“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
ROBERT BRAULT
Notice the little things
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Monthly Archives: May 2009
Rain, Rain, Go away
Today I have learned that 2 couches, some sheets and a little imagination can go a long way on a rainy day.
We have an open plan layout which includes our kitchen, dining room and living room.I made a simple hut using two single seater couches and some sheets, and noticed that after a snack or meal the kids would always go and play in the hut.
I also noticed that the type of play was always different. One time the hut was used to hide from the dinosuars. Another time they used it to sleep in when they came back from their adventures. On another occassion they tried to climb around the outside of the hut.
It certainly made the day go faster, and it was fun to watch the children use their imagination!
Focus on your best moments
“Measure yourself by your best moments, not by your worst.”
ROBERT JOHNSON
Tips to get you through a hectic day
Today I have learned that it is important to prepare yourself for the day before the children wake up.
There are days when you seem to wake up and you hit the floor running with all the needs of the children to be met, not to mention deadlines, and a to do list that seems to go on forever. Continue reading
Destiny – it is a thing to be achieved
“Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice;
it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.”
WIILIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
Make your days count
“Don’t count your days, make your days count.”
-Annon
Fave Five: Cheap and easy outings for children
Below are my favourite five outings that we do with the kids on a regular basis. The reason that we are able to do it again and again is because it is easy – I can usually manage doing these outings by myself when my hubby is at work. They are also cheap, so we can do them often because it isn’t going to break the bank – in fact they are all basically free apart from McDonalds.
Getting things done 15 minutes at a time
I realise that our time is precious, but I often find myself getting sidetracked, and then wonder where all my time went?!
Sometimes I busily spend time on things that don’t matter, and then the things that do matter – but perhaps do not seem so urgent – get neglected. Continue reading
Inspirational Quote: Learn wisdom from our failures
“We learn wisdom from failure much more than from success.
We often discover what will do, by finding out what will not do.”
SAMUEL SMILES
Night Photography
Today I have learned that you can take amazing night shots from a bridge overlooking a motorway by adjusting the aperture and using a tripod.
I have been attending a photography course during the evening. Today we went on a “field trip” to do night photography.
I was able to produce professional looking photos of the car light making a trail in the darkness by doing the following:
1. Pick a spot overlooking a motorway
2. Choose a time of day and area where the traffic will be moving steadily (this won’t work if cars are congested by traffic lights)
3. Make sure it is dark enough that the car lights will show up in the photo
4. Place your camera on an tripod (this is essential)
5. Play around with your setting so that you have a long exposure. I put my SLR digital camera on the aperture number which was 22
6. Set your camera to self timer (to avoid camera shake when you push down the shutter)
7. Focus by pushing your camera half down, and then all the way to activate self timer.
8. Your camera should take a picture but it will seem like it isn’t doing anything for awhile, then a photo will appear on the LCD of streaky car lights!
Begin where you are
“Everyone who got where they are, had to begin where they were”
ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON
The richness in storytelling
Today I have learned that storytelling is a rich experience that can be shared with our children in many different ways.
When hubby is away at dinner time and things start getting a bit rowdy, I sometimes find myself saying enthusiastically (and loudly so they can hear me over the noise) “Does anyone want to hear a story?!?!” To which they now yell back as loudly and enthusiastically “YES!!”
This is my sanity saving trick, that I use on the odd occasion. Continue reading
Rainbows and Laughter
Today I have learned that children get joy out of the simplest things. Things that don’t cost any money or take any effort.
It has been raining a lot lately, and today we were greeted with a blue sky and the sun streaming through the windows.
One of the kids noticed a rainbow on our wall. We all wondered where it came from?!? Then someone looked outside, and found that the sun was reflecting off a street sign outside. This created a beautiful multicoloured rainbow that danced along our wall and ceiling as the sun moved across the sky. All four of my children were so excited and tried to touch it and giggled as they created shadows in the reflection. They talked about the pretty colours and which colour they liked the best.
It is moments like these that I want to bottle and remember.
Choose to be happy
“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.”
GUILLAUME APOLLINAIRE
Quick and Yummy!
I love finding things that are QUICK AND YUMMY!
Today I tried “SHREDDED CHICKEN WITH MAYO” in a can. The brand they sell here is “chop chop” and it comes in a cute 85g size (much smaller than the size you get tuna in).
So I took my instant “SHREDDED CHICKEN W/ MAYO” and made a tortilla wrap with cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers. YUM! There was plenty for two wraps, with some left over.
Releasing the “if onlys”…
Often I find myself thinking…if only…
if only I went to bed earlier
if only I woke up earlier
if only the house was tidier
if only I did the kids lunches the night before
if only I was more loving towards the kids
if only I did more exercise
and on and on I would go
When I do this, I am so busy concentrating on my faults that I miss the opportunity to count my blessings. I miss the opportunity to recognise the good things.
When I do this, the feelings in my heart are pangs of regret, and there is no room to feel gratitude.
I am not saying that we should walk through our lives ignoring things that could be done better, so we miss the opportunities to improve.
I am saying that when our list of “if onlys….” come rolling out, we need to say, “yes, it would be nice if XXXXX happened, but it didn’t, and now I’m moving on” and then replace those thoughts with “I’m grateful…”
“I’m grateful that I have a nice warm house to wake up in”
“I’m that I have good health”
“I’m grateful that I spent some quality time with my husband last night”
Try and think of something good that happened from that “regret” you now feel.
Perhaps you wished you went to bed earlier last night, but maybe you need to take the time to appreciate that you went to bed late because you read a really good book. So you would then try eliminate the “if only…” with:
“I’m grateful that I was able to have ‘Me-Time’ last night”
The moment has gone, the decision has already been made, and we are left with the consequences to that action.
Yes you can recognise that perhaps a better decision could have been made, but don’t dwell on it, move on, and find the good in it and let gratitude fill your heart.
Sure I could have made my bed this morning, but I am grateful for a good night’s sleep.
Sure I could have woken up earlier, but I am grateful for the little time I had to myself this morning to reflect and to do some writing.
Today I am going to practice releasing the “if onlys” and replace them with “I’m grateful”.
