-
Motivate-a-m8 Monday Bestill the thunder
Ula lole – Lolly Necklaces
These are gifts worn by honoured recipients at special Samoan / Polynesian celebrations and ceremoniesDear Reader,
Do you believe that we are all born with gifts? Um not the ones you get for Christmas and birthdays. Yeah nah, I’m talking about your talents, aptitudes and skills. You see as we’re born with them and grow up, it’s only natural that we want so much for the special gifts that we’re proud of, to be valued and accepted by others. Especially those we seek recognition from and want to make a good impression on. So on the daily, we go about trying to improve our gifts, make our own unique set shimmer and sparkle to be set apart as worthy and ultimately rewarded.
But one of the greatest losses we suffer through repeatedly in life, is the constant loss of the image we have of the most perfect version of ourselves. When bad things happen to us, it can be hard for others to accept, but none more so than the person most disappointed by this loss, ourselves. At times, we can be our own harshest and most sensitive critic.
Even when things happen outside of our control, we sometimes berate ourselves on not having those superhuman-like qualities like a mutant with third, fourth even fifth eye that we supposedly should have so that we could I dunno, foresee the future in every sodden detail.
An exaggeration, do you think reader? Well let me tell you for a moment about my hometown that has and will further still, experience torrential rain, which has caused flooding in localised area’s at levels that are indeed, unprecedented. Needless to say, some have had it really tough in terms of having their lives literally turned upside down. And though the weather is calm for now, I like to think that I have lived long enough to know that life is far from linear and that is a given.
As a few set about to lovingly prepare send offs for their loved ones, many others take on the arduous task of cleaning up and recovering the remains of their homes, cars and personal property. It is hard to accept and endure the destruction and discomfort of such unpredictable life events, which is why it is even more important for those of us not quite so in the thick of it, to hold space for those whom we can’t quite identify with or completely understand.
How can we hold space? Well we can start by demonstrating empathy and compassion with our words and actions especially to those most adversely affected, they deserve no less.
Before every word or deed, please do take the time to think 🤔 In the meantime, checking on our closest and dearest as well as sharing resources, like clear and helpful communication of safety measures, is the best way to support each other.
Continue to extend to ourselves and others a little bit of grace and brace ourselves with the faith and hope that it will all blow over soon.
And dear reader, wherever you are, whether you are in the midst of a storm in your own life or not (environmental or other), I hope that you are receptive only of the positive thinking of those who think and listen to you with their whole heart. That validation is gold. No one and nothing is perfect because forces of nature like rain can dampen our plans, but our gifts remain full proof because we still carry them in the innermost parts of ourselves. Always have and always will.
Here is my small gift for you dear reader : No matter what life throws your way, always believe and trust in the set of special gifts bestowed upon you and only you. Remember to use them all well, to serve and help see you through life. I bought my Miss 3 a cute little brolly last month before Christmas and she put a matching one in the trolley for me as well. Such a cutie 🥰
While hers is now well used, I had forgotten about mine until I turned a sharp corner and it knocked around noisily in the hatchback trunk of my car. It wasn’t till this rain occurred that I got in hyper sensitive mode around all things ‘safety’ and I investigated this sound I’d been hearing for over a month but had ignored.
I realised that on so many other rainy days, I carried around a gift in the car trunk that could have really helped me if only I hadn’t forgotten about it or listened more closely to it when it was making itself known. So please dear reader, make the time to stop and take stock of, value and make the most of all that you have. And never ever let fear of judgement stop you from reaching out for help, there are so many people out there who want what’s best for you too.
So as sure as the summer sun will shine bright and warm once again, so too will you my friend, so will we all, so here’s to you and here’s till then. Stay safe and keep well!🥰
-
Motivate-a-mate Monday – RAIN
Work hard, laugh harder, love hardest!🥰 Dear Reader,
What comes to mind when you open your curtains in the morning, look out your window, and see rain? I wonder if you’re like me and instantly grieve all the lost opportunities like the laundry that won’t be hung out to dry in the fresh summer breeze. The trip to the beach, pools or picnic lunch at the park that is postponed. The increase of traffic (and slippery conditions) on the road as more people seem to opt for taking their cars rather than using public transport.
