When Madeline left a five-star rating on our Facebook page we wanted to find out more about her real-life story #fomum.
I'm Madeline, a teacher with four little monkeys to call my own; Patrick and Harrison our 6 year old identical twins, Emma our 4 year old firecracker and Matthew, our sweet 8 month old who completed our family. I'm currently on maternity leave and grateful to have some time with my kids. My "Mamma Challenges" are mostly around juggling the needs of everyone (myself included). Maintaining a routine for a baby is near impossible with the activities of the older kids, so Matthew just has to go with the flow and sleep when he can.
Where Do You Live And What Are Your Go-To Places To Have Fun?
We live in Port Macquarie and remind ourselves daily how lucky we are to have work opportunities in such an idyllic spot. We spend our days at Flynns Beach. The twins love surfing and live in the water year round. The kids also love fishing at Settlement Point or swimming in the river at Rollands Plains. We spend our holidays in Byron Bay so our life pretty much involves the beach and water activities.
Describe Your Perfect Day At The Beach.
A perfect beach day starts with an early morning swim and coffee. Then we wander up to the rock pools to look for starfish and collect shells. Afterwards the older two kids surf the bigger waves while Emma and I jump over them on the shore and Matthew happily snoozes in the Frog Orange while the waves kiss his little feet. We always head home for the hottest part of the day and then return in the afternoon to repeat the mornings' activities. A really perfect day would include an early evening picnic on the beach as the sun sets too.
What Do You Like Most About Your Frog Orange Carrier?
I love the flexibility it provides our family. It means that I can have both hands free to play with Emma in the waves while Matthew is strapped in, so I'm not trying to hold a baby and a toddler at the same time. The design is simple to use and easy to put on by yourself. I only wish I had found it before my fourth baby!
What Does Healthy Living Mean To You? How Does That Influence How You Raise Your Children?
For us healthy living is about balance. Balancing out the broccoli with the babycinnos. Nothing is "off limits" or " bad" but we talk about the importance of eating food that will make our bodies strong. We try to spend lots of time outdoors and appreciate how lucky we are to live the life we do.
Madeline Rex - #FOMUM
