She taught me Joy & a Closer to Nature Soother Giveaway

It was a thought that had followed me around when I was pregnant with my second daughter, "will I ever love you as much as I love my first baby, how does this work?." I was plagued with worry and guilt on the thought, after all I had 5 years of cuddles, bedtime stories, tickles and mummy and me moments with my Lily flower. I had watched my tiny baby grow into a tall, curly haired happy little girl, I knew I loved my little peanut as I called my little bump. I rubbed my tummy just as before, I talked to my bump. I bought too cute clothes and all the tiny things that make you awww...
But I worried also, could my heart grow to hold even more love? Was that even possible?

When she decided to come into the world it was in a determined way, 1 &1/2 hours from start to finish, barely making it to hospital and with a midwife yelling we have a baby coming and a few pushes and there you were. Wriggly, beautiful, perfect. My heart melted and then I knew, aaah your heart does truly grow, it really does.

And in one special moment you taught me what life was really all about.

You taught me JOY.Real in the moment, deep within your soul joy.

Such a peaceful little soul, you had the hospital nurses cooing over you and me smiling all day long and life felt good but when my big girl came in to meet you and burst into the biggest smile of love herself for you I felt like the whole world had stopped and I was living in a real life miracle. Holding you in one arm and her in the other, pride, love, contentment.
Oh wow if I could have paused my life right then and recorded that moment...
I remember thinking this is bliss. Right here this is what life is really all about, not money or wealth, fame or status. Not houses and careers, not travel and accomplishments. They were all incredible, wonderful things but right here in my arms, my two beautiful new little souls. You were what life was really about. You made me see the world anew. See myself anew.
You taught me joy.
I knew then in my heart that my life no matter what, regardless of bends and twists, good times and not so good, my life actually, truly is amazingly wonderful and perfect just for me. 

Now everytime life gets a little stressful, a little busy or I get a little tired, or even become that yelling worn out mum we can all become sometimes, frustrated or dismayed I stop and just hold you, my littlest daughter and I know then what I am doing everything for, I know in that hug, where you turn your face up to mine and our eyes meet, I know right then that everything is better than OK, everything is actually wonderful.  

Share your own special mummy moment or something that is special that you do with your baby/kids in a comment on this blog and you could WIN an amazing Closer To Nature prize pack!

One lucky reader will WIN:
4 packs of Closer to nature 0-6 month soothers. Total $44 (1 x ANY TIME, 1 x FUN STYLE, 1 x AIR TIME & 1 x NIGHT TIME. SOOTHERS RRP $11 ea)

Turn your roaring tiger into a purring kitten with the closer to nature® new soother range.  Be the first to trial the new baby approved soothers – Register your interest for FREE samples here. 

There are 4 new styles – Air, Anytime, Night time and Fun to choose from.  The soothers are suitable to use from birth and are designed with an orthodontic silicone teat to support healthy oral development.  $11rrp for a twin pack. For stockist or for more information, please visit: closertonaturebaby.com I facebook.com.au/closertonaturebaby I @closertonature1 .  

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Winning entrant must be an Australian resident and must have left a comment on this blog.
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Motherhood Pressure Turned Into BLISS

Becoming a mother is many amazing things. It is the purest and deepest love you never imagined was possible. It is breathtaking joy. It is moments of treasured complete bliss marveling at this new, perfect person that loves you unconditionally and you them.

For some mum's In amongst the bubble of loving haze can creep in unwanted emotions. Anxiety, worry, fear, frustration even depression.
Sometimes when you become a mother too something almost competitive happens to you, an invisible pressure, an instinct to want to be a super mum, or to feel like you have to be a super mum, to always put on a pretence that everything is always perfect and ok because it can seem from the outside that all the others mothers you know are doing it all so perfectly, so effortlessly.

