creating a home and simplifying life

I have been taking some extra time out this week to work more on creating a better feeling in our home. I already feel we have a good feeling in our home but I realise that this needs to start with me personally more. I want to work a little more on my thoughts, my attitude and my decision to wake up happy each day. 

I love this woman above. Her name is Marjorie Pay Hinckley and was the wife of a leader from my church. She was sweet, she was humble but she was fiercely dedicated to her family. She had a no nonsense approach to being a wife and mother. She was practical yet so inspiring.

I love her thoughts on creating a home:

"As you create a home, don't get distracted with a lot of things that have no meaning for you or your family. Don't dwell on your failures, but think about your successes. Have joy in your home. Have joy in your children. Have joy in your husband. Be grateful for the journey."

I also love her thoughts about being a woman:

"We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are."

The older I get the more comfortable I am in my own skin. I feel more content and less distracted by the dramas of life around me and I feel that my family gives me the contentment I need in life. This was exactly the inspiration I needed to read right now to help me take creating a home to a new level. I just needed that extra little encouragement and push to look for more joy and to simplify my life.

Pet Peeve: Bucket List's

I have a pet peeve with Bucket Lists. They get to me.

Actually, they drive me nuts!

Whenever I look on the internet for blog posts about bucket lists, I seem to spend about 1 minute reading them and then have to click away. I know a bucket list is a list of things you want to do before you die or a list of life goals you want to achieve in your lifetime but when I look at the current bucket lists available on the internet...I wonder why people set them when seriously, you can see there is no way they are actually going to achieve them.

The chances of me actually hosting Saturday night live, meeting Brad Pitt, riding in the Tour De France, playing in an orchestra, releasing an album, diving in a submarine, seeing gorilla's in a jungle, visiting all 50 states in America or even running with with the bulls are very slim. Most suggestions or recommendations on these buckets lists are just extreme. I understand they are encouraging us to dream big but some dreams, no matter how big you dream just don't end up coming true.

I am a realist. Enter the pet peeve.

If I was ever going to put together a Bucket List....hmmm....maybe a 'Buckets of Happiness' Ebook???!!!??? I would make it a list of achievable goals combined with dream goals. Goals that might actually stand a chance of happening. I would focus more on family and of doing goals together. Small goals that would stretch us but would also bring unity and fun to our lives.

So what are you thoughts about Bucket Lists: Do you love them? 

Do they drive you crazy? Do you have one?

Happy Days in May (Project)

Happy Days In May Project

"One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy. 

One of the best ways to make other people happy is to be happy yourself." 

{Gretchin Rubin}

Background

Last year in May on my blog I ran a happiness project. Inspired by the book from Gretchin Rubin {The Happiness Project}, I encouraged other women and bloggers to record one sentence a day about what was making them happy during that day for one whole month. There were over 100 bloggers who signed up to participate and many more who participated at home. At the end of the month as bloggers we all published our months worth of sentences to share with each other. I loved reading through what made other's happy during the month. There were so many similarities but also so much uniqueness. It was simply inspiring.

Project

This year I still want to run a happiness project with the same theme but have decided to call it: Happy Days in May. As a busy mother I struggle to find time to write in my journal {too much time blogging maybe!}and I love having a project to help me focus on being more aware of what makes me happy. I also love to help others focus on happiness as well. 

I love that this project involves only one sentence a day and a short time for me to reflect each night on what has stood out as a great moment during my busy day. This idea and project is manageable. It is simple and a way for me to put pen to paper quickly each day. It also allows me to be more grateful, to count my blessings and to be aware of my family and surroundings. I need that reminder right now. 

What you need

To take part in the project you need a place to record your thoughts and a regular time each day to write them down. Find yourself a special notebook, use your current journal, use an app on your phone, use your blog and get yourself ready to start on May 1st. Determine a time each day, preferably at night, where you can take a moment to ponder and to reflect over what moment has helped you feel happy during the day and then write it down. 

Example

An example of how simple and wonderful this project is:

12th April
Liberty helped me put away three baskets of washing today and I was touched to be included in a lovely blog post about friends and I felt brave enough to decline a blog promotional event.

13th April
My boots arrived in the mail, loved making some new blog friends, Matt gave me a lovely chocolate surprise and I was able to see Harmony perform a play at school.

14th April
Went to the Anzac Day parade at school to see two of my girls sing and it was beautiful, touching and heartwarming to see them using their talents and skills to uplift others.

