Want to LOSE Weight?

Yes that got your attention didn't it!

Well sorry to disappoint but I am NOT going to tell you how to LOSE weight...

I don't think we should be focusing on losing anything as much as we should be focusing on FINDING something...

Find what you ask...YOUR MOTIVATION!

Genius right...NOT.

*WARNING, I am about to get all Commando Style on you, some tough sunny love* ;)

Like anything in life, losing weight becomes as complicated as we let it get.

Many of us want quick results with little or no effort on our behalf.

Pills, shakes, lemons, detox, starvation, no carbs, all carbs, stand on your head and sip air thru a straw after every meal {OK OK I made that one up}

Why do we expect weight that took possibly years to put on, is going to come off and stay off overnight?

We also believe that life will magically be better once we LOSE this weight.

What EXACTLY is going to get better I ask you?

If, in your mind, it is life in general, then sorry to disappoint yet again, but life in general can be better RIGHT NOW just by changing YOUR attitude.

Usually, this weight you have put on, is for a reason.

Eat because your sad, eat because your happy, eat to celebrate etc etc

Health issues aside, most of us simply put IN more than we put OUT!

I AM ALL FOR EATING, geez I love my food. However, its HOW MUCH of it we eat and HOW LITTLE we move that is the problem.

We find every excuse possible to avoid exercise. Any of these sound familiar?

I'm tired...
I'll start Monday, next month, in the new year...
I don't have time...
I don't have the money...
I need new trainers/workout gear/equipment...

Yep used them myself and hear them all the time.

Personally, if I was waiting until I could afford a new Lorna Jane outfit to start working out, I would be waiting a very long time :)

So you can find me in my trusty old bonds with some random singlet, no make-up and sweating it out at the gym {shameless plug for them here, C2K at Castle Hill RSL rocks, best gym I have been to and I am STILL excited that I can watch whatever I want on foxtel on my very own little screen. If you live in the hills you should totally check it out}

OK back to what I was saying...

BOTTOM LINE is this...

If you eat too much, don't exercise and are overweight...then you are NOT looking after your children's mummy!

I know YOU are a FANTASTIC mum, YOU want the best for your babies so why are you not giving yourself the best?

Seriously, WHY?

Don't over think WEIGHT LOSS, in fact don't THINK it at all.

Focus entirely of FINDING your MOTIVATION.

Here are my {personal} Sunny & Simple Steps...

*Start your day with warm water & lemon.

*Drink lots of water everyday! Sorry but the calcium sucking, teeth rotting, & especially chemical laden diet soft drink has gots to go!
Save it for parties & you will enjoy it more.

*Make a list of MOVING to choose from and pick one from the list EVERYDAY (see my list below)

*Don't eat anything with ingredients you can't pronounce, better still, try not to buy anything in packets. This means you will mostly have fruit & veg, meat & you can bake your own school snax etc Baking with your kids is a great way to spend time with them, save money and prepare for the week ahead.

*NOTHING is off limits. The minute it is, you will want it and LOTS of it, trust me. Enjoy whatever you want, just don't pig out!


MOVING LIST:

No its not a list of what you need to pack, its a list of things you like/enjoy doing that make your body move!

Suggestions for your list...

Marvin. YES get your GROOVE on. Get on top {yes I mean literally} and work it out! I am serious, your partner will be happy, you get closer AND you get a workout ;) At the very least, do this on Mondays in honour of Marvin Monday!

Dancing. Turn on your favourite tunes and dance up a storm. In our house we like to play 'So You Think You Can Dance' The GM pretends to be Nat and somehow I NEVER get a ticket to Sydney :(

PLAY. Play with your kids. Tips, trampoline, bike riding, skipping, you name it, get active with you kids and you are SPENDING TIME AND ENERGY with them which is a win win situation indeed!

WII. OK we don't have one of these YET. If I did, I would report on how effective they are but ALOT of Mummies tell me these are super fun and get you moving.

WALKING. I do the school walk plus we often go for a family walk after dinner. Anywhere you can walk, DO IT.

BIKE RIDING. I haven't done this since Newcastle after I left my old bike there as a sign of protest to the GM that I would like a vintage beach cruiser bike {just like the one above and on the Sunny Mummy website} because I want to cruise around with a basket and flowers and maybe even streamers and spokey dokeys! I am still waiting but that shouldn't stop you riding hee hee

The point is this, my gorgeous, shining Sunny Mummies, you have ONE LIFE.

Your kids are watching.

You're tired, I know....are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?

GUESS WHAT, find your motivation and you wont be so tired...you gotta spend it, to make it!

