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

Thankful to not feel so alone

As you may recall I recently became the parent of a teenager. A path I am taking with great trepidation I can tell you.

On the whole I always felt myself as a rather confident parent, I rarely doubted myself and life was just peachy. In fact I was such a confident parent that I even had the nerve to write parenting advice articles.

The terrible twos and threes slipped on by without there being any of the terror that many warned me of. In fact it was quite the the opposite and were quite terrific. I continued on my merry path of parentdom rather happily, perhaps even a little smugly. All of which I was super thankful for.

Now however as I am thrown into the perils of teenagerdom it is an entirely different story. I can barely tell whether I am Arthur, Martha or something in between. My once delightful little child has transformed into some form of wildebeest that knows no reason and insists that conversation be replaced with constant battles.

The worst part is that I feel beyond alone in it all. None of my friends really have teenagers yet and the few that do seem to have a rare breed that are rather angelic. Making me feel like some kind of terrible failure because I have a child who wishes to do nothing but rebel. To make things worst most of the blogs that I stop by seem to only talk about youngsters and the troubles they are facing with them, though perhaps I just haven't looked hard enough...

All in all I can't help but feel completely and utterly alone in this new world of parenting a teen. Or at least I was for a while.

I am thankful that this delightful post from The Bumpiest Path was brought to my attention. I suddenly began to feel a little less alone and a little more filled with hope. It was the perfect gentle message that I needed to be told.

Raising a teenager is no easy feat or a walk in the park. Nor is it something that you need to go it alone. There are in fact other parents that have had their teenagers replaced with the devil incarnate. Just for some reason no one seems to talk about quite as much.

I am also thankful to another friend, who while does not have a teenager right now, she has been there and done that and in a few short years will be going through it all again. She told me of Kevin Leman and how she is looking into some of his ideas to help her through. I too found some possible ways forward after listening to this father of five accomplished children for a bit. Though it will still not make it a walk in the park.

So this Thursday I am thankful that it has taken till now for me to feel like such a failure as a parent. I am also thankful that deep down I do know that I am not really a failure. Despite her awfulness at times there are glimmering moments where Lovely still lives up to her name.

I am thankful that I have a strong ship that will hopeful be able to weather this storm, even if it may last for many a year. It appears as if it is just a case of battening down the hatches and hoping for the best.

What are you thankful for this week?

An InLinkz Link-up

Living in the moment, planning for the future

Before too long this will be
my constant view

Lately these words seem to be constantly floating around my pretty little head. Living for the moment, planning for the future. I can't help but wonder if it is possible to do both. To me they just don't seem to go together.

There is no denying that I am very much a live for the moment kind of girl. I always have been. And for the most part it has served me well. Sure there have been occasions when I wished I stopped and thought about the consequences of the moment a little more while I was living it but on the whole it has served me well.

But what happens when the moment you are living in is not really as great as what you like but you can't do anything about it because it is all part of the plan for the future?

As a regular reader you would have probably heard about my impending #adventureofalifetime. Due to said trip I have returned to regular paid employment for the first time in over eight years.

I have always known that I was blessed to not have to work, until I went back to work though I just never really understood how blessed I was.

While I really enjoy the actual working side of things, at least at the start of the week, there is so much of it that I don't enjoy. Like all the extra organisation that is needed. The intricate planning of childcare arrangements and them being picked up (we only have one car), making sure dinner is organised on the nights I am working, less time to squeeze in a load of washing that should have been done days ago. All the little things that quite honestly I struggled with before I added twenty hours a week out of the house into the mix.

I don't like the rushing here and there, the having to be at another place at a particular time. The dump and run policy I have had to adopt at school because there is just no possible way I feel I could squeeze anything else into my precious time. The fact that sometimes when I drop Zany off at school I know I won't actually see her again until we wake up the next morning.

On top of all of that working makes me tired and cuts into my running time. Neither of which please me greatly.

I keep telling myself that it is all only short term and all for such a very valid reason. The end result of a few hard months will be well and truly worth it.

Deep down I know it to be true.

