Mum Life & Parenting Archives - Page 5 of 6

April 21, 2019June 26, 2021

Hooray for School Holidays on a Budget

(Why You Should be Excited about School Holidays Too)

Hello everyone! Sorry that I was MIA last week. I was feeling out of sorts for a couple of days, with all sorts of weird aches and pains (ever had aches in your knuckles?!?) but kept on carrying on (as you do). And then I realised I had a fever. Urgh. But, here I am again, ready to regale you with more fun and wit!

How was your week? Did you try sewing those cute little baskets? Or maybe tried tidying your house some more? But way more exciting than any of those: Did you meet up with your friends any time this past week? Just the other week I posted about the health benefits of having regular contact with friends, remember? You see, it is practically a doctor’s prescription to go out and have fun, LOL.

Lucky for me, I followed my own advice and did indeed meet up with some girlfriends. As always it was lovely to see them. In the evening even (like real adults do 😉), sans-children! There is something heavenly about being able to relax, and speak openly and without interruption for a couple of hours with friends while chilling on the sofa. No, there was no alcohol (Remember, Lent!). But yes, there was chocolate 😉.

Not only that, but I also had the joy of meeting up with 2 other friends since then for dinner. It never rains but it pours, as they say! It can be months between going out with any of these ladies and then bam! Two dinners with girlfriends in two weeks. Love it!

Mmmm, let’s get back to chocolate…

April 14, 2019June 26, 2021

When the Mama is Sick

Hi Folks! I had been intending on writing a lovely post this week about the fun of school holidays. The problem is, that I am not having fun. I am sick. Fever, exhaustion, aches and all.

Hope you have had a great weekend wherever you are. See you next week! (Sorry)

April 7, 2019March 8, 2024

Why Women Should Go Out with Their Girlfriends

Hi there! How has your week been? Did you try out those sewing instructions I shared last week? How did it go? Our week here has been a bit of a mixed bag. Master 5 has a nasty cold which has left him with a mild temperature, a few meltdowns and a helluva lot of snot. Our ambitions to tidy our household a’la KonMari have temporarily stalled. Hello! Lack of time! BUT we did make a trip to IKEA and stocked up on approximately 1000 storage tubs to assist us as we sort through the rumble that exists in a few corners of our house.

One thing that I have been getting excited about this coming week is an upcoming girls’ night. Huzzah! Catching up with friends is one thing that I DEFINITELY wish would happen more often. If only it could happy more often. Once again: Hello! Lack of time!

One of the lovely ladies I am actually meeting up with recently came across an article (in a German magazine) about why women should meet up with their friends more often. And since I, of course, agree 100%, I thought I would look into this some more and share some thoughts with you all today.

I mean, what could be better than being told that you SHOULD go out with friends more often?!?

March 24, 2019June 26, 2021

Mama Gets a Time-Out

How are you going? Have you had a great week? Me? I’m doing OK. The weather is trying to improve- hooray for sun!- and my kids complained their way through the one *sweltering* 20°C (68F) day we had. I also had to chase up my doctor the other day to find out why my knee was still hurting. Turns out I may just have myself a torn ligament. So it’s off for an MRI next week for me. Oh yay. Wish me luck folks!

But for now, I get to focus on something else. I get to enjoy some time to myself. Alone. And that makes me ~~just a little bit~~ immensely excited and happy like a bouncy little puppy dog.

Let me start by saying: I love my husband and I love my kids. A lot.

I also love time spent alone. This is not the same as being lonely. That for me is a state of feeling sad because nobody is around. But sometimes I CRAVE time alone. I want a quiet house. I want the house to stay as tidy as it was this morning. An hour ago. Heck, even 10 minutes ago!

I want the chance to do whatever I want. If that means tidying up without interruption or turning around to discover a brand new mess, so be it. If that means dancing around my kitchen to will.i.am, then bring on the dance party! Maybe I’d nap, or catch up on some reading while sitting outside in the sunshine, or lose myself in Pintrest, or drink a couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc, or start sewing new clothes for my kids, or cook up a meal of linguine with prawns (that would be “shrimp” for you North Americans 😉) that I know no one else in my family would dare let pass their lips, or… I’m getting dizzy just fantasising about the possibilities! *sigh*

You see, we mums are NOT robots that can function caring for our families eternally, without pausing to care for ourselves. It does NOT mean we love our families less, or are neglecting them. But there are only 24 hours in a day. And if all your waking hours are spent caring for, cooking for and feeding, transporting, disciplining and entertaining your kids, there is not a moment left to care for YOURSELF. And if you don’t look after yourself, who will?

March 17, 2019June 26, 2021

7 Brilliant Benefits of Decluttering Your Home

Yo what up peeps? Er… nah. Just kidding. Totally doesn’t work for me.

*starts typing again*

Hey! How are you going? What’s been happening for you this past week? Me? I have been getting excited about tidying. Yes folks, you read it here first! I did indeed say that I was getting excited. About tidying. More specifically, decluttering.

If you are anything like me, when you look around a disorderly, cluttered room, it weighs down on you. It all just feels so… much. I literally feel my shoulders sag. My mood sinks. I sigh. My stress and frustration levels rise as I think of how I wish the room would be. Less stuff. Tidier. Cleaner. How I wish everyone in the house was as bothered by the clutter as I am and inspired enough to do something about it. But alas…

So I have told myself, enough is enough. This family of 5 is getting it’s house into shape. And everyone is going to have to play their part if we are all to enjoy a more relaxed household and a more chilled Mama 😉.