So I don't care if you LOSE weight, I care if you FIND your motivation because I know if you find that, then you will lose weight anyway and you will SHINE even more.

Its your life Sunnies, LIVE IT and show your kiddies that YOU are important enough to be at the TOP of the list starting NOW!

What can YOU do today to get moving?

Keep Shining,

Stace x

PS Do not allow yourself to THINK I will start after Easter...
Starting implies you will finish, that there is an end point.
There is no end point in this. Just eat less, live more and MOVE MOVE MOVE!
ENJOY YOUR EGGIES TOO, we'll be eating ours for brekkie on Sunday!

A recipe for you!

Today was an odd day. Normally I shine no matter what the weather but today, it was definitely 'sunny with cloudy periods'.

I felt BLAH, couldn't focus and thought I didn't achieve much at all...

Many of you were feeling the same way as we chatted about overwhelming feelings etc

It is important you are able to recognise when the clouds come and know what course of action to take to sweep them away.

We all have cloudy periods and I like having them, clouds are beautiful and help me to appreciate the sunshine even more!

So, rather than sit and continue to feel blah, I grooved around the house to my fave songs and then baked, YEP..its what I do, I bake!

My friends don't say "My best friend's Betty" for nothing you know ;)

So here is what I made this afternoon for my kiddies


Brekkie Bikkies with a Banana Cinnamon Milkshake!

This got 2 thumbs up and seeing as I made the recipe up as I went along...I was pretty pleased with that!

Sunny Mummy’s Brekkie Bikkie’s

Ingredients:

2 crushed weetbix
½ cup of cornflakes
½ cup rice bubbles
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup wholemeal SR flour
½ cup shredded coconut
1 Tbs linseed's
Pinch salt
100 gms of choc chips (optional, I used white melts broken up but you can use sultanas, apricots, nuts etc)
Dash of vanilla
1 tbs honey
1 tbs golden syrup
½ tsp bicarb
2 tbs of boiling water

Method:

Beat butter and sugar in medium sized bowl then add vanilla.
Melt Honey & Golden syrup, add bicarb & boiling water stir, then add to butter mixture.

Combine all other ingredients in a large separate bowl, then add butter mixture.

Stir til combined and place balls onto paper lined baking tray, gently flatten with a fork and bake at 160 degrees until golden brown.

Let cool completely on baking trays. Store in airtight container. Makes approx 24.

Enjoy

PS A little birdie tells me its normal to feel blah AFTER you return from a holiday...anyone else experienced this post-holiday blahness?

Toys and soooo much more!

Just popping into let you know about a FAB giveaway Toys R Us are running!

When last have you visited your local Toys "R" Us Store?

If you know the store well, then you will know it is no ordinary toy store...

Not only can you get toys but you can also get everything you need for a party, a baby and sooooo much more.

If you have kiddies, and seeing as you are a Sunny Mummy then I am pretty sure you do ;) then you NEED to know about all that Toys R Us has to offer...

Like the AMAZING competition that Toys”R”US are running online for Easter!

I don't know about your house, but in ours, there is already frequent talk of Easter and requests for a WII console!

Hmmmm easter bunny does not bring Wii's I tell them BUT you can be in the running to win one, amongst many other super cool gifts...

Toys ”R” US, Toy Eggstravaganza Giveaway started yesterday March 22 and runs until April 30. This is your chance to win some fabulous prizes including a pack valued at over $1700, weekly ipod prizes, gift cards and more.

All you need to do is head to www.toysrus.com.au register for the VIP newsletter for your chance to win. TOO EASY!

I'm here!

Twice in one day hee hee

Didn't I just tell you this morning you won't see me around much this week?

Its true, after I share this with you...

This morning I officially graduated from Bizness Babes.

Such a great time to graduate because these babes get you focused and indeed I will be doing that this week!

I must say that I am happy to be me and be supported by these amazing women!

Happy to be me because I am not afraid to keep it real and share my thoughts with you. I do this because it is who I am and I am one of YOU!

I want you all to know that Sunny Mummy is not about money for me nor is it about ME, Stacey Sullaphen.

Sure, looking back now, it was inevitable that you may associate me as the face of Sunny Mummy because YES I created it, however Sunny Mummy is simply every mummy who chooses to be Sunny!

It has always been, always will be, an invitation, to join me in ENJOYING motherhood not enduring it.

I spend an enormous amount of time on Sunny Mummy and I truly LOVE every second of it...because of who I am....Sunny, as in personality and my love of life.

