Live Life or Capture It?

Something that has been on my mind for some time is a debate I would say most people have with themselves regularly. Should we enjoy the moment or is it 'ok' to capture it? Do I watch this event through the screen of my phone or camera so that I can relive it or do I just enjoy the moment and hope my memory holds up? It feels like a question that needs to be answered.

 

I spend my days mostly in the company of children, so there are plenty of moments I wish would last forever but they don't. When I don't catch the moment on camera, I often later wish I had. So I doubt myself. But then there are the moments that only happen once, that I never managed to capture but they've stayed with me anyway. So what's the difference? It makes me wonder, does my memory know to work harder when I haven't captured it? And know when I'm aloud to forget it?

Many new mums have the moment when they profusely thank their Mother (or apologise for all the years of pain!). I am not a Mother, but as a Nanny to 4 children, I have these moments day in and day out!  I grew up in a house where our mum had the video camera at the ready and her commentary perfected. For this I am so grateful, I can still hear my grandparents voices and remember all the amazing memories that my parents created for us ! The more I write the more I realise how much I have to say is influenced by her!  She is the queen of happy mediums, the "it all works out in the wash" statement preacher ! So, as always, taking on my mothers wise words, I have created a way to decide whether I should "live life, or capture it".

The Happy Medium - What is more important?

1 - Is this something I really need to be present for? This is simple really, is the person on the other end of the capturing going to be upset, if I watch through my camera? Or further more, are you? No one ever wants to only remember something through the lens of a camera rather than in real life! Imagine showing off your photos from the Grand Canyon when getting home and not actually remember seeing it yourself.

2 - Is this a  'never again event'? Sometimes these 'events' need to just be taken in, so this can be a tricky one. Ask yourself; is this the only chance I have to get this on video?  Will I regret not having a copy?

3 - Be realistic, ask yourself;  is this something you would never re-watch but would value more through your own eyes? Regardless of it being a one off or a regular occurrence.

Notes if you have time to consider it;
-Will it bring me joy? If I take this image/video will I enjoy looking back at it.
- Do a bit of both! Take some unnecessary images, who cares!
- Recognise what can't be captured. Sometimes there is just no point, an image just doesn't do it justice.
- Everything in moderation. I have over 100 photos of my grandparents standing beside the signs that say "Welcome to ....." from every holiday they went on. Don't do this! Your family won't know what to do with them and they are irrelevant down the track.

I recently went to New Zealand. It was the most spectacular place. I took plenty of photos, but this was the first time I really put into place my new found way to answer this debate! The reality is sometimes you just can't capture a moment or do it justice.

I acknowledge that some of these moments happen so quickly you don't have the time to go through 'pros' and 'cons'. Don't think too hard about it or try to take the perfect image, otherwise you may be creating a moment that isn't authentic, just capture it and move on! In the end just remember that it doesn't matter if you can't capture it, you were there, you were present in that moment anyway. I still take plenty of images and videos and have to cull regularly, but I am learning and slowly making this a new habit. So that I can both live life AND capture it!

Happy snapping!

Ps - All the images in this post are authentic, they are all moments that I knew I wanted to capture! Moments that meant something and that I would look back on with joy. Look at my little nanny baby giving me a hug! I am inundated with hugs daily but just this once I wanted to capture it! I never want to forget my feelings in that moment, and that's a photo I will never regret taking!

Love C x

Hoarding and Sorting

Image by Bartholomew Cooke

Somewhere in that strange period between Christmas and New Year, where I lose track of days - because surely it's still Christmas but we are wishing each other ‘Happy New Year’ instead now? Righto! - where my body is still in food coma mode but my mind is buzzing with “crapsicles, its nearly NEXT YEAR already?!” - I got a chance to do a little spring (summer?!) cleaning of my office. You really can’t tell. It still kind of looks like the long forgotten storage room at the back of the house that SHALL NOT BE ENTERED. But I promise I got some stuff sorted, however much mess is still waiting to be dealt with. 

