Racing women

I really shouldn't read it, but on work days I tuck into the MX newspaper on my way home on the train.

That paper was once described to me as like eating McDonalds, you know you shouldn't do it, but you think, just a little will be ok, then afterwards you regret doing it.

So I was reading (fuming) away about the Gold Coast Races, where they were planning a race with stacks of women  in bikinis in the stalls and then running down the race track. I was wondering if the problem was mine, should I just be open to having some more fun (in bikinis), should I let those that want to take part just get on with it and forget the women's lib argument?

Who cares? Doesn't matter.

RACING Queensland has stopped a controversial bikini girl race from taking place at the Gold Coast Turf Club.

Aussie Wordless Wednesday

Loving the colours in this image. Little Aussie farm boy feeding his pony.

Join up, make a comment and let the world see your style.

Mac Attack - not the burger kind.

A few posts back here I was wondering what to do with myself in the Apple Sphere.

And now the iPad is all mine.

Excuse me for a few days while I play with my new toy.

Will try to refrain from ending up like this.

For the desperate, the image is found here

Friday's Find

This weeks Friday's Find is Katie Crackernuts.

She lives over here. She's a little bit crackers. She is hanging out in musty old op shops and finding all the treasures you wish you had got first.


Katiecrackernuts, according to her own blog is writing about

 "The News Limited 1degree op shop challenge is to wear second-hand and op shop purchased clothing and accessories to save money, cut textile waste and reduce the consumption of carbon-emitting fashion product. Get involved, wear op shop, share your favourite op shop finds, or near misses, and tell us where all the best treasures are. 

I have been enjoying the posts here for only a matter of weeks but eagerly click through when my google reader pings up a new post from over there.

It has inspired me to drop into the local oppy a couple of times and see what wares there are. The best one just has a great toy corner, we don't buy anything but Popps and Immy test all the stuff, pop it back on the shelf and the fun is had - now that is what I call bargain shopping.

Katiecrackernuts though, she is a walking example of all the treasure that can be yours by simply changing your shopping patterns for 12 months. Click here on all her posts about Op shop Gold and you are in for a real treat of the old, the new, the borrowed and downright daggy (sorry, the 80's woolly jumper is DAGGY!).

Enjoy!

Worry Wart tips

My name is ClaireyH, and I am a worry wart.

Have been since Popps was born. Have even called nurse on call after snipping her finger with the finger nail clippers one night.

So when it comes to rashes, coughs, rattles, germs, viruses and bugs I am the first lining up at the doctor. I have paid a fortune in doctors bills at 9pm at night, just to be sure.

However I am getting better. Immy has shown me a rash of some sort on her tummy today. I can't tell what it is, there are no other symptoms (crying, temperature etc) it kind of looks like severe carpet burn in the middle with rash on the outside. But I have learnt this tip from one of the kindly doctors I have possibly annoyed. Draw circles around the rash, that way you can tell if it is getting better (usually) or worse ( justifies a doctors visit).

Immy has been very excited to be drawn on, possibly wants me to draw all over her, so that could be the negative aspect of such a tip.

Share your worry wart reduction tips, if you have any...

Aussie Wordless Wednesday

Officially the first Aussie WW as last week was just a trial.

I am hosting an Aussie wordless wednesday - but everyone is welcome to join.

While I love great photos, a snapper of quality I am not. So I hope you enjoy the goods from the people that I pinch stuff from (I do ask, usually!)

This week is from a photographer I met at a market, I like this image because it looks like you only get one chance to get it right.

Here is more of Kelly Jordan Photography


Now, to join in the fun, make a comment and add your link to Mr Linky. Remember we only want your current post, not the whole blog, then click around and view what the world has to offer this week.

Wordz and speling

Do you have a certain word or words that you can just never spell correctly or words that other people use which annoy you.

At school I remember having trouble with ‘because’ until the grade 2 teacher shared the little ditty “ Big elephants can attack ugly snakes eggs” and eight was always “every indian girl has toys”. Don’t forget the song MARVELLOUS – was it the 80’s when cricket peoples had the one hit wonder song on the radio? Here it is here for a little trip down bad music lane.

So, I mastered those tricky ones, but the word guarantee remains a word that I can never spell (I just used the spell checker now) I need a new ditty, one that is easy to remember and ensures I never spell it wrong again.

I notice too many people now spell definitely  - definately, the a seems to have crept in, once it creeps in it hardly ever leaves, its just the evolution of words.

But us marketing drones only have ourselves to blame for the completely unnecessary use of the word – pro-active (I cringe as I write this horrid little phrase).  The word active will usually do quite fine, you don’t need to always be pro-active, you just need to do your job.

