Laughing Out Loud - for real.

I love funny shit.  I'd rather watch a funny movie or show more than watch any other kind of entertainment.  But its got to be LBL-funny (for those that are reading who have not given birth, LBL is an acronym for Light Bladder Leakage of course).

In fact I love it so much I lose alot of sleep so I can see more of it.  One of my favourite shows at the moment is The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, which unfortunately is getter later and later, currently shown on Eleven at 11.30pm.

(image from here)

But last night I when I went to bed I was once again sick of waiting while Star Trek went through its millionth episode, so I flicked about the channels (does anyone else have to spank the remote occasionally to make it work?) and found an old favourite on One - Whose Line Is It Anyway?  And I just happened to come across the funniest       episode      I've      ever       seen.

If you haven't watched this show, the brief explanation of the show is that its a little like improvisational theatre. But alot funnier and with talented comedians. In particular, Wayne Brady.

(image from Wikipedia)

This episode features the flamboyant, bedazzled aerobic nutter, Richard Simmons. This guy can be seen to be a bit too much to handle - and I was about to agree until I read his whole profile just now on Wikipedia. He has done alot of stuff - he's nothing like the joke I thought he was. And those bedazzled tank tops, they are actually Swarovski crystals.  I really must read Wikepedia more often. You learn stuff.

(image from Wikipedia)

So here's what had me in tears last night, laughing so hard I just about fell out of bed. Almost woke up the Moneymaker!

Enjoy. And happy Flog Your Blog Friday!

Part 1:

Part 2:

Things I should have asked my Mum

Not to start on a downer, but today is the second Mother's Day without my Mum.  In the last few years she really wasn't aware what day it was any day of the year, so actually for the last 14 years Mother's Day has been all about me.  Don't get me wrong, I used to buy her a gift and wished her a happy day, but it would more than likely confuse her more.

Today I started thinking about what I would have liked to ask her when she was alive and aware. She was a fairly secretive woman and would occasionally come out with a little snippet of her past or some saying or advice which wouldn't be accompanied by an explanation. For example,

• "Don't volunteer for anything"
• "Bloody Harpers" (some mysterious family history there that I didn't find out till years later)
• "You get on my wick!"
• "Don't hang around like a wet week"
• "When you get your period you will finally be able to swim" (apparently tampons have magical powers in the pool)
• And the inexplicable "Don't put anything in your whatsie that you wouldn't put in your mouth first"(???)! 
• Whenever a car would honk their horn outside she would say dryly "Can't come out tonight, the old man is home".  
• "Weeee!" whenever a champagne/Spumante cork popped (which was more often than you would think!).
• "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" (I say this all the time!)

So to commemorate Mother's Day, here is a list of some questions I would have liked to have asked my Mum:

• What advice and stories did your Mum and Dad tell you?
• What was your favourite toy as a child?
• What was your favourite book?
• Did your Mum read you stories?
• Did you jump in your parents bed in the morning, like we did and like our kids do?
• What was your first job?
• Who was your first love?
• How did you cope when your first child passed away?

These are questions I will never get to ask her (and some others that are too private to put here).  Why didn't I ask her when she was alive. Probably because I knew she would give me a flippant answer and brush me off because she had a "sick headache". Not one to get deep and meaningful, our Mum. And she was a bit scary in her heyday!

So the lesson here is make sure you talk to your Mum while she's still around.  Even if you don't get on, what's there to lose? Don't leave it till it's too late, she can't talk to you from the other side (though my brother begs to differ!).  But if she CAN hear - if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

Happy Mother's Day Mum!  Cheers!

*Joining up With Some Grace for Facebook Lovin' Sunday*

The magazine is not dead - The Collective**

Its not often I find something that excites me in the supermarket (besides the Sara Lee fridge). But I did the other night.

Since the demise of my favourite mag, Notebook, I haven't found any regular reading matter worth laying out money for (besides books of course). There was Mindfood but it didn't always hold my attention. I can't stomach those celebrity gossip rags and the run-of-mill 'women's' magazines are way too domestic orientated for my lifestyle (Baking? Not for me.)

