Life’s Rosie

What’s Your Super Power??

Some people don’t know this but we all have a super power. Think about all those supers out there with special powers.

There is Superman with super strength & what not. How about Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Wonderwoman, Bionic Man, Spiderman, The Fantastic 4, The Invisible Man, Powerpuff Girls Thor, The Arrow Guy, The Green Lantern, Black Widow, Batman, The Incredibles and many more. They are all unique. They have something that makes them special. I love going to the movies- I feel amazing when I come out of the cinema. I feel super!! I feel like I can do anything!!

I don’t know about you but I have a few super powers. I once told a kid that I was a fairy 🧚‍♀️. You might laugh at me but here’s the thing- I really am a fairy 🧚‍♀️ because I can sprinkle my magic everywhere!

I sprinkle my positivity wherever I can and in my mind that is my super power. It maybe a comment, a smile or a hug but my magic is circling the world right now!! I love that I can do that. It doesn’t cost me anything and often or not it makes someone’s day.

So tell me what’s your super power??

Are you a magician with computers/printers or any technology?? If you are can you come and magic my printer into action? LOL.

Are you a whizz with a sewing machine?? Work that magic! Are you a grammar geek?? How about your cooking skills? What about writing- any good??

Your super power is YOUR gift. You need to choose how to use it. No matter what it is, Sprinkle it everywhere!!

Rosie 🌹

Dancing Queen

A very large part of my life at the moment is encompassed by dancing. Miss Highland Dancer has been dancing since she was 4. That’s like 8 years now. I signed her up for dancing because she was the quietest little kid around.

This girl (she would be about 5 in this picture) wouldn’t say boo to a goose. It is scary to think she was like that but then there is a family history there too.

I was quite similar as a child and very very shy although we know that’s not true nowadays, I was terrified as a kid. It was’t until I moved overseas that things changed and I had to step out of my comfort zone …..so how many times a day.

It was terrifying. This is why I chose to start her earlier so she would have time to build her confidence and develop the ability to express herself freely in her own time. Besides, she is quite arty so I thought dancing would be a great medium to get her started.

Anyways, it was a great idea (at the time) although I don’t think I really knew what I was getting myself into. I learned fast and quick in the world of highland dancing. I picked up tips about competitions, what to expect. I also worked out much to my dismay that my job had suddenly changed to psychologist, shopper, hairdresser, maid, confidence builder, training chief and chauffeur or i think the current term is Uber.

Miss Highland Dancer began competing in 2012. It has been the only thing that she has continued to do over the years. We tried soccer, hockey, gymnastics and swimming but nothing stuck like dancing. The process has been slow and steady and stressful at times. Quite a lot of times). I reckon this is one of the reasons I have grey hair. It’s been a tough old life. Purchasing outfits, the practicing (I become the enemy) is painful and traveling. O-M-G so much traveling.

We travel all over the country to compete. We had a competition last weekend in Marton & this weekend we will be in Whangarei for another one. Highland dancing is all year round.

Although there is a massive commitment to this sport- I just look at the child I have now and think – crikey this is my kid. My positive out of all this is simply that I have a kid that loves what she does and as a parent I will move mountains to make her dreams come true. Seeing her happy is all the good I need today.

If you wanna know more about Highland dancing in New Zealand , just Click here or google Scotdance NZ. You can also see international events at different sites in each country. Check this out Events. There is so much happening in highland dancing around the world!! It’s a neat thing to be part of, grey hair and all!!

Happy dancing peeps!! Stay positive.

Rosie 🌹

Fit as a fiddle

I have these little things pop up daily on my Instagram and Pinterest feeds. I do re-post some of them because sometimes you get a cracker!! I love things like this because they keep me sane and remind me that I do need to put in some work to be the person I want to be. Sometimes I just want to be me – Rosie.

Seeing these things makes me think, oh yes, I shall stick a workout into my day easy as. BUT lets be honest, who LOVES working out? Certainly not me but I do love food so I am stuck in a viscous circle. I LOVE to eat and hence I need to exercise. Lets face it, I am not getting any younger and the body isn’t going to get any skinnier with me just sitting around all day long. Bahahaha

How many mum’s do you know that sit around all day doing nothing? Hmmmm, yep not very many to be fair. We are always busy with laundry, making beds, tidying up, cleaning, putting clothes away, picking up toys, go back and clean what you already cleaned,putting more things away, stepping on lego, yelling at the cat, grocery shopping, baking, chasing the cat who has a mouse attached to its jaws, mowing lawns, preparing dinner, cooking dinner, making lunches, packing backs, driving kids to activities, school drop off /pick up, emptying bags, putting things away and don’t forget that we also go to work.

