From Baby to Toddler & Authentic Living This Week
Living Life Authentically Because It's the Only Life I've Got ❤️
Hello Friends!
Here's what you'll find in today’s newsletter:
A Piece of Life in Focus This Week
From Baby to Toddler: A personal piece of prose
Authentic Living This Week
Gratitude Corner - Ear pods, 3-in-one bath wash & Libby
Making Memories - The local fair, clouds & martial arts
Reality Check - Thick wavy hair
Fiction Writing Progress & Learnings - Word count & Soundtrack
Inspiring Reads - Aussie Rom-Com Audiobook and Substack Posts
Welcome to My Substack! My Name is Tania.
I invite you to join me on a journey of embracing authentic living. Through honest stories, personal insights, and reflections on authenticity, I seek to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Subscribe for free & tap the ❤️ if you enjoy this post!
Life in Focus This Week
Here is a personal piece I wrote about my youngest son:
His little feet squish into my thigh as he stands on my lap,
and his head smooshes into my cheek.
I breathe his sweet softness in deep,
trying to record this feeling of his warmth
and his soon-to-be fading baby scent to memory.
His babbling attempt at words tickles my ear.
He is as close as he can be, at home in my personal space,
but to him, it doesn't feel close enough,
as he settles into my lap with his tiny fingers wrapped around my thumb
with no intention of letting go.
I squeeze tight, snuggle close, kiss his plump little cheek
and feel a sense of joy for what I have
and sorrow for what I will lose one day.
The content and all-consuming closeness
of my growing 18-month-old.
Authentic Living This Week
This Substack series is devoted to everything that adds authenticity and realness to my life and I hope it helps you focus on the authentic joy you can create and experience in your day-to-day lives too.
Gratitude Corner: Finding Appreciation in the Everyday
Taking time to find things to be grateful for in everyday moments is a great way to stay grounded and remind yourself of the things that really matter.
This week I’m grateful for:
Ear Pods. This magical invention has allowed me to listen to podcasts and audiobooks while going about my day and cleaning the house, seemingly undetected by my children. Oh, my kids want me to watch them jump on the trampoline? Totally! I’ll cheer them on too, but I may be listening to a podcast about the craft of storytelling too. Multitasking for the win!
3 in one bath wash. You know the ones I’m talking about. These big bottles of brightly coloured, budget-friendly bath liquid are marketed at children to complete three daunting bath time tasks all in one: Shampooing, conditioning and washing. Even better if acts as a bubble bath too. The choices are pink berry strawberry or green apple papple at my house. The bright colours and fun names make for a more positive start to the bathing experience, which is a welcome change from tantrums sparked by refusing to be washed.
The Libby App. This app paired with my trusty library card opens up a whole world of e-books and audiobooks that I can borrow and listen to for free. It syncs up to my car so I can listen to stories during my drives and I read e-books off my phone on the go (I know, how dare I read an e-book from anything other than a Kindle). The only catch is the stories are borrowed, so if you don’t finish the stories within the window of time you have, the story gets returned. Yes, this has happened to me, but I reborrowed soon after and immediately picked up from where I left off.
What are you grateful for this week?
Making Memories: Cherished Moments & Milestones
Making memories and recording them has always been incredibly important to me. Our memories tend to fail us, so keeping a record of precious moments enhances our memory-keeping abilities.
Here are my favourite memories from this week:
We visited the local fair. This once-a-year spectacle filled with rides, attractions, shows and carnival food was in town for the weekend. The boys had an absolute blast. My three-year-old loved the Ferris Wheel the most. We went on it three times. Our one-year-old took it all in from the pram. His favourite part was the watermelon ice cream without a doubt. He was covered in it and refused to let go of the cone once in his grasp. My three-year-old walked through the crowded carnival with confidence and determination. He enjoyed his first fairground rides including spinning tea cups and a little bucking bull coaster. He said he was having fun but his face didn’t show it. Sideshow Alley was a hit too, particularly the ping pong ball-eating clowns, fishing for baby sharks and throwing darts at some balloons. Each game scored him a few crappy toys as prizes including his favourite pick - a plastic samurai sword.
Driving home from a park the other day, my three-year-old said the cutest thing while looking out the car window. ‘Look at the clouds, they are so big and fluffy, like fairy floss. I want to jump up there and grab them, like a superhero.’ He punched his little fist in the air like Superman too for emphasis.
