Category: Work Life Balance

Easy Healthy Lifestyle Changes laurenkinghorn.com

Easy Healthy Lifestyle Changes

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Easy Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Easy Healthy Lifestyle Changes

Ooh, I love receiving contributed posts like these! Here are some really easy healthy lifestyle changes you can make today that will make a real difference to your mood. Instantly. And if you make these lifestyle changes stick, they’ll be life-changing.

4 Lifestyle Changes to Relieve Stress, Improve Your Health and Be More Successful

We all get stressed from time to time, and it’s not surprising. Life just has a way of being tough now and then, as our obligations to work, family, and our health, amusement, and well being all too often collide catastrophically.

Of course, it’s fairly common as well that we’ll make things worse ourselves through bad habits and unproductive approaches to resolving our problems.

In the worst of instances, you could find yourself on holiday in the best and most beautiful resort, only to find yourself chronically unable to relax and enjoy the moment. Conversely, if you’re able to manage your stress response when back at home, even the most mind-numbing work concerns can seem like small and manageable things.

As stress affects the quality of our lives to such a great degree, here are some suggestions for lifestyle changes that can help to radically reduce your stress.

4 Lifestyle Changes that are so easy to make, it's scary... yet are we doing this stuff? #easyhealthylifestylechanges1. Read on topics that uplift and intrigue you

You may have an enduring interest in technical subjects such as science or engineering, or your passion might be reading the literature of the past and getting lost in the incredible worlds that people managed to create over the span of human history.

On the other hand, you might be passionate about reading up on healthcare as a prelude to taking up a degree at the University of Southern California.

Regardless of what your particular area of fascination is, reading has the ability to transport us away from the preoccupations and worries of ordinary life and to carry us off to an eternal world of images and concepts – whether those take the form of mathematical formulae, or the metaphors and wordplay of William Shakespeare.

Distracting yourself from your concerns and preoccupations – even if only for a brief time – can have a tremendously positive effect on your overall sense of wellness. It can calm the mind and reduce stress, and as we know stress is not just a matter of “feeling uncomfortable”, but can have tremendously negative consequences for health when it’s allowed to become chronic.

Reading is a great and productive form of distraction which you can turn to no matter where you are.

2. Quit the caffeine and alcohol

This tip is often difficult for people to stomach (excuse the pun), for the obvious reason that caffeine and alcohol are so incredibly rife and common in the world. The vast majority of adults in the Western world consume both alcohol and caffeine, and many consume them on a daily basis.

But caffeine is a drug known to directly boost the production of the body’s stress hormones, and to tire out the various receptors and organs associated with those, and other, hormones.

That daily cup of coffee may be contributing quite dramatically to your chronic sense of stress and anxiety.

Likewise, alcohol causes damage to the brain and other organs of the body, and there is evidence that even in small amounts, it may make people less healthy, less resilient, and less capable of facing the world head-on. A bitter irony, considering people so often get drunk to drown out their stress and anxiety.

By quitting these two substances and shouldering through the few weeks or months of irritability and withdrawal (yes, really, they are actually drugs) you may find your stress vastly diminished.

3. Be sure to fuel yourself properly

A large number of people are constantly fighting to attain the perfect physique. Bellies are never flat enough, biceps never toned enough, and so on, and so on.

One of the side-effects of this obsession is that many people live in a state of chronic yo-yo dieting and caloric deprivation.

The bottom line is that when you don’t eat enough food, your body doesn’t work properly, you are less resilient, less healthy, and your stress hormone level are through the roof.

Make sure to fuel yourself properly. Eat whole, nourishing foods, comprising carbs, protein and fats. Yes, low carb diets may also boost stress hormones.

4. Get away somewhere scenic every once in a while

If your home environment becomes too stressful, you need to take steps to address the causes of that stress, and make it more bearable.

If your home is not excessively stressful, but you’re just chronically stressed anyway, getting away and visiting somewhere scenic once in a while can really help to alleviate the bad feelings.

Go somewhere where you don’t have to worry about work. Somewhere you can be inspired by the beauty of nature, and just relax for a while.

Aren’t these the easiest lifestyle changes to make?  And can you see how effective they can be?   Are you doing this stuff?

Work and Travel laurenkinghorn.com

A Work-Travel Survival Guide

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Work and Travel

Work and Travel

Funny story – about 8 weeks into my new position as Head of Network Marketing at Nutrihealth, I had to travel to Argentina for our Annual Conference with the heads of the other countries.  I hardly knew my colleagues as I’d just met them.  

I travelled with the American Owner of the company and the CFO and CEO of South Africa and was sitting next to the CEO on the flight.  

I don’t mind flying but I do get motion sick during the descent.  As we were nearing Buenos Aires I started throwing up.  I’m sorry to say this wasn’t the last time I threw up on a flight next to him.  I don’t know who was more mortified, him or me.

It was a really long flight.  When we got to Buenos Aires, I was sooo tired that I was freezing cold. All I wanted to do was get into a bath and then climb into bed for a nap before we all met for dinner.  But when I got up to the room, I couldn’t work out where the light switch was and had to go down and try to explain this to someone who couldn’t speak English.  I didn’t know that I had to place the card that opened the door into the light switch.  

Eventually, we got that sorted and I discovered there was no bath, only a shower in the room. It was one of those uber complicated modern showers with water coming out in all directions. I couldn’t work out how to make it spray properly so the shower felt cold and uncomfortable.

I stepped back into the bedroom and it was freezing. I also couldn’t work out how to set the temperature on the Air conditioner. So I threw on as many clothes as I could find and crawled into bed to try sleep for a couple of hours. 

It wasn’t fun. I also felt like a complete idiot. And the next day I had to be on top form to deliver the presentation on my plans for my division for the year.  

People think travelling for work is glamorous (and I guess it can be) but my first day in beautiful Buenos Aires was a comedy of errors.

Work and Travel laurenkinghorn.com

A Work-Travel Survival Guide

Now that the internet has not only made it far easier for companies to connect and do business globally but also for more of us to work remotely whether we are employed or self-employed, there has been a huge rise in people who are either being asked to or choosing to travel while they work.

This can be a very positive thing because it opens us up to new cultures and experiences and enables us to live our dreams while we make a living. However, there are often downsides to combining work with pleasure, namely the long flights, time differences, less than optimum accommodations and stresses that can often crop up.

If you plan to combine work with travel and you want to avoid the pitfalls and maximize the pluses, check out my quick work-travel survival guide for some handy hints and tricks that will ensure you  have the best of both worlds:

Book an Apartment

Yes, there are lots of fantastic hotels around the world, but renting your own apartment when you’re on a working vacation is going to suit you a lot better most of the time. Why? Because you can guarantee that you’ll have peace and quiet when you need it.

When you’re staying in a hotel, you can’t control how much noise the other guests will make and if they’re busy having a good time while you’re trying to knuckle down and get some work done, it can be really annoying to say the least.

If you must stay in a hotel, try to choose one that has conference rooms or a place where business travellers can retreat to, to make calls or get work done in a more peaceful environment and you should be fine too.

Pack Light

When you’re constantly on the go and you’re working while you’re away, you want to do anything that will make the experience as comfortable and non-fatigue inducing as you possibly can.

That’s why you should fight the urge to pack as much stuff as you can and ensure that you leave some space in your backpack or suitcase. The less stuff you have to lug around, the easier it will be for you and the less tired you’ll be when the time comes to knuckle down and get some hard work done.

Take Your Devices Onboard

If you’re travelling for work, chances are that you will be bringing along a laptop and maybe a camera or other expensive digital devices. If that is the case, you should, where possible, bring them onto the plane with you in your hand luggage.

Why? Because in lots of places, airport security isn’t as tight as it should be and it is not unusual for unscrupulous individuals to cut open suitcases and remove valuable electronics.

Also, if you have your laptop onboard, you can kill those boring flights by doing any work you can that does not require an internet connection.

Take Lots of Photos

When you’re travelling, not only should you take lots of photos to remember the locations you have visited, or so that you can post them up on your blog to get some more views, but also because if you take lots of photos on-location, you can use them as a reference to orientate you when you feel lost.

That means, as well as taking pictures of the view from your window, you should take pics of your door’s number and things like that, so if you’re getting home late at night and you aren’t really sure which rental apartments yours, you’ll be able to work it out with a quick look at your phone.

Don’t Bother Unpacking

You might think this is strange but making your hotel room feel like home can be a bit of a mistake. Why? Because if you’re travelling to a lot of different locations and you unpack your stuff at each and every one of them, there is more chance that you will lose your things.

This is even more likely to happen if you’re in an apartment where your stuff is allowed to spread. So, unless you’re going to be staying there for months at a time, it’s far easier to leave everything in your suitcase and only remove it as and when you need it.

Download Skype

Whether you want to keep in touch with family back home or you need to keep in touch with clients for work purposes, having the Skype app on your smartphone will really come in handy because it is a free and efficient way of communicating by phone video or text. You’ll be glad you have it on so many occasions.

