Society and Beauty

I posted this photo this morning on my Instagram....I felt instantly compelled to apply filters to eradicate my imperfections, my flaws, the very things that make me, well me. 

The pressure to look flawless, perfect & 'beautiful' is taking away the very things that makes us unique and different. Our individuality is dissipating....slowly we are all becoming the same.

Don't get me wrong, filters are brilliant...I love them, I love experimenting and using them to enhance and get the very best out of my pictures. It's ok to tweak a picture, to take a selfie and enhance it. That's ok....but for me, I felt scared to post the 'real me' for fear of negativity. I forgot who I am, what makes me, me. My eyes are tired and have bags....but I should be proud of that, for that is down to pouring every bit of energy & love i have into my children and my partner, ensuring they're OK, fed and loved. My skin has imperfections, blemishes and scars from acne that decided to surface in my early twenties...I can't change them, they're here and are a part of me and my journey. 

 My partner didn't fall in love with a filtered version of me. He's seen me in the mornings, at my worst when I'm tired, frustrated and a complete emotional wreck. My children love their Mama....for however I look. 

 So while I enjoy playing with filters....I must remember to love the real me. I need to stop being scared of not looking or being perfect for society. I need to believe in my favourite notion that we are all beautiful....because we are. Beauty is skin deep.

So here is me trying to enjoy a morning coffee....tired eyes, blemishes the lot. This is the me I should love more. This is the me I shouldn't be frightened of and hide away 💜 

Summer Holidays

Summer holidays.....entertaining little ones for 6 weeks can be incredibly daunting. In past years when my focus wasn't as balanced & open as it is now I would dread the time off. This time around I have genuinely been looking forward to the virtually uninterrupted quality time with my babes. 

 The holidays can incur a financial hit for parents as days out can be costly and typically prices are hiked up. I've spent the last few days looking at how I can give my tribe a fun filled six weeks at a  low cost...there are many organised free family fun days in our local park, along with low cost cinema nights outdoors, free dino hunts through the city etc....their main 'expensive' treat is tickets to The Legendary Faery Festival which has cost me no more than £20 but is going to be ultimately the most magical experience for them. 

 We have dusted the bikes down and have ensured they are all ready for these holidays so we can go on adventures...again low cost and my babes love exploring, they most definitely have a sense of wanderlust swimming through their veins. 

Most importantly the holidays have given me a small feeling of freedom. My children aren't regimented to school hours, we can be free spirits and have some extra time together to do things we aren't usually able to do. The stress that usually tries to engulf me has been lifted slightly and I am no longer having to battle it, time limits have somewhat dissipated and there isn't as much of a rush to have things completed by a certain hour....we are able to be fairly relaxed.

Memories can be made without breaking the bank. Love, laughter and smiles are free &, at the end of the day, are what we remember most 💜

Off Grid Parenting

I recently watched an interview with Matt & Adele Allen on their "off grid" approach to parenting, where they were interviewed with their two young children.

 The public backlash this couple have received has truly saddened me. There were aspects of their chosen lifestyle I truly admired and felt inspired by, and yes, there were some issues, such as, not vaccinating that I personally didn't agree with...but that is my personal opinion & in no way did I feel compelled to take to social media to voice my disagreement. Debate is healthy, disagreement is healthy, what isn't healthy is proclaiming that their children should be taken into the care of Social Services, that they won't live to their teens, that their parents should not of been blessed with these two beautiful souls. What gives those individuals the right to make such hurtful, evil comments? 

 Vaccinations will forever be a controversial subject, some parents vaccinate, some don't. It's a personal choice & we should respect people's choices not hang them at the first available opportunity.

 Adele and Matt, in my opinion, were highlighting a lifestyle which could contribute to a more sustainable future for this planet. The world has developed into a fuel guzzling, environmentally harming, selfish, technology ruled, frightening place...(in my eyes) many have forgotten the simple fun, the homemade, the creative and the excitement of exploration and adventure. Children seem to be forever confined to computer games, mobile phones and imaginative play outdoors seems to be seen less and less. Even my children occasionally are guilty of this. 

 Although I am far from achieving a fully off grid lifestyle, we as a family, try to be as self sufficient as possible, which in this current social climate can be hard to achieve. 

 Adele and Matt's children were branded as feral and uncontrolled....I wonder had the line up of the show not branded them as 'off grid parents' would they have received such a negative response to the behaviour of their children. I fully believe that viewers were instantly homing in on the children to watch how they behaved in order to dissect reasons as to why one 'wet themselves' and why the other was excitable, blaming it of course on the parenting practises of Adele and Matt. The children were 5 & 1 years old & in a completely alien environment, with cameras, strangers, bright lights....I would imagine for such little babes it was completely overwhelming. 

 The children of Adele & Matt are loved, fed, cared for & are experiencing a lifestyle that is truly beautiful. They do not need to continue this lifestyle when they're older, as stated by their parents, they have the freedom to reject it should they wish, but I believe most importantly they will be able to reflect and appreciate that they were lucky enough to experience it. 

 We have no right to judge people on their way of life, it works for them and that is what is important.