THAT BIG MUMMA LOVE

Growing up off the grid must have been so amazing! What is something that you have taken from your own childhood that has influenced your parenting style? 
We had an incredible upbringing living close to the earth and away from technology, in a
very loving family. As children we were encouraged to use our imagination and be
creative, think outside the box and be individuals.
This has influenced me in so many ways with parenting. We spend a lot of time out
doors close to nature. My children have very limited use of technology, instead we rather
paint, draw, play music, cook etc. 
It’s so easy to lose touch with what's really important in life, we live in such a fast paced
society so it’s important to remember to slow down and spend quality time with the ones
we love and enjoy the wonders of the planet.
 
Has your inspiration for Arnhem changed since becoming a mother? 
My inspiration has grown for Arnhem. I love what we are doing at work and I have the
best team of like minded individuals. We are all so passionate about the brand and
where we are taking it over the next few years.
 
Everything we do now we take in to account our foot print on the planet. Since having
children I really started considering what kind of planet my children's, children will be
growing up in, what the planet will be like in the future and if there will even be a future if
we don't all make the effort to change.
Some of the things we now have in place include;
  • The warehouse in now 100% run on solar 
  • We are paperless so no more printing and paper wastage.
  • All garment and postage packaging from next month is compostable 
  • 1% off our online sales goes to Green Fleet, Rainforest Rescue, and Take 3, All amazing non profit organisations doing awesome things for our beautiful planet.
  • We have Recycled Poly swim, sustainable printed and organic cotton ranges all coming this summer.
  • All our factories are being investigated for fair trade. 
The whole team are all on board with the sustainable changes so it's super exciting!
 
What is your favourite thing about being a mother?
Being able to explore the world again as a child. So free and in the moment.
I love watching them evolve and learn new things, seeing their individual personalities
develop and blossom. They are so incredible everyday I feel blessed to have them in
my life.
 
What is your biggest learning from your own children?
 
Patience. They have taught me that's it's really important to stop and enjoy life to
appreciate every moment. That there is nothing more important in the world than loving
someone and being loved
 
What is a mantra that you live by?
 
Not so much as a mantra but I believe strongly in positive thinking and giving out
positive energy to receive positivity...
 

 

Tell us about your girls
Cheeky littleMia and Billie are 16 months apart. They couldn’t be more opposite in looks and personality but they have the closest sisterly bond, the main reason why I chose to have them so close together. 
What is something you’ve learnt from your own children that you have taken to teach your kids now? 
Currently i am teaching good manners because it was instilled in me to say please and thank you so that’s definitely something I want them to learn. 
What is your biggest learning from motherhood?
In raising my daughters, I have lost my mind but found my soul.

 

 

This tribe of women are truely inspiring...

Raising beautiful children, tackling their own creative ventures and supporting their tribe... AMEN for tribe love

 

 Tell us about your group of friends that we spent the afternoon with? 
I love these girls, they are my group therapy. I honestly feel so lucky to live in this area and be surrounded by such great women. Not featured in this story are a whole bunch of ladies who we all spend so much time with and whom we love equally, you know who you are xoxo
But if we’re talking the four of us… we have 9 children between us (with another one on the way! Go Hana!)
The kids are all such good mates, and the dads get on well too and are all top blokes. Just some seriously good humans. 
While being amazing mothers you also have your own creative talents too which is very inspiring. Has motherhood been a big inspiration for you with Church Farm General Store?
It feels like everyone we know or run into does something creative and balances this with Motherhood. I am constantly inspired by everybody. When we catch up we normally let the kids run wild and then we all race home for nap time, so I am guessing lots of stuff gets done during nap time! 
 What is your favourite thing to do with the family in Byron? 
An afternoon spent at the beach, mums and dads tag team surfing, followed by a picnic dinner. And hopefully sleeping kids on the way home! 

 

Tell us about your little tribe? 
I am a mama to 4 little girls. Coco 9, Autumn 7, Juniper 3 & Clementine 1. A tribe of beautiful magical girls, all so different, different but the same!!! 
 While being amazing mothers you also have your own creative talents too which is very inspiring. Has motherhood been a big inspiration for you with Little Winnie?
Definitely, the whole reason I started little Winnie was after having my babies. I was looking for simple, classic sleepwear for my girls & just couldn't find it! So I decided to start my own!! 
 What is your favourite thing to do with the family in Byron?
 
Our favourite weekend day would be, sourdough Sunday at harvest and then spend the rest of the day surfing all day at the pass, followed my BBQ evening with friends!! That's always dream day but yes it happens often!!! 

 

 

Tell us about your little tribe?
I actually don't know what I would do without our mama gang and ever growing tribe of little wild ones. I really do believe it takes a village to raise a child and I am so grateful to have such strong inspiring women in ours. To have a group of women to laugh with, cry with and trust in is one of the most wonderful things in life.
What's your favourite mantra that you live by and share with your children?
I wouldn't really say we have a mantra but we strongly believe in keeping it simple, just trying to be and going with the flow where ever and whenever that may be. I think Zephy sees this through the way we live our daily life. We believe in really living and creating a life for our little family that fosters and supports our happiness. Doing what we love, Laughing every day ( even on the bad days ) , adventures always and sharing in life with the people we love. That's what it's about.

