Everything happens for a reason

It is no secret that I am a bit of a fairy believer and comfortably put faith in higher powers taking care of everything. I am constantly looking for messages from the universe, signs from above and all kinds of crazy things to confirm that things are as they are meant to be. Sometimes the faith is easy to find and others I wonder how I could possibly believe such ridiculous notions.

As a regular reader you have probably heard me harp on a bit lately about having some health issues recently. Namely a rather large blood clot in the basilic vein of my left arm. I have been waiting nearly a month to see a specialist so that I can find a way forward and get my body to sort itself out.

Last week saw me melting down and demanding that my doctor give me another referral this time to see a private specialist in the hope that I would be seen sooner. It worked a treat because not only did the private specialist give me an appointment for a week's time but when I got home I found a letter from the hospital saying I finally had an appointment the day before my appointment with the private guy.

I did contemplate only taking the private appointment but then decided that the smart thing to do was to see them both. It was not like I had anything to lose and the thought of waiting an extra didn't set well with me at all.

Yesterday was appointment day at the hospital.

As it turned out the Doctor was the same guy that I had the private appointment with the following day. Which I found rather reassuring. It also turns out that he has a Registrar who doubles up as a GP at a clinic in the city.

Right from the onset of discovering the whole blood clot thing I knew that I would be needing to have regular doctor appointments. While my GP is ok, he is not actually someone I was keen on regularly seeing, despite the attractiveness of his bulk billing clinic. This new Registrar/GP dude though, well, I could quite happily see him daily, despite him not being in a bulk billing clinic.

Yes that's right I now have my very own McDreamy doctor
Image found here

I left the hospital feeling as if everything were as it were supposed to and I was right where I needed to be.

I needed to get that appointment with the private specialist so that when I saw him at the public hospital I had that little bit of extra confidence in him. And I needed to have the appointment at the public hospital so I could find this wonderful new GP who has a lot more knowledge on the whole blood clot thing than what my last GP did.

Crazy as it is I have even rationalised a reason behind the whole clot as well. As a result of the clot I am now in the process of looking after myself in a whole new way and ensuring I am taking the best care of my body possible. Without being too dramatic it has all been a bit of a wake up call to make sure I am making the most of my life.

And the reason behind this post? Well, that is easy, so I can join in the joys of IBOT

What about you? 

Do you believe that everything happens for a reason? 

(Even if sometimes the reasons aren't so clear at first)

Dear Me (The soon to be second time breastfeeding mum who thinks she has it all sorted)...

So you think you have this all worked out do you? 

This being a mum and breastfeeding and what not, is walk in the park is it? 

Don't understand why some people go on about it being hard work and hurting?

Living with a warm and fuzzy memory of being a breastfeeding guru on account of such a text book and perfect experience the first time around are you?

Well sorry to be the one to break it to you sweetheart but all will not be as expected and you will quickly be reminded of the fact that no two babies or breastfeeding journeys, are ever exactly the same.

Oh and yes, breastfeeding is actually a learned experience, one that each baby must learn, regardless of how much mum may think she actually knows. And on that note regardless of how much that mum does know nine times out of ten there is still more that she doesn't know.

Sure you may have managed to blitz through the whole breastfeeding thing the first time round with Lovely being a total booby fiend and suckling like there was no tomorrow the instant a nipple was anywhere near her little mouth, but that doesn't mean this next one is going to be like that. Especially since Lovely was just a natural sucker, given how much she loved her thumb and all. 

This next little baby will test and try your breastfeeding love in ways you could never imagine. Those first few days where you are still in that total new mum haze might seem blissful, enjoy them while you can, because once your milk comes in things will change in ways you never imagined. In those first few weeks months, your new little bundle of joy will enlighten you to the pain, trouble and difficulty that you have heard others speak of. The pain, trouble and difficulty, that somehow you managed to escape the first time round. (Or perhaps remove from memory? Five years is long time between drinks) 

Thankfully though due to some determination, magic cream and the wonders of time it will change and you will reinstate the belief that breastfeeding is pure bliss. The burning electricity that runs through your breast during those first few sucks will eventually start to fade. The cracks will start to heal and slowly but surely feeding your baby will be just as picturesque as it should be. Only now you will have greater compassion and understanding for the many women who don't find it as natural as the postcards make it to be.

