A local Port Lincoln mama who paves the way when it comes to living in harmony on our wild and treasured West Coast. She is someone who lives and breathes what we picture the Call Me The Breeze woman to be. She is a larrikin, wholistic in lifestyle and nature and has the sort of self-loving, body-confidence you would wish upon your own daughter.
We are so blessed to get an insight into this mama's day-to-day hustle with her globe-trotting family. Enjoy!
Describe for us the perfect Mother's Day morning...
My man’s delicious home cooked breakfast and coffee! I'm talking perfectly poached eggs, crispy bacon, avo on toast with a side of baby tomatoes and crunchy kale.
Then if the weather is nice, we pack up all the boards and head to our favourite surf beach for all of us to ride some fun mal waves. Then a cook up on the beach with freshly caught whiting sandwiches, loaded with butter, salt and pepper.
Finally we would head back home for big family dinner with my mum, nanna and mother in law. I am all about the food!
How has motherhood enriched your life?
Motherhood is such a crazy beautiful thing. I definitely feel that becoming a mum was my purpose in life. I remember as kid always dreaming about been a mum and having kids.
It has made me stronger when it comes to filtering out the negatives in life. Now, I just don't have time for people and things that bring me down. I just want my child and future children to be surrounded by nothing but love and happiness.
But, it has also made me softer, I now cry at every wedding! I never did that before. I cry in T.V. commercials, once in Australia's Got Talent and most recently when Sam proposed to Tara from Bachelor in Paradise! I know, terrible right?
Most of all, to have that unconditional love and having created something with your loved one and it being a mix of you two. It's just radical!
How old is your little cherub and what was the inspiration behind his name?
Zaffa is a 2 year old Aquarius baby and he weighs a nice solid 17kgs. Keeps me fit! So I really, really love the name Zephyr which means west wind. We love the west coast and for our favourite local beach to blow offshore it has to be a westerly wind. But as we talked to friends, we found out there was few Zephyrs’ in town & up the coast. Living in a small town I wanted something different. So I was lying in bed, heavily pregnant and then Zaffa popped into my head and I instantly loved it! It just rolls into Zaffa Hay so perfectly. But at the time we didn't know what we were having and I'm not into the 'naming the baby before birth' thing. I feel like you have to meet them and connect first to truly know. Prime example, my mum wanted to call me Shardae! Then I was born and she met me and decided I was definitely no Shardae. So instead she waited 2 weeks and went out to dinner at Chinese restaurant and called me Jasmin after jasmine rice on the menu. Anyway, got a bit side tracked! We knew when we finally met him that he was our lil-Zaffinator!
What are issues/challenges that mother's face, that you would like to change?
Free the nipple! Zaffa was a big boobie monster. When he used to try and latch on he was like a thrasher shark! He didn't even eat solids until he was 1 and I was lucky enough to breastfeed him to almost 2 years old. So my boobs were out publicly all the time! I once even accidentally squirted my best man friend Luke, Zaffa pulled off (I always had a strong let down) and it squirted all over him! No biggy! ha, ha! I had enough milk to supply a small village.
I want to talk about 'post-baby bodies' and the obsession behind it. Mothers feeling the need to be a size 8 or look like Candice Swanepoel after having babies. But let’s be real here! You just created a baby and carried it for 9 months then gave birth. Obsess over your baby, not your body and enjoy your time as a mum. Fuel your body with goodness. Get that pram out when you can and walk. Be happy and healthy! My trainer Ross said walking after birth is the best thing to help everything retract. Go to the gym, crossfit, F45 or play a sport or do whatever float's your boat! All of these helped me bounce back. 2 years later... ha, ha! So what if you gained a few pounds and stretch marks! I certainly did and yes I had my down times about how much my body changed and how things just don't sit like they used to. But you get over it. Every time I looked at my son it made every saggy, stretchy bit worth it! Don't get me wrong, I have so many friends who are naturally blessed with amazing genes and they just bounced back like nothing happened. But they never once posted pictures about it and they certainly loved their food. Being a mum is more beautiful than anything in this world!
