Getting out with twins

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A big part of the Multiple Birth Awareness Week theme for this year around ‘Sharing the Journey’, is about joining a community or group to build a support network. personally, is something that I found quite difficult to do with a 2yo & newborn twins initially, & so I want to share a bit of my story in support of others who may be feeling the same.

In those first few months, I spent a large chunk of my time on the lounge (or in bed at night) feeding the twins. A process which took at least 1.5 hours & didn’t leave a lot of time before starting the next feed 🙈 I was constantly exhausted & getting through each day at home was enough for me without thinking about trying to leave the house solo with our 3 little ones. I couldn’t work out the logistics of trying to breastfeed the twins, sort out their naps, plus their older brother’s nap, whilst trying to keep him out of mischief & get to know new people & form connections. And to be honest, the whole idea terrified me & the thought was enough to overwhelm me.

In my experience, it was 10 weeks before I managed a full day at home on my own with all 3, & from there, my only solo outings would be a walk down to our local chemist for the twins weigh-ins with a midwife, or a visit to see family. It wasn’t until the twins were 1 (& 2 weeks) that I had the confidence to manage solo trips to the park, which I was very proud of then (& still am now). Shortly after that, & with the support of my sister-in-law, we then joined a local Playgroup which we all really enjoyed, & which also helped me continue to rebuild my confidence. It got us all out of the house, & gave me the chance to have some adult conversation & to make some new friends, & the kids a chance to play with some new friends too 💛

Putting yourself out there to meet new people & to join a new community isn’t easy. It takes courage, confidence, risk taking, faith, & more.
To those who haven’t yet felt comfortable to join a new group or community, you are not alone. Give it time. If it is something you want to do, then keep trying. Ask for someone to go with you, as you never know who might also be wanting to go but not wanting to go alone.
To those who run the groups & communities, thank you for creating these opportunities for us! Your work is incredible & much needed.
To those who have taken a chance & joined a community, Congratulations! I hope the connections you’re making is providing some extra support for you on your journey 💛

Honour Yourself

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Honour yourself
When you’re feeling low in energy
Ask yourself, what is it you need?
Does your body need rest?
Do you need to take a step back?
Do you need to unplug?
Do you need someone to listen?
Do you need to be held?
Listen to the answers.

Honour yourself
When you’ve put everything in & you’ve come out on top
When you’ve had a win, big or small
When you’ve made it though a difficult day
When you’ve shared openly, been honest, been true to self.
Allow celebration.

Honour yourself
When you’ve got a list of things to achieve,
But things aren’t quite going to plan,
There doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.
Go easy on yourself.
Take a break to recalibrate, to reprioritise.
Some things can wait.

Honour yourself
When you have a demanding job
& you give it everything you’ve got
When it comes to the days end
You feel you have nothing left to give
You may need some space, some quiet time, something to switch off…
Go right ahead.

Honour yourself
Remember, all that you are
All that you were
All that you are yet to be

Sharing the Journey

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Today marks the start of Multiple Birth Awareness Week for 2019 & the theme this year is ‘Share the journey’, encouraging parents of multiples to ask for support, build connections & community, & share their experiences. I personally feel this is so important for all parents, so that we know we are not alone in our experiences & are supported, & as a parent of multiples, I know firsthand the challenges that having 2 newborns brings, along with a 2yo in our case, & the importance of asking for or accepting the help when offered. I also know the importance of sharing the journey in a sense of sharing our stories as a way of creating connections, awareness, & opening up communication channels, having started writing & sharing when our twins were 6mo. There really is so much power in sharing our stories 💛

We are so very lucky to have so many people to share our multiples journey with, & we are so grateful to experience being parents & parents of multiples. Our support came in all ways from my Mum coming to stay with us for 5 & a half weeks when our twins were a week old & my husband went back to work, to parents, in-laws, sister’s, Aunties, friends, etc who would help out with nappy changing, burping, bathing, entertaining our 2yo, meals, etc. I also received great support from an amazing lactation consultant & our local chemist.
Sharing our journey with so many, has been vital to our success, especially over the first few months in terms of exclusively breastfeeding the twins, keeping our 2yo entertained, & my mental health, etc.
Over the week I will share & re-share a few more stories in support of MBAW to encourage others to reach out for support, to share their journeys & to know they aren’t alone 💖💙

Perspective

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This week I’ve been a bit in my head about how present I’ve been with the kids in terms of playtime & outings / activities, versus how much I’ve been trying to get bits done around the house, doing some work on my business, reorganising finances, talking on the phone etc.