Now there's a new contender on the rack - renegade Collective. I don't know why I missed Issue 1, but this month's copy caught my eye immediately as it has a hot Mia Freedman on the cover. Its full of wonderfully positive stories of creative and inspiring people, stylish designers and exciting places.

Try it out, it makes you want to get up and do something original!

*Joining up with Grace for FYBF*

**This is not a sponsored post, I bought the magazine and loved it!

Message from your past

Don't you wish you had a video tape of yourself at different ages where you had a little conversation about what you were doing and thinking, what you wanted to do with your life, your ambitions and what you thought you might be like when you were older?

These days more people are recording themselves privately than ever before in history. Its the days of vlogs and podcasts and YouTube and Instagram.  We seem to have a visual record of every little thing we do (do I really need to take a photo of the pretty pattern on my latte and show 650 acquaintances?)

It makes me wonder how many people are actually taping themselves saying things that could be worth keeping for the rest of their lives.

(me as a kid - notice Mum's cool crochet vest and paisley top with her pink trousers? 70's fashion was wicked, eh?)

For example, what would I have had said to my older self when I was 8, 10, 12 or 14?  Imagine seeing your teenage self, full of that youthful arrogance and confidence (yeah, right), letting the 47 year old me know that no matter what, I would not be working with computers as I believed they would put too many people out of work.  And that while I was completing my Journalism Degree I would be travelling around the world, having mad affairs everywhere so that eventually I would be able to write the best selling novel of the 21st century!

Then when I was in my 20's I would have recorded a short message where I hoped I eventually escaped from the non-career of being a secretary, that hoped I was either now a blissful earth mother or a very happy divorcee with an exciting career who travelled to places like Africa and Nepal and wrote a best selling novel.

Now that I think about it, maybe it was better I didn't make those tapes throughout my life.  Who's to say it would have changed the course of my life, or whether it was all supposed to fall this way.  I don't think it would have been a good idea to take advice from a dreamy, unrealistic hormonal teenager or from a young woman who spent her youth with the wrong man, binge drinking and dancing by herself.

And of course how on earth would I have played a floppy disk or video tape nowadays?

What kind of video tape would your younger self made?

*Joining up with Essentially Jess and IBOT*

**Don't forget to grab a chance at 12 months free private health insurance through registering with 1stAvailable.com.au**

A Healthy Idea - 1st Available

You know when you meet some people and realise you have done nothing with your life? All those great ideas you had and did not follow through then find out someone else had the same idea and actually developed it so it became a money spinner?  That.  Like when my best friend and I wanted to work for ourselves about ten years ago and thought of starting a business offering personal service to busy people - no not that type of service, we were thinking more paying bills and picking up dry cleaning for them, you naughty people!  Of course before we could get off our arses and do it, someone else had it up and running in our area already. Timing, eh?

I've been full of ideas lately (there must be some neurons growing back in my brain).  Some business ideas that have been stewing for awhile and others that keep popping up which may or may not be a little bit useless.

Now when I come across someone else's good idea, I instantly think "now why didn't I think of that?".  But I guess we can't expect to have all the innovative thoughts to ourselves or we'd be the next Steve Jobs.

 Now this sounds like a great idea!

This idea I'm about to tell you is something I was introduced to at DPCON13.  Quite a few of us showed interest in this company, 1stAvailable.com.au, and hopefully that means that their great idea will grow into a flourishing network that will benefit all of us. Its free to register (and it will always be free to patients) and offers a more convenient method of making medical appointments, either online or through a mobile app.  And the more people that register, the more popular it will prove to be to medical practitioners, therefore more of them will register (and you will be informed the moment a healthcare provider in your area joins 1st Available).  See?  YOU will be the one dictating where and what service YOU want then YOU get to choose when YOU want to see the doctor or the dentist or the specialist, not juggle your whole life to fit in their schedule.

AND ... if you register here, you could win 12 months private health insurance with whoever you wish!!!

So no cost to you, a chance at free health insurance for a year and an opportunity to be part of a new service that will put the hassle out of medical appointments and access to more healthcare choices. Not bad, eh?

