Tuesday, January 31

Wordless Wednesday - #JanPhotoADay Collage



Joining in for Wordless Wednesday with
My Little Drummer Boys

Not Another One of Those Days

I hate grumbling.  No really I do.  It is something that I try very hard not to do.  After all grumbling doesn't change anything.  Sure it might make you feel a little better but whatever you were grumbling about is still there.  Plus I know that in the scheme of things whatever it is that I am grumbling about is relatively insignificant.

There are people the world over that have something real to grumble about.  People who have lost loved ones.  People who have had dreams shatter before their very eyes.  People who have suffered unjustly through no fault of their own.  These are the people that should be grumbling.

Only they don't.  Possibly because they are too busy trying to actually deal with whatever it is I think they are justified to grumble about.

Most days I don't have any troubles not grumbling.  Today is not one of those days.
Apologies for my moaning but you don't have to read if you don't want to.  Not that I want you not to read but I will understand if you too have had a crap day and are not really interested in reading about someone else's crap day.
  1. Waking up at stupid o'clock (which actually happens to be the time I wake up every morning) with the anticipation of linking up an awesome post that I had scheduled the night before when I put the finishing touches on it.  This is a post I had been working on for days.
  2. Discovering that above mentioned post has mysteriously disappeared and instead a blank post was published
  3. Realising that multiple copies of posts may not actually be a bad idea.  This was the second post in as many days to just vanish into thin air.
  4. Having a terrible first coffee of the morning, with no one to blame but myself
  5. As proud as I am of the two big girls so confidently taking the return to school in their stride I wouldn't have minded if I was needed to stay in class just a little longer. (Yes I know this is really not a justifiable grumble but it would have made missing them easier if I knew they were missing hanging with me)
  6. Having to park miles away from the school because we got there a little later than I would have preferred.
  7. After stopping the little one from falling asleep in the car so I could stop in at the shops, I took the long way home to help her nod off only to be caught in a very heavy downpour that had me pull over due to visibility issues.
  8. Finally getting home but still having to get shopping and sleeping child from car to house in the rain
  9. Not being able to get an IBOT post out till much, much later than I wanted.
  10. Well meaning but slightly annoying neighbours coming over to say that they believe the body corporate manager is probably screwing us over (duh) not that it bothers them much as they just sold their for a ridiculously high price.
Gosh that really does feel a little better.  I can't leave it all Negative Nancy like though.
So here are ten things that were great about my day.  Well maybe not great but certainly not worthy of a grumble.
  1. Getting up nice and early gave me plenty of time to prepare lovely lunches for the girls without being rushed.
  2. Having two girls very excited and keen to get ready for their first day at school.
  3. Having two girls that so readily embraced their new chores and got them done before school.
  4. The rain, which has pretty much been constant for days now, holding off long enough for me to take a few first day of school photos.
  5. The above mentioned rain that also stayed away while we were making our mammoth trek from the car to school.
  6. The lovely teachers that both the girls have.
  7. The way the little one had such a super long sleep, much longer than I expected.
  8. Getting tea as well as afternoon snacks sorted at lunchtime.
  9. The fact that the well meaning but slightly annoying neighbours didn't stay nearly as long as what they have done in the past.
  10. Getting this post out.
Now since it is Tuesday I get to join in with 
which is found at Diary of SAHM

And even though I have two lists, 
I do have ten things on each of them
So I will also join in with

#JanPhotoADay


Hosted by the lovely Chantelle over at Fat Mum Slim there is a themed photo for every day of January.

Here is my collection

Day 31- You. Again

This time round I was able to take the photo myself.  Thanks to my lovely new iPhone 4S that has one of those reversible camera deals. (yes I was just a bit of a name dropper there but if you have one of these little beauties you would tell the world as well).

When I got hubs to take my photo at the start of the month I hated it.  It was late and rushed and I was actually in my nightdress.  I was feeling less than comfortable with myself and had hoped to do one of those really cool shots in the mirror or with just part of me showing but due to it being late and me being tired it just didn't happen.

Mind you even after having a whole month to think about it I still couldn't come up something a bit out there.  Oh well, maybe next time?

On the upside though I do feel much more comfortable looking at this photo of myself which is nice.  I think my recent haircut has something to do with that.  

Day 30 - Nature

This was another one of those oh this is easy, I will get to it later.  There were many of these and sadly most of them didn't get taken because later never came.

This week has seen a rather large amount of rain fall, which invariably means mushrooms and toadstools pop up all over the place.  These ones were in my mum's front garden.

Day 29 - Inside Your Fridge
Day 28 - Light
Day 27 - Lunch
Day 26 - Colour

Day 25 - Something You Made

Christmas before last I purchased a heap of cane to weave baskets with.

Just after Christmas last year I actually got around to doing something with it.  Lucky for me I really stocked up on the cane so there is still plenty for me to play around with.  Anyone got any tips?

Day 24 - Guilty Pleasure
Day 23 - Something Old
Day 22 - Your Shoes
Day 21 - Reflection

Day 20 - Someone You Love

I thought that today was going to be easy.  After all I love lots of people.  Only I love them so much it was too hard to choose without picking a favourite.  It didn't take much thought though to realise the newest addition was the most sensible option.

Day 19 - Sweet
Day 18 - Something You Bought
Day 17 - Water

Day 16 - Morning

This was one of my desperate days.  The morning was fast approaching it's ending and I hadn't found something to capture.  We were heading to Bondi and I had hoped to capture some morning traffic madness.  I thought this was as good as it was going to get.

