Why I Started the Blog

As I'm watching my daughters grow up it makes me wonder what they will be when they are older. There are so many more opportunities nowadays compared to when I was younger and I sometimes wish that I could start again. My eldest daughter is very into technology, media and photography making this blog impossible without her, because all I can do is look on ASOS and check my Instagram (@zen.mum), which she also set up for me. However just like her I've always been really creative and wanted to go to art school wishing to be the next Rachel Zoe, but my dad asked me what I was going to do with an art degree so I did what most people did in the late 80's and this was to leave school and get a job.

Like all kids today mine are no exception to the fact that they love You Tube so to get on their level I got them to introduce me to the world of vloggers. There are so many out there and some I just didn't get but it wasn't long before I got hooked just like they had. Sad I know and I even like the Kardashians (please don't judge me on that alone.)

One of the many vloggers that I am watching was talking about being able to do whatever you liked which made me think "That's easy for you to say, your only in your thirty's." After that I stopped and thought "why do I keep thinking that just because I'm 44 it's too late to do things like the young people do and I have the opportunity to." I liked the idea of having a blog, the only problem being that you need a topic. But then it hit me...

Me Time List

I have a weekly planner that I write my appointments and to do lists in. I love a good list! I started making a "Me Time" list:

- Go for a walk

- Run

- Read

And at the end of the day I felt good if I had ticked one of these off. After a few months it got a little longer and one of the things I really wanted to start was yoga. I've done yoga on and off for 20 years (more off than on) and when I did it I loved it its that thing called time (me time) and that's why I always stopped.

A few of the vloggers that I watch do yoga at home using You Tube so I decided to give it a go. I wrote on my to do list "Look for yoga mat in the loft" and once I'd found it all I had to do was find a yoga teacher. There are loads of free classes but finding one that didn't make me feel 100 years old and unfit was hard until I discovered "Yoga with Adriene." and her "30 Days of Yoga" class. THE BEST THING I EVER DID! I just pushed a button and every day for 30 days I did a different yoga class. What I loved about it was it's like a yoga course and by the end she feels like your best friend and you've learnt something new. The other great thing is because you do it at home, I can do it anytime in the day which means I can fit it into my day to day life.

My favourite time is when tea is over, lunches are packed, homework is done and the girls are in there rooms watching You Tube. I call this "Mum clock off time" even though there is no clock off time in mum world. Having that half an hour "me time" has changed my life. I'm now in love with yoga again and it's not just great for my body but also my head. I feel that I can process things so much better. It's the best part of my day. While we've been having a break from school I've added meditation to the list. This had been harder to do than the yoga but I've found a wonderful teacher. Another You Tuber! "Boho Beautiful." I love the backdrops on the videos and she was the first person that I found that said to use headphones which I found was a big help to switch off. As you can see the list is growing. The main part of all of this is that I've adapted my day to day life to involve me time. I don't know how long it will last but I'm loving it.

I started the blog to encourage me to carry on the path of me time. There are so many things that I want to do and the feeling I have when I achieve these things is so uplifting. So please join me in trying to get through the teenage years with my girls by finding me time everyday.

A bit of zen in a house of hormones...🙏

Links:

My Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/zen.mum/

Photos By - https://www.instagram.com/amelias.lens/

Yoga with Adriene - https://www.youtube.com/user/yogawithadriene

Boho Beautiful - https://www.youtube.com/user/cexercize