A little history of the word proactive - The use of the word proactive, sometimes also written pro-active was limited to the domain of experimental psychology in the 1930s. Oxford English Dictionary (OED) credits Paul Whiteley and Gerald Blankfort, citing their 1933 paper discussing proactive inhibition as the "impairment or retardation of learning or of the remembering of what is learned by effects that remain active from conditions prior to the learning". The 1946 book Man's Search for Meaning brought the word to the wider public domain. The author, Austrian existential neuropsychiatrist Dr. Viktor Emil Frankl, used the word proactive to describe a person who took responsibility for his or her life, rather than looking for causes in outside circumstances or other people. Frankl stressed the importance of courage, perseverance, individual responsibility and awareness of the existence of choices, regardless of the situation or context. 

So if you are not a psychologist, please stop using the word, it is annoying, over used and unnecessary.

Anyhoo peeps (one day to replace the word people in full) what words get up your nose? Can you help me stop writing guarntee? Will you tell all those pro-active talkers at the office to find a different word to use?

What lies behind the throne?

My folks came to town for a visit on the weekend so I decided to take Mum for a trip to Williamstown craft market, let the girls play at the park and kill some time outside. The guys had some fence fixing to do and needed the little babblers to be out of the way.

The market was small but had a few treasures to look at, play with and purchase. But then, strolling along the shopping strip we spotted an amazing dress and just had to pop in to see how much it was. It was a bargain, but a ball dress I do not need, what I did need was a new hand bag. You would think I would have learnt my lesson regarding white leather here, but that is not to be.

Behold my new lovely white leather handbag.

I am loving it so much I don't actually want to use it yet, but shall fill for its first outing at work tomorrow.

These blossoms I couldn't resist picking from the branches overhanging our fence, hope the neighbours don't mind me nicking off with half the tree over the last few days.

Then, on our return from Willie, the boys seem to have decided to play home handy man for the day and ended up also installing a new throne into the BabbleHouse. I had previously requested this be done by a professional only, after a few other plumbing incidents that are best forgotten. But, they snuck it in while I was out and I am pleased to say that they did a marvellous job. I was also quite excited to find the original wall paper circa 1964 was behind the old loo. Check it out, I wish it was still there, would be much more interesting than the current totally white walls, ceiling and sparking white throne.

Have you found any old designer wall paper or lino in your place? Are you glad it's gone, or would you like it to stay?

And, how many weeks do you think I can go without having to leather clean that bag!



Friday's Find

Cruising about blogworld throws a whole world of great stuff at you, things you will never read anywhere else. I am finding a range of great writers who entertain me with their stories, projects, ideas and creativity. So each Friday I will bring you my find of the week. A blog that I found and liked, or have been following and enjoying.

This week is Faux Fuchsia.

It is pink, it is polished, boy is it polished - nail polished of course. Faux Fuchsia starts her about me with "I endorse good grooming, glamour, blowdried hair....." She lets you know that she doesn't like chipped nail polish. With over 600 followers, I am not the only one to enjoy this blog on a regular basis.

Faux Fuchsia makes me laugh. She can write posts about the joys of having a neat linen cupboard and having a meal full of creamy carbs. She can inspire you to dust off some of the old stuff in the back of your wardrobe and match it with a thrifty find to ensure you are still 'well groomed'.

FF and I have little in common, I don't even wear nail polish on my fingers and my toenails are looking a bit, well, chipped is an understatement. My bookshelf may make her faint, or go into a frenzy of cleaning (please, do help yourself anyone who visits). But the underlying humour and the look at how peaceful a well organised and run home can be is a pleasant change from the gazillion (but great) mummy blogs out there.

There are too many posts to even try and pick a favourite, but if you like the idea of decluttering, get inspired with FF and see her amazingly neat wardrobe, I can't imagine having everything I own off the floor at the one time.

This is humour filled haute couture, without the hefty price tags. It is acknowledging the joy in beautiful things and the pleasure in taking the time to look after yourself and your appearance. It is also able to provide a little shove (with a sparkling stiletto probably) to get out of your trackie pants and put some effort in girl!

Let me know what you think of FF.

We're going to the zoo, how about you...

Popps has had a good day.

We received a prize in the mail from The Rockgarden blog, a beautifully handmade beanie with a big clip on the side. Originally I thought that it would be perfect for Immy, but the little terror wouldn't let it anywhere near her noggin.

The only moment of stillness, waiting for a butterfly
to land on her flower

Popps was delighted, promptly picked her matching outfit and off we went to the zoo to see the latest arrival, a baby elephant and more importantly my delightful niece who was on a school excursion from the bush.

The baby was super cute, and Mali the elephant who is now eight months old is still totally gorgeous, he is on show quite a bit these days, no more lining up.