Set a Schedule

When you’re in Singapore one day and Tokyo the next, it’s pretty easy to get mixed up and carried away with the amazing new sights that are all around you. That’s why it’s so important that you create a schedule that balances work and travel effectively.

If you know exactly what you should be doing and when you’re far more likely to do it and not end up having to cancel the rest of the week’s fun in favour of working day and night on that project you’ve been neglecting.

Choose a Time Zone and Stick to It

This might seem stupid to some of you but choosing which time zone you will be working in when you travel and sticking to it really will help. It will help you to avoid jet lag and it will ensure that your bosses or clients know exactly when you’ll be available so that they don’t end up calling you at all hours of the day and night.

You’ll still be able to do lots of exploring at whatever time is your waking time, in most places at least, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for the most part.

People think travelling for work is glamorous but my first day in beautiful Buenos Aires, was a comedy of errors. Here's a handy survival guide for your next business trip. #workandtravel

Manage Your Expectations

Lots of people who plant to travel as they work think that they will be heading off into some utopia where their daily cares fade away and they get to spend endless hours on the beach sunning themselves.

However, this is rarely the reality. For one thing, unless you go broke, you are going to be working a lot of the time.

Then, there’s the fact that you may get sick somewhere along the way, you could be targeted by street thieves, you may get lost and…well you get the picture.

Hopefully, you’ll avoid this stuff completely, but if you know that it’s a possibility and you plan for every potential scenario, it will be far less stressful for you when it does happen.

Find Others Like You

It’s always good to have the support of people who are going through the same stuff as you, especially when you’re doing something a little out of the ordinary, so wherever you happen to be travelling, see if you can find any groups of digital nomads or individuals who are in the same business as you who you can meet up with. You might also want to look at local co-working space where you will be able to meet other remote workers and hopefully have a few good times. It’s so much easier to get into the swing of things when you aren’t completely alone with your experiences.

Keep Your Guard

That being said, you should always be on your guard when you come across new people. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there who are looking to exploit anyone who they think they can and people who are looking for work opportunities are often prime targets for this kind of behaviour.

If people are offering you opportunities and asking for nothing in return, they may well just be very nice people, but they might not, so don’t commit to anything without thinking it through, and if possible doing a little research first. Basically, keep your wits about you and use your common sense.

Take Some Time Off

Just because it’s a working trip doesn’t mean that you should constantly be handcuffed to your laptop working, not unless you have a looming deadline or you’re running out of money, at least.

Everyone needs a little downtime and there is absolutely no point in travelling if you are not going to experience at least some of what your chosen destination has to offer. So, whatever else you do, try to find that work-life balance wherever you go.

Explore Wellness

No matter what you do, there is always going to be some stress caused by your chosen path, but this isn’t a totally bad thing because it gives you the opportunity to explore what each destination you visit has to offer in the way of wellness. Spas, Buddhist retreats, geothermal spas – give them all a go and see what works for you. It’ll relieve your stress and give you lots of great new experiences.

Juggling work with travel isn’t always the easiest thing in the world, but it can be very rewarding and it does offer up a unique challenge – it seriously has to be better than spending your days at the same old desk in the same old office – and as long as you plan well and prepare for everything that could happen, there is no reason why you should not have an amazing experience.

Have you had to travel overseas for work?   Do you have any funny stories to relate from your business trips?

How to Travel and Blog laurenkinghorn.com

How To Stay Organized Blogging when You Travel

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How to Blog and Travel

How to Blog and Travel

Aah… I love contributed posts like these. Because although I’m not travelling at this stage of my life, I’m a big fan of AND rather than OR.  If blogging is a passion and travelling is a passion of yours too, why not combine the two?  And they make such a perfect combination because blogging can fund your travels and travelling can fuel your blog (if you’re blogging about your travels of course).  

Oh my goodness, I think I’ve just talked myself into starting a travel blog one day (when the travel bug kicks in again). 

Since having my son we haven’t travelled much but hey, he’s getting old enough to remember and appreciate trips now. Could be a fabulous idea. Don’t they say travelling is the best education you can give a child? 

So. A new goal. When my blogs are making $10,000 a month, we’ll start travelling as a family. And then I’ll come back and read this post again.

How To Stay Organized with Blogging when You Travel

Blogging and Travelling? What a dream life. Right? At least it can be, if you're organized. #howtoblogandtravelWhen you want to be able to travel the world, being a blogger can open up so many opportunities for you to do it. Being a blogger is a job that can often be done from anywhere. When you’re a solo entrepreneur and all you need is an internet connection be able to run your business, the world really is your oyster.

But one thing’s for sure, that doesn’t mean that you can dash off on exciting travels and just enjoy yourself whenever you want. Of course, you do often get to make the most of the time and have a lot of fun. But you still have to work.

Because when you have your own business and you’re the only one running it, you can’t just walk away from your work for weeks on end. You’ll find that you just lose business that way!

So, you have to work. But how do you balance the two?

It’s easy to think that this would be easy, but it’s not. When you’re travelling and you’re out of your usual routine, it’s hard to make sure that you can still get everything done and see the place that you’re visiting.

So, to help you here, you need to be organized. When you work for yourself and even work from home as part of that, you know that organization is key. And when you decide to take your passion on the road and fit more into your daily schedule, organization becomes incredibly crucial. So let’s look at how you’re going to do it.

Plan Ahead

The very first thing you have to do is make sure that you’re always planning ahead. While things may not be set in stone, you have to know what you’ve got coming up when you’re looking to plan a trip.

Think about your upcoming work schedule and what projects you have planned in for the next few weeks or months. Then plan in time that you think you can travel, and ensure that you can complete work to the right deadlines.

Find Suitable Accommodation

Next, you’ll want to get your trip booked. Flights can be fine – just make sure that you choose a time that will help you to be productive either the day before, on the flight, or the next day.

You don’t really want to lose three days if you don’t have to. When it comes to the accommodation, use an online search like https://www.rumah.com/tanah-pribadi-dijual/di-area-jakarta-pusat-idjk02 to find something suitable in the local area. Above all, ensure that you’re finding somewhere you know you can work from when you need to.

Try To Get As Much Done As You Can Before You Leave

So now you need to be thinking about what you can do to prepare for the trip. This is going to involve a lot of work.

Get basic things done before you leave, like informing your clients or customers, and managing your admin. But also try and close off any projects you can, so that you’re ahead of the game.

Know What You Want To Do While You’re There

It’s also important to know what you want to do when you’re travelling. Don’t just turn up and hope for the best as this is one way to ensure that you miss out. So do some research and figure out what things you might like to see or do while you’re away.

In the same way, you might want to plan out some content before you go.  If you’re a travel blogger, you could already write or half-write a few posts while you’re doing this research. Then you can complete them once you’ve seen the sights for yourself.

Blogging and Travelling? What a dream life. Right? At least it can be, if you're organized. #howtoblogandtravel

Work Out A Rough Itinerary

Then, you’re going to want to pull together a rough itinerary of what your days look like. Take a look at something like https://thetrustedtraveller.com/planning-the-perfect-travel-itinerary/ to help you. It doesn’t have to be concrete, just make sure you know what yours days will look like so you can be sure you’ll balance your travel and work well enough.

Make The Most Of Your Mornings

If you’re wondering exactly how you’re meant to get any work done when you’re travelling, think about using your mornings. If you can, get up super early and enjoy a productive morning of work before you head out for the day to see the area, explore, or do the things you want to do.

Be Patient

But also make sure that you don’t overpack your schedule. Remember that wifi may not be overly strong, or you may not be able to locate it when you need it. So be patient and take your time with work. You’re travelling or on a trip after all, so it’s okay to just go at a slower pace and take it easy.

Have An Assistant On-Hand

From here, it may also be a good idea to have an assistant on hand. Working with a virtual assistant or someone back home to work on things when you need them is a great support option. Just see https://www.skilledvirtualassistant.com/virtualassistantbenefits.html and you’ll know why.

If you need them, or you have urgent emails coming in or work that needs doing, then knowing you can push back to them often gives you peace of mind.

Have Some Kind Of System

Alongside your itinerary, you’ll want to work in some kind of routine for when you’ll work too. Whether it is those early mornings or even late afternoon before you head out again, it’s handy to have a routine if you can. This will allow you to stay productive and ensure you still get work done.

Allow For Downtime

Above all else, you really will need to make sure that you’re planning in some downtime. Remember, you’re travelling.

If you’re on a particularly short trip, you will want to make the most of it. Don’t overpack your schedule.

This is why pre-planning and trying to do as much as you can before you leave – particularly when we’re talking about getting ahead with campaigns and scheduling.

This way, you won’t feel stressed out, you’ll stay organized, and you’ll have that perfect balance while you travel.

Are you already out there, travelling and blogging? Are you doing it on your own or with your family?  

I absolutely love reading stories of family travel bloggers. So inspiring!!   

Feel free to drop some travel and blog tips and a link to your travel blog below.

