HappyHouseWifey

When taking a few days off, becomes a year off

You may have noticed it’s been just over a year since I’ve blogged. I’ve had a few people ask me in person about it, and a few people message me online to check I’m okay. Yes, I’m okay! So what happened? I didn’t really plan for it to happen…. I only meant to take a few days off…..

Hubby went overseas for a few weeks, our housemate moved out…. and I begun the process I called “reverse-nesting”. I reclaimed the extra space we now had, moving around furniture, cleaning, tidying…. I was in a bit of a frenzy. I put the computer I used to blog, which had been in the make-shift ‘office’ in our living room, into our new spare room. And I turned it OFF. Just for a day or two…. which became three or four….

Instead of having the computer on constantly, it was switched off. So when I’d normally sit down to type a quick blog or email etc, I would think “It’s not worth turning the computer on for, I’ll do it later”. I would do something more productive around the house (yay!).

I also was no longer able to blog in our living room whilst the kids played around me, as the computer was in the spare room. Goodbye to daytime blogging.

I’ve had some minor health problems as well, so about the same time I tried to cut out some night activities so I could get to sleep earlier and hopefully see an improvement in my health. Goodbye to nighttime blogging.

My 18month old had also stopped breastfeeding, so goodbye blogging whilst breastfeeding.

In the time off, I lost my blogging confidence. Lost my ‘mojo’. A few times I sat down to start again, and had half-written drafts (like this one I actually started 9 months ago – a few months after stopping blogging), but lost the words to say. I lost the ability to click ‘publish’. I begun debating again about the blog name, blog direction and what I wanted to write about, but thats a whole other story for another day.

I’ve been challenged a few times over the past year (and again this week) about picking up blogging again. I’m thinking about it, probably just blogging a little less often. I love to write and get my thoughts out and record things that happen. I now have another newborn, so am back in the breastfeeding stage again, and thus more time to think and write (in theory!).

So what’s in store for the future of happyhousewifey.com??? I’m not exactly sure. Stay tuned…

'A couch potato's guide for getting into exercise' – Monday Motivation

Today’s post is a Guest Post, written by Rachel from Redcliffe Style. Rachel Wernicke is a 39 year-old married mother of two girls. After working as a paralegal in Brisbane for 14 years, she left life in the big city to focus on her family. Once the kids were both in school, it was time get back to work. In a four-person house with five computers, two iPads, two iPhones, two iPod touches and half a dozen cameras there seemed only one direction to go. Rachel decided to learn more about the the world of blogging and indulge her passions for style and life on the Redcliffe Peninsula. In October 2011, she started RedcliffeStyle.com as a place to write about and photograph the things she enjoyed. RedcliffeStyle.com is a light-hearted blog about lifestyle, fashion, beauty and food. The Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/Redcliffe.Style

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I am not an expert in exercise but I am a mum that has made the move off the couch and to the gym. I have participated in various fun runs and I have managed to make exercise an important part of my life.

It is hard when you know you need to do some exercise but you don’t know where to start. Finding the motivation to exercise is hard and it would be different for everyone. Some suggestions I have to try to find your exercise mojo are:

1. Put your gym clothes on when you wake up. If you are in the right clothes, it’s easier to go for a walk around the block, hop on the treadmill or do some wall sits. If you have your ‘day wear’ on, you are less likely to want to get changed again. I put my sports clothes on and don’t get changed until after I have exercised. Even if I don’t find the time until 4pm and only have a quick run on the treadmill. Wearing the clothes is a constant reminder that I need to do some exercise;

2. Get a sports bra. Bouncing breasts are very uncomfortable and if you are anticipating discomfort you are less likely to look forward to the workout;

3. Invest in some sports shoes. These can be $20 from Kmart, but try to get the best you can afford;

4. Decided on an realistic and achievable goal. You know yourself, do you work better with a

A weight goal – I need to lose 15kg;

A fitness goal – I want to be able to run 5km without stopping;

An event – Jetty to Jetty in August I would like to enter; or

A set time and place – I will work out 3 times a week for 45mins.

5. Find a friend. It’s always more fun to workout with a friend. You also are less likely to let them down.

6. Think about buying an iPod. You can download some music you love or an audio book. You’d be amazed how long you can walk, run or workout if you have a distraction;

7. Just think if you put down a cookie and move for just 5 mins you have made a big step in the right direction. Just do a few more and you’ll be on your way to achieving the goals you have set.