It's just I don't like living in a moment that involves waiting for the future.

joining in with the IBOT gang over at Essentially Jess

Thankful Thursday - The Teapot Edition

It is going to be another short and sweet round of thanks from me again this week. My assignment is still oh so patiently waiting to be completed and with the due date of tomorrow afternoon looming closer by the moment I really need to just knuckle down and get on with it.

Without a doubt this week I am thankful that I work well under pressure.

In fact sometimes I can't help but wonder if I only seem to work under pressure. It would explain perfectly why said assignment is still waiting to be finished as opposed to actually being finished or even close to.

While still on the topic of the assignment I am thankful that it is slowly starting to make some sense. it gives me hope that I may just be able to get it done after all.

My main thanks this week goes to...

That smiling little cherub. Oh how she makes my heart sing. 

I am thankful that she is quite happy to entertain herself when I need to immerse myself in my books. I am thankful for the snugly cuddles and delightful smiles.
I am thankful for the wonderful conversations that she has with me on all manner of things. Like how she wanted to send her friend an Easter card but now Easter was over she wasn't sure if she still could.
I am thankful that she is still relatively happy to clean up at least some of the mess that she makes.
I am thankful that she listens and takes so much of what is going on around her.
I am thankful that she doesn't fight sleep.
I am thankful that as agreeable as what she is there are still times when she fights for what she really wants.
But more than anything I am thankful to call her mine.

Other thanks this week goes to

- registering for the Mother's Day Classic
- my blood levels nearly doing what they are supposed to
- customers who say the kindest things
- another long weekend
- being able to operate on not much sleep
- running (again)
- being mentioned in someone's favourite bloggers list

Over to you. What are you thankful for this week?

An InLinkz Link-up

Childhood dreams and the adult reality

As a child growing up there were only ever three career paths I ever really considered. They were (in no particular order I might add) being a journalist, a formula one mechanic, or a truck driver. Actually not just any old truck driver but a Mack Truck road train driver.

Where most young girls had their walls plastered with the latest posters from whatever the hip kids mags of the era were, my bedroom walls were adorned with road trains. Specifically Mack ones.

I loved everything about them. Particularly the fact that girls weren't supposed to interested in them. I was a bit of a rebel like and and refused to conform to as many norms as I could. Of course the fact that one of my parents closet friends at the time worked for Mack and gave me an endless supply of these posters also had something to do with my interest.

image found here

With hindsight and looking at that glorious image above I can't help but wonder if my obsession with them was also to do with the freedom I thought a truckie had. Not to mention the wonderful view of the open road ahead of them and the sights I was sure they would see. I do know however that I desperately wanted to be the first female road train driver.

Till of course I discovered that someone had already beaten me to it and my dream was shattered. It was about that time I decided to be the formula one mechanic. Purely because I was certain that no woman had done that yet and I was destined to be a pioneer of some description.

Being a mother was certainly never on the list of things I was aiming to do. Though in all fairness neither was not having children. It was just not something I gave much thought to.

As I got a little older and I realised how much loved and needed to write it seemed only natural that I would become a journalist. Because that is what people who love to write do isn't it?

Clearly non of these childhood aspirations came into fruition. Instead I am stay at home mum who is currently working part time, while trying to study (again) as she waits for her adventure of a lifetime to begin in around fourteen weeks. In between it all I somehow squeeze in blogging.

Well actually, there is no somehow about it. I stay up late tapping away on my keyboard trying to churn out words of awesome so that I feel in some small way close to actually being something similar to what my younger self thought I would. That and the fact that writing is one of the things that helps me keep a grasp of my sanity.

Sitting down to write is one of the few times in my day where my brain doesn't feel kerfuddled and all over the place. Instead it is when I usually feel my most centred and together. Which is more than kinda nice I can tell you

Somehow or another though, thanks to this little old blog I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity, on more than once occasion to actually pretend that I was a journalist. And by that I mean I was able to interview famous people. Well one famous person and two mothers of famous people.

