inspiring me: the things that matter most

I so love this clip on the moments that matter most.

A lovely reminder to slow down and to appreciate the small gifts in our lives.

I am back home with my wonderful husband and cherubs and adoring them once again.
It is wonderful how a little time out helps you to appreciate what you have.

Enjoy x

               

a blogging weekend away

I am off for another weekend away. I know. I live a blessed life.

This time I am off to Melbourne to meet with an large group of bloggers.

To share hugs, to connect personally and to chat about blogging.

I just may be in my element for a little while.

I plan on using this time to learn, to ponder and to dream BIG.

I hope you have an awesome weekend.

I look forward to sharing mine with you when I return.

image found here.

Disney Junior DVD Pack Party and Giveaway

My cherubs love the fact that I have a blog. Especially when we get invited to hold parties.

Recently, I was asked to hold a Disney Party to celebrate the release of the first three Disney Junior DVD party packs that are available to buy. We are big Disney fans and jumped at the chance to party on and enjoy some great television watching at the same time.

Of course to celebrate we had to have cherubs, we had to have decorations, we had to have party hats, we had to have food...not just any food but, party food. We had to have lollies, we had to have popcorn and we had to have chips with red drink! Oh yes!! Red drink to send us all over the edge!

We also had to have a little Disney theme happening with the decorations and added some Handy Manny characters to the popcorn and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse characters to the cupcakes.

The cherubs had a great time laughing, eating and chatting together around the table. After we had finished making a mess and loading ourselves up with food the children settled in for some colouring in to calm down for a while. Well, alright so I could calm down for a while and get some cleaning up done. We had some great Handy Manny print outs and some lovely Minnie Mouse print outs.

Our young cherubs have really been enjoying the Disney Junior DVD pack and Liberty is totally in love with Minnie Mouse. Sam and Eli are huge Handy Manny fans and the rest of my cherubs kind of love Goofy.

The new Disney Junior DVD pack features three releases, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Minnie’s Bow-tique, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Road Rally and Handy Manny: Manny’s Big Race.

Manny’s Big Race
It’s back to Sheetrock Hills for more high-speed fun with our favourite handyman, Manny Garcia! Join Manny and his team of trusty talking tools as they try to turn a broken down old car into the fastest four wheels on the road, and win Wood Valley 500 race! But before they can cross the finish line to victory, it will take a lot of teamwork, a “can do” attitude and your help!

Minnie’s Bowtique
Packed with all the coolest bows and bow-ties you could imagine, including a mood bow that magically changes colours and a flutter of beautiful butterfly bows, Minnie’s pulled out all the stops to ensure her boutique has something for everyone. But don’t forget to bring your Mousketools because the Clubhouse gang will still need your help to find the perfect gift for Pete’s Aunt Mabel!

Mickey’s Road Rally
It’s time to rev your engine for a journey that will have you movin’ and groovin’ all the way to the finish line! Everyone’s favourite mouse is back in an all-new full length movie that takes the Clubhouse gang, and you, on a wild ride through Mickey Park, the dessert, Mistletoe Mountain and even the depths of the jungle! Jump on board to find the special ‘Mickey Markers,’ see the sights and meet new friends.

Thanks to Porter Novelli and Disney I have a Disney Junior DVD Pack to giveaway to a Seven Cherubs reader. Here is what you can win:

Here are the guidelines for the giveaway:

1. Open to Aussie residents only
2. Winner chosen by the random number generator
3. Entries close August 10th, 2011
4. Leave a comment below and tell me:

Who is your favourite Disney character and why?

**Please make sure you have email attached to your profile of leave it below.

Giveaway now closed.
Congrats to Poetic Mumma's - Family of Eight you are the winner!

jump for JOY

Cherub + Trampoline = Jumping for JOY

if you are interested in supporting jumping with joy shots pop on over to Felicity here.

happiness and instant gratification

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We live in a world where we like to receive instant gratification. With so many wonderful gadgets and such clever technology at our fingertips where we can really get what we want, when we want, whenever we want.  With the introduction of credit cards, we can now also get what we want even though we cannot afford it and there really are no restrictions on what we can purchase or desire.