I really do keep my face to the sun so I don't see the shadows, OK except on a frumpy day when nothing fits, I know I have eaten too many cupcakes and I feel like my butt just made a total eclipse of the sun ;) Those don't happen too often and I quickly remind myself of all my good bits, butt included when I eat less cupcakes ;)

Of course I need to generate an income to contribute to my family and I am currently working out the best way to do that within Sunny Mummy.

Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know that I'm here.

Sunshine, Rain, Major Downpour...

here for YOU and every other mummy choosing to be Sunny!

Thankfully, I have the insight to know when things are heading off track in the personal and the business sense (again, thanks to Bizness Babes)and to know that I do not have to have my finger in every pie :)

Other businesses exist to inspire and support Mummies too.

Fantastic, the more help the better and I encourage you to find a movement that you believe in and one that floats your mummy boat...hopefully that is Sunny Mummy!

However, I am grateful that I am not one of these business owners for whom it is not enough to have their fingers in their own pies.

They want to put their fingers in yours too, copy your recipe, bake it, then TRY to pass it off as their own!

I am cleaning out the Sunny Mummy pantry this week (why does it always get back to food?) and tossing out the UN-ESSENTIAL ingredients.

I want to make ONE pie that is big enough for us all to feast on...

I will innovate not imitate and you can be sure that I will maintain my focus so you will always get the best from me and Sunny Mummy in general....

No artificial ingredients or colours, just pure sunshine!

See you later in the week!

Stace x

Walkin the talk!

On Saturday, I was so honoured to meet to many Sydney Sunny Mummies over at Allies Attic at Cronulla.

The common response upon meeting me was "Oh wow, you really are Sunny"...

This was such a compliment for me because what you see, is what you get!

However, this weekend was pretty full on and not only did I sleep through my 4.55am 'Good Morning Sunshine' alarm on Saturday, every time I got in the car, I fell asleep! The GM was driving of course, so don't picture me falling asleep at the wheel!

Last night, the GM started to talk to me after I had flopped into bed and was hardly listening...until I heard some words that broke a tiny piece of my heart off....

You see on Saturday, the GM being the GM, packed the car up for me, drove me to Cronulla, helped unpack my stock and then happily took the kids off to the beach for the day.

Whilst there, my GM tells me Sonshine said the following...

"I wish Mum didn't have a business, then she would be with us today having fun instead of working". Apparently Starshine then piped in with "Yeah, and I wish she didn't have a computer!"

:(

Now don't get me wrong, kids need to know that Mummies and Daddies work; and have a life outside of being their parents, however, these words stung like a bee because when combined with falling asleep at the drop of a hat, my own advice hit me straight in the face!

You see, in my quest to help rid motherhood of negativity and support other mummies to SHINE, there is a {possibility} that over the past couple of weeks, this Sunny Mummy has allowed herself to lose a little of her own shininess...

To my kiddies, I am their sunshine and I need to make sure I too, keep the main thing...the main thing!

I don't want my kiddies resenting the very thing that was created to support Mummies to SHINE if their own Mummy is NOT.

So what is all this about?

It is about me continuing to 'walk the talk'....

HOW?

By continuing to look after myself first, in order to look after my family best of course!

Its not that I haven't been doing this, its just that Sunny Mummy is growing FAST and I have been trying to fit it ALL in.

I know I cant, but it hasn't stopped me trying ;)

Hearing those words from my kiddies and being so tired the minute I stop, means I won't be trying to FIT IT ALL in anymore and this week, you won't see me around much...

Not only will I be celebrating 10 yrs of marriage with my GM later in the week,
I will be taking the time to tweak the old routine to evenly spread the rays.

I want to continue to 'walk the talk' and be the best woman, wife, mummy and leader of an amazing group of women SHINING and choosing to be SUNNY!

Our little positive motherhood movement is FAST growing Sunnies, so buckle up and prepare to enjoy the ride even more!

I shall be back soon to let you all know how I intend to keep the main thing...
THE MAIN THING!

Keep Shining,

Stace x

Thankful Thursday...

Todays Thankful Thursday list is very late, oops. Where did the day go?

I am challenging myself to use as few words as possible for my 7 things I am thankful for and let the images speak for me....I can do it. I can ;)

Thankful that this is how I see life.



Thankful for Dreams...




Thankful for thoughtful friends who buy me flowers & send me pretty things just because....



Thankful for Lisa...for too many reasons to list now.



Thankful for simple tea & honey toast.



Thankful for giving myself permission to get my nails done.



Thankful everyday for new beginnings.



Just Thankful for life...

Keep Shining,

Stace x

Mummy & Daughter Tea Party

I have been dying to post about Starshines 5th birthday last Sunday, however I have been so busy with everything else that it was put on the back burner...

