Monday's Moment of Wisdom - Pearl Number 73

 “The ability to stay calm and focused in the midst of change is what distinguishes great leaders from those just collecting a paycheck.” - Todd Stocker

The biggest thing consuming our lives right now is not the growing, wriggling, kicking baby girl in my tummy but the prospect of moving two hours up country in to our new home, in the middle of August, 4 weeks before said baby girl is due! You can imagine the lack of calm and focus going on in our lives right now!

For me, posting this quote today is a simple reminder to use all my strength and resolve to remain calm  and keep focusing on the end goal, the bigger picture. Sometimes it seems that we loose sight of the fact that a new person is coming in to our world soon (and I am the one pushing her out!) and also that we still need to live our life today, if we spend the next few months obsessing and planing and stressing over this move we will forget to enjoy our last few moments in this house as a family.

Staying calm, remaining focus, centred and at ease is a fabulous lesson to teach LC, she gets quite shaken amongst change anyway and I think it would be great for her to learn this life lesson so being a good role model to her and others around me will pay off in the long run. I know I need to keep up with eating clean, sleeping well and using meditation and mindfulness to help me with this, and a little support from those around us, should see us get through this time of massive change and transition!

I'm not sure how things will look around here either, maternity leave starts in a few weeks - yay! My intention is to plan, write, pack and write some more, all ready for the big move and then of course welcoming our new little girl. I'm hoping to get the blog into some kind of order and recruit some guest posters again, this time to write Pearls of Wisdom for the month of September (if you'd like to be one please do get in touch via email or twitter, you can find those on my about me page). So, hopefully the blog will keep ticking along nicely but please do bare with me if it seems a bit quiet some weeks over the next few months as I embark on two of the most stressful journeys of my life - hey we should of waited till now to get married too right?! 

So, how do you react to change? 

Bury your head in the sand, panic?

Or do you stay cool as cucumber?

I love hearing more about your ideas and experiences so don't forget to share in the comments below! 

Feel Good Friday round up!

Are you planning to relax in the sunshine this weekend?

Want some easy reading that will inspire and uplift you?

Well look no further - here are some links I think you'll enjoy!

Three DIY foot soaks to try, maybe sat out in the garden? Which one will you try?
A great reminder here on how to stop comparing yourself to others.
Finding it hard to express yourself? This could be your answer.
Starting a conversation with someone just got easier! Here's a smart tip.
The Sugar Challenge - could you give it up?

Remember to getting your daily dose of Vitamin D can help with mood and general well-being so make an effort to get out side in the next few days, even if it's just a 10 minute walk - but don't forget to put on that sunscreen!

Happy Weekend - if you have any fun plans or great reads do share below!

My Giving Up Sugar Challenge

Today I'm coming back for a final update - it's been a whole week now since I set myself a challenge to give up sugar and I've been looking back over the week and reflecting on my progress.

I've had some highs and some lows and I've learnt a lot about how sugar effects our body and mind and where it lies hidden in the food and products we buy, it's certainly been an eye opener!

My actually ability to cut out sugar has been mixed, I'll admit there's been a few days when it's been difficult and I've wanted to indulge (yesterday at Blognix being one of them!) especially in times of high stress levels and cutting sugar out of every meal has been almost impossible for our family, however what's been interesting is how we've changed the way we all snack and this has been the biggest out come of my little challenge.

Cutting out the sugary snacks has been such a benefit for all of us, LC's behaviour has improved and she's taking an interest in what food is good for her little body, my OH has found some enthusiasm to get back on the fit band wagon after 6 weeks of being out of action with a fractured wrist, he's making his small diet changes too and lastly I've seen now how sugary my own snacking has been, even when I thought I was being healthy...

So at the end of challenge week we're committing to snacking more cleanly and mindful and my hope is to now be more aware of how much sugar we are having at meal time too, just being able to reduce a bit there too will be great too!

Do you have any sugar free tips you can share here with us?

Maybe you have a favorite reduced sugar recipe I could try out?

Drop me a line or leave a comment below! 

Feel Good Friday - The sugar challenge.

Last Saturday we got back from our holiday in Italy, feeling exhausted and sluggish on the Sunday from too much delicious Italian treats I decided to set myself a challenge for the week to see if I could reduce my sugar intake, I also wanted to try to limit the rest of the family too and my OH got right on board, we had seen a lot of unwanted behaviour from Miss LC whilst away and thought maybe it was connected to how much sugar/additives she had over indulged in.