Like many people, the new year for me brings on an urge to get organised. Or at least a little bit of breathing space after all the rush of last minute present wrapping and baking of the week before. Or a good dose of guilt.  Probably a healthy combination of all. So I satisfied that urge just a little by tackling the disfunction in my work space. 

And boy were there some goodies to be found, it’s no wonder I’m out of room. The list of ridiculous things I’ve been stashing away to sort out ‘some day’ goes on and on. There were piles of blank CDs that I really would never use - with cd folders (really?). CASSETTES!! Old oil paints with their lids dried shut. Boxes from items that will never go back to their boxes (that was a big aha moment for me). There was a spring from a broken pen chucked in there for goodness sake!! And I finally went through that embarrassing bag of paperwork from I won’t say how many years ago… but it included some bank statements of my husband's, back from when he was still my boyfriend if that gives you any clue.

After making many valuable discoveries like these, I had to face the truth, and I’ll level with you guys so you can keep me honest with myself ok? ….. I have hoarding tendencies. Now, It’s not that bad. I’m not fearful I will end up on next seasons “Hoarder next door” * Because balancing out my collecting habits is my love of a good purge - I can regularly swing strongly between “KEEP ALL THE THINGS!!!!”  and  “GET RID OF ALL THE THINGS!!!!”. I don’t know what you call a half hoarder, half minimalist - but that’s me.

It’s clear though, looking at this list I found, that I certainly have some habits to break: the first eight I am guilty of. EIGHT!  (Though I’m not convinced how accurate this list is. I’m quite sure those are just completely regular things that all regular, perhaps slightly disorganised, people do. Right?! )

I like to think that a lot of the (other) things I own are very useful, so I am aiming to cull the unnecessary (see-ya, old packaging) and the ridiculous (the pen springs and such….) and then organise it all so that it’s easy to access and actually USE. Enter the pinterest organisation tips stalking. Here are some of the things I’ve found that I may or may not put to good use this year. I’ve listed them in case anybody else is after some handy tips to get their New Years organising resolution under way (and good luck to you!!). We have also been collecting ideas on our Pinterest board if you’re interested in any more ideas!

....

Camille Styles' Gorgeous Office

- Now I fully intend to get on this “Marie Kondo” band wagon the whole world is excited about - but deadlines and, you know, LIFE are keeping that well at bay for the foreseeable future - so intention is what I’ll hold onto for now. Perhaps you can give it a go first and let me know how it goes?

- Start small

- THIS is something I need to tackle, my photos are a mess, and I know I’m not alone. Maybe next year? ;) 

- Oh THAT’s why…. 

- The Organised Housewife - That sounds nothing like me. But there so many ideas here I don't know where to start.

- And for the craft stash

 - I am a massive Kikki K fan. And happily they have a pile of gorgeousness on sale right now to get you sorted.

Happy resolutioning!

H x

* not to make light of the genuine struggle that those with a serious hoarding disorder or their families face. That’s no joke.

Travel with a family! A big one! Tip and tricks.

Big families and lots of luggage 

So we did a crazy thing! We decided to go on holidays with four children and three adults. Not too long of a plane flight but, with the amount of work that goes into travel with a family, you may as well be flying around the world and back again! 

In light of this new, and shall we say interesting experience, (a first for us all with four children.....including a very adventurous four year old and newly mobile one year old) I have compiled a list of notes I made to myself and tricks that have worked for us so far! And a few lessons we learnt along the way. 

Packing 

The List - my biggest tool when packing is my list.  As an anxious person I hate the thought of getting to the end of packing and not knowing what I did and didn't pack. If you write it down as you go you will know what else is needed and what you can remove if it's too full. Take the list away with you so you know what is in which bag.  As we are a party of seven it is good to know where to look so we don't dismantle all the bags in the process. 

