How do you feel about spiders? Hmm, not a
fan? What about dentists’ drills? Eww! What about signing up for a jogging
group when you’ve never run anything in your life? A little intimidated?
Everyone has got fears, ranging from freaking
out over multi-legged creepy crawlies to avoiding the doctor’s reminder for
your next check-up to feeling like a fool in lycra at the gym.
But is there a difference between the
types of fears you feel and the level of importance you allow them to have on
your life? What if there are things you wish you could try, that you dream of
being able to achieve? IF ONLY you weren’t scared. IF ONLY you weren’t too
nervous. IF ONLY you weren’t comparing yourself to someone else who has tried
it before you.
WHAT is it you are actually afraid of? WHAT
IF you faced your fears?
This week I am not
going to dilly-dally around. I’m going to get straight into it. So… Who doesn’t
believe in love? And romance? And beautiful gifts from your special someone?
This past weekend was
Hubby’s and my wedding anniversary. Our 12th to be exact. Which,
whether you like it or not, we are just going to pat ourselves proudly on the
back. Anyone who has ever been married knows that despite loving someone with
all your heart, there are times when there can be other, not-so-poetic ways, to
describe your feelings for this person. Marriage can be great. But it can also
be hard work.
So when another years
passes by and you can honour the fact that yes, you are still together, you are
still in love with each other and you still want to stick by each other, it’s
worth celebrating. Am I right?!?
So when we celebrated
those 12 years together, it was the most magical, romantic, memorable day of
the year. Or was it?….
Here we go for another
round of Everything’s Famtastic, with your happy host, Jenny!! How were things
in your part of the world this past week?
We’re doing OK here. School
holidays finished. Early school mornings have started again. It’s going to take
some getting used to. We need some time to find our “groove” again. It was only
a 3-day school week to start the school year off with. You know, the type that
everyone likes, where you don’t have to face a full 5-day uphill battle of
re-resetting your circadian rhythms after a 6-week hiatus 😉.
But seriously, these past few days of school and kindergarten [preschool] actually flowed surprisingly well. Not once did the kids complain about being woken up. No grumbling during breakfast time. No grouchy faces when it came time to walk out the door. Even no protesting when it was homework time in the afternoon.
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?
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!
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!
Even in stress, 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
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.
