Why we prioritised lifestyle when choosing a house

When we started looking at available houses last year, our requirements were not diva like. Enough rooms to have a guest room/study, garage for both cars and ABSOLUTELY no stairs. There were a few places that fitted the bill house wise but the locations were a bit isolating considering I have two babies and know very few people. Also, hubby would have a minimum 40 minute drive for work. So here we are in a house close to shops, parks, family and Steve’s work. We’ve stored some furniture, the kids rooms are doubling as guest rooms and I’ve given up a gym membership for a staircase. I am actually enjoying the downsize, less to look after and I’m learning to deal with the stairs. During the day, we only go up for Daisy’s nap, otherwise I have everything from changes of clothes for all three of us to extra phone chargers all downstairs. We have safety gates in all the places and a cute cupboard under the stairs for all the Harry Potter fans. The concessions we’ve made house wise are made up for by the benefits lifestyle wise. What have you compromised on to make life easier? Also, any mum hacks for life with kids and stairs are most welcome!

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Store Edit: Building a capsule wardrobe at Forever New

Welcome to my new series of blogs 'Store Edit' where I pull together my favourite pieces from my go-to stores. Forever New is always top of my list for timeless pieces that age well - in particular, I have about seven of their blazers on high rotation in closet. Also, if you've been here for more than five minutes you'd be well aware that I am a fan of a monochrome palette and a capsule wardrobe that works for you. A little black dress, versatile heels, structured blazer, neutral accessories and classic basics can make getting ready each day enjoyable rather than utter torture. Check out my edit of what I'm eyeing off for when the baby bump has departed! Deena Lace Drape Midi Dress $159.99 Kiki Cage Clutch $59.99 Viviana Long-Sleeved Linen Shirt $79.99 Bella High-Rise Sculpting Jeans $89.99 Penelope Two-Part Court Heels $69.99 Aurelia 13" Laptop Bag $89.99 Ava Boyfriend Blazer $89.99 Please note: this is in no way sponsore...

How we got baby to sleep through the night* **

Back when all I could do was imagine her sleeping there. *we have no freaking idea. This post gives no real advice and is not selling a sleep program. It is purely a recount of my experience so far. ** Daisy is sleeping through at the moment. She is not teething yet but she is about to enter a leap. We are by no means under the illusion that this is forever. Daisy sleeping through the night happened by accident. We just woke up one morning and realised that she hadn't woken up. Cue the diving out of bed to check she was still breathing. We stood at the cot and grinned at each other for a really long time. The next night it happened again. The third night, she woke us up. "But Daisy," I said, "you sleep through now,". She had a bottle and went back to sleep. We haven't really worked at setting a routine but fell into one anyway. She has a bath every night, a bottle and then is either rocked to sleep or placed into her cradle in our room awake but sl...

How to build a capsule wardrobe

Lately I’ve been on a mission to streamline my closet. I have maternity wear mixed in with what I’m wearing at the moment plus a cupboard full of stuff that almost fits again post bub. There is also a bunch of pieces that I haven’t worn in years that are headed for the donation bin. My number one problem was having so much in my wardrobe, I couldn’t actually find anything to wear. So that is where I started, by getting rid of all the ‘never going to wear pieces’. I then packed away all the maternity clothes into a box in the spare room. Next, I invested in a cheap clothes rail from Kmart and pulled out my key pieces. I also grouped together everything else such as dresses, basics and workout gear. Once this was done I had a clear picture of what my colour palette was and any gaps for when I go shopping next (hello new winter coat). So I’m now left with a rail of easy to grab capsule pieces and a tidy wardrobe with everything else. I know the craze at the moment is to purge yourse...

Jessica Coates-Judson

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