Sometimes a feeling of being inadequate can creep in, you compare yourself and your baby and children unfairly , maybe even against celebrities and often it all comes from us and our own unreasonable preconceptions anyway.
You can feel that no matter how much effort you seem to be putting in it’s just so hard to keep up with the other mothers! What am I doing wrong?
There can be this silent feeling that you have to do it all and do it all super well at all times. That you can’t have a bad day. Your child can’t be covered in mud when you arrive at the catch up, you can’t be at school drop off looking like a right mess, your children can't all catch head lice or a cold. You can't just relax even when your in the supermarket with a poo filled nappy baby or a power play creaming toddler. You should take to breastfeeding effortlessly of course. Your baby should sleep through...it can go and on.

You can create a world of pressure around yourself that saps all the joy out of the experience.

You can even feel too guilty and pressured to even just have a relaxing bliss day every so often, basking in the glow of motherhood and just being with your baby.

You can start to feel really pressured, that you should always be doing something and that your house should be spotless at all times, your baby growing at the top of the charts, hitting all the milestones early and of course sleeping all night. You should have all the latest baby must haves and you should even be juggling it all with a high flying career or making lots of money from home, while also making elaborate meals and of course looking fantastic and being back into pre-baby jeans in around 3 weeks and never skipping a beat with an ever chirpy greeting to everyone you meet.

Is it any wonder we as mothers can burn out? Get post natal depression? Get stressed? Become ill? Forget sometimes to just take a moment to just be? Forget what makes us, as an individual shine?

If you find yourself ever feeling like this, step back. Breathe. Centre yourself.

Just be the you as you are as a mother. An honest version of you. DO spend whole days just enjoying your baby, your kids, your husband, your own company. The time really does go so quickly and each moment is a precious bubble of time. Go with the flow more. Get over the things that happen beyond your control, let your children play in the dirt and climb a tree.
Have a career or be a stay at home mum-whichever YOU truly want, both are perfect choices when made from the heart.
Do things each day that make you happy, you deserve to feel happy. Cherish yourself. Have hobbies that thrill you and make you smile, ask for help when you need it-whenever you need it, follow your natural instincts with your baby, have friends over even when the house is a mess, follow a dream, enjoy stillness as well as delightful chaos, be honest with everyone who cares about you, be passionately happy, be exactly what YOU want to be.

Most of all as a mum be honest and supportive of other mums, respect each other’s choices and journeys.

Never be afraid to admit openly if you have had a horrible sleepless night, when you really need a break to your partner (before reaching a breaking point), say when you want a hand or even just a non judgemental ear to listen over a cup of coffee.
Do ask for advice when YOU want it or to talk about how you are feeling with those who support you.

Create, find or join a supportive group of mums and do swap ideas and tips with each other, laugh together, cry together, eat meals together it is amazing what we can learn from each other and the benefits this interaction really does have.

We all have our strengths and skills and sharing them with each other helps us all to grow.
Open up to the mothers around you and lest all support each other in this journey that is motherhood and above all else be the beautiful, talented, unique person that is you!
The ONLY you!
And after all a true SUPER MUM is every mum who parents with her heart!

Rebecca xxx

E Book Launch

I am very excited to announce that my book, The Pram Diet will be officially released as an e Book on May 5th!!

It will be available through a variety of online sellers that Random House Australia uses, visit THIS LINK to see their full list and more details.

This means that my book will be available worldwide!

Join in my excitement at the official FACEBOOK launch party HERE

Rebecca xxxx

Pram Walking Tips-Babies

Tips and Tricks for a happy pram walk with babies

To make walking with your baby in the pram a pleasant and beneficial experience for you both there are some handy tricks and tips I have discovered with my two girls and our pram walking and from the many other mums I have had the pleasure to pram walk with.

Remember ever child is so different because we are all unique so different things work for different babies. To make you walks successful try different things until you are both happy and enjoying the experience and then it can become a beautiful routine you'll both look forward too and a great way to lose weight, get fit and healthy and spend some time together.

