Changing Mindsets

Do you ever find yourself drawing on all the negative around you and feeling the smae way yourself? I do. I am a nearly 30, mother of two, who STILL finds herself trying to please people around her. Someone who is always worried about other peoples welfare, neglecting her own. Why? I think that I have always been that way. I am not saying that having empathy and considering others welfare is a bad thing, but I do think that when it results in you comprimising your own standards then there is a problem.

I don't know about you all but I like being happy. I like feeling successful. I like feeling loved and I like making others feel cared about.

I think that it is about changing your mindset or attitude. If you are negative or have a bad attitude you are going to attract negativity. If you are positive or have a good attitude then you will generate positivity and the negativity wont affect you. There are three people who spring to mind when I think of positivity and good attitude and great mindsets (I am going to name)...

Miss Suzie - Suzie has the most amazing attitude. She is smiling all the time. She is positive. She is confident and she makes you feel the same way (even if it is only when she is around). She is beautiful not only on the outside but on the inside and people are drawn to her.

Miss Tahlia - Tahlia exudes positive. She is like a little energiser bunny. She is fantastically encouraging and happy and has the ability to face adversity and go "ok, it happened... what is the good?" I trained with Tahlia after Miss 2.5 and before Miss 0.9 and she made me feel like I can achieve anything.

Miss Lorna Jane - now I don't know this woman personally but she has built an entire empire out of positive thinking and healthy life and healthy thoughts. Particularly where I live, everyone lives in Lorna Jane clothing. You walk along a track (with the pram) and a pretty, fit, smiling blonde jogs past and her tshirt reads "you can do it", you might pass 50 people like this and as you are walking along you read these slogans and you think about it and you feel encouraged by it so you push a little harder.

I find that whilst social media is good for some things - it can also be so filled with negativity and in some cases hate. I get that people have things happen in their lives and they feel like it always happens to them. That they always get the raw end of the deal. My question is... if everyone spent 5 minutes a day thinking of all the great things that they have achieved. If everyone said "I can do it" not "can I do it" then would it change the self esteem, attitude and mindset?

SO I have decided that I have spent so much time encouraging others, it is time to encourage myself. I am not going to reinvent the wheel. There are some amazing people out there. I am going to reinvent me.

THE CHALLENGE:
For some of you this will be familiar (I succeeded for a while). I am going to spend 12 months celebrating the positive and living a positive mindset. Will I succeed? HELL YEAH!!! This will go for 12 months and my plan is that at the end of the 12 months it will be a permanent change.

I am doing this for me but I am also doing this for my beautiful children so that I can teach them to have positive attitudes and a positive self esteem.

Those who feel inspired on this Monday morning, join me in my quest to celebrate the life that we have been blessed with.

GET EXCITED PEOPLE!!!!!

Keep smiling

Lauren
xxx

Up and Coming

The last few weeks things have been hectic to say the least.

B and I had some sadness

http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/lunch-ends-in-death-of-man-90-John-McFarlane/1832729/

We were the third car on the scene. The next day I left a white carnation on the side of the road in honour of John. Certainly not a man I will forget in a hurry. Such tragic circumstances.

B and I have had some joy with the birth of our georgous little niece. Miss L.

Aunty E did brilliant job with the birth of such a LITTLE CUTIE... Yes I think I hear "cluck cluck cluck"... ;-)

I have been shopping with old friends (or should I say established friends, Mrs F)

How nice was it to get out and about, without children, even if only for a few hours. Even if we did end up shopping for the men in our lives ;-)

 

I have had amazing tea and desserts with new friends. Thank you Ms J.

 

 

Ms J is a very talented lady with the same ecclectic taste in things that I do. Have been loving her blog The Sea and Me Change. Photo courtesy of Ms J. HOW CUTE ARE THE PAVLOVA'S???? IN TEACUPS!!!!

 

I have been snuggling with Miss 0.9 (not long now!!!!)

