Thankful Thursday - Words

As Thursday rolls around once more I find myself in a somewhat different place to last week. And really quite a few Thursdays before that. And it is quite a nice feeling.

Where the words have failed to come in most weeks, this week I have been able to pump a post every day. I can't remember the last time I was able to do such a feat. Sure the words may not have been the greatest but they were better than nothing and for that I am thankful.

I am particularly thankful to Lydia because whether she knows it or not she does an incredible job at motivating me to try and get some words out once a week. She has been the only regular linker for Thankful Thursday and for that I am super thankful. She also nominated me for a Liebster award which is one of the reasons I have been able to post every day so far this week.

Other things I am thankful for this week include

*  getting a heap of housework out of the way so I don't feel so overwhelmed by it
*  finally finding a pattern for a beanie that looks like it might actually fit me, my last two attempts      have been far too small for my apparently big noggin. Not that the little two have complained because it has meant they have each got a new beanie
* Lovely attending school each day without too much of a battle
* the power bill not being nearly as high as I expected despite using the heater a lot.

Now you, 

What are you thankful for?

An InLinkz Link-up

Liebster Award

The other day as I was flapping about in the land of Facebook I noticed that someone was sharing the joy that they had been nominated for the Liebster Award. I let out a bit of a sigh and wished that someone would be so kind as to nominate yours truly for one.

Sure I have been nominated a few times before in the past back in my APL days but it is always nice to know that someone is thinking of you when these things go around. Technically though I figured that would never happen again because I thought that one of the requirements was to have fewer than 200 followers.

As it turns out though I was wrong. On all fronts.

Firstly the ever so lovely Lydia over at Where the Wild Things Were kindly made my day and nominated me. In the process of writing this post I was curious to see if there were any 'official rules' as such for the Liebster Award and as it turns out (not really surprisingly) there is a post stating what the official rules are.

Anyways without any further ado here are the answers to the questions from Lydia

What makes you happy?
Right this very moment the things making me happy include knowing I am relatively on top of the housework, the fact that I am writing something, the cool Jazz station I found on iTunes radio and the yummy fruit toast I just finished devouring.

Other things that generally make me happy include coffee, running, hanging with Mr Awesome, watching the girls interact, being on the road, the bush, the beach, actually just nature in general.

Why did you start blogging?
Gosh, I started blogging so long ago it is hard to remember the exact reasoning.

I have always wanted to be a writer. When I was about fourteen I just knew that one day I would have a book published. I had the feeling that it probably wouldn't happen till I was in my fifties though so I never bothered actually writing much.

When Zany was little I knew that I didn't want to go back to real work so I tried my hand at earning money online. Writing seemed like the easiest way to do that. Of course it wasn't. I did however make some money from selling online articles and from there it just seemed a natural progression to start a blog. I wanted a place to direct people to if they wanted to read more of my words.

What is the best thing anyone has ever said about your blog?
A few years ago at a blogging conference I was hanging out with a group of bloggers. We were discussing different types of blogs and their successes. At the time lots of the 'big bloggers' all had horrendously sad back stories. Someone was telling someone else how in her darkest days she would pop over and read my blog to pick herself up again.

My heart nearly melted.

I loved that my words could make someone feel better about things without me even realising it.

Mind you since then there have been times when I have felt incredible pressure (from my own stupid mind) to make sure that my words are still uplifting and positive.

What are your top three bucket list items?
I actually don't have a bucket list. Some of the things I do want to do though include finishing our lap of Australia and having a book published.

What is the one thing you can't live without?
I think a better way to word this question would be what is the one thing I don't want to live without. The obvious answers being Mr Awesome and the girls. Material possessions are easily done without in my book. Having said that though living without decent internet is incredibly sucky.

What is your favourite Australian travel destination?
Uhmmmmm....yeah...

Have you travelled Australia? It is a truly amazing place and picking a favourite is incredibly hard. If I had to narrow it down it would be a toss up between Ningaloo and the Valley of the Giants. Mind you the Wetlands of the Northern Territory still hold a special place in my heart and I would love to see the Daintree region and High Country in Victoria.

What two countries make you happiest to visit?
Honestly I don't have much of a desire to travel overseas. Sure it would be pretty cool to see France or Italy or even some of the Greek Islands, but I am also rather content exploring my own back yard for now.