You will slowly evolve into an experienced feeder who will be able to do all manner of activities while baby is attached. You will learn the wonders of feeding and laying down at the same time, something that somehow you never thought of the first time round. You still won't bother too much at all about expressing and putting into bottles so Dad or Big Sister can have a turn but with hindsight there will be a part of you that wishes you did. Mind you that hindsight won't kick in until well after you have finished breastfeeding and baby making.

You will also go on to feed babies for a total that exceeds seven years. Each baby staying on the boob for around two and half years. The third time round you will enter the journey more prepared than ever before. A good balance of reality and optimism in your hand. As well as magic nipple toughening cream to lessen the damage of those almost inevitable cracks.

You will also feel rather special when an Online Breastfeeding Cafe set up by the Australian Breastfeeding Association asks you to write a letter to yourself as part of a Dear Me Campaign they are running to help women who may be feeling ambivalent about breastfeeding and encourage them to share, discover and chat about breastfeeding via a supportive online forum and resource centre. They also have a wonderful Online Breastfeeding Cafe's Facebook page to help such discussion.

Love Me.

Things I Know About Help

Yesterday was long and exhausting. Emotionally, physically and in every other possible way. In fact it has been a recurring theme for the entire week. Possibly even longer. But  I am not complaining. In fact the only reason I bring it up is to offer some explanation to the straight to the point feel to this post. Time is always of the essence

I know that generally speaking I like helping. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy to think that I could be of use to someone. Or that I have something to offer that others may need. 

Having said that though, I know I didn't stay back and help clean up after the Halloween disco at school last night. I know I am trying to convince myself an internal beating is not necessary because I did spend a few hours this afternoon making a heap of gingerbread 

I know that over years gone by I have probably done my fair share of event clean ups but when I know the ladies cleaning up like I do I can't help but feel the urge to help them out.

I know though there were plenty of helpers offering to help out on this occasion. Because this occasion also happened to be a fundraiser for a young boy at the school. He was recently diagnosed had a life threatening tumour. He has been whisked away for immediate treatment with his family told to expect to stay away for months. There is a fundraising page if you are able to spare a dollar or two. The link can be found in my sidebar

I know that discovering this is happening to a member of our school community is just heartbreaking.

I know the support and offers to help in a time like this can mean so much to a family in need.

I know that sometimes asking for help is not easing. Even accepting someones helping hand can be tough at times.

I know that sometimes letting people help you is actually a very nice thing for you to do for them. Yes you read that right. Letting someone help you can sometimes be a nice thing for you to do for someone else.

I know that when you let someone help you they generally feel needed, useful and wanted. Who doesn't want to feel like that?

I know that I just loved helping Miss Cinders out with Things I Know while she had a break.

I know that I am super excited to check out Miss C's blog post for today, it has been so long since we heard from her I just know she will have something fantastic to say!

And finally I know that I am super thankful to everyone for being so supportive and joining in the fun of Things I Know while it was here. I hope I will get you see you all still over at Miss Cinders which will now kick off on a Thursday.

So please, tell me, what do you know this week?

edited side note. When I wrote this I had no actual idea what Miss C's first post back was going to be like. It wasn't till I read it that I wished I had of worded things differently. The post is well worth a read and I hope you do.

#Hashtags. What are they and why are they here?

If you are a regular social media user and like to hang out at the likes of Instagram or Twitter you are probably all over the term hashtag. If however your social media habits only extend as far as Facebook you could very well be wondering what all the fuss is about.

Now I am by no means a social media expert but I do like to think I have a grasp of the basic. Some may even say that I have a strong grasp on the basics and I for one would not argue with them. With all of that in mind I feel that it is only fair that I share some of my knowledge with those less informed but curious none the less.

A thought that was confirmed for me when I asked my loyal Facebook likers if they were interested in such information. Sure only two out of 416 responded but that is enough confirmation for me.

So what is all the hashtag (#) fuss and why do I feel the need to share the fuss with you?