So here it is, what do you think? Isn't it pretty! {If I say so myself}

Starshine absolutely adored having 10 little princesses over for the afternoon with their Mummies accompanying them, all dressed in their Sunday prettiest.

I have so many people to thank for helping make it such a lovely day.

The first person is Lisa from Joy and Me, a newly established event inspiration business and lucky for me, my friend. I like to think I have a bit of an eye for putting things together but Lisa takes it to a whole new level.

This super stylish Sunny Mummy can take things you already have in your home, team with a few well chosen purchases and viola, you have yourself a party straight out of Martha Stewart Living!

Sarah from Style Me Gorgeous, a boutique graphic design business, exclusive Sunny Mummy designer and MOST importantly, also my friend {I am a lucky girl aren't I}, was responsible for creating the invitations, banner and the take home party favours, laminated place mats which looked lovely on the tables and got the girls so excited to take home.

Next up is Simone from Complete Party boxes. This is the first time ever I have purchased party ware online and I WILL NEVER do it in a shop again. It is just way too easy AND affordable to effortlessly coordinate everything and believe me, Complete Party boxes HAS EVERYTHING!

Finally, Michelle from Gigglepot Kids, helped me choose Starshines gifts.



Gigglepot has premium quality, unique toys and gifts for kids and I am sure you will agree that these are the cutest little additions to any little girls toy collection and Starshine has NOT stopped making me smoothies and baking us cakes since Sunday.

Oh and I mustn't forget to thank my GM, the only thing missing that day was a tuxedo for the way he looked after the little and big ladies. Sonshine also played a part but I am not so sure he helped, as much as he hindered with his constant directions about what the girls should or could do and when...this inevitably led starshine to tell sonshine, its MY party...thankfully she didn't cry nor did she want to ;)

OK so now I know some of you will want details about certain things so here goes:

-The lolly jars are from Ikea and were super cheap.
-The scoops from Hot Dollar and a bargain at $3.99.
-The tree is from Bed Bath & Table as are the birdies & butterflies hanging off them.
-The party ware was Paper Eskimo designs from Complete Party Boxes.
-The Dolly leaning against the tree is Starshines and she is from Sheridan and is called..wait for it "Peggy Sunshine"..how cool is that.
- The pink tubs for drinks were also from ikea and again super cheap.
-The bottles holding the gerberas Sarah bought for me and they can be found in woolies near the deli, I think they are little Mediterranean style juices. Drink juice and soak to remove label, then you have 6 pretty mini bottles for just $3.99.

Having Mummy & Daughter tea party was such a nice way to spend an afternoon celebrating. The only thing that didn't run smoothly was my need to keep going & going, until the last minute...

This is why my hair looks like 'slick rick' hee hee I was running VERY LATE, and the mummies & daughters were arriving when I was still getting dressed so I couldn't do my hair...never mind, its not about the hair anyway ;)



We kept it simple with good old fashioned, pass the parcel...


Along with a face painting fairy!


I am not quite sure how our baby girl came to be 5 yrs old already, but I am honoured that WE get to raise her UP and help her to SHINE!

Oooh how I love old fashioned parties, they're coming back to a home near YOU!

Keep Shining,

Stace x

Mum-tourage..part 2

Hi Mummies,

This morning I emailed Mara Lee, editor of Practical Parenting magazine to let her know how her message came across to me, and many other mummies, on the Morning Show yesterday.

Mara was so lovely and very promptly replied with the following: (which she also did in the comments section of the original post)

Hi Stacey,

Thanks for the opportunity to reply.

It’s a fact of life that some mums appear (and I stress the word appear) to be more on top of things than others. I refer to them as Professional Mums because mothering is what they do best. If mothering was a paid job (and we all know it should be!), these women would get a pay raise every year - they’re that good at it. I mentioned that they are great to have in your support network because I genuinely believe they are worth their weight in gold. I have several in my own mum-tourage and they save my bacon each and every week because they know important stuff that I forget or don’t know. About when school notes are due back, about soccer training times for my son, about where to get the best (but cheapest!) dancing shoes for my daughter. I love them madly. They don’t make me feel inferior because they help me, and I’m so very grateful for this help. They allow me to be the mum I want to be.

I used the term Slummy Mummy with my tongue firmly placed in my cheek, and certainly did not mean to imply that their purpose in your life is to make you feel superior in comparison. Personally, I love the term because it promotes the idea of being a “good enough parent” (Larissa mentions this in her response to your blog). I really rate the “good enough” parenting philosophy, as it doesn’t require me to beat myself up whenever I stuff up (and I do this more times than I care to admit) or need to cut corners (ie “showering” the kids with the hose when I water the garden on hot days!). I should have realised that not everyone would share my odd sense of humour that finds such a label funny and refreshing in the often too-serious world of parenting.

