Providence Moved Already!

Hello sexy wordpressers! 💗 Rise and sparkle/smoulder! 🔅

I feel awesome this morning because I just finished a 30-minute HIIT and lower body strength combo workout and … it’s only 8AM 😀

So as I’m enjoying my morning cuppa, I am reflecting on the amazing fact that I am doing HIIT + strength workouts. It wasn’t too long ago when I truly thought I wouldn’t be able to do them again because … well because post baby I really had a hard time getting back into the workout zone. I tried several times, each time starting slow and having had to adjust my pace even slower … I tell you even a 20-min lower body Pilates workout would leave me sore for days. Pilates! 😭  (And my baby turns 2 this month 🤨).

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

But now let’s talk about this post’s title because it really is amazing what happens when you articulate your goals. Here’s the backstory in case you guys are interested.

So after the said post/backstory I sat my lazy arse down and proceeded to crochet, unconsciously adopting the mindset that I was gonna start working on my goals in January (because I’m a perfectionist and I’m fond of clean starts).

But then I thought … but it’s only September! 🤔 Why waste all that precious time? What can I do NOW to make sure I hit the ground running in January. (Because we all know there’s usually a lot of hemming and hawing at the start of something 😴).

All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.

Soooo …

Goal #4 is to find an outside interest that I could do regularly at least once a week. Preferably with a good chance of socializing.

Well, 2 Sundays ago I [finally] found a good Christian church that my family can attend every week. Mind you, this is no small feat considering we were looking for an English-speaking church. What’s even more awesome for me is that this church is made up of foreigners (like, 9 out of 10), so we have something in common right away.

Plus, they have Bible study classes for kids of all ages 😀 Score!!!

Goal #3 has something to do with my crochet & knitting hobby. It’s been a goal for almost a year now and I knew “something” was preventing me from moving forward.

Well, I finally understood what was standing in the way and it’s not what you think! 🤗 But it’s a long story and it’s about my chosen artforms so I’ve decided to talk about it in a separate post.

And as for goal #1? Well, I seriously & excitedly believe that my (sudden comeback) ability to do higher intensity cardio & strength training will help me achieve this in time. Maybe I’ll talk about this in another post too because getting to this place has been a real journey that I struggled both physically and mentally with.

I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!”

In any case sexy people, my message to you is this: start now. Don’t wait for January (but you can wait until Monday because I believe Mondays are perfect for starting something 😁 😁).

The start of something can be slow, filled with additional challenges & roadblocks that are usually unexpected and can undermine your efforts. I’m beginning to think it’s good to start something at the tail-end of the current year if you want to see real results by the following year. I don’t know 😏 maybe that’s just me 🤪.  But sometimes we start something in January expecting to see results in March and are frustrated that we didn’t meet our deadline. I think it’s because starts can be messy and you just have to account for it depending on your goal.

~~ oOo ~~

So okay, I’ve blabbed enough for today.

Thank you for visiting and reading and you can always give me warm fussy feelings by sharing your thoughts below 👇

Have a sexy one! 💋

✨ Happy New Year ✨

Lessons from 2017

A friend from home recently told me she was feeling depressed. She was doing an end-of-year review and was feeling morose about the year that was 😕 Which got me thinking about my own experience of 2017 ~~ hmmm, certainly not bad and definitely with a big bang 😁❤️

The good thing about having a blog is that it makes a year-end review quite easy. Even if you didn’t blog everything, the posts will be enough to jog your memory. So here are my take-aways from 2017 (in no particular order):

1.  Man plans, God laughs.

2.  Create happiness within your own 4 walls.

This applies to everyone but is especially true for expat SAHMs.

3.  Happy people are good people. Good people are not always happy.

4.  Community (really) matters.

And I’m talking about the village of support you create for yourself in the shape of friends, neighbors, your go-to hairstylist, even your favorite book store. Let’s just say this is one thing I didn’t know I missed until it was gone. Unfortunately, I still have to find a way to fix this (if there is one!).

5.  Never under-estimate the power of retail therapy on not-so-busy weeknights (or wherever the malls are open till 9 or 10 PM).