All of this instant and unrestrained gratification which we often believe will lead us to greater happiness, often in fact leads us to a fast track to unhappiness and depression. So many times in my life I have gone out of my way seeking and desiring a certain object or experience that I believed would bring me the happiness I was so desperately seeking, only to find that I ended up feeling more depressed and saddened.

Normally it was a situation where I had to have it right away, I acted upon seeking it immediately and did not give myself time to really ponder if it was what I needed in my life or even if I could afford to purchase it. More often than not, whenever I followed this process I found myself feeling upset, disappointed and mad that I had acted so quickly, thought so worldly and put myself in a worse position than I started.

Often I work out a plan to stick to that I know and feel will help me to feel happier only to find myself tempted to pursue worldly pleasures and material objects. Such pleasures that lead me to want to keep up with what everyone else has or is doing and after indulging in this way of thinking, very soon find myself diverted from my wonderful plan of happiness I had developed for myself.

I have had to learn many lessons in relation to patience, to planning and to listening to my inner happiness voice. That quiet voice that whispers to me, 'Don't do it', 'It will not bring you the happiness you are seeking' and 'Slow down, ponder on this a little more,' that I so often am too busy to listen to.

The older I get, the more I am trying to listen to my happiness voice, to the feelings of my heart and to remember the lessons I have learned. It is so hard to delay gratification when we are really feeling low, feeling saddened and depressed. When we are able to do so we develop inner strength, discipline and self control.

What are you thoughts on this? Do you act immediately to fill your happiness needs? 

Do you plan and save and prepare for what you really want and desire?

WIN a $20,000 Holiday with HP and Kung Fu Panda 2

Sponsored by Nuffnang

One of our favourite family activities during the school holidays is to take a trip to the movies. We recently took our cherubs off to see Kung Fu Panda 2 as we are really big fans of the first movie and knew we were in a for a great afternoon of movie watching. Since seeing Kung Fu Panda 2 we have continued to have fun remembering lines and practising cool Kung Fu moves. I have been looking around for some fun activities to keep the cherubs busy in relation to the Kung Fu heroes they love.

I was delighted to discover that in conjunction with the movie release of Kung Fu Panda 2, Hewlett-Packard (HP) has put together some great free printables for families to enjoy. They are ideal for the school holidays and they even have an awesome Kung Fu Panda 2 website loaded with a variety of fun choices for your cherubs to participate in. You can print out flyers, puzzles, games, colouring pages and cool picture frames, just to name a few.

We had some great family fun printing out some ideas from the Kung Fu Panda 2 website and here are some of the great examples available:

Face masks.

Kung Fu Panda 2 Flyers.

Colouring pages:

To also celebrate the release of Kung Fu Panda 2, HP are creating an explosion of awesomeness with a $20,000 Family Holiday to be won. To enter the competition all you need to do it visit here and tell them in 25 words or less what you like about HP's Kung Fu Panda 2 Print Activities. The most creative entry will be the winner! So worth taking the time to enter

So if you have cherubs who love Kung Fu Panda you can use this great site to print out some free fun and could you imagine if you won the family holiday and were able to take them to see some great sites around the world. I would love to get some great pictures of my cherubs doing some awesome Kung Fu moves on the great wall of China or something.

Also, with HP the awesomeness continues (you all so know I love that word!) as HP has a new Web Connected Printer that you can access free from Dreamworks Print App to print out your Kung Fu Panda 2 colouring pages, fun activities and more, directly from your printer. All done without the need of a PC at all!

It totally amazes me how technology is improving and helping make life easier for us as parents.
You can learn more about how it works here.

Of course, now that I am aware of these great Kung Fu prints, I am going to have to print out enough awesome masks for our whole family so that we wear them next time we sit down for a dinner of noodles. So that we can break out the chopsticks and really get into the Kung Fu the family fun.

Miss Universe Australia Happiness Tips

Having a blog brings interesting experiences and opportunities. One such experience came my way recently when I was invited by Nude by Nature to celebrate the FIRST Sydney appearance of newly crowned Miss Universe Australia 2011, Scherrie-Lee Biggs. She is 20 years old, comes from Perth and is a Communications student. Nude by Nature is the official make up sponsor of the Pageant and was hosting the event.

