T.G.I.F… Why? Because that means it’s Footage Friday again!
On Sunday last weekend, you would have seen us post about the fact that we went to a Caravan Expo and also took Jesse for his first swim.
Well, we thought that it would be a good opportunity to take the vlogging camera with us so we could record what we got up to throughout the day.
We finally got around to editing, exporting and uploading it last night. So here it is, ready for your viewing pleasure on Footage Friday.
Spring time in Queensland is glorious. So we definitely wanted to take advantage of this amazing weather with a road trip today.
So we packed the car, bundled Jesse up and hit the road to the big smoke for a Caravan and Camping Show and then for lunch and a swim at South Bank.
As you would have read previously, we are in the early stages of planning a big trip around Australia. So when we found out there was a caravan and camping show sale on just outside the Brisbane CBD, we definitely wanted to head in for a look.
But the best part of the day was when we headed over the Brisbane River to South Bank for lunch and a swim. Jesse’s first swim. And it was the perfect opportunity to try our new camera outdoors (since the weather has been rainy and overcast for the past week). We couldn’t wait.
After absolutely demolishing a couple of burgers for lunch, and feeding Jesse his puréed fruit, it was time to jump into the pool to cool off. Jump in for Jesse’s first swim. A swim we knew Jesse was going to love.
And love it he did. He didn’t flinch one bit when Renee took him into the water. And he didn’t complain once while he was in there. Instead, just after i’d finished taking the photos that you can see below, he fell asleep in the water. He really must have loved the cool water against his hot skin.
It was so cute seeing him enjoying his first swim. Even if it meant that he didn’t enjoy it for very long on account of him falling asleep. But it was great to have such beautiful weather that we could actually get outside and enjoy spring in Brisbane.
After our little swim, we decided to head off and have a wander through the South Bank markets. Our little family. The three of us, out on a Sunday enjoying the outdoors together.
Before we had Jesse I would look at little families and often think, they look like a nice family. I wonder if young couples look at us now and think the same thing?
After having such a great day out, on the way home in the car discussion turned to how we should actually get out and enjoy the great outdoors more often. There are YouTubers we watch that are always getting out and enjoying the outdoors. Whether that be just walking around enjoying the sun, or getting our for a skate, bike ride or mountain climbing.
And I even know a few people at my work who are always out and about on weekends. Sharing photos of their latest adventures on Instagram and Facebook.
We came to the conclusion that it doesn’t really cost any money to go out on adventures like that. And that it is definitely something we need to do a lot more of. Especially now that we have such a nice camera to use.
So where do you go on adventures to? Where is your favourite place outdoors to visit? What suggestions could you give us for our next adventure as a family?
As I finish off this post, all I can think about is how excited I am for our next outdoors adventure as a family. #family #love
This week we decided to start Jesse on solids….well, if you can call purée a solid.
Five months may be a little early if you ask the ‘experts’ but he has been giving us all the signs that he was ready for more than a liquid diet.
So we started off with something basic. Some organic pumpkin and swede boiled and blitzed with a little breast milk for added goodness.
And well, we think he liked it.
We love these photographs captured on our new camera (Olympus EM10 Mark II).
And for good measure, here is a little video too.
Whoops. This post is a day late.
Last weekend, we finally got around to shooting the 4 month milestones video for Jesse. A little late (considering he is nearly 5 months old now), but it is done.
We talk about many things that have happened since his 3 month video, including his second round of vaccinations, his growth and his weight gain, our highlights and an update on his feet.
So I figured out three things yesterday…
Yes… These three things really ended my day yesterday in a wave of frustration and anger.
Our little Jesse was starting to outgrow his baby capsule. He has always been quite a long baby despite being a lightweight, and lately, his little legs and feet have been sticking out the end of the capsule to the point where he was able to kick the back of the seat.
Right we thought, time to upgrade the seat to something a little bigger and better.
So we packed the car, bundled up the little one and headed out for the morning to look at baby seats! We even thought that this might be a good opportunity to take the camera along and film another vlog.
