Finding Calm in a Busy, Modern Life

Finding Calm in A Busy, Modern Life.

When parenthood hits you are in a bubble of bliss. You have your new baby, life is a miracle full of love and all is good in the world.
And then, as it does, life starts to get busy. Babies grow and life becomes a bustle of rushing around.

I don’t know about your family life but my day to day can get pretty hectic!

Kids to get ready for school and kindy, lunch boxes to make, hair to do, uniforms to have ready, sibling fights to negotiate, then there is after school sports and activities, work schedules, housework, dinners to organise, meals to plan, shopping to do, appointments, events and then throw in some life events, accidents, unexpected hiccups and the odd illness or day care bug and of course the blog to look after and write and is it any wonder that life can get a little stressful? 
Stress as we know (and hear in the media) can be very harmful to our bodies.
Stress activates the body’s sympathetic nervous system and our inbuilt fight or flee response.
It is a very powerful design and does of course serve us well in times of emergency however activating this as often as we do in our stressful, busy modern lives can be very detrimental to our health.
In fact many experts now say we can eat as healthy as we like and exercise well but if we are not also making reducing stress an equal priority we can still get serious health issues.  

So as a busy mum when the new year clicked over to 2014 I decided my word for the year was going to be CALM…..
My mind, my body and my health had to start taking some priority if I was going to be healthy and happy and a great role model to my kids. I needed to bring some quiet, some peace, plenty of time outs and self nurturing and as much relaxation as possible into my day to day life. I needed more CALM.

So how do we get more calm into our busy lives?

Here are some of my TOP TIPS for blessing our lives with more beautiful calm.

• Get organised. Yes, it really does work. Have a calendar (I have two) plan out each day and major events/appointments/sporting activities/school dates/bill due dates/fee due dates/birthdays/banking reminders. Have it somewhere visible that you see all the time and use it as the great tool it is. If you’re a blogger you could even have one just for your blog and what you need to do/post and when.
• Have an organised space in the home for all the kids activities. I have a rack with containers for school (including bags), kindy, ballet, swimming, gymnastics etc. It makes life so much smoother to know everything for each activity is right in its spot when you need it and always has that organised home to go to. I find it also empowers the kids to look after their own stuff and also know where to put it each day.
• Bake it Sundays. This cuts out so much stress! Each Sunday I spend quite a few hours baking muffins, biscuits, quiches, sausage rolls or pies type things and then freeze them for the busy school/kindy week ahead. I can then take out what I need as needed for lunchboxes.
  I also try and make a few dinner options for “those night” things like a cannelloni, quiche, and lasagne, bolognaise sauce that I can freeze for any easy meal during the week.
• Mummy Time. Oh yeah, we soooo need it!! This can be as simple as an Epsom salt bath for 10 minutes, reading a book somewhere quiet, a walk on the beach, a gym session, yoga class, art class, dance class, a run around the block, catching a chai with girlfriends, making jewellery, painting, going to the cinema by yourself (and it’s not Disney), doing laps at the local pool, even cooking to music in an empty house – whatever makes you feel relaxed and full of JOY.
• De-Clutter – it’s amazing how much better you feel when you declutter! One of my favourite books, “Does this clutter make my but look big” helped changed my life and inspired me to de clutter my life! Yes, I am still not perfect and yes I have ornaments and things and occasionally some clutter creeps in here and there but every so often we have a family culling and it always feel wonderful!
• Insure what matters in your life.
  This can take a MASSIVE chunk of worry off your shoulders.
  Imagine rushing about your morning routine, kids in the car ready to go to where they need to go and you head down the road and the unimaginable happens someone goes right through that stop sign and hits you. You and your kids are all ok but your car, is a write off. What would you do? Who would you call? How when you still get the kids to where they needed to go, not just today but every day? You never realise how much you rely on your car for everything until you can’t.
  Trust me, I have had this exact thing happen and you guessed it, we were not insured and the other driver at fault’s insurance company only paid out the lowest market value they could find on the internet for our car. Not taking into consideration work or improvements (it was a 4 wd with accessories) and they took forever and a day too.
  We have more than enough on our plates already so take some stress away from the occasion, take out comprehensive car insurance and make sure what you do have is actually the right kind of cover and really will give you full peace of mind.
• Have regular health and dental check ups. Yes, it might seem boring but when they find and treat things early on – it works out so much better (and cheaper) in the long run!
  This year I got both my kids well known to our local dentist, they have had check ups and cleans and talks with him about the importance of brushing, plus he gave them barbie toothbrushes which as you can imagine went down rather well!
• Get on top of that paperwork. Did I hear you groan? Or maybe you are one of those super ocd organised people that I wish I was!! Yes, it can be heavy going but really a draw, cupboard overflowing with folders or a filing cupboard you just thing eergh about is not aiding to your new zeness! If you can afford to (and need to) hire a bookkeeper! Or make a day once a month to go through it all and keep it organised and filed and shred what you don’t need and if its not glossy – turn into super urber useful garden compost J
• Be Prepared. Some might laugh that know me well but yes, I like to be prepared! I have an extensive first aid kit in the car, one for the pram and one at home. In my boot I will have an umbrella, torch, mini tool kit, rope, 2 towels, change of clothes for both kids (including undies), spare thongs for everyone, money for a phone call, picnic blanket, bottles of water, non-perishable emergency snacks for the kids, wipes, sanitiser, even a toilet roll! Just In Case. Haha
  Yes, I guess it is a little dorky maybe even OCD of me ( I am a little bit) but you would not believe how many times over the years it has come in handy! And not just for me, sometimes for other people I have helped!
• Teach Your Kids Your Phone Number & Address. Easy to overlook put this is a really simple thing that could be very important if they ever got lost.
• Tee up Emergency Parent Pick Up Friends. Ever had that day when something happened and you couldn’t get to the school in time to collect your kids? Or needed to drop them off too early?
  A really great idea is to form a small network with some parents you trust that live near you where you can swap each other’s details and organise to be a drop off/pick up back up option when something important comes up. This really will REALLY reduce stress in your life. There is such relief in knowing if you get stuck, can’t get away from work, your car breaks down, an appointment runs over or is too early that you have someone you can call who can help!

