Self Care - Update

I mentioned in this post that I had been wanting to get moving more and make good choices about what I am eating.  I have been out walking at least twice a week and have been doing more on other days like getting in to the garden.  In a grocery shop a while back I bought some chia seeds and intended to use the excess of spinach that we had growing in the garden for some green smoothies.  I have pinned a number of recipes and ideas.  Another never got around to it idea.  But now I have.  I bought some more spinach and did what is suggested, make up packs to have in the freezer ready to go.  I kept it pretty simple - banana, spinach and berries.  I just add yoghurt, chia seeds and a little milk and I am good to go.  Amazing how just one little thing can get you on to something good.

Taking time to organise saves you time.

Baking packs

With four boys it takes some doing keeping them feed.  Baking only lasts a little while. So there must be an easier way than resorting to buying ready made processed bikkies.  Oh to have a packet mix like the store boxed ones.  Add water and you are done.  Well when we go camping we have made our own mixes for pancakes so why not do the same at home.  I was reminded of this as I scanned through Pinterest and came across this post and this one.  And while I was on to the baking thing I might as well make some bread mixes as well. 

So it takes a bit of time, but oh the time that you save when you come to make them.  Getting all the ingredients out at once and making up bags instead of doing it one at a time when you go to cook soon adds up.  I wrote on each bag what was in it and what needed to be added.  For recipes that require separate steps like creaming the butter and sugar I put this in a separate smaller bag inside.

I have been doing this for about six months now.   I keep them in a lidded container in the pantry.  I certainly notice when I haven't set them up.  It has also made me try out some new recipes.  Next job to post the recipes I use.

Recipes, recipes, recipes

The thing about being foodies is that you tend to acquire a large number of recipes.  At one time I organised all my recipes into a folder and had favourites in a recipe box that sat in the kitchen.  For some time I have been thinking that the system needs an overall.  I plan my weekday meals for two weeks and while I have a good list it just isn't working and I tend to fall back on what is easy.  With so many yummy things to make it was time for a change.

Sometimes you just have to get messy in order to tidy things up.  So here is me spread out on the floor sorting all my pages.

 Once I had the recipes in different categories I pulled out folders that had another purpose at one time but were going to be repurposed for a much better reason. Sure it would be great to have a fancy system and have everything looking the same but I would rather be cooking.  {To be honest I would rather be scrapbooking.  This is really why I get organised - to sort the things I have to do in order to do the things I was made to}

 So now I have several folders sitting on the recipe book shelf and they have already been put to good use.  Last time the meal planning and shopping were much more enjoyable to plan. And more to the point we tried out several recipes that haven't seen the light for quite some time.  The boys were most impressed.

They are still a work in progress as I add recipes that we use and don't have hard copies of.  And of course the big goal is to put together my collection here on the blog.  To share now, and for the future when my boys are flatting and need that recipe of Mum's that she used to make.

How about you?  Are you tired of the same old, same old?  How have you sorted your recipes.  Maybe it is time for a change?

Holiday Fun

The school holidays are here.  Two weeks, four boys of different ages who are now into different things, higher chance of wet or wild weather makes for stressful times.  Unless..........  you organise things.  I have been talking about getting organised for the holidays each time they roll around.  It is on my choices for April.  I have pinned numerous ideas and never got on to them.  Until now.   Sure I would love to do everything and have it sorted.  But if my word for the year is enough then that is all I need to do or I do nothing.  Take one idea and get it going.  Then do the next thing.  It always works and yet I don't always follow my own advice.

So here is the list of what I thought about doing.  We are heading away for some of the holidays and like to catch up with friends so it will be good to have some ideas for the inbetween moments.

Book Club

Whenever there is down time we tend to gravitate to watching a movie or going on the computer. It would be great to have an incentive for getting into books.  Both my husband and I love to read and want to do more to get our boys enjoying it to.  There are so many great titles out there.

Science Experiments

One of the boys has a science kit.  A great opportunity to get it out and use it as well

Sports

My usual holiday thing especially in the cooler months is to make sure we get out and enjoy the outdoors when we can.  So this will help with getting us motivated.

Bored Jar

This one comes up a lot especially as we have such a wide range of ages in our house.  Most of the time it is simply a case of not knowing what to do rather than not having something to do.

Game Jar 

We already have a box with ideas of all the activities inside and out that they can do.  It needs a bit of work to make it more interesting and useable

Art Day

The boys Aunty works at an Art Studio and has also invited them to spend a day with her

I will keep you posted on how we get on.

I choose - February

 I Choose

Last month was all about setting up for a good year. I focused on what was happening.  Being the summer holidays it was difficult to think about getting back into routines and to make time for myself.  So what happened?  The boys start to school went really well.  With my oldest starting at a new school we had uniforms and books to be ready before starting.  It is never as easy as just getting things.  Uniforms have to be washed and named and books covered and named.  I have also taken on the leadership of Mainly Music and with changes ahead it was important to start out well.  With focus on this we are off to a great start.  In between I did in fact get my projects done for Big Picture classes.  We have also been enjoying lots of goodness from the garden.  Needless to say it has been a busy month.  Which is why I needed to be sure to stop and enjoy the moments especially with the boys.  With the fabulous weather we have been out and about and taken time to relax.

I realised as I worked my way through my choices for January that when you have the big picture in mind, the way forward happens when you do the next thing.  In the end it all comes together. When I focused on one area, things in other areas tended to get left and I was on constant catch up.  I didn't get everything I wanted done.  What I set out to do required a lot of effort.  The results though, were all worth it.

