New to WordPress

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Sandra Madeira

Hi

Today I have transferred my blog from Windows Live Spaces to WordPress and I must say I am very impressed with the look and feel of the site!  I will be including this new link on my website www.tipsandluxuries.com.

No real updates at the moment other than my book ‘A Gift for Stressed and Busy Mums’ is going well.  I’m still persisting with sending off an outline and sample chapters to agents and any feedback I am receiving from friends is being reflected in new versions.  You can still download the first chapter of the book via my website.  

Please also watch this space, as I am planning on changing the layout of the website and including more information and stories over the next few months. 

My tip: Be persistent with your dreams – don’t give up!  Focus only on what you want.

Until next time….

Sandra

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Book title change

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Sandra Madeira
Hi
 
For my regular readers and those who have been recently asking how my book is going, you will pleased to know that I have sent my book proposal to a few more agents this week.  I have also changed the long title of the book from ‘Inspirational Tips and Luxuries for Stressed and Busy Mums’ to ‘A Gift for Stressed and Busy Mums’. 
 
Please let me know what you think of the new title and don’t forget to check my website www.tipsandluxuries.com for updates in the next few weeks.
 
Hope you are having a good week .
 
Until next time
 
Sandra
 
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Stress and feeling overwhelmed

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Sandra Madeira
Hi
 
After getting through a very stressful week last week at work and home, I have learnt a few very important lessons. 
 
 My tips:
 
 When you feel like everything is coming at you – stop and assess what is happening.  Watch how you are reacting.  Note how you are feeling.  See if you can spot the triggers.
 How you choose to react is up to you.  Not everyone reacts the same.  You really can stay calm when you would normally stress yourself out!
 Never try and take on too much.  Stop and talk to someone about it.  It worked for me and it helped me realise how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and family.
 Do some sort of exercise every day even if it’s deep breathing or stretching.  Yoga, Pilates or even a 30 minute brisk walk at the start of your day will help your mood tremendously.
 Remember that there is only so much you can do.  Prioritise at work and at home and only do high value tasks i.e. things where there will be a negative impact for not doing it and a positive impact for doing it.
 Plan your day in advance, even small activities and delegate where you can.  As you cross items off your list you will have a feeling of achievement.
 Smile, stay positive and calm.  The way you act on the outside impacts the way you feel on the inside.
 If the sun is out – get out there and absorb the vitamin D.  It’s extremely good for you.
 
……oh, and there is always Rescue Remedy!  
 
Until next time….
 
Sandra
 
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Messy house!

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Sandra Madeira
Hi
 
I’ve just been to a kid’s birthday party where everything looked organised and tidy and my house doesn’t at the moment!  In addition to that I have had a couple of comments made to me today which have niggled me slightly so I thought I would share my thoughts with you:
 
1. Why don’t you get the girls to put things away after them?
2. I wouldn’t have thought your house gets messy if you are not in the house all day.
 
1. Let’s take the first one.  I thought I did get the girls to put things away after them!  However, when I looked closer around the house today I realised that there are so many things that are in the wrong rooms to start with and even when they are in the right rooms they are out of place.  I basically get them to clear up when I either get time and we’re not rushing out the door somewhere (most days!). 
 
After arriving home from the party this afternoon, I started frantically picking things up around the house and taking them to appropriate rooms and putting all the clean washing away.  All them time I was thinking ‘when I get organised, I will get the girls to put their things away, and started making excuses that there is nowhere for them to put there stuff.  
 
 My tip 1:  Leave time at the end of every activity that your child does for putting things away.  Get them used to putting things in their proper places.  Put things at eye level for them and clearly labelled so that they know where things go.  Also keep reminding yourself that other people’s houses get messy too – you just don’t see it.
 
2. Now for the second one.  When I leave the house in a hurry in the morning where nothing has been put away and then come home just before putting the kids to bed, adding another layer of clutter in the process, when is there the time to keep the house tidy?.  Evenings and weekends are usually filled with ‘conveyor belt’ type stuff like washing, putting away, getting clothes and bags ready for next day, cleaning, kitchen duties, kids parties, entertaining the kids etc etc etc., leaving me feeling exhausted.
 
 My tip 2: Don’t worry that other people’s houses are tidy – they may have more time than you, or have spent all night tidying up before you arrived.  Remind yourself what you achieve in one week and that you are organised, it just may not be noticeable.  If you really want to work out what is causing the clutter and how things get left laying around, witness everyone (including yourself) for a couple of days and see what sort of clutter trails you can nip in the bud and create diversions for.  Don’t give yourself a hard time about the place being a mess; just work on a small bit every day.   Go and tidy a small space, say one drawer or the clutter on the side in the kitchen now!  That will make you feel slightly better and may spur you on to tidy a bigger space.
 
