How do you survive the school holidays?

Just got back from a 4 night child-free holiday. The holiday was extraordinary - grown up food, grown up conversations (lasting longer than 30 secs), even a grown-up party. It was sensational!!!
My 7 year old was so excited to see mummy home she insisted on staying home from school so we could build and make stuff together (bless her).It sounded perfect. It wasn't until I was standing in the health food store answering her questions while hip-balancing my toddler and searching desparately for my purse that reality bit me fair on the arse.
'It's under your arm,'said the shop assistant.'I explained to her I'd been out of (juggling) practice for 4 days, paid for my goods and headed home with the tribe.
By 5pm it was witching hour (me, not the kids), and I realised that today x 42 = school holidays!
4 days in paradise reminded me of how much my mind and body LOVE time to myself. One day back at home reminded me of just how difficult that can be to find during school holidays.
I'd been recently planning school holidays activities for boredom's sake. Now I realise I need to build in lazy days at home and daily me-time for sanity's sake. I'm thinking early morning yoga and walks while the kids are asleep, lazy days at home with home made ice blocks and favourite kids movies, and lots and of early nights (for me too!).
How do you survive the school holidays? Share your comments here or on our Facebook page.

OMG it's December! Never fear, L I S T M A K E R is here!!!

The kids might be overjoyed but December 1 can send a sense of panuic through the minds of mums all over the modern world. Christmas is only a month away and SO MUCH TO DO! Don't panic...as a reformed Virgo once know as 'the L I S T M A K E R' (said in an Arnold Schwarzneger type voice) I'm more than eager to share my years of experience in 'to-do' list creation.
A list can help you get organised and free up your mind, but if you're not careful it can create a prison of MUST-DO's that can create even more stress. So, grab a piece of paper and a pen for my Virgo tips for creating a list to help get you through the silly season and save your sanity:


1. Start with a DOWNLOAD - Just start writing any TO-DOs that have been buzzing around your head. Take your time to completely download all of the things you think you need to do, even the minor things like buy wrapping paper or bigger things like shopping for food for Christmas Day. Keep writing until you feel your mind is free of these. (Don't be too overwhelmed about what you see in front of you...better out than clouding up your mind!)
2. Sift and SEPARATE - Circle or underline those things you consider urgent or really, really, really important.(If they have a deadline, put that date next to them).
3. Letting go - Are there any things you can either let go of, delegate to someone else, or do more simply (eg online or over the phone?). This is a great process to repeat several times between now and Christmas, especially if you're feeling overwhelmed.
4. Less is MORE - Remember, the less you have on your list to DO, the more time you have for YOU and your family! More time to create and enjoy the Christmas/ holiday period YOU WANT!
5. Make it a WISHLIST - At the top of a fresh piece of paper write 'My Christmas Wishlist'. Spend a few minutes thinking about how you want Christmas to FEEL for you this year. If it's usually mad and stressful, you might prefer a calmer, more joy filled one. Write one sentence about the experience YOU WANT this time around. (We spend so much time making Xmas special for others and rarely think about how we'd like to experience it!).

Then, transfer your list items across to this new 'wishlist', keeping in mind what you've 'sifted and separated' and any 'letting go' you've been able to do. Put your list in your diary, on the fridge or stuck on the inside a kitchen cupboard where you can add to it, take away or tick off. Remember, less (to do) is more (FOR YOU!).

Remember too that being organised can make life easier but PERFECTION is over rated and exhausting!!!

Happy Christmas preparations,
Lyndal

4 nights without kids...is that possible?

