threelilprincesses.com

Author: Kellie O’Brien

  • FEATURE: Breaking up is hard to do

    FEATURE: Breaking up is hard to do

    My beautiful li'l princesses

    RIGHT now I’m filled with a little excitement and a whole lot of fear. This week I made one of the hardest decisions of my life. I can barely utter the words. In fact, when I did “the deed’’, I couldn’t even bring myself to say them. “I am …’’

    As the Editor put it: “breaking up is hard to do’’. You bet ya. This week I broke it off with journalism. We’ve been together now for 16 years. Our first day together was an absolute shambles as I fumbled my way through my first story – after which my boss rewrote the whole thing. Oh dear, was I really cut out for this? I still have that story and can’t help but laugh at what absolute drivel it was. Kind of shows you how far you’ve come, I guess.

    Throughout my career, I’ve been blessed. The majority was spent as an entertainment journalist, interviewing big name TV, film and music stars. People often ask `who was your favourite?’ It’s usually followed by slight blushing, head bowed and a whispered: “John Farnham’’. I know, I know, you can stop laughing now. Give me the biggest names in pop and rock and, I’m sorry, but this one fulfilled the long-held dream of a little country girl.

    Sure, there have been plenty of junkets (wining, dining and realising Jason Donovan is also only 150cms). Then there was the behind the scenes stuff. The Australian singer who took me shopping in Sydney and the entertainer who allowed me so far onto the stage (without being seen by the audience) that the screams from his hundreds of female fans left me with goosebumps.

    Then something happened. I got knocked up, popped out a li’l princess and suddenly my career-obsessed life changed. Forget chasing the stories. All I wanted was to witness that first roll, first crawl, first step and first “I love you’’.  I can have a career anytime, but this time with my two girls I can never get back.

    Priorities change. Life changes. Sometimes we need to move on and I’m so fortunate to be in a position to do that. Is being a housewife “superstar’’ all cupcakes and roses? No, I think not. But I’m ready to be a stay at home mum and all that that entails.

    This week I resigned. There, I’ve said it. Now the next chapter of my life begins.

    Are you a working mum or a SAHM (stay at home mum)? What led you to your decision?

  • SHED: When life gets in the way

    SHED: When life gets in the way

    Ella with her hat on, ready to play with Dad.

    THE words came out of Princess Ella’s mouth so casually, but they cut like a knife. It happened as I was preparing myself for work on Sunday morning, with my three-year-old quietly watching on.

    The first words out of her mouth were to soften me up. “Why are you going to work today, Dad?,’’ she said simply. Now normally, I’m a Monday-to-Friday professional, leaving Saturday and Sunday to spend blissfully with my princesses. However, there are occasions when I’m required to work Sunday to Thursday.

    “Daddy has to work today, but he’ll be able to spend Friday and Saturday with you this week, does that sound good?,’’ I said. Then, Ella went “WHACK”. “Not good enough Dad,’’ she said in much the same tone as her mother would address her after finding texta on the curtains (again). Those words and the look on her face knocked the wind out of me.

    Now, I’m confident enough to know I maintain a pretty good work/life balance, but it still hurt me to think I’d disappointed my little girl by trotting off to work on a day she’d normally spend tormenting me in a million different ways. In a strange way too, it also made me feel good that she enjoys my company and is not sick of me yet (my guess is that will come in her teenage years).

    Unfortunately, Princess Ella is going to have to get used to the idea she has a dad who works hard to provide things for the family. I enjoy my time with her and make sure there’s plenty of it, despite having a busy workload and some other community commitments, but it always has been, and will be, “family first”.

    How do you manage your work/life balance?

    Helena from New-Age Retro Mum debates Should Both Parents Be Home?

    Feli from My Life In Mono, having just returned to work this month, discusses The Working Mum.

    Read more from The Shed.

  • WIN: Gorgeous gift set for the little one in your life

    WIN: Gorgeous gift set for the little one in your life

    Baby Bib

    RIGHT now I’m staring at a beautiful pile of perfectly ironed clothes. Oh, how I love my hubby. Next to that is a pile of socks – odd socks. Where their mates are, nobody knows. The worst offenders are Baby Holly’s toe covers, because they kick off her tiny feet so easily.

    It’s this reason I was drawn to something called Sokshus. My wonderfully chic friend Al owns a little Tassie gem called Cadootje, which stocks these part-sock, part-shoes. Incredibly, Sokshus won’t slide off little tootsies.

     The gorgeous gift store in Launceston (that’s in northern Tassie, for the uninitiated) had me all excited after Al sent me a brochure from one of her suppliers. Australian supplier Make My Day, which sells everything from kitchen gifts to items for the bar, has cute, stain resistant, silicone Baby Bibs. Why so excited about a bib? Because it’s dishwasher safe. Genius.

    Another is their Bottle Warmer, which allows you to warm up bub’s bottle or food without electricity or the fuss of carrying around a heavy thermal flask. Phew. It even fits those wide-necked bottles. The warmer comes in a funky cowhide neoprene pouch for extra thermal protection and features a velcro closure for convenient adjustment.

    If you’re in Tassie, make sure you drop in and say hi to Al at Cadootje, located at 27 David St, Newstead. If you can’t quite get there, make sure you visit her Facebook page. Also, check out the Make My Day blog.

    Sokshus
    Bottle Warmer

    Cadootje and Make My Day are giving one Three Li’l Princesses reader a silicone Baby Bib, a Bottle Warmer and a pair of Sokshus (for a boy or girl). To enter:

    1. Become a Three Li’l Princesses Facebook fan
    2. Become a Cadootje Facebook fan
    3. Visit Make My Day website
    4. Leave a comment telling us whether you want the prize for a boy or a girl

    Entry is open to Australian residents only. The winner will be drawn randomly on Wednesday, March 23 at 9am and announced on this site.

  • MEDIA: Example of a press release

    MEDIA: Example of a press release

    YOU have followed how to write a press release that gets noticed and been given a step by step guide to writing a press release, but sometimes you just need to see it in action. For those still struggling with how to put together their release, here’s an example.

    There will be further templates in different styles in the coming weeks and months. They’ll also be more legitimate than this one. This release is, well, partly made up. There was a bit of anecdotal evidence, but no actual statistics to base this one on. So please don’t judge it on the strength of the writing, but more its layout.

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    March 15, 2011

     

    MOVE OVER MUMMY BLOGGERS, HERE COMES DAD

    Daddy blogs on the rise in Australia

    Devonport, TAS – March 15, 2011  WITH more than 2000 Australian mummy blogs now registered, daddy bloggers are finally catching on. It seems 2011 may be the year of the daddy blogger, following a rise in dads either starting their own blogs or sharing a space online with their mummy counterparts.

    Tasmanian journalist Julian O’Brien is among that contingent, having begun blogging with his wife Kellie at Three Li’l Princesses in January. Although, as he points out, it’s all from his own `online room’ called `The Shed’. “Even in the virtual world we get relegated to the shed,’’ he said, laughing.

    O’Brien believes dads are now moving to blogs to share their parenting experiences – and feelings – after first dabbling in social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. “It’s so easy for us to get online and say what we’re feeling, whereas we probably wouldn’t say it to each other face to face. Blogging is just a longer version of a Facebook status update and Tweets.’’

    However, he said it’s not just dads who were seeking out his viewpoint. “Mums appreciate a male perspective on parenting too. It helps them understand where their partners are coming from,’’ he said.

    While many bloggers coming through are stay-at-home-dads, O’Brien works full-time but refers to himself as a “hands-on’’ parent. “The blog’s been a great way for me to share what it’s like to find a balance between work and parenting. Usually it’s women who talk about finding that `balance’, but it’s important for dads too.’’

    “ For us, the blog’s also about having a record of our girls’ early years. Our three-year-old comes out with some classic lines and it’ll be nice for her to look back on those in years to come. Without the blog, we probably wouldn’t record them. Neither of us ever kept diaries.’’

    The blog is a continuation of Kellie’s long running, successful newspaper column based on her experiences being pregnant and giving birth to their first child, which reached 90,000 readers. They now blog about their two daughters – Kellie is the third “li’l princess’’.

    Julian O’Brien is a newspaper deputy editor, daddy blogger and dad to two daughters. He began his journalism career 18 years ago, with his highlight being the Sydney Olympics in 2000. He shares the Three Li’l Princesses blog with mummy blogger and journalist Kellie. You can contact Julian at job91410 (at) bigpond (dot) net (dot) au.

    # ENDS #

    For more information, or to arrange an interview contact:

    Julian O’Brien, Three Li’l Princesses author, work: (03) 6440 xxxx, mobile 0419 xxx xxx, email: job91410 (at) bigpond (dot) net (dot) au, web: www.threelilprincesses.com

    TESTIMONIAL:

    “Since Three Li’l Princesses began, I’ve been an avid reader. It not only gives me a good laugh, but I’m learning quite a bit as a new dad and sharing some of my own experiences through the comments section. My mates and I talk footy and cricket, but rarely about how to deal with a fussy eater. It’s so refreshing hearing it from a dad’s mouth (or keyboard) and to realise you’re not alone in your thinking.’’  – Tim Roberts, dad to seven-month-old Jack and three-year-old Elissa, Ulverstone, Tasmania.

    To keep following the Media Room series, make sure you subscribe to the site.

  • WIN: Bright Star Kids giveaway winner announced

    THE winner of the $30 gift voucher to spend at Elisha Squire’s Bright Star Kids’ online store was ……

    Lisa Fairbridge

    Thanks to everyone for your wonderful suggestions on how to decorate Baby Holly’s room. We have a list and we’re whittling it down – it’s between the lettering and the tree at the moment!
    For those who haven’t visited the store yet, please consider popping by. You’ll discover gorgeous premium removable wall art, personalised kids’ labels for labelling child care and school items, wheelie bin labels and bag tags.
    Remember, Elisha is offering to send any Three Li’l Princess readers interested in the wall stickers a star sticker to try on your wall at home and stick-on label samples. Generous, indeed.
    For more information on Bright Star Kids, visit http://esquire.brightstarkids.com.au

    If you weren’t a winner today, don’t despair, there’s plenty more to come. We hope to have another wonderful giveaway up by the end of the week.

  • SLEEP CHALLENGE: How do you get a baby to sleep unwrapped?

    SLEEP CHALLENGE: How do you get a baby to sleep unwrapped?

    Baby Holly playing with her pacifier

    MONTH FIVE:

    What’s been happening this month? More sleep deprivation. Not even a touring Keith Richards lives this hard.

    Baby Holly is now a full-on roller – front and back. This means the whole wrapping the arms thing has to go, in-line with the SIDS guidelines. The fact she only sleeps a maximum of three hours at a time has made me reluctant to start. But I bit the bullet and began this week.

    The outcome? I went straight back to wrapping. If I unwrapped just one arm, she’d spend the whole time pulling her dummy out, then grizzle because she couldn’t put it back in again. After standing by her cot and holding her hand for quite a while, I ended up feeling like someone was stabbing me in the back with a sharp knife and no, Julia Gillard was nowhere in sight. Then Holly looked up and laughed at me. Nice! Little rotter ….

    You may be wondering what we did with Princess Ella at the same time. Well, due to the fact she was such a small baby, we somehow got away with wrapping her until she was eight months old. By that time, putting the dummy in and out of her mouth was a cinch.

    SOLUTION: No idea. Keep her wrapped, maybe? How did you go about unwrapping your baby for sleep? Any tips or tricks for me?

    Next in the series is: Month Six: Guest Post A mother’s heartache. Read all posts from the Sleep Challenge.