Naturally as soon as I posted it we were surrounded, like in a jam surrounded, with cars.

Day 15 - Happiness


As I said when I posted this photo.  Not necessarily my happiness but lots of other people have left signs of their happiness here.  This is the Sea Cliff Bridge in NSW.  Every rail has at least one pad lock.  Apparently locals, and not so local at times, come here to propose.  They then leave a pad lock as a sign of the ever lasting love.

Let me here awwwwwwweeeeee

Day 14 - Something You're Reading


More like something I wish I was reading.  I took this book on the plane.  How I thought I would get time to read is a little beyond me.  Welcome to the delusion world I some times reside in.  

Reading is a thing of the past for me.  Unless of course it is a blog.  I seem to be able to find plenty of blog reading time.

Day 13 - In Your Bag 


After falling behind for a few days I was desperate to catch up.  I don't know why but for some reason I had it in my head it was important to take a photo each and every single day.  I think I only got this on in by minutes.

Mind you this time last year I wouldn't have been able to take this photo at all.  Back then I was bag free.  I wonder how I ever managed.

Day 12 - Close-up

I had tried to get a close up of a frog.  It ended up looking more like a dead, skinned and headless chicken.  Not very pretty at all.  This is one of the sunflowers that the girls planted in the front driveway.  Looks like they will flower while we are away.  Naturally.

Day 11 - Where You Sleep
Day 10 - Childhood

Day 9 - Daily Routine

Now based on what others posted this day I think I may have missed the mark a little.  I do not exactly routinely drink my coffee here but I do routinely drink coffee and I do wish it was always sitting and relaxing here.

Day 8 - Your Sky

This was a late afternoon photo.  Instagram made it look a lot bluer than what it was.  But then that is why we love it I think.  Or at least why I love it.  If I had of had my thinking cap on I would have gone down the foreshore and taken a sunset shot.  Oh well next time maybe.

Turns out this whole photo a day thing is a bit tricker than I thought.
Day 7 - Favourite
This is actually a shot of my favourtie electrical device.  Yes that's right good old Mac.  That's him hiding down in the bottom left corner.  I know that he only just makes it in the photo.  The main reason for that is that the desk on which Mac sits is rather untidy and I did not have the time nor the patience or inclination to tidy it up before snapping away.

As it turns out that photo has quite a few favourites in it.  It is also my favourite corner of the house.  A place where I want to run and spend hours in.  My gateway to blogging notoriety.  Even if tis only my own lunchbox kind of notoriety.

The spikey things behind Mac also happen to be my favourite Christmas decoration that can be left out all year round without looking out of place.  In fact the only things that make them even look like Christmasy is the fact that they are red and green.  Which you can't really see in the terrible light.

The other favourite is obviously the picture frame.  Which also brings with it a bit of angst.  The frame itself was made by a former lover.  Actually one of my first loves and very serious relationship former lover made it.  Best bit is he is still one of my little brother's besties.  He gave it to me with a picture of over 2000 smiley faces in it.  I loved smiley faces at the time.  Now however it contains all my favourite photos from the best day of my life.  Well one of them.  It really is hard to split the birth of children and marriages.  Each are such wonderfully magical days it is hard to think there could be anything better.

Day 6 - Makes You Smile
How can chocolate cake not make you smile?  Especially when it is freshly made choc orange swirl kind of chocolate cake.  As I captioned when posting on Instagram, it was the process as much as the cake that made me smile.  I had the pleasure of creating this master piece with Miss Z, (formerly DD2, aka Miss 5) and one of her little buddies from school.  Actually it is her best little buddie from school as they would both tell you.

It really is lovely watching children learn the ropes of friendships.  I have seen some truly beautiful moments between Miss Z and her friends.  Mind you I have seen some equally cringe worthy times where I wonder what on earth has gone wrong.

I actually posted this photo a day late.  Which I am a bit cranky about but will not dwell on.  I had wanted to share a photo of hubs for today, as he makes me smile like nothing else.  Only he is somewhat camera shy.  Somehow though I got him to pose with a net bag over his head.  At the time to both of us it was hilarious.  In fact it did more than just make us smile.  I was giggling so hard I could barely take the photo.

Unfortunately though the finished project did not look as funny as it did in my minds eye.  So I was left disheartened and photoless.  Just when I thought my creative juices were ready to flow at full capacity and create something more than awesomeness I crumbled at the bit.  Misread the signs and somehow got lost along the way.

I was tempted to just throw my hands up and give in but realised that was over reacting.  You see I was starting to put just a little to much thought into the challenge and that was resulting in unnecessary and ridiculous pressure.  After all it was supposed to be something fun.  Light hearted and joyful if you will.  Not pull your hair our OMG I simply must  have the most creative/inspiring/best ever photo each and every day.

With over 30,000 photos shared in less than the fist week that would be a pretty big call.

Day 5 - Something you wore
 Not exactly being glamour model material, or loving seeing myself in photos I really didn't want to share a photo of what I wore on this particular day.  The fact that it is the middle of holiday time and I may or may not have showered or brushed hair in a twenty four hour period has nothing at all to do with my lack of shyness either.

