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“Strive to make everyday the best day of your life, because there is no good reason not to.” Hal Elrod

Live a Simple Life

Jun 20, 2019

Purchase what will bring you great happiness in the future.

Sometimes we can get a little lost along our track in life and we can benefit from a little reminder every now and again on what’s important for us.

Living a simple life is what the Danes pride themselves on. Nothing complicated, slowing down the pace and being present.

When it comes to spending their money the same applies. Danes will carefully plan their purchases and put thought into the ways they spend. it’s not about how much money they make and showing off but actually about how they spend the money to invest in That’s why you won’t see lots of new cars driving around Denmark or designer handbags on show. For them experiences mean more as they make you feel alive and bring you together. memories and experiences.

For example a holiday with the family would cost a lot of money but think of all the wonderful times together and the memories created will last a life time. How...

Having a Hygge Impact

Jun 11, 2019

I'm blown away with how many of you have got in touch over the last week to share some of your photos of how you've made changes to you setting after taking part in my Hygge in Early Years Accreditation or after reading my book.

We will be covering some of the fabulous transformations over the next few months on our blog but also in our new magazine Hygge in the Early Years.

Here is a little preview of how Daisy Chain nursery have added foliage to their sand area and made it feel more inviting....

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Chloe and Bridgit at Pebbles Childcare have also made some changes to their provision....

Before

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After 43ada1_e12e37e4d0d643d5bef040af17e26de2~mv2.jpg

Grass Roots Day Nursery have been tuning into opportunities to ignite all of the senses...a key feature of hygge...

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Is Hating Your Job Damaging Your Body?

Jun 11, 2019

With 75% of the Early Education workforce experiencing between levels 3 to 5 for their work related stress we look at the impact of this on our bodies and consider what we can do to support our wellbeing.

When I worked as an early years teacher and leader I often had feelings of overwhelm and anxiety around doing my job well. I had an ever growing to do list and very little time to do these tasks. I would get up early to be the first in work and would always be the last one to leave. My weekends and evenings were often consumed with more work! My social life become non existent as I was either working or exhausted. Does this sound familiar?

The stress of the job was having such a negative impact on the way my body was responding. My skin was dull, my eyes had lost their sparkle (and had been replaced with dark bags) and I was exhausted and achey. No amount of expensive face cream or make up would give me a healthy glow.

We know that when we face ...

Creating a Hygge Staffroom

Jun 11, 2019

We spend long periods of our days at work and during our downtime in the day it’s important that we have a space to relax, come together and recharge our batteries.

Here are my top tips on how you can bring that hygge feeling into your staffroom.

Consider seating; offering sofas to sit on that are a bit more comfy
A dining table to invite staff to come together over lunch
Lovely homely place mats
Plants
Photos in frames of things you’ve done together as a team (Parties, local walks, summer bbqs)
Soft warm lighting from lamps
Flowers in a vase on the table
A selection of teas and coffees
Fruit basket
Soft furnishings; cushions, throws
Lending library of books
Homely accessories- wicker hearts
Room spray
Declutter the space and organise
Fairy lights
Garlands (e.g felted leaves)
Calming colours whites and greys mixed in with some warmer yellows.
Consider how you migh...

Be More Optimistic

Jun 11, 2019

Feeling more optimistic has a link to our level of positivity and happiness. When we feel more optimistic we approach a task with increased confidence and strength that it will go well. Yet it's really easy to get stuck in a cycle of self-doubt when it comes to things going wrong.

Identify Negativity

First identify what it is your feeling negative about. Make a list of all the solutions you can think of to solving the problem you have. Moving towards positivity and hope. Then commit yourself to taking one of these actions next time you feel this way.

For me my house sale has recently fallen though. My initial thought was “Oh no this is terrible what are we going to do now. Then I turned the situation around and thought well at least now we have more time to find our dream home (as we were about to move in with relatives), I'm saving money (as our next house will be bigger and have a more expensive mortgage) and lastly, I'm feeling tired so at least I do...

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