Join Me

I would love for you to join me in finding more Happy Days in May and would love you to tell me you are taking part. If you have a blog and are joining in, link up below. If you are not going to blog your experience but are still joining in let me know in the comments section below. I would love to make May a month where we all encourage each other to find a little more happiness and appreciate how awesome life really is. Let's get Happy!

a home of happy chaos

I have just finished reading the book 'Happy Chaos' by Soleil Moon Frye. You may remember her from the 80's show Punky Brewster. The book is a nice read about life growing up as a child star mixed with stories of raising her two girls. She shares her personal experiences mixed with questions and advice from her readers on her website. 

According to Soleil, 'Happy Chaos' is the sign of a family that is operating at it's best - when parents accept that they will make mistakes and will experience messes, tears and skinned knees. This got me thinking about our home and the happy chaos we have here.

Before I became a mother I spent time observing other families. I saw many large families who ran a very strict home and other large families who seemed to function in total chaos with no order. My goal going into motherhood was to strike a balance between the two. I wanted a house of order but a house that was set up for happiness and fun as well. As I read through Soleil's book I felt that we have achieved our goal of having a home of happy chaos and order. 

It has not been easy to arrive at this point. It has taken a lot of work and consistency in teaching our children that there is a time to work and a time to play. Of course we love those moments when working together becomes fun and joyful and feels like play but life is not like that every day.

For me Happy Chaos means a home with freedom to make, create, learn and explore life. It is a home environment where it is good to ask questions, to be able to share opinions and ideas, to be respected and listened to. A place to share emotions - happiness, sadness, anger and joy. There are opportunities to play games, dance, draw and build. Where appropriate affection is shown, where kindness is practised and where making memories is encouraged. 

Our home is not perfect, our family is not perfect but our home is a place we want to come home to and our family is a family we want to be with. That to me is real happiness.

What does a home of 'happy chaos' mean to you?

post natal depression and my love of clouds

I have shared a little of my journey with post natal depression here on my blog in the past and how it felt like I was living each day with my head in a cloud or a fog. During this time I found each day difficult to endure as I struggled to make decisions and to see clearly any good in my life. 

Every day I felt like I was living my life in the dark, that a storm was raging in my mind and that my vision of how I saw myself and my family was clouded. It was a horrible, challenging time in my life. I sought help, worked hard and was finally able to clear my mind from the dark clouds that overshadowed me.

Last week as we went on a family holiday, I sat on a gorgeous beach with the sun shining down upon me. As I sat watching my cherubs play in the water, I had a moment of clarity. 

You see for the last couple of years I have secretly been obsessed with clouds. I love to look at them, to see the different formations and shapes they create and to study the variety of textures and colours they contain. I constantly find myself being drawn towards them and have a good collection of images that I have taken of them on my camera.

As I sat on that beach it hit me why I love them so much. 

So often during that difficult struggle with post natal depression I found myself looking down, feeling down and raging inside of myself. Storming.

Now I feel so much lighter, I feel free and I love to look upwards. I enjoy turning my face towards the sky and smiling at the clouds. I love to feel the sun's warmth on my face and to see the white, fluffy clouds scattered through the sky. 

I had no idea that over the past couple of years that I was drawn to clouds so much as they reminded me of how far I have come and how much I have changed. So many days I felt I would never get better, that I would always have a storm raging inside of me and that I would always battle my own mind.

Now I feel completely different and at peace. I feel light and happy. I have days where I feel like I am floating even and my mind is clear. It has been an amazing journey and I love that clouds remind me that with hard work anything is possible.

Standing amongst the clouds on top of Mount Wellington, Tasmania.

P.S: If you could help this sweet cherub it would be great appreciated.

He recently suffered severe burns and any donation will make a huge difference.

Thank you xx

10 Steps to More Happiness

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Guest post by Kalani:

I love the topic of happiness.  The toughest thing I have learned about happiness is that you have to seek it – but the best thing I have learned is that it can be found in every day. I thought I would share with you 10 ideas that help me focus and find happiness. I want so much to have it and I want so much for you to have it too. The great thing is that it is here and accessible to us all.

1. Start your day in an inspiring way. I like to read a scripture, a page from an inspiring day book and review a wise quote each morning. This helps me to start my day on a bright and positive note and to try to maintain that perspective all day.

