This delicious smoothy provides a great, nutrient packed start to the morning, when you may not be feeling so great! It can be prepared in minutes and the calming ginger is great on a sensitive stomach.

Ingredients

1 cup (250ml) apple or pear juice

3 fresh peaches, stone removed & chopped (or 6 tinned peach halves)

2 tbsp greek style organic natural yoghurt

1 banana chopped

1 tsp ginger, finely grated

Method

Pop all ingredients into a blender with a handful of ice, whizz and enjoy!

Serves 4

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The change is weather can play havoc with your hair. Heating, wind, rain and plummeting temperatures – it all takes it toll, and if you are not careful, your beautiful sun-kissed crown of glory can end up looking like a cracked and broken nest of thorns. So how can you ensure your winter locks ooze the gloss and shine necessary to match your new autumn wardrobe?

Washing and Conditioning

“The right shampoo and conditioner are essential in fighting frizz – cutting your styling time and mechanical damage considerably,” says celebrity hair and makeup artist, Dale Dorning. “Look for words like ‘smoothing’ when purchasing, as well as weightless formulas in your styling tools that won’t build up in the hair.”

Top stylist and hairdresser, Alex FP Jackson, agrees. “Wash your hair using an anti-frizz shampoo and conditioner. In fact with fine hair, you can avoid using shampoo altogether, applying an anti-frizz conditioner only.”

Schwarzkopf Professional’s BC Smooth Shine range is great at helping frizzy hair regain its gloss, leaving hair super smooth. The Schwarzkopf BC Smooth Shine Shampoo nourishes unmanageable hair, whilst the Smooth Shine Conditioner is great at detangling and sealing the hair shaft, rejuvenating the hair’s moisture level to leave it soft and shiny.

Treatments

‘In-salon’ keratin (and their counterpart) blow-outs can be a magic way to keep frizz at bay. Opt for formaldehyde-free formulas. These miracle treatments can last for up to eight weeks and reduce frizz by almost 100 per cent! They are well worth the investment if you struggle regularly with frizz. Alternatively, you can try a similar ‘at home’ straightening/smoothing system which you can apply yourself. JoBaz has one called Everyday Straight  – which comes in Extra Straight and Max Conditioning – which claims to straighten hair for up to three months.

Hair masks can also really help to boost the quality of your hair. Unico does a great Protein Treatment using sesame oil, cocoa butter, orange pure essential oils and vitamin H to repair chemical and mechanical damage to hair, whilst the Schwarzkopf BC Smooth Shine Leave-In Treatment intensively restores hair, smoothing down uncooperative locks to give it super shine. Hot mama? You bet!

Natural Movement

“To encourage natural movement in the hair, moisture rich products are key,” explains Dale.

Alex agrees. “Use an anti-frizz serum to get rid of fly overs. When applying, use a small amount and comb through with your fingers. Start at mid-length working your way to the ends. Good quality anti-frizz hair products, which are not too heavy, are extremely effective at smoothing down the coating of your hair.”

Argan Life Argan Oil is great in wet or dry hair for a glossy, non-frizzy finish, controlling the hair without weighing it down, as is the Seven Wonders Argan Oil Volumising Spray. Other leave-in anti-frizz products which offer clear results include The Body Shop’s Brazil Nut Define & No Frizz Cream, The Body Shop’s Grapeseed Glossing Serum, TONI&GUY Prep Smoothing Detangler, TONI&GUY Classic Shine Gloss Serum, Schwarzkopf Osis Magic Serum, REF Stay Smooth, REF Get It Straight and Unico Hair Serum.

Styling Aids

“Ionic brushes and dryers aid in reducing frizz,” says Dale. “Ceramic/ionic brushes or straighteners work with the hair’s DNA. Ionic dryers have a delivery system that imparts invisible product to the hair to fight frizz as it dries the hair. Invest in a good styler or curler. It gives the illusion of more manicured hair.”

