DIY: Pencil Holder

Another easy decorative idea.  I like do it yourself stuff which is done in some minutes and right after the idea came into my mind. And I like practical stuff.

The only things you need are an empty, cleaned jam jar which is big enough for pens and pencils, a decorative paper and a old present bow. Oh and a scissor to cut it in the right size. No glue, no expensive stuff, just the things you can find. Et voilá!

Balcony Tomatoes

I never ever want to live in a city again without having a balcony (or a garden!). This spring I spend a lot of time digging in soil. Planting flowers. Sowing seeds. Waiting. Being patient. Watering. I loved it! Spending time on the balcony felt like holiday. I also really like the idea of being able to plant your own vegetables. 
So one project were the tomatoes. We had seeds but the plant did grew really slow at first. But then I spend some weeks somewhere else and when I came back it was really high. Still there were no blossoms on the plant... So we were waiting again. Did fight against plant louses. And then there were blossom and suddenly small green balls, yeah, tomatoes! But as it was late in summer already, there was less sun every day... So we did harvest them green. Put them on the window sill with an apple. Nothing happened for a while, until I read that. So I did put the tomatoes in a box, wrapped them in newspaper and put them unter a shelf. And some days later I check and it worked!

DIY: Coloured branches

If you want to be creative and bring some nature in your home this is something nice. While painting the branches or painting a pattern on it you can enjoy the concentration on doing just this one thing. I thought it was really relaxing and calming painting the branches.
So first you have to collect some branches or drift wood. Then you can paint them as you like. Drift wood is especially nice cause it has no treebark left. I took acrylic paint which vanished a little bit on the branches which I had on the balcony. Still it looks nice. These shown on the picture are decorating the bathroom.

About weakness

I have been ill last week and stayed at home some days. What I hate about being ill is to cancel appointments and to call in sick. I always ask myself: Am I really feeling so bad that I am not able to do that? Because sometimes it's difficult to answer the question. Sometimes you just have to do things. Sometimes other people may get angry because of your cancellation. All this thinking and missing work or appointments always makes me feel bad about being ill. It's more relaxing when you definitely know that you are too ill to leave your bed...
But in the end it's always a decision about yourself and your own health and wellbeing. And in the end no one would like to make you suffer by not letting you stay at home. Usually people are nice and caring when you are sick. But it always seems like an excuse to me, cause you need reasons for your sickness.
But what you actually need is time to get better. Time without excuses. Time for yourself.

While being ill we have to deal with our weakness. Our body is not as strong as it is supposed to be. That's probably why we don't like being ill. It's in the times when we are pushed down by others, when you are losing, when we are sick that we are feeling weak. In society weakness is something negative which is not talked a lot about. We have to be strong, we have to work, no matter what. So we often ignore the signs of weakness.
The same happens when it comes to mental illness. People who have mental stress and difficulties are very often considered as weak.So illness can be even worse when other people can't see that you are struggling, cause it's happening inside of you. And it always seems that you need excuse for that. But actually you don't.
For me, saying that you are feeling weak and need a break, need someone who cares for you, need something which helps you, is always about being able to talk about your own needs. But before standing up for your needs you have to know what your needs are.

Beside that, feeling weak doesn't mean that you can't be strong. Feeling weak is a part of life. Life is fragile and if we do not accept weakness we do not accept real life. Everyone has made the experience of being weak. But no one wants to be weak. It's just sometimes you are weak because you were strong for too long...
And isn't it strong to admit that you are weak? Isn't weakness showing that you are a human, that you are vulnerable and fragile. Accept weakness and it will change into strength....Do not ignore the sign, maybe the weakness is telling you something about your needs.

DIY: Treasure Map

For my work with children I always need new ideas to make up exciting stories. Usually I think of things I have at home anyway and how I can use them to do something by myself.
So one evening I ran out of ideas, so my boyfriend and me were brainstorming and finally he came up with this idea: Making a message in a bottle and creating a treasure map with the help of stamps. We really had fun to make the treasure map by painting and stamping pirates, ships and a treasure. Coffee, burned edges of the paper and crumpling the whole thing made the look complete. I haven't done that since my art class back then in school.

The task for the children was to "read" the message in the bottle. It can be read as a short comic-story about pirates on a ship who come to an island, where a monkey gives them a treasure map. In the end they went for treasure hunting. Afterwards the kids could "write" down their own messages or stories with the stamps. That was also an exercise to practice fine motor skills.
Of course I pretended to have found the message in the bottle at the beach and that the treasure map is really old and should not be touched, otherwise it would fall into a million pieces.

First times

On the weekend I had a discussion about questions like: When was the first time you listened to this song?  Sure, most of us remember the first kiss or the first own appartement. But do you remember the first time you did pet a cat? Or the first time you realized what you want to work? Can you remember the first time that you realized that people have different skin colors? When was the first time you realized that you are a boy/a girl? Can you remember the first time you were able to stay up until midnight?

It's about the time when interest forms itself.
A lot of first times occur to you when you are a child. So thinking about first times is also about how you grew up. When and why did a certain interest for something start? Which opinions and views on the world you had and have and when were the first times that opened up or broke down these views?

A friend of mine had the idea of trying out something new every week as a kind of dare. That could be going in a cafe all by yourself without meeting anyone there. Or singing karaoke. Or answering questions of a teacher when no one else does. Help someone who looks desparate. Talk to a foreigner on the street without a reason. The list is endless. And it's a very personal decision what to choose to do something for the first time. And sometimes you are not even able to choose a first time cause you suddenly find yourself in a new situation. Everyone has and had their own first times.
I think it's a good idea for brighten up daily life by setting yourself in new situations, which may frighten you or encourage you or just giving you another perspective on life and the world that surrounds you.
I think there is something special in everything you do for the first time. It will never be like the first experience. Your senses are more open. You're maybe more emotional about it. You have expectations or  opinions. Have doubts or questions, you wonder about things.
In first times the fear about a new situation can make you feel uncomfortable and make you never go back in a situation. First times challenges you. Try out not to critizice. Be a field researcher who finds out how another culture or society works. Let your feelings which arise and the thoughts you have wander through your body and mind. Everything is a new experience. Stay open for first times.