Dads Rule: Why we should give dads more credit

February 10, 2016February 10, 2016 Renee BartonLeave a comment

Lately I’ve been giving the ladies a gee up and boasting about how awesome women are, but I haven’t forgotten about the guys. Dads in particular.

There’s been lots of stories lately about how dads get a bad wrap and treated like unhelpful idiots when it comes to babies and parenting. I wholeheartedly agree that just because there are a few lousy dads out there (you know, the ones that call spending time alone with their child babysitting), not all men are crap dads.

In fact, most dads that I know are just as hands on with their kids as mums. And some of them even do housework. I know… you’re wondering how to get one of those husbands, but I found one, so I’m sure they’re out there!

The awesome dad does the early morning shift so mum can sleep in. The awesome dad jigs baby to sleep while singing lullabies that he knows none of the words to but makes them up anyway.

He can’t wait to play or cuddle or do bath time in the evenings even though he’s just finished a long day at work. He makes sure the car seat is in just right and he panics over every little scratch, bump and bruise. The awesome dad sneaks into bubba’s room just to marvel at how gosh darn cute he is.

And who says men can’t multitask?? The awesome dad can play PlayStation and get baby to sleep!

The reason I know these awesome dads exist is because I see it every day. I’m married to one.

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On top of all this he also reassures me on a regular basis that I’m an awesome mum. And we can not hear that enough can we mum’s?

So here’s to the awesome dads. The ones that wrestle the floor, give shoulder rides and read bedtime stories.

You rock!

And to my husband, not only do you rock, but you are my rock.

I Am Woman, Hear Me Kick Butt

February 3, 2016 Renee BartonLeave a comment

Recently I have found myself being amazed and inspired by all of the strong women I have crossed paths with.

I’m not surprised by any means that the world is full of amazing, talented, strong women. But since I began my Kangatraining journey, I have been exposed to more of them than usual.

During the week long course in Melbourne a few weeks ago I was struck by the diversity and talent among the nine other attendees as well as the presenters, all experts in their fields.

Among the other mums, some of whom I was lucky enough to connect with on a personal level (it’s so hard to make friends as an adult!), there were some incredibly smart and capable women. From backgrounds including teaching, engineering and medical professions we all had one thing in common. An overwhelming desire to be with our babies. Not one of them saw becoming a Kanga Instructor as a ‘step down’ but rather as an opportunity.

I know I certainly see it that way. As well as all the obvious perks of being able to have my baby with me while I work, it also scratches my entrepreneurial itch.

I have been wowed by other entrepreneurial women as I met with the owners of venues for my classes. Again they were strong, smart and talented women kicking butt in the business world.

I think even now, especially among men, a woman creating a small business is seen as just that; ‘small’. But I assure you it is anything but! With the stats about small business proving that many fail in the first few years, it proves the hard slog that is, starting and building a successful small business.

And I must say, mums are nailing it. There is nothing like the dread of leaving our little ones way before we are ready to get the creative juices flowing. And now our world is full of awesome ‘mum-preneurs’ kicking some epic butt. And my amazing mum is no exception. She has been running a successful home-based business for as long as I can remember. And although it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, sometimes she needed to hold a job on the side, she has never quit when the going got tough! My sister has also started a successful small business and now my sister-in-law is going into business for herself. Goes to show what a good example can do!

Women kicking butt

The best part is that even if you have the desire to go into business but have absolutely no idea what to do, there are loads of successful platforms out there already that you can tap into.

Anyhow, I digress. My point is, women are awesome (as are the men that support them)! So thank you to all the wonderful women out there for inspiring me.

Keep kickin’ butt!

A New Year, A New Adventure

January 27, 2016 Renee BartonLeave a comment

It’s hard to believe but the first month of 2016 is almost over. I know, right!

It may seem like the year has taken off and left you somewhere around December 27th last year but don’t fret. It’s not too late to plan your year and get back on track. Don’t let another year just slip by leaving you wondering when time started to go by so quickly.

Already, this year is not what I had expected. After 9 months of maternity leave I should have been returning to my job this week but instead I am embarking on a new adventure and starting my own business as a licensed Kangatraining Instructor. The successful boutique consulting company I worked with for the last five years are closing their doors to allow for it’s people to pursue other opportunities. Including me.

As fate would have it, I had already started down the Kangatraining path and was planning to do both part time when I found out there wasn’t going to be a job for me to return to. Strangely enough I didn’t freak out. I strongly believe in the mantra ‘everything happens for a reason’. And thankfully I have a super supportive husband who also didn’t freak out and has been nothing but positive and encouraging.

I have found that women don’t need the support of their man to be successful, but it sure bloody helps! Guys, you might think your lady is a super star capable of anything she sets her mind to, but have you told her that lately?

