What small habits you have that make your life better?

[misscheery]

Obviously posting here for traffic

As part of "new year new me"resolutions, I am trying to establish a set of habits/small things to do in order to be either happier/healthier or look better/be smarter

What I do now-
-Gym 3 times a week (either zumba or cross fit for now)
-Have a nice cup of tea in the morning
-Reading 30 mins a day either the book I am currently reading or a nice magazine
-Bubble bath

Nothing else crosses my mind now. What do you do?

I hope this post makes sense as I have an exam tomorrow and am a bit crazy today

Oh, and my Resolution this year was to make one tiny improvement every day. So far they've ranged from stitching up a loose towel hem to building some flat pack!

Georgie I think that's a lovely one (asking how the day was).
I heard my 6 year old grandson say to his mum the other day "how was your day mummy?" and I thought that was so nice.

Using the app headspace, and meditating everyday for just 10 mins.

It's a wonderful thing to do to help destress and just help change your perspective on things. It's really freeing to do. And because it's only 10 mins you can easily fit it in to your daily routine

My resolution this year was to say "yes dear" to my OH when he's spouting a load of bullshit instead of engaging with him and arguing. If it's about politics we will never agree, if it's something else I am usually right, he knows that and I know that he will realise in the fullness of time, so why waste my breath.

I can't keep it up.

I've been making a conscious effort to be more appreciative of people - making the effort to text, call, email or drive a bit further to visit. To listen better and generally be more supportive.

Yesterday we baked a cake and made cards for our (super special) neighbour, next we're making a book for my brother about something special to him.

Trying to be more patient with the kids and give them space to solve their own problems rather than offering advice (hard!)

Getting up early is brilliant. You just get up and start the day instead of waking up and treating the act of getting out of bed as if it’s hideous
I think sleep seemed so precious that I started to be a bit obsessed with getting a lie in when it’s bollocks really
Getting up early is great

Cooking in bulk and freezing dinners.
Pizza night once a week.
Getting a skip and decluttering the house.
Skin care routine.
Getting shellac nails once a month.
Sorting out my garden 3 years ago - now it's my favourite place in the world 😊

In no particular order: Meal planning. Yoga class once a week, paid in advance to make myself actually go. Collapsible crate lives in car boot for grocery shopping. Walk more. Learning the noble art of loafing Fruit bowl on my desk at work. Saying no to difficult/demanding people, and enjoying the relief afterward. Having a to do list (I'm a bit sad and often write in stuff I've done just so I can tick it off ). Tidying up as I go. The bedding in a pillowcase thing mentioned upthread.

I get up an hour to an hour and a half earlier than the kids- have coffee, a cigarette (I'm trying to quit!), read the news, empty the dishwasher and washing machine, fill the tumble dryer, and have a shower. Then the chaos with the boys can start.
I have to drive ds1 to his bus stop, but ds2 can catch his bus right outside our house. Some mornings though I do drive him straight to school. I use the twenty minutes with both of them to find out what's going on in school that day, what homework needs to be completed, how their friends are, if anything is happening etc, I find it's just undivided attention they both get each day, and I find out a lot in that short time.
The boys are boys they aren't perfect and I do loose my rag now and then! But we have a rule that if anyone has a rant, they allowed time to cool down, and then we apologise (who evers fault it is). So arguments don't dwell over a day, a line is drawn underneath and we move on. Also we never go to bed on an argument. It's always apologies and I love you's before bed.
I meal plan for the week- this has really cut down on our food waste. But I must admit I do need to sort through both freezers, as they are full and I don't think I've looked in them since about September!
Get your kids interested in cooking! If I need mushrooms, onions, salad or meat chopping, the boys do it. They will also do things like bolognose and lasagne themselves.
Get your kids to do their own ironing- ds14 has just ironed his clothes to go out this afternoon.
I'm stealing the duvet cover tip- my airing cupboard is just stuffed to the brim!
I have a cleaner once a week, which has really helped (I'm registered disabled) although I do need to give her a bit of a nudge as the kitchen floor was steamed cleaned last week, but when I opened the oven door for example, the floor was filthy. Likewise around the edges are rank- it's like she's only cleaned the middle!
I'm starting this week on my wardrobes and bookcases. Both are filled to the brim. I have so much that I don't wear, but have kept 'just in case'- in case of what I don't know?! I like the idea of always having a bag for the charity shop on the go- again I'm stealing it!
I do my food shopping online, but it still takes me ages. I'm going to start keeping a list on the fridge door, that we can all add too as things run out etc, to help cut down on the time doing the shop.

I also get up before the children. If one of them wakes up before I'm ready it throws me completely out of kilter.

I'm going to try get up a bit earlier too to exercise.

Also amazing Alexa I've never listened to music so much and I love it. But the best thing about her is as you run out of things ask Alexa to put it on the shopping list and it goes into an app in my phone then at the time for shopping I go through the list and add the bits for the weekly meals. It has meant we don't forget things when we're shopping and I don't have to stop what I'm doing to write down what I need.

A bubble bath every Sunday with plenty of soaps and bath bombs and salts etc to feel lavish. Sometimes sneak a glass of prosecco in there too.

