time for 'New Year' goals...

At this time of year I like to think and reflect - and start the year with 'new goals' and a re-freshened focus... Today I started to write down some of my (business) goals - and I must admit already I am confused...



Or more so, already I can see that perhaps the goals aren't right for me!? Just a page of planning the directions and ideas I have for A Little Creative - and already I can see that it seems too much!

I'm lucky I guess to have lots of good ideas, and to have built a business that has so much potential... but what I have learnt more than anything the past couple of years is that my business thinking and actions must come secondary to my family life - and in particular, looking after myself must rank higher than it ever has before.

I love my business. I love what I have achieved so far... but I am in a bit of a quandary... rethinking really: what is the point of it all?

Part of it is to be ME. To exercise my creative mind and my intellect.. to try to prove that I can make money my way, doing the things that I enjoy... But the reality is that a focus on MONEY so often doesn't make sense or blurs the true focus of my creative goals...



It's not that I want to 'give up' on my goals... But if I learn anything from last year - it is that I really do have to change. I have to DO LESS... to pull back a heck of a lot.. so I am left with my list of 'business priorities/product ideas' and the realisation that I really can't do it all - and I need to now CHOOSE which part(s) to focus on... But I don't know what to choose!?

I can see which bits are the most "commercial" - which could lead to a better income in a more straight-forward way... but I don't know if I want to choose them..? - sounds dumb I know.. But I guess it comes down to the whole "meaning of life" stuff.

There is stuff that I want to do that has absolutely nothing at all to do with money! In fact I HATE the way our society is.. I hate mass-consumerism, and just so much about how our society functions..

The core values behind my business are: education, and wanting to encourage, inspire and enable others (and myself!) to be more creative... Yet, you turn it into a business - and the focus so quickly seems to be all about money.

Hmmm... I guess my instinct is telling me just to choose whatever the hell I want to do that is essentially the FUN stuff, and the personal-challenge items. Just to look at my list and choose what I want to do most. Some items I may drop completely.. others I will plod along with... But I think I just need a bit of time to be a bit more aimless.... less driven... to have no significant deadlines or goals - to hopefully enable me to breathe more.. To be ME. The me who is a mum, who is a creative person and an entrepreneurial person.. but doesn't have much time.. and doesn't have all the answers!

So I guess I'm saying that my real GOALS for this year are to be more FREE. To focus more on living, enjoying life, and being creative - rather than 'running a business'.

Creatively I am READY and looking forward to illustrating some children's books that I have recently written. That has always been a goal and a dream of mine.. and I can tell that the time for that has now come!

I also want to just 'play' more and let my creative juices flow... Business-wise I guess I will translate that into being more interesting blog-posts on my website - a way to encourage and inspire others...

My business is all about inspiring others to be creative... and recently my own creativity has been quite stifled and limited. I just need to make, paint, sketch, design - without there being a specific 'purpose'... My values in life are very much about stepping away from the mass-consumerist society that we live in - so I want to LIVE my life much more in that direction by just making everyday things that are useful, pleasurable, practical and enjoyable.. Which means using quie a range of mediums and materials: making gifts, making clothes, creating as a hobby, cooking more, recycling, etc. etc.

Yep. I just want to live from day to day and enjoy it all. A Little Creative will still exist and grow - but I am changing the focus a LOT: the spotlight is no longer on IT, it is now more on me, family and life in general.. - Whatever that means! xoxoxo

a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Oh we have had an absolutely wonderful Christmas - so I thought I'd share some pics and the events of our day...

Thanks to the time that the sun starts to rise here in Queensland, our kids are always quite early risers... they both awoke before 5am - and I tried to keep them quiet and convince them that an extra hour's sleep was needed - but Curtis knew it was Christmas and just had to look downstairs to see if Santa had been... It was SO cute to see him shake with excitement when he saw the half-chomped carrots outside that had been left for the reindeer. He then raced to the table to see if Santa had eaten his cookies and milk and was so excited to see this - he ran straight past all the pressies without even noticing! - Tilly of course noticed the pressies and right on 5am they both started opening them up!

Once the pressies were ripped open - they wanted to get straight into painting the drum and recorder they had got... I don't think it is the best idea to play the drum with wet-paint on it - but Curtis enjoyed it!

Tilly continued her painting onto some pine-cones...

Finally grandparents arrived for a cooked breakfast and more gift-giving.. Ben was already the victim of the zinc-cream, but enjoyed opening his gifts..

Then for some 'quiet' time - where we could play with the new pressies and lie around a bit...

 I took the chance to do more stitching on my place mats which were to be a gift for my mum.

Tilly enjoyed doing more of the creative things making plasticine flowers:

Finally we got dressed and out of the house for a dip at the local beach, then back home for a rest. Before heading around to my parents place for more family pressies and our evening Christmas dinner. But first the annual Christmas race on the lake was on and Ben headed out with both Tilly and Curtis on the kayak with him...

The rest of us sat and watched...

Ben kept them in the middle of the pack - and fortunately did not lose a child overboard, and Tilly was delighted to win the 'best costume' of the race in her red swimmers, safety jacket, antler ears and mask!

Finally the long awaited dinner arrived - it wasn't long until we were all full, and putting away the left over for Boxing day... It couldn't have been a better day!

Boxing Day arrived with blue skies and fortunately a little bit of a sleep-in from kids who had had a late night and very eventful day... A slow morning at home just playing with toys, reading books, watching a show... then off to the beach at Happy Valley to meet up with friends and have a swim..

In the afternoon the kids went to the new water-park with David, Becci and Pop giving Ben and I couple of hours free - in which Ben set about repairing his surfboard in anticipation of better surf conditions due in the next few days...

We enjoyed eating lollies, choccies and left-overs all day - and I am sure I'm doing a good job of putting back on the kilos I lost when I was sick..

Another great day - and we still can't get over how happy we are living up here on the beautiful Sunshine Coast!

Looking forward to 2014

I have so lost track of time...

Someone reminded me this morning that Christmas day is next week. WHAT!?? Next week!??? - I honestly thought there was another whole week up my sleeve.. But no. Today is the 16th of Dec and in 9 days the fat man will have already left all his pressies under the tree.. (which means I'd better bloody pull my finger out!)

I have a good reason to be 'out of sorts'. As I've probably said in my last few posts I have been quite unwell and run down. Lately I have just been kept super busy with lots of dr and specialists appointments and tests etc.

This morning I went to hospital (day surgery) and had an iron infusion - yay! Quite looking forward to getting the benefits of that with extra energy soon - though supposedly it takes a few weeks for the iron to be converted properly in the blood.

Also recently I've had a thyroid ultrasound which revealed a lump... I then had to have a biopsy on said lump.. and I have to leave in a moment to go to my Dr to get the results.. I must admit I am a little bit freaked out - as I rang the Dr suregery earlier on to check that those results were in or not, and the receptionist took a while to check.. and then finally said 'Yes' they are in.. and 'The Dr wanted to discuss some of the results with me" - SHIT!

Anyway.. time to go now... If it's bad news, I'll surely let you know about it. If it's good - I'll probably be too busy stressing out about Christmas to get a chance to write here soon xoxo