mum's thoughts, simple pleasures, Tips and Tricks

mum’s me-time

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tips + tricks, mum's thoughts, simple pleasures, motherhood
reading books is one of the things I love to do during those precious me-times

You’re planning to have a well-deserved me-time by spending an afternoon over a cup of coffee with your friends you have not seen in a while, but since you’re a 24/7 mum and does not employ a nanny, you have to ask your husband or your sister to baby sit for you while you’re out. Unfortunately  neither of them was available on a workday than you had no choice but to skip the meet-up altogether. Sounds familiar? I can see a couple of heads nodding.

Most mums will agree that ever sine they become mothers me-time has been scarce. You’d think that once your little bundle of joys grow a little bit older you’d have more time for yourself and you can leave them to fend for themselves even for just a few hours in a week! Totally wrong! Little children are such demanding creatures and their need for our undivided attentions grows with them.

When having those me-times would entail a lot of hard work and would seem almost impossible how would mum take her break now? The quick fix ~ pocket me-time! Schedule to have those much-needed breaks every now and then at home, even for just shorter amounts of time. We work too hard and these breaks will prove beneficial not only to us but also to our loved ones. Remember that we can spend pocket me-times without leaving the safety of our home or spending a considerable amount of money. There are numerous domestic activities we can engage in to help us relax and unwind.

Here are a few things on my list of things to do on my next pocket me-times:

  • Play Bingo Online ~ what a perfect way to unwind while the little one takes his afternoon naps than by trying Ladbrokes.com. Not only will it be worthwhile, I might even get a chance to win something! I reckon it will be most entertaining, too, but I must be careful not to bet most of what’s left in my Paypal account, though!
  • Catch Up On My Reading ~ Instead of taking a nap with my little man, I’d snuggle with my favorite book for a change and try to finish a couple of chapters of the paperback I had bookmarked for awhile now
  • Watch Movies on DVD ~ I used to be such a movie buff but since my son developed a certain fascination for movies all I’ve been watching are his favorite cartoons and animations. Watching something that will appeal to my grown-up preference will be a very welcome change
  • Do Yoga ~ I have yet to write about my Yoga progress, but, yes, in one of my future pocket me-times I will commune with my mat once more. Yoga is one sure way to reduce stress and keep me relax and doing it even for a short period of time in a day will prove to be a perfect way to spend some of my precious me-times!

So what are your plans for your next me-time at home?

image is from freedigitalphotos.net

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simple pleasures, travel

3 capitals in one easy trip

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simple pleasures, travel

The great thing about traveling through Europe is that its compact geography and stellar transportation system make hopping across international borders seem as simple as crossing state lines. For this reason, you can make the most of your trip to Europe by planning a multi-city itinerary—even if you only have a week or so of vacation time. One of the easiest trips to plan is an itinerary that includes three must-see European capitals: London, Paris, and Brussels. Read this article for more information about the best way to get from city to city and the tourist attractions you won’t want to miss along the way.

Transportation Made Easy: Take the Train

Traveling from London to Paris, Brussels and back is a cinch when you take one of Europe’s high speed light rail trains. Trips to Paris from London, for example, only take two and a half hours, while the link from Paris to Brussels is even shorter—an hour and a half. If you want to book your round-trip flight from London, getting back from Brussels is not a problem: the return trip from Brussels to London is only two hours. Generally speaking, trains do not have to be booked in advance, which means you’ll have some flexibility if you decide you want to linger in one city a little longer or head on to the next sooner than you had originally planned.

What to See and Do: Best of London, Paris, and Brussels

There are some undisputed landmarks you have to see on your European tour: London’s Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben; Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, and the Palaces of Versailles; Brussels’ Grand-Place, Atonium, Mini Europe, and Chocolate Musuem. But make some time to visit some of the latest attractions, too. Swap your ride on the London Eye for one on the brand new Thames Cable Car for a bird’s eye view of the city. In Paris, check out the city’s newest architectural landmark along the banks of the Seine: Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et du Design, which is home to galleries, shops, cafes, a rooftop nightclub, and the national fashion institute. If you’re looking to blend the old with the new in Paris, check out the latest renovations in the Musée d’Orsay or Palais de Toyko.

You certainly won’t go hungry on your tour of these three European capitals. You’ll want to try the staple Paris wine, cheeses, and pastries and London’s multi-national cuisine, but if you’re traveling over the next few months, perhaps the highlight of your culinary tour will be Brussels, which is currently hosting a year-long celebration of food known as Brusselicious 2012. You can reserve a seat on the “Tram Experience” which combines a tour of Brussels with some fine dining, or simply sample the cuisine from one of the specialty seasonal menus set for the culinary celebration.

image is from www.freedigitalphotos.net

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mum's thoughts, simple pleasures

Printing + organizing the little ones photos

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photography, simple pleasures, mum's thoughts, printing photos

One of the simple pleasures I’ve developed as a mum is taking photos of my little man. I have a massive collection of photographs dating back to the day Jared was born sitting in my hard drive. I try to take photos everyday + whenever the shutter-urge kicks in. Now, I may not be as adept to taking photos like a utah wedding photographer, but I really love taking photographs of my little man, chronicling every milestone + every important occasion in his life, or day-to-day moment as his life unfolds.

It was a good thing I found this site online that offers photo printing services at a minimal fee, I get to print hundreds upon hundreds of photos for FREE even + all I’ve got to do is pay for the shipping fee! In fact, I have printed hundreds of the little man’s photographs + some now proudly lie in the first + only scrapbook I have made for him ~ his first year of life! I had a lot of help from my sister, of course, who was jobless at the time + took the responsibilities of taking care of my son while I work. Oh well, I really fancied making all those beautiful + elaborate scrapbooks, but I guess I was not creative like that so I settled for the old-school photo album, just so I can have all these photographs organized + safely tucked somewhere. I do have to work on this a bit more, though, as I still have photos in envelopes + small boxes that I need to transfer to photo albums which I have yet to acquire. I need to print labels + dates, as well + rummage through my piles for receipts + tags that I’d also throw in to make the albums more scrapbook-ish! 😀

Looking over the photos I have printed over + over again is something I love to do whenever I have downtime, they sure bring a lot of wonderful memories. It is something my little man caught, too. He enjoys looking at our photos pointing at members of the family whom he can instantly recognize now. It makes all the trouble of printing + organizing photographs really worth it!

Can you share a tip or two on how you organize your little ones photographs? 🙂

image is not mine

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