As much as I’m enjoying my weekly A to Z, and learning so much more about myself along the way, this week I’m taking a break.

Today is my 49th birthday, and because I’m always telling everyone else to be nice to themselves, I thought it was a good opportunity to practice what I preach, and celebrate me.

For quite a while, due to a crazy situation I let myself fall into, I didn’t think very highly of myself. So sad when I look back on that time now, but it also feels like a lifetime ago, and I have to say it helped me be the person I am today. I’m so happy that since meeting John, who I consider my soulmate, in my early 30s, I’ve definitely been on the path to my best life.

So putting humility away for five minutes, I’m going to think of some adjectives for me, and be proud of who I am.

A - animal mama.

B - bubbly, bouncy.

C - caring, coffee addict.

D - dizzy, deleriously content, dreamer.

E - excitable.

F - faithful.

G - generous, sometimes a little greedy.

H - happy, huggy.

I - instinctual. Instagram convert.

J - joyful.

K - kind.

L - loving, listmaker.

M - motherly.

N - nice.

O - open, organized.

P - positive. Pinterest lover.

Q - quirky.

R - respectful, real.

S - silly, sharing.

T - true, tenacious.

U - unique, unstoppable.

V - vivacious, vague.

W - wife-of-the-year, wannabe writer.

X - xxx kisses for all.

Y - young-at-heart.

Z - zen of course.

There are so many words to describe ourselves, I would love to hear some that make up who you are.

Linking up with Essentially Jess for

This week I’m grateful for family. My mum’s and my birthdays are just 2 days apart, so we usually celebrate at the one time.

This weekend we got together with extended family for a lovely relaxed birthday lunch, and it was so nice to share with a group of people who don’t see each other quite often enough.

Everyone has busy lives, but every now and then it’s good to slow down and appreciate each other.

Linking up with Maxabella loves for 52 Weeks of Grateful.

Whenever you need a smile, watch this. I guarantee you won’t be able to keep from grinning. He’s an absolute gem!

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday.

This is the best I could think up for Q, help me out with yours.

Quiet – Take some time every day to just stop and soak up the quiet. Our brains get so overloaded with information, they sometimes feel like they’re spinning. Find somewhere quiet, it may even be in your car before you leave for work in the morning, and just enjoy a few minutes of peace. You need to centre yourself and reset every now and then, to cope with everything that your brain needs to process. Make this a habit, and your day will run a lot smoother.

Quench – Most people have a thirst for knowledge to a certain extent, and to feel complete you need to quench this. If there’s a subject that you’ve always wanted to learn more about, why not study or research it? One of my very favourite places to spend time is our local library, and even if you don’t have one close, there’s always the internet. It’s never too late to learn more, and can be so satisfying to expand your knowledge, especially if it’s something you’re passionate about. After working in retail for many years, I returned to study, to follow my passion for natural therapies. This line of education has been more valuable than I could ever imagine, and is something I use in my everyday life. Don’t ever think that you’ve left it too late to learn new things, take any opportunity that comes your way and run with it.

Quit – Too often we are bombarded with the message to quit. Quit smoking, drinking, overeating, whatever it is we’re doing to ourselves that’s not so good. But do all these messages hounding us really achieve what they’re meant to? You know what’s good for you and what’s not. Many people will tell you that if a message is pushed on them too much, they’ll do the opposite just to be contrary, a little bit of “you can’t tell me what to do!” Let’s give each other a little credit, and allow adults to make their own educated decisions. I’m of the opinion that the huge amount of money spent on advertising that tells us to quit things, could be better spent on research and medical facilities. Making our own decisions and taking responsibility for our own actions is actually quite liberating.

Quest – Set yourself a personal quest. Think of something you’ve always dreamed of doing, but never dared to. Write it on a piece of paper, put it somewhere safe and work, work, work your way towards it. Keep it a secret, just for yourself if you need to. But make sure you shout it to the world when you achieve that dream. You can do anything you put your mind to, just get started.

Question – We have so much information at our fingertips, finding out about anything is possible these days. But…..don’t always believe everything you read in magazines or hear as gossip. Give the benefit of the doubt, and if you’re at all unsure about authenticity, get all the details you need to make an informed decision. Too many times you hear of friendships, marriages or family relationships break down because of misinformation or the wrong message. Don’t be too quick to think badly of people because of some information that may be from a doubtful source, life’s too short to make enemies or lose friends over a piece of juicy gossip.

Quiver – What makes you tingle with excitement or quiver with anticipation? Are there things you look forward to, and simply can’t wait to experience? Each day can be so same-same, I really think we need something to strive for, something that’s not part of our everyday routine. You may not even be aware of these little things, especially if your average day is chock full of activities. Have a think about what is a highlight of your day and savour it.

Linking up with Essentially Jess for

Last week due to catching up on work, I didn’t get a chance to post my gratefuls. So, I guess I was grateful for being busy, even though some regular tasks don’t always get completed.