Just so you are aware, firstly, I don't write about products/brands very often and only if I'm really impressed with them.  Secondly, I was so into this after having months of not being able to get into the specialist at a time that didn't interfere with work and my family commitments.  Thirdly, though this isn't a sponsored post, for every reader that registers with 1st Available I do get a chance to win some lovely prizes. So the more the merrier!

So have a go!  Register with 1stAvailable.com.au here and you can have a really good chance to win free health insurance for 12 months. Keep up to date with what 1stAvailable.com.au are up to by 'Liking' their Facebook page here.  While you're at it, if you haven't already, spread the 'Like's around and go here - you'll be able to find out about a giveaway coming up at Birdy Num Num soon!

*Joining up with With Some Grace for FYBF*

Rhythms and Blues

(Remember Biorhythms? They were big in the '70s')

I think I've worked out my rhythms.  No, not those bodily functions, way past that.  I've realised that my moods have a kind of pattern.  Sometimes they are influenced by events and what's happening around me and sometimes they build up over a static period in my life and I feel like I might sink into a really big, black hole.  And until I experience a bit of the 'Black Dog', I can't feel the euphoric rush of creative inspiration afterwards.

This has happened recently where for some time after my trip to Christchurch I became more and more moody, OK let's say depressed, for no particular reason.  It could have been the effects of seeing that beautiful city in ruins, it could have been the experience of feeling the tragedy through my body when I entered a vacant lot which housed one of the buildings where many died.  It could just simply be the effort of daily life of working and being a mum when I returned home.  No big problems in my life, I live a very fortunate life (these days!) in a very fortunate country.  I'm very, very lucky.  So when that crappy mood hits me I also carry the guilt of having no good reason to feel like shit.

That's when something has to happen to break the blah's.  And it usually comes in the form of a night out with fun people, good music and a bit of drunken dancing (unfortunately its immediately followed in the morning by what my Mum used to call "a sick headache", otherwise known as a screaming hangover).  It was a last minute offer from Mr Moneymaker's little sister, Aunty Moo, last Thursday for a night out and I jumped at the chance.  I'd just had two weeks of spending my school holidays being a taxi driver for Nugget's and Chicken's activities, the first week with no backup as Mr Moneymaker was in China.

I was also getting very frustrated with my lack of sewing skills during my 'Mess Makeover', turning our garage into a kids' paradise.  Somewhere in the last 32 years I have lost all of my sewing skills - I can't even put a straight hem on a curtain!

So along with quite a few days of domestic bickering (which always seem to happen after Mr M returns from an overseas trip), I was VERY ready to let loose.  There was a bit of logistics to work out (daughter had to be dropped off at work and picked up and taken to a sleepover while her brother was going to be left alone at home while we were at dinner) and unfortunately Mr Moneymaker would miss out on the after dinner fun at the pub.  Though his sister Moo couldn't wait - she almost jumped out of her skin when I told her it was Live Band Karaoke Night!

Great night, singing, dancing and yes some amount of vodka was consumed (with the inevitable 'sick headache' the next morning).  Aunty Moo outdid herself (she's a very talented singer) with the last song of the night, "These boots were made for walking".

It took me a couple of days to notice the change in rhythm in my mood but it did change.  After a fairly relaxing weekend and some interesting Twitter conversations, I found myself suddenly full of inspiration and creativity - ideas for my blog, a business concept and a way where I could use my administration skills to put together a network for back-to-work mums.

For now I've got my groove back and as long as I keep the momentum up, I can keep the Black Dog at bay.

How do you keep yourself on the up?

*Joining up with Essentially Jess and IBOT*

Love the Web, but books are better - and TV of course

(these are just some of the books by my bed I will get through eventually)

I do love a good book.  Unfortunately I try to read too many at once (I'm in the middle of four at the moment), which is another symptom of my "ooh look and the bright shiny thing" syndrome.  But as I've been set a task for one of these books, I'm promising myself to get through one at a time, starting with:

(this is me multitasking in bed - book, choc, tv, laptop all in bed)

My Notorious Life by Madame X - a book by Kate Manning which is for a review with the wonderful guys at Soup.  I'm quite enjoying it as it's based on a true story about a woman in New York City during the late 1880's who became infamous for being a midwife who not only helped women with birthing but also with birth control and also terminations.  The style is written as if it was from Madame X's journals and some of the words are annoyingly asterisk'ed out which is supposed to reflect the times when a lot of literature was censored but I believe (and 99% of the other reviewers on the Soup forum) as it was written based on a personal journal, it realistically should not be censored.  And it wasn't referring to words that we all haven't heard before - particularly the medical terms!