My first famous person encounter was with the mother of Emily Seebohm, Karen. Emily, in case you didn't know is an amazingly fast swimmer. The next came shortly after and was even more exciting as I spoke to Pam. Who just happened to give birth to one of this country's fastest ever male swimmers, the ever gorgeous Eamon Sullivan.

But I am starting to digress and get caught up in name dropping. Or rather post dropping I guess.

When I sat down to write this post I had originally planned to call it Love Your Sister and Touch Yourself. My last brush at playing journalist was when Samuel Johnson rode his unicycle to town.

If by chance you missed it he was riding his unicycle around the country to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer. Love Your Sister was the name of the organisation they set up to promote Sam's journey. It was around this time last year that they were in Darwin. Actually Lovely got to celebrate her twelfth birthday watching Sam swim with the crocodiles. But again I am starting to get off track.

You see something else happened around this time last year.

A beautiful woman lost her battle with breast cancer.* Before she left the world though she left one of her most well known songs to be used for breast cancer awareness.

Which ultimately is what I really wanted to share with you today.

So have you touched yourself today?

*actually chances are more than one beautiful woman lost her battle this time last year, there was only one however that really made the papers.

Mr Awesome and his duck face

Last week when we were caravan adventuring, or rather searching for a caravan for our adventuring, Mr Awesome had an epiphany. One that was brought about I think by Lovely's constant desire to take selfies.

One that makes me giggle, and hopefully you will too.

As we adventure our way around Australia Mr Awesome is going to share his duck face selfies with the world at large

On top of Ubirr Rock, Kakadu NT

Or rather he is going to take the duck face selfies, and I will share them with the world at large.

In our hotel room, Kakadu Crocodile Hotel.
The hotel is actually shaped like a crocodile, I kid you not.

With yours truly as I tell him my plans to share his duck face far and wide.

At home with his rather delicious chilli mud crab,
he may not cook much but man does he do a mean chilli muddy

Stay tuned for more duck face giggles. If all goes to plan I may just sort him his own duck face website.

Joining in with the Laugh Link 

Snapshots of Us - Week 16

In my head I have the tune of The Platters hit The Great Pretender going round and round, only the words have been changed to say the great procrastinator. I have even gone so far as google the lyrics to see if I could actually rewrite the whole song. Because I am, without a doubt a great procrastinator.

There is a uni assignment patiently waiting for me to do it. It is a critical analysis of a journal article. My brain keeps freezing up at the mere thought of it all and sending my mind into a panic wondering why on earth I thought returning to study was a viable option. Hence  I have taken my procrastination to all kinds of new levels and done anything but actually study.

Sigh.

So what has happened in the last week I here you ask?

Well in my last Snapshot update I mentioned that we had gone for a wee drive to see if we had found our new home for #ouradventureofalife. Turns out we had.

The drive out there was all kinds of awesome and even involved passing through some water. Which was made even cooler by the fact we had just had a new snorkel put on the day before.

While we were out that way, and by out that way I mean Kakadu National Park, we thought we would take the opportunity to do a bit of rock climbing. Ubirr Rock is one of Mr Awesome's favourite places.

And with views like that you can totally understand why.

It was also a great chance to get the girls posing for a few shots in amongst the rocks. In this one they were just pleased to be in the shade. Unfortunately we were out and about in the hottest part of the day but it was unavoidable and most definitely worth it.

Originally we had planned to head west on for #ouradventureofalifetime but now it appears as if we will do a dash down the middle, check out Ayres Rock, Devils Marbles and Kings Canyon before seeking out some snow. We will then head back to Darwin for my specialist appointment and a few test and then head west.

Which has given my mum the perfect opportunity to get her needles out and get her knit on. Teapot is just in love with her scarf, beanie and mittens. They almost need to be forcibly removed when she tested them out.

Oh and this happened

I became the mother of a teenager.

This was taken on her last day of being twelve. It amazes me sometimes just how grown up she not only looks but actually is. Seems like only yesterday she was cradled in my arms.