Ever since I had my first baby – nearly 11 years ago now – I vowed to find the fun in parenting and to not take myself too seriously. Taking myself and my role as a mum too seriously actually made me feel quite miserable as I could never live up to my own expectations. I also vowed, as editor of Practical Parenting to support all “types” of mums, and make them feel loved, supported, valued and damn good at what they do.

If yesterdays segment gave you the impression that I was judging mothers in a negative way, please accept my apology as that was the complete opposite of my intention. I'll also post this response to your blog for your followers to read.

Best wishes,

Mara

I of course replied immediately and thanked Mara for clarifying what she actually meant by the term 'Slummy Mummy'.

Mara went on to say that their editorial philosophy is built around being supportive, balanced and non-judgemental and she was horrified to hear that her comments came across the wrong way.

I am very grateful Mara took the time to reply and I have let her know that
I have written an article of how we often THINK other mothers have it all together when in reality it only appears that way.

Mara tells me that Practical Parenting often publish mums' stories and opinions as they are a great forum to share experiences and thoughts.

Wish me luck in sharing my thoughts with Mara and hopefully Practical Parenting readers!

Keep Shining as brightly as you all did yesterday!

I am grateful for the support we all have for each other

Stace x

Ps I received many requests this morning for Sunny Mummy tees and Car stickers...
I also thought we could have Sunny Undies! We could pull on our big girl undies and prepare to shine hee hee Now THAT would give a whole new meaning to thinking the sun shines out of...well you know what I mean ;)

SO I have another little poll in the top right hand corner, pls take a second to answer. THANKS x

PPS I was SOOOOO kidding about the undies!

Mum-tourage..

For the first time since starting this blog I am NOT including a picture.

1. I don't want to image to distract from my message and
2. I would NEVER post an image of a Slummy Mummy :(

Firstly, where would I find such an image and secondly, how horrible for the woman I choose as the image to represent a SLUMMY MUMMY!

SLUMMY MUMMY, yes, you read correctly, no I have not been indulging in a few lunchtime vino's resulting in the misspelling of a 'way of life' for mothers I have created...

I am not referring to SUNNY MUMMY, rather SLUMMY MUMMY.

The first time I heard this term was a little over a week ago in the Sunny Mummy forums.

One of our Sunny Mummies was bringing to our attention the various 'labels' we mums have been allocated with the obvious being YUMMY but surprisingly, there was a new one...SLUMMY.

"What about Sunny?" our mummy asked.

"They need to know there is alternative and that there are mums who are choosing to be sunny, not worrying about what category they fit into when picking up the kiddies from school"!

Could not agree more!

So I come to why I am a little fired up as I write this, OK ALOT fired up & have been so since I watched the segment on my little video screen on the treadmill at
C2K in Castle Hill (more on that later but how good is it that you have your own TV on your treadmill!).

At the very least, I can thank the segment for making run that little bit harder rather than fall off from what my ears were absorbing.

The segment was titled 'Mum-Tourage' and featured Practical Parenting Editor,
Mara Lee, informing Kylie and Larry about the people Mums should have in their
Mum-tourage.

I had never heard of a mum-tourage til this morning, which is basically an entourage that mummies would/should/could have to support them!

OK, I agree with that concept and feel very lucky to have not only a physical
mum-tourage but a virtual one too !{that's you guys}

What I don't agree with is the labels Mara then proceeded to bring to our attention that have been placed on mothers.

Mara started out well (and don't get me wrong, Practial Parenting was on my magazine hit list for many years so I love Mara's work)recommending that the number 1 person to have in your mum-tourage should be your GP.

Yes there is NO DOUBT we all need a good GP but I don't think he is going to take my call when the kids have been up all night, said "Mum" precisely 458 times that day and all I want to do is either a) get a good nights sleep or b) run away to Gloria jeans to sip on a latte with a mummy friend who knows EXACTLY what kind of day I had...

I don't think my GP would agree to bulk bill a vanilla latte :)

So, Mara YES a good GP SHOULD be in your mum-tourage but what concerns me massively is what came next....

The next recommendation was to have a 'Professional Mummy' in your Mum-tourage.

According to Mara, the Professional Mummy is the Mummy who has kids older than yours, knows what pre-school you should send yours too, when the school notes are due back etc etc

I could have yelled "GO LARRY" in the middle of the gym when Larry suggested that this kind of Mummy could make you feel INFERIOR.

Well Yes Larry, but according to Mara, that's OK because this is where SLUMMY MUMMY makes her appearance!

