The Village Life

I live in a little village in the mountain tops of Spain. I used to live in a town, very close to a big city and the difference is huge. Firstly, everyone knows everyone. Not in a nosey way but in a way that makes the village safe. New faces are noticed straight away, welcomed, but noted. It means that as I speak my children can walk their goats in the mountains and whilst I listen for their voices I know that they are safe. When I think back to how it was not even possible to let them play in the garden without constant supervision, it makes me realise how lucky we are and how life should be.

Every day is full of new surprises, new experiences, nearly all of them make me laugh.

We are having new pipes put into our village, at least I think that is what they are doing, everyone who is working on the job is someone I know, and today, great excitement, one of them was given a whistle to direct the traffic.(by traffic I mean the few cars who come into the village to drop children off at the local school which has a total pupil count of 70) and to say he is excited is an understatement. He blows his whistle with absolute pride, he is, of course, not actually directing the traffic which I realised as I came face to face with a tractor carrying my neighbours and their dog on a trip to the village, however, the point is, everything is great here.

No one is slightly interested in fashion, who is on the front pages of glossy magazines or anything remotely materialistic, all they are interested in is family, life and how the vegetables are doing. In short, it is simple and beautiful.

Everyone says hello to one another, everyone is greeted with a smile and it sets you up for the day. The Spanish are truly beautiful people.

I want to write stories for you to let you know what happens in this beautiful village so that you can get to know the characters of the village as well as I have.

The children have just returned now from their walk, the doneky is braying as he sees them and our food is ready. Simple life, beautiful life one that I wish you could all find and embrace. It feeds your soul and connects you in a way that can only be experienced by stepping into it.

Lynn
xxx

The Magic Kiwi Fruit

My children love kiwi fruit which they eat by simply cutting it in half and scooping out the delicious flesh with a spoon, rather like an egg.

Kiwi fruits are brilliant for everyone, why? let me tell you..

They help prevent cancer.

They help prevent depression.

They help with diabetes.

They keep your eyes healthy.

They help your heart.

They build your immunity.

They can help with impotence.

They reduce stress.

They can help with physical fitness.

You can start to see why you should be including these funny little hairy fruits in your shopping trolly each week, just one a day will make a difference to all you, young and old.

Enjoy!

Lynn
xx

Remember what is important.

Too often we waste time concerning ourselves about some pretty stupid things,which, I realise can seem important at the time, but we really need to stand still once in a while and put things into prospective.

I find myself often begging my children to tidy their bedrooms, I despair at school bags left on the floor, the ever growing array of shoes, the bathroom left like a team of rugby players have used it and yet really, is it important?

The important things to focus on are the facts that the mess is created by my family, a family I adore. In no time at all the children could be at University or travelling the world working on eco projects, either way, there will come a time when their will be no shoes on the floor, no school bags left in the most difficult places and these times now will be just memories.

My lesson to myself today is to relax about a bit of mess and enjoy the moment of having my family around and to think about how lucky I am to have them with me.

Lynn
xxx

Today is a great day!

Today is a great day, why because everyday is a great day. We have to grab life with both hands and live everyday to the full. It is easy to get into a routine and miss out on opportunities that come our way, putting the boring and mundane aspects of life to the front, but house cleaning, laundry will all be there tomorrow and if you have the opportunity to do something really fun and exciting take it.

Today is our sons 10th birthday, and it seems like only yesterday that we were at the hospital looking at a brand new baby, our daughter was only 2 years and 3 months and now she is 12. Life moves at a very fast pace and your children grow incredibly fast so take every moment to enjoy your family, to experience the process of them growing mentally, physically and emotionally and be a part of all of it.

You want to look back on life with fond memories, not snatched moments, and so it is vital that you put everything into order of priority.

If your child wants to learn to knit and you need to sweep the yard, there should be no competition. If your child wants to learn how to make bread and you know that the whole kitchen is going to be filled with flour, so what, you can clear up mess but you cannot return to this time again.