Jobs where you travel world

Awesome Jobs You Can Do While Travelling the World

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Jobs Where You Travel World

Jobs Where You Travel World

Have you ever dreamed of travelling the world?   Here are a few incredible careers that enable you to sail the seven seas, adventuring, exploring, discovering new cultures while padding your wallet rather than emptying it.  Bon Voyage!

#JobsWhereYouTravelWorld

Awesome Jobs You Can Do While Travelling the World

Everyone has the desire to travel the world, but not many people go out there and achieve that dream. If you want to do everything you can to really make the most out of the time that you have or if you want to do something that you have always wanted to do then you have to make sure that your finances are in order first.

The problem is that this can be very difficult, and it may even be impossible for you to do with the time frame that you have. One thing that you can do to try and get around this is find a job that you can do while travelling.

When you do this, you can easily make the money that you need and you can also take the time that you need to enjoy yourself without breaking the bank.

Freelance Writer

Being a freelance writer is quite possibly one of the best jobs that you can do when you travel the world. If you have experience as a banker then you can easily submit articles to various websites that relate to this.

You can also submit articles to various financial magazines as well. This is just one example of how you can use your past experience to your advantage and when you become experienced at writing, you can then begin to charge a much higher price for your work.

You can also write for other, more complicated topics as well, which will really help your career take off.

Teacher

If you have a teaching degree or if you have a master’s in some kind of educational institution then you really are able to travel the world and make your own money.

Certain countries are always on the lookout for people who have these kind of qualifications and countries such as China, Thailand and even Korea are ideal options here.

America is also another country that is always looking for qualified teachers and most of the time, you can walk into a job with ease if you have the right education.

The problem here is that the visas for some countries, including America are very strict and you may find it very hard to meet all of the requirements.

For this reason, getting a job in these countries may be harder than you’d like to think so it’s super important that you do all of your research here so that you can go on to get the best result out of your trip.

Jobs Where You Travel World TweetTravel Nurse

If you want to be a travel nurse then there are plenty of ways that you can do this. One thing that you can do is be registered in a certain speciality. You can also work as a dialysis nurse or even as a practitioner.

If you have worked in the past as a physical therapist then this is another fantastic option and you would be surprised at how easy it is for you to really get the best result out of your experience.

The pay is great and you can do long or short-term assignments as well. In a lot of cases, your house will be provided and this is ideal. Of course, if you want to find your own property then it is also very easy for you to go through a property agent.

Travel Agent

Travel agents often act as middlemen between travellers and hotels or even tourism boards.

A lot of travel agents are required to have first-hand knowledge of the package they are trying to sell so it is very helpful for you to have visited the country in question before.

You may also want to have experience in educational or college experience as this will make your resume way more appealing.

Of course, if you want to really step things up to that next level then one thing that you can do is travel the world and apply for jobs in the country that you are in at the moment.

With every country that you visit, you are increasing your resume and adding to your experience, and this will make you that bit more appealing as you make your way through your new adventure.

Tour Guide

If you don’t feel as though your home is where you are right now then travelling really can make the whole thing much easier for you. If you want to travel but get a fun job while you are out there then it is more than possible for you to work as a tour guide.

This is brilliant if you have a lot of experience in a single country and it is also ideal if you have visited a country in the past that just “spoke” to you.

For example, if you know a lot about a country, the music that is there or even the culture then a tour guide is a great option and it is incredible to think that you can earn money while sharing the passion that you have with other people.

One option if you want to be a tour guide is to try and find out as much information about the area as you can. You don’t even have to have visited the area before and this is a great option if you are worried about not having enough experience.

You also need to make sure that you are very fluent in the other language as well. Speaking English as well is a great advantage and there is a high chance that your clients will speak it as well. Of course, if you are concerned because you don’t have the time to learn a new language then you may be able to pick it up when you are there, but it will be much harder for you to provide your customers with a fantastic experience.

Yacht Crews

Jobs Where You Travel World Pin

Have you always wanted to be a sailor?  That’s great but did you know that there are so many ways for you to travel the world while making money from it?

A lot of people out there need help maintaining their boats and there are so many yacht clubs out there that need a helping hand from time to time. This is a fantastic way for you to sail across the world.

Cruise Ships

If you don’t know how to sail a boat but you do like the idea of being able to get out there and see the world then you may be able to work on a cruise ship.

If you have experience as a sound technician or if you have experience working as a production manager then you really won’t have any problems at all in going on a cruise ship to work.

After all, these cruise ships are often full of entertainment and they usually need someone who is able to manage all of this for them. If you have experience working as a technician then this is ideal, and these jobs are often in very high demand. If you want, you can even get some experience as a casino dealer, a chef, a line cook or even as a masseuse.

Cruise ships focus on providing an all-around experience to the people who travel with them and if you want to get a job there then it really isn’t hard if you have a profession.

Other professions that you can easily integrate into your cruise ship line of work include a hotel manager, diving instructors, clean-up crews, musicians, childcare professionals, dancers and even comedians.

Au Pair

Someone who works as an au pair is a nanny or even a babysitter who is required to do some light housework.

The positives of this include the fact that the families that you will work for tend to be wealthy and they may even need you to go on vacation with them so that they can have some time away from the kids.

You may also get to experience gourmet meals, the chance to see the world in a completely different light and even a way to get out there and explore what is around you.

You would be surprised at how easy it is for you to get a job as an au pair and the best thing about it is that you can easily move between families and you can do this anywhere in the world as well.

All you have to do is make sure that you have experience in speaking that language so that you can communicate with the kids properly.

Geologist

This one really does require some advanced planning but the whole thing can pay off with ease. The first thing that you need to do is make sure that you have a background in physics.

You also need to make sure that you have experience in studying math and even a master’s degree as well. When you are a geologist, however, you may find yourself jumping from one exotic location to another and this can easily provide you with one of the best experiences in the world. Nothing will be able to compare to this.

Have you got the travel bug? Bags packed and ready to go?  Why not apply for that travelling job you’ve always wanted?

Benefits of Travelling for Work laurenkinghorn.com

Travelling For Work: How It Can Change Your Life

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Benefits of Travelling for Work

Benefits of Travelling for Work

Have you ever had to travel for work? I once had a job that involved a lot of travel, both locally and overseas. 

I was the South African Head of Network Marketing for a company which was also based in the UK, Argentina, Brazil and Nigeria.  The first year we met with the other Company Heads in Buenos Aires, Argentina and the second year we met at one of the Leading Hotels in the World, in Guaruja, Brazil.  These trips were awesome and eye-opening. 

We also arranged an Incentive Trip to Buenos Aires for our Top South African leaders in the Network.  This trip was more touristy so I got to learn about Argentina’s fascinating History and Culture, visit a ranch and attend a Tango Show (wow!).  Watching street dancers perform the Argentine Tango was also a major highlight and awoke in me a love of Latin American dancing.

Now just to convince my hubby to learn Tango and Salsa with me. Maybe a romantic trip to Buenos Aires will do the trick?  I could always entice him there with Argentina’s organic beef which is out-of-this-world delicious, especially pared with their Organic Malbec. Oh my goodness, and Argentina also has stunning leather goods at excellent prices.

If you have the chance to travel for work, I’d highly recommend it.  More great benefits in the contributed post below.

Travelling For Work: How It Can Change Your Life

Travel really does broaden the mind. It is a phrase which is said a lot, but it is said for a good reason. Travelling for fun or for our career can be the best decision we make in our lifetime, and there are many reasons why.

Better decision making

When you make the decision to pack up your things and move away for work or pleasure, you are making a huge step in finding your own sense of confidence in the world. Once you are away from the comfort and security of your old life you will begin to realise how much your are truly capable of on your own. Your natural instincts will kick in, and as a person you will become a much better decision maker, and a much more confident individual.

New perspective

We all know that travelling can give us a great deal of positive experiences, and none can be more valuable than the widen sense of perspective we gain in life.

We live in a bubble at home. We go to work, see the same people, do the same things, come home and eat, and sleep. We rarely get to be truly away from this life and it can make us become narrow minded.

When you take the leap and follow life elsewhere you begin to see a different way of life. There are countries who learn Effortless English to fit in with the western world, ones which have no tall skyscrapers or computers, and ones which focus on the simple things in life.

Once you see these first hand you will realise how much more there is to life. It will change your view, make you feel more positive and give you something to strive for.

Communication

As soon as you step foot in a foreign land, you will have to fend for yourself and communicate with people who may not even speak your language. But don’t fret, it can be a brilliant way to build your communication skills and to get better at public speaking.

Having to describe yourself to people who don’t understand you will allow you to hone your communication skills and get better at talking to strangers. You may even be lucky enough to learn part of a foreign language during your time living in another country, which is a great addition to your CV when you come home!

Different cultures

One of the main benefits of moving away for your business life is the fact that you will be opened up to many different cultures and religions who are different to your own.

There are many countries out there who put family before career. In Australia they have shorter hours in order for people to spend time with their families in the evenings. It is important for us to be exposed to new things because it can change our view, and you may even find that you love the lifestyle here so much that you don’t want to leave.

