Elle is a beautiful mama to three gorgeous daughters. I recently had the opportunity to ask Elle a few questions about motherhood and what she loves most about raising three daughters in country Australia. Thanks for chatting Elle x What’s the best thing about being a mum? Their hugs... Their smiles... The constant chatter... That I will forever and always be their home. What has surprised you most about being a mum? How you can love someone you’ve never met with all your heart and how that love continues to grow and flourish as they do. How do your girls inspire you daily? Their smiles, the way they look at life, their never ending questions.... It all makes me stop and look at how I can be a better mother and person. I truly believe children teach us more than we will ever be able to teach them. They inspire me to search deeper, love harder, not sweat the small stuff and to look for the joy in the mundane.... What are your biggest challenges of motherhood? Learning to let go.... Of perfection, of ideals, of materialism, of going to the toilet on my own 🙈 It took me a long time to accept there are more important things in life and embrace the chaos that is raising children but I’m forever grateful that I did... What do you love most about raising three daughter in county Australia? Raising children in country Australia has taught me just how important community is. My children and family are loved and cherished by so many, they smile with us, cry with us, pick us up when we fall and allow us to do the same in return. I hope living here has taught my girls to find and grow their own community wherever life takes them. What about being a mum did you learn from your mum? That there is beauty in chaos and perfection in imperfection. My dishes and laundry will always be there but time with my girls while they are young is fleeting. What’s your favourite meal to cook your little ones? Definitely dinner, we eat dinner as a family every night and it’s our time to debrief, to laugh about our day, to help young minds navigate the emotions of school life and to enjoy one another as a family. I love hearing their tales as I watch them filling their bellies with a nutritious meal I’ve prepared for them. How will you be spending this mothers day? With my mum! It’s her birthday two days later so hopefully we can spoil her because she deserves it!
As part of our Miann Mothers Series, I had the absolute pleasure in interviewing the gorgeous Gemma Peanut. Gemma is mama of her beautiful daughter, Raffa. Gemma gives us an insight into her life as a mother, including how she goes travelling with her little one, and how Raffa has changed her world. Thanks Gem x What’s the best thing about being a mum? Seeing the world through a completely different lens. The lens of a 3 month old, a 6 month, a 9 month old and so on. It’s ever changing and having the opportunity to discover the simple things in life all over again has been a dream. I also adore feeling like I have a purpose that is outside of myself. I’ve spent so much of my life focusing inwardly on myself that I’m relishing being completely selfless and just giving less f**ks about everything, because as a mum, you’ve got much more important things to focus your energy on; raising a human, a good human, in this world. What has surprised you most about being a mum? I’d say there are both positive and negative surprises. As a positive, I had no idea that I was capable of such patience! Haha. I was worried I wouldn’t have the patience required for my new gig as a mum but it turns out you do! As for the curly surprises, I’d say that there’s a definite shift in the dynamic of my marriage. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just that it’s different in that we now have to tag team EVERYTHING. I sometimes miss the simple days where we could enjoy doing things together as a couple. Simple things like going for a swim together. One of us always has to stay beach-side with Raffa. So now we realise the importance of carving out time for us and our marriage to keep us feeling connected. And even though our relationship has strengthened since having a baby, I still have pangs of missing my Hubs, so that certainly caught me off guard. How does Raffa inspire you daily? Her get up and go and zest for life. I feed off her energy (even though I feel like a corpse a lot of the time). Raffa also inspires me to be more present. She demands it from me. She lives whole heartedly in the moment. Not for the past, not for the future. She doesn’t give a crap about what she did last week or what’s ahead next week, she lives totally in the now. It’s a beautiful reminder to keep me anchored to what’s happening in the present. What are you biggest challenges of motherhood? Finding my rhythm and flow. The mum juggle/struggle is a real thing! But I’m realising that attempting to achieve balance as a working mum is impossible. Babies are ever evolving and ever changing and you will never keep up so I’m learning to adopt a more “just roll with it” attitude! How do you go travelling with a little one? I love it! I do think you have to go into travelling with a baby with the mindset that everything is going to take longer and that your luggage load will quadruple in size! But ultimately, it’s all worth the effort. There’s something so special about seeing the world through your little one’s eyes. Once you overcome the jet lag and logistics hurdle, it’s pure joy! What’s at the top of your packing list when travelling with your little one? Travel pram! Can’t live without my Baby Zen Yoyo stroller. Ours has come with us to Bangkok, London and Tokyo and is still going strong! What about being a mum did you learn from your mum? Oh gosh, oh so much! If I’m half the mother my mum is, I’d be stoked. My mum has been the most incredible influence in my life. She approached motherhood with such ease and grace. The biggest thing I’ve learnt from her is that she never sweats the small stuff. What’s your favourite meal to cook your little one? Admittedly, I’m not the cook in my family but I make a mean smashed avocado, fetta and banana mix for Raffa. It’s her absolute fave! How will you be spending this Mother’s Day? As typical to a busy mother, I haven’t really given it much thought. All I know is that I want to spend it with my mum, as well as Raffa. Three generations of women hanging out together. Perhaps we’ll head out for a nice brunch and a walk along the beach. I might even feel inclined to give Raffa her first babychino. Might be her lucky day!
Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs Miann & Co herself, Rebecca. Bec is mother to three beautiful children who enjoy travelling and exploring together as a family. Get an insight into her life as a Mother, including her must haves when travelling with little ones, and how her children inspire her daily. What’s the best thing about being a mum? Honestly everything is the best about being a mum. I love being a mum. It's a privilege and something I honestly treasure every day. What has surprised you most about being a mum? How little I appreciate sleep before having kids and how important sleep is to function. How do your children inspire you daily? Their beautiful imaginations inspire me daily and make me smile. Seeing things for a second time but through the innocence of your children is so so special. What are you biggest challenges of motherhood? The juggle of time and wanting to constantly slow everything down to slow-motion to savour every minute as a family and our children in hitting their milestones. How do you go travelling with kids, and especially a one year old? We love travelling with our kids and have made it a priority every year. There is so much to learn from travel... gratefulness, patience, the list goes on. We want our kids above all else to be good and kind human beings and travelling helps with the learnings in facilitating this. What’s at the top of your packing list when travelling with little ones? A good set of transseasonal clothes that can be layered easy. Also a travel stroller that can fold down to cabin luggage has been a game changer travelling with a baby. What about being a mum did you learn from your mum? My mum taught me how to sew and cook. I wasn’t quite the perfectionist that my mum was, but one of those hobbies turned into a career. Nurturing, cooking with good ingredients, making and doing things yourself was a value installed in our home. What’s your favourite meal to cook your kids? I love cooking pancakes. This is something we do quite often on one of the weekend mornings. It's my favourite time to chat and talk to the kids as they pop their favourite toppings on. How will you be spending this Mother’s Day? With my babies snuggled up in bed x
