I had a few work calls this week so it called for a few dressier pieces. It’s actually something I was quite happy to do as it gave me an excuse to get dressed up a little more—sometimes you just need a break from comfy clothes to change things up! Also I did a little experimentation this week with a few alternatives to jeans, and I have to say, I’m becoming all about relaxed pants. They’re so great to wear while working and it helps me feel a little more polished. Here’s what I wore this week:
Getting maximum wear from every purchase is key to me so I decided to wear these pants from a Manning Cartell suit I own and pair with with a simple black tank given the weather was a bit warmer in Sydney this week. I’m also wearing heels! I was just missing that feeling of being dressed for a day out so thought why not? I didn’t have them on the entire day but it did feel nice to look put together.
Credits: Tank and pants, Manning Cartell, Shoes, Camilla and Marc
Back in jeans here because I cannot live without them right now. I love the jeans as they’re comfortable, and I love the fact they have a high waist. I paired it with a simple brown skivvy and popped on a pair of Aje earrings to elevate the look.
Credits: Skivvy, Bec and Bridge; Jeans, Levis; Earrings, Aje
Here I am in my other go-to WFH pants. They’re so unbelievably comfortable and perfect for working but also for running around after the girls. I just popped a tank as it was a warm-ish day and added a great Aje necklace to finish off the look. Also I can’t stress enough how important good basics such as simple tanks and tees are right now. They’re easily the workhorses of my wardrobe right now and I’m wearing them non-stop.
Credits: White tank, Cotton On; Pants, Manning Cartell; Necklace, Aje
Work call day. I could’ve just worn the blouse with some pants but I was in the mood to wear something dressy so I paired it with the matching skirt. Also I had all these new winter pieces ready to go so I’m trying to at least get some wear out of them even if I’m not really leaving the house. I’m a big fan of this pink hue and wearing bright colours is a nice way to lift my spirits and help me feel more energised to tackle work.
Spending a serious amount of time at home over the last few weeks has meant that we’ve really had to step up our entertaining game at home when it comes to Sophia and Grace. Sophia is being home schooled but she’s currently on school holidays which means that we’ve had to come up with a a lengthy list of activities to keep both the girls occupied. We have a few favourites in our home, which I’m sharing below.
LEGO
The girls love building things with LEGO, and there are so many different play sets available now that you’re guaranteed to find one to suit any child’s interests. The one above is a house, which the girls absolutely love playing with and keeps them entertained for ages.
Books
Reading books is always a go-to activity in our house. The girls really enjoy being read to and have a collection of favourites that they love. They’re also fine to just flip through a book themselves as well so it’s a great activity they can also do on their own.
Colouring in
We’ve always got a healthy supply of colouring books on hand and have found that it’s one activity that the girls really enjoy as they’re able to do it together and unleash their creative side. Also colouring books are generally pretty inexpensive so it’s something we can always replenish.
Puzzles
Working on a puzzle is a great activity to do as a family. Now that the girls are a bit older we’re able to work on bigger puzzles together and it’s something that will keep them (and us) occupied for a long time. However they still enjoy completing puzzles on their own and as an added benefit it’s a great mental workout, no matter your age.
Toys
Independent play is particularly important right now as Luke and I are trying to get work done at the same time, so we’ve made sure that the girls are readily able to access all their favourite toys any time. They’ve got plenty to keep them occupied but I’ve read that it’s also a good idea to switch out toys and put some away, so whenever they see their old toys again they feel brand new.
Board games
Good ol’ fashioned board games are a favourite in our house. And depending on what kind of board game it is, it’s something that the kids can do regularly and not get bored of. This is another activity that’s perfect to do as a family.
Baking
Are you even in isolation if you haven’t baked? We have been tackling a lot of different cooking projects of late, and it’s something that that girls really enjoy. It’s also a good way to sneak a little maths into an activity as the girls are tasked with working with different measurements.
Play dough
Sophia and Grace are really into play dough and I’ve found that just popping a few pots in different colours in front of them will keep them occupied for awhile as they go about creating different things. There are lots of different play dough sets available too, from cooking to unicorns and fire trucks which steps up the play dough game even further. Plus if you want a project to tackle for the day you can always make your own.
Another week in isolation and another week of trying to style work from home outfits. I’m getting to the point now where I sometimes just throw on something quite dressy just to break up my wardrobe a little and give myself a little pause from my usual quarantine staples of knits, jeans, activewear and loungewear. As a result, here’s what I’ve been wearing.
These two pieces look dressy but are probably as comfy as wearing activewear. They jeans are lovely and soft and the jumper is really cosy. Plus I am loving the colour combination of baby blue with white, it’s quite fresh and a departure from the usual deeper, richer tones that are synonymous with autumn.
