Parenting the Shand Princesses

Since my daughter has turned one it has been a task adapting to the changes in her body as she is experiencing teething for her back teeth. Night times have been hard as May-May struggles to settle at night and is so used to night breast feeds. This is the time i find it difficult as May-May just wants to be on mum most of the time when she is going through the pain. May-May generally is really bubbly and is interested in anything she gets her hands on. We have fun with her facial expressions and when tries to talk its so adorable. I feel a bit helpless as when i try to calm her down May-May d oesn't seem to want to respond and I would then have to give her back to her mum. My partner is so good with May-May and I can see there are times when she needs a break but never really gets the chance due to May-Mays clinginess. When i come home from work I try to help as much as I can by doing housework and cooking and cleaning but i still feel like I can't help as muc...

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Charlotte Heathcote, owner of the fabulous company Individual2You   Charlotte sells some wonderful products that you can see pictured below. Charlotte is a mumpreneur too and wanted to hear her journey.      What inspired you to start a business?  In March 2017 i suffered from an Eptopic pregnancy which caused me to have emergency surgery. After my surgery and recovery as a family we decided that it would be best for us, for me to find a way to work from home - hence the start of Individual2you  If you could speak to your younger self, just starting out, what advice would you give her? Pay attention in school, i never really knew what i wanted to do when i left school - i worked in Administration for a large manufacturing company for 13 years and was never truly happy in my job. Had i known what i know now years ago i would of had no doubt i would make the right decision. Who inspires you (ali...

I havent blogged for a while as it has been such a busy few months. In that time I have seen May-May grow into such a cute and cheeky child with such a bubbly personality. She makes the best effort to try and stand and every chance she gets she is trying to balance herself to stand up straight. She laughs each time she falls and has learnt to stand up leaning against the sofa and is already make sounds as if she is speaking. May-May has also been trying to teach herself to walk and she has picked up walking with support quite rapidly. I'm amazed how dedicated she is to teach herself these skills. We bought her a jumperoo for xmas and she absolutely loves using it as it is helping to support her posture. I feel she will be walking without support very soon and I am so proud of her. After months of sleepless nights and commitment to giving her the best possible start in life, its moments like this that totally make parenting worth it. Next weekend May-May is going to be 1....

In 2017 I decided I wanted to go to University to study a degree in Events. But to do that I had to study an access course which was really intense. Trying to study that with a baby, plus apply for Uni at the same time was just too demanding and I decided to stop. Fast forward to Christmas 2018 and I was offered the opportunity to study my Diploma in Events Management and to have a careers coach for 3 years. What was the catch? A monthly fee for 12 months.  After reading through the course modules and talking through the T&Cs, I though no I had to do this. I had to invest in my future and this course is so flexible. And to make it even better, my partner OJ is also studying it! He's taken to Events so well. He's super creative and his mind comes up with all these awesome ideas and plans, so he's going to help with my business. I couldn't be more pleased! Invest in your future! It could be studying a new subject or investing in a business coach....

MummyBou is back! Happy New Year everyone! Surely it's time to stop saying that now right? It's been a while since I blogged but I had to take a break, not only from my blog but from my social media too. Sometimes we have to take a break, refresh, re-evaluate our situations and come back stronger. See where changes can be made, what you need to stop doing and what you can do to improve your situation. That's what I did. I went on holiday with my family and had a well deserved 10 day break. When I got back, I sat down with OJ and brainstormed about our future; business and personal. We celebrated our first Christmas as a family and wedding plans are in full effect. May-May's development has been beautiful to watch. She hates sand, has 2 teeth and loves to dance. But I will explain all this in upcoming blogs. I will be blogging every 2 weeks, so ensure to keep an eye out on my Instagram and Facebook . -x- Michaela -x-

So I have decided to give up my plan to go to university. Before you all scream not to quit, let me explain. Quick re-cap. I had planned to go to university next year to study Events Management, gain experience and open my own business. I started an Access course in November last year and was doing so well. Yes it was difficult but I wasn't expecting it to be plain sailing. I took 3 months study break when I had May-May and then started back. And the stress began. My mind went blank with every assignment, I struggled to understand information and I would stress myself out so much. This continued for 2 months and I thought how on earth will I carry on? I sat down with OJ and he said to me “Mics, why are you still going to university?” I told him I needed to go to open my business and gain more experience. “No you don't. Your business is up and running, you are gaining experience by booking small events. You're only doing this access course to get you into uni, ...

1 Year 9 Months until the wedding... And I said yes to the dress!! It was so spontaneous too. My sister and I were going to Aldi when we came across a little bridal boutique. We thought it was a warehouse but when we stepped inside it was a beautiful bridal shop. The lovely assistant Jess said we were free to look around, so we made a start. Within minutes I was wowed by some beautiful dresses. But I saw one and it reduced me to tears. There were also 2 other dresses I really loved too. So I made a note of the 3 dresses and vowed to make an appointment to go back and try them on. I went back the next day 😂 I had told my mum about the dresses and she said she wanted to see them. We returned to the shop and I was surprised to see my dad had come too! Jess was very surprised to see me back within 24 hours and managed to do me a same day fitting. How exciting! I filled out a form which asked details about the wedding and then I got to try the dresses on. The first dress was lovely...