And Relax!

Now! Time for yourself?

Have you had the sort of weekend I have just had? Finished work on Friday; cleaned the house and tackled the ironing; mowed and trimmed the lawn; picked up the kids from school. hubby made dinner and sorted the washing. Bless. Cracked on with sorting the mail. Hubby watched TV. Bless. Picked up eldest son from a night out. Slept Friday night. Up early to get oldest son up and out to his weekend job; weekly visit to the in-laws; More ironing; Dust and vacuum; Washed car; Trimmed shrubs; Drive youngest son to guitar lesson. Hubby on PC during this time but did make tea. Bless. Slept Saturday night. Up early Sunday (day of rest?) again to get oldest son up and out to his weekend job, again! More ironing; more vacuum; more dusting; Hubby on phone to sisters and mother. Bless. Hubby did make family Sunday lunch. Bless. Into garden for shrub cutting. whilst Hubby on TV and PC. Picked up eldest son from weekend job. Degreased the Sunday lunch preparation and did the dishes. Sat with kids for study time. More ironing, dusting, cleaning, vacuuming.. slept Sunday night. And now its Monday again.

So what can someone like you and me do to relax and chill in between getting on with life. Easy?

At the very least - in every hour, just take 5 minutes to STOP. Take 10 slow deep breaths. Drink a glass of water.

If you have more time, take 10 minutes to 'breathe' but also just sit down and do nothing for a while. Perhaps just take deep breaths for longer and calm the mind as best you can.

Sometimes, all it takes is to start the habit of STOPPING and taking stock. Just a few minutes refocusing will help you get on much better and with clearer thought. You'll be more efficient. Relaxation and even meditation could be the answer for you.

Of course, if this does not come naturally to you, then rest assured there are many good books and DVD to help you get started. But if you do nothing else, please take time for yourself and look after yourself too.

Oh, and I now need a new vacuum cleaner.... and breathe!

This cloud picture above was taken on my Nikon D90.

Give your Kids a Drink of Water

And don't forget one for yourself... you'll soon feel the benefit too.

Sometimes.... kids play so hard and then get irritated only because they may be dehydrating. Its amazing how listless or dozzy they get and a simple large glass of water is all they need to bring them back to full spirits. And the good news, is that it does not need to be flavored fruit juice or pop. It just needs to be water. Try it.

Particularly noticeable when they are doing their homework or study times of concentration. A glass of refreshing water goes some way to reydrating the body and bringing back that spark needed to concentrate.

Ensure they have water bottle for school. Put the water in one of these branded water bottles that may give the impression to their friends that they are drinking the likes of gator aid etc, but actually is just water. Good luck though.

I know at our school the kids are allowed to have water bottles on their desks to rehydrate. If this is allowed at your school, try and get the kids to sip their water to keep them sparking throughout the day.