30 ways No.30 love yourself

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The last 30 ways post and I have saved the most important one for the finale. Love Yourself.

Tomorrow (Halloween Baby) I will wake up and at 8.30am I turn another year older*.

Will I take my own medicine and live by my 30 ways?

I will try.

I will try to be smarter, learn more, read more, listen to music, buy fresh flowers and spend time outdoors. I will try to find the time to make a quiet spot in the day and pat my cat. I will make regular appointments for my health and see the dentist. I will laugh and listen and say no without the guilt. I will break away from my comfort zone and start a craft group.

I will take more photos of myself and not focus on my wobbly bits. I will feel good in my clothes and realise if I am confident and smiling and not tugging at waist bands I will look better. I will stick my big boobs out and feel proud.

I will accept that there is no changing certain people and as much as they try to hurt or blame me, it is not my fault. The issue starts with them. I will move on and look to the future, and keep my humour.

I will accept that time goes quickly but I will enjoy every moment and memory.

I will continue to love the three best people I know every single day and be a great wife, mum and friend.

But the person I will also tell is me.

Toni, I love you.

Why thank you.

Your welcome..........Oh by the way Happy Birthday......you old chook.

*hello 38!

30 ways No.29 time

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Time, time, time

See what's become of me

While I looked around

For my possibilities

I was so hard to please

Look around

Leaves are brown

And the sky

Is a hazy shade of winter

Hear the Salvation Army band

Down by the riverside's

Bound to be a better ride

Than what you've got planned

Carry your cup in your hand

And look around

Leaves are brown

And the sky

Is a hazy shade of winter

Hang on to your hopes, my friend

That's an easy thing to say

But if your hopes should pass away

Simply pretend

That you can build them again

Look around

The grass is high

The fields are ripe

It's the springtime of my life

Seasons change with the scenery

Weaving time in a tapestry

Won't you stop and remember me

Look around

Leaves are brown

There's a patch of snow on the ground

Lyrics by Paul Simon

Time.

My Mum and Papa-John came to stay. Papa came for 1 week and Mum for 3.

Mum went home yesterday and I felt so sad to see her go.

Time seems to get faster the older I get and although I can't slow it down, I have to appreciate and enjoy every moment because it will be over before I know it.

30 ways No.28 skin and bones

Bones.

Without strong bones we can't move the way we should. We get tired and the chance of a breakage is increased.

As women, it is important to drink our daily milk allowance to ward off Osteoporosis.

Buy milk that is high in iron and calcium and if you don't like it plain, mix it in a smoothie. Your bones will thank you later.

Skin.

I am as white as a ghost. You need sunglasses to stop the glare from my skin hurting your eyes.

When I was younger I would be happy if I got burnt because it would mean I would be brown in a few days time. After I got over the red skin and peel.

I haven't been in the sun for years now and I don't mind if my skin is not brown. I would rather have white skin then skin cancer and there are so many tanning sprays and creams on the market, you can pop them on and go about your business with tanned pins.

Protect your skin and your eyes. You think you are unsightly with white skin. Imagine how you would look with scars, missing parts of your face or the skin from your butt was now on your arm.

30 ways No.27 join in!

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I'm a shy person, but I try my best to not be a hermit and push myself to get out there.

One of the best ways to get involved is to join in - a club, a craft group, sports team, forums, dinner groups.......

Speaking as a shy person, I know it's hard to get involved, so if you are like me, start slowly. Join a forum for your favourite interest such as a cooking blog or a parent website for starters and build from there.

Start a craft group with your girlfriends and take turns rotating houses for the gathering. Buy your favourite biscuits and put the kettle on and have a chat.

I take part in the RVA online craft classes and have met some lovely ladies. I am also a Melbourne Brown Owl and you couldn't meet a nicer lady then head owl Pip.

I am also starting Tif's challenge on Saturday and I joined a 52 week photography group (that I am so behind in!) called Lens Us Together.

You could also join groups on Flickr and post your photos to your favourite sites.

Join in and have a go. You will be so glad that you did.

30 ways No.26 be kind

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“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”

Audrey Hepburn

30 ways No.25 get organised

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I love to be organised. It's the obsessive compulsive trait in me. :)

You might like to organise your craft, maybe your pantry, your shoes or replace all your clothes on wooden hangers. You might want to keep all your bills in a folder or collect pictures of inspiration for your wedding. Tidy your handbag or go through your favourite blogs and keep them in a folder on your computer.

Whatever it is you want to organise there are some great ideas to keep your thoughts or your things sorted and looking good.

Kikki K and Smiggle have colourful binders, wall planners, stickers and albums. Cool luggage tags and bright pencil cases.