Of course there are many more things you can do to reduce stress in day to day life, these are just a few that I have found really help me. Would love you to leave any tips you too have below as well for everyone!

Live well. Eat Beautiful. Stay Calm. Be Happy.

Bek XXX

This post is sponsored by Youi

Walk yourself happier & WIN my book and a voucher!

Image by Notsalmon.com

Walking.
How excited are we when we first learn to do it, the mums and dads who read this will remember the utter joy of those first few steps our babies take. Then they are off, walking, running, hopping, dancing with the utter delight and joy that is thee human body, their own body moving in such magnificent ways.

And then for some reason, as we reach adulthood we turn on the miracle that is walking and tell ourselves it is tedious and time consuming and in the can't be bothered basket. We lose fitness, we might even gain weight or gain lazy habits like circling the car park until we can find a really close park, rather than just walking from the back edges.
We might even take to driving to the local shop or school when really we could walk it, we might even occasionally re-park the car a block up when out shopping when truly that could have just been walked.

After my first baby, Lily I re-discovered the joy that is walking. And not just walking to get from A to B but also walking for enjoyment. What started out as walking to lose the babyweight (all 40 kilos of it!) became the tool that got me through Post Natal Depression, led me down the path of health and wellness and writing my very first ever book about my journey and experiences, The Pram Diet.

Walking is wonderful. It really is and somewhere along the line it gets a bad rap but it truly is one of the best ways to get more active, exercise with your kids everyday, exercise if you have a lot of weight to lose until you can handle other forms, kick start a new fitness routine and help ease depression and stress.

It is easy to start, even just around an average block or it can be a challenging fun exercise like a 12 km bush or national park hike. It can be as gentle or as full on as you chose.

For me I like to do a good 3-5 km pram walk when I can after a school drop off, I like to do a gentle stroll on the beach or with the kids around the neighborhood in the late afternoon when the birds and noisy and active, making the kids laugh and I love to take the kids on a hike into nature most weekends, up a mountain, to a waterfall, visiting national parks.

I re-found my joy of walking  and I am so glad I did!

To celebrate the joys of walking I am able to help you with your walking with a $30 voucher for some gorgeous new walking shoes at Paul's Warehouse!

How cool is that!

All you have to do to be in the running is:
Be a blog subscriber
Leave a blog comment below! That is it

Happy walking,

Bek XX

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Detox your home or business with Plants

Plants make us happy and make our environments indoor and outdoor healthier and less toxic.

Landscaping and use of plants, including indoors in homes, in bistro settings, courtyards, foyers, restaurants and entrances has become very in-trend and for good reason. Not only does it add to the ambiance, create freshness and give a sense of style and is actually proven to improve air quality too.

