THE TRUTH ABOUT MUMMY

My blog has moved to self-hosted wordpress

2011-06-18T13:30:00.000+10:00

Please now find me at thetruthaboutmummy

$100 Kmart gift card giveaway on The Truth About Mummy :)

2011-06-02T15:31:00.000+10:00

Link to $100 Kmart Giveaway

Link to Miss De Jour 12 months supply of product giveaway

Miss De Jour giveaway - woman kinds greatest invention.

2011-05-31T21:15:00.000+10:00

Please hop on over to my new blog site to enter this giveaway for 12 months supply of sassy Miss De Jour tampons.

Raising Children to have a healthy self-image

2011-05-31T09:17:00.000+10:00

Please visit my new blog here to check out this post. (promise i'll stop doing this double posting soon).

Sticky Date Pudding - Road Test from Super Food Ideas

2011-05-29T17:33:00.000+10:00

My blog has moved homes. Please click the link below to be transported to my new place and update your blog roll and feeds if you'd like to keep seeing posts from The Truth About Mummy. Thanks :)

Sticky Date Pudding - Road Test from Super Food Ideas

Lending a helping hand in the blogging community.

2011-05-28T14:00:00.000+10:00

this post is on my new wordpress blog - please update your Blog Roll or hop over and press my new RSS feed button. Thanks

Grateful for a smooth move and more new carpet - the link.

2011-05-28T05:29:00.000+10:00

This post is at my new wordpress page. If you could update your subscritpion and blog rolls I'd be very grateful for that too! Click this link to be transported there now.

I've pack my bags and I'm moving to WordPress!

2011-05-26T15:13:00.000+10:00

Last night, after some thought and soul searching, I decided to pack up my virtual mummy blogger bags and purchase a new home for The Truth About Mummy on self-hosted WordPress. Today I've spent most of the day unpacking in my new little abode. Please pop over and visit my new place. It's still under construction but it's beginning to feel a little more like home. I hope you'll be kind enough to wipe your shoes on the welcome mat and excuse the untidy look while I get everything organised again. This is my brand new address.

The Truth About Mummy (dot) com

It would make me very happy if you could update your blog rolls and press my new SSR button. I totally understand this is a bit of a pain. As you know I'm a huge believer in Blog Rolls for so leave me a comment on my new blog if you'd like me to add your blog to mine. It will take me a while to get everyone back - so please forgive me if my comments drop off over the next week or so.

I have loved my time with you blogger - you have served me well!

Blogger has the sniffles - or something!

2011-05-25T12:36:00.000+10:00

My poor blogger blog appears to be under the weather at the moment. Maybe it has a virtual case of the sniffles or something. The end result being I cannot comment on any ones posts at the moment or upload photos. I've done some research and there seems to be an issue with blogger (yet again) which is affecting me and a few others. So, please rest assured I am reading your posts at the moment - and loving them! Let's hope the issue is fixed soon and I'll be back spreading some comment loving real soon!

What this blog means to me.

2011-05-24T20:20:00.002+10:00

As you know by the pretty little badge up to the right this year I was nominated as one of Kidspot's 50 Top Bloggers . Now I'm still a little stunned this actually happened but incredibly thankful to the 36 people who have voted for me and to Kidspot. I may be towards the bottom of the leaderboard but frankly - it really is a thrill just to be nominated. (Haven't you always wanted to say that!) Today I thought I'd share with you my Kidspot spiel - just for fun. It explains a lot about why and how I blog and what my blogging means to me. So sit back and have a read.

Why do you Blog?

The truth is I started blogging in late 2009 because I wanted to remember just who I was before I got lost in the life of being mummy. I jumped head first and whole heartily into parenthood and after five sleep deprived years my sanity was beginning to feel more than a little stretched. I needed to re-evaluate my perception of being a ‘good mummy’ and begin to rekindle some of my own dreams and desires. What better way than to launch a public blog and share my shortcomings with the world. Viola! The Truth About Mummy came into existence.

What keeps you blogging?

Blogging just seemed a natural fit for someone who has always loved word, writing and the feelings and emotions they can stir up. (And this despite being dyslexic!) For me The Truth About Mummy is an ongoing journey balancing my desire to be a ‘Super Stay-at-Home Mum’ with the need to be recognised for the intelligent and creative person I am. There is enough material just in that one sentence to keep me blogging for years.

