Sharing My Favorite Bits ... YSM ... Chapter Three

I took a break from reviewing this book while we were in the States from Thanksgiving through to the beginning of the New Year.

If you missed my reviews of chapter one and chapter two you may like to go back and read them now.

Chapter Three ~ A Simply Beautiful Life

I'm reading through this chapter again as a refresher. It's been a while since I first read it and the notes I made aren't making a whole lot of sense ! At least, not enough sense to be able to write a decent review.

I'm amazed at the words I am reading and how timely they are. It was just yesterday that I was thinking about my life. About balance. And here Jodie is talking about 'inviting balance into your home' !!

She talks about financial challenges, quality of life, over spending, Christmas, getting back to basics, and embracing technology ...

Sometimes I think I embrace technology too much but we won't go there ! Not now, anyway !

I love the bit she shares about 'turning chores into blessings.' About 'understanding the significance of what you are achieving' ... Do we really know the value of what we do ? Sometimes I think not. And that's why it's good to re-evaluate. Nothing says that you have to do today what you did yesterday. Change is good and I mean to embrace it.

One thing that I love about this book and about Jodie's style of writing is the amount of information and topics in each chapter !! She continues on in this one to talk about the home, your wardrobe and different aspects of parenting.

This is a short one, I know. I think though that it's all you need. Just a taste !

Jodie has got a great website where you can get heaps of information, order the book and even sign up to receive her community newsletter. This week's letter just arrived and it was amazing. Talks about making a vision board. Simple. Effective. Great stuff !!

Sharing My Favorite Bits ... YSM ... Chapter Two

Chapter Two ~ Creating An Authentic Home

I loved this chapter ! It is bursting at the seams with inspiration. I'm just scanning it now and my eyes ran over this ... " If your days feel chaotic and you are constantly running late for everything then you need to rethink your strategy." Strategy ... Systems ... Organization. I love it all !!

My best friend Shay and I have a little joke, completely at my expense, about my systems ! I ALWAYS have a system. Years ago, she and I took a totally spontaneous road trip from Colorado to Nevada and then onto California and back ! Single, both jobless, armed with credit cards we hopped into her old jeep and headed out for, well, truth be told, I don't remember how long ! At one stage, I was driving, and she was laughing about my system (or my set up, I think she called it then) ! I had a box of Bugles resting on the dashboard and a can of Squeeze Cheese on the steering wheel - it made it easier to squeeze the cheese into the Bugles so that I could eat while I drove ! Multi-tasking never stops for me ! Don't tell Rory I was doing that while I was driving !! (or the police !) (or my children !) I promise I don't do it anymore !! I can't get Bugles in Australia !!

Oh dear, I'm totally sidetracked ...

There are so many facets to this chapter. You'll have to read it for your self but one thing that rang true with me is that my home should be an extension of who I am as a person. I love that. I think that my home comes pretty close to doing that ... with different parts reflecting the different family members.

My home looks lived in. It isn't immaculate. It's organized, but not spotless. I like that. I hope it makes people feel comfortable when they visit. I should do a little blog tour of my home. I will. But don't expect it any time soon ... Maybe after the new year ! If you feel like touring a beautiful home in the mean time, you can visit my friend Khrista and the recent blog tour of her home in Alaska. I think that Khris's home reflects who she is ... in so many ways ! I love it ... I can't wait til I can visit her home in real life one day !!

And I'm sidetracked again. See how easily that happens ?

Jodie talks about something I'm sure we all are guilty of ... saving things for "sometime special" ... but does that sometime special ever come ?? This is something I have to remind myself of often and I loved being reminded of again as I read this chapter. I'm trying to change my mindset to this ... "EVERY DAY IS SPECIAL !!" And you know, I really believe it is, so why not treat it that way ?

She talks about special spaces in the home - for you, for the kids. Gardens, organization, loving and using what you have. It's all there !!

If you know me well, or even if you have been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that I love a good quote. Well, I'll leave you with a gem from this chapter ! Something we all need to start doing ...

"Count your blessings daily and resist the temptation to look around you for evidence of lack in your life." Jodie Hedley-Ward

All for now. I'll be back with Chapter Three soon ...


***
Want More ??
Chapter One ... The Real, Most Wonderful You
You can "meet" Jodie on her website ... sign up for her newsletter too !! I think you'll like it ...

Sharing My Favorite Bits ... YSM ... Chapter One

I'm excited to share this book with you. Ok ... I'm not going to share the whole book. I'm not even going to tell you the majority of what it's about. What I AM going to do is share my favorite bits. The parts of this book that really touched me, caused me to think, made me want to make a change in my life.

I'm going to do it chapter by chapter ~ this book only has six of 'em so it won't take that long ! Unless of course I share my favorite bits of other books at the same time, which I may do, because ... 1.) it's my blog 2.) that's how I read ... about four books at a time !

I told you that a friend wrote this book, right ? I think she is an amazing woman and I love that as I have poured over the words in this book, I can "hear" her saying them ! I can see that what she has written in her book is true to the way she lives her life. I love her authenticity.

~

You Sexy Mother
a life-changing approach to motherhood
by Jodie Hedley-Ward

Chapter One ~ The Real, Most Wonderful You

What mother has not, at some stage in the life of her motherhood, forgotten about who she is ? Forgotten what she loves to do, loves to wear, loves to eat ? Who of us have not found it becoming all about the kids ? Forgotten how important it is to take care of ourselves too ?

This chapter is all about reconnecting with yourself. Not trying to go back to who you were before kids but connecting with who you are now ... who YOU are, not who your kids are.

Jodie talks about the importance of exercise in this first chapter. Something I have lacked the discipline or motivation to do regularly. I know it needs to be done ... goodness, I've known it for years. I just haven't done it. As a result, I still carry a lot of the weight from my last pregnancy. (that baby just turned FIVE !!)

Since reading this first chapter, I've bought a bike ! The kids and I ride regularly. One of my troubles with exercise has always been trying to find the time when I'm not with the kids or not too tired ... By the time Rory gets home from work, the latter is true ! The rest of the time ... I'm with the kids ! So for me, riding bikes is perfect. It is something I can do WITH the kids ! As they are early risers, we do it before school. From time to time we ride after school as well. Just last week, we rode 5 km to a playground, played for a while and then rode 5 km home ! Exercise disguised as good family fun ! I love it.

Jodie also talks about not living in a cycle of negativity. Finding the silver lining, I'd say. We are all busy, we all have more to do in one day than the 24 hours we are given affords us, we all have the struggles that come with raising children, we all have lots of things that make us tired, frustrated, stressed ... but what do we do with those frustrations ? What do we do with those negative thoughts ? Is it helping ? Or is it making it worse ?

For me, falling back into negative thought patterns is easily done ! If I'm not careful, I can find my mouth and my heart full of complaints. Jodie's reminder to "simply stop and look for the most positive response you can find in the moment." is helpful to me.

This is just a glimpse of what Jodie covers in this first chapter. And most of what I've written is not directly from the book ... or even her wording. I want these posts to be about what I learned from what she has written. If you want to read her words, you'll have to get the book !

You can "meet" Jodie on her website ... sign up for her newsletter too !! I think you'll like it ...