Trying to fit a ‘quick workout’ around all that is quite hard.

I had a gym membership for about a year and I went 3 times a week after work. It was actually quite hard because I would be at the gym, thinking about what I am cooking for dinner, whether someone might bring the washing off the line for me AND fold it or how the rest of the afternoon is going to fit in to the remaining few hours of the day.

Needless to say…….I don’t go to the gym anymore.

download (1) Part of the problem was fitting it in to the times the gym was open. Small town syndrome – our gym isn’t open after 7 pm (weird). Also the fact that there are super models and weight trainers there – well they just put me off and make me feel even more self conscious. I used to feel like everyone was watching or judging me when I know in my head that other folks were there doing exactly what I was doing. I cancelled my membership and thought about how I was going to make this work for me.

At first I thought, it’s not going to work – but quickly turned that negative around to a more positive and achievable – how can I make it work?

Turns out it’s actually doable. I found that I was trying to fit ‘me time’ (as I call it) around everything else so I changed my strategy to fitting everything else around me. Honestly, how often do you get to go off and do something for yourself? Not often I would say. So I sat there and thought about how I could make it work for me.

The best time for me is first thing in the morning when no one else is up. I can sit there and make an arse of myself while no one is looking quite happily. Sometimes, when I am not working I wait until the kids have gone and then I quickly pop a video on and follow it. Its quite refreshing. I then find myself vacuuming away doing lunges, squats when I pick stuff up and if i find something heavy I use it to help with my arm lifts.

My cats look at me as if I’m a nut case. I can take their judgement – they lick their butts. I swear – they look like they are laughing but just you wait and see this fab body turn and chase you & your little mice dangling from your mouth right out the house. See who is laughing then!!

A few tips – I just searched on Instagram for fitness videos. Think about what you want to achieve – legs? Arms? Butt? Everything? I just put in a search for arm workouts or ab workouts . Click that little save button at the bottom of the picture and voila!! You have the start of a fitness routine to do whenever you want. If you can, find some resistance bands and there are plenty of videos around with some great stretches and exercises.

Well I will leave you to find yourself today. Be safe….

Rosie x

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Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe

I LOVE this quote!! It resonates with me. I think about who I want to be around and what I hope people see in me. I love happiness. I enjoy seeing my family & friends happy. In my mind, if I want to be around happy people, then I assume happy people want to be surrounded by positivity and happiness as well.

Not that long ago, I was in a VERY dark place. I was surrounded by people who couldn’t find joy in anything. It wasn’t fun having people squirming their negativity all over me. I felt rubbish ALL the time. I wasn’t happy with anything and slowly this filtered through to my job and my family life. I began to hate my job, I found faults in everything. I was unhappy at home. You know the worst thing? I didn’t realize how much it was influencing me until my kids told me I was always looking at what’s wrong and not what was going well. And let me tell you if your kids say that, then your in trouble.

What really gave me perspective was a skype chat with my really godd friend. We sat and talked for AGES with a cuppa in hand, crying and laughing. Friendship (good friends that is) are the best tonic EVER and it helps you find balance. We talked about our troubles. She told me of her similar struggles and then reminded me that we were always cheery and happy.

We talked about how we are always in control of what we see and hear. If you’re surrounded by negative people, sooner or later you will become as negative as them!! And who wants that?! Nope, not me.

Only YOU can change that. Small changes can bring about big results. Changing your mindset is a hard thing to do, but if I can do it then so can you.

Start small by slowly stepping away from negative people. Limiting your exposure of negativity isn’t easy and I know that because I found it hard to say no to some of my friends who wanted to catch up because they were feeling down. I found myself feeling just as crappy as them so I slowly began cutting back time I spent with certain people and slowly the light began to shine through. Everything wasn’t as miserable as I once thought. Then I revamped my social media feeds (FB, Instagram, Pinterest) by following a few links with positive affirmations and soon enough I started to see things like this which reminded me to pick up my game and think about me!!

Visual representations of positive quotes daily will help you start to change your outlook in general. I can promise you this- you often can’t change what’s happening around you but you can change how you look at it!!

Here are a few ideas for your search to begin your journey to a positive mindset.

Positivity
Inspirational quotes
Positive vibes
Positive quotes of the day

Remember that one small positive thought in the morning can shape your whole day.

Have a positively wonderful day 💙

Rosie 🌹

All Smiles…..

Good morning,

I hope this finds you well. I want to share something (about someone) that inspired me to write to you. It brought tears to my eyes capturing this precious moment but I believe it’s too good not to share.

This blog is about inspiring people through my experiences. I had reason to be inspired and wanted to make you smile because it made me smile and cry.

Miss Highland Dancer had her college / high school interview yesterday. I hate interviews. I can go in like a bull in a china shop, have verbal diarrhea or talk the hind legs off a donkey. But not Miss HD. Now, I could see before we stepped into the principals office that she was pretty nervous. Crikey, I was freaking out!!

She was nervous……but happy. This was her choice. It’s where she wanted to be. This is her direction. She has plans, knows what she wants to achieve and this is where she wants to make that happen. Plans of fashion and interior design plus a few more ideas!!

This girl spent 15 minutes of her life convincing 3 women that she is meant to be at this school. She convinced me. I saw happiness, eagerness and desire. She showed me how much this means to her in those few minutes.

Guess what?? When we started talking about college a year ago, she was so against this school. I reckon it wasn’t because it’s a boarding school but more so that she wanted to go to the local college because she thought her friends (well some of them) would be going there. I can see her reasoning.

She has gone through kindy and primary school with the same girls. They have grown up together, practically lived at each other’s houses, have the same outfits, went to the same schools so far and even been in the same class. This is my baby. She will always be my baby. But she learned something new today.

Since we started talking about high school, she discovered that most of her friends are going away to school and if she went to the local college (High school), well it could be different. She discovered that what she wants to achieve might not be able to happen at the local college. She learned that her choices could be different.

She learned that although her friends may be going to different schools, they won’t lose their friendship. If anything it can only get stronger. She learned that they are all making a similar choices based on what they want to achieve in their lives.

She found out that the more she looked at the good things about this school the more she actually liked what she saw.

When we went for the open day, she discovered that she really liked what she saw. She found herself chatting with friends from dancing, the holiday programme, from camps and even some school friends. She discovered that this school has some classes that she wants to attend, sports activities she wants to try and the boarding area is super cool!! She found that she actually loved it. So when it came down to the interview, she knocked their socks off with her passion about this.

Miss Highland Dancer showed me everything I have been teaching her in those 15 minutes. She got her 15 minutes of fame in my eyes.

The point of this is simple.

Sometimes we need to change our mindset so we can see the possibilities!! She is only 12 and she managed to do that!! My cute, cuddly baby is now 12 and starting a new journey.

So much has happened in a small space of time. She will always be my baby but my baby just grew up so much today. A precious moment to add to the others I have collected over the years!!

What’s your special moment today?? Just stop and think, then hold it!! I bet it makes you smile 😊. It’s your job to pay it forward.

Now it’s your turn to be the reason someone smiles today.

Rosie 🌹

Karate Kid

Proud mum moment that I wanted to share with you. Karate Kid recently attended a camp at Wakarara in Central Hawkes Bay (where we live). This camp is open to all NZ Goju Ryu Karate Clubs. The camp hosts training sessions and opportunities for participants to grade. These are usually organised a couple of times each year in different locations and we are lucky to be host one of them.

Camp Wakara is an old school which is now set up to host camps. Its a really neat place with cabins full of beds, a neat workable kitchen, toilet/shower facilities and an awesome outdoor area. Both my kids love going there. As parents, it was real neat to be able to help out a bit with the running of this camp. Our job was organizing lunch/dinner for all the participants. Even just for a day, we could show Karate Kid that he is just a special to us (even though he talks A LOT) as his highland dancing big sister.

He rocked his camp coming second in his kata competition. He then pulled off another grading moving up a level from blue with black tips to a yellow belt.