But then, after a while you begin to build up a community of other bloggers around you. This wonderful group of people, who are all too willing to share their own short-comings, along with their ideas, insights, skills and discoveries with you. This side of blogging is totally addictive and will keep me coming back again and again. I have learnt from and been inspired by my bloggy buddies in a way I wouldn’t have considered possible until I launched out and got involved. Bloggers, and for me more particularly mummy bloggers, truly are an awesome bunch of top notch human beings.

How do you find the inspiration to blog?

Some days the inspiration is just in you. I’ll wake up and think ‘I need to blog about hatstands and their impact on the modern world’ (not!). I’ll rush through the housework and get the little pinks organised with some craft or creative play just so I can have 30 minutes alone with my laptop and spill my thoughts. Others it’s not as easy. I keep a list of topics I think might be interesting to draw from. But I don’t pressure myself to blog daily because I’d rather blog good quality than drivel. Trust me if I made myself blog daily you’d be getting some drivel now and then. In the most part I blog about my life and normal everyday things that affect us all. So if I look around myself, inspiration is generally not too far away.

How do you overcome bloggers block?

Back away from the computer! To me bloggers block means it’s time to shut the laptop down and go and play with the girls. I don’t try to force words – as I find it just scares them away. If this means I don’t post for the day then I’m totally okay with that. Just getting out and living life is usually enough to scare away bloggers block. After all when I look around my world there is normally plenty of things worthy of writing about.

One of my favourite things to do when I’m feeling a bit word barren is to go for ‘Jog Around the Blogs’ and link up to some of the other fabulous mummy bloggers out there. The mummyblogosphere is just like a massive mums group where you can hop around finding titbits of information and inspiration. And all from the comfort of home - without having to pack the little people in the car or supply coffee and cake for everyone!

What has been your best blogging experience to date?

Well now you have me thinking! Being able to write the blog itself is pretty good and has been instrumental in me finding better balance as a parent. Meeting people and being inspired by them and their stories is pretty awesome too. If I am to be totally honest being approached by Public Relations companies and having goodies arrive at your doorstep is also pretty jolly exciting. But the best experience is totally when people comment on my blog because it has touched them or their lives in some way. That is such a thrilling buzz and makes me want to drag out my good old happy dance shoes and take them for a spin around the house. As they say, comments are what make the blogosphere go round! And just quietly getting the email notifying me that I’d been nominated for the Kidspot 50 Top Blogger competition also brought a rather large smile to my face!

Hannah Montana Forever Giveaway Here

Hannah Montana Forever, Yogurt & a giveaway

2011-05-23T20:46:00.006+10:00

The biggest pinks first contact with Hannah Montana was at four year old kinder. She has never been overly interested in television and at four her viewing habits didn't go beyond an occasional ABC kids session and of course Top Gear! (She has been sitting on her Daddy's lap watching Top Gear pretty much since birth - it's their Daddy/Daughter time she loves it.) Anyhoo her bestie at Kinder had a big sister who was obsessed with Ms Montana and as a result Hannah Montana Yogurt regularly made an appearance in Besties kinder lunch box.

Zoom forward a couple of months and it's my biggest pinks 5th birthday and she's having one of her now famous (well within the confines of our four walls) impromptu singing concerts with her friends. Ms Montana's name was soon brought up by two of the girls who also had older sisters and a little argument ensued about who was going to be/play Hannah Montana. The biggest pinks looked a little bemused by this and after watching the passion building in the argument for a few minutes put her hands on her hips and declare to them "why do you both want to be yogurt!" Why indeed?

Regardless of your opinion of Hannah Montana, the yogurt or the real thing, there is no doubt she has had an impact on a generation of young tweeny girls. Hannah Montana Forever (The Final Season) is, as it sounds, the final season of the show. It's being released to Disney DVD on the 8th of June, 2011 as a double disk (13 episodes) 'special edition' package. (Retailing at $49.95 and rated G.) Based on the theme of the 'girl next door' who is actually a mega rock star, it uses silly tween humour to explore issues like family, relationships, fitting in socially and exploring life as an early teen. Hannah struggles to deal with everyday life issues which are further complicated by her hidden life as a famous singer. In the final season, these struggles reach there pinnacle when she reveals her real identity to her fans and high school friends alike.