The butterfly house is good to hang out in to warm up a bit, those antartic winds were blowing through the zoo today and it was nippy.

Just another day at the zoo.

Wordless Wednesday: newborns

I am not a photographer, but I adore images of newborns.

Lisa Nankervis is possibly my favourite baby snapper ever.

Going to try running a Wordless Wednesday for everyone:

To join in, you need to list the link to your WW post for today, not your whole blog.

Looking foward to seeing some lovely photos.

Go for a ride in the sky

I am reading the paper on the way home from work, nuzzled into the armpit of someone I don't know, unable to even fall over we are so jam packed, when I notice an article showing how airlines will soon be treating us in a similiar way.

Once upon a time, air travel was full of excitement, a little bit of class, a little bit of service, the wonderful start to a journey you were heading to or home from.

movie star lookalikes were required to be hostess with the mostess

Little Johnny was seen but not heard with a complimentary colouring book

But now, we are going to be treated with the new 'saddle seat', the designers say cowboys can sit in a saddle for eight hours a day, so travellers can too. Have these people heard of saddle sore? How about those of us that can't stay on a horse for 5 minutes without falling off, will we hit the floor at the first sign of turbulance. Are the kidlets meant to sit on these too? Back in the day, we were given 86cm in cattle class. Now on average we get 76cm. The Saddle seat means we get just 55cm. Might be worth airlines having a yoga warm up in the waiting lounge, to prepare your body for the flight.




Giddy up!

 But before you stress that the saddle seat might be coming to a plane near you, check out what RyanAir (Irish airline) was hoping to bring in. No, not police van travel for prisoners, this is the standing seat, you can pull out 10 rows of seats and add in 15 rows of standing spots. Don't worry about the service, there isn't any.

Wow, how comfy - trip to Europe anyone?

For the moment the safety standards are preventing the stand up seat for air travel, but who knows, maybe the metro can get these and I can stop sniffing underarms on the way home.

wanna have fun

80's music is pumping from the jukebox in the Babble Abode, with a new favourite.

Clearly, no matter what your age, you can spin around in a fluffy skirt and dance with a hairbrush as a mircophone.

Tanked

image from deepseaimages.com

The rain gods have returned, all of them.

Water restrictions have eased, gardens are about to bloom, we are even allowed to wash the car.

No more need for the "tank water in use" signs around here.

We have had so much rain that our water tank is overflowing, flooding the backyard and we have to empty the tank into the storm water drain. Might be time to connect it to the house, to get more tanks or start washing the car more.

After 10 years of being encouraged to have four minute showers we no longer have to feel guilty for using a little extra, filling the bath to the brim...water heaven.

Such a basic life necessity is back, bring on summer so we can head to the lakes and rivers and actually splash around.

Mess free breakfast

Getting into blogging has lots of  little perks, especially when friends recommend blogs they like, have started or know about. Which is how I came across Apples under my bed.

Heidi is a gorgeous young Dietitian who has recently started her nutritiously balanced blog. One post she shows us how she is keeping up her calcium intake with a great yoghurt she found, she mentions she doesn't eat the sweet stuff at the bottom, mmmm, that is willpower, can't say I would be leaving that behind, but another post has a fun treat for when the stocks are getting low in the peanut butter jar.

Porridge in the Peanut Butter Jar!

Reduce the dishes load, ensure no waste and recycle the container when you are done. It is breakfast in a can (or jar)!! Watch the kids fight over who gets to eat this super healthy brekkie treat.

You can read the post Jars and Bars here, which includes a great recipe to make your own healthy Oat Bars.

Wordless Wednesday

It is Wordless Wednesday in Blogland.

This image has always provided a chance to think - what would you have done?

Carter mentioned before he died that this was just one of hundreds of babies lying around like this.

It is not a pretty photo, nor a happy moment.

But it is the world in which we live.

US Time Magazine has an excellent article on Carter if you want to read more.

The power of paper with ink

A few weeks into the challenge of writing letters and there are some interesting and surprising results.

I have been writing and posting and receiving not just return mail, but texts and calls to follow up the arrival of what I have sent.

There are a few others that put their hand up to take a trip along the paper trail and they seem to have gone in all sorts of directions.

KerriBennett is contemplating Gen Z missing out on the fun and benefits of the handwritten diary.

pottymouthmama has taken things to extremes and is going for 30 thank-you cards in 30 days.

Melbourne Mumma did it all in one hit, then also moved on to getting a whole new desk to type (and hopefully write) at.

missea has a lovely post about her Mum, who sadly died when missea was a small child. She was given a collection of letters that her Mum had written which is a reminder of how letters can stay around forever, while a facebook post barely lasts a day. The letters are a link to a Mum who died way too early.