Until next time….
 
Sandra 
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General update

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Sandra Madeira
Hi
 
I haven’t been in contact for a while as I’ve been working on my book.  Has anyone checked out chapter 1 yet?  It’s available for free download on my website www.tipsandluxuries.com – please let me know what you think.  I have just sent the first couple of chapters to an agent, so fingers crossed something good comes out of it.
 
I have started a new meditation program called Holosync.  It involved listening to a tracks for 30-60 minutes a day (with stereo headphones) which helps to lower your stress threshold and encourages whole brain thinking, as well as many other benefits.  It’s working well and I’m definitely more calm and aware of any negative thoughts.  Being a persisent person, I’m going to continue with it and possibly move to the next level when I am ready. 
 
I’ve been spending more time with the family lately and consciously switching off from everything else when I do so.  Some things around the house don’t get done, but it bothers me less than it used to.  I’m also going to bed on time by spending less time on the computer in the evenings which means I am getting a full night’s sleep.  Getting up and exercising straight away is certainly improving my fitness levels and mood for the day. 
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Birthday surprises

Posted on April 8, 2010 by Sandra Madeira
Hi
If you were able to read yesterday’s blog you will have learnt that today I turned 41 (great age!). I was brought a cup of tea in bed this morning with my presents. Within half an hour of opening one of them – my new ‘asics’ running shoes (lovely surprise) – I was out in the bright sunshine trying them out. They are so comfortable and apparently the best you can get. I’m not running the marathon but apparently I could if I wanted to with these shoes. I will tell you about my main present when it arrives – I am very excited about it.
Anyway, I’ve been very lucky – I’ve had ‘happy birthday’ sung to me at least seven times today, 2 birthday cakes, many phone calls and texts, I bumped into friends I hadn’t seen for ages in two different parks, fun with the girls, more presents, my mum made me lunch and my fiance cooked me a steak for tea. I’ve been thoroughly spoilt. The girls even made me dance to music in their bedroom just before bedtime.
One thing that has truely stood out today is the amount of time that I have had with my family. No thinking about work, just focusing on them.
My tip today comes from Brian Tracy, author of ‘Achieving work-life balance’ (audio CD that I was listening to whilst walking this morning). When you are spending time with the family – just do that and nothing else.
Until next time……
Sandra
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The Easter Holidays

Posted on April 7, 2010 by Sandra Madeira
Hi
I am 41 in almost an hour and felt the need to write a blog! Since being 40 my life has changed dramatically ‘life begins….’ and all that. I have moved forward so much with my life, I am focusing on my goals and overall I have been much more positive.
As far as the Easter holidays go, I wanted this week off to be fun and so far I haven’t been disappointed. I have a week off mainly to spend quality time with my family, but also so that I don’t have to go to work on my birthday. I power-walked to the shops at 7am yesterday morning to get the girls some play dough as we couldn’t seem to find any around the house (well actually we did but it had gone hard). Of course I never come back from the shops with just one thing and arrived back with fresh bread, ham and croissants and made sandwiches for my fiance before he went to work (felt like a stay-at-home mum – nice feeling!).
At the park yesterday the girls and I played ball, ate Easter eggs and I pushed them on the swings. It was so sunny and warm and as I watched them play I thought about how lucky I am. I’m really looking forward to the summer – hope it’s a good one, but even if it’s not, I’ll be out there with them anyway.
I think the girls are more excited about tomorrow than I am and keep reminding me by singing happy birthday, making me cards, drawings and pretend cakes. My friend popped round this afternoon with a present which was lovely and we had a good chat. My girls know her daughter and they were so excited playing that they didn’t want them to go home.
Full report of the days events tomorrow. It’s getting late now, I’d better get some sleep.
My tip: It doesn’t matter how old you are – just enjoy life!
Until tomorrow….
Sandra
Posted in Fun and relaxation | Leave a comment

Weekend fun again!

Posted on March 30, 2010 by Sandra Madeira

Hi

Last weekend was another busy one and very tiring.  My daughters woke up very early on Saturday morning and the first thing my five year old said was ‘mummy we have a lot to do today!’ which I must admit made me smile; she sounded so much like me.  It wouldn’t normally matter but I’d got up early to do some exercise (walking, yoga, pilates – hadn’t really decided).  Nevertheless I slightly changed my plans and started them off decorating their Easter boxes (more about that later), made them breakfast etc and then set off for my morning walk around 8am.  I power walked for thirty five minutes; the sun was shining and I felt so happy. 