Things I Know About Easter

Given that as I write it is Good Friday I thought it only fitting to write about the things I know about Easter. Well actually that is not entirely true, I had planned to write about the things I know about procrastination but then I realised I had already been there and done that. So things I know about Easter it is.

In all fairness to Easter though I had been thinking all week that a things I know about Easter would be kind of fitting, until I wondered what I actually do know about Easter. At this point in time I am holed up in the bedroom under the guise of studying. Being the awesome procrastinator that I am naturally not actually studying, which is why I thought that maybe a post about the things I know about procrastinating was a good idea.

Turns out I have actually spoken about procrastination quite a fair bit on this little old blog (do a quick search in the search box to the right to see what I mean). The fact that it is now Easter Saturday is testament to how easily distracted I am.

As I was writing I was also doing a quick google search to see what the interwebs had to say about Easter. Turns out, not a lot that was of use. Top of the page was what Wiki had to say about Easter, followed by where to party in Sydney. Because you know, Easter is all about partying isn't it?

I know that for me, particularly this Easter, it is all about relaxing and trying to get some study done.

I know that if it weren't for an impending assignment this Easter would have been about taking our new mobile home out for a test drive.

I know that I thought it rather cute Mr Awesome spent the day sitting inside said mobile home while it was parked in the driveway on account of not being able to get away for the weekend.

I know that I found the price of Easter eggs rather disgustingly disturbing.

I know that it makes me sad to think that our lives are becoming so commercialised.

I know that there will not be many eggs in our house this year. Which is not necessarily a bad thing for teeth and waistlines.

I know that if you wanted a more meaningful Easter post you should totally head on over to Essentially Jess.

I know that if you want to find out more of what other people know you should totally head to Help I'ms Stuck as that is where Things I Know lives.

I know that I am also going to link up with Mums Take Five

Thankful Thursday - The quicker than quick edition

At one point on Wednesday night I thought that I wouldn't actually get around to writing a post for today. After two full days of work and not nearly enough sleep I feel beyond drained. The seemingly endless sad tales I heard at work just sapped whatever energy I had left.

Just before I was about to dragged myself up to bed though I did a final email check for the day. Which took all of about five seconds because there was only one email. A notification from Google telling me that a new comment had been left on my last post.

After reading it, I had a sudden change in heart and decided that even though I longed to just shut my eyes and sleep for a week I could still make the time to be thankful. So here I am.

Today I am thankful for ...

... the fact that I am now the mother of a teenager. 

... finally giving into temptation and trying a butterfly cupcake from the bakery

... having a great weekend away

... purchasing our home for the #adventureofalifetime

... reading this post from Zoey. I now feel validated just by knowing some of my feelings are shared by someone as awesome as her.

... my fitbit. It is doing a great job at encouraging me to keep on moving

... the coming long weekend. Hopefully it will give me a chance to write the assignment that by now should already be mostly written.

... everyone who stops by here and has a read.

... all who join in and share the joy of Thankful Thursday

Now you.

An InLinkz Link-up

Things I Know About Quirky Writer's Habits For Writer's Reveal and IBOT

Today's IBOT post is proudly bought to you by the Writer's Reveal group and teamed up with Things I Know over at Help I'm Stuck.

Writer's Reveal is a group of bloggers (most* of whom write all kinds of awesome things on a rather regular basis) Once a month we all write to the same topic which is suggested by one of the members.

I know that this month the prompt of Quirky Writer's Habits was given by Ashley.

I know that I am not really sure what quirky writer's habits I have. It feels like forever and a day since I really sat down and did any real writing. Is not considering myself a real writer a quirky habit? Perhaps self doubt and a lack of confidence is a more apt description?

I know that for quite some time I described myself as a non writing writer. I guess that could be seen as a somewhat quirky habit. Though perhaps it just links back to that self doubt and lack of confidence thing?

I know that words never seem to flow until the last minute or sometimes even later. Is leaving everything to the last minute really a quirky habit or is it just procrastination?

I know that after a quick google of some real writers quirky habits I have a long way to go.

