Category: Motherhood

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” — Dr. Wayne Dyer (Tick Tock Thursday #2)

I have really been battling with implementing my ideas about how I could create time. For instance, getting up early was easier to do then because my brain was working overtime anyway and I just couldn’t sleep. Once my brain got over itself I couldn’t get myself out of bed anymore to write. I am an owl by nature and dragging my self out of bed at that early just is not in my nature😜. In fact, it was draining me.

So what do I have to do to create time in my day for the things I want to do? Well…I read the quote by Dr Wayne Dyer and it really got me thinking. Do I need to change the way I look at my activities in order to change what I do and become more productive?

#canva #time #timemanagement #african #drdwaynedyer #productivity
Image: Canva

I have being giving this a try. When I open Facebook, for example, by the time I get to the third post or so, I say to myself: “what am I doing here? My time is finite. Is this bringing me any closer to where I want to be?” The answer is usually no when it comes to social media so I exit the app and move on to something I need to or want to do.

Essentially I am trying to change the way I look at time. When I see it as finite then I am more motivated to use it wisely. Too often I have found myself saying: “Ag, tomorrow is another day” but the truth is that tomorrow is not promised to me. Today is here. Today is now. I used to ask myself if I would regret a choice “when I am lying on my death-bed when I am 90” when I needed to make a decision. I guess instead of 90, I should be changing that to “at the end of today” when looking at the frivolous things I catch myself doing sometimes or when my son needs my attention while I am doing something. The later is a tough one of course because he must learn to respect other people’s time and needs so sometimes I have to just say “can we do that tomorrow” because I am on a deadline. More often though, I just need to say, ” Give mummy x more minutes” so that both our needs are met in the here and now.

I must admit I find this process more doable because I don’t necessarily have to plan my day too much. I just have to be more aware of how I am spending my time and make “in the moment” choices. I am also consciously working towards my goals every day.

If you are still looking for a productivity method, give this try. Let me know how it goes.

Thanks for reading and don’t forget to like, follow and share if you enjoyed this post and want to see more.

Mummy…is the Easter Bunny Real?

One of those questions that just about every parent fears but has to face at some point. In fact, his actual words were: “Mummy, please be brutally honest with me. Tell me, is the Easter Bunny real?”. My heart sank. What do I tell him? “Most people say he doesn’t (picture a very crushed little face looking back at me at this point) but I believe in magic and I believe he does.” He seemed to accept that and immediately perked up. He clearly wasn’t ready to handle the truth.

I realised at that moment that I am in no way ready for him to accept the truth either. Accepting the truth about the Easter Bunny has all sorts of implications. It means that he is growing up! 😱 He is in such a hurry to grow up as well. He monitors his body every day to see if there is any new evidence of puberty sprouting somewhere.  He celebrates every new baby hair he sees under his arms and any hint of body odour means he is becoming a big boy:-).  He constantly asks about other signs that he needs to look for and is fascinated by the concept of an Adam’s apple.  It is such an amazing time in his life and a pleasure to be a part of although it feels scary at the same time.

Of course, all of this curiosity means that the time is fast approaching when we will need to have the talk.  I have no idea how I am going to approach it.  I have so many fears that if I approach it incorrectly, I will scar him for life!🤪 Do you have a son?  How did you approach it?  Please let me know what worked and what didn’t.  In other words…Help!

Yesterday my heart stopped again…we were in a health and beauty store when he asked me if he could ask a question.  Then he says: “No… it would be better if I showed it to you”.  I didn’t think much of it and followed him into the next aisle.  Where does he mosey on over to…yip you guessed it…the condoms! 😲 Like I said, my heart stopped but at the same time I was quite amused.  Until that moment, I had never noticed what was on the boxes (It was pics of women) and of course, they are at eye level of a curious 9-year-old boy (soon to be 10 I might add).  On the one hand, I was thrilled that he still trusted me enough to ask the question and that he was still innocent enough not to know what he was looking at.  On the other, I was so nervous about the questions that would follow.  I told him what they were but that I would explain to him when he is a little older what they were for as he doesn’t need to know now. He was happy to accept that answer for now…phew!

