Bruce Springsteen has it in spades! Why, you ask? Well he's clearly doing not
only what he loves, but doing it at the absolute top of his game. While I can't
aspire to a stellar singing career (mostly due to being tone deaf), what I can
do is be the best 'me' possible, something I am just coming to finally begin to
understand, a bit like a curtain has been drawn aside, and by taking a peek
into the depths of Bruce Springsteen, I'm grasping exactly what it means to be
all of onesself.
If he can be 63 and as fit as he is, there is no excuse for my lazy behaviour
regarding my weight, none. I may not ever in my life have the energy he puts
into performances however I can do a damned sight better than I do now! I can
be thin, how thin remains to be seen, but I am absolutely able and capable of
getting the caloric restriction and exercise needed! It's my choice. In talking about being thin, I do not aspire to be 'model like' or thin for the acceptance of others. This is totally about being healthy enough to play with my children, to live into my dotage and to enjoy it all as much as possible, without the health challenges that go with being overweight. For me, what to do to earn money is not as simple, although the principle of
finding something you love, then fostering your ability through seeking the
highest quality feedback is certainly borne true when witnessing the incredible
E Street Band. I especially like watching Tom Morello's mind get blown as Bruce
and the band teach him their craft! But Springsteen's history shows that he has
not only studied the greats of entertainment, but has from the beginning,
thrown himself into a situation of not only seeking feedback (through
competitions and companions), but surrounded himself with the dedication of peer review from
the incredible E Street Band. He has in his early career shaped his future by
shaping his musical companions.
So the process of writing down my feelings has taken some time, during which I
already feel the fading of the bards energy as real life invades :(
Right now I have three sick children, my husband is unwell and I'd be sick too if I wasn't so busy looking after them all. It occurred to me that before our baby was born, we always managed to NOT spread germs through the whole family.
A survey of friends on Facebook has triggered my memory banks and added to the ideas for keeping well and avoiding the spread of infection. Here are my favourites:
Prevention
Use a hand sanitiser or nappy wipe to clean hands every time children get into the car from school or other outings. Wash hands before food and after the toilet. NB This is also a shameless plug for Epoch Hand Sanitiser, because you can purchase them through me. Or so it is rumoured, I'm still a complete novice as a distributor!
Keep a healthy family that drinks plenty of water (I need to be checking water bottles every afternoon as neither of my schoolchildren drink enough water at school), with plenty of garlic and vitamin C in their diets and plenty of sleep for everyone. As much as humanly possible. At least keep an eye out for major catastrophes in the healthy water / food / rest department and make an attempt to pick up the health boosting to counteract any unhealthy habits.
Last Minute Prevention
I like to think of this group of tips as 'last minute prevention' as they work best if you begin them at the first sign of sniffles, or fatigue or any kind of unwell-ness in the family. What I've learnt this past year is that timing of response is everything. Leaving it until there is one completely ill child before beginning these strategies is unlikely to stop other's catching their illness. This is where I've been slipping up since having a third baby.
Quarrantine the child who is feeling off-colour into a room by themselves doing a quiet activity, keep that room aired well and keep their fluids up as well as whatever health boosting food you can get them to eat! Keeping them away from other children will minimise the spread of illness. This is a strategy we used for years with a great deal of success and it is only since we stopped quarantining that we've had illness go throughout the family.
Clean all the things! As soon as someone seems ill, make sure all the washing up is cleared away (I still tend to struggle through the last few things that pop up), get out the antiseptic (we use a very mild bleach with no additives) and mop the floors, wipe surfaces (we use Vanilla Fresh), spray the air and anywhere you like with Eucalyptus Spray. Change pillowcases and sheets and wash in warm water with a few drops of Eucalyptus oil.
So thats my plan. Be prepared with a prevention strategy, especially considering the stress our family are under at the moment. And follow up more quickly with last-minute prevention is one of us starts to look a bit peaky. And remember that for people prone to allergies, these transition seasons of Autumn and Spring are the worst for pollens and allergens in the air. So its a good idea to be on the lookout for early signs of illness as the weather changes.
None of these tips replace seeking medical assistance for illness. These are ideas for health promotion, based on personal experiences.
