Mummy Blogging: No one is Perfect

Hello there lovelies! welcome back to my blog. Have you noticed how social media shaped our behaviours and us in general. Do I even remember life before instagram and facebook!

At the start of each month I think to myself I NEED to post once a day on Instagram sometimes I do manage to post every day for a week then I stop! Because let’s face it life is not as glamorous as most Instagram posts are!

While I try to juggle work and being a mum, I barely have time to look pretty and take a photo or sometimes I barely do anything exciting for days that are Instagram worthy! I honestly envy those who do.

Personally, We are not out for dinner every night and we don’t plan kid’s activities every weekend as much as we try. As a mummy blogger I follow a few mummy bloggers on Instagram and read a few blogs as well. I always wonder to myself how do they do it? Every photo is Pinterest perfect! Then I realised no one’s life is completely perfect and no one has completely figured out motherhood to make it look so flawlessly effortless. Most of these photos are meticulously staged and planned.

No one posts a selfie with zero sleep or a photo of their pjs with milk stains from breastfeeding because let’s face it motherhood can sometimes be so unglamorous. For the past few months I’ve only been wearing concealer (unless I’m filming for my channel) if I feel fancy then I’ll add pencil liner and a lip-gloss.

We as mummy bloggers/ vloggers try so hard to make our parenting look perfect on social media that sometimes we forget to live and enjoy the moment. In the past few months I saw many YouTube mummies’ marriages fall apart, people I honestly had the perfect marriage and family. Their photos are the type that make you #goals on social media.

I’m here to admit I’m not a Pinterest mum and I’m not even one of those mums who have a perfect Instagram feed but there is no shame in that because as we grow older we will remember our memories and laugh at the goofy (non instagramable) photos.

So next time you are on Instagram and look at your favourite blogger remember that it is not always what it seems. You are leading your version of perfect with your family.

Have you ever felt pressured but what you see on social media?

Thanks for stopping by,

Let’s be mummy friends

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

This blogpost is linked to this lovely linkup

Triumphant Tales 

Day at the Museum: Pauline Gandel Children’s Gallery Review

Hello lovelies welcome back to my blog and if you are new here I hope you will stick around and become a regular visitor.

We went to Melbourne Museum for Pauline Gandel Children’s Gallery designed for babies up to 5 years old. Here is a quick review of Children’s Gallery in case you want to take you little ones.

Cost: free to children under 3

$15 for adults

Tickets:

You can get your tickets online or at the entrance

Address:

11 Nicholson St, Carlton, Victoria, 3053

it is a convenient location with plenty of public transport options and parking available. We took the bus; it was entertaining for baby E because he has barely been in a bus or train. Of course, in a very toddler- mummy manner we sang wheels on the bus go round and round while on the bus.

The children’s museum is open daily, from 10am to 5pm. We went on a Saturday. The Children’s Gallery was full because it was the holidays and most parents were trying to make the most of it.

Thing I will do differently next time

Apart from bring my husband along (he was still in Kenya when we went to the museum); I would also bring my DSLR camera. We would also aim to go early in the morning and spend the day at the museum. There is a big playground next to it and plenty of space for a family picnic.

I would bring change of clothes for E because there was a small water fountain that we tried hard to avoid so it would have been helpful if he had spare clothes to enjoy splashing the water.

Overall Experience

Fantastic, I would definitely be bringing baby E again

Thanks for stopping by,

Let’s be mummy friends
YouTube
Instagram
Twitter

Linking this post to these lovely link parties

Triumphant Tales 

What’s that smell? My Favourite Perfumes & Wish List

Hi Lovelies, welcome back to my blog. Today’s post is not mummy related but I wanted to share with you some of my favourite perfumes and which perfumes I want to add to my collection.

1. Cinema by Yves Saint Laurent

If I could pick only one perfume to use for the rest of my life, this would be it. My mum gifted me this perfume when I was getting married and therefore it holds such dear place in my heart.

2. Amarige by Givenchy

Again, another perfume that holds great place in my heart is Amarige, it’s one of the perfumes my mum used to use growing up so the smell reminds me of her. When I was heading off to university and moving from home, my mum gifted me the miniature version and I used to smell it whenever I was home sick.

3. Daisy by Marc Jacob

I was first gifted this perfume when I was getting married and I repurchased it again and again. It has a floral smell but it’s not overpowering.

4. Eternity by Calvin Klein

This is the most affordable perfume on my list. It is my everyday fragrance, I repurchased it so many times to count. It’s my go to perfume for work, interviews or a casual meeting with friends.