Strategy - try and pack strategically if you can and roll the clothes for more room. The best way we found to keep our suitcases as tidy as possible when living out of hotel rooms is to gather shorts, shirts etc into their own spot in the bag. To locate these items easily place one of the items on top so you know under it there will be the pile of the same type of item.

Now this is something I learnt on this trip.  If you know the rooms everyone will be in, put each person’s clothing into a bag with another person in their room. We didn't think this far ahead and had to go between rooms for clothes changes - not ideal.

Little organiser tips - 

  

1: Use zip lock bags with names on them for each person’s cords (chargers etc)

2: Have a charging station for electronics in one room so that no cords or electronics are between rooms. You will be less likely to leave them behind!

3: Use a school homework folder with zip to hold drawing items and paper, to keep them separate from the rest of the bag. 

4: Take bags with separate pockets for children to store toys and games, so that are easy to find without ravaging through everything.

5: Medication can get a little confusing when you are out an about. Take a lunch box and put each child's medication into a separate named zip lock (I should buy shares in zip lock!) 

6: Wipes!!!! Once again store a bunch in zip locks if you don't have a small carry packet already! No one wants to be stuck without a wipe!

Travel 

Relax - easier said than done of course, but it works wonders when you can manage it. Don't panic or try and stick to a plan, travel with children isn't predictable. Go with the flow, change the plans if needed and reassess later. This relates to trying to get a baby to sleep on a plane or a day trip around your new destination. 

Holiday ground rules - make a time on arrival to sit and chat about your new destination as a group. Check in on what is high on the kids list and mention what is high on yours. Give everyone some time to assess the new surroundings. This makes the perfect time to lay down the ground rules...like…hold hands on roads, what beds people are sleeping in, you have to wear walking shoes on Tuesday. Holidays can create a sense of freedom in us all, and so it should, just ensure everyone stays on track and doesn't take it too far.

Hit the ground running - this is very dependent on the time you arrive at your destination however, if it suits, when you arrive to your accommodation freshen everyone up. Give everyone a shower and fresh clothes before trying to tackle getting your bearings. 

Technology ban only lasts so long - we all hope to ban technology on family holidays and wish they appreciated the scenery as much as us. Sadly it isn't always as pleasant as we hope it to be. Give technology limits and hold onto the devices yourselves. There are times it is needed like long car trips and when you are stuck in a hotel room! We used the beginning of the car trip to maximise on the kids amazement of their surroundings and let them be occupied with EReaders or games for the end of the stretch. 

Maybe you do all of these already or maybe they are just commonly known travel tips but for the novice this could be a handy page of tips from a nanny to anyone! We are a big group so keeping together, on track, happy and organised is a full time job. But we have made it and are having a ball! Safe travels to all familes and please feel free to comment below some of your own tips and tricks, we all know you can never have too many! 

Chantelle x 

A NEW New Years!

We haven't yet wished you all a very merry christmas, but we hope it was a safe and very happy one! We took a little brain brake ourselves to refresh and start a new before the New Year arrives. 

Every year we all try and take a step towards, a better you or a better way of doing things within yourself or your family! But why don't they ever work? I feel quite confident in saying that we all scratch our heads and wonder why we didn't achieve our New Years Resolution but yet every year we jump back to the habit and make another, maybe even with the same one, determined to achieve it this year! 

Chantelle - I like to start any new years resolutions on the 26th! It means by the time it becomes an official "resolution" I am well on my way to creating the new habit! However I know it is too late to tell you this now but for future New Years, keep it in mind. 

Hayley - I think it's twice as hard to achieve a new goal when there is something from the past year still needing to be let go of. So take a moment, if you please, to reflect on what is holding you down before you take that next leap. Allow yourself to let go of any regrets or guilt you carry from the year past (or longer!).  Be it an elaborate candle lit ritual or a silent moment to yourself when the clock strikes 12. It's the perfect time to forgive yourself and make some room.