Tbh, I am weirdly intrigued and invested in the outcome of gloomy starts. Just for context, ever since I was in Primary school I’d open up books at the library and turn to the first page. If the author’s sentences in the first paragraph didn’t hook me into reading onto the rest of the page, I’d put it back on the shelf and move on. It’s the same with movies.
Rain In the opening scene of a movie for example when you hear the pitter patter or splatter of rain, you just know that Shizzle. Is. About. To. Go. Down! 🙀 Dark angry clouds gather like black candy floss filling the screen with dread and despair while rain pelts against the windows much like a person banging and demanding to be let in. The dramatic music that sweeps you along in the dark, oddly resembles a mouse tiptoeing on the strings of a violin before the magnificent crash of a crescendo that plunges you down to the dark fates of the doomed character (or mouse!)🐭
Read more from the Diary of a Samoan Suga via my weekly newsletter when you subscribe now!
Fa’afetai tele Lava and thank you for visiting!🥰
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
Rain is an essential part of a process, but fulfills its purpose when working interdependently with other factors. Although it can make us uncomfortable enduring its cold and damp features, if inherently trusted and followed through with, it fosters and nurtures our strength and growth. After getting absolutely drenched, my plants welcomed the summer sun and basked in it with open arms.
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
There’s no other rainy day like losing a loved one, but like their photo’s, their memory lives on long after they are gone. This legacy we celebrate so that we identify and nurture it within ourselves and in the generations of descendant’s left behind.
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
.
-
Countdown – 19 days till Christmas
Day 8: Gratitude Blog – One beautiful thing I saw today…
When my son earned a player’s player award for his football team, one beautiful thing I saw today was his content and proud smile. I haven’t seen that smile in a while, since lockdown happened and football, amongst many other activities were restricted. My son has always been a valuable player in his teams, this I’ve always known, but to have other’s see him the way that I see him, and value his efforts the way that they have, is such a lovely acknowledgement. He’s really quite stoked and deservedly so.
The context really is important to him though. As much as his Dad shares with him different skills and techniques, and I talk with him before and after games, it’s only until he’s recognized by his peers and club, that he fully believes in himself the way that we do. That he sees himself and his potential, the way that we do. He is genuinely so very happily surprised and I really am happy and proud for him.
I really hope that he takes this honour in his stride and keeps moving forward with the same passion and pride. When you’re young like that, you have so much to look forward to, so many more passions to be followed and many more dreams yet to be fulfilled. Every day is a new opportunity to learn and I’m excited for him.
One thing I’m glad I learned today, or was reminded of rather, was that life always has something to teach you no matter how wise or experienced you think you are. With all of life’s challenges, sacrifices made and general disagreements endured over the devil in the details, just when you think you’ve seen it all, the Universe gifts you with a gentle reminder that she still tucks a few aces up her sleeve for you. And releases them in moments like today, just to give you a sign that you are all heading in the right direction. Keep on keeping on is all I know, because these truly are the moments that makes it all worthwhile.
-
Countdown – 25 days till Christmas
Daily Blog : 30 – Day Gratitude List
Day 2 : Today I smiled because…
My boy who puts a smile on my dial 😊 Today I smiled because my seven-month old dog protected me and my daughter on our walk with him. So we were walking around the block and we came upon the corner Dairy. Next to this Dairy is a bakery, that has all sorts of yummy aroma’s wafting out of it. As we get closer I brace myself thinking that he’s gonna pull me toward the Dairy and Bakery but to my surprise, he stops dead-weight still and refuses to move closer or at all.
Usually with a click of the tongue he usually snaps out of his trance-like, deer-in-the-headlights stance, but this time he stayed rooted to the spot staring at two cars that were parked in front of the Dairy. We could not see who was in the cars but whatever he sensed, he was not down for it.
