I’m Stella and this is where I share and celebrate my loves in life – motherhood, travel, food, realizing my dream, capturing memories and everything in between. Please, stay as long as you like. READ MORE!
I’m that crazy Mom that keeps track of all our children’s flights and to date, Noah has been on 96 flights already, and Kaia on 45 (most of which have been long haul international flights). Although it’s definitely more the norm to ‘slow down’ with traveling once you have children (sane/clever parents do that!), we seem to have done the opposite after becoming parents.
This year I have broken up my intentions month by month. It is the first time I’m taking this approach and I’m quite excited about it. No matter what approach you take though, as long as you take some time to be conscious and mindful of your intentions each year (call them wishes, goals, whatever) or even just take the time to reflect at the end of the year, without having set any intentions at all, that is what matters I believe; Remaining conscious and mindful about one’s self.
It may not look it, but I did only start planning Noah’s party about a week before it took place. The cake, I’ve been planning for over a year (I was so excited to try my hand at this infamous digger cake), but everything that came with it (aka Monochrome Madness!!!), was done last minute.
New year, new me. That’s how the saying goes, isn’t it? I’ve always been a firm believer of setting intentions with the turn of the year. When I was in my young teens I would write myself a letter for the year and then seal it up at New Years, only to be opened again a year later. I’m not quite as methodological these days with my intentions, but I do take the turn of the year as an opportunity, more than anything else – to look backwards and reflect, as it inspires me to look forwards thoughtfully and purposefully.
My vision was to create a floral garden picnic. I wanted the décor to be whimsical, with a touch of bohemian, a bit of sparkle and lots and lots of flowers. It turned out to be a bit of this and a bit of that but I think it came together so beautifully!
Kandui Resort, located in the beautiful Mentawais Islands off West Sumatra in Indonesia, is every surfer’s dream. One of the most remote places I’ve ever been to and, also one of the most beautiful. We have been dreaming about coming here for many years and we not only finally made it happen, but made it happen with 10 of our closest friends.
Designing Kaia’s nursery brought me such joy. Slowly gathering inspiration from many other talented mamas out there, searching high and low for many beautiful goodies around the world and then finally patching together my vision once we moved back into our home here in Cape Town (after spending a year overseas). Kaia was already 2.5 months when we moved back into our home, so you can imagine how excited I was to finally create this space for her (and me!).
Having your hands full with one or several kiddies calls for wholesome snacks on the go, because let’s face it, when do we ever have the time to sit down and prepare ourselves food!? These gorgeous oat cakes are amazing for those gap fillers, when your tummy is telling you ‘feed me (!!)’, whilst your babe is saying the exact same but in a slightly louder manner.
At the end of every year I create a photo album that captures our family memories of the year. It is how I make sure that our family memories do not get lost. Today I want to share with you some images of what our albums look like and a few small tips that may help you get motivated to do the same.
I have tried a few raw brownie recipes and this one takes the win for me every time. I’ve been making it for a few years now and always keep a stash of these brownies in the freezer for when the urge strikes – like errrry night!
I am by no means vegan (I wouldn’t be able to go without my yoghurt or cheese for longer than a day) but I absolutely love experimenting with vegan desserts. Not only to fuel my sweet tooth but because I am often genuinely surprised and impressed at how delicious these creations turn out.
I looked up a few classes I wanted to trial with Noah, I wrote down the most recommended parks, looked up kinder-cafes, of course the best restaurants, cafes, and bakeries, and most importantly, I searched high and low for the absolute best playgrounds. Fun fact: There are about 1,805 public playgrounds in Berlin, a city of nearly four million inhabitants, of which about half a million are under 18. Statistically, this is a fantastic ratio and visually its apparent everywhere. Playgrounds pop up like wildflowers in this city and seem to fill every empty spot there is. But quantity is not what makes Berlin a playground paradise.
Six months is definitely not enough time to properly get to know a city like Berlin. You’d needs years for that, but six months is enough time to at least gather a collection of favourite cafes, restaurants, bakeries, ice cream parlours, etc., which I would love to pass on to you.
You mean everything. And that will never change. No matter what our lives become, my love will always be the place that you can call home. Let it be the foundation that gives you the confidence to live your life joyfully with purpose.
Setting my intentions at the turn of the year has been a little tradition of mine as far back as I can remember. I was very excited about the intentions I had set for 2016, as it was going to be an exciting year for us in terms of travel, family and personal development. Since I didn’t have Stellarize Your Life up and running at the turn of the year, I decided that I am going to share these intentions with you as a form of reflection.
Pregnancy brings a new meaning to the concept of beauty. I truly believe that a pregnant woman is one of the most beautiful sights there is. It is a period of immense joy coupled with excitement and wonder. Capturing this change in a body and that aura of magic that surrounds a pregnant woman, was very important to me in both of my pregnancies.
Today I want to share on a more personal level with you. Something from the heart. A letter to our little lady that will grace us with her presence so very soon. Open communication has always been of utmost importance to me and since it is something that I hope to foster in our very own little family, I believe it is never too early to start setting an example in this area and leading the way.
Christmas is hands down my favourite time of the year. I get to decorate and gift the people I love. I get to put emphasis on traditions, which I hold close to my heart. I get to bake and eat to my heart’s desire. I get to write thoughtful and reflective words in beautiful cards, and finally, I get to craft my heart out.
This post is aimed at sharing my tips on birth, feeding and recovery. Be conscious that you'll read heaps of things telling you what to do, and people like me giving you all sorts of advice, so just filter it all and go with what feels right to YOU.
Today I want to share a not so recent project of mine with you. One I unfortunately didn’t do during this second pregnancy, but had lots of fun with during my first. You’ll see many different variations of the weekly pregnancy photos (Pinterest will give you some great ideas) and although mine is by no means super creative, I wanted to share that it is do-able and fun.