At 10.30am we set off for a previously booked Easter egg hunt with the girls.  After answering questions and collecting chocolate and sweets in each shop we visited, we finished up in the local pub for a drink whilst the girls played in the play area.  Just before we left for haircuts, the Easter bunny arrived dishing out presents which the girls thought was great although my eldest did say ‘that’s just someone dressed up as a bunny’.  

In the evening we had friends over for dinner; my fiancé cooked for us – a five course meal (although we never got to the fifth course because we were full up).  He did brilliantly and although it was a late night, it was very entertaining.  Not actually being able to remember ever having a dinner party with friends before, we vowed to do this again, but maybe we’ll get a takeaway next time as he spent a lot of time in the kitchen.   

The only thing that spoilt it was the clocks going forward Saturday night, which didn’t help when the girls got up at 6.30am Sunday morning when I hadn’t gone to bed until 2am!  Headache and tiredness was about me all of Sunday.  I tried not to let this ruin my plans to do ‘craft’ with the girls so just dosed myself up with paracetamol. 

Craft

We had been talking about this all week and the girls were very excited.  I cut out 6 oblong cards for each of them and wrote the following on each one:

  1. Brush teeth
  2. Brush hair
  3. Go to the toilet
  4. Change into pyjamas or nightie
  5. Choose story
  6. Get into bed – goodnight

They then decorated them with pictures, stickers and glitter (yes messy!) and I laminated them with that sticky back plastic stuff.  They loved it and it kept them and me entertained for ages.  Since Sunday I haven’t had to tell them what to do at bedtime, I just collect the cards as they do what it says on each one.  Obviously they can choose the order they do them in, except the ‘get into bed’ one which I collect after stories and before I kiss them goodnight.  The routine feels a lot more organised and I don’t feel like I’m continually saying ‘please can you …..’ every few minutes.

 My tip – Are there any routine tasks that you usually help the children with that they can take responsibility for?  Encourage them to do these things on their own (assuming they are old enough).  It doesn’t have to be anything big.  Children like to do things well and feel like they are in control of their actions.  Once they’ve done something by themselves, give them lots of praise.

Until next time…..

Sandra
www.tipsandluxuries.com

 

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Weekend fun

Posted on March 22, 2010 by Sandra Madeira
Hi
 
How was your weekend?  Mine was fantastic. 
 
Saturday the girls chose to paint a miniture teaset which I must admit was actually quite fun, even though I did worry at first that it was going to be quite messy.  This is probably why the box sat on top of the cupboard for almost 5 month (shame on me!).  I then almost intervened when they weren’t quite painting patterns but rather just colouring the china in.  Then I thought how much prouder they would be seeing their pattern on it rather than copy what was on the box.  It kept them entertained for a least half an hour and we left it to dry ready to bake in the oven on Sunday.
 
Sunday, the first thing they reminded me to do was to put the china teaset in the oven.  It was ready almost before we’d eaten breakfast and when it had cooled down and they were able to play with it, their little faces lit up.  They were so proud of themselves.  We almost didn’t go swimming because Liverpool were playing at 1pm, but after some gentle persuasion from the girls they got ‘daddy’ off the settee and shortly after we were all happily swimming at the local leisure centre.  Having not taken them swimming much (something we will be doing more of) you would have thought that they would be a bit nervous, but no, they absolutely loved it and their laughter filled the pool. 
 
Being a sunny day, I took them on their skates later in the afternoon (again something they’ve not done very much of).  My arms are aching a bit today as I had to hold them both up as they attempted to skate round the block, but I was so proud of their efforts to continue trying.  They then asked to go on their bikes (the ones they got for Christmas and have only used twice!).  I took them out the front of the house,  but the eldest got a bit frustrated and the youngest kept cycling backwards.  I think I need to take them out individually – it was hard trying to teach them both at the same time.
 
Working full time means that both my partner and I don’t get much time with the girls during the week, although the time we do get is quality time.  At weekends there are so many things to catch up with, like chores, errands, paperwork etc and the girls just fit in to our plans.  However this year I decided that things were going to be different, which coincided with the chapter I was writing on ‘Fun as a family’ in my book ‘Little Tips and Luxuries for Stressed and Busy Mums’ (as featured on www.tipsandluxuries.com).
 
 My tip – How about leaving at least one whole day or even just an afternoon, where you just have fun as a family.    
 
Until next time……
 
Sandra
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Chapter One available on website

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Sandra Madeira
Hi
 
I have just published for free chapter one of ‘Little Tips and Luxuries for Stressed and Busy Mums’ – see book chapters page on www.tipsandluxuries.com.  Please take a look and let me know what you think . 
 
Have a great weekend.
 
Sandra
 
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