Happy 2nd Birthday, Mia

Dear Mia, you’ve turned 2, two, wow!! Happy birthday.

we have a 2-year-old!!

What a fabulous few weeks we’ve had leading up to your 2nd birthday. Those two years have flown by, Pabbi and I can hardly believe we have a two-year-old. You’re just wonderful and we cannot wait to see how this year grows, and the challenges and lessons it will bring with it.

Peppa Pig theme

Much like many toddlers, you love Peppa Pig and so, of course, this became the theme of the celebrations and I had to make you (not one but two) Peppa Pig cakes. This was so much fun and I love making you things that you can enjoy and keep looking back on. The 17th of June is the Icelandic National Day, a day where children get balloons and so your Auntie got us to take her to two stores to hunt down a Peppa Pig balloon for you.

sunshine

Born on the summer solstice (just like your older cousin, Nori), Iceland didn’t fail us with a beautifully sunny day on the 21st of June. We took full advantage of this and went on a road trip to Hrunalaug, a fabulous natural pool and Mummy vlogged the trip.

Watch the video

Road trip

We headed out for the day to Hrunalaug Natural pool, a hot spring on farmland just outside Flúðir. It’s an easy drive around an hour away from Reykjavik. The pool is a little hard to find if following google maps but drive through Flúðir, take the left turn off, keep driving onto the gravel road for 10mins or so and then you will see a small village with a very cute church. Pass by the village and take the farm road on the right, there is a small car park on the left after a few minutes - you will see the car where you pass to go to the pool. This donation helps with the upkeep of the site.

The change hut is basic but authentic. There is a bench and bin, don’t leave anything behind. This is where they used to bathe the sheep so it’s a basic structure and small pool but is fabulous. There’s a chest-deep pool at the end of the turn house and then a larger pool to the side, this is where they use to wash the sheep. The water is a lovely temperature - we got very lucky with the weather.

OOTD

Mia loves a good tutu so naturally, Mummy dressed her in a pink tutu for our road trip and then a light green tutu for her birthday party. She rocked both but look at her in her pink trainers, far too cute.

the Cake

The theme was Peppa Pig and so I got to work making a cake decoration. As fondant icing is hard to come by here in Iceland, I made Peppa out of clay and painted her, this way Mia can keep her and we could use her on both cakes. Yes, I made one for her birthday and then another the following week for her party.

the Decorations

We made it as easy as we could and reused decorations from previous celebrations. The hearts were from a friend’s Hen Party which I held in our home just before lockdown and the paper tassel string was leftover from our wedding. We got the 2 ballon in a local shop and that was the only new item we bought. We tried to be as green as we could and so we used our own plates and reusable straws and used up the paper cups we had.

mia’s Presents

A very lucky girl, Mia got some fabulous gifts and we are so grateful. Due to the fact that there is a pandemic going on, we live on a tiny island with few shopping options and well, it’s only sensible to socially distance from Malls right now - we went down the second-hand route for gifts and actually got some fab things via the local charity shop and Facebook pages. We gifted Mia a trike which she is jet to use. One of those Wheelybug ride-on-toy cows (second hand) which she wasn’t fussed about, toy cars (second hand) which she loves, and a chair for her little table (which I up-cycled both the table and chair to suit our living room and be used as a blackboard - she loves it.

I went to IKEA to get the popup tent and tunnel they have but due to the current situation, pretty much everything was sold out and new stock was somewhere in a shipping container so I turned to Facebook and got a nearly new one from someone downtown.

She also got a lot of great gifts from family and friends including some very thoughtful books, a cute rucsack, and some bubbles.

Happy 2nd Birthday, darling Mia (our little monkey mouse) xx

My Recession Survival Story

Recessions happen

And they’ll happen again, so it’s a good idea to not only prepare ourselves, and our businesses, but also think about what we’re consuming and listen to right now in the hope of staying sane and finding the little glimpses of hope and happiness. There are some positive things that can come out of challenging economic times, but where are those stories?

There is so much worry and anxiety out there right now, and I want to share a little bit of hope so I’m sharing my story from the recession of 2008 - it started out pretty damn doom and gloom but boy, was it an adventure and I have no regrets.