Thankfully a car came around the corner and that jerked him into crossing the road and coming up behind the cars we finally saw up close that inside were not the ‘friendly’ type of guys, if ya know what I mean. Because we were out of their way by then, dog lost interest in them (or their scent) but it clicked to me later, just how intuitive he really was.
After getting back, I settled down to watch breaking news of a shooting incident that resulted in 4 cops being injured, 2 seriously injured after being shot at and the perpetrator passed. The News Reporter says that Coronavirus and related events surrounding it like the lockdown, job losses, and vaccine mandates, have all caused an increase in peoples’ anxiety and deep-seated frustration levels which is spurring on criminal activities like this shootout for example.
It dawns on me that my dog can sense these negative vibes and I’m really grateful that he did. I mix him a little bit of our dinner, spaghetti bolognaise into his bowl because it’s his favourite. Only a little though because despite him liking it, his tummy doesn’t like the garlic and onion rich sauce.
Watching him eat puts another smile on my face, 2 thankful souls each to their own.
-
Countdown – 26 days till Christmas
Well it’s that time again, when you walk into a shop and Mariah Carey is singing about her Christmas list and tinsel is dripping from every ceiling. I counted the number of days until Christmas and was surprised that there are exactly 26 more days until the big day. Woop woop! So I woke up and put up my tree this morning and it looks sort of like this picture just without the baubles and star – yeah basically just the tree and some tinsel – slack, I know.
Luckily for me, my Health consciousness is better than my tree decorating skill. I’m starting a 26 day healthy eating (I don’t like to use the dirty word ‘diet’), fitness, meditation and blogging plan. It’s just a small challenge for myself until Christmas whereby I will reward myself by being ultimately just joyful.
Meditation
Pexels.com Every day before I start the day and every night before I go to sleep, I plan to
- Pray with or without Pray.com OR
- Meditate with the Mindfulmama App.
Healthy Eating
Pexels.com My whole healthy eating plan is based on the Keto diet whereby I
- Swap Carbs with Veges
- Use sweetener alternatives
- Swap Snacks with Dried fruit & nuts
Fitness
Pexels.com - Daily walk & with the dog at least 30 mins per day OR
- Rainy Day Indoor workout for 30 mins
Daily Blogging
Pexels.com Daily blog featuring a 30-day gratitude list prompts from fellow blogger Show me simplicity 417
Also journalling about current events and low-key dailies with my famz.
Daily Blog : 30-day Gratitude List
Day 1 : I am grateful for…
Today I am grateful for my family’s health. It is really as simple as that. Ever since Covid-19 came about, my little family has avoided contracting it – knock on wood. I’m thankful to God, my guardian angels and all the lucky stars in the Universe for this good health and pray that this continues.
Just as we’re coming to grips with Delta, the variant Omicron from South Africa is on the rise and spreading globally, I can feel the ol’ anxiety nudging me with her elbow again, but what can we do? Well just got to keep moving forward carefully with caution and wait for more information.
One thing I do really hope is that the current vaccines are effective. I don’t know how I feel about boosters, I suppose time will tell, time will tell.
-
Visitors
True that brother✊🏼 I’ve had a lot of visitors this year. Grief, Corona virus, anxiety, boredom, relief, thankfulness – just to name a few. It’s been hard and sometimes alarming when what makes a news headline one lockdown night is footage of a tussle between three grown as ladies over a jumbo pack of toilet paper…for real? For real.
I gotta say, any other day, and I’d have been laughing my butt off watching that but during covid times I think I remember actually pausing to go check how many packs I had at the time.
Through the haze of watching countless tik-toks and the aroma of cinnamon rolls, I couldn’t help but miss my parents so much and yet at the same time was so thankful that they aren’t around for it. I can’t imagine how I would be able to stay away from their house and not do something simple like share a meal with them.