Now our Mother has shared with us a NEW idea for New Years resolutions and we wanted to share it all with you. Knowing our family, this NEW idea will now become a tradition for us, so jump on board and see if your family get anything out of it (originally inspired by this post on Sunlit Spaces).

Our Resolutions for the Year.

First let's talk about writing that promise. Instead of just telling yourself, or even just saying your resolution out loud, how about you write it down, and how about trying to write it different to the usual resolution. A resolution is often oddly written/said in a way that is already discouraging, when you say "I want to loose weight" does that really encourage you? or how about "no more arguing"? Try to write it down in a positive and encouraging way, like, "I will loose weight" or "we will do our best to stop arguing, especially over little things". If making a resolution isn't working for you, try it in a new way. 

H - That was all a bit much for me...
so here are some more realistic things I should really aim for.
That last one is a lost cause really. Memory, where are you?

The next step is to place it into your stocking so that you know it will be there waiting for you when the next christmas arrives! Sit down with your family, it could be your 2 children and husband, your cat and your dog or just you but it is important anyway. Try to come up with a few goals for your family as a whole and have everyone choose something important to them. When you have done this write them down and put them into a stocking, but also write them somewhere everyone can see it! Let's just say its a new take on family rules! Its easy to just say what we want to achieve the new year but it is much harder to actually achieve it if you are not accountable for the progress.

Good Luck!

Happy New Year!

H&C x

You learn something new every week ... Week 4

FULL of Lessons

Chantelle - Take a breath

I am the person who is always moving, constantly on the go and never accepting that even I need a brake. After a hectic few months working on the upcoming website and starting our blog I signed off for 3 days! Today I am back to it and more refreshed than ever. Completely turning off to it meant that I was ready to turn back on with 95% of my brain functioning when I was ready! 

Note to self ... Just breathe! 

Hayley - Put down that smartphone

As they say, sometimes the answer is right in front of you. Having my second child 6 months ago I knew things would be different this time, but that didn’t stop me from wishing I had some more one on one time with my new little one, to get to know her better. Bonding time can be thin with a screaming 2 year old running around the house…  But it hit me, I had been wasting some of the most precious time of all - feeding time. When I would normally be soaking up all that gorgeous baby staring time, that tempting (and lets be honest, often sanity saving) “me time” on the phone had crept up on me not to mention all that multi-tasking. So down with my phone, this week I committed that time to my daughter and it feels glorious. 
Note to Self ... Ditch that phone!

The Lunch Box Curse

Packing lunches would have to be high on my "really do I have to this" list! The yogurts that come home hot and I throw away, the squashed fruit! The never ending change in what they 'like', drive me totally crazy. Sometimes I think I will spice it up, add something new, be creative, surely they will eat it today... NOPE, into the bin it goes.

Tuckshop is my hero! When I really need them to eat for brain power in an exam or a sports carnival it always saves the day, I choose the semi healthy option for the 9 year old and just pray the 12 year old makes the right choice while in line.

Now, I hate wastage, not just of the food but of the money.... mention to them that "there are children who don't even have food" and the normal response I get is "Well it is sad but, that isn't me". I used to give that response to my Mum and I always got the 'I'm not angry I'm disappointed face' starring back at me. We are lucky we have chickens to give the food to which makes it feel slightly better but seriously! How much perfectly good food that the kids could have eaten do the chickens need? They are the best fed chickens around. All I can say is at least the chickens are eating all their food groups right?!

I love the "I did eat something"... to which I respond, Eating the treat i put in there doesn't count! I tried the you don't get any treats until you eat your 'real' food thing. I tried the you only get half your lunch until you show me you even eat that thing! I tired the 'you have to eat it for afternoon tea then' thing. All of it worked... or so I thought, until I put the treat back and they are back to old tricks and the chickens are well fed once again! I don't think I am bad lunch packer but apparently others do. I think it is officially time to admit that I have the dreaded 'Lunch Box Curse'.  Now I will also admit my mum (love you mum) always packed my lunch, I'm not sure I had ever packed a lunch until I made them for other people, maybe that is the stem of my curse... thanks but no thanks mum (love you). I definitely understand why they don't want to make their own but it doesn't make them want to eat it any more if I make it and take away the hard work involved. In Fact they sneakily use their birthday money to buy tuckshop they hate what I pack so much, maybe simply because I pack it?!

