Hiding with Oreos!

It's been one of those days where I want to hide in the kitchen eating Oreos! (Or Oreo cupcakes in this instance.)

Except we're open-plan. So the Utility Room will have to do :-)

I'm not really sure what I want to hide from......but it'll involve getting something or doing something......and I might be running a little low on getting and doing today!

Any parent will know how all-consuming some days can be; these little people are trying to cope and grow in this big world and at times they are struggling. They need us <3 I wrestle with guilt on days like this - because I really don't like feeling overwhelmed - I want to be able to manage how I do most days - with love and patience. I wonder am I giving them enough opportunities? Am I appreciating this moment? Am I just overthinking everything?! (Cue more overthinking.)

At times I wonder how much more carrying my arms can take; if my feet will ever repair from all the running around; & today if I can 'keep calm and carry on' :-) (I'll add here I'm really not keen on the whole 'keep calm' thing - why supress emotions?)

I saw something written by someone on a forum today; she said "The only battles are the ones you fight" & it has stuck in my head - perhaps because I'm usually a 'go with the flow' kind of girl.

So today I'm not fighting it, I'm eating the cupcakes (yum - from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World!) & I'm being as patient as I can and looking ahead to tonight when I can spend time on myself and renew those batteries. I'm so grateful for having these 2 little people in my life and experiences such as today only help me grow more. They are my teachers :-) Tomorrow is another day & I'm strong - my arms and legs can take far more yet!

Gemma x

N.b.

Halfway through writing this (because naturally you can never complete a whole task in one go!), what popped up in my Facebook newsfeed? A very powerful synchronicity if I do say so - a post from the ever level-headed Hollie Holden. Hollie describes parenthood as a strike of balance and she is so right. Today it's ok that my scales were swaying a little the other way. Perhaps tomorrow they'll tip this way a bit :-)

Life's little mountains

Yesterday should have been a rubbish day! So many things seemed to happen; our Internet went down, I ruined one of my favourite (& new!) pieces of clothes, we left my Son's special toy at preschool, we went to the cinema to watch a film that we discovered isn't out yet (!) & a customer parcel arrived damaged!

Later in the day, after all these things had happened, my Hubby said 'You're not having a good day are you?' & I thought to myself 'Aren't I?'

I realised that I hadn't let these things get to me. Even the damaged frame didn't take over my day like perhaps it might have in the past. I felt genuinely bad for the customer and priority was getting in touch immediately to sort it out. After this the first thing I thought was, 'Ok, this is a learning opportunity'. The fogotten toy we can pick up today, the clothes may wash up & the cinema? Well it just obviously wasn't meant to be. I believe that everything happens for a reason and that instead of feeling upset or angry about it we can use it as almost like constructive criticism. We have control over how we react.

Immediately Mum and I made some decisions about future frame orders and that was a good thing. We both acknowledged that we were disappointed but that we'd been given this experience for a reason. We 'owned' the disappointment right then and there and moved on!

It occurred to me that since we've been practicing gratitude more and more the way I deal with situations like these is changing. I'm calmer, less panicked & feel more in control of my life and my emotions. This has got to be a good thing, right?

And you know what? Today is a new day, a new chapter & it's going to be a great one!

Gemma x

(Picture source: Pinterest)

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Looking at the bigger picture

Yesterday one of our lovely customers posted a response to a status Mum put up on our Facebook page - it really made me smile :-D It was our morning #5gratefulthings post and yesterday it was Mum's turn to reflect on the things she was feeling grateful for.

It got me thinking about gratitude - it's something I've practiced ever since Mum introduced me to The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. I've gone on to read all the books in the series and I'm currently re-reading The Magic. I've always loved a self-help / personal growth book! My Hubby used to call them 'Crazy books'!! ;-)

The Secret really stuck with me and I identified with a lot of the thinking around it and that's when I became interested in the Law of Attraction; we attract what we think about. Mum is on the same wavelength so you can imagine how many chats we've had about this! The gratitude stuff forms a big part of the thinking here; saying thank you for things you already have, or experiences you're hoping to bring in. It's all about the *feeling*.

One of the things I try to do in all situations is find the positive. Let's face it, we all have rubbish days now and then...or a day when things seem to be going wrong or something disappointing happens. The key is more how you react to whatever happens. The situation remains the same either way - but you can choose to be angry or feel sad, or to find the light in a situation (however small it seems); to accept things and then move on.

And the example I gave at the beginning of this post was exactly this. The lady in question discovered her favourite pair of flip flops had broken. Instead of letting it dull her day she decided to choose gratitude; she felt grateful that they had broken at home rather than when out! It's just a little change of perspective like this that can change your whole mood. And the reason it made me especially smile? Well if we can in any way inspire someone to look at a situation in this way then it is completely worth all the hours we spend on our business! <3

Happy Sunday!

Gemma x

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