I met another Angel

My girls both believe in the magic of fairies and Angels. And I believe in the magic of my girls...
but the Angels I speak of here are as real as you and I and work as healers in the broad sense of the word.

When I stop to think about all the angelic healers I've met in my life I realise I could fill a book with those experiences. The kinesiologist I once knew who, although dying of breast cancer (unknown to me at the time), treated me with such devotion, love and care...the psychologist who knew well enough that what I needed most was to have someone help me laugh at my crazy thoughts and make a lightness of it all...the angels at Tresillian who took me under their wings and carried me through the sleeplessness of motherhood to the saner side of the river...

This morning I saw another angel, disguised as an osteopath. She treated my 2.5year old fairy's condition with such keen interest and focus and love that I came away feeling both connected and satisfied, for myself and my daughter, that she was in the hands of an angel (a professional with an open heart and healing intentions).

But sometimes angels come in other forms...like the new mum friends I made when Lily started school in 2009...and the my new neighbours...and the strange woman in the bookshop who hugged me with her eyes when she realised I was looking through the 'stress and anxiety' section.

As a mother, finding a professional angel healer is so incredibly wonderful, especially when you're searching for answers and hitting dead-ends. To meet an angel can make all the difference in how we treat our children, or ourselves, and how we live our lives. The shifts can be subtle or profound, and can have amazing effects well beyond the symptoms you're having treated at the time.

There are things I'll never understand about healing and health, like why innocent children get sick and die and why beautiful, kind, loving mothers can get cancer and leave their little ones...

But one thing I have seen and felt and BELIEVE to be true...is that LOVE plays an enormous part in healing.

Remember life before FACEBOOK? iPhones? SmartTVs? Internet? Time to de-stress from e-stress...

Remember the days before Facebook, internet and mobile phones? When being away from your homephone meant you couldn't be reached and people were paid to sit at desks and take paper messages for other people who were busy in meetings and uncontactable?

Plenty of good has come with the advent of technology but I can't help wonder whether being more AVAILABLE has enhanced our lives, especially as mothers.

Have we simply become like walking 7/11 stores, always open for business? How many times have heard someone say: 'but didn't you get my email/ text/ IM/ Facebook message?'

Once upon a time, at 5pm Fridays, pubs were full of people celebrating the end of another week and the expectation they'd be free of work until 9am Monday. But both my husband and I have recently received Sunday morning emails with the expectation of a response that same day.  How rude! The trick is, of course, not to respond until 9am Monday or better still, don't check your emails until 8.59am.

I was recently gifted an iPhone, for which I'm completely grateful. But I have come to learn the hard way that in order to have some true peace and quiet during evenings and weekends, the iPhone (with its beeping email inbox and whirring text) has to be turned off (or atleast silenced).

I've seen many a parent at the park, pool or beach head down, texting, occasionally glancing up for a child safety check. I do it myself. I'm guilty. This is not a criticism, more an observation. The question begs: what were we all doing before texting and Facebook? Having more conversations with our partner or friends? playing with the kids? Reading a magazine or newspaper? Sleeping?

I was not surprised to hear a Tresillian staffer of 30 years express that one of the deepest concerns they had for mothers and children was the amount of time parents are spending online. It seems our online-lives are eating up our off-line real ones.

And this texting and Facebook thing is kind of addictive. If you're not careful you can find yourself with an uneasy feeling in your gutt, wondering what you were meant to do that you've forgotten, only to remember you haven't been in Facebook for 24 hours and need to check in to get your fix.

I recently decided to detox my inbox and get rid of all those email newsletters I never have time to read or file away for 'later'. I also committed to Facebook Fridays, to keep myself off it the other six days a week. Didn't last long...

My family got together recently for my mother's birthday and - for the first time in a long time - we had a e-free event. No one was texting or beeping or downloading. It wasn't until the next day that I realised we'd coped without our digital fixes.

I know...all things in moderation. But like most things in the home, I've been given the job of internet, TV and iPod moderator...known as the fun police! Weekdays aren't as much of a problem - the lines are clear and the kids too busy to tune in. But weekends are harder to patrol and I'm constantly turning off the digital entertainment and beckoning my family to play and interact the old fasioned way!