Much lesser people makes the whole process unhurried and, actually pleasant.

6.  Schedule a real change of scenery from time to time. (As in, anywhere but on this island)

Short reason: so that problems don’t seem larger than they are.

Long reason: otherwise idyllic, the sleepy atmosphere of this place (that permeates everything) can drive me nuts at times 😏

7. Dress and make yourself up for the day, even when you’re just staying home.

This includes taking a shower before 10AM otherwise, good luck with the humidity! 😄

8. Let the breadwinner earn bread the way he wants.

Everyone is just happier that way.

9. Have fun marking the passage of time.

Set goals, take on projects, schedule stuff in your calendar to look forward to, and then blog about it.

99.9% effective against the doldrums 😁

10. Break it down into bite-sized chunks.

Absolutely golden advice.

11.  Never run out of Re-Mag & Re-Myte supplements.

I didn’t blog about this but this has to have a spot on this list because the difference it makes is just too obvious to ignore. I have more energy, I sleep better, I am in a pleasant mood, I have better cognitive function, I even have more breast milk. When I was pregnant, I would experience those pregnancy-related swollen feet & ankles whenever I did not take these supplements.

12. Everything looks better arranged on a tray. 

(I absolutely love this one!)  I mean, seriously! Just give it a try! 👍👍

💃💃💃

What about you? What are some of the lessons you learned in 2017? Let me know in the comments section, bet I can learn from you too 😃 ❤️

I Am Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

~ Psalm 139:14 (KJV)

Share Your World – October 2, 2017

Hello sexy people! 😎 It’s Share Your World time again and … I might skip the next few after this as I’m expected to give birth this weekend 🤗🤗🤗 Wish me luck and do send me your warmest, most positive vibes 😁💓

If you were given the opportunity to ride in a helicopter would you go?

I’m scared of heights. But I did pay for a short helicopter ride when I was still single. I think I was still dating my husband then and you know how it goes, those love-hormones messing up with your brain like that … I even wanted to learn how to fly a plane at the time!!! 😱 Imagine that!

Anyhoot, the experience was absolutely exhilarating! It was one of those tiny choppers, seats 4 (maybe 5) including the pilot, and had glass walls (do you call them walls?). Imagine that! 😱

And now back to the question – no, I would not go. The love-hormones are in check now, thank you very much! 🤣🤣

What are some of your favorite type of proteins to eat? (meat, seafood, eggs, soy, cheese, nuts)

Cheese all the way! 💘 Although right now this question makes me think of my terrible heartburn & indigestion. I like eggs as well but they too have been giving me heartburn and indigestion lately.

What would be your preference, awake before dawn, at dawn, or awake before noon?

Awake before dawn or at dawn. Early mornings are my absolute favorite part of the day 💖💖💖

What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week?  Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination. 

This video 👇 Although it’s still quite early for me to worry about aging and how to cope with it, I do like to learn from those who’ve gone before me. However, the one thing that really stayed with me was her story about how, when she and her husband were out on a date, and they both saw this woman of about the same age as her sitting at the next table, she asked her husband if he found that woman to be attractive. And he said “yes”, because she’s (that woman) happy.

This blew my mind! Because yes, absolutely! You can be the most beautiful woman in the world, but if there’s no happiness in those eyes of yours, or if your “perfect” face and features look empty or cold or passive, then you’re not truly beautiful. You’re just nice to look at. So give me a happy person any time of day, she will always be radiant no matter what 😍

Then there’s this blog post:

Boredom: It Takes You To Places

I mean, how this dude used boredom to develop a slew of impressive skills is absolutely motivating! I recommend you give it a read 👍

~ oOo ~

So what are YOUR answers? Click the badge to join the fun!

~ oOo ~

 

The Photographers Probably Knew It All Along

found on

 

Odd-Photo Prompt #2: Self-Help

Sometimes, a group of words can come at such the right moment that I just have to take a screenshot of it for repeat reading throughout the day.

I don’t have a lot of these but since the words aren’t as powerful to me anymore, this is another one for deletion from my iPhone’s treasury of odd photos (and screenshots).

But before that, maybe some of you might like it too so here it is: