FIVETRIBE

I read a life-changing book in 2012.  And I found some of my notes recently. At the time I was battling with the unknown that life holds...yet my life was pretty secure and laid out. In retrospect I cannot fathom what the hell my problem was.  But that time was preparing me for THIS TIME. Learning to flow.  Some days are easier than others but ultimately living a creative life does not just mean you paint pictures or write words - it can literally mean you create your life!  Your entire life is an artwork - who you are and how you journey is your creation. Over and over again....recalculating and recalibrating as obstacles, hurt, disappointments and detours come our way. Learning to wait. Settling into the unknown. Flow. Some of the extracts included: "What happened to our ability to dwell in the unknowing,  to live inside a question and co-exist with the tensions of uncertainty? Where is our willingness to incubate pain and let...

Lulu's Grade 2 class have been reading an amazing book . They have been actively working through the principles in this book and recently they presented the concept/analogy to the school during assembly. "The concept of bucket filling is an effective metaphor for encouraging kind and considerate behavior and for teaching the benefits of psoitive relationships.  Words hurt. That's the simple truth. And bullies abound no matter what the age. If we can teach young children the power of words and teach them to use those words carefully, we can stop bullying in its tracks." The kids in Grade 2 each have buckets on their desks. They are taught why we should fill each others buckets, why some kids are bucket 'dippers' ie bullies. How can they effectively deal with bucket dippers? ....and how to 'put a lid on your bucket' so that you do not allow others to dip! (very important!) The dynamic in the class has changed 180 degrees. Last year there was so ...

I started reading this book last night. And my heart began to race as I read page after page. Finally. Someone gets it. Someone feels EXACTLY like me. Right down to the tiniest detail. I am not alone in this crazy place of discontented contentment. I am going to share some excerpts with you from the introduction ********************** " i had much to be happy about. I was married to Jamie.....we two delightful daughters....I was a writer...i lived in my favourite city/..... but all too often I sniped at my husband, i lost my temper easily, i suffered bouts of melancholy, listlessness and free-floating guilt." "i wasnt depressed and i wasnt having a midlife crisis, but i was suffering from a midlife malaise - a recurrent sense of discontent and almost a feeling of disbelief. Can this be me?' 'But though at times I felt dissatisfied, that something was missing, I also never forgot how fortunate I was.....' 'When i stepped back to reflect o...

The man and I were going to go to Spier this weekend. We have a complimentary night due us but I cancelled at the last minute. I dont want to go when the weather is so miserable. I want to be able to enjoy the beauty of the grounds there - so we have taken a rain check. Think we will maybe go for his birthday or something. Instead we took off this morning (got sitter for kids) and went to hang out with my sister and bil. The guys watched rugby and we yakked and drank tea. From there the man and I went off to look for a bicycle rack as we are off up the west coast shortly and want to take the kids bikes. Expensive business this bike rack story -sjoe. We then pottered off to peruse the Cape Quarter as I had still not been there. It is lovely but I wasnt really in the shopping mood - we bought some pretty nifty gadgets at the Green store though. A very cool little solar panel (bout the size of my hand) that charges a little battery. From that battery you charge your cellphones, pda...

Un - clut - ter -er : def: Someone who chooses to get rid of the distractions that get  in the way of a remarkable life. - Erin R Doland ********************* On my reading list in the next 3 weeks (school holidays!) My opening quote comes from this book so clearly I have to read it now! Read review here   Read r eview here     Read review here I may actually be hoping for foul weather so I have an excuse to stay indoors and cuddle with my Kindle!

I have been re-reading my copy of this book - i bought it some years ago, read it, made some changes and then fell back into old patterns. I re-read it this week and was again struck by the vitality, vulnerability and transparancy of this author. I thoroughly recommend it if you are looking to *choose less in a world of more.* Imagine my shock when I logged onto her blog and discovered she had suffered a major stroke in January this year. She has only recently been released from hospital and has a very long and difficult journey ahead to recovery. She is 38, a mom of 2 young girls, a ballet dancer, a writer, a speaker and so much more. And yet, she is only human, like the rest of us. Take a moment today, reflect and be grateful.

With no tv to watch we have plenty of time for reading in the evenings. Today I will be going in to my girls' school to be their Mystery Reader for half an hour in each grade. It is Book Week and there are all kinds of exciting things happening revolving around the joy of reading. The Grade Ones are celebrating Dr Seuss while the Grade Fours are reading The Secret Seven...much to Honey's horror. She (and many others) are WAY past Secret Seven so she was less than impressed with this choice BUT they do get to do silent reading for an hour with their own books (and blankets and pillows!) I really love being involved in the life of the school; it is a top priority. I love watching how the kids interact with one another and I really enjoy getting to know each of the children; with such small classes (on 12 per class) it is easy to build great friendships. After reading to the kids I will be heading off to my friend to help her pack up her kitchen. It is with great sadn...

I love that this is now a standard for nightime....that I can now say : Go jump into bed early and you can read for an hour.  Two down - just one to go!  :-)

To read (or write!)  a blog....or to read a book. This is the question. I have to say I tend to head online before I head to pick up my book. And this time I happen to know I am not alone. I am often overwhelmed (but in a good way) by the resources online (TED especially) and also the numerous books that are recommended to me on a daily basis. How to ingest all this stuff? Do I need to? How to avoid that *missing out* feeling if I cant get to see/read everything recommended. These are some of the items on my To Hit/Read List right now: Books: Five conversations to have with your daughter. We need to talk about Kevin. The Glass Castle Blogs/Websites Ted.com (actually got sidetracked now watching TED while copying the link for this post!!) Henri Nouwen - Youtube - Being the Beloved Brene Brown - she asks this question : How do we learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and imperfections so that we can engage in our lives from a place of authenticity and wort...

My kids are voracious book lovers / readers. Honey devours books. She is like me in that she is a nighttime reader...she doesnt read during the day but often I will find her, torch under the covers, stealing minutes instead of sleeping. She also loves to *own* books. She likes to read them and then put them on her shelf. Sometimes she even writes a review about them! It is, however, an expensive hobby! I have had to look at other ways to find books for her to own. Enter 'Help the Rural Child' charity bookstore. What a treasure trove Hooli and I found in this store. We found around 12 titles for under R150 - now that is a bargain. I also went to a bookstore in our area that was closing and found a wonderful series of books for tween girls at R5 each. We now have a healthy library of our own and it should last us at least 6 months!

I made a big decision today. It has been a long time coming but reading this blog post by Lightseeker was the catalyst for me. (go read it quickly and come back right away okay?) ****************** I have taken a Facebook break. I am not swearing off it forever because that would be dumb and irrational and silly. Facebook, in moderation, is fabulous. I love being in touch with so many people - some I only relate to via fb because distance separates us. This does not, however, detract from a meaningful friendship. Here is the problem. I am a facebook addict. I check it in the morning. I check it in the night. I check it in the Pick n Pay queue. I check it in the parking lot. I check it while the kettle boils. I check it while I eat or drink tea (if alone). I justify this by saying that I am not doing anything else so why not? It is not hurting anyone. Or is it? It is no secret that I am wired for media. I crave it. I immerse myself in it at any given opportunity. I seldom read real b...