Anyway, as I type this I am gearing up to take my instructor exams and putting in place all the finer details to get this new adventure up and running. And I can’t help thinking about how often thin threads can completely change our direction in life.

new adventure

One minute I am spending 40 hours a week sitting in my home office in front of a computer screen… okay, let me digress for a minute and address some of the working from home questions that have no doubt popped up in your mind…

Yes, I worked from home. Yes, I often worked in my pyjamas. No, I never worked nude or whilst in bed. And yes, I may or may not have taken the odd afternoon siesta on the lounge, particularly while pregnant. And while I’m on the topic of working from home, whenever I talked about returning to work after having a baby everyone would say “oh but you work from home, how convenient, you won’t need day care”. Seriously?? I don’t know about all of you other mums out there but I can barely get my hair brushed or the dishes done let alone have a productive work day when home with my baby.

Now, where was I… Oh yes, one minute I’m spending 40 hours a week in front of a computer screen (working very hard), the next I have a baby who requires my attention around the clock and doesn’t like it very much when I sleep and now I’m about to become a fitness instructor (I know, I can’t say it with a straight face yet) where I get to play with mummies and bubbies and live out my dream of being a (sort of) dance teacher.

I feel so lucky to have found something that allows me to be with my baby whilst contributing to our household finances AND combines my love of dance and fitness with my passion for baby wearing and helping other mamas.

So, my point is (if in fact there is one amongst all of this sleep deprived rambling) if January has slipped past you, stop right now and set yourself a goal for February. As big or as small as you like. But don’t let this next month be just another 28 (or is it 29?) days of the year. It is never too late to change direction… get back on the wagon… or insert other witty cliché here.

Dare to dream

So sleep regression is a thing?

January 24, 2016 Kaine Barton3 Comments

So, sleep regression is apparently a thing? A thing that happens to babies!

I never knew this…

I know about it now though. Not because I’m losing a lot of sleep. I’m losing some, but not a lot.

But I know about it mostly because poor Renee over the past nearly two weeks constantly feels like she has been run over by a truck. And she certainly isn’t shy when it comes to letting me know about it.

So with that, it would appear that Jesse is currently going through the 8 – 10 month sleep regression cycle. It’s common. But it’s tough.

Our once (fairly) good sleeper, has now turned into a monster when it comes to sleeping through the night. Monster is a strong word to use. But you get the drift.

Jesse had almost gotten to the point of sleeping through the night, waking maybe once or twice for some boob and then going back to sleep. Now however, after we think we’ve finally got him down for the night, he will wake up nearly hourly. But he doesn’t just wake up… he wakes up screaming and crying!

I hear him on occasions and it will wake me up. But poor Renee, is the one getting up to him to give him boob to calm him down. To give him cuddles to comfort him. To put him back to sleep only for her to have to get up again in another hour and do it all over again.

I know what you’re going to say, “Why don’t you take over for a night? Give Renee a break?”

I would… but it’s hard when Renee is the one with the boobs and that’s the only thing that’s going to calm him down at 3 am in the morning!

So with all that preamble, what I do want to say is this… Renee, I think you are amazing!

I think it’s amazing that you get up to him all night every night without wanting to wake me for help. I think you’re amazing that you can survive on so little sleep throughout the day without much complaint. I think you’re amazing for not blaming Jesse through this rough period because like me, you know he can’t help it. He’s just developing.

I think it’s amazing that you are able to do this night in and night out, when I would most likely have already cracked. I think that you’re an amazing super mum!

But I wan’t you to know that I am here for you. You can call on me for help. I want to help. Even if that’s just taking over Jesse duty throughout the day so that you can have a rest.

Don’t let it get you down though… this period will pass soon enough. And then we will have our sleepy bubba back.

I love you.

Sleep Regression

Diary of a Lonely Dad: Day 1

January 17, 2016 Kaine BartonLeave a comment

Dear Diary,

This morning, I dropped Renee and Jesse off at the airport.

They are heading down to Melbourne together for a course that Renee is doing for her new business that she will be starting in February.

This is the last photo I have of them…

Airport Drop Off

So far today, without them, my day has looked like this:

Played some GTA V on the Playstation.
Took a trip to Bunnings.
Sprayed Weed and Feed on the lawn.
Picked up the dog s***.
Washed some clothes.
Vacuumed and mopped the floors.
Played some more GTA V on the Playstation.
Went to Dan Murphy’s for beer.
Updated my 365 diary.
And now writing this post.

I’m kind of lost on what to do now. Do I play more GTA V? Do I watch a movie? Do I drink in the dark by myself, wallowing in the misery of not having Renee and Jesse here.