(find Kaz Cooke's ebooks here)

Another bright and shiny thing that had me occupied the other night when I really should have been cleaning out my laptop (and no, that's not code), is one of my favourite authors, Kaz Cooke, has brought out really useful ebooks for us all.  She was a bit of a lifesaver back when I was first expecting, with her book "Up The Duff" - so much more practical than all those other pregnancy bibles, it's a good chuckle and written in a language I could relate to.  I highly recommend checking out these very inexpensive ebooks and if you know someone who could use the free "Escaping Control & Abuse: How to Get Out of a Bad Relationship & Recover From Assault", please pass it on.  I'm not in any sort of sponsorship deal or even know Kaz Cooke personally, I just really admire her work.

Now seeing I'm writing this while watching TV, I need to have a bit about what I'm enjoying at the moment.  Right this moment I'm laughing at Alan Carr: The Chatty Man.  He's talking to Jennifer Saunders who I've always loved, way back when she was 'French & Saunders' (I still sing that phrase every time instead of saying it - look it up if you don't know what I'm talking about) to being obsessed with Absolutely Fabulous to the extent I video taped every episode when it aired on TV the first time.

(here's a clip of the best of Series 1 & 2)

So there's a little bit of what I've been reading, browsing and watching lately.  And it's a great distraction from my Mess Makeover project which after the shopping at Ikea part became quite frustrating when I couldn't work out how to use the sewing machine - big domestic fail.  But here's a hint of what it might look like in the end:

*Joining With Some Grace FYBF*

Mess Makeover

Wanted: Great, cheap and classy ideas needed to do over this space so it can house garage stuff and be an inviting rumpus room for my bedroom-stealing kids.

Or: how do I turn a garage into a tween/teen haven so they don't mess up MY room!

I shouldn't complain - we live in a lovely home, plenty of room to move in the living area but as our last place had a second lounge room where the kids liked to hang out, we are missing that luxury of locking them away to watch their Miley and iCarly or do whatever you do with Skylanders.

The other advantages of kids having their own time-out space are:

• I won't find the equivalent of seven Salada's crumbed through my bed after they've watched the whole DVD box set of Harry Potter
• They won't stop me from going to bed at 7.30pm on a Friday night to watch The Living Room alone with my laptop
• They won't find my secret stash of really nice chocolate as opposed to the cheap shit I buy them
• I won't have to call them out of bed after they've watched a DVD in my bedroom and I can't work out how to turn the digital TV back on
• I won't have to clean up the Slurpee cups and bowls of leftover noodles the next morning from my bedroom
• I can shut the door on the garage and ignore whatever catastrophe has taken place from last night's sleepover

plus many more ....

Factors that I have take into account are I cannot sew, my budget is probably around $50 (unless I can sell that spare fridge - anyone?) and my husband is as handy as ... as .... well he's not.  To be as organised as my beautiful friend Gemma (look at her Lady Shed) would be wonderful.  I know I probably won't end up with anything as awesome as this but I would really like it to be inviting.

from here

I have also been told that the lawnmower HAS to stay (as the last time I insisted it it live outside it got sick and cost a bit to fix) and the bikes need to live in the garage as well.

Now I'm very open to suggestions and tips and would love an excuse to visit the great land of Ikea.  I might also be able to convince Mr Moneymaker to stretch the budget for some sort of floor covering like carpet tiles as it can get pretty cold with that concrete floor.

The fake leather futon couch could do with recovering too but I have no idea how to do this.  There is also a very handy shelf/desk which props up on the far side of the garage which is folded away behind the couch.  It takes up a bit of room so we keep it down until needed.  The built in bookcase next to the under-stair storage is handy but very drab and wearing away in places. And the giant panda had to be kept as it was bought by Mr Moneymaker's Pop just before he died and was meant for Jess, his first great grandchild.  Trouble is it so large it won't fit in the shelves near the garage ceiling or under the stairs.