This week I’m grateful that I got to enjoy going out with my two favourite people, John and I went to the movies, and I went with Bell to see her school performance of Hairspray.

Over 100 seniors made up the cast and crew and I seriously couldn’t believe the standard of the show they put on. The level of professionalism was something you would expect at any of the large venues where the big shows are playing.

It was so lovely to both get dressed up and enjoy a night out, just us girls. I just hope that it’s a long time before she thinks it’s not cool to go places with your mum.

So today, on Mother’s Day, I’m extra grateful for the bond between little girls and their mums.

Linking up with Maxabella loves for 52 Weeks of Grateful.

Discovering these creatures is one of my favourite things about walking along the beach.

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday.

I got a bit carried away with this one, you may need an extra large cuppa.

Positive – This one really doesn’t need much explanation: think positive, do positive, live positive. What you put out will be returned to you, not always directly, but definitely in some way. Surround yourself with positive people and see how good you feel from all that good energy.

Power – You have the power to live your life the way you want. Sounds simple, but it’s not always, and that’s kind of just a fact of life. We can’t always have control over our circumstances, but we can work towards making the changes needed to make it happen. If you grab opportunities as they are presented, make yourself available to new things and generally look for positive situations, slowly but surely you can make these changes a reality. Usually if something’s worthwhile, it takes some kind of work and commitment, and if it’s something you truly want, you’ll put in the hard yards. Victories, no matter how big or small are always much sweeter when you work towards them, especially if it’s a struggle. Use the power that’s part of you, and put it to work.

Perfection – Believe it or not, perfection is all about perception. I truly believe in all my heart that nobody has a perfect life. We all want more and we all want the best, it’s only natural, but what is perfection? If you’re not happy and contented in parts of your life, see if there are ways to adjust that. Obviously, if you have health issues out of your control, you can only do so much, but other aspects of our lives are somewhat able to be how we would like. It may take a lot of work, sometimes be hard to do or uncomfortable to deal with, but you can achieve your own perception of perfection, if you really want to.

Practice – If you want to be good at something, practice is the way to go. Don’t have such high expectations that are impossible to live up to, to excel you have to put the work in. Whether it’s sport, hobbies, work or patience, you need to practice to become your best. You’ll also gain a much higher sense of achievement when practice is part of the process, rather than just winging it and hoping for the best. If it’s something that you are serious about, put in the hours and practice as much as you can.

Prepare – What’s the best way to prepare for success? Start telling yourself you deserve it, that’s how. You’ll never overcome the mental obstacles that are holding you back from being the fabulous YOU that you strive for, if you don’t believe that you are worthy of it. Your mindset is the most important thing on your journey to be the best you can be, it can make you or break you. Attitude is such a powerful force, prepare yours for the wonderful things you deserve.

Patience – I’ve talked about it before, our lives are crazy, busy, fast! But really, tapping your foot loudly and making exaggerated sighing noises won’t make someone do something in the time you think is acceptable. Practicing patience makes you the winner in the end; you’ll find a sense of peace when not stressing about something you have no control over. Just think, when you’re always rushing about, you’re missing out on things. Being patient and taking life as it comes, can have a really positive effect on your overall wellbeing.

Peace – As John Lennon told us……give peace a chance.

Pets – I’ve always had pets, so for me this is part of my own personal zen. Not only are they fun and funny, but they can also teach us valuable lessons. I can honestly say that I’ve learnt many things from my pets over the years. In particular I’ve been shown a great example of resilience by my cat Ruby. John and I became her surrogate parents when we rescued her at only 4 weeks old, so she really did count on us for everything in her early life. At one year old she lost a leg, and even though we were prepared to coddle her for what we feared would be an inhibited and short life, after 3 weeks in hospital, she arrived home and promptly scaled the highest gum tree in our front yard! That little ratbag went on to live a completely normal (and hoppy) life for the next 12 years, when we sadly lost her last year to an age-related illness. I know there are many people who live normal lives after an amputation, and I’m in no way trivialising this, but Ruby showed me first hand that you can overcome bad odds if you want something badly enough.

Promote – The best thing I’ve discovered since starting this blogging game is the way friendships are formed. I love the networking that goes on amongst the people who find joy in writing, and am so glad to be a part of it. Weekly links like this regular Tuesday IBOT get-together are my favourite way to find new “must reads”, and the best thing about it all is how everyone joins in promoting each other. So, in the spirit of promoting, I would LOVE it if you could share a link to the post on your blog that is your all time favourite. Leave the link in the comments so we can all have a read.

Linking up with Essentially Jess for

We get to the farmers markets regularly to stock up on fresh produce, and the variety is always fabulous. As well as the best quality fruit and veg, you can buy everything from home made soaps to colourful pottery. And you can enjoy your popcorn while being serenaded with a didgeridoo guitar combo.

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday.

This alphabet is flying along, where is the year going? This is what I’ve come up with for O.