You want baby to love their pram.
This is quite a crucial early part of getting into a pram walking routine. It does seem that it only takes one or two 'unpleasent' experiences to make a baby not like something and then react fearfully about it and you can't blame them.
IE: Baby-Last time I was in here was horrible, please don't leave me in here mummy! Cue crying.
So how to get baby to love their pram??
If baby doesn't love their pram they won't want to A go in it and B stay in it for a walk and this can effect you in more than just your pram walks, it can effect shopping and family outings in general. So it is in everybody's best interest to make the pram a fun, lovable place for baby.

• Make the pram a pleasant safe feeling place to be.
• Always try to pick a good time for your walks, i.e when baby is due for a nap and they can gently fall asleep to the soothing pram motion, just after a feed so they wont get hungry during the walk or a time of day when you know they are usually in a happy contented mood. TIP Avoid the hottest parts of the day.
• Always make sure a young baby is well fed before you set out; being hungry especially for a demand fed breastfed baby is one of the quickest ways to upset the walk for you both!
• Be prepared. baby's are growing little new people, sometimes they just don't fit into the normal routine on an odd day so even if your baby has 'never before' needed a feed at that time or a nappy change etc be prepared that it could happen, just in case, allow for it and attend to baby until they are happy again. It really just doesn't hurt to have extra items in the pram.
  I have always also carried things like a first aid kit, hat, insect bite cream, paw paw cream, blankets, extra dummies/soothers, extra bottle if they are bottle fed etc.
• Stop and feed them. If baby is grizzling and they are hungry the best thing to do is stop your walk and feed your baby until they are happy again. Again this refers to baby 'loving' their pram. Neither of you will enjoy the rest of the walk if you try and 'just keep going' even if it is only just a little bit further. It is always going to be worth your while to stop and feed them. 
• Adjust the position to baby's mood. Sometimes baby will want to look out and see whats going on, put a good comfortable hat on them to keep the sun out of their eyes, prop them securely with blankets so they don't slide about or feel insecure.
  Sometimes they will be just wanting to see a bit and be slightly reclined where they can still see you clearly but feel rested and safe.
  Sometimes they might want it to be lying flat so they can sleep, play with toys, look up at toy's and have a kick at them or doze on and off. I have personally found this can make a huge difference to baby's happiness during a walk and can be something so easily overlooked.
• Always pick up baby if they cry. Again you do not want baby to hate their pram, at all. They need to know its a safe place, they need to know that when they are in their pram and if they get upset mum or dad will pick them up and see to them. If you do this right from the start they will feel more secure and content and they will trust and enjoy their pram-sometimes the pram can even become a most beloved place for them!
  The amazing BABY WHISPERER, Tracey Hogg has an awesome technique in her books loved by mums all over the world that she refers to as 'Pick Up Put Down', where you pick up baby from their cot every time they cry but as soon as they stop when you are holding them you put them back, if they cry you pick them up again and so on. You can find out the whole technique in her books. I too do not personally believe in letting a baby just cry, it only really makes things worse in the long run and causes a breach of trust between you.
  Remember to check all possible reasons baby might have started to cry like:
  Was the sun in their eyes? Were they bitten by something, a mozzie perhaps? Where they uncomfortable? Was a toy poking them? Did they get a fright and just need a little cuddle? Are they tired? Are they hungry? Do they want to see you? Is their nappy hurting them? Do they need a nappy change? Are their feet cold? Do they have wind? Need burping? Or are they hot/cold? Is wind annoying them? I don't know how many times I have picked up my crying baby and for them to give a huge burp and then happily settle again!I have personally found that by seeing to all these sorts of needs when they cry, giving them some comfort and 'time' they will go happily back into the pram and feel more secure the next time because they know it's safe.
• Be sun savvy. Think hat for baby, sun shade, sun umbrella even muslin cloths. Some prams even have reversible handles so you can adjust to match the sun. Having the sun in your eyes is just awful-check this regularly as you walk.
• Stimulation. As baby's grow we know they need different things to look at and play with, well the same applies to the pram. Keep a box of interesting toys aside that are just for the pram and no other time then rotate which ones you take on each walk so baby isn't always looking at and playing with the same things.
  Even stop sometimes to show baby a tree, colourful sign or something interesting.
• Communicate. Try not to take your mp3 player, instead talk or sing to your baby as you walk. Even if they are really little you can still point out things and noises along the way, they do love to hear your voice.
• Relax! Babies are so intuitive. They really pick up on your mood. If you are stressed, anxious, worrying, angry, frustrated they will not only feel this but will become unsettled even 'clingy' ( nI use this term loosely), irritable and anxious themselves making eveybody unhappy!
  Remind yourself, there is nothing that you have to think about on your walk other than your baby and the beautiful experience of the walk. Everything else can wait an hour! Put your mind and worries on pause. 