Watch The Video

at the start of my career

I was just at the start of my professional career as an Architect. I remember standing in a sandwich shop, at lunchtime, buying my lunch and looking over the newspaper front pages seeing graphics and headlines about the economic downturn and job loses. Naively, I didn’t think it would affect me. I knew it affected the economy, things like house prices but not me, not my job. I was in for quite a shock.

I had it all; a promising career, a boyfriend, and had just bought my first home. But then there’s never a good time for this kind of thing to happen.

chartered architect

When the recession hit, you could feel the atmosphere change. I was undertaking my professional exams to become a Chartered Architect. Studying hard, late one night, I got a call from my brother telling me that my Dad had passed away. I dropped everything and went to the hospital. Over the next few days, I stayed home with my family, and in that time my lovely new home was broken into and ransacked. My laptop was stolen, study notes and all.

My exams were looming and I had to get my head down and pass, if not for me, for my Dad and my family. The written exam was a 48hour test under examination conditions, so I was locked away in a back room of the office. This meant I was almost unaware of what was going on in the office, other than when I popped out for a cup of coffee. The atmosphere was different, not everyone was there and some were clearing their desks. At the end of day one, I had to know. My boss came into the room and I asked him if I still had a job. He told me they had to let me go.

I packed up everything and left. I left the office, the exam, called my Mum and sister who met me at my home with some comfort food. We ate, chatted, got upset, got angry, cried, and then I went back to my exam and got it done. A few weeks later I found out I passed.

A Chartered Architect at the start of my career, and unemployed. I managed to get a temporary contract and worked on some fabulous listed buildings, this gave me great experience but the contract came to an end.

Considering self-employment?

I looked into being self-employed but I had little experience and there were not a huge amount of jobs to go after. I needed something to focus on, put my energy and brain into so I set up Layoutlines. I was updating my CV and portfolio, and spending hours on LinkedIn. One day I got a message from a recruiter for a Design School in Singapore. It felt so surreal, out of the blue in a sea of unemployment and negativity. I followed up and was soon on a skype interview.

headed to India

They offered me a job teaching architectural design in one of their new campuses in India. I was to be part of the team setting up this campus, recruiting students, and then teaching their design degree programs. Within weeks, they flew me over to Singapore to be trained up and given the teaching materials before arriving in India, where the real adventure began.

the academic chapter

My time teaching was incredibly rewarding and I loved the staff I worked with. We built our campus, our curriculum, and our academic team. We had such a great atmosphere and created lots of cultural events, both local and international, for everyone to enjoy. It truly was a family, home away from home.

I spent almost four years in Bangalore and traveled to many other Indian cities to open campuses or visit them. I gave talks, held guest lectures and workshops, spoke at press conferences, and led study trips. It was a fabulous opportunity and gave me so much personal and professional growth - I simply don’t think I would have achieved the same if I had continued working as an Architect.

headhunted

It came full circle when I was approached by a university back in the UK to join their academic team. I turned them down but it had planted the seed and so I started looking for job opportunities back in Britain. I made the move as head of first-year for Interior Architecture at the Arts University Bournemouth in England and joined the international recruitment team as an Academic Advisor on trips to India, and later with the British Council.

it’s fate

In this time I had met Ingimar, my now husband, but in an odd twist of fate - something I had found great strength and belief in from ‘Mother India’ - I was sent on a recruitment trip to Iceland, and well, the rest is history.

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been affected by a recession?

Share your story in the comments

Rules For When You're Your Own Boss

Woohoo, you did it, you are your own boss. But now you need to make yourself some rules. In this post, I’m going to take you through some suggestions for rules for when you’re your own boss and ways to look after yourself and then stick to them.

You are your own boss, and possibly the only employee

You need to listen to and look after your body. Looking after you, especially as a solo show, will make you more productive. Let’s write the plan and seriously take care of, love and invest in you. You are the boss of you and your empire so you need to look after the boss.