The research by NASA dating back from the 1970's shows that in as little as 24 hours as much as 87% of indoor pollutants are removed. Air pollutants that can come off paint, furniture, upholstery, carpet, building materials, air conditioning, paper and cardboard products, packaging, plastics even electronics.
The recommended ratio by NASA is 15 good sized specimen in around a 6 inch pot per 170 Sq m.
It is a combination of the plant leaves, roots and also soil bacteria that play a crucial role in removing toxins.

Image Source

Research by the US EPA and its Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health.

What air is effected ?
Quoted definition from the Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.
“The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) defines indoor air as air within a building occupied for at least one hour by people of varying states of health. This can include the office, classroom, transport facility, shopping centre, hospital and home. Indoor air quality can be defined as the totality of attributes of indoor air that affect a person's health and well being.”

The air inside our homes and office’s can contain a cocktail of toxins, many we wouldn’t be aware of and can come from commonly found sources in our homes, work places even in our children’s classrooms and bedrooms.
With recent figures estimating average Australians spending as much as 90% of their time indoors the quality of the air in our indoor spaces because something we need to look at carefully.

While good ventilation plays a big part in reducing effects studies show that certain indoor plants are extremely effective at removing indoor air pollution.

Research first done by NASA and in particular Dr Bill Wolverton, Senior Research Scientist at NASA’s John C Stennis space station proved that certain indoor plants are extremely effective at reducing and even completely removing certain very harmful toxins from air in confined spaces. While this research was originally intended for space it became apparent that it was applicable to our homes and office building 

environments. 

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5 dangerous toxins commonly found that are able to be treated by indoor plants

Formaldehyde
Carpet, cleaning products, fire retardants, furniture, paper products, ply wood, particle board, pressed wood, some grocery shopping bags, waxed paper, foam insulation and natural gas.
Benzene
Detergents, inks and dyes, plastics, Petroleum products, rubber,  synthetic fibres, pharmaceuticals, paints, oils and  tobacco smoke.
Trichloroethylene
Adhesives, dry cleaning, inks, dyes, lacquers, paints, varnishes and metal degreasing
Xylene
Rubber, printing, leather, paints and varnishes
Tolyene
Silicone sealants, leather, paint thinners, disinfectants, adhesives, printing, lacquers and disinfectants.

Pollutants also dealt with by plants either by degradation or elimination include metals, pesticides, explosives and even crude oil

There are so many different ways to add some plant design features to a business and a lot will depend on how much light the area has, what look you are interested in, whether plants can be rotated and how much maintenance you are willing to take on.

Structurally, architectural looking plants can make dramatic entrances and features.
Things like large matching pots with plants that make a bold colour statement at an entrance or in a row, massed plantings of different grasses and foliage contrast plants in an area and the use of large visually beautiful pots planted with dramatic plants as features.
Think plants with lines like dracenas, grasses, grass trees, pineapples, aloe’s, grasses, yukka’s, succulents.

A very stylish feature is currently the vertical gardens, a wall of succulents, herbs or flowering plants. Very space effective and gives an absolute wow factor. There are many designs available for this kind of garden including pallet gardens.

Image Credit

The use of water holding planting devices like the EzyGrow which not only holds its water but reuses and makes it available to the plants are perfect for small courtyards, units, outdoor eating settings.

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A tropical themed dense planting around entrances, stairways always looks fantastic and tropical looking plantings with a water feature can completely transform an area and invite people to feel relaxed.

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Topiaries of suitable citrus trees are always a classic, though they must have full sun, perfect if you have an open courtyard, outdoor eating area or for an entranceway. Pots and planters of herbs and annual flowers make a beautiful addition to outdoor eating areas if it is exposed to sunlight. As do the fantastic colour flare of bougainvilleas, that can also be shaped. 

Use plants to add colour.

So many plants have fantastic colour, in their flowers and foliage.
Combine with coloured pots and use matching coloured or contrasting coloured plants, even follow a colour theme you already have in your business or home to give a stylish look.
Mass planting of the same or similar plants always gives a great effect; consider a row or a grouping.

Indoors dark green, leafy plants make their dazzling appearance and give a lush feel.
Large indoor plants can also be used to subtlety divide areas and provide screening and private alcoves or to disguise less attractive areas.

And to create a hidden oasis feel, adding huge impact to atmosphere.

