Giving is Glorious

Oh my!  I really love this friend of mine because she never fails to use her thinking cap to come up with unique gifts  this Christmas.  In fairness, she is known for her good fashion sense  and taste.   Last year, she gifted my family with a luxurious table lamp and this year it was outdone by giving us an ideal white faux fur throw which I’ve been wanting to own to complete the total look of our bedroom.   She might have known that lately our master’s bedroom had undergone  make-over and it was so sweet of her to put so much thought on her gifts.  For all I know, she purchased it on line at The White Company London where you will find wide array of luxurious, gorgeous and high quality bed linen collections that we all wanted to be around in our bedroom.

bed linen collection I raved about…. and got it as Christmas gift!

Such a coincidence that the bathroom mats and towels that I gave her were also purchased on the same on line store.   Does it mean, I have good taste too?

I just don’t know why all of a sudden I wanted to be a minimalist (if that would be the correct term)… Hubby was quite surprised to see our house almost empty (not so.. exaggerated him!) because our sofas, closets and few side cabinets  and other stuffs will either be given or thrown away.  I wanted to simplify my living environment  so last week I started out with general cleaning and I vigilantly cleared out clutters that piled up for years and empty our cabinets of things that I don’t use anymore.   While cleaning, I have realized that I’ve done mindless purchases and I had shopped for clothes (especially during SALE season) which to date has not been used.  Good that we have big empty boxes always on stand by and I stashed all of them inside it and later, I will sort them for donations to someone who will find it useful and well, as hand me downs to some relatives too.

I am almost halfway, in fact, our living room is already devoid of unnecessary pieces of furniture as  I have thrown away one set of sofa.   No worries, our visitors will still have something to sit on because 2 sets still remain.   Friends thought we are moving out because the house is clear and more than 6 big boxes are ready to be shipped back home.

our living room before….

and after…..

do you think I did the right thing? (actually the sofa stays)

But I will go easy on throwing things because I might use them one day… Oh no!  I think I am beginning to go back to my old ways of keeping things because of their sentimental value and because I just wanted to collect and keep them.  I will work hard to avoid too much consumerism and hubby will surely agree.. that will end my mindless shopping for a while so that I won’t be bringing in stuffs again now that I have cleared most things in the house.

I am now a minimalist (hope so…)

No one ever said that parenting is easy. For first time parents, the excitement of having a family is an unexplainable feeling but one should also remember that the responsibility does not stop once the baby is born, it continues and your children will forever be a part of your life. For those who are struggling and still unfamiliar about parenting, here are some techniques that could help ease up the situation and start establishing a good foundation for a lasting relationship with your kids.

Start by spending quality time with your children. Kids even at a young age could remember a lot of things. As simple as playing with them or being present at a school even would mean the world to your child so make sure to show your support even through small deeds.

Open the lines of communication. As you establish your role of being a parent, try and become their friend too. Most kids tend to keep things from their parents because they are afraid. Engage in a healthy and regular conversation with your family. At a young age, you can train them to be honest and open about their emotions.

Remember that your love and support are valuable things that you share to your family. None of these new clothes or expensive toys will stay forever on their memories but the happy moments spent together as a family will definitely stay for a lifetime.

Leah currently works as a freelance writer and uses her free time traveling and exploring places as she enjoys the adventure and adrenaline rush. Her current project on gulvafslibning priser has provided her with an opportunity to share information to readers about floor sanding prices.

My hubby is one for keeps (and rightfully so!)…. He is an engineer by profession, good family man, a leader and he is a handy hubby.  I would say that he is one type of man who would not mind doing household chores.  In the house, he is our handy man- whether electrical, plumbing, communication, fixing things…. But aside from his expertise on those things, I can proudly say that he cooks very well (better than me!), he irons well (better than me again!) and do the laundry (as often than me!).  Lol… maybe you will wonder, what is left for me to do?   Well, I would say that our work here in the house is give and take… I believe that is one ingredient that last us for almost 24 years.. in fact our silver wedding anniversary will be this coming May….

my handy hubby in action

He is not afraid to shed his macho image.   And he is not to be told of what to do around the house.   If he sees that the laundry basket is almost fill to the brim, he would head to our laundry area and in no time at all our washing machine is in action.

I know he won’t mind my posting this pic while he is busy hanging clothes

Cooking is his expertise so I never worry on what to cook…my expertise is baking and pastas compared to his favorite regional dishes.   And hear this!  He is our IRON man… because he loves to iron… he hates creases especially on pants that he would sometimes ask me not to schedule our weekly helper to come for ironing.  According to him… he irons better than her.   So, what can I ask for?  He is such a darling…( but he is no saint) he too has his moods but tolerable ones….

he really loves to cook so I let him be (good for me!)

I hope he will always be in the mood to do the cooking, laundry and ironing… What a good life for me!