 



 

I love my 1:1 time just before Miss 0.9 goes to bed of an evening. She has just started taking off with the walking so now that she can do something new and exciting, being able to contain her long enough for a cuddle is far and few between. When I had Miss 0.9, I had expressed concern about not having 1:1 time with her, having a toddler as well. Mum said that when she had my sister, Miss G, she used to love the hours through the evening and the cuddles she would get overnight. She made the most of that time. I took that advice and do the same thing. The overnight feeds became the time that I would snuggle and look at her. Just as I would have at any time with Miss 2.5.

 

I have also been researching food for Miss 0.9's birthday. Can you guess what the theme might be?

I have so many wonderful ideas. Wait until you see my next blog post. Miss 2.5's second birthday. I had fun with that.

 



 

You should take a look at this website Repeat Crafter Me. Some cuteness there for sure.

 

Now this blog hasn't been very, well, juicy. BUT I leave you with some teasers of some pending upcycles that I have in store, that I WILL share as soon as they are complete...

 

I am so looking forward to sharing the birthday blog and also all the amazing projects I have "in progress"

Wishing you all a beautiful Friday and a wonderful weekend.

Keep smiling

Lauren
xxx

Tuscan Treasures

Do you ever have those days when you have lots to do (or so you think) and you want to do them but you don't know where to start? Then you get that frustrated feeling because you are not actually solving anything but rather you are doing circles. THEN you feel angry because you are just not achieving anything.

 

Yup! That is my day. I can make all the excuses in the world but the simple fact is that I want it done and I want it done now (and it is not happening). To make things worse Miss 2.5 and Miss .75 must be picking up on my complete... (I cannot even think of the right word), so you can imagine there is squealing and crying and tantrums galore.

 

I wanted to focus on something today that makes me happy. So I thought that I would share with you my very first "revamp". Well the first successful one, that my parents didn't want to paint over ;-)

 

Last year I spent a significant amount of time with my parents. Not by choice (I do love them) but out of necessity. It was a humbling and wonderful experience and I am very lucky that it cemented my relationship with my parents and not tore it apart. I feel like I am very lucky that they could be there for me and I wanted to do something special for them to say thank you. Although I don't feel like I will ever be able to thank them properly, I did try lots of little things to show how grateful I was.

 

Mum and dad have this aluminium table. It was something that was my great grandfather's (not sure where he got it but I remember it being in his garden). Obviously mum and dad inherited it. It was a round aluminium ex military table (it may have been a recreational table like a card table). Over the years as mum and dad's garden has been re landscaped and revamped the table served many uses but I couldn't bear to see it just sit there anymore just flaking away. Mum and dad used it as a alfresco table more than they have ever before, so, I made a decision. I was going to re-do the table so that they had a lovely alfresco space to enjoy a wine or cup of coffee or to just take a break from the hard work of gardening.

 

Now, mum and dad went to Italy and they LOVED everything about the Italians, their food, their passion, their buildings and their decor, so I channelled my inner "Italian Goddess". Pffft!

 

As you can imagine this table has had MANY layers added over the years and it was flaking in some spots, right back to the aluminium. I had to figure out the best way to get the paint off this baby.

 

I initially started by using dad's sander. I changed my mind on this for two reasons.

1. It was as dusty as hell

2. my uncle pointed out that the initial layer could have been lead paint (I don't want to be turning that into dust).

 

So seeing as that is something I should have thought of PRIOR to stripping back the table I went and grabbed some gloves and a paint chisel. I figured the paint was flaking fairly easy so with some elbow grease I should be able to get it off. It was so much easier than I thought. YAY!

 

I just wanted to add here that when I managed to remove the paint there was some names carved into the table that I wish now I had taken better photos of. Imagine my excitement over the history of this table.

 

 

I had decided I was going to do the painting first. I painted the table a beautiful Paprika Red. I used a rust sealing and prevention paint so that I could paint and not only seal the rust that was there so that it wouldn't spread but also to prevent any more rust appearing on the table. I was only painting the legs and the side and I did this because I was planning to grout tiles to the top of the table and I figured it was going to be much easier to do it this way around that tiling first and then painting.

 

 

Ok so once the table was painted I took to the tiles. I went to Bunnings and bought those little square tiles (maybe 100mlx100ml). Now I realised (very quickly) that I couldn't just take to the tiles with a hammer, so I wrapped the tiles in a towel and THEN went to town on them. I wanted a variety of sizes with the tiles so I broke them all up and then the ones that I wanted smalled I broke again. Then came the fun part (not). I had to sort the tiles into colours so that I could make sure that I was putting them evenly on the table. I started initially laying the tiles where I wanted them and I quickly learnt that, that wasn't working.

