world despite keeping us well on our toes; I have my supportive, hardworking spunk of a man by my side who provides buttery crumpets to warm my tum and endless laughter to warm my heart; I am also blessed enough to be surrounded by authentic women who I am proud to call my friends.
I honestly believe that the more grateful we are about life, the more life has to offer us things to be grateful for.
It’s so easy to get blindsided when emotions are running high, so today, tune in and count your blessings.
What blessings keep you keeping on?
Nothing in life is guaranteed, not even our next breath. As extreme as this may sound, it’s important to remember this simple truth if we are to appreciate all life has to offer.
Before becoming a Mummy I walked everyday, sometimes even twice a day for an hour each time. These days I am lucky to get a half hour walk depending on my sons mood… I have learnt not to expect my walk, but to be grateful when it does happen. This way I avoid disappointment and appreciate our time spent in nature all the more. I remember to ‘stop and smell the roses’ 🌹 Or in my case, these beautiful orange flowers (I have no idea what they are, feel free to educate me!) 😉
Today, stop and smell the roses. Notice your next breath and give thanks. Expect nothing and appreciate everything, and if you can’t appreciate it, at least accept it.
Love always,
Hayley xx
As a Mummy who’s nursing a growing baby boy, I see firsthand how constant feeding rapidly increases growth. The same is true of our troubles – the more we feed them, the bigger they grow. ‘Energy flows where attention goes.’ – Michael Beckwith
The more attention we pay to our problems, the bigger our problems become.
This week, as our little one heads into his first growth spurt, we’ve been faced with the challenge of an unsettled baby each night.
In life, and as parents, it’s important to avoid getting too hung up on our troubles and to try to adopt a solution focussed mindset. Even the simple act of ‘letting go’ is far more freeing than trying to ‘fix’ everything and everyone.
Parenting is demanding business and the more we can pull together as a team the more energy we have to share our love and joy with one another.
Difficulties in life are inevitable. If we can learn to welcome adversity, we can trust in our learning and growth.
Today, when faced with a challenging situation, remember: It’s not the problem that’s the problem, but your response and attitude towards the problem.
Love always,
Hayley xx
After a day of particularly agonising pelvic floor pains (my own fault for pushing my pregnant body to walk further than was comfortable) I woke this morning feeling very sorry for myself.
‘I feel so limited!’ I heard myself say as I winced with each step. And back to my horizontal position I returned.
I love the way pregnancy forces us to stop and slow down. Natures way of conserving our energy for the big day? I believe so.
As I surrendered to rest, my body thanked me and I took the opportunity to strengthen my mindset instead.
Limiting thoughts of “If I can’t cope with pregnancy discomfort, how on Earth will I cope with labour discomfort?” were promptly pushed aside.
It’s ok to feel vulnerable and yes, it’s even ok to have a little moan. Just as long as we acknowledge that we are only limited by our beliefs.
A few hours later and my pelvic floor has eased. I am feeling more energised and yes, even excited for our impending birth!
Because truly, anything is possible with a little faith and belief.
Love always,
Hayley xx
Life was never meant to be easy… Joyful? Fulfilling? Abundant? Yes. But easy? No.
Life is meant to challenge us; to encourage us to grow and to evolve.
Those testing times which threaten to make us bitter are, in fact, designed to make us BETTER.
How do you respond to life’s difficulties? Do you choose to be a victim of circumstances, finger pointing and blaming others for your misfortune? Or do you choose to welcome life’s challenges as an opportunity to own your shit and RISE UP? To choose another way?
Today, welcome challenge with an open heart. Be grateful for the chance to be BETTER, not bitter.
Love always,
Hayley xx
Dear Dad 