Alex concurs. “After washing your hair, blow-dry from the top straight down to the ends. This helps the hair cuticles sit flat, allowing your hair to become silky smooth,” says Alex.

Top of the list as a frizz-free styling aid has to be the GHD Straightener Gold Classic Styler, although the John Frieda Sleek Finish Hair Straighter would be a close second. As for a hairdryer, the VS Sassoon Venezia 2400 AC Professional Dryer gives fast (quick drying!) and smooth results. Fabulous for us time-pressed yummy mummies!

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Bodyweight exercises can be done anywhere, anytime, no matter what your fitness level. From the Zen of Yoga to gruelling Military style workouts, bodyweight training is efficient and provides the opportunity for you to vary your workout intensity. With repeat sets of just a few exercises you can incorporate both cardio and strength training for optimal fitness and an overall workout.

Bodyweight exercises are generally safe and present a low risk for injury, making them perfect for beginners, elderly and even children. Furthermore, bodyweight exercise engage core and stabilising muscles in natural ranges of movement and function which makes them ideal for improving muscle weaknesses and correcting imbalances, strengthening the lower back and improving posture.

More specifically for children, body weight exercises improve balance, co-ordination, fundamental movement skills and spatial awareness, which are important for development and provide a foundation for academic learning.

So why not, put away the weights and give a body weight workout a go.

Here is a simple bodyweight workout that anyone, including the kids, can do with progressions to increase the intensity as your fitness increases.

Continue each exercise for 1 minute and repeat 5 times for a quick 30min workout.

1. Jog on the spot

If you have difficulties jogging, start by marching in place – but don’t forget to use your arms!

Progression: High knee running

2. Push Ups

If you can’t do a traditional push up initially, don’t stress, start by placing you palms on the wall at shoulder height, bending from your elbows, keeping your back straight, lower your chest to the wall.

Progression: Move from using the wall to using the edge of a bench or table, gradually moving to lower levels such as the edge of a chair or bed, eventually completing a full push up from lying on the floor. From the floor push ups can be done balancing on your knees or on your toes.

3. Squats

Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with your weight focused in your heels. Bend your knees and hips and lower your body, bringing your thighs parallel with the floor (or as low as you can), keeping your toes behind your knees at all times.

Progression: Widen your stance and squat down as far as you can. Add small pulses or pauses at the bottom of the squat

4. Mt Climbers

From a traditional push up position (hands on the floor, arms extended, back straight, balancing on your toes), hold your body weight over your shoulders and bring one leg at a time up under your chest, then return it to the floor to change legs (in a running fashion)

Progression: Run faster!

5. Lunge and Shoulder Raise

Start with your feet shoulder width apart, hands on your hips. Take a large step forward with one leg and slowly bend your other leg to lower your knee to the floor. Your front knee should be behind your toes, with your thigh parallel with the floor (or as far down as you can). As you slowly lower your body, gently raise one arm to the side until it is at shoulder level. As you lift your body up out of the lunge, lower your arm and alternate sides.

Progression: Rather than lifting out of the lung and alternating legs, push from both legs, jumping up and alternating legs before you land.

6. Plank

This one is all about using those core muscles. Start lying face down, with forearms on the floor, extent your legs out behind you, use your core muscles to lift your body up off the floor, balancing on either your toes or knees. Hold this position, keeping your core strong and body in a straight line (not with your butt poking up or stomach dipped in the middle). You may need to build to a minute – try for 30 seconds, rest and repeat

Progression: If you are managing a minute no worries, try rolling to the side and balancing on one elbow for a side plank. Remember to do both sides.

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I have done a fair bit of holidaying with not only grand-parents, but extended family, and it can be a wonderful experience for everyone.

But behind the idyllic picture there can be ‘issues’ you need to discuss and get out in the open before the actual holiday. Because, as I know from experience, not doing this can result in tension you just don’t need when you are on holidays.

So, I offer you my tips for travelling with extended family:

1. Choosing the accommodation

It is likely that everyone is going to have different expectations about where you are staying.

