Saturday 10 March 2012

Simplify your life {Week 3: Creating Mission Statements}

Hey Girlfriends I'm BACKKKKKKKKKKKKK

I'm excited to be blogging again. For something that is very new to me, I really enjoy it! It's nice to be able to doing something just for ME. Plus this blog has nothing DIRECTLY to do with my job.

So here is my catch up to Week 3.

Mr Football and I actually did this challenge during Week 3 whilst travelling to a very close friend's 40th birthday party that was a 6 hour drive!!! So about 3 hours into the drive I whipped out my Week 3 print out and we talked about the questions.

We had such an honest chat about what we want our little family to be and how we want to be viewed as a family. Now this might sound a tad snobby but we little in a small community (2500 people) and we both have jobs where most of the town knows us (I'm the Kinder Teacher/ Assistant Principal and he is the Real Estate Agent). To us it is important that the people in our community view our family in a certain way.

Here are our answers:-

1.What are some adjectives you would use to describe yourself? each other family member?
Adjectives for ME - sexy (We were Miss L free that weekend so I think this was a come on baby adjective hehehe) intelligent, strong, loving, heart on your sleeve, compassionate, semi stubborn, passionate, juggler, great mum, MY wife, funny.
Adjectives for Mr Football - passionate, strong, great dad, leader, talkative, intelligent, stubborn even when wrong, focused, determined, athletic, HOT (sizzle sizzle sizzle)
Adjectives for Miss L - loving, funny, gorgeous, caring, so smart (I know its a parent right to say their child is the smartest child god ever shovelled guts into but Miss L really is a smart cookie, her languauge skills amaze me everyday!!!) compassionate, friendly, leader, imaginative, shoe lover just like her mummy!!!!

2. What is important to us? What do we value?
Each other, love, happiness, health.

3. What kind of relationships do we want to have –
with each other? loving, an evolving love that carries us to a blissful old age, open honest friendship, open communication, more spontanious adventures.

with our friends? open honest friendship, We want a close group of real friends that we will remain friends with when we are old, grey, wrinkley and our cherubs have grown up into the gorgeous adults we hope for. Friends that accept us for who we are now, next year, in ten years. Friends that see us at our best and still love us when we are at our worst.

with our neighbours? Just as we have it. We wave, smile, have a polite chat across the front fence and keep a quiet eye on each others house but not in each face. A respectful neighbour friendship.

with the wider world / community? To be respected, to viewed as a friendly, loving family.

4. How do we act with each other?
how do we speak? Usually nice, repectful, loving but when we are tried, stressed and frustrated we take it out on each other and we can be quiet harsh, snappy and very blunt.

treat each other? We work in a partnership, in the mornings we have a routine we have just fallen into where one makes the coffees while the other is getting Miss L on the toilet etc We know we have to do this if our family is going to work as a unit especially with both of us working full time plus dealing with Miss L's multiple allergies we need each other to watch what she eats, read food labels and cook Miss L friendly foods.

react to others? we are supportive. This week Mr Football found out before I did some very tragic news. He knew I couldn't cope very well with the news, he dropped everything at work - found me at school and re organised my day then told me. He has been my tower of strength. It just shows that in the times of absolute need we there for each other.

5. Are there things we currently do that we wish to change?
Find the time to have date nights, be more spontanious, be better with our money.

6. Are there things we see other families do or how they behave that we would like to have in our home life?
Not really

7. If people talked about our family how would we want them to describe us?
We want them to think of us as the family they want to be. We love each other deeply, we have fun together, Miss L is always dressed nicely, we can afford to put her in whatever classes she wants swimming lessons, kinder gym etc, we have nice cars, a lovely house and great jobs.

8. If you could create a perfect day what would it include?
All 3 in the bed, Coffee and the Sunday paper whilst in bed, a yummy breakfast down the street, a fun play activity with Miss L, picnic lunch with friends and their kids, Miss L has a sleep (without the I'm not going for a sleep or rest mummy) some mummy and daddy love, cooking with Miss L, a delious meal together, easy bathtime, Miss L willingly goes to her bed and quickly falls asleep, Mr Football and I watch a movie together on the couch with cinema popcorn, coke and chocolate then to fall a sleep in a big king size comfy bed spooned together.

