Mother's Day Weekend

Last weekend was Mother’s Day here in Australia. My second one as a mom, but more importantly the first one I’ve spent with my own mom since 2005!

The weekend kicked off on Friday after school with a Mother’s Day Tea at Ella’s daycare. The weather was beautiful so we got to sit outside with the rest of the kids in her room and their mummies and eat snacks provided by the daycare. It was nice to get to know some of the other mums who are local, and also I’ve never had so much attention from Ella! As soon as I got there she gave me a huge hug and then wanted to sit on my lap to eat all her snacks. While all of the other kids ran around the yard playing she just wanted to stick close to me and play with me. It was cute, as she is not like this at home at all! I was a very clingy kid (so my parents tell me), so I wonder if Ella will end up being the same.

Saturday  morning my mom and I got up nice and early to attend Wanderlust 108. I went to their first event in Melbourne last year and absolutely loved it. Wanderlust is a “mindful triathlon”, consisting of a 5k run/walk, 75 minutes of yoga, and then a 30 minute meditation session. My mom and I both used to run quite regularly, but haven’t over the past two years (her because of a knee injury and me due to having a baby). When I first suggested we attend Wanderlust while she was here in Melbourne we decided we’d just take the 5k pretty easy and walk it. As the date of Wanderlust approached, we changed our thinking and agreed do a run/walk combo, taking a break from running every five minutes or so. The morning of, we decided we’d start off with a light jog, and then just see how things went from there. We ended up running the whole thing in 31 minutes, which we were both pretty pleased with given our lack of running prior to the event. Yay, us! And I’m happy to report my mom had no knee pain afterwards, which was a double win.

Mom and me at Wanderlust Melbourne

After the run we had about an hour to kill before the yoga session, so we wandered through the marketplace, checking out all the healthy eats and yoga gear. We ended up getting a chia porridge topped with fruit that reminded me of being back in Bali. The yoga session was a fairly challenging 75 minutes of vinyasa led by Tahl Rinsky and then we did a 30 minute guided meditation session. I really enjoyed the event, and we were lucky to have had beautiful weather for it.

Pre-yoga porridge

After Wanderlust we met up with Andy and Ella, and a few friends for some well deserved lunch by the beach in St. Kilda. Our friends have a son who is about 6 months younger than Ella, so the two of them had a good time playing in the sand while we waited for our food.

On Sunday, Mother’s Day, the four of us went out for brunch at Smug Relish, my new favourite local café. It’s on Lygon St. in Brunswick East, about a ten minute walk from our house. The food is pretty good and reasonably priced, but more importantly there is a large area at the back with a big table, some couches and a small play area. Also the café never seems to be crazy busy, so you can always get a table and the play area is quiet, which Ella likes. She can play there on her own while we relax on the sofas until the food comes. Perfect!

Smug Relish, back room with play area

After brunch Andy had to coach soccer, so my mom and I headed into the city with Ella. We went to the State Library, where they have a Play Pod set up in the covered courtyard. The Play Pod has a few toys and tables for crafts, cosy reading corners, and has a rotating theme based on a children’s book that changes every few months. Currently the theme is based on the book “Where is the Green Sheep?” by Mem Fox, which is one of our favourite books to read before bed. When you finally find the green sheep at the end of the book he is sleeping, so now when we read the book, which asks “where is the green sheep?” every few lines, Ella goes “shhhhhhh” with her finger up at her lips. It’s so cute.

There's the green sheep!

Reading corner in the State Library

Play Pod, State Library

We have been to the Play Pod before and I always think it’s a bit “meh”. Ella, however, loves it. We spent nearly two hours there, alternating between playing with various toys, drawing, and reading. After that we gave Ella her snack (an apple), put her in her pram, and she was fast asleep within minutes. My mom and I took advantage of this and sat down to have our snack, a salted caramel chocolate slice from the library café, Mr Tusk. Mmmmm it was nice. Slightly less healthy than Ella’s apple! I would be so much healthier if I just ate what Ella ate.

My mom and I then headed to the Emporium to do a bit of shopping, and I picked up a few bits from Uniqlo before getting frustrated with the crowds. Ella was still asleep so we took advantage of that to get a glass of wine and a light dinner from Mama's Buoi, a Vietnamese restaurant down a laneway in the city. Ella was nice enough to stay asleep until we were nearly finished our food, giving my mom and I a chance to sit down and have a nice dinner together.

Sleeping baby = time for a glass of wine!

We stopped in Carlton Gardens to give Ella a chance to run around before heading home. Most of my life as a mom right now involves me finding ways to tire out Ella so she sleeps well at night. By this time it was getting dark, so the Royal Exhibition building and fountain outside were lit up which was beautiful.

Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens

All in all I had a wonderful mother’s day weekend, spending lots of quality time with both my mom and my little girl. Who could ask for anything more?

Gratuitous shot of Ella as she looks so cute here!