By putting in the effort in the first few main walks and making extra sure baby is happy during walks you really do find it sets you and baby up well for many great pleasant walks together, sometimes it just takes a little patience to get in the swing of it, sometimes it might mean being late, sometimes it might mean trying different scenarios, sometimes it might mean an unexpected pit stop or two and after 2 babies I can tell you personally it was different with them both, and so wonderfully worth it!!

(c)RebeccaMugridge2011

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Baby Violet is here

I am delighted to share that I am now the proud mother of two beautiful girls with my little Violet arriving on October 28th.
Now blessed with two little flowers I am more than ever inspired to fill my home and life with great healthy choices,fresh and fun food and the amazing difference an active and positive life can bring.
Seeing myself as the important role model a parent is to my young daughters is such great inspiration to look after myself, adopt a healthy attitude and enjoy each and every day.
Being a parent, I am also motivated to get back into shape after baby number 2 in a healthy and balanced way with respect and kindness towards myself along the way.

Having a baby is such a huge thing and mothers of new babies need to remember this and focus on postives and healthy choices not negative pressures or unrealistic expectations.

Becoming a mother truly is the most special, transforming and amazing experience of my life-It truly is a blessing indeed!

Rebecca xx

Eating healthy-pregnancy and beyond-FRUIT

Improving your diet to include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains has such enormous benefits to both mother and child.

The best part about improving your diet during pregnancy can be that fresh fruits and vegetables can take on an almost extra dimension in flavour and smell as your senses are so much more alive when you are pregnant.

Many a pregnant woman has been able to smell the best apples from afar and the ripest sweetest strawberries, it is almost like we gain an extra sense!
If you have ever had trouble getting yourself to eat and enjoy fruit and raw vegetables than pregnancy is an incredible time to get to know them all over again.

It is often the way that as mothers we will cut up fresh fruit for our children's healthy snacks and then just grab whatever for ourselves because we somehow don't see the value in ourselves and our health enough that we are worth the effort and time it takes to create healthy snacks for ourselves.
Have you ever cut up a juicy orange for your children, fresh crunchy stalks of celery and carrot or refreshing watermelon, eaten a piece and then marveled at how good it actually tasted and wondered why you don't do this for yourself? Instead of just quickly grabbing some biscuits, a coffee, sandwich or crisps?

When you have a sweet craving do you always address it with chocolate, lollies, cake or fizzy drink, have you ever tried some fresh fruit instead? It really might just pleasantly surprise you! Not just think of it and dismiss it as 'boring' but actually made a fresh fruit snack for yourself? While there is nothing wrong with having some chocolate or cake here and there, break it up with some fresh fruit and you'll really notice a difference in your health.

There can almost be a built up 'it's healthy so it wont be as exciting or appealing' resistance at the mere thought of tucking into a banana, some rock melon or an in season mandarin as adults.

