And that was May
Two birthdays, reflecting on how fast my kids are growing, sharing my new creation that'll ease your overwhelm and lots of Substack/book/TV recommendations for you.
May is the birthday month in our house!
It really feels like May has just whizzed by in a blur with two birthdays, two sports days and ending with half term. Earlier this week in half term, we stuck out the rain on the beach to enjoy a little bit of sun - the kids weren’t hugely impressed!
It was my youngest's 2nd birthday at the start of May and my middle son's 7th birthday in the middle of May. Weirdly, they both had the same due date but their birthdays are 2 weeks apart - my middle son was almost 2 weeks late!
My youngest was obviously more aware this year of what was going on on his birthday and he loved opening his presents, which included a ride on excavator and a toy lawnmower - his two favourite things are construction vehicles and being out in the garden so he was happy with those. We went to Folly Farm in West Wales for his birthday he loved seeing the giraffes and pretending to drive a fire engine on the little carousel ride 😍.
My middle son is still firmly in his Pokemon era, so he mostly wanted Pokemon cards with a few Squishmallows thrown in there. He literally spent the whole day yesterday rearranging his Pokemon cards in his folder, he absolutely loves it.
He had a little birthday party with his buddies at our house, which ended up being really nice and stress free. It's the second time I've done a small party at our house and I massively prefer them to doing big parties at a venue.
Little trips out and reflecting on how fast my kids are growing
Earlier in the month, when my eldest two kids were in school, I had lots of lovely little trips with my youngest - just to the seafront in our town, the park and the library - nothing grand but I love those simple days where it’s just the two of us. Where we can please ourselves and do things to our own rhythm and routine.
Since he turned 2, I’m aware that in a year and a bit, he’ll be starting half days in school nursery. Which is no time at all really. I remember nursery coming around so quick for my middle son that it really shocked me, I remember thinking, how is he old enough to start nursery already?! He seemed so little. But at the same time I knew that he was ready for the next stage too. With my daughter, I had no worries at all with her because she was that bit older (she’s a September baby) and she was just so ready for it all.
It feels different with my youngest in so many ways, because with my eldest two kids I worked part time and they both started private nursery at the age of 1, when I went back to work. I did this for 5 years. But, my youngest has never gone to nursery as I’m a stay at home mum this time around, so it’s kind of a whole different experience. I’m really aware too of how much private nursery taught my eldest two kids and they were both talking a lot earlier than my youngest. So I’ve got my trusty Five Minute Mum book back out for some tips on how to start teaching my youngest a few things before he starts nursery!
Carrying on with the theme of reflection, when I was thinking of which Substack posts I’ve enjoyed this month, two posts on this theme stood out to me:
This post from
which is all about how she feels about going back to work after maternity leave:
Then this post from
on how she feels now her son is turning one and how it’s made her think back and reflect on all of the beautiful moments, the hard moments and everything in between:
What I love about both of these posts is that they give the message that two things can be true at once. I feel like mums especially need to hear this message more often so we can learn to hold space for all of our feelings to exist, instead of thinking that we should or shouldn’t feel a certain way.
describes those conflicting feelings at the end of maternity leave - being overwhelmed at how much life is going to change but at the same time feeling ready to go back to work and happy to see her son growing and learning. talks about how it's OK to grieve the changes but we must make space for the joy too ❤️.
What's been happening behind the scenes this month
I had my last session with one of my 1 to 1 coaching clients earlier this month. I always find it incredible just how much a client can achieve, in the space of 8 weeks. This client worked on themes around overwhelm and anger and we brought in coping tools around those, one of the main tools being self-compassion. The impact that those kind words can have on us, especially in the tough moments, changes everything.
I’ve got availability for one more 1 to 1 coaching client at the moment, you can find out more here and read about the results my previous coaching clients have had here.
For the last few weeks, every night once my kids are asleep, I’ve been working on something behind the scenes that I’m planning to launch later this month.
If you are an overwhelmed mum with young kids who struggles to find time for themselves, then the Bespoke Self-care Plan for Mums is going to massively help you.
The Bespoke Self-Care Plan for Mums is my tried and tested method for building up a daily self-care habit for busy mums.
It’s going to reduce your overwhelm, anger and mum guilt and instead make you feel:
calmer - because you're taking small moments of time for you throughout the day and all of those moments build a buffer against stress
happier - you are taking time for you and feel like your wants and needs are just as important as everyone else's
more compassionate towards yourself - every time you choose to do an act of self-care, it reinforces the message that you matter too
more positive mentally and physically - taking time out for you feels good!
Over 12 weeks, this comprehensive ‘done for you’ plan will support you to take small, intentional steps to increase your self-care from literally nothing in week 1 to 1 hour a day by week 12.
The Bespoke Self-Care Plan will change the way that you see and practice self-care forever by using a combination of:
a unique in-depth bespoke self-care plan designed especially for you to follow over 12 weeks
twice weekly accountability from me as a Coach for Mums for extra motivation and encouragement
celebrating all of your achievements on the plan throughout the 12 weeks
My 1 to 1 coaching clients have been using the Bespoke Self-Care Plan for years and these are the kind of results they’ve had:
If you’d like more info on the Bespoke Self-Care Plan when I launch it in a few weeks, just comment below or email me on jennafolarin@gmail.com and I’ll send you some more info.
Books and TV I’ve enjoyed this month
Books
Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings - this is the first book in the Magnolia Universe series. This series is much hyped and described as a mix of Gossip Girl and Made in Chelsea which I’d say is pretty accurate! I did enjoy the back and for between Magnolia and her ex, it did drag on a bit I felt. Still, it was a good read and I’m going to read the second book in the series next.
I’ve also got these two books waiting for me in my Kindle ready to read which I’m looking forward to diving into:
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
The Partner Plot by Kristina Forest
TV
I absolutely loved the book, The Idea of You by Robinne Lee so couldn’t wait to watch the film version of it on Amazon Prime. I’m going to be that annoying person who says the book is better but it’s still a good film if you like romance.
Dancing for the Devil: The 7M Tik Tok Cult - this was a really good watch. I watched it because I recognised some of the dancers on it from Instagram because they went viral a little while ago. The documentary focuses on how they (and lots of other people historically) were controlled and how it’s still happening to the dancers who are still there. To say that everything is not as it seems on the highly polished content that the dancers put out on Instagram, is an understatement.
And of course, Series 3 of Bridgerton - I’m just sat over here eagerly awaiting the next 4 episodes - anyone else?!
More Substack posts I’ve enjoyed this month
A Reading Retreat sounds like a dream to me, and
has written a handy guide on how she made one happen a little while ago with a group of friends - it sounds amazing!
This is such a powerful post from
all about the gap between our expectations and our reality in motherhood and lots of practical ways to cope with this gap and the grief that comes with it:
If there ever was a post that inspires you to keep creating because you love it, then this is it -
talks about how she made an album with her group over the space of two years and they made it work around their jobs, kids and many responsibilities by recording in the evenings. I love how Lindsay says that you need connection, consistency and community to sustain any creative endeavour:
And that was May - a very busy month so I’m looking forward to a quieter June with no birthday planning!
I’d love to hear from you - join me in the comments and let me know:
What has May been like for you?
What TV shows or books have you enjoyed?
What Substack posts stood out for you this month?
Thank you so much for including me!
Loved reading this Jenna! I felt a wave of nostalgia hearing you mention Folly Farm as I grew up going there, too. It’s fun how much cross over our lives have, place wise. I also loved Magnolia Parks but I’ve been so hesitant to read the last book that just came out. It feels like a more drama filled book that I have to be in the right mood for!
I’m excited to hear how your June goes 🩷