Happiness is being thankful and lots of bloggy linky love

I know that is not Thursday but I am still super thankful and really don't want to keep it in for another week so here I am. Aside from that confessions go live on a Monday so I have being late to the party well and truly under control. Well apart from the fact that the weekend is quite here yet but I am still ready to rewind if you will.

I had this brilliant idea last week to do the double up for thanks, only it never quite panned out. What with Halloween discos and a hundred odd gingerbreads waiting to be made I was a little under the pump. This was then followed by the emoest I have been in like forever. It was far from pretty.

Thankfully though that is all now behind me as I return to my normal happy self. Well as normal as I ever am.

When I saw Kirsty's prompt this week for I must confess was 5 things that make you happy I instantly wanted to sit down and start writing. After the emo week that was last week consciously thinking of happy things was just what I needed.

Apparently fifty loads of washing also needed to be seen to. As did the dishes and the floors and the...

Needless to say writing was the last thing I was actually going to do. I did momentarily think of just linking in this old post. Which isn't actually all that old but does sum up very nicely ways I can find happiness, as does this one. But since for me happiness and thankfulness seem to go hand in hand I wanted to see if I could come up with something new and tie them both together.

This week happiness was brought to me in the form of some beautiful thoughtful comments from fellow bloggers and readers. For that I am beyond thankful.

In fact a lot of my thanks and happiness revolves around the art of blogging and wonderful bloggers.

Blogging itself makes me happy, I am thankful to have found this medium and being able to be a part of the blogosphere. Every time someone reads a post, leaves a comment or shares something from the blog I am filled with both happiness and thanks.

So to all the lovely bloggers and readers who took the time to check on me and my happiness I say thank you.

Joining in with all these lovely ladies

I must confess that I am a little late with things I know about being thankful.

It has been so long since I stopped to think about being thankful, on a Thursday or otherwise, that I am almost not sure how exactly to get started. The fact that the grumps from Tuesday are still hanging in the air doesn't exactly help.

Nothing makes me smile more than yellow
Well, almost nothing.

Or at least they were when I sat down on Thursday to write this post. Now that it is Sunday, the grumps as such may have dissipated but my writing time has not increased. Well at least not until now it hasn't. And naturally now that I have the time do you think I can actually think of something coherent to write? Of course not.

*avoids writing more by foraging through fridge, finds left over dip and some dry crackers. Score! Then wonders why she is avoiding writing when it is all she has wanted to do for DAYS now*

When Thursday had passed without me making the time to be thankful I was adamant that I would make up for it on Friday with a double whammy and know about being thankful. Perfect right?

Well if it weren't for it being the most busiest school holiday break I have ever encountered. I can not believe all the people and things we have managed to cram into one short week.

I know that the highlight of said week involves seven children, five buses and an adventure filled day all over town.

There was a time when I dreamed of seven children. It seemed like the perfect number. With seven children and two parents you had a family of nine. Which meant back yard games (think cricket, footy, soccer etc) could have four on each side and a ref to keep all teams playing fair. What better reason for a large family do you need?

I know that I am super thankful we have been able to have such a wonderful time in this short week. There has been special chocolate shop visits, a trip to the movies and a little shopping spree as well. All little things we don't normally do which naturally makes doing them all that much extra special.

I know that am blessed to know the people that I do. For far to many reasons than what I can share here. The love and support displayed below made me smile the whole day through.

Post by A Parenting Life.

I must confess that when I thought about this super brilliant idea of knowing what I was thankful for there was such more more that I wanted to say.

On the upside though, despite being days behind with my knowing and thanking I am a day early with my confessing!

If you know something you want to confess to or give thanks for join in, the buttons below will take you straight there!

Things I know about washing

As a regular reader you would know that the whole idea of this blog is to make parts of my life matter more. Or rather making the time to get on with the things that matter most.  I thought if I blogged about it then somehow it would matter and I would get it done. 

You see I realised that there were lots of little things that I would tend to let slide. On their own, it didn't matter so much but when they were all added together mattered quite a lot.

Image from here

Case in point. I thought that it didn't matter so much if I didn't wash every single day. Which to a certain extent it doesn't. However if I go two days without washing, or heaven forbid three, well all kinds of hell is going to break loose because by now chances are that the clothes everyone loves to wear the most are anything but clean and dry and ready to wear.

Now I know that on some levels it is all rather lame, saying that by blogging about I am more inclined to do it, but, when the same load of washing has gone through the machine for what seems like nearly a week without ever actually making it to the line something needs to be done. Lame or otherwise.

I know that the washing and folding of clothes is my most despised task as a housewife and mother.

I know that many of you will be suggesting I out source it to the eldest child.

I know that in theory it sounds lovely.

I know that in reality it probably wouldn't pan out so well. For a whole range of reasons. None of which need to be discussed here though.