Credits: Pants and knit, Bec and Bridge
Yes, I felt like dressing up one day and this was the result. I am really loving all things pink and this set was something that I could throw on and not have to worry about mixing and matching. One of the many, many reasons why I love a co-ord set—it’s like getting dressed on autopilot.
Credits: Top and skirt: Manning Cartell; Sneakers, Chanel
I am a longtime fan of white shirt worked back with denim. This blouse is a different take on a classic white shirt. I love the corset effect (don’t let that fool you, it’s actually really comfortable to wear) and the voluminous sleeves. It was a fun way to do the classic combination of white tee with denim, but just a little more polished.
Credits: Top, Joslin Studio; Jeans, Levis 501; Chain Necklace, Aje
I wanted something easy to throw on and honestly what’s easier than a maxi dress. When you go for a relaxed style such as this they’re just as comfy as loungewear but you feel a little more put together when wearing one.
With many restaurants closed right now, that has left many of the world’s biggest names in the culinary world with a little more time to focus on cooking at home. Lucky for us, they’ve let us join along! With some of the Australia and the world’s most esteemed chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Yottam Ottolenghi and David Chang now sharing their fave recipes and even doing live demos on their Instagram accounts, there’s never been a better time to be an amateur cook. Tap into their expertise and you may walk away from self-isolation with some flashy new cooking skills, and a lot of new favourite recipes.
She’s an awarded pastry chef, the founder of Momofuku Milk bar and often called the queen of desserts so if you’ve got a sweet tooth don’t miss Christina Tosi’s baking club. She manages to create some pretty epic desserts using simple pantry staples so you’re going to be well covered for this entire quarantine period.
You can bet anything with Hamish Blake is going to be wildly amusing but enter Ben Shewry, founder and head chef of Melbourne’s Attica which has frequently been named one of the best restaurants in Australia and was in the top 20 in the world and you’ve got yourself and you’ve got one of the most watchable cooking partnerships around. Together they’re teaming up to make date night meals on Instagram Live so be prepared for a great meal with plenty of laughs.
If you want a quick meal on the table in 10 minutes and fancy cooking you alongside Gordon Ramsay then get into #Ramsayin10. The meals he prepares are all family friendly and features easy to find ingredients so give it a go if you want dinner on the table fast.
Dan Hong is the chef behind dining heavyweights such as Mr Wong, Lotus and Ms G’s and his at home cooking videos—complete with his three adorable kids making cameos—are relatable and easy to follow. He made cheeseburgers in the below video, but he’s also done rigatoni alla vodka and XO king prawn linguine.
When else will you be able to cook along with a three-Michelin star chef and the man behind the Osteria Francescana, the restaurant named the best in the world in 2018? Massimo Bottura is doing a kitchen quarantine series which has already featured faves such as tiramisu, mac and cheese and gelato, and he’s pretty entertaining to watch too.
Chef and restaurateur Matt Moran is doing warming recipes perfect for this time of year on his IGTV channel so why not take advantage of the expertise of one of Australia’s best chefs and whip yourself up a delicious, restaurant quality meal at home.
French chef Eric Ripert is the owner and head chef of Le Bernadin in New York City which holds three Michelin stars and regularly features on the list of the best restaurants in the world. Not only does he have some really useful how-to videos such as how to preserve vegetables but there are plenty of tasty meals including ratatouille, crepes and a roasted leg of lamb that is sure to impress.
Momofuku founder David Chang is a chef, author and TV presenter and his culinary dispatches from his New York City apartment are one way to learn how to utilise whatever you may have in your pantry or fridge. He regularly offers substitutes for ingredients even prepares food using a microwave.
English Michelin-starred chef and restaurateur Jason Atherton is doing an at home cooking series with classics such as rhubarb and apple crumble to Eton Mess and burgers. The best bit is you’ll have plenty of new recipes up your sleeve post-quarantine.
French pastry chef and the inventor of the piece of heaven that is the cronut, let Dominique Ansel show you how to whip up a mean dessert including truffles and crepes.
Tasty, comforting dishes are what Ottolenghi does best and he’s now doing a quarantine series that features his recipes along with other chefs. All the dishes shared are tasty and hearty and the kind of dishes we all need right now.
With social distancing rules in place we face a much different Easter this year. There are no big family gatherings or going away for the weekend, as we’re all asked to stay in our homes and minimise contact with others. Given kids generally look forward to this time of year (particularly the chocolate!), why not try to maintain as many of the traditions that you can, or alternatively start new ones. Embrace the Easter egg hunt, take a ‘trip’ and still partake in a gorgeous family lunch (albeit virtually), and enjoy this time of year.
Have a virtual family Easter lunch
Just because we can’t enjoy big family gatherings right now doesn’t mean you can’t still maintain the tradition of having Easter lunch with family. Simply co-ordinate a set time to sit down for a meal, pop everyone on a video call and have the next best thing to having everyone sitting around the table.