Well, we did end up buying a new car seat, and a good one at that! We packed it in the boot eager to get home to install this seat that looks like the worlds comfiest chair! I mean, if they made full size versions of this thing, I’d be first in line for one!
We unpacked it, got it ready for installation and then BAM!!! It was like the capsule all over again. What is it with installing baby seats in cars that something has to inevitably go wrong!
In the end, it turned out that the tether wasn’t long enough to reach to the floor in the boot of our Outlander. “Well this is stupid!” I thought. “Why don’t they make these tethers long enough to fit all vehicles?”
We had to abandon the install in search of an extension belt for the tether. Something that, given the time it was, we wouldn’t be able to get until tomorrow.
Luckily, while I stayed at home with Jesse for the morning, Renee was able to find a tether extender, and in the end, we were able to finish the installation successfully albeit a little later than expected.
It really feels like the people in the baby stuff business are just sitting back and laughing at all of us… scheming about how they can best screw with our heads and tempers next!
I’m just glad this new seat is supposed to last Jesse until he is 4 years old. I’ll be buggered if I’m going to install another new one any time soon!!!
It started off slow.
Checking Facebook when we had a few minutes to spare. Posting a snap on Instagram to share a special memory with friends. Catching up on the news or checking the weather.
But somehow, without us even noticing, our devices are taking over. Taking over family dinners and coffee dates, playtime with our kids and talk time with our partners.
It’s not that technology is the enemy. I’m currently writing this post on my new iPhone 6 Plus (it’s so big!) and have an iPad set up in the back seat for my 4 month old to (sometimes) keep him from screaming blue murder on car trips.
But I’m constantly aware of finding a balance. Between being present in the moment and capturing it to share on Facebook. Between watching a cute dog video on YouTube and going outside and throwing a stick with our dog. Between reading parenting articles about how to be a better parent and actually being one.
We have had many discussions in our household about just that. About how important it is to us to spend quality time together looking at each other and not a screen. About how ridiculous it is that 4 year olds have their own iPads and that we don’t want to use a screen as a babysitter for our children.
I must preface this with a disclaimer for all those parents out there for whom technology is a godsend. A way to communicate with a child on the spectrum or educate a child with learning disabilities. I’m more so talking about how we could walk into any restaurant in the country and see people looking at their phones instead of each other.
I distinctly recall talking about these things when I was pregnant. One of the things I said was I didn’t want to be breastfeeding and on my phone the whole time. What I failed to realise at the time was that breastfeeding takes up like 14 hours a day in those early weeks. And when staring at your newborn and taking in their every tiny feature only takes up about 7 of them there is still a whole lot of time to kill. The mighty smartphone is a godsend to a new mum. It reminds her that there is a world outside the 4 walls of her house and helps her connect with it even just a little.
I know we’re not the only household dealing with this dilemma. Wives are battling phones for the attention of their husbands. Parents are battling with their kids for a family meal without phones on the table. And babies are smiling and giggling at us while we laugh at a funny video on Facebook.
This powerful image published by the Huffington Post is captioned with “the more you connect, the less you connect.” If we are being honest I think we have probably all been guilty of neglecting a loved one because we are too busy with a smart phone in our face.
So, how do you deal with the technology takeover in your family? A screen free hour each night? No phones at the dinner table? Chores for the WiFi password?
How can we benefit from all the great things about technology without just amusing ourselves to death? How can we ensure we enjoy some downtime thumbing through our Facebook and Instagram feeds without neglecting our loved ones?
How do we strike that perfect balance between living in the moment, and living in the digital world of Facebook updates and YouTube videos?
Because at the moment, it feels like technology is slowly starting to win the battle for our attention and that is something that I think… rather, that is something that I know, we need to change!
They say becoming a parent changes you. And it does.
I mean I’m still me, just the mum version of me. There’s the obvious stuff like the dirty nappies, permanent vomit on the shoulder and baby paraphernalia taking over the lounge room.