Before you book anywhere, speak to each other about your likes and limitations – you need to tell each what your budget is, what features you would like both inside and out and whether you want to all share one place or stay within the same complex, but in your own room or apartment.

There is no point one person researching accommodation that will cost you each $2000 for the week if one of you only has a budget of $1000. It might sound like hard work, but you will get a short list and come up with something everyone is happy (or at least satisfied) with.

2. Eating arrangements

In 2011, I was lucky enough to stay in a beautiful Italian villa with my family, my brother and his family and my parents – a total of 6 adults and 4 children.

Believe it or not, the issue that caused the most tension was dinner. My brother and his wife do not like cooking while on holiday and wanted to eat out. However, my husband & I thought a barbecue or take away pizza in the beautiful gardens of our villa was a better option.

Neither of us was right or wrong in what we wanted. But because we had not discussed our expectations prior to the holiday, it did lead to some challenging discussions.

3. Sightseeing

I hate waiting for people. When I am ready to do somewhere, I want to go now. However, being together as a group can sometimes cause indecision – have you ever ended up doing nothing because you spent so long trying to work out what to do or where to go to keep everyone happy?

I know this sounds a bit banal, but set out expectations and wishes at the start of the holiday and plot out what days you plan to do what activity. Being inclusive and diplomatic can result in no decision being made and days wasted doing nothing.

Also remember that holidaying together does not mean you are joined at the hip. If everyone wants to do something, you can do it together. But if you want to do something no-one else does, just go! If you don’t, you will most likely regret it later.

4. Who looks after the kids?

The beauty of having lots of adults around is that there are lots of eyes to watch the kids. But just because there are lots of grown-ups around, does not always mean they are watching your children.

Even if you are disappearing off to the toilet for a minute or two, let the others know so they will know to keep any eye on your child too.

Offer to babysit for each other’s children so you can all get a night off for a ‘date’.

Another idea is to share ‘nanna nap’ afternoons. Sometimes there is nothing better than lying down with a good book and drifting off the sleep. If possible, you might be able to alternate this so everyone gets some relaxation and holiday reading in.

5. Different parents, different discipline

You might have been raised in the same family, but now you have your own children, you might have very different parenting styles to your own parents or siblings.

And being together on holiday – as opposed to catching up for lunch or dinner – will bring them to the fore.

It can be attitudes to foods and treats, behaviours that one of you might tolerate and the other does not, use of technology or even what time everyone goes to bed.

Personally, I think this is where you just need to take a deep breath and chant the word ‘compromise’ to yourself. No parenting style is right or wrong. And at the end of the day, this extended holiday is one which you – and your children – will most likely look back on with fond memories.

The post Tips for travelling with extended family appeared first on Mouths of Mums.

Makes about 1 ½ cups

Cinnamon adds a lovely new flavor dimension to a fresh fruit puree.

Blueberries have one of the highest antioxidant contents of any fruit. Be sure to wash them well, as pesticide residues may be present on the skins.

• 3 pink or red apples, peeled, cored, roughly chopped
• 500g water
• 150g fresh or frozen blueberries
• Small pinch ground cinnamon

Place apple into TM basket. Place water into mixing bowl, insert TM basket and cook 15min/Varoma/speed 2.

Add blueberries to TM basket and cook a further 2 min/Varoma/speed 2 or until fruit is tender.

Use the spatula to remove TM basket. Discard water and transfer apple and blueberries from TM basket into mixing bowl. Add cinnamon and purée 15 sec/speed 8. Scrape down sides of bowl and repeat.

Set aside one serving and freeze the remainder in portions. If needed, add a little water or your baby’s milk before serving it to achieve the correct consistency.

*Suitable for freezing

About Thermomix Cooking for your Baby and Toddler

Thermomix has launched a baby and toddler cookbook for parents in partnership with passionate food writer and cookbook author Louise Fulton Keats.

Thermomix Cooking for Your Baby and Toddler covers everything parents need to know about introducing their babies to solids and ensuring the development of healthy eating habits into the toddler years.

Filled with quick and easy Thermomix recipes, from simple purees to family meals, this book will assist children in developing a taste for new flavours while providing the essential nutrients critically needed in the early years.

“A Thermomix is the perfect companion for every parent. Forget packet foods. With a Thermomix, preparing healthy, nutritious baby and toddler food, as well as meals for the rest of the family, couldn’t be simpler,” said Louise Fulton Keats.

Invaluable meal planners are included for a baby’s first year as well as information on nutritional needs, potential feeding problems and solutions, and recommendations on how to understand taste preferences and avoid fussy eating.

A graduate of the prestigious culinary institute, Le Cordon Bleu, and with postgraduate nutrition qualifications from Deakin University, Louise’s passion for children’s food has led her to publishing three cookbooks. These include the baby and toddler cookbook for parents (Cooking for Y

our Baby and Toddler) and two food-related storybooks for children (My Grandma’s Kitchen and The Best Ever Birthday) – which are sold in Australia, the UK, the US and New Zealand. Louise is also a columnist with Practical Parenting magazine and a member of the Woolworths Baby and Toddler Club expert panel.

Coming from one of Australia’s foremost food families – her grandmother is Australia’s best-loved cookery expert, Margaret Fulton, and her mother is eminent food writer, Suzanne Gibbs – Louise’s family life has always centred on cooking and eating well. Louise is now continuing the family tradition and bringing her food heritage to a new generation.

Through her work, Louise hopes to encourage a love of cooking and good food in children of all ages and to open their eyes to just how wondrous and joyous the world of food can be.

To find out more visit www.louisefultonkeats.com.

Thermomix Cooking for Your Baby and Toddler is priced at $35 and will be available from www.thermomix.com.au or by speaking with a Thermomix consultant.

The post Apple, blueberry and cinnamon purée recipe appeared first on Mouths of Mums.

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But what if you don’t KNOW what your passions are?

Don’t’ despair – there ARE ways. Ways I have used in the past to lead me to clarity, to uncover passions and even talents I never knew I had! Sometimes you will uncover it by asking questions, sometimes you’ll stumble upon it, and other times you will need to go within to find the answer. Meditate, use your intuition. The way forward is to seek the answers out within you rather than from external avenues and sometimes this takes time.

‘Aaarrrghhhhhh but I’m soooooo busy!’ you say….Ah yes, I’ve heard myself and others say that so so soooo many times, honestly though, it doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are, what you do, or whether you have children or not, EVERYONE you speak to is busy! But here’s the thing – we ALL have 24 hours a day. Some will use it effectively and others don’t.

‘It’s not about having enough time, it’s about MAKING enough time’ Rachael Bermingham

Our lives truly are overloaded and busy.  Some will say that our responsibilities and busy lives have left little time for us to reflect on ourselves and our desires and goals and that’s the very reason why there are so many living a purposeless life without abundance in all good things. It’s the WHOLE reason why there are so many people living WITHOUT passion and ultimately without abundance too!

We must put ourselves at the top of the priority list in order to achieve a life of abundance through our passions and our goals. You, your loved ones and the community you live in will thank you for it – truly!

The happiest folks on earth are those people who are doing what they love.  They have chosen to live their lives around the things that bring them passion and joy. They believe in themselves and they believe in achieving their goals.  They are always moving forward with determination and conviction, authenticity and yes, abundance!

Believing that you are important and your life is meaningful is a huge step in understanding exactly “why you are here.”  When you realise all that you have to offer, nothing and no one can stop you.  Life was meant to be lived and enjoyed.  HAPPY! Yes, we will all have our moments of doubt and worry, but it is about staring down fear and self-doubt, taking a deep breath and pushing through it. All this really is, is your emotional guidance system (EGS) at play, saying ‘Hey! You’re veered off track here! See how you are not enjoying life, or not feeling good? Change direction or make a different choice right now.’