Over to You

Have you ever travelled for work?  What were your highlights? 

Going back to work after a baby laurenkinghorn.com

Moms, Make The Transition Back To Work After a Baby Less Stressful

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Going back to work after a baby

Going back to work after a baby?

We had the most amazing Antenatal Teacher when I was pregnant with my son.  The late Rosemary Gauld (IBCLC) was one of South Africa’s top Lactation Consultants so the focus in her classes was on Breastfeeding.  

After the course, I made a firm decision to follow Rose’s powerful recommendations to breastfeed exclusively for 6 months and nurse for at least 2 years. 

I worked for a company that offered 4 months Maternity Leave at half pay.  I went to my boss and asked for 6 months Maternity leave (with no pay for the last 2 months).  She said no.   So… with my hubby’s support and lots of number crunching, I chose to resign.

This was the best decision I ever made for our nursing journey.  Because 6 months turned into nearly 4 years.  We went full-term.  And I am so grateful I never had to go back to full-time employ.

My hubby asked me to go back to work when my son was a year old. We found the perfect position through a brilliant Recruitment Agency called Recruit My Mom.  

It was a Sales Coaching position at a company about 3km’s from my house, mornings only, two mornings a week and it paid well.  I started when my son was 15 months old.

I found a creche nearby but I just couldn’t get used to leaving my little one there, crying.  I was a total wreck until his Teacher would send me a photo of him playing.  Then he got sick and I missed a couple of day’s work.  And it was even harder to leave him at creche after that.

We just weren’t ready.

Fortunately, my husband supported me in letting that job go too.  

I went back to being a stay-at-home Mom.

At 2 years-old I felt my son was ready for Play School.  We found one within walking distance and he started going 3 mornings a week.  I started working from home on my first blog, Happy Human Pacifier, while he was at Playschool and during his afternoon nap.  

We were lucky.  We got to live the dream. Many Moms HAVE to go back to work, usually long before they are ready.  

If you’re in this position, no doubt you are feeling all kinds of mixed emotions. Here’s a helpful contributed post to ease some of your stress…

Mom’s, Make The Transition Back To Work After Having A Baby Less Stressful

Featured Image Credit

Whether you decide to work from home, start your own business or return to your salaried position, the transition from being a full-time mom to a working one can be tough.

Luckily there are some ways you can make it a little easier for both you and Baby.

Check out my post below to find out how.

Keep your hand in

It can be pretty intimidating to have to return to work once you have had your baby. You may wonder what has been going on, whether you can still cut it, and whether you will be able to balance being a mom and a valuable worker too?

To help you with this is useful to keep your ‘hand in’ regarding your job as much as possible.  This may mean visiting on occasion, speaking and meeting up with colleagues or even reading articles about the latest developments in your field.

Now, you don’t have to go crazy and of course, baby will be your priority during your maternity leave. However, doing a little of the actions suggested above can help quell the anxiety and stress as you make the transition.

Consider other employment options

The stress and anxiety may be harder to dismiss if you are returning a job that you didn’t partially like in the first place. With that in mind, maternity can be the perfect time to explore other options and even get trained in another area or trade.

Something that can help you do this is reviewing the best trade courses that are available in your area and whether you can attend these while baby is young. In fact, you will find that the best providers offer special facilities for young babies that will help you study and keep Baby happy at the same time.

Be firm about your expectations

Next, to make the transition from being a full-time mom to a working mom a little easier you must be firm on your expectations. What the mean is that you need to know how many days per week you want to work, how many hours per day and the time you will be expected to work from and to.

It is so important to have all of this decided before you enter the work environment. This is because it can help you get the correct balance between work and life, something that will ensure you and Baby as happy as possible in the long term.

Don’t be hard on yourself

Lastly, to reduce the stress of the transition, you must learn to be gentle and kind to yourself. There will be tough bits like when you have to leave Baby with childcare for the first time, and when you boss is itching for you to do that over time, but you have to pick the little one up by 6 pm.

There will also be times when you have had the worst nights sleep ever, and maybe you are not at the top of your A game, and guess what that is OK!

After all, you have a lot on your plate, so make sure you don’t end up as your own worst critic if you want the transition from full-time mom to working mom to go as smoothly as possible.

Over to You, Moms

Do you have to go back to work soon?  How are you feeling about it?  

Or do you have a story to share about your transition back to work?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Overwhelmed Mom? Organization Tips for You laurenkinghorn.com

Overwhelmed Mom? Organization Tips Just for You

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Overwhelmed Mom Organization Tips

From the moment your little one takes your hand you know your life is never going to be the same again.  You are overwhelmed with such Love and Tenderness.  Your Joy reaches proportions you never knew existed before.

Welcome to Motherhood.

Overwhelmed with Love

And yet at the same time, you know you have just taken on the biggest responsibility EVER.

This little one is utterly and completely dependent on you. For everything.

You are their everything.

Somedays that feels amaaaazing.

And sometimes your overwhelm looks more like this.

Motherhood

This is Motherhood.

Motherhood is a crazy mixture of the many beautiful moments of deep connection with our children and ugh moments and boring moments and frustrating moments and triumphant moments and scary moments blended with lack of sleep and endless housework.

And it can be overwhelming sometimes…. often.

So.. if you want to have less of these moments…

Overwhelmed Mom

And more of these…

Overjoyed Mom

it really helps to be organized.

My friends and family will attest to the fact that I’m not the most organized Mom on the planet. Not by a long shot.

But I believe I can improve. I can learn. I can grow. I can flex those organization muscles.

So I grabbed a few headlines from posts on the net written by Moms who are way more organized than me and I tried their tips on for size.

Make To Do Lists

It’s easy to be forgetful as a Mom.  For a couple of years after a birth, you have Mommy brain.  And after that, your life just starts filling up so much that things tend to get a bit out of control.

A To-Do List can really help you get focused on the tasks at hand.  Plus, it feels so good checking things off the list, doesn’t it?

Now, where’s a paper and working pen when you need one?

I’ve found most of my to-do lists since becoming a Mom are on my phone. Most of them are grocery shopping lists but I still remember the wine and forget the milk sometimes. Oops!

Overwhelmed Mom? Here are some organization tips you could try. Or not. Up to you. :) #overwhelmedmomorganizationtipsPrioritize

This one is particularly tricky. Because it’s not tasks you’re prioritizing, it’s people, right?

At any given hour you’re having to choose who comes first.

Hubby? Kids? You? Your Friends? Your Parents? Your Work?

Now we all know if you don’t prioritize you, everything’s going to fall apart at the seams, right?

And we also know if you don’t prioritize your marriage that may fall apart.

And we all know if you let your friends go you’ll grow old and lonely.

And then there are your parents to consider.

And your work… which for most stay at home Moms has to be done when everyone is sleeping.

But if you’ve ever dealt with a toddler meltdown, you’ll know that the world has to stop when your child is falling apart.

And even when they’re not having a meltdown you’ve got be sure they are safe, fed and happy.  And it’s perfectly logical to a child that you can play and make lunch for them at the same time.

So yup. Your kids are your priority. And everything and everyone else is going to suffer for a while.

Don’t worry, when they get older they’ll need you less and less… until one day it will seem like they don’t need you at all. For anything.  And then you’ll miss this precious time.

Learn to Say NO

This is one is extremely important. When you learn how to do it, please give me lessons.

Complete Tasks

Where things often go awry is when you’re Stumble tasking.  You start out doing one thing, then baby cries so you head off to the nursery, when you come back to the kitchen, you’ve forgotten what you were busy with and get on with something else.  Then your 4-year-old needs their bottom wiped and so that task is forgotten.

If there were two of you, am sure you could find a way to complete tasks, one at a time in order, but years could go by before you can do this woman-alone, with 2, 3 or 4 kids demanding attention

Use only one Calendar or Diary

I found this little organization tip really helpful.  Keep one calendar for your children’s events and yours so you don’t double-book yourself.  I actually do this and it does work.  99% of the time.

Here are some Organization Tips from me that can help you get back more Aah and less Ugh in your Mothering.

Use car time

This tip is uniquely mine. Now I’m sure there are other Moms who do this but I haven’t found this tip anywhere on the net.

This year my son started Pre Primary School so we had to adjust to a new timetable. We used to able to mosey along to playschool any time between 8 and 9 and the drive there was against traffic.  This year school drop-off is between 7:45 and 8 am and the drive there is in rush-hour traffic.  So we’ve lost at least an hour of our morning ritual.

So rather than fighting with my son to get his breakfast finished before we go, I often let him eat whatever’s left of it in the car.  He actually eats more this way. I bought an extra toothbrush and kiddies toothpaste (the one with no fluoride so it doesn’t have to be washed out) and he brushes his teeth in the car.

All this gets done while we’re bopping away to our favourite nursery rhymes.

Take Time out for you

Even if it’s just for a few deep breaths.  Do it now.

Aah… feeling better?

And if sometimes, time out for you requires TV or tablet time for them, that’s okay in my books. Yup, that’s how real mothers survive.

