do you take time out?

Mother's Day was last weekend. I was lucky- I got spoiled. But since then, I have been wondering about something- mothering is one of the hardest jobs in the world. So why do we only get one day each year?

I have been told by a professional psychologist that everyone needs to take time out for themselves, on a regular basis. But how to nurture yourself, when you are busy putting everyone else first?

After a recent period of extreme stress, I have been trying harder to think of ways to spoil myself. And it doesn't have to take hours, it doesn't have to involve a babysitter, and some of the ways to nurture yourself will actually be good for you.

Exercise Exercise releases endorphins, the 'feel good' hormones. And it can help to improve sleep quality. As well as the other health benefits (which I won't go into here). Apart from a solo workout, sport (individual or team) can be a social event. As someone who doesn't enjoy exercise, I admit that while I do feel good during the event, I feel much better when I stop!

Hobbies I struggle to find time for my hobbies. I do enjoy cooking creatively, as seen from my last blog post. If food nurtures your soul as well as your body, there are so many ways to indulge. It doesn't have to be time consuming, and it doesn't have to be bad for you. 18 microwave mug snacks has some ideas on how to grab a quick bite to eat, which is great when you are short on time. I recently discovered affogato, an amazing dessert if you love coffee. (And it's so simple if you have a decent coffee maker). Even a simple cup of tea or coffee can be transformed to amazing if you make it special- finding a comfy chair, with an amazing view, or a fancy blend of tea/coffee can make a difference.

Another hobby I never get enough time for is reading. The last book I read was Peace, Love and Khaki Socks by Kim Lock. Sitting down and escaping into the written word is a rare treat for me lately, but such an amazing novel was worth staying up 3 hours past my bedtime for.

I also love knitting, crochet and sewing- but my total lack of skills for these crafts mean that I don't feel relaxed afterwards. I end up feeling frustrated and wish I could do more. Maybe one day I will get to learn these properly.

Retail Therapy I'm not gonna lie. Shopping can be a great boost. But lately I have been more focused on browsing instead of shopping, and it's almost as good. I admit that I miss the thrill of getting something new- but knowing that my credit card hasn't been harmed during my moment of indulgence is another boost.

Pampering One of my favourite ways to improve my mood. A long, hot shower, with a gorgeous scented body wash (and ideally, with the door locked- no kids!) is my idea of awesome. After a bit of practice, I have also managed to learn how to do some salon treatments at home- nothing fancy, just nails, eyebrow/eyelash tinting, facials. Setting up a spa at home doesn't need to be expensive or fancy- check out YouTube, eBay and other online stores for ideas and price comparisons. I can do a full shellac manicure and paraffin wax hand bath at home.

Friends Don't underestimate the nurturing effect of being near people who care about you. The day I found some like minded friends was a life changing event for me. Being near people who love you can restore your soul.

Laughter Find something that makes you laugh, and go for it. Being silly with my girls can make me laugh until I have tears rolling down my face.

Sleep In a house full of 'early birds', a sleep in is nigh on impossible. When I feel tired, I go to bed early. I am prone to insomnia when I get stressed, and being tired makes it harder to manage.

This is my quick list. But what recharges your emotional batteries??

our first birthday party at home

Miss E turned 7 on Saturday. We (ok, hubby) thought a party at home might not be such a bad thing. How hard could it be??

I found a template online for party invitations. We chose something that was pretty, and it happened to have a rainbow on it. Birthday girl decided that rainbows would be our theme for the party. Ok, I can manage that....

So we needed a batch of cupcakes for school. That wasn't too hard. I chose a simple cupcake recipe online, and had seen a great idea for rainbow cupcakes. The cupcakes went to school and were a big success.

The actual birthday cake was easy. Again, I found a recipe online for a layered rainbow cake. I made the layers the day before the party, and did the icing on the morning of the party.

The rest of it was fairly standard party stuff. I had a go at face painting- which the kids loved. We have a small jumping castle, which was put to good use. Hubby took over the party games- pass the parcel, musical statues etc. We splurged and bought a cylinder of helium- the balloons looked great when the guests were dancing under them. And the party bags were fun to make up- I included a bag of gold wrapped chocolate coins, since there is always treasure at the end of the rainbow!

The kids seemed to have a great time. The birthday girl loved it all. We had a house full of tired children at the end of the day. 

(Just on the slim chance that anyone reading this blog knows my parents, please don't show them. They still don't believe that I can cook. The shock may harm them.)

it's been a while!

Just realised that it has been a while since my last post. A long while. I guess that can happen when life gets in the way.

So I will start with updating to the current news. My baby girl is nearly 16 months old. Walking everywhere, trying to run (most often when there is food involved). She loves playing with drawers, and spreading the contents everywhere. She has started climbing too- she was busted using a small chair to reach leftover pancakes with Nutella (and I will be doing a post with my pancake recipe).

Preschooler had a major hair cut last week. It has made her look very grown up, but it was meant to help us get the nits under control. I hate nits. Our home made prevention spray helps, but they are so hard to eradicate. Preschooler had surgery on her teeth last month, and has recovered from that very quickly.

Schoolgirl turns 7 next week. Her party preparations are well under way. We are doing our very first party at home (all previous parties were at play cafes or fast food restaurants). I am getting excited about it all- I have found some great ideas for the party, and I am hoping it will all come together well.

Teenager- well, teenager has moved in with her dad. As much as I hated the way it happened, I am actually proud of her for making a tough decision and committing to it. By all accounts, she is loving life over with him.

As for me- I am back at work. In theory, I am back full time. In reality- well, with 3 young kids at home, carer's leave is a common occurrence.

When I was preparing to return to work, I set some goals- I wanted to get fit again. I wanted to continue breastfeeding baby girl (I am aiming for another WHO baby at least- 2 years). I wanted to cook dinner most nights. I hoped to keep up with the washing during the week, instead of facing 'Mount Washmore' every weekend. Well... I haven't been exercising. I am still breastfeeding Baby girl, although I have stopped expressing at work. She wasn't taking a bottle, and I was running out of freezer space (and I recently donated all my frozen milk to a contact in Sydney). We are doing pretty well with dinners, mainly because I keep the freezer stocked with leftover meals. (I am still cooking large enough quantities to feed a hungry teenager). Doing ok with keeping up with the washing, although we have fallen behind at times.... like when baby girl gets a random vomiting bug- 2 full sets of queen sized bedding, 3 sets of pjs for her, 2 sets for me, plus random towels and clean up cloths. And the week the washing machine died and flooded the house- that put me seriously behind with the washing (but the flood kept me too distracted to care).

And now a confession. I started typing this post to try and distract from a major chocolate craving. Didn't work. <off to raid the cupboards>