We had a good break in Asia and it was just nice relaxing, chilling out, meeting up with family and friends. We did a beach holiday with some friends and it was great exploring places and having fun under the sun. I was just glad we joined roadside assistance club before our trip as our rental vehicle broke down at some point.

Now that our holidays had ended, it’s time to sit down and get back to real work. It’s quite hard getting back to the routine, waking up early, preparing lunch boxes and stuff, but I’m just glad that I can have some personal time and space after eight weeks of babysitting!

Christmas is around the corner and I would need to do up my Christmas gift list soon. There’s alot to do since we are moving in January and the more immediate thing is to pack. Perhaps I should list down some gifts for the family members first then comes friends and all. I was thinking about getting a pair of ray-ban sunglasses for DH as he tends to drive without one. The summer’s heat will get more intense down under so I do want him to protect his eyes and be sun smart.

At least I had thought of his gift so that’s one down. Next will be my son and then moving on to my close family members. I love the Christmas spirit… don’t you?

When we think about giving from our wealth, most of us think of giving financially. However, there are other ways of giving from our wealth. Some of those ways are right in front of us every day. Next week, I would need to clean up the underground shelter and do some serious cleaning up. When it comes to giving, here are a couple of considerations.

1. Clothing. Clean out your closets and drawers of all clothing that is either too small or too large to fit you. Also, get out any clothing that you have not worn for a long time. Donate those clothes to a charity or church that will reuse the clothes or sell them to raise funds.

2. Books/Toys. Don’t stop with cleaning out your unused clothing. Go through all of your books and any toys that might be in your home as well. If they don’t get used, put them to good use by donating them.

Give your children the opportunity to speak openly and freely about their concerns and troubles. This is a sure-fire way to increase your family’s closeness. Maintain honesty and you will find that problems get solved quickly and easily. Instilling open communication in your children will also help them in all aspects of their lives later on. “Listen” with an open heart and a willing spirit. Don’t judge the thoughts and feelings of other family members. Instead, try to understand where they are coming from and figure out solutions to ease their problems.

Spend quality time together each week. Many parents have full-time jobs and it’s difficult to fit in time for relaxation and leisure, however, it’s very important you make time for your family. It can be as simple as doing a family project together. Doing fun things together brings family closer. Perhaps go shop for barnwood furniture together or organize a family BBQ with friends. Discuss what things the family would like to do together. Try to pick activities that encourage talking and interaction like bowling for example will enhance relations better than silently watching a movie in a theater. Try to keep the activity lighthearted and fun. Laughter bonds better than anything and its affects will ripple throughout your life.

Moving house is alot of work for me and I can imagine the amount of time on packing and unpacking. We had just booked ourselves to a Thailand getaway and a shopping trip to Hong Kong. So that would be something I can look forward to. I can’t wait for those private cooking and baking classes I had booked myself in. This is what I like to do when I’m on a break. Back to looking for a house, we need one with a home office or a study for the least. Working at home has worked very well for us both and DH enjoyed learning all the online marketing stuff in his own space. I, on the other hand, like working at home and shopping online The other day, I was even planning to buy an Electric Airsoft Guns for DH… I thought it would be a great gift idea!

This week will be house hunting and house inspections and I seriously can’t wait to find the ‘right’ house for us.