The people who reach above and beyond this overcome these self-depreciative moments and thrive by listening to their EGS. Doing what you love enriches your life, makes you happy.  You need to believe and have faith in what your heart is telling you. It will guide you truly.

We all possess special qualities. That is what makes us unique.  We all have talent in some realm and if we choose to focus on them and help them grow, success and happiness is waiting for us at the finish line.  Everyone wants to be happy.  Everyone wants to do things they love. Everyone wants a good, happy and fulfilled life.  Discovering what we are passionate about is the key to achieving that happy life.  We must believe it and know that we are deserving and if we put forth the effort, it can most certainly be within our grasp.

So where do you start?

‘The Universe conspires to help those

who help themselves’

Rachael Bermingham

Finding our passion in life is the first step in building a pathway to abundant living. But most people either haven’t yet discovered their passion, or, aren’t using their passion to create the abundant life of their dreams.

Putting yourself first is an important step in the discovery process. Uncovering, clarifying and confirming the things in life that you LOVE, that make your heart sing and fulfill your soul (aaahh bliss), this is your starting point. All sounds incredibly easy doesn’t it? So why aren’t we all doing it?

Well the answer is simple… Most people just don’t know how and the ones that do are so busy doing the do in their everyday lives they don’t make the time to pursue their passions and give abundance a chance.

Living an abundant life by following your passion will open your eyes to a life of joy, happiness, immense abundance and a long list of amazing and wonderful things – it’s REALLY worth the effort in taking a chance and giving it a go!  Every part of your being will thank you for it.

So with PASSION in mind… Start jotting down some of the things you LOVE doing, what makes your heart sing and your soul smile?

‘Once you know the REAL you and what the REAL you wants, then you just need to BELIEVE in yourself’

Rachael Bermingham

Find a pen and jot down your responses to these questions…

• What are you good at?
• What do you enjoy doing?
• What are you interested in?
• What would you like to have a go at?
• What would you LOVE to do right now if I waved a magic want and you could do ANYTHING you dreamed of?

Now we need to talk goals!

Goals bring more purpose in our lives.  To have no goals, you may feel a sense of hopeless which doesn’t do you any favours in propelling you forward.

“Where do I begin?” you might ask yourself.  Think deeply about this and let’s consider some ‘dreams’ you have right now that really are your goals, only you don’t realise it just yet.  Perhaps you long for more time to wind down and meditate or spend more quality time with your family, maybe it’s to own your own home? Maybe you want to make every person you come into contact with a little better off by the encounter. That is a wonderful and fulfilling goal!  If you want to begin a new career in an industry that you love, but are scared of change or don’t know how to pursue it, that is a goal!  If you want to write the next greatest novel, do it! Nothing is beyond your reach! Trust me when I say this because 10 years ago I have a dream which became my goal to write a book. I had NO idea what I would write about other than the desire to write something inspirational, and in addition to that, I didn’t have a clue on how to start either! Now fast forward those 10 years to where we are right now and I’ve written a book, in fact 8 and all have become bestsellers. Amazing! So if I can achieve that, then I’m sure that will give you hope you can do anything you desire too!

‘A goal is a dream with a deadline’ Rachael Bermingham

We need to clarify what dreams are and what goals are. You might think they’re the same – and you wouldn’t be alone in that thought. I thought they were the same thing many years ago too! Goals are dreams with a timeframes and deadlines.  Every breathing person has wishes. We need to turn those wishes into goals and then set those deadlines that we can be accountable to and get working towards achieving them!

So, now understanding this, jot down 10 things you would LOVE LOVE LOVE to do before you check out of this wonderful adventure we call life!

Writing them down solidifies them, makes them real AND ultimately helps you to focus on what you want in life.