Sure I could have just taken a photo of my clothes spread out on the bed or hanging from the curtain rods or what ever, but that is not really my style.  Plus I really fail to see how that could possibly be an appealing photo.  My wardrobe is pretty simple.  Think singlet, shorts and thongs.  Of the feet variety.

I contemplated taking a photo of my wedding dress or perhaps of my deb dress (which looks more like a traditional wedding dress anyway) but since they are both located at my mother's house it was easily put in the too hard basket.

Putting my thinking cap on though I came up with this little beauty.  This is a dress my mother put on me as a baby.  My sister also wore it as did Miss L (formerly DD1 or aka Miss 10) and I think Miss Z.  The chances of Lil T wearing it were somewhere between slim and none.  You see she was substantially bigger than the other two and by the time she came around the sentimental in me was rapidly dwindling.

Day 4 - Letterbox
 Bleh.  What a totally boring photo.  I tried to jazz it up a bit with Miss Z peering in.   Truth be told it was a bit of a fluke really and I am not sure how successful it really was in jazzing up the photo.

The worst part about this is that I kept thinking if I lived in the rural area this photo would way better.  For some reason people in the bush or in farmland, seem to have super cool letterboxes.  What makes it the worst part is that on this particular day I happened to find myself in the rural area.  Not really knowing the area though I wasn't sure of where to find the cool letterbox shot I desired.  Sadly I was unable to find one.

Day 3 - Something you adore
On the surface the topic seems so easy.  Something you adore.  Being the free and easy type of girl that I am there are many things that I adore.  Choosing which one to share was not going to be easy.  Choosing one that I could photograph well was going to be harder.

I spent most of the day wandering round wondering what it was I adored.  I really didn't want to go through the challenge taking cliche photos.  I wanted to be edgy and different.  Something that would be able to stand out from the crowd.  Something that would make people want to read my blog.

By late afternoon I was feeling rather despondent and wondering why I had ever thought I could come up with a cool photo every day for 31 days.  Even though it was only day three I briefly, only briefly mind, contemplated if I should go on.

Electing to take my quandary to the cooling waters of my resort style swimming pool I was suddenly faced with something that I greatly adored.

Two little mermaids, relaxing in the summer afternoon sun.

I adore that at this time of year we can spend that wonderful twilight time chilling by the pool.
I adore that the girls love the water and took to it so easily.  There is  nothing more fun than swimming the afternoon away.
I adore that we are fortunate enough to have such a wonderful swimming area at our doorstep.

Day 2 - Breakfast
 I had been saying to Miss Z for days that I would cook pancakes for breakfast.  Only one thing would always lead to another and sadly none of it lead to pancakes actually being made.  On this particular day we came very close to this scenario being repeated.  Till I found out the day's challenge was.

Luckily for me I did this while it was still possible to serve what some would call breakfast.  Scraping in at ten to eleven the caption read It's still breakfast before 11am right? You would not  begin to believe how uber cool I felt right then and there.  Amplified by the supportive followers who quickly liked my post.

Oh and in case you were wondering yes they were very very yummy.

Day 1 - You
Here I am in all my glory.

Yep that is a pile of washing in the back round.  Like I said me in all my glory.

This photo challenge is off to a wonderful start.  Nearly forgetting all about it on the very first day.  Which means rather than some elusive it's me but you can't really see much of me shot I got a in your face this IS me.

Quite a bit of a shock really.  I do not like photos of me very much.  If at all.  This one is not too bad.  I guess.  In the scheme of things and given the circumstances.  You know the late at night on the first day of the year scheme of things.

Monday, January 30

Me & YOU - A bit of a change

So I was more than a little excited when The Mother Experiment sent me a message asking if I was interested in hosting Me & YOU for a while. Actually I am pretty sure you would have heard the hell yeah from wherever you are.  Mind you there was a twang of sadness as I knew it meant that Karlee would not be posting as much.

The Mother Experiment created this awesome linky way back in August last year. She thought that in a supportive and caring way, mothers could share their troubles and work through it together.  Actually to quote her directly
Being a mum can be isolating and hard. Let's help each other change those niggling little problems that eat away at us. Together we can make a change. Don't give up. We care about YOU. Link up your goal here.

It came at just the right time for me and I have barely missed a week since. I was devastated, but totally understood, when weekly turned to monthly as Karlee and her beautiful family welcomed their newest addition. Mind you I was overjoyed to see it return to weekly.

For me, Me & YOU began as a means of making myself more accountable for the state of my house. A domestic goddess I am not. I am still amazed how sharing my struggles here actually helped to motivate me to make much needed changes in my life.

It hasn't always been easy and there have been week's that were epic fails but those are the weeks that inspire me to keep going and try harder. In fact I would at times even find myself doing the dishes and thinking oh good I can put this in my post on Monday.  I momentarily started to think that perhaps it was what some might call 'sad' doing housework purely to put in a blog post, but then decided it doesn't matter how I get things done just as long as they get done.

Not wanting to bore my readers with the same thing each week and realizing that I need to write about this every week to help me stay on track I came up with the tag line Making it Matter.

 For too long I let things not matter. It didn't matter to me if the dishes didn't get done. Nor did it matter if the washing stayed on the line for days at a time. Now it does and I honestly feel better about the house and myself for making the effort to make things matter.

In many way it feels very evolutionary to join Me & YOU with Making it Matter.  Me & YOU, making IT matter together.  How great does that sound? Brilliant I know!!!  I only wish it wasn't so late and I didn't have so much to do or I could whip a fandangle new button.  All in good time though I guess.


I hope that you will come and join in, it is super, super easy.
  1. Have a look at your life 
  2. Find something that you want to make matter a little more
  3. Spend a week (or more) consciously making it matter a little more
  4. Blog about it
  5. Share the post here
  6. Tell all your friends and get them to do the same, tweeting about it as you go
Karlee was right, being a mum can be really isolating, which is strange because there are also so many similarities to be found among many a mum.  When we share we strengthen.  Not just ourselves but others as well.











-fairy wishes and butterfly kisses

Me & YOU Monday - Starting To Get Serious...well sort of

Last week was the last week of the school holidays so rather than set myself too many overwhelming goals all that was meant to matter last week was family time. Sounds easy enough really but sadly I think in some ways I failed this week. Given that we've just returned back from holiday altogether family time is something we've been enjoying quite a lot of lately. I had thought that would've been easy to just continue on with the good vibes that carried us through the holiday. Only once we returned home the dynamics had changed and those good vibes were slightly harder to find.

As much as holidays are fun they are also tiring. Especially for children who need to adjust to the joys of daylight saving and a summertime that sees the sun still up at 9 o'clock. Their poor little body clocks and no sooner worked it out and it was time to come on home. With an early check out time and delayed flights and a nearly midnight arrival home time the first few days home left us all feeling exhausted.

With mass exhausting and the down after the highs of holidays tension is easily found. Near on cyclonic winds and constant rain has not really helped either. Combine that with hub's pressure to keep the house in the immaculate condition he predominantly created and life has not exactly been rosy,

It is not all doom and gloom though. There were times when we were able to really enjoy some quality family time together. Times when we just grabbed the scooters and hit the road, well the footpath. Getting out and being active is always a sure fire way to bring us together. The plan is to actually make time every afternoon for family exercise. It may have taken five years but we have finally found a nice little loop around the neighborhood and if all goes according to plan we should be able to fit said loop in before dinner once hub's returns home from work.

Tomorrow sees the return of school. Hubs went back to work today and life is now officially back to normal. To tell you the truth I am trying not to be overwhelmed by it all. There is no doubt that the house is only looking as awesome as it is because of all the work that hubs did. He was the driving force behind it all. Only he can't be expected to maintain the house and earn all the money and I can't earn the money that he does, so that leaves me with the house.

(deep breath)

Deep down I know I can do this, it is just a matter of getting to deep down. At the moment I am more at the think I can stage more than the know I can stage. Baby steps I guess.  One step at a time and just keep on stepping.

Mind you when you read the list of possible tasks for this week it looks like anything but baby steps

In no particular order

  • Kids washed dressed and fed ready for school departure at 8am
  • Lunches for hubs and kids made in advance so as to avoid mad morning rushes
  • Beds made before slept in
  • Current levels of tidiness maintained, if not increased
  • 6.30 Dinner
  • 7.30 Bed time
  • 5.30 Wake time for me to allow for morning exercise (maybe not every morning but 3 mornings would be nice)
  • Limit electronic time
  • Blog regularly
  • Afternoon scooter with kidlets and dog (may alternate with swim or trip to park)
Oh my goodness I better stop now before I hyperventilate.

You see in between all of that I want to get my Martha Stewart on and bake a heap of goodies, as well as catch up with some mummy friends and plan with Jess how we can take over the blogging world.  Or at least the local chapter.  All the while guiding and nurturing the girls to be the very best they can be and ensuring the same for myself.  Sounds easy enough... doesn't it?

Oh and I must clean out the car.  I know I said I would do it last week but it was raining.  Well every time I thought of it, it was raining.  Which was lovely in many ways, but not in the clean the inside of your car way.

So this week I am sad to say that I am not linking this up with my dear friend Karlee over at The Mother Experiment because she is no longer the host.  Instead I am super pleased to be saying come on over and join in here!  With me!  The new (and a little bit chuffed) host.

Karlee once again thanks for starting such a wonderful meme.  It really has helped change my life.  
I feel honoured that you asked me to help it live longer.



Sunday, January 29

Getting Active

One of he places I like to hang out is over at The Sporty Mummy. Health and fitness are just two of the things that I am going to matter this year. Regularly reading about other active people is just one of the ways I stay motivated.


Last week when I was catching up on my blog reading I noticed that on a weekend Nicole hosts an active kids link up. Last week we were not active due the holiday thing but this week was a different story.

The return of school also means a return to sporting activities. This year hubs and I have decided that we are all going to play hockey. Well obviously the littlest won't but for everyone else hockey it is. Unfortunately though the season is still quite a few weeks from kick off. As it is an outside sport it doesn't start till the weather is dry and cooler.

At nearly eleven we feel that it is important that Miss L have a sport to keep her occupied.  One that lasts for as much of the year as possible and one that is not affected by weather.  Hello basketball.  There are two seasons a year and it is held indoors, win and win.  Plus there is a coffee shop at the stadium.

She has played for a few years now and without being to biased she shows a little bit of talent. Actually she seems to be one of those gifted people who is blessed with some sort of natural sporting ability for all manner of sports.

Last year was her first season of hockey, which also meant no basketball for the first half of the year. The year before last basketball became a bit of a chore at times. She loved the games but thought that training was over rated. Which bought about many an argument.