SLUMMY MUMMY is the mummy who gives her kids baked beans seven nights a week as opposed to your three and then proceeds to tell you all the benefits of doing so, fibre etc so as to make you feel err 'less guilty'.

So let me get this right Mara, is the idea of having a Slummy Mummy in your Mum-tourage to make YOU feel better about yourself because you are NOT a Professional Mummy?

I am sorry but this is just ridiculous. I don't want to be either thanks.

Worse still, Kylie (whom I have met and is just gorgeous and such a lovely lady to talk to)then admitted to feeling like a Slummy Mummy because she took her son to the wrong park for his cricket presentation...

Kylie, if that's the worst thing you ever do to your kids then they are doing well!

Guilt is such a waste of energy, whats done is done and you simply learn your lesson (in this case, triple check details hee hee) and move on.

Yummy Mummy, Professional Mummy, Sport Mummy and now SLUMMY MUMMY.

What next?

Where is Sunny Mummy in all of this?

Sunny Mummy needs to be next!

Sunny Mummy is not a label or a status by the way,
it is a WAY OF LIFE!

A choice...to ENJOY motherhood, NOT endure it.

To look after yourself first, in order to look after your family best!

A Sunny Mummy can be sporty, plain, glamorous or all of the above, it doesn't matter as long as she is happy.

What matters most is that she is allowing herself to still be a woman...

To still be YOU!

She may feed her kids breakfast for dinner every now and again{yes that would be me} and she may give them baked beans too but that doesn't make her slummy.

Even if this Mummy did give her kids baked beans 7 nights per week, doesn't she deserve some help? Some guidance to perhaps plan her days and get a little more organised with her meal planning?

I am all for having a Mum-Tourage, we need support, we need to be surrounded by other mothers (and non-mothers) to keep our sanity and swap ideas.

What I am NOT for, is including another mother in your Mum-tourage to make yourself feel better. Nor am I for labelling a mother a 'professional' mother.

Is a professional mother a woman who makes a 'career' out of motherhood?

Can't we all do that?

Can't we all be dedicated to raising and inspiring our kids to rise up and SHINE without feeling guilty for giving them baked beans for dinner and subsequently labelling ourselves a slummy mummy?

There are exactly 1177 Mummies on facebook who have declared their choice to be Sunny over anything else. There is more of course, they just haven't found our little Sunny Mum-tourage yet :)

We need more mums and the MEDIA to know that Mums have a choice, that there is a new Mummy in town and she is THE BEST ONE, THE ONLY ONE, FOR HER CHILDREN!

An exciting new chapter is about to unfold...

I have contacted The Morning Show about responding to this segment and I need your help!

Lets spread the rays of Sunny Mummy all over Australia (and the world) and reject this silly notion that we need to be any kind of mother other than the one we are...

A Sunny one who chooses to keep her face to the sun so she doesn't see the shadows!
A friendly one who supports & uplifts other mothers rather then judging them!
A caring one who cares about herself first and foremost because she KNOWS this means she can care for her family BEST!

Sunny MUMMIES, you have made the choice and its not a 'choose once' deal.

Everyday we must choose again, (ME INCLUDED) to be Sunny...

We all have our moments, days, even weeks but for the most part we RISE UP & SHINE because we know it makes us and our families FEEL GOOD!

If you believe in the Sunny Mummy Movement, then please take a moment to tell the world that you are a SUNNY MUMMY and wouldn't have it any
other way!

You can do so by contacting The Morning Show here, posting a link to this blog on your blog, tweeting this blog link and letting all your Mummy friends know there is a BRIGHT & SHINY Mum-Tourage we want her to be a part of!

Thank you all for being in my world, it truly is brighter because of you and I look forward to the next step!

Keep Shining,

Stace x

PS I feel better now

What kind of bird are you?

Back in January (BTW, how is it March already?), I spent a week on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in QLD.

We stayed at a beautiful resort with lots of....turkeys!

Brush Turkeys that is, they were EVERYWHERE.



Every day I would notice these BIG birds scratching here, scratching there and never really getting ‘off’ the ground like the majority of other birds do.

One morning, I stepped in Turkey Poop. Gross!

As I scrubbed my feet, these birds were on my mind.

Stay with me....

The brush turkey spends most of their time on the ground.
They spend most of their time alone, or can be found hanging with other turkeys.
While the bird may look slow, it can run fast when disturbed.
A quiet bird, the brush-turkey can sometimes be heard making soft grunts.

