Monday Design Co

Interviews

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My relationship with Monday Design Co was forged after several email exchanges to create a special custom made height ruler to feature in our home. Every part of our height chart was customised from the beautiful Tasmanian oak timber used, the grain, our family name was designed then drafted, we could choose the starting number of the height chart and even the length of the horizontal height lines. Every single detail was made just for us.

We are dedicated to checking our son’s height every six months, as children just grow before your eyes! Hubby and I will check yearly but we have been told as we get older, that we will also become shorter and we will also be documenting those heights as this is a piece we will feature and treasure forever.

A beautiful idea that I would also like to share with you, is to write your family history on the back of the height chart. It is so often that we ask questions about the history of our families but we do not have the answers, as the memories have gone from those who have passed. 

Without further ado, introducing you to Monday Design Co:

What is something you said you would never do as a parent before you had Harrison?

I laugh now because honestly there are so many things you say you will not do before you have kids. I was very adamant that there was no way I would play children’s music in the car. The idea of being trapped in a car listening to kids music just made me cringe pre baby. Now I find myself singing along to the Wiggles …and enjoying it, actions and all!!!

What is something you love doing outside of Monday Design Co?

Ryan and I share a love of travel and the beach. Our favourite days are those spent by the water with Harrison and our two dogs Charlie and Poppy.

Is there anything special you do for Harrison as a parent?

Yes, I write letters to Harrison. For our baby shower we were gifted a beautiful little book with pages to write letters to your child. I sit down every 6 months or so and write about the funny things he’s said or done, milestones he has achieved and what life is like for us as his parents and as a family. I personally have a terrible memory and this is a beautiful way to hold a piece of the present which will one day be the past.

How did you and Ryan meet?

We met on a working holiday at Perisher, NSW. We worked in ski hire and lived in Jindabyne for the season. We didn’t start dating until we came home, luckily we both lived in Brisbane.

Is there any advice you would give to mums – or mums in business?

Take care of yourself. It is so easy to prioritise your children, your family and work but it is so important to look after yourself. This could be as simple as listening to a podcast for an hour a week, taking a walk or having a pedi. I am an all or nothing person and often burn myself out by doing it all. Recently I treated myself to a pedicure and honestly, I am a better person for it.

How did the business come to be/how did you come up with the business name?

Ryans background is in carpentry, after ten years in the trade he headed to university and studied a Bachelor of Product Design. Shortly after he graduated we had Harrison and the idea to make Timber Height Charts was born. On Monday Ryan takes a day off so he and Harrison can play, dream and go on adventures. These days of play result in new and creative ideas – this is why we named our business Monday Design Co.

Knowing what you know now, what advice would you tell 14 year old Sarah today?

I love this question, so many things but the one that stands out is “Don’t worry about becoming an adult”. Being an adult is so fun, rewarding, exciting and now we are parents, what an honour it is to raise a child. 14 year old Sarah was scared of making phone calls and the idea of having to pay a bill, now I am part running a small business.

How did you learn to make your products and where do you make them?

We make a variety of products from Name Plaques to Timber Earrings but we are best known for our Personalised Timber Height Charts. Ryan designs and makes these himself in our workshop from home. He is self taught with the knowledge gained from his years as a carpenter and at uni.

What is the most special piece you have made?

The most special piece we’ve made was probably the very first. It was made from American Walnut, a friend purchased it from us for her friends daughter as a first birthday gift. Seeing a piece of timber become a beautiful keepsake within a few hours is amazing and each time we make a new one I claim it to be my favourite.

We have a new style of Height Chart coming out very soon which we are soooo excited about – watch this space.

Ten years from now, how do you see your lives?

I had to think about this question as I rarely look this far ahead. Ryan operates on Fiji time so he’s on his own clock and I am living at maximum 7 days ahead. In ten years our hope is that we’ve welcomed another baby into the family, travelled more of the world and that the business is our full time job. Our biggest hope is that we are happy and healthy, cliche – but isn’t that the most important thing?

Heritage Blankets

Interviews

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I had my eye on Kate’s blankets from the beginning of my pregnancy with Spencer. I absolutely adored her floral blankets and knew we would likely be purchasing the whole range if we had a little girl! After speaking with Kate who has two boys herself, we went with the classic white lace blanket and the grey. These are keepsake blankets which we will treasure forever. We have used her blankets for swaddling, to sit on, as a pram cover, a blanket, for styling and truly is the perfect essential for your bub. Read on about my interview with Kate below.

Heritage Blankets is such a sentimental name. How did you come up with it?

The name ‘Heritage’ came very easily to me as I felt it had the essence of a timeless keepsake, a memory woven item. And that’s exactly what I wanted the mums to feel when they held their babes wrapped in a blanket. A blanket truly is the greatest reminder of the snuggles and love that was shared between a Mum and her baby. 

What is something your mother often told you?

Eat those peas Kate! No but jokes aside Mum showed me how to just get on with it, I feel like she never felt sorry for herself for very long.

What is your favourite product in store?

