Today I have a fourth interview for you in our series Q&A with Rafa-kids customers.  We travel already to Spain, to meet Andrea, to Berlin to see the lovely family of Victoria and we visited Amsterdam where we followed Ezra. Today we travel to Melbourne to meet a new family.

Hello Belinda, thank you for accepting our invitation to a little talk!

In the Rafa-kids Q&A series, we would like to know better the families living behind beautiful pictures. If I think about your Instagram account @topknotmum I immediately see two cute boys and a running mom!

I’m excited to have the chance to ask you a few questions and get some secrets to unfold!

1.     Could you shortly introduce yourself and tell us about where do you live and with whom?

I’m Belinda, from Melbourne, Australia, and live with my husband Craig and our sons Jack (6) and Easton (4).

2. Do you like to raise your family in Melbourne, and what are your favourite places to go with kids? 

We love Melbourne! We were both born here and although Craig spent some years living abroad, and together we’ve considered moves both interstate and internationally, our love of our families, friends and this city ultimately keep us here. Our kids are spoiled with 3 wonderful zoos, a theme park, beaches, cafes and an abundance of national parks, trails and outdoor adventures. Not to mention Melbourne is Australia’s sporting mecca, home to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (cricket and Australian football) and the Australian Open (tennis grand slam), which I hope the boys enjoy as they grow up together and have more independence.    

3. Let’s talk a bit about your boys! I’m a mom of two monsters too, and always find a bit challenging, as they are so different.Can you tell us a bit about Easton and Jack?

Oh gosh, yes. Like yours, they are so different and because of that, we have individual parenting styles based on what they need. Jack is outgoing, likes to be in charge and doesn’t like to be told “no”. He’s very confident and adventurous. But give him a sad scene in a kids movie and he will dissolve into tears. He has a real sensitive side and is always up for a cuddle and some quality time. Easton is much shyer than Jack, he takes a bit of warming up with new people. He’s an incredibly caring, thoughtful and funny little guy. He adores his big brother and makes friends with ease. 

4. I noticed you have a lot of passion for the sport. Did you always do it, and was this passion started after kids? Is a healthy lifestyle important to you? 

I started running regularly when I was 29, before having children. I ran my first half marathon with a couple of friends in 2012, then my training was on and off in between having the boys. Since then, I’ve been able to train more consistently and I love that my children can see me compete. When I do well, I explain to them that it may have taken hundreds of hours of training to achieve a personal best over a 1 or 2 hour race. Or if I don’t do as well as I hoped, that’s ok too. I think it’s a good lesson in persistence and never giving up.

5. I can also see that you love to decorate. Do the boys share a room? There is not much mess or toys on your pictures, are you hiding them from the lens, or have some great tricks? Tell us!

The boys don’t share a room. We converted my husband’s study, which has the most beautiful natural light, into Easton’s room when he came along. Jack’s roomis next to ours and has recently been decorated. We’ve always believed that bedrooms should be calming spaces to promote sleep, so aside from a few plush toys, we keep them somewhat toy-free. Their play space is in an area off our lounge. Having this philosophy does make it easier to keep their rooms clean and neat 

6. Of course, we are curious why did you choose Rafa-kids B table for your son and whether this choice was his or yours? 

I was familiar with the B table and bench for a long time, so when it was time to give Jack’s room a more mature look now that he’s in school, that’s the one we wanted. We already owned the L shelf and knew the B table would be just as timeless and high quality. My boys have never been particularly fussy about what goes into their rooms but I enjoy showing them the mood boards I’ve put together, design ideas and products I’ve found. 

7. And lastly, could you reveal one of your guilty pleasures?

So many! New furniture, a fun fashion splurge, a long run, a hot bath, mint chocolate and some trashy TV. Though I never feel guilty, it’s all about balance and self care.

THANK YOU you so much Belinda for taking your time and sharing with us a bit of your life.

If you would like to see how Belinda created the Nursery room you can find it here :

ROOM TOUR : EASTON’S Nursery