I know that if I can just do a little bit every day it doesn't become overwhelming.

I know that since starting this post I have actually managed to get most of that elusive load actually on the line.

I know that the reason behind that was so that I could take a photo of some washing on the line.

I know that I quickly discovered this particular load of washing was not actually photo worthy. (Read as it was full of knickers)

I know I have three loads of folding patiently waiting on the couch. As it has done so all week long. By the end of the day it will probably have doubled.

I know that I have very little washing liquid left, which strangely excites me. 

I know I can't be expected to wash the clothes if I don't have liquid.

I know that last week when Tricia asked if we were washing our clothes too much? My heart was a resounding hell yes we do. 

I know that living in the tropics doesn't really allow for multiple wears of clothes due to the sweat factor.

I know that multiple washes of the same load is a terrible waste of resources.

I know that it will be the thought of that waste that will be my inspiration to stay on top of the blasted washing.

I know that you should come and share what you know too

Procrastination at it's best

Despite having already written one post today I am here still trying to spit another one out. Or so to speak. I'm good like that when there are things I *should* be doing. I mean of course there are always things like Mount Washandfoldme or the dishes or whatever, that I *should* but today my procrastination is avoiding more than just that usual.

In my wisdom, and desire to push myself as a writer I have entered into a flash fiction writing competition. Which essentially just means I paid someone $39 to give me 3 prompts to write a piece of flash fiction in forty eight hours or less. Twice. I mean I get to do the writing bit twice, I didn't pay twice.

Easy as really!

The first round of the NYC Midnight Challenge kicked off about eight hours ago. That means I have less than forty hours left to write less than a thousand words of awesomeness. Despite not having really started yet I am quietly confident. Good omens have abound.

To start with I was put in group number 23. Which just happens to be my birthdate. While romance may not be my favourite genre it is far better than science fiction or mystery or a heap of others that I really don't think I can write well.

Being the organised on top of it chick that I'm not, I had actually forgotten that the challenge started today. Just by chance my mother offered to have the girls for the night. I read the email with my prompts just after I dropped the girls off. To think I didn't by a lottery ticket when I was at the shops this morning.

Sigh.

The weather is starting to well and truly turn now. The stickiness has begun, yet so far to go before there is actually rain amongst the sky. I don't really like this time of year. The waiting for rain is worse than waiting for Godot. There is rarely relief in sight. I much prefer it when rain is much more assured.

A romance, in an apple orchard, with a fake moustache. Almost sounds like a cliché.

Is rolling around under the shade of apple trees romantic. Heightened only when the fake moustache of the mystery lover falls off in the passion of the moment. Revealing....well that would be spoiling.

No, I have no idea how I will tackle this all. Ironically I am taking to pen and paper to work it all out. To understand the irony I guess you need to read that post I mentioned earlier. So I guess with that in mind I should be off.

There were things I thought I wanted to share. Stories that were not mine, but broke my heart none the less. Bad news and worry that was not needed, not for me as such, just those I care for. But since they are not mine to even discreetly mention in any way there is nothing I will say.

Sigh.

I have far to many tabs open. Things I want to read, or make comment. Things that have in some way provoked a thought or two. A possible blog post or even feature pitch if I was so inclined. Things like this.

The contraceptive pill has always concerned me. It just doesn't seem right to mess with nature like that. As much as I find menstruation a discomfort I would rather not endure it is not something that should just be dismissed with chemical alterations either. Everything, even our bodily functions, happens for a reason.

And then there is this about the mother who sold her daughter's One Direction concert tickets because she and her friends were caught lying. There is a part of me that wants to post it to Lovely's Facebook wall. I am sure it wouldn't to hurt her to know that I am not actually the worst mother in the world. Regardless of what she may think.

Please don't think I am inferring that this woman in question in this article is the world's worst mother, because that is far from my point. The complete opposite in fact. In my eyes I think this woman is a champ. I don't necessarily agree with the way some of her quotes were worded but her intentions were most definitely in the right place. Her children however, much like mine, may not appreciate her efforts.

Anyway time is quickly slipping away from me and there are some notes that need to be made before I head to bed.

Any plot ideas for me?

Joining in with some Weekend Writing over at the Button Brain 

I must confess to being an awful friend

Possibly not what everyone is willing to admit to knowing about, but there you have it, today I must confess that I feel I am an awful friend. Perhaps even terrible. Not all the times, just every now and then. Though likely to be more now and less then.
I am probably not the worst friend you could ever have, though I have rarely  (if ever?) made it to the best friend status either. I am pretty sure that I fit into the good friend box, possibly even great at times. It's just that like the girl curl, when it's bad it's horrid. Which I guess at times might outweigh the rest.