I was unable to attend the day but was able to get the lovely Dionne to ask Scherrie-Lee how she finds happiness in her life and if she would share some happiness tips with us here at Seven Cherubs.

Here are the ways Miss Universe Australia finds happiness in her life:

1. Socialising. I keep my family and friends very close to me. Their love and support is important and I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without them. Simple time spent with them is best, like having a coffee with my mum or going shopping with my little sister. Helping them through issues they may have going on in their lives detracts from any stresses I’m experiencing and puts things into perspective.

2. Sun. Coming from sunny Pert, nothing makes me happier than a beautiful sunny day! I love outdoor activities and getting fresh air. When I feel frazzled, a walk along the coast at home is sure to clear my head. Although, I am pretty careful when I am outside. I wear 30+ sunscreen and I love a beautiful wide brimmed hat (they don’t have to be daggy).

3. Exercise. Nothing alleviates stress more or releases endorphins more than exercise. Sometimes it just takes that extra push in the morning to get up and go and do it, but afterwards you feel so much better and can get so much more done in your day.

4. Enjoying the simple things. I’m very big on taking the time to appreciate all the things I am fortunate enough to have. You’re going to laugh but at home I actually have a book labelled “Scherri’s Appreciation book”. In it I have stuck pictures of my family and friends, my morning coffee, leaves from the bushland nearby and shells from the beach down the road, plus many, many more things. When I feel a bit grumpy with it all and life, I just open my book to see all the things I should be very grateful for.

5. Affection. I am fairly affectionate and without affection I am pretty sure I couldn’t go on. Haha! I am affectionate with everyone in my life. For example I still hold my little sisters hand in public. she used to fight it, but now she has just given in. I just need that simple contact and I am comfortable.

Scherrie-Lee is off on an amazing adventure and I so hope she finds the time to snatch some moments of happiness amongst her busy schedule and I really appreciate her taking the time to share her thoughts here on Seven Cherubs.

If you are interested you can also check out her beauty tips HERE.

You can check out Nude by Nature:

 shop / facebook / twitter

Nude by Nature are a proud Australian made and owned company that provides a long wearing, water resistant, flawless complexion without the talc, bismuth or parabens that are used in most other major brands. The mild formulations mean Nude by Nature is perfect for even the most sensitive of skins. Every skin, on every face can now benefit from one of the most beautiful brands available. 

*I was not paid in any way for this post.

remove the noise

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I am making some changes here at Seven Cherubs. 

I am going to cut back and to start removing the noise.

After taking a weekend away without my laptop (let me tell you I had withdrawals!) I had the chance to do some pondering (you all know I love a good ponder) over my blog and how I spend my time. I came to see that what I love the most is to write, to share my thoughts and ideas and to challenge myself in this way.

I also love to work with companies and businesses and to do sponsored posts and giveaways. As much as I love to do this I realise that this is taking up a lot of my time and has become in a way a 'noise' in my mind and my thoughts and is stunting and distracting me from what I really want to write about. It is also time consuming and taking me away from my family a little more than I would like.

I know in making this change I will probably have a drop in my stats, may even lose some followers and may even have less comments. For me, I need to follow my heart and to write about what I want. I have had so much fun trying new ideas and promoting good products here on my blog. As much as I have had an awesome time I have also found it very tiring and exhausting. At the end of the day I have felt too tired to write the way I want and with the same passion I normally would.

I have a few little projects I want to work on and have been trying to push myself to achieve them. As much as I have tried I simply cannot do them and cannot fit them into my routine. Something has to give and so thus I have come to the decision to cut back on my sponsored posts and giveaways. I still have a few more commitments lined up (I am currently booked three months in advance - such is my great organisational skills - sigh!) and will continue to share those with you but over the past 2 weeks I have quietly been trying to cut back. I have turned down some great offers and opportunities and as hard as it was to say NO, I know deep down that this is the right course for me to take. I have no idea what may come from this or what other great opportunities may come my way from my writing (I totally believe more WILL come my way) but I am excited to see where this takes me.