WishList

5. Black Orchid by Tom Ford

any perfume by Tom Ford will have to be on my wish list, Black Orchid has great reviews online, because as most of you are aware Tom Ford products are not the most affordable you will find so many posts of people trying to find a dupe perfume that smells like Black Orchid. In my opinion nothing beats the original even if you are going to pay a little extra.

6. Si by Giorgio Armani

This will be my birthday  gift to myself this year if I don’t manage to buy it before July.

7. Chanel N5 & 8. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

Chanel perfumes are timeless, I have added both Chanel N5 which is a mature scent and Chanel Coco Mademoiselle which is more youthful to my wish list.

What’s your favourite scent? 

Thanks for stopping by,

Let’s be mummy friends
YouTube
Instagram
Twitter

You can find this post linked to this fabulous blog link up

Triumphant Tales

Moving to Melbourne | Mrs Jibril

Hi Lovelies, Welcome back, if you are new here I hope you will enjoy my content and become a regular visitor.
As some of you already know from my post Moving & Starting a New Chapter… From Kenya to Australia I moved back to Melbourne Last year with my son and from my pervious post We got it – Our Australian Partner Visa granted in 4 Months you could tell that my husband will be joining us in a few weeks.

I thought it would only be appropriate to share tips and things you should know before moving to Melbourne. Melbourne is one of the most expensive cities to live in but it is also the most livable city in the world seven years in a row*
*According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Livability index

My latest video on YouTube sheds the light on cost of living, renting, public transport and jobs in Melbourne. I tried to make a video that is as informative as possible to anyone considering moving or if you are just curious about these things.

Head over to my YouTube channel and watch my latest video. I would love if all my readers can support me on YouTube as much as you support my blog because I’m relatively new to the mummy YouTube community.

I have a lot of content planned for both my blog and YouTube channel so if you are not following my blog and subscribe to my YouTube channel please do.

If you are feeling a little lazy to head over to YouTube to watch my latest video, don’t worry there is a widget on the right side where you can watch it.

Have you ever been to Australia?

Thanks for stopping by,

You can find this post linked to this fabulous blog link up

Global Blogging

We got it – Our Australian Partner Visa granted in 4 Months | Mrs Jibril

I’m so excited to share the great news. My husband will be joining us very soon, his visa was granted on Friday and the reason I’m posting this on Monday is we were too busy celebrating with excitement over the weekend.

In case this is your first time stumbling across my little blog here is a little recap about our relationship:

We met back in 2008 (it will be 10 years in October) in Nairobi, Kenya. I was a freshman in university and he was in his 2nd year. He was in my roommate’s group and we knew a lot of the same people. Before you think we were college sweethearts unfortunately we were not, even though we clearly liked each other we had our cultural and religious boundaries.

Several years later I moved back to Melbourne, Australia with my family and I started my masters. We started talking on Facebook and soon after we got engaged. He was in Kenya and I was in Australia which obviously meant one of us had to move.

I decided to move to Kenya after completing my studies and we had a spectacular wedding and honeymoon. A few months later we had baby E the centre of this blog, we lived in Kenya and I was a SAHM (stay at home mum). I started this blog while I was there. Things seemed perfect until there weren’t! I wanted to work and I didn’t have working rights in Kenya but I had the right to live in Kenya as long as I’m married to my Kenyan husband. Long story short we had to make another tough decision for us to move to Australia.

As easy as it sounds it was actually a very difficult decision. My husband needed a visa that allows him to move to Melbourne and have full working rights so we don’t end up with the same issue. So, the idea of all of us moving together at the same time was out of the question. We needed to have a place to live at this point even a one-bedroom studio would have been good enough because we couldn’t stay at my mum’s house as a family of 3 for an indefinite period. We also needed an income to live off and pay for rent and utilities

The biggest struggle was the fact visa application fee is $7,000 (700,000 KSH) and I wanted our lawyers to represent us, professional legal representation will also cost you a few thousands dollars. we didn’t have all that money (over 1 million KSH) at the time of my move. I moved with baby E and my husband stayed in Nairobi, in case you were wondering here is how we made our long-distance relationship work.

Shortly after my move I found full time employment in my field of studies, I managed to rent a 2-bedroom apartment and fully furnished it. Then I went for a consultation with our lawyer to know what is needed to start the application. I started gathering as much information as I could possible gather to proof our relationship, things like a receipt he paid for when I got our first baby scan back in 2015 and the list of evidence goes on. In my mind every little thing can be used as proof that our marriage is genuine even though we had a marriage certificate and Baby E’s birth certificate listing both of us as parents and that we are married.

