The Tranquil Treehouse

28/09/2026

I’ve always had this feeling. I just didn’t know it had a name.

Last night, I pulled the car over because the harvest moon was so huge and beautiful that I couldn’t bear to drive past it without stopping. I just sat there for a minute and looked at it.

And I realised I’ve been doing this my whole life.

I remember feeling it skiing with my parents when I was little. I feel it now, skiing with Bodhi and there’s something about seeing him experience that same sense of freedom that gets me every time.

I feel it swimming in the North Sea with my wonderful friends, when we’re freezing cold and laughing and putting the world to rights.

I feel it walking through the park opposite my house when an ordinary walk suddenly turns into something else because the sky is spectacular and I have to stop and look.

I feel it on the last day of a holiday, when I’m determined to squeeze every last drop out of it because I’m never quite ready for it to be over.

It’s staying at the table long after everyone has finished eating because the conversation is too good to end.

It’s music playing in the car and taking the long way home.

It’s laughing so hard with people you love that your stomach hurts.

It’s those little moments when everything else falls away.
No thinking about what needs doing next.�No trying to make the moment count.�No wishing you were somewhere else.
Just being completely, wonderfully there.
And sometimes there’s this tiny rush of something I can’t quite explain.
This is it.
This is life.
And I really, really love it.

Apparently, the Germans and Austrians have a word for this feeling.
Lebensgefühl.
I’ve always known the feeling.
I’m just quite glad I finally know what to call it.

14/09/2026

14/09/2026

14/09/2026

27/07/2026

Check out a recent interview I did with the BBC.

Nadia Shafreen says parents in the North East are struggling with summer holiday costs.

03/12/2025

C.S. Lewis once said, “Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.”

And some days, that truth feels both
beautiful and a little overwhelming.

If today was full of half-finished tasks, reheated coffee and little voices calling your name before you could even think, know that you’re not alone. That’s the reality of parenting life.

But you’re also doing the work that matters most, even when it doesn’t look polished or productive from the outside.

Here are a few gentle reminders for the days that feel heavy:

�• Slow down when you can. Even a 10 second pause before responding can reset the energy in your home.
�• Replace “I have to” with “I get to” for one moment today. It shifts the heart, even if the task stays the same.
�• Let good-enough be enough. A sink with dishes doesn’t cancel out the patience you offered your child.
�• Take a moment for yourself. A stretch, a breath of fresh air, venting to a friend. Your calm becomes their calm.

You’re shaping a world for your children simply by showing up.

That is real work. And you’re doing better than you think.

26/11/2025

It’s not called ‘childing,’ it’s called ‘parenting’ for a reason. It’s called parenting because it’s on us, as parents.

Some days that idea feels empowering. Other days it feels like someone just handed you a live gr***de and said, “Good luck, champ.”

Then Ginott comes in with one of my favourite quotes! It’s a reminder that we are the decisive element. Our mood makes the weather, our reaction sets the temperature and apparently we’re both the storm and the umbrella.

And honestly? That’s a lot.

Because here’s the thing: we don’t control our children, but we absolutely influence them. If we wake up in a funk, the whole place can slide into the same vibe before breakfast. Children feel our moods long before they understand them. So l, for me, sometimes the most powerful thing I can do is pause, put on some Christmas music, shake it out or have a quick word with myself. A tiny reset from us can shift the entire atmosphere.

Because children don’t arrive with volume dials or emotional disclaimers. They spill juice and their feelings at the exact same time. They push buttons you didn’t even know you had.

So just think, you don’t want to send your children off to school in a bad mood simply because you woke up in one. Change your energy first.

It can be small and it can be quick: step outside for 60 seconds of fresh air, put on a song that forces a smile, stretch while the kettle boils, say one grounding sentence out loud (“I set the tone, not my mood”) or splash your face with cold water to reboot.

These tiny shifts can change the whole morning.

25/11/2025

As children grow, they start forming their own opinions, preferences, values and their own moral compass. And with that comes an important realisation: not everyone is going to feel like ‘their kind of person.’

My son will discover this as he navigates through his first year of secondary school. He’s in a much bigger pond now and to some extent, it replicates the big world outside. The phrase I’ve used recently with him is, ‘respect is about who we are, not who they are.’ We can control when we are respectful, we can’t control others.

He’ll meet classmates whose personalities clash with his.
He’ll meet adults he won’t agree with.
He’ll meet peers who challenge his patience.
He’ll meet teachers who will demand respect and kindness but don’t return it.

This isn’t a sign that something is wrong.
It’s simply part of growing up and being a human in society.

One of the most valuable skills we can teach our children is how to tolerate people they don’t naturally get along with, without losing themselves in the process.

It’s not about people-pleasing.
It’s not about shrinking to keep the peace.
And it’s definitely not about agreeing with everything they’re told.

It is about:
• Maintaining their integrity even when someone else is being dishonest.

Choosing respectful behaviour regardless of what they receive in return.

Building tolerance for different personalities, viewpoints and temperaments.

Not lowering their expectations for themselves just because someone else is struggling with theirs.

Letting unkindness or tension wash off them, instead of absorbing it.

This is a lifelong skill and one that will serve them in friendships, classrooms, workplaces and relationships for decades to come.

As Viktor Frankl beautifully said:
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.”

Teaching children to use that space well is one of the greatest gifts we can give them.

� � � � �

24/11/2025

Something we don’t talk about enough is how deeply children tune in to the energy of the adults around them.

You may have noticed this yourself:
You’re saying all the right things…
You’re being calm on the outside…
You’re giving clear instructions…
…but your child doesn’t cooperate and you feel powerless.

Your child still reacts as if something is ‘off’ because children don’t just listen to what we say, they pick up on how we feel. Our tone, our pace, our tension, our uncertainty… they hear all of it long before the words land. They hear our truth even if we’re masking it.

And this isn’t a flaw in them, it’s actually a superpower.

It means that when we feel stretched thin, overwhelmed, unsure or exhausted, our children sense it instantly. Not because we’re doing anything wrong, but because that’s how deeply connected they are to us.

The good news?

When we take a moment to steady ourselves, even a single deep breath, a pause before responding or a clearer intention, children sense that too.

Our groundedness becomes their anchor.
Our calm becomes their calm.
Our confidence becomes their safety.
You don’t need to have perfect answers.
You don’t need to get every moment right.
You don’t need to pretend.
Just focus on being present, even in small ways.

10/11/2025

Hey lovely Tranquil Treehouse community 💚

Most of you know me as Nadia from The Tranquil Treehouse: coach, mam and cheerleader for calm, connection and intention in family life. But… did you know I also have a physical product designed to bring that same sense of clarity and calm into your everyday world?

Meet Clean Slate Emporium. This is my passion project turned reality. After years of helping parents find balance and breathe amidst the chaos, I realised we needed a tool to make that possible. So I created The Motherlode Desk Planner. It’s a luxurious yet practical planner designed especially for busy women who juggle it all (and then some!).

It’s not just a planner, it’s your daily reminder that you’re doing an incredible job and that every day is a chance to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.

If you’ve been looking for the perfect Christmas gift, for yourself or someone who deserves a little organisation wrapped in luxury, this is it.

✨ Because you deserve a fresh start every day.

✨ Because presence > perfection.

✨ Because being a mum doesn’t mean losing your sense of style or self.

You can read more about my journey and The Motherlode Planner here:
www.cleanslateemporium.com/pages/our-story

With love and calm,
Nadia