Now I know that some may disagree with our stance but she had actually asked to not play basketball that year and we made her.  The friend that she joined the club with had moved away and while she knew people there she can be very shy and timid at times.  Her ability had been noticed by others and it seemed a waste to be walking away after only one year.  Hubs and I made an executive decision that sports were to be played for a minimum of two years.

We figured that the first year was all about finding your feet and learning the game.  As well as making friends and finding a place in the team.  The second year was the year for all of this to be expanded on as skills developed.  Not only that but kitting a child out for a sports team is not a cheap exercise.  At least by playing for two years there was double the value out of the uniform.

Apart from the resistance to train she had a great time.  The discipline from training and the benefits of being on a team continued to outweigh the grumbles.  At the end of the year though she said she still did not want to play the following year.  She wanted to try something else.  As well as having a you must play for two years rule we also have a you can only play one sport at a time rule.

I tried reasoning with her that she was good at basketball and who knew where it might take her in the future.  She returned with I could be even better at something else and we'll never know because you didn't let me try.  Hard to top that one.  So she took six months off basket ball and turned her hand at hockey.

It took her a while to get a feel for the game.  Which is only to be expected really.  However by the end of the season you could see a huge improvement.  She even managed to score a few goals and was asked to play up a grade when they were short.  Once again training was an issue though.  And she started to say how much she missed basketball.

When we realised how early in the year the hockey season ended we left facing endless weekends with nothing to do.  Thankfully though basketball is a some what popular sport here and played all year long.  Well pretty much.  This meant Miss L was able to play most of the second season, without ever complaining about training.  To top things off she was even awarded the Most Improved Player at the awards ceremony I never went to.  Yep mother of the year here but that is a post for another day!

In the meantime head on over to The Sporty Mummy and see what other youth activities and kids sports happened this weekend





-fairy wishes and butterfly kisses

Friday, January 27

Things I Know - Body Image

Hello and welcome to this week's installment of one of my most favourite linky's ever.  As one of the very first memes that I participated in TIK will always hold a special place in my heart.  Especially since they are some of my most read posts.  Incase you are wondering where to find out more about this wonderous meme head over to






I actually started writing this post two weeks ago.  It came about after reading this post by Jess over at Diary of a SAHM.  It truly left me speechless for many different reasons.  I tried leaving a comment on the post but knew there was much more I needed wanted to say.  Which was great.  With the impending holiday being able to write a post well in advance and then scheduled to post automatically was like a dream come true.

Anyway, we all know about the best laid plans...

The post never got finished, which in this case actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  In fact I do believe the universe was actually telling me to just wait and see what was round the corner

You know Jess, yes the one I mentioned earlier, well she sent me an email telling me about a challenge that she was throwing out to the blogosphere at large.  One that I was only too happy to take part in.  Better yet a whole heap of other super cool blogging chicks also joined in and as such this awesome video was created. 

Click here to read more about the Your Worth it Challenge

Body Image is a  topic full of discussion that constantly gets tongues talking.  Everything about it seems to make my head spin.  I find all the different view points over whelming, especially the ones where beautiful people can't see what others can.  The horrible way one's mind distorts things, sends shivers through my spine.

Appearance is a funny thing.  Open to so much interpretation and easily taken the wrong way.  In many ways I know it is not something I give much thought to but at the same time I know that I am guilty at times of judging wrongly purely on appearance.  When I think of how I must appear at times the shivers turn to a shudder.

As I am sitting here trying to type out this post I am crunching on some corn chips and sipping an icy cold cola infused beverage.  I had baked potato and baked beans, covered in cheese and butter.  Yep butter.  Lots of it.  What I am trying to say is that I like my food and I enjoy eating it.  I am one of those everything in moderation gals and it all seems to work out ok.  (hhhhmmmmm I am wondering if perhaps moderation is the right word, extreme moderation doesn't quite sound right either) 

So what if my BMI says I am on the obese side of the scale?  I say that BMI is a load of crap.  Yes 75kg might be heavy for a girl my height (162cm) but it ain't the end of the world.  

Actually I can recall a conversation I had with a colleague (yep there was actually a point in time when I worked for a living) many years ago.  I had said my ideal weight was 80kg.  I felt that at that weight I would be tall and strong.  Only height is harder to gain when you reach a certain age.  Turns out it wasn't as great as I expected.  Which my colleague (who at the time I called a friend) had predicted.

The thing is though I am not overly dissatisfied either.  I don't want to be a bikini model.  I mean sure it would be nice but really? On a regular basis, having eyes just constantly beat down upon you.  A steadfast gaze as they critically anyalse every curve, bump and sleek slender line.  I didwould find it a bit overwhelming at times.  Imagine the work it takes to not just create but maintain one of those bodies that would more aptly be called a machine.  Too much effort for this little black duck.

Having said that though I don't want to be a fat blump either.  I want to be muscular and strong.  I currently settle for somewhere in between but hope to change that very soon.  I think that the effort and results levels are even.  You can't ask for more than that.  Well you can actually, and I am about to.

I know I need to change the way I think about my body.  I don't see the point in getting all sad about the shape of my body, it is after all in my hands.  Which is great but it doesn't motivate me to do anything about it.  If I want to do something about it I have the means to do so.  I know that.  But for some reason it is easier not to try. If I don't set expectations.  I won't get let down.  Or at least that is what the old me thought.

