Thankful for blogging communities

I know I have said it before and no doubt I will say it again, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly Thursday seems to sneak around each week. Though truth be told at the moment time feels like it is both flying and dragging at equal speeds.

Naturally the time that involves due dates and deadlines feels like it is going at double speed and arriving well before I am ready. While on the other hand waiting for our departure day still feels like it is months away.

I am thankful for an outing that let us see this
lovely fellow, for now though the details of which
which need to wait.

One of the things that has crept up on me this week was getting the post ready for the Digital Parents Blog Carnival. A fantastic collection of thirty odd posts from various bloggers. As time consuming as it was putting it all together I am super thankful to be part of such a wonderful community and be have a turn at hosting the carnival.

Another community which I am thankful to be a part of is the one taking part in Clairey Hewitt's Blog Every Day in May. It has felt great pushing myself to get a post out every day. Sure some haven't been as long as what I would normally write but it has felt nice coming to terms with the fact that that is ok. It has also been lovely having some new faces drop by. I am always thankful for comments.

The only downside to it all is that I haven't had a chance to get around to as many other blogs as I would normally like to. Thankfully though there is still time.

Today's prompt is I am inspired by.

Naturally I am inspired by people who go out of the there way to make a difference for others or to spread the word of a cause. People like Jimmy and Sam are perfect examples.

However those that really inspire me the most are the ones that just go and live the dream. Or even just try to. Giving something a go no matter how daunting or unachievable it may seem.

I am also rather inspired by the selflessness and dedication of mothers. Especially ones who are able to put on the bravest of faces even in the most dire of circumstances. Of which there are many amongst the blogging community. I am thankful that these amazing women go out on a ledge to share their story.

If I really stop and think about what inspires me the most though I think the answer is hope. Holding onto hope, even just the tiniest slither of it can bring about the most amazing of things. Not only is hope my inspiration but it is also something to be thankful for.

What is your inspiration?

And more importantly what are you thankful for today?

An InLinkz Link-up

I once had a mentor...

Actually I haven't, not ever.

Which not only makes me a bit sad but for a super boring blog post as well.

Ok it makes me a lot sad. It seems that having a mentor means you achieve greatness or at least improve yourself in a great way. Needless to say not having one makes me wonder what greatness I may have achieved...

I have never had a high flying career or soared way above my potential. In fact sometimes I wonder if I have even ever come close to reaching a potential. Which is all pretty disheartening I can tell you.

I suppose if I really scrape the barrel I could come up with a teacher in year ten who guided me through some public speaking and debating competitions. I looked up to her with great admiration and she inspired me to write some wonderful speeches. But on the whole it was all very fleeting and before long she had left the school and I was once again left to my own devices.

Then there was another teacher in years eleven and twelve who gave me some rather encouraging feedback on my writing, but again I feel like I am clutching at straws. He was probably just doing his job more than actually mentoring.

Sigh.

Joining in still with Clairey's challenge

In ten years time I will be...

A whopping forty six years old! Which quite frankly just doesn't seem right. Not that I am saying forty six is old but I just struggle to imagine myself as that old. Mind you I also couldn't imagine myself as thirty something year old either, yet here I am.

In ten years time Lovely will in her early twenties and I would like to think moved out of home. Not because I want to get rid of her but because I think that is just the way it should go. Children should move out when they become adults it is all part of the process.

Zany will just be shy of eighteen and if she has completed her final year of high school, then I will be expecting her to move out as well. Leaving just the little Teapot at home for a few more years. All of which right now my little brains struggles to comprehend. I guess it all has to do with living in the moment.

I would like to think that in ten years I will have had at least one book published. Hopefully more. In fact I hope that within the next ten years something miraculous happens and I am a regularly well paid writer.

As much as I love our shoebox sized home, mainly because it is the first property that we owned, in ten years time I hope that it looks a little different with some major renovations having taken place. If the older two have moved out as planned then living in the two bedroom town house won't be so bad. But given how rarely my plans go into fruition I hope in ten years time we have added to our property portfolio.

Perhaps a small mansion type thing over looking some water and surrounded by natural bush land should just about do the trick.

image found here

Alternatively we could just live on the open road and be eternal gypsies, which I must admit is pretty darn enticing. Have I mentioned how excited I am for #ouradventureofalife?

Sigh.

At the end of the day though as long as Mr Awesome is still by my side and my beautiful girls are still happy and healthy then little else will matter to me. Be it in ten days, ten years or even longer, they are the thing that will matter the most for always and ever.

Joining in with  Clairey's #CHbloginmay and #IBOT with Jess

On being a ram

The day five prompt for Clairey Hewitt's challenge is Your zodiac and your thoughts on star signs

I am an, in case you hadn't worked it out, an Aries. And just between you and me I am pretty pleased about it. Over the years I have read quite a bit about Aries and other than it being a ram, there is very little that I haven't liked about this particular sign. 