Optimism – Over the years I’ve been accused of being too cheery and hopeful about things, but honestly I would really rather look at the bright side as opposed to expecting bad stuff all the time. If you have a sense of optimism, it certainly doesn’t mean you have an unrealistic view of life, just that you hope for the best. I absolutely believe in the Law Of Attraction, which tells us that what we put out into the Universe will be returned to us. So I would much rather be putting hopeful optimistic vibes out there, not negative sad ones. You can tell me that I live in a bit of a dreamworld, but I always live by “what goes around, comes around”.

Open – Keeping a secret can be hard, it can eat away at you and scramble your head. Are you keeping things from people that could just as well be out in the open, but not everyone may agree with it? If you have a certain belief that you truly feel is right for you, be proud of it, Own it. Don’t try to be like the “cool kids”, being one of the sheep isn’t so cool, it can get exhausting if you’re not being the real you. Who knows, maybe sharing your secret will open your life up to opportunities that you hadn’t even allowed yourself to dream of.

Opportunity – They can be both expected and unexpected, but if an opportunity presents itself to you, seriously consider it before making any decisions. I’ve learnt that you do need to look at all the details before you can make an educated choice, and rushing in because you don’t want to miss a great opportunity can be a mistake. It’s a balancing act: you don’t want to regret missing out, but you also don’t want to make a life-changing decision without all the facts. If it’s the right thing for you, taking a little longer to be sure will be worth the wait.

Originality – Be yourself, be who you want to be, be original. Whether it’s in your creativity, dress sense, taste in music and art, or just your philosophies, stay true to yourself and it will be a lot easier to maintain. Today you can get copies of just about anything, cheap knock-offs that are mass produced and can be bought for next to nothing. Don’t reduce your character and personality to the same level, it’s not worth it just to fit in with the crowd. So you may not want to stand out in a room full of people because you’re wearing flouro when everyone else is dressed in black, but why do you have to go along with ideas and beliefs, just because the majority is? Embrace your originality and be proud of it, it’s what makes you who you are.

Observe – Look around you, do you see the same things every day? You’re busy, you don’t have time to stop and take notice of every little thing in your life, who does? But again I can’t help but stress, we only get to live each day once, then it’s gone. The precious little things that make up your life, and therefore who you are, can be easily lost in the rush. Maybe set your alarm clock a few minutes earlier so you can have that time to observe what’s around you, and appreciate it. Because of the repetition of our daily routines, the details just blend into each other, and we miss them. Take that few minutes each day to look for 3 things that you have stopped noticing, and make a list of the minute details. Things that you probably don’t even think about like: What’s my first thought when I wake up? Can I hear any bird/animal/neighbour sounds early in the morning? What is it about today that I’m most grateful for? It’s the little things that make up the big, important things in our lives, let’s start noticing them more.

Offer – We all need some help at sometime in our lives, but it’s not always easy to ask. Fear of rejection is a real worry to most people, and no one wants to seem needy. If you think someone in your life could do with a bit of help, why not offer before they need to ask? It’s a lot easier to say yes to a genuine offer, than it is to work up the courage to ask for something, when there’s a real fear that you may be rejected. Your offer may not always be accepted, and that’s fine, at least you put it out there. But then again, you may be taking a huge weight off someone’s mind, just by offering.

Often – We’re all busy, that’s a fact of life these days. But if there’s something that you enjoy doing and it adds a positive aspect to your day, make an effort to do it more often. Something as small as going outside for a walk, writing letters to friends or even watching some good old trashy TV may be all you need for a quick pick-me-up. We do all the boring necessary things often, make some time for the other stuff, simply because it makes you feel good. Surely being happy more often is a good enough reason?

Can you think of any other O words I’ve missed?

Linking up with Essentially Jess for

This week I’m grateful for convenience and grandparents.

I realized the other day when chatting with a friend, how much I take for granted the fact that I can drive. She has 4 little ones and doesn’t drive, and there’s no such thing as a quick trip to the shops in her routine. It’s all about co-ordinating train and bus timetables with naps and feeds.

As scary as it was learning to drive all those years ago, I just can’t imagine how hard it would be not having independent transport available to me. Of course, generations of mums before us didn’t have the luxury of cars at their disposal, but then their geographical lives were a lot smaller too. School, shopping, appointments would all be a lot harder to navigate and take a lot more organization than they do now, that’s for sure.

Yesterday on the way home from school, Bella asked if she could stay at my mum’s house for the night. I said it was OK if Nanna agreed, so she rang her and after much sorting of what they would have for dinner, TV programs they would watch and books they would be reading in bed, we packed her bag for the night.

Whenever Bell stays at my mum’s she always comes home with stories about what Nanna did when she was a little girl. I absolutely love that she gets a look into a world that was so different to the technology dominated time we live in, and also have a night of giggles with her Nan.

Linking up with Maxabella loves for 52 Weeks of Grateful.