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My eldest heads off on his first school camp this morning.

He’s excited.

Me?

Not so much.

In fact, I’ve been giving him LOTS of cuddles this past week.

I’ve got the “what if something happens and I never see him again” jitters.

Cos NO-ONE can look after MY child like I can!!!!

Right???

*sniff*

It’s okay. The staff going are FABULOUS. I’m sure he’ll be fine. But I just have to have my little “mummy moment” here.

He’ll be back in 54 hours and 23 minutes (give or take)…..

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In other news:

I wrote a post called Opening Rain on Aussie Bloggers this week. Pleeeeaaaasssseee take a minute to pop over there and leave me some comment love. Cos you know how I love me some comment love. And it’s a much more uplifting post than the drivel you’ve been putting up with here for the past few days.
We could sure do with some “opening rain” around here. Both the wet kind of the “fresh start” kind.

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* image courtesy of www.rbkdirect.co.uk

I’ve been finding exercise is getting more and more pleasurable as my fitness levels improve.

So I wasn’t all that impressed this week to find my personal training session a very hard slog.

Perhaps I shouldn’t have been really. After all:

a) I didn’t sleep well the night before

b) The emotional drain over the weekend took a LOT out of me both physically and emotionally.

c) It was my first day on a reduced dosage of my anti-depressant medication

d) It was “weigh and measure” week (okay, that probably had NOTHING to do with it but I had to throw it in there anyway ).

Weigh and Measure

I think this went okay. Not much happening on the weight loss front but that was about what I was expecting. Some improvements in measurements though. Nothing earth-shattering but progress in the right direction.

Positives

• Most of the time I’m enjoying exercise which is a relief after the hard slog I’ve found it in the past few months. I generally look forward to it (especially my personal training sessions).
• I’m slowly improving my eating habits again and I’m hoping that will have a gradual snowball effect (improved health leads to improved fitness and improved fitness leads to my body craving healthier foods and on it goes).
• Not counting the ups and downs of the depression, I am feeling better within myself.
• The massage at the end of my session today was REALLY good.
• My trainer had planned some flexibility exercises as part of our session. Which made it less “full on”. Have I mentioned how amazing she is yet????

Not so Positives

I didn’t get quite the same high after my session today. I think my body is kind of quivering on it’s last legs right now. I was a bit teary when I got home. I don’t think that had anything to do with the session. Just that I’m disappointed that my body is struggling.

It is really really hard to put up with feeling bad. Feeling bad is BAD. I WANT to feel good!!! (*stomps her feet like a 2-year old*)

What’s Happening on the Drug Side of Things?

Monday was my first day of cutting back my medication dosage. Who knows what kind of a rollercoaster ride we’re in for in the next few months? I’m supposed to give it around a month on this dose before reducing again. Personally, I’d like to reduce it faster and get it over and done with. But they don’t think that’s a good idea. So for now I’m trying to be good and listen to what they say.

I’m trying to approach this with a “expect the best but accept the worst” type attitude. Which is REALLY hard.

My biggest fear? Losing my fitness AGAIN. I can cope with not making too much progress over the coming months (I think). But going backwards would be somewhat devastating.

I’m toying with the idea of cutting out sugar. I’ve heard that this can help with improving depression symptoms. Not sure if I have the willpower to follow through on it right now. Is it really fair to deprive myself of chocolate through these dark days?????

For now I’m trying to cut BACK rather than cut it out. But I have heard that it’s addictive so cutting it out makes more sense.

Whatever happens over the coming weeks, I hope you’ll stick with me. I’m hoping it will be “business as usual” around here. Time will tell.

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* image from www.tara.qld.gov.au/

It is 21 years since I played Netball.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

We were a team that hardly ever won. Maybe even NEVER?

Most of us hadn’t been playing netball very long. Maybe a year or two.

Then along came Mrs Thompson.

She was the kind of lady that scared little kids. Well, probably big kids too. I was 11 so I guess I probably considered myself to be a “big kid”.

She was TOUGH. She worked us hard. She took no nonsense.

If you didn’t make it to training on time - you’d better have a VERY good reason.

If you didn’t make it to training at all - look out!!!

If she didn’t think you were putting your full effort in - you’d know about it.

Every. single. one. of us…….LOVED her!!!

She taught us what it meant to be a team.

She taught us that every. single. person has value.

I didn’t come across many adults like her throughout my childhood. When I was around her I felt like I MATTERED. Not by anything she SAID but by her very attitude and actions.

I grew up feeling like a nobody. I didn’t feel like I was GOOD at anything.

Netball was different.

I mattered.

I belonged.

I contributed.

People said I had a chance to be an “A grader”.

No-one had ever made me feel like that before.

Like I could reach for the stars. And maybe, just maybe, hold one in my hand.

I was used to playing around in the dirt.

The dirty. The dusty. The invisible. The forgotten.

In the space of a few weeks we went from a team that had NEVER won a game - to almost unbeatable.

I wasn’t the best player on the team.

But I never ONCE felt like that mattered.

Because EVERYONE mattered.

Mrs Thompson made sure of that.

We only lost 1 game that season. Our second game of the season.

But it wasn’t winning or losing that mattered. It was the effort we put in. If we lost, we trained hard. If we won, we trained hard.

I remember Mrs Thompson talking about how much training we would have to do when we reached A grade. We were being groomed for the future.

A bunch of “losers” being transformed by the love and care of one lady.

At the end of the season, as we celebrated our Grand Final win, Mrs Thompson talked about us being a team. A team that sticks together. She was adamant that every single one of us move into a C-grade team together.

I cried.

I knew we were moving.

Moving a long way away.

To another state.

A city.

A foreign place.

I was losing my team.

I was losing my sense of place in the world.

I cried on that day.

I cried on and off for a time as I settled into a totally foreign land.

Then one day I packed away my tears and tucked them deep inside of me.

I never got to play netball again.

I’m not sure why.

I went back to that child in the dust. Lonely. Unlovable. Invisible. Useless.

Last Saturday the tears came again.

I wandered around the sporting grounds feeling like I didn’t belong.

All the emotion of those childhood days, flooding back to the surface.

Grief over what might have been. Over what I wanted to be.

A part of a team. A person that mattered.

It came out of nowhere. But the tears would be stemmed no more.

I sat in the car. Alone. Alone in a place FILLED with people. Alone and in pain.

And the tears came.

All I wanted was to work on my fitness.

To take the time I was at training and make use of it.

To enjoy some company and fellowship while I trained with the other netballers.

I didn’t know all of this lay hidden. Carefully tucked away in my heart. In a dark corner where no-one would ever find it.

I didn’t know that getting back on the court would bring with it a fresh wave of grief over what I lost. The sights. The sounds. The smells. The feeling of the ball hitting my hand. The sound of pounding feet on the hard surface.

The child within me cried out.

Longing to be wanted.

To be a part of a team.

To matter.

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Top 5 Droppers

Trainee Trader

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Geek Mom Mashup

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I found the most awesome blog this week called Time For a Smile. It publishes photographs of people from all walks of life smiling. If you need a little lift in your day, it is certainly worth visiting.

Things that Made Me Smile This Week:

• My 10 year old came and asked me for a cuddle. I sat in an armchair with him in my lap and we just talked. It was a really lovely time. He then spent the next half an hour trying out some number tricks on me.
• Boxing with my personal trainer.
• Visiting the gym with a wonderful friend (my first time in the gym without my personal trainer - discovered I have NO CLUE how to use half the machines there without her pressing all the buttons for me).
• Played a practise game (well, partial game) of netball again at training this week. Don’t think I “looked like death” at the end as much as I did last week. It is such a BUZZ getting back out on the court again.
• I had an interesting search term this week : “how fit do you need to be to play netball”? My answer: fitter than I am!!!! It made me smile though!

Inspired by “Time For a Smile”, I wanted to share this photo with you of Princess Singstar in her latest outfit:

Doesn’t that gorgeous face just make you want to smile????

Don’t Forget

If you’ve not yet entered my latest giveaway, it’s not too late!!!! It will be soon though! Entries close on Wednesday 7th May 2008 and the winner will be announced next Saturday as part of my Smiley Saturday post.

Why Not Join Us?

Each week we have a great line up of “Smiley Saturday” posts listed in the Mr Linky below. If you’d like to join in, simply write your own Smiley Saturday post with a link back here and add a link to that post in the Mr Linky below. It doesn’t have to be published on a Saturday either. As long as you link directly to your post (rather than the home page) and it makes people smile, I really don’t mind what day it was published.

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my weekly wrap-up post on Lightening’s Blogworld each week.

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* Image courtesy of www.shoeblitz.com/do-you-buy-used-shoes/

Is it okay to put your children in second hand shoes?

Here’s a debate that has been going on for decades. Should children be wearing second hand shoes? Is it bad for their foot development?

What about adults? Is it different for adult shoes? Are second hand going to be okay on feet that aren’t still growing?

What Does The Complete Tightwad Gazette Have to Say?

Plenty. And I can’t copy it all here. So I’ll try to pick some of the most important bits.

“While stating that there is disagreement among professionals, Dr Lembach (professor at the Ohio College of Pediatric Medicine in Cleveland) said he believes that if a shoe is in good condition, and if it fits properly, it is okay to hand it down….

Dr Lembach practices what he preaches. He has six kids, and shoes are handed down within his family.”

The Complete Tightwad Gazette pg 372

Opinion is Divided

From what I can gather, some experts that Amy Dacyczyn spoke to were against second-hand shoes while others stated that the “idea that new shoes are essential for proper foot development is “a myth”" (Orthopaedic Surgeon Dennis Wenger, the Complete Tightwad Gazette pg 372).

There are Some Factors That Matter

Experts cited mentioned that proper fit and good condition were important as well as not wearing shoes that had bee passed down from someone with severe bunions (which would stretch the shoe out of shape.

What Do I Think?

I have to admit that I have never actually bought second-hand shoes for my children (or myself for that matter).

That doesn’t mean that they don’t have them.

I’m happy for my children to wear second-hand shoes if I know where they have come from. Handing down from one sibling to the next or getting shoes given to us from friends for example.

HOWEVER, I prefer to always buy my children’s MAIN pair of shoes new. I figure those shoes they are wearing maybe once a week are not going to affect their development too much. And I don’t mind having a back-up pair of sneakers that have been handed down. But the shoes they are wearing day in and day out, I tend to buy new.

For myself, I don’t really have a “main” pair of shoes I wear every day. So I don’t really see it as quite as important to have all new shoes. But I’ve never actually been able to bring myself to purchase second hand shoes in an op shop (new shoes with tags on the other hand….).

What Do You Think?

Are you in the “no second hand shoes” camp? The “second hand shoes rock” camp? Or somewhere in between?

Is it different for children with growing feet as opposed to adults in your mind?

Next Week: Are expensive shoes worth the money?

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May 1st is RSS Awareness Day. This day has been started to try and increase people’s usage of RSS as a way of reading blogs. If you want to more about RSS then visit RSSday.org.

Benefits of RSS

• If you use a reader like Bloglines (which is what I use - there are a whole range of feedreaders available online), you can view the blog posts of all your blogs in the one place instead of having to hop from blog to blog. This is a great time saver.
• The feedreader lets you know when a new post has been published.
• You can save posts that you like and go back and refer to them later.
• It can be used as an indication of how popular a blog is.

Limitations of RSS

• Some blog readers using RSS never click through to the blogs they are reading to leave comments.
• If you rely on advertising revenue from your blog, RSS can decrease this.
• Some bloggers only allow partial feeds which is REALLY FRUSTRATING, especially on days when you’d like to read what they say but don’t have time to visit their blog. This generally leaves the impression the blog writer is MORE interested in their advertising revenue (and/or their visitor stat count) than their readers.
• Sometimes new blog posts take a while to show up in a reader.