Interesting stuff huh ;)

I thought of some phrases about turkeys, which I am sure you would have heard;

'If you hang around with turkeys, you’ll never fly'

or

‘If you want to SOAR with the Eagles, don’t SIT with the Turkeys'

After watching these birds, I get it even more....

If I were a bird, I would not want to be a turkey!

Spending most of my time alone or with other turkeys, never meeting new birds, never getting off the ground, only running when my comfort is disturbed and every so often, grunting!

We all have people in our life that are turkeys.

My point is this, hang around with them long enough and not only will you never get off the ground or out of your comfort zone, you will soon be dealing with crap!

Birds of a feather flock together...

Be aware of the turkeys and seek out the Eagles.



Eagles have laser focus and as such, strong vision.

Inspired, focused and positive people are the same.

We can soar to great heights and travel great distances, just by being in the presence of ‘eagle’ types.

In work and play, we need to surround ourselves with like minded people.

This is why the internet is such a wonderful place. Finding people who share our interests, who are focused on their vision and who genuinely want to collaborate and share ideas, are at our fingertips!

Our Sunny Mummy community is just like that, a flock of Mummies seeking out the sun and supporting one another to SHINE!

How honoured do I feel to have all these type of {birds} hee hee, around me!

Sometimes we have to stop and ask ourselves, am I the type of bird someone wants to fly with?

My message today is this...

Choose your flock wisely, and together, you will all soar to great heights, taking you places you have never been before!

Do you want to be on the ground watching out for poop, every so often grunting?

or

Flying high and enjoying the view?

The choice is ours and I know which bird I'd rather be...what about YOU?

Keep Shining,

Stace x

Letter to self...

Every week on the YOU page over at sunnymummy.com.au
I will set a challenge for YOU and I.

The very first challenge has just been loaded, where I have written a letter to my seventeen yr old self.

I look forward to reading yours!

Stace x

YOU

Hello YOU, yes YOU...remember her?

WHO? Her...

Who ME?

YES YOU!

Before you were a Mummy, you were YOU.

A woman, a daughter, a sister, a friend and so on and so on.

You had hopes, dreams and things you liked to do for YOU...ALONE.

Now you are a Mummy, what has changed? Everything, something or nothing?

My guess is everything and soooo much more.

I am not sure exactly who started it, but somewhere along the way, we were led to believe that if we put ourselves at the bottom of the list, we would be a better mother.

And so we feed, bathe, play, read, soothe, clean, sing, yell, work, laugh, cry, cuddle and YAWN. We are tired, oh so tired being everything to everyone, except the one person that matters the MOST.

Something else we learnt along that way is that while you are busy doing all of the above, would you mind ensuring you keep your toe in the career waters by working part time, full time, casual, at home, in the office. Or if you’re not going to stay 'AT WORK' then you better study to better your skills or perhaps start a business or volunteer at the school and so on and so on and so on.

Do you think it’s over?

Not yet, because while you are busy doing all of the above, could you please make sure you are yummy too? Not because somebody wants to eat you, but because that's what mummies are these days, aren't they?

What exactly does it mean to be a YUMMY MUMMY?

If it means I am a tired, cranky, skinny jean wearing, GHD straightening looking MAMA who is about to have a melt down at the drop of hat....then I don't wish to participate in this external illusion thank you very much.

And so where are we left? What choice do we have?

To focus on everybody and everything else instead of how we feel?

Does that make you a better mother?

We have a choice. We can choose to be SUNNY.

So what is a Sunny Mummy?

It is me and it is you if you choose to be...

A Sunny Mummy is a mother who looks after her first so she has something left to give to her family.

She is a woman who avoids eating junk foods, thinking junk thoughts and living a life full of junk.

What is JUNK?

Junk is anywhere and everywhere...it is the food you eat with ingredients you can't pronounce. The thoughts you think of that contaminate your mind, like comparing yourself to others or thinking you’re not worthy.

It's anything in your world that you possess or have present that does not bring you joy and help you live simply!

Being a Sunny Mummy means you choose to look after yourself first.

This is the most selfless thing to do in order to live a positive and healthy life, in which you value your various roles and as such can begin to be truly present in each one.

Sound good?

The choice is yours...will you join me as a Sunny Mummy and look after your children's mummy?

Of course you will, I knew you would....

Welcome to YOU, she is so glad you're finally here :)

Stace x

PS This is my message on the YOU page of www.sunnymummy.com.au be sure to pop over and check out the site, there will be articles added weekly!

Slow Down...

I always look at those blogs with just an image and just a few sentences & think
"How lovely, I could never do that ;) too much to say.."

Tonight I am doing it. I saw this image on FatMumSlim's blog.

It is perfect for me right NOW...

I had a very busy day today.