8. Smile. Everything is better with a smile.

If you’ve had a giggle, been encouraged or found this helpful, please consider sharing this post with your friends via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest 🙂

Egg-Free* Key Lime Pie

*The biscuit packet I used was marked as “May contain traces of Egg”, which is ok for my friend’s allergies. Please check the packaging of all products and the severity of any allergies before serving this recipe. (ie. it ain’t my fault!)

The Lime Tree in our backyard had recently produced a lot of fruit. Since recently I’ve seen so many yummy-looking Key Lime Pie recipes floating around the Interweb, I thought I’d try to bake one and see what all the fuss is about. I was having a friend over with egg allergies, so I tried to find an Egg-free version and found this one over at Yum, Yarn & Yoga. The recipe had the US cup measurements… and biscuits we didn’t have in my Australian supermarket… and I wasn’t sure there was enough butter etc…. so I changed the recipe a little 🙂 This is what I did…

Base:

150g Marie Biscuits

130g Melted Butter

1/2 Cup Raw Castor Sugar

Crumble biscuits in food processor.

Add Sugar & Butter, then process a bit more to mix.

Press into dish. (I used Tupperware Flan Form – worked perfectly!)

Bake for 5 mins on 160 degC (Fan Forced)

Filling:

2 x 395g Cans of 99% Fat Free Condensed Milk

1/2 cup Light Sour Cream

3/4 Cup Lime Juice

Zest from 1 Lime

Mix together the condensed milk and sour cream with hand beater or low.

Mix in juice and zest.

Pour over prepared base.

Bake for 15min at 160deg FF.

Cool.

Notes:

The recipe at Yum, Yarn & Yogo also states to make sure the pie doesn’t brown, so I was really conscious of that when baking it. The filling just needs to set, which happened perfectly for me in the 15 min.

The amount of butter in the base can vary a bit, depending on if you want it really buttery, dense & thick or a bit crumblier. The Yum, Yarn & Yoga recipe had 6 Tbsp., which the online conversion told me was roughly only 85g. When I put only this much in I found it really crumbly, so chose to put quite a bit more in. With 150g it was quite buttery and dense (which some people who tried it loved), however the next time I put in 130g and really liked it.

Can also be made in a 23cm sqaure tin if you want to cut it as a slice.

It took me 30min from start to finish, including baking time (though I had someone else squeeze them limes). I served some as larger ‘pie’ pieces with cream, and then cut the remainder into bite-sized squares. It was super delicious either way!

That’s how simple it was. Seriously simple.

Before Photos

To find out the reason I’m posting these pictures, checkout my post from Monday.

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Before: Loungeroom

After: Loungeroom decorated for Baby Shower

Without the ‘before’ photos, I would just look around and see my tidy house. I would not be able to see the hours of work that I accomplished!

And mummy is now awake.

Yesterday morning, I woke up at 7am. The house was quiet. I got up and had a shower. I got dressed. I walked out to the living room. I sat down. In silence.

At 7:15, my 3yo (B1) appears and with a puzzled look on his face says, “Mummy, why were you up before me??”, as if it’s never happened before. In fact, I cannot remember the last time this happened in our house. What usually happens? I’m glad you asked. There are several scenarios:

The Slam-Door Scenario

B1 wakes up and as he leaves his room he closes the door. Really loudly. This wakes B2, whom he shares a room with. B1 goes to the toilet. B2 cries for his breastfeed. Mummy is now awake.

The Milk-Bar Scenario

B2 wakes up, he’s hungry and wants his breastfeed. He cries. His crying wakes B1. B1 goes to the toilet, then searches out mummy for his warm milk (‘milkshake’). Mummy is now awake to 2 boys wanting their respective milk beverages, which cannot easily be made simultaneously. *Sometimes hubby/ housemate are home/awake to get B1’s milkshake. These days I just feed B2.

The I’m-Drowning-In-My-Pee Scenario

B1 wets his bed. B1 screams from his bed, “Mum, Mum, Muuuuuummm, Mum, MMMUUUMMMMMM…” etc. Meanwhile B2 wakes up, and starts screaming for his breastfeed. Mummy is now awake. On days when hubby is home we divide-and-conquer. On days when he isn’t ~~like happened 2 days ago~~ mummy gets still-quite-distressed B1 to the toilet and then baths/dresses him whilst B2 screams down the house (or B1 is put in the bath and B2 is fed in the bathroom). Fun, fun.

