Ritual for self-love…

As a mother of five, and especially with a baby in our family again, I have to admit there is not much time left in the day for myself. I’m lucky if I can squeeze in a quick shower every day (thank goodness for older kids to hold the baby!). But I do really love to do yoga. My yoga instructor in London recently came out with a series of yoga DVDs with 20-minute sessions, which I really love. Just 20 minutes a day, but it changes everything.

Ritual with friends, family, loved ones…

One of the things we love the most about living in Byron Bay is the beautiful community of friends we’ve made and the weekly rituals we have. Whether it’s our Wednesday morning coffee date at The Farm or Friday mornings at the farmers market or pizza dinners on Saturdays, there are so many opportunities to get together with friends throughout the week.

Ritual for productivity…

I’ve always been pretty good at multi-tasking—I think most mothers are—but I’ve learned over the years that I’m actually most productive (or at least I do a better job) when I focus on just one task at a time. I also know I work best when my surroundings are in order, which is why I tend to tidy my house before I sit down to my computer each morning.

Ritual for creativity…

My kids love being creative, whether it’s sitting down with paper and pens, knitting or weaving with yarn or building fairy castles at the beach. Most of my creative energy is devoted to projects with the kids. I especially love creating things we can proudly display in our home.

Ritual for rest and recuperation…

I’m an early to bed, early to rise person. We haven’t owned a television in years, so we never have the distraction of TV or movies in the evening. At the end of the day, after cleaning up dinner and getting the kids into bed, I look forward to getting into my bed and getting as much sleep as I can.