While over at Writing Out Loud, I am not sure if there is really time to write letters, with Megan heading off to the writers festival, reviewing books and keeping up her blog.

A few weeks left to go, write along if you feel like it.

Just in: Over at wouldn't it be loverly things are also on track!

No seat, no ride, baby!

Some of my followers (lovely people that you are) don't want to be reading about kids, so Annalise you can click off about now...

Other people might know that I am a safety girl. And road safety, especially kids car seats are something that I can get a bit cranky pants about.

It seems I am often alone in these thoughts, but small children are still injured so much in car accidents when the right seat could have made a difference.

Australia has new laws relating to child car seats, you can see a good summary here. The laws were changed after the tragic loss Isobelle Broadhead

But here in the BabbleMobile is the extra rule: no seat, no ride, baby! No children under the age of 7 will ride in our car without a seat that is harnessed in, no excuses, quick trip, back roads etc.

Recently a mother said to me she wasn't concerned about the new laws as she had tinted windows so no one could see what her children were riding in, I was amazed at how ridiculous the comment was. It is not about the fine or the points, but your childs life.

Even with the new changes, the parents of Jiyaa Jipson have asked for more assistance with knowing what to do. If you are not sure, please check it out, the most expensive seat is not always the best option. If you get the right seat, you will be using it for at least three years, so you will get some value out of it. But most importantly, don't allow any excuses for your child not to be cruising about in the safest seat you can get.



This image was poached from the Babology post on Maxi cosi

Big Weekend Ahead

We have a big weekend planned.

• A 60th birthday
• Father's Day
• SS on call for 30 hours straight
• Shopping needs to be done
• The girls are excited to play with their cousins.

But the best thing of all is - I am getting my hair done.

Oh, the simple yet magnificent feeling of heading to the salon, reading mags I would never buy, listening in to other peoples conversations while they yell over the hair dryer, someone making me a coffee (is 9.30am too early for champers?).

I really don't get my hair done enough (being thrifty with the new house is certainly not helping this matter).

Nothing can ruin the hairdressers for me.

A few hours of rest and pampering and then, even if only for a few hours, I will have perfect hair.

God bless you hairdressers!

Bargain sharing, if you're quick

Super quick post for anyone that goes through as much suncream as us.

Coles are getting rid of all the Cancer Council Toddler Suncream, as I was walking by the lady marked it down to 99 cents.

I bought this, but at usually around $12-$15 a pop, it was worth stocking up. It is not out of date, they just wont be stocking it anymore.

If the spring sun has you excited about summer, check if there is any left when you do the shopping.

For those wondering, this post was not sponsored by Coles, The Cancer Council or anyone else (Other than SS, chief breadwinner in this neck of the woods, who had to pay for them).

See you next Tuesday: How brave are you?

The picture looks like this; Friday night drinks and dinner for four female work colleagues, all working for a major Aussie  finance firm. Two are early 20s, one around 40 and the ultra hip JB has just turned 60.

JB is a fascinating woman. Former wife and original domestic goddess she turned her life around when her DH took off and left her for a 20 something air head, when he and JB both turned 50.
JB ended up working with me doing finance marketing. She is intelligent, witty, interesting, full of stories, takes no crap and loves a good laugh. She is extremely fun as a Friday night drinks companion.

On this particular warm sunny South bank drinking night. The conversation ended up turning to the undesirable male partner of another colleague.

"He's a 'c' of a man" says someone.

"Oh no." says JB. "Let's not grace him with such a sacred word."

And so begins the conversation of how we (yes, you dear reader) must all take back the power of the 'c' word.

See you next Tuesday is generally considered the most derogatory word in the English language. A description of your body is the most despised word you shall ever hear, and it is time to turn that around.

But how?

Easy says JB. You need to start saying see you next Tuesday frequently, but not in a way you are used to. From now on you will only say it in a positive way. You won't describe something/someone as a 'c'. You won't mutter it ever when things are going very very wrong, and you wont cringe when someone else says it.

To howls of laughter (red wine consumed possibly not even needed) JB suggested such things as;

"Wow, my see you next Tuesday looks great in these new designer undies."

or

"I am not sure if I have a see you next Tuesday illness/disease that may need some attention."

or perhaps,

"Just had a pap smear, the doctor was nice enough to warm the instruments before placing them in my see you next Tuesday."

The more people that push the word into mainstream language (but only with positive tones) the better and sooner the change will commence.

But do you think you could join the cause and continue the fight for women's rights that women like JB and our mothers worked on during the 1960's and 1970's?

Cultural change is hard, it takes brave, intelligent, confident and innovative women.

Are you one of them?

Wordless Wedneday

Things are a bit busy around here.
But always time for a family portrait!