HOW MUCH OF MY CHILDS FACE SHOULD I BE SHOWING ONLINE?

How much of my child's face should I be showing online? This question has been playing on my mind for quite some time now, more so since my daughter's first birthday.

The older she's becoming, the more recognisable she is & it scares me.

The dilemma of deciding how much of my daughter to show online has been in my thoughts for a few months now, maybe since October/November time last year.

It's been on my mind because I feel like at present I'm giving too much of her away, I feel guilty for not being able to shield her from the online world & I feel like I'm opening her up into a world she doesn't necessarily want to be in.

But I want to show her off.

I'm proud of everything she's becoming and equally how I'm transforming myself into a flipping kick ass mama (even if I do say so myself!)

I want to share my journey.

I want to unite mama's and wing this motherhood malarkey with all of you ladies with me - I think I just need to be more conscious of what it is exactly that I'm posting & how that'll affect my daughter in years to come.

The problem.
Since having my daughter I've surrounded myself with the most amazing online mama community and I've met some incredible people through taking my blog down the parenting and lifestyle route, however I feel like I can't carry on showing my daughters face to the world as much as I have been doing.

The world actually can be a very big & very bad place, and quite frankly I don't want to subject my child to any unnecessary attention, especially when she can't comprehend or consent to any of what's going on right now.

The thought of someone recognising my child in the street because I've showcased her on my blog gives me the chills! Heck, I've been there before; I've been out and about & saw a child who I thought looked like a certain Instagrammers' daughter and it shocked me - That thought doesn't sit quite right with me.

To be honest looking back, I think this is where my whole change in mindset originally came from.

Should I really be recognising someone's baby who I don't even know?

Just a thought.

The solution.
So... I'm a parenting & lifestyle blogger, but I'm not going to show my child online? Seems rather contradictory doesn't it. This is what I thought at first, and I still do to some extent, I'm just going to work around the problem, like anything else in life!

I'll still be sharing my honest opinions on motherhood and will still be portraying parenting in all of its glory, the good the bad and the ugly, because that's 100% what I'm about. That's absolutely not going to change, I'm just going to be super careful with the imagery that I use. I'm also planning on referring to my daughter by her middle name, as well as any other lovey doves pet names we have for her - There's a few to choose from, I'm not going to get stuck!

Both decisions are of my own choosing and my desire to keep my private life that little more private.

I'm sure there'll be teething problems (not just my daughters) as I begin being a bit more privy with my family life, however If I'm honest I'm not going to be 100% strict with myself by banning her completely from my blog and socials - I just want to limit the amount my daughters face appears on my feeds.

This in turn means being a bit more creative with what I post. I still want to be very much present online & continue what I'm doing with my #TogetherInMamahood community, I just need to think a little bit more outside of the box when it comes to picture taking. Content, I've got coming out of my ears, I'm never particularly lost for words when it comes to motherhood, I just want to limit the amount my daughters face appears online, especially the older and more recognisable she's becoming.

I've seen a few articles circling the web (do people still call it that now) recently from both perspectives, of mama's that don't want to show their babies faces online as well as those that do. After reading both sides, I've come to the very clear decision that quite frankly there's no right or wrong answer - I think you've just got to do what's best for you, and you most certainly don't need to justify whatever decision you make.

There's enough people out there judging our parenting skills anyway isn't there? *insert biggest eye roll ever here*

If you've made sense of my inner ramblings coming out in word form, thank you for your patience - I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter?

Claire.X

WAYS TO FEEL SASSY AS A MUM.

*This post contains gifted items & is in collaboration with Femme Luxe*

Feeling sassy isn't something I've felt for a very long time; Both my body and my emotions have been on rollercoaster over the last couple of years, but I've sashayed my way into 2020 with a whole new persona.

I'm a sassy, independent woman who's ready to handle whatever the new decade throws at me.

Sassy [Adjective]:
Lively, bold, full of spirit & cheeky.

Personal style.
One of the biggest impacts in improving my confidence & becoming a sassy mama is by redefining my personal style.
Since becoming a mum I went through the battle all new mama's go through, which is figuring out what the hell to do with my new postpartum body?! I didn't feel like me for such a long time after having my daughter and it took a while to get my head around redefining my personal style since becoming a mum, but I got there in the end & now a year after having my little one I feel more confident than ever in the clothes I'm in.
Don't get me wrong, said clothes will probably be covered in dropped yogurt and my daughters drool, but I rock that look!
'You wear the clothes, don't let the clothes wear you'.
And you can bet your bottom dollar I'm going to be wearing the hell out of this Femme Luxe corset top!