So, we swapped treats for healthy snacks for LC (there was some slight protest from her but she did like her alternatives also!) and my OH has given up his daily dose of the purple chocolate and and decided to only have a few beers at the weekend - yay a positive start from the family! I also decided to gently reduce my intake each day without going too overboard and record my progress in a journal and on Instagram.

By actually recording what I did and how I felt I've been able to really reflect on how I've managed, measure my progress and commit to myself in making a difference, I gave myself no set goals or outcomes, only to do my best in giving up sugar and make a real effort to reduce my intake. I have also found some great resources to help in the way of blogs, websites and recipes, take a look...

Sarah Wilson's website - I Quit Sugar

This fab YouTube clip from Gabrielle Bernstein about changing your diet.

A great article from Women's Health website on cutting back added sugar.

Kate Harris lovely Blog - Kate Quits Sugar
I'm also going to invest in James Duigan's Clean and Lean Pregnancy Guide as a long term maintenance tool/resource to keep me fit and healthy for the rest of my pregnancy and beyond, let me know if you have read it too! 

I still have a few days left on my challenge, I'm off to Blognix with my gorgeous friend Gemma from Mission 2 Mum tomorrow and I'm not sure how well I will hold up on this challenge, especially with a promise of bake off's and cocktail tasting but I'm determined to not go too overboard, let's see how I get on! 

So do you fancy challenging yourself to make a difference?

What would you do to help stay on track? 

Do share any thoughts or tips below! 

Beating those post holiday blues.

 If you're like me a holiday away from your everyday life is something to revel in and completely embrace - change of scene, food, weather and routine really is an adventure for me, I love experiencing the new and the different and I love broadening my horizons. However when it's time to come home I'm often struck down with the holiday blues and struggle to get back to real life and my everyday again.

This week we're away it Italy on our annual family holiday, a bit of baby-moon for us before we become a family of four. I know despite how much fun we will have I'll come back at the weekend and be as blue as the sky by the time I sit down to the laptop Monday morning, I can guarantee you this slump will last best part of the week too.

So with this in mind I'm thinking ahead and getting prepared and making myself a comfort list of things to help me beat those post holiday blues...

Picture Perfect

We always take hundreds of pictures on holiday and then get home and do nothing with them! This time I'm gonna break that habit and spend time organising them and printing out a few of my favourites to display around the house, I'm hoping this will help me keep that holiday feeling long after it ends.

Indulge in my post holiday body

I love the glow my body has after a break away and god knows this pregnant mama needs a bit of a body boost right now! I'm planning to make that glow last a long as possible this time by keeping my skin and hair well hydrated after a week of sun and treating myself to some indulgent products to slather on. I think a nice manicure/pedicure in a bright summer colour will help to keep me feeling lively also. The time I spend investing me will also help me feel more relaxed also indulging in some space each day to devote to me will hopefully feel like I'm back at the spa!

Being a book worm

One thing myself and the OH have always done when we go away is take a pile of books, pre children we would get through 4 or 5 on holiday, now we're lucky if we get through 2. However we take turns to have time to ourselves to read a little and I have to admit I probably get a bit more than him as he spends a good proportion of our holidays in the pool with LC, they live to swim on holiday! So anyway my goal this year is to keep up my reading habit, it's slipped loads lately and I still have my stack of books on the bedside table from the beginning of the year! I'm going make time each week to have some space to read and focus on books that keep me energised and uplifted (do recommend any you think are a good read at the bottom of this post!).

Catch my dreams

Whenever I'm away I always get inspired by my new surroundings, I'll get a taste of how I want my life to be or a feel of what I want to do or achieve in the future. I'm making note of all these ideas, hopes and feelings when they happen by having a notebook with me whilst we visit and explore Rome, I'm capturing these with pictures if I can and collecting tokens that I find that represent them too. When I get home I intend to organise, collect and write down all these things and turn them in to a step by step planner for me on how to keep my dream and goals alive, a go to book or journal of what I can do or change to incorporate these feelings in to my lifer hat I can keep reading and be invigorate and motivated by.

And that's it these are my tips, ideas and comfort list of things I can do to stop the holidays blues from creeping in, I intend to follow up at some point and let you know how I get on. If you have anymore tips or ideas I can use do share in the comment section below....