In September 2017 we lodged his application, I was told by many including our lawyers that it could take up to a year if not longer given that it was an offshore application. We were willing to wait because we didn’t have any other option and I was even planning to go to Kenya with Baby E in April for a visit because even though we talk daily nothing beats being physically together in one place as a family and as a couple. Luckily, I didn’t book the tickets because I was waiting for the prices to drop first.

After lots of prayers, endlessly checking our emails and continuously calling our lawyers. We received the best email on 12/01/2018 our partner visa was granted. This is one thing I can tick off my 2018 goals, Mr Jibril will be joining us very soon, can you sense my excitement through this post!

I will be filming “the Husband Tag” for my YouTube Channel once he arrives so make sure you are subscribed so you don’t miss that video.

I will also post once our excitement cools off about how the visa process was for us for anyone who might be in a similar situation, a more informative post. This post was just to share the good news with all my blog readers especially those who were sending us their well wishes.

Thanks for stopping by,

Mrs Jibril

Let’s be mummy friends

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

You can find this post linked to this fabulous blog link up

Big Pink Link | Triumphant tales | KCACOLS

I NEED YOUR HELP! | MRS JIBRIL

Hi Lovelies,

Welcome back to my blog, if you are new here I hope you will enjoy my content and become a regular visitor.
As some of you know I’m a mummy blogger and I started a mummy YouTube channel end of 2017. Why you may wonder given that my blog has started receiving much needed exposure? Because I didn’t see many mums who look like me on YouTube! I felt and still feel like I have something different to offer.

what are your thoughts about my new banner! New videos every week.

I talk about my channel in depth in this post. I stopped think “what if” what if someone I know comes across my channel, what if someone leaves me a mean comment, what if no one watches my videos. Then I thought to myself so what! If I have 10 people watching my videos I will be happy because those are 10 people I’m able to reach from the comfort of my home. Sometimes it is our thoughts that stop us for doing what we want.
 
How can you help?
From my blog post’s title, you maybe thought this is a fundraiser post or I’ll be asking you to vote for me in a blogging competition. Actually, it is not! I want you to head over to Mrs Jibril and watch any video of your choice, if you like my content please subscribe to my channel and if you are feeling generous share it on any social media platform.

I have a lot of content coming your way in 2018. I post weekly new videos since starting my channel with subtitles in case you can’t understand my accent. I want you to come along of the ride and support my channel as much as you support my blog.

Leave me your suggestions of videos you would like to see?

Thanks for stopping by,

Let’s be mummy friends
YouTube
Instagram
Twitter

you can find this post linked to this fabulous blog link up

#Blogstravaganza

 

7 Podcasts you should listen to in 2018 | Mrs Jibril

Hi Lovelies, welcome back to my blog and if this is your first time stumbling across my little piece of the Internet welcome, I hope you will stick around and become a regular visitor.

As promised in my 2018 goals I want to be more consistent on my blog and share with you all the things I love.

Back in 2016 I never used to listen to podcasts honestly I barely had time being a first time mummy to a newborn and also I’m more of a visual person! Give me a movie or a series to watch and we can become best friends so audio wasn’t very appealing at that time (why lie!).

After I moved back to Australia (I lived in sunny Kenya for a while in case you didn’t know) I also started working after being a SAHM when I was in Kenya. I was taking long commutes to and from work! I found myself getting bored easily for constantly being on Instagram and Facebook, I was also always running out of data within a few days. I wanted something to entertain me on my train ride. Podcasts was exactly the solution to what I was looking for. I can download them at home (using Wi-Fi) and listen to them in my daily commutes. Here are my favourite 7 podcasts that I would recommend you to listen to.

1. Serial

Early 2017 I came across a Facebook comment about Adnan Syed. I was clueless who he was and I was curious, I went on YouTube and figured out that there is a podcast about his case I decided to download it and my journey with podcasts started there.

2. Dirty John

Similar to serial it is based on a true crime story you will have alarm bells go off in your mind from episode one but you can not predict the ending.

3. They walk among us

Another crime podcasts based on true crime however this podcasts is British and it is also not a connect series but rather individual episodes about different cases. Some stories are 2 parts so you will need to listen to both.