The Monster Scenario

B1 has a nightmare. He speaks loudly in his sleep. He wakes housemate. Housemate opens door to go in and comfort B1. Light from open door wakes B2. B2 screams. Mummy is now awake. B1 is fast asleep again, whilst B2 will not settle and keeps mummy and housemate and sometimes hubby awake. And B1 is still sleeping. *Instead of getting up, sometimes the ‘elbow’ principle can be used here

The Freaky-Stalker Scenario

B1 wakes and quietly comes out of his room. He comes into master bedroom, and stands there and waits. His puts his head right up to mummy’s face. “Mummy, may I please have my milkshake? Mummy, mummy… Milkshake…” Mummy is now awake. *Somedays the “daddy, daddy’ version happens to hubby too, and ~~I’m~~ we’re trying to encourage this 🙂

The Elbow Scenario

Hubby’s alarm clock goes off. Mummy is now awake. Hubby is still asleep. Mummy elbows still-sleeping-hubby, “Oi, wake up”. Elbows again. “Oi, turn it off”. Mummy is now very awake, but rolls over and attempts to go back to sleep. This scenario is then followed by another of the listed scenarios.

The Oops-I-Did-It-Again Scenario

Housemate wakes up in the night. Accidently wakes one of the kids. Kid screams. Other kid wakes. Other kid screams. Mummy is now awake. Mummy walks out to settle the kids. Mummy see’s housemate who smiles sheepishly and says, “Wasn’t me…”. Mummy smiles. *Instead of getting up, sometimes the ‘elbow’ principle can be used here

The Sleepy-Head scenario

Any of the above scenario’s play out and Mummy breastfeeds B2. After this B2 goes into the playpen, B1 is supervised by hubby,housemate or a dvd, and mummy crawls back into bed. And rolls over. And goes back to sleep. Kids scream. Mummy is now awake. Again.

If you’ve had a giggle, been encouraged or found this helpful, please consider sharing this post with your friends via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest 🙂

Linking up with Jess from Diary of a SAHM for iBOT – I Blog On Tuesdays!

The Power of Before – Monday Motivation #4

Do you ever get part way through a task, project or day (or life!) and wonder what you’ve accomplished and struggle to see what’s changed? It can be very unmotivating to feel like you’ve worked so hard yet not see any results.

If you’re baking a cake or building a house, it’s really easy to see the results you’ve made compared with the bits you begun with. However in many of the things we spend our time on, we cannot see the full scope of what we have achieved. I can think of many different examples in my life:

There have been times when I feel like I’ve been eating healthy and exercising, yet cannot tell if I’ve lost any weight or are any fitter for it.
There are days when I’m so exhausted and feel like I’ve been working hard all day, yet as I look around there is still mess in every room.
We’ve started new parenting strategies with my toddler, yet not really been able to clearly see if there has been much improvement because we can only remember his behavior from the past few days.
I would love to remember what I expected being a parent would be like before we had kids. I cannot remember what I thought at all.

Taking a brief snapshot of your situation BEFORE you start a project or task is a great way to measure results. This can be done in a few different ways:

A ‘before’ photograph. By far the simplest if the results are going to be visible.
Take a video or audio that records a snapshot of ‘before’
Keep a list of all the steps you take, so you can measure the distance between ‘before’ and ‘after’.
A journal entry describing the ‘before’ situation. This can be done several ways also:

1. A record the facts before you start and as you progress (eg. measurements, weights, distances you’re able to run etc.)

2. Your feelings or perception about the ‘before’ situation (or ask for other people’s views about the situation). Especially good for the n

3. The description of what your ideal end goal would look like. This may change as you progress, so great to record at the start.

Having a really clear view of ‘before’ can give you a better view of just how far you’ve come. This can be extremely motivating and empowering, because if you see how much you have achieved – just imagine how much more can accomplish?! LOTS! So off you go… take a few snapshots of where you are now… and then look back tonight at all you’ve achieved!

P.S. I’ve also taken a few before/after photos of my house (eek!) to show how much I can notice the difference some days. I’m going to pop them up on the blog on Wednesday…. so if you’ve ever wondered how ~~messy~~ tidy my house is…. or are curious if my house is always ‘picture perfect’… then stay tuned!

P.P.S A really great example of the power of ‘before’ photos is on a blog Healthier, Fitter, Stronger. Christy has been on a weight-loss journey this year and has a really clear picture of how all her hard work has paid off through the changes to her body. She’s now recording her journey in written format through her blog as she continues on her journey towards being healthier, fitter and stronger.

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If you’d like to contribute an article or quote to the Monday Morning Motivation series, please email me with your idea!