Sing at the top of your lungs.
Singing is something you can 100% get away with as a parent. Kids love any form of singing don't they, and you definitely don't need to be Beyonce for you both to get enjoyment out of it.
Whatever your genre, whatever your jam, just make sure you're singing at the top of your lungs - Take ownership of that song! You'll thank me for it I promise!
Last week I drove home from Middlesbrough to Leeds & I was listening to Heart Radio's club classics & oh my goodness it was just tune after tune, I was 100% living my best life belting out all of the words to Candy Staton's 'you've got the love' - Amelia seemed to like it too!
'Sing as though no one is listening.'

A good skincare routine.
My skincare routine went out of the window in the newborn days - I'd actually give you money if you could show me a new mama with a strict skincare routine - I don't think it's humanly possible.
The initial lull in my skincare routine has only made me feel so much better now I'm actually sticking to one. I think because I'd felt so shitty before (looking back at photos you can see how drearily tired I was) the transformation feels so much more dramatic... In the best way possible!
I've added some new products into my skincare routine, of which I'll talk about properly in another blog post, but I think the most beneficial thing for me is having a clean face when I go to bed at night as well as when I get up on a morning.
Who'd have thought a clean face would make you feel sassy? But it really does! Even more so if it's slathered in an amazing moisturiser and you're glory AF!

Surround yourself with sassy women.
I think the easiest way to feel like a sassy and empowered women is to surround yourself with sassy and empowered women.... And that's exactly what I've done.
'Empowered women, empower women.'
Since having Amelia I've met some amazing women online, women who are all in a similar position to myself and women who are out there absolutely killing it! They're brought things out in me which I never knew was possible & in turn I want to do the same for other women out there.
My online mama community really is the best - They've brought the sass out in me big style!

Underwear that fits like a dream.
Even when you're wearing your mum uniform; The mum bun & comfy loungewear; you can still feel sassy as hell wearing killer lingerie underneath. There's something sexy and somewhat secretive about hiding an amazing set of underwear under your regular clothes... Even if it's only you that knows about it!
'Never underestimate the power of good lingerie.'
Good underwear never fails to make me feel amazing & I've got some fabulous pieces in my collection.
I'd love to do an all empowered photoshoot with other mama's wearing beautiful lingerie sets embracing our post baby bodies. I'd love to find women who'd help put these plans in motion... Because if there's something I'm about, it's making women feel as amazing (and sassy) as humanly possible!

Something has definitely clicked for me since the clock struck midnight on the 31st December. I don't know if it's because I'm working now, that I feel like I can handle anything, but I'm feeling my sassy self right now.

I'm feeling really good about myself and my abilities and I urge you mama's to feel the same!

What makes you feel sassy?

Claire.X

PARENTING QUOTES: JANUARY

This year I've decided to take my Pinterest & Instagram down a bit of a different route creating relatable parenting quotes to share with my mama community.

Here's what I came up with for January

Which quote do you relate to most?

Claire. X

QUICK BEAUTY TRICKS TO FEELING GLAM.

*This post is in collaboration with false eyelashes.co.uk*

Getting glam isn't a sport (yes it's a sport) I partake in very often, in fact it's actually a rarity these days.

I used to love spending time doing my makeup, indulging in a bit of luxury self care & enjoying being able to make myself feel like a mother-flipping boss. But the year is 2020 & I'm a working mama, who still very much feels like a mother-flipping boss, only I have considerably less time to make myself feel glam.

I want to feel glam again!

I want to feel 'too glam to give a damn!'

I just need to get glam quickly.

Since going back to work after maternity leave my level of glam has definitely taken a beating. Gone are the days of being able to do my makeup at my own pace watching youtube videos with a coffee break in between, waiting for my husband to roll his eyes at me for taking FOREVER - Nowadays I'm that mama who's forever in a rush and looking for quick tricks to transform me from Mombie (mum zombie - duh!) into a Hot Mama in the quickest time possible.

Here's a few quick beauty tricks I've picked up so far.

Lashes.
A certain way to make me feel like a glam mama is with the addition of false lashes.
Granted I think the application process of falsies is a skill you've got to learn, but I think once you've cracked it, it's like riding a bike - Only way less strenuous!
Although there are various different styles and lengths available I like my false lashes to be as natural looking as possible, so have been wearing the Eyelure Naturals No.070 strip lashes to give my peepers that bit of extra flutter.
I prefer strip lashes as I think they're way less time consuming to apply, and these Eyelure Naturals are fab because they're super lightweight & comfortable. They're a dream to wear!

