These are a few of my favourite things...

Colours: pink, purple, emerald/dark green, silver and rainbows
Flowers: Roses, Frangipanis, Tulips, Daisies, Jasmine, anything with pretty delicate flowers.
Foods: Berries, roasted red capsicum, fresh fruit, cheeses, salami, light fluffy cakes, pavlova
Movies: Anything with Kings/Queens, castles, fairies, magic, princesses etc.
Clothes: Victorian gothic, fairy (flowing dresses and skirts), hippy/boho. Long skirts/dresses made of light delicate fabrics or sensual fabrics like velvet or silk, singlet tops, flowing sleeves, shawls
Other: Butterflies, flowers, fairies, picnics, beach walks, nature, long summer nights with my lover under the light of the moon.

Rhythms

Recently all things Steiner have become an obsession for me. I love (most of) the philosophy, Waldorf education, arts and crafts, toys and Waldorf inspired homes. The more I read and follow links on Google the more of this world opens up to me and it excites me in a way that other education systems fail too. I wonder what sort of person I would have been if I had of had the opportunity to attend a Waldorf school, if I had of grown up in that sort of environment.

Today I am fascinated with the concept of daily rhythms. It makes so much sense to me. The world follows rhythms, day to night, days flowing to weeks, months and years, spring turning to summer and onward around the seasons of the year. The rhythms of nature are beautiful and teach us that there is a time for everything and everything in its time and so the idea of having rhythms in our daily lives rather then a schedule appeals to me.

Our home is chaos right now, we have no flow, no rhythm and everything happens on a whim, for my partner this is fine and he functions well with chaos but for myself I find that I am struggling and feeling drained before the afternoon is really even getting started. Would developing our own household Rhythm fix this issue and would it help fix the issues we are currently having with my four year old? I know that his issues are considered normal four year old behavior by many but I have to wonder if they are in fact a creation of the way we live. Could his more negative behaviour be stemming from the fact that he never knows what is going to happen next and thus is feeling insecure? Rhythms as well as giving some order and flow to our day could also help the two of us connect better.

I have decided that I am going to trial this idea, over the weekend I am going to give some thought to how I want our days to flow and develop a rhythm. I will try and follow this new rhythm for a month and see what chances it makes in our home and lives and as I do so I will report back here so that other people can get ideas to enrich and better their lives.

A time of rest

The sky today is overcast, the temperature cool which for this time of year in Perth is highly unusual. I am grateful for the break from our usual summer hear wave, it is a chance to rest and enjoy life without being stuck indoors hiding from extreme conditions. 

I have already been out shopping and done a load of laundry this morning and it's not even lunchtime. Currently both children are resting/sleeping and so I am having a break from housework to recharge a little myself before I launch into cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen. 

I am still feeling the after effects of drinking too much New Year's Eve so am nourishing my body with lots of water, vitamins, fruit and vegetables, Things that are easy for my body to digest. This afternoon we will take a walk to the park and have a run around in the fresh oar before coming home and taking some time to be creative and draw, paint or making something with our craft supply's. Until Monday I am viewing us as still being on holidays and so days will be calm, easy and relaxed, a time of rest to recover from the silly season before getting back to the real world. 

7 rules for life.

2014 - The year of me

Happy New Year and welcome to 2014. 

This year is going to be different, no longer will I allow others to hold me back and keep me from reaching my full potential, no longer will I allow others to influence me and keep me back from the life I want to live or becoming the person I want to be. This is my year to make the changes I need to. This is my year to get in touch with the inner me that has been hiding for so long and really discover who I am. This is my year to shine. 

This is going to be my year starting with learning that it's ok to put myself first some times and beginning the journey of finding all the bits of me I lost in my previous relationship. It's time to become the mother I want to be, rediscover my spiritual path and the hobbies I enjoy and surround myself with friends that really care about me and understand me instead of those that try to change me. I will be working through my history/religion degree and getting myself to the best health and well being on all levels that I can.

I'm going to take the year to heal on all levels and rediscover who I am. I refuse to even think about moving in with another guy until I have found myself and know I can stand on my own two feet. I want things to work with my new boyfriend, I (and everyone who has seen us together) think we are fantastic for each other but until I really find myself, heal and release the past and learn to love and accept myself I can't have a healthy serious relationship.

Instead of writing New Years resolutions I have written what I want to manifest in my life as though they have already happened. 

So the first things I am putting into place are the following challenges that I have found online. 

To assist on nourishing my body I am taking this 100 days of real food pledge starting next Monday after I have had a chance to go shopping. 

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/100-days-of-mini-pledges/

Towards becoming the parent I want to be I am undertaking to have a year free of yelling. To approach my children using gentle parenting principals and learn to discipline them without resorting to yelling or anything that disrespects them. 

Slowly I am going to establish a regular yoga and meditation practice and undertake to walk three times a week not because I need to go somewhere but because walking is good for me and nourishes my soul. 

I have my study and children which will keep me busy all year but around them I am going to make time for things I enjoy. Scrap booking a 2014 project life album, role playing, reading and spending time with the people who make me feel good and raise me up rather then bring me down. 

Yes this is a lot to do and I won't do it all at once but slowly take baby steps so that by the end of the year I have nourished myself and become closer to the person I want to be. 

Dreaming of the life I want to live.

It is my goal to live a more simple mindful life, a life where we eat wholesome organic food as often as we can (more to the point as often as money will allow it) much of which we have grown ourselves, where we keep a nice comfortable home that fits our needs rather then our wants. Sure it would be great to have a huge house with 4 bedrooms, a study each and a playroom for the kids but that's a want not a need. What we need is a safe secure roof, a bed where we can lay our heads at night, a kitchen to cook in and somewhere to spend time with our family and friends. In the home that we will make we will be minimizing the use of cleaning (and other) chemicals that we use and learning to make what we need from scratch rather then paying inflated supermarket prices for stuff that doesn't do the job as well as the simple stuff can. In this life we repair, reuse and make for ourselves much of what we need rather then throw out and buy brand new.

A life where I take the time needed to prepare healthy food and snacks for my loved ones without reaching for convenience packaged foods. A life where we take the time to be thankful for the things that we have rather then miserable about the things we can not have. A life where we can see the beauty of the gods in our garden, care for the creatures that share our life and teach our children that there is more to life then money and material possessions. A life where our children will be able to acknowledge and appreciate the simple things in our world such as a flower in bloom, a glass of homemade lemonade on a hot day or finding eggs for that mornings breakfast in the chicken coop.

We have a long way to go and a lot to learn before we are living the life that I dream of but it is a journey that I am looking forward to taking. I’m not anything special, I don’t have any special talents. I’m just a mum and student trying to do the best by everyone that I love while raising two beautiful children.