Of the many rumpus rooms on Pinterest, I picked this one as its the most unattainable:

Dream on! (from here)

So give me any tips, bargains, ideas or your own makeovers and when I do my 'After' shots I'll give you due credit.

I Should be Dancing, Yeah!

*Joining up with Essentially Jess for IBOT*

With all the horrible things happening in the world today and coverage already everywhere you look (except that there was no mention of this other tragedy today on mainstream media), I felt like a lighter note was needed tonight.  So I went to the one thing that can last as little as three minutes and stay in your memories forever.  No, I'm not talking about the first time you did the hoochie coochie (you filthy, minded people), I'm talking about music.

One of my resolutions in the new year was to listen to more live music.  Not just the big concerts but the unknown band at the local pub (wish I had one of those), the blues music at festivals (though it doesn't look good for me getting to the Broadbeach Blues Festival in May) and the talented strummer at our favourite restaurant.

Though I have a terrible memory for most things, I can remember words to songs that are sometimes thirty or forty years old.  Just don't ask me to sing them at Karaoke, I suck (except when I'm singing in the car by myself, of course).

So in the spirit of spreading some good feelings among the peoples, here's a very eclectic mix of old faves that come to mind - it might not be the best music in history, but it makes me feel good - Enjoy!

Sunnyboys - Alone With You (one my early crushes)

Radiators - Coming Home (saw this band more times than any other ... so far)

The Rolling Stones - You Can't Get Always Get What You Want (the best rock band in the universe, I've seen them twice over 20 years and my dying wish would be to see them in London)

Cat Empire - Days Like These (discovered by yours truly and sisters at The Beach Hotel, Byron Bay - well that's our story anyway, we even have their first home made CD to prove it)

Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry (the original and the best)

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Summertime (perfection)

Edith Piaf (The Little Sparrow) - La vie en rose

Daddy Cool - Eagle Rock (the family song)

Queen - Somebody to Love (the best concert I've ever been to)

The Doors - People Are Strange (this man was truly beautiful)

Janis Joplin - Piece of My Heart (sound isn't great but love the film clip, love her)

My name is Becci and I love the internet

from here

I love the interwebby.  I'm not a total nerd but as I remember what it was like before the web was known only as that amazing structure built by your average creepy crawly, I can appreciate how amazing it is.  (In fact, we just had a Skype conversation with The Moneymaker who is in Taiwan this week, checked out his hotel room and the Nugget was even able to show him his new soccer gear and the dog's radical haircut!)

I first entered the internet world when I was pregnant with my first (over 14 years ago). I was working for a large company in the city as a secretary for 12 Leasing Executives.  We were introduced to the World Wide Web and at first it didn't make a huge impact as there really wasn't alot on it.  Then when I reached my six month mark the work got the better of me, the hormones must have leaked out and I had a little crying episode in front of my boss.  As he knew nothing about what pregnant women were like, he panicked and took most of my work off me, sat me in the corner till I started maternity leave and gave me the task of investigating the internet and what it might do for the company.  Total bludge but lots of fun.  I did do a bit of desktop publishing but I mostly read a lot of disjointed and messy websites and learnt what worked and what didn't.

Once I left I made sure we could connect our home computer into the web with one of those lovely, quaint dial-in modems (remember that buzz and whirrrrr while you waited patiently for it to connect?).  I then spent the next year connecting up with other mums around the world in forums and chat rooms learning how to be a mother. The.Best.Use of the internet to date (besides Pinterest, porn and gambling of course!).

So it came as no surprise that when I went back to work part-time I found myself a job at a local website development company.  This position taught me many things, including being a web designer and also selling websites.  I absolutely loved the work.  It was creative, fast and exciting.  I learnt how the retail world was changing and had an inkling how being online was going to be imperative if you were in any sort of business.  It also helped me create the website for our home business which operated for the next four or five years until we sold it.  We sold model trucks and machinery online to collectors - you can still see the site, Machinery Models, here, now run by the couple who bought it who have not updated it since, as far as I can see.