4. Call your Girlfriend

This podcast is hosted by Ann Friedman and Aminatou Slow; it’s a conversation between two best friends and they discuss all current event like pop culture, racism and feminism

5. Stuff mom never told you

I was actually just listening to an episode on my way to work today about gender reveal party. The style of this podcast is very similar to call your girlfriend. Strong women stating their opinions but everyday issues.

6. Oprah’s Super soul conversations

Who doesn’t love Oprah! She interviews legends in this podcasts from Deepak Chopra to Shonda Rhimes. This podcast is usually the dose of inspiration I need for the day.

7. TedTalks – Society and culture

If you are anything like me I had a TedTalks phase, yes… I used to watch TedTalks on YouTube for hours when I was in university. Secretly dreaming that one day I will be able to attend a TedTalk event.

Those are some of my favourites and I’m always on the look out for interesting podcasts to listen to.

 

What’s your favourite podcast?

Thanks for stopping by,

Let’s be mummy friends

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Bloglovin

You can find this post linked to this fabulous blog link up

Blogstravaganza | KCACOLS

17 Goals, Dreams & Ambitions for 2018 | Mrs Jibril

Hi lovelies, Happy New Year! I can’t believe today is the last day of 2017; in a very blogger manner here is my last post of the year. As some of you know I love writing my goals and targets down because then I will be more likely to achieve them or at least attempt to achieve them. Here are my 17 goals, dreams and ambitions for 2018 divided into 5 categories.

MYSELF

1. Sleep early – I noticed that I have been sleeping really late even though I need to wake up early. In 2018 this needs to change so that my body get enough rest and sleep each night.
2. Drink more water – for glow skin and better health, water is essential. I need to start drinking my 8 glasses of water a day.
3. Get my Australian License and buy a car – I’m already doing my driving lessons each week and hopefully will be able to get my license soon * We got a Yaris hatchback

BABY E

4. Soccer lessons – I want E to like sports, soccer is always a good activity for little children around his age.  we started soccer trial in October.
5. Swimming lessons – Once my husband joins us, I want baby E to start his swimming lessons. He loves the water and it will be a fun bond experience for them.
6. Start the library challenger 1000 books before preschool – Our local library has a fun challenge for kids to read 1000 books before preschool (4 years) Baby E already read so many book but in 2018 I want to keep count of the book we read and maybe suggest to you the books we enjoy.

OUR FAMILY

7. Visiting Kenya – we do plan to visit Nairobi next year and visit my in laws.
8. Hubby moving to Melbourne – we did apply for my husband’s visa and waiting to hear from immigration. I’m hoping he will be joining us sooner than later. *Update: My husband was granted his visa
9. Explore Melbourne as a family – Melbourne is such an amazing city with so much to do. I want us to explore it together.
10. Move to a bigger place – our current 2 bedroom apartment is more than enough when hubby moves here but I’m hoping (dreaming) to move into a bigger place closer to my mum’s place once we can afford it. We moved down the road from my mum’s house in September

THE BLOG

11. Post weekly and pre-plan my posts – with my big move, starting a new job and starting my YouTube channel unfortunately I ended up not posting as often as I liked. I feel rather disappointed because blogging is and will always be my passion for 2018 expect to see more posts.
12. Collaborate with other bloggers and take part in blog series – in January I will share with you a post I did with a fellow mummy blogger from the U.K and I will continue to look for great opportunities to get to know other bloggers in my niche and hopefully collaborate.
13. Grow my Mrs Jibril brand– I want to build a strong and recognisable brand for my blog.

MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

14. Start a career series – giving helpful career tips because of my background in Human resources and also recently trying to start a career after motherhood. My series will be helping others with thing like job interviews, picking a career after university, getting back in to the job market, etc.…
15. Get more subscribers – please help me get to 100 subscribers, I’m only 2 subscribers away. *Update: I’m currently at 122 subscribers thank you so much (16.01.18)
16. Do videos with hubby – my husband is quite shy and I will need to convince him to appear in my videos. Check out my first video with my  hubby ” The Husband Tag“
17. Attempt vlogging – it will require a lot of courage, now all my videos are on the coach when I’m alone in the house so vlogging is a whole new game to film myself in public. Watch my first vlog and let me know what you think

Stay tuned to see if I accomplish any or all of these goals, dreams and ambitions in 2018.

Thank you so much for your continuous love and support. Thanks to everyone who reads my posts and shares them.

I hope 2018 brings us all happiness and health. Let’s have a great year lovelies.

Share with me one thing you would like to achieve in 2018

Thanks for stopping by,

Let’s be mummy friends

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

You can find this post linked to these fabulous blog link ups

#DreamTeam | #fortheloveofBLOG | Triumphant Tales

How to Keep Our Children Safe from Predators | Mrs Jibril

Hi Lovelies,

I wanted to start a discussion on my blog, I posted a video a few weeks ago on my YouTube about How to keep our children safe from predators. As a mummy blogger I want to also shed the light on topics that might be taboo and not discussed often. Child sexual abuse is way too common not to be talked about.

As parents we need to know that predators can be male, female or even another child. We need to change our idea that it is the creepy stranger who wants to hurt our babies! Most often it’s someone that we know and the child trusts. Someone who you least expect! Not to alarm you. I haven’t personally experienced this but I have noticed on social media there are so many case every day. Predators can be from any ethnicity, background and religion. It could be someone you admire and look up to.
Firstly, I would like to tell parents who went through this or is going through it, it is not your fault and you shouldn’t blame yourself or your child. Make sure you report it to the police and try to heal as a family by seeking professional help like child phycologist and family therapy. There are many resources out there to help your family during this.
I came up with a few things I will personally start doing and I urge you all to start as well, to make it a little safer for our children. It’s our role as mummies to protect them and keep them safe.

My Tips / Advice

1. Monitor your child: This means not leaving your child unsupervised for long hours with others. I know it’s impossible to watch your child 24/7 because let’s face it some of us are working mummies, some of our babies go to school and as they grow older they go for camps and sleepovers. Of course, no mummy wants to always say NO and let her child miss out on these things however, we need to be more vigilant who they are with and always check up on them.

2. Educate your child about privacy and their body: Let’s start by when our babies are in nappies don’t let everyone change your baby’s nappy. When you are in public or at a gathering excuse yourself and change your baby somewhere else instead of in front of people (I know some mothers already do this). When your child is starting toilet training make sure it’s only the parents that helps and soon they won’t even need any help in the toilet. Once starts to understand things you need to reinforce that not everyone can see their body and that their body is THEIRS alone. Educate them about body parts no one should see or touch.

3. Notice any change in your child’s behavior: you child might start becoming withdrawn or their grades are dropping this is an alarm bell !! it could be a sign of sexual abuse or your child might be subjected to bullying.

If you want to know more tips and advice please watch my video and don’t forget to like, comment and subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already.

Let’s be mummy friends

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Thanks for stopping by,

You can find this post linked to these fabulous blog link ups

#Dreamteam | #fortheloveofBlog

Where I’ve been – Career, YouTube, Driving, Podcasts | Mrs Jibril

Blogging has been a great hobby of mine for a very long time, I love sharing my life and our family’s experiences with the mummy bloggers community and my readers.

Consistency was one goal I wanted to achieve in my blog and you guessed it… I wasn’t as consistent as I hoped with a toddler running around, working full time and starting my YouTube Channel. I had a lot on my plate. You might also know that I’m currently in a long-distance relationship while my husband is working in Kenya so every free minute I’m talking to him or trying to balance our schedules and the time difference.

I still feel guilty that I haven’t blogged for almost a month even though I’m very consistent with my YouTube uploads “A New Video Every Saturday”. I miss you all and miss the blogging community. I’ve been creating content and expect more of me here on the blog.

I’m still working and trying to find the right work/life balance. I started job hunting for my next gig because my contract is 6 months and I was unsure if it will get renewed so better safe than unemployed. Luckily I did manage to get an extension but it was good to see what the job market is like, I did land an interview with one of the Victorian Public Sector Offices however, it is a shorter contract and I like to be more settled rather than job hopping ( how very un-Millennial)

We celebrated baby E’s second birthday last month. Keep your eyes peeled for 2-year baby update (like the good old days when I did monthly baby updates)

I started driving, if some of you remember I have my Kenyan license but new country means new rules so it will take me practice getting used to driving in Melbourne.

I’ve been enjoying podcasts recently during the long train ride home and to work in the morning. Serial, Dirty John and Stuff Mom never told you are some of my favourites, do you listen to podcasts? Or am I just starting to get old.

I never posted my labour and delivery story on my blog but I shared over on YouTube, it was quite dramatic. If you’re curious make sure to watch it and let me know your thoughts.

What have you been up to?

Let’s be friends

YouTube

Instagram

Twitter

Thanks for stopping by,

You can find this post linked to these fabulous blog link ups

Triumphant Tales | Twinkly Tuesday | Blogstravaganza  | #KCACOLS