So now that we are managing Covid relatively well in NZ (knock on wood) I am trying to think ahead again, make plans for 2021 albeit tentatively. The washing of hands is still so important to me when we visit the shops, eat out or arrive back home.
I took my baby to the Dr. more recently and despite there being no more mask wearing, people still socially distanced in the waiting room. While visiting at a hospital, the lift arrived and everyone stepped back as it emptied and then we spent a few awkward moments glancing around politely at each other, silently willing the other to go in first as if going in last decreased your chances of inhaling any potential coronavirus germs lingering in there.
In shops, people still wait on 2m distance dots on the floor when in a queue and use paywave only or use the corner of their eftpos/credit card to punch in pin numbers. Wow, how things have changed.
With Christmas only a week away, I’ve been thinking about my parents again and yeah.. this will be the first Christmas without them and I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be a bittersweet one for me.
I have to say though that along the way, I’ve stumbled across what I believe to be some of my very own earth angels that have helped me cope with so many different aspects of my life.
Some discreetly in the background, whilst others more upfront, close and honest. Some from my past, others I’ve just met this year during lockdown. I feel really blessed or as my dearest Mum used to say, “like a tree with many branches”. Assuming I’m the tree, I’ve got some pretty cool branches 😎🤙🏾
I truly am thankful for them, I hope they’ll come to know just how much so I’m sending these good vibes out into the universe and hope that somewhere and in some way my earth angel receive blessings for their good deeds and kisses to the sky for my 2 most precious angels of all and a very Merry Christmas to everyone!🎄🎊💝
-
Do or dodge
Colour is a vibe 🤙🏽🌈 About 40000 concert goers colour bombed our local streets yesterday in a rainbow haze of sequins, glitter and feather boas. It was so cool to see those celebratory vibes on a Tuesday.
Bright colours and lights have always been my faves, especially when used in celebrations like Poly fest, Holi, Carnival and Lantern festivals, to name a few. Driving past today, the only tell-tale signs of the magical night were cheerful little pops of vibrant feathers strewn along the curbs.
And with International Women’s day, I couldn’t help but reflect on how women of the past were also so bold and bright, to not only light up their paths but also leave a firm imprint of their trail blazing legacies so that all those walking the same path in the future, like you and me dear reader, could safely and successfully hold space for ourselves in some pretty tight spots that previously only the select elite few occupied.
For that and so many other proactive and pioneering actions shared from our ancestors combined, I am eternally grateful.🙏🏽 I also appreciate the ever increasing awareness around the need for equity amongst different groups in society.
Not too long ago, it was taboo in most modern societies to shine a light on inequalities and inequities that were so very deeply embedded in the roots of commonly accepted ideologies of the time.
I look to my kids and hope that there will still be pops of colour in the world for them to follow and celebrate in their future. Just saying, because every day, by way of deadly viruses, natural disasters, scorching, deadly chilling temps and everything in between, we are reminded of how precious and vulnerable our lives truly are. And if that’s not enough, NASA predicts the path of an asteroid is set to smash and impact on earth in 23 years time. Oi aue!Omg!
Universe gummon mate, catch us a break, lol! 😂 But seriously tho, are we low-key counting down now to whichever disaster comes first? Either our planet is going to have the biggest tanty of its life or an asteroid spazzing out on us, before any AI gets the chance to.
It’s definitely giving Titanic vibes, like us knowing when we’re gonna hit the iceberg and for the life of us we simply can’t dodge it. So then..? Prepare millions of life “boats”? Oh yeah and then there’s that small minute little detail of um where exactly are we going to park and chill in our ‘boats’ while the asteroid does its smash and grab thang?
I mean what can I say? I believe the word you might be looking for dear reader is… Sheeeeesh! 🤣🤣Anyway just another random thought today.
The future is bright The fight for our future generations’ healthy and safe survival is on. Now. It’s do or dodge time. The latter not such a reliable option so…Now is the time to focus on what more we can do, and whatever that is, how can we do it stronger? Bolder. Brighter.Together.
