Join Cath’s Face book Group below:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fashion-Fixes-and-Faux-Pas/160397273709* Forget about the word “fashion” and think “style” - it may be mentally less intimidating or more “wearable”! says Ripley.

* Even if you stay at home, make an effort to dress everyday as if you are going out. This changes your whole approach to even the most mundane household chores and how you feel about yourself - Self Esteem is Key! You will find you have a more positive attitude and are less inclined to be reduced to a couch potato, in your slovenly sweat pants and baggy T-shirt. And you never know who will pay a random visit…

* Clear out your closet. Get rid of those items which are outdated, do not suit you (or fit you) or simply do not make you feel good. Make room for that new wardrobe of clothes that you are going to build, slowly, piece by piece. You have to make way for the NEW by getting rid of the OLD… Check out:  http://www.becshui.com.au  for an awesome Brisbane organiser and google a local person near you for help.

* Take stock of how many classic items you currently have in your closet. Start building new outfits which will prove versatile and timeless - go anywhere and do anything. You should aim to have a wardrobe base of well cut, classic pieces and a few cheap fun, fashionable outfits that are right on trend, which can be replaced every season. Its a great idea to make a list of what you need to complete a classic wardrobe and buy them as you can afford (as opposed to shopping impulsively and at will)..

* Treat your wardrobe as an investment. Create a closet that is full of must-have pieces rather than make-do ones, it’s a great feeling owning beautiful clothes and when you plan, you get more of what you really want.

* Ensure that your wardrobe is built around some style staples which will take you from season to season and can be dressed up or down. A good coat, a little black dress, a wrap dress, well cut denims, a classic pair of black pants, cashemere cardigan and a stylish crisp white shirt. Update these looks every season with some gorgeous, easy to access and affordable accessories.

* A really great handbag and a pair of ‘get outa here girl - tssss’ shoes, will transform any outfit. Again, great planning and organisation will have you getting multiple uses out of the same great handbag and shoes with several outfits for different occasions.

* Understand your body shape. Are you a pear, apple, brick, hour glass or inverted triangle? Google free fashion advice and learn how to dress for your body shape.

* Learn how to make the most of your assets. Learn how to disguise big hips, stomachs or a larger bust and learn what not to wear if you are short or flat-chested. These simple tips can make you feel amazing instead of self conscious. The right neckline and pant cut can make a great deal of difference to how you shape up.

* Be a Smart Shopper. Ask yourself a few key questions regarding what suits you before you shop and plan what to buy in advance - as above.  This is really important if you are on a budget and need a new look at the same time.

There is never a better time than the start of the new year to create a brand new you. The first important step is to clear out your wardrobe ‘daggies’ because they do not make you feel good and use up valuable space - Vinnies or other charities would be grateful to have your dated treasurers. The second is to learn what cuts and colors work best for you and the basic style rules of women’s style.

Finally, the next time you feel inclined to throw on a baggy T-shirt and pants, Ask yourself this valuable question - Am I going to feel fabulous wearing that? Remember comfy can still be sexy and flatter your self esteem..

Love you honey - go be Fabulous!

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This month, take time out to lose yourself in music, recharge your batteries, revisit passion, gain enthusiasm, relieve stress and find peace in your favorite music.  Music can take you mind on a journey to another time and place, how long has it been since you gave yourself that time?  When was the last time you listened to music that envoloped your spirit and fed your deepest yearnings? When was the last time you allowed music to evoke such passion and emotions you cried for the shear joy of it?  My dear Goddess friends, BLISS out to some music this month and revitalise the very heart of who you are.

May I suggest some of my favorites:

• Phantom of the Opera sound track
• The Indigo Girls - Rites of Passage
• Joss Stone - The Soul Sessions
• The Chill Out Sessions - Compilation Cd
• Young Divas
• Saritah - Gratitude
• Goddess - Harii Bandhu (www.hariibandhu.com)
• Tina Arena - Songs of Love and Loss
• Kate Bush - Kick Inside
• Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell

And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares that infest the day
Shall fold their tents like the Arabs
And as silently steal away.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Day Is Done

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The diary continues after the Pearls of Wisdom (from part one) have kicked in….. I was kindly reminded by many sources that life needs to change in some way (or was it me that needed to change?) In any case, I’d decided to ask the universe for assistance….

Have you ever asked for help and wondered who may respond?  Sometimes the response is in the way of a subtle sign, picture or shared, timely word by a good friend and sometimes it’s a grandiose push from the far reaches of the universe…. In any case, it’s much appreciated when the signs come in and on this day, I welcomed them.

It was getting close to Christmas and our school holidays had started.  Being a relatively new job, I knew taking holidays was out of the question, so called upon many favours from considerate friends and managed the first week with little difficulty although the feeling of guilt was heavy on my heart. I’ve never not spent this holiday time without my kids and nor have they… On top of all of that, Christmas was fast approaching, I needed to get organised, I’d yet to finalise gifts, decorations and where was I going to find the time? Parents were making enquiries about visits, kids were asking about going on holidays and all I could think about was making it through alive, intact and strong and stable.

With growing tensions at work and my growing discontent, more difficulty getting there on time and the merry-go-round of trying to transition from working mum to holiday mum each afternoon, I was exhausted…..  and then that dreaded, ever increasing feeling that I was not being true to my purpose, my passion and what I really wanted reared it’s ugly head nearly every moment of every day.

What has not being fully confident about your abilities cost you? Are you holding back, waiting for a miracle too?

This is what I’ve discovered… some more gentle reminders of what you may already know;

1. If you have big goals, be prepared to do the work to achieve them - it might not be easy, be realistic so as to not be disappointed when you put in extra time and have no time for anything else.  What do you want more?  Do you want more of the same old stuff or something different, bigger, bolder?
2. You really have to decide and be clear - you probably have all the resources you need to make it work, acknowledge those resources with some time in a written list and then go after them
3. Ask for help and teach others around you how to take responsibility - Delegate. It’s a good time to learn how to delegate to others. Remember you give others a gift when you ask them for help, people love to be thought of and we love to make a difference, so by asking you are doing exactly that.
4. When you teeter totter on the fence, everything else in your life will also teeter - ARGH!
5. Kids spell LOVE - T.I. M. E. - make your home time your home time. Your children, pets or lovers need you to be present, so make your home your hearth and spend quality time with the people you love.
6. Your boss also needs you to be present - he/she expects the best of you,  so give it and smile and consider how you can exceed expectations or find another job. It’s essential you love your job as not doing so can cause many stresses and upset - loving your job is a good lesson for your children to learn and is also much more fun.
7. Putting yourself first is critical when you spend so much time giving to others. Quite often your job as a mother goes without reward and by the end of the day you are spent, exhausted and deflated.  Be nurturing and selfish - you have to fill your own well first otherwise all else can easily fall apart.  Remember the power of a great Girls Night Out (if you live in Brisbane be sure to check out Top Secret Women’s CLUB), some time with friends or a luscious long bath at the end of the day is valuing the one who is doing all the work - you!
8. Be clear on your passions and dreams… Are you selling out, taking the safe path or in the middle of ‘risk’ and loving it?  If you are not following your dreams - they will persist, so do something about it.
9. If what you have done in the past has not worked, reinvent it and try again and again until it does work… if it’s your purpose and you love it, it will work - but remember you may have to work hard for it.
10. Time management is key.  Compartmentalise your life and be clear about how much time you want to spend in each area doing each necessary task.  When you are sooo busy it’s important to take stock of what is important and spend your time there.

So to conclude this part of our working mums diary I want to leave you with one important message…. Plan, organise, believe in you and trust the universe, it always delivers exactly what you need…..

And if you really need to get away, recalibrate your energy, meet some fantastic women, embrace a newer, more powerful version of yourself, then come along to THE SEALED SECTION RETREAT…. check it out under EVENTS

The Concluding part gives you more practical tips to care for yourself, achieve great success and manage your home and family with some steam left for you….

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EVENT: The Truth About What Men Really Want
DATE & TIME: Monday 18th January 10AM or Sunday January 17th at 4:00pm Pacific U.S
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it’s your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW…
http://www.AttendThisEvent.com/?eventid=10655346

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How awesome will this year be if, on top of your career and success goals, you added some sexy loving goals too?  A healthy dose of sensuality and sexuality can have a direct benefit on your self esteem and confidence, how much more could you use right now?   With a partner or alone, everybody deserves sexy loving fun, so if you are single, this months Bliss Tip is for you too… Get the picture?

