Welcome to our Mumma Musing Series 2… this month we speak with Rebecca Burrow, Model, Mumma of 2 and our Muse... her effortless beauty shines from within. Here's a little peek into her life...
Tell us a little about you, your family and your journey into Motherhood...
Hi, I am Rebecca Burrow and I am a mother of two and owner of kids clothing brand Mini Marley. I live in Yallingup, Western Australia with my husband Taj and two girls, Arabella (5) and Robbie (8 months). I had my first child Arabella when I was 26 and after many years of being certain we were only going to have one child, we decided to give Bella a sibling and in the craziness of 2020 Robbie arrived and completed our little family.
What does Motherhood mean to you?
Motherhood to me is a privilege that I definitely do not take for granted. I know that not everyone gets the opportunity to experience motherhood so I am extremely grateful to do so. With that, I also think I am quite a realist and can happily admit that even though I am eternally grateful for this experience, it is without a doubt the hardest thing I have ever had to do. It is exhausting, frustrating, puts all of your existing relationships to the test, plus also strains your relationship with yourself. Your whole world changes and continues to do so as you transform along with your growing child. In Between the madness and the hardship, there are moments of pure bliss, that outweigh any hard time that you have. That feeling of unconditional love, that shows itself in the simplest of forms. Something that grows your heart to a size that is truly unexplainable. A true love that knows no bounds. I also have a whole new respect for females, particularly my own mother and everything she went through raising myself and my sister.
Motherhood is no easy feat. Who do you look too for inspiration, motivation and advice?
I look to my close girlfriends for inspiration. I am so lucky enough to have a wonderful support network of mums that are my closest girlfriends. They are my lifeline when I am having a bad day. A little bit of understanding and someone to vent to sure does go a long way. I also go to my husband for a lot of advice. It is easy to get caught up when you are in the thick of it. Sleep deprived and pushed beyond what you think you can handle, and he always brings me back to the ground and makes me feel better again.
What part of becoming a parent did you find most challenging or unexpected?
As i think I was still quite young when I started my motherhood journey, and the first of many of my friends it was hard to experience such a change in my lifestyle to what I once knew. It is hard to know what it feels like unless you have experienced it, and even then every child is so different so every experience varies so much. I had to learn how to embrace life in the slow lane and to let go of things that I can not change. Also, I have grown quite a hard shell to not let unsolicited advice get to me. Everyone has their own take and perspective of what they think works, and if you take on too much advice it can be very overwhelming.
What part of Motherhood brings you the most joy and happiness?
The little things. Tiny little moments that catch you off guard and make you realise that nothing else matters as the health and happiness of your family. The little crease that my daughter gets in her nose when she laughs, early mornings with a bed full of kids and hugs in our pajamas, watching my daughter's performance of firework by katy perry for the 13681736973618763th time. These moments are fleeting so I have to soak them up.
How do you juggle work, life, family?
For me once I let go of finding a "balance" of these things, that really helped me. I think balance is a bad word for the juggle. My life will no longer be balanced. Some days my family will need the most attention, the other day work, other days I need uninterrupted time with my husband, then myself, my social life, and the rest. You give attention to whatever needs it most at the time, and you work around that. I also found it hard to accept help when I first became a mother, and now I welcome it with open arms because people don't offer unless they mean it, so everyone wins when you take the help you can get. I find setting out my day clearly by writing a list helps me complete tasks easier, and I can designate time to certain things, instead of giving half of my attention to multiple things and not doing them to the best of my ability while I am distracted.
Do you have a Bubba Cloud Baby Lounger and what did you love most about it?
The comfort and the ease. My baby was in it from the day we brought her home from hospital and we took it everywhere with us. It is so light and small so it came to the beach, to picnics, around to all the rooms of the house. It was a place where she felt comfortable, and I knew she was safe so we loved it.
If you could give one piece of advice to a new/expecting mother, what would it be?
Be ready to go with the flow. If you are adaptable I think motherhood is much easier because you won't feel disappointed when things turn out differently to how you expected them to. Be nice to yourself, take a second to breathe when you need to. Accept help, and just because you are real about things and need to vent, that does not make you ungrateful, it is good to offload when you need to.
Find Rebecca
Website www.minimarleykids.com
Instagram @rebecca.burrow_