Ikea have great clips and buckets, pegs and magnetic strips.

Even your local handyman store can provide sheets of cork or chip board so you can make your organisation solution.

You might want to paint a wall in chalkboard paint or buy jars to pop your ribbon into. Maybe check out your local secondhand store for cute bowls or tins for storing thread or sew sheets into shoe holders to hang from your door.

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Whatever you decide to do, being organised will make your life a lot more easy and simple.

30 ways No.24 believe

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Whatever it is you believe in....don't be swayed.

If you are religious, believe in your family, are spiritual or believe in nothing at all, that is your opinion and it isn't wrong.

30 ways No.23 be a tourist in your own home

my photo of Melbourne

Ever find yourself going to the same old places on the weekend or doing the same routine?

The best thing to break the rut is to buy a travel guide book for your own state and pretend you are a tourist.

Bookmark places to see on your computer or buy a local paper and check out the up and coming festivals or shows.

You might like your Saturday waffles at your favourite cafe, but maybe there are better waffles at a new one all the way across town. You might like to watch a movie at the local cinema, but maybe the same movie is showing at an outdoor festival under the stars. Eat at home...pack a picnic and eat outdoors.

Try new places. See new things. Live like a tourist in your own home.

30 ways No.22 be crafty

Much like the imagination you have when you are a child, for me, craft keeps it alive.

I love any craft and I do none of them well.

I love to quilt but they are askew. I love to granny square but they are wonky and out of shape. I love to paint but I use the wrong brushes, go out of lines and only I can see what the picture is.

I could go on and on, but it's not about perfection, it's about giving it a go.

Today I sat outside with the kids and we played with the play-doh and we made these -

fishy

bush snowman

stan the monster.....and we had so much fun.

Like your Nanna or Great Grandma or your Mum who have sat knitting jumpers for a friends new baby, made you a holly hobby doll for your bed, or sewed up your torn jeans...keep craft alive.

It's fun, you are so proud of yourself when you finish something you made by hand, you can make new friends or join a craft group. Start off small and don't be hard on yourself. Give it a go!

30 ways No.21 learn

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Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life. ~Henry L. Doherty

30 ways No.20 home

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home;
A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,
Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere.
Home, home, sweet, sweet home!
There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home!

John Howard Payne


Make your house a home.

all photos from The Selby

30 ways No.19 stop your past and move forward

Don't let your past hold you back from being happy.

Don't let your past hold you back from moving on.

Don't let your past hold you back from fulfilling your dreams.


One way to let go of your past to make way for a new tomorrow is to keep a journal.

It could be a notebook filled with writing, or an art journal, or a scrapbook of thoughts, even your blog...but releasing your thoughts helps you to be organised, stay focused, make time for yourself and what you are feeling, improve your well being and it also allows time from your past to become a treasured keepsake rather then a mix of jumbled thoughts that you thought was holding you back.

It's just your past. We all have one. It's what you do with it that counts.

30 ways No.18 appreciate the ones you love

Break in 30 ways transmission......

We were all struck down with gastro from Saturday onwards.

Elton was first off the ranks and Ben and I took him to hospital yesterday as he was no better. Elton had 2 bags of fluid put back into his little body because he was dehydrated. At the same time I started my turn for gastro followed by Ben, and then last night it was Audrey's turn.

The whole time we had Mum at home washing, ironing, looking after Audrey, getting dinner, making beds, cleaning up, running around with buckets.

Mum worked so hard looking after us all and we are so thankful that she was here.

All those times I have wished Mum was here, and she actually was. Not so nice for Mum...what a holiday! And it must be the mum gene or something....she didn't even get sick!

30 ways No.17 i love you

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3 little words.

i love you.

tell the ones you love.

every day.

30 ways No.16 step outside your comfort zone

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Today I had a breakthrough.

I went to the shops and tried on a dress I thought I would never be able to wear. I would walk past thinking this is not going to look any good at all.

Today I thought that I would give it a go.

It looked great! I felt so happy. Not just because of the dress, but I tried something new. I stepped out of my comfort zone.

I had walked past this dress thinking it was never for me, and it turns out I just needed to give it a chance.

I have been thinking ever since I came home that I could try that same theory towards anything. It might not work out, I might fail at it, but I could just give it a go.

30 ways No.15 It's ok to say no

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It can be hard to say no.

We generally say no to please other people and most times feel pressured or obligated to give a yes answer.

You say yes and then you feel stressed and angry at yourself for committing to something you either didn't want to do or have no time for.