9. We are most happy when ________.
When we are together and we have no pressure to do anything or be anywhere!!!

10. What kind of family do you want to be?
A happy family, a family other want to be and a family you want to be friends with!!!

One final part of our family mission statement is that everyday you must tell each family member you love them and we never go to bed angry with each other - we never know what might happen tomorrow.


Funny that a pair of really nice shoes make us feel good in our heads - at the extreme opposite end of our bodies.  ~Levende Waters

I love that quote, until next time
xox

Saturday 3 March 2012

What Happened??? M.I.A Blog Posts!!!

OMG where has the last 5 blog posts gone????
That's right I had to go back to work. My beautiful semi balanced life of mum, wife, me, newbie blogger, chef, gym bunny, woman who has time to be crafty, researcher of Miss L friendly food etc etc etc is M.I.A. Within one week of being back at work - I'm back to my old ways!!!
I feel like work is my addiction and I'm having a relaps.
I know I really LOVE my job and I feel half guility that I love it so much but the other half of me doesn't feel guility at all. Some people never find a job they love - I am one of the lucky few.
Now I'm not making any excuses for my job or for the passion I have for it but ohhhhh I love doing teacher things - See total addiction!!!!!!!
Like an addiction I know I need to change but how do I go about that?????
After a LOT of though and chats with friends and colleagues I have come up with a plan!!!!
I started this challenge because I wanted to find BALANCE in my life and by the end of year I'm going to get it!!!!!!!!!!!
So the new plan is this!!!!
1. Complete the challenges I have missed.
2. To catch up I will need to do 2 challenges a week for about 6 weeks!!!!
3. Use my friends to remind me about my challenges and to check up on my posts - Carlotta and Mrs P this is your job!!!!
4. I use a timetable to rule my school day, I can do the same at home. I am going to "timetable" blogging time - Mr Football is going to crack up at this one.
5. Order my special daily reminder of my goal - BALANCE. I will reveal this later when I get it - it is AWESOME!!!!!
 and number 6
  6. Look for rainbows - its my motto for the year!!!!!! There is something good in every situation, you just need to be a positive person to find it :)

So until next time
xoxo

Thursday 12 January 2012

Simplify your life {Week 2: Define your Personal Values}

This week's challenge is to look at your values. Those values that shake you to your core and you don't change for anyone!!! Deb gave us a great list of value words to use as inspiration, we could use these or any other words that work for us. I just "tried" to add a link to those words (I hope it worked!!!)

I looked these words soooooo many times!!! The first time I looked at them and thought as Mrs Running In Heels the teacher not as me the WHOLE person. Part of this year's is to get me out of ALWAYS being teacher mode (Carlotta I can see you nodding your head at me ehehehe - Yes I have super powers and I see you through your computer!!!!) Lucky I recognized this was the way I was thinking so put the iPad away for the day.

I kept thinking about these words for a few days then I saw a post on Facebook from Deb's guest blogger Kirri White. She was talking about how values and goals are different!!! That was where the light bulb went on. I was getting the two mixed up and making myself confused!!!

I took the list out again and started writing down my thoughts in my SYL12 notebook. I wrote down all the words that spoke to me - that was a list of 20!!! However as I was writing I didn't realize I was marking words as I wrote. I marked words that were really powerful. Once the list was done I went and made a cuppa and looked over the words again. There were a few that kept jumping out at me - one in particular and it wasn't one I was expecting!!!!

After enjoying my cuppa and moment of quiet time as Miss L is sound asleep!!! I divided the page in 2 and wrote 2 headings - Goals / Values. This helped me really get to my core values! It also helped realise some goals I want to achieve this year!!!

Here is my list of GOALS
1. Balance - this is my number one goal for 2012. I need to get the life, work, me balance!!
2. Growth - SYL12!!!!!
3. Spontaneous - I have lost this over the years and it's time to get it back!!!
4. Patience - I'm great at this at work but suck at it everywhere else in my life.
5. Positivity - I think I'm pretty good at this but when things are busy and if I'm around negative people I can slip into their ways.
6. Inspire - if i can make a positive change in one person then I've achieved my goal!!!

