Ten Things You Wouldn't Know By Looking At Me

When I saw the prompt for this week's Listmania I was more than just a little excited. It feels like forever since I last wrote a post filled with riveting bits of information about yours truly. In fact it appears as if I may have gone the whole of 2013 without one Ten Things You Probably Didn't Need To Know About Me type of post.

Oh the horror!

Not wanting to make the same mistake in 2014 I present to you

1. I have only ever lived in the same one horse town. Ironically I grew up with the strongest desire to leave as soon as I could. When push came to shove though the time just didn't feel right and I have been here ever since.
   
2. I like to go running. As a regular reader you are probably well aware of that, but the list is all about things you can't tell by looking at me. There are certainly no visible physical signs of my love of running at the moment. I hope that one day that will change.
   
3. I struggle to think of interesting things about myself. After sharing 30 awesome things about myself and 10 things you probably didn't need to know about me, coming up with another 10 interesting points is proving to be more than just a little tricky.
   
4. I am often a lot harder on myself than I need to be. Point three is a prime example.
   
5. I love to cut corners whenever possible. In fact sometimes I spend so much time and effort thinking about an easier way to do something that it probably would have been easier to have gone and just do it in the first place.
   
6. I have tried studying for two different degrees. I am still without a degree. I am thinking of giving it one more go. Third time lucky and all that.
   
7. I am rather superstitious. There is no way I will willingly walk under a ladder, however Friday the 13th and black cats are a bit lucky as far as I am concerned.
   
8. Stuck for ideas for the list I asked Mr Awesome for a suggestions. Apparently, according to him, I like to feed people. Which in some ways is a bit true. Making food for people for special occasions, does thrill me, what does not, is feeding children dinner each and every night.
   
9. I love Hugh Grant. Particularly in Love Actually and About A Boy. But then find me someone who doesn't.
   
10. I am easily distracted and often bore easily. As evidenced by the lack of detail in the last few points on any list I make.

This post is also joining in with the fun of The Lounge, hosted by Tegan

Happiness is...

Given the somewhat somber mood around here of late I thought that I would see if I could spark a bit of happiness and brighten things up a bit. Even though I generally like to think of myself as a Little Miss Positive always able to see the silver lining, there are times where the clouds of sadness are so dark that there is not even the slightest inkling of silver to be seen anywhere.

Thankfully though those days quickly pass and before long I can feel my happiness start to replenish. Sometimes rather than wait for my happiness to to refill itself I take steps to make it happen a little quicker.

image source

So in no particular order here is a collection of some of the things that help me create my happiness.

• Listening to my favourite tunes. The tunes vary between a range performers and includes the likes of Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, Paul McCartney, and the Bee Gees. I actually have a playlist called Rhianna's soothing soul music with a few others thrown in as well but I wont bore you with all the details.
• Pulling a few Angel or Fairy cards. They always know the right thing to say and help me think my thoughts over.
• Going for a run. Need I say more? Those endorphins are for real and I love 'em!
• Hanging with Mr Awesome
• Sitting by the ocean
• Getting some extra sleep
• Blogging/writing
• Cleaning. Yep I really did just say that. While I may not actually like the process, the end result from cleaning the kitchen or getting on top of all the washing does leave me quite filled with happiness.
• Actively look for rays of hope and sunshine
• Do something I think would make someone else happy. You know like bake them some cupcakes.

Naturally things like getting a massage, going on a shopping spree, having a night out, bubble baths, and all the other cliched happiness creators would also all work but I don't really do any of those. Perhaps if we had a bath I would give that a go, a steaming hot shower has been known to bring a smile on more than one occasion so I am sure a bath would work as well.

So what is it that helps you create happiness 

when you need it most?

Joining Here

10 Things That Matter

Regular readers would know that at the moment I am all about Making IT Matter. Whatever it is I am doing I want to make sure it matters. I want to start being more accountable for my time and the way I spend it. I want to be a positive influence and example for my children. I want my life to matter as much as it possibly can.

Now I have realised that it is not necessary for me to change the world at large to make my life matter. All I need to do is make sure that I am being the best me I can be. I know that I have mentioned this before but it is something that I constantly need to remember. I sometimes forget to remember you see.