2. Accept that life and people are not perfect. When we remember and accept that life and relationships can be a bumpy road we can accept the bumps a little easier. Knowing that this is how it is for everyone else also seems to make it all more okay. It is okay. There is always something in every day to love and appreciate. Some days are and will be better than others.

3. Make a list of things that make you happy and then make time to do them. If you have ten minutes or two hours, you can fill in life’s little spare moments with joy. On my list are reading a book, calling a friend, working on an art project, watching an inspiring TV show, baking, or buying a few flowers and putting them around my home.

4. Plan things to look forward to. When I know I have something fun on the calendar, it keeps me cheerfully going. Plan little things, plan big things, they all help. Often we have to work these into our busy days, but in the end we realize nothing was lost by changing the schedule a bit. If anything we are more effective at the everyday tasks when we’ve taken some time away to recharge our batteries and feed our souls.

5. Spend time with friends. One of the great joys of my life is meeting a friend regularly for a good chat. It is invigorating to hear about her adventures, challenges and dreams. She always teaches me something new that inspires and guides me forward. Spending time with friends also reminds me that life isn’t perfect for any of us. When I see them tackling their challenges and dealing with life’s imperfections, I know I can do it too.

6. Make happy changes. Sometimes in life, without realizing it we numbly put up with things that make us sincerely unhappy not realizing that we can and should change them. If you find happiness destroyers in your life, whether they be people, places or things, make little changes and if necessary make BIG changes.

7. Serve others. There is nothing that makes a person feel better about the world or their own life than performing service for another. This can be little things like smiling and holding a door open for someone or big things like helping a friend pack up their home and move. There is a high that comes from showing simple care for others – and the best part is that both giver and receiver are awarded that joy.

8. Keep a journal. Every day write down what made you happy that day. You will be surprised how this colors your view of your life. Being grateful for all you have in life increases joy and happiness exponentially.

9. Smile. Putting a smile on your face makes chemical changes in your level of happiness. It affects how everyone reacts to you and creates positive energy in your world and theirs.

10. Live in the present & treasure simple moments. On some of our worst days we have stopped and walked on the beach. The breeze, the sun, the sand and water help us to calm down and just be – be there, love each other and drink in the good energy. Little moments – hugs, smiles, kind words, walks, sunshine – treasure them and you’re heart will feel joy and remember it.

Sending you warmest wishes for happiness in your every day.

--Kalani

After a career in corporate marketing and PR, Kalani Cropper, a trained journalist, has returned to her first true love, writing. She is also having a mad affair with her second true love, creativity and is so happy to mix the two on her blog, kalanicut.  Since college, she has designed and sold cards, toiletries bags, handbags, skirts, jewelry and other accessories. She also often dabbles in event planning and home organization. She gives thanks daily for a loving, hilarious and wise extended family, The Man and The Little Bug – who all fill her life with great laughter, learning, fulfillment and joy. 

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an empty bucket

I am having one of those days where I feel like my bucket is empty.

Where I feel like I have nothing left to give.

The kids have drained me, 

I feel exhausted from keeping up with the housework, 

I am having trouble keeping up with the bills and school notices, 

I am way behind on my emails, 

 I cannot keep enough food in the house, 

I am having trouble finding time for me this week, 

I feel like I am letting my friends down, 

I am not getting enough sleep, 

I am worn out, 

tired and exhausted.

My bucket is empty.

I am empty.

On days like this I let everything go.

My priority becomes to fill my bucket, to fill me.

I start with a good cry.

I pull myself together and start to plan.

I put myself first.

I plan in one thing that I know will uplift me.

Everything else can just wait.

I do that one thing just for me.

I do it if we need food, I do it if the kids are crying and want my attention.

I do it to survive.

I enjoy it, I savour it and I allow myself to feel it.

I smile for a moment and I count my blessings.

Then I get right back to taking care of my family.

That one thing that was just for me - fills my bucket.

It gives me the strength to keep going.

It gives me a bucket full enough for others to drain.

If you have days like this:

What do you do to fill up your bucket?

overcoming happiness obstacles

On the journey to finding happiness we face many obstacles. 

Some of them we put there ourselves and some of them are put there by others. 

How much we desire happiness in our life is determined by how well we overcome these obstacles.