We can also put such little value on fruit that we will not buy it at the supermarket because it is too expensive-instead falling in to the marketing trap of cheap junk foods, for example not buying a bag of oranges for $5.00 and instead spending that same $5.00 on an impulse buy of a special like 2 family blocks of chocolate for $5.00 or jam and cream buns on special buy for $5.00.
We might even be very happy that we got these as a 'bargain', where as see the oranges as rudely expensive.
Maybe even perhaps because they are grown on a tree?

Is it in fact possible that because we have such great access to fresh fruits and vegetables throughout most places in Australia and because they are something that is produced from a plant that we overlook just how much hard work and effort actually can go into bringing these fresh ingredients to our supermarket shelves?
Because they can be so readily available to overlook their actual significance and how fortunate we are to have such access to them all?

Or are we surrounded so much with fresh produce that it is no longer exciting?

Or does the fact that it is 'healthy' put us even subconsciously off?

Or have we learnt bad eating habits from our parents and just decide that we don't like fruit? Even if maybe there are many types we have actually never event tried?

When the craziest thing of it all is that if we did buy that in season quality fresh fruit instead of an unhealthy alternative not only would it taste delicious and be really satisfying but our bodies and health will respond positively too this great anti oxidant filled fuel.
The simple undeniable fact is you feel great when you eat great food. You feel flat and sluggish when you eat too much of these 'non' or 'sometimes' foods. The difference is huge.

Tips for turning yourself into a fruit lover

Go quality over quantity. While it can be tempting to always 'bargain buy' especially if your on a tight budget you can end up wasting your money in the long run if your left with uneaten fruit going off. If you can sometimes pick up some great cheap fruit that still tastes OK that by all means do so! But remember that no fruit is a 'bargain' if no-one eats it in the end.

Buy as fresh as you can afford. That cheap bag of apples that are a bit bruised and probably very old and even soft will not be full of fresh flavour that makes them a great delicious healthy snack-so unless you are planning on baking with old fruit go for fresh. 5 Gorgeous oranges that make 5 exciting and healthy morning teas is far better than a whole swag full at half the price that are left to go off in the fruit bowl because they tasted awful.

Shop for fruit you actually like. Ingrained habits can be hard to shake, sometimes we might buy the same fruit our parents did-whether we actually like it or not.Or what we have just always bought our family.
Do you always buy the same variety of apples? Have you ever tried other varieties? Do you skip a whole isle in the fruit section because everything there you are sure you don't like-or maybe you have never actually tasted? Is there some types of fruit that you actually love but you don't buy because they are generally more expensive so you can't justify it? When there are perfectly fine other fruit types you can buy and fill your fruit bowl with at a much smaller cost, never mind that you might not be actually very keen on them though and so therefore will be unlikely to end up eating any, leaving them instead for the rest of the family or even worse to just go off?
Do you find yourself buying some fruit each week just because you feel you should? Not because you actually really desire to eat it? This should tell you that you are not buying fruit you actually overly like.

Go for whats in season. Try and be more flexible with your shopping and eating habits, buying whats in season ensures you are getting your fresh produce at its peak and there is alot better chance of it being fresher and even having traveled less food miles to get to you. Some of the healthiest societies are those that's diet varies greatly depending on the season. For example the fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and sometimes even grains they eat in colder winter months being very different from what they eat in the more warmer summer ones.

Be creative. It can be all in the 'how'. Just plonking an apple in a lunchbox or grabbing an orange doesn't always make it a 'first pick' snack, sometimes just that little bit of preparation or presentation makes all the difference in the world.
Such as a juicy orange might sound great on a hot day but the thought of sticky fingers and the mess required to eat the said orange can be what causes it to be overlooked in favour of something much easier and less messy to eat.
That same orange peeled and cut into segments inside a container that has been chilled for easy access could be a most exciting and refreshing snack that you might even find yourself grabbing before an unhealthy option.
A chilled miniature fruit salad of chopped watermelon, blueberries and grapes can be just as appetising and fulfilling as some unhealthy biscuits-it just takes some effort to put together and the making of ourselves and what we eat a priority in our busy lives.
We can become 'experts' and creative inventors when it comes to great tasty and fun ways to get children to eat their fresh fruit and vegetables but not put even a little of this effort into ourselves.

