Vote for me!!!!

As you all know, I have been studying the art of photography for a while now, and Stacie at Rock My Photography has been an integral part in the process.  She is having a photo competition and I would LOVE to win!  Please head over to her blog and vote for my photo of the gorgeous Tawny and Zimmo.... this was from my first shoot a few months ago.

Thanks so much xx

Please vote for my photo here between 5 June and 13 June.

When I was young.......

When my daughter turned 9 last month, I sat down with her and said now that she had turned 9, I wanted to talk to her about a few things.  She looked at me and said "OMG, Mum, please not THE TALK!"  Gobsmacked, I asked her what she meant.  Although she obviously had an inkling as to what we were going to talk about, the timing wasn't quite right, so I left it.  The other night, I felt it was time to give my her THE TALK.  

So, at bedtime, we shut the bedroom door and we had, THE TALK.  We got as far as the baby-making stage,  and surprisingly, it went well, with no disgust or weirdness.  We sat down, I got out the book, and we read it together.  DD9 is pretty mature, and completely switched on.  For her, learning about the female and male anatomy was easy, and slowly she started putting things together.  I was so impressed with her maturity and it made me start to think about the ages of my kids and how they are being forced to grow up a quicker pace than ever before. 

The 12-14 year olds of yesterday are the 10-12's of today.  Now, I can't remember sitting down and getting THE TALK, but I know I didn't know anything at 10 years old.  More like 13 years old!  Even until I was 15 years old, I was riding my horse, climbing trees and hanging out at the park.   Now these kids are shopping in shops such as Supre, getting on You Tube and chasing boys. 

Marketers call these kids "tweens" - kids between eight and twelve - midway between childhood and adolescence. But tweens are becoming more like teens, leaning more and more towards teen styles, teen attitudes and teen behavior at its most troubling.

Beyond the drugs, sex and rock'n'roll us Gen X parents and Boomer grandparents navigated, technology and consumerism have accelerated the pace of life, giving kids easy access to influences that are not "parent-approved".  Sex, violence and foul language that used to be relegated to late-night viewing are expected fixtures in everyday TV.  Along with that, even young children are having to deal with peer pressure and other societal influences.  

Now, I must say that I try to monitor everything DD9 does on the internet.  She has a Skype address and email account.  All of her friends do.   DD9 has asked for a Facebook account - some of her friends have already got accounts.  One girl in her grade wears makeup to school. Gone are the days where we used to ride our bikes to our friend's house to see if they were home.  Kids now jump onto the computer and Skype their friends. 

The increasingly commercialised and sexualised world we live in can be a challenging environment for adults, but even more so for children.

So far I have encountered two very different approaches in dealing with this.

Either we can try and keep children wholly innocent until they are adults, which I believe is unrealistic and unhealthy (and you would have to send them off to Antarctica away from influences!) ; or we accept the world the way it is and simply give children the tools to navigate their way through it better.

I put myself in the the shoes of my children and know which way I will be going.  

Keeping the magic alive....

I can't believe how fast this year has gone.  My days have rolled into one another and it is Easter.  Today, the kids and I did loads of Easter craft, to make a little 'shrine' for the Easter Bunny.  The most exciting thing that they found today was a little bag of  'Magic Beans'.   DD9 is very dubious, however DS7 and DD5 can't contain themselves and can't wait to see what will happen in the morning.  

So, this is what I did.

I bought a packet of jelly beans, and a couple of little bags.  You could also use a little box - it's all about the packaging!!  

I then went onto my Mac and printed a little instructions card.  


"Plant on Easter Eve under the full moon.  On Easter morning, you will surprised to see what magic appears".

In anticipation, we planted the little beans in a pot plant and put them in full view of the moon.

I will post again and show some photos from the morning... apparently they grow LOLLYPOPS!!!    ;)

8 Steps to Happiness.... 7 weeks of living perfectly...

I am always second-guessing myself.  Despite the blessings I know I have - a lovely husband, a beautiful family, nice friends, a reliable and steady job, a full life - I constantly worry that I'm not the best wife, a star employee or a dutiful daughter.  On some days, I feel anxious, and I'm far better at snapping at my loved ones than taking a deep breathe and letting it slide.  Don't get me wrong - my family is my world, I am amazed every day by them, it's just that the smallest things start me off.  Kids not getting ready in the mornings, not showing respect around the home, washing everyone's dishes and facing the mounds of laundry every day.  Work even gets me on edge some days.  I have been told on numerous occassions by workmates to take small steps and it will all be ok.   

So, this week, I decided I was going to read (and live by) some self-help books.  These are going to bring about a total life-style turnaround - complete with yoga, early bedtimes and personal mantras - right?  So on with my journey of living my life, my way. 

According to "8 Steps To Happiness:  An Everyday Handbook", it's all about small, but meaningful, changes.  I decided to break my "changes" into weekly missions. 

1.  Acts of Kindness

2.  Stengthening Mind-Body Connection

3.  Finding Calm

4.  Cultivating Confidence

5.  Sharing the Love

6.  Connect

7.  Finding Myself

8.  Lessons Learnt

So onward with my conquest to find inner peace and happiness.  I will dutifully write about my missions and how they make me feel.  Anyone care to join me? 

We did it!

We broke the Zumba World Record!  It was such an amazing and exhilarating experience to be dancing the same moves with 3,000+ people!  Well done to Cairns!

My kids turned up at my workplace at 4pm, with drink bottles under their arms, very excited for what they were about to experience.  We headed to the Cairns Esplanade, and were counted as we moved into an enclosed area.  We were entertained, and I wish I had a time-lapse camera, because the crowd just got bigger and bigger.  The class was delayed as the line-up extended for about 500m down the road.  Eventually, the gates were closed and we began our Zumba class.  Brooke, the Instructor, was used to teaching classes of a couple hundred, and was amazed by the numbers and enthusiasm in the same park.

It was like being at a concert!  People were screaming and cheering.  Loads were dressed up in funny costumes.  It was such an electric atmosphere - something we will never forget.

We received a certificate each to look back on.  Here is a video someone took  - I want to do it ALL OVER AGAIN!!!

and here is a link to the news footage that was on Channel 7 Sunrise the next morning.