1. Eat well

   you need to fuel your body and mind, not just your creativity

2. Exercise, move your body

   even just for a quick lunchtime walk whilst listening to a podcast

3. Learn

   keep your mind active with podcasts, books, courses, workshops, and documentaries

4. Laugh out loud

   after all, laughter is the best medicine

5. Breath, meditate

   I use the app Calm and highly recommend it

6. Chill, nap

   I know it can feel counterproductive but it is actually very good for you and your next ideas

7. Socialize

   get out of your comfort zone, get dressed up, and go somewhere new with good friends

8. Network

   put yourself out there and meet people, push your boundaries and grow your connections

9. Give back

   rewarding for everyone involved

10. Reward yourself

    celebrate the wins, no matter how small, they’re all worth looking back on

Check-in with yourself every 30 minutes: 

How does your body feel? Have you been outside today? Take a break for 20mins. Close your eyes and take 3 long deep breathes. What is your posture like, probably needs a little adjusting? Are your shoulders down? Are you clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth? Frowning? When did you last drink some water? Get up, walk around, do some stretches and then get back to work.

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What are some rules you’re setting?

Starting to write and keep a Gratitude List

Let’s take a minute to just stop everything to focus on what we have in the form of a Gratitude List. I get that this is a challenging time and it’s hard to find something to be grateful for - maybe you’ve lost your job, some income, a big client or you’re struggling with a drop in sales. It’s a difficult time for a lot of us right now and that’s why finding the good and focussing on what we do have is even more important. Pause the worry, and start to reflect on what you have.

Gratitude journaling

This is something you might have heard of, and whilst I don’t actively keep one, I do try to keep a list of positive things in my head - I call this my gratitude list. I believe we should actively put down in writing whatever thoughts are important and that whatever we put out into the world comes back to us.

Positivity and abundance

It’s important to focus on the positives, especially when we’re going through a tough time like right now. Look for the lessons, the things to be grateful for, and the abundance in your life. Ask yourself “what have or can I learn from or be grateful for in my day, the last few weeks/months, or even years”? List out what you have that you are grateful for, what opportunities have come your way, lucky moments, people you’ve met, and places you’ve gone. However big or small, they matter to you and in your life.

Let’s make a gratitude list

So I invite you to join me and write your list, here’s mine:

1. A roof over our heads, a safe place to sleep, and hot showers

2. Family and friends all over the world, and FaceTime

3. Food for all of us, and a happy and healthy little girl who loves being fed

4. *Enough financial security, and a rainy day fund

5. Spring daylight, especially after the long stormy winter we’ve had here in Iceland

6. My online community, my followers, you guys, and how much Community is coming out of this ‘new normal’

7. My work, remote and flexible, which gives me a way to share value, and experience and make an impact

8. An open mind, fresh ideas, and the ability to push through and make them happen

9. Daily walks with Mia, a good buggy, and podcasts

10. Support - I feel I give support to others and I always have the support of my Viking, Ingimar

This past year has been a tough one for us, but thankfully things are starting to lookup

There’s always something to be grateful for

Keep this list somewhere close and share it with your partner or a friend, if you like - when you get down or start to focus on those negative, scarcity thoughts and feel like things are getting out of control, pick up your list and find some grounding again. Remind yourself that you have enough, and you are enough and that you can always find something to be grateful for.

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What are you grateful for?

Self-Isolating, Working From Home Tips

Ever since moving to Iceland 4 years ago, I have worked from home. All over the world, we are preparing to self-isolate in a hope of avoiding COVID-19 and slowing doing the growth of the Corona Virus. I thought it might be helpful to pass on some tips for working from home.

Create A Workspace

The dining room, a shared desk, a soft office aka bed (though you need to be pretty dedicated to working). You don’t need much to create an at-home office and if you are also home-schooling your kids, why not add them into the office with a small-scale desk. We brought up the coffee table from the basement and have set Mia up with a ‘corning office’ too. It’s actually kind of fun.

Get In The Zone

Nothing changes - you’re going to work, you just aren’t going into work. Set our alarm, get up, shower, get dressed, have breakfast, and go to work. Finish work, make dinner, catch up with the family, chill, go to bed.

As much as PJs or leggings are comfortable, don’t be tempted, you will not get in the right headspace. Dress for work, dress to send a signal to your brain. You don’t need a suit on but your PJs probably won’t cut it.

READ: Self Employed Uniform

It will be hard at first but it gets easier and you will find routine and productivity.

Pace Yourself, It Could Be A While

For some, this is the norm anyway, but for others, it can be hard. Day 1, 2, 3 of isolation and you might find yourself glued to your computer and even working longer than usual. But how long can you keep that up? Make sure you are looking up, moving your eyes and body, eating and fueling yourself, and drinking water.

To-Do lists

I use a bullet journal and plan out my week and days. I also have a desk weekly planner which I use to make notes on and scribble. I find writing out a to-do list for the week and then listing goals for each day gives me an overview and targets to meet. If you have a plan, goals, then you have a strategy in place. No plan and you’ll get no work done.

Switch Off Social

Don’t have Facebook open all the time. Try to only check your social media in break times - i.e. 11 am coffee break, lunch, 4 pm chill break. Right now it is easy to get sucked in and overwhelmed by all the news, stories, stats, and feeds. It can lead to anxiety. Try to limit how often you are exposing yourself to it all.

Communicate

If you usually work with colleagues then don’t lose this. Set up skype or Facetime calls, and use apps like Slack to communicate. Use your breaks to call family and friends, this is a great time to check in on people.

Playlists

If the task in hand suits, then I pop a Spotify playlist on. Often I find that fast paces music makes me work faster, so this can be beneficial. Depends on the task though.

No TV

This is not the time to have the TV on in the background, you will quickly lose your focus and get distracted. TED talks and skillshare online learning is one thing, Netflix is a completely different story.

Eat, Fuel Yourself

Whether you have stocked up sensibly or gone mad in the supermarket, plan meals and allocate who is cooking them if you’re sharing the duties. Meal planning is a great idea and will help you sensibly get through the larder and not waste food. Try to not eat at your desk. If you do have an outdoor space, use it. Get some fresh air, vitamin D, and enjoy the break.

Move Your Body

Hop on YouTube and find a stretching video, try Yoga with Adriene, and other at-home workout videos. This is a great way to start the day before you sit down at your desk. Do this with the kids too, look up Cosmic Kids Yoga.

I also use the app Calm for meditation and to help me wind down for the day. There are loads of yoga tutorials online if that’s your kind of thing. If your body is used to the daily exercise, keep moving.

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How are you finding working from home?

Coronavirus, Recession...Don't Panic

It’s a scary time for all of us but if you are sitting at home, worrying about how this will affect your or your partners’ work/business, current and future clients and customers, and overall income then this post is for you. 

The Coronavirus is serious, no one is immune and COVID-19 is on all of our minds. As we self-quarantine all over the world, here are some things you (and your family) can do to help weather the Coronavirus storm.

watch the video

Create Helpful Content For Others 

Just like this post, keep posting relevant information to your audience. 

Provide More Value To Your Community

Both online and off. 

Do your part and help an elderly or unwell neighbor out. Pop a note through the door offering to get supplies and write your phone number on it so they can call if they are lonely. 

Your online audience probably looks to you for value and advice, they respect you and your reassurance possibly means a lot. So don’t go quiet. Spread love and support amongst worry and fear. Give relevant information, ideas of things to do at-home, easy meal ideas, Netflix watch lists, TED talk recommendations, how to help in your community, and link to other content creators who are doing great stuff. 

• DO post ‘time to reflect’ posts, self-care ideas, money-saving tips, DIY tips

• DON’T be negative, scaremongering, or add to any panic

Improve Your Business Structure 

Whether you run a physical business, online business, juggle clients, make products or run passive streams, this will affect you in some way. 

If you have clients and customers, your number one responsibility is to make sure you are focusing on them, keeping them happy, and delivering on your work. Do not get distracted. People will be feeling more vulnerable and it’s easy for them to not spend money, to not invest, to not buy so make sure you are delivering on your end and treating your clients and customers like gold. Always. 

Focus on the backend of the business

1. Get those blog posts that are sitting in your draft folder finished and published.

2. Add pin-able images to your site and start pinning on Pinterest, you will see a return with traffic increase and potentially sales too.

3. Update your email sequencing, I use Mailerlite and recommend them

4. Add new email opt-ins and refresh your email sign-ups, your list is invaluable at a time like this.

Passive Income

It’s not too late to start brainstorming ways to toughen up and possibly add more passive income. Passive income is a great way to invest your time into something which will add value and bring revenue over time, with less effort in time (making money in your sleep). 

For example, if you have ever thought about making a product then focus your time and mind on designing that product. If you have something to teach, a skill you can pass on, then consider planning the curriculum to teach an online course. These forms of ‘passive income’ can literally make you money whilst you sleep, and can be a huge undertaking initially but pay off in the long term. If you foresee a quiet period ahead, start thinking outside the box and diversifying in your business structure to help in a possible recession. 

As an entrepreneur, this hasn’t affected my business too much as of yet because all my work is online. I write blog posts, create social media content, upload videos to YouTube, sell products and teach online. If I need to meet someone, I can do that on Skype, FaceTime, zoom. 

Right now, more people are at home and looking for things to do so videos and courses are ideal. 

This is what I have added in the last year

• A new range of prints to our shop

• Iceland Family Life Merch line

• Currently writing the curriculum for 2 new online courses for skillshare

Update Your Website & Graphics

Give your social media, online presence, and CV some love and possibly overdue attention. I often leave my CV and portfolio until I have some ‘downtime’ and can update the images and information. Social media is something we are often on every day but updating bio’s and header graphics can bring a new lease of life and possibly attract new clients. Offer to do this for others, you never know where it might lead also. 

Security Blanket

It’s human nature to panic, at times like this we can go into survival mode BUT this is not the time to panic. When we panic, we tend to make bad decisions and act out of character, dramatic and often selfish. Think about your long-term planning and goals. Don’t act on fear now. Be mindful of your spending. Don’t panic buy, hoard supplies, or binge on something. 

The best way to weather a storm is to be prepared - this is when a ‘rainy-day fund’ of cash comes in very handy. We all know ‘cash is king’ meaning having access to money, not having it tied up in bonds, stock, property, etc. Recessions happen, and they will happen again, so if you don’t have a fund then start to make one and don’t touch it. Stash a 3-6 month budget, you may be very grateful for it someday. 

Recessions Happen

Learn from this, and the last recession, and prepare for the next recession. Be proactive and plan so you can ride the wave of recession. 

READ - How I Survived The Credit Crunch

If You Have Money, See The Opportunity

It sounds bad but if you have some money to play with, if you’re lucky enough, then this is the time to seek out opportunity and invest in the stock market. At times like this, the stock market is very reflective of the situation and fear. If you can see opportunity whilst everyone else is panicking then you will come out on top. Think long term, play the long game. Investors invest in stock at times like this because they know the market will turn around, eventually. 

Keeping Little Kids Entertained At Home

I have Mia home right now - not because we are quarantined, just to be clear - so here is some Instagram accounts that might help if you’re at home with little people:

• 7daysofplay - Playful Learning • Crafts • Sensory Fun

• busytoddler - Making it to naps, one activity at a time

• mothercould - PLAY AT HOME & EASY RECIPES

• welcometomommyhood - activities for preschool and Montessori classrooms

• happytoddlerplaytime - Happy Toddler Playtime

• studiodiy - embracing color + making life a party

• recycleplay - the best-recycled crafts and activities for kids

And remember to go out for fresh air, a walk around the block or to a local park probably won’t mean interacting with too many people and if it does, try to keep a 2m distance apart.

Invest In Yourself

• Catch up on reading

• Binge-watch Netflix

• Catch up on vlogs (wink wink)

• Use this time to learn and take an online course like Skillshare

• Watch some TED talks, teach your kids stuff

• Teachers Pay Teachers - an inexpensive online store to help you teach any subject

• Get some fresh air (try to stay 2m apart from others)

• Have a spa day

• Clean the house, declutter

• Stick a good playlist on and have a dance party (just you, haha)

• Finish those craft projects

• Jump on YouTube and learn a new skill (knitting, editing, whatever)

• FaceTime friends and call people

• do some ‘quick meals for busy mums’ meal prep - amenuforyou

This Craziness Will Pass

Do Not Panic.

Stay home, stay safe. 

Take care of yourself.

Invest in yourself, use this time wisely. 

Yes, we might all catch some for of the Corona Virus so keep that in mind but by staying home we are all doing our bit to help slow the spread down, and that way the health care services can cope better. It’s not worth risking the health of others. You might feel that you are healthy and not affected, or could fight it off BUT it’s not necessarily you that you need to be concerned with - think of those you could carry it to.

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how are you coping, do you have a plan in place?