I have been on my happiness journey for a while now. On this journey I have discovered many new things that I love to do and I have also discovered many new things about myself as well. Some of these discoveries have been good and some have been like receiving a real smack in the face! Along the way I have faced some obstacles that have stopped me in my tracks and some obstacles that have made me more determined to work harder at feeling happier.

Some obstacles that can stop us from find happiness are:

Our own mind and thoughts,
Self doubt and belief that we can find happiness,
A busy schedule so that we have no time for ourselves,
Fear of failure so that we do not even try or participate,
Trying to control the situation so that we forget to feel and enjoy,
Anxiety for what may happen or come from trying new experiences,
Fear of spending time with ourselves for what we may discover and
Lack of self worth to believe we are worth the effort and time.

Some tips for overcoming obstacles are:

Give yourself time and be patient with yourself,
Do not give up and keep trying new experiences,
Set aside regular time just for you,
Start small and set simple goals,
Involve a trusted friend or family member to encourage you,
Start with what you know you enjoy and love,
Be positive and speak kindly to yourself and
Know you are worth investing in and ask others to remind you.

So often to find happiness we feel it needs to be all encompassing and a big event. Happiness can start with finding small moments each day that are just for ourselves. The combination of all of those small moments lead us to feeling happier and more content with our lives. Obstacles are there to test us and can even work out to be beneficial and a blessing in helping us learn more about ourselves.

In my ebook, Pockets Of Happiness, I help you plan out and find time for creating meaningful moments. In my experience, having something just for me gives me something to look forward to and planning in that time makes it easier to overcome obstacles in my path.

let it slide

Do you have days where you just let it all slide?

Where you break free from your normal routine and escape the house?

Every so often I need one of those days. 

I leave the washing. I leave the dishes.

I leave it all behind and get outside.

I breathe deeply. I go slow.

I connect with nature and I connect with myself.

If you haven't had one of those days for a while.

Grab your keys, leave it all behind and walk out that door.

It will still be there for you when you get back.

A fresh change will help you tackle those tasks with a better attitude.

Go on try it. You know you so deserve it!

a moment of Christmas happiness

Today I have a guest post from Tische who is The Lake House Writer, where she blogs and shares motivational images and thoughts. I asked her to share with us a moment of happiness she recently experienced:

Enjoying life exactly as it is, and therefore feeling content with life, is the best way to find everyday happiness.

It is only when we think about what could have been, or what was, that we miss the joy of the moment.

During my holidays, one weekend my parents came up to Maleny and we took the kids to the Maleny Christmas Festival. Having only been in the area for a few months, we had no idea what it entailed.

How busy would it be?
Would we be able to get a car park?
Would it rain?
Would there be too many people?
Would it be impossible with kids?

We had a blast. It was a festival by the locals, for the locals.

Having lived in many tourist towns, it is easy for a festival to be caught up in the potential for tourism.

There were a couple of simple rides, roving street entertainment, free balloons, as well as the requisite street stalls, entertainment stage with bands and opportunities for Santa photos.

{love the free hug idea!}

Watching and capturing the children’s emotions as they experienced the sights and sounds of the festival was the highlight of the evening for me.

I also really loved watching my parents watch the children.

Happiness is indeed contagious.

{Tische getting her free hugs!}

Thanks for sharing your experience Tische. Love the idea of a community festival.

You can also connect with Tische on her blog The Lake House Writer and on twitter and facebook.

So what about you:

Did you find any sweet moments of happiness over the Christmas break?

How gratitude has changed me in ways I never expected

Today I have a guest post from Deb at Home Life Simplified. Deb blogs about parenting, household management, organising and changing your mindset. Her aim is to help people get in touch with what is important to them and use those values/priorities as the main building block of their life.

A woman after my own heart! So happy to have her on my blog today. Please welcome Deb:

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Almost three months ago I decided to explore gratitude and how a focus on the positive things in life might have an impact on my mood. I was hoping for a bit of satisfaction with my lot in life and less focus outward on what others were doing. I started writing about my journey each Friday on my blog and quickly began to write posts that expressed my own awe at what was happening to me.

While I had expected an internal shift of some sort, I had not anticipated all the changes that took place - and so rapidly.

My husband and I had been struggling with our marriage for years since my recovery from severe Post Natal Depression and anxiety. That two year period had done so much damage, and caused resentment from my husband, that I thought we were never going to find our way back together after trying for a year to consciously improve things. Within six weeks of this new focus I felt the first real thaw occur. My husband seemed more open to me, we were communicating better, there was less nagging and more ease. We are nowhere near our pre-PND days, but for the first time in six years I feel confident we will make it there.