As I said I hate wastage so one day when I found another lunch box full of food to throw away once again I asked very kindly... "Please go and get $10 from your room" sure enough he returned with the $10 and held his hand out to give it to me. "No, I said, you can do the honours". I opened the bin and pointed "There you go, put it in". He literally jumped "There is no way I am putting my money in the bin" ... "Go on I said"  He put it in with a look of total life destroying pain. "Does it hurt" I said. He just looked at me... "Well that is how Mum and Dad feel when we throw food away, its the same as throwing money away. "Yeh I get it" he mumbled as he dragged his feet all the way back to his room. As he walked away I felt rather chuffed and accomplished, like the lunches I pack from tomorrow onwards would be eaten. When I go and pick up the youngest school goer I mentioned this to her... she turned and looked at me with an are you serious face... so of course I start to explain as she obviously doesn't understand the concept. She talked over me and said "um no are you serious... that's just silly, now we have wasted $20! Give them money to mum and dad" and with that she turned to look back out the front windscreen and said "so how was your day? by the way I didn't eat all of my lunch either".

Ok I get the point the lunch box curse has me and it isn't letting go! The 9 year old has out smarted me and I'm not sure the 12 year old has learnt his lesson. The chickens are back to being well fed and I am left scratching my head!

Sorry to admit it but there is no advice in this post, in fact... can anyone help me cure the curse! Help! Maybe I need to hire someone to make the lunches for me or buy shares in the school tuckshop!


Chantelle x



And now for H's weigh in...

Argh I hate waste of any kind with a passion. Happily though the lunch boxes returning here are often all emptied. Maybe you need to take lessons from me lil’ sis! Tehehe kidding!! There are plenty of unfinished containers that come home here too. Though I think what helps a lot is that there is no other options for him - there is no tuckshop at daycare! Also, the staff are the ones throwing away the leftovers so I don’t feel the pain…  I’m sure once school starts things will be very different.

Browsing La Internet, I have found a few helpful tips, some genius lunch packing hacks. See the links below for some great ideas, and make sure you follow our Pinterest board “Full of Food - Kids” for plenty inspiration! 

  -  A FULL YEAR!!! worth of lunchbox ideas.

  -  Would you consider creating a lunch packing station at your place? or do you already? 

      Seems to me like it would make life a bit easier… Another set up here, and more school organising tips

  -  The lunch cooler bag we use is by SoYoung - its gorgeous, well designed and not at all tacky, if that’s important to you ;). The design we have doesn’t seem to be available, but this red scooter one looks fun. 

  -  Also just spotted these sweat free ice packs by SoYoung - how cool do they look! (Pun not intended. But I’ll take it!)

  -  And lastly, Did you know you have been cutting Apples all wrong?! 

You learn something new every week... Week 3

FULL of Lessons

Chantelle - We need thumbs!

We need thumbs. This week I realised just how hard it is to live without one of your thumbs. Like, it wasn't enough that I don't have very 'feminine' fingers as it is (nail biter alert) but I now have a stubby thumb too! The amount of things I struggled doing this week that I had no idea I used my thumbs for! Note to self ... Cut coriander not thumbs!!!


Hayley - Break the rules

Major rebel in the by-the-book mum world this week (slight sarcasm there). I know sometimes rules around children’s naps are helpful; important; even sanity-saving. But sometimes the rule book can just go jump. Fed my little one to sleep then kept her in my bed for a nap - and it was beautiful. Don’t regret it one bit. Must remember… Rules are for breaking.

What was your lesson of the week?

Hayley and Chantelle xx