Well hashtags have recently been added to Facebook and if you are someone like me trying to gain greater exposure on through this medium it is a little exciting. If however, you are an average Joe Blow, free from the addiction that social media can be, you maybe left wondering what all the hashtag fuss is about. I do assure you that once you understand the joys that are hashtags your excitement levels will begin to soar.

Bear with me and let me explain a little more.

What is a #hashtag?

Essentially a hashtag is just a means of grouping like minded posts together. It is represented by the # at the start of a word or term. 

To find the # symbol you generally just push shift and 3 on a standard computer keyboard. It is often found on the second number/symbol keyboard on smart phones. Please don't think I am patronising here by telling you where to find it because just between you and me it took me ages to find it on my phone. Thankfully most apps are now designed to make it easier to find the hashtag button it can sometimes take a bit of looking for. Anywho...

The moment you place a # in front of a word or term it becomes automatically linked to all other posts that have the same word or term hashtagged. Which means it is a great way of searching for things. 

Say for example you were looking for some new crochet patterns or inspiration. All you have to do is go to the internal search feature and type #crochet and wham bam thank you 'mam there are heap of posts full of crochet goodness.

Some of the posts that came up when I searched the hashtag
#crochet on Facebook.

Why are they here?

According to the reliable source that is an uncited article on Wikipedia, hashtags were first seen in Internet Relay Chat, which as the name suggests is some sort of conversation mechanism via the internet. It was deemed handy there to group conversations and this was seen as the way to do it. 

By grouping conversations it was easier to keep track of conversations that were of interest to those from varied backgrounds and not necessarily friends with each other. By hashtagging posts similar content can be grouped together making it easier for all relevant information on a particular topic easy to find.

On services such as Twitter, if enough people are using a particular hashtag it is known as trending. Trending topics are those with the highest popularity and seen as a great way to gain exposure. For the user trending topics are a way to stay a float of what is hot.

Ultimately though hashtags are here as they provide a nice easy uniform way of grouping things together and what computer nerd doesn't like grouping things together?

So there you have all you need to know about the wonders that are hashtags.

Imogen's Angels and Princess Ladybird

One of the many fabulous people that I had the pleasure of meeting (be it all to briefly) at DPCON13 was a lady by the name of Fiona. Fiona had the most coolest cards to handout.

Inside the little plastic bag that held her card was a little printed chick with some eyes and nose to stick on and create your own little chick. There was also a little magnet to attach to the back of the chick so you could stick it on your fridge (or wherever). Best idea ever I say.

Fiona blogs over at Imogen's Angels where she is full of good ideas and shares her love of all things craft. In fact Fiona loves craft so much that she actually has craft packs for you to purchase so you can have your own crafty fun at home. 

So why am I telling you all this?

See that lovely new button on the top of my sidebar?

It looks like this and belongs to Fiona.

<div align="center"> <a href="http://imogensangels.com.au/princess-ladybird/" title="Princess Ladybird" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z380/lourhi/Banner-280-pxs-wide_zpsbb3f36db.png" alt="Princess Ladybird" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

And this is why I am telling you all of this. 

Heartbreakingly in 2010, after a courageous journey through illness, Fiona's daughter Imogen, earned her soft feathery wings and joined the angels.

Imogen, 2009
Image courtesy of Imogen's Angels.

Imogen lives on though, each and every day through the creative magic that Fiona creates with her range of high quality handmade products that she sells through her site. 

During the week of April 24 to May 1st each year, Fiona sells Princess Ladybird brooch pins to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It provides her with a way to honour her beautiful daughter's memory as well as giving back to the organisation that helped Imogen fulfil a wish of her own.

Princess Ladybird brooch pins
100% of the profits go directly to the Make-A-Wish-Foundation
Image courtesy of Imogen's Angels.

The Princess Ladybird brooch pins will be available for sale soon. If you are in a position to buy one, or even two, it would be wonderful if you did. Alternatively spreading the word around family, friends and the Internet at large would also be great.

If you have a blog and would like to put the button on your side bar the code to do so can be found above.