I have been a stay at home mother for 8 1/2 years and have been struggling to find fulfilment since my youngest started full time school two years ago. I had noticed I was spending more money on little things here and there - shopping out of boredom and passing the time, even loading up my grocery trolley with whatever I fancied regardless of need. I noticed 3 weeks ago that I am more likely to put something back with ease now and calmly tell myself I did not need it nor really want it. I have noticed our bank balance growing.

I am embarrassed to admit that, as a type A personality, I struggled with road rage tendencies. I would yell and carry on while my kids sat in the back horrified by the language that I often let flow. This was not helping anyone and the person I was yelling at never even heard me. Adrenalin was coursing through my veins, my kids were hearing words I did not allow them to use and I felt awful. I did not hold out hope for ever stopping this bad habit that seemed to be escalating. Amazingly I am down to maybe one of two times a week now where I get cranky at "bad" drivers, but have noticed I am no longer spewing foul language nor being reprimanded by my 6 1/2 and 8 year old daughters who know better than their mother. A miracle indeed. What is happening is I let it go because I have accepted I cannot change those drivers, they cannot hear me and I am focused on being a better example for my kids. A focus on positivity brings about a desire for more of the same.

I am a born and raised New Yorker living with an English husband in Australian suburbia. We have chickens, an established garden and a veggie and herb garden.  I have never planted a thing in my life, forget to water things when my husband is away and have been shocked when he mentions something wonderful blooming in our back garden. He could not understand how I did not notice the giant birds of paradise blooming or the fiery red flowers in that corner over there, etc. I truly would walk past things and never take notice - and I love flowers, but never connected to nature. I am not kidding when I say that I have done a 180 degree turnaround. It is now instinctual for me to literally stop and smell the flowers (Jasmine instead of roses at our house). Walking to school with my girls I will point out someone's garden that has hydrangeas blooming. It seems to have all come alive for me in the last month or two. Clouds, sunshine, sunsets, breezes - all hit my senses in a new and unexpected way.

Lastly, I started my blog four months ago and found it caused a major setback in my mental health. Suddenly I felt depressed and insecure. I was comparing myself to others all the time - why did she get so many comments when I had a great post with nothing? How come no one retweets MY posts? Is anyone listening? Does anyone like me? Day after day I was spiralling in the wrong direction. That was when I made the decision to try the gratitude practice. It worked. I was able to accept when four people unliked my facebook page and focus on the twelve that liked it that day. I focused on the one person who emailed me telling me my post prompted them to get help for PND or how my ideas changed how they were thinking about something. I focused on the bloggers that I was connecting with and genuinely wanted to interact with rather than the ones I "should" be interested in. I started walking my own walk and following my own path - and I felt at peace. Once I made this connection everything started to fall into place for me. Now when I have a bad day and feel insecure over no one commenting I put it back on them - they were too busy to comment or it did not resonate with them that day - it did not mean I was less-than.

Gratitude allows me room to breathe - room to appreciate what is rather than what is not.

Gratitude has filled my heart and soul with whatever I needed to be at peace - or one step closer to peace.

Gratitude has allowed me to let go of my need to be right, perfect and in control of every moment in time.

Thanks so much Deb for sharing your journey with us. Today, Deb is launching a 52 week challenge to simplify your life! I recommend checking it out. You can also find her on twitter @findyoursimple or connect with her on facebook.

Do you have plans to be more grateful this year? 

a new year happiness list

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I am a big list maker. Totally love them. 

Naturally, as I love lists and am a seeker of happiness, it would be logical for me to have a happiness list. 

I originally wrote my first happiness list to help me easily and quickly know what to do when I had a free moment to myself to feel happier. You know, like a quick fix for those down moments in life.

I found it really helpful. In fact it changed my life. From this experience I now personally believe everyone would benefit from writing their own happiness list.

The ideas on my personal list are generally quick happiness ideas and help to change my mood when I am feeling down. Some of my other ideas are long term goals and ideas to bring happiness to our family and to my heart.

As many of us at this time of year are setting new goals and planning out our year, why not consider writing a happiness list instead? A short list or even a longer list of ideas that you want to try or do to help you feel happier during your year.

To help get you started I have written an ebook: Pockets of Happiness to give you an example of how I go about creating my own personal happiness list.

