( OH WOW )
life . I understand his career , and his life and what he needs to be able to do his job . So I try not to be too demanding on him – I can ’ t tell him what time he has to be home or anything like that , because that ’ s just not the life we have . This way , the pressure is off him , from me , trying to control things to make it work . It ’ s good for him to have that flow and freedom to do his job and do what he needs to ; and it works because I know he loves us more than anything ; I know that he ’ d prefer to be with us rather than anywhere else . I know this , and I ’ m cool with it . We understand what our jobs are , and as a woman , I have to be easy going about his lifestyle and make it work by holding down the fort at home . We ’ ll have been married ten years this year , which is a long time , but we got here because we know what our roles are within our relationship , and for us , it works !’
In June last year , both Guy and Jules embarked on an eight-week body transformation program , but surprisingly , what Jules was most proud of was not the physical gains she achieved . ‘ I thought as a mum of two , I should have a glass of wine and some chocolate at the end of every single day , because it made me feel good and I felt like I ’ d earned it . I had my “ mum ” body and I thought that ’ s how things should be . I always thought I didn ’ t have the time to exercise , or I simply couldn ’ t cut out sugar , but the program showed me how wrong I was . We made exercise a priority by putting it in the diary , and we totally turned around our eating , and after the eight weeks was over , it just became our way of life .’
‘ Since transforming my body , my eating and my mind , I just feel really proud of myself – for the first time in so long – because I did it . I said I would and I did . And it made such a huge difference in my confidence and self-esteem . Even better than fitting back into my jeans , is this sense of pride and accomplishment and that ’ s what I have enjoyed most adopting a healthier lifestyle .’
A recent addition to this healthy lifestyle has been Jules ’ ambassador role for the H2coco Lunchbox Range .
‘ Archie is such a fussy eater that when he tried it and liked it , I thought this must be something good . This range is 100 per cent natural , gluten and dairy free , has no GMOs , comes in fun flavours for the kids , smaller sized packs that fit into lunchboxes , and it ’ s conveniently available from Coles and Woolworths . Busy mums don ’ t want to have to figure out if something is good for our kids ; we just want to know that it is and that they like it , and that ’ s exactly what the H2coco Lunchbox Range offers .’
With Hudson about to start his second year at ‘ big ’ school , slipping this fruit juice alternative into his lunchbox last year , was one life hack that helped Jules ensure calm and harmonious school mornings .
‘ Hudson is an early riser so for my entire life as a parent , I ’ ve been screamed at , with someone wanting something from around 5am or 530am every morning . Archie is good at sleeping for longer , but that can mean we ’ re late getting our day started . So I ’ ve found the key to smooth school mornings , is to just get up ! I find , this is the best way to ensure you have enough time to get everything done without rushing around all morning .’
‘ I also pre-make school lunches . I have them in the fridge , ready to go in the morning so I don ’ t have to worry about cutting up fruit and all of that . I also try and make sure the uniforms are ready the night before , so I don ’ t have to worry about ironing in the morning , or finding socks . I also try and make sure we put shoes back in the same spot every day – again , so we know where they are when we need them !’
‘ We do things in an order , so the boys know what ’ s coming every day . They wake up , they get some milk , they have breakfast , they get dressed , they do their hair and teeth and then grab their bags and we ’ re out the door . This works for us . Of course , what I do each morning can vary ; some days I ’ m going to the gym so I ’ ll dress for that , while on other days I ’ ll have to have a shower and get presentable before I walk out the door . But for them , the same thing happens every day , and this works really well for us .’
‘ It helps if you can prep as much as you can the night before , because there ’ s always a lot to do before you get out the door , and that time in the morning goes fast !’
‘ That first month when Hudson started school , I think I cried every single day . I ’ d lay with him in bed at night , and I couldn ’ t get my head around him being this big boy at school . We were in this next phase of his new life , and he was totally fine with it ; maybe the first two days he was a bit wobbly getting used to the transition , but I think it was harder on me because Hudson went to school and Archer went to preschool all in the same week . I just couldn ’ t believe they ’ d gotten so grown up . Hudson was in his uniform each day , and I was packing lunches ; it ’ s a really different phase to having them at home . He ’ s on a schedule now and meeting new people and making friends , and school is a world that I don ’ t know about . It was a really big transition – moreso for me though , I think !’
‘ Motherhood has definitely changed me . Other than being more tired , of course , I ’ m
8 OH ! MAGAZINE ( FEBRUARY 2018 )