Three pretty unicorns live in a bright, spacious apartment in the Eaux-vives district. In their image, the atmosphere is cocconing, colorful and ultra-bright. Five minutes after arriving, I'm already dizzy! The girls are running around, laughing, playing, miming and showing me every nook and cranny of their palace (including the fabulous little nook). One fashion show and a pillow fight later, I'm absolutely exhausted, but luckily it's dinnertime. I slip away, unseen and unheard, leaving these little fairies to devour their enormous plate of lasagne.

Céline, can you introduce yourself in a few words?
I was born and raised in Geneva. I left to study design at the University of Sydney in Australia. I ended up staying for 6 years. It was there that I took up yoga and discovered meditation and energy healing. I wear many hats: graphic designer, illustrator, yoga teacher... I've also written and published children's books. For a year now, I've been devoting myself mainly to my new career as a yoga and pilates teacher. I live with my two little girls, aged 3 and 6, as I've been separated from my dad for 3 years now.

What are your secrets for reconciling your professional and personal life?
I think you have to accept that you'll always be juggling a bit (sometimes a lot!), especially with irregular hours like I have. Planning my week as far in advance as possible, preparing each day of the following day the day before, helps me a lot. A circle of friends who understand my situation and support me is also essential. You can't do everything, and certainly not on your own...

How do you organize your day-to-day life?
Basically, I'm a dreamy artist who's not very organized, but as a solo mom with professional projects like mine, it's just impossible! So I had to discipline myself. As I said above, I often work irregular hours. Sometimes I have training courses at the weekend and/or I work evenings during the week. Eden goes to nursery school and Namie goes to school, which means different places, vacations and timetables and requires a lot of logistics and planning. I often prepare my meals in advance so that I don't waste time cooking when I get home a bit late and can enjoy the girls. Every Sunday, I plan the week ahead, then re-plan the day before and the day of, adjusting if necessary to take into account any unforeseen events, and there are always some (sick child, babysitter who cancels, client meeting moved, etc.) Having a small list of people to count on in case of a problem is key. Without it, it would be absolutely impossible!

Did you continue yoga during your pregnancies?
I never stopped, and even when I was bedridden for my Namie, I did little exercises in bed.

Is this a practice you would recommend to any expectant or new mother?
Yes. During this period of great change, I think it's a wonderful tool for connecting to yourself, your body and your unborn baby.

Cool vs. uncool during pregnancy?

Cool: I loved feeling this little being growing inside me and my body getting rounder.

Not cool: nausea! I've had terrible ones for both of them. I also found it hard to be responsible for the life of a little being non-stop, 24/24 without being able to swap roles for 5 minutes with the dad (laughs). Having had a high-risk pregnancy for Namie, this feeling was even stronger.

If you had to define motherhood in 1 word?
Adventure

How has it changed you? What does it mean to be a mother?
I'm not sure how to answer that question, and I think you could write a whole book on the subject! I'd say it's taken away a certain carefree attitude, because now every action and every decision has consequences. On the other hand, it's given me more strength to do things I'd probably never have had the courage to do before. For the first few years, I was completely lost and forgotten in my new role as a mother. Little by little, I'm finally finding my balance. I feel more aligned, more determined, stronger than before. I don't know if what I'm saying makes sense (laughs).

What do you want to pass on to your daughters? What values?
Respect, confidence in themselves and their resources. That's very important in our education.

The first time...?
Secret (laughs)

What's your beauty ritual/secret?
Bathing with sea salt and coconut oil. It leaves your skin feeling soft and smelling like summer.

A mantra?
Sat Chit Ananda

Your music of the moment?
Her - Five Minutes because if only I had 5 more minutes every day (laughs)...

A good plan for a Kids Friendly restaurant or café?
Luigia rue Adrien Lachenal. They welcome you and the kids with open arms. There's a superbly laid-out play area that the girls love.

What tips do you have for calming them down when they're angry or sad?
They have a "soft eater". It's a cuddly toy with a zip over the mouth. You open it up, tell it about your tantrums and/or sadness, then zip it up again, and that's it. Sometimes you use a drawing or simply wait for the crisis to pass, then talk about it. In fact, you have to constantly adapt to each situation.

When you want to disconnect, what do you do, where do you go?
I like to walk by the lake, go out with friends or just read at home.

A season?
Summer

A destination?
Australia

The best advice you could give to other single moms?
DARE to ask for help. I know what I'm talking about! When I split up, I went through a complicated period where I had to manage almost everything on my own. It took me a while to build up a circle of people I could count on. If you're not lucky enough to have your family to support you, try to meet other moms in the same situation with whom you can do each other favors, or join meet-up groups like MotherStories. Another important piece of advice is to stop feeling guilty. Yes, you have the right to take time for yourself, but that doesn't make you a bad mother - quite the opposite! I say this because I've forgotten myself for years, and I'm finally starting to take time for myself. If we feel good, our children will too, and vice-versa. 

The comment that annoys you most as a mom?
Generally speaking, when people tell you what you should do with your child... It drives me crazy!

What are your next projects?
I'd like to start painting again. I've got an exhibition in mind about my journey as a mother, but it'll have to wait, because you can't do everything at once!

Céline, what can we wish you today for tomorrow?
A few more hours of sleep (laughs).