So last Thursday, which will now be known as 'motivational Thursday', one of my lessons learnt was that I needed to seek feedback in order to succeed. Today I put that part of the key to success into action!
Very recently a friend said to me "You are your own worst enemy when it comes to cleaning up". Harsh criticism. So I thought that was the ideal place to begin my quest for feedback.
When clarified, her statement about being my own worst enemy was indicative of the way I get sidetracked, and don't stay on task. Personally the only reason I can agree with her, is through this blog, I see myself constantly swopping 'jobs' around, not finishing or focussing on what I intended to do. I still get stuff done, but I don't get the thorough results from staying on task.
So, given that I was inspired to clean our entry beyond my typical mop the floor so its all done type of clean, I jumped right in and asked advice on what she would do in our entry to improve it. In a state of half pride I had to explain that the floor was free of clutter and there was currently nothing in the room that glaringly didn't belong! (that is embarrassing to admit!)
As it turns out I bought a very similar thing from Bunnings! Looks pretty much like the one above. I think my husband bought white.
To store all the knick knacks, schoolbags and sports bags and other gear that we need within easy access of the front door. This means that the hutch we already have in the room will have to go, and I'm going to try this on for size, because, as the article says, success requires focus and feedback.
So the plan is to get on top of all the current things (at the moment mostly that is the pile of clean clothes); and get stuck into transforming the entry.
We'll see how I go, another project to keep everyone posted on. I think this kind of proves my friend's point about not sticking to one project!
Hello, a quick update today about yesterday's shopping trip to Officeworks. I was out, child-free for a change and while in Officeworks found these funky tools that I'm already getting great use from.
This little A5 zip-up folder is to put in my handbag as a portable office. I am too cheap to pay freight for FlyLady's "Office in a Bag" so I'm having a go at the version for under $10! It already has some medical bills for my Dad in it that need to be delivered to Medicare.
This groovy little sideways piece of plastic is to go on the wall beside my computer. I'm going to store current bills in it. Previously they went into piles, which grew and grew towards the ceiling. With this slender wallet on the wall there will be a limit to how many bills fit in at once, so I'll be forced to keep up to date. I really need this kind of visual reminder.
These very boring looking magazine holders are already seeing use. Back in December I photographed my cousins's sorting system where she kept these all decorated up as sorting systems for school and extra-curricular activities for children. At the moment I've already stocked 2 of them, one with my daughter's school notes, tuckshop bags, and other important documents relating to school. The second one is what I call "home and motivation" and it contains my dreams workbook, housecleaning notes and other nifty house organising references. Once I have the system working I will decorate them and re-post.
I'm doing well with side-ways pictures today! These labels are for storage in our fridge. We are often confused about whether food has been 3 days or 5 days - which can make a difference. If we label the leftovers I figure thats one more part of life we've saved time and made easier. We both share cooking so its easier to be able to open the fridge and see whats in it. Especially good for my husband who finds it difficult to think about anything once it is inside a container unless there is a label.
And these little beauties are re-useable labels for anything. I figured my husband who loves labels can find a use for them.
I hope the title of this update sounds good, because it is meant to convey how terrific I feel. What do legendary rocker Bruce Springsteen and ballet have in common? Read on to discover how that unlikely duo have inspired me. Purely by chance, I happened to read a very good article about success on the morning before seeing Bruce Springsteen live in concert. Here is what I have taken from that experience.
My friend on Facebook shared this link on Thursday. Put simply it knuckles down to explain how effort and persistence in the presence of quality feedback lead to success, not talent. The author says: “You have to seek out situations where you get feedback [about your performance]. It’s a myth that you get better when you just do the things you enjoy."
She identifies that in the pursuit of excellence, those with an interal locus of control, a deep belief that they have the necessary control over their own lives and destiny are successful. Her words "since early childhood they have developed the belief that outcomes are contingent on factors within their own control." are an inspiration to my parenting, to guide my children to having that internal locus of control mindset. It is also a challenge to myself, to change years and years of being 'external' and to re-learn an entire thinking process.
The author notes that one of the most highly successful ballerinas that she interviews was one who 'never won competitions as a child'. Success is not instant, it is persistence that is the important factor, persistence and the seeking of feedback from experts. She notes that simply doing a favourite activity over and over again will not result in successes in that field without this feedback.