This ebook is an insight into how I have come to find more happiness in my life. I wrote this ebook to help those of you who struggle with finding time for you during your day.

I get asked all the time how I manage to fit time in for myself with seven children, so I have shared a few of my secrets. I even have created a some ideas you can borrow and use to start from.

Many of my readers who already own a copy of Pockets of Happiness have told me that they originally did not think they needed to read my ebook. However, after reading it they realised they did need it to help bring more happiness to their life.

Today to help you get started on your own happiness list and to plan out an awesome 'happier' year in 2012 I am allowing you to download a copy of my ebook for free.

I am only going to have my ebook: Pockets of Happiness available for free for you today.
I hope it will help you find greater happiness and joy in 2012.

The time limit has now run out to get your free copy. I hope you enjoy reading it.

My ebook is now available to purchase for $4.95

Happy New Year Everyone.

an empty book

I have not felt much like writing this week.

My heart has been tender.

I have been pondering over some changes I want to make in my life.

To help me see things clearly I have looked at my life as a book.

So far in my life experiences I have filled many books.

Some of them have been sad stories and some of them joyful stories.

Each book I have filled has been been worth writing and recording.

Now I feel I am about to write a new book.

A new story, a new chapter of my life.

I am a little excited about this journey.

It is a fresh start with new clean paper. 

An unwritten story.

We can choose to write a new book at any time in our life.

We just need to open the cover and be ready to begin.

I look forward to sharing this adventure with you.

It may be boring, it may be fun, I don't know.

 But, it will be about me.

It may even be a little about you.

I hope you will join me for the journey.

I hope you will start your own story.

enjoy what you have this Christmas

This Christmas I am attempting to be more grateful for what I have and to not seek after new things to make me happy. My goal is to enjoy what I already have and to not let my mind run crazy wanting more.

I spent some time during my week walking around my home. Slowly moving from room to room and soaking in all of the contents, the emotions, the clutter and the treasured possessions that I already personally own and collectively we as a family own.

We are one blessed family. We own so many things that we need and also so many things that we want.

I know my cherubs of course want more for Christmas. It is a tradition that we give them presents. For me, I want to spend more time enjoying what we already have and encouraging them to appreciate how blessed we really are.

After looking around I can see we already have enough and to spare.

I see so many toys and clothes and possessions that do not get played with or worn, that are wonderful and fun and lovely and were once a desired item. Often all it takes is a reminder that they are still there and that they can still bring joy to us as a family.

As a mother I know that I am the one who needs to do this, my cherubs may grab a toy of the shelf and start playing with it but mainly if I want it to happen, I need to lead the way.

So this year for me, I am going to enjoy what I already have and to encourage my cherubs to do the same.

They will still get some gifts from us but I will be spending time over the holidays:
* bringing out older toys
* adding batteries again and bringing them back to life
* reminding them when they received the presents and from who
* encouraging gratefulness for how wonderfully blessed we are.

I know that being more grateful as a family and enjoying what we have will help us feel happier as a family.

What about you:

How do you teach your children to enjoy what you have?

elysium and a happy family

One of the things I want to be remembered for is my focus on the family. Even though I adore jewellery and spend a little of my time carrying on (acting a bit princess maybe?) about things here on my blog, my real love and desire is to be an example of a happy family. My heart lies in helping women and families find happiness. I know we are not a perfect family but we are striving to be a happy family and to reach a state of Elysium in our home.

I want it to be said of the Ellis family:

"...it came to pass that the Ellis family 
lived after the manner of happiness".
(quote changed from scripture in The Book of Mormon)

For me I have spent a lot of my life feeling miserable. Even downright depressed.

As a mother and wife I want to be happy and to promote happiness within families.

I have spent a lot of time reading self help books. Pouring over them seeking answers and solutions. I have read so many of them that I decided to write my own ebook, Pockets of Happiness.

I love to learn new ways of creating happiness in our home and in changing my outlook on life. We are far from being a perfect family, but we are a constant work in progress and I just love that.

One word that fascinates me is the word Elysium.

It's meaning is: a state or place of perfect happiness.

I have loved that word the first time since I discovered it's meaning.

I then decided to apply it to our family by creating Ellisium.