 

So, I went to plan B. I had the tiles in piles (I can rhyme) and I picked one off each pile and placed them down. I recommend using whatever system works for you, I think I tried 3 or 4 in total. You just have to remember the glue dries quickly. Everything will work differently for everyone. Mum and dad were away in Melbourne for the week while I was doing this so I was on a mission to have a surprise ready for them when they got back. It took about 3 small square tiles in each colour (maybe 5 colours) to cover this table and leave me with some spare (just in case). I would say to you, that you are probably better overbuying and returning that not having enough and not being able to get the tiles that you need.

 

To tile the table top you apply tile glue (I was messy with it because I figured I would be grouting over it). Make sure you apply the tiles to the glue before the glue gets a film over it. It makes it much harder to apply the tiles and get them to stick once it has started the drying process. Once the glue is dry you can apply the grout. Now I recommend here that you used you finger to squish (so technical) and smooth the grout onto the table top. I pre-warn you though that tiles are sharp. So take care when doing this (it hurts when you cut yourself), but I did find it more effective that any other method. Also I recommend being prepared to do all the grouting at once. I thought I could mix in batches but found out that, that wasn't going to work so had to work quickly before the grout set.

 

TA DA!!!!

 

 

Now I took this photo as soon as I finished tiling but before I grouted the table so I hope to get some more photos of this gorgeous (finished) piece in its pride of place in mum and dad's garden.

 

Take the time now to enjoy your table.

 

Keep smiling

 

Lauren

xxx

 

Birthday's

Birthday's.

Presents, cake, parties, wrapping paper, cards... The list goes on, and on. I think that in every household there is one main present purchaser. In my household, that is me, for two reasons.

1. I can handle shopping, choosing and purchasing better than B.

2. Being a Stay At Home Mum I have more time than him to get out and purchase (at least that's what I have heard- thankfully not from B or he would be skinned by now)

When I hand over the gift, I watch for the reaction (knowing whether I 'got it' or totally missed the mark), no matter what, I take pleasure in knowing that EVERY gift I purchase I have put the time, thought and effort into, whether they are "right" or not.

This year, I have my little girls first birthday. Yep, numero uno. I have spent the last two weeks consumed by the worry of getting the perfect gift, holding an "appropriate"party and making sure that the effort that I put into Miss 2.5's first birthday, goes into Miss .75's birthday, without the criticism that I went overboard.

THE BIRTHDAY PRESENTS:

So, I have spent hours tucked up in bed of an evening scouring the web for ideas for presents. I want something age appropriate but also something that Miss .75 will love and use and play with. Even though I know that she won't remember her birthday, I still want to know that I have put in the same effort and thought. So, what to get, what to get... I have looked at my trusty go to websites and even some new ones. If you are also stuck for ideas... Here, have a look (and please don't be shy in sharing your ideas).

Tiny Me - Fabulous gifts that can be personalised

Lime Tree Kids - Beautiful store with LOTS of kidlet friendly items (and some mummy ones too)

Pandora - gorgeous idea for Charm Bracelet.

Toys For Kids - This is a great online website for ideas

Made It - Made it is an Australian online "home made/crafted" website. When you search there really are some gorgeous gifts.

Learning House - if you love Wooden Toys (I know I do) then this website has a gorgeous range of items.

Being that I really don't know much of the Sunshine Coast and I don't really get a chance to go for a "wander" I don't know many cute kids stores that I could refer you onto. Certainly if there are any ideas hit me with them and if you need ones from Hobart I can help, but here, not so much. I believe if you can get an item down the road- go there, even if it required more effort than sitting in front of the computer. If we don't support local businesses, they will simply disappear. You will be surprised how much effort and help some places will give you. Simply for being in their store.