He loves his karate which is why I call him the karate kid. He has been doing this since he was 5 years old. We put him in there because he needed an outlet to ‘let loose’ in. He does have swimming lessons as well but he really isn’t the active kid like Miss Highland Dancer so we had to find something else. Also he was quite sulky so giving him an outlet meant he could learn to channel his feelings in a good way. It has helped to ground him, give him discipline and he knows how to defend himself should he need to do so.

Another little fact for you: When we got our black and white cat, it is Karate Kids cat and he named him Itch which means number 1 in Japanese.

Its so good to know we have made good choices for our kids. If your thinking about this for your child/ren, then this is a good option. Hop on this link and see if there is a Goju Ryu near you.

Happy hunting friends.

Rosie x

Bookworm

Check these two out. I love these moments. It’s a small moment like this in my day that helps me ‘forget’ about the ‘other’ moments.

What books do you like or your kids enjoy? I love crime novels, sci-fi, mysteries and even historical novels. I prefer chunky books and sometimes there is nothing like a good comedy to bring happiness to your soul.

My love of reading began when I was in my 20’s and when I had kids I decided they would start young so I introduced my kids to books from about 3 months old.

We started by reading to them every night before they went to bed. We wanted to set up good habits. My favourite kids book is “I know a Rhino” . It’s the tattiest book we own and one I will never give up. We have musical books such as The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith because I wanted them to see books are fun. In a technology rich world they needed to learn that books are so cool and they come in different formats such as CD read-a-longs, paper backs, online in Kindle or YouTube.

In my mind, books are wonderful tools that not only stretch the mind, they help rest your brain from your day. Books are moment in time when you can get lost in someone else’s world. I love chilling with a good book.

When my kids reached Primary School I introduced them to the Magic Treehouse collection which are fictional books with a twist. For example, one of the books they loved was Dolphins at Daybreak because even though the story itself was fictional, the facts are real. They moved on to Ronald Dahl (my personal favourite is George’s Marvellous Medicine). Then there was David Williams, then The Chronicles of Narnia and now we are on Percy Jackson.

I love that my kids enjoy books and choose to read at different times of the day. When I get up in the morning, I often find them in bed with their book in hand. They still read for an hour or so every night before bed and just sometimes I catch them like above – reading to each other.

When you find that perfectly magical moment – just hold it, like I do.

Remember the good moments because those moments often become the best memories.

Be happy bookworms.

Rosie 🌹

Laughing – Tonic for the Soul

There is nothing like a good laugh to get you going. I do stupid stuff the time. I can fall upstairs, choke on fresh air and snort when I laugh. I am often other people’s entertainment so I need to find my own. I love the minions. I have board on Pinterest which just gives me the giggles.

My other LMAO and possibly hysteria causing tonic is Michael McIntyre. He is funny!! One of my favourite sketches of his is about women getting ready to go out and the part about mahogany mummy (fake tans) is the best. I think what i love the most is that he takes his daily experiences and shares them with us through comedy. If you can squeeze some time in for a laugh, watch the sketches about his kids. I reckon you will be able to see the funny side of his daily life.

I follow him on Instagram & FB. I usually find myself laughing my ass off first thing in the morning.

Just because…….. here is another sketch that you just might like!! Hopefully you enjoy Michael McIntyre as much as I do!

Trust me you will be laughing all day!! And just for kicks……

Rosie 🌹

Thought for the day…

Remember I said that one positive thought in the morning can shape your whole day? Well here I am again to inspire you to think positively. How many times do you wake up in the morning and think arrggghhhh I really don’t want to get up today or here we go again? Or your get tiny hole in your stockings and then say to yourself, well that’s going to run – and it does. Or you look out the window and see its raining and think I am going to soaked in that rain- and you do. Or there’s not enough milk for a cuppa and you think that’s going to ruin my day – and it does.

Do you see the pattern?? I reckon that happens A LOT (well it used to happen to me much more often than it does now). Don’t you thinks it time to change that? Here’s a tip – you need to think it before you manifest it.

I used to wake up and hope that it was the weekend because then I wouldn’t be at work. These days I am up and moving with much less drama and if I am honest, most days I move slowly because I really don’t like waking up with my alarm. Nowadays, getting up is much easier because I set my day up positively in my head before my feet touch the ground.

