Showing posts with label balance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label balance. Show all posts

Wednesday, 23 October 2019

Looking After Me! #R2BC






HAPPINESS IS... // A morning at the spa on your own, totally chilling. ✨🏵️✨🏵️✨🏵️✨🏵️ . A week ago I cricked my neck and it's been so tight and painful. Then last night I was full of stress as I backed out of an unproductive situation. 🏵️✨🏵️✨🏵️✨🏵️✨ . Today, I've had a fabulous massage, the most divine Elemis facial and now I'm chilling on the hot stone relaxation beds. ✨🏵️✨🏵️✨🏵️✨🏵️ . Whenever I feel ready it will be a swim, steam and jacuzzi, followed by lunch. Then it's back to normality as I have work to do, ready to go to Spain at the weekend. 🏵️✨🏵️✨🏵️✨🏵️✨ . I'm feeling quite anxious about our trip though, for many reasons. So I'm trying to replace negative and anxious thoughts with positive ones. ✨🏵️✨🏵️✨🏵️✨🏵️ . Anyway I just thought I'd share this pic as I don't think this 46 year old looks too bad without any filters!
A post shared by Michelle Pannell (@michelletwinmum) on


I’ve been looking after myself recently and that why there’s not been many blog posts, or not ones that take emotional energy anyway. I haven’t felt like I’ve had much to say and now the kids are 12, 12 and 16 it’s so hard to share my parenting tales, as they (quite rightly) don't want their lives broadcast for all to read. Peer pressure and casual bullying are too rife sadly!

I made a choice a long time ago that I’d share the good, bad and ugly of my life as a way of connecting, helping others and showing that Christians are regular, flawed people too. Even this, now, has become more difficult as so much of my life involves my husband and I’ve never shared on his behalf. He’s a very private man and wouldn’t want his life ‘out’ there.

So blogging really does seem to be changing for me, it’s becoming less personal and more a way I earn money. Now, I’m trying to decide if I’m OK with that. Of course the money in the bank is very helpful, and not too difficult to earn, but do I want Mummy from the Heart to be a commercial entity?

I think, to be honest, it is the reality of where I am right now. I’ll still do personal posts when the moment takes me and I have something to say but I’m not going to beat myself up for earning a living and being able to pay for a holiday for our family.

As I sat in the day spa yesterday I was feeling proud of myself. Proud that I seem to have found that elusive balance that everyone seeks - I’m employed, I’m self-employed, I’m mum, I’m wife and I’m Michelle too. I’m getting time for things I enjoy and I’m not feeling run ragged.

Some of it is down to the kids being older, but much of it is down to my head being in the right place and being able to accept who people are and what their limitations are. As well as being able to reconcile that I cannot do everything. I just have to choose what is most important and focus on those things.

This update post will serve as my regular reasons to be cheerful post, where I share what is making me feel happy and grateful right now.

·         Time at the spa alone, I had a massage, facial, time on the hot stone relaxation beds, swim, steam and Jacuzzi. Pure bliss!
·         I’m loving being part of the village panto. I have just volunteered for the chorus this year and I’ve even backed out of one dance as my hurting foot won’t tolerate the moves, but I am loving the singing.
·         I’ve been spending time in the prayer centre to just be and wait on God, which is never time wasted.
·         We’ve joined a new church and I wake up each Sunday wanting to go and I come away inspired and wanting to do better. I haven’t had that for a while now, so it is so welcome.
·         I made a choice this week to walk away from a work situation that was upsetting me and I have cut all ties with the source of anxiety.
·         I’m not entirely satisfied with the job I started back in June, but it was good last week to be really honest with my manager and to make her aware that I wasn’t sure if it was the right job for me.  We’re working together to see where it goes.
·         I’ve been doing some boring but necessary jobs, like sorting out the thousands of photos I take. Many are of Ashburnham Place where I live and I use them for their social and promotional work. They are now all sorted into files of image type.
·         This week has been busy, every moment has been planned for, but even in that I am managing to swim twice this week and I’m not beating myself up for lack of gym visits. They’ll get back on track once I return from holiday.
·         And there is the last reason, we go off on holiday Saturday for a few days to Spain. I’m hoping for lots of relaxation, walks, swims, good food and book reading. JJ isn’t coming with us, he has the grandparents coming to stay and is looking after the cat, but he’ll enjoy that just as much. It will be strange without my boy though.

Now, over to you. How are you doing? I’d love to know, Mich xx

Tuesday, 2 August 2016

The August Break - A Month of Slowing Down


Back in July, I gave myself permission to have a blogging break, to dump the commitments, the guilt and the constant need to write.  My blogging mojo had been missing for a while so I figured I needed some time to just be and see if it would return.