COME BACK… PLEASE COME BACK!!!

No, I’ll be fine.

NO, I MISS YOU BOTH TOO MUCH! I KNOW IT’S ONLY BEEN LIKE 8 HOURS, AND I’M GONE FOR LONGER WHEN I’M AT WORK… BUT I NEED YOU.

Nope, It’s fine Kaine. You can do this. There’s meals in the fridge. You’re going to work all week. So that will keep you occupied. You’ve got seasons 1 to 5 of Game of Thrones to watch. You will be fine.

BUT I MISS THEM!

Come on… Pull yourself together man!

I’M TRYING!!!

Try harder!

OKAY.

Good… Now, go grab yourself another beer, and go watch some Game of Thrones or play some more GTA V. You love playing GTA V. Go on…

ALRIGHT… BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU SAY SO.

Geez… What a loser. Only the first day and he is carrying on like this. God help us by the time we get to Wednesday!

-K

Photo Friday: Don’t Wake Grumpy

January 15, 2016 Kaine BartonLeave a comment

So this past week in the Barton household has been a tough one.

We’ve had teething issues… We’ve had high temperatures… We’ve had heat rash… We’ve had loss of appetite… We’ve had uncontrollable crying… We’ve had tantrums… We’ve had pushing bottles away… We’ve had up the backers…

We’ve had a cranky, tired, unsettled bubba who was quite obviously not dealing with the nasty effects of teething.

All that said though, when he falls asleep… He still looks like the cutest, most peaceful, wonderful little man I ever lay eyes on!

We can’t wait for the poor little guy to get through this rough patch, getting back to his usual, happy go lucky self.

Stay At Home Mum Life: the good, the bad and the ugly

January 13, 2016October 17, 2016 Renee BartonLeave a comment

Being a full time mum may seem like its all Netflix and coffee dates – swanning around the shops in your active wear sipping on a skinny chai latte. But they really are right when they say being a mum is the hardest job in the world. And I’m only 7 months in!

Okay, so there might be a fair bit of Netflix. Especially in those early newborn days. And yes, coffee is now a food group all of it’s own in my current diet… but there is more to it. We parents work bloody hard. Especially those that have jobs and kids to take care of!

So what’s it really like?

I’m gonna start with the ugly while it’s fresh in my mind. Yesterday was ugly! Our usually fairly chilled bub had suddenly become some sort of possessed, teething monster who only operated on two extremes. Screaming and inconsolable! Or snugly and super clingy! Okay, so the snugly clingy part wasn’t so bad, but it was the several plus hours of the inconsolable screaming beforehand that was the really ugly part. It’s the part of parenting where you pretty much lose your s*** but then feel really bad because you know its not their fault. You know your little one is not purposefully sending your blood pressure through the roof. They’re in pain. And they need their mummy. Thankfully, these really ugly days are few and far between.

And then there’s the bad. Hmmm, where do I start? Well, there’s the ongoing sleep deprivation. If you really want to mess someone up just wake them up every three hours. EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT. There are times where they let you go right back to sleep… But then there are times where they just smile up at you and giggle and make you play with them for an hour. When you get one of those “It’s 3am and I’m wide awake” smiles, it is incredibly frustrating and ridiculously cute all at the same time. And then there’s the poo under your finger nails, the vomit on your shirt just as your about to finally head out the door, the thinking you can hear the baby cry every time you get in the shower, and the song Peppa Pig sings about finding a friend for her pet goldfish Goldie that you JUST CAN’T GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD!!! “Fishy fishy fish fish, swimming in the sea. Who will be a fishy friend, for my fish Goldie?”

But then there’s the good. And it is, oh… so… good! It’s that uncontrollable urge to plant an inappropriate amount of kisses on that squishy face whenever it’s in close range. And what is it with baby feet that just makes you want to (ever so gently) bite them? Its the tiny warm body that fits perfectly on your chest as his gently rises and falls with each breath while he sleeps. And even the now not-so-tiny body that still manages to fit just right. Its the chubby little arms that learn to reach out for his mama whenever she walks by. Its the chubby little legs that kick out as you tickle him under his neck and arms. And that throaty laughter that may just be the sweetest sound in the world.

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There is oh so much good. And the best part is, you only need one good moment to outweigh a whole day of ugly moments (and thank God for that, otherwise we’d never deliberately procreate!).

But with all of that, and despite the fact that being a parent really is the hardest job in the world… we wouldn’t trade it in for anything would we mum’s and dad’s? I love the fact that I am a stay at home mum. And I know there will come a time when my boy will be grown and no longer need me to give him my everything so I will try to treasure it all, the good, the bad… and the ugly, while I can. It sure is tough, but it’s also so incredibly rewarding and fun.

So hold your heads up high stay at home mums and dads… You have the best job in the world!

Footage Friday: 6 Month Milestones

January 8, 2016January 8, 2016 Renee BartonLeave a comment

Before we got sucked into the void that was Christmas and New Year’s we recorded Jesse’s six month milestones video.

We reckon it was our hardest month yet that we’ve experienced as parents. There were tears and tantrums a plenty and that was just from us!

There was a leap, teething, bottle refusal, cluster feeds, night waking (more so than usual) and a screaming match before bed almost every night.

But, we made it through. Check out the video below.

What kept you sane during the tough months?

Home Sweet Home

December 23, 2015December 23, 2015 Renee Barton3 Comments

A few days ago marked 10 years of living in our home.

On the 21st December, 2005 we were just a couple of kids moving into our first home. At just 21 years old there was definitely a sense of pride and accomplishment in purchasing our own home. It wasn’t much, a three bedroom low set brick, nothing fancy. But we loved it and were so excited to be officially starting our life together.

I don’t think I expected then to still be living in this house a decade later but so much has happened during our time here and a lot of dreams have been ticked off the list.

While living here we have married, had three pets (one of whom we miss very much) and two foster dogs, welcomed several guests requiring solace (some for a night or two and some for longer), been on four overseas trips, had multiple job changes one of which saw me working out of our home for the past five years. And most recently we became a family of three under this roof.

Our home is still a humble one. Our backyard now resembles a race track thanks to our very energetic dog, Pacey. And most of the furniture and appliances are the same ones we bought when we moved in. Travel and adventure have always trumped that sort of stuff for us.

Though we have big plans for our ultimate dream home this place will always be special to us. And a place we’ll call home for a while yet.

12 Days of Vlogmas – A Glimpse Into The Life Of A Daily Vlogger

December 20, 2015October 17, 2016 Kaine BartonLeave a comment

So we have been filming and uploading daily vlogs to our YouTube channel now for nearly a week. And wow… what a week it has been. I mean, who would have thought that daily vlogging could be so exciting but at the same time so tiring…

To give you some background, we decided to take part in what has become to be known as “Vlogmas” around the YouTube traps, after seeing some of our favourite YouTubers decide to take part in it. So what is it? Well essentially, it’s committing to upload a vlog (video blog for those who are uninitiated) style video to YouTube every day, for a nominated period over Christmas.

Awesome! That sounds like a great idea! That’s definitely something we should get on board with. Let’s call ours… ‘The 12 Days of Vlogmas’. Surely 12 days of videos won’t be too hard to accomplish.

Well apparently, as we ourselves have found out, it can be a lot harder than it seems!

I can safely say that I now have new found respect and admiration for the daily vloggers that we watch on YouTube. Especially those who haven’t missed a single day of uploading in years. I don’t know how they manage it.

Uploading daily videos to YouTube brings with it a lot of work… as we have since found out.

There’s remembering to charge the camera batteries each night and then making sure you take the cameras with you each day. There’s trying to keep your videos interesting for people to watch. There’s filming the footage you want to use (which can come with some public embarrassment) and then there’s the editing and upload process.

It can be exhausting. Especially due to the fact that we also have the responsibility of caring for a 6 month old that demands so much of our attention at the moment.

But in saying all that, we were well aware heading into ‘The 12 Days of Vlogmas’, of the work that goes into creating daily vlogs for YouTube. By that, I mean that we are no strangers to daily vlogging. We did daily vlogs whilst on our Euro Trip (watch our Euro Trip playlist here). The difference however, is that we were on holidays… we were relaxed… we were baby-less… and we had a lot of time to do whatever we wanted.

But that said, after the initial shock to the system of having to edit and upload a vlog everyday, I now find myself getting more and more excited during the editing process. I find that our editing skills are getting better and better as we do more and more videos. And I am getting more and more excited about what adventures we will get to film the next day.

I find that as we get deeper into our Vlogmas journey, I am finding pleasure in the fact that we are challenging ourselves to come up with new and more interesting things to do and film each day. And I love that it’s getting us out and about doing things we normally wouldn’t do.

I love the fact that we are filming, even if it’s just for archival purposes, our days in the lead up to Jesse’s first Christmas. How good is it going to be for Jesse to watch these videos back when he’s a first time dad going through the same thing with his first born!

I love that we are constantly improving our filming style and our vision for better shots. And that we are constantly improving our video editing skills. I love the fact that I am enjoying the editing process more and more as I continue to experiment and evolve and create better content that I am really proud of.

Despite the fact that ‘The 12 Days of Vlogmas’ has been overwhelming at times… I absolutely love doing it.

And I cannot wait to see what tomorrow video will be!!!