I find it hard to motivate myself to do anything about what some might call my excess weight.  Well at least I did.  I mean I am not finding it easy as such, but it certainly is getting easier to motivate myself for a whole range of activities.  I am changing the way I think, about a lot of things.  I am trying to make things matter.  I know I am one of those things that needs to matter more often.  

But I digress, I promised to share what I know about body image.

I know that I would rather buy a small mens rather than size 16 ladies.
I know I was seriously deluded to think that a size 10 rashie would fit me.  I'm kinda cross the shop assistant wasn't slightly more forthcoming with that kind of info, but I guess it is not the easiest thing to break to someone.
I know that while I may have been a bit more active of late I need to not kid myself in what actually needs to be done.
I know that when I think of what I want my body to look like in the future the answer is strong.
I know that as the mother to three girls the whole concept of body image scares me like you wouldn't believe.
I know I would rather think about being strong and powerful than thin and beautiful.  
I know that the media has created a warped perception of body images and beauty.
I know beauty is within as all if only we look.


Oh yeah and cause it's Friday and this post is awesome I am going to flog it

FYBF

Thursday, January 26

Thankful Thursday - Being Thankful for Where I Live

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Since today is Australia Day I thought it only fitting to give thanks to the wonderful country that I call home.  On Friday mornings at assembly I stand tall and prove and sing the national anthem with the children.  Even as a child myself I can recall always singing along.  At home if the anthem was played on the TV, as it often is at the start of an important sporting match or when winning a gold medal, I would be standing there singing along.  My parents had instilled in me pride for the wide brown land we called home.

And what's not to be proud of?

At the drop of a hat we send our soldiers off to help fight battles of unjust.  We rally together and show compassion to others in time of need.  The generosity of this nation continually amazes the world at large.  Even as we struggle in our own many ways we still find it possible to lend a helping hand when called upon.

On top of that we have a comparably small population to some of the other larger nations in the world yet we have a sporting prowess that leads to some fabulous sporting victories.  Yes I am one of those watch any sport as long as we win.

Now I'l admit that at times the leaders of this great land may not have made the wisest of decisions or ones that we are necessarily proud of all the time, but they are only human.  Humans chosen by a skewed majority rules mentality where broken promises and tempting lies fill the air.  But I am not here today to get all political, I am here today to give thanks for the awesomeness that is Australia.

Things like this

- Australia was the second country to give women the right to vote.

- In 1954, Bob Hawke was immortalised by the Guinness Book of Records for sculling 2.5 pints of beer in 11 seconds. Bob later became the Prime Minister of Australia.

- Until 1984, Australia's National anthem was "God save the Queen"
- Australia Day (January 26) is the anniversary of ships arriving in Sydney carrying convicts from England.
- In 2007, it was estimated that 22 per cent of living Australians had a convict ancestor.
- Australia's first police force was a band of 12 of the most well behaved Convicts.

- Over 90% of Australia is dry, flat and arid. Almost three-quarters of the land cannot support agriculture in any form.
- A baby kangaroo at the time of its birth measures 2 centimetres.
- Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason.
- Box Jellyfish - The Box Jellyfish is considered the world's most venomous marine creature. The Box Jellyfish has killed more people in Australia than stonefish, sharks and crocodiles combined.
- Four out of 10 Australians are migrants or the first-generation children of migrants.
- The day of the Melbourne Cup (a horse race!) is a public holiday in Melbourne.
- Dropbears - Dropbears are an evil species of koala that fall from trees and attack humans. This evil strain of koala doesn't actually exist. The story was created to fool Americans.

A facebook friend shared this on her status this morning,  just as I was about to go and Google something similar.  
I am thankful she saved me the effort

Recently it was suggested that flying the Australian flag was racist. Interestingly I was listening to a conversation the other day on a similar subject. Only these people were saying wearing a flag as clothing or flying it from your balcony was disrespectful As the owner of numerous Aussie flag garments I was hesitant to comment.  I am thankful to live in a land where freedom of speech is often exercised.  Even if at times that means listening to some real idiots quack on about rubbish.  Everyone has a right to be heard.

I am thankful to live in a land that understands the importance of education and medicine for all.  It might not have the best systems in place but it's better than most.  There is much we take for granted here that others fight tooth and nail to have.  Where here we might complain waiting three hours in emergency to have a sick child seen to others less fortunate wait three days to see a doctor passing through their village.

To me Australia has always been the lucky country and I feel blessed to be born here and raise my children here.  What are you thankful for this week?

Joining in with Kate Says Stuff for


Tuesday, January 24

Wordless Wednesday - Sydney



Joining with Trish from

My Little Drummer Boys


Ten Things Tuesday - The I Believe Edition

On a Tuesday, one of my most favourite fellow bloggers hosts a meme called Ten Things Tuesday.  This is an open ended list link up where all you have to do is share a list of ten things.  On a Tuesday.  Actually the link up is open all week so how easy is that? And plus, who doesn't love a good list?

I must confess it has actually been a few weeks since I have had ten things to share on a Tuesday but I am here today, well tonight, and that is all that matters.  We all know the importance of making things matter.

I started thinking of this post last night as I was writing my Me & YOU installment.  I had foolishly thought I could get two posts out in the one sitting.  Which may have been possible, had I not spent hours gazing through thousands of photos under the guise of filing them.  Mind you this just had  to be done so at least that little job is out the way.

So what are the ten things I have to share, well read on and find out.

