How To Get Back In Shape ... 1

"Before it was known and recognized as the common colorful plastic toy (sometimes with water or sand inside the actual hoop), the traditional "hula hoop" used to be made of dried up willow, rattan, grapevines, or stiff grasses. Even though they have existed for thousands of years, they are often misunderstood as having been invented in the 1950s." Source: Wikipedia

Before giving birth I thought that I will not have time to worry about my figure after giving birth, so I did not really make thoughts about my work out schedule after  pregnancy.

Well, I really did not have much time to think about it but every morning when I put on my trousers I was reminded. :)

Even though 3 weeks after giving birth I was only 3 kilos more than before my pregnancy, my trousers somehow would not to fit.

Of course, I did not have the time to hit the gym, so I had to think about activities I could do at home.

Walking with the baby is obviously a good start but I felt I needed more workout. So when my doctor said that everything was all right and I could start again with sports I grabbed my hula hoop.

It is a fun and easy way to get back in shape. Many remember doing it in their childhood and when they start doing it as adults, they do not really understand why it seems to be so difficult.

Well, you have to practice but after a few sessions you will love it. And the result can be seen really quickly.

How about you? How do you keep fit?

Your comments are highly appreciated.

XO,

Pippi

Let's Party With Paperless

Hands up for those who do like invitation cards? 

If you are anything like me, you would still have all the invitation cards to birthday parties and weddings you have ever visited. :)

But nowadays it happens less and less often that we send/receive invitation cards. :(

It might be because we live in a digital world or it might be because we are all in stress and hustle all the time. Another reason for quick online invitations might be environmental consciousness.

But we should pay more attention to bithdays, dinner parties, etc., where we can meet our loved ones. Sending out beautiful invitation cards - in my opinion - is a sign of love and respect to the event and to the ones invited.

Isn't it a better feeling to receive a nice, personalized card than receiving a simple reminder on social media? Of course, hand-written invitation cards are the most personal ones. But what if your handwriting is not so nice to look at? And moreover, who has the time for writing them one by one?

Recently I have found the solution to this problem. I am thrilled to introduce you to the services of PAPERLESS POST.  The company was launched  to prove that communication could be personal and well-designed. They offer both paper and 'paperless' services depending on your preference.

And while digital invitations are relatively new, more and more people in the US and around the world have started to use them for  baby showers, birthdays, holidays, and even weddings. Paperless' site is really easy to use and offers beautiful designs for the clueless (you can browse designers here) and an opportunity to upload personal designs for the more creative ones.

For today I brought you three samples of invitation cards I have sent out recently with the help of  Paperless:

And now I can't wait to desing the invitation card to my son's 6-month-'birthday' party. :)

How about you? Do you use paper invitations or do you prefer to use any apps or online invitations when organizing a party?

Thanks for reading.

XX,

Pippi

This post was sponsored by Paperless Post but - as always - all opinions are mine.

The Google Secret - And What I Learned From It

Two collegues recommended me this book and one of them was constantly quoting from it so I just couldn't help but had to read it.

And I haven't regretted doing so.

I did not only find really helpful tips for business but also for my personal daily life.

I was especially thrilled by the fact that the author of the book is a Hungarian immigrant to the USA.

The book is not about dry facts but about stories and anecdotes from within Google, as well as from other companies the author worked for or had contact with.

So here is a quick summary about the main facts:

1. Everyone wants their work to have purpose. As a teacher and also later in another field I learned that people wanted to know why it was important to learn or do that given thing. So do not be satisfied with the fact that you know the purpose, explain it to others. It may save you from lots of quarrels with your partner at home as well. :)

2. Trust your people. For some people it is easier, for others it takes more time to trust people. But you can be sure that if someone has the feeling you do not trust them, they will give up and be more and more negligent. In my opinion this again is very important in your private life: If you think your partner or child will not do this or that, after a while they will not even try.

3. Hire only people who are better than you. Many people are afraid of doing so. But how could you trust someone('s work) if you know they are not better at it than you.