Enjoy your precious time with your child and put that phone away! Just for me to type this up, I had to do bubble-blowing breaks, tea parties, singing and playing the guitar while Zaffa danced around the house and every time I stop he would say “more again, more again”. He hates it when I’m on the computer and if I'm on my phone too much he pushes it away and snuggles me. This is the time I know I need to put the phone down and read a book, play or just cuddle. Let them know that you adore them! Life's to short to look at a screen. Can you imagine if you added up all the hours of useless screen time you did every year? It would be scary! I’m a sucker for it at times, but I just think that one day he will be all grown up and I will never get those cuddly nights on the couch back.
Now, the pressures of being a perfect mum. Let's get something straight. No-one is perfect! What is a perfect mum anyway? Someone who irons and fold jocks, never late to school drop off/pick up and always has dinner on the table by 6pm? Or someone who has a messy house purely because she has spent her time with her kids playing pirates but has nothing organised for dinner? The only way we get close to perfect is learning from our mistakes. Only you know what works for you in your house and every mum has their own little routines, certain ways to do things and beliefs so make sure you always respect that. But also to be open-minded and to listen to advice from close mama friends and family. Most likely they have been through it all before. A big part of parenting is the constant learning and challenges along the way so it’s ok to ask for help or advice. Some of my best tips and the biggest help came from my friends! Not books.
Also, let your hair down. It is ok! Once every few months I like to let my hair down... ln the last month I let it down 3 times ha, ha! I just need to have a boogie once in a while. It keeps me sane. It is important to socialise (there is only soo much Wiggles you can take!) Whether it's a dinner party at your friends, a movie night, special event or just a girls night where you can just laugh all night and exchange funny (or dirty) stories till you almost wee yourself. They are the best. It’s that feeling of being 17 again with no responsibility. You can still have fun as a mum and your not a bad mom for having time out or treating yourself. Your life isn't over! But warning: hangovers are a lot more extreme!
I have rambled on and I could keep going for this question!
You feel most beautiful when...
I feel most beautiful when I’m pregnant, at the beach somewhere secluded on the coast. Sun-kissed, salty and naked when it's the golden hour just before the sun sets. When the light is so golden that everything glows. I remember in my last weeks of pregnancy I was 98kgs, lying on the beach in that golden light and I have never felt more beautiful!
What parenting wisdom did your mama once share that now resonates with you wholeheartedly?
My mama took me everywhere. Travelling, out for dinner, shows & parties and even sometimes to work. She never changed her personality and always made sure we were having fun. She taught me that just because you have a baby doesn’t mean you can’t do fun things and that life just gets better. She told us to always to listen to more music and watch less TV, shared her amazing cooking skills and swore by “no nappy time”. We are pretty strict with that one!
I have definitely carried these traits throughout my journey so far. Zaffa has already been to 5 different countries and on over 40 plane trips. Let's just say we really used up all those free flights while we could!
He has kayaked through caves, trekked waterfalls, scaled cliffs, cruised through islands in little Philippine boats, swam in cenotes, surfed waves (on his tummy) and explored endless beaches.
He has just adapted to our life which was one of the most important things in my parenting gig. He was at the beach in his first week of life and still till this day we do not leave the beach for "nap time”. He sleeps at the beach in the pram. What's better then waking up at the beach!
What do you see in Zaffa that reminds you of yourself?
Absolutely everything! Look at him! He is like my little replica. He loves the water and the beach like I do. I’m definitely going to be that mum that pulls her kids out of school when it’s over 30 degrees to go to the beach.
His wild imagination blows me away. Mum tells me I was exactly the same. Also, his love for music, dancing and entertaining. He always manages to create a circle around him when he dances.
