Let it Be - Word of 2023

Let it Be - The Beatles

My word of the year for 2023 is BEING. 

It's taken a while this year. Last year's joy is such a great word, and I could not think of  a better way to refocus my life. 

I got this quote/song title from my daughter many year's back. She bought it from students on their market day. I love it!

Let it be. 

Be. 

Being. 

Being in the moment.

Catching the joy of NOW!

I am embracing the current moment of now. That is all I have. 

A big gift! Being. 

Perfect word for 2021: Patience

 

I struggled to come up with a word for 2021. My word, grab, for 2020 did not really pan out that well. We were in survival mode, and our plans got shifted quite a bit...

This year is same-same, but this year we know what we are in for. 

I was told last week to have patience. (I need to work on my emotional EQ.) I could have gone on the defensive, but I realised this is exactly the perfect advice for me in these times. I need patience, I must practise patience and I need to show patience to the people around me.

This is the perfect word to embrace when things are stuck and not moving as fast as you want them to. I was saying too much: "This is not acceptable!" 

Patience, my dear, you will get there! 😁

Try it! 

It works! 

Word for 2020

Word of the year - Grab

There is nothing more powerful than a word. A word for the year is a gift to yourself. This year I am going to GRAB life!

My word for 2019, Resilience, was a powerful word that kept me grounded. It gave me the confidence to power through when times were tough. I can give myself a pat on the back. I have the resilience to grab what life is offering me!

Life is giving us an opportunity. Sometimes we ignore it, and we can never go back! This time we are grabbing what comes to us! We are eager and excited! New beginnings and new adventures await us...

Thank you, Life!

What is your word for 2020?

2016 - a few notes on the start of the year!

This is the week that everything goes back to reality!
I have been back at work since last week, so it does not feel as alien, and I don't have the millions of emails to sort through!

Little Miss asked me this morning if school is going to start tomorrow. She was very relieved to hear that she has two whole days left of holidays!

Little Miss in 2016

- She is not as excited about Grade 2 as she was about Grade 1.
- She is also worried about bullies in her class this year. I told her that we would sort them as soon as they start with bullying. We have already asked that she not be placed in the same class as two kids who made her life miserable the previous years. (I hope so, but I trust the school will honour our request!)
- We bought a new school case, but I recycled most of her stationary from the previous years. She was upset at first, because it's "old"! Luckily the complaints stopped when we put everything in a new stationary box for school. You can't see the difference, and we saved a lot of money!
- She is getting big and I love all the conversations we are starting to have. Real existential questions and remarks. I was in awe last night about the depth of her understanding about spirituality!
- I will try to write it down and share it here! (If she allows me!)


MomAgain@40

- This little blog has only a year left before the 40 won't ring true anymore! (Heavens!!)
- Little Miss is also getting bigger, and I am starting to censor more about what is being put here!
- I have a year to decide what I am going to do with this blog, but I think I will re-purpose or start a new blog with a new theme! I still love blogging, the community of bloggers and what I have learnt while blogging!
(There is sooo much I have gained from my experience here!)


Me, Myself and I

Yes

- My word and my motto for this year is Yes! I already had the opportunity to say yes without thinking twice this year because of this!
- I have never regretted saying yes to new opportunities, and this year is going to be better and bolder!
- I still need to work on a Vision Board for 2016. It really works! (Does any one knows about a good Vision Board app? Off to search...)
- On the second of January of this year I became a vegetarian. I have always said that the moment I have to kill for my own food, is the moment I would stop to eat living things! I have been a hypocrite for most of my life! I am taking it day by day, but it is not as difficult to make other choices!
I still eat eggs and dairy which makes me a ovo-lacto vegetarian! (Little Miss tells me that I should stop eating eggs as well! For now I am feeling proud of myself for getting 10 days into the new year without eating any meat!) My family supports me, but it is difficult as we love to braai (barbeque)! My go-to food now for a braai is a mushroom! (Sorry Hubby!!)


The Student

- I feel unsettled about The Student as this is her year to start with a new job and finish the final studies.
- Everything is uncertain, and we don't know yet what is going to happen...


The Hubby

- I am extremely grateful for Hubby who keeps us together and fed!
- I am sorry for upsetting the equilibrium by becoming a vegetarian. (Thank you for taking it in your stride!)
- This year is going to be a better year for you as well! I know it and I feel it!


2016 is starting with new things, new challenges and lots of uncertainty!
BUT I have good feelings about 2016!