For us it means:

• creating a home we want to come home to
• participating in family activities that will make us happy
• being positive
• establishing clear family traditions
• organising our life to give us joy and happiness
• showing love to one another

Trying to establish all of these in our home is a learning experience and hard work. It is something that is always changing because what makes our family happy one week might not the next week. We are constantly growing and progressing and changing.

The challenge for me as a mother is being flexible to move with the changes and dynamics that happen in our home. We don't expect to have perfect happiness - with 9 people in our home - someone is always unhappy about something! We need to be realistic here.

But, what we are all about is trying our best and learning as we go along.
We are learning and we are trying. For me that is Ellisium.

Just as a side note: for me when things are going well in our home I call it the Ellisium home and when things are not going well I call it the Ellisasylum home. Keeping it real here!

This Christmas: Breathe and go slow

Copy + Paste + Take

Pockets of Happiness Ebook

After many late nights, I am very excited to share with you my first ebook: 

Pockets of Happiness: Creating Meaningful Moments In Your Life. 

This ebook is an insight into how I have come to find more happiness in my life. I wrote this ebook to help those of you who struggle with finding time for you during your day. I get asked all the time how I manage to fit time in for myself with seven children, so I have shared a few of my secrets.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to help women and especially Mum's at home feel a little happier during their day. I know that it can be hard to find time for yourself when you are super busy chasing after the kids, keeping up with housework and running a household. I also know that as women we often put ourselves last on the priority list.

In this ebook I have shared how I find pockets of time just for me to make my day a little happier and also help my family to feel happier. It is text heavy and practical in focus. It has pages for you to fill in and ideas to help get your started on finding your own happiness.

It is not a long ebook - there are 28 pages, as I wanted to keep it short so that it can be printed and kept in a prominent place for you to refer to it often. Below is the contents page for you to have a look at:

The ebook is in a PDF format and you can download it for $4.95

ebook

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will have noticed a lack of blog posts about happiness recently. The reason for this is that I have been saving them to put into an ebook for you. I wanted to give you some fresh writing and ideas and to not just take blog posts from my blog to make up an ebook.

I have been spending a lot of my time working on it to give you some tips and ideas on how to create meaningful moments in your life. I have written this ebook for women and especially for busy mothers to help you find a little more happiness in your life. I am really excited to show it to you very soon. I am now just tweaking a few little parts of the ebook, because I want it to be just right for you and hope you find it helpful and a great read. I am hoping to at least show you the front cover in the next couple of days. Woo hoo!

Thank you to all of my wonderful Seven Cherubs readers who have encouraged me to do this.
Eeek! I am really doing it! So stay tuned for my first ebook coming your way!

5 ways to have happy days

Everyone has days where they feel terrible. Where you wake up and know that today is going to be a hard day to get through no matter what you try to do. On days like this it hardly seems worth getting out of bed and dragging yourself through the day. But, we do and we have to, so here are my 5 tips for happy days when things are just not going right.

1. Control what you can control * Often I find I feel terrible and overwhelmed when there seems to be an abundance of things going on in my life that I cannot control. Such as appointments, the children's choices, the amount of washing I have in my home, the actions of other's and bills! If I spend my day focusing on only those situations I quickly become depressed. Instead I chose to focus on what I can control and I feel happier. I can control my attitude, what I chose to wear, when I chose to do the washing, what I am going to eat, what fun I am going to have for that day and if I want to take some time out for me. I find I end up having a happy day.

2. Change your scenery * When I am having a busy day and feel low I always fit in a way to change my scenery. I get out of the house, I go for a walk, I pop into the library, I pop into a shoe shop, I drop in to see a friend or I even just go sit out in the backyard. A change in scenery helps to expand your view of life and getting fresh air refreshes our mind and spirit. A change of view = a happy day.

3. Wear your happiness * Call me shallow or whatever you want but when I am struggling with feeling good I turn to my wardrobe and jewellery to help me have a happy day. For me it is the quickest way to uplift me and help me feel a little better about myself. If I have a busy day of appointments that I really do not feel like going to, such as the doctors, dentist etc. I often wear something that makes me feel special. I sit in the doctor's office humming away to myself looking at the super cute shoes I am wearing or loving the bracelet I have on and even sit there and say, "You know what Naomi, you am looking awesome in this dress today". Hey! If no-one else is going to tell you, then why not tell yourself!