I've enjoyed the last couple of weeks and now August has arrived I feel free for a month as there is lots of fun ahead of us. I came across the August Break yesterday on Susannah Conway's blog and I thought why not join in.

It is a slow month of August where you can take a photo a day to record your downtime over summer. I'm going to be sharing my photos over on Instagram and I'm trying very hard not to be intimidated by all the perfect images over there that are using the #AugustBreak2016. I want to do this for me though, so I'll press on and share my life in my normal real, messy, from the heart way.


Above is the list of prompts that you can use if you so wish but basically this is a no-rules kind of project, so the idea is to snap a photo every day and share (or don't share) in your own way.

I wasn't going to use the prompts but actually, both of my pictures so far have fit the theme (but not in an aesthetically pleasing Instagram kind of way!). Day 1 was morning light and whilst it was a picture taken in the evening the theme of the festival this week is 'New Day Dawning' and that seemed just perfect.

Then day 2's theme is leaf and there was plenty of those in my joyful jumping photo!


This project is open to all and a great way to find new blogs and Instagram accounts, so why don't you join in too? You don't even have to complete the whole month and you are welcome to start anytime.

Have a blessed week, Mich x

Sunday, 11 May 2014

Time to Look Up for a while

Have you seen the new viral video doing the rounds? I watched it on Friday morning and it was only released on 25th April but already has over 31 million views.

If you are part of this generation, the online generation (and you are, if you're reading my blog) then I urge you to watch. You might do what I did and watch the first couple of minutes and think 'yeah, yeah, you are taking it too far, it is not that bad' but as you watch the whole film you become absorbed and really think and it sure made me realise that I've not had an online break for some time. So the next two weeks at least I'm disappearing off and having a rest. My iPhone is broken and this seems the perfect opportunity to not keep checking emails, FB, my blog and twitter every time I am out and about.

I need to focus on losing some weight and that is what I'll do instead. Eat well, exercise and pray. Oh and spend time with my family of course.

You'll still see me post once a week with my weekend photo post as that is something I want to keep up all year but I hope you'll forgive me if I don't link up and comment back on other posts. This is just something I'm doing for me, not to gain comments and every now and then we all need a little break, don't we?

For me right now, I'm going to take some time offline and LOOK UP...

Go on watch it.....


-----------------------------------------------------------------
If you like what you have read and want to stay up-to-date then subscribe by email for free and receive blog posts directly to your in-box - just click the link Subscribe to Mummy From The Heart... by Email or perhaps you like to keep all your blog reading in one place, if that is the case you can follow me on BlogLovin too!Follow on Bloglovin

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

The Parenting Grass is Always Greener!

Today I discovered that I could seriously have enjoyed just having two children.  With JJ at school how easy was it to have just one pre-schooler with me?  I don't think you need me to actually answer that question, do you?

Life is really different when I just have Miss E, she is a calm and content child who is easy to have around and still good fun.  With her twin being looked after at nursery we were able to go to my work for a couple of hours, do some shopping, get the car washed, have a play at home, tidy up and I got to have some PC time while she napped - all in the name of chickenpox!  Can I complain?  No not really, yes I will need to make the time up for work but blah...  no problem.

Now do not get me wrong I am not wishing Miss M away.  I could never be without my vivacious mini minx.  She is the one that can make me blow from 0 -10 in under a second.  She has most definitely been sent to help me to learn to be a better person and parent and Miss E is my reward for that personal growth.


A moment of parenting calm at MFTH...  House, Just a moment mind!

It struck me as we scooted to school (yes me too) to collect JJ that as parents we always think the grass is greener.  When I had my twins I longed for just one baby at times so I could breath and be able to do the 'normal' things with a babe, but then I know how blessed I am to have two small people who love each other and play together so nicely.

I also today, dreamt about how fab it would be if I did not have to work, I could then potter around at home every day and do those little annoying jobs, like sort the CD's for the car.  Would I get bored of this very quickly as I would have to entertain 2 small people for vast amounts of time?  Yes, my realistic head says that I love being able to work and using my lunchbreak to get to the gym, catch up on the blog, have a cuppa with a friend and I also enjoy the stimulation of using my brain and the thrill of getting paid for it.

I think I am just a dreamer and that every scenario, except the one I am in feels like it has so many positives that I ought to try it.  Luckily I am also a realist and before I jump in, I think things through and know that the grass is most certainly not greener.  In a moment of clarity I posted recently about being a lucky bitch and actually I still stand by this.  I do have the perfect balance in my life but that does not stop me dreaming...

What about you?  Dreamer or realist?  Or bit of both like me?