May 2016 be good to you as well!
What new things are in the pipeline that is worth sharing?

Yes! for 2016

Here we come!

Of course this holiday has raced to an end, and I did not do everything I wanted to do the last week of 2015!

2016, you are starting us off with a to-do list!

I uses this blog as a way to look back on a year. That makes me realize each time that I have more to be thankful for than a few disappointments and low budgets! We have family and we have good times together!

I have found my new word of the year 2016! 

It will be YES!

YES to new opportunities!

Saying YES to everything coming my way!

I don't have specific plans for 2016! Yet! 

But I will say YES to Life!

What is your word for 2016?


Related post:

Joy for 2014

Dream

Dream

My word of the year!
DREAM

Dream

It is not a itsy bitsy airy feathery thing...

It is a DREAM BIG
Dream HIGH
Dream FAR
Dream IMPOSSIBLE
Year!

2015 is going to be HUGE!

IT IS REACHING HIGHER THAN WE THINK IS POSSIBLE THIS YEAR!

Our dreams are keeping us on course!


May all your dreams for 2015 come true as well!

Joy for 2014

We had a great holiday season, and it was awesome to enjoy summer with the family. The lazy days of summer gave us a whole lot of breaths for 2014.

I can't say that I am super excited going back to work, but I have a feeling it is going to be a great year!

I haven't made a list this year!
I will just keep on saying yes to opportunities coming my way.
I have learnt that one opportunity creates another opportunity!

And I will embrace "JOY" for this year!
My previous word was peace, and I became aware of how much peace and joy are used in the same sentence!

What is the meaning of life if we can't have joy in our lives?


I hope you had a super ending to 2013, and that your 2014 will be filled with Joy!

En-joy 2014! (Big smile!)

Wordless Wednesday #173 - Peace doodle

Peace doodle by Cat from Juggling Act of Life

World Peace

"I want World Peace!"

;-) Of course!


But the only place I can make it happen is within myself, and around me!

I can happily say that I have peace in my life, and that my family and my home is a place of peace.
With great thanks to a wonderful Hubby who makes this possible as well!

I love a word for carrying so much meaning.

Peace is a state of being.
Peace is having equilibrium.
Peace is an atmosphere that permeates its surroundings.
Peace is the serenity in relationships.
Peace is the place we go to after a busy day.
Peace is the calm within calamity.
Peace is a blessing  I can share.

Peace is a CHOICE!

I got this word for my birthday last year, and I love looking at it everyday!

Peace is my word for 2013!

The year has already ticked off one month, but eleven months are still a long way to go.
I am still feeling that this year has gotten out of the starting block without me, but I am catching up...

Peace!


What is your word for this year?


Related post:
My word: Sorted

My word: Sorted

Lynette of Creative Moments inspires me each year about her word for the New Year. Her word is embrace.
Bron at Maxabella Loves also has a link-up with her word for the year: better.

Great words!


But I think I have a great inspirational word for this year.

My word for last year did not move. It did not even made a feeble flutter attempt. It did not move from the starting block!
Energy

Energy, you fell flat on your face!

I am reminded of a quote by Neale Donald Walsch:  "...in the absence of that Which You Are Not, that which you are—is not!"

But I am standing up again (it's a New Year!), dusting off all the cob-webs, and this year is going to be sorted BIG TIME!

It is not a word announcing that something is going to happen. No, it has been sorted already!

I am working on my achievable goals for the year. I am so sorted!
The Student is sorted at varsity, and The Toddler is sorted at Big School!

We are a family sorted! :D


Do you have a word for the year?
Does it work having a word for the year?

(Photo: Patrick Pretorius Photography)

Words you use daily with children in your life

Words that you do not think you would use that much! Words that would make us previously uncomfortable, now rolls with the easiest of ease from our tongues.

Words such as breast, or booby, or boob.

Poop, and pooh and pee.

Bum and bums.

Vagina! We even mention penis in our house a lot more, even though we are girls. We sometimes have to say: “You are a girl, because you have a vagina. Dad is a boy and he has a penis.”

Having children bring you back to the most basics of basics.
It is not supposed to be shied away from at all...
It is good to be back to basics!

Photo: Mieka with her five panties that I showed her today. She immediately pulled on all five, over the leotard she wanted to be dressed in for the day, and over her nappy.
(Potty training not happening very soon here, it seems...)

What words have you been using more often than you thought?

