If you’re grateful and you know it make a list….

Let’s start this week we right…ten things I’m grateful for….

1. Supportive husband who is fine with me pressing restart on my career

2. Healthy son who beat all the odds going from can’t breath to beyond active

3. Awesome friends who I can rely on and who can rely on me

4. Tight family who is always there for one another

5. Aidan’s cousins who give him the companionship siblings can’t (he is a only for my health reasons)

6. Internet that actually works, yeah for new service provider

7. Plan Bs which can be turned to when things don’t go who go your way

8. Parents who go 110% and leave you feeling very blessed

9. Chai tea which makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside

10. God for always having my back

5 Yoga Beginner Tips to squash any intimidation in the yoga class.

You know the yoga with Michelle from Feel Good Yoga posts I told you we would be starting? I told you HERE remember well today is the official start 🙂

Michelle Says:

As a beginner it may be daunting having a class full of regulars surrounding you flowing to the cues given and leaving you feeling completely out of sorts as your left becomes your right and that darn leg won’t move into the same position as the rest of the class. Well here are a few tips to keep you semi sane and to give you that ease to soak up the benefits of yoga as opposed to soaking up the fear. 

1. Wear comfortable clothing : Have you ever had those butt munching panties on with hanging lose tops that shows your underwear every time you do a forward bend? Never fun, and not needed on top of all else that you are still settling into. Try wearing just tights (no panties), a tight fitting sleeveless top and a loose airy flowing top over top to make you feel covered and not overly exposed. You will be able to flow easily from one posture to the next and not have to worry about showing off those wobbly bits to the person behind you. (Yes, we all have wobbly bits). 
 2. Join a Back to Basics workshop where your yoga teacher can go through the alignment of each posture focusing on the core adjustments needed to prevent injury and suit your body type. 
3. Get to class at least 10 minutes before: By arriving early, you have the upper hand to place your mat in your desired space. Lie, close eyes listening to your breathe and settling the body. We do yoga to withdraw from the stresses of everyday life and what better way to start a yoga class than to quieten the thoughts and sink into that zen mode to work deep into your practice.
 4. Talk to your yoga teacher: the reason you are attending a class at a studio is because you have a professional there to help you. There are plenty You Tube vids out there teaching yoga, however having someone guide you and help you adapt your body type into a yoga pose is what makes class attendance so much more reassuring. 
5. If you feel that group classes are just not working out for you, private classes are also available. Here, your yoga practitioner can adapt the class to your needs, up the level or sooth the practice depending on how you feel, what you desire to achieve come the end of your class and so forth. The greatest gift that yoga has to offer you is the gift of living in the present and becoming mindful of the magnificent being that you are. Not only do you become internally aware, your external apparent will change too by becoming more beautiful, bright and energetic. 

Well done on gifting yourself with yoga and watch overtime how the authentic you starts shining through.

– If you are in the PE area get in touch with Michelle, she even does yoga for kids which has had raving reports

When quitting your job get’s real…

I’ve been AWOL this week, which isn’t like me,I have blogged from hospital people!
 I guess with all that has been happening around the country and in my neck of the woods, Nelson Mandela Bay, I just have not been up for anything even blogging…
The xenophobic/afrophobic attacks, destruction of monuments, high-jacking and murder just drains a person, and as a news reporter I’ve been in the thick of things, it’s hard , people complain that the media only show the bad, the destruction the pain, believe me, most of us would be only too happy to write about unicorns and rainbows if people could just kindly stop being A*holes please …

I’ve also been a little emo about leaving my job of ten years and starting life as a WAHM.

Starting this coming week I’m officially starting JustEllaBella Creative Services (Writing, photography, hand crafts – basically everything I love except maybe drinking chai and eating macaroons) can’t wait to share everything with all 🙂

My website is registered and being designed…I have meetings with clients next week!!!
CLIENTS, PEOPLE! a copywriting and a news writing contract I’m pretty positive about – well the copy writing is in the bag, started with the project two weeks ago, we are meeting about a creative shoot for a publication I’m doing all the copy for how awesome is that?
The news writing meeting is me going in and pitching, they like my stuff so far and kinda head hunted me so it’s about to get real peeps!!!

Also my office floor is drying as we speak!!! it’s mostly glass and features a small photo studio so I can use my photography course and new camera …

I know it’s not going to be easy, working for yourself can’t be… because you aren’t really working for yourself are you, you are working FOR your family and FOR your clients so it’s trading in one boss for MANY and sometimes I find myself wondering isn’t it “better the devil you know”

I also know some months will be better than others I’ve seen it with my dad and his business, like they say “As dit pap reen moet jy skep” that’s a Afrikaans saying that seems quite applicable, directly it mean’s if it starts raining porridge start dishing… Which means grab the opportunity when it is presented to you 🙂

I was doubting myself a little last week, some set backs and my dad tells me,
“You know no one will think bad of you if in a year or so you go back to a office setting, then you can think of this as a gap year…We are already proud of you for just having the guts to do this, besides when other kids were saying they wanted to be a doctor or a police officer you said you wanted to do everything you love and have your name on a business, there you go, you succeeded already” 🙂