So my lovely friends, thank YOU so much for supporting me so far and I hope that you will continue to join me for what I have in store. I know the odds are against me in what I want to achieve, but I have enough faith that great things are possible with prayer and hard work. I am prepared to do both so lets see what miracles and happiness will come from it.

cherish your cherubs

{Meeting Hilary Weeks ~ Dream come true!}

I just returned from a delightful weekend away in Sydney, attending the Time out For Women event with 2000 other women. I tell you there is something magical when 2000 women are all in the same room, all desiring to be better, all choosing to become a little closer to the woman they are meant to be.

My heart and mind was filled with possibilities of who I could be, what I could change and what really is possible if I put my mind to it. The great strength and influence of that many women together is wonderful and inspiring.

One small pearl of wisdom that touched my heart that I wanted to share from you was from Hilary Weeks. A brilliant singer and spiritual woman.

She shared an experience she had one night with her daughter. She took her young daughter out on a mother daughter date and as she sat there enjoying her time with her daughter it was impressed upon her just how short the time is that she gets to spend with her as a child.

When you look at the time frame of our children they become an adult quickly and spend most of their life as an adult. The actual time that we get to spend with them as children is very short.

It was a special reminder to me to cherish my cherubs. That the time I get to spend with them as a child is so short, passes quickly and is to be treasured. So many days with my children are hard, are challenging and seem so long to get through, But if I look at the eternal scheme of life or even just our time here on earth, the stage and time of childhood is but a small moment.

At that moment I felt the need to become more grateful, more thankful for my cherubs. To appreciate them more and to be kinder, more loving and more patient as a mother.

How thankful I am for this reminder and how thankful that I was able to hear this while I am still raising young children. My new desire is to cherish my cherubs more.

time out

I am off for a weekend away.

For some time out with an awesome bunch of women.

To be uplifted and inspired.
To feel like I have been put back together again.

So looking forward to sharing it with you when I get back.

Hope you have a great weekend!

* By the way, my cherubs came to me and said, "Mum you are going to be upset." I went and had a look. They had broken my favourite cherubs. 

By accident of course. I was a little upset but really feel so grateful that I still have my real cherubs to adore.

Fundraising idea with SchoolBuy and giveaway

 

I have had children going to school for years now and I have lost count of the amount of School Fundraisers we have participated in. It seems like a note is sent home every week in our house with the cherubs school asking for more funds to help raise money for a new project.

We are passionate about education and love to support the school that our cherubs go to. However, this has often left me feeling torn because as a parent I want to support and help the school but have also found it a very expensive process.

When I heard about this new concept of raising money for your school, without having to participate in every school fundraisers that comes your way, I just had to share it with you. I love that the idea and concept is very simple and involves me doing some online shopping. Haha!

SchoolBuy is set up by two wonderful brothers who I just happen to know personally and I love that they are using great businesses to help support our cherubs education and learning at school. They have developed an idea that allows you to go shopping online to raise money for schools in Australia.

They have partnered with 300+ online stores, including great brands like Apple, Dell, Vodafone, iinet, Dick Smith and many more so that every time you shop online with one of these stores, a financial contribution is generated for the school of your choice.

So you can buy what you would buy anyway, but help your school at the same time!

All it takes is a couple of clicks. When you are shopping online, as a lot of us parents do these days, just visit SchoolBuy first and nominate the school you would like to support. Then click on the listed logo of the online store you would like to visit. That click will let the selected store know that SchoolBuy referred you and which school you want to support and are shopping for. Easy.

I love that at the SchoolBuy website there are many products available that you can buy to support your school. There is something for everyone and I had a great time planning what online shopping I could personally do. I so love online shopping, at home, with hot chocolate, with cherubs asleep!

I also really love that SchoolBuy gives you the opportunity to make a difference. The money you can help raise will fund real projects that enhance the education of real Australian kids. Some purchases will generate a small contribution and some will generate a large contribution.

I have attached a clip for you to watch if you are still wondering how SchoolBuy actually works.

