i'm not going to blab on and on about why you should like vicki from domestic mamma.

i'm not going to try to convince you to head on over to her part of australia blog-land to take a peak at her beautiful blog.

no no no. that would be crazy. because then you would leave september farm in the dust and realize there is yet another blog with far more entertainment than i could ever offer.

but i'm going to. because i love you, and i looooove domestic mamma.

KARLI | let's get right to it - three things people shoo know about you. go.

VICKI | 

1 // i'm not a morning person, like really NOT a morning person. if you wake me before i have to be out of bed, i'm super unpleasant all day, and no one needs that kinda drama in their lives. 

2 // i'm obsessed with art, love it, can't get enough of it. wish i could fill my house with it.

3 // if i could move houses every six months i would. i love change and new things, which is the total opposite of my family who all like life to stay just the way it is. so...i guess that makes me the odd one out!

KARLI | oh my goodness. now i know why i love you. because we are exact opposites...and opposites attract, right? right. now i have to come visit you in australia. 

tell us more about your shop! who's idea was it? was it difficult to get started? 
VICKI | our shop is really simply just called SHOP DOMESTIC MAMMA, and started out as one of those "what if" ideas. 
my daughter and i are both big art lovers, and one of our favorite things to do is create art for our home. so when my daughter, who dreams about becoming an artist when she's older, started talking about selling her art online, i thought, "why not? why can't she?" and then i set about figuring out how to make it happen. most of the products we sell at the moment are sourced through Society6 because we don't have the room in our house to store stock, and because they make it so easy for artists to get their stuff out there into the world. there are also items that you can purchase directly from the store such as unique hand painted art pieces by myself or my daughter, and there will be more home decor items included each month. we're starting off with just a small selection first and we'll add more each month!
KARLI | oh girl. this is all so exciting! i'm so proud of you! it makes me wonder if kaye and i could ever start a business together. it would probably be some sort of reality show of her jumping off high places and me trying to pitch the idea to tv executives. let's be real. 

do you have any favorite products you want us to see?

VICKI | i love everything we have in the store so far, but i think my favorite stuff has to be the art that my daughter and i have created because it's so personal and we've spent hours creating them. 

KARLI | yep. that makes sense. i seriously hope kaye and i have sweet, close relationship...like your daughter and you. i'm jealous already.

shifting gears - what’s your greatest accomplishment?

VICKI | Oh now your just gonna make me go and get all soppy, but okay let’s do it! Hands down my most amazing accomplishment is being the mother of a pretty amazing kid, which was a huge shock to me as someone who had always thought I never wanted to have kids. It’s boring, but it’s the truth. If nothing amazing happens to me for the rest of my life, that’s okay, being her mum and seeing her blossom into such a beautiful human is all I really need, and it’s the reason why I do everything that I do.

KARLI | nope, i love it. it's so honest and i can say without hesitation that a trillion-bagillion moms and dads feel just the same.

so…i do believe most of us September Farm readers are from the US. can we come visit you in australia?

VICKI | Haha, why not, the more the merrier right? Come on down, we’ll make you right at home, we love visitors, you can join us for Tuesday Taco night! I always think it’s funny when our friends from the US tell us it’s their dream to come to Australia, I guess because it’s always been my dream to visit the US and go coupon shopping like a boss! That’s crazy right, but we don’t have coupon shopping here. And I really, really want to visit New York around Christmas time, it just looks so amazing in the all the photos I’ve seen, plus I’m fascinated with the whole “snow at Christmas” thing, I always hoped it would snow at Christmas when I was a kid, I never quite got that we lived on the wrong side of the world for that to happen. Christmas in Australia is a barbeque at the beach.

KARLI | girl. you're hysterical. couponing!? so...i've always wanted to be a couponer, but i'm so far from having the patience to do that. have you ever seen extreme couponing the show? it's ca-raaaazy. those women spend so much time clipping, organizing, planning/plotting. it's like a full time job. but then they are stuck with 78 deodorants and 39 boxes of cheerios. i guess that's okay if you donate it. otherwise you're going to find yourself on another reality show called hoarders.

what are your favorite things to do in australia?