-
Motivate a Mate Monday : All in a Flash
Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com Recently on one of my school runs, a little silver sedan sped up behind me and overtook me on the right hand lane.
No biggie, ever since school has started back, I’m adjusting to sharing the road once again with other time-pressured drivers at peak-traffic times.
But in this case, the silver flash whizzed by so fast and so close, I felt and heard a gust of wind shake my car a little off balance. To give you some context, my car (like myself) is fairly larger than the average little silver bullet.
Afterwards, our car had only just started to breathe in our collective sigh of ‘Woah, wth was that?’ when we slowly sidled up to said silver flash now stopped at the red traffic light.
As it stood still and motionless, I couldn’t help but flippantly think, ‘Really? All of that whirlwind drama only to be cut off at the lights!’
But just then I noticed my kids side-eyeing the car warily and so I too started to really look at the car again, and as it sat there amongst the others in the queue, it dawned on me that out of all the cars there, ours was the only one with the prior knowledge of how fast this silver flash was raring to go.
Patiently lined up and blissfully unaware of silver flash’s need for speed, two courier drivers were chatting jovially, a young lady was applying last minute touches of her makeup for her corporate work face, whilst another school run minivan blasted the music from the same radio station we were listening to.
🎵 good vibes❤️ Through my children’s eyes, silver flash was like a wild bull ready to buck any of us off at any minute. And sure enough, when the lights turned green, it revved its engine a couple of times to get noticed and stayed on the bumper of the car in front of it until there was a small gap in the road, overtook again and then sped noisily off onto the nearby motorway.
It seems the perfect analogy of the folktale of the tortoise and the hare, but before I can say this, I’m distracted by the alarmed and confused looks on the faces of the couriers and makeup lady.
Although I personally felt that they were relatively unaffected, their eyes still followed the silver flash with the same side-eye wariness we too had only seconds before.👀
I think of how every day we often find ourselves interacting with or even standing alongside others who have pressing needs to have their life unfold in a certain way, shape or speed. Their exact reasons we may never come to know or understand, but since we share the road with them for a moment of that time, inevitably our journey is impacted.
I always remind my kids that every situation in life has a positive or negative lesson to teach us. Positive ways we’d like to emulate or negative examples we don’t want to repeat. Is there any way to help mitigate the repeat of negative ones? Of course there always is, but only so far as to the level of interaction we ourselves participate in and can feasibly control.
But like in the case of silver flash, we could only control how to veer away from being an obstacle in its very determined path. You can watch it zoom away much like you would the derailment of a train or in awe as if it was a silver version of DC’s Flash superhero.
I mean the perspective is entirely yours. The point is dear reader, if you feel you absolutely must, merely watch it pass you by. Just because you can name it, doesn’t mean you have to claim it.
Name it, but you don’t always have to claim it😎 So that the next time you feel a gust of wind cause you or your foundations to shake, or you endure the short sharp roar of noise, shattering your otherwise peacefully quiet journey, remember this, it should only be for a brief moment.
We may never truly ever come to know the cause for their haste, it could range from them being on the receiving end of some tragic news, perhaps they are excited for an important meeting delayed for years because of covid or (and this may or may not be a personal true story…ahem! Lol! )they might just need to visit a public toilet real quick!👀😂
Whatever the case may be, the important part is this, that we try to understand it merely as a part of someone else’s journey. Yes, we share the effects of it but this should only be in a relatively small way, we are not expected to take ownership of the whole leg of their race or stint.
If silver flash somehow was a visitor to your local area and was lost, and needed directions, then by all means interact and engage to help if you are able, but other than that let them run their course.
Most of the time dear reader, we view others as the silver flash and at other times we too can find ourselves playing that very same part.
Whichever one you are today, seek to understand your part the best you can and move accordingly. And if you can spare one more favour, please remember dear reader, that 9 times out of 10, the path of least resistance is proven more to always be the best one.
