This is one my favourite times of the year when the world around us shakes off the dormancy of Winter and embraces the dynamic, ever changing Spring with the profusion of beautiful flowers that remind us of the fact that the world is still very much in technicolour.

So tell me?  What’s your passion? What are you passionate about? What brings you so much joy that you can spend hours upon hours doing? Passion I believe is something you can while away your day with and not realize that the time is passing by. I love books, reading and getting stuck into them – I also love spending time with people I love, I get so in the moment with them, I don’t check my watch. This can be quite stressful when I realize that I should actually be leaving to be somewhere else, like taking my daughter to her calisthenics class or my son to his basketball game.

Cooking on the other hand is definitely not my passion! I just can’t see the sense in spending hours in the kitchen cooking up a storm and then eat it all within much less time and to finish off having to clean the kitchen up. Plus I often forget ingredients or go off into another room and forget about the cooking…. (my family has many stories about my cooking skills!). Okay, okay, I hear the loud protests from all the master chefs as they read this.
 
Late last year I had the privilege of connecting with a 25-fold (perhaps even more) internationally published author - Horst Blaich. He regularly publishes family newsletters and is in the midst of writing his and his wife’s life story. He happens to be a friend’s father, so every time I see Horst, we get talking about our writing experiences. He told me about how his decades-old archive of writing materials, photographs and more that went up in smoke a little while back, which was devastating not to say the least. He has since been in the painstaking process of salvaging the remains and re-organizing it.

What does all this have to do with passion? Whilst Horst was talking to me, I noticed all of a sudden (especially when he showed me his books and the room where he keeps everything), that his voice changed. I notice how his eyes lit up. He was so excited and animated – I realized that he was very, very passionate about his writing. This was a very profound discovery for me, as I sometimes doubt my passions. He told me that he often wakes up in the middle of the night to spend his time writing. In fact I believe he spends most of his time writing, researching, formatting and everything that goes with it. Simply pure passion, that is at times seen as an obsession by outsiders.
 
A lot of his writing is about family, family history. Your passion is closely aligned with your values in life. So for Horst, one of his top values would be ‘family’. What are you passionate about? What are your values? How are they aligned?  You should discover similarities between your passions and values.
 
I’d love to know what you are passionate about – and if they are aligned to your values….. If you don’t know how to discover your passions or aren’t sure what you absolutely love doing (some people aren’t sure), let me know. I can point you in the right direction. In fact, I talk more extensively about passions and how to figure them out in my book, 'From Misery to Mastery – Journey to Freedom and Empowerment.’
 
For now, I would like to wish you time to stop and smell the roses (quite literally) and joy in embracing the possibilities that are the embodiment of this beautiful season.  Use this time of changing seasons to spark some positive changes in your life and give you the courage to follow those passions.
 ​

Are you a SuperMum with school-aged children and dread the school holidays? You don’t know what to do with them unless you go on an action-packed holiday like the Theme Parks or Disney Land?
Do you love having your children at home for the school break, because you can sleep in! Yes, they drive you up the wall with sayings like ‘Mum, I’m bored!’ or ‘Mum, ‘so-and-so broke my Barbie’s arm!!!’
Do you run out of ideas of what to do with your lovely bunch even though you have the best ideas but in the heat of the moment you forget all the things you had planned and wished that you had access to a list of activities that are fun and cost-effective at the same time?
I hear you Girlfriend! As a mum of 3 I have seen many seasons of school holidays and run out of ideas time and again of what to do with them on the holidays. 
Every school holidays (boy do they come round quickly) I rack my busy mum’s brains to keep my children’s holidays eventful, before the dreaded b- word (‘Mum, I’m bored’) even forms on their lips. ‘101 Super Cool Ways to make your Child’s Holidays Magical!’ sprang to mind because a close friend of mine Karen, our children and I lovingly and jokingly invented ‘Manners 101’ when we were having an absolute fun time on Phillip Island in Australia a few years ago. From there it spiralled to fun and hilarious activities (spur of the moment ones, mind you!), such as ‘back to front’ and ‘opposite’ day’. ‘Back chat days’ were an all time favourite.
The list of ‘101 Super Cool Ways to make your Child’s Holidays Magical!’ is by no means exhausted. There are hundreds more ways to make your child’s holidays magical and memorial. The ideas range from free to low through to medium or higher cost per activity. The list is simply thought-provoking and I hope that it will inspire you and your children to create your own magical activities. Not all these ideas originate from me of course. Several mums in my ‘tribe’ have contributed their favourites, for which I am thankful. I’d love you to share your ideas with me – let me know which ones worked and which ones didn’t. Share which ones you adapted or which new ones you created with your gorgeous children. With your permission, I’d include them in any future resource along this line.
So without further ado, please look through them and create your own jar with activities. Be creative in how you choose which activities to do when.Your child/children might take it in turns to choose each day. You might want to
choose a few for the whole week. It’s your choice! :) Above all, enjoy and create memories and perhaps even rituals with your children, no matter how old they are.
On a more serious note, feel free to share this resource of ‘101 Super Cool Ways to make your Child’s Holidays Magical!’ with your friends as a whole, bearing in mind that the content is copyright. Thanks for your understanding!

