Friday Feels - 29 August

Well it's been a few of the most stressful weeks of my life - not even the week leading up to my wedding was as bad!!

But it seems as though the worst is behind me; the situation has been somewhat diffused by a mediated discussion and I can finally move on.

However this experience has left me with a somewhat bitter taste towards my work... but I'm taking it as an absolute motivator to push me into finding what it is that is meaningful and fills me with passion and excitement.

I have some ideas, but I won't jinx anything just yet. Sorry to be so frustratingly vague :)

Instead, I'll just jump right into my Friday Feels!

Hearing: I think I've mentioned it before, but Spotify has a Throwback Thursday playlist that I follow - today it was trowing back to 1984, so much awesomeness! Then this song came on:



This song is the anthem of my Mum, my brother and I.
I have such vivid memories of hearing/watching it on MTV and the three of us dancing like loons around the room. Good times :)

Seeing: The sun!! Sydney has had so much rain the last couple of weeks, and then the sun finally made an appearance yesterday - it was so blissful to walk without an umbrella!

Tasting: Every now and then, my step-dad and I get together for lunch and pig out on Hungry Jacks. This week we indulged in a double whopper meal, and it was delicious!!

Smelling: Spring. It's definitely in the air, Mr M was complaining about having an itchy nose today! Only days to go until we are a whole season closer to summer!!

Touching: The baby soft skin on my boys faces. Warrie is shedding his baby fat like it's going out of fashion, and his chubby cheeks are turning into the cheeks of a proper little boy.
I miss their baby faces something fierce... but I love watching them grow into wonderful boys, complete with fart humour, light sabers made from used toilet rolls, and grotty faces.

How has your week been? What song reminds you of dancing around the room as a child?

Friday Feels - 1st August

After yesterday's pretty epic post, I'm not feeling particularly wordy today... so I'll just head straight into my Feels for the week.

Hearing: I have a confession (don't we all!): the "Golden Oldies" radio station is one of my favourite to listen to. That said, I think it is horrible and terrifying that they are starting to play my favourite tunes from the 90's... Surely the 90's can't be in the golden oldies phase yet!?!
Today this song came on the radio, and instantly I was transported back to my childhood; specifically, the health club where my dad was the squash instructor, I could almost smell the place. I love how music can do that!

Seeing: My all-time favourite series of books is being made into a TV show which starts in the US next week, so I have been watching all sorts of trailers and interviews with the cast and author. It's had me squee'ing like a teenager... and I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry when I see the first episode!
If you haven't already heard about Outlander, trust me it won't be long until you do - it's going to be bigger than Game of Thrones!

Tasting: Last weekend I had five bananas that needed using up, so I made 38 banana choc chip muffins. I was sensible (for once!) and froze them in smaller batches so I could savour them... and yeah, we're down to our last four. Either Mr M and I are gluttons, or they were super delicious. I'm going for the latter!

Smelling: This week we have had some unseasonably warm weather - it was a sunny and glorious 24c yesterday! The trees and flowers responded to the warmth, and I could smell spring in the air. It was delightful

Touching: My cat has his fluffy winter coat at the mo, and it is so soft and touchable. The best part is on his belly, but because he is a psycho cat I can only rub it when he's asleep. It's just as well for me that he is really enjoying snoozing on the sofa whilst Mr M and I watch the telly.

How was your week? What is your favourite type of music to listen to - I'm always open to expanding my musical tastes :)

It's time for a change

Have you ever woken up one morning, and just KNOWN that something has fundamentally shifted within you?

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I've had it once before (that I've been aware of), when I realised that it was time to end my previous relationship.

But usually I have a minor shift; nothing that I really take notice of, more of a general “hmm, I think I might need something to change, but I’m pretty ok with what’s going on so I’ll keep it in mind but I’ll leave it for a while”

After one of these shifts, I will often give a half-hearted attempt to look for something that has the potential to soothe my soul. But I never follow through with anything, and so have never found what it is that I need. Oh man, I am so not good to myself!

A couple of months ago I had another minor shift, and so I have been in the perfunctory throes of trying to find what it was that could ease my appetite for… well, I don’t know what actually. I just know that I have been searching for something.

Then weekend before last, I went into the study to clean up a pile of books that Warrie had thoughtfully pulled off the bookshelves. The first book on the top of the pile was a book that I had bought years ago, but never got around to reading – “I could do anything. If only I knew what it was” by Barbara Sher.

I picked the book up and put it on my bedside table.

A few days later I flicked through the book, and it randomly opened at a page. The following extract jumped off of the page and hit me like a tonne of bricks.

“… people who fear failure have got it wrong. They really fear success. If you truly feared failure, you’d be very successful. People who fear anything stay as far away from it as possible.”

Wow. Powerful stuff, right?

I had to re-read it a few times to make sure that I had understood what I was seeing. And every time I read it, it was like an alarm going off in my head.

I have spent so many, many years telling myself that I wasn't doing things because I was scared of failing at them. In fact, Mr M and I had a bit of a row about it just last month – I had told him I wasn't writing because I was scared of not being good enough at it, and his response was to tell me that I was talking a crock of shit; that I was making excuses. Needless to say, I didn't talk to him for the rest of the evening.

“If you truly feared failure, you’d be very successful.”

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Then I saw that line, and suddenly I got it. Mr M was right, I WAS talking shit. And I have been making excuses for myself for YEARS – hiding behind my so called “fear of failure” to justify to myself why I hadn't taken chances.

The crazy thing is, when I HAVE taken chances things have worked! The biggest (and best) example of this was breaking off my engagement and leaving my life in the UK to take a chance on a new relationship in Australia.