Escape from the Crazy

Motherhood is a crazy time and if we’re going to enjoy it, we need to be present.   Find moments in every day where we can stop. Slow things down. And be truly there with our children. For our children. And for ourselves.

Get down to their level.  Play with them. Really play with them. Right now my son is 4 and he’s in the lego phase. I try each and every day to find a few moments to stop everything I’m doing and play lego with him.

Read to them. Storytime is one of our best times of the day.  And it really helps with a bedtime routine.

Get out in nature.  Aah…this is one of my favourites.

Getting out in the fresh air.  Getting some exercise.  Getting quality time with your children.  Nature just fills you up in a way nothing else can.

If you’re okay to take it at their pace, taking time to find little insects and pebbles and flowers along the way, it can be an experience. An Adventure.

Escape the Crazy

The One Way I’m organized

If there’s one way I’ve always been organized, it’s with SNACKS.

When my son was younger, a snack was always on hand, because I was breastfeeding him.

Once he transitioned to solids, I became the Snack Queen.  I don’t go ANYWHERE, not even for a little walk down the road without water and snacks.

A hungry child is a miserable child.  Don’t go there.

Over to You

What are your favourite organization tips?

Have you found a way to escape the overwhelm?

I’m sure you’re better than organization than I am, so please share…

Parenting is hard. Especially in the Digital Age. Here's what helps me be a better parent. #betterparentingtips

How to Switch Off and Be a Better Mom

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Parenting is hard. Especially in the Digital Age. Here's what helps me be a better parent. #betterparentingtips

Better Parenting Tips

One of the job hazards of being a Digital Entrepreneur is that it’s far too easy to be working ALL THE TIME.  Combine immense job satisfaction with workaholic tendencies, throw a smartphone into the mix and you could have a recipe set for family disaster.  Because it’s your family that suffers when you’re permanently online answering this person or tweaking that post.

Or is this just me? Is it just my family who’s missing me even though I’m here? Well physically here. I’m at home with my family but with a vacant look on my face as I stare into the screen.

I have no doubt I have a smartphone addiction and my husband calls me on it often. His complaint rings out a few times a day and even my son’s started chiming into the refrain:

“Mommy’s always on the phone”.

I’m not proud of this.

I know how absent I am when I am in my creative process.  I can feel myself glazing over.

I am also painfully aware of the dangers.

If I continue to focus on my online empire to the detriment of my family circle, I could lose years of my child’s life.  He’s already four year’s old. Next time I look up from my phone he might be 8 or 12 or 16.  He will be 20 and leaving home.   I know just how quickly the years fly by with children and I don’t want to miss out on them. I only have this one chance.

I could lose my marriage.  My husband may get tired of being alone in this marriage and may leave me, which would be disastrous not just for me but for both children.

Turning it Around

So I’ve been working on being more present, as a parent and a wife. Somedays are better than others.

Yesterday was one of my best days. We enjoyed the most gorgeous lazy Sunday morning.  I really connected with my son, it was wonderful.   My hubby was listening to us play and he congratulated me for being such a great Mom when he came downstairs to join in the fun.

Without further ado, here are my tips on how to be a better Mom even when you have other stuff to do.

How to Switch Off and Be a Better Mom

Do a Digital Detox

So how did I have one of my best days as a parent?  Well, it all started with me shutting down my laptop and ignoring my phone once my son was awake so that I could focus all my attention on him.

No, let’s go back a day or two because actually, it started by me easing away from my digital life.

Going cold turkey when you have a digital addiction is not easy so I’ve found I have to do in stages.   I find I have to switch off from “work-mode” before I can switch into parenting mode.

Here’s what helped me to do this:

Business Up-to-Date

I worked late on Friday night so that I could complete all business tasks I had planned for the week.  In an online business, there’s always more stuff you could be doing but I got to a point where enough tasks were done that work wasn’t crowding my mind.

I also worked hard on Saturday with my son getting his School project done (which co-incidentally was called “My Family”) and everything packed for school on Monday.  For once we were uber prepared. Early.

Tip 1: Reach a point where you declare your work is done and it’s now family time.

Housework Up-to-Date

I did loads of house cleaning on Saturday.   This ensured that I wasn’t distracted by a dirty house on Sunday plus something about housework actually helps me switch off from my website work.

I think it’s got something to do with it being physical rather than mental and perhaps also because it involves organising, tidying and cleaning.  It’s very satisfying in its own way.

I even roped my son in to help me polish my car so actually, Saturday was also one of my better days as a parent.

Tip 2: Do something that takes your mind off your work.  Weirdly, housework does the trick for me.

Get Active

While we’re on the subject of doing something physical, this is one of the best ways to enjoy time with your children.

On Sunday morning my son asked us to have a party with him.  So we switched on the radio and there we were in our pyjamas, dancing in the lounge. And even jumped on the couch.  What fun!  And quite a workout I must tell you.

Later on that morning, we jumped on the trampoline together, which is one of my son’s favourite pastimes.  And again, great exercise for both of us. Especially as I land up being his rodeo horse for some of the time.

Often we go for walks.  Or kick a ball around. Or play mini golf.  Or swim.   My hubby and son often wrestle together.

The point is to find something both you and your little one love doing and do it TOGETHER.

Tip 3:  Do something fun and physical with your child(ren).

Connect

I’ve noticed lately that my son increasingly wants to stay home and play on the weekends rather than go out.  Our lives are often so full and busy.  We arrange school extramurals, play dates and outings.

Where is the time for free play?

We pack so much into their little lives when really all they want is home.  Us.  Meaningful connection.

And I find the moment I spend quality time with my child, I just want to hug and hold him close all the time. He is so adorable, I just can’t help myself.  Of course, he’s 4 now, so he’s not always into hugs as much as I am but when you’re playing and dancing together it’s quite easy to slip in a few fun hugs.

If your child is really past the hugging phase, meaningful connection could just be that magical moment, mid-play, when you look into your child’s eyes and tell them how much you love them.

We had so much meaningful interaction yesterday that it kind of back-fired on me this morning when I had to get my son to school.  He did not want to go, he just wanted to stay home and play with me all day again.

Tip 4: Find a way to connect deeply either through touch or eye contact (or both).

Be a Playmate

On the days I give myself over fully to just being a parent, I’m actually more of a playmate.

I always allow my child to lead the play. I actually let him completely boss me around, tell me what to do and how to do it.  Here’s why:

  • It gives him a bit of power.
  • It helps him get really creative.
  • And it also makes a lot easier than having to think up stuff myself.

You will be amazed at what they come up with, especially if you really allow yourself to get in their head space.

Yesterday this meant throwing a dancing party in the lounge, jumping on the couch, playing lego together, playing inside his little castle tent and jumping on the trampoline.

Kids also love it when their parents allow them to be a little bit naughty and even do naughty stuff with them – hence the jumping on the couch with him.  It sounds counter-intuitive but I’ve heard from a really good source (Hand in Hand Parenting) that this can prevent real naughtiness later.

Tip 5: Let your children lead the play and be their playmate.

Give Your Undivided Attention

If you got the first step right, the digital detox, it should be pretty easy to set aside some time in your weekend or in your day when you give your child all of your attention.

And when you do that, the magic happens. The effect on your child is amazing.

For example, we hardly watched any TV yesterday. Usually, TV is the first thing he asks for in the morning.  It wasn’t even a thought in my son’s mind until we had been playing for hours and we all needed a rest.

Tip 6: Be there with mind, body and soul, be fully present.

Shower Them With Love and Praise

I find when I’m giving my son my full attention I also notice myself also giving him a lot of Praise.  On days like these, I tell him:

  • how great he is
  • how well he’s doing
  • how much he’s learned
  • how proud we are of him
  • how lucky we are to have him in our lives
  • how much we love him

These words make a child glow inside.   It makes them feel special and loved and supported and safe.  I know because my parents gave me the same gift and it’s these words that come to mind and their love that sustains me in tough times.

Tip 7: Be your child’s biggest fan

Over to You

What methods work best for you when you want to switch off from work and be a better Mom?  Are you able to just have fun whenever, wherever?  Or do you also need a digital detox before you can give yourself over to play?

Count Your Blessings Name Them One by One by Jill du Preez on laurenkinghorn.com

Count Your Blessings Name Them One by One by JillAlexa

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Count Your Blessings Name Them One by One - Jill du Preez on laurenkinghorn.com

By Jill Alexa du Preez of JillAlexa.com

After reading Laurens’ wonderful article on Motherhood, I want to add my pennies worth. Of course to me it is not pennies worth at all but some memories of early motherhood.

Forgive me, my children, if I don’t remember everything you said or did, it was rather a long time ago. The reason I have called this “Count Your Blessings – Name Them One by One” is that we were told by doctors and specialists that it would be most unlikely for me ever to bear a child and I did have medical issues which caused miscarriages. I won’t bore you with the details.