Take me right now. My current situation is that I am working as relieving teacher so I get a call in the morning and I go to work. Its not everyday but can be or it can be sporadic. I can tell you that I secretly wish for a day off sometimes and other times like today I seriously wish I have permanent job. That wasn’t first thing this morning though – nope! Today I didn’t want to get up at all. I just wanted to stay in bed, be warm and maybe sleep more but seriously knew that I wouldn’t sleep more because I had to be the motivator for Miss Highland Dancer and the Karate Kid. SO, when I get like that I start the thinking process and change my attitude. I go through social media and find some positive quotes that mean something to me at the time. I just go looking for a happy thought and I may post it to Instagram. This boosts me up and I am ready to tell myself to have an amazingly productive day. My next thing is to make a list (I like lists). My list had 5 things on it that I can achieve today. Just FIVE (feijoas, CV, groceries, outdoor stuff & job hunt). No point trying to over stretch myself – something always comes up and then your list is right out the window. (I will talk about lists another day).

Then I set my happy positive thought. I CAN DO THIS.

Guess what? It worked I dropped the feijoas to school (we are not fond of them but we seem to have so many), I tweaked my CV, did the grocery shop, stained the garden furniture (main chore) and then surfed the net for teaching jobs. The upside of that is I feel really cool right now because I have actually ticked off the jobs that really needed done.

So when you wake up tomorrow morning and think holy crap I have a meeting today or here we go again – make into something more positive!! I am just going to throw a couple examples at you to give you an idea.

That meeting today is going to be soooo quick.
The I don’t want to go to work – I can’t wait to see Nancy at work
Hole in your stockings – I will shave my legs and get those babies out today
Soaked in the rain – I can shop for a cool umbrella ( love shopping)
No milk for a cuppa – I will pick up a coffee at my favourite cart

Think about the good stuff and the rest will fall into place!! I know its not always easy to find a positive in a negative but you will never make a change if you don’t try!

Well I am going to leave this right here for you and wish you a great night! Be safe, be positive and be you.

Rosie x

A Little Rosie…..

hi there2

WELCOME!!!

Hey, how awesome to see you here on my blog!! Let me introduce myself.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

My name is Rosie. I am originally from Scotland but live in NZ with my hubby and 2 kids. My Karate kid is almost 10 years old and he can talk the hind legs off a donkey. He can be very funny, helpful and then other times I could quite happily throttle him. Then I have Miss Highland Dancer who is 12 years old & is the complete opposite to her younger brother. Although we are currently going through the ‘tweens’ stage with her, she is actually a sweet girl.

Me, well I am a qualified early childhood teacher and have been teaching for over 25 years. My jobs as Nanny, Kindy Teacher and now Primary School teacher have enabled me to visit different parts of the world (hence the Kiwi hubby). I have been living in NZ for 12 years and absolutely love it here. I have made heaps of new friends and although I do get itchy feet every now and then. We are super lucky to have this neat wee corner of bliss in Hawkes Bay which we share with our two cats Tinsel & Itch (number 1 in Japanese).

I have a few hobbies which i have to fit in around my kids after school activities. I love books, movies, music, food and some times I really do participate in some sort of fitness. My kids are busy and with me not getting any younger, I need to be able to keep up with them, therefore I do try!!

WHY AM I HERE?

Honestly?! I see so many people around me that just look unhappy, or are miserable with a job or just can’t seem to find an ‘upside’ in life so I have given myself the job of being your INSPIRATION. That’s where I try to find the positive in daily life experiences. Its often hard to do especially when we have so much going on but I thought I would share my experiences with you and perhaps we can change the world together!!

WHAT”S GOING TO HAPPEN NOW?

Watch this space for some of the things (good or bad) that happen in my life and how I make them seem less trivial by looking for the positives. I love sharing positive quotes and I have a few places where you can look to get a little inspiration. I will post ideas to help you once or twice a week.

Also your positive comments will mean the world to me so please drop me a line to say hi, say something sweet or even ask me a question> Now please be aware that I may not know the answer but I will ask the Karate Kid because he knows everything……LOL.

Check out my social media links and follow me for some positive in your life. Lets get started!! Have a great night, until next time, stay positive – kia kaha!!

Rosie x

positive thoughts

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