Happy Holidays.

This year to celebrate my girls 2nd Birthday we had our photos taken for a Christmas card and as I love supporting local businesses I would like to do a Big Shout Out Thanks to:

• Rachel from the Atomicbutterfly Photography. It was a challenge to get the girls to look and try to smile at the same time at the camera but we got there in the end.
• Jess from Belle Bazaar Boutique. Belle Bazaar Boutique is a beautiful boutique located in the leafy suburb of Upper Mt Gravatt. Jess sources the world trying to find the best unique gifts around. While at her store I bought my lovely blue dress (can’t stop wearing it).
• We also bought the red Christmas headbands the girls wore from Lila Designs.
• My ear-rings are crochet little masterpieces from Eumundi markets and lastly
• The girls Christmas dresses were hand made from Born Gorgeous.
  

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

xoxo

Yesterday I watched that Sarah Jessica Parker movie, I Don’t know How She Does it. I know in my last post I was a little frustrated with the tag line but it has been a few weeks and time does start to heal wounds and well today I decided that yes, I can do it. Today is Halloween and with the daycare notices notifying it was “Pirates and Fairies” day, I decided that my little girls were not to miss out. So I trawled the local craft market yesterday to find my Gold Coast retro creation filled with tie-dye, lace and glitter. Another stall made $5 wands and I dug up head bands that matched. Ta-Da 

This morning as I awoke and reached for my phone for the time it read 7:58AM. 7:58AM!!! Never in the past two years have I been able to sleep past 6:30am and I am supposed to on the freeway on the commute to work by now. But just a hint of my mornings with the added pressure of lateness and getting out the door here I go:

• Bowl of cereal for the girls. Not that healthy but at least they eat it.
• Race to my bedroom to throw on a skirt and not so matching top.
• Necklace and a ring – forget the ear-rings today.
• Cheap foundation (can really tell the difference from the nice stuff) and spitting on my fingers to rub in the jaw line. Slap on some lipstick and too bright pink eye-shadow.
• Moana has been coughing and sick. Decision made to go ahead with daycare taking risk that may be called later today to take her home. Give panodol and a kiss.
• Daycare bag packed yesterday. Bonus.
• Work bag pulled together. Lunch a $2.50 Lean Cuisine that was on sale.
• Try to dress girls as they run away and pull off shoes.
• Write letter to babysitter with list for dinner.
• Pick up one child and one bag – out in car
• Return to house, pick up second child, second bag and huge bag of garbage as trying to turn off lights, and lock doors and carry it all out to car.
• Drive to daycare.
• Take one child in, sign in.
• Rush back to car, collect second child. Speak to carer. Take Photo. Click.
• Speak to Director who confirms girls have been accepted in for a third day next year.
• Back to car. Turn on Blackberry. Lights flash. 20 messages and 2 missed calls. Crap.
• Notice ladder in stocking.
• Notice pale white stain on skirt – toothpaste?
• Notice hair a mess and need new shoes.
• Blackberry beeps – first meeting 9:30am.

Oh well. It is now 7:54pm. The house is Silent.

Lisa xox

Don’t say to me “I don’t know how you do it?” because I am not really interested. It pisses me off actually. It does not feel like a complement. More like, “I am glad it’s not me” kind of comment. It is about six weeks since the girls dad moved out and “I don’t know how you do it” is agonizing. The fact is I don’t want to be doing it on my own but I have too.  For the past few weeks dinner has been a massive stress. I enjoy my job and love my home but there is an hour and half distance between them both. So when I collect the girls from daycare, dinner seems an impoosible feat when I am tired, the girls are cranky, dirty and there is never anything prepared in the fridge. So after weeks of take out and crap for dinner I put action and made three little change that start this week.

1. Did my grocery shopping online. The relief was quite sad when it was packed and delivered to my kitchen yesterday.

2. Spent a few minutes looking at recipes and prepared a weeking Dinner Planner and printed it out and placed it on the fridge.

3. Hired a Babysitter to pick up the girls from daycare two days a week to help me out for a few hours with bath and dinner.

Simple changes but hopefully a start while I build some organisation and routine back into my life.

L

Recently I asked on Twitter where I can receive daily affirmation emails and I was pleasantly surprised by an instant reply to a link to “Notes from the Universe.”

These Notes are brief passages written by “The Universe,” personalized with your name (and occasionally your personal goals and dreams), designed to remind you that you have, indeed, been given dominion over all things.

I have the emails sent to work and they usually arrive around 6pm at night. Red light flashing on my Blackberry and I open the email that is from the sender The Universe, and a little note addressed to me to make me stop, ponder and remind myself daily of my dreams and goals. These little notes are slightly different from daily affirmations of positive self talk: I am strong, I love and approve myself, I am healthy. These little notes are directional and remind you to ask, believe and the Universe will provide.