Even his choice of movies are the same as mine - E.T., Beauty and the Beast, & Hook. I’m yet to introduce him to Willow, Ewoks and the old Star Wars sequels. Yes I am a Star Wars freak. I thought I was an ewok when I was his age and he thinks he is Peter Pan and can fly. It’s the best.
If you were to consider somewhere your home away from home, where would that be?
That would hands down be Bingin, Uluwatu, Bali. I know, a bit cliche for an aussie right! But it’s only a 5 hour flight away, it's cheap, amazing food, tropical surf, yoga and I love the culture and people. Not to mention hot all year round! I can't stand the winter months at home!
I would love for all of us to live there one day. I’m all about life experiences and chasing the sun!
What is your favourite natural remedy for you and your family?
I have lots of natural remedies as I suffer from eczema/dermatitis. But when i travel my favourite is an oil blend of coconut oil and lavender oil as our lil' man always gets smashed by mozzies whenever we are somewhere tropical. The coconut oil relieves the itchiness and brings down the swelling. The lavender oil is suitable for sensitive skin - even babies as young as 3 months. The mosquitoes don't like the strong aromas of essential oils. Lavender on its own is used to calm, soothe, balance and restore. So it’s a magical blend.
If you don't have super sensitive skin like us you can mix the coconut oil with a stronger scent to keep the mozzies away such as lemongrass, tea tree oil, lemon eucalyptus and citronella oil. For all you local mummas, just go see Anthea from Eyre imports and she can mix you up a blend in-store and don't be afraid to smother it on!
A favourite moment through your motherhood journey so far...
God, how do I pick one! From the first step to the first poo in the potty... It is crazy how excited and obsessed you get over poo’s and wee’s when you become a mum!
One of my favourite moments in my journey of motherhood was when we travelled to Cuba. Actually, a lot of highlighted moments are from when we travelled. You have more time to enjoy and take in what is around you. Instead of constantly washing, cooking and cleaning. It’s healthy for the soul and I truly believe the things you pick up and take in change you as a person. Back to Zaffa! We were walking the streets of Old Havana and a street performance started with a group of beautiful locals in these crazy coloured costumes. They were playing musical instruments and dancing around on very tall stilts. Zaffa (who was 15 months old at the time) ran straight up to them and started to follow the party and one of the performers scooped him up and started dancing with Zaffa in his arms. Everyone was drawn to this blonde foreigner baby and he became apart of the show. He was loving every bit of it.
Then every time he would see and hear a salsa band (which is everywhere over there), he would just run up and start doing his own lil' salsa dance and they would give him maracas and sing to him and we all end up dancing. The connection was truly beautiful!
After that trip to Mexico and Cuba he came back with a love of Cuban Salsa and dance moves he had picked up from travelling to these alluring places. For that I will always treasure and be grateful for those moments. We still crank the Cuban Salsa in the house and dance around while cooking and cleaning.
How would you describe yourself in once sentence?
Passionate, outgoing, protective, head-strong, positive, caring and definitely a bit wild at times! I’m an Aries, so that pretty much sums me up!
Describe the word 'woman' in your own words...
This is so hard to describe because every woman is different and has different emotions and strengths. To me, women are warriors and bearers of life. We are very powerful unique creatures, never underestimate us. I would love to see a man squeeze a baby out of his vagina! I love that we are all different shapes, sizes and colours. We are all so incredible and beautiful in every different way and how awesome is it that their is only one of you! Why would you want to look and be like everyone else? Boring!
What core values do you want to pass onto Zaffa?
The values I would like to imprint into Zaffa and our future grommets is to always be grateful for the life you live and do what makes you happy! To always be honest to yourself and others and to respect and be kind to all living things. Life is never easy-breezy but just ride with it and always stay positive and good things will come your way.
B.T.S.
Jas wears the Zulu and Zephyr Canyon Dress, Lack of Color Lola Cap, Kivari Joni Midi Dress, Kivari Flores Maxi Skirt and the Zulu and Zephyr Gazelle Knit, all available from us.