Life life, enjoy life and embrace it with both arms.

Lynn
xxx

Do You Want Great Hair?

I often look at all the ´wonderful´hair conditioners with equally ´wonderful´price tags and I wanted to share something with you.

If you want shiny hair the easiest, and cheapest, way to achieve this is to use Almond Oil. You can buy this from any health shop, yes it is a little expensive but a little goes a long, long way plus you can use it for many things apart from your hair.

To start with, use on your hair once a week, by simply rubbing it into your dry hair and leaving overnight if you can, or if you are spending a day in the sun perfect, the heat will help the oil penetrate through your hair.

The next day, just shampoo out as normal and you will be amazed at how soft your hair is. Once you have done this for four weeks you will probably only need to do this once a month to maintain soft, shiny hair.

It is perfect for all hair types and colours and it is completely naturaly so you are not adding any chemicals to your hair at all and you can use it at any age. My own children use this if they are going to the local swimming pool to avoid their hair being damaged by the chlorine in the water.

You can also use it on your skin for the same results. Just rub it into your skin after a shower, when your skin is still damp, to maintain healthy, soft skin. Again, this works for everyone at any age.

Certainly the best option for soft hair, it is cheaper and of course, no chemicals so a very eco way to maintain great hair and skin!

Lynn
xx

Getting Up Close And Personal

Yesterday we took a trip to a local safari park which was absolutely brilliant. It was different in the way that you could stop throughout the drive through and get out and meet the animals, except for the lions and tigers, and for children it was just brilliant.

We walked up to enormous Bison, held huge snakes and met some of the parks new arrivals. It was just brilliant for children who were able to really connect with the animals there were plenty of people to ask for information and it was a fantastic way to have a science lesson in a real hands on way.

Do try and find something similar for your family there are loads of places you can visit, not all of them expensive, there are lots of local farms who are more than happy to let you in and meet the various animals and children just love it, as do the adults.

We write about many different trips in our magazine, you can see the story about Bison in our latest issue at http://www.lifestyle.tk/ but you do not have to travel the world to see these animals, find out what is in your area and get out there.

When you think that some children still do not know where an egg comes from or even where milk comes from this is a valuable lesson that they can really benefit from. Within five minutes of being here our children witnessed an Ostrich laying an egg! That was the talking point all the way home.

Have a great day and if you can, get out and meet the locals!

Lynn

xx

Watch Out For The Child Catchers!

The UK newspapers are today reporting on how parents are letting their children down by not educating them on good health, in particular food.

The leading fast food chaings lure children into their food stores with gifts, play areas and bright colours not unlike that of the child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

With my own children I give them the option, they can go to any of these places, but I have spent alot of time educating them on what goes into the food, how it is prepared and the nutritional value behind the food. I have sat with them and gone through a brilliant web site www.meatrix.com which illustrates fantastically what this food is all about. I have used my marketing background to explain how the gifts are a lure to children to entice them in. No I am not brainwashing them with information I am giving them the facts that every child deserves.

I started educating my children when they were only 6 and 8 years old and now they have a very clear understanding.

Theyknow what organic means, they know that if a they see signs saying ´100 chicken legs only 4.99´they understand what it contains and that it is probably not even suitable for a dog.

I make a lentil burger with my children, they see everything that goes into it and we talk about how the Romans marched across Europe on a diet of lentils because they are full of protein and made the soldiers strong. They put them in a bun with all the extras and they love the taste, the smell and the texture. They have a burger, they have helped to make it, they have a story to share and most importantly they are being nourished on all levels.

My point here is that children want to learn, we all need to learn, to understand what we are putting into our bodies. We need to set the right example to our children to ensure their future. No one wants to see their children unwell so keep them healthy including their mental, physical and emotional.

Never say no but give them the information to make their own decisions, you will be surprised how many times they choose correctly. It is incredibly heart warming to hear them talk to their friends about the dangers of fast foods and foods from unknown sources. These children are the ones who will make the difference in the future.

Lynn
xx