What is your favourite and least favourite word?
Well my least favourite word is just awful. Thankfully it is not one that is generally used often and I dislike it so much I just refuse to say it. Even thinking about it now just makes me cringe. It starts with C if you really must know and that is all that I will say about that.

Obviously being a writer I am a bit of a lover of words in general but I am not sure I have a favourite. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is a rather cool word but I do not use it on a regular basis. Magnanimous is also on the cool list but again not something I actually use much.

If you found out that due to a mix up at the hospital one of your kids wasn't yours, would you give it back?
If I found out today no, not a chance. If however I found out after the first few weeks of birth then quite possibly.

So now the hard part.

Choosing three other bloggers to pass this award onto and share the warm ad fuzzy feeling with.

Drum roll please for....

I opened my mouth and it ran away without me

Nessville


Colours of Sunset

I will make them come, the words that is.

As another Monday night slowly slips on by I am rather thankful to have had my laptop gently resting on my lap. While I may not have managed to get out any words as yet it has done a fantastic job of warming me up. It is fair to say the novelty of winter is wearing off.

When last we met I mentioned how the words are not exactly coming easy to me. They still aren't but I refuse to just walk away. I really want to be a writer. I want my words to make a difference. To me and possibly even those that do not know me.

I know that I said life hasn't really been tough lately, but it has. Sure my tough is not as tough as what I know others are doing it, which is why I tried to dismiss it as not being tough, but at the end of the day it is all relative.

Most of my toughness revolves around Lovely. She manages to challenge me in ways I never imagined possible. These challenges often leave me feeling somewhat shattered and even broken. Not to mention like a complete failure as a parent.

Since I am trying to move away from the whole parent blogging thing none of it are things I want to discuss here. Which is kinda sucky because if I don't discuss things here I don't really have anywhere to discuss things. Tis a sad and lonely life I lead at times.

Actually in all seriousness though I have realised that my shortage of people to discuss things at length with is probably related to my inability to make the words come out here. Before when I was regularly talking to a wide range of people, especially one or two that were fellow bloggers, ok so just the one really but whateves, my inclination to write was a lot higher.

The thoughts that flowed through the chasms of my mind seemed to stick around long enough to actually turn into coherent words. Whereas now, my interaction with fellow adults is so limited on account of still not really knowing anyone all my thoughts seem to bounce on by before I have the chance to work out exactly what they may mean.

The weirdest part of all of this is that I never before realised my need to talk to people. In fact, I had always thought I was somewhat of a recluse but perhaps not.

Anyway for now all that matters is I have rambled on long enough for this to be a blog post. A blog post that can be published on a Tuesday so I can join in with all the fun and games of IBOT with EssentiallyJess. Yay!

Making the words come out

Life feels like it has been particularly hard of late. It hasn't been mind you. It just feels that way.

My life is one that is full of so many blessings I often feel that I should never complain. I have the most wonderful husband, three amazing daughters, a roof over our head and there is always good on the table. Essentially all our needs are met, yet there often feels like something is missing. 

Something I just can't seem to put my finger on which makes it rather difficult to locate. 

With Teapot at school now my days are free for me to fill as I see fit. One could be mistaken for thinking that meant our home is meticulously kept and words are constantly flowing from my fingertips since I have an abundance of time to sit and write. 

For the most part I guess the house is in relative order. Words however, have never failed me more than now. 

I have a terrible case of stage fright and writer's block. Which is essentially just another way to say I am filled with self doubt and fear. 

Last week I finally managed to pull out my dodgy manuscript and start re typing it. In a bizarre twist of fate I have lost all digital copies but was able to locate printed copy as we packed up for #ouradventureofalifetime last year. 

Naturally I brought it with us. I thought while we were on the road would be a perfect time to rewrite and edit it. Naturally I was grossly mistaken. I pulled it out once at the end of October and feebly attempted to look at it while supervising the kids as they swum.

The same thing happened to me then as it did last week. As my eyes tried to make sense of the words before my body contracted and cringed.

Whatever was I thinking? Wanting to be a writer...

Oh the sighing.