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY:

For Miss 2.5's birthday party, we chose a local park, that was fully fenced. We chose a theme (daddy wanted a castle cake for his princess- and it went from that). It involved lots of pink decorations and I cooked with all the food pink themed as well. I put a lot of time into getting this party right and I was pleased with the end result. After the party, as a general rule most of my family and friends told me they loved it and I should do this kind of thing professionally (I WISH) but there were also a lot of comments that I had gone over the top with Miss 2.5's birthday. I will let you judge for yourselves.
 

Party Table

 

Fairy Bread, Sandwiches, Pink Marshmallow, Pink Lamingtons

 

White Chocolate Strawberries

 

Party "Bags"

Present Table

 

Party Guest Book

Now I don't deny that this birthday party is very pink and maybe I did go over the top. Maybe you have hosted a party and have had similar feedback. Be proud of what you achieve. Remember that you are not doing this for anyone else but your little prince or princess, everyone has different likes and dislikes which it was makes us fabulously individual. I thought that given this was the first party that I have ever done for anyone, I did quite well. I was proud of it. I had pastel pink plastic tablecloths and bright pink plates and cups, all available from The Party People, Discount Party Warehouse or Spotlight. White ceramic plates and glass bowls from Kmart. I got the noodle boxes from The Party People. Bright pink cloths from a dear friend (they were tab top curtains- am sure they would be available from Spotlight). I got the ribbons for the party boxes from the local newsagent and Woolworth's supermarket. I got the textas and shaped card from Kmart.

 

This year we will follow the same method. We will pick a theme and venue and we will go from there. This year I have access to many more stores and services *wink wink*.

 

THE CAKE:

I believe that the cake is the centrepiece of any party (bar the birthday boy/girl) and I took great pleasure in creating my centrepiece. I still have some practice before being a "pro". I am very lucky that a dear friend lent me her Kitchen Aid for Miss 2.5's first birthday (I loved them before, but MAN I was on a mission to get one after that day).

 

 

B had said that the only thing that he wanted for the party was a castle cake. A castle cake??!!! How the hell was I going to pull that off? I started hunting and googling and saving recipes. It just so happened that Donna Hay had recently released one of her Kids Party issues. I was in the habit of collecting her books and spotted it- I had a bit of a flip through in the newsagent and saw this cake. It was perfect! I adjusted the cake ever so slightly (I used a little bit of food colouring in the fondant to cover the cakes and subsequently had to make all the other pink embellishments just that little bit brighter).

 

For the party we had (may help give some ideas to all you mummies), Fairy Bread, Pink Lamingtons, Pink Meringues, Chive, Cream Cheese and Ham sandwiches, Pink Marshmallow cups, White Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Little Frankfurts in Dinner Rolls, Party Pies and Sausage Rolls and of course Pink Lemonade. Now initially I was stubborn and I WAS going to do all the cooking myself. Thank god for Mrs B. She insisted on taking some of the things that just needed heating and brought them to the party. It save time and my sanity. My advice is, that if you are a control freak like me the BEST thing to do is to ACCEPT someone's offer of help. If you can't bear to relinquish all control then you get your friends to help you heat things, like the party pies and sausage rolls. It's one less thing to stress about then and it makes others happy to know that they have helped.

 

Now, my cooking didn't go to plan and in ridiculous heat (and in a house where the aircon in the main space had, had a heart attack) with an oven on constantly things melted, didn't set, got too hot and burnt or I simply got distracted. As you can see below the first batch of lamingtons were a disaster and the pink meringues... well they weren't pink. I think that it was at this stage that I may have had a mini meltdown and thrown my hands in the air claiming that I wasn't doing this and clearly I wasn't cut out for it. To which B looked at me with bemusement and said "so, we cancel the party then???" Well I think it was that statement that made me indignant and determined not to allow him to be right.

 

 

Do you know what? At the end of the day- I was happy with it. Little Miss Birthday Girl was happy with it and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

 



 

PARTY PLANNING TIPS:

1. Be organised. About a month in advance order any decorations (or cake tins), that you require for the special day. Sometimes when you order something it can take time and particularly when ordering online give yourself some time to look at the product when it arrives and if need be replace. If you are ordering internationally- give yourself another month on top to allow for any delays in customs or mail delivery.