Peace Lily Image Credit

A touch of lush green has been said to have soothing, calming effects on an atmosphere making indoor plants a great investment for businesses, waiting rooms, homes and working environments. Including office areas.

Ficus Image Source

Some great indoor choices would be: Peace Lily - Spathiphyllum ( hardy and very beautiful)
Bamboo Palm - Chamaedorea Seifrizii, Golden Pothos - Epipremnum Auereum (poisonous if eaten, but fantastic for trailing and in hanging baskets, very beautiful). Elephants Ear-Philodendron Domesiticum. English Ivy - Hedera Helix (Trailing and good for hanging baskets).
Spider Plant - Cholorphytum Comosum (Hardy can also be grown in hanging baskets). Aglaonema
Dracena Marginata (can be toxic to dogs and cats – very striking looking)
Boston Fern - Nephrolepsis Exaltata ( Great for a hanging baskets if limited in space-hardier than they look!)
Ficus Benjamina ( Very hardy and an attractive tree like plant)
Mother in Laws Tongue Plant - Sansevieria Trifasciata and popular cultivar Sansevieria Laurentii (Very hardy and architectural looking but can be toxic to dogs and cats)
Areca Palm-  Chrysalidocarpus Lutescens, Dwarf Date Palm - Phoenix Roebelenii, Phalenopsis Orchid Sp. Anthiriums.

Depending on the situation and light levels, it is a great idea to have indoor plants that can be rotated with others that are in a better lit position to keep healthy plants on display, as even indoor plants do need some light. This will also ensure that your plants are always fresh looking and healthy.

For the non green thumbs who want plants with minimum of care, cast iron plant, mother in laws tongue, Spider plants, Peace Lily’s, English Ivy, Ficus and certain Palm’s are beautiful and very hardy.

General growing tips and notes for plants in houses and business situations

• Ensure plenty of light wherever possible, keep near windows, under skylights, outdoors but also watch that they don’t burn too, keep adjusting is possible until you find great positioning for your plants or rotate.
•  Use good quality potting mix, always. This is one thing you should never scrimp on with plants in pots.
• Water regularly, don’t forget to water them but don’t drown them either. You can always feel the soil, a few cm down to see how dry or wet it is and a lot of plants will visually wilt when thirsty.
• Put them out in the rain if possible every so often, they will love it, (just don’t leave them out there when the sun comes out if they are indoor varieties.)
• Use pots with good drainage and saucers or pot feet. It is important for plant health to have good air circulation around their roots. There are planter systems available like EZY Grow that actually store the water in them as well so there is no mess on the ground, a great feature for eateries.
• Along with a slow release, fertilise with Seasol or similar on a regular basis to ensure they are healthy and happy. Just check the proximity to people eating and try and fertilise on a day when no-one will be there or ask your local nursery for plant feeding options that would suit your situation.
• Where you are very limited with natural light try having a couple of plants and rotate outside ones with the inside ones regularly so you are always putting a fresh plant in the spot, most plants will take 2-3 days indoors without light.
• When buying plants look for a nice healthy looking specimen that is pretty stable in its pot. Check it over for pests and diseases, a quick look should reveal any bugs, slugs, badly eaten leaves or fluffy white mealy bugs around the stem and under leaves.
• Ask the nursery person if it needs re-potting any time soon when you buy it, a pot bound plant will not be happy for long.
• Consider multi plantings. Plants do better when grouped together and it looks aesthetically beautiful too so even if you have limited space, try putting a few together.
  

Copyright RebeccaMugridge2013
Rebecca is a qualified Horticulturalist with over 15 years experience and a love affair with plants, gardening, nature and cooking.
To share this article please use the share features below or ask Rebecca for a quote - thank you.

The 11 yr old girl

"The  11  year  old  girl  stands  by  the  edge  of  the  pool,  the  cool  blue  water  dazzling  with  life  as  the  sun  tickles  its  surface.  

There  is  no  breeze  and  her  hair  sticks  to  her  face  in  the  summer  heat.  Behind  her  she  can  hear  the  excited  voices  and  chattering  of  all  the  other  children  as  they  in  turn  each  make  their  way  along  in  the  queue  and  through  the  gates  to  join  in  the  excitement  of  this,  the  first  day   the  pool  is  open  for  the  summer. 

She  can  feel  the  excitement  building  inside  of  her  entire  being,  she  looks  down  at  the  beautiful,  brightly  coloured  new  two  piece  swimsuit  her  ever  loving  and  thoughtful  mother  had  surprised  her  with  on  this  very  day,  and  smiles,  it  perfectly  matches  the  excitement  of  the  day. 