Thankful for running and free videos

It has been another action packed week here in the Awesome house. So action packed in fact that I have not been able to find the time to blog. Well, that is not completely true. I managed to get this much out the other day

It's Tuesday and I am adamant that I will blog. I have a mere two hours and forty three minutes in which to tap something out so that I can join in with the ever awesome Essentially Jess for her IBOT linky.

Mind you I have been trying to get something out all day long and as yet I have been relatively unsuccessful. Of course sitting here watching The Interview isn't is exactly...

I closed the laptop on account of the movie looking like it showed the promise of being watchable. I was wrong. Oh so wrong. Thankfully though it was a free movie so other than my time nothing was lost. 

After getting my WA drivers license a few weeks ago, I got around to joining the local video store. Since Mr Awesome got rid of Netflix the only hope I have of finishing my How I Met Your Mother marathon is via DVD. 

I went to hire the season I had started but not finished only the guy at the counter couldn't get the case opened. Thankfully though the other store in town had a copy and on account of the inconvenience of making me drive five minutes to go and collect it, it was free.

For days, I waited for the right time to snuggle up in bed and return to my fictitious friends. The only DVD player we had was in the bedroom you see. When finally that time was found, late on a Saturday afternoon, it turned out that there was only one episode of the season I had not seen. I was rather thankful that it had turned out to be a free hire!

My other big thanks of the week goes to running. Twice this week I got the old joggers on and went for a run. Man it felt good. One run was all about seeing how far I could go without stopping and the other was to go as fast as I could. I am so thankful that I have the time, inclination and health to get out there and move.

What about you? 

What are you thankful for this week?

An InLinkz Link-up

Thankful Thursday

My cup, it runneth over, and I know not where to start. Well that and the fact that I have been up for some fifteen hours and my mind is not exactly working at it's optimal level. I am incredibly full of thanks though so hopefully the words will find their own way out.

Today sees my first Thankful Thursday here in my new space. I am thankful that I was finally able to change the name of my Facebook page. It means that A Parenting Life is no more, well at least not for new posts, the site will still stay live it just won't be growing.

So it turns out that the words are not flowing as I would have hoped. Children that refuse to sleep are not conducive to the writing of words. Who would have thought huh?

As such I am making this super short.

This week I am thankful for

* having my mum come to visit over the last month, she was an amazing help around the house and it was just so lovely to see her

* signing up to a new DVD store so I could hire out How I Met Your Mother on account of Mr A cancelling Netflixs only the attendant couldn't get the security device off the cover so he organised for me to get a free copy from another store

* selling enough stock at the markets to not only make it worth our while but worth doing again

So what about you? What are you thankful for?

An InLinkz Link-up

Diving on in

Well as of today it is official. 

A Parenting Life is no more. 

Well it it technically still is still open for viewing but I will no longer be posting there. From here on in all new posts will appear here. Which is a bit exciting, and a little scary.

It is exciting because a fresh start is always exciting. It is a little bit scary because I have not had a chance to set up everything here just like I would like to. Mind you after nearly three months of waiting to set things up just right I am starting to wonder if I would ever actually get around to it.

So here I am, with things not quite right. 

Instead they are a little rough around the edges and not anything like perfect. Much like myself. Which I guess is in many ways incredibly fitting.

So here we are. 

A brand new blog just waiting to be filled with all my words of wisdom.

Sadly though my words of wisdom have been failing me of late. As I mentioned a little while ago back on APL, I have been struggling to come to terms with some of the changes we have been faced with lately which has in turn meant my words have slowed.

Sigh.

I am hoping though that has all come to an end now though. 

Mind you if I keep trying to blog while watching TV that may possibly never happen. Mr Awesome thoughtfully decided to cancel our Netflix subscription on account of being able to access Presto free for six months via our new fang dangled Telstra T Box. Which may on some levels sound particularly cool on account of being able to watch Presto without it counting towards our monthly download limit but since Presto doesn't have How I Met Your Mother it is actually quite a let down.

Since I haven't been able to continue with my How I Met Your Mother marathon I decided to begin a My Name is Earl marathon. Well not at marathon as such but more a it is late at night and I need some background noise situation. I (wrongly) thought that My Name Is Earle would not be a distraction to my writing on account of already having seen so many episodes.

As much as I may have watched so many episodes in the past, I had forgotten how much the show warmed my heart.