When Karlee handed over Me & YOU I was ecstatic.  As all the cool blogs host an awesome linky and now I would have my own as well.  Of course change can be a very scary thing though so I know that not everyone will want to take part.  Which is fine.  With time I hope to create an inspiring place where change is not so scary.  Where the final destination is worth the journey, regardless of what the road was like.

In the meantime though I will just continue to share my story and the positive changes I am creating, not just for me but my family as well.  I am so thankful to those who have taken the time to share their changes.

Now I know previously I have only worried about making one thing matter each week.  I don't like to put too much pressure on myself.  At this still early stage of the game it is important I have as many successes as possible.  However.  I have realised that there are so many things that need to matter that I can't just do one at a time.  Thankfully there are a few that can all sort of tie together though so it doesn't seem so overwhelming.

1. Write regularly.  And by that I mean every day.  Like anything it improves with practise.  If I am going to be serious about being a famous writer I really need to put pen to paper, of fingertips to keys or something other than the current levels of procrastination and self doubt.
2. Being present for the children.  Making sure I disconnect from the electric world and spend time living.
3. Ensuring that I am well rested and suitable fueled to tackle anything the treasures might spontaneously throw at me.
4. Providing interesting and nutritious food on a regular basis.  It is important to be aware of what works best for our bodies and provide it that, as much as possible.  Plus since eating is a part of life it only makes sense to get the most out of it.
5. Leading an active life.  Getting out and about in the great outdoors and making the most of the land that surrounds us.
6. Remaining true to what I believe in.
7. Letting others know they are cared for and loved.
8. Being on time.  Being late is rude.  Plain and simple.  Sounds harsh I know but as someone trying to curb a terrible (and I mean give her a half hour head start kind of terrible) habit of always being excessively late I need to be harsh.  I have little to no concept of time.  Never have.  But I want to.  I don't want my girls to grow up thinking it is alright to keep people waiting for you.  All. The. TIME.
9. The housework.  I can't believe I got this far without mentioning the housework.  Maintaining a clean and tidy house matters more than anything.  It is the cornerstone of happiness for the modern family.
10. The washing.  Similar but not quite the same as the housework.  It is such a mammoth part of life it gets a point all of it's own.  (That and it's late and I am really struggling to think of anything else right now)

So there you have it.  Ten things that I will make matter this week.  What about you?

Joining in with my own

 Me & YOU Monday, Making IT Matter 

and

At the Bottom of the Garden

Sometimes I Forget to Remember

Sometimes I forget to remember to breathe.  To take the time to stop and gather my thoughts.  To look at what is where and what needs to be done.

Sometimes I forget to remember that my children are only little and they need deserve the patience of a saint.  There is so much for them to learn, so much for them to know.  Societies accepted norms, trends, beliefs and expectations

Sometimes I forget to remember that there are lots of people who love and care for me.  People who have stood by me for a very long time, despite my unintentional attempts at shutting them out.  As well as some newbies that have shown they are interested in the test of time.

Sometimes I forget to remember that there was once a time when I wasn't a mother.  In fact I wasn't lots of things then that I am now.  Shy. Reserved.  Totally about to hit it big in the world of blogging. (I have always been full of confidence a dreamer)

Sometimes I forget to remember that this is the life that I want to live.  It has all that I need and a whole lot more.  It has the potential to be what ever I want it to be.  I just need to put in the effort.

Sometimes I forget to remember to tell those close to me just how special they are and what they mean to me.  The whole emotion thing gets a bit tricky for me at times.  I don't know why.  I can't help but wonder if that is why I the whole friend thing doesn't seem to work so well for me.  Life is not one sided.

Sometimes I forget to remember to trust in the powers that be.  They have worked well for me in the past and I am sure they will continue to do so in the future, I just need to believe.

Sometimes I forget to remember to ask for help when I need it.  Or take it when it is freely offered.  Accepting, or needing help is not a sign of weakness.  Help is a wonderful thing.  It makes things better for those being helped as well as leaving those offering with a rather good feeling.

Sometimes I forget to remember just how much I know.  While I might not have a fancy degree I have actually spent quite a bit of time studying various subjects.  Stuff like sociology, marketing, accounting, psychology.  Stuff that is at times a little handy for this whole mothering gig.

Sometimes I forget to remember just how much I don't know.  There is so much that I need to go and discover.  So much to learn, share and discover.  And this I must remember to never forget.

Like all the cool bloggers I am linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT .

Also doing a double whammy and joining in
with the lovely Sif over at At the Bottom of the Garden Ten Things Tuesday

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

which is found At the Bottom of the Garden

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

image

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

and join in 

Ten Things Tuesday - Discovering the year that was 2011

I was over at Gemma's Big Nutshell catching up with her latest post.  She has been busy watering her grass and renovating.  Which is lovely for her fibro establishment but not so for bloggy readers who can't wait to hear more of the fun and giggles of a modern Aussie mum just trying to give it the best she can.

Anyway I was more than super excited to update my reader and see her latest installment especially after it turned out to be all about the things she had discovered during the year.  The best part about it all is that it is a themed link up with Lee over at Mummy Issues: Part Two.

Here are ten of the discoveries that I have made this year.

1. This year I discovered a few exciting technological advancements that the rest of the world was already clicked on to.  Things such as Twitter and having a Facebook Page for my blog were very exciting discoveries at the time.  As was Pinterest.  Of course the true benefit, of these discoveries can at times be questionable.  And don't tell anyone but I am still not really sure how Pinterest works or is best used.
2. Instagram was also a wonderful discovery.  In fact Instagram is such a wonderful discovery it gets to be mentioned in a point all of it's own.  Thanks to this little beauty of an app I can happily believe there is hope for me as a photographer.

   

   This is my twinkly magical garden, built lovingly by hubs

3. Last year (being 2010) I began to discover the wonder that is being an Apple owner with the transition to a Mac.  This year I progressed even further with the acquisition of a second hand 3G iPhone.  Added to the odd play on hub's iPad and needless to say I have well and truly discovered a love for all things Apple.  The world at large was saddened greatly to discover the death of Apple co founder Steve Jobs in October.
4. Thankfully I did not have to discover the death of anyone I personally knew.  I can not tell you how nice that was.  Death is such a tricky subject to discuss.  We did discover the death of my my mum's dog and our neighbour's cat.  Oh and the fish.  It felt like we were always discovering dead fish for a while.  In my blog travels I discovered many who had been faced with much worse.  I was in awe many times at how people could get on with living.
5. Having such lovely shiny pieces of technology, such as Mac, did finally encourage me to write on a slightly more regular basis.  I discovered that if I did actually write people would slowly come.  Discovering great blogs who share bloggy love with wonderful linked up memes and such also aided in the writing department.  
6. Looking back over past posts for this and a few other end of year wrap ups I was very pleased to discover that there are instances where I did write something that showed promise for my dreams of being an acclaimed writer.  Though I would also settle for award winning...
7. I guess my biggest discovery for the year (and perhaps it should have gone first but oh well it's late and I just want it done, now where was I...) was blogging.  In many ways it was only in 2011 that I really discovered blogging and all it entails.  Before 2011 I had not even really dabbled in blogging.  Sure I had been writing on the Internet, but they were what I considered at the time as serious articles.  And yes I had a blog as such but it was nothing like it is now so to me, by no stretch of the imagination was I a blogger.  Even now I could only really describe myself as a novice blogger.  Which is fine as you get out what you put in and all that.
8. Regardless though of what type of blogger I am, through my discovery of blogging I have seen a side to human nature that I thought was on the verge of extinction.  The blogosphere is full of caring, compassionate people.  Which is lucky because it is also rife with heartbreak and despair.  The attitude of people is amazing, in many ways, and for the most part it is all understanding and each to their own.  A reflection of life that somehow seems more personal, despite people still being strangers.  This may well have been one of my most favourite discoveries for the year.
9. Looking back at all the new things that the children discovered I am reminded about our responsibilities as parents to educate and create learners out of our children.  There is no point having a smart child if they are not interested in using what is available to them.  Towards the end of the year I discovered I need to awake the learner in DD1.  You know that life long learner that propels us to keep searching for new things, more information.  The inner learner that leads to bigger and better.  The same inner learner I need to ignite and keep alive within myself.
10. For me 2011 was the year of trying.  Trying my best, trying new things, just trying it all and in every sense.  Looking back all I can say is that maybe I still need to keep trying.  I did discover that if I try, even a little, things will happen.  

So as I head of into 2012 I am cautiously confident that if I keep on trying and making it matter, there will be many more wonderful discoveries.  Make sure you stop by Mummy Issues: Part 2 and see what others discovered in 2011

Oh wait, what's this? It is Tuesday and I have Ten Things?  
Linking up with