Today is a special day for me – it’s my 8th anniversary of being cancer free. For those of you who’ve walked that path, or supported someone along that journey, you would know that there are no guarantees about whether you will make it or not. I lost a friend during my treatment time and have lost four friends since I went through it.
With good medical intervention, support from family and friends and my own personal attitude and strength I did make it successfully out the other side of cancer. I know others who possessed the same support and personal qualities and yet didn’t make it.
Someone said to me at towards the end of my treatment: ‘Sonja, you’ve been given a second chance at LIFE.’ And, that is true on many levels….
Firstly, I’m alive – and for that I’m very grateful!
Secondly, I stress a less…. Most annoyances are just that!
Thirdly, one of the biggest things for me is, that I notice more the beauty around me – the sunshine, laughter, a smile, a call from one of my children, my favourite cup, nature and so much more. When I notice these things I often smile and say a silent: ‘Thank you’ in gratitude.
I believe that in every day there are things to be grateful for,
and that it’s important to notice them. Read more
Finding GRATITUDE In Every Single Day! (And show your children how to do it too!)
/by Sonja PrestonToday is a special day for me – it’s my 8th anniversary of being cancer free. For those of you who’ve walked that path, or supported someone along that journey, you would know that there are no guarantees about whether you will make it or not. I lost a friend during my treatment time and have lost four friends since I went through it.
With good medical intervention, support from family and friends and my own personal attitude and strength I did make it successfully out the other side of cancer. I know others who possessed the same support and personal qualities and yet didn’t make it.
Someone said to me at towards the end of my treatment: ‘Sonja, you’ve been given a second chance at LIFE.’ And, that is true on many levels….
Firstly, I’m alive – and for that I’m very grateful!
Secondly, I stress a less…. Most annoyances are just that!
Thirdly, one of the biggest things for me is, that I notice more the beauty around me – the sunshine, laughter, a smile, a call from one of my children, my favourite cup, nature and so much more. When I notice these things I often smile and say a silent: ‘Thank you’ in gratitude.
I believe that in every day there are things to be grateful for,
and that it’s important to notice them. Read more
The Midnight Phone Call
/by Sonja PrestonLast night I got one of those midnight phone calls – you know the ones, the ones you dread! Now most people might go into panic mode – what’s wrong? Or who’s sick? Or who’s died?
Me… to be honest my first thought was: Who’s interrupting my sleep! – especially when it came up as an unknown number. I debated whether to answer it or not, thinking it was probably some person from overseas wanting to sell me something, or it might even be a wrong number. But, I decided to answer it, and, I am glad I did – it was a friend in need! She’d rung on a new phone and so it appeared as unknown number to me.
She was in tears with a situation at home and where she knew she was sinking further and further into depressive thoughts and misery – and the never-ending circle that sometimes comes with that. She was crying and apologising for calling me in the same breath. Without sharing any of her personal details, I thanked her for recognising that she wasn’t coping and said that I knew it took great courage to reach out for help.
How often do we think that if we admit that we are going through a rough time is an admission of failure? And rather than ask for help, we quietly ‘soldier on’ and often our ability to cope becomes more of an issue until finally we collapse – in sickness, in mental health etc. We all know life can be tough at times.
Having a friend to walk beside you makes all the difference. Read more
Parenting: A BIG step out of our Comfort Zone!
/by Sonja PrestonThink back to when you were pregnant with your first child. You may have been excited, or scared. You may have wondered about what the child would look like or be like. You may have been sad about your pregnancy – particularly if it was an unexpected pregnancy. You may have been beaming with excitement.
Then the baby arrived – some will have had an ‘easy’ birth, some harder but still okay and some may have had a difficult birth. After being in the hospital or with your midwife for a while, you were then be alone with this new little human – learning to do all that needed to be done whilst recovering from the birth and coping with interrupted sleep.
For many of us, there was a time when we thought: ‘I have no idea what to do here’; or ‘I’ve tried everything and he’s still unsettled’ or ‘Help, I can’t do this’.
At this point in time the reality is that you have stepped outside your Comfort Zone, and you are in a space/ situation which is uncomfortable for you, and this is because it is very unfamiliar – it’s something you’ve not done before. Read more
The Importance of Nurturing Your Baby’s Amazing Brain
/by Sonja PrestonDid you know, that when a baby is born, his brain is ½ the size of an adult brain? By the time he is 3 years old, his brain has grown to 80% size of an adult brain. This is incredible growth, in just 3 years.
How does the brain work, and how can we foster this development?
The Working Brain
Within the brain are billions of nerve cells, known as neurons. The neurons have to connect with other brain cells in order to work. Some of these connections are present from birth – for example, the ability to breathe, to suck, to cry, and others occur as the baby grows and develops. The connections occur when experiences or skills are repeated over and over.
Read more
Living in the Moment – or How to be Childlike!
/by Sonja PrestonLast week my playgroup families met in a local park for our first session of 2017. This park has mega slides, climbing equipment, a static train, and a small track they can ride their bikes on. The children always love it, as well as the parents who get to catch up with each other, whilst watching their children play.
On this particular day, as we got ready to go there, there were a few spots of rain – nothing of concern as no rain was predicted…. 26 degrees said the weather forecast. As we arrived there was light drizzle, and then more drizzle, and then rain.
At first no one was perturbed, as it looked like it would or should ease up.
The children got on with their adventures – climbing the steep hill to the top of the slide and taking the ride down the slippery slope. As the rain became more steady, they continued their fun – now enjoying a faster ride as the slide became slipperier. And then it was even more fun when the ground became a bit muddy and the bottom of the slide had a puddle to end up in. The children were having a ball! They didn’t even seem to notice the rain or the fact that they were wet – they just enjoyed the fun the rain bought. Read more
Food Battles and How to Overcome Them Calmly.
/by Sonja PrestonFrequently I’m asked: What do I do about food for my young child? They are so fussy and won’t eat. It’s such a battle….
Young children refusing to eat food, and parents getting stressed about whether the child is getting enough – bet you’ve all been there… I know I have!
I’m a firm believer that most of the issues parents have re a child’s behaviour is linked to their stage of development (the child’s… not the parents!!) So, let’s look at it from a developmental point of view.
Around 14 months of age is when children learn to say, or indicate, the word: ‘no’. They will push away the bottle or spoon and refuse to take more. This is the beginning of their ability to make choices, and that’s a good thing. It is the beginning of their move toward independence. Children need to learn to make choices. And, just like us, sometimes they make ‘good’ choices and other times not. It is only though trial and error that we learn. Read more
Could this be your Parenting Mantra for 2017? “How can I make this the best it can be?”
/by Sonja PrestonIn 2009 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, which ended up being a journey of 20 months including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and side effects including pericarditis and pneumonia. I also left my home, lost a good friend to cancer and lost my job! A pretty challenging time that’s for sure.
I realised that in order to get through this, that maintaining a positive attitude was vital. A colleague suggested the phrase/ mantra: ‘Every day, in every way, my life gets better and better.’ And, I must say that it really helped to turn things around – along of course with wonderful medical treatment and enormous support and care from family and friends.
But, essentially it was up to me… I was the only one
who could ‘make’ me have a positive attitude. Read more
The Parenting Café 2017
/by Sonja PrestonWelcome back. Well, after a Summer (here in Australia) sojourn for the Christmas and holiday break, we are ready for sharing with you again.
As some of you have become new subscribers to our newsletter over the past year, and some read the information via facebook, I thought I’d take the opportunity to introduce myself, and explain what we offer at The Parenting Cafe.
Basically parents are seeking information about their children and about parenting. They do this either because they are information gatherers, or because they feel they have a ‘problem’ or an ‘issue’ with their child and are seeking information, advice and support.
This is perfect… as that’s exactly what we do! Read more
9 Tips for New Mums
/by Sonja PrestonSo, you’ve recently had a baby. Congratulations!
You know when you started a new role at work, people understood that it would take you a little while to settle in, and there would be someone whom you could ask for help – a support person.
Mmmm not sure that always happens with Parenthood!
So, what can you do to make the first few weeks, or months much smoother so that you have a happy baby and Mum!
Read more
There’s a Problem on the Plane!
/by Sonja PrestonI recently had a 12 hour flight, returning from Europe. When I boarded I was sitting next to a young family – Mum, Dad and a 3 year old boy. As usually happens on flights, the hostess gave the boy a Kids Pack with an assortment of things to amuse him. While people were still boarding, he straight away got into the re-usable stickers – having a wonderful time sticking them on the arm rests and table tray.
As we prepared for take off, the hostess came round and told the parents he would need to put the tray table back up. The parents immediately responded, with no warning nor explanation to the child, grabbing the stickers, and shoving the table back up. Naturally he was upset, as he’d been having fun. His response…. to scream!
I’m pretty sure this has worked well for him in the past, which is why kids quickly learn that it’s an effective method of getting what you want! Read more