Great 'Digital Detox' article at Wellbeing online...

Springcleaning My LIFE...It's gotta be done cause life's CRAZY busy!

Spring has sprung! And it feels like the year's just flying past. When I look at what lies ahead between me and Christmas, it's overwhelming: loads of client work, school holidays, an at-home wedding to plan and a full-on two year old.
...It's easy to fall into full speed ahead this time of year, but I've decided to Spring Clean my life in order to (try) to avoid complete overload and burnout!!!
So I asked myself:
'What could I give up, let go of, complete, delegate, declutter or do differently that would SIMPLIFY my life and bring me FREEDOM, time, space and PEACE rather than madness?!@#'

I was inspired into action by the fact my neice, who'd I'd asked to help sort my tax receipts, managed to do in under 3 hours would have probably taken my until Christmas.
So here are some of the possibilities I came up with:
- Postpone till 2012 the 12 week online business course I recently signed up with.
- Postpone till 2012 building my new superdooper MumSanctuary website.
- Get my 2010/2011 tax out of the way (with the help of my super efficient neice).
- Get ruthless with tossing out/ giving away the loads of STUFF that's grown in our storage.
- Start grocery shopping online.
- Get ride of all those online subscriptions that I never ever have time to open and read and keep only my favourite 3.
- Limit my Facebooking to once a week.

Doesn't matter where I start, making any of these changes will help make breathing space in my life. The trick, of course, will be resisting the urge to fill up that space with yet MORE STUFF!
Happy spring cleaning.

Lyndal
;0)

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When I am at PEACE...magic happens!

Zen Garden. http://www.blueangelonline.com/

I dropped into a local park today with Amy (18 months) after a quick trip to the supermarket. My mind had been racing all morning. I couldn't stop thinking about all the things I needed to this week and knew I couldn't get started until Amy had her lunchtime sleep.
I was feeling the great pressure of the job hunt and impatient for a result. At the same time, I was trying to figure out how to maintain my daily writing ritual, plus catch up on my taxes, plus plan for the school holidays (fast approaching).
I fell into OVERWELM...then, I remembered, really remembered, the only way to end this peaceless-ness, this restless-ness is to surrender to THIS VERY MOMENT. Here in the park, my only job is to be present with my girl, to have fun with her.
Work and job searching, and tax and tonight’s dinner and school holiday plans...can all WAIT! Once I surrender, really let go and become fully present, magic happens. Children start to chat to me and involved me in their games. I’m like a fun magnet. Amy and I have a wonderful time together. She comes away exhausted from the play. I come away feeling energized and lighter than when I arrived.
Two years ago I attended a retreat for mums up here in the Blue Mountains. One of the discussions was about PEACE and how we LOSE OUR PEACE THROUGH THE PROCESS OF THINKING. It's said the true nature of peace is silence, but I don't that neccessarily means COMPLETE silence. For me, today, in the park, it was just a matter of silencing the chatter of my own mind; the chatter of all that needed to be done, and pay attention ONLY to what was happening right in front of me and around me in that incredible park full of beautiful ,happy children and sunlight and autumn's first leaves.
 
At the mum's retreat, we were asked to write our own poem/ piece of writing titled:  'When I am at peace'. Here's what I wrote then. And I feel the same way now.
 
When I am at peace...all is well in my world. Love surrounds me, all I do, all I experience. I bring peace and love into my heart and home, my conversations, my work, my joyful everyday living.
When I am at peace, I feel like moving, easily, naturally, outdoors, working with my body, filling my mind with positive energy and love and laughter. When I’m at peace I laugh more, dance more with my daughter and move with a grace that flows effortlessly and beautifully along life’s river.
I LOVE PEACE
I AM PEACE,
I CHOOSE PEACE

What happens when YOU are at peace?

You Sexy Mother...a life-changing approach...

Just finished reading You Sexy Mother - a life-changing approach to motherhood by Jodie Hedley-Ward... a self-help title which "...redefines what it means to be a stay-at-home mum today."