2. Make sure that any food you are making will survive the heat (or cold). I chose to make sweets predominantly but allowed for the fact that inevitably there were going to be more adults than children at this party. I would also recommend just double checking that there are no food allergies or intolerance's and if there are providing an alternative. Another really good ideas is to write on a tag, what ingredients are in the item that you have made. This allows family and friends to make the decisions for themselves too.

3. When the party favours and bags arrive, get them done straight away and when things are complete put everything "party" related in a box ready to go. It makes it much easier when packing the car. Plus that way it is one less thing to worry about and it is all in one place.

4. Take the time to read the recipes and write yourself a little "plan" or "timetable". There will be times when whilst one item is cooking you can be preparing another. Make sure that you allow yourself the morning of the party to apply any finishing touches (and finishing touches only) to food so that if anything goes wrong you may have an hour spare to fix it (I can assure you this would have been handy). If you don't need to fix anything it allowd you to have a nice morning getting ready for the party.

5. Have a list of everything you need to take and pack the car the night before. If you are paranoid like me pack it first thing while hubby (or wifey) are getting the children breakfast. As you place things in the car, tick them off your list. Make sure you have some plan about the party set up (and delegate jobs if needed) so that when you arrive and are setting up your guests aren't arriving at the same time. I didn't have that setting up plan and it ended up being a team effort at our party.

 

Take some time at the party to photograph your efforts (and make sure your camera hasn't been handled by the birthday boy/girl- makes for smudged pictures) and look at your guests. I guarantee that they will all be enjoying themselves and each others company. It will never be perfect (something I need to still come to terms with) but that doesn't matter. It will still be amazing. At the end of the day you may be lucky enough to have a little one year old passed out in her car seat clutching an unopened energy drink (that you were surviving off) and have the satisfaction of knowing that although it was a crazy day, and yes he/she is only one but they still had a good time.

 

Enjoy this moment. Pour yourself a wine when the littlies are in bed and celebrate everything you have achieved.

 

Keep smiling.

 

Lauren

xxx

Inner Me

Have you ever walked down the street and become suddenly aware of the jiggle of your tummy? Or the wobble of your thighs? Or the spot on the side of your face? Or your regrowth? Or your teeth? Or your feet? Or the blind pimples on your forehead? Or those fine wrinkles around your eyes? I know I have.

I am one of those women whose husband seems to get better looking with age... Me? Not so much. Now I know that there will be a group of friends that will instantly text, email or PM me and give me their 5 cents worth (for some probably $10 worth) and I love that they see past all of that but I don't see what they see.

I have moved to a place where the people are (generally speaking) blonde, toned, tanned and wearing very little. I love this place and the lifestyle (again speaking generally) and I love that they are healthy and happy. That is the life that I want for my girls. DON'T GET ME WRONG. I think that my girls are perfect just the way they are and I think that my husband is perfect the way he is (although sometimes I wish he was less argumentative- am 100% sure he'd say the same) but I want them to be outdoors and enjoying the world. I don't want them tucked on a lounge in front of the television. I certainly DON'T want them to be standing on scales and calorie counting but I want them to be active and healthy. I am sure that all mothers want that for their children.

Although I have a broken toe (and should have learnt the first time) I decided yesterday to go for a walk to Mooloolaba from our house (nice 7.2km walk). The heat and sun didn't bother me. The pain from the shoe squishing my toe didn't hurt me. HOWEVER the reflection in the shop window bothered me. OMG when I left the house I felt a little bloated (chocolate coma will do that to you) and I was a little self conscious of the outfit I was wearing but HOLY CRAP! DO I REALLY LOOK THAT BAD????? Side on I looked like the bulb from a lily... Thin and then all of a sudden a round bulb.

I am a typical woman. I put on weight (and hold it) around my tummy, abdomen, bottom and thighs. When I got married I was a happy size 10-12. Now don't get me wrong, I don't blame anyone but me (I also blame myself for B's weight gain). We moved to PH in WA and I thought whoo hoo- its hot and I am not going to want to eat anything but fruit and salad... pfft... and drink beer and wine and soft drink and eat from the local pub (all deep fried) and eat crisps. Where the hell did the original plan go?? Being in a mining town (a boys town) you did drink and you did party and you did socialise a lot more than you ever did. After all, you have the money to do it.