The  sun  no  longer  seems  sweltering  but  rather  deliciously  warm  as  it  basks  everything  with  its  glow  of  happiness.  She  places  her  bag  on  the  soft  grass,  under  the  shade  and  returns  to  the  water’s  edge.  She  knows  she  should  wait  for  her  friends  but  she  is  so  filled  with  delight  and  thinking  of  nothing  but  the  very  moment  she  is  in,  as  she  is  overcome  by  the  temptation  of  the  inviting  water  and  stretches  her  body  fully  and  completely  unselfconsciously  into  what  she  believes  to  be  a  graceful  and  elegant  dive  into  that  wonderful  water. 
All  at  once  she  is  overcome  with  an  aliveness  and  contentment  as  she  moves  through  the water,  she  bursts  through  the surface,  her  face  covered  in  a  contented  grin  of  pure  and  complete  joy. 
It  is  because  she is  so  overwhelmed  by  the  utter  delight  of  the  moment  and  all  the  glorious  sensations  that  she  is  not  at  first  even  aware  of  the  small  group  of  slightly older  girls  by  the  pools  edge. 
Their  laughter  and  pointing  grabs  her  attention  as  some  of  what  they  are  saying  suddenly  becomes  apparent. 
"What  is  she  thinking,  wearing  a  two  piece!",  "Fat  and  ugly  girls  should  not  be  allowed  to  the  pool".  So  caught  off  guard  is  she,  so  taken  aback  that  her  11  year  old  self  does  not  know  how  to  react.  She  leaves  the  pool,  on  this  day,  this  day  that  was  so  important,  and  felt  so  exciting  and  magical,  this  day  that  she  and  friends  and  been  so  impatiently  waiting  for,  for  what  had  seemed  like  forever. 

She  tells  her  confused  friends  that  she  does  not  feel  well. She  walks  calmly  and  quietly  most  of  the  way  home,  until  she  reaches  the  quiet  secret  spot  she  has  spent  so  many  a  wonderful  day  with  her  good  friends,  it  is  there  where  she  feels  safe  and  alone  that  she  releases  her  hurt  and  weeps  uncontrollably  against  her  beloved  favourite  tree  until  her  young  body  can  cry  no  more. 

She  had  always  known  she  was  not  a  small  girl,  always  been  described  as  'solid',  but  it  was  not  until  this  very  moment  that  she  had  ever  been  truly  ashamed  of  how  she  looked  and  felt  such  intensely  awful  feelings  of  herself. 
She  went  home  that  day,  but  didn't  tell  her  mother  of  whom  she  was  close  to,  she  never  told  her  friends. 
She kept the hurt inside. 
A  ball  of  hurt  that  would  grow  and  follow  her  into  adulthood,  effecting  her  self-confidence  and  starting  an  all-consuming  obsession  with  her  weight  and  food,  and  keep  her  from  ever  truly  feeling  completely  happy  and  loved.

When  she  was  blessed  with  a  daughter  of  her  own,  she  was  inspired  and  moved  by  this  beautiful,  pure  and  precious  girl,  so  full  of  radiance,  so  full  of  life. 

She made a decision. 

She was  going  to  change  her  life.  She  was  going  to  embrace  a  healthy  and  active  lifestyle  and  become  a  positive  role  model  to  this  precious  baby  girl,  she  would  show  her  daughter  that  you  can  achieve  amazing  things  when  your  heart  is  in  it,  she  was  going  to  find  herself  belief,  find  her  inner  beauty,  find  her  inner  strengths  and  be  the  great  woman  that  the  11  year  old  girl  had  always  wanted  to  become,  and  she  did.

I  was  that  11  year  old  girl  "


My journey has never been an always smooth one or a perfect one. It has had ups and downs like most people, but I am always grateful for this experience in my life and for the fact that I do have a body type that truly does put on weight so easily, yes, I am grateful for that element in my DNA because that has made me a stronger version of myself, it has given me awareness of my body which I might not have personally had otherwise and made me aware of what does and doesn't serve my body well.
It has made health a big focus in my life, it makes me feel really proud when I am in fit, toned and in top healthy form, made me really proud when I lost 30 kilos'after baby number one and 22 after baby number 2, the old fashioned way, no tricks or fast fads just lots of exercise and eating well, it gave me inner strength when I faced my hardest challenge of all battling a full on virus and the triggered auto immune dis-ease reaction in my body after it, through the medication that helped me but made me gain weight, it gave me the strength to never give up on myself, to know I will get back to fit and healthy.
It makes me always determined and motivated to get back there, even when it is hard, even when battling illness or injury or life's emotional roller coaster, it drives me to get back to being healthy and happy,strong and fit,  it makes it important to me, it has made me grow, it has made me, me.