4. Rock your day with music * One quick way to lift my spirits is through the use of music. I can be feeling absolutely depressed and having a woe is me kind of day and all I need to do to start to feel a little happier is to listen to a favourite song. I play it loud and I play a song I like, not a song the kids like, a song I like. I let myself feel the music, I dance in my kitchen, I move my body and I sing loudly. I have fun with it and before I know it I am feeling so much happier and ready to tackle whatever needs to be done. Try it, I think you will find it works!

5. Accomplish a task * I have days where I feel like I am getting nowhere, where I feel like I am making no difference and it seems as if all my efforts have been in vain. On days like this, I know I need to accomplish a task to feel like I am useful, I am of worth and I am making a difference. This may sound crazy but I find myself a simple task to accomplish and I personally making a big deal of it. It could be as simple as, I cleaned out the car, I emptied all of the bins, I straightened the bathroom towels, I replied to 5 emails, I cooked dinner before 10am, I planned my week, I wrote a blog post etc. When I have completed my task, I then congratulate myself. I stop and admire my handiwork, I remind myself I have used my time wisely and made a difference. I appreciate my own efforts and and praise myself. As I mentioned before, Hey! If no-one else is going to tell you, then why not tell yourself!

So if you are reading this and you are having one of those bad, terrible, crappy days, I hope you will try a few of my tips to add a little happiness and sunshine to your day. Rock on ladies, rock on!

stay at home mum and happy home

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Lately I have been working harder to be a happy stay at home mum. 

I love being a stay at home mum and love working on having a happy home.

I know not every day around here is going to be bliss with raising a large family but I have been wanting to be happier in my role and to seek for a happy home. It has been a while, 13 years in fact, since I made the decision to be a stay at home mum. It was an easy decision to make in my heart but a difficult decision to make financially. It really involved turning my back on going back to work and to commit to spending my time focusing on my family each and every day.

Some days I feel as if I am trapped or stuck within the walls of my home and feel stir crazy looking at the same furniture, same mess and same home decorations each day.

Even though I have days like that I take my role as a stay at home mum very seriously. I expect that there are going to be days when I don't feel like doing it, where I feel overwhelmed and where I just don't feel like I can take it any more. Days where I just don't feel happy at home. On these days my mind starts to wander and I start thinking about what my life would be like if I was in the workforce or even a work from home mum.

For me being a stay at home mum involves so much more than doing the dishes, doing the washing and doing the cooking. All of those activities are necessary and important and have to be done but for me it is also about creating a good home environment and about creating a 'feel' to our home.

I work hard on analysing each room in our house. On getting the set up and design right. I de-clutter and simplify to create space for play and fun. I try to only have items in our home that reflect our family and values. Although I do this, I also strongly believe that the feel in a home is vital to achieve a happy home.

I have been to homes that are spotless, that are extremely well organised only to have a cold, sad feeling in the home. A feeling of a family that is not connected, that is controlled by routines and the busyness of life instead of joy and laughter. A feeling that there is not that environment or climate for growth and love, but more of keeping up an image and pressure to be perfect. 

I know I am probably coming across as judging others and I am not saying that it wrong and that they do not love their children but for me, I like to always be on the lookout for ways that I can improve in my role as a stay at home mum. I pay attention to how I feel and what I see when whenever I am out as I always have my mum hat on...learning, pondering and desiring to be better.

Not perfect, but better.

Most importantly to help the feel of our home, I work hard on myself.  My own happiness and attitude plays a vital role in the feel of our home. Keeping up a good attitude and cheerful disposition each day as a stay at home mum is a difficult task.

With seven children in my home, at least one person is always feeling sad or upset about something and I know that this can affect the feel in our home. For me, as a stay at home mum I try to not let the attitude or feelings of my children determine what mood I will be in for the day.

It is hard to be cheerful when you have several children upset or moody but I am getting better at waking up and determining my own happiness for the day and sticking to that happiness plan.

It is not possible to do every single day.
It is possible to do most days.

Often I feel that many women feel depressed or disappointed with life as a stay at home mum because they have their expectations set way too high. They expect that they have to enjoy every moment, that every day is going to delightful and fun and go smoothly. Ask any woman who has children if this is what actually happens and they will say NO.

Right now for me, I am happy to be a stay at home mum, raising my cherubs and being a homemaker. I am spending more time looking for small treasures in my day, working on feeling happier within myself and trying to create a better 'feel' in my home so we can have a happy home.

Being a stay at home mum is my career choice.
I truly love it am so thankful I get the opportunity to do so.