Are you with me?

This blog was about myself trying to make my world more amazing. Although I am not naive to the fact that I probably barely reach people outside my own family and friends! I don't mind. I am on a journey (setbacks and all) and appreciate the love that I do get. 

My journey is not only about doing the things that I love and making things around me "pretty" but I am trying to embark on a personal journey to appreciate myself. 

I'm not sure about you but I am my own worst enemy. I look in the mirror and I judge and criticise myself. I take every moment that my daughters decides to test me as a personal failure. I am overly sensitive to the way that I behave around others and "monitor" my behaviour so that they don't find me unappealing. I worry when I don't hear from people that I have done something wrong. I can hear a voice in my head saying "you have two ears and one mouth, use them in that proportion". I feel cross when others try and force their opinions on others, trying to be the loudest.

Then it happened... I was scrolling through Facebook (yes- I didn't last very long off it) and there was an article about some photographs that had been banned from Facebook for being inappropriate. They were of mothers in underwear with their babies. Real and beautiful women. It got me thinking. 

Why is it ok for there to be girls (and yes I am going to call them girls) posting provocative pictures of themselves (some naked) yet photos of mothers, whose bodies might not be Hollywood perfect are banned? 

What hope do real women, with stretch marks, with sagging skin, with cellulite, with uneven tans, with thighs that meet and a little extra weight have? Then I realised that society has become so critical and judgemental that nothing we do escapes someone's critical eye. 

If my girls have a tantrum and I don't yell I don't discipline my child

If I smack my children I am abusive.

If I am skinny, I must be a b***h who doesn't eat.

If I am not size 8, I am fat and lazy.

If I give them a strawberry milk at the supermarket I am neglecting my children's health.

If there is nothing but fruit in the shopping trolley, I don't allow them to have any fun.

If I call back my children when they run off at the shops, I am common.

If I just let them go, I am neglectful.

If I have three under three, I am a bogun tart.

If I have a child at 40 I am too old.

If I have one child, I am selfish and the child will be a spoilt brat.

If I have five children, I have no self control and they will be neglected and out of control.

If my house is messy, I am lazy.

If my house if spotless, I am obsessive and neglect the children.

If I wear clothes that cover me up, I am a prude.

If I wear short skirts and low slung tops, I have no self respect.

In all seriousness my list could go on forever.

However, it is the ability to rise above others and make the decision that NOONE has the right to invalidate you. Don't get me wrong, I have a LOOOONG way to go before I am where I want to be as a person and in life. I DO however want to be a good role model for my children and that involves making change. 

I want to bring to your attention a woman called Taryn. She is the founder of Body Image Movement. She is an amazing and motivational woman and is doing some serious good for women in society. She is also on FB so please like her page. For those men (family of mine or not) before you scoff I want you to think about this... If your girlfriend or wife genuinely loved who she was, flaws and all and was genuinely happy with her body, with who she was. She loved life. She was positive. She didn't let others get to her. Wouldn't THAT woman make you happy?  I am taking the steps (although slowly) to be that happy woman. For myself, but also for my husband and children. I want my husband to look forward to coming home everyday. I want to be a positive role model for my kids. I want a home filled with true happiness and love and laughter. 

I am taking the steps forward, to be a happier me. Who is with me to break society's angry cycle? 

I even didn't care that people could see my pregnant (flawed) body in a bikini on the weekend... Giant leap of faith...

Remember no matter what people, you are all amazing. You are all beautiful or handsome. You are all loved by people around you (even if you don't realise it). Most of all you are so incredibly important to someone.

Keep smiling.

Lauren

xxx

Christmas Planning!!!!!

I have taken the opportunity to sit quietly (or not so quietly) while Miss 1 sleeps and Miss 3 plays with her "clay" or playdough as we all know it.

It has been a little over a month since I have been able to sit down and post about my creative works... or lack thereof - depending on how you look at it. I had a good friend, Miss P, visit me this morning with her new baby boy. It was wonderful to see her, even if I was running around like a chicken that just had its head chopped off (Friday 13th???) and Miss P always inspires me to get back here. So here I am.

Now that I have two little girls (and am feeling scroogish), I decided that it was time to do something diferent. I lost my christmas spirit (even though I love the day and having family around) years ago when I worked in retail. Sadly my mother did too. So my mission this christmas is to restore the family Christmas spirit.