Now my VALUES
1. Love / Family - number one all the way!!!!
2. Health - it's so important. The last 2 years have really shown me how much I value health!
3. Authenticity - I could not get value out of my head, it kept speaking to me especially whe. I was thinking about the values I want Miss L to learn in life.
4. Listen - not everyone can do this well but when you can WOW the world can change when we listen.
5. Learning - try to learn just one thing new everyday and don't be afraid to do so!!!
6. Imagination - we loose this as we get older. I love Miss L's imagination and I don't want her to loose that.

So thoughts?????

MarIlyn Monroe - "give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world!"

Until next time
Xox

Friday 6 January 2012

Week #1 Challenge: Create a list of everything that went “right” in 2011

I love how this challenge starts off POSITIVE!!!!!!!

Today I am going to be my own rainbow in the cloud of 2011 - which to be perfectly honest was a mixture of good and not so good.

As I read over the questions and think about the "rainbow" parts of 2011, Miss L wakes up from her sleep because she has flooded her sleep nappy and now needs a refreshing bath. I love bath time with Miss L, we sing, blow bubbles, have cups of tea, make "cake pops" (OMG - One of new favourite things to make!!!) and the teacher in my always reads books. At the moment we are reading a mixture Grug and one of my personal favourites Dr Seuss!!!!!!!!!

Today Mr Football helps out does the bath as Miss L is having a daddy's little moment and only wants him. So as I'm changing the bed sheets and finding new clothes for her to wear after the bath I hear giggles coming from the bathroom, I pop my head around the corner and here is the two of them with bubble goaties, madly shooting each other with tiny water guns. I wander off and put the wet sheets into the laundry then I heard Mr Football ask Miss L - "So is it Grug or Dr Seuss today?" she tilts her little head to the side and tells him that she wants Dr Suess. He starts to reads and to my sheer delight he is reading my all time favourite Dr Suess - "Oh, The Places You'll Go". As he reads the first two pages the words wash over me as if Dr Suess is talking to me about my SYL Challenge.

I want to share these powerful words with you!!!
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the woman who'll decide where to go!

So lets get my rainbow of 2011 on!!!!!!!!!

What energised you?
  • My daughter - Miss L, she is the light of my life. I knew love before she arrived but I didn't know how powerful the love of a mother was until I became one. I now make a point to thank my mum all the time as I now understand what it means to be a mum!!
  • New ideas at work.
  • Passionate teachers.
  • Going to the gym - when I'm getting up at 5.30am to go isn't energising but once I'm there and pumping through my program, I'm ALL energised!!!
What made you feel happy?
  • Miss L
  • Getting my morning cuddles from my cherubs (my students)
  • Cooking new foods.
  • Gorgeous photos of my family
  • Going on our family holiday to Thailand
  • Being asked to be Assistant Principal.
  • Being told by my boss I'm doing a great job (I like to please)
  • Friends
  • Actually finding the time to read a book and NOT a school book!!!
  • Being crafty
  • Playdough
  • Pole dancing - NOT the sexy type hehehe I'm so not sexy at pole dancing. Ask Mr Football - he just laughs everytime I show him a new trick as there is always sooooooo much grunting and groaning trying to get into position then its like "quick quick are you watching, ohhhhh no I'm out of it".
  • Shopping
  • DVD players in cars - best invention ever!!!
  • SHOES of course
What made you feel at peace?
  • Finally getting Miss L diagnosed with Delayed Reaction to cowes milk potein, allergic to soy and eggs.
  • Finding a doctor who listened to Mr Football and I and acted on Miss L's problems.
  • Dad and Mr Football's Mum getting better.
  • Realising I need to make a change in my life.
What positive people lifted you up?
  • Moo Moo
  • Carlotta
  • Mrs P and Miss N soon to be Mrs H
  • Some of the AP's I met at conference.
  • Guy Claxton, Jason Clarke, Michael Futton
  • Blasting music and dancing. I even had a re-live of the music of year 12, OMG best car trip ever and I was the only person in the car!!!!
  • Taking a trip away with just Mr Football and doing nothing but eating awesome food, lying in bed and just relaxing.
  • Buying scented candles.
  • Having a cleaner once a week - I love you Lynnie :)
What worked to bring your family together?
  • Trip to Thailand
  • Illness - not that illness is a rainbow but way the driving factor to bring us closer to together.
What is something that made you feel excited to dive right in?
  • Finding Miss L friendly foods and recipes.
What did you learn (positive things)?
  • I need to relax on the weekends.
  • School work can always until tomorrow.
  • I am a very passionate teacher.
  • Miss L is a clever little cookie - all parents think that about their kids :)
  • I enjoy quotes.
  • I don't need LOTS of friends just GOOD friends.
What are you grateful for?
  • Miss L
  • Mr Football
  • My family
  • My real friends
  • Health
  • My gorgeous house
  • My job
That was fun :) I like looking for the rainbows.