I recommend trying it and tell me your story.

L

xox

“Life is Difficult.” is the first sentence in Dr M. Scott Peck’s famous novel, The Road Less Travelled.The Road Less Traveled, 25th Anniversary Edition : A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth (See all Self-Help Books)

At the moment my life is difficult but I have accepted it and true to Dr Peck’s wisdom it seems less difficult to manage. One strategy that is helping me get through this next chapter of my life is recording 3 items I am thankful for every day. I picked up a beautiful book from Kikki.K self titled, Gratitude and before I go to bed, I select a coloured felt pen and pause for a moment to record 3 Things that I am Grateful for Today. It is not always easy when they days feel like mud but surprisingly even if it it is something simple like:

• I have a place to live
• I have a job I enjoy
• Peace and quiet
• My health
• Two walking Toddlers
• Chocolate cake
• Walk on the Beach

I start to feel better and I start to believe again that life is beautiful and everything is going to be ok.

“If you realised how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought” ~ Peace Pilgrim.

Lisa

I recently ordered two lovely personalised children’s scrapbook frames from LaLaLa Designs for my girls. Yesterday I was so happy to be able to put them up over their cots. I had seen Linda’s work at the Mummy Tree Markets and since I love locally designed art and fashion, I went and ordered two.  Moana means Ocean in Maori so that was the theme of her frame whereas Adelaide’s middle name is Rose so something Rose inspired was the theme for hers. If you want to check out LaLaLa Designs facebook and website there are many more gorgeous scrapbook frames to choice from.

Lisa

The girls in their cots with their LaLaLa Designs frames

There are only three ways to make more money:

1. Earn More

2. Cut expenses

3. Sell Something.

I have started a new Vision Board to create abundance back into my life and my focus is a new house deposit. It is daunting to start all over again but I believe that all goals are achievable once you divide them up into little steps. The frustrating thing is, is that I saved up for a house deposit years ago and bought a house with my brother. Although there were advantages for this, now it just means I am unable to access any equity hence I am starting all over again.

This Vision Board has a ruler down the centre in $500 intervals. “But its only $30,000″ they say. YES I know I need 3 times as much but I want my Vision Board to be achievable right? I actually want to see I am achieving something. I can always do another one for the $31,000 plus!!. So I have had another look at the budget and set up an automatic debit of $250 a week into the house deposit account. In the next few weeks I will be transferring $1000 from my tax return so that is a good start anyway. With this in place and focusing on it 100% I believe I can double and triple my weekly savings to $750 a week.

Wish me luck and send me any saving and budget tips. I would love to hear from you.
I will post my Money Vision Board next month.
L

This week I am responding to one Mama Kat’s weekly prompts: Your Grandma’s story. This is especially poignant as my grandmother, Nan now lives in a nursing home and has dementia. But once not long ago, she was a vibrant, healthy and remarkable woman. When I was 14 (17 years ago!!), I had an English Assignment to write a biography of a family member so I dragged out my crumpled report with photos glued and pages in plastic sleeves to compile a post of memories my grandmother had when I interviewed her 17 years ago. I have scanned my little report here, “Living History of Winifred Henderson.” Interviewed and written in 1994.

• My name is Winifred Mavis Henderson. I was born on Valentine’s Day in 1927 in Mackay Queensland. I was the youngest of eight children and slightly spoilt. My father was born in Australian and he was a rail guard. My mother was born in England and emigrated to Australia with her sister.
• My family lived in an old Queenslander house. It was on stilts and it rained often. The house had 7 bedrooms although I slept on the veranda with my bed and cupboard.
• We had a real healthy sort of life. Breakfast was meat, and then lunch was meat with salad or vegetables. Baking day was once a week. As a teenager I never drank alcohol. Pastimes included the wireless and movie pictures and dances.
• We made all our own clothes and took great care of them. We had no washing machine, we used a boiler, washing board and soap.
• The most heartbreaking family event was when my brother David died. During World War 2 everyone was afraid of the telegram boy. He had the job of taking the bad news of the young men who had died to the houses. One day it came true and the telegram boy knocked on our door. David was killed in action. He was 22. That was the worst day in my life.
• If you were not married by 23 you were considered a spinster so girls usually married before then. Wives never kept a job. In my late teens I met my husband at a dance. It was during the war and the orchestra was playing. All the girls would sit on the side and when the orchestra started, men would race to the girl they wanted to dance with. However one night just before the men asked the girls, the lights went out due to an air-raid. My to-be husband was heading towards my friend but mistook her for me so I danced with him instead. At 22 we were married.
• I had 7 children and moved to Brisbane. My children gave me joy and heartaches. I now enjoy seeing my 8 grandchildren grow and learn. (17 years later my grandparents now have 21 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren).
• I have travelled around the world and seen many exciting places. So right now I am happy, healthy and content with my achievements I have made for myself. Although times have changed dramatically since I was a little girl, I expect they will change much further in the future of my great grandchildren.