Hair.
Another sure way to make myself feel glam is to curl my tresses and give my hair an extra bit of volume with loose waves.
I don't curl my hair very often, but whenever I do I'm always surprised at how quick the process is. For some reason I aways think curling my hair is going to take so much longer than it actually does so I usually opt for the easy option which is my usual look of having poker straight hair.
I use GHD's to curl my hair, sectioning bits of at a time to ensure everything is evenly curled. I find if I put a bit of prep work in first & section off parts of my hair the actual process of curling doesn't take that long. I've curled my hair before & just gone in willy nilly, but I've found that generally takes longer as I always end up missing big sections of my hair out... And I'm not about that half straight, half curly hair life... It's not 2002 anymore.

Tan.
I have to be honest & say that I'm not living my best tanned life at the moment.
Tanning is something I've really struggled with since becoming a mum, because you need to have as strict of a routine with your fake tan as you do your baby.
That being said the quickest way to input a bit of colour in your life is with an instant tan, my favourite being sun shimmer from Rimmel. I remember being introduced to sun shimmer about ten years ago (maybe even 10 years +) whilst I was at Uni, and oh my goodness, I've never looked back. I've dabbled with the St Tropez instant tan a few times too which although it's been brilliant, I definitely prefer the cheaper alternative from Rimmel.
Oh... And you definitely only need to tan the parts of yourself that's on show!

Lips.
I used to be a bit of a floozie when it came to lip colours & formulas, however now as I'm nearing the grand old age of 30, I've finally decided what I like and don't like when it comes to lippies.
And the lipstick I want to recouple with is a dark nude liquid lipstick.
My go to lippies are the NYX liquid suede lipsticks as their formulas are just out of this world and the darker nude shades always leave me feeling like a hot mama.
The power of a good lipstick & how it makes you feel should never be underestimated.

I love having the time to make myself feel glam, however as a working mum having the time to do so doesn't come around all that often. That being said, I still feel like a glam mama, I've just learnt to be clever in my approach to applying makeup.

What makes you feel glam?

Claire.X

I'VE BEEN MUM SHAMED!

Something happened to me this week, something which hasn't happened to me since becoming a parent & something I've almost been waiting for - I've been mum shamed!

Let me set the scene for you...

It was my day off from work so I decided to take myself & Amelia to a nearby garden centre. We went here because they've got a huge indoor play area, a lovely rustic styled restaurant which sells the biggest cakes & has an aquarium with enough tropical fish to keep anyones senses stimulated for hours... Basically, it's the best (and easiest) day out for mamas and their little ones.

So off we trotted early doors to make the most of the day.

We'd played and visited the tropical fish, so were ending our trip by getting a quick coffee in the restaurant (me, not Amelia) before heading home for nap time. There was no thought process in picking our table, other than it was the closest available, so instead of meandering the pram around a people enjoying their dinners, I parked up - It just so happened to be a table next to a (rather judgemental) elderly couple.

From the minute we'd sat down, the glares started. It was the most bizarre thing & if I'm honest I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I found it difficult not to glare back in utter confusion, but I refrained & got on with what I needed to do.

After the glares, came the pointing. Even as I'm writing this, I'm shaking my head with a screwed up, puzzled face. The gentleman was leaning into his companion & pointing at us both whispering something which I didn't quite catch. It was the most bizarre thing! Pointing at someone for absolutely no reason is not okay - And it's even worse if you're caught red handed & show now remorse.

What I did catch however was the continuous tutting & the mention of how we shouldn't be in there.

I should mention that nowhere in this situation was my child crying, nowhere was she kicking up a fuss & nowhere was she being anything other than my loveable little girl.

The noises she was making was laughs and giggles - And anyone who would deny a child that, quite frankly can get in the bin (or the sea, I don't know what the cool people say these days).

I posted about my mum shaming incident on Instagram earlier on in the week, asking if any other mamas had been in a similar situation & guess what... Every single comment & every single message I had, said YES!

How flipping outrageous is that?

I'm okay with being mum shamed.
I've got a good enough head on my shoulders to know that it's them with the issue & not me.
I believe in my abilities as a parent.
But there are SO many people out there who don't.

And that's really sad!

Have you been mum shamed?

Claire.X