Image from here

I have this friend. Actually I should maybe say I had this friend, because right now I am not sure if we really are still the friends we were. Which is pretty much what has brought me here today. Sometimes things seem clearer to me once I have written them out. (editor's note this has taken some pretty intense writing in order to get out as well, just in case you are wondering and sadly I am not sure yet whether I am any clearer. On the upside though I do have multiple draft posts on various aspects of friendship to slowly work my way through)
I met this friend, lets call her Franny, when Lovely was about four and a half. Franny's son went to the same pre school and since she was also pregnant we were kind of drawn together I guess. Actually our kids had gone to a 3 year old kindy together as well but I was way too shy to talk to her then. Instead I just kept asking the universe to bring us together in the hope that one day we could be friends.
Anyways fast forward seven years and by some amazing act we are actually friends and up until recently I thoughts quite close ones. The two eldest kids don't spend so much time together now, due to their age and the whole boy girl thing I guess. Though after an hour or two the ice has melted and you can see them enjoying each other's company immensely. The youngest children (of which there are four, two mine, two hers) get along like houses on fire. They are as thick as thieves and any other bonding euphemism that you want to use.
Only in the last few months I have done wrong by Franny. Well apparently more wrong than she can handle. Or prepared to put up with or something or other.
I know I am far from perfect. I run late, never know what I am doing, am almost impossible to make plans with unless it is the last minute and I have a tendency to ramble on and on and on.
Franny has a heart of gold. Franny never speaks ill of any one and has not mean bone in her body. Franny who is never late and always does everything she says she will.
It all started at the end of the school holidays. Lovely returned from her time with her other family and all I wanted to do was escape out bush and pretend that no one else existed. Which is exactly what we did and I loved every minute of it. In fact I think we all did. 

Only Franny thought it would have been nice if I asked her to come. And she is probably right it would have been nice for her. Possibly not so much for me though as it would have been an extra five people I would have had to consider at one point or another and that was the last thing I wanted. 

I could hear the hurt in her voice when she rang as we were already in our way. I felt terribly selfish and incredibly awful but I still couldn't bring myself to invite her along. 

Since then times have been more than strained. Particularly after the debacle at the local show that saw me decide to go with someone else and bumping into Franny at every stand we stopped at for the first hour. It all pretty much revolves around me being a terrible planner and not knowing what I am doing till beyond the last minute.
For the first month after the excluding camping trip I made an effort to call Franny once a week. Given that aside from Mr Awesome she is one of the few people I have known for longer than five minutes, the thought of her being cross or upset with me made me feel terrible. Knowing that I had hurt her as much as I did, whether I meant to or not greatly trouble me. Not knowing how to make amends only made me feel worse.
So I played on as if nothing happened. I mean she never really told me how hurt she was, I just assumed from the tone in her voice during our conversation and began the internal beating from there.
Last week Zany asked if I still spoke to Franny and would we please be able to see them again soon. I bumbled her off without any real answer. The thought of it all made my stomach turn.
Then in the week Franny called. She was in the neighbourhood but I didn't invite her in. Mr A was home from work, still coming to terms with his grandmother's passing. I was already feeling quite drained from whatever the day had so far handed me. I simply couldn't handle even the thought of a face to face conversation. Let alone one with someone I still expected to be reeling in pain from my actions (not that I am prone to over exaggeration or anything).
She then asked if maybe I might have time to catch up on the weekend. Under pressure I couldn't answer. I didn't want to commit and then not be able to make. At that stage there were no plans for the funeral or memorial or whatever. Aside from that I can rarely agree to make plans for the weekend on Tuesday.
Naturally my inability to answer caused angst for Franny and she was promptly reminded why it had been so long since we have seen each other.
As my stomach flipped and my heart pounded so hard I thought it was going to break through my chest, I called Franny and asked if it would be alright to visit on Saturday. The surprise in her voice once again confirmed the pain I had previously inflicted. My inability to commit to a time and I could feel her anger begin to simmer.
The better part of the morning was then spent in tears as I came to terms with the fact she has every right to be angry with me. Accepting that you have wronged someone, even with the best of selfish intentions for your own well being, is no Christmas party.

It is a feeling I have gotten quite accustomed to of late. You see I have this other friend who has a best friend who asked me to suggest some names of beauty salons for a facial massage voucher for our mutual friend's birthday. Do you think I could manage it?

I could come up with a whole range of pathetic excuses but at the end of the day I am sure the real reason lays behind my forgetfulness.

How do you rate yourself as a friend?

Things I Know About Not Going to #PBEvent and Other Random Stuff

As some four hundred bloggers descended upon the Gold Coast this week for Friday's start of the highly anticipated ProBlogger Conference, I was at home quietly tapping on my keyboard, or washing dishes or hanging out the clothes. Or perhaps even sitting in the corner of the room rocking while having a little sob. It all just depends on the time of day.