I recommend having a look.

                               

In most schools traditional fundraising is hard work and involves a lot of time and effort from many parents, teachers and students. With this process school fundraising becomes easier and up to date with the internet age. It is free for schools to register, there are no contracts, you can use the money raised in any way you want and I suggest you check out the FAQ's page HERE for general answers.

Now, the awesome SchoolBuy team has very generously donated an incentive to get you started on raising money for your cherubs local school. They personally have a goal to raise $1 million dollars for schools and children.

LOVE IT and I of course want to help as many people as I can to raise money for schools as well.

So available for you to WIN is a $100 voucher to put towards any of the online stores listed under the SchoolBuy website. Totally awesome....

You could put it towards that Apple product you have been saving for...ipad anyone??? You could also put it towards a great collection of books from the book depository...hold on...why am I giving this voucher away!!! You could also put it towards that Christmas present you want to get your cherubs...a treat for yourself with a voucher to Clinique or with some online clothes shopping at Sportscraft or Saba...or maybe some delightful chocolates or jewellery....so many choices!!

Now that I have your attention ~

Here the guidelines for the giveaway:
1. Add yourself as a follower on my blog (if you are not already)
2. Entries close August 12th, 2011
3. Go like SchoolBuy on facebook HERE.
4. Go to the SchoolBuy site HERE:
* Type in a school you know (sign up for the newsletter if you are interested)
* Look through the list of stores available to help raise money with
* Come back and leave a comment and tell me:

What you would love to spend your $100 voucher on??

*Open to Aussie residents only and winner chosen by the random number generator. 

Please make sure you have your email attached to your profile or leave it below.

Good luck x

Giveaway closed: Congrats to Alex from Woah! Mumma
you are the winner.

living with a family of cheaters

{pondering}

During the week as I was cooking dinner, a small cherub came into the kitchen.
This cherub starting asking, well...badgering me for some snacks to eat.

I of course replied that this was not going to happen as I was cooking dinner.

The then said cherub shouted at me loudly, 'You are a cheater, Mum!'.

I turned around surprised by the outburst and smiled.

'A cheater? Do you know what a cheater is?'

To which the said cherub, replied,

'Yes Mum, you are a cheater because you won't give me something to eat.'

*At which moment I was tempted to launch into a conversation about food and how much these cherubs eat and the fact that dinner was nearly on the table, but was able to remain focused on the first issue...being a cheater!

As I was about to open my mouth another cherub walked through the kitchen who had heard the outburst and tried to explain what a cheater was.

After listening and waiting for my turn, and shaking my head at the explanation that was given! I then managed to speak to the said cherub and say,

'A cheater is someone who does not play a game properly, who tries to break the rules.'

At which the said cherub replied to me,

'Mum, you are not following my rules. You are not playing my game.'

*insert crickets chirping*

At which I then turned back to my cooking and started pondering.
Out of the mouth of babes, I saw life from a new perspective.

I saw how life must feel like for children. Spending all of the their time stuck in a game and always having to follow rules. With no or very limited opportunities to actually be in charge of the game.

Well, after pondering this small experience, I guess this life really is a game and as a mother, it dawned on me in that moment. I am living with a whole house full of cheaters and according to my cherubs...

I am the Chief Cheater!

20 ways to treat yourself for under $1

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So often as women we spend our time being busy helping and thinking of others instead of ourselves. We often forget that sometimes we need a little pampering and spoiling as well to get us through the day. To help you out and to inspire you to be a little kinder to yourselves I have the lovely Kylie Ofiu guest posting on 20 ways to treat yourself for under $1. I don't know about you but I am seriously excited to see what she has come up with for us. For under $1 I think I need to try them all!

Take it away Kylie.

Often when we think of treating ourselves we think it will be expensive so we just put it out of our minds. Of course there are many ways to treat ourselves that would cost a fortune such as a day at a spa, but there are also many ways you can treat yourself for under $1!

1. Scented candles or melts
These can be bought cheaply either in packs for less than $1 each, online or from garage sales since everyone gets given packs and not everyone uses them.