With Christmas just around the corner (sorry to remind you) and the fact that this little baby is due around the same time I have had the realisation that I need to be organised. I wanted to make this Christmas special for the girls as Miss 3 is old enough to understand and get excited about Christmas and Miss 1 was too little to remember her first Christmas. Plus as much as I don't want to admit it, this could be one of a few Christmas' that we will get with both of my sisters now we are all grown up. Life changes for everyone and we have the opportunity to have my sister Miss G and her bf here in Australia this year for Christmas (I think it will be one of his first Christmas' here). Which makes it all the more important that I help make this an awesome Christmas for everyone... Not sure how J will go with a Christmas that isn't white but I am sure we will make it an "experience" for him ;-) I want to share all of my ideas on here BUT I know there is a certain Miss G who reads this blog and seeing as she was always the one that used to go hunting for christmas presents before the fact (AND has been caught unwrapping to rewrap presents) I am going to withhold information. Well at least some of it.

A few years ago I made an Advent Calendar (LOVED IT) but I have found a DIVINE one that I want to make instead... So I am giving the one that I already have to my mother (who loves it). When I made the Advent Calendar, the intention was to put treats in the pocket, and watching my husband and cousin (who was living with us at the time) fight over who got to the Advent Calendar first for the treat was amusing. 

I have developed a small obsession with Pinterest and found Advent "experiences"... now admittedly they were written/created by clever people who get snow at Christmas so I did a little tweaking and created some of my own...

Here they are:

Decorate a Gingerbread house

Read a christmas book

Make thank you notes for after christmas

Wrap christmas stocking gifts

Christmas craft

Go christmas light hunting

Get a treat from the christmas box

visit santa

Play some christmas games

Make christmas decorations

Make gingerbread men

Write a letter to santa

Have a big bubble bath

Decorate the christmas tree

Go to the ABC giving tree (or Kmart one)

Get a treat from the christmas box

Decorate christmas tags

Treasure hunt

Get a treat from the christmas box

Have a hot chocolate buffet before bed

Decorate christmas cookies

Have lunch at a special restaurant

Gat a treat from the christmas box

Have a christmas movie night with treats.

Now. In the christmas box mentioned above, I plan on placing "special" christmas baubles, some christmas chocolate, christmas "santa" sacks and a christmas DVD. Here are the pages that have some great ideas, Advent 4 Ways and Advent Experiences.

Of course, while that will keep myself and two little babes nice and busy I am aware it will take more than that to bring on christmas spirit so I am investing in an Elf on the Shelf. I LOVE the ideas and activities that you can do with it and thought that although the girls are a little young at the moment it is a wonderful tradition to start. Here are some of the pages with fantastic ideas... Elf on The Shelf and Great Elf on the Shelf Ideas.

Also because I am OTT and cannot do ANYTHING by halves, I will be having a box filled with wrapped christmas books (thank god we already have a decent collection) and every night the girls will get to pick a book and we will read the book at bedtime. See the page that inspired me here.

Of course I am not finishing there. Grandma has always said that when there are little people in her house for Christmas, she will be having a "party" on Christmas Eve for those little people. It will involve Party Pies, Sausage Rolls, Cordial and Cake (and hot chocolate). To add to this I wanted to start the tradition of Christmas Eve Box (another Pinterest discovery). It is a box that I will organise and wrap and they will get to unwrap on Christmas Eve (maybe in conjunction with Grandma's Christmas Party). I have found the most gorgeous dress pattern for nighties and I will be making two little Christmas themed nighties that will go in the box (so they have something nice to wear Christmas morning), a Christmas movie (or Christmas themed Peppa Pig), popcorn (to watch with the movie), mugs (Melamime for my little rascals), hot chocolate, marshmallows, socks or slippers and one final Christmas book. I am aware that by this stage my children are going to be VERY hyped up on sugar etc but hey, it only happens a few times a year. See the page that inspired this idea here.

I have focussed on the children lots and I still want to create Christmas spirit for the adults that will be in the house... All 8 of us. Do you have some brilliant Christmas ideas or traditions for the big people in your household... or the little ones?

Keep smiling.

Lauren
xxx