Where has the time gone?

Having three children in three different schools has meant a three week Easter break here at Chaos in Kent.  My children also decided that this was the break when my attention would be demanded by them for what felt like every minute of every day.  They decided, en masse, that keeping themselves occupied was something that other children did and wasn’t something they wanted to consider.

So how has my practising what I preach gone?

Meditation:

I committed to spending at least five minutes a day meditating.  I downloaded the Headspace app as I know that has a ten-day trial, explaining meditation.

The first day was difficult.  We were staying in our lovely caravan/tin hut.  Trying to do this in my bedroom when the walls are paper thin and I could hear my son rapping in the next room was a challenge but we got there!

The next few days were not too difficult.  I found that the best time to do this in the Easter break was at bedtime.  I put hubby on child duty and went off to our room to meditate.  He was also put on “make a cuppa” duty so I was quite relaxed and found that I also slept better.  However, I know from previous experience that meditating first thing is much better for me.  I find myself in a better frame of mind to face the day so this week, now the children have returned, I have been meditating once they have left for the day.  I can already see the benefits.

Will I continue this practice?  So far, I have managed almost three weeks of daily meditation.  There have been a few days when it just didn’t happen, or more accurately, I didn’t use an app to meditate but found myself sitting in our garden without my phone in hand.  I can definitely see the benefits so this is one thing I will continue with.

Pinterest Procrastination

Ok, so how many of you have seen an idea on Pinterest, pinned it and then never got round to doing it?  Come on, I know I am definitely not the only one.

Half way through the Easter break, hubby took a few days off and I decided that I would take on the challenge of completing something I had seen on Pinterest.

This sort of comes under my “finish what I start” category but if I am honest, the only start I had made on many projects was pinning the idea for inspiration at a later date.

However, as I am now determined to get my sh*t together, I decided that I would choose a project and see it through.  And I did!  Go me!

We have an old garden table in our garden, one we paid a lot of money for but has been left unloved for many years.  So, after seeing an idea on Pinterest about using garden paint to revamp them, I went for it.

Using Cuprinol Seagrass and Cuprinol Country Cream, I (along with assistance from my children – of a fashion), we tackled the large round table and once we saw what a difference it made, we tackled a garden bench.  This time, we got slightly more creative and masking tape was involved.

We then had the bug so one very old (and to be honest, ready to be thrown) table got a new life and then I went for the garden bamboo fence!

One thing I am very impressed at is how far the paint has gone.  A small 2.5l tin of each was purchased and we still have about 1/3 of a tin of each left.

Our garden looks so much better, I am thrilled.  I keep looking down the garden feeling ever so proud.  Now however, the main table and chairs we use – we have a very long garden so we have many tables and chairs – are looking decidedly unloved.  I want to try a different colour though so I am now on the hunt for something a bit brighter.  I love the seagrass and country cream – they are very Kent coastal colours, but I want something a bit more vibrant.  So watch this space!

Will I continue with this practice?  Do you know what, I think I will.  Perhaps one project a month so I am not just adding tasks to an ever growing to do list.  The feeling of achievement after completing this was great.  It motivated me to do some more general tidying in the garden and also has seen us using the old table much more than we were.  I will let you know what the next project is when I decide.

What’s my next “practising what I preach” challenge?

This has to be meal planning!  I have done this on occasion, I even got as far as adding a blackboard fablon strip to our fridge so I could write down our meals for the week for all to see. However, after a week or two, I fell back into the habit of deciding each day what we would eat and then ordering takeaway when half the ingredients weren’t in the house (or had gone out of date).

So this week I am planning our meals in advance, buying what we need (and not 1001 things I may use) and I intend to stick to this for the next month, introducing some food prepping as we go.

Wish me luck and if you have any tips, please let me know.  One friend has recommended meal planning/food buying for two weeks at a time rather than one – often ingredients can be on offer if bought in bulk and some can be frozen so it can save money.  It also means you don’t forget what you had the week before and repeat meals all the time.   So this is the plan for this week.