I have written before that I like listening to podcasts while I do my chores (like ironing or cleaning up after a meal) and one of those podcasts that I listen to is called “3 in 30: Takeaways for Moms”, which has 30-minute episodes, each of which contains 3 doable actions that we as moms can try at home to create a more meaningful motherhood and family experience.
The other day I was listening to an episode from December 2021 where the host, Rachel Nielson, was interviewing author BJ Fogg, a teacher and the author of the New York Times bestselling book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything. I have that book, though I must admit, as with most self-help books, it is half-read.
His interview was very succinct and his 3 takeaways was about creating new habits by making the tiniest change. He has a simple A-B-C approach which would help us to create good habits as well as help our children design and master theirs.
The approach is:
- Identify a Reliable Anchor. This means pinpointing your routines and established habits in your daily life. One of our most consistent routines is going to the bathroom.
- Attach a Tiny Behavior that you would like to make a habit. Let’s say you want to exercise more.
- Boost that new habit with a Small Celebration. A small whoop, a thumbs up to yourself, even a smile. It will help reinforce that new habit.
So, for example, as I stated above, I want to exercise more. I want to attach an exercise that I can do to my habit of going to the bathroom (my Reliable Anchor). I choose squats. So, every time I go to the bathroom, I would do some squats. For my Tiny Behavior, I chose at least 5 squats, but it can be even just 1 and then I would Celebrate by smiling at myself in the mirror, or just saying yes, good job! On the days that I am motivated, I would certainly do more than 5, but on the days where I have zero motivation, I would be able to doat least 5.
You might say that doing 5 squats is nothing, but it is better than zero squats and it would add up during the day.
Why don’t you give it a try? Determine a habit you want to build and make it super easy and tiny that it will take hardly any effort to do. Then find a routine to attach it to and start from there. It will eventually grow and before you know it you will have established a new habit.
And I quote BJ Fogg,People change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad.
So go on, celebrate those tiny habits!
***
Summer is upon us. It has been growing considerably warmer and we have been eschewing jackets in favor of t-shirts and shorts.
It is also time to start making homemade ice cream.
Although I do have an ice cream maker, my freezer doesn’t always have space to chill the freezer bowl, so I was ecstatic to discover no-churn ice cream a few years ago. At its most basic, it’s condensed milk and whipped cream. The condensed milk helps keep the ice cream smooth and not icy.
The possibilities are endless, but our most recent homemade ice cream was this:
Mango Cheesecake No-churn Ice Cream
Ingredients:
2 ripe mangoes (to get at least 1 cup puree)
150 g cream cheese
250 g whipping cream
200 – 250 g condensed milk
- Slice the mangoes and remove the flesh and all of the pulp from around the seeds. Puree.
- If you want to take an extra step to make the mango taste even richer and have less ice crystals in the ice cream, cook the mango puree over medium low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens and is reduced by half. I didn’t do this and my ice cream had some ice crystals indeed, but we didn’t mind.
- Mix together the cream cheese, cream and condensed milk. Whip with a hand-held beater on in a stand mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold in mango puree (cooled of course if you reduced your puree.)
- Pour into a container with a lid and freeze for at least 6 hours.
Let stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before scooping out. Can be topped by roasted cashew nuts and graham cracker bits!*