I have an hour to myself each morning to shower, wash my face, brush my teeth, brush my hair, do my make up and get dressed and have a coffee. I purposely put this in the kids routine. I needed time to myself and a pause from being a mum constantly. Just an hour to make myself look human and half decent. That hour before I get the kids up is absolute BLISS.

I make my bed each morning (as in change the sheets too) and clean the kitchen each night. Waking up to a clean house and going to bed in brand new clean bedding is so relaxing and much less chaotic.

Teaching the kids how to be independent and cope without being pandered too constantly. My eldest can make coffee and some basic meals for himself and his brother. Him and the toddler can put things away and help with basic housework. My toddler helps with the laundry. Basically have two slaves

I had the kids in a routine very early on. Made sure they slept through ect so I wasn't knackered and exhausted all of the time. Made sure they were fed and napped at certain times so they hardly ever cried or whined that they were hungry or tired. I was always complimented on how content they both were. Always smiling and placid and happy to chill out and plod along with life. And I always had time to do normal things without being stressed out with a newborn baby.

Lighting candles (even if it's just some tealights) each evening after the cooking, cleaning, kids bath time is finished and I have a couple of hours to catch up on my programmes.

Making sure the majority of my furniture has tonnes of storage. Now everything in my house has a place. And I help that by always putting things back where they are meant to go.

Because of all these things I have a very clean, very tidy, very calm household and I'm not the mum friend who is constantly moaning about the kids and the house and her life. Me, DH and the kids are all just chilled out, happy and relaxed. The neighbours must think we are on drugs.

My house is tidy anyway, but I always make sure the kitchen is clean before I go to bed. Clean countertops, no dishes in the sink or on the drain board, and the hub is clean. I think it is very depressing to wake up to a messy kitchen and a horrible way to start the day.

Not staying up late for any tv programme and watching it on catch up a day or two later.

Meal plan and online shopping. I book the slot as soon as the last lot of shooing has been delivered and add things to it as the week goes on. Have spent a lot less this way. Also have a board in the kitchen to write on when something runs out. Everyone writes on it, even the kids.

I aldehyde shower before bed and wash my hair and dry it. Then in the morning I just have a face wash, makeup and straighten my hair. I put clothes out the night before too, including knickers, socks, tights etc. I also make packed lunches in the evening.

The best thing I did was leaving phone downstairs at night. Sleep better as don't faff around on it in the morning before getting up.

Put the kids to bed at 7.30pm then immediately put on own pjs and take off makeup / clean face with an oil cleanser and hot face cloth. It's utter bliss.

Also, employ a cleaner and spend a bit of time looking for clothes that make you feel happy and confident. Haircut every 6 weeks and shellac nails as often as possible.

Where do you people live who get your washing done?

Get up in time to always have breakfast and coffee by myself.

Write down family expensidutes with a fairly small 'petty cash' limit. DH and I each earn 6 figures but this has helped us save.

Leaving phones downstairs. More for DH than me but completely clocking out from work is important.

One evening a fortnight DH and I go out and get a babysitter. We take it in turns to plan the night. Sometimes a fancy meal. Sometimes sit in a cafe in silence / each other's company reading. Sometimes the cinema. Sometimes a walk with a liquid picnic. Massage ... anything. Lazer Quest last weekend was awesome.

We still completely loved each other without this but had become a child-raising team more than married. This habit of time together makes a massive difference.

Only watch TV if there's something I want to watch instead of channel surfing. I'm now questioning my TV licence fee and I've cancelled my virgin TV subscription.

Switch off the WiFi at night - I have a better quality sleep. And I'm less tempted to look at my phone in bed.

Good luck with your exam tomorrow xx

Getting my gel nails every two weeks. This is totally non negotiable and having nice nails makes me feel so much happier and calmer.

Rediscovering reading a good book in the bath. I have gone from taking showers only to including also a couple of baths a week (more for relaxation than cleanliness). I have candles, a bath pillow, nice bath oil and a really good book and love it.

Getting up a tiny bit earlier than I need to so I’m not stressing in the mornings getting the kids ready to go out
Trying to go on my cross trainer every day for at least half an hour
Wearing make up every day
Stopped my Irn bru habit
Trying to eat better too but I comfort eat so often that’s a struggle

I have had depression for a long time and these are all things that make me feel better/less anxious generally. I still have depression but feel better about things than I did a year ago.

I eat the frog first thing. In other words, do the thing I most feel like procrastinating on and am least motivated to do first thing in the morning. That may be before the kids get up or after they've gone to school, depending on what it is.

Is "eat the frog" a translation? Never heard it before.

Here are my 2018 good habits:

• batch cooking my work lunches so I can have healthy, high protein food (and avoid bread which just makes me sluggish and bloated)

• tidy around the house as I go: means I never really have to do any 'proper' housework (there's only me so it's not that onerous

• hit the gym four times a week and lift as heavy as I can go; I want to be ripped to fu*king bits by Christmas

• if it needs doing—and isn't likely to go away—do it NOW: one fewer thing to worry about.

What Raver84 said

Plus I bought a big tub for the utility room. Now I just open the door, throw plastic recycling & cans in the tub and shut the door. No faffing with bags. Much more fun

mumpoints

It's from a Mark Twain quote.

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”