Do not let these “if only I could do this…” or “if only I had done that” stop you from missing out on the joys of everyday life.  Every day is a gift and every day holds a new adventure.  Searching for happiness is a never ending event but one that is necessary, as long as we don’t let ourselves lose out on the wonderful things that every day can bring us if we are open to what is in front of us.

You deserve to be happy. If you don’t think you deserve to be happy, then it is no wonder you are not!  You can’t expect happiness if you do not believe you deserve it.

Be happy and confident with who you are!

‘There is no one who does you like YOU do you,

so be the best you that you can be!’

Rachael Bermingham

Do the best you can do in every endeavor and know that you have given it your all and your best shot.  Enjoy every day and look forward to each tomorrow and the opportunities that present themselves to you to learn and grow.

Be thankful for what you do have, right now.  Be happy and grateful that you have been given another day to appreciate and enjoy the beautiful life that you have been given.  Be thankful for your family and your friends and all of the things, no matter how few, that you possess.  Be thankful and happy that you are free.

Never be afraid to seek guidance from others.  If you need help, ask for it.  Most people who are happy are always eager to help others.  On that same note, get in the habit of doing something nice for others.  Think about how good it feels when you smile at a stranger and that stranger smiles back.  Who knows what difference you just made in that person’s life?  Knowing that for one moment, a simple smile changed the outlook of a complete stranger, can life your spirits and happiness to levels you cannot imagine.  Smile and the whole world smiles with you.  You are spreading sunshine and happiness!

Did you know that when you are happy, not only is the quality of your life improved, but so is the quantity.  Happy, passionate people live longer lives.  Even those with chronic health issues, depression and personal negative factors like financial problems…when they are happy, they have a much better quality and quantity of life!

Attaining that abundant life can be easy!  Live each day as if it were your last.  Happiness is not just being a successful person and success is not the secret to happiness.  Making each and every day count and finding a reason, a PURPOSE to be happy is true happiness.  When you are happy, you know you are living an abundant life and living life to its absolute fullest.

‘Regardless of where you’ve been,
it’s where you’re going that really matters’

Rachael Bermingham

Live and embrace the moment you have right this second. Listen to your environment. Seek out things that wrap your heart up and make you feel warm and wonderful. Listen as the birds sing as the sun rises. Take a deeper breath of the fresh morning air.  You will be absolutely amazed at how incredibly good this feels and you can’t help but feel appreciative for another day and happy as well.  Let that good feeling carry you through the day. It will lift you and it will also help you align with what is true for your spirit so your passion can ignite.

Every day, it is important that you find time just for you.  If only for a half hour, take time out from everything and everyone around you.  Use this time to recharge and revitalise.  Use this time to think positive thoughts and keep your brain active.  Try yoga, meditate or burn essential oils if you feel a bit stressed.  The key to happiness is also keeping your body and your mind relaxed and stress free.

Listen to music, sing a song, read a book, go for a walk – do whatever it takes even if it’s for 5 minutes to help you keep lifting and focusing on what you want. Soon you’ll be so consumed by these great habits you won’t have the tolerance or desire to waste time sweating the small stuff!

Close your eyes and imagine the things in life you want.  Visualisation is incredibly powerful and energising.  Concentrate on your goals and then imagine how you will feel once you have reached that goal.  Feel the excitement course through your veins as you visualise having reached goals you once thought impossible!

‘You must be PASSIONATE and LOVE what you do…
your enthusiasm, positivity, energy and excitement will serve to inspire, attract and engage others’

Rachael Bermingham

Listen to your body, if you’re tired – sleep, if you’re restless – exercise, if you’re hungry – eat, if you’re sad use an uplifting trigger to help you put a smile on your dial such as music, a chat with a friend – ANYTHING that helps you lift out of it – it’s detrimental to your health and your future so do anything you can to NOT stay in a sad or down mood.

Focus on your goals, plan out steps you need to take action on to achieve your goals, schedule in time to learn more, do more and have more time to experience your list of things you would like to do, are interested in, and ultimately love doing. This is food for the soul. Stick to your schedule.  Do not get distracted by the minor things.  Stay focused and in control of your dreams.  Realize that anything is possible if you truly believe in yourself and your dreams.  Nothing can stop you. You are powerful!  You are energy!