Oh this is hard! My florals hold my heart! I dont often fall in love with one more than another and actually, I love seeing them stacked together. But I do have a red floral kept aside for my one day maybe baby girl. The red floral was called ‘the Ruby’ and it was just perfection!

Tell me about a childhood memory which still makes you laugh.

Believe it or not, I was the biggest tom boy and I was taught to keep up with everything my brothers did. Motorbike riding, fort building and everything dirty. I never had feminine style in me! I felt ridiculous all pretty in a dress! But now I cant get enough of my pretty florals and lace obviously!!

Which three Instagram accounts inspire you and why?

Oh man this one is a hard one because different people inspire me at different times depending on what similarities I have with them. Tami from the @themilkboutique at the moment inspires me so much as she juggles a two little ones and an amazing business. @life.of.mama.cc and @reviejane are great gal pals to follow too

What is your dream for your business?

I sat here looking at this question because wow it actually makes me think! This had been my project and passion as I navigated this new mum thing. It was my way of truly coming out of my ‘shell’. I love what I do and conecting with my gorgeous HB mummas. So really Im living the dream now.  But I would love to be able to provide a full income for my family, and also have other mums on my team so that they also can experience the flexibility of running a business and being able to be immersed in their kids lives. I’m not tied down with regular work hours and I know its a gift that can be shared!

Creamed Rice

Food

IMGL8993A super easy recipe of ours, simply because it uses ingredients that are already in our pantry staples! Great for babies with very little teeth too and as a little treat!

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 10 minutes | Makes: 4 baby servings

 

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Cow’s Milk, Soy or Rice Drink

2 Teaspoons Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Short Grain Rice

 

To Make

Combine milk, soy or rice drink and sugar in a small pan.

Bring to boil.

Stir in rice and keep stirring until rice is cooked.

Serve and top with fruit.

Alternatives

Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Mama Guilt and Returning to Work

Motherhood

 

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First day without mama.

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Some play and cuddles.

I always knew my mother’s stance on any formal childcare for Spencer but this week I broke the news to her that I was returning to work part time and that Spencer was going to childcare. This was a childcare which we had been waiting a good year to be accepted into.

After breaking the news to her, an influx of questions and comments came which made me feel incredibly guilty for not being a stay at home mum. Comments and questions such as:

  • Can’t the mortgage payment wait?
  • Surely you can afford to stay home
  • You can always go back to work later
  • He is too young for childcare
  • He won’t be able to fend for himself because he can’t even walk yet
  • You will miss out on his milestones
  • He is going to get really sick all the time

Whilst I know these comments came out of deep love and concern for Spencer, it made me really question my worth as a mother and the choices we had made. Honestly, these comments were the same thoughts I was deliberating myself.

Hubby and I looked at several different centres, explored the option of a nanny, an au pair, spoke to a range of different people for advice and visited over ten family day cares. This was not an easy decision but one which we had discussed over several dinners. The decision to go back to work was made a little easier knowing that I was able to return part time.

Mum guilt is so common amongst mothers, especially first time mothers. I realised mum guilt started for me from the very beginning actually and that was with breastfeeding. When Spencer was born, I did not know he was tongue tied and this caused me enormous breastfeeding problems. Spencer was not latching properly, I was in severe pain from feeding him and was getting blocked ducts from insufficient drainage. Additional to this, Spencer was jaundice so kept falling asleep at the breast. Add in lack of sleep, having to pump, topping up with formula and a barrage of messages from friends wanting to visit – it was becoming overwhelming and a recipe for disaster. With these issues, Spencer was losing weight rapidly and I was feeling quite defeated.

Here I was, a first time mum seeing other mums around me feeding successfully, naturally, not in pain and looking like they had their life together. The midwives told me to keep feeding and that it would get better. It never did until Spencer’s tongue tie was resolved. We initially went to a male paediatrician who said that the tongue tie was not an issue and that if I continued to breastfeed that it would get better. It was not until we had to go back to the hospital to check on Spencer’s jaundice levels that I met a wonderful lady by the name of Cheryl who opened up and trained several nurses in my local Early Childhood Centres. Cheryl changed my feeding journey! She told me the tongue tie was not ok as Spencer was not getting enough milk out, that it was not ok that I was in pain feeding and that it was not ok to continue this way. We were referred to a family paediatrician who revised Spencer’s tongue tie literally in a minute and the first feed back on the breast was pain free! This was a huge relief! I felt so guilty having his tongue tie revised but I was so much happier as the feeds did not hurt anymore. I also went to our local Early Childhood Centre to receive some breastfeeding help and I breastfed Spencer successfully from that point onward! Spencer’s jaundice was flushed out, he was not sleepy on the breast anymore and he started to pack on the kilograms and remained in the 80 percentile for his weight!

Another mama guilt was giving Spencer formula because all the prenatal classes and all the midwives always said how easy and beneficial breastfeeding is. Yes, whilst all this is true, there is nothing wrong with formula either. Many babies like myself were raised on it, lots of mums cannot breastfeed, simply their babies wean off or whatever the reason, we should not be made to feel guilty for what choices we have made to feed our babies.

