Time Out

Time out...

This has been a crazy week. Cookbook deadlines are zooming by, so I've been stuck at the computer with hardly a break. (Except to homeschool, do housework, cook, go to a wedding, answer lots of phone calls and messages, and deal with all the other interruptions that are part of everyday life around here!)

Then at about 11pm the other night I realised someone had decided to steal my Facebook identity, so I was madly trying to sort that out and didn't get much sleep. (And it's still ongoing... so please don't accept a 'friend request' on FB from 'Quirky Cooking' because it's not me, despite the fact that they're using my photo and covershot and have also set up a Quirky Cooking 'Health & Beauty' page. This is my page, by the way ---> Quirky Cooking... not the other one.)

Stress. I was tingling with it that night and the next morning. And quite a few times in the past week. You know that feeling? I hate it. Sometimes the feeling of "so much to do and I don't know where to start and I don't know what to do" totally overwhelms me. I don't want to talk to anyone, I want to hide in my bed, disconnect the phone, and pretend I'm not home when someone knocks on the door. But you can't really do that when you have a home business, a family to look after, and you're behind schedule with the book you're writing.

I find it helps to focus on a job that needs doing, and start working on that in slow and steady steps, bit by bit, til it's done. (It feels so good to tick something off your to-do list, no matter how small, doesn't it!)

And I also find it helps to give myself the reward of some 'time out' to look forward to, as the jobs are ticked off my list.

Time Out...

As my mum says, it's imporant to 'take some time out to let your soul catch up with your body.' I'm not talking about big chunks of time spent alone in blissful quietness - I mean just making the most of little moments, little snippets of time, and letting that quiet moment completely soak in and relax you. 

One of my favourite writers said this,

"It is in quietness that we are fed. Sometimes it is not possible to get long uninterrupted quiet, but even if it be only ten minutes, “hem it with quietness.” Enclose it in quietness; do not spend the time in thinking how little time you have. Be quiet. If you are interrupted, as soon as the interruption ceases, sink back into quietness again without fuss or worry of spirit. Those who know this secret and practise it, are lifted up."       (Amy Carmichael)

It can be as simple as...

- Getting up early to have some peace and quiet to read and think and write before the kids wake up.

- Going for a short walk and bringing home some flowers you picked. (Or weeds, if you're anything like me.)

- Baking a cake.

- Playing relaxing, happy music while you work. 

- And maybe dancing around the kitchen a little bit. And singing.

- Sitting outside in the sunshine with a cup of tea for 10 minutes.

- Kicking off your shoes and sitting on the grass to eat your lunch.

- A chat and a laugh with a friend. 

- Stopping to notice the beauty that is all around you, and taking photos of what you see.

- Hugging someone you love.

And for me, a big one is...

Driving.

If I'm feeling really overwhelmed and my brain is tired of thinking, and all those little 'time outs' just aren't enough, I find it really helps to go for a drive.

I've been feeling really frustrated the past couple of weeks, because I have this absolutely beautiful car sitting in my driveway, and no time to drive it. And I have only two weeks til they take it back! Noooooooo...

(For those of you who don't know, Ford sent me a Territory Titanium to test drive for six weeks (yeeehaaaa!!) as part of their "Choose Your Own Adventure" Challenge. I was picked because Kidspot awarded me a place in the top 25 "Food & Wellbeing" Bloggers for Voices of 2013 this year. And yes, I'm truly loving this car. And I don't want to give it back.)

Anyway, today I had so much to do, and a wedding to go to, and the 'overwhelmed' feeling was building up again. So when my husband said, "Let's drive home from the wedding the long way - around the lake," my answer was, "I'm driving!!"

I know, I know, I had lots to do. I probably should've said, "No we'd better get straight home as I need to keep working." But after the stress of the past week, hugging the cat just wasn't going to cut it. I needed some time out to drive 'my' car, to sit back in air conditioned comfort and relax and watch the scenery go by.  I could honestly sit in those soft, leather seats all day, meandering through the countryside enjoying the view, music on, air conditioner blowing in my face, thoughts drifting, stopping to take photos whenever I want to... I dream of doing that when I'm stuck in front of my computer for hours.

So that's what we did. We went for a drive on a winding dirt road, and stopped to watch the sun set over the lake. And revelled in the comfort of driving such a lovely car. And it really helped. Now I'm feeling much happier and more relaxed, because I've had some time out, away from the computer and housework, driving this lovely car and enjoying the scenery. Bliss.

So tell me, what do you do to help yourself relax, refocus and de-stress? I'd really love to know. Please leave a comment - your ideas may help someone else!

Have a great Sunday, guys, and don't forget to...

♥ ♥ ♥

Life & Blogging & My Trip to Sydney for Voices of 2013

Well last week was pretty exciting. I was whisked off to Sydney at very short notice to attend the Kidspot Voices of 2013 bloggers masterclass and competition launch party... and I had a ball!