But I wasn’t ready for how every sad news story now affects me at my deepest level. Every house fire, every car accident. I can’t help but think what if that was my child, my baby.
A missing little boy makes me hug mine a little tighter. A sick child makes me pray for mine a little harder. Three little babies being left behind at a hospital because their mum can’t afford them or cope with the realities of triplets brings tears to my eyes.
When you’re a parent, the need to protect your cub is sometimes overwhelming. You know there will be skinned knees and broken arms and broken hearts in the future but you can’t help but want to protect them from all the bad things.
A little rash, a scratch on the face from a tiny sharp fingernail or a sniffly nose is enough to bring on a bout of guilt and a tug at the heart strings.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a crazy mum who worries about everything and I don’t want to be the mum that wraps her kid in cotton wool. Kids will be kids and often learn through a little bump to the head or a tumble over clumsy feet, but I absolutely have a new found respect for any parent who has had to experience a sick child or worse.
If this is you, my hat goes off to you and my daily prayers now include you.
Trying to stay fit and healthy can be hard work… but then again, no one has ever said that it’s easy.
At the moment, we are both partaking in a 12 week fat loss competition through our gym. The goal… to get our bodies ready for summer!
It is actually a really good competition to be involved in. It’s a challenge comprising of healthier eating, supplements and stepping up our gym game by going more often and pushing ourselves harder.
So far, I’ve lost 1.5kg of fat (not weight, just fat) which is pretty good for me, considering I don’t really have that much to lose in the first place. My goal for the competition however, is the following:
This all seams easy enough, but believe me, like I said, it’s harder than it looks. I am currently sitting at 79kg and 15.9% body fat.
To give us a little advantage in this competition however, we have started doing our home circuits again. We have a bit of exercise equipment lying around the house that we used to use quite regularly, but then got a bit slack with. Things like kettle bells and sandbags and ab wheels.
So what better opportunity than now to get back into our home circuit training to give us a competitive edge in the 12 week challenge.
The last circuit I put together, was the following:
The perfect opportunity for us to get stuck into a good circuit like this one is when Jesse is all fed and watered and in his cot soundly sleeping. Any time before then, is a nightmare trying to do exercise whilst also attending to his needs.
It got me to thinking though…
What are your favourite home exercise circuits to do? What home exercise equipment you like to use? Do you have any suggestions as to circuits or equipment that we could use to really kick up our game and get some good results?
Six pack here I come!!!
So I know I’ve touched on this before… but wow… we are now up to day 116 of our 365 Project! How insane is that!!!
I cannot believe that we have made it this far…
A photo every day.
A post every day.
All showing off what our lives are like as a first time mum and dad.
The 365 Project has been many things… challenging… tough… fun… exciting… hard… easy…
Having to come up with a photo and post EVERY DAY has been challenging at times… but we knew that we were not going to be in for an easy ride with this project.
All that said though, we are having an absolute blast doing it.
Looking back on all the photos I’ve taken, all I can think about is the end game. The end result. That book that we will end up with that shows what our lives were like in that first year with our little Jesse.
How amazing is that going to be to share with friends and family! How amazing will that be to share with other first time mums and dads out there to show them hey, you aren’t the only ones who have felt like this or gone through that. You aren’t alone. We’ve all been there. And we will all be better off for it!
But the best thing of all, how amazing is it going to be to share this book with Jesse when he is older! How amazing is it going to be for Jesse to be able to read all about his first year of life through our eyes as first time parents.
All the ups and downs… the trials and tribulations… the struggles and the victories… How much our lives changed but also how we wouldn’t have had it any other way…
While I don’t want to wish the year away, I cannot wait to see this book in all its glory at the end of this project!
The 365 Project continues…
Babies grow and change so quickly and ours is no exception.
So we decided it might be fun to record a video each month to create a snapshot in time that we can look back on in the future.
An opportunity to capture the milestones he reached that month, funny stories, his likes and dislikes and our thoughts and feelings as parents at each stage.
This is the first instalment.
not so secret life of us 