Bek XX 

MUMS keeping it REAL - Special guest blog with The Yogic Housewife!

MUMS keeping it REAL
Special Guest Blog with Nicola Garcia 

5 Steps to Happiness

I am so very excited to share a very real and inspiring guest post today with The Yogic Housewife, Nicola Garcia. I just LOVE it when mums, especially really inspiring ones like Nicola share their wisdom and experiences in a very real life way.
It is like a breath of fresh air on motherhood.
It makes for advice you not only can actually follow as a busy mum, but want to follow too.
Below is such an honest and moving post, one that will help you feel better and feel somuch  happier especially on those days when you really need it the most!
Be sure to follow Nicola's BLOG and Facebook page for more of her inspiring wisdom, and stay tuned for her new book!

Five Steps To Happiness

A short introduction to me (before you get the wrong idea), I am a happiness guru, a positivity pusher, a believer in the Universe and everything coming at the right time. I love to do things that make me happy, spend time with my kids, go on dates with my husband and love my life. But….there are some days when it is just so good to get your grumpiness on….and know that this is not the end of your happiness, but a blip on one day.

Below I share my story of such a day and give you some inspiration for making those days better….

Yesterday, for me, was a long tedious blur. Mantras were not working. 

“I am happy and fulfilled” was not cutting the mustard. I did not feel happy, nor fulfilled.

I woke up in a mood and the rest of the day stretched out in front of me, bleak and full on with two little people to look after.

Let’s just say their behaviour was tipping the wrong side of abysmal.

When my husband, who’s been over-committed to social occasions lately, rolled out of bed, I listed my gripes and that helped release some tension.

I then decided to put my black energy into something constructive.

I tackled the mess that some would call a playroom. I couldn't see the floor. There were toys littered, puzzle pieces in random boxes and cars under my feet.

This gave me the right to provide the evil eye at any person (small or large) that came within my vicinity.

Nobody helped me.

In fact a couple of times I was hindered, but I kept on.

Satisfied when the room was ordered and gleaming, I moved on to the bathroom cupboards and started de-cluttering. As I got to get rid of some of my husband’s things, this provided me with a glimpse of happiness and my mood improved.
I decided to give everything I was putting out to a Women’s refuge: cue feel good moment and a new intensive purpose. My wardrobe was attacked and it now looks stream-lined and healthy. I parted with things I didn’t think I could.
A good cause will make the decision easy.
By midday I was done. I made a vegetable-heavy mince for Bolognese and got mean satisfaction from watching my family chow it down.
Ditto with the risotto I made for dinner.
By 5pm I looked back over my day and was so pleased that my mood turned around.
Fun Mum and Happy Wife came back.

So, my tried and tested steps to happiness are:
Yell At Husband
Tidy and Throw Out Things
Give To Good Cause
Hide Vegetables in Children’s Food
Re-live steps 1 – 4

I would love to know if any of this works for you. Don’t tell your husband or kids that it was me who gave you the ideas!
Xx

Nicola Garcia has two children under four and blogs about health and motherhood over at theyogichousewife.wordpress.com  She has an e-book coming out in June, How To Become One Healthy Mama. You can catch her on facebook (she practically lives there) www.facebook.com/theyogichousewife or tweet her @yogichousewife. 

Remember to cherish YOU - these holidays too

The festive season is upon us.
It's exciting, it's often fun and a time of year we all generally very much look forward too and love.
But it can also be exhausting, emotional and stressful for many or even just some of the time...
So these holidays remember to hold your family and loved ones dear but hold yourself dear too. Remind yourself that you are a key special part in your own happiness. You are loved.
Let go of the bad and embrace the good. Do what you can and then let go for the day. Be patient. Be kind. Be calm. Be peaceful. Be positive. Be happy x

Remember too If you ever find yourself feeling on edge or think you might be a little more than just exhausted or upset reach out to loved ones, friends and family, your doctor or a supportive group like Lifeline 13 11 14
You are never alone, and you are so important to your family so you should be to yourself too!

Love Rebecca xx