What will you tell your grandchildren and great grandchildren?

Lisa

My Grandparents 2011

 Focus on Abundance

Abundance,Wealth, Prosperity, Financial Freedom– we all crave it, not just for what the money will do, but for the choices it will give us, for the fun we can create with it, for the life we can live with it. Why is it that some people seem to attract money and riches so easily, and others live their entire lives struggling to make ends meet?

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Why does it often seem that the rich just get richer and the poor just get poorer? Well guess what – it’s not about how MUCH money you make, but how you THINK about money and what you DO with that money that will make all the difference between whether you will live a life of Prosperity or one of continual money challenges. But no matter what your situation – it CAN be changed. If you desire MORE Abundance in your life – then read on!

Living the life of your dreams instead of just dreaming about it is all about creating a Millionaire Mindset. And that’s my specialty! I have been a Prosperity Mentor for over 4 years with clients from all over the world. I love to share different strategies, skills, exercises and ideas on how to keep your mind focused on raising the levels of Wealth in your life. Because the more you focus on something, the FASTER you will attract it into your life.

Take a moment to think about where your focus or predominant mental attitude is. And if it’s more on your bills, debts and lack of money, then you MUST begin to focus on wealth, riches and prosperity – or you will never be able to attract it into your life. A surprisingly simple but amazingly powerful exercise to attract prosperity to you takes less than a minute a day, and if you do this daily, you’ll be amazed at what you begin to attract into your life. This exercise is called Abundance Breaths and basically all you need to do is breathe. Well, actually, it’s a little more than that…

As already stated, you become what you focus on. Too often, it can be challenging to know exactly what you do want. You get caught up in trying to make up your mind – “Do I want this or that? What if I get that and I really would have preferred this?” “I thought I wanted this, but now I think I want that”.

Sometimes it’s easier if you can just focus on the feeling of abundance, rather than the specifics of what that abundance will be. It is the feeling that has the attraction power anyway. You can get specific when all the money comes in!

What you should do before this exercise to create avalanches of abundance and prosperity is find a comfy chair and sit down with your feet flat on the floor, back straight and hands resting in your lap with palms facing up. Gently close your eyes and keep them closed. Before you get started just imagine that you are now surrounded by tiny, minute particles of abundance; that you are immersed in a sea of prosperity and you can reach out and touch it and bring it into your life whenever you desire (which you can!).

When you’re ready, take a long, slow, deep Abundance Breath in to the count of three, totally expanding and filling your lungs. Imagine all the while that you are breathing in those particles of prosperity and they are filling every fibre of your being. Feel that feeling of being flooded with abundance. Hold your breath for the count of nine and feelevery atom, every cell in your entire body being plumped up with prosperity, filled with abundance, vibrating with riches. And then slowly, to the count of six, breathe out that Abundance to circulate throughout the Universe – really force all that air out.

Once again, take another long, slow, deep Abundance Breath in, and this time, see your body light up from the inside out, glowing with prosperity, sparkling with riches, dazzling with wealth. I like to imagine that my body is glowing from the inside out with that same golden glow that radiates from Scrooge McDuck’s millions, or the gold in Aladdin’s cave! Once again, hold for the count of nine, seeing that glow, feeling that glow, then on the out breath, once again breathe out the abundance to circulate throughout the Universe.

One last time, slowly breathe in a huge big Abundance Breath for the count of three, and while you hold that breath for the count of nine, imagine and feel what it’s like to be totally abundant, amazingly wealthy, to have achieved financial freedom and be rich beyond your wildest dreams.

Feel how that feels; feel how light and free and good that feels. Expand that feeling; feel it flood through your body. Embrace that amazing feeling throughout your body, mind and spirit. And for the last time, slowly breathe that abundance and prosperity out to circulate throughout the Universe.

And when you’re ready, slowly open your eyes, feeling prosperous, feeling wealthy, feeling rich, rich, rich! As I said, this is a very easy, very powerful little trick you can do daily or many times, if you want to attract MORE into your life. It only takes a couple of minutes, but has amazing money-magnetizing powers. Once you get really good at your Abundance Breaths, you won’t even need to close your eyes – you will be able to feel those feelings, see your body glowing with prosperity and really feel you are beginning to attract money anytime, anywhere – what fun! Remember, the idea is to focus on what you DO want – and that’s a life filled with prosperity, abundance, riches, wealth and happiness!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sandy

Forster, Author of the International Bestseller How to Be Wildly Wealthy FAST, offers more exciting free resources, articles, tele-conferences, books and live events in the areas of prosperity,success and personal empowerment.

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