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These dairy entries are for every woman, single or not because at the end of the day, the same challenges face us all… Too much to do, in too short a time with too much going out in to the world and not enough coming back in.

Last year I started working full time (just for a while) - As an employee, after 6 and a half years of self employment and full availability for my children, I feel I should share what I discovered.  I have written many articles about Work/Life Balance and working full time took me to new heights of learning how to juggle kids, Top Secret Women’s Business, house and social life - and most importantly my energy and personal attitiude.  Like never before, I had to take my own advise….!

You may be familiar with this scenario -  6am wake, 8.30am start at work and a 5.30pm finish, getting kids ready for school, dressing myself, lunch boxes, Load of laundry on, sweep the floor, get kids to school early (or at least on time), rush to work - too much traffic this morning… Going from being available to no spare time at all,  a house who’s tidiness is failing me and a car that needs a service and a clean,  mail to open and dinner to cook and let’s not even mention laundry, lunch boxes and dust… So on and so forth!

How does a woman ‘really’ have a balanced, successful, happy life and still find time to exercise and prepare healthy fresh meals, entertain the idea of a relationship and water the plants? In this part one I briefly touch into the emotions and mindset of a working mum and give some ‘Pearls’ to get yourself off the merry-go-round of exhaustion, discontent and dissonance.

So the Diary begins -

Today is about what I feel and what I need to be reminded of….

Today I feel the biggest challenge which really pulls at my heart strings is my decreased availability for my children. They once had me at their beck and call and now there is barely enough time to read a bedtime story - or so it seems…. I missed my daughter’s last game of softball, her music concert invite got lost in a pile of paperwork and my son is only 9 and needs his mummy hugs still, he is fighting with his sister more and more, I suspect it’s to get my attention….  My expectations of my children have increased exponentially to ‘help out’ and make this easier for me and I’ve suddenly forgotten they are still kids who need my time….. I feel guilty!

Work is demanding and I feel unappreciated. I wonder if they know how much I really don’t want to be here andhow much I am sacrificing? I’m not really doing what I want but for now it’s a means to an end… When is it going to end?

I’m so tired, who’s going to save me? I want relief, my mind is consuming me and I don’t like where it’s going… I feel like I am selling out on something I want far greater… !

Have you ever felt like that? Want to SNAP out of it?

Pearls of Wisdom that assist in creating change - spend time contemplating the ones taht really resonate for you… it’s time to change!

• Whatever happens is meant to be - with reason - Go and find the reason!
• What never changes, never changes
• You are in control, are you?
• If the pattern repeats, there is still something more to learn, so keep your eyes openand learn quickly
• The universe never gives you situations you can’t handle
• Search for the positive meaning in things that ‘happen’- there is always a fresh perspective to ‘get’
• Have faith in yourself and what is…
• Never give up on your dreams and purpose in life
• The Universe likes to test your resolve and conviction when you’ve decided to do something, so be prepared to fight for what you want
• Stay focussed and keep the prize at the end so big and beautiful you never stop wanting it
• You get what you get, if you don’t value what you have, so start valuing what you have now!
• If you don’t know what you really want, how are you ever going to get it?
• The clearer you are, the more the universe knows how to deliver it to you
• Your security is only what you decide it is - Real security comes from what you provide for YOURSELF
• When you put your future in another’s hands, who knows where you’ll end up?
• Take full control so you can be in the drivers seat
• The only time that really ever exists is NOW, take the time to spend time with the most important people in the world - when ever you can
• Time is precious, do what you really want with it instead of what others want for you
• What you think you create into REALITY, so be sure to calibrate your mindset into a healthy, positive and productive one
• Organisation and time management is key, imperative, essential, critical

A simple little reminder that “you are the only one who is responsible for everything you experience,”  is enough to shake you back into a very clear reality - nothing quite like taking control of your life, hey?

So off to work I go - Hy Ho, Hy Ho, Hy Ho…

The big question is… How do you stay feeling great, energised, happy, validated, committed, patient, peaceful, calm and organised when so much of your life relies on you being on task?

In Part 2, I share TEN TIPS to change, grow and get organised - So you can enjoy a balanced,  productive and happy life in 2010.

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