My blog was selected from almost 700 other nominated Australian blogs to be amongst the top 25 Food & Wellbeing blogs in Australia! Wow. I was pretty excited. Next followed an invite in the mail to attend the launch party in Sydney. I really, really wanted to go, but I didn't think that it would work out... Sydney is a world away from my little country town in the mountains west of Cairns, in Far North Queensland. I was busy with homeschooling and running a business from home, and I'd only recently gotten back from a trip to Daydream Island for a Thermomix seminar and holiday. And my husband and youngest daughter were just about to leave for a trip to Perth to visit family. It was all a bit too hard.

Excited to be in such good company!

But even though my head was saying 'you won't be able to go, be sensible,' something else was telling me 'don't book anything into those dates, you'll be in Sydney.' So I kept the dates free. (Which is no mean task with my crazy life!)

A few days before the RSVP date, an email came saying, 'You haven't booked in! We want you to come. Tell us in 30 words or less what YOU could bring to the launch party, and Ford (the sponsor) will consider flying you down for free.' Here was my chance. I went into my room to escape my noisy kids and skeptical husband, sat down on my bed, and excitedly dashed off an answer. It was pretty silly. I said, 'I'll bring my biggest smile, my quirky sense of humour, and I'll be wearing my crowd-stopping chocolate perfume.' Ha ha!! (Yes, I really do wear chocolate perfume. I'm kind of addicted to chocolate, if you haven't noticed.)

I didn't think my silly answer would win me a free trip. But I still kept the dates free, just in case.

And guess what? I won the trip!! Free flights, accommodation and transfers. And all thanks to my chocolate perfume... the judges must be chocoholics too. ;)

Surrounded by bloggers, loving every minute!

So what did I learn in my time away? Well, I gleaned lots of blogging tips from many successful bloggers; nuggets of wisdom that also apply to life in general. And when I say 'successful bloggers,' I don't necessarily mean bloggers who make a lot of money from their blogs, or are world famous. I mean bloggers that make us laugh and cry. That win our affection by their openness and vulnerability. That open our eyes to the beauty around us. That give of themselves, writing with enthusiasm and joy. That share their thoughts, inspirations, ideas and passions, and each make a difference in their own small (or big) way.

Let me share some of these nuggets of wisdom about blogging (and life) with you...

{from various bloggers, plus some of my own tips}

Do what you love, and love what you do. If you don't love it, chances are no one else will either.

Stop watching what everyone else is doing and be yourself. Stay true to yourself, your ideals, and your personality.

Don't be afraid to have an opinion, and own it! Opinion-less people are boring. (But at the same time, don't be rude or sarcastic about anyone else's opinion. There's enough of that in the world.)

Be your own critic. Step back and look at what you've done and ask yourself, 'Does it look good? Do I love it? Will I regret what I've said/done in five hours? In five years? In ten years?' Don't forget, the internet is 'forever'.

You have a unique opportunity to connect. Don't just sit and wait for people to come to you, go to them. Be open and friendly and ready to share yourself. Make it easy for people to get to know you.

Use spellcheck.

Keep it simple. Don't get so 'clever' with the way you say things that no one knows what you're talking about.

Take lots of photos with a good camera. Jot down your thoughts. Be alive to what's going on around you, every day.

Don't stress about SEO and other means of 'getting noticed'. If you're genuinely passionate about what you do, and you're good at it, you'll be noticed. Be less interested in statistics and more interested in people.

Be picky about who you are affiliated with. Go with your gut. If it feels 'icky,' don't do it. Integrity is so important.

Perservere. Be persistant. Don't give up when you hit a bump in the road - climb over it and keep going. Build good relationships with other bloggers and build up a buddy system to help each other along.

When you doubt yourself (which we all do at times), think back to your motivation for starting in the first place. Keep that in mind. Write about what you love.

Stay humble. Without your readers you would be nothing.

And above all, don't take yourself too seriously! Blogging is supposed to be fun. If it's not fun anymore, stop blogging. :)

And we sure did have fun...

Recognize anyone? 

{Clockwise, left to right} Maddie of 'Colour Me There'; Lauren of 'Potpourri'; Kate of 'Finger, Fork, Knife'; Ally of 'The Vintage Valley'; me and Alexx of 'Alexx Stuart. Real Food. Low Tox Living.'; Claire of 'Checks and Spots'; and Lexi of 'Pottymouth Mama'.

Interviews...

Sore feet, but lots of goodies to take home!

While I had the chance, I spent a couple of days roaming the big city on my own, taking photos, getting lost in the city streets (and loving that I had nowhere I needed to be), sitting in sunny courtyards listening to street musicians and just enjoying some time alone... Because we all need some time out now and then to let our souls catch up to our bodies.

And here's my favourite photo from my visits to the Opera House...

he walked into my photo and made it perfect.

What a very special few days.

Thanks for the great time, Kidspot! 

Sydney - I'll be back!

And thanks to YOU, my lovely readers, for making it all possible.