I honestly do not mind what my readers choose to do. You can subscribe or not subscribe. But if you’ve ever wondered what that pink button(under the word “subscribe”) in my sidebar is for, it enables you to subscribe to my blog. It should take you to a page which allows you to choose which feedreader you want to use (mine automatically takes me to a bloglines button because it recognises that’s what I use).

What are your thoughts on using RSS to read blogs? Do you like them? Not like them? Does it decrease your inclination to comment?  Feel free to mention your preferred reader with a link so others can find it if they’re interested.

If you’re a regular reader via email or a feedreader, please take a moment to click through and make a comment on this post to say hi. I always love hearing from my readers.  Lurkers are more than welcome but I’d love it if you’d also pop your heads out just to say hi. 

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Last time I was near a Lenards (chicken store) I purchased their “5 carcasses for $2″ deal. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while but this is the first time I’ve actually gotten “aroundtoit”.

My plan for the carcasses? A BIG pot of fresh chicken stock. Mmmmmm………

The whole house smelt like roasting chicken as the carcasses simmered in the slow cooker. All I added was water and a few leaves of shallots from the garden.

I then strained the bones and flesh from the fluid, removing any chicken meat still left on the bones (should have enough for a chicken pot pie - yahhhh!!!!!) and chilled the fluid.

Chicken fat needs a reasonably cold temperature in order to solidify. Even though the fluid had cooled by the time I strained it, a reasonable amount of fat still dwelt in liquid form, floating on the top. Once chilled, the fat solidified and I was able to scrape it from the top of the stock.

What I have left is a deliciously THICK chicken stock which I’ll bag up and freeze to use in my pumpkin soup over the winter.

The first batch of pumpkin soup is now in the slow cooker and almost ready to puree.

It smells DELICIOUS!!!!!

There’s NOTHING like homemade pumpkin soup with home grown pumpkins and homemade chicken stock!!!!!

Homemade soup would have to be my FAVOURITE part about winter!

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I’ve been feeling pretty ordinary over the past few days. School holidays and a bunch of other stuff has left my emotional energy levels hovering dangerously close to zero. This impacts on my mental clarity and also my general physical ability. Not only that but it affects my motivation. You could say that my “get up and go got up and went”.

So it took quite a lot of determination to go to my personal training session this week. I wanted to go. I just didn’t know how I would go. Thankfully, Farmboy had some jobs to do in town so he drove me in. That preserved some of my mental energy (not having to drive) for my session.

Things started off okay. I had my first experience using a treadmill (ever!!!). They take a bit of getting used to with getting started and stopping. I was worried I was going to end up falling off the end of it in some kind of “funniest home videos” type stunt. But I sort of got the hang of it (well, I didn’t fall off anyway).

So far, so good in an “I’m already stuffed” kind of way.

Then - WHAM!!!!

Yep, today we did BOXING!!!!!

* image courtesy of www.rbkdirect.co.uk/…/boxing-mitts.html

And no, I didn’t really cry. I was just being silly.

Phew!!! Talk about an intense workout. But it was pretty cool! And probably EXACTLY what my body needed today. Give it a bit of a kick-start, get rid of some aggression and stress and work up a sweat (therefore building up those endorphins).

A couple of times I actually thought I was going to throw up (which isn’t supposed to be part of the deal). But it was only a very brief feeling of nausea really.

And apparently I did such a good job that my trainer said I could have a Mars Bar.

Okay, she didn’t really say that. She said I’d worked off somewhere around the equivalent of a Mars Bar (in kj’s). Which was actually kind of depressing really cos it was HARD WORK!!!!!

Do you think perhaps it was a mistake to go up to her after Netball training last week and say “I. Am. So. Unfit”. Perhaps she thinks she should do something about that?????

What was that? Isn’t that her job? LOL. Yeah okay, you got me there.

It was a HARD session but it was good. I think there’s nothing more satisfying than knowing you’ve given it all you’ve got (and then some).

But man. I. Am. Exhausted. (I need a lying down collapsed in a heap smiley)

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Well, The Biggest Loser is pretty much over for another year. Last night we saw the elimination of Gary, leaving Alison, Kirsten and Sam as the “final 3″ to weigh in against one another on Thursday night to see who will take the title of “The Biggest Loser” for 2008.

I have to admit that I’m somewhat addicted to this show. Which I find kind of silly because I actually think the concept is quite STUPID.

How can it really be safe to lose weight that quickly? And in such a “controlled” environment. Is this sort of thing really sustainable outside of the “white house” (the white house is a large house where they all live for the duration of their stay on the show)?

What kind of message does The Biggest Loser send to those watching it? That it’s okay to lose weight in big numbers per week? That a personal trainer is going to flog you so getting one is a BAD idea?

So, if I don’t really like the messages they’re sending, why do I watch it?

1. I have ALWAYS struggled with gaining weight. If I’m not keeping a watchful eye on it, it goes UP. It’s ALWAYS been this way. My WHOLE life. So I guess when I watch it, it reminds me what I could easily become if I don’t continue to be aware. It sucks but then so does getting more and more overweight.

2. It motivates me to exercise while I’m watching it. The beauty of having an exercise bike in the lounge room. Although these past few weeks I’ve done more “sitting and watching” than usual. Like last night because I’d ALREADY exercised!!!! But it did feel kind of strange sitting watching while they did work outs (not that there was much of that on last night’s episode).

So, I think it’s a stupid concept and yet I’m somehow addicted to watching it. I find it interesting to see that most of the contestant’s have emotional “issues” related to their weight gain (both causing the weight gain and caused BY the weight gain) and seeing the way their confidence and self esteem grows throughout the show.

