H2O = Water = 'a colourless, transparent, odourless, liquid which forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms' according to the search of 'the meaning of water' on the ever present dictionary google. 
In my previous blog article 'Out of Habit - Part I' I was telling you about how I effortlessly created a new habit in meditating. I did promise you my 2nd example of simply forming a new habit. I did also say 'Water'. About 2 weeks ago my daughter hit me with a challenge which I took up without hesitation. The challenge was to drink only water for a month. That meant water as the only beverage. No tea, no coffee, juice, soft drinks or any other liquids available on the market these days. 
Surely it couldn't be that bad, you say, drinking just water. Day in, day out, several times a day. Week in, week out. With every other activity, time flies and I wonder where it went and why I didn't seem to accomplish all the things I had planned to do.

So, I am now halfway through it and unfortunately there were a couple of times when I slipped up, where I chose to slip up. Where I allowed others to sneak a cuppa into my hand. I silently confess, two of those times it was my mother - shhhh. She would say things like: 'The rooibos tea came from South Africa so you must drink it.' or 'I have already ordered and paid for it, so I can't cancel the order.' Bless you mum!  I will be adding 2 more days onto the month because of that. Others tried to convince me that surely it would be ok to have tea or even coffee or green tea. I countered with then I could have any beverage because there is probably some kind of water content in them! Mostly, I'd say 99.......% I have been very good with this challenge. Although in the first week or so, it was agonising! I am not an overly big coffee drinker, prefer tea. I don't drink much juice and stay away from soft drinks or alcohol. Yet, it was soooooo challenging for me to all of sudden not being able to have any of that. The grass seemed to be greener on the other side, because I actually had cravings for some of it. 

I am proud to say that I am now, after reaching midpoint, automatically reaching for that glass of water. I have tap water, water that's been boiled in the kettle. I have that as my standard beverage. Even when I go to a cafe, I ask for hot water. Are you proud of me? It has been a little more challenging for my daughter, but I am proud to say that she has now also reached that point where it is a habit to drink water. A couple of times she slipped up as well, but I (when I noticed) was able to remind her that she was the one who challenged me to do it with her, so the least she could do was to help me by sticking it out with me. Bless her. 

Do I feel better? I do in several ways, yes. Physically because water I believe is the best thing to drink and is great and essential for our health. Mentally I feel great because I am again proving to myself that it is possible to change my ways, habits and thinking - with some of them it may be a bit more challenging but if I persist and endure, I will succeed. And before you dash off - I'll leave you with 3 benefits of drinking water:
~ it helps control calories
~ It pumps energy into your muscles
~ it boosts your immune system

Are you ready to go on a water challenge with me? If I can do it, so can you! Let me know how you go with it, send me a quick message. If you are struggling, send me a message too and I'll give you a bit of a boost of energy to keep going! :) Let's create magic in our bodies, by drinking water and create great and healthful habits, balance and lifestyle changes.
"If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." ~ Loren Eisley

Lots of watery hugs to you,
Ruth

​A common problem that all working moms or mums in business face today is to find time to attend to your family without being stressed after a hard day’s work. While it is true that both your job/business and your family deserve the best of you, how do you give your best when you are feeling overworked and tired?

This is why working mums need to balance their time through an effective Time management strategy. With proper time management, you can do well in your work as well as enjoy your family life and be there for your children and your partner when they need you. Here are 8 tips to let you achieve this win-win status.

1. ​Prioritize- Have weekly to-do list for your tasks at work & home.
2. Focus - Pay attention on the task at hand. You will find that the quality and efficiency will help you to complete your tasks with time to spare.
3. Organize – Arrange your work place & home in a manner that will help you to save time.
4. Leverage certain tasks - Leveraging other people’s time allows a working mom to complete multiple tasks at once. For instance if your child has classes or after school activities, you can enlist the help of another parent. Taking turns with car pooling on different days of the week can save time.
5. Involve your children- spend quality time with them by getting them to help you out in your daily house work.
6. Make lists - grocery shopping lists & 7 day Meal plans which eliminate the many trips to the grocery supermarket.
7. Wake up early - early morning hours are stress free and without the children to distract you. You will realize how relaxed you feel, having attended to your emails and other pressing tasks in these early hours.
8. Combine work & play - Make work enjoyable by including your family in it when possible.

Flitting between mother role, care giver, business woman and a loving partner needs multi-tasking skills. While attending to all these, don’t forget to set aside some “me time” to take care of your own self. Women need some time for relaxing and engage in stress free socializing. It could simply be to catch up with an old friend or to relax over a book. A spa treatment may prove a rare luxury but all these are well deserved by working women who juggle many responsibilities of motherhood and partnerships. So, put your best time management skills to practice and focus on balance by taking a bigger bite out of life.

If you would like some help with creating some really great and long-lasting self-care strategies, why don't you get in touch with me. Let's see how we can close the gap between your feeling of overwhelm and your moment of 'AAhhhhh I have done it, everything is running well and smoothly. 

Let me know what your management strategy is and where you think it should be. Simply post a comment below. 

Much love and keep shining your light,
​Ruth