Not a huge fan of self-help, particularly for mothers, but forced my way through the first few pages. It was worth the effort. Thought I'd write a brief review. Read it yourself? Let me know what you think...

Like all self-help books, it’s a matter of helping yourself to the bits that suit you and your lifestyle at this point in your motherhood. It’s no one-size-fits-all, but has something for every mother. My advice is to go straight to page 70 and read – several times: ‘We all face our own unique set of challenges, which is why comparing ourselves with others or trying to follow another mother’s blueprint will never work, and it will certainly never make us feel happy.’
This woman’s enthusiasm is incredible; you can feel her jumping off the pages. So, it’s ideal for the mother who’s ready to change gear and shake things up.
Ward has loads of great ideas to try on for size, including getting creative with play spaces in your home, transforming your wardrobe from drab to hip, and creating chill out zones in your home where you can relax throughout the day.
Favourite advice: Assess your energy levels each morning and approach the day accordingly. I love this approach, rather than ‘dragging’ yourself through a day for the sake of crossing items off a long to-do list. Pursue your passions: I think that just like exercise, the stuff you do for yourself gives you energy. It’s when we waste time doing things because we think we should that we feel drained and depleted.
Favourite exercise: ‘Let’s Go Shopping’ where you write yourself a pretend cheque, dress up in your finest and head out with the intention of spending the whole lot on yourself and your home. It might sound a ridiculous time-waster at first, but it’s a great way to shop like a pro, see what looks great on you and – in my case – shrug off the guilt monkey and try on some items with a higher price tag than $30.
Bummed out reading: ‘When you are at your most vulnerable, sleep-deprived and emotional, that is when it is most important to choose your words wisely and remember just how important this relationship is to the stability and happiness of your family.’ – too late for me.
Life Changing? If you're into it, lives up to its promise: “...redefines what it means to be a stay-at-home mum today...”
Overall: Worth owning, reading and lending to any mum (with the page 70 warning) who’s ready and ripe for change.

Mother's Thursday FANTASY...sheer lunacy!

After 17 months at home with her mum, my todder (Amy) has started one day a week at Family Daycare. Finding a daycare spot that's local, available and perfectly suitable is like winning lotto as far as most mothers are concerned. This one came with glowing references and is walking distance from my house - perfect!
So as soon as I could see bub-free Thursdays on my horizon I began to fantastise about my ideal Thursday. It goes something like this:




6am rise for daily morning 'Me-time' Ritual*
10-15 mins yoga, 10-15 mins meditation, 30 min sunrise stroll, followed by a dry body scrub, almond oil naked rub down (self-applied), citrus essential oil shower, finished with cup of jasmine green tea - all before waking the kids.
Relaxing breakfast with kids. Robert makes Lily's school lunch, I pack Amy's daycare bag and off we trot merrily at 8.30am on the dot. Return around 9.15am to start my day...
Work in my office 'till 11.45am then pick up my elderly friend for our weekly luncheon date. (Eat something scrumptions and healthy). Return to my desk by 1.30 for another 4 hours of work before picking up the kids and coming home for an early dinner I've organised the night prior.

March 3 is my third attempt at Fantasy Thursdays. Week one I was flat out sick on the couch. Week two Bob was flat out grumpy with a case of facial shingles. So, here we are week 3 growing ever eager to fulfill my Thursday Fantasy. Here's how it went (my Thursday, March 3 REALITY):

