Timeline of my day…

Today being a Wednesday is what I call a Canberra Day!

My days vary throughout the week depending on what activities the kids have on so each one is a bit different. They all start off pretty much the same though (except for the weekends when it’s so nice to have a bit of a slower start to the morning!)

7.40am I get up and get the kids up , we have breakfast and I get them organised for school

8.30am see the kids off. The school bus picks them up at the front gate.

8.30am – 9.15am I attempt to do some exercise, usually some stationary bike riding. Some days I will take the dog for a 40min walk(if I don’t have yoga on). I find I need to do this bit of exercise to clear my head for the day , it also really helps control my anxiety)

9.30am – 10.45am I attend my Yoga Class. I have really been enjoying being able to go to a class during the day while the kids are at school as I find it easier to stick to. Trying to attend one at night or on the weekend always seems to be awkward and I find I’ve got too much to do and I can’t “tune it”.

10.45am – 3.00pm I usually get home from Yoga around 11am. After that I check emails and pay bills etc. I usually have some lunch and a coffee around midday. Then my afternoon will be spent doing housework if it needs to be done, running errands or if I’m lucky (and have everything under control) I will spend some time learning this blogging thing, or edit some photos, or do some painting.

3.00pm – 4.30pm On a Wednesday I need to pick the kids up from school as I need to have my son in Canberra by 4.15pm/4.30pm for his 3 hour dance class. We live about 45mins out from Canberra, but at the moment the drive in takes about an hour as my son has his learners licence and needs to log 120 hours before he can go for his driver’s licence in February next year. (it takes so long as he is speed limited to 90Km/hr on the highway).

4.30pm – 7.30pm After dropping him off, my daughter and I go and pick up my husband from work (as he is catching the bus in on Wednesdays while he is on Monday to Friday shifts for this year only. He will go back to doing rotational 2 day, 2 night 12 hour shifts next year and of course my current routine will be completely thrown out again!) We then head into one of the few shopping centres that are open on a Wednesday night, do our groceries or track down other things we need before going and having dinner somewhere.

7.30pm – 8.30pm Back in the car for the close to an hour trip home.

8.30pm – 10.30pm Once we are home again It’s all systems go with showers and lunch making and preparations for the next day. I try to get into bed by about 10pm (doesn’t happen too often on a Wednesday, like tonight!) I like to then spend some time reading before trying to go to sleep (unfortunately I’m not one of those lucky people who can fall asleep fast)

My 5 Mantras…

Wow! I am nearly half way through my 31 Day Blog Challenge. I have found it to be great so far. It has given me the push I needed to write about something every day. Some of the topics have pushed me to share things I normally would be too embarrassed to write about on a blog or think that no one could possibly be interested in reading about, but I decided to stay true to myself and dig a little deeper to share my life. Today I am going to take a little break from the challenge and do a little homework!

My friend Liz shared 5 mantras she is going to incorporate into her life over on her blog be.love.live She then set a homework challenge to come up with our own 5 mantras. So I am sharing some that I already try to live by and a couple that I would like to incorporate into my life.

1. Just Breathe…

Well this is of course the name of my blog, but also a mantra I use all the time. I say this to try and calm myself when I feel I am becoming anxious or nervous either before a situation or during. I say this to my daughter a lot too, as she gets quite nervous before school and in different environments and situations. I have to say it doesn’t work all the time (some things can be just too stressful), but it does help to say it in my head a few times before heading out.

2. You’re ok, you can do this…

This one is similar to the one above and again something I use to calm myself. This is a good one to boost me a little bit when I am doubting my ability. Saying this when I am trying to do something that is just not working and I am getting frustrated and beginning to think that I am completely useless, can really turn things around. (and a few big deep breathes in helps to calm down!)

3. Breathing in, I arrive in my body. Breathing out, I am home. (-Thich Nhat Hahn)

This mantra is by Thich Nhat Hahn and although I did not come up with it myself, it is one I wanted to share as I love it. I first heard it in a mindfulness class during meditation and I have used it ever since. I just find it calms me and creates quiet for me. I love listening to recordings by Thich Nhat Hahn, I find they help me to clear my mind in meditation.

4. I am grateful…

I am trying to say this mantra to myself more and more. I know in my heart I am grateful for everything I have in my life, but sometimes I need to stop and say it to my head. There are so many horrible things happening in this world that we don’t see much of the beauty and love anymore, so I feel I need to sometimes just stop and look at the beauty and love I have in my life and be grateful.

5. I cannot live in the past, I need to live today…

I know there are lots of quotes and mantras written around this wording, but this is what I need to tell myself. I am someone who tends to look back (a lot) and I need to leave what has happened in the past, whether it was yesterday, last month, or many years ago. I need to focus on my present. What is happening right in this moment as I can’t change things that have been and gone. I need to say this mantra to stop myself dwelling on ‘what could have been’ and make the most of NOW.