My pick for the 2008 Biggest Loser??? I think Kirsten has the most drive and it would be GREAT to see a female winner. I actually think they need to do a female only version because female bodies aren’t the same as males when it comes to weight loss.

I would dearly LOVE to see Alison win just because I think she’s a genuinely nice person. And it would seem that perhaps winning isn’t something that she’s experienced a lot of. Then, of course, there is the “mum power” aspect of Alison pulling off the title of “Biggest Loser 2008″.

What are your thoughts on The Biggest Loser. Do you watch it? Are you wondering what the heck I’m talking about? Any picks for who’ll win this year’s Biggest Loser title?

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Nothing to panic about. I just want to let you know that I’m planning NOT to publish a Sunday post. This may not be something I can stick to EVERY week but in order to ensure international participants in Smiley Saturday get some exposure I’d like to leave the Smiley Saturday post at the top of my page for as long as possible. This will also give you time to read all the wonderful Smiley Saturday posts written by others. At a minimum, Sunday posts will be posted Sunday evenings (my time). Please don’t forget to come back and check those who’ve added to the Smiley Saturday linky and give them some support.

Now, onto my own post for the week. A few things to smile about:

* Grabbed a few bargains at our church buy, swap and sell day. Princess Singstar had fun going through the clothing from other girls. I even picked up a few things for myself.

* Played my first “game” of netball in MANY, MANY years at training.

* Farmboy lit a bonfire last night and we had some DELICIOUS damper for supper!

* Announced my latest GIVEAWAY. Thanks for your comments with your entries. They’ve made me smile. If you haven’t entered yet, it’s not too late!!!

* Smiley Saturday swap update:

You can view Lis’s swap parcel from Lizzie at her post Swapping.  I don’t think I’ve linked to this post yet.  Lizzie, if you’ve posted about your swap from Lis can you please let me know so I can link to it.  Also, if anyone else has posted about the Smiley Saturday swap and I’ve yet to link to it, please let me know.

Another swap is going to be announced soon.  After the giveaway has finished.  It’s going to be a very easy (and reasonably lost cost in purchase AND postage) one.  So keep your eyes peeled for that announcement.

Here’s a fun image that I’m sure will bring a smile to your face. Children can sure get themselves into scrapes can’t they?

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If you’ve ever read The Complete Tightwad Gazette yourself, you’ll be aware of Amy Dacyczyn’s great enthusiasm for yard sales and second hand clothing stores as a great way of saving budget $$$. On page 10 of The Complete Tightwad Gazette she has a list of “10 Painless Ways to Save $100 This Year” and number 1 on that list is:

Purchase 10 articles of clothing at thrift shops and yard sales this year instead of paying department store prices.

I feel very fortunate to have some friends who are avid “op shoppers” (the Australian term for “thrift store”). Hearing them talk about their finds was what lead me to start checking out a few of these stores.

I only wish I had been aware of the golden nuggets that can be found when Leighton was a toddler. I REALLY struggled to clothe him on the income we had (once he grew out of the wonderful clothing gifts we’d been given). I’m sure had I been aware of the benefits of second-hand clothing stores back then, I could have made my life a LOT easier.

Purchasing Second-Hand Clothing doesn’t come without it’s challenges though. Here are some that I have come across:

Finding a Decent Second Hand Store

Sadly, some stores have become overpriced. Personally, I think this has to do with people purchasing second-hand clothing and then onselling for a profit on ebay and similar auction sites.

Church-based stores seem to offer the best value for money. If they’re volunteer run, they don’t need to make as much money. Small towns seem to offer better value for money too. If you live in a city, consider dropping in to an op shop for a browse if you’re travelling in the country.

Having Time to Just Browse

What I’ve found is that you have to go through the racks and piles of clothing more than ONCE. I’ve been surprised at what I’ve found on my 2nd and 3rd look through a pile. I do find it’s important to be in a “browsing mood” if I’m going to be successful in these stores.

The Kids Won’t Wear Second-Hand

This seems to get more challenging as they get older. I’m just starting to find this in my 10 year old. I do think it’s important to get them used to second hand when they’re younger (which is part of Leighton’s problem - he’s been used to mostly “new” clothing).

We had our first buy-swap-sell type day at our church this week. It was a FABULOUS morning. In fact, the very people who’ve been responsible for getting me “op shopping” were the ones organising it. What was great was seeing our children (okay, the girls - the boys were more interested in hanging out AWAY from the “shopping”) all enjoying going through one another’s clothes and trying stuff on. I think it really broke down the “stigma” of “this is second hand”. Instead it was a real atmosphere of “everyone is doing this”.

Some More Tips From The Complete Tightwad Gazette

Reworded from page 189 & 190 of The Complete Tightwad Gazette

• Change your expectations. You might not find the pair of slacks you were looking for but perhaps you can pick up a nice blouse.
• Keep a notebook of needs, recording size & measurements for each family member.
• Examine clothing carefully for defects and consider if flaws can be easily fixed (ie resewing a seam). The item may still be worth purchasing if the price is right.
• Consider these items of clothing as “new that has been washing 10 times”.
• Buy classic styles. Learn which brand names are good quality. Know what colours and styles look good on you.
• Buy in advance for children - in larger sizes. You won’t always find EXACTLY what you want at the time you want it.

For Discussion

1. Do you buy/wear second-hand clothing? Why/Why Not?

2. What are your tips for finding the golden nuggets amongst the “stuff”?

3. Feel free to share your positive and/or negative experiences with second-hand clothing in the comments section.

4. Any other comments or questions you’d like to make on this topic.

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And no I’m not on drugs!!!! Well not the “buzzin” kind anyway.

But I am on a high.

A netball high!!!!

Cos I got to play netball tonight.

Well, kind of play. Training. But still a game.

And guess what?

I’m UNFIT!!!!

I nearly DIED out there!!!!

But I did get to touch the ball.

So that’s a bonus.

I might be able to jog non-stop for that amount of time.

But running fast?

That’s HARD!!!!

But I’m still buzzin’

Wonder how I’ll feel in the morning????????

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I’m sure most of you know (or could guess) that I would REALLY like my next mobile phone to be PINK!!!! Pink makes me smile so why not have a pink mobile phone?

At the moment our telecommunications provider is in the process of forcing people to change phones from CDMA to a next-G network. I’m sure those letters stand for something but all I know is it’s the network that functions in rural areas (albeit patchily).

12 months ago, Farmboy switched to the Next-G network (which is the new one) and ended up with a phone that has HORRIBLE rural coverage (despite being designated with a “rural tick” meaning it’s supposed to get GOOD coverage). He’s been battling Telstra ever since trying to get the phone switched over.

Some people seem to turn over their mobile phones regularly. We tend to keep our all the time they’re working. So we’re kind of already annoyed with Telstra that they’re forcing us to switch.

Now that a definite deadline for the CDMA network has been set for April 28th, we decided to get me a new mobile. Into a Telstra shop while we were away. “Sorry, there aren’t any pink phones for the Next-G network”.

So I settled on this white one. Which, other than NOT being pink, is really quite a nice phone.

Then, to satisfy my “pink” craving, I bought one of these:

And I was quite happy and content.

UNTIL….

Yesterday.

We had to go to a different town for a medical appointment.

Farmboy FINALLY won his fight with Telstra and was able to cancel the contract on his useless Next-G phone. Which left him in need of a NEW phone. He’d been trying out my Nokia 6120 around the farm and decided he REALLY liked it. Even without a “rural tick”, it’s coverage is quite good.

He dropped me at Kmart while he went to visit the Telstra shop in that town. Mentioned he would like a Nokia 6120. According to the salesgirl they’re available in black, white and PINK!!!! What the……????

He phones me. “If you still want a pink phone, I can get you one”, he says. I’m confused…”how, what, where, when…..”

Apparently Nokia have put out these pink phones as a “Mother’s Day special”.

I hum and hah because for me to get a pink one means Farmboy has to have my white one and I know he prefers the black. He eventually convinces me that the white will be fine in a black leather cover.

So, I now have a PINK PHONE!!!! SQUEEEEE!!!!!

I’m not sure this photo really does it justice. It’s a nice soft pink.

But WAIT!!!! There’s more!!!!

Farmboy dropped me at Coles while he went back to pick up the phone and finalise things.

On the way home in the car he says to me, “by the way, there’s some Mother’s Day thing on the box you might want to check out”.

A $100 gift certificate to isubscribe!!!! So I get to order some magazine subscriptions as well. All for ME!!!!! Talk about SPOILT!!!!

Now to learn how to use my new phone…..

AND this is my first phone with a CAMERA - so I shouldn’t end up without a camera when I’m out and about. THAT could come in handy for blogging!!!! Because, after all, it IS all about the blog!!!!

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I have a confession to make. While I LOVE my reusable shopping bags (including my new one), I tend to be a bit forgetful when it comes to actually taking them shopping. I USE them for all kinds of things. Like transporting my knitting, taking stuff to the gym, packing travel snacks in. And I use them at the supermarket. Most of the time.

The good thing is when I forget to take them to the supermarket, I am able to make use of those bags for rubbish and other things. So I don’t feel too bad, as long as I don’t collect too many plastic bags.

Where I feel like I’m letting the side down environmentally is department store shopping. Small boutique style stores (which I don’t actually shop in that often anyway) still provide some wonderfully sturdy plastic bags that can be used over and over again. But stores like Kmart and Target (etc of course) tend to provide really flimsy bags that tear easily and don’t have handles that make them very convenient for rubbish disposal. So they really DO end up as useless landfill.

I keep thinking it would make sense for me to take my own sturdy bags. I know I *should* keep them in the car. Part of my problem at the moment is that most of my “shopping” bags are in use!!!!

Anyway, I’ve been thinking it would be handy to have a reusable bag that I could easily carry around in my handbag. Then it would always be with me. Now, if you’ve seen my handbag (and what mother doesn’t have an overflowing handbag????), you’ll understand that fitting something into my handbag is no easy feat!!!!

So I was pretty excited when I saw these an article on these Ecosilk bags on Australian Women Online recently. They have a range but the ones that caught my eye were the rosette bags that come in my FAVOURITE colour!!!!

I took one for a spin while we were away and it was FABULOUS!!!! I used it 3 times (so saved 3 plastic bags so far) and felt quite glam walking down the mall/shopping centre with my bag. And no horrible plastic cutting into my fingers either. It certainly made me smile!!!!

I’m thinking these might make some nice Christmas gifts for hard to buy for people this year.

Shall I get to the GIVEAWAY part now?

Well, I do happen to have one of these bags in my favourite colour to giveaway:

Isn’t it beautiful?

All you need to do to enter is fill in the form below answering the question about what other colours the rosette ecobags come in. They have some fabulous names for some of their colours too! Why the question? Well, ecosilk bags were kind enough to donate this bag for me to giveaway (no, they are not paying me to write any of this and I contacted them because I LOVED their bags so much).

Entries for this giveaway will close Wednesday 7th May and I’ll announce the winner as part of my Smiley Saturday post on Saturday 10th May. And yes, you can enter no matter where in the world you live (as long as Australia Post will allow me to send there). They will also ship overseas (if I understand their site correctly) so if you don’t win, you don’t HAVE to miss out.

Let me know what you think. Do you like the look of them? Is this the kind of thing you would find useful?

My Fieldset

1. Your Name(required)
2. Email(valid email required)
3. Name 2 other colours the rosette ecobags come in:

cforms contact form by delicious:days

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Can you believe I’ve actually made it through 4 sessions with my personal trainer??? Why, I’m almost an “expert” now. Okay, that might be stretching it quite a bit. LOL. Perhaps rather than “expert” I could call myself a “survivor”.

This week I was all excited to use some pretty, new colour weights. Actually they weren’t pretty at all. They were an ugly orange colour. Note to self: write to the gym management and tell them they need to buy some PINK handweights. I can see the footballers being very impressed with those!!!!

So, anyway, back to the pretty bit. They seemed “pretty” because in my mind they equalled progress. And progress is exciting.

I got so excited I braved the scales this morning. NOT a good idea!!!! I’m not so excited anymore. Yeah, I know, it’s about health and fitness and how you fit in your clothes and all that guff. Yada, yada, yada.

I even put on my form that weight loss was secondary to fitness. And it IS!!!! REALLY!!!! I just didn’t mention that it’s a very close second.

So I have like 2 weeks until I have to weigh and measure. Officially that is. Man, I really HOPE it shows some progress.

Oh, and I have a new meaning for the phrase “4 more”. It means “I’m sure I’m going to die any minute now”.

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Just a quick note to let you know I have written a follow up post after our discussion on responding to comments on your blog.  You can find this post at “Responding to Comments on Your Blog” over at Lightening’s Blogworld.  I’d love it if you’d head over there and let me know what you think.

While you’re there, please take a moment to respond to my polls in the sidebar.  The latest one asks for your opinion on Blog Carnivals.

I do intend to write a regular post for this blog today and will post it later.  This is just a little “housekeeping” notice.  Thanks for your support. 

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I believe that a key part of Simple Living is to learn new skills. Learning to cook from scratch, growing your own food and making your own clothing are all skills which can bring much pleasure and connection with the earth. They are also valuable skills to help a household cut expenditure AND reduce our effects on the environment. Those who are worried about a peak oil crisis encourage everyone to develop these skills for basic survival.

I have to admit that I’m not really a “doom and gloom-est”. However, I do like to challenge myself and learn new skills. I think it’s the best way to grow and learn. Okay, sometimes I like to challenge myself and learn new skills. Other times I want to hide in the closet with my fingers in my ears.

This was the case when the shopping bag swap was announced at Down to Earth. After the stresses I went through trying to make my first tea cosy, I thought perhaps I’d sit this one out. After all, I’ve never sewed a shopping bag before. In fact, my sewing is pretty limited to track-suit material and flannelette. And really, who cares if your stitching isn’t straight on a pair of pyjamas?

BUT a shopping bag to send to someone else? That perfectionist monster started to rear it’s ugly head once again. I was SURE I couldn’t sew a bag that would be GOOD ENOUGH to send to someone else.

I think perhaps Rhonda Jean was inside my head that day because she wrote a great post “Swapping Helps Develop Your Simple Living Skills”. Here’s a brief excerpt from that post:

You don’t have to be an expert seamstress to join, Sharon has found some excellent tutorials to guide your project and no one expects perfection. If one of the reasons you haven’t joined is that you think you don’t sew well enough, put that thought aside right now. This swap will help you improve your sewing skills.

In response to my comment about hesitating, she then wrote:

lightening, the aim isn’t a perfect bag, love, it’s participation and developing skills. Join in, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

And Sharon, the lovely lady who now organises Rhonda Jeans swaps wrote:

Lightening-join in-there is no perfection in sewing by anyone. The point is to learn something, have a lot of fun, and meet new people. I have worn out many many seam rippers in my years of sewing!!

So I decided to give this a go.

One of the requirements this time around was to use something you already had. Many years ago I bought a few metres of calico. I figured to dress it up a little I could do a stitchery to attach to the front.

So I finally managed to do the “Live Simply” stitchery I’ve been wanting to do. Of course, now I’ll need to do another one for myself.

I chose to sew a singlet style shopping bag as it made the handles much easier for me to deal with. Here is the finished product:

It occurred to me as I was stitching the “Live Simply” stitchery to the calico that we tend to go to a lot more effort when it comes to making something for someone else than we might for ourselves. As much as I LOVE this bag, I couldn’t imagine taking the time to make one for myself. I thought that was an interesting observation.

I received my bag from my swap partner Julie the other day:

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It’s so sturdy and large!!!! I’m going to be able to do LOTS of shopping with it!!! Isn’t it a pretty design? And look at the inside:

It’s PINK!!!!! Yaaahhhhh!!!! Thanks Julie, I LOVE it!!!!

I am so going to add this to my 101 Things I Thought I’d Never Do list. Did you notice that I’ve finally made a page for that???

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Cerebralmum has just announced the launch of her charity site The WinterWarm Project. I know many of my readers are avid knitters so please, if you’re interested in knowing more about this project and perhaps supporting it in some way, pop over and have a look.

For those of you who are not knitters, I’m sure they would be grateful for donations toward postage costs.

Please spread the word so that many hands can go toward helping these people.

Congratulations to Cerebralmum and her mother on a great initiative and the launch of their website.

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Phew! What a week!!!! I’ve made it to the mid-point of the school holidays. THAT is certainly something to smile about!

I had a rough day yesterday but for the most part I have coped very well with the week and have felt GOOD for most of the week!!!! That’s actually quite AMAZING for my body of late.

Our time away with the kids was FANTASTIC!!!!! We all had HEAPS of fun and the kids were pronouncing it the “best holiday ever” which isn’t bad for 2 nights away in a camper trailer.

I managed to find some varied and interesting ways to exercise this week. I did some “aqua aerobics” (my own version) at the Leisure Centre we took the kids to. Plus the jumping pillow.

Thursday night I went to netball training again and this time stayed for the skills part of training. What a BUZZ after all these years. And I don’t think I embarrassed myself *too* much. I did manage to catch the ball *most* of the time. I did struggle with some of the long passes but the rest was okay.

We even stayed for tea afterwards (which wasn’t exactly planned). $2.50 for a half schnitzel with chips and salad!!! Unbelievable!!!!

The boys have their first footy games today so there is plenty of excitement in the house. Singstar Princess could have played today but I said I would prefer her not to given she’s only had a couple of trainings and doesn’t really understand the game fully yet. I don’t want her first game to put her off playing. She’s kind of a back-up reserve if they REALLY need her but I think it would be better if she didn’t have to play.