 

Tell us about your little tribe? 
Jasson and I were living a fairly carefree, nomadic lifestyle when Ziggy came along. We continued travelling with him in tow for a couple of years, before we moved back to Australia. I think Ziggy has had 7 homes in his life so far, it breeds adaptability, we keep ensuring each other haha. Taro was born late last year in our beautiful home up here in the Northern Rivers region and we couldn’t be happier being a 4 pack. The distance we travel for adventure has shortened but the adventures haven’t stopped the slightest. We feel truly blessed to have a wonderland of wilderness at our door and the opportunity for our children to be immersed in the magic it offers almost every day. 
While being amazing mothers you also have your own creative talents too which is very inspiring. Has motherhood been a big inspiration for you and Hana with Taninaka?
Hana and I initially had the desire to start Taninaka as a bedlinen brand for adults, however as we both started our own families our vision transformed into creating bedding for babies and children. 
After having a baby, the need to create a nurturing environment for this precious little being became top priority. The food, the space and the fabrics that keep him warm, healthy and safe. It made no sense to me to wrap this perfect little thing in anything other than a completely natural product, free from harmful chemicals and toxins. It was through fulfilling this need that led to our line of organic, natural, plant dyed baby bedding. 
Whats your favourite thing about living in the Byron area?
Since moving to the Byron area I have found such a solid group of girlfriends. Happy, creative, successful, inspiring and empowering- these women keep me sane on the reg. Anytime, any day I know they've got my back.

 

Tell us about your tribe?
We’re a family of four, Amber and Keenan, with our 10 and 11 year old daughters, Coco and Indigo.  Family time is everything to us, and we’re on an adventure together in our 1975 vintage Kombi van to create amazing memories that will last a lifetime!
How long have you and your family been living on the road for and how did that come to be?
We’ve been part time travellers in our van for the last 6 months.  A long time dream of ours was to own a vintage Kombi to travel Australia, but it always seemed like an elusive dream.  It’s almost like we woke up one day, looked at our girls growing up, and realised that our time with them as travelling companions was passing us by.  So we set out to do something about that and found our perfect home on wheels.  We started with long weekends away, then longer trips, and we’re currently getting ready to leave next month for an epic roadtrip around Australia.  We’ve found we’re happiest together when we’re out on the road, they're simple times, away from the stresses of modern living.  It’s fair to say we’re nostalgic, we spend our time together talking, laughing, playing games and finding entertainment in nature and each other.  It’s just good family fun!
What is the biggest learning from motherhood on the road?
We’ve all learnt so much about ourselves and each other from our time travelling together.  As a mother, I have a whole new understanding and appreciation of the importance of these precious years between infancy and adulthood. It’s a crucial time for forming bonds and instilling strong core values for our girls.  We want our girls to grow up with kind hearts, respect for themselves and others, and confidence, but to instill a sense of adventure and a love of nature by showing them a life beyond the walls is so important to us too. These are the same things that my mother instilled in me from a young age when I was travelling Australia as a child with my family, and nothing makes me happier than to be able to pass it through the generations to my own daughters.  To sit back when I'm older and see my girls happy with their own families, travelling and living a fulfilled adventurous life, now that would be wonderful!

 

 

Tell us about your tribe? 
We’re tribe of three- me, my husband Andy, our almost 2-year old daughter Prairie. We moved from the city of San Diego to the unincorporated Mojave Desert community of Joshua Tree about two years ago in search of a slower pace of life. We love nothing more then getting out and exploring our magical desert backyard, and will pretty much drop whatever we are doing to go watch the sunset each evening. 
What is your favourite thing about raising a family in Joshua Tree? 
I love the small town feel of Joshua Tree, and it’s eclectic residents. There’s tons of artists, environmentalists, dreamers, and outside the box thinkers living here and it’s really fun to be part of this community. But far and away the best part of living here is getting to spend some much time out in nature. I want my daughter to grow up experiencing, respecting, and cherishing the natural world. And so far she definitely is which makes me feel really good.
What is your biggest learning since becoming a mother?
Oh, probably humility! There are so many things you think you know about parenting before you actually become a parent. And realizing how much I’ve been wrong about or didn’t understand kind of made me less judgmental towards other people in general I think. 
What will you be doing on your mothers day this year?
My best friend is coming to visit me for Mother’s Day, so hopefully we’ll be spending lots of time hiking and showing off our beautiful desert home.
Massive thanks to all our Mummas who were a part of this story
If your loving the vibes make sure you head over to the store to check out our Mothers Day Edit
SHOP EDIT HERE
and for the little ones...