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Today it will be a late post. It has been a busy and rewarding day. Bringing the kids home relatively late from preschool and after school. Immediately get started on dinner. At the same time, the eldest daughter thinks she should surprise her siblings with dessert, as it's our name day today, both hers and mine. I give my approval and she takes out blueberries from the freezer. I demonstrate in an educational way how to transfer the frozen blueberries to the pie dish in an easy way, then I turn around to continue with dinner. It only takes 2 seconds before I hear a thud and the entire counter and kitchen floor are drenched in blueberries. Oops, is all she gets out. Mom, it didn't turn out the way you showed... There are blueberries everywhere! We're all hungry and tired. Not a good time to cause chaos.

I was just listening to a Ted Talk about how we humans develop and what is important in the early years of life. Several British studies show similar results, namely that it is important not to start life in poverty, because then you are more likely not to do well later in life. Furthermore, and even more importantly, all the studies show that parents play an extremely important role in the early years of a child's life. Whether you are poor or rich.

Today is one of those days that has just flown by, without me feeling like I've gotten much done. Do you recognize yourself?

It's almost time to pick up the kids and then continue the day with cooking, driving kids to soccer and gym practice, laundry, dishes and picking up. In other words, just another day at the office.

Sometimes talking to someone you like and enjoy spending time with can give you so much energy. Today I had two such meetings in a row. Wow, I was so energized:-) I was so happy in my whole body, and the sun has been shining all day. Lovely!

Thought of the day:

Have you thought about how important friends can be on many levels?

This is part 1 of 6 in my blog series on the 6 basic principles for a healthy lifestyle - the following articles are also included in the series: Diet and Hydration (2/6), Sleep (3/6), Positive thinking (4/6), Movement and Breathing Techniques (5/6) and Discussion (6/6).

It's not difficult to be healthy, vital and productive - it's just an active choice you need to make! Once you've made your choice, you need to know what to do to feel better, because there are so many different ways, ideas and pathways to choose from. I know from personal experience that you can do a lot for yourself and your health by following the 6 basic principles that I will describe over the next few days. They are easy to understand and best of all, they work!

I absolutely love reading bedtime stories, chatting and then singing my children to sleep. I prefer to do this with one child at a time. The downside is that it's a long time in a dark room and I have a hard time staying awake, but the benefits still win out! On the evenings when both my husband and I are home, we usually take one child each. It's so cozy to read, talk through the day and then get them to fall asleep in peace and quiet. It's so peaceful! So much else becomes unimportant at that time. Usually that's also when I really get to hear what happened during the day and if there's something in particular they need to vent about, it's right then, just before they go off to sleep that it comes out. Not when I ask on the way home from school or at the dinner table, but during bedtime itself. Sometimes there's so much talking that we have to decide on "one last question or comment" for this particular evening.