So whilst you make the right moves for you, try to let others do the same and we should all be able share this busy road we call life, so much more safely with so many better outcomes for us all✌🏼🥰
-
Top Ten Tips on how to be Calm, Controlled and Ready
Prepare for the worst and pray for the best 🙏🏽❤️ What are two words that YOU loved to hear as a kid? My kids love to hear, “Get Ready!” Geez, apples really don’t fall far from the tree huh? After hearing these two words when I was little, I’d quickly run into my room to find my most favourite outfit at the time, run a quick brush through my hair and dash into the car where my Dad would be waiting with his newspaper smiling somewhat amused saying, “O, ua e ready?”
“Oh, are you all ready?” I’d grin from ear to ear and click my seatbelt on to secure my spot in case my bro and sis came and shuffled me effortlessly to the middle. Oh to be as light as a feather again! Ahem….anyhoo!😂
Anyway I was so happy to wait in the car, and if the weather looked a bit iffy, I feigned a look of disdain out the window but fr I couldn’t give a toss if a hurricane picked up our car and twirled it around. I’d go so far as to say that I would have leaned out the window and politely asked Mr Hurricane if he wouldn’t mind whirling our car towards the local intermediate school grounds where my netball game was held! My poor Dad, having to put up with Miss Fanatic for gameplay rain or shine, sheesh!🏃🏾♀️🤦🏽♀️😂
Back then getting ready could have meant going to a netball game, movies, pools or even my cousin’s house, either way, once those two words were uttered, they manifested a prelude to fun, fun, fun! Years later and these two words are now also a part of my own children’s vocab, although more recently not always in the same fun context.
It’s no secret that climate change has always been on our collective radar for decades, but what has been relatively ‘off’ the radar for our young especially, are the sobering realities of it which are increasingly affecting all of our lives more significantly. And sadly we’re seeing the effects reverberate around the globe more and more every day.
Photo by Engin Akyurt As my hometown braces for yet another influx of rain and wind via an impending cyclone, I am still debating over its name being entirely apt, in the Christian belief anyway, as it is the feminine namesake of an angel known as a messenger of God’s will to mankind.
Climate change always has a way of directly hitting us up sometimes with warning, sometimes without. I believe that the only thing more important than learning lessons in your own life, is to glean all that you can from the valuable ones of others. This way you have a better chance of navigating your own journey through a cyclone with loved ones as best and as safe as you possibly can. Surely a loving God would want this for us? To faithfully look out for and learn from, each other.
We have the odds in our favour this time round in that we’re able to track the cyclone’s potential range of movements in advance, while the range of effects are quite literally still – up in the air.
So keeping this in mind, we stay calm and in control as we indeed gear up to prepare for the worst and pray for the best. I have personally found 10 top tips for how to prepare for a natural disaster such as a cyclone with the earnest hope dear reader, that we stay safe all throughout and come out well on the other side.
Photo by Roger Brown on Pexels.com Better over prepared and relieved, than unprepared and in despair🙏🏽❤️ TIPS
- Valuables box –
Have a plastic storage box with lid on hand to put photos documents and other precious items in plastic bags. Wrap or fold them up tight into sleeping bags / small blankets, items of clothing, shoes, spare plastic bags. - Personal backpack –
Each person (pet) should have snacks, water bottle, spare change of warm clothing, basic toiletries & towel, torch and battery, waterproofed device(s) & device chargers, cash, wallet, ID cards and docs, warm jacket and hat. - Survival Box –
Plastic storage box with cans, packaged food, pet food, water, oil, pot, pan, utensils, can opener, picnic pack of light cutlery, plates, cups, torch & batteries, candles & lighters, TP, medications, first aid kid, plasters, sanitary pads, nappies, wipes, pet leash or carrier - Weather proof your property –
-Use sandbags, old clothes to plug non-weather proof flood-prone spots, gaps under doors, windows.
-Board up vulnerable windows and glass doors from outside or inside with weather proof tape and cardboard boxes. Tie down tarp on cars or other bolted furniture.