If you’ve found this helpful, please consider sharing this post with your friends via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest 🙂

Wordless Wednesday: Father and Son

If you want to play guitar and are just getting started, this site may be helpful. My husband made it so this is really a shameless plug. It has a list of the cheapest guitars you can buy off the internet. A great place for a beginner to visit first. http://cheapestguitars.co.cc

For Wordless Wednesday this post has been linked up with:

My Little Drummer Boys

By Word of Mouth

Tina’s Wordless Wednesday

Blessed Beyond a Doubt

Twinkle in the Eye

Start Today! – Monday Morning Motivation #3

What have you been putting off ???

If you’d like to contribute an article or quote to the Monday Morning Motivation series, please email me with your idea!

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If you’ve found this helpful, please consider sharing this post with your friends via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest 🙂

What to expect when you're expecting…

Going to the movies is something I rarely do. I tend to wait for the DVD release, then hire them on “cheap Tuesday”. I can pause it as many times as I like, and if it’s bad I can switch it off and it’s only set me back $2. But last Friday night I actually went to the movies. It was a very special occasion.

I’d heard some friends chatting about a movie they’d been to see. They discussed the positives, negatives and said it was a decent movie to see. So, when the opportunity arose to see the movie, I jumped at it.

What hit me throughout the movie, and in discussions after the movie with my fellow movie-watching companions, was how much I’d been influenced my my friends’ opinion of the movie. I walked into the cinema with certain expectations, based on what I’d heard from my friends. My reaction to the movie was really influenced by THEIR reaction to the movie, as I expected it to be the way they found it.

I was waiting for the I’m-about-to-pee-my-pants laughter moments, as this was my friends experience… so when this didn’t happen for me, my thought was “the movie wasn’t really that funny”. Yet, I giggled my way through the movie. There was plenty I could relate to and found funny. Just not side-splitting funny, perhaps because I was expecting it. It was a funny movie.

I was waiting for it to not quite ‘tie together’, because this had also been mentioned… but throughout the movie I noticed repeatedly how interlinked the stories were. In this sense, I was anticipating it so much, that it was what my brain focused on. I noticed just how much it ‘tied together’.

Whilst I’ve been aware for a long time that my expectations play a huge part in my reaction to something, this movie night has been so enlightening as to just how much expectations play a part in our experiences. It is so critical to be aware of, and be able to name, our expectations.

In daily life, if I’m having a rough day and my husband walks in the door at 6:30pm…

….if I were expecting him to be home at 6pm…

…there’s a high chance I’m going to be frustrated or annoyed….

… if I were expecting him to be home at 7pm…

…there’s a high chance I’m going to be excited, surprised, relieved etc…

So much of my reaction is influenced by expectation.

Even after writing this earlier in the week, I experienced it again today, when after holding out all week for an appointment the outcome wasn’t what I had hoped for. There was such an emotional letdown. As soon as I realised it was my expectations that had influenced my emotions, I was able to correct my thoughts and adjust my feelings about the situation.

When you’re expecting something, expect that your expectations can influence your experience.

Finding Value – Monday Morning Motivation #2

What things do you find you get most unmotivated in? Is it big projects that are overwhelming, lifestyle goals like eating healthy and regular exercise that need constant monitoring, or the smaller tasky things like washing and dishes that you do over and over (and over) again? Everyone is different, so everyone has different areas in which you struggle for motivation.

One way I’ve found helpful to find motivtion, is to find the value in the task I’m doing. If you see value in doing it, then it’s much more likely you’ll have the intrinsic (internal) motivation to do the task.

But how do I find value in menial tasks, such as doing the washing and dishes over and over again?

First you need to work out what YOU value in life. This gives you the starting point.

Secondly, you need to find the link between what you’re doing and what you value.

If you cannot find the link at all, then I’d challenge you to think about why you are actually doing it, and if you are the one who should be doing it.

example:

I’m really not a fan of doing the dishes (see all those sippy cups!! arggghhhh).

For me, the main things I value in life can be summed up in one word: Relationships.

So when I’m lacking motivation to do the dishes, some of the things I try to focus on include:

1. I’m doing them joyfully as if serving the Lord (relationship with God)

2. I’m serving my family (relationship with husband+kids).

3. I’m teaching my children life skills and work ethic (relationship with kids)

4. I’m maintaining order in our home in prepation for guests that may come over (relationships with family, friends, wider community)

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If you’d like to contribute an article to the Monday Morning Motivation series, please email me with your idea!

If you’ve found this helpful, please consider sharing this post with your friends via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest 🙂