It was quite a shock to me to hear my children called PK’s (Preacher’s Kids) as the only PK’s I had heard of in my life until then, were pikinini khayas, which are outside toilets in Zimbabwe and probably other African countires. Well I am extremely proud of my PKs as they are all loving, caring and empathetic young people.

Having spent most or in the case of the last two children, all, of their lives living in Church manses and learning to accept everyone they have come in contact with in the church and their opinions. They also had grandparents sharing their home for twenty years and often had to bite their tongues when being told off or criticized in any way. I admire them greatly as it wasn’t always easy.

Oh, Happy days

Let us start a bit further back now. My beloved sister ,Gaye, who was married quite a few years after we were, discovered she was pregnant and when she first told me, naturally I was thrilled for her but hurting inside as I so longed to be a mother.

The first miracle was I found to my surprise that I was also expecting and we had our first children six days apart. Gaye was able to have natural home births with all four of her children whilst I ended up with three caesarian births. Never mind, it was just such a joy to have children and they were all perfect.

Warwick, our firstborn, was almost born in the church as I went into early labour during a congregation meeting (it figures). Matthew wasn’t yet in the Ministry but we were both very involved in our local church. Our car was giving us trouble and a dear friend rushed us up to the local hospital.

It was then that I was informed that would have to have caesarian section. It was a disappointment as I had been going to birthing classes etc. but never-the-less was grateful when I woke up to find I had this wonderful baby boy. When I looked down at this tiny mortal being, I was filled with love and awe that someone so tiny could be so perfect. Naturally, Matt and I checked every last bit of him. Amazing!

This child was born to talk. He absolutely had a love for people and befriended everyone he met. I was soon to become known as “Warwicks’ Mom”. No longer just Jill. He was a chatterbox of note and had an imaginary friend which was pretty useful, as when he wasn’t talking my ear off, he chatted away to his friend. The downside of this was that I had to prepare food for the friend too.

Accepting the call

Matthew had the call to the Ministry early but eventually accepted it when Warwick was just over a year old. Off we went to Grahamstown for him to study at Rhodes University. Great changes in our lives.

Hey ho!hey ho! its back to work I go

Sadly I had to leave my dear little chap in the capable care of a nanny and went off to work.

Warwick, often strapped to the back of his nanny, was taken all over Grahamstown and chatted to all and sundry thus becoming very well-known to all the passing parade. He loved to sit on the wide windowsill outside our lounge which was right on the pavement, and chat to everyone. As he grew older and went to school, no surprise, he was nicknamed “Chirpy” .

We couldn’t watch a movie without having a running commentary on what was happening and why, given by our son. This was quite irritating but we had to learn to accept it as it wasn’t going to change, and never did.

Pyromaniac?

My Mom, although she loved all her grandchildren dearly, wasn’t a very patient granny and didn’t offer readily to babysit. I think she felt she had done her bit, bringing up four children of her own. She also worked and was probably pretty tired after a long working day.

One day however, Matt and I had to go into town for something and she offered to look after Warwick. He was probably about three at that time. Mom went into the kitchen to make tea and when she went back into the lounge where she had left Warwick. He said to her, Granny, can you smell something burning? She could and they both gazed out of the window to see what it could be. Then Mom looked down and saw to her horror a drift of smoke coming from under an armchair. She moved it and saw a hole burning in her newly laid carpet. Where Warwick found the matches, who knows, what I do know is that my poor Mom was as mad as a snake and didn’t offer to babysit again. Can’t say I blamed her.

Making New Friends

Making New Friends

We arrived in Port Elizabeth when Warwick was around eight years old. Matthew had been called to St. Columbas Church. On our first Sunday I was surprised by a young woman coming up to me and thanking me for the invitation to tea. Warwick had met her son and said that his parents wanted him and his family to come to tea. We had such a laugh, come to tea they did and we have remained the firmest of friends to this day.

The Faith of a Child

It shouldn’t but it does surprise me what wonderful faith children have. When Warwick was in High School he developed two very painful plantars warts under his foot. He could barely walk and so I made an appointment with our doctor to have these beastly things cut out.

On the day this was to be done, Warwick came through to me in the kitchen as I was preparing breakfast and said, ” Mom, I had the worst pain I have ever felt, last night but I prayed about it and you don’t have to take me to Dr. Harle, my foot is healed.” I thought he was just afraid of the procedure but he said, “Mom, believe me, just look at my foot,” I looked and the plantars warts were no longer there and his foot was totally smooth. It actually made me come out in goose bumps recalling this incident. God really does work in mysterious ways, as my darling Mother-in-law always said.

Another Miracle

Our second son, Gregory or Greg as he is commonly called, was born in Grahamstown. He was also a premature baby and the smallest of my three children. On the second day after his birth I went to fetch him from the nursery for his feed. As I lifted the blanket all I could see was blood everywhere. This poor little baby was bleeding from his umbilical cord. What a shock it was. He was bundled up and taken by ambulance to Port Elizabeth Hospital and Matt and I drove behind wondering if our little baby would survive. It was a terrible experience. When we were allowed to see him, he was in an incubator with his fringes of beautiful black hair shaved off and tubes coming out of his head.

We had very good friends living quite close to the hospital who very kindly took me in so that I could be there to carry on feeding my little son. Matthew had to return to Grahamstown to study and also look after Warwick. Gregory was in hospital for over a week and I had to make sure I had enough milk to take to the hospital to feed him. I don’t know if it was this dramatic start to his life but when he was about two he fell in the kitchen. He stopped breathing and we had to revive him by giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. This was while we served the Krugersdorp church which was Matts’ first call.

Seeking Answers

Greg was just over four when we arrived in Port Elizabeth and when he had another of these episodes where he stopped breathing we were advised by our doctor to have him tested at the hospital. We spent a day with them doing all sorts of tests and it was decided at the end of all of this that he had a very rare form of epilepsy. He was put onto phenobarbitone, which I learned years later was totally the wrong thing to do. What did I know? We believed everything the doctors and specialists told us in those days. Have learned not to be so gullible and question everything now.

This medication caused Greg to battle through his early school life.as he felt sleepy a lot of the time. He also had stomach pain every morning, whether that was the medicine or the fear of school, who can tell? Probably a bit of both.

Time to Shine

Greg has tremendous ball sense and I can remember going to watch him play in his first cricket match. He was standing as though in a complete dream, then his arm shot out and caught the ball. All of a sudden all the little boys and the teacher ran towards Greg and patted him on the back, he had caught the ball and didn’t even realize it. He had just been standing behind the stumps, dreaming and unconsciously put out his hand and caught the ball. He was more surprised than anyone else. He now plays league tennis.

Technical Tendencies

Like most mothers, I knew when things were too quiet, something was up. Can recall, very distinctly, the day I went looking for Greg only to find him with a very happy and proud face with my sewing machine in pieces. He had carefully unscrewed everything he could on the machine and some of the parts we didn’t ever find. Hope he didn’t swallow them. This machine had been a 21st birthday gift from my parents, so could cheerfully have strangled him. He was two at the time. Had to restrain myself.

Another incident that comes to mind is when I was playing tennis and when I came to leave found that the windscreen wiper blades had been taken off the car. After a long search we eventually found them under the mat in the back of the car. Very frustrating.

Pastoral Call?

Greg was an escape artist of note and I received a call from a friend asking if I had seen Greg. As she also has a son Greg I assumed it was her son she was looking for. Oh no, she said, my Greg was there. He had ridden around in his peddle car. I didn’t even know he was missing. What a wake-up call that was.

Lost and Found

On another occasion, with friends and family members, we were all on holiday at Kenton-on-Sea and after a long day playing on the beach and in the river and sea, it was time to make our way home. The women wearily packed up all the necessary beach paraphernalia and marshalled the children, in readiness to go back to the cottage while the men went to collect wood for the braai,(barbeque).

Some of the older boys went off with the men and we women and little ones started up the hill back to the cottage. At the last moment, Gregory decided he wanted to be with the men and off he went. The problem was that he didn’t find them and I thought he was safely with his father.

After a long time, the men came back and began to get the braai (barbeque) ready for cooking the meat. I asked Matt where Gregory was but he didn’t know. he thought all along that he was with me.

The panic set in and the hunt was on for our lost little boy. He couldn’t have been more than four. Everyone went in different directions and eventually the police were called and at last we found him.

He was trudging along, his little face was ashen and the tears were rolling down his cheeks. As I put him on my lap in the car, his little body was shuddering with suppressed sobs. It was truly heartbreaking and as a mother I will never forget how I lost my little boy. It all turned out well in the end but it could have been so different.

Hallelujah!

Our third, and last child is Lauren. She was born just before Greg turned two and just three months after we arrived in Krugersdorp which was Matt’s first charge. After two little boys being born with a shock of black hair, they presented me when I awoke after the anaesthetic with this dear little bundle and she was almost bald. We thought at first the nurse had brought the wrong baby but we were assured it definitely was our baby and she was absolutely gorgeous.

Picky!