I haven't looked at in in a while and even though it looks so raw and basic, I was very proud of it.  I learnt Dreamweaver and HTML to make other (and much better) websites during my time there.  Thankfully it's become so much easier to create sites (thankyou Blogger).

Now it's all about Apps.  Websites have morphed into beautiful, useful spaces but apps are where it's at.  We're all looking at the big old internet world through our tiny smart phones and tablets.  Not so good for the old eyesight but now we can find a place to eat, book a table and pick our meal from the menu before we even get there!  Not to mention banking, finding cheap petrol, cooking advice or even reading a book.

It just blows me away having all this in my pocket.  It's a million miles away from when I used to listen to that endless whirring, dialing up at 3am while having a baby attached to my boob.

**Joining up with Grace for FYBF**

That time again - My To Do List!

My mind is all over the place lately so I need to sit down and concentrate on one thing at a time.  Unfortunately that means deciding on what those things are and setting some priorities.  This will make my husband very happy as he is always rabbiting on about if there is a job to do then "Write it down!". The things that get forgotten and weeks may pass before I get around to doing that five minute task which nags me constantly.

So in the spirit of starting off with a positive attitude, here is what I've achieved so far:

1. Made a dental appointment for my daughter during the holidays (long overdue!).
2. Made a doctors appointment for my pap smear (about six months overdue - and in the interests of my fellow bloggers' reminders to us all to get checked, consider this a reminder to you too!).
3. Made an appointment with my optometrist for my checkup (about a year overdue).
4. Get my dog's hair cut (except he now looks like a skeleton).

Poor cold Sydney!

This is all I've come up with so far.  Now here's my To Do List (funny how this subject crops up before school holidays almost every time!):

1. Do product reviews that are in the pipeline.
2. Read some of the books that are piling up around my bedroom (damn those school fetes!)
3. De clutter desk (supplied before shot below, I haven't even sat at it yet, probably because I haven't got a chair).
4. Clean out wardrobe (and hopefully discover a big gap that needs to be filled with new clothes!).
5. Decorate garage so the kids actually want to use it as a rumpus room.
6. Make our home more stylish, or at least make an attempt at decorating it the way it deserves.

This is disgusting, nothing like the ideal I pinned here

Some of these things I can solve by just getting stuck in and also by getting advice from blogs such as My Big Nutshell and Urban Style Hunters (which had their pop up store launch last Sunday and which I attended and am excited as to where they are heading with just the kind of lovely things I adore).  They also told me the four little, old Sebel chairs I have in the backyard are quite valuable!

Found thrown out at school. Aren't they cute? (Please ignore the weeds)

This will hopefully put some things out of my head tonight and leave the final week of the school term free to actually achieve things off my to do list at my day job!  

So do you have a to do list which just happens to turn up just before the holidays, every time?

*Joining up with Essentially Jess for IBOT*

Is Ageing Mind Over Matter?

Time moves too damn quick.  What brought it home to me is that today my 14 year old Chicken worked her first shift at McDonald's.

The reason this is so momentous to me is that I feel that once a person starts working for a wage, they have started to move away from their childhood and are almost a full-on adult.  Scary stuff when it's your daughter taking orders and being responsible when YOU still feel about 16 most of the time.  Does this mean I'm all grown up now?  Nah!  I'll act the part when I need to but most of the time I feel exactly the same as I did when I was a teenager.  Except for the times I look in a mirror, see a photograph of myself or try to do anything physical of course.

There is a little method in my madness - if I feel young in my head, maybe my body (or mind for that matter) won't get old.  And isn't it more fun to act like a 16 year old than a 47 year old?

I would have loved to have known what age my mother was feeling as she neared the end of her life, but unfortunately her dementia prevented that.  Did she still feel like a teenager in her head while sitting in a nursing home looking at those elderly people around her?  She certainly had a young attitude when she was well, in fact so much of a party girl that the start of her downfall was breaking her hip at age 65 on the dance floor at the local club's Rocky Horror Picture Show tribute!