Sunny Mummy is really taking off and that is FANTASTIC for all of us.

I was starting to feel a little, well, overwhelmed. All these opportunites, all these emails, all these things to do and then...

The phone rang, it was my mum.

My Aunt had suffered a massive heart attack just shy of 60 yrs young.

She is on life support, fighting for her life.

And I am reminded...

SLOW DOWN

CALM DOWN

DON'T WORRY

DON'T HURRY

TRUST THE PROCESS.

Indeed, just trust the process.

Keep Shining,

Stace x

Thankful Thursday...

I never struggle to come up with 7 things I am thankful for every Thursday....

There is sooo much good in life and if its what you look for, its what you'll find!

So here is this weeks list:

Our Sunny Mummy Website...



Most of you know it went LIVE on Monday and WOW the response has been nothing short of amazing. Mummies from all over Australia and the world, now have a warm place to be no matter what the weather and I am thankful for the many Sunny Mummies who are already in the forums talking Sunny, who have written to me just to say "HI, I love the site" and who want to feature on REAL Sunny Mummies!

The Sunny Mummy website will continue to grow and evolve with all of us and I want you to make it your virtual home. Say Hi, meet other Sunny Mummies, be inspired, tell us your hopes, your struggles, read articles...discuss and if you can, come to an event and celebrate YOU and your contribution to making motherhood a better place!

Sunny's Angels...

OK so obviously I am NOT Charlie but this is how I kind of feel with the elite team of gorgeous Sunny Mummies that have agreed to contribute to the Sunny Mummy site.

Do you think I should ask them all to get Farrah flicks? hee hee

First up we have Lisa...



This lovely lady I met at Bizness Babes and my life is forever changed.

Lisa has firstly become my friend, then a valuable member of my business cheer squad, event advisor and now the 'Single Mummy' writer on the site.
I am very thankful for all of this.

Next is Sharnel...



I can't even tell you how I found Sharnel :)

It was one of those "ooh that blog looks good, oh look there is another one and an hour later...ooooh ahhhhhh my eyes are in heaven with all these lovely images of dessert tables and stunning homes"! Oh and I WANT HER KITCHEN!

I am so thankful Sharnel agreed to be part of the team...
Doesn't she just look Sunny?

And last but CERTAINLY not least is Chantelle...



Wish I could say how I found Chantelle but she is in the same blogging boat that Sharnel is...well maybe boat is the wrong word, lets go with Super Cruise Liner!

Chantelle's blog just makes me happy and she manages to get her message across with beautiful images and a hell of a lot less words than what I do...

And that's why I am thankful she agreed to join the team too.

Each of the ladies are so different yet share so many things...

Sunny, Talented and Mummies :)

OK so that's 4 so far...

My Bizness Babes

I don't have a picture of them all yet, but I will soon, as we have finished our course and graduate in a couple of weeks! How exciting :)

These amazing bunch of women are so supportive, creative and dedicated.
I am so thankful for the support but most of all their friendship.

My GM (gentleman)

I am always thankful for my GM but this past week he just took it to another level. The launch of Sunny Mummy was exciting and very time consuming and my GM just took over and handled everything on the home front whilst I was zooming around cyber land. Beep beep ;)

And of course I have to mention my kiddies, they haven't had much Mummy time this week and yes I do feel guilty but then I quickly remind myself that they are with their Daddy and this isn't a usual week in our home.

Although I do have to ensure now, that I re-adjust those wheels again to keep our family on track and shining...after all, I can't get so busy helping to keep everyone else on track that our little train goes off the rails ;)

So, soon I will report back with my new schedule of hours as a Sunny Mummy in my OWN home and our virtual one. I want to be sure I maintain balance and look after myself first (hint hint) so I can continue to be YOUR number one supporter in your journey to SHINE!

Keep Shining,

Stace x

PS I know this much... Yesterday, on 'Wise Wednesday' I declared Wednesdays as of next week, "Nothin but Mummy" day. This means that apart from my morning greeting on facebook, you won't hear from me.

I will be off working in the canteen, helping with reading, having a vanilla latte alone or with a friend, shaving my legs, painting my toes & snuggling with my GM ;)

Will you join me?

Will you give yourself permission to take the day off from other 'work' to just be YOU, Mummy and Wife (if you have a partner that is)?

If we use our tools and work smarter not harder, you can easily fit this recharge day in and I promise you, Thursday and Friday YOU WILL ROCK IT!

Sunny Mummy is LIVE !

Summer is officially over but you can still feel the sun everyday no matter
what the weather at www.sunnymummy.com.au

Do come by for a rest and a look around, let me know what you think?

Love Stace x