For more information go here or check out the Facebook page

Healing Foods - Cabbage & Broccoli

This is the first instalment in my healing food series based on information that I have sourced from Miriam Polunin's rather awesome book Healing Foods, A Dorling Kindsersley Book first published way back in 1997. In this amazing concise yet information packed book Polunin shares 50 foods that do amazing things for your body. She also explains how some foods lend themselves to aiding various conditions and areas of health.

The first healing foods we are going to look at are cabbage and broccoli. These belong to the cruciferous family of vegetables. Other members of this family include cauliflower, brussel sprouts, curly kale, kohlrabi, and mustard greens. The family is named after the cross shape of their four petalled flowers. Many all round nutrient boosters are found in cruciferous vegetables.

Image from here

Often overlooked as bland and tasteless, raw green cabbage is actually a rich source of folate. Making it ideal for women planning pregnancy as ample folate levels lessen the risk of spina bifida in baby.

Raw cabbage juice is believed to be a traditional remedy for helping peptic ulcer sufferers. Sauerkraut, which is fermented cabbage, has been used to improve digestion and gut health.

Studies now suggest that even a single serve of cabbage, be it cooked, raw or otherwise, can reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Broccoli has always been one of my staple greens because while I didn't know why it was good, I just knew it was. After reading this book however I now know what is so awesome about these beautiful green trees and will be eating even more of them.

Image from here

This green wonder food is high in antioxidants, beta carotene and vitamins C and E. Broccoli is an all round super food jam packed with folate, calcium, iron and zinc, to name but a few.

Both cabbage and broccoli can have the following health benefits

• reducing the risk of cancer
• help lower risk of heart disease and stroke
• lessen the risk of spina bifida
• may cut risk of cataracts

Cabbage may also have the added benefits of speeding up the healing of ulcers and helping improve digestive system. While broccoli is believed to help combat anaemia due to the high levels of folate and iron.

However it should be noted that both cabbage and broccoli can reduce iodine absorption. Therefore those that consume more than three serves a week should ensure that they are eating iodine rich foods. Seafood, especially shellfish and seaweed are quite high in iodine levels.

Both vegetables also contain 'goitrogens' which may cause swelling of the thyroid and as such those with a thyroid dysfunction need to eat with caution or avoided. Apart from that though both these healing foods should be eaten liberally.

For those concerned about the flatulence that is sometimes associated with cabbage cooking with carminative spices, such as dill and fennel will help.

Please remember I am not a professional, this is not advice,
just some stuff I have read and wanted to share.
The best medical advice always comes from a professional,
so make sure you double check with yours.

If you want to share there are buttons below

Things I Know About Breast Cancer

Happy Friday beautiful people!

I know that earlier on this week I said I was stepping back from the whole linky party thing for a bit but I could no more miss sharing the things I know than I could blogging on a Tuesday.

So here I am.

Though there was another reason that compelled me to put fingertips to keyboard today. Funnily enough it was stupid* Karl Stefanovic on the Today Show when he was interviewing the rather lovely Samuel Johnson.

As you may or may not know the incredibly wonderful Samuel Johnson is riding his way around Australia.

On a unicycle no less.

Image via the Love Your Sister Instagram feed

Why is he doing that I hear you ask?

His sister Connie has terminal breast cancer and this is Samuel's way of raising awareness and vital funds for this terrible disease. According the Love Your Sister website it all started as a joke in the kitchen but turned into a promise.

I know that the Love Your Sister campaign is beyond awesome. If you haven't already head, over and check out where Samuel is. And if you have some spare cash, there is a donation page there as well.

I know that I am hoping to get the opportunity to talk the man himself. If you have any questions you would like me to ask then send them through.

I know that breast cancer affects far too many women. In 2008 there were 159,649 women alive in Australia, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer in the previous 27 years.

It is estimated that in 2013 14,940 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. That works out to approximately 40 women every day. That's right it is expected that every day this year 40 women will discover they have breast cancer. Crazy huh?

It is also estimated that this year 2700 will lose their battle with breast cancer. That is on average 7 women a day dying as a result of breast cancer.

On the upside though there are also a whole heap of statistics to show that the 5 year relative survival rate from breast cancer has increased significantly in recent years.