I was questioning myself & engaging in a bit of negative self talk, & then this morning I shared how I was feeling with my bestie & my hubby.
It was the best thing I could have done as they both gave me another perspective, & pulled me out of the guilt ridden space that I had created for myself.

This morning I’d forgotten all about the fact that the twins had been sick this week & I couldn’t take them out of the house, or that the kids were all exhausted so they needed some rest time at home, or the things I have played & books I’ve read (albeit not as much as I would normally like), or that I am allowed to have goals, & that it is great that the kids have time to entertain themselves & create their own fun.
Then as I spoke to my bestie & we spoke about what we remember about growing up, & she reminded me of all the things I tell her that we’ve done on the weekends as a family;
& then I spoke to hubby & he reminded me that I do play with the kids & do lots of different things with them & that I am still my own person with things I want to achieve (whether around the house or for the family or for my business); I was able to look at things more clearly & get out of the space I was in.

Now I’m sharing this today to remind us all to never underestimate the power of sharing.
We are never alone.
There is always someone who is going through the same things, or who is willing to listen, or who can give us the pep talk we need & remind us of what we are not hearing over all the fog in our heads.

There is always someone who can help in any situation.
We just have to be willing to open up & to share.

The next time you find yourself stuck in your head, try saying things out loud to your partner, your friends or your family. You might be surprised by how they can support you, & you’ll wish you’d spoken up sooner.

Sending love to all the parents out there & to those who support us xxx

Intuitive Reiki Energy Healing and Reading Sessions with Embarked with Simone in Atwell, South of Perth Western Australia

Game Changer

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We are the creators of our own happiness. Only we can choose

How we see things

What we focus on

How things make us feel

Who we surround ourselves with

What we put into our bodies

How we spend our time

How we experience things

We can consciously choose to focus on the positives, & what is happening for us, rather than what is not happening

We can choose to focus on the good in ourselves & others

We can choose to be grateful for the simple things – for each day, for each breath

We can choose to allow things to get us down, or we can choose to look at our reactions & what we might really need

We can choose to give out all of our energy, or we can choose to consider our needs & make ourselves a priority

We can choose to say no to the people, events, foods, etc that don’t align with us, that don’t fulfil us or make us feel good

We can choose to rely on others for our own happiness, or we can take responsibility for ourselves & ask ourselves what we truly need (& listen to the response)

We may not be able to choose the weather, or what is happening to those around us, but we can choose what we make of each day, where we want to be, & how our external factors affect us.

We get to choose how we show up each & every day

And when we realise how much choice we have, the game truly changes

Take a deep breath, pause & decide.

How do you want to feel?

How do you want to be seen?

Intuitive Reiki Energy Healing and Coaching Sessions with Embarked with Simone in Atwell, South of Perth Western Australia

The power of art

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How do you calm your mind?

For me, creating my first Mandala & giving myself space, guided me further on my path to unlocking my soul’s purpose ✨

Before that, I hadn’t given any thought or time or space for art & it’s form of creative meditation.

Art is so powerful. We can’t underestimate the power of creating, big or small.

Art brings to the forefront our truest selves, our deepest thoughts, feelings & fears.

The process of creating art is truly transformational, in the depths of the calm mind one can truly discover their soul’s purpose.

Art has the great ability to calm & focus the mind.

Giving yourself the space to create is the greatest gift 💛

When was the last time you gave yourself the space to create?

When was the last time you did some art?

How could doing some art help you?

I’m so glad I said yes to the experience with my bestie, & conquered my fears & self doubt, because the experience of creating my first Mandala & immersing myself in art has changed my world ✨

If you would love to give yourself a creative outlet, I have spots available in my upcoming Mandala Painting Workshops, why not get your friends together & make a day of it?

If something ‘arty’ sparks your interest, I encourage you to give it a go! Your soul is giving you a hint to get creative & the benefits are endless 💖