My 3-year-old has recently started martial arts classes with his dad on Saturday mornings. He doesn’t do any actual fighting. Just a bunch of rolls, tumbles and obstacle courses in a martial arts gym for half an hour with other little boys and girls his age. He has taken a shine to the instructor. He insists on doing a one-on-one activity with him in each session instead of his dad, I am told. He calls the martial arts class his ‘daddy play date’. He looks forward to it every week.
What memories have you made this week?
Reality Check: Navigating Life’s Challenges
Writing about or vocalising the tougher moments in life helps us process them and knowing we're not alone in these struggles is helpful too.
Here is a struggle I’d like to highlight this week:
My thick, wavy hair, I'm told, is something many women would be jealous of. Anyone who gets their hands on my hair comments that the quantity is at least equal to three full heads worth.
Whenever I visit a hairdresser they always comment on its insanely thick volume and make remarks like, ‘You must have strong arms washing all this hair’, ‘Wow it's really heavy’ and ‘How do you blow dry it?’ (I don't). Washing, a basic cut and drying my hair is an epic mission and I always feel bad for the hairdresser needing to deal with my mop. When I get it cut, they use big clips to peg the layers on top of my head which often sag before eventually falling and needing to be re-pegged again.
it's ridiculously heavy, especially when wet, it's hot in summer and feels as though I've wrapped my head in a heated woollen scarf. I swear my cognitive function suffers from it some days. The only styles I can maintain are down or tied up in a thick scrunchie that still sags from the weight. Hair clips fall out. And don't even think about a top-of-the-head messy mum bun. When I tie it up for too long, the weight of it pulls at my scalp, causing it to hurt. When I have a shower, I can stand under the running water forever and the hair underneath will remain bone dry until I actively tussle it to soak all of the strands.
So just cut it off I hear you say. Well, I did once. I got a bob cut above my shoulders. Looked okay when straightened, but once dry, it just looked like a frizzy triangle. Never again. So long wavy hair it is. Don't get me wrong, it does look great on good days and does an excellent job of covering my oversized ears, but I just wanted to take this moment to vent about the downsides of this hair blessing.
Thanks for reading my hair rage spiel. I'd love to know if you have any hair rage of your own.
What do you feel like venting about this week? This is your safe space! No judgment here.
Fiction Writing Progress and Learnings
I’m currently focused on improving my fiction writing skills and working towards publishing my first novel. Follow me on my journey.
I’ve been trying my best to increase the word count of my rom-com novel through the editing process as it is currently sitting within the Novella range at just under 40,000 words. If it ends up being a Novella, so be it. I don’t want to try squeezing more story out of it if it isn’t there, however, I have ideas for an extra scene or two I may need to include, so we will see how that goes.
I have been actively listening to the Y2K playlist I created for this book. Every song is chosen and deliberately woven into the plot. Each song is hand-picked to complement the scene it is included in. So, when I listen to these songs, it sparks new ideas to include and enhance the scene that the song is attached to.
Have you read any books that have included songs in the storyline?
Inspiring Reads
Inspiration helps drive us to do more, be more and perhaps even take our lives in a whole new direction.
Fiction Story
I listen to a heartwarming Aussie Rom-Com story this week called 5 Bush Weddings by
. What an absolute joy to listen to. I loved hearing the Australian accents of the dual narrators. The story is set in my home state of Queensland with an authentic bush setting mixed in with a bit of Brisbane city life (The city I live in).The writing is beautiful with exquisitely descriptive prose and scene setting that adds a whole layer of richness to the story. I enjoyed all the uniquely Aussie references, the characters were flawed and relatable and the laughs kept coming too. So if you are looking for a light, easy and low-spice, rom-com read, even if you are not from Australia, this story is a great pick.
Substacks
Here are a few Substacks that caught my eye this week:
from New World PorterI’m sure you’ve guessed by now, but in today’s article, I’m taking you through my failures, How to Fail style. Grab a cuppa and a packet of Jammie Dodgers, I think this might be a long one.
What I am interested in is being creative. The more creative the trail I leave, the more enjoyable the journey.
What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Years ago by
I was invited back to give one of those ‘What I’ve learned through the ages’ speeches to the class of 2024. Think about some ‘words of wisdom,’ I was told. ‘Things you wish you had known when you first graduated…’
What has inspired you this week?
Here are a few quotes to round out your week and start a new one with a splash:
It only takes a spark to light a flame
Sticks and stones may break your bones but names will never hurt you
Keep on keeping on
Please let me know what you think of my posts by leaving a comment below or reaching out to me in the app. If you enjoy reading this newsletter consider hitting subscribe. Have a wonderful day!
Thanks so much for mentioning me Tania! So happy you enjoyed my piece <3
I'm honoured to have made the shout-out list!!!