VICKI | I think like most Aussies I know, my favourite thing is travel, to get out there and explore the world we live in. I’m dying to travel the world, but I’ve always had this rule that we had to explore our own country before we hopped on a plane out of here, and I’m always fascinated with how different life can be in different towns and cities that share the same nationality. We are visiting Melbourne at the moment, and I’m having a fabulous time just taking in the creative buzz that seems to be in everything we see. So different to our home town.

KARLI | your blog is beautiful - how was the transition from blogger to wordpress? 

VICKI | Thanks so much, I’d love to tell you I did it all myself, but let’s be real …. That said, it is definitely worth the stress. After a couple of weeks trying to do the whole thing myself, I gave up and paid someone (via Fiverr.com) to help me and I’m so happy with the results. btw, wordpress is as good as they say, but it takes a little getting used to if you’ve been a “blogger” blogger for years.

KARLI | oh lord. i feel like i just figured out blogger. how would i ever transition.

where do you see you and your gal in five years?

VICKI | Oh gosh, I have no idea. In my early 20’s I had my entire future mapped out, but I guess as I’ve grown older and life has taught me lots of little lessons along the way, I’ve let go of that need to be in control and learned how to live in the present moment. Honestly, I don’t care where we’re at in five years as long as we are both happy and healthy, and I’m still as wrinkle free as possible!

KARLI | uhhh...you and me both. what is with all the wrinkles on my face? clearly my fair skin is punishing me for the years of sun-neglect. i need botox.

 you have a whole series called single parent diaries with guest contributors. can you tell us more about that?

VICKI | Oh I love this series, it’s one of my favourite things about my blog. The series began when I read a horrible comment someone made on Facebook about single mothers. I couldn’t believe how many other people joined in and supported those comments, and I wanted to do something about it. I’m not sure if Single Parent Diaries does anything to change the very demeaning notions that some people have regarding single parents (mothers in particular), but it does give some very inspiring women a chance to get their stories out there into the world and show other women who are in difficult circumstances that anything can be achieved by creating your own opportunities.

KARLI | why are people so damn mean on social media? i don't get it. granted...i have yet to be victim of this...thank god. but it's like...just be nice. don't judge. and if you must judge...do it silently in your head. whatever. let's end on a positive note.

because it’s my favorite question - do you have an awesome embarrassing story you can share to give us all a mid-week chuckle?

VICKI | Here’s one for all the mamma’s out there who have toilet training toddlers to deal with right now…so my girl was about 3 when this took place. I was at the tail end of what I had decided was a very easy toilet training experience and we had my best friend who I had not seen in years visiting for a few days. We were walking through Target comparing notes about parenting and kids and we got onto the subject of toilet training. I think at this point we were standing in the music department, just browsing and I started boasting about how easy miss Monkey had been to toilet train, I was going hard at singing my praises. What I wasn’t doing was watching what my little miss was doing, because I strapped her into her stroller and she was quiet. (ya’ll know that’s bad right, a quiet kid). Somewhere during the dispensing of excellent toilet training tips for my friend a very red faced man walks over and “ahems” in our direction. I didn’t really get what he was trying to tell me, so I ignored him and kept talking, until I noticed that a few people had stopped and were staring at something behind me with horrified and disgusted looks on their faces. When I turned around to look at what it was that had caught their attention, I was met with a very proud and smiling miss Monkey who had managed to escape from the stroller, pull down her pants and do a poop on the floor right there in Target. I had no words. I quickly scooped up the child and her little nugget and ran out of the store and fast as my legs would carry me. I’ve not boasted about my parenting skills since then.

KARLI | oh dear lord...why do i have a feeling this is in my future. that was a fantastic story. thank you. thank you so much for sharing. such a good story.

but that's not all! vicki has so much more up her sleeve for all the September Farm readers. yay!




not only those treats, but vicki is bringing us another treat by way of a $50 voucher for SHOP DOMESTIC MAMMA! get yourself entered...right now. 

however, if you don't want to wait...and want to get your shop on right this moment, use the code COUNTRYCHIC for 20% off your order!