Love my dad for being so supportive and it makes me even more willing to give this my best shot 🙂

office will have a view of my favourite tree 🙂 see the little supervisor 

Taming the tantrum…

If I had to compare Aidan to a mythical creature I’d think pixie with all that curly hair or even vampire with that pale skin but NO, now that he is 2 he is a werewolf!
A scream at the top of his lungs,tantrum throwing annoywolf! actually
It only seems to happen when he is tired, he gets this nag in his voice, a limpness to his body and a overall rudeness to his demeanour… and it doesn’t matter where you are, if he gets tired while laying down he will still over react, it’s crazy
At some point I actually tapped him on the head yesterday (not my finest mommy moment) but it was pure frustration I tell you, Rob and I had spent a good part of the night taking him out of the restaurant to calm down. The manager even went to show him how they make ice-cream which he loved and for a brief moment we recognised our well mannered cute little kid with his pleases and thank yous, but then I made the huge mistake of  not letting him feed me the bubblegum ice-cream with a fork and he started performing –  An arms flailing,head shaking, scream performance … 
and then the waiter put more menus down (for people we were waiting for) and that’s when the monkey  threw the menu on the floor…and bad mom came out and tapped his head, I honest to goodness flicked it (in lieu of throwing him down like a wwf fighter)  I felt so bad! he didn’t flinch, eventually I took him out to calm down AGAIN…
On the way home I asked him if I could “talk to him” that has become my post tantrum phrase, and he replied , No No talking mommy,  Which I take to mean he knows his behaviour was wrong…
I should have seen it coming…
At park before supper he went from this cute little “let’s all play together kid” to a South African politician telling an adorable little girl (of blonde haired blue eyed European decent) to “Just go away baba go away”
It’s getting bad this tired activated annoyance, it’s getting to the point where Rob and I look at each other the moment we realise tiredness is about to set in… Oh no the annoywolf is coming out!…
He does it while falling asleep too, screaming if he doesn’t get his way; you know if I’m being horrible and not letting him watch dvds the whole night or eat his socks (yes really) or stick his toes in my mouth or nose (I’m horrible he is practically abused)…
He did his banshie scream again last night and like the level headed adult I am I screamed too… It took the wind out of his sails and he started talking to me like a human being (hardly a long term solution though)… 
He is a sweet heart again this morning, but as the moon comes over the horizon I find myself gripped in fear…  the gremlins are coming the gremlins are coming!!!
How do you guys handle the tiresome tiredness?

So it’s my last week at work…

I’m typing this with a hollow feeling in my stomach! My head feels floaty and I feel the start of a panic attack coming on…
Tomorrow/today (Monday) is the first day of my last day at the office… I walked in there as a 20-year-old, with a print media and a broadcast diploma,black nail polish, a nose ring and a tiny waist… I worked my way up, around and through…
Working there I’ve done stories (everything from riots to cupcakes) gone to amazing places (game farms, fashion weeks and even South America) I took pictures (feeling inadequate with my “mik en druk / point and shoot” compared to photographers with giant lenses)  I did videos (winning in house multimedia competitions a couple of times, I must say) took part in media challenges (won a singing comp in one of those) met amazing  people from (charity workers to celebs) did design and layout for top newspapers and wrote a blog,a column and a fashion match up series I loooved…
all the while my coworkers became friends, then family…
It’s been a crazy ride and in some ways it seems insane to give it all up…
The thing is I have this feeling deep inside that I’m not living my dream (yes hardly anyone ever does – I’m not naive – but I have the chance and would regret not trying) Maybe I just want to find out who I am away from the office.
I do think that having lost loved ones in the last few years many of them young has changed what I want, it’s changed me.
I don’t want to wake up at a crazy hour every morning anymore, I don’t want to drop Aidan off at my mom’s house ridiculously early (him still groggy and confused) so she can handle drop off. I don’t want to come home late every day (especially since we live “outside of town” and I take the train) just in time to fight with him about eating, before bath and bed.
I might change my mind, I may be desperate for air-conditioning and water cooler talk, but right now…before he starts “big school” I want to be home just a little bit more…
Granted I’ll probably be even busier but my “smoke breaks” (I don’t smoke but you get what I mean) will be spent blowing bubbles with my boy and lunch time spent chatting to him…
So starting the first of next month my life will be a whole other (baby attached to my leg,overworked but at least I’m home) ball game.
I’m going to be a freelance writer: have newspaper, copy writing and web work lined up (for general eating and not being put out of our home purposes)
My own online store/brand: launching handmade accessory and gift store with boys in mind, inspired by my munchkin (struggle to find nice accessories and crafts for boys, pink and glitter all around it seems – girls can use too obviously, because not every girl is into pink and pretty)
Crafter for hire: In my limited spare time I’m still gonna do my kids photography, party favors, party games (been doing this now anyway)
Oh and did I mention studying and tutoring is supposed to fit into all of this…
I know it’s ambitious, I know it’s insane but OMW it’s exciting… calling it a pay cut (which crazy person would do that) for a happiness increase (nothing ventured nothing gained)
– My husband and family have been so amazing, supportive and encouraging and some even helping with handmade projects…
– My friends albeit shocked and awed have been awesome too (sidebar: I say awesome way too much for a grown woman)
– Some friends have been a little skeptical; the economy, lack of media jobs, lack of security, stress of working and being home and so on, but I’m not taking on the negative right now (I resigned already anyway, so it’s like telling someone you hate their short hair AFTER they cut off their locks) I’m excited, I’m happy and I’m learning to trust my own abilities …
 Even more so I trust God has my back on this… He has proven time and time again  that his strength is perfect and I’m taking this as a God led project…
Wish me luck guys and you better support my online store 🙂