Buy fruit as a snack; find yourself near a supermarket at around lunch time or when you are feeling peckish? Before heading to a takeaway stand, grabbing a choccy bar or pie have a stroll through the fresh fruit section, do the blueberries look especially tasty? Is their some really lovely looking bananas or apples? Give it a go, you'll probably be very pleasantly surprised and feel so good afterwards.

Take fruit to events; going on a family outing to the beach, park, a football game? Take a watermelon or bag of juicy oranges along, such a great way for everyone to enjoy some refreshing and energizing fruit together-also a great way to cost costs of buying expensive nibbles while out.

Great fruit tempting ideas:

Freezing fruit; it really adds a whole new dimension and is just beautiful on hot days. Frozen grapes, strawberries, blueberries and banana's all become like beautiful cool summer treats. You can eat them as is for a refreshing snack or blend them with some yogurt for a chilled delicious smoothie-also a great way of storing excess fruit when you can bulk buy cheap in season.
Add a little flair; dress up some chopped fruit with some low fat custard, yogurt or even ice cream for a delicious fruit salad you will excitedly devour.
Try serving it different ways; think grated apple, thinly sliced pear and cubes of mango.
Blend it; you can't beat a fresh delicious fruit smoothie for a power boost of great nutrients and a great healthy snack or breakfast.
Serve fruit nibbles when entertaining; platters of chopped fruit, fruit 'kebabs', fruit and low fat cheese combinations-get creative.
Be prepared. When you come home from shopping spend a few minutes and cut up some fruit for easy to grab snacks in the fridge-yes chop up some watermelon and rock melon, put it in an airtight container in the fridge, you will be so surprised at just how much more you will find yourself grabbing this for a snack when its easy and convenient.


So what are you waiting for? Go get a great refreshing fruit snack!

(c)RebeccaMugridge2010

For more great ideas on eating healthier including supermarket shopping tips and advice and also great easy recipes check out The Pram Diet Book.
Available through Amazon, Angus & Robertson and even most Australian libraries.

Hello! I am now a blogger!

Hello and welcome to my blogpage!

I am a mum to an amazing 4 year old, a horticulturalist and a published author.

Even after a year it is still so exciting to actually be able to say that I am a published author, let alone things like visit a library and sometimes a bookstore ( something I do very often as a total bookworm ) and see a copy of my book on the shelf!

As a horticulturalist gardening is a huge part of me and in particular I am very passionate about organic food gardening and creative garden places of play for children that is chemical free and full of nature's wonderment. I truly believe that children and gardens just go together and when children learn and help to grow fruits and vegetables at home they also love to eat them!

My first published book, THE PRAM DIET was published by Random House and saw me on A Current Affair twice and in various magazines and newspapers, it is a book written from my heart-as a mother to other mothers.

http://www.myspace.com/thepramdiet

It shares my experiences with becoming a mother, dealing with depression after having my baby and losing those stubborn post baby kilo's of excess weight that don't just 'fall off' for every woman!

It also contains at it heart gardening advice to get started growing your own fruits and vegetables as a family because this was a key factor for me in improving the way I ate and it led to me watching my daughter grow up picking and eating fresh produce like snow peas, beans, strawberries, capsicums, tomatoes, carrots, celery, lettuce and more straight from the garden.

I have also completed last year a second non fiction book full of inspiration and motivation that I hope to have published as well and am also an aspiring children's book author with two maunscripts being edited by my agent, both aimed at bringing the garden alive for young children.

As a writer I have been fortunate to have a wonderful agent along the way in Sophie Hamley of Cameron's Management and was really fortunate to work with an amazing team of people at Random House. with The Pram Diet.

As a mother I have found immense inspiration through my daughter who truly lights up my day..She gave me the reason to turn my life around and really experience life as the blessing it is.