She was a very self-possessed little girl and certainly knew her own mind. She hated the colour pink and I soon learned that she liked to pick out her own outfits to wear. It made life much simpler to just place a few outfits where she could reach them and she would sort out what she wanted to wear that day. The outfits might not have been what I would have chosen but they made her happy.

This was definitely my artistic child and she loved playing the piano, writing poetry and stories. Collecting soaps and papers. She would spend hours entertaining herself and then present me with her writings or pictures, I still have a number of them in my treasure box. In all Lauren’s years at school, I never had to remind her to do homework or practice the piano. It was such a change from her brothers, as it was always amazing that they passed their exams at the end of each year, without studying very hard.

Mom Playing Truant

Mom Playing Truant

When we moved to Port Elizabeth she was three-and-a-half and she went to nursery school. It was lovely to be able to go straight from nursery school down to the beach and play in the surf and sand. Once I forgot to attend a large Women’s meeting at our Church and only remembered it when we were on our way home from the beach. I wasn’t very popular but boy did we have fun. Thank goodness I wasn’t running the meeting, that would have been unforgivable, I guess.

Stealing the limelight

Lauren was asked to be flower girl to one of the members of the congregation. She was so excited about it and I made the dress for her (not pink) and she couldn’t wait for the big day.

She was coached on how to walk down the aisle behind the bride and bridesmaid and to wait and be still while the wedding was taking place and all went well until it came time to walk out of the church. She hadn’t had any instruction on that part and first of all she picked up her skirt to show the congregation her white stockings and then skipped the whole way down the long aisle behind the happy couple.

PK Talk

One can often tell when children have been brought up in a manse as their conversation differs from other families. I was busy in the kitchen one day and as I looked out of the window saw Gregory and Lauren playing near the wash line. The window was open and as I watched them I saw Greg with a spade and he started digging a hole and there was Lauren standing with large pair of scissors and when I asked them what they were doing, Greg said “I am digging up the devil” and Lauren chirped in “and I am going to cut him up into little pieces.”

When Matthew was still at university he was given a holiday job working at Frere Road Presbyterian Church. The Minister and his family were going on holiday, so we stayed in the manse. This was a new experience for us. Warwick was at the stage of saying his prayers, Loved to answer the phone and also learning to say grace at the table. Matthew was out making a pastoral calls and Warwick and I were happily splashing around in his paddling pool. The phone rang and Warwick was out of the pool like a shot, ran to the phone and picking it up , he said, “For what we are about to receive.” I often wonder what the person on the other end of the line thought. I was convulsed with laughter. He was so very proud of himself.

Warwick and Greg were in the bath one evening and as I passed the bathroom door I overheard Warwick say to Greg,” you know Jesus and God are the same person” Greg was very puzzled and then Warwick with all the worldly wisdom of an eight-year-old said, “Yes, and his surname is Spirit.” There was a long pause then he said, “you know Greg, Jesus is everywhere, even in the bath with us.”. ” Well” says Greg, “If I give him a karate chop, do you think he will say ouch?”

Pity the Poor Teachers

We, as a family, had many lovely road trips and the children all talk often of the holidays we had. These were mostly spent with family and friends all over the country. The only drawback was that Lauren had a problem with car sickness. It was quite embarrassing for me to return the reports to the schools after one holiday after Lauren unfortunately was sick into my open handbag. I did clean the reports off as best I could but they still didn’t look too great, or smell too good either.

Seeing the Light

One evening, when we lived in Vryheid , in Northen Natal., we were driving out to visit Matt’s brother Lionel. Each Easter it is customary for the Town Council to put a star, in lights, on Vryheid Hill. We were discussing how lovely it looked when Lauren piped up, “That’s not lights, its a star in the sky.” It was quite a shock to us that she could not distinguish between lights on the hill and a real star in the sky. We realized then that she would need her eyes tested. This meant long journeys down to Durban. Car sickness and all the testing and then the poor child then ending up with her first spectacles. Since I had to wear spectacles from an early age, I knew the difficulties this entailed. My heart bled for her.

Quality Time

There are likely many more stories I can tell you about my beloved “blessings”, am sure they will be pleased if I stop now. What I do want to say is that I am a very proud and happy mother and I know that their father (although he can’t say much anymore) is equally proud of them. We see each other as often as possible.

Every week I am with Lauren, Dan and Ben on Wednesday, sleep over and go back home on Thursday afternoon. This precious time is spent working with Lauren on Wealthy Affiliate, playing with my youngest grandson, and getting closer to my son-in-law. I am in the enviable position of having wonderfully close relationships with all of my children and their respective spouses and my beloved grandchildren.

Tell me the Old, Old Story

Dear readers, I am sure you all have wonderful stories to tell of your children. If you choose to tell us about them, I do hope you enjoy the experience of looking back and remembering your dear children as they were, and still are miracles and blessings.

Taking Care Yourself as Mom laurenkinghorn.com

Mama… When last did you take care of you?

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Taking Care Yourself as Mom

I’ve mentioned before that as a Mom to a busy little man, taking care of myself has been pretty low on my priority list for a while and that this year I’m planning to change that.

Mama… When last did you take care of YOU?

There was a time in my life that I was much better at taking care of myself, so I’m going to give you some tips today based on what I used to do when this was my focus.  Because I learned a lot of great tips and tricks about Self Care back in my Twenties when I was an Aerobics Instructor and a Massage Therapist.

Burnout

I learnt even more about Self Care when I burnt out as a Massage Therapist and found myself struggling with exhaustion, depression, Sciatica (lower back pain and aching down the legs), Spastic Colon and the most hideous, debilitating migraines.  My road to recovery was long but eventually, I found answers.

I never want to suffer from burnout or any of these horrible symptoms again.  If you’ve ever suffered from burnout or any of these symptoms, you’ll know exactly what I mean.  As the year progresses, I plan to incorporate more and more of these Tips back into my own life as well.

Simple Lifestyle Changes

Just a proviso to mention upfront:  None of this is intended as Medical Advice or to replace the advice you may be getting from your Doctor.

What I’m going to share with you is really just simple lifestyle changes that I made in my life that helped me enormously. Nothing too radical.   I can’t promise you will get the same results that I had, as I don’t know your Medical History and I am not trained to diagnose or treat Medical conditions.   I can only speak from my own experience.

Okay? All good with that?  Here we go.

Self Care Tip 1:  Eat Nutritious Foods

Self Care Tips Women - Self Care Tip 1 laurenkinghorn.com

It’s no secret that we are what we eat. And when I was feeling my worst, I was consuming a lot of chocolate and drinking a lot of coffee.  These are not poisonous substances by any stretch of the imagination but they became poisonous to my system because of the quantity I consumed over time.  And probably some other health factors coming in to play at the same time.

So, for a while, I had to cut anything that contained caffeine out of my diet altogether.

How did I find out I had become intolerant of anything containing caffeine?  I consulted a Kinesiologist and a Naturopath. I highly recommend veering off the path of Allopathic Medicine and finding some Alternative Healers if you have a bunch of symptoms that won’t seem to go away and you’d like to find out the root cause rather than just treat each symptom.

At the time, I also did a 2-week fast and a few fruit and veg cleanses and discovered that my body likes fruits and vegetables more than any other food.  I felt absolutely fantastic after a few weeks of eating only fruit and veg.  Here were the 5 main benefits in a nutshell.

  1. Energetic
  2. Joyful
  3. Fit
  4. Slim
  5. Free of pain

Here are my…

5 Ways to Eat Nutritiously

1: An Apple a Day…

Eat 90% what God Made and 10% what man-made (or tampered with). So if it’s in a box, bottle or packet rather than in a basket needing to be weighed, if you can’t grow your own in your garden, it’s probably man-made or tampered with.

In other words: Eat Plenty of Fresh Fruit and Veggies (this includes Berries and Nuts) to limit consumption of bread, biscuits, muffins etc.)

2: Find Out What’s Poisoning Your System

Find out if you are allergic or intolerant to anything and if you are:

  • eliminate it for a good few weeks or until all nasty symptoms disappear
  • then re-introduce, slowly
  • and never in the same quantity as before.

3: Eat Frequent Smaller Meals

Eat Frequently and never until you’re overly full (5 to 7 Small Snacks rather than 3 Big Meals) to keep blood sugar and therefore energy levels up.  Maintaining even blood sugar levels can mean the difference between whether you are happy and relaxed or depressed and nervous.

4: Drink Plenty of Water

Drink lots of water or herbal tea and eliminate sodas or soft drinks – even fruit juice and diet drinks as they still contain some form of sugar.

5: Eat More Fish

Choose Fish or Poultry over Red Meat or Pork.  I find my body works best when I eat plenty of fish rather than heavier, usually fattier steaks.   I know this is very controversial advice nowadays with the popular diets that centre around fat, juicy steaks.  However, fish oil is incredibly important for the brain.

If you’re not eating fish at least 3 times a week, I would recommend supplementing with Omega 3 Oils.  If you’re vegan or vegetarian I’d imagine you already know which foods are richest in Omega 3, but in case you don’t, there’s a great article here.   

