Pearl of Wisdom No. 85 - make morning routine.

Make. Morning. Routine.

Sounds so boring doesn't it?!

If you ask my husband about me and routine when we first met he would tell you that I would balk at the idea and do what ever I could to sabotage his attempts at getting me in to one, especially in the mornings. He however has been the master of them since the dawn of time (slight exaggeration but this man thrives on routine!) and you could set your watch by what he did and when he did it.

Pearl of Wisdom No.83 - Making resolutions

Is January meant to be a fresh start for you or do you believe that new year, new you is a load of rubbish? Where do you stand on resolutions?

Did you know that only 8% of people who make New Years resolutions actually achieve them? However statistics also show that people who specifically make resolutions are 10 times more likely to be success at achieving their goals and plans! 

Now we're half way through this month already, it feels like January is just slipping away and February is just around the corner! For me that may be because I have a jam packed month ahead which I don't feel anywhere near prepared for, maybe for you it's because you still haven't quite settled on what you want from the year ahead. Maybe you wanted to set some intentions, focus on finding your passion or commit to something that will bring you one step closer to your goals and dreams, or maybe you don't know what you want from life this year so you wanted to spend some time mulling it all over and feeling a bit stuck - if this sounds like you then stick with me my friend!

Feel Good Friday - something for the weekend

This week has been busy, I'm actually leaving the house next week and going away to do work stuff, this is exciting for a work at home mum! So I have been tied up sorting out everything that I and my family will need, have, have, want, eat, and go while I'm away, not much time for blogging then!

Well last week I blogged about some feel good things I was going to do for myself that was an investment in me, allowing myself time for these things kept me going through the week and few other things kept me feeling inspired too, so  passing them on in hope that they will keep you smiling and feeling great this weekend...

Fashion Inspiration...

This week one of my favourite fashion bloggers got me in the mood for holiday wardrobe planning for me and my little miss with posts full of stylish yet affordable clothes, I'm definitely feeling inspired about what wear now, go check out her fabulous website Coco Mama Style, a must for all mamas and their little ones! 

The tune in my head is...

Feist's amazing song 1234 has been keeping LC and I uplifted all week, she is obsessed with this song at the moment, she demands it on every car journey and we have to watch the video about a trillion times a day on YouTube. It all stems from her love of Sesame Street, check out that version if you haven't seen it already.

Get me organised...

I decided the only way this was going to happen was if I bought a diary, I got lovely vibrant purple to keep me all cheery, plus it was so inexpensive now that we are almost halfway through the year! I am going to put EVERYTHING in it include shopping lists, ideas, birthdays and to do lists so let's hope it actually works, I'll let you know...

Feel Good Film...

OH and I decided to ditch the cinema the other week on our date night and come home and watch a movie instead, I was coming down with a horrible virus so it was the right thing to do. So we snuggled up and watched The Five Year Engagement instead, if you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it, it's funny, classy and most entertaining - let me know what you think!

I hope your feeling inspired now to put some feel good into your weekend, I'd love to know what you have planned!

Do you have a plan?

I never used to, the OH and I always clash because he is Mr Organised with lists, maps and emergency plans B,C and D! I have always been officially known as Miss fly by the seat of her pants, causally wandering through every chore, task and event in life with a "oh well, it'll get figured out" attitude! But recently I have been looking around and wondering, why aren't I satisfied, why can't I mange to stay on top, get things done, really achieve what I want?

The OH describes me and my way of getting through my day as random! Normally I would just ignore his silly musings but this one struck a chord and left me wondering why this was and what could I do about it? So after admitting that he had a point and wanting to get more out of not just my day, but what I was trying to achieve generally with my life I started look in to this problem and do you know what I found? Successful people who achieve and are satisfied with their lot in life are organised, they actually plan!

So with this in mind I have set about doing something different with my daily "routine" and made a positive change. Now this is no easy task, as adults we have all this learnt behavior and changing our attitudes and habits is tough, it takes energy and commitment and being open minded enough to admit that what you are doing can be done differently and better. But looking at what I wanted to achieve and what my goals for the future are, what I was doing just didn't work.

Over the last couple of weeks or so I have read a few things have helped me a long the way - an article about a busy and dynamic woman who runs her own business and has children, she makes lists, creates spreadsheets and organises her tasks all to keep her home and family life running smoothly. I have also read about other women carrying around notebooks in their bags to write down ideas and things they want to get accomplished, so simple! I used to work for a busy doctor who had shifts all over the place but her family always had a great home cooked meal because very week she planned out a menu, stuck it on the fridge, bought everything she needed in one go! Again so simple and easy!

I for one can get easily distracted and some times wonder from my well intentioned planning or to do list (see being random!) I recently read a blog page about achieving your goals which suggests that instead focusing on the long term goal, get stuck in on how you will get there, for example every week I want to empty my ironing basket, yes I am one of those stupid people who likes to iron clothes, but sometimes I look at the pile and can't be bothered or I get up and think right I'll get it all done today, but things get busy and I can't find the time. So instead I now pledge to myself that I will just make sure LC's stuff gets done or I will find just half an hour and that way something gets done!

My friend gave me a good idea too, she always changes her sheets and shaves her legs on a Sunday, it's now become a habit of mine too, it always gets done! I find dedicating certain time slots really works too, for example Wednesdays I am home alone so I always use that day to recycle, do paper work and clear out the clutter! There are loads of other new ideas I have adopted and I really am committing to forming some new habits because planning, making lists and staying organised is really working out for me, even just by making small changes I feel more in control and that makes me feel great, in fact I am even making a packing list for our holiday, see I am a changed woman!

I use a Chalk Board to keep me organized!

Here are some handy tools and resources to help you on your way to organised greatness!

Fun and cute To Do note pads
http://www.thepresentseason.co.uk/to-do-notes-notepad---with-2-tear-off-pads-1151-p.asp
http://www.liberty.co.uk/fcp/product/Liberty/NOTEPADS/To-Do-List-Notepad/69188
http://www.johnlewis.com/231541512/Product.aspx

Downloadable and print off To Do lists
http://www.printabletodolist.com
http://www.mommytracked.com/downloads

To Do/Get Organized Apps
http://www.toodledo.com
http://evernote.com (My personal Favorite!)