How do I tie all that together and bring it back to my own life experience? Well it occurs to me that I have work to do, and this is a blueprint for the framework for that work. I see that I need to work on establishing a belief that I can change my energy, and acting on that belief, stepping out into the world where I will receive feedback and being persistent.
And then Bruce Springsteen blew me away with his Wrecking Ball show. The whole album is an inspiration of rising up from ruins and the indomnitable human spirit. And there is no motivation like being shocked out of your seat by a 63 year old man who simply hasn't stopped. His music is a testament to the truism of the article by Sarina Lewis. The lyrics are incredible, and my realisation is that this man has answered for me a question I've been too afraid to ask myself, that is: "Whats it all about this temporary thing called life?" Its simple, in the words of the song "We Are Alive", "Its only our bodies that betray us in the end" - personally I am quite comforted by the idea expressed by Mr Springsteen at the concert that our spirits live on in the next generations (March 14, 2013, Bribane Entertainment Centre, Boondall).
How have I put this motivation into play? I'm just plain happier, lighter and that is giving me more energy for all the normal things of life. It has inspired me to re-evaluate my own career, which was stagnating, and to seek out feedback in what I do. I realise this is one of the reasons I so enjoy Tai Chi, as the instructors are wonderful at giving individual attention and feedback, so I feel that I am improving. Its darned nice to feel that feeling after a long while of negativity (workplace bullying) and fatigue (illness).
I have new goals, to finish my Childbirth International Doula course, so that I am seeking feedback, regardless of whether when I get to the end of the course I continue to practice as a Doula. Taking that action will, like Tai Chi, help me improve on myself. The house cleaning remains a goal, and I'll continue to blog that progress. I believe my whole of life experience will be reflected in the house, and visa versa.
I also want to leave you with these links today, just because I think they are awesome.
A daily review of the songs of Bruce Springsteens Wrecking Ball Album, here.
The webpage for the charity Bruce Springsteen supports in Brisbane, here.
The very first review of the Brisbane concert I attended, here. I particularly like this as it was written immediately after the concert and captures the euphoria.
I hope that somewhere my hastily written musings have managed to share with you at least a part of the wonderment I am feeling.
Just look at this energy! Don't you want to tap into some of that? I do!
Another weekend approaches and I'm glad to say that our house is looking pretty good. By comparison to how it normally looks that is. We still look a little like we might be making the effort to join the hoarders show, but not quite making the grade.
Strangely I'm suffering from a fair chunk of fatigue, even when I am taking arthritis medication, so I am finding that frustrating. But it is incredible how much difference it makes to keeping an area clean if you can get it back to a clean state to begin with.
Our entry is now devoid of all floor-based muck and junk. Which makes tidying in there so simple - anything on the floor doesn't belong in the room, with step 2 being straight into sweeping and mopping!
What I'm finding is that the everyday work of laundry and washing up never end or ease so although I'm feeling tired, I'm keeping up with those things while my husband is getting into the cleaning up / decluttering. I'm happy with that, because normally what would happen when I'm feeling this low is that the rest of the house would go to seed and become very untidy (or like a bomb hit it); while I dragged myself through the laundry and washing up basics.
Is there any rhyme or reason to our new cleanliness? The obvious is my husbands contribution, but in addition to that we've also had visitors again yesterday. I think keeping a constant supply of people visiting the house means that we do keep up that little bit of extra effort. Yes the state of the house should be worth the effort for ourselves, but there is such a strong inbuilt tendency to 'make nice' for other people that why not take advantage of that, to work to our own benefit?
I've been away from the blog because I've been too busy getting other stuff done!
I am thrilled to say that for whatever reason my husband found some inspiration and it is incredible how much gets done when both adults in the house contribute!
This weekend I have managed to get back on top of washing up, keep up with laundry and feed everyone healthy foods.
On top of that the list of clean spaces is long! I spent my alone time on Friday cleaning the kitchen floor, plus beginning some of the other spaces. That night my husband took only one hour to clean junk off the spare bed downstairs! (it was piled up with toys and other flotsam). Then my husband got very inspired by his friend's visit and he cleaned the rest of the entry, moved the old bed from our sons room (finally) and rearranged and cleaned our elder daughter's room. Plus in the process, the steps were cleaned off and vaccuumed by elder daughter, and hallway cleaned! Our house looks almost like real people live here!