Don't feel frightened for saying no. It's important to be assertive and don't allow body language to contradict your answer. For example - if you are confronted at work and your co-worker is hovering over you, make sure you stand up to meet their eye and deliver your no.

My Mum is visiting from Perth and I am behind in lots of different projects and I am missing reading my favourite blogs, but the time is important to be spent with Mum, so I will just have to catch up later.

It's ok to say I'm sorry, I can't. It's ok to say no.

30 ways No.14 listen

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“Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.” Anon.

“So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.”
Jiddu Krishnamurti

30 ways No.13 laugh!

I used to sit next to my best friend in primary school during silent reading.

Marie-Claire used try her hardest to make me laugh and her little hand used to come over onto my page and point to words in my book (like egg) and for some reason it would make me laugh and laugh and then we would be told to separate. It never stopped us from trying to sit together the next day.

This recollection is pretty old but I still remember it clearly because nearly every great memory I own in my brain has to do with laughing.

I love sight gags and Gary Larson comics. Ben pretending he is a ninja. Audrey doing a headstand. Elton being a train driver. I love Ricky Gervais on The Office and watching him sing Free Love Freeway. I love daggy dancing. Getting out my Kath and Kim dvd's and driving Ben mad with my impersonations.

Chuckles, nervous giggles, belly laughter.

Laugh!

It's so good for you.

30 ways No.12 health check

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I once found a lump in my boob.

I went to the doctor who gave me a referral for a blood test and an ultrasound, and thankfully it came back that it was nothing serious. Perhaps some left over tissue from when I breastfed.

I keep an eye on it and I am aware it is there.

We have areas on our body we have to look after. If you are unsure about any lump, bump, roll or you just feel not your usual self, go to the doctor and have a check up.

It's great to tell your Mum or your girlfriends and let them reassure you it's nothing, but in the end, your Mum is not a doctor.

We don't look forward to pap smears and breast examinations as much as seeing a new movie or buying a dress, but it's important to keep your bits in top condition.

For a few minutes of uncomfortable, it could make a world of difference to your life.

30 ways No.11 feel good in your clothes

Following on from Accepting Your Shape is all about feeling good in your clothes.

The furore over body shape started long before this photo, but the debate is resurrected once again.

20 year old Lizzie Miller was featured in Glamour magazine and she was not airbrushed. Just a beautiful girl who is labelled a 'plus size model', letting it all hang out in an honest way.

No.1 - how sad that this girl is a plus size model to begin with. She looks pretty normal to me.

No. 2 - she is so comfortable in her own skin that she doesn't need any clothes.

Nigella

Mia Tyler Oprah

Crystal Renn

Marilyn

Beth Ditto

Sophia Loren

What was the common trait of the above women?

Nope. Not what you are thinking. Not that they are are big girls, with boobs, stomachs and handles.

They all look good in their clothes. They are comfortable with themselves. They are all working it in their way. The way that made them who they are.

Only a small majority saw Lizzie's photo and went "hey that girl has a stomach". The larger majority of people went "that's fantastic. Real. She looks awesome."

People see Beth Ditto in her stage gear and it's more shock value. She is flaunting to the public that it's ok for her to wear a tight dress and once the crowd get over that, they will notice her amazing voice.

Nigella cooks. Guys do not notice the hips. They think "now that is one gorgeous woman and I wish I had her in my kitchen."

These women all look good because hips and thighs are not what they are about. They stand for other, more worthy things. But these women give hope to others, because they feel good in their clothes.

The next time you go to a new place, don't think everyone is staring at your bottom saying to themselves how large it is. They are thinking who is that lovely girl with the bright smile and I hear she crochets like a wizard.

I am not about letting yourself go, because you have to love you before anyone else can. It's also not about size or the number on your scale.

I diet and it's more about tugging at a waist band that is annoying and makes me feel uncomfortable, getting to a place that makes the tugging stop and feeling happy. It doesn't matter if the number is wrong or if I was someone else I could stand to lose a few more kilos. It's about feeling good in your clothes.

Feel good to give yourself confidence, but let your insides speak for themselves.

30 ways No.10 reading

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There is nothing better then being in the middle of a good book, it's cold, the bed is warm and you hop in and catch up on your story.

You might read one page and your eyes droop close, or you could be reading until all hours of the morning.

You might be a fan of murder mysteries, you might like romance novels, or a comedy. You might like to turn pages of your favourite magazine or read the weekend newspaper under a tree.

You might even be a closet reader of secrets....I like to read cheesy romance novels with Fabio type men on the cover. I keep these in my undie draw in case anyone comes over. But I try and balance these out with books from Ben's reading list, which is the exact opposite of mine.

Reading. It's good.

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