Ivy Elkington
I'm married to my best friend Ara and we have three beautiful babies, our 4.5yo son Kana, nearly 3yo Kōhia, and 1yo Raia. Our house is full of laughter and chaos simultaneously lol. We live in Hamilton, NZ.
What is a typical day like in your house?
A typical day starts off with my husband Ara waking up with the kids and settling them with a cartoon and some brekky, he's honestly the best letting me get every minute of sleep that I can! I get up not long after and get ready, make beds and suss out my older two with their lunches and walk them over to daycare :) They love it there! I'll usually spend two hours afterwards sorting through work emails and getting my content posted for the day. After that some days I'll work on a photoshoot or two, creating content for my account or a business i'm working with at the time. Other days i'll just enjoy some quiet time with Raia and run some errands :) After I pick my kiddos up from daycare we'll come home and do some playing at home. (I learned that taking all 3 outside by myself is too hard lol they all run in different directions). Once Ara gets home, Ill go to the gym and work out. I love a workout thats almost painful haha it's the athlete in me! After that is dinner, then we do some jumping on the trampoline or swinging on our tree swing. Then our bath time routine and bedtime at 7pm! Ara and I usually get to enjoy some quiet time together watching a show before were off to bed too!
What's your best childhood memory?
My best childhood memory is spending time at my grandparent's house in Baja, Mexico that they built when I was one! I have the best memories there, it's where I learned to swim, surf, made local friends, etc!
Oh man, it was a blur of learning haha! But I loved it. Instead of postpartum depression, my family always said that I had postpartum elation. I just loved being a mum so much, especially after experiencing a few miscarriages before our son Kana.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given to arm you as you navigate motherhood or that you can pass on?
That you will never be a perfect mother, but you are the perfect mother for your babies.
Essentially, you will have failures, you'll learn and grow, but no one knows your babies better than you.
What’s one thing as a mum you cannot live without?
My husband lol Having someone to help me with my babies is so important and he takes on the role of fatherhood so effortlessly. As soon as he's home from work, he jumps right into playing with the kids and helps me get the break that I so desperately need.
What was the hardest thing about becoming a mum?
Definitely the struggle to becoming a mum in the beginning. I had a few miscarriages before our first born son Kana and it shattered me in every way.
How do you take time out for yourself without children?
I make working out a priority, it allows me one hour a day of time by myself doing something that I love! The tougher the day has been, the farther I run haha!
If you are a working mum how do you ensure you balance this?
I'm still not great at this, but I try my best to not be glued to my phone as it's how I do most of my work for my instagram account. One of my resolutions for this year is to create a more balanced daily routine that designates specific time for work!
What is it you wanted to portray in your Instagram feed? Or wanted to share with others?
I hope to portray that motherhood is beautiful. That it's candid. That your children are the future. And in between I like to share our lifestyle and home decor lol.
I love the quality and designs! The nightlight I have in my girls room is so perfect and beautiful!