If you would like to read more about these check out here, which coincidently is where I got all the above info from.

I know that one of the main messages Connie and Samuel want to put out there is the importance of early detection. There is every possibility if Connie had been diagnosed earlier the story would be different.

Be breast aware peoples. Be. Breast. Aware.

Self check regularly. If you don't know how to self check make an appointment with your GP and get them to show you. While you are at the GP though get a pap smear as well. You can also check here for some more info on self examinations for breast lumps.

I know that all cancers are best fought with early detection. If you have a family history of cancer make sure you regularly check in and get tested for what you can.

I know that while writing this I have decided to that I will also Flog it With Some Grace, because the more people that read this the better. Please do your part and share, tweet and like. There are plenty of buttons below to help you.

*Karl just in case you read this I actually think you are more annoying than stupid and this is based mostly on the fact of your job. I am against all morning show hosts. I find them all annoyingly stupid. I fail to see how anyone who gets up at the ridiculous times they do can be as chipper as what they are. All the time!

Getting my button geek on

Ok well maybe not the best title I know but it is late and I am tired and I do kinda feel like I made some small geeky steps forward.

As a regular reader you will probably have noticed the odd little change here and there. Some have not been that little I guess, like the modified banner and new background colour, but none have been actually stand out and go OMG that girl has had a face lift. Drastic and sudden change is not really something that sits well with me. Everything must be carefully thought out. At least at some point in time.

One thing that I have wanted to change for a while has been my blog button. Now I know that not many people have actually ever grabbed my button but it is nice to have laying around just in case someone asks if I have one. Of course there have been a few rather awesome bloggers that snuck my button on to their blog and I get all kinds of happy feelings whenever I stop by there pages.

When I made my first button I used this rather awesome button generator site that just gave me all the code and stuff that I needed. Naturally once I had decided on the new image I wanted to use I headed straight back there.

If you are in need of a new button for your blog quick step it over to here

You do need to have the image you want to use already saved on the web somewhere, like over at somewhere like Photobucket or own your site,but other than that you just type all the info in and press get code. So so easy.

In case you are wondering here is the new button

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.aparentinglife.com" title="A Parenting Life" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/z380/lourhi/Newbutton.png" alt="A Parenting Life" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I made the image in Pixlr
This rather cool, and free, web based program that makes me feel like I have photoshop. I could go into heaps of detail of how you create a canvas size of no more than 150 x 150 pixels but truth be told I fumble my way round and right now do not feel nearly qualified enough to be writing that kind of how to.

Feel free to grab the new button code and paste it all over the place. I know you want to!

Mo Growing For Movember

November is a busy month. Not only are writers the world over trying to pump out a mere fifty thousand words in thirty short days, men all around the country are throwing their razors in the bin and growing a mo in bid to raise awareness, and greatly needed funds for mens health.

Before I was the blogging superstar (or wanna be take your pick) that I am today Mr Awesome once took part in this wonderful initiative. Of course I possibly wasn't as supportive as I could have been. I don't kiss men who have a mo and that's all there is too it. It's just not right.

Anyway, it's needless to say Mr Awesome hasn't bothered growing one since. Which was kind of a shame because last year I really wanted to blog about it but for the life of me couldn't find anyone I knew who was taking part.

Turns out I may not have looked very hard because as I recently discovered, my gorgeous nephew is taking part in Movember. In actual fact this is his second year, I missed the memo about it last year. Whoops!

And when I say gorgeous nephew I really do mean gorgeous, in every sense of the word.

Of course when I say my nephew I also feel incredibly old as well.

Now I know I might be a little biased but I just think it is awesome, actually beyond awesome that a group of young guys like Nathan and his mates are taking part in this fantastic campagin. It certainly gives hope to the men of tomorrow. Well it does for me anyway.