I hope you can all find something to smile about this week. If not, don’t forget, you can post something funny (an image, joke or whatever) to make your readers smile.

Update: I forgot to mention that there’s going to be a GIVEAWAY announcement in the coming week.  I hope you all find that something to smile about!!!!  Be sure to check back often so you don’t miss out!!!!!

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This week our discussion on The Complete Tightwad Gazette continues with a look at a couple of simple steps that can be taken to start (or restart as the case may be) you on the journey toward a “smarter” (or insert your own term for “frugal” ) way of dealing with your money.

Step One - Record ALL Spending

According to The Complete Tightwad Gazette, the place to start with getting a handle on your finances is here:

“…record spending habits for a period of 3 months” (p9)

Personally, I try to record all of our spending all of the time (with the exception of “petty cash” and “personal spending money” which are unaccountable amounts).

But if you don’t feel you can make a commitment to record all spending long-term, it IS helpful to at least do this for a period of time every now and then. It gives you a more *honest* look at where your money is going. If you don’t know where it is going then it is very difficult to make changes to how you’re spending.

Step Two - Separate Expenses Into Essential and Optional

Once you know WHERE your money is going, it’s important to look at what items you consider to be “essential” and what items you might consider “optional”.

I found this quote in The Complete Tightwad Gazette quite interesting:

“No one but you can say exactly where the line between essential and optional expenses falls. That depends on your value system”. p9

I’m not 100% sure I agree with that statement. I feel that particularly in Western cultures, we have a skewed idea of what really IS essential spending and what is optional. While I do agree that our own values system may cause some variation, I feel that many of us need to take a long hard look at what we consider “essential” when it comes to spending.

Discussion Questions

Do you track your spending and if so, how?

Do you track all the time or just periodically to check on where your money is going?

What are your thoughts on the debate between “essential” and “optional” spending. Have we gotten our ideas on “essential” a little “out of whack”?

Feel free to add any other thoughts and/or questions to the discussion in the comments section below.

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* image courtesy of www.jumpingpillows.com.au “I’m taking Trailer Boy on the jumping pillow“, I said to my older two children through the car window. I had promised earlier that day that I would come for a jump with them. Both faces lit up and they quickly put away their gameboy and nintendo and jumped out of the car to follow us.When we arrived the playground area was empty. It seemed that word spread like wildfire around the caravan park that “an adult was on the jumping pillow” because kids started to roll in within minutes of my arrival (yeah, I’ve just got an overinflated sense of importance ).

One girl in particular seemed to stick quite close to me and peppered me with questions and information about herself.

It started with “do you know how old I am?” and continued from there. Thankfully, while she told me her age, she didn’t ask mine!!!!

Before long, Farmboy decided that we were having too much fun on the jumping pillow and joined the rest of us. Plenty of laughter (and puffing) ensued.

Farmboy started some kind of game on the pillow and more children arrived asking “can we play too?”

Things continued along for some time, with Tami* sticking close to my side. Wanting to play and yet mostly unsure of herself to some degree.

Eventually Farmboy collapsed on the nearby grass only to end up with a pile of kids jumping all over him. That wasn’t too bad when it was OUR children. But other people’s children?

This is where things can get really sticky.

I spent half the night lying there thinking about Tami. She lived in the town where we were staying. It was a “holiday” to come and stay in a cabin at the local caravan park. With a carer. Her mother lives some 400km away. No mention of a father. My understanding was that she also lives with a carer (as in foster care).

Farmboy really struggled. She was making comments to him like “I’m ticklish too” when he was tickling our kids.

It just seems so unfair. Unfair because it was all innocent fun and yet in the back of Farmboys mind constantly was “I can’t touch this girl or it might get misinterpreted”. Unfair because what she really wanted (needed?) was a bit of attention and to feel like she was part of the fun.

When it was time for us to head off for tea. This little girl (she told me she was 9) ran up and threw her arms around Farmboy. He graciously put an arm around her in a brief embrace. She then gave me a huge hug.

Part of me wanted to pack her up and take her home with us. The other part of me was kind of relieved I didn’t have to. She was a rather draining child. I imagine she was trying to cram what might amount to a number of years of adult attention into those few minutes we gave her.

I guess it brought home to me how IMPORTANT it is that children are given attention from adults. Adults that they can TRUST.

I don’t know what this child’s future holds. I hope that the love we showed to her might somehow warm her heart. I pray that she won’t go looking for love from the wrong people in life but fear that she might.

I must admit that I learnt a lot from that 30-minute episode in my life.

The look on my own children’s face brought home to me how much they value me doing things with them. Something as simple as jumping on the jumping pillow with them meant a great deal to them (and it wasn’t a bad workout for me either).

I was stunned at how the children gravitated to the pillow with adults on there. I’m not sure if it was a novelty factor or what the reason was.

I was concerned with how quickly a young girl latched on to a complete stranger simply because they gave her a few moments of their time.

* Not her real name.

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You may have guessed from the above post (and maybe my lack of response to comments???) that we’ve been away for a couple of days. We didn’t go far but we took our camper trailer and it was a FABULOUS couple of days “off”.The kids were really well behaved and seemed to have a GREAT time. And they didn’t fight!!! Well, not much anyway.

Naturally though, it’s nice to be home!

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So, I have been tagged for this meme by Miserly Mum and Lis and figured it was about time I found myself a little “roundtoit”.

First I have a question. What on earth is Food Porn???? Can someone please explain this concept to me?

This meme started at Smokey Mountain Breakdown.

Here are the really simple rules. Answer each of the five questions. Tag five bloggers you would like to pass the meme to. Have them link back to you and to this post as the source meme. You and they can take the graphic from here if they like.

1. What food do you consider the best “date” food? In other words, what meal or food item do you think is sexiest to eat in the company of someone you would like to look sexy around?

