Aloha, Baby D!

Oh how fun the second trimester was! When I finally got over the blues and waves of the first trimester, I felt human again. But there was still a lot of waiting to do - after all, I was only halfway through the pregnancy - so I needed to find something to fill my days with.

The Baby Shower! I defied the rule that said it had to be thrown by family and friends. In true maternal (and perfectionist?) form, I decided to do it myself. As the invite said, I wanted it to be, 'a celebration of thanksgiving and joy'. We've waited for this baby for a while so this mama (and papa) had every reason to throw a party, right?

First, the theme. I didn't want the party to literally say BABY! so I searched for the perfect theme to tie everything together. Considering that our baby would be born during summer (and we were all beginning to feel the heatwave), I just knew that it had to be TROPICAL. So I scoured the city - mostly from my laptop - for suppliers of garden chairs, monstera leaves, orchids, seashells, starfishes, and tropical flowers...

Life & Style, MotherhoodDeanne BanaresMarch 30, 2017Party, Planning, Baby Shower, Tropical, ThemeComment

Sydney: A Cosy Kind Of Cosmo

Sydney has always been the cool kid of Australia (sorry Melbourne, you know we love you). It must be the glorious beaches they're known for, the waves dotted with surfer dudes and the shorelines peppered with beach babes. Paired with the eternal sunshine (and their distinct accent), it seems like it could be forever summer here.

Or that magnificent harbor whose skyline is filled with the steel shape of the bridge or the unparalleled silhouette sails of the Opera House. Clearly, architecture has held its footing here in Sydney and it is revered the world over. Then there's the city with its upscale bars and restaurants, the local dwellers in their stilettos and suits leaving a trail of sophistication in their wake as they hit the streets.

But as my husband and I flit from one neighborhood to another, from one harbor to the next, we noticed that it was not the cosmopolitan, not the cool we thought it would be. Instead, we were spun around on our feet and shown a different kind of Sydney that left us wanting more...

TravelDeanne BanaresMarch 10, 2017Sydney, City, Travel, Australia, Design, UrbanComment

Entertain With Style & Love

With a feminine heart that yearns to serve and nurture, mothers see their homes not just as a roof over their family’s heads. Instead, homes also become the place to gather, celebrate, converse; an abode that offers comfort and restfulness in times of increasing uncertainty and worry. There are only a few things more satisfying to a woman than providing respite for her loved ones in the forms of coffee sessions, dinner conversations, and weekend brunches. Every woman falls in love with the image of people gathered ‘round the table, smiling and dining within the four walls of the home she has built.

But let’s face it: not everyone is born a Martha Stewart, right? Sometimes, entertaining dear family and friends can seem like a daunting task reserved only for those with an abundance of time and resources. We think, ‘I cannot cook to save my life! I don’t know where to get pretty tabletop decors! I simply have no help!’ Here’s the good news, mamas: when we entertain, we don’t have to whip up a three-course meal like Ina Garten or design our dining rooms akin to those glorifying homes on Pinterest...

Life & StyleDeanne BanaresMarch 8, 2017Entertaining, Tablescape, Decor, Food, Homemade, Housewife, MotherComment

Melbourne: Hit The Laneways

My travel checklist for Melbourne contained many things when it should have said only one: pound the city pavements. Traditional guides will tell travellers to venture to Yarra Valley, Philip Island, and the Great Ocean Road among others (all well and beautiful in themselves) but locals will lure you into cafés and to come, sit a while. While staying in might seem like missing out, it seems that over the years, the people have made the streets of Melbourne the sole institution, the main feature.

Laneways - that's what they're called. Where entrepreneurs of all kinds set up shop, daring to release their inner creativity and vision, hoping to cater to the niche and the crowd. Where paperback bookstores, jewellery boutiques, art galleries, barber shops, chocolate connoisseurs stand side by side, offering services and stories...

TravelDeanne BanaresMarch 8, 2017Melbourne, Australia, Travel, Laneway, Cafe, Culture, LifestyleComment

The Thrill Of Monotony

I stumble out of bed with my head disheveled from odd dreams, my eyes squinting from the sunlight. Another dawn, another flip on the calendar, yet it’s the same old, same old story for me.

To Do List: Do the grocery (didn’t I just buy cereals and bread?). Schedule a general cleaning session for the apartment (because no matter how much I clean, it’s still not spic and span). Buy the medicines and toiletries my husband needs (what was it again?). Buy a frame for this painting (this room needs an art piece)…

It goes on and on and on. Facing the long list is daunting but my mind will go haywire if I don’t spill the many contents of it into something else.

I move seamlessly from errand to errand. After almost two years of being a housewife, I know where to go, whom to talk to, how much it costs. A rhythm has been established. But you know what else? Boredom, repetitiveness, ordinary. I move seamlessly, yet reluctantly. I move efficiently, yet unenthusiastically...

MarriageDeanne BanaresMarch 1, 2017Housewife, Errands, Vocation, Love, Service Comments