2. Eat with the fine china
What are you saving it for? Use it, even if it is just a slice of cake or an apple cut up for yourself, use the good china. It will make you feel special. Or make a nice meal, set the table with the good china, glasses and treat the whole family.

3. Drink from crystal glass
Lots of us get them when we get engaged or married or we might inherit some, but not many of us use them. I once lived with a lay who only drank from crystal glasses. She said she had been given so many over the years and after her divorce, thought to herself, “Every day is special. It is special because I am alive, I have my family and I am special!” So she decided to use all her ‘good’ glasses and she says she feels special using them.

4. Sugar oil body scrub
This is really easy to make and feels so nice. All you need is sugar and oil from your kitchen plus some essential oil to scent it. Mix it together in equal parts (more sugar if you like a rougher scrub) then use it next time you have a bath or shower. Many expensive days spas use this but will charge you a lot for it.

5. Give yourself a pedicure/manicure
There are many tutorials online about how to do it and your hands or feet will feel so good once you’ve done it.

6. At home facial
You can use ingredients from your kitchen to make an assortment of masks. To give yourself a facial cleanse your face, use a face scrub followed by a mask then finish off with toner and moisturiser. Take your time, put on some soothing music and enjoy it.

7. Shower or long hot bath by candle light
Light your favourite scented candle and wash or soak away your worries. The soft flicker of candle light is much more relaxing than your lights.

8. Use lovely soap or shower gel
Even expensive ones work out less than 50 cents per use and you will smell and feel great.

9. Take the time to watch the sunset
We are all so busy rushing around all the time that we don’t often stop to appreciate beauty. Once night, just stop and relax for a while to watch the sunset. It is very relaxing.

10. Magazine or book from an op shop
They are often only 50cents and you can find some really interesting ones that you would not normally buy.

11. Use those samples
We often get given samples that just sit in the bathroom cupboard never to see the light of day. Pull them out and use them. You will probably find some pretty perfumes or nice scented lotions to use.

12. Borrow a DVD from the library or a friend
This is free and a great way to watch a movie you might not have thought of until it was in front of you.

13. Small chocolate
A small chocolate or 1 piece of good quality chocolate is a treat. A whole block will make you sick. Savour the little pieces and enjoy the taste rather than eating it as quickly as possible because you desperately need a chocolate fix.

14. Pamper party
This does not have to be done in conjunction with any party plan company. You could get your friends, family or even just you and your daughter(s) together. Everyone bring their products then take it in turns giving each other manicures or facials.

15. Marshmallows in your hot chocolate
It is so simple, yet hardly anyone does it. A few marshmallows are not expensive and they are so nice and gooey in hot chocolate.

16. Visit a museum, art gallery or botanical garden
You can do it on your own or with friends. There is something in pretty much every area where you can go and appreciate art, history or nature.

17. Have a gratitude journal
Get a nice note book and pen you use just for writing what you are grateful for. It will help you appreciate what you have and a pretty set will feel nicer to use.

18. Go for a walk
Going out for a walk in the fresh air can feel so good. You don’t need to rush around, just stroll along and appreciate the beauty.

19. Watch the clouds or star gaze
Lay on your back and watch the clouds or stars. Make pictures out of the clouds or look for constellations in the stars

20. Do a happiness list/project
Just like Naomi is doing on here. Doing things that make you happy don’t always come first in our list of priorities as mums, but it sure will help everything and feel like a little treat every day.

Kylie is guest posting the whole month of July and you can check out her blog HERE.

What do you do to treat yourself?

achieving a blog dream

I have a few personal blog dreams that I spend my time daydreaming about in my spare time. You know, the kind of dreams that make you 'Sigh!' when you finish thinking about them. The kind of dreams where you have to pull yourself together to refocus afterwards and give yourself a pep talk because even though you are trying to dream big, you secretly think they are really never going to happen!

Please tell me I am not the only one who does this? Haha!

Well, I recently had a massive surprise when I received an email inviting me to actually do one of my personal blog dreams. You see, I have been a huge fan of a website called Time Out for Women. I have been reading the wonderful uplifting posts that they share for years and they are very selective about who is able to write for the site. They have a wonderful worldwide audience and a great following.