In fact I like Aries so much two of the girls are also rams. The other is a gemini which is also kind of cool as that is what my Dad was.

I do get that many people put no heed in stars signs and what have you.  To that I say each to their own. I don't go out of my way to read my stars any more, though for a while I did. If I do happen to stumble across them in my day or hear them on the radio as I am driving I can't help but think there is a message in there for me. Though I am often looking for all kinds of messages and signs as I go about my day.

My Earliest Memory

My strongest early memory would have to be when I was seven and my mum gave me THE best birthday present ever. 

A baby sister. 

I can still clearly remember sitting on the swings out in the front garden, my mind a whirl of disbelief with the fact that I actually had a brand new baby sister. On my birthday, as requested.

As wonderful memory as it is I am a bit disappointed that I can not remember much before this point. There are a whole seven years of my life that there is just no recollection of. Well there are few little bits and pieces that I can recall, but most of them only stretch back six months from this memory.

My dad said he could clearly remember going for horse and cart ride with his grandparents. As they passed away before he was four he worked out that he was three or under at the time. I would love to be able to say I could remember something from that age but there is just nothing. At all.

Other than the birth of my sister the only other early memories I have are of when I went to England when I was six and half. I was travelling with a friend of my mum's and her family. There was a boy, a few years older than myself, in tears because he had to say good bye to his dad who couldn't make the trip. I found myself thinking how much braver than him I was because I was saying goodbye to my entire family and not shedding a tear.

I also remember on that trip a great Aunt passing away. Having recently said goodbye to my grandfather a few months prior I felt I was an expert in death and grieving and as such tried to pass on my wisdom. Needless to say it was not really well received.

Being the big believer in silver linings that I am I wonder if the silver lining to little memories is what stems my desire to write. I can remember being about fourteen and regularly writing in a journal because it was the only way I could think of saving my memories for later years. Assured that such memories would be the secret to the book I longed to publish.

Joining in with Clairey and day four of her #CHbloginmay challenge

Day Three of #CHbloginmay

Today's prompt from Clairey for day three of her blog every day in may challenge is called Changing Tracks. The idea being to share a song that that reminds you of a certain time of your life.

For me it is an absolute no brainer.

The winner is this

Without a doubt, each and every time I hear it I am instantly sent back in time to the late nineties where I am very badly shaking my groove on nightclub dance floor with a rather hot young man I went to high school with, who was by that stage training to be a fighter pilot.

He was a year younger than me at school but was much higher in the cool stakes than what I ever had a chance to be so I never dared approach him back then. However slightly intoxicated (or perhaps highly inebriated) on a dance floor a few years later there was no such lack of confidence or perceived inequalities.

Yes another short and sweet post I am afraid. We are still enjoying our staycation at a caravan park an hour out of town. Well everyone else is there but I am currently on my way to work. Or at least I am meant to be. You know me though must get my blogging done first. 

To all the other lovely bloggers that have popped in from the challenge, I really will be round to read ALL your wonderful posts in the week. Promise.

Things I Know About My Favourite Movie

Despite my current employment being in a video store I am not really that into movies. Having three children and an addiction to blogging means I have little to no time spare to actually sit around and watch too many movies these days. Though even before the bearing of offspring watching movies has never really taken my fancy.

Having said that though there are a few that pop into mind when I am asked if I have a favourite, most of which just happen to star Hugh Grant. If I were to be pressed to narrow it down to just the one I think I would probably go with Love Actually. Though About A Boy does come in at a very close second. The only difference being I think the soundtrack to the former wins over the latter.

I know that it has been far too long since I last watched Love Actually.

I know that I do love me a good love story, and Love Actually is most definitely a good love story.

Us setting off on our maiden voyage

I know that as I am typing this I am sitting in a caravan park under the awning of out new caravan, revelling in the joy that is camping with electricity.

I know that because of this concentrating on the topic at hand is easier said that done.

I know that I will be heading round to all the other participants in Clairey's blog every day in May challenge after we return home from our weekend away.

I know that just because there is wifi available it doesn't mean I have to use it (all the time).

I know that this post will be a double whammy and join in with Things I Know over at Help I'm Stuck.

Blog Everyday In May with Clairy Hewitt - Day One

In some ways full of nothing, in others overflowing, that's the best way to describe today.

Lots of time at home chatting and just hanging with Lovely.

Some blog reading, commenting and sharing, after all it is Thankful Thursday.

A few hours at work, not overly busy but filled with laughter and giggles.

Home again home again jiggity jig, to sit and talk of plans that are big.

Some late night reading of my favourite blogs, led to a challenge I just couldn't turn down.

To blog every day in the month of May with the ever so lovely Clairey Hewitt.

The first prompt for Clairey's challenge was to describe your day in 100 words.

I was beyond surprised when I checked my count and came in at exactly 100