It probably comes as no surprise that I love the idea of doing things to right wrongs and making life better whenever you can. There really are so many lessons to be learnt from such shows. Lessons that if it wasn't ridiculous o'clock at night I would possibly be able to go into more detail. 

However it is crazy o'clock on Tuesday morning and I have blogged so I can share with all the #IBOT gang

The end of an era

After nearly three months of uncertainty and limbo I have finally made a decision. This is my last blog post here on A Parenting Life.

From here on in I will be publishing over at my wonderful new site Rhianna Writes.

My excitement and sadness are in complete balance. Which is a bit nice and probably makes the excitement topple the sadness just a little.

So what made me finally take the dive after all this time?

Well basically Facebook kindly decided to change my Facebook name, which was one of two things that was holding me back. The other was that I thought it was important get to my one thousandth post here.  This little baby will be post number 981. Normally I don't get anal about things but every now and then I do and this just happened to be one of those times.

Only since I suddenly had a target I my mind went blank and writing posts suddenly became impossible.

Sigh.

Thankfully though I am super good at making up my own rules and changing them as I need to, so after a bit of thought I manage to convince myself that the whole thousand post thing didn't matter so much and I should just take the plunge and get on with post over at my new space.

So without further ado that is exactly what I am going to do.

Thank you so much for reading me all these years and I hope that you will continue to do so over at my new home.

Joining in for the last time with IBOT as A Parenting Life

Thankful Thursday

The past few days have been particularly hard going here. As I mentioned on Tuesday we have just celebrated the one year mark since we left home. It has brought about a lot of mixed emotions that we have all had a lot of trouble dealing with. Combined with the return to school for term three stress levels have reached an all time high.

Actually that is not completely true.

The Little Two are super happy to be back at school. They both have a love of learning and are excited to be hitting the books once more. Which is incredibly wonderful and something I am eternally thankful for. I hope that it is something that stays with them for life. More than anything I long for the girls to what to be life long learners. Having a desire to learn is the most important aspect to learning.

Lovely however is a completely different story. There is no love or even the slightest desire to learn within that child. In fact as far as she is concerned school is merely a social occasion.

Sigh.

All of that is for another post though.

Back to the thanks.

In one of my hardest days in well over a year. One that I was left feeling mentally battered and bruised from the joys of parenting a teen, I received the most lovely little golden envelope in the mail.

The most ever lovely Tasha over at Of crochet & life sent me the most gorgeous little love hearts for no reason other than she wanted to make me smile. Which it most certainly did. In a huge way in fact. I am so thankful that someone could think to do such a lovely thing for little old me.

Other thanks this week include

* Finding some awesomely cheap yet tasty wine

* Finding some cheap but very beautiful and lovely to drink from wine glasses

(yes I do notice a slight trend but if you had lived my week you would be slightly wine obsessed as well)

* A secret stash of chocolate

* A most lovely long run, that included all three of my favourite spots

* Being able to get this post written well before first thing Thursday morning. Given that school is back and I have to work trying to tap something out in the morning just probably wouldn't be a wise or feasible idea.

What about you? What are some of the things you are thankful for this week?

An InLinkz Link-up

Coming to terms with the changing of the times

As much as possible I like to look forward rather dwell on what happened in the past. After all the past is gone and done. It has happened and can’t be changed, so why waste time thinking about it for too long?

The past few days however it has been easier said than done. Yesterday being the hardest of all.

My mind is currently in overdrive trying to come to terms with the difference between now and twelve months ago. So much so that finding the right words to explain it all just makes me head hurt even more.

This time last year we were finally hitting the road and beginning #ouradventureofalifetime. We were filled with excitement of the unknown of the open road and whatever lay ahead. A new life was waiting to be discovered and we couldn’t wait to get discovering. 

Well a new life for the next twelve months lay ahead of us. 

The plan was to take twelve months to do our lap and then return to normal life.

We all know about plans and the best of intentions though.

Twelve months later and we have returned to normal life, just not as we once knew it. We went from being on #ouradventureofalifetime where it felt like we were living each day to the fullest to what feels like just scraping by under the pretence of #oursouthwestadventure.