Therefore, let the organising begin! Come join in the fun of Jenny decluttering and read about this in-home adventure!

March 10, 2019June 26, 2021

The Karneval is Over

Welcome back to Everything’s Famtastic! How has your first week of March been? I have to say that here the weather has been disappointingly lousy. Far too much wind and unpredictable rain. Lucky today won’t be like that. Today is all but guaranteed to rain allll day long. See? No uncertainty. Silver lining! LOL.

In my last post I talked about getting ready for the annual Karneval parade. Did you also have the chance to celebrate Karneval? Which city were you in? Was it your first time? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments section below!

This is How We Celebrated Karneval

Our lovely little family of 5 did go to town to see the parade. There had been murmurs of whether the parade would even take place this year as the weather outlook (rain, storm-force winds) was not looking promising. It did, of course, go ahead as planned.

This week hasn’t only been parties and fun. I have had a few frustrating situations bubble up. (For example, bung knee, anyone?) Setbacks, I guess you would call them. I need to figure out how best to deal with these so I can keep moving forward towards those goals I set for myself this year. It’s all in the mindset, right?

Anyway, yes, we went to the Karneval parade and had a great time.

March 3, 2019June 26, 2021

What You Need to Know About Karneval in Germany

Hi there! How are things in your part of the world lately? This past week in our corner of Germany we have started seeing a change in the weather. Sure, this winter hasn’t been too extreme. But it’s still been, you know, cold.

This week though? Amazing colours at sunrise of golds, pinks, purples and blues. More sun and blue sky throughout the day. We even had unseasonably warm temperatures hovering around the mid-teens (that’s Celsius, for you North American types!). The plants are covered in leaf buds. The early bloomers like snowdrops and crocuses are on display. Some of the other bulbs are heavy with flower buds waiting for the weather to warm up just that little bit more. Spring is definitely on it’s way. Hallelujah!

However, the main excitement around these parts at the moment is Karneval. And by “around these parts” I mean in many regions of Germany and specifically the kids in our house 😉. The other week I even posted about how to sew a Hulk costume in time for Karneval this year. Karneval fever is well and truly alive!

But what? You haven’t heard of Karneval?

I didn’t really elaborate too much in the last post, it’s true. Well, let me try to explain a little. Depending on how hardcore you are about it and whether you are in a Karneval club or not, Karneval may be seen as either:

a) only the big loud street parade that occurs in February or March and blocks off the city streets, or

February 24, 2019June 26, 2021

5 Ways to Deal with an Overwhelming Household

household, how-to, tips, stress less, housework

Do you have sometimes have days when you feel overwhelmed by life? By your household? By your kids? C’mon, you can be honest here! Raise your hand!

**raises hand**

Of course everyone has tough days. Anyone who denies ever having a rough day (or week, or perhaps month) is kidding themselves and fooling no one. Life throws us lots of opportunities. And sometimes life just throws lemons. (yeah yeah, we’ve all heard it before, make lemonade, yada yada).

Anyway… when life at home with kids, or a partner, or a barnyard full of animals, seems gruelling, repetitive, thankless, boring, frustrating, uncontrollable- shall I stop now?!- it can all seem a little, well, too much.

What can you do? The #1 thing to remember: You are not alone!

You are not the only one facing this crisis, this mood, this shitty day. Say it to yourself: “I am not alone”. Say it again. Say it a thousand times if you need to. Because it is true and you should believe it. What are the chances that

February 10, 2019June 26, 2021

A Word for the Year

Welcome back to Everything’s Famtastic! As I mentioned in my last post here, we are already in the month of February and I can hardly believe how quickly time flies! One minute I am sunning myself in Australia and the next minute I am back in Germany being the Master (Well I guess, technically the Mistress. But that word might bring on images of another sort 😉 so I might just stick with the word Master) of the more-chaotic-than-I-would-like-it-to-be household of 5.

So again I ask, how is your year looking so far? Got any special dreams for the year? Have you made any plans or goals for yourself?

Last January I started off the year imaging one word for myself: Nourish. I think most of my friends and family imagined that meant, that I intended to eat lots of tasty, gourmet foods. Sure, that may well have been part of the story. But not actually the point. I had imagined I would spend 2018 focussing on nourishing my body and my mind. I wanted to continue learning to speak Dutch. I wanted to feed my body healthy, nourishing foods. I wanted to read lots of interesting books. I wanted to improve my sewing skills. I wanted to meditate regularly. I wanted to feel well and strong and happy.

Was Last Year a Super Success?

February 3, 2019June 26, 2021

Reality Bites Back

Here we are at the start of February! How’s the year going for you already? My January went pretty much as I had imagined it, with a few unavoidable hiccups not of my doing. But all in all, a pretty good start to the new year.

As you may have read in my last couple of posts here and here about what it’s like for an expat to return home to visit, I actually spent almost all of January in summery Australia, my birthplace. The boundless blue skies, the hot sunny days, drinking wine with friends and family, regular visits to the beach… *swoon*

Departures

I say “almost” all of January, because my trip Down Under came to it’s inevitable end last week. So, after a blessed 5 weeks in Australia catching up with family and friends and mood-enhancing, Vitamin D-filled sunshine, the plane- and my accompanying tears- departed Sydney airport last Friday. The trip between Germany and Australia is one of the longest you can actually experience anywhere in the world (Germany to New Zealand would probably be the winner).