I am super excited and privileged to say that the 101-list has been snapped up by http://www.mydeal.com.au/blog/post/summer-activities-to-do-with-the-kids and will also be submitted to mumsdelivery.com.au. Be one of thousands to access these activities. Get your children away from technology and give them the chance to create memories this summer (or winter, depending on which part of the world you are!). 
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Remember to share your favourite activities - the ones you love from this 101-list and/or ones that you have discovered for yourself. Look forward to hearing from you!

Much Love,
Ruth

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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

Practising gratitude as a tool for happiness has been acknowledged for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, improved health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery. 
While we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it can be difficult to sustain. We are trained to notice what is broken or missing in our lives. For gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. That can take some time.

Can you see why practicing gratitude makes so much sense? When we practice giving thanks for all we have instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing. 

Think about gratitude as a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. Think about where you put your focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope. 

There are many things to be grateful for: the beauty of nature, legs that work, eyes that see, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh fruit and vegetables, clothes, the ability to read, flowers in the garden, our health, butterflies. What’s on your gratitude? 

6 Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude 
•  Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way. Even just writing down 3 wins and successes is fuelling your gratitude.
•  Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures. 
•  Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine. 
•  Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.
•  When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You will be amazed by how much better you feel. 
•  Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, express thanks for gratitude.



As you practice, an inner shift will begin to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfilment is gratitude at work. You will notice a change within you. Others will notice a change in you and they may even take on some of your positive and attitude of gratitude. 

What are some of the the things you are grateful for? ​I'd be grateful (pardon the pun heheheheh!) to you for responding to this blog! 

Much love and gratitude to you,

Ruth :) xx

So many women I talk to lead busy lives with their families and careers. Are you one of them? I certainly am.  You sometimes wish that you could clone yourself in the struggle to juggle everything on a daily basis.. Ever feel like you’re chasing your tail trying to focus on the perfect balance?  If trying to maintain balance in your life makes you feel like a tightrope walker, you’re not alone. Most of us have so many demands on our time and energy, life can feel like a three-ring circus. Some are good at delegating those dreaded time sucking tasks by outsourcing, whilst others may just want to tweak something in their life. 
Take this quiz to see how well you are meeting responsibilities, while also recognising and fulfilling personal needs and wants. Don’t put off doing it until later - you might never get around to it. It will only take a couple of minutes. Besides, it will give you a much-needed break whilst reflecting on the answers. Of course, endeavour to be as honest with yourself as possible.

True/False.
❍   ❍  1. The only way I can successfully manage my life is to take care of myself physically and emotionally. 
❍   ❍  2. Nurturing myself increases my capacity to help others.
❍   ❍  3. I eat healthfully and exercise regularly. 
❍   ❍  4. I get regular health check-ups, go to the dentist, and take preventative precautions.
❍   ❍  5. I set aside personal, quiet time for myself, like meditating or simply letting my thoughts drift.  
❍   ❍  6. I experience the gifts of each season: ice skating, beach walks; gardening, hiking, more time outside; camping, swimming, barbeques, gathering wood, spending more time inside.
❍   ❍  7. Creativity nurtures me, too. I do what I love, whether that’s cooking, drawing, painting, writing, dancing, singing or another creative pursuit.  
❍   ❍  8. Reaching out to others enriches my life. I spend quality time with family and friends. 
❍   ❍  9. Contributing to the world provides connection and purpose, so I give my time, energy and experience where it is most useful.  
❍   ❍  10. I notice and heed the emotional signals that tell me I’m out of balance: signs like irritability, overwhelm, resentment. 
❍   ❍  11. If I feel that I’m catching a cold, I realise I may have stressed my immune system with overactivity, so I stop and take care of myself. 
❍   ❍  12. When I need or want to, I say ‘no’ to requests for my time.
❍   ❍  13. I listen to and honour the requests my body makes for such things as a nap, a walk, green vegetables, hot soup. 
❍   ❍  14. If I have something planned for myself, I don’t just toss that aside when someone makes a request of me. 
❍   ❍  15. I’m busy, but I find time to do the things I want to do.
❍   ❍  16. I’m happy. I regularly experience well-being, contentment, even joy.
If you answered 'false' more often than 'true', you may want to take a look at the questions to which you answered false and see if you can incorporate something of its message into your life. I’d love to know how you fared with this quiz! Please feel free to connect with me if you’d like to explore this issue further. 
Have you tried doing the quiz on someone else. Who do you know that would benefit from doing the quiz? 

Much love,
Ruth C-S