Clean House = Clean Mind

My house is by no means perfect. I’m fact, it is far from it. I always have a mess in my kitchen and my lounge room is always full of the kids toys, and unfortunately, having all that around constantly makes me feel stressed out. Looking around and seeing mess makes me feel like I’m failing as a house maker. Now, I know people always say that a real house looks like it’s lived in, but my house looks VERY lived in and no matter what I do I just can never seem to get it looking clean. With the amount of toys the kids have downstairs and all the pop culture stuff that Josh collects, my house always seems 'full'. I don’t mind full when I can see the floor. To me a freshly vacuumed floor makes all the difference. I don't know what it is about it, but it just makes me feel better to see those vaccuum lines across the floor because I know at least my floor is clean, and now with Ollie being so mobile that I definitely something I need.

Today I got outside and I vacuumed my car. For a long time my car had been bothering me as it had been accumulating clothes, toys and rubbish for quite a while now. Sienna is on holidays at Grandma and Granddads so her car seat is out and I need to turn Ollie’s seat to front face because his legs are just getting too long for the rear facing, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get in there and tidy it. After giving it a good vaccuum I felt so much better! Getting the motivation to get in there and actually do it can be a struggle but once it’s done... man it feels great!! (Now I just need to get the outside cleaned too.... baby steps ha ha).

So I challenge you all today to give your house or your car a quick vaccuum and see how a clean house can give you a clean mindset. Maybe if your feeling up to it move your furniture around too. After all they say a change is as good as a holiday.
I would love to be able to change my house around but I fear if I start moving stuff I won’t be able to find places for it all ha ha. Maybe I’ll save that for a day when I’m feeling strong enough to move furniture and I have some sort of idea on what I would like to do :-)
Leave me some comments below on how you keep your house or car tidy and how it makes you feel. I would love to hear from you =)

Journalling

There is this thing that I have wanted to do every year but have never got to it. People get a jar and write down all the good memories and things that happened throughout the year and store them in the jar, so that at the end of the year you can look back and remember what a good year it was.
I am doing something similar through these blogs. I am remembering the things that happen to me throughout the year that bring me joy or gratitude. And I also have this book that I keep on my bedside table called a "Mom’s One Line a Day - A Five Year Memory Book". Where everyday for 5 years you write down a good memory from each day. I was writing in it yesterday and I came across my memory from last this time last year. It said 'Watching Sienna take her first steps'. It blows my mind that my little princess has been walking for a year!

I find it fascinating to look back on things that happened on this exact day years ago. That new thing in Facebook that allows you to look back to what you posted on that day previously helps you to see how much you have grown and changed as a person from then to today.

I am so grateful that I have these memories stored to look back on. All the updates on how I was feeling throughout my pregnancy with Ollie to look back on. Remembering how we spent Sienna's first and second years of life. All the little things that we did that are special but I wouldn't remember if I hadn't them written down. And now I ask myself where the whole of last year went... I cannot believe that in about 12 weeks my baby boy will be one year old!! That just blows my mind! So I am trying everything I can to remember these times and to catch these memories of them at this age because they are just growing up way too fast!

Home Yoga Practise

Today I am starting a wonderful yoga journey called “True”.
At the beginning of every year the YouTube channel 'Yoga with Adriene' (I'll link below) does a 30 days of yoga series, and every year I have wanted to do it but have never made it all the way through (last year I was very pregnant so I couldn’t take part). But this year will be different! I am determined to see it all the way through.
Yoga makes me feel amazing!! And I am so grateful that there are things like this available on the internet to help me work towards my health goals at home. I don’t have to worry about finding a time to get down to the gym to do things like this because I can simply switch on the computer and do something active while the kids are asleep. And Adriene makes yoga so fun and doable. I know a lot of people look at yoga as a whole heap of poses that are impossible to get to let alone stay in. But with this particular channel you can do whatever level you feel you can do on that day (the theme of the channel is 'Find What Feels Good'). And everything is broken down and you work from your foundation up. The next day I may feel a little sore but it is amazing to watch and feel my ability and flexibility improve everyday.
Watching sienna join me sometimes, even though a lot of the movements are a bit tricky for her, but seeing her attempt things make me think that I am moulding her in the direction of a healthy lifestyle as well. I would really encourage you all to watch this into and give it a go yourself =)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I_Ec2FPOyY

Gratefulness for Family and Friends

Hello friends!

As some of you may know that read my earlier blog, I am focusing on finding snippets of joy in everyday life this year.

Last night being New Years Eve, was a really fun time that we were lucky enough to spend with friends. I cannot think of a better way to see the new year in than by watching Sienna dance away with our friends, having the time of her life (yes, she did make it all the way to midnight, much to the surprise of Josh and I). It made my heart smile so much to see her having so much fun and I can only hope that I can help to make the rest of her year just as good as it started out.
Ollie fell asleep before the celebrations at midnight but woke shortly after to see what all the fuss was about and went back to sleep shortly after again.

Today Josh and I were treated to an awesome afternoon without the children (thanks mum and dad). We treated ourselves to a DOUBLE movie afternoon. In which we watched both 'The Greatest Showman' and 'Star Wars - The Last Jedi'. Considering the amount of shade I have listened to thrown in the direction of both movies, I thoroughly enjoyed both of them. My inner musical geek surfaced in the big musical numbers of the Showman bring tears of happiness to my eyes (God bless you, Hugh Jackman). And the special effects of the lightsaber wielding heroes made my heart jumps with every swing in Star Wars.
And finally getting that one on one time with Josh was also amazing. With Christmas time and all that jazz and the busyness of retail work lately, I have felt a little like we were two ships just passing in the night lately and that is something I really want to change this year.

But all in all today, I have really enjoyed the fact that I have been lucky enough to have spent all of  the first day of the New Year with the people that I love most. My family. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

PS I apologise to anyone with me for the next week or maybe longer because I will not be able to get those Showman tunes out of my head. If you haven't watched it yet... do it!! It is truly magical.