I remember so vividly buying my first tin of formula. I could not find the formula anywhere that the hospital recommended and after going to three stores, I finally was holding the tin in my hands. I recall myself trying to hide the tin, going to the self serve checkout in hopes no one would see and thought other mums would be judging me. In hindsight, this was all stupid but this is how I felt. After seeing Spencer thrive on both breast and formula, this guilt went away immediately. Eventually Spencer refused the bottle and only wanted breast.

I tried so hard to keep Spencer breastfed but he weaned off around nine months old. He started to latch on and off, being too curious with the world around him. I kept persevering by feeding in a completely quiet bedroom, dark room, not going out anymore so he had no distractions, kept trying to latch him on and trying different positions. I was told it was phase and that we could push through but nothing seemed to have worked and he weaned himself off, which led me to introduce formula again and the bottle. Here I was going through mama guilt again! I am so thankful for formula at the moment though as he has numerous food allergies and therefore we give him some formula mixed with cows milk for some additional nutritional support. I would have loved to have kept him breastfed but unfortunately Spencer chose another road for us.

This was not the only case of mum guilt and I am sure many mothers have related to one, some or all of these:

  • Don’t breastfeed in public
  • Cover up if you breastfeed in public
  • Don’t breastfeed for too long
  • Don’t introduce the bottle too early
  • Don’t introduce formula
  • Don’t start solids too early
  • Don’t feed to sleep
  • Don’t co-sleep
  • You should consider looking for a job since you have been a stay home mum for so long now
  • You are a working mum? You must are selfish and career orientated
  • Not spending enough time with your child
  • Having time to yourself
  • My child has food allergies because of me

Comments come from people who try to mean ‘good’, who may never have had children and are even parents themselves. We definitely need to support each other no matter what decisions someone else has made. We have never walked a day in someone else’s shoes, so who are we judge others.

There is no right way to parent and there is no perfect parent. All of us have made parenting mistakes. Trade offs are inevitable too. We just try to do the best for our families. This is your journey and your baby. Only you will know your baby and instincts the best. One thing we all have in common is our love for our babies and all we can do is soak in the time we have with them as they grow way too quickly. I never quite understood what every parent meant when they said your kids will grow up quickly but when you become a parent, time is precious and the words cannot resonate more true!

So what happened? I went back to work. The first day walking back into the office was hard. Heart wrenching hard. Lots of familiar faces, lots of new ones too. Hubby had prepared a ‘welcome back to work’ care package for me which included my favourite teas, chocolates, snacks and photo of Spencer to pop on desk to get me through the day. It doesn’t get any easier leaving him every morning but I do know that I come home to lots of hugs and smiles! I am enjoying adult conversations, not sharing my food and not having to change any nappies, oh and sipping on a steaming hot cup of tea! I came home to a very tired bub who gave me lots of smiles and hugs. I’m not sure if this will get easier but I have been told it does.

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Spencer waving goodbye.

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Home time!

 

Basic Bread

Food

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This is a very basic bread recipe which can be alternated as well. We decided to create this recipe as even traces of sesame seeds in shop breads were causing Spencer to have food allergies. Plus, the smell of fresh bread cooking is divine and you know exactly what is in it!

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 30 minutes | Makes: 2 Round Loaves (10-12 thick slices)

 

Ingredients

3 1/3 Cups (500g) Plain Flour

2 Teaspoons (One 7g Satchet) of Dried Yeast

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 Cups (375mls) Lukewarm Water

Melted Butter for greasing and brushing

 

To Make

Place the plain flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl and mix well to combine.

Make a well in the centre and add the water to the dry ingredients.

Stir until combined and then use your hands to gather the dough together in the bowl.

Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes until it is smooth and has some elasticity. You will know when the dough is ready when it pops back up after you have pushed your finger onto it.

Brush a large bowl with melted butter, shape the dough into a ball and place inside the bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and then place it in a warm, draught-free place to allow the dough to rise (our dough is popped near the stove). It will take around 45-70 minutes to rise.

Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and keep pushing down on the dough until it has gone back to its original size. This will remove excess carbon dioxide and the yeast taste.

Preheat oven to 200°C and line baking tray with baking paper.

Divide the dough into two round portions and place on baking tray. Brush with butter and bake for 30 minutes.

Turn the loaf immediately onto a wire rack and allow to cool. You will know the inside of the bread is cooked if you knock on the bottom of it and it sounds hollow.

This bread is best enjoyed on the day but we also keep ours for toast over the next two days.

Ps. Any stale leftovers can be turned into breadcrumbs and frozen in a sealed freezer bag.

Alternatives

For a wholemeal loaf, replace the 2 cups (300g) of plain flour with 2 cups wholemeal flour and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the dry ingredients before adding water.

Add any of these to the dry ingredients before adding water: walnuts, cinnamon, cheese, garlic or herbs!

You can also top the bread with poppy seeds or seeds.