Ten of the things that I believe

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  1. I believe in fairy winkles.  Actually that was just one of my dad's funny little sayings.  It pops into my head whenever I hear the words I believe as whenever dad heard someone start to say I believe he would interject with I believe in fairy winkles.  There were also a range of other occasions when my brother would also repeat the line.

    While writing this I Googled images for fairy winkles only to discover they are some little plastic toy from the 80's. Not exactly the image that I had in my mind.  My fairy winkles are not baby like and wear beautiful flowing clothes.

    They both live amongst the flowers and have cool animal friends though so there are some similarities.  I also believe in unicorns, elves, magical pixies, talking dolphins, enchanted forests and a whole collection of whimsical creatures, beings and far away places.  I believe that when needed I can call on their help as well.
  2. I believe in good.  I go looking for it all the time.  Often in the most unexpected of places.  Some might liken it to the silver lining or the like.  You know the whole when life gives you lemons make lemonade, or look for tequila and salt depending on the situation at hand.  If you look hard enough there is always a rainbow after the rain.
  3. I believe in love.  It fixes everything.  It is everything.  Love is what makes the world go round.  Love comforts like sunshine after summer rain.  Without love, life is often not lived.  Love takes many different forms and can be given in many different ways.  Where ever and when ever I try to share the love that I have.
  4. I believe in balance.  The yin and yang.  For all the good there must be some bad.  Without the bad we don't know the good.  You only get what you put in and all that.  I don't always balance as well as I should but that doesn't stop me from believing.  I believe that once the balance is found happiness will take care of itself.
  5. I believe in taking chances.  They often pay off.  Especially if properly evaluated and researched.  Sometimes life just calls for jumping in the deep end and hoping for the best.  It builds character.
  6. I believe in doing the right thing.  As long as you do right by others, others will do right by you.  Actually sometimes they won't but you should still always do right by them.  Sometimes I am not really sure why but it is the right thing to do.  There are enough awful people out there doing the wrong thing and making things worse.  I do not need to intentionally be part of that group.
  7. I believe in honesty.  There have been times in my life when it was nothing more than a lie.  Everything that came out of my mouth was a lie.  I had so many different lies going on I barely knew what the truth was.  I was young, working this thing called life out.  Finding myself and all that.  I have learnt the error of my ways.  An open honest life, free from lies is the life to lead.   By being honest with not just others but also myself I believe that I am walking the path to fulfilment.
  8. I believe in religion.  It is important to have something to believe in.  It helps provide hope.  Without hope we are hopeless and no one wants to be that.  Not only do I believe in religion I believe in you have a choice as to what that religion is (barring some extremist faction rubbish that doesn't really have the world at large in mind).  I believe in God, but not at the expense of all else.  I have whole range of higher powers that I seek in times of need and thank in times of joy.
  9. I believe in the power of thought.  The Secret, The Power of Attraction, what ever you want to call it I don't mind.  A name is a name.  The principles are all the same.  I don't always practice it as much as I should but I do believe you can call upon powers that be to help out in times of need.  What I don't know though is why it only seems to work for some.
  10. I believe in leading by example.  It is not always as easily done as what it is said but it is always possible.  I think that as I grow as a mother the importance of leading by example becomes more and more obvious.  It is an area that I still need to work on greatly but I am confident of tackling.
So there you have it, ten things that I believe in.  I probably have another ten in me but I will save them for another day. 

Can you think of ten things to share?
Head on over to
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and join in 

Monday, January 23

Me & YOU Monday. On Tuesday.

Yep that's right I'm a day late with my post for Karlee's awesome link up to help us all focus on finding ways that make our life as a whole just a little better.  Thankfully for Me (& YOU) is that the link is open all week so there is still plenty of time to join in.

Regular readers will know that I generally use this space to talk about Making things Matter.  Last week I started to explain what it was all about.  To be truthful I wasn't completely happy with the way it all came out.  I even questioned whether I should have posted.  Even though I was on holiday, there were still some things that just couldn't stop mattering and blogging was one of them.  You see blogging makes me feel good and since holidays are all about doing that which feels good...

I still struggle at times deciding exactly what it is I need to make matter.  Because let's face it the list of things that matter in life is endless.  And ever changing.  But then rarely are good things stagnant.

One of the reasons I am late (according only to me) in getting this post out is because I was busy making things other than blogging matter.  Things like unpacking, feeding the masses and beginning the mammoth task of conquering the Mt Washmore that is created with the frivolities of holidays.

There were also fun things like looking through some 700 photos of our week away.  Yep you read right 700.  Just under 100 a day.  Not too bad when you consider it is shared between two iphones and a DSLR (gee I just felt like a name dropper)  Fingers crossed I will have some ready to share on Wednesday.

Hubs recently made a comment about my filing, or rather lack there of, in Mac's iPhoto app.  Since he may have had a valid point, I have spent much of the evening trying to create sense among the thousands of photos which I have stored in a bid to preserve ever lasting memories.  If I had taken the time to make a to do list I am sure somewhere this would have been on it.

There is still one week of the school holidays left.  Hubs returns to work next week.  With the public holiday on Thursday, school shopping, a birthday celebration for a friend, catching up with friends and whatever else pops up along the way I am sure the week is going to fly by.  Much to my disappointment.  I am not ready for this time to end yet.

