Where and how long have you lived in Sydney’s east: Since February 2006, we moved from France with my husband, first daughter who was then 3 years old, and our cat, Maya, who was 2 years old at the time. Amazingly the cat is still around!!
How many children: 2 daughters, now 18 and 13 years old. First one born in France, second one here in Australia.
Favourite Park: Centennial Park, where all the bats are. It’s magic when you lift your head and you see hundreds of them hanging upside down. I love to
hear their sounds too.
Favourite Beach: Maroubra, because we love jumping in the waves, surfing and body boarding! plus watching the pros at the Skate park is always great entertainment.
Favourite kid friendly cafe: it’s not a cafe… But Kokoroya on Anzac Parade was a family favorite for many years!
Favourite Coffee Spot: Chalk Espresso for its cosy lounge and delicious food
Favourite date night place: Ha! Gotta get back to that…
Favourite Local Day Out Activity: exploring all the walking tracks that are available to us, it’s wonderful! Or enjoying a good movie at Dendy Newtown or Randwick Ritz, and having Crepes at Four Frogs.
Favourite Local Shop: the pet shop in Maroubra… I can never get tired of kittens and puppies. I don’t like shopping in general so dropping by a pet shop makes it worthwhile.
Favourite wet weather location: Home with the family. I love wet weather as it reminds me of home, and also it’s the perfect time to reconnect as a family and play games, watch movies together, enjoy a homemade brownie…
Describe an ideal day in Sydney’s eastern suburbs for you? Waking up on my own time, (now that the kids are older it’s possible again!), and after breakfast taking a drive out to Royal National Park and enjoy the beautiful Nature. alternatively Nielsen Park is a gorgeous place to hang out, where we have both the shade of the trees and a protected beach.
What area of the east have you yet to explore much but would like to? I have yet to visit Rose Seidler House, and familiarise myself more with some areas of Centennial Park I yet have to discover.
Work or SAHM:
I started yoga after the birth of my second daughter, and I had no idea what was in store for me. After just a month of practice (only once a week at first) I was already calmer and more rested, I moved better and felt more emotionally stable. Fast forward 14 years, I am now a certified and registered Yoga Therapist fully dedicated to helping moms in their motherhood journey: I help them to shift from feeling overwhelmed to feeling grounded, find their true selves and design a life where they feel valued and whole.
Motherly advice:
As a mum who moved here with no support I know full well what taking care of children 24/7/365 can feel like: sometimes incredible, joyful, rich, other times exhausting, overwhelming, and draining… and all the times in between where you can feel lost in the endless daily small, but never ending tasks. Motherhood is a marathon, and unlike regular marathons, you don’t know when it ends (and it probably never fully does). Therefore make it a MUST to carve mental and physical space for yourself ONLY, so you can refill your cup. You’ll do yourself and everyone else around you
a favor. It means setting a time for yourself every day where you can recharge your batteries; I used to allow myself 10 minutes of legs up the wall to transition from afternoon to evening.