Apparently to meet his deadline for The Hunchback of Notre Dame Victor Hugo placed himself under strict house arrest. Which included locking up all of his clothes and wearing only a large gray shawl until the book was finished.

In her twenties Virginia Woolf preferred to write while standing up. Some say it was so her sister, who was a painter and stood to create, would never be able to say she worked harder.

While Friedrich Schiller could not write without the stench of fermenting apples.

I know that I could maybe say my lack of editing and insistence of hitting the publish every time I sit to write something, regardless of what actually comes out could perhaps be seen as quirky. Though I fear it may just be a sign of laziness.

I know that my desire to link up blog posts to as many hosts as possible could be seen as quirky. Or attention seeking.

Are you a writer? Do you have any quirky habits? Are they more real and quirkier than mine?

Do you know something? Anything? If so you should totally share it over at Ann's

Are you a blogger? Do you blog on Tuesday? If you are and you do, do you join IBOT with Essentially Jess?

So many questions, so little time! Maybe my quirky writer's habit is that I tend to ramble on and on?

Other Writer's Reveal writers are

Melissa Writes

The Wolfe's Den

Imagine Create Write

Ashley

You learn something new everyday

*oh and by most I mean all of them but me, I am currently dishing out some tough love to myself.

Snapshots of Us - Weeks 13,14 & 15

More weeks have flown by without me having shared what we have been up to. It just flies by so quickly sometimes that before I know it Sunday has been and gone without a photo being snapped. Though I think missing three weeks is a new record. I guess that is just the joy of birthdays and living life.

Last Sunday we were at a friend's birthday party. He shares the same birthday as Teapot. In fact he is just a mere twelve hours older than her. His mother stole the midwife I was hoping for actually, though at the time we did not know each other. All of which is a story for another day.

While we were at the party I made a point of taking a photo or two of dear Teapot. It was after all her last day of being three.

I even managed to squeeze myself  and Zany into a few shots

For those who stopped by the blog on Thursday you would have seen I was thankful for Teapot's appreciation of the simple things in life. Well at least that is what I wanted to say, thinking about it now I am not sure whether I really got that message across or not. Either way she was happy to have a quite day with her sisters. To make the day a little extra special though we headed to the movies in the morning to see what all the hype about The Lego Movie was.

As I type this I am being judged in a way I have not been for quite some time.

In preparation for our #adventureofalifetime (yes I have finally decided on a hashtag, at least for the time being) we hit the road this weekend to check out a caravan for sale. The owner lives around three hours away in the heart of Kakadu National Park (oh the hardship). While we could have just done a made dash out there we decided that it would be much more fun to stay the night. Especially since one of the hotels that way just happens to be in the shape of a crocodile.

So after checking out one of our favourite rock formations (Ubirr Rock) we spent the rest of the afternoon hanging by the pool. Which is where we are now.

Now before I go on I should point out a few things. Like Teapot is a fairly good swimmer for her age and I can touch type. So to me having the three kids sitting on the albeit rather deep step of the pool and splash around while I kick back on the banana lounge and type away was more than ok. Apparently others begged to differ. And by others I mean the older lady and her friends that recently arrived at the pool.

While she may not have actually said anything to me, the repeated questioning of whether those children could swim to her friends made it quite clear that she was disapproving of my actions. If only she knew that my plastic cup was holding cider then perhaps she could have really has kittens. (Yes the whole non drinking thing didn't last very long. McDreamy telling me that I have a particularly happy healthy liver that was stopping my medication from was taken as a sign to fall off the wagon, though it is a highly moderated wagon).

I should also point out now that I have spent years being a highly strung mother watching her children's every move where water is concerned. It is only now that they are older that I am starting to relax just a tiny bit. Which is probably related to their ability to actually swim now. Water safety can never be taken too lightly and as much as it may have looked like I was not paying attention my eye was still very much on the ball.

For now though it is time to bundle the children inside and shower them ready for dinner. It feels all kinds lovely to be treating ourselves this weekend. We look at the caravan in the morning and I can't help but feel it is all just meant to be. But then again it may just be wishful thinking as well. Only time will tell I guess.