Here is today's shoe quote - Enjoy!!

“A pair of shoes can change your life. Just ask Cinderella.” -Anonymous

Until next time
xox

Thursday 5 January 2012

A New Addiction Has Started

In the last 24-30 hours I have been thinking non stop about my blog and what I'm going to say next, where I want to take the blog, is ANYONE reading this (Thanks to the very lovely blogging community for being so embracing, I was SOOOOOOOO excited to see I had 2 comments!!! Hi Mrs P - I know you will be checking in :)) and how do I explain to Mr Football - hehehe (Thats my cheeky blogging name for my gorgeous husband) I'm now a blogger!!!!!

It's crazy how INTO this I am and I've only done one blog post. I have been googling it (my student's favourite response to solve anything I don't know hehehe I love it when a 5 year old turns around with that look of "WHAT you don't know the answer - OMG Kinder teachers know everything" then goes "It's ok Mrs Running In Heels we will just google it"), I've been Facebook stalking many many pages - most of them I've been following the links from the Home Life Simplified page and talking with my friends.

I've discovered through all my research that we all are trying so hard to be perfect. The perfect mum, perfect wife, perfect friend, perfect career woman, perfect house cleaner, perfect chef, perfect gym bunny just plain old perfect in every way shape and form. Whilst we are trying to be this magical perfect person we are always looking over our shoulder at our siblings, friends, role models and just other people we know thinking "Man they have it altogether - WHY CAN I, what am I doing wrong????"

So this year I'm not going to try to be that perfect person I tried to be last year!!!! Let me be honest - I TRIED really hard to be that person and it wore me out. I was trying to be super mum to Miss L who was 2 in August, the perfect housewife, dynamite in the bedroom (hahaha I crack myself up writing that), Assistant Principal of a school of nearly 200 students, the guru teacher of Kinder/ Year One, coach of an A Grade netball team, great friend, godmother to 2 and perfect daughter/sister/ sister-in-law to both sides of our families who happen to dealing with cancer, mystery illness that nearly had my dad in box and recently a bad relationship (not mine). You know what happened - Yeah I burnt out!!!!

Not this year - This year is about making positive changes and being positive!!!!!

So in the spirit of my new year I found this awesome picture with a motto I'm going to try out!!!!

Be a rainbow in someone's cloud

Now I've got the picture and I'm going to try and upload it - if it's not here when I post, just use your imagination hehehehe


Ohhhhhhhhhhh I think its in - fingers crossed xxxxx      xxxxx

One last thing before I sign off for today - I think I might end my post with a good shoe quote!!!
What do you think?
Here is the first one - enjoy :)
The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.
Carl Jung
Until next time
xox

Tuesday 3 January 2012

So it begins!!!!

Here it is my first blog post - ooooohhhhhhhhh so exciting!!!!

I have been wanting to get into the whole blog experience for a while now but being a proud mumma, wife, daughter, friend and Kinder teacher - I just haven't been able to juggle my time enough to fit it in, hence my title for this blog. I do LOVE my heels and if you have ever met any of my students they will tell you I'm the only teacher they know that can run faster in heels than runners (I'm quietly proud of that reputation :))  and my life feels like that too - I'm always on the run (in gorgeous heels of course!)

However as I'm on school holidays for a few weeks now and care of a lovely friend's Facebook status update - I found time (in between Miss L's sleep) to create this blog!!

At the moment my blog will be about the exciting learning curve of creating a blog and my adventures on the 52 Weeks To Simplify Your Life Challenge.

Until next time
xox