...anything is possible! It's been 14 months since bubs arrived and way too long since I've had a child-free break. I know this to be true because I get this strange itch I need to scratch ( I also start going a little nuts!!!)
So, in one week's time I'm heading off to Byron for 4 nights with a wonderful dear friend. For 4 days I'll have music and markets and early morning walks and maybe even fabulous cocktails, instead of dinners to cook and beds to make and clothes to wash and a bum to wipe and bodies to bathe.
It's not that I don't LOVE being a mum. In fact, it's because I love being a mum that I'm so looking forward to my break. I've met some mothers who could not imagine holidaying without their kids. For me, a few days away from the madness and everydayness of motherhood is priceless and injects a new energy and zest that's much needed and most welcome. I know it's not always possible...to take the time away for your SELF. I'm grateful I have the support in my partner to go. But most importantly I'm grateful I have the ability to let go - for just a short while - of the need to control what my chidlren eat, drink and wear and when they sleep and play...And I know my heart will overflow when I'm back with my gorgeous girls, a little more carefree...

Busy mum? Dare to dream...

As a busy mum, the idea of taking time from the daily doing of motherhood to tune into your DREAMS for the future might seem like a futile waste of time.
Let's face it, sometimes it's hard to find time to pee alone!


But a recent incident reminded me of the power/ magic/ whatever you'd like to call it of planting seeds in your own garden of possibility.
As a writer, I've turned to journalling for many years as a way of doing this. I wondferful woman I once worked with taught me how to write down your future 'as if it's happening right now'. I've done this in my journal over the years and have been amazed at how dreams can gradually unfold in their own time.
I once saw Oprah doing a dream board and decided to try it myself. Mine is attached here (see pic). The AMAZING thing I realised lately is that I made and photographed it a YEAR-TO-THE DAY before my second child was born. So, even before her 'seed' was planted, my mind was doing the work!
See the gorgeous woman (bottom right) staring out from a drop-pool...I swam in one of those amazing pools on an island holiday with my sisters last February. See the woman sitting poolside (bottom left). That's me on my 4 night child-free holiday next month (more on THAT later!).
I know these boards are merely images and dreams and it's mostly about how I'd like my life to feel rather than be! But the fact is, my life really is feeling more and more like this picture every day.
If you'd asked my 18 months ago, pregnant and suffering panic attacks, or even six months ago, exhausted and in PND mode, if I thought any of this was possible, I'd shake my head. In fact I hid this dream board away for quite some time. But bringing it back out has made me realise that sometimes your dreams just sneak up on you...
Why not try a Dream Board yourself?
Or, for a different approach, you could start with creating your 'Dream Week' or 'Dream Life' with a dream mentor expert. My friend Alison Nancye is just that! Check out her site and book Recipes for Everyday Life. If you buy her book (full of 25 'life recipes'), it could possible be the best Christmas present you could ever give yourself!
Lyndal
;0)

Work Life Balance for WAHMs: 'Closing the Door' on work

I've just hoped off an online chat with a group of working mums at Connect2Mums (tautology, I know, all mums work their butts off!!!). Sooooooooo many WAHMs (Work-at-Home Mums) I speak to talk about the challenges of 'Work Life balance'.

One of the hardest things - I find - is when you 'leave' your home office and walk around with a 'hangover' (work thoughts buzzing around your head while kids buzz around your feet reminding you of all the other things you need to do PLUS the fact you haven't yet decided what to feed the beasties for dinner!)

I recently wrote a simple meditation mantra and have been using this for myself - at my desk - several times a day. I've got loads of stuff going on at the moment (who hasn't!?) I'm using this technique when I feel OVERWHELMED by all there is to do OR when I need to CLOSE THE DOOR on work and get back to being mum.

Feel free to try the Work Life Balance 'Closing the Door' meditation here. Plus, here's...

4 simple steps to 'Close the Door' on your working day:
1. Be Timely - Towards the end of your work time/day, start winding down. To keep your eye on the time you could use http://ticktocktimer.com/
2. Wind down your thoughts - During your wind down time, jot down anything weighing on your mind that might 'hangover' into your family time.
3. Ritual ending - Perform some kind of ritual that closes down your work mind (turning off the computer, closing blinds, pushing in a chair).
4. Close the door - Physically and mentally close the office door. (If you don't have a designated office find a way to 'close down').