4. Don't confuse development with managing performance. 

5. Focus on the two tails. There is no denial about the act that there are average, very good and very bad employees at every workplace. Focus on the strengths and weaknesses. For the good, learn everything you can from them. For the bad, help them learn, refocus or if all else fails, exit them.

6. Be generous. The book says that most of the services offered to googlers for free, do not mean a lot of  cost for the company. With good organization you can help even with only petty expenses. And what is even more important not everything has to cost money, .

7. Pay unfairly. Most of the value on your teams comes from the top employes, so pay them accordingly. However, with this rule, you should be very careful within the family.

8. Nudge. Commands normally meet resistance. Rather nudge on things you consider as important.

9. Manage the rising expectations.  Once you "give" someone something more than once, they will most feel that they deserve it and expect you to give it or even more continually. Make sure that it will not always be like that until the end of times. It might be a good trick with your teenage children as well. :)

10. Enjoy! And then go back to No. 1 and start again. “Building a great culture and environment requires constant learning and renewal.”

How about you?  Have you read it? Did you profit from it?

XX,

Pippi

Pregnancy Update

First of all, I would like to say thank you for all your support and kind comments on my 
pregnancy announcement. They mean the word to me. 


So, yes. 
We are expecting a baby  and my due date is in March. 

For today I brought a quick Q& A for you about the last few  months:

How about  (morning) sickness?
 I only felt really sick twice.
What I had problems with in the first two months was diarrhoea. However, with this I can still consider myself lucky as it always came in the late afternoon, after work. 

How much weight have you gained until now?
I have gained about 10kg - which my doctor says is too much and according to the sonograph the baby's head is extremely big, so my doctor ordered me to keep a 160 g carbohydrate diet (even though I have no problems with my blood sugar).
I hope everything will be fine.

How about your skin/hair/nails?
My skin and hair are fantastic. my nails are terrible.
Well, they say you can't have it all. :)

Do you use anything to prevent stretch marks?
I use several products and I am planning to write a separate post about it soon. 

What are your pregnancy cravings?
Haribo gummy bears :)

Are you afraid of giving birth?
A bit but I am hopeful that everything is going well.

Do you do any sports?
I attend special yoga classes for pregnant women. 


If you have further questions, I am happy to answer them.

Thanks for stopping by.

XX,

Pippi 

Resolutions

Every year when January comes you can read numerous magazine articles and blog posts about how to stick to your New Year's Resolutions. I think the best and most effective advice I have ever read was that you should dividide your goals into smaller steps and decide what step to finish by when.

As I am in the last trimester of my pregnancy I did not want to make "big", longterm resolutions but rather ones that I can finish by my due date or ones that are relatively easy to keep even for a firts-time-mom with a baby.

The other very imprtant and effective method is writing your goals down. This way you cannot deny or disown them later on. The best is when you write it somewhere you can see them often.So that they 'haunt' you. :)

So here is my list:

Improve my Dutch: I studied Dutch at the university but I have no opportunity to use the language and forgot almost everything. Now for the last few weeks, I have been studying from my old books and next week I am going to a language learning workshop about a quite promising  method.

Read books: There are 3 books on my bedside table  that I have already started with I just need to find the time to finish them.

Stick to my financial plan: One of my NYRs a few years ago was that I would be more conscious about my financies. I think this was one of my most important and well-kept resolutions ever. And with a baby on board I think it is even more imprtant to plan carefully.

Produce less waste: Last week I cleaned my pantry and found many products with expiration dates a long time ago. I felt so embarrassed. There are so many people in need and I just buy things and let them go to waste. I really need to be more conscious about that. 

Smile more: This is a thing I set as a goal every year but it is not because I am not improving but because I think that it is important to remind yourself of it from time to time.

Be more patient: The same here as with smiling. :)

How about you? Did you make New Year's resolutions or set goals for 2017? 

I would love to hear about them. :) 

Thanks for reading.

XX,

Pippi