The next 3 or 4 years are going to be interesting but I am up for the challenge.   As the African proverb goes though…

#africanproverb #africanwisdom #motherhood #african

So do share your experiences on how you and your child/children got through puberty in the comments section.  I look forward to hearing from you.

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5 life lessons to keep me moving forward

At the beginning of this year I promised myself that I would make some changes so that I could move closer to achieving the goals that I set for myself. You see, I had made a conscious decision to put my plans on hold over the last 2 years for various reasons. I have no regrets but I have also learned a few valuable lessons through the experience.

Lesson #1: Pay yourself first

The financial gurus always tell you this and, as a woman and as a mother especially, I find it hard to do so. It’s like we are preprogrammed to give of ourselves and never take. I have learned that I need to pay myself first not only financially but also physically because poor health doesn’t help me or anyone else. Of course I have to pay myself emotionally because being a woman requires an inner strength of note. It’s easier and quicker to replenish that strength before it is depleted and not after. Lastly, I have to keep my spiritual self in balance as well. Life is so much easier when you know you have a higher power on your side. This is a tough one but a lesson I had to learn. It’s not selfish, it’s as necessary as living and breathing.

Lesson #2: Not everything you do will be appreciated. Do it anyway

Those people who know me well, know that I like to give of myself and of the little that I have. I love to see the delight on people’s faces especially when you surprise them with an unexpected little gift or compliment or act. Sometimes all it takes is a smile to light up someone’s day. This helps me replenish my spiritual and emotional self. My only expectation has always been that you either pay it forward or that you help yourself move forward. It breaks my heart when that doesn’t happen but I have learned that I should do it with no expectations of the recipient. Of course I also won’t do it indefinitely if I see that you are merely abusing my kindness. That would just be stupid on my part. I will continue to do it anyway though because I don’t know what the knock on effect could be. It might not be visible to me right now but I am a firm believer in everything happening for a reason.

Lesson #3: I do things differently and that’s ok.

I have spent my whole life lambasting myself for not fitting in. There are very few people in this world that “get me” and accept me as I am. You know what…that’s ok. I view the world differently. I am a “deep” thinker and not a “quick” thinker. Don’t tell me a story now and ask for my opinion. I will probably stare at you blankly. I often need time to process what I have taken in and when I do give you an answer, it will be worth the wait. I am an introvert. I actually love that I am. I love that I don’t have to be part of the hustle and bustle of life 24/7. I don’t have to be on social media constantly (although I do admit to a mild addiction to Twitter in particular 😜) I am different and that’s ok. It actually feels like I have taken a load off every time I write that. Wait gotta do it again…I am different and that’s ok. 😁

Lesson #4: I am enough

This one stems from lesson #3. It’s not enough to just accept that I am different. I am also enough as I am. I don’t need to be better than everyone else at everything. I just need to work at getting better at things that I need for everyday and for the future. At work we set “stretching” goals for ourselves every year in different areas so that we are continuously growing ourselves as people, our skills and ultimately the business. That’s all I need to do in life to keep myself challenged, moving forward and growing as a person. I am enough as I am but God has given me the capacity to keep growing so who am I to say no.

Lesson #5: Travel is a gift to yourself. Give it.

I love traveling to new places and doing different things. I especially love exposing my son to new places and people and then watch him grow because of the experiences he has had. This is one of the items that was put on hold over the last two years that I need to get back on track. My trips overseas this year reminded me of what an exciting experience it is. The exposure to new cultures helps me look at the world through different eyes. Even a trip within the country is enough to get perk the brain up😁. I am so excited just thinking about it! I can’t wait for us to go on our first trip!

As always, I leave you with an African proverb to ponder on…

#Africanproveb #Life #lifelessons #groundedafrican

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