Arrange an Easter egg hunt
There’s definitely no rule saying you can’t do Easter egg hunts so go ahead and embrace this tradition. Stock up on plenty of eggs, arm the kids with their own baskets and set them loose. Note: if you find really good hiding spots this could keep them occupied for awhile…
Get baking
Join the rest of the world in totally and utterly embracing all things baking right now. There are endless recipes to try, particularly with kids, but if you’re going to maintain the Easter spirit why not try baking your own hot cross buns?
Arts and crafts
A quick Google search will unearth more than enough craft projects to keep the kids entertained for the long weekend. From bunny hats to baskets and baby chicks, you’ll have more than enough to occupy the little ones in your life, and also inject a little extra Easter spirit into your home.
Go indoor camping
If you can’t go away over Easter as you usually would, why not go on a ‘trip’ anyway? The novelty factor of being able to sleep somewhere different is something we all enjoy so why not just set up camp in the backyard or indoors. Bring plenty of snacks, watch movies and do something to break up your daily routine. This is one activity kids will particularly enjoy.
Set up an indoor picnic
What kid doesn’t love a picnic? Prepare a picnic lunch, pop a rug in the living room or outdoors and enjoy a picnic as you normally would, but with the convenience of not actually having to leave your home.
If there’s one thing I make a point of doing when working from home it’s that I still try to make an effort to dress up in outfits that I love. Not to say I don’t love being in my cosiest, softest pieces but as I’ve said here, there’s something about actually putting on a proper outfit and getting dressed that helps me get into the right frame of mind to power through my to-do list. So here’s what I’ve worn over the last few days.
Who else can’t live without a great pair of jeans right now? I have had this Camilla and Marc pair forever and they’re so comfortable and hold their shape really well. I decided to pop an earthy Bec and Bridge chocolate top on as I wanted to wear a warm autumnal shade and finished it off with a pair of fun AJE statement earrings.
Credits: Top, Bec and Bridge; Jeans (similar here), Camilla and Marc; Earrings, AJE
Whenever I’m feeling a bit flat wearing a bit of colour always helps so I thought why not wear a pastel yellow today? Also dresses are such a comfortable option to wear all day so it was a no-brainer. The sweet smocking and puffed sleeves also added a nice feminine touch. Topped it all off with a statement necklace because why not?
I wanted to get a bit more dressed up today. because I had a few conference calls to do so this ultra cute pink suit was the ideal option. I’m still embracing suiting when the WFH circumstances call for it, and this suit as an added bonus is really quite light and perfect for work. Also who else loves the longline silhouette of this Manning Cartell jacket? It’s such a great cut and is perfect when worked back with denim too. I wore these Camilla and Marc heels because, well, frankly I just really wanted to wear them.
Credits: Suit pants and jacket, Manning Cartell; Heels, Camilla and Marc
I wanted to squeeze in a workout today and was also going to be spending a large chunk of my time with the girls in between working so activewear seemed the ideal option. The beauty of this Camilla and Marc set is that it’s such a sleek design it makes you feel like you’re not really wearing activewear. I wore this bum bag by P.E Nation when I had to duck out to pick up something from the shops, and have also had my Huawei FreeBuds handy at all times because it means I can make calls and listen to music throughout the day unencumbered.
Having had my own business for several years now I usually split my time between an office in the city and my home office to work. Given current circumstances I’ve had to re-assess my current work space at home to make sure it’s conducive for working from home for the forseeable future. And as the girls are currently home with us, it’s been important to ensure that my work space is set up to maximise productivity in the bursts of time I do get to sit down at my desk and power through my to-do list. Here’s what I’ve done to ensure I’ve got a functional space I actually want to spend time in.
Allocate a designated work area
Last year I took over a spare bedroom in our home to use as an office, before that I was working wherever I could pop my laptop down. I’ve noticed a difference in how it affected my productivity. Now that I’ve got a designated spot to sit it helps get me into work mode. However it wasn’t having an office that did this but the fact I finally had one assigned place I associated with working. So whether it’s your kitchen table or another room, try allocating a particular spot to work from and consider it your office for the next few months.
Look for good lighting
I’ve found good lighting is so important because there’s nothing worse than squinting at a screen because the light is too bright or not bright enough. If you can, try and set up near the best source of natural light in your home. If that’s not possible make sure that you’ve got a good overheard light or lamp to provide adequate illumination.
Get rid of clutter
I did a major decluttering session to help set up my office and it was really useful in ensuring that I had a clean desk space, free of unnecessary junk to work at. I find having too many things around is really distracting and having an area that’s free of clutter helps to get me into the right productive frame of mind.
Have comfortable seating
Having a good chair is crucial. If you’re going to be working for several hours in the one spot find yourself the most comfortable chair, with appropriate support in your home possible. You don’t want to find that you’ve done your back in after sitting in a bad chair for months.