Sure there is still a hashtag and our life in the South West is in some ways completely difference to that of our life back in the Top End, namely the temperature, but there are also too many similarities. Far too many similarities.

The rigmarole of school each and every day. The having Mr Awesome go to work each and every day. The cleaning, the washing. The mundaneness of daily life. The feeling of surviving rather than actually living.

I just don’t like it.

At all.

And that makes me sad.

Life is too precious to be living an unhappy life. Each day deserves to have the most made of it whether you are actively adventuring or not. At the end of the day life itself should be the adventure.

Yesterday, the last day of the school holidays after our first term back at school in nearly twelve months we went adventuring. Sure there was also some shower scrubbing and washing to be done before we left but once I was out in amongst the trees and driving alongside a river nothing else seemed to matter. Not even the fact that it was a particularly wet and miserable winter’s day.

Life it is for living. 

Thankful Thursday - Fun and Friendship

If you follow my Facebook or Instagram feed then this week's thanks is probably not going to come as a surprise.

This week I am thankful that the girls and I were able to hang with the gorgeous Zippy Zappy Life gang for a few days. We had been fortunate enough to share Christmas last year with this amazing family and since then the girls have been constantly asking when we would be able to see them again. The school holidays seemed like the perfect opportunity.

We arrived mid Monday afternoon. The two and a half hour felt like it took a great deal longer than it did. Possibly due to the fact that I took the scenic route. And I am thankful that I did because it was incredibly scenic.

There were endless rolling hills, quaint trees and plenty of cows. I do love looking at cows in their pastures. The scenic route also lead me to ridiculously cheap fuel, a good ten cents cheaper than what I normally pay. There were also a few train tracks that we were forced to wait at while trains went by, which the girls found incredibly exciting.

When we did finally arrive it felt like we were catching up with family and I am so thankful that the girls are able to have such special friends in their lives. Watching all the kids play and interact over the two days just made my heart swell.

Our first night saw a bon fire gathering and I am thankful that the winds stayed low so we were able to enjoy the warmth and glow of the fire. The kids all delighted in toasting marshmallows and it was a real this is what childhood memories are made of moment.

The next day saw us tackle The Maze. Something we had planned to do when we were here last year only Zany hurting her ankle threw a slight spanner in the works. All is well that ends well though because we had a fabulous time exploring all the mazes this week.

Sadly though our time there had to come to an end, though not before we hit the biggest shopping centre in the west for some funky new kicks.

I am thankful that Zany has such cool taste in shoes and feels comfortable enough in herself to wear them.

There are actually a great deal many more things that I am thankful for as well but I am already running a tad late for work and Mother Dearest who I am thankful to have visiting at the moment is getting just a little pushy for me to leave.

So over to you, what are you thankful for today?

An InLinkz Link-up

Thankful Thursday

In a bid to be super organised for this week's Thankful Thursday post I actually sat down on Wednesday morning to try and get something out. Given that I actually missed last week one would have thought that having two weeks worth of thanks would have made for good fodder.

Apparently not.

Instead I was left with this. Which I was rather pleased to get out because I figured once that was out the way I would have been able to go on to bigger and better things.

I was wrong.

Though in all fairness to myself it wasn't entirely my fault for not getting more out. On account of it being school holidays (and my mum is visiting) it was declared screen free time and we went out and explored.

So here I am Thursday morning, not bright and early mind you because it is too darn cold bright and early to do anything except snuggle down further under the blankets.

After failing to find thanks yesterday morning, and then again last night I decided that my thankful post could wait.

I mean I did manage this list

* School holidays

* My mum coming to visit

*My health.

but it some how didn't seem worthy so I went back to thinking my post could wait.

Of course there is nothing wrong with being thankful for those three things, it was just that for well over a week now, possibly nearly two I have been thinking of sharing just how thankful I am to be healthy. Just tacking it on the bottom of a list didn't feel like it was doing it justice.

Recently I have come across two people who longed to have an adventure like #ouradventureofalifetime only various health issues meant they were unable to do so. Even while we were on our trip we came across a few families who had to alter their own adventures due to poor health. I am so thankful we had the opportunity to get out there and do what we did.

I am so thankful that I am healthy enough to be able to get out and do whatever I want. If I feel like going for a run, I can, I don't need to stop and wonder whether my body is up for it, I can just do it.