Passion is something that no one can teach you how to have.  You either feel it or you don’t. That’s why it’s so important these answers come from YOU! Find what it is that truly inspires you and makes you want more of it. Never underestimate your power.

This is it! This is your chance, you have the opportunity right now, it’s knocked at your door and is waiting for you to embrace it. Life is too short to waste time and energy on things that simply are not worth it.  If there are negative people that surround you, wean yourself from them.  Let them know you are living an ABUNDANT LIFE.

‘Positive relationships bring out the best in you, makes your heart sing and leave you feeling like you can do anything!’ 

Rachael Bermingham

If you are in a job that is making you miserable, then find a job doing whatever it is that makes you happy!  Take chances. Be strong and be proud of who you are and all that you have accomplished and have yet to accomplish in your life.

Surround yourself with the people you love.  If you have no one in your life, surround yourself with animals or nature.  Recognise all of the beauty that is yours for the taking in life if you only allow yourself to reach for the stars and take it!  Know that the key to a life of abundant happiness is truly within your reach.  It takes just a little bit of planning, a little bit of self-discipline and a little bit of believing in yourself.  Figure out what it is you want from life and just go for it!  The world can indeed be your oyster!  All you have to do is want it and trust in yourself and there’s not a thing on this earth that can stop you from living the most happy and passionate life that you deserve.

‘Find out who you are, what you love, what you believe in, what makes you tick – then live that as authentically as you can – that will give you happiness’

Rachael Bermingham

Start today! Feel the fear and do it anyway! Fear is a strong and passionate emotion.  Often perceived as a negative emotion, it does not need to be.  Often we fear things that we are not knowledgeable about or we fear things because we are scared of failure.  Learn to face your fears and grow stronger through them.  Write down what scares you or what you are fearful of and make a plan to beat that fear.  Putting the reasons down right here on paper will help you clarify and overcome blockages that are standing in your way to living your passion.

Say YES more time than you say no. Such a simple thing, but truly will lead you to places beyond your wildest dreams! You will be amazed at the doors that can open when you allow yourself to try new things.

And don’t worry about what others think – what they think is none of your business, it’s what YOU think about yourself that truly matters.  You are creating your abundant life, not someone else’s. Think of all your goals from YOUR space not anyone elses. It never works if you pursue a goal belonging to someone else. You need to fully resonate and be thoroughly engaged in the outcome of your goal.

Never stop growing as a person. Soak up and learn as much as you possibly can each and every day. You owe this to yourself and it’s a huge step in living an abundant life. Always believe in yourself and know that you are worthy, beautiful and important!  Reach for the stars and shine on!

‘Miracles DO happen,

don’t just believe in them, expect them!’

Rachael Bermingham

The post Finding and following your passions on a pathway to abundant living appeared first on Mouths of Mums.

Some background to this story for you, first. Rebecca was born in 1986, the first of our 3 children nod the first grandchild on both sides of our family. She was a very loved and wanted child and grew up in a loving family with the addition of her brother and sister when she was 2 and 10 years old respectively. She grew up with no obvious medical issues, apart from the usual colds and infections of a normal childhood.

When she was 17, Rebecca had a seizure at around 5am, at a friends home after a “sleep over”. Not wanting to worry us, Rebecca kept this a secret for a few days and when she eventually told us, we got her to the doctors and she had an MRI to check her brain. The results were clear and we were told by the doctor that it was probably a “one-off thing” and that it would likely never happen again.

So, life went on as usual, Rebecca left school at the end of year 11 and she went to work as a kitchen manager of a restaurant near home. She was happy to be out in the world and gaining some financial independence that comes from working full time and had met a great guy through work.

