I think this is quite possibly the longest blogging break I have had. Things got a little hairy there for a while and I just couldn't find a work/life balance. Thankfully I have an understanding boss who listened when I told her I just couldn't work fulltime. I have supportive friends who listened to me, and helped me, and my lovely Australasian CTMH blog sisters let me bow out of our Blog hops until I felt ready to come back.
It feels like I have been able to hit "reset" and really get my life back the way I want it. It has been a bit of a weird rollercoaster but also kind of liberating to really think about what I value and where my priorities are and how to make different parts of my world fit. I feel like it is kind of crazy that I am still learning things about myself and who I am and who I want to be but I also feel like I have been able to accept some things about myself and let go of some emotional baggage too.
In no particular order I have worked out:
* I love working part-time - having a couple of days to myself to do "mum stuff" and indulge in craft time and gardening is vital to my well-being
* I have accepted that I am a true ludite. I see technology as a means to an end. I need the skills to be able to do what I want to do, beyond that, I really don't care. I am happy to opt out of any social media and/or online stuff that doesn't meet my needs. I have let go of feeling like I need to be good at technology to be an effective teacher. I am more than someone with computer challenges.
As a family, having some technology free time has been gold. I love just spending time with my kiddos and my husband without screens.
*"dieting" will never work for me. I need to make good lifestyle choices, if I lose a few kilos great, but I like food and I need a system that is sustainable for me. August will be all about tweaking small things in our life to create a healthier us.
* I am totally replaceable. I love my job, but at the end of the day I am not finding a cure for cancer or solving world peace. I need to keep my work in perspective.
* Papercrafting gives me pleasure. I love my customers. I do not want to be the world's best consultant or bust a gut to meet sales targets etc. At this point in my life I am happy for my papercrafting to be about feeling good and making others feel good.
* Downtime is important to me. Time to knit, spin, garden, read, dream, write, create. That doesn't make me lazy because when I get the balance right I am a better mother, wife, teacher and friend.
Today was one of my "free" days and I had such an awesome day. A beautiful Winter Swap parcel from a lovely ravelry friend this morning. My hubby surprised me by calling in to have lunch with me. I won a voucher for spinning the most yarn in this year's Tour de Fleece. I picked up some of my favourite candles from one of my favourite local candlemakers. I bought the latest Better Homes and Gardens magazine to read in the bath. I ordered the Autumn trees and birches for our front garden. I delivered a small handmade thank you to someone I appreciated. I got totally caught up on our washing! Small things but so satisfying and cheery for a Winter's Day. I feel like this Winter is just zooming and I am handling it much better than I have in previous years. I really have only had one day where I felt like crawling into bed and howling. The jonquils in my front garden are blooming - Spring will come!
Apologies that this is such a bitsy post. I will be back mid month with our CTMH Documented Feature Paper Pack Blog hop. Hopefully before then you may even see some crafty doings.
What about you? How do you survive the Winter? Have you got a work/life balance? What small, simple things make you happy?
A random collection of things that have been making me happy lately:
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| Celebrating these two amazing people being earthside for 70 years! A glorious few days on a houseboat on the Murray with our UK Ward family. So special to have all of us together in a truly spectacular part of the world. I love the connections the cousins all made with each other this time around. |
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| A quiet moment captured with my girl and her bunny. We lost our dear old dog recently so this beautiful bunny is helping to heal at the moment. This is my current favourite photo! |
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| Enjoying family time and the simple joy of a campfire. I loved being "offline" for a few days. |
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| Catching up with dear friends recently has also had the unexpected joy of watching our kids connect. We had a great day at the Port Winterwonderland - iceskating and lunch and park play with my highschool friend Kirsten and her son. |
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| Presenting at the Ecta conference came with the added bonus of family time - so wonderful to see my Mum and Dad and 97 year old Gubby, and to hang out with my sis and her gorgeous girls. |
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| Knitting that matches what I am wearing! I know it seems silly but one of the reasons I hate Winter most is feeling fat and frumpy and cold. I took a little shopping trip to my favourite store recently and have been wearing this skirt and brown boots, and tunics and leggings and I feel so much happier about my winter wardrobe in dresses and skirts! |
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| More time spent with friends - Karen and I went to the Age of Elegance costume exhibition at Ayres House and then on to the Impressionists Exhibition. A gloriously fun afternoon! |
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| Spoilt to spend time with both Lou and Ness just a few weeks apart. Time spent with friends has certainly made this Winter shorter! Anyhow, enough rambling, Keep smiling, Nell |
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