A Note on Supplementation:

I believe 100% in supplementation, simply because I know most of us don’t have the time or inclination to eat as nutritiously as we should.   The supplement that helped me most when I was burning out was a little colloidal liquid called Cellfood by Nu Science Corporation. I got it here in South Africa from a company called Oxygen for Life.

Why it worked for me was because it:

  • was readily absorbed by the body
  • available at the cellular level
  • contains 78 elements and minerals, 34 digestives, 17 amino acids
  • contains Deuterium Sulphate which splits water molecules to release Oxygen at the cellular level

I must just mention here that this product is extremely detoxifying. I had a severe headache every day for the first 10 days of taking it but after that, I never suffered from a migraine ever again. Ever. And my spastic colon disappeared too.  Along with lower back pain, depression and exhaustion. After about two weeks on the product, I felt better than I had felt in years. It was life-changing for me.

Self Care Tip 2:  Be More Active

Self Care Tip: Be More Active laurenkinghorn.com

I’ve read a number of articles proclaiming that our sedentary lives are becoming the new BIG HEALTH ISSUE. i.e. More life-threatening (and more fattening) than either fat or sugar.

We sit on our bums to get to work and then sit at a desk all day and then come home to sit on the couch and watch the TV, eating our TV-dinner, which we popped into the microwave.  I know that sounds like an extreme example, but these are the kind of lifestyle habits that sneak into our everyday life.

And I can see how, as a blogger, sitting at my laptop for hours a day is not doing me any favours.  I am fortunate that I’m also a Mom which sometimes requires me to be active, either doing housework or playing with my son.  So I’ve started saying YES more often when he asks me to come jump on the trampoline with him.  We also go for walks together and now that he’s a bit older we can pick up the pace a bit (sometimes).

Regular Exercise is Key

What I learned when I was training to be an Aerobics Instructor, back in the day, is that for exercise to make a difference to your health and well-being, it needs to be regular (at least 3 times a week to maintain fitness, 4 or 5 times to increase fitness).

Along the way I discovered that the drop-off rate is really high is people aren’t enjoying themselves.

5 Ways to Being More Active

1: Find Exercise You Enjoy

In modern society, we tend to get stuck on the idea of the Gym as the only place to go to be active and the Gym may not be your cup of tea. But don’t let that stop you from exercising.

There are many different activities to do other than working out.  And some of them may be more appealing to you than doing a workout indoors along with a bunch of other sweaty bodies.

Here are some fun ideas you might want to try that may keep your interest:

  • Dancing (e.g. Ballroom, Salsa, Scottish Dancing, Line Dancing)
  • Martial Arts (e.g. Karate, Judo, Kung Fu, Tai Chi)
  • Beach Volleyball
  • Tennis
  • Golf
  • Rebounding
  • Table Tennis
  • Badminton
  • Yoga
  • Pilates
  • Ice Skating

2:  Shorten the Duration of Exercise

People often avoid exercise because they think it’s going to take too much time out of their day.

All you need to find is 20 to 30 minutes a day.

And it’s been proven that short bursts of exercise where you get your heart rate up can make a difference – even 5 minutes four times a day makes a difference.

You could try these tips to be more active.

  • Climb stairs instead of taking the lift whenever you can.
  • Step away from your desk every couple of hours or so and skip (with a skipping rope)
  • Go for a short brisk walk in your lunch hour

Warning: Don’t try do any of these in high heels, you can stay in your work clothes but good shoes or bare feet are a must.

Get out in Nature laurenkinghorn.com

3: Get out in Nature

Being out in nature is good for the soul.  Exercising in nature is good for body, mind and soul.

There are so many amazing outdoorsy activities you can enjoy. Here a few examples:

  • Hiking or Mountain Climbing
  • Walking on the Beach
  • Swimming (in the sea)
  • Windsurfing or Kitesurfing
  • Stand Up Paddle Boarding
  • Canoeing
  • Cycling
  • Jogging or Running

4: Change it up

If you find your interest in any activity is flagging, then it’s time for a change. Try something new every once in a while.

Or do something different every day. Whatever it takes to keep you active.

5: Change Your Mindset

Don’t let exercise start to feel like a chore.  If it feels like something you HAVE to do, it becomes something you do grudgingly.   Let it flow. Let it become a natural part of your life.  Find enjoyment in movement.

Self Care Tip 3: Take Time Out

Self Care Tip: Take Time Out laurenkinghorn.com

When last did you take a bit of R & R (Rest and Relaxation)?  Read a good book?  Or even flip through a magazine?

Emotional wellbeing is essential when you’re a Mom. Because if you’re an emotional wreck, your kids usually are too.  And everyone around you for that matter.

Here are my Top 5  Ways you can bring some much-needed balance back to your life.

1: Play Time

It can be so easy to let go of your friendships when you become a Mom. Especially if you have a number of children and your whole afternoon is spent getting them to all their extramural activities.

Take time to nurture your friendships, even if you have to have the kids in tow while you’re doing it.  Find things you can do with your friends and your children.

In the same vein, it’s just as important to find time to play with your children. Get down and dirty with them.  Climb into the sandpit sometimes or onto the jungle gym.  Lie on the floor with them playing cars or dressing up dolls or building blocks.  Let them lead the play and you might find you have a blast.

Oh… and while we’re on the subject of down and dirty, your hubby might appreciate some playtime with you too.

2: Down Time

Never underestimate the rejuvenation power of a good nap. Sleep is generally in short supply for Moms, so take naps whenever you can.

And if napping is not your thing, at least find a way to get in 8 hours a night every now and then.

SLEEP is one of the greatest healers I know.

3: Quiet Time

We live in a very noisy world.  There is almost always something on, TV, Radio or just the background noise of traffic and chatter. That’s why it’s essential to find spaces and block out time when you can experience stillness.

Find a way to bring meditation or prayer into your life. Learn Transcendental Meditation if needs be.  Or learn a breathing technique.  Or just breathe.

If you really find it impossible to slow your mind down to that pace, a Yoga class might provide just enough stillness for you. Or you can lose yourself in a book or some classical music, any music that calms and relaxes you. Whatever it takes to quiet your busy mind.

4: Me Time

While we’re busy slowing things down, it’s a good time to discuss chilling out on your own.

Here are some favourite me-time activities that you can consider incorporating into your life.

Mama... When last did you take care of you? Read more at laurenkinghorn.com #TakingCareYourselfasMom #SelfCare #MomSelfCare

  • Relax in a Bubble Bath
  • Go for a Full Body Massage
  • Indulge in a Spa Day
  • Go for a Facial
  • Read a Good Book
  • Window Shop
  • Say no once in a while
  • Get the Giggles
  • Journal
  • Lose Yourself in a Craft Activity
  • Watch a Funny Video on YouTube
  • Walk on the Beach
  • Go on a Shopping Spree
  • Give Yourself a Home Facial
  • Try Wii Fit Yoga
  • Walk in the Park
  • Paint
  • Exfoliate your Whole Body
  • Sing
  • Take up Creative Writing
  • List all the Things you are Grateful for
  • Knit
  • Dream of Your Ideal Day
  • Draw up a Bucket List
  • Breathe
  • Garden
  • Try out a New Recipe
  • Watch an Inspirational Video on YouTube (e.g. a Ted Talk)
  • Pop on your Favourite Beats and Dance in the lounge
  • Create something
  • Bake
  • Browse in the Library
  • Visit a Museum or Art Gallery
  • Invent something.
  • Play Words with Friends or Patience
  • Whistle
  • Pamper yourself with a Pedicure or Manicure (if money is tight, you can swop treatments with a good friend).
  • Relax in Your Comfiest Armchair with a Cup of Tea
  • Just Be

5: Let Go

Every now and again, it’s also a good idea to do something a bit crazy.  Something out of character.

  • Take yourself on an Artists date
  • Go on a girl’s night out
  • Go on a wild Date Night with your husband at a club where you’re the oldest people there
  • Or book yourselves into a local Hotel for one night, just for fun
  • Get out of your head
  • Reinvent Yourself
  • Go to a stand-up comedy show and laugh your head off
  • Plan a Dream Holiday on some exotic island and follow through
  • Join a Church
  • Go skydiving or bungee jumping or sailing or on a ski-trip… or something
  • Anything that takes your fancy (within reason)
  • Climb Mount Kilimanjaro
  • Visit a beautiful Cathedral
  • Try something new
  • Take your kids to the funfair
  • Go camping
  • Take your kids to Disneyland
  • Volunteer at an Animal Shelter or a Children’s home or an Old Age Home
  • Go on a Pilgrimage
  • Light up the world
  • Go to a rock concert
  • Play Pretend
  • Walk the Camino
  • Or just close your eyes and go to any place you like in your mind
  • Find your Happy

Get out there and have some FUN.

Take Care of Yourself Mama! You Matter.

Over to You

Is there any aspect of self-care you think I have left out?  Do you see self-care as self-indulgence or a vital part of your health and wellbeing?  What do you do to feel your best?  What do you do to operate at your peak?  Join the conversation below…