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Simple Living with My Little One

Hello friends! I know it’s been a looooong time since you last heard from me, but I promise I’ve got a good excuse!!

Regular readers can probably guess what I’m about to share (or if you follow me on Instagram, you already know!), but to make things official — I’m a mum now! My little girl, Edie June, was born 14 September at 6:01 pm.

Here are a few photos of my little beauty. (Note: I won’t be sharing many photos of her here on the blog, but if you want more baby spam then be sure to follow my Instagram account.)

Introducing my little girl and thoughts on simple living with a baby.

Not surprisingly, having a baby has changed my life in a million ways. I won’t bore you by going into them all here but over the past two months, I’ve been thinking about a few things relevant to this blog that I wanted to share with you.

Because I’m running on caffeine and little sleep, instead of the long form posts I normally write, this will be short and sweet (this may be the norm for the next few months!!) but I’m hoping you’ll stick with me anyway because I have so much I want to share with you!

Introducing my little girl and thoughts on simple living with a baby.

In no particular order, here are a few thoughts on simple living with my little one! 🙂

TO-DO LISTS

Confession—even though I’ve written before about simplifying my to-do list, the truth is over the past 12 months, I’ve pretty overwhelmed. I wasn’t listening to my own advice about knowing my limits; I’d tried to focus on the most important stuff first but I talked myself into believing everything was important.

Of course, this didn’t work well for me. I was always stressed out and I was so scared things would only get worse after the baby came. I cried all through my last month of pregnancy because I felt so completely overwhelmed. I felt there was no way I could ever get everything done.

And I was right. There’s no way I’d ever have finished that massive to-do list …but surprisingly, since having a baby, I feel calmer and in control.

Why? I think it’s because my limits are no longer something imaginary in my mind. My free time is now severely limited so I have to be much more selective about what I do with it. It’s a lot like when I downsized from a two bedroom house to a studio apartment; my living space was physically smaller so I had to let go of the unessential (whether I was ready or not!).

The same now applies to my to-do list. I’ve been forced to cut back and it’s truly a weight off my shoulders. Finally accepting I can’t do it all is truly a gift (something I wish I’d been able to do for myself much sooner!).

PERFECTIONISM

We all know perfectionism can be poison (if you don’t know why read this) but despite our best intentions, it can be easy to indulge in it from time to time. For me, I’d do little things, like spending hours editing my blog posts or wanting things to be “just right” in my house before receiving visitors.

But yet again, having a baby has changed things. I’ve had to take a step back and revise my expectations.

If I waited for a “perfect” house before having visitors or for “perfect” editing before publishing a blog post, there’d be none of either. I’m finally really learning good enough is just that—good enough!

MINDFULNESS

This one has been a huge surprise and also a lifesaver for me.

Again, I’ve written about mindfulness and being present before (in fact, everything in this post is something I’ve talked about before) but I’ve never truly lived in the moment the way I am right now. It’s partially an intentional choice and partially out of necessity because newborn babies have a way of keeping your attention in the present moment!

When she’s crying, I’m all there with her. Doubly so when she’s happy and smiling! 🙂 I know these days are special and they won’t last.

And when I find a quiet moment for myself, to enjoy a hot cup of coffee or write a blog post? I’m 100% present, absolutely indulging in those precious minutes.

I think mindfulness is essential new mums—without it, we wouldn’t survive! After all, who knows when I’ll get a proper night’s sleep again? Or when I’ll be able to enjoy a proper evening out with friends? It could be months or maybe years … and if I dwell on the future, I feel anxious.

So instead of worrying, I take pleasure in the little moments happening right now. I take note of her gorgeous gummy smile, of the spring breeze through an open window, and of the satisfied (albeit weary) smiles my hubby and I exchange at the end of a long day.

This is life now and I’m taking it one moment at a time.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I hope you’ve enjoyed these random thoughts about life with my little one. I would normally spend a lot of time trying to find some sort of clever way to bring it all together at the end of a post, but I can hear someone fussing in the other room and I’m pretty sure nap time is almost over!

So that’s all for me today. I’m letting go and embracing this wonderfully messy period in my life and I hope, whether you’re a mum or not, you’ve found something you can relate to in this post. Until next time!

Tell me your thoughts on mamahood and simple living! I want to read your stories in the comments! x

photo credit: Me!

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12 thoughts on “Simple Living with My Little One”

  1. My husband and I welcomed our little girl, Francesca Ondine, into the world in May of 2017. Before she was born I had toyed around with the idea of minimalism, going on 48hr decluttering binges which would always leave me disheartened. I wanted so desperately to be in control, control of my finances, control of my anxieties, control of my life. After Francesca was born, minimalism just made sense. I didn’t have to try, it simply became a way of living. My already over cluttered and anxious brain did not want nor need to hang on to old uni textbooks, “skinny” clothes, 15 vases.. I looked at my baby, my husband, my kelpie, and I was filled to bursting with contentment. Having less had truly given me more. I still occasionally make rash purchases, and that’s ok. For me, for my sense of well-being, knowing where my possessions are with no dusty boxes lurking in the garage, fills me with peace. Your blog is fantastic. You articulate a way of living, I had thought unattainable, so effortlessly, breathing becomes easier and stresses melt. Thank you and the very biggest of congratulations on your new addition. She is spectacular.

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  2. I LOVE THIS!!! This makes me slightly less scared when my time comes to become a Mom because I’m already trying to practice mindfulness and eliminating perfectionism (which is hard, not gonna lie..) so hopefully in a couple of years when the time comes for me to have a baby, I’ll already have time to practice.
    I’m glad to see you’re taking some time away from the blog and social media though. You deserve it, your family deserves it, and beautiful Edie deserves it… soak in every moment…. I’m a loyal follower and check your blog and will continue checking for new blogposts, but NO pressure <3
    Seppy | http://www.elleisforlove.com

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  3. Regardless of whether or not you are a mom, I always think these reminders about mindfulness are so very important! I have this knack of only looking toward the future and never actually just soaking up the moment I’m in. When I do take the time to appreciate the present I am so much happier!
    No worries about me going anywhere! If there aren’t new blog posts I love going back and re-reading older posts.

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  4. Jen! I am so SO glad to hear from you though I totally get why you weren’t online as much in this precious memory-making time. Edie’s adorable! ❤ I may not be a mama but your point on real limits reminds me of how I feel about my life of travel (which has escalated with my recent promotion now). I have less free time than I used to but like you, I feel calmer, make more intentional choices, and paradoxically, get more done than when I did have more time to faff around.

    I was in Australia a few days ago but sadly only in the south. I figure it isn’t the right time to visit you anyway cause it’s Edie time right now, but will definitely drop by Brisbane the next time I’m there!

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