So lovely bloggy friends and followers I implore you to go and throw a few dollars towards this dashingly good looking mo. The link to his page is right here

I asked Nathan if he could share a few words about why he wants to be a part of Movember. Here is what he said

In the month of November I observed the gradual progression of Christmas lights, illuminating the usually lacklustre existence of the neighbouring residents. A sudden influx of wrapping, treats and trees adorned shop windows as I passed during my usual stroll. The wind attacked me with its newfound summer heat and I took shelter in one such shop. Relieved to have escaped the wind, I found an inviting bench where I could rest my weary legs. Looking around, I couldn’t help but notice a somewhat peculiar occurrence. Along with the usual changes of the impending Christmas, there was a high proportion of males with moustaches. I enquired to one such individual about these moustaches and he explained that he was involved in “Movember”, a campaign to raise awareness and funds for Men’s health issues including prostate cancer and depression.”

Almost a year later a group of friends and myself decided to try and make a difference on these vital issues. As part of the process, we attempted to grow the best Mo possible, often will dismal results.  We hope that we can raise awareness of prevalence and problems of prostate cancer and men’s depression. These are two issues that many men find difficult to talk about and these problems often go unnoticed in the public sphere. This is the second year that I have been involved and I hope that I can raise more funds than last year. I also hope that I can grow a better mo, as last year it failed to grow in the middle area right under my nose. 

Regardless of my poor efforts with my Mo, it is the cause that is important, so please donate generously.

Naw bless him.

Please if you are in a position to help out in anyway it is a vital cause and will be greatly appreciated.

Flogging this post With Some Grace

Things I Know About Cars

Now before you turn away thinking this is just another review of the wonderful franchise that is Cars. Don't worry it's not. This week I am going to share with you the things I know about actual cars. As in the things we drive on the road. With specific reference to the things I know about my car and our recent trip to the service station.

I know that Patty the Patrol is by far and away my favourite vehicle to ever have owned. Claude the Corolla is in some ways a very close second because it was my first ever car but due to the fact the Patty has air con, is a 4WD and has a very cool number plate he wins.

Patty the Patrol in all his glory when we went on our Outback Adventure

I know that Patty is a diesel vehicle.  Not unleaded petrol.  I have known this for over two years now.

I know that with the possible threat of a cyclone looming, not to mention Christmas, filling Patty up seemed like a good idea.

I know that I could come up with a heap of reasons as to why I had such a moment of stupidity that saw me potentially cause Patty some serious damage. None of the reasons really matter though. It still happened.

I know that upon lifting the nozzle out of the bowser and noticing there was no extra catch to lift up I should have started paying more attention to things.

I know that I am super glad I was able to find someone to help me push my big heavy car so I didn't have to start it. (which may potentially have saved us thousands of dollars)

I know I am super super thankful that I have someone who will be able to help me fix this near on catastrophe. (again potential savings here is massive)

I know that while I hold not going to my regular service station as one of the many reasons as to why this happened, there is a part of me that is glad of where we were. The service station where the terrible deed occurred was only meters away from a family friendly sports club with a liquor license.

I know that drinking is not the way to solve one's problems but having a quick rum while I waited for hubs to pick us up made it all a little easier to deal with.

I know that when the consol operater told me that I was the third person in twenty four hours to have put petrol, rather than diesel into their car I was not exactly comforted. Though I can find some comfort in the thought now.

I know that in the end everything will be ok. And really there is no point beating myself up. I was not the first persons to do this and I will not be the last. I know that I still feel like a right twat though.

I know that the final thing I know this eve of Christmas Eve is that I am super excited to be linking up today as TIK takes up it's new residency with Kellie at The Good, The Bad and The Unnecessary.




Oh and did you know I have a giveaway on at the moment? Head here to find out more

Why wont you let me comment??!!

That is what I am screaming constantly at my beloved iMac screen.  For some reason when ever I leave a comment it fails to actually appear and it is really starting to BUG me.  Actually as the picture suggests I feel like pulling my hair out.

I love comments.  I love leaving comments as well because I know that others love getting comments.  I hate that my comments are not showing up and I don't know how to fix it.

I think that it has something to do with the intensedebate comment thingy I installed a few weeks ago but I don't want to take it away as I love being able to reply directly to comments.  It just adds such a nice personal touch and allows more of a flowing conversation if the need arises.

Have you had a similar experience? Are you are techno guru that knows how to fix such things? Can you point me in the direction of how to go about fixing it?

Image credit here