-Plug up all sink drains and place heavy weights on top to stop any unwanted wastewater pressure regurgitation. Same with toilet, close lid and heavy weight on top and waterproof the floor with sandbags or old clothes. - Conserve clean water
Fill up bath tub with water so if water pipes become blocked, you have clean water to flush toilets and clean with. - Anticipate power outages – Always a good reminder to keep devices fully charged so that you can keep up-to-date with all helpful national and local emergency management notifications . Also know where all your main switches for your house are so that you can switch them all off for safety against potential live wire exposures.
- Plan best strong indoor shelter spot/exit and second bests
This should be away from any potential glass shatter from windows/doors. Make sure you determine the safest exit is clutter free and easily accessible. - Secure loose outdoor fittings
Anything not bolted down is a potential torpedo blow away. Store rubbish bins, outdoor equipment, tools, furniture inside a garage or store under the house. If this isn’t possible, secure it tightly with thick rope onto a sturdy structure like a tree or fencepost. - In case of flooding, pump up and have ready-to-use any summer beach/pool inflatables to help those less able to walk through flood water such as young children, elderly and pets.
- Gas up your vehicle(s) as much as possible in the event you need to evacuate, petrol will not be an issue or obstacle to you reaching safety.
And if you are the last-minute person, then at the very least please ensure that you know where all of these essential items are located for you and your loved ones and that bags, containers and other vessels are empty and clean, ready for you to fill.
I truly believe that it is better to be overprepared and relieved, rather than caught unprepared and in despair. See you on the other side dear reader, and as always stay safe and keep well 🙏❤🤜🌪
- Valuables box –
-
Window Wednesday : 5 Tips for Back-to-School Prep
Window Wednesday – Today we peek into Back-to-School Prep Dear Reader,
Today I awoke to a fresh morning temperature of just below 20 degrees. The sun shyly peeked out from a cloud, with a gentle yawn as it stretched slowly across the sky. I’m gradually starting to get the kids up earlier these days especially as it is only 1 more week until my teens return to school. Getting teens back into the routine of going to bed earlier and waking up 6am-ish to simulate their impending reality, is no mean feat and I’m really hoping to achieve it without needing to get my Nerf water gun out.. Iykyk! 🤣🤣
Anyhoo… to explain Window Wednesday, this is my humble attempt to give you a peek into a window of my life, or a window I myself have looked through in an encounter I’ve found interesting about another lifestyle, subject or situation. One of my New Year’s goals was to be open to new and different ways of life, like different cuisines, cultures, hobbies, genre’s of music, literature etc. It’d be great to travel, and you bet I’ll take you along but until then, here we are. For this first one, I wanted to give you a peek through the window into my 5 tips on how I help my kids get back-to-school ready.
- This week I hope to get them up more early to walk and feed the dog, water the garden, arcade games & activities, café, shopping, park or beach, visit family – just any activity that requires them to get ready and out of the house at a certain time in the morning. I’m finding more success with the incentive based outings, so yeah lesson learnt! At the end of the day though, no more sleep ins, until the weekend anyway.
- Prepare meals or provide snacks at the same time as school intervals to gently get them back into the habit of eating at set times. No need to make up lunch boxes if at home, but hey if that helps with readjusting to portion control again, I’m all for it. Drag those water bottles out, dust off the cobwebs and get them used to filling these up every morning and sipping throughout the day again.
- Limit screen time to as much as they would experience at school. It’s amazing what kids can do in this screen free time around the house with objects and resources they hardly ever think about using while the Wifi is on. It’s also an ideal time to clean and reorganise their room that’ll help to set them up for study mode, with a clear desk, and tidy book shelf arrangement. It also pays to turn off devices (or Wifi) a good hour before they sleep and charge all devices in the kitchen so that they’re all ready to go in the morning.
Fa’afetai Lava and thank you so much for visiting 🙏💖
About Me
Follow Me On
Subscribe To My Newsletter
Subscribe for new travel stories and exclusive content.
Truessenz 
You must be logged in to post a comment.