Rebecca and her new boyfriend were happy together and after being together for a year or so, he proposed to her. She was 18 by this stage. They moved out together and rented a house 45 minutes away from us, so we saw Rebecca and her fiancé less often than we would have liked, around once a month, but we spoke on the phone often and communicated via Facebook almost every day.

Then one evening I got the first phone call that would change my life. It was Rebecca telling me she was pregnant! She had her baby at the age of 20 and I was honoured to be one of her support people in the labour ward.

Around a year after the baby was born, Rebecca had another seizure. It happened in her lounge room while my husband and other daughter were there to pick her and the baby up to spend the weekend at our place, since her fiancé had gone camping for the weekend. Luckily, my younger daughter knew what to do and she made sure Rebecca was okay while she screamed for her father to help (he was outside putting the baby seat into the car). They rang me and I had one of the worst drives down to Rebecca’s local hospital that day!

Rebecca began seeing a specialist and was monitored for a while, but after another fit, early in the morning, it was decided that she should start taking some epilepsy medication, so began a long journey of trying different drugs to find the one best for her. They finally found one that worked for her, the side effects being that she shouldn’t get pregnant while on that drug and it tended to make her a bit bipolar at times. Serious mood swings! I felt sorry for Rebecca’s fiancé, it seemed like he was the one who got the brunt of her moods, but he just shrugged it off and stayed his naturally calm natured self.

Life went on and Rebecca and her fiancé finally got married. It was the best day! Such a happy occasion for our family with my younger daughter a bridesmaid and my grandson the pageboy (he was nearly 3 years old). Rebecca was obviously ecstatic to be married to the man of her dreams and relished being a Mum, even taking an evening job in a local supermarket so she could spend her days with her little boy. Life was good.

Then, when Rebecca was 25, her husband went off to work one morning, early as usual and saying good bye to a sleepy wife on the way out the door. He rang at lunchtime and was surprised that the phone was answered by my grandson, who should have been at school. When he asked his son where his Mum was, my grandson said, “Mums asleep and I can’t get her to wake up.”

My son in law immediately rang an ambulance and his own Mum, who lives around a minute away and she got to the house in minutes. She found Rebecca in bed, not breathing and started CPR, and the ambulance arrived a minute after her. There was nothing they could do, my gorgeous girl had died, aged exactly 25 years and 8 months, leaving a 5 year old little boy and a family in utter shock and dismay.

I was at work when my husband turned up to tell me what had happened and even now, months later, I still relive that awful moment when he said the words that changed me forever, “It looks like we’ve lost Rebecca”. It didn’t register what he had said to me at first, until he explained what had happened in more detail and I started to hyperventilate and scream louder than I ever thought possible. We made our way a home, picking up our younger daughter on the way. My husband had called our son and told him to get home (but not the reason why), so he arrived 5 minutes after us and after we had told our daughter the news. Those were the hardest minutes of my life. Dealing with my own shock and having to tell my 16 and 23 year olds the worst news they will ever hear.

We made our way to Rebecca’s house, but they had already taken her away, so we never got to see her again. Sometimes I am grateful to not have seen her that way, but other times I wish I had been able to say some sort of goodbye.

It’s been a tough 10 months, I left work for a while because I couldn’t cope (I work in Childcare) and am now working a few days a week, which works OK. I also went through some bereavement counseling, which literally saved my life. I went through deep depression for a time, feeling overwhelmed by the finality of it all, but I feel like I’m through the worst, although I still have days when all I do is cry. We won’t know the results of the autopsy for a few more months, I’ve been told it can take up to 12 months.  Although we are in a bad financial way, after paying our share of the funeral and memorial plot costs on one wage, I know we’ll get through this.

I have searched for a parents bereavement group in my area, without success and maybe this is something I will look into starting in the future, but right now, I just need to start remembering the happy times with Rebecca and to honour her memory for my grandson.

It will be a long, rocky road, but I know we’ll make it. The one positive I hold onto is that I will see my darling girl one day. I have to believe this; the alternative is just too hard to accept.

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