Then I got pregnant with Miss 2.5, by the end of the pregnancy I was 300grams from tipping the 100 mark!!! I know that some of this was pregnancy weight but I also know that a HUGE amount of it was the lifestyle I was living... My portion sizes totally flew out the window, along with my self control and I met this thing called emotional eating. Every time something went wrong, I ate. when I wasn't pregnant, I used to pour a glass of wine or sit on the patio with a beer (and cigarette). Now the smoking I quit, as soon as I saw those two little blue lines (admittedly I have had 3 cigarettes in the last 2.5 years).

So, walking through Mooloolaba I suddenly became aware of the jiggling of my thighs under my Lorna Jane shorts and the bulge or my tummy over the waistband and the constricting tightness of the top that I was wearing. I became aware of the stretchmarks, lack of makeup and how unhealthy my skin looked. I wanted the earth to open up and transport me somewhere very very very remote... where no one else could see me. After pointing out how horrific I looked B would say "you're thinner than her" and I would scoff at him. Then I would point to another lady and say "she is thinner than me" and he would look at me and say "you're deluded". Now in NO WAY am I criticising anyone else's weight... I look at other people and see that they are happy and healthy in their own skin. Because I see that, I perceive thinness. Unless they are Big Kev off Biggest Loser I don't see overweight. B thinks I am a crazy woman but in my head I make sense. Plus I am much more objective hidden in my home in front of my computer typing about it all. I know that I am doing this. I know that I am feeling this but I am not changing it. I am sure that I live in one of the healthiest parts of Australia and I am not actively making a change. I see Bella running around and I fear that I am setting a bad example. This seasons Biggest Loser series is proof that our eating habits and choices affect our children. I want my daughters (and sons) to love themselves, to be active and healthy, to be happy. I feel like if they follow my footsteps they won't.

The other key to being beautiful and feeling happy is to make an effort with your appearance. Now I haven't worn makeup in weeks and I haven't painted my nails in months and spending time on my hair... pffft... I had to be pushed out the front door a fortnight ago by my mother in law to have my first haircut since my baby shower in 2012. 1 year ago.

So having said all of this. What am I going to do about it you ask? Meh, I feel like succumbing to this crap and then I re read what I have write and I am like... Really? Is this what you want? NO! I want my wedding body back. I have two BEAUTIFUL sisters and a STUNNING mother and an INSPIRATIONAL father and I am going to channel their amazingness (yes I know that isn't a word) and I am going to channel their unwavering love for me just the way I am (Bridget Jones- come at me). Now I know that I have stretch marks and I sag in places I never sagged before (Bra hunting is dsitressing) but I am nearly...um... well I am nearly at that next milestone (I was born in 1983) and I need to make this change now. We want more children. I want more children. I want to be able to wear a pair of skinny jeans and not have my thighs rub. I want to wear dresses and not have the waist seam of my dress sit out horizontally. I want to be able to wear a bikini to the beach without layering t shirts and boardies over top.

Now I am not confident enough to put up before photos BUT I am ready to properly make this change and with the help of my Weight Watchers cookbooks, salad cookbooks and my Lose Baby Weight e book. I am going to do this. I know that it isn't about the quick fix. That isn't why I am doing this. The weight loss will be confidence boosting but it is more about the lifestyle. It will be about setting a good example for my children and giving them the best start. Now I am not going to claim that I am never going to eat chocolate, or chips, or have a glass of wine (I'd be kidding myself if I said that). I AM going to stop at one serving, I AM going to exercise more (even just walking the girls to the park), I AM going to drink 100% more water (daily) seeing as I might have 3 glasses of water a week, I AM going to make more of an effort in my appearance and I AM going to forgive myself (over and over again). So having said all of that. I am going to take some photos (which I am not putting up yet), I am going out tomorrow and buying some weight scales, I am going to measure the jiggly bits and I am going to make myself accountable.

Hopefully it helps me. And my family.

I know that some of you may (or may not) feel the same way and if you want to do the same thing... Join me. I am happy to support you and I would love the encouragement. Its about getting off the couch and walking 30 mins. Its about cutting down the portions. Its about loving yourself.

Keep smiling.

L
xxx