While the premise of many of the episodes could be used to open discussion with your children about a lot of worthy topics I can't say I'm a huge fan. I struggle a little with Ms Montana's general attitude and her occasional lack of respect. But I'm guessing most 8 - 12 year olds would probably disagree with me. Generally, I think if you're willing to take the time to sit, watch and talk through the presenting issues with your young people there is merit in Ms Montana. It is, without a doubt entertaining to those in the 8 -12 ish age range - they seem to be glued to the TV watching it!

The lovely people of Disney, Digital Parents and Porter Novelli have given The Truth About Mummy one copy of Hannah Montana Forever to giveaway. Yay - we love a giveaway here. Simply make sure you're following along either here or on our facebook page and leave a comment telling me what or who you'd be if you had a secret life none of your friends new about. Giveaway closes Wednesday 1st of June and the winner will be selected by the random number generator and announced here on the 2nd of June. (Please remember to leave me your email address if it's not on your blogger profile, so you can be notified.) Open to Australian residents only. Goodluck.

All opinions expressed in the review are my own and I have received no payment for this review. I was supplied with a free copy of Hannah Montana Forever - the final season.

Cupcakes and Carpet

2011-05-21T16:47:00.000+10:00

Yes, today I'm grateful for cupcakes and brand new crisp fresh carpets.

Middle pink made these adorable little cupcakes at a kinder friends birthday party this morning. I could not believe how a gaggle of little pink and blue five year olds could be kept totally transfixed by the hostess for two solid hours creating these little masterpieces. Cute factor - extreme.

And while we were away our friendly carpet layer started laying the first two room of brand new beautiful wool carpet on our floors. Above the pinks are testing out it's dance worthy-ness while the worker bees finish off their job. Next weekend the girls bedrooms and the playroom - yay!

Joining with the totally fabulous Maxabella Loves to share some grateful goodness.

How to raise girls to have a healthy self image

2011-05-20T11:20:00.006+10:00

If you read here much you'll already know I have three beautiful young girls from age 'almost seven' down to age 'just turned three'. As a mother to girls (and being one myself not so long ago) I want to know the best ways to raise little girls to become strong confident women - with self worth, self respect and healthy self-image. If it's at all possible I want to give my girls the basic building blocks they are going to needn to be all they can be in life. And as I think you might agree there are plenty of 'things' (for lack of a better word) working against young girls reaching their full potenial these days.

So lately I've started asking people to tell me what they think girls need to grow up with a healthy self-image. I've started sending emails and asking people for their thoughts, because frankly, I really want to know what people think. Yesterday I asked this questions on my facebook page and got some very thoughtful responses. And today I'm asking you. Over coming weeks I'll be sharing more with you about the responses I'm getting - because its becoming rather fascinating. I'm finding that while I'm building up some wonderful parenting tools for my magic mummy toolbox I'm also going on my own little journey of self-discovery - because really I'm just an oversized little girl.

I've paraphrased some of the comments from my facebook conversation yesterday below - but what do you think is important when raising girls to have a healthy self-image?

Girls need a good example to follow. A female role model who projects a healthy self-image to base themselves on. (Eg, don't put yourself down in front of your kids.)
Girls need honest open parents who they can talk openly with about stuff in their life.
Girls need a chance to reflect on themselves in a safe and non judgemental environment.
Girls need to be taught it's internal beauty that's important. (But I do wonder just how you do this?)
Girls need to have their own identity from their siblings.
Girls need to learn not to look for love externally but to find it from within.
Girls need to be continuously shown support, encouragement and to hear positive comments from their parents.

Over to you guys - love to hear what you think.

PS - blogger has taken to publishing my posts all by itself of late. I wasn't actually ready to post this today - being my first draft. But as it's 'out there' now I think I'll just go with it - but appologise if it sounds a bit rough

What we did today.

2011-05-18T18:50:00.002+10:00

Winter is starting to settle over beautiful Ballarat - and yes it is cold. Today little pink and I dropped the bigger girls at school and kinder and headed off to wandered, rather briskly, around Lake Wendouree to see what we could see.

The lake is still not to looking its best following a decade of drought - but it's just magical to see it full to brimming with water again. Overtime I'm presuming the messy reeds and weeds will disappear again and she'll return to her former beauty. The black swans don't seem to mind at all.

The signets are adorable and oh so photogenic. Don't you just want to pick one up and snuggle it away under your jumper! Pretty sure little pink would have if I'd let her.

It's just over a 6km walk, perfect for a mummy trying to regain some fitness, and just long enough so you know you've done some exercises when you get back to the car. Plenty of parks, gardens, playground, cafes and little reason to stop. A perfect walk really