I should point out though that I think the rocking and crying is more to do with being incredibly pre menstrual more than not actually attending the conference. Though I am pretty gutted about that as well. Of course I will now spend the next three to five days hoping that the tears were premenstrual rather than pregnancy hormones kicking in because that is the joy of not wanting to use contraception and not wanting ever have another baby.

I know that was probably definitely far too much information. Sorry. I'll blame the hormones.
I know that if you are trying to conceive those comments may have been the last thing you wanted to read about. For that I am also sorry.

After moving mountains to attend the Digital Parents Conference in March I knew that attending the Pro Blogger event was never going to happen. A few weeks ago though I thought that the universe had other ideas and for nearly a week I held onto the slimmest of slim chances thinking I might make it.

Sadly by the end of the week there was a rather large part of me that just seemed to know that I wasn't going to make it. Stupidly there was a tiny part that wouldn't let go of the hope though.

When we got word of Mr A's Grandma passing, all parts of me knew  and accepted that the conference was never going to be a part of the reality I lived in. Strangely I seemed quite ok with that.

Now with the conference done and dusted and Grandma's celebration of life service tomorrow I can comfortable say that I know not going was the best idea ever. Particularly since Mr ProBlogger had the amazing insight to include recordings of all the sessions in the form of virtual tickets.

I know that is THE best idea EVER!
I know that I came close to actually purchasing a virtual ticket but wondered if my tight ass could really justify the cost.
I know thaw I am really looking forward to sitting down and listening to a heap of sessions and learning how to make my blogging better.
I know that the thought of learning anything really excites me.
I know I wish I could encourage such learning excitement in Lovely.
I know twelve year old girls are a creature all of their own.
I know I try to remember what it was like to be a twelve year old girl.
I know that is not easy. The remembering or the being a twelve year old girl.
I know that so much time has elapsed since the start and end of this post that I know actually have my period. Again possibly probably too much information, but I didn't want to leave anyone hanging


If there is something you know you should come and share it here

I must confess I think I failed my challenge

A little over a week ago I started a squat and crunch challenge. It was organised by one of the few people from high school, that thanks to the wonders of Facebook I am still in contact with. Mind you she is all kinds of amazing, we were housemates for a while so maybe even without Facebook our paths would have crossed once again. But I am starting to digress.

Back in June this same wonderful lady hosted a thirty day squat challenge. Which was awesome. I had never been much of a squatter prior to the challenge but I was a quick convert. By the end of the month we were up to three hundred squats. I may not have got to the last two days in the month but I did manage to get to the target a few days later. I can't recall what excuse I had at the time, maybe we went camping or something but I am sure I have a totally valid reason for not making it on time.

Photo thanks to Tallia22

When the challenge was over I felt a little lost.

For some crazy bizaro reason, without the knowledge that twenty odd women would be squatting along with me via some virtual group I just stopped squatting. Just like that. After spending a whole month squeezing squats into my daily routine at the most random intervals I suddenly stopped. Which really took me by surprised.

I had thought that after doing something for a month it would have become ingrained in my daily pattern. But alas no, that was not the case.

Thankfully (well for me anyway) I wasn't alone. A few of the other ladies in the group were experiencing the same let down as I. Apparently there had been something about us all doing it together that kept us, you know, all actually doing it.

Now I suppose there was nothing stopping us from chatting amongst ourselves and agreeing to still do however many squats a day. But we didn't. Instead we whinged about how much we *missed* our squat challenge. Go us. (or not)

After a week or two of this incessant whinging my dear friend informed us that in the next week or two she would set up a crunch and plank challenge. The excitement was unbelievable. And the wait began.

What actually seemed more like a month finally passed and day one of the challenge was upon us.

I was so keen to get started and make a difference to this slightly flabby and non muscular body of mine that I decided to throw some squats in for good measure. Nothing like being committed and over enthusiastic now is there?

The initial few days I breezed through. The idea is to start small and then build up as the month goes along. This way your body is gaining strength as you go and each day you get to push yourself a little bit harder. There are rest days thrown in as well to give your muscles a chance to heal as they stretch and expand.

I am currently sitting on day 3 of the challenge. It was a rest day.

You see with the squats I could do them whenever I felt like it.

Standing outside the kids room as they went to sleep. Easy to pump out some squats.

About to jump in the shower. Perfect squatting time.

Waiting for children to (do anything). Do some squats.

If for some reason I got to bed time and hadn't squatted, well I could just do them before I climbed into bed.

Fitting in squats was easy. Fitting in crunches is not so easy.

To crunch you need a space large enough to lay down. You also need to not have eaten any time in the last few hours. Crunches on a full tummy are not fun. At all.

Are you seeing all the excuses I am thinking of making?

Well the excuses stop today.

The goals for today are 70 second plank, 50 reverse crunches and 50 ordinary crunches.

I want to scream kill me now but I am not going to because I want to be strong and muscly more so. Wish me luck.