I am still in a little holiday bubble and I don't want it to burst yet.  I think I under estimated just how run down I was.  I am not sure I am fully rejuvenated yet.  I am not sure I want to go back to all day with out hubs around.  I love it when we are around each other all the time.  Having an extra pair of hands and sometimes even just ears with the girls can be a wonderful blessing at times.  Plus it is so nice for the girls to have their dad around as well.

I digress though.

Well not really.  Because that is what is going to Matter this week.
The time we spend together as a family.  
I want us to continue to enjoy the wonderful time we had on holiday.  Where worries slipped on by and we just enjoyed what we had.  At least for a little bit longer.  Since the house is in such a wonderful order at the moment thanks to all our hard work before we left, it only seems right that we spend some more time having fun.

There are a heap of things I want to get done blogging wise but I am not going to put too much pressure on myself for that at the moment.  Blogging occurs best when the house is in harmony.  Well at least that is how blogging works best for me.  Of course harmony occurs most when sleep is had which means I should possibly consider whether I should be here right now or not.  The ever constant juggling act of life I guess.

There is one thing though that I must make matter this week and that is the state of the car.  It should have been done before we went away but we simply ran out of time.  I promised hubs that I would try and stay on top of this in the future.  As the second biggest asset we have, it should be well looked after.

So that is what will matter for me this week.  Family time and clean car.  What about you?  Got something you want to change niggling away at you?  Being a mum can be isolating and hard.  Let's help each other change.  Together we can.  Head here for more

Oh and since it is now Tuesday, and I am blogging, I am linking up with the lovely Jess over at Diary of a SAHM for

Sunday, January 22

Could this day get any better?

Before ten o'clock this morning I think I had asked myself this at least a dozen times. By lunch time that number had possibly tripled and I shudder to think what it will be like by bed time.

Today is the last day of our holiday. Our week of bliss is coming to an end as we are slowly preparing to return home to the normality of life. Hubs and I stayed up a little late last night in a bid to be packed and ready to face the morning as stress free as possible. We may also have has one drink to many resulting in a slightly fuzzy head this morning. Though there is a chance that the fuzziness is a result of children disturbing me in my very short night's sleep.

The day got off to a cracking start when the eldest woke us all with screams of her arm being stuck between the wall and the bed. She is prime to being dramatic at times. Actually this wasn't technically the start to the day. That was not long after day break when almost fell our of bed due to the middle child deciding she needed to spread out in my bed. Desperate for just a little long in the land of Z's I went to her bed which meant I was up close and personal for the earlier mentioned arm incident.

From here I discovered the arrival of the red dragon. Nice. On the upside no babies this month.

As per the norm for paid accommodation check out time was 10am. The only real problem with that is our plane does not leave until nearly 8pm. Amusing three worn out children while lugging around some eight bags of clothing is not really my idea of fun. Thankfully my sister took care of the bags but her one bedroom apartment is no place to entertain the fore mentioned children. Especially given the fact that a two week old baby also resides there.

For Christmas we were given a voucher to a local restaurant, which we had not yet found time to use. We thought that going to breakfast would take care of most of the morning once we checked out. Which it did, only it was not really the relaxing Sunday brunch I had been expecting. Turns out the place was a little more upmarket than what we are used to. It was also extremely busy. Naturally we hadn't booked.

The waiter kindly offered us a seat while we waited for a table to become available. After a few minutes he came and offered us a coffee and I started to settle myself in for a bit of a wait. The girls are not fussy so much as particular and if they are going out for breakfast the only thing they want is pancakes. You can imagine the disappointment when pancakes are nowhere to be seen on the fancy schmancy menu. Thankfully the waitress alleviated our fears when she mentioned a special kids menu. Of course things quickly went downhill again when the littlest one knocked her strawberry milkshake all over the place.

Now I now that these are all classic first world problems that really aren't worthy of complaint but I am tired and I want to go home. Actually I want to just click my heels three times and be home. The holiday has been great and we are incredibly lucky to be able to have such a holiday but today feels like limbo. We have no car and public transport is tricky on a Sunday and we are all exhausted from too much fun. Tough life I know.

Thursday, January 19

Thankful Thursday - holidays

I had planned to have this week off from blogging but today was such a wonderful day I just had to stop and share my thanks. We are currently on holidays in Sydney. Actually just outside Sydney but close enough to head to the big smoke for a day here and there.

Today was one of those days that we decided to spend checking out what life is like in the hustle and bustle of city life. Given the differences between home and a big city I am super thankful to have been able to show the girls another side of life.

As we were walking around the aquarium down at Darling Harbour I realised just how thankful I really was to be able to take the girls on holidays. The looks on their faces, especially the little ones was just amazing. I could feel the memories they were creating and for that I am thankful.

As a child my parents couldn't afford to take us on holidays very often. Actually at all. We did a few camping trips every few years bit never on a plane. It wasn't until I was seventeen and won a competition that include air plane tickets that I even got go interstate with my parents. Even then it was only dad and I rather than he whole family. I should point out that when I was six my parents sent me to England for six weeks, which was awesome but still not a family holiday. So being able to take my children on a holiday that involves a plane ride is something that I am eternally thankful for.

I also thankful that we have been able to have the money to buy take out more than normal, stay in such comfortable accommodation and experience things that are different to home. I feel truly blessed at the moment. Being able to share these experiences with family members I have not seen for far too long has only made the experience better and givene more to be thankful for.
Linking up with Kate over at www.katesaysstuff.com