There are so many people that are held back in various ways from doing a whole range of things because of their health. There are also many that find a way to push past the boundaries of the body and health and for that I am thankful because it gives me the reminder that I need some days to get out there and just give things a go and make the most of the many blessings that I have.

Thursday happens to be my working day which means the last thing I should be doing come Thursday morning is sitting around trying to blog. Thankfully though thanks to school holidays I have a bit of extra time and could do so today.

Thanks also need to be sent to the lovely Lydia who possibly without even realising it, has an uncanny knack for encouraging me when I need it most. If you need help in facing a fear and challenging yourself then this is a must read

What about you? What are you thankful for today?

An InLinkz Link-up

Words fail me

At nearly two weeks between posts this feels somewhat like the longest hiatus my dear little blog has been on in quite some time. I wish that there was some super exciting reason for my absence but there is not. At all.

The fact of the matter is that I just haven't been able to find they words. Sure for some of it I haven't even been able to find the time to look for the words but I haven't looked all that hard because I have known they are just not there.

It is fair to say that it makes me pretty sad as well.

It is also fair to say I don't really know what to do about it all which is why I am here now slowly dribbling away in the hope that I may just be able to put an end to it all.

The problem I think, is comparison and self doubt. There are a lot great and amazing writers out there that are kicking all kinds of goals with their great posts. They are funny, hard hitting, inspiring, heart moving, well written posts that are everything I feel mine are not, and possibly never were.

Excuse me while I go and have a mini tantrum complete with foot stamping and screaming much like a two year old who was just told ice cream was not a breakfast option.

image found here thanks to J Miller

Right that feels better, now where was I?

Since beginning this post I have been privy to approximately 52 arguments between Teapot and Zany, made more coffee, helped Mother with a computer issue and seen to breakfast orders. Not to mention supervising the clean up operation of the half gallon of orange juice that was conveniently tipped all over the place by a child insisting they were capable of pouring their own drink.

No wonder I lost my train of thought.

Procrastination and whining at it's best

My Mum arrives this afternoon, which really  means the last thing I should be doing is sitting here trying to write. Which naturally just makes me want to write even more. There are still floors to mop, washing to fold and put away, beds to make, teenagers to convince to give up their bedroom for a bit. You know all the usual stuff.

Before I had the brilliant idea to write I had the even more ingenious idea to start a little blanket for the bird. Because, well, it is cold here and surely she must be feeling it as much as us. The fact that she keeps trying to crawl inside socks the girls so kindly leave laying all over the place is possibly testament to that.

Unfortunately though I when I walked away from my ball of wool to see to whatever child was having a problem five minutes ago the bird saw it as a prime opportunity to run off with my ball of wall. She deftly managed to drag it under the couch before I returned. I didn’t have the heart to pull it away from her.

After three months of not being on the road I guess life is well and truly settled into a new normality. I am still not exactly how much I like it. Not necessarily because we are here, I think I would feel the same regardless of where we are. It is just the whole being stopped thing that I am not a fan of.

Sigh.

Oh so much sighing.

I have just discovered that my coffee cup is empty. 

Oh the tragedy!!!

In my current apathetic state of mind I feel completely unable to do anything about it as well. I may also have made a promise to myself that I the moment I leave the comfort and safety of my arm chair I will actually do something productive. A promise I really don’t want to break.

Back to sighing.

Thankful Thursday

For a variety of reasons it is another short and sweet edition of Thankful Thursday this week. The reasons include having a sink full of dirty dishes, being incredibly tired, cold and trying hard to ignore sickly tickle in the back of my throat.

A lack of things to be thankful for however is most definitely not one of the reasons for the lack of length in my writing.

Without further ado here are just a few of the things I am thankful for this week

* Winning a double pass to the South West Mudfest. It will be the first time Mr A and I have competed in something together. I am super excited. Especially since there is a burger and beer at the end of it.

* Teapot's lovely teacher waiting behind with the girls last week when I was running late

* My mother arriving for a visit on Friday

* School holidays being just around the corner. Only one more week to go

* More family lined up for a visit in August

* Being able to get our hands on a second car at a ridiculously great price

What about you? What are you thankful for? 

Share your own post below or let me know in the comments.

An InLinkz Link-up