Have the office basics covered to ensure you’re functional
One thing about working in an office is that there’s a steady supply of stationery and equipment to ensure that you can do your job. Try and emulate that as much as possible at home so you’re not scrambling for a notepad when you’re on a call with a client or your screen is just a fraction too low and it’s starting to get massively uncomfortable. Assess your space, see what you need and try to have those supplies around where possible.
Lots of organisational tools
I’ve found it’s so much easier to keep things ordered when I’ve got the appropriate organisational tools handy. Think storage boxes, folders, trays… all these things ensure that I’ve got a spot to put everything and I don’t have things just floating on my desk taking up space.
Dot your space with things you love
This is the fun part! It was important to me that my office had personality. So I’ve decorated with prints that I love, furniture that I find aesthetically pleasing and touches like a vase of flowers or snacks at the ready. This all inspires me to spend time in my work space, but of course it’s different for everyone. Curate your own space according to the things that motivate you and inspire you.
I’ve always tried to stay active in whatever way I can and recently I’ve been doing group fitness training with David McIlwaine of Fit4Dreams and Mum Squad. Now that that option is on pause for awhile I’ve been trying to figure out effective ways that I can still work out from home, and I’m sure I’m not alone in that regard. Recently I asked David to share his tips for keeping exercise a part of my daily routine, and here’s what he said.
Why is it important to keep on top of your fitness regimen during this time?
“Training is a great way to feel like you have done something for yourself.
With so much happening from day to day and conditions changing at every turn it can be really stressful. It’s easy to feel like things are out of your control and that can take a toll.
Once you have done a good workout though, you have done something positive for yourself. Nothing can take that away from you and it gives you strength to take things in your stride knowing you have done what you can to stay #fit2fight.”
If you’re stuck indoors, with limited or no equipment at all, what are some of the best workout moves you can do?
“When you’re stuck indoors with limited or no equipment at all, it’s hard to beat the classics.
Exercises like push-ups, lunges, squats, the plank and sit-ups are great.
On top of that, you can use a chair to work on the backs of your arms with tricep dips or stand on cushions or close your eyes to introduce a balance challenge to your squats or lunges.
If you’re starting out, you might like to begin doing push-ups on your knees and then build up to doing them on your toes.
As you get stronger you can prop your feet up on a cushion to lift them up as you take on the push-up position and make it hard to balance as you lower your chest to the floor. This really really encourages you to engage your core as you do your push-ups.”
What are your suggestions for a workout routine that can be done outdoors if you’re lucky enough to have a backyard to work out in?
“If you’ve got a backyard you can designate a workout zone on either side.
Then you can run between them.
So you might start with 24 push-ups on one side of the lawn, run to the other side and back and then do 20.
You repeat that going down by 4 push-ups at a time ie 24,20,16,12, 8 & 4.
That means you’ll be running across the yard 6 times. You can use that as your exercise system and just change the exercises or the repetitions and if you want to make it harder you can mix it up a little.
Try running up and back across the yard to double the distance.”
What if people want to up the intensity?
“Lie down and get up again on the turn around and see how much harder the exercises are when you get to them.
Remember when you add the extra run, you just do your exercise on one side and the lie down and get up on the other.
Once you finish that you call it your first round and take a minutes rest.
Then you can do it with the plank with say a 24 sec hold then 20, 16, 12, 8 & 4 second hold to finish. Running across the yard and back in between each.
If you’re looking for an even higher level challenge when you finish your plank you can jump two feet at a time across the lawn instead of running. This will really get your heart racing.
You can also try lunging across the yard, do 24 squat jumps when you get to the end and then run across the yard and back, ready to lunge across the yard again and do a set of 20 squat jumps. You keep doing that and reduce your squat jumps by 4 at a time.
As you get fitter, you start reducing the set of exercise by 2 at a time or even double the number for each set..
Then to finish off the workout you can sprint across the yard and back twice and then add in different stomach exercises while you’re still puffing from your run.
Just sprint across the yard twice and get straight down and do:
How can people adapt their workouts so they can still get a good workout at home?
“You might just concentrate on doing more or lifting heavier weight when there is lots to gain in doing every exercise properly and to the best of your ability. So much improvement will come from being able to concentrate on the details of your exercise because it’s easier to focus on that when you are on your own at home.”
What are your suggestions for ways people can keep moving right now?
“Some easy simple suggestions keep moving during the current coronavirus restrictions are:
walking
walking on the soft sand at the beach
going for a ride
running
running on the soft sand at the beach.
doing some stair repeats or
finding a nice steep hill to run up.
Fit4Dreams is still doing personal training sessions at this time but also they have just launched group sessions online. If you’d like more information or to sign up you can email David at [email protected] or give him a call on 0414 138 778.