1.30am: Woken at by cockatoo screech of teething toddler who refuses to be consoled in her own cot and insists on lying on the floor (in makeshift bed) slapping mum's face and poking her for over an hour. Give it my absolute best shot to remain cool, calm and collected until - after two hours of wrestling and screaching - I restrain her in a sleeping bag and leave her to screach herself to sleep. I'm on her floor with an earplug in one ear cheering her on, lovingly. (Mothers need medals for nights like this!Or some sort of government funded stress/ sleep debt bonus!!)
We both settle into sleep around 4am for what seems like 5 minutes.
7.30am: Woken by that all-to-familiar cockatoo screach. Desperate for a shower, I hand her over to Bob and Lily. One minute into my shower she's banging on the shower door, balling and calling for muuuuuuuuuuuuum! Shower is short and not so sweet but it'll have to do.
7.45am: Remember we have unexpected houseguests who, without a doubt, lost a couple of hours of sleep last night. Stuff breakfast into kids. Realise we're out of just about everything. Send Bob for a desperate run to the shops. Run to the verandah to add jam to Bob's list. Lean over the railing to get his attention. Already driving out in the car. In desperation, throw 1/2 piece of avocado toast at the car windscreen. Leaves a HUGE smudge but he fails to notice ('till I'm explaining the green smudge when we're back in the car 45 minutes later).
8am: I'm crawling across a landscape of clean, unfolded laundry on my bedroom floor desperatly seeking school socks. Find a second sock and feel momentarily victorious. Hand them to Lily. She informs me they're not matching. My inner dragon wants to scream 'I DONT GIVE A FLYING ....!'. Fortunately my sleep deprived seven second delay has kicked in, so I respond with: 'That's OK darling, just roll them down.'
8.25: Like the Rooster I am (Chinese astrology), I announce our departure in 5 minutes, then realise only two toddler wipes remain. Not even the most resourceful daycare worked could stretch those over an 8 hr day with my daughter's butt! Plan to pick up wipes between drop offs.
8:40am: Say good morning to the emerging houseguests. Load the family into the car. Win the toddler arch back battle squeezing her into the seat. Explain the avocado windscreen smudge. Listen to three people talking at once throughout the trip. Brain begins to melt and all three voices start to merge into one. I answer no questions, just nod. I notice a school boy being tossed into a skip bin by another, with several onlookers, and don't even apply a brake. (7 second delay...)
8.55am: Drop Lil at school gate. So distracted by Bob (and sleepy) I almost run over the lollipop man at the crossing, who (usually) bids me good morning. Wake myself with ice cold car air conditioning.
9am: Drop Bob at the station, pick up some wipes at the supermarket and head to daycare.
9:15am: Arrive at daycare. Amy clutching me like a newborn koala. She eventually relaxes and begind busying herself when I realise her shoes are on the wrong feet (explains the strange walk).
9:30am: Leave daycare swiftly, ignoring cries and wait outside the door to hear hear her settle (only 30 seconds of guilt, thank God).
9:40am: Arrive home to my houseguests. Sit and chat while stuffing my face with my first cup of tea and some breakfast.
10am: Set up houseguests with activities for the day. Put on a load of washing. Look at my list of to-do's...

• Finish business Marketing plan
• Do all 6 loads of washing
• Set up 3-4 work meeting for next week
• Travel 20 mins down the mountain for dental x-ray
• Pick up Jill for lunch
• Organise dinner for houseguests and their visitors

Revise list:

• Forget business Marketing plan...brain asleep
• Wash essentials...clean undies & tomorrow's uniform
• Stay off the phone
• Forget dental x-ray...avoid unneccessary driving (they say driving without sleep is like driving drunk)
• Pick up Jill for lunch
• Pick up sausages, onions and buns for hotdogs (dinner) and suggest guests go OUT to visit after dinner.

11.45am: Head out to pick up Jill for lunch. On the way, fill the car with petrol and myself with 2 Cherry Ripes! Eat one immediately. Spot a truck on the opposite side of the highway, its wheels have come off and are rolling up the road into a service station. A man filling his tank watches nervously. I miss the end but laugh at how fitting the scene is in this somewhat MAD day.
12noon-1.45pm: Lunch with my friend and laugh at the day. Drop her at home and scoff second Cherry Ripe.
2pm: Arrive back home, chat to houseguests briefly and look again at my to-do list.
2.30pm - 4.00pm: I SLEEP a deep, deep sleep and dream a little dream of next week's Thursday ...
4.00pm: Wake, splash water on face. Apply minimal 'healthy look' make-up, drink cup of digestive tea to deal with unhealthy lunch and two Cherry Ripes. Head off to pick up kids...