My intentions from One Little Word for February is 'I do enough'.  Holidays are always great when you don't have to be or do certain things at certain times.  Back to routine takes time.  I have really been thinking about what I really want to be doing.

Choices for February

Establish a good morning routine

End each day with a nightly routine

Revamp my blogs for the purpose that I intend to use them

Join a study group through church
Plan for training for Mainly Music

Order photos and supplies to set up my Project Life album

Complete the projects for Big Picture Classes

Clean one extra space in my house everyday

I choose - January

This year I want to be more deliberate about the choices that I make. I had ideas about what I wanted to achieve last year. Some of them happened and others are still in the dream stage. Mainly it was because I wasn't clear about where I was headed. So I am taking the class I choose at Big Picture Classes. Elise is so inspiring.  You can find her at enJOY it. Each month I will be setting up what I want to achieve in the coming month. So here we go!

Choices for January

Set up my journals for 2013

Relax and enjoy time with my boys

Set up the Mainly Music programme I am leading

Do one thing each day for my Big Picture classes

Set the boys up for starting school

Use what is growing in our garden for meal planning

What a difference a day makes

Sunshine. It does wonders to the soul. 

This may look just like a pile of washing.  But, do you see the sunlight?  It brings new life and joy.  It may seems simple but the act of getting washing out, in and folded and away in the same day is bliss.  It has been so long wet, windy and grey I had almost forgotten what the warmth of those rays can do.

When life gets chaotic and I struggle to find breath for even the basics of life I take hold of what I can control.  Embrace the imperfection and instead do enough to make it better.  There are so many things that I want to improve around our place.  If you check out my pinterest page you will find many beautiful images that I would love to have in my space.  Until then I am content with what I have.  It is not an easy choice.  I am learning to find joy in the scratches and dings and the brokeness by holding on to what has already come to be, through time and hard work and saving for better things.

So yesterday I set about making some changes {sorting again as my darling husband calls it}.  I started with the car.  It is well used and needed a clean.  Heading in to summer calls for beach gear and hats and sunscreen to replace the beanies and jackets of winter.  It was getting into a shambles so I added a bucket for the new found bits and pieces and tidied away the old.
 

Spare clothes bag.  A set for each boy plus spare hats etc 

so we can enjoy wherever we go without fear of getting dirty or wet.
Bucket with sports gear, towels, hats, sunscreen and a picnic rug.

On to the pantry.  If you look closely into the back you will see that my pantry is actually the hot water cupboard. One day I will have a pantry.  Till then I was sick not being able to get at things and everything tipping out so I pulled it out and had a rearrange.

Lying around the kitchen I have had several boxes and bags of goodies - chilles, grapefruit and more.  So I tidied and squeezed and cut.  Now I have bench to work on again and nothing to trip over.

It may seem like a lot but it didn't take too long and everything I used I already had on hand.  When all was done I was even able to bike to the park on the way to kindy for some time with my little helper.

Even better is that today I am having a great day.  The morning get up and off was the best it has been and the cupboard is now full with groceries.  It feels good to be sorted.

The practice of new habits

Where do I start?  Well I sat down to put do some of the little things that needed doing like paying some bills, filing papers and printing information that I wanted to keep.  As well as this I cleared the emails.  And thats where this post came to my attention.  As usual I don't hear from God in just one place.  I have been following the Inspired to Action blog and read constantly about their Hello Mornings challenge.  I also read this post at To Overflowing.  Along with the message that I heard on Joyce Meyers Enjoying Everyday Life today about using your talents I was certainly challenged.  She talked about how we should use what we have been given not just do the required amount.

The habit I am wanting to develop is having better mornings.   Around here mornings are crazy.  I'm definitely more of a night owl.Getting 4 boys up feed and organised for their day is always a feat. I am seeing some of the same traits starting with my boys.  Late nights and sleeping in is not the best way to have a good day.

I have things that I do to feel sorted.  As well as getting boys dressed, breakfast and making lunches, they include making beds, putting on the washing and dishes off the bench.   If I stay in bed just 15-30 mins later it means the house looks like this when I go out and I have to do it when I get back. 

Unmade beds, clothes everywhere, dishes all over the place.  A disaster zone. It always takes longer.  This means that I don't get on to what I need or want to be doing.  Apart from this I want to be spending time in the word and being focused on what God wants for me in the day.

So instead of writing my next installment of the enough seminar I have taken a step towards deliberately making some new habits that I have been wanting to make.  I have printed out a 100 days calendar to start a focus on creating new habits.  The first is something creative, the second something personal and the last something healthy.

1  Spend 15 mins at my creative space.
2  Start my day right getting up and having time in study and prayer.
3  End my day right to get enough sleep

Joining in with

Polyvore

With the change of season comes a change of wardrobe. I had my clothes sorted into summer and winter collections. After a night out where I needed to get dressed up and being frustrated with sorting through to find my casual clothes I decided it was time for a change. So I now have my wardrobe sorted into casual and dressy. Having just started at Pinterest I came across Polyvore. A great site where you can create outfits from their 'wardrobe'. Great to get ideas for different ways of wearing things and putting together ideas from your own wardrobe.

You can see it here Looking forward to trying more.

Present box

We were invited to birthday party on the weekend and I had the chance to use my birthday box so I thought I would share what it is. I love giving gifts even something small. While I like to personalise it for the person I am giving it to, sometimes they are on the spot invites so I thought I would get better prepared to save the stress. I have a box that I keep little gifts for different events: baby, children, female, male. I also grab a large roll of wrapping paper from office products stores that suits all including Christmas if I can. Every so often I spy bargains that I add to the box. I am also building up presents for Christmas for the boys. I do need to make a few more cards to add to it though.