Try finishing off with the Work Life Balance 'Closing the Door' meditation before getting back to the family or heading off to bed.

Best of luck,
Lyndal

Spring has sprung...

The Spring Equinox is just over a week away, and so's my bub's first birthday. Time for me to Springclean my mind rather than feeling stressed and overwhelmed about the looming Christmas rush. Time to celebrate bub's beautiful blossoming in her first year and ME as her mum...
If you're on the other side of the globe, autumn/ fall is a great time to 'let go' of anything that's just not serving you as a mum. Just this morning, after returning from a busy family weekend away, I could feel myself sinking under the piles of washing and the 'to-do's of work and family life.
Then I remembered to tune in to what makes me feel good, to how I want to feel in my everyday, and to what really matters to me. I took a few minutes to reflect on these things and let go of the tension of 'what I think I SHOULD be doing'.
I was inspired by my friend and mentor Alison Nancye, who says in her book 'Recipes for Everyday Life', 'Lead with your heart and the rest will follow...'. She appeared on Kerri-Anne's show (Ch 9) just last week sharing her remarkable story.

• Check out this super cute 4 min video of Babywisdom on our Laugh + Play page. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll love it!
• Essential Baby has launched a new birth section on its site. http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/birth
• Interesting Forum thread on BubHub about the mask of motherhood and whether we have a public and private face.
• Spending too much time on the internet? Finding yourself frequently falling into a cyberhole? Then check out a time-saving solution on out Time + Energy page.
• Need a quick de-stress? Try the Alternate Nostril Breathing exercise.

On the way home from the weekend trip yesterday, we stopped in at a park to stretch the legs. Lily, my 7 year old offered to push a little girl on the swing. Later, her mum came up and thanked Lily for her kindness then turned to me and thanked me for raising such a wonderful girl. The simple gesture made me feel surprisingly good. It's so much easier to hear prasie for your child than it is to receive it for yourself...

Take care, Lyndal ;0)

Mum Sanctuary launches on the Full Moon

Hello out there...

Hello and welcome to my blog, mum's sanctuary. I started this blog for a number of reasons:

1. Motherhood is mentally and physically EXHAUSTING!
2. I function best when I take time out for ME.
3. If I give all of myself to everyone else I become a BITCH!
4. I need to spend time as a human BEING, not just a human DOING all the time.
5. As a mum, looking after ME does not come naturally.
6. My instinct tells me many other mums feel the same.

As you'll see from my other motherhood blog - http://motherloadtomotherlove.blogspot.com/ - I'm a woman of many words. I love to write and talk. But, I've decided to keep this blog really SIMPLE! (Just select from the menus bar at the top). Short, simple ideas for you to try. There's no one-size fits all; some things might work for you, others probably won't. Pick and choose.

Here’s a poem I wrote the week my baby turned six months old after two nights without sleep. Little did I know I had another whole week ahead of me…temperatures, sleeplessness, viruses and a first tooth. And that was just bub. Lily (6 ½ years) was spending her evenings coughing, sleep walking and crying and hubby was working late almost every night.

edges of me, by Lyndal Edwards

When I'm exhausted
the world seems flat
my kids annoying, my husband useless
the day too daunting.

I want to scream "leave me alone"
and retreat like a bear
to a deep, dark cave
until my wintery mood passes.

My elastic band of love
snaps painfully back as
I think and feel and sometimes say
those things I know are not OK.

And with each passing moment
life offers me the chance to dance and love again
the sun's warmth, my daughter's joy
an endless invitation to step out of the void.

Sometimes I fight the fight
that later makes no sense
to stay exhausted, deluded
to show those I love the edges of me I despise.

And sometimes I surprise myself
And emerge from my exhaustion
like a lotus from the mud.

I open to the sun and the
Love that surrounds me
Effortless and Beautiful.
Anything is possible.