So did she just want to escape the bed and go out dancing again or did she feel like the woman in the news this week that thought she'd had enough and it was time to depart with a bit of dignity. I think if she was anything like me there would be no way that she wanted to go out without fighting tooth and nail to the end and throwing a big party with lots of dancing.  Just don't play the Time Warp.

Joining up with the rhythmic Essentially Jess for IBOT!

Slow Blogging

Slow Blogging was a term used at last week's Digital Parents Conference in Sydney. I can't remember who mentioned the phrase but I do remember commenting that I preferred that term rather than what I thought I was - a Lazy Blogger (also know as CBFB or Can't Be F***ed Blogger).

It's not that I don't want to submit an exciting and informative post, it's just that by the time I've read everyone else's blogs, it's quite late and frankly I'm stuffed! In fact I'm writing this at 11pm on my phone with the Blogger app while lying in bed.

I promise in the upcoming holidays I will get into it and attempt some quality posts.

So here's a photo of some creative urban art in Leichhardt taken on the way to work which reminds me I should have been pedalling to work instead of sitting in my car sipping a latte, lazy, polluting wanker that I am.

Exhaustion 3; Creativity 0

Let me just start by saying my creativity is having a major battle with my exhaustion.

I would love to make this post all about what the Digital Parents Conference was all about and how I was knocked over by the amazing bloggers‘ stories that had a room full of women weeping and cheering and then weeping again and then dancing on tables (yes they really did, even if it was for but a brief moment to bring the Harlem Shake, Blogger version, to life).

But to do the two-day extravaganza justice I need more time!  But I will record here, before the feeling goes away, how I felt so at home with so many writers in one room.  How motivated I am now to pull my story together that I’ve been drafting for twenty years.  And once I get my notes out and everyone’s cards I collected out of my bag I will start to do a proper summary of what it all meant to me and acknowledge the greatness of those I was privileged to be with.

This is sounding a lot syrupy than I intended it to be so I’ll just finish by promising to get lots of sleep on the weekend so I won’t snap at all three members of my family again like I just did (why can’t I have my own room???  Allison and Kerri said writing is a very lonely job but not ‘round here!).

Anyway, I’ll leave you with a little peak of what my view was like in snapshot form:

... and if anyone sees this guys' little partner, please let me know! It was only it's second time out and he escaped (damn Bon Jovi)!

*Joining my Dancing Queen, Grace with FYBF*

I don't do mornings

I think, no wait, I know, that I'm a bit stuck in my ways.

For instance, I'm not a morning person.  No matter how much I wish I could bounce out of bed at the crack of dawn, I don't think I'll be starting that habit anytime soon.

And I would love to be one of those super organised Mums that have special charts on the wall for my kids' activities and chores, what they will be having for lunch and dinner all month and a goal setting spreadsheet with little gold stars for rewards.  OK that might be going a little too far.  How about I just know what everyone is doing every week? And a walk around the Bay in the mornings.

There are several factors in my make up that prevent me being this ideal person.  For one, I'm a Pisces, known as being a bit vague and dreamy.  More are a kind of 'wing-it' kind of girl.  Secondly, in sibling order I'm the last of five which for some means irresponsibility and rebellion.  I don't fully agree of course and cannot for the life of me think why my sisters and brother think I was the favourite and spoiled silly.  Ridiculous!

Despite all this I do have the ability to parent (mostly) responsibly and have a steady and responsible job (have hardly ever been unemployed in the past thirty years!).  I've never smoked (cigarettes), I don't drink and drive, and I'm a loyal wife (so far!).

So why the hell can't I get out of bed in the mornings!

Tomorrow is the Digital Parents Conference 2013 and my room buddy Rachel (The Kids Are Alright) is coming over at 6.30am so we can catch a lift with Mr Moneymaker so I can be at Curzon Hall in time to take up my duties as one of the Door Bitches (OK, usher but that doesn't have the authority it needs!).

And of course I haven't packed (what time is it now - oh shit its 9.46pm already!).  I did achieve the Care Australia 'Walk In Her Shoes' challenge around the Bay this evening with Brenda, Grace and Jess.  Which reminds me, I better link up now with #IBOT!

Goodnight and maybe see you tomorrow - and don't forget if you'd like to help out with our challenge you can donate here.  Thankyou!