I risked everything to be with someone I thought could be “The One”, and I ended up married to the love of my life and with two gorgeous boys to boot. Pretty sure that counts as successfully conquering my fears!

A few weeks ago, I had a situation at work that has shaken me to my core; my professional and personal confidence has been shattered, and I have been left confused, scared and very unsure.

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Since then, I have spent a LOT of time thinking about the situation. An unhealthy amount of time, actually.

I have been trying to shift my mindset from one of fretting about and worrying at the problem, to a much healthier one of not worrying about what has already has happened, letting go, and dealing with things as they arise.

No mean feat for a girl who has been a life-long worrier!

But I think I have been successful. Now, nearly three weeks on, I see this “situation” at work as a catalyst of sorts.

I believe that things happen for a reason. And as distressing and exhausting as it is; I know that this has happened so that I can grow from it.

Maybe the Universe was sick and tired of me not following through with the minor shifts I had been feeling, and this was the only way it could get my attention.

Maybe it’s just my turn to have something a little unpleasant happen to me (and let’s face it, if this is the worst that I ever have to deal with then I am a very lucky girl!)

Whatever the reason, there has been a fundamental shift within my psyche that is too big to ignore. I can no longer stay stagnant; I have to move, I have to push my boundaries.

I have to be brave and find what it is that truly makes my heart and soul sing.

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What makes your heart and soul sing? Have you ever experienced a shift of your be-ing? I’d love to hear about your journey!

Friday Feels - 11 July

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This week, I've been thinking about memories a lot... I watched the intro to "Midnight in Paris" and the yearning I had to go to Paris was almost a physical hurt. I was asking Mr M about his memories of Paris, and if we should include it on our Big Trip, when I suddenly remembered - Duh! I've actually BEEN to Paris....

I was ashamed for a moment that I had forgotten about that trip, and over the last few days, I've been trying to recall the memories of the trip. I mean, it's PARIS for goodness sake, and it was my first weekend away with a boyfriend. Yeah, I was there about 20 years ago, but surely I should have some sort of lasting memory of it?

But things get muddled, and I'm not sure if some of my memories of Paris are from that weekend away, or the school trip I took to EuroDisney, when we spent a day in Paris on the way home.... let alone the effect that Hollywood will have had on my memories.

So I've decided to try to recall some memories of the bigger trips I've taken and the amazing places I've seen in my life. I've had a pretty interesting life (well, I like to think so!), so I hope you don't mind me sharing them with you  :)

Ok, moving on to my Friday feels:

Hearing: I have rediscovered deep house music, and I've been listening to it every day in the office in an attempt to focus on work and stop the distractions.
My other Spotify favourite is their #ThrowbackThursday playlist....  this Oasis song came on today and pretty much picked me up and threw me right back into the 90's




Seeing: Yesterday, Mr M and I went on my first ever bush walk. It was a relatively easy trail, that headed towards Red Hands Cave. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and I was spending the morning walking with my beloved - as an antidote to the way my week had been shaping up, nothing could have been better.

{Image from here}

Tasting: Well, this one is a bit of a throwback to a few weekends ago. I had seen a write up for a local gyro place, where the queue is our of the door. The gyros are out of this world!

Smelling: Mr M was away for a week for work recently - I have a whole new found respect for single parents!! It wasn't until he returned and I smelled his deodorant that I realised just how much I had missed his smell

Touching: Warrie loves me to "tickle back", and will sit on my lap with a look of utter bliss on his face as I tickle his little back... its so small, for now. It's a combo of joy and sorrow as I measure the size of Mac and Warrie's backs with my hand, tickle their soft downy skin, and trace their strong straight spines. Oh gosh I love my little boys!!

Have you ever forgotten a trip or a special place that you've been to?

What's your favourite travel memory? 

My first ever guest post!

A while back my beautiful friend Trishie, from Under Lock and Key, asked me if I would like to write about my decision on returning to work after the birth of Mac and Warrie, and I jumped at the chance!

So here it is, my first ever guest post!!

I didn't know that it had gone live - an issue with my phone meant that I had been basically uncontactable (is that even a word!?!) for over a week.

I also had a work issue crop up from left field at the end of last week, and have been feeling pretty less than ordinary the last few days.

But today, Trishie called me for a general chit chat and it boosted my mood ten fold... seriously, this lady has the best laugh and she know just what to say to cheer me up!

Just before we finished the call, she asked me if I had seen the post and read the comments that her readers had left. I told her no, but promised that I would as soon as we finished our conversation.

Boy am I glad that I did!

The response from her readers was overwhelming; so supportive and lovely. They boosted my confidence and lifted my soul - something that I didn't even realise I needed until I read the comments.

A number of people thanked me for my honesty in the post, and that's something that I am very proud of.

When I had my boys, I promised myself that I would always be honest about parenting - I saw (and experienced!) first hand, the mothers who would only tell people the "good stuff" about parenting... you know, how it is all sunshine and unicorns.

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Yes it is an amazing and wonderful journey and I don't ever want to be without my kids - but you had better believe that there are moments (sometimes whole days!) where I would like nothing more than to be childless, to have the freedom (and the money!) to travel, or go out for a nice meal, or have actual conversations with people.

But let me tell you something else... when I pick them up from daycare, after a day spent in the office and up to an hour in peak hour traffic - there is NOTHING in this universe that is more restorative than my little boys running towards me, with their arms outstretched and their hearts on their faces, shouting "MUMMY!" and giving me the biggest bear hug imaginable

It's a cliche for a reason.... They really do make it all worthwhile.

Are you a parent? Do work, or are you a stay at home parent? What do your children (or nieces, nephews, grandchildren) do that makes everything worthwhile?