Coffee talks, Motherhood

“I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in the jars and open a jar of it every month.”
– Harlan Miller. 

“Christmas is not an external event at all, but a piece of one’s home that one carries in one’s heart.”
– Freya Stark.


Ok, so this is the first Christmas with our boys that we seem to will have actually enjoyed!

But let’s start at the beginning…

My name is Ivana (or less formally, Ivanka) and I am a mum to two gorgeous twin boys Mason and Henry. I love them so much it hurts but girl, they can drive me mad sometimes!

But that’s motherhood, isn’t it? Some days you burst with love and happiness, other days you burst with anger or stress… However, what I love about it is that love always wins. Regardless of how long or intense the battle is, love always comes out of it as an invincible winner.


keep reading

Coffee talks, Motherhood

Here I welcome  Peter Black,  a psychologist, and author of Cool The Volcano. 

The book is designed to help parents teach their children emotional management skills, and about how to boost emotional intelligence in children.

Over to Peter.

Emotional intelligence is a topic that seems to be quite trendy at the moment, and with good reason.

This is a skill which I personally feel is often overlooked in areas such as school, workplaces, and in many ways, our own homes.

Raising children is hard, I think we all know that. However, if we can help our children learn how to harness and strengthen their own emotional intelligence, the results will be incredibly powerful.

Reduced levels of emotional intelligence can be damaging, and as a psychologist with 16 years of practical experience in the forensic field, I can see the consequences for people who do not understand or implement emotional intelligence.

This was one of the main reasons I wrote my book, ‘Cool That Volcano’, as a way of helping people teach their children about emotional management and emotional intelligence. keep reading

Coffee talks, Motherhood

“Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy.” Eskimo Proverb

“Babies lost in the womb were never touched by fear. They were never cold, never hungry, never alone, and importantly always knew love.” Zoe Clark-Coates

It’s baby loss awareness week…

Another tough subject to talk about, but since it is something I have personal experience with, I feel it is finally time for me to write about it. And to support those who have been through it too.

This second pregnancy was not planned, but after the initial shock, I started to be excited and look forward to it.

But not for long. Before I knew it, the baby was gone.

I kept asking why it happened, but this is something you can never be 100% sure with. We were put through a lot of stress at the time as our Henry had to undergo surgery, so I believe this did not add up to the relaxed state of mind a pregnant woman is supposed to be in.

Anyway, one day I started to bleed so we went straight to the urgent care. They said it didn’t necessarily have to mean anything bad, but suggested for me to rest and relax. Like you could relax in a situation like that, right?

However, I did my best, but the bleeding would not stop. On the third day,  I started to feel sharp cramps in my belly. I knew very well what it meant, but was still was hoping till the last moment. keep reading