A weekend away: Season's Eco Golf Estate

Season's Eco Golf Estate

It was bitterly cold here, but we had a lovely weekend not too far from home!
The walks in the winter sun, lots and lots of food, red wine and the fireplace helped to keep us warm!

The only "wild" animals we encountered...

But we had some "wild" visitors at the chalet!

The toddler: "Check!" (In English). 
We had to "check" the whole weekend long. A word she most probably picked up at day care.

Also "Jis!", which we think comes from the "Yes's!" that her dad and grandfather screamed during the rugby of the weekend! We are trying to replace it with a proper "Yes"!

Lots of stuff for the toddler to do!

Even a "ride" on Spiderman, although it was not working...(Luckily she is still at the age where she does not mind that the toys are not moving. She gets her thrills from sitting on it!)

The scary staircase, which did not phase the toddler at all!

Of course, the weekend has gone by in a swoosh!
What did you do to keep warm?

Morning's first photo at day care #19 - "Plane, not school today!"

Mieka with much-loved Teacher Lee-Anne

The Toddler had other plans for this morning. She wants to go on a plane! NOT to school! I totally agree with the Monday morning sentiments!
I don't know where the plane idea is coming from. She has never been on a plane, and there has not been any discussions of us going on a plane trip...

I promised! We are going on a plane trip in the future! I like the idea!

She is also now saying the word plane in Afrikaans correctly. She used to say "vlieghuis" (fly-house), but now the correct "vliegtuig"! (That's why we need to write down theese cute word creations before they are not heard anymore...)

Walking with the Toddler

One of the best places to be: On Daddy's back!

I wanted to post this on Friday, but Blogger had other plans. More that 24 hours of down-time... That was really frustrating!

We have to fetch the Teen every night at half past five after she has finished with her hockey practice!
I know all parents have to struggle with this, but all this driving and taxiing back-and-forth is a big headache. It takes just a little bit less of an hour before we get back home. So I suggested we get something from it as well. We walk with the Toddler in the back carrier and get some much-needed exercise as well! We drive to the school, and while we wait, we get in an exercise of at least half an hour!

I have announced now a couple of times I want to move more, but it seems the daily business of it all makes me slip time and again. I hope we can continue with this little exercise... We all feel a little bit better after we have worked up a sweat, and the Toddler really enjoys being outdoors!

Late afternoon walk in the 'burbs

Toddler word creations: Flying House Bow

I want to record all the creative words that the Toddler uses while she acquires language. Her first language is Afrikaans, and it is not always possible to get the same connotation when trying to translate to English.

You tend to forget the cute word usage, as well as how they combine different word meanings.

(Don’t forget to write down these cute words. It stays a source of great delight when reading it back years later... Wink smile)

The Toddler came up with “vlieghuisboog” on Wednesday. “Vlieghuis” is her word for airplane. Literally translated it means “flying house”. In Afrikaans it should be “vliegtuig”, but no matter how many times we have tried to correct her, she still uses the same word.

We saw a rainbow (Afrikaans: reënboog), and showed it to her. The next moment she came up with this word: “vlieghuisboog” – “flying house bow”!
It just shows how the little mind works…

Cute! (I am allowed to say it!)

My Word of the Year: Energy

Lynette at Creative Moments has come up with her word for the year: Breathe! I love the idea of a word chosen for a specific year. It is like a mantra you can resort to every time things start to feel overwhelming! Thanks, Lynette, I am borrowing it as well! (I hope I am allowed?)

I have been walking around, thinking racking my brains about my word. I went back to my post about my New Year’s resolutions: 2011 – Here we come! Fun and a healthy lifestyle springs to the fore!  I can come back to me again! Does that sentence make sense? I have been focusing on the baby/toddler now for about three years. The pregnancy, and then Ta-Da!: 24/7 Mieka!

We won’t give her less attention or love, but she is beginning to become her own little person. And sometimes she is keeps busy all on her own! Last night she “watered” plants in the garden for longer than half an hour. Give her pen and paper, and it is a sure 15 minutes (at least) where the toddler keeps busy! *sigh of relief!*

I want to do things for myself again, and I want to exercise. The words Vitality & Motion and Move-ment come to mind. Motion is Energy and Energy is Life. Life is Source (God). Source going right back/forward to the endless ebb and flow of Life itself. Energy in Motion!

Energy is not a calming word, but the mere mention of it gives me a kick of the much-needed Life I need this year. I want to be good to myself, and I want to MOVE! Literally and figuratively!

Energy! Works for me!

What is your word?