Just this week they launched a new site and introduced a new section: Featured Blogs.

I am so excited, totally blown away and honoured that they asked me to be the first guest blogger for the new Featured Blogs section. I have to say I just about fainted when I got the email about it. Of all the millions of blogs in the world they wanted little me and my Seven Cherubs blog to be featured.

I have spent so many days reading great inspiring stories written by women on this site and often dreamed of being able to have something written and published with them. I have had many 'Sigh!' moments over this big dream of mine and today I have to say I am a little teary that it has actually happened.

My blog post that I have shared is about my 30 Days of Happiness plan as I really want to help as many women find happiness as I can. I am hoping that readers of the Time out for Women site will download my free printable plan and start writing about happiness and start feeling a little happier.

The theme of Time out for Women is 'Choose To Become' and I am so excited to be part of the theme and message. You can check out my blog post HERE.

Of course the timing of being published on the Time out for Women site is just perfect for me as this weekend I am going to the Time out for Women event here in Australia as they are coming here for the first time.

Insert *massive screaming and jumping up and down with joy*

I would so love it if you have the time to leave a comment on my blog post and to also hit the "Facebook Like' button to help spread the happiness word and to help as many women start focusing on happiness as we can.

Thank you so much for your support on my blog journey thus far. I know I would never have been able to achieve this blog dream of mine if it was not for all of your wonderful encouragement, comments and love.

This is a big deal for me and I am a little nervous about what other women will think of my post and plan. I do feel confident though as your wonderful feedback has helped me to see that it really is worthwhile and helpful and I so appreciate you helping me achieve one of my blog dreams. I am going to have to set some bigger dreams now and to spend a lot more of my time letting out a big 'Sigh!'.

Have a great day everyone...my day today...is super awesome!

stop and smell the roses

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As a mother, my days lately have been super busy. I feel like I run from one thing to another. Actually, I noticed this week that I am running from one thing to another. Yes, actually physically running. I run around my house: from the laundry to the dishwasher, to the bedrooms to the bins outside, trying to stay ahead of my schedule and to get everything done. By the end of some days I am totally exhausted.

Worn out, absolutely spent, type of exhausted.

On those days I think of how I am wearing too many hats.
Of how I need to slow down, to stop to smell the roses.
To let life just be and to live at a slower pace.
To be still and to live life a little more gently.

Lately, I feel like I am running just to keep up with my blog and my cherubs.
This is not how I intended my life to be. I am trying to cut back but finding it a battle.

I am a stay at home mum * turned blogger * turned house runner!

I might actually be alright with this if I was getting a little slimmer from all this running but I have sadly found that is so not the case with me. Haha! So I decided it was time to stop and to write down some of the little sweet smells or memories that I saw during my day.

Here are my treasures:

a child's giggle

a block castle

tiny toes with pink nail polish

a massage by small hands

a blanket lovingly placed upon me

a butterfly flying close by

a surprise kiss on the cheek
freshly cut grass
a drawing done just for me
a hug to say thank you 

'I love you' yelled my way as I drop cherubs at school

my husband home early from work
watching my cherubs jump on the trampoline
listening to a cherub read
an answer to prayer
a heater that works
feeling the sun shining on my skin
collecting fresh eggs
eating passionfruit off of my vines
an early morning cherub hug
the warmth of my bed at night

Here are some pictures of treasures I have enjoyed lately:

a cherub who would not go to sleep

who even though she drove me crazy still made me laugh

cherubs who played nicely together

who often surprise me with how kind they can be to each other

a cherub who knows what he loves and includes me in his plan

and invited me to help him build an Angry Bird block game

the chance to sneak into my room to enjoy breakfast

on my bed, not in my bed

that my cherubs remind me to 

look at life from a different angle or perspective

that my iphone is not acceptable to play on

in family meetings haha!

that I am blessed to be a mother

to such wonderful children

chocolate chip cookies that smell divine

and taste divine right from the oven.

I hope you have had the chance to stop and smell the roses a little latey.

It is wonderful what you can see when you do.