The difference that is made when he participates is remarkable. I am shocked at how easily he makes a big change, and stunned that for the past two years he has not been a part of the solution.
We were able to have my father for lunch from the nursing home and it is simply lovely to walk around the house in peace, without feeling crowded in by mess or clutter or untidiness.
I feel so much lighter and I am holding my breath, hoping it lasts. While it is here, I'm taking advantage of the extra cleanliness to keep up my pace, so even if hubby goes back to being part of the problem, I've taken full advantage of the momentum happening right now!
Some pictorial evidence to follow in the next update!
Vegetable gardening week has thus far been an abyssmal flop. I did have one day of planting, and managed to acquire some cuttings
of Nasturtium, that are excellent for keeping away pests.So instead of updating on the nonexistent
veggie progress, I’m taking sometime out to review my month’s blogging to see
what kind of routines that have been on my mind.Hopefully it will give me some idea of a
daily cleaning routine that I can then experiment with next week.
A personalised summary of routine cleaning and organising
from previous blogs shows the features my cleaning routine needs to have:
1.Using the electronic diary in the phone for all
family commitments works
2.I like to make cleaning fun, with games, aps and
fun sounding things like 27 fling boogie.
3.I can’t clean ‘all the things’ at night late, it
leads to insomnia!
4.Focussing on one area a week works well to
remind me to prioritise cleaning
5.It would be beneficial to have regular visitors
to keep a level of cleaning frenzy going
6.Whenever possible, always leave every room
brighter (eg pickup rubbish/junk) throughout every day
7.Regularly cleanout the fridge before bin day,
pay bills as soon as they arrive (I’ve had some disappear into the paper
piles!), upload pictures at least monthly, send greetings quarterly.
8.Spend at least 2 hours everyday on cleaning
until the chaos is controlled.
9.Have 2 days in a row alone in the house to clean
every fortnight at least, again until it is controlled.
10.Keep on top of my teeth and hair care to keep me
feeling presentable to the world
11.Make effort to have some ‘emergency’ supplies to
be prepared for changes.
How to apply these criteria is coming up in part 2 of the
big routine!
In theory I have a system for keeping it all together. My life that is. And my husband's, our childrens' and my father's lives. Its the calendar function on the iphone and I am still shocked at how well it works - I put EVERYTHING into that little machine now. All appointments, school functions, TV Shows I want to watch, and all the other little and big things.
Today it feels like all I am acomplishing with it is keeping track of the things I can't keep up with! The doctor's appointments I've had to cancel, the day out with my father that isn't going to happen because I can't access all the equipment I need for him, and what feels like a million other things at the moment.
I simply do not know how to keep up with the commitments in my life. Perhaps today I went off the rails a bit sideways with some upsetting phone calls, or maybe I was exhausted after hauling a toddler around a dairy farm yesterday in the Ergo Carrier while keeping track of a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds! I'm not sure.
What I do know is that I need to work harder on routines, especially a morning and evening list, similar to flylady, but one that suits me. I need this quickly, so that the next time my husband decides to use a blade to cut out cardboard squares and slice a tendon, I'm less thrown by the three days of chaos that ensues. He's fine by the way, tendon is healed really well. I'm still unimpressed he was playing around with the crafty stuff for himself instead of playing the 'clean floor game' like I asked him to when I was dragged off to rescue my father who phoned because he was in so much pain and the staff wouldn't / hadn't given him painkillers all day. One thing that I did learn, thanks to a random tune on my phone whilst upset prior to the dairy farm trek is to:
I need to play every morning in the car, as I'm not a fan of school drop-off.
One of the jobs for the weekend was to do a cleanup of the floors all around the house. On a whim this morning, I decided to turn that into a game, to keep things interesting. I'm a big fan of UFYH (Unfuck Your Habitat) and enjoy their phone ap - I find the randomness of the suggestions really suits me.
So I found a container to use as a 'jar' and wrote the names of all the rooms /areas of my house on scraps of paper and tossed them in. The idea being that I would draw out a room, clean the floor in that room, and then take a break doing some jigsaw puzzle in between rooms. I get tired quickly from bending over jigsaws, so the break would be self-limiting automatically. This is the jigsaw:
It worked beautifully. The first room I drew was the kitchen, so the whole floor had toys and random stuff picked up and was swept. Then my break was a little bit of jigsaw and some X-box games with my son. My daughter got caught up in the enthusiasm, and did her own little bit of cleaning of a junk room upstairs (she lucked out and drew a hard spot to clean). Here's the extremely simple 'pot luck' container:
Many interuptions later, the front verandah got thoroughly cleaned up, cat litter changed and swept. Then the stairs which in my house tend to collect things at the bottom that need to go up, plus other random flotsam were cleared off all the clutter.
Sadly my cleaning spree was not to be however, and I spent most of the day visiting and caring for my Dad. I finished this special something for a friend while with him.
In the end, I am tempted to keep up this game as a way of getting through the tidying up more often. I can see me using it on floors, but it might work for other things, like '27 fling boogie'. In such a big, cluttered house with a husband who tends to leave things on the floor, I find it difficult to be in 10 places at once to pick up after him and the children. This little game will make it easier, particularly if I'm lucky enough to have a day at home when we are both able to play it, in 2 different rooms at once.
I hope that your weekend has been as productive as mine. (and that you are more prepared for Monday than me - thats my job before bedtime - getting lunchboxes ready and uniforms ironed)!
Todays post is all about mould - I figure that for south east Queensland where I feel it's a very topical subject! We've had 2 floods in one month and it's still raining!
So I'll share what I know with you about mould prevention and removal.
Annoyingly the first thing I learnt is that number onerous prevention is cleanliness and lack of dust. A wise friend informed me, and of course it makes sense when you think about it, that mould will form on any dirt or dust ANY! Which is a real bugger if you are like me and not the perfect housekeeper! But I'll come back to this because there is something eke I nee to say about mould prevention - you might think it obvious, but of you do, perhaps you're not quite on the same page of the cleaning journey as me!
So the second thing I have to say about mould prevention is this: do not leave things in areas where they might go mouldy. This list includes wet towels in the laundry basket, sponges in a damp area like in the sink, or in my case, ANYTHING on the back verandah of the house, where mould will spring fromm nowhere and invade anything in its path! It might mean don't leave bath toys in a container on the bathroom floor or even don't leave you dirty clothes in the bathroom. You know if there's a spot in your house prone to moulding up.
Go now and fix these problem areas!!! Save and rescue your items from mould!!! If its too late however, and the demon black gunk has set it, then here are the mould removing strategies that I know of, I'm sure there are more on google. Rather than go through the types of items, I'm going to list my knowledge of mould fighting super stuff - all of which require the use of gloves when applying, in no particular order (but with numbers because I like them):
1. Clove Oil.
Obtained: from the local health food store, or chemist. I have no idea why these people stock it! Uses: I've put it in soaks to remove mould with varying success, also between 2 and several drops in the wash to prevent or remove stains, I wash in hot water, but this could be wrong! Anyway here are 3 more mould and clove tip links. ABC North Queensland have this article. A Sydney blogger suggests clove oil to clean hard surfaces and gives more information of the properties of clove oil here. The Australian Whirlpool forums have some terrific answers about mould and clove oil here.
2. Bicarbonate of Soda and Vinegar
Obtained: from the grocery store.
Uses: I have used them in the following way to keep a shower clean and also to clean off a significant outdoor verandah area. It lasted about 18 months to 2 years. Step 1, wipe away excess mould. Step 2: make a paste with warm water and bicarb, scrub mouldy area. Step 3: using hot water and vinegar wash down area. This seemed to work a treat to clean it right up.
The sites above also encourage use of bicarb / vinegar with clove oil, which makes sense.
You can also make a scrubbing paste with bicarb to scrub clothes or textiles that have gone mouldy. It may bleach the area though.
3. Bleach
Obtain: a good quality straightforward bleach without added chemicals from whereever you can.
Uses: I give my husband the job of scrubbing fabric with a weakened bleach solution to remove stubborn spores after washing or soaking in oil of cloves.
Also bleach is not as effective in my experience as the good old bicarb and vinegar trick in the shower.
These three items are pretty much all that stand between you and a mess of mould, so thats why I focus more on prevention than cure.