Chocolate coated strawberries. Or strawberries with champagne. Or just plain strawberries.

Mind you, I don’t think I have ever actually tried to look sexy around anyone.

2. What well-known person would you like to share a meal with—with or without clothing. (saying whether or not clothes are involved is optional).

Shannon from The Biggest Loser. I’d love to pick his brains on a number of topics. And eating with him would encourage me NOT to over-indulge!!!

3. What does your perfect breakfast-in-bed look like? (Food AND the details, please. Candles? Music? Flowers? Hot tub? Dancing girls?

I HATE breakfast in bed!!!!! A cup of tea, yes. Trying to eat breakfast balanced on my lap or a tray is definitely NOT my idea of fun. Toast crumbs in the bed….NOT my idea of fun!!!!

Breakfast in the hot tub? Ummm….. strawberries and champagne (any time of the day is fine). Better make that PINK champagne too!!!!

Candles - yes

Music - no

Flowers - maybe (can’t stand flowers that are scented - I either sneeze, get a headache or both)

Dancing girls - *snigger* NOT likely!!!!

4. What do you consider the best application of whipped cream to be?

A toss up between chocolate mud cake and a nice rich cheesecake.

5. Oh-God-No, Biff, the yacht is sinking! You are sent to the galley to retrieve the food. What luxury food items do you snatch first? The champagne? The caviar? Smoked Salmon? Truffles? Chocolate? Or something else?

I’d definitely have to go with chocolate. Mind you, I’m not sure that “soggy chocolate” appeals all that much to me!!! And the LAST thing that would be on my mind if a boat was sinking is food!!! I can’t swim!!!! (well, okay, I can do a few strokes but not much).

I am going to tag:

Cellobella - because she seems to be rather interested in food porn.

Kelley - so she has another reason to use the word porn. And I can imagine her answers will be a LOT more interesting to read than mine.

Anonymum - because I don’t think I’ve ever tagged her before.

Guera at her “A Roaming Aussie Kitchen” blog.

Marita at her new Wordpress blog. Go Marita!!!!

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Getting Personal

I realised something during my personal training today. You develop quite a personal relationship with your trainer. I’m sure mine already knows more about my body’s abilities (or lack thereof) than I do. Then today I found myself opening up about stuff I probably wouldn’t share with my closest girlfriend.

Once upon a time I would have thought that was down to me being quite an open person. However, I’ve since discovered that I’m not as open as I always believed myself to be. In fact, I usually find it quite hard to talk about myself beyond a very basic level. One of my protective tendencies is to give the appearance of being quite an open person without actually opening up about the more personal things.

So, where am I heading with all this? I guess it’s hit me that it really is a personal relationship you develop with your trainer and one of trust and respect. So who you choose as a personal trainer is quite important.

We’re not exactly spoilt for choice around here but since my trainer is the BEST, well, it’s not a big problem. But perhaps something to consider if you decide to take on a personal trainer at some point in time.

Heart Failure

We did a bit more cardio work this week (so I’m on a cardio high as I write this post) highlighting how unfit I really am. I figure it can only get better from here. At least I HOPE it does - after all, isn’t that the point?

At the other end of the spectrum, I’m also learning how very minimal but carefully focused and controlled movements can make quite a difference to important muscle groups.

To be honest, 3 weeks ago, had you asked me what “fitness” was I would have considered going for a run, riding a bike and doing a few sit-ups and push-ups should pretty much cover it. Okay, so I know I know NOTHING when it comes to this stuff. But I am enjoying LEARNING.

Trainer Envy

I did get up the courage to do the fitness with the netballers last Thursday evening. Piked out when it came to the ball-skills stuff (I’m convinced I’m going to look like a complete klutz) but I guess doing the fitness stuff is a start. I will admit that I very NEARLY piked on that too but I’m glad I didn’t.

What I found interesting though was the tiny pang of envy that crept in. I’m used to having my trainer all to MYSELF. She’s MINE. LOL. So it was interesting to train under her in a large group situation. I wanted her attention. Okay, I probably didn’t - not in front of everyone else. But it was still a bit different.

And the funniest thing? We were doing kind of a circuit. A jog with reps of different exercises in between. And I kept forgetting to count!!!! I’m so used to my personal trainer doing the counting that I’d just start doing whatever the exercise was (eg push ups) and it wasn’t until I’d hear someone nearby say a number out loud that I’d realise I hadn’t been counting. I think that in the end I did more than 10 of each activity so I guess it didn’t really matter (more is better than less right?).

I will admit that I am enjoying that my whole hour of training is completely focused on me. I think that’s good progress too. Once upon a time I would have had some kind of “guilt” about focusing on myself. Now I feel a lot more positive about it and I’m learning that it can have a ripple effect if I feel good about myself and can get myself into a better stage of health.

Other Progress

When I got home today I opened the fridge and had a choice between an apple and a donut (of the “quick to grab foods” variety. I CHOSE the apple. Go me!!!! One thing I’ve noticed is that as my fitness and amount of exercise improves, my inclination to eat junk seems to be decreasing. I can’t say it’s disappeared completely but things they are a changin’.

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I did some shopping in Coles yesterday and really noticed the increase in prices across a lot of my regularly purchased items. I’m not normally one to make a big deal out of price increases. They are a part of life and I think sometimes the media makes more out of price increases than is necessary.

However, what I noticed about some of the price increases today were that instead of 5c or 10c, I was facing increases of 30-50c which seems like a rather large hike given it’s only around 5-6 weeks since I last shopped there.

It will be interesting to see whether these are genuine hikes or whether Coles will do the old “price reduction” with nice big signs making them look like the “good guys” (Woollies started it with their roll-back campaign. Hike up the price a bit then do a roll-back and make it look like they’re saving you money - *sigh* Do they think we’re STUPID????)

Given the biggest price hikes were on dairy products, I’m figuring they’re here t