“Bedtime tends to be smooth sailing. Papa B worked hard at establishing a night-time routine when Esme was first born. It was tough but by three months she was sleeping through the night.” Candice Brathwaite – writer, presenter and co-founder of Make Motherhood Diverse – on family life…
Candice Brathwaite, 29, lives in Stony Stratford with her husband and their daughter Esmé-Olivia, who’s four. She’s expecting her second baby any day now. In addition to raising her children she’s a writer, online presenter and co-founder of Make Motherhood Diverse.
Our mornings are … very early! My husband, (Papa B, as I call him), gets up for work at 4:30am! I’m a light sleeper so I get up too. I usually journal, write my to do list, work (currently working on my first book) and then wait for our four-year-old daughter Esmé-Olivia to wake up.
I’d describe our house as … very neutral and it’s killing me! Since moving in I’ve only found time to decorate my office (think pastel-toned forest) and everywhere else is beige. My husband could live like this forever but it’s colour that keeps me alive. I’m making plans but know it may be a couple of years before executing them because our second kid is due next week. In terms of the aura, our house is really peaceful. I’ve never not wanted to return home.
My kids mainly wear … good question! A lot of Primark for nursery. My heart can’t take sending her in expensive clothes only for her to do things like make muddy leaf angels (exactly how it sounds!) but on the weekend I swear by M&S. The quality is brilliant.
I cope with clutter by … putting it in a draw! It took me a longtime to a admit that I’m a hoarder but when I couldn’t explain why I had to keep cards given to me on my first birthday, I knew I had a slight problem. Friends coming to visit forces me to clean up.
Our favourite family meal is … burgers! Especially GBK – I think we eat there once a fortnight, perhaps more but I don’t want to seem greedy.
I never leave the house without … my cards, phone, keys, tissues, lipstick and lipliner, small smythson diary, tissues, mont blanc pen and hand sanitiser.
When no one’s looking I … have a good cry. I’m very emotional by nature. But tend not to do it whilst anyone is around as I don’t want to worry them.
Having a child has made me … patient. Prior to motherhood I had zero time to waste. It was all NOW! NOW! NOW! That attitude is just not an option with raising a child. Everything is going to be done according to their schedule.
I encourage creativity … by meditating, reading and going quiet. I honestly don’t think you can access creativity in a noisy space and I mean that both mentally and physically. I’m lucky enough to live a five-minute walk from the most majestic woods. I usually go for a forty-minute walk when I’m feeling uninspired. It’s also one of the main reasons I mediate. I’m only three months into practicing every day but it has been a very helpful tool across all areas of my life.
I’ll never be able to part with … of course I want to say something like my phone but in reality it’s my glasses. I am terribly short-sighted so they are the first thing I have to reach for in the morning.
Bedtime tends to be … smooth sailing. Papa B worked really hard at establishing a night-time routine when Esme was first born. It was tough but by three months she was sleeping through the night. She can read the time by the hour now and just before 8pm she’ll come to us to remind us it’s bedtime and unless she’s sick you wont hear a peep again until 8am the next day.
When all else fails we … go outside. Esme loves to go walking in the woods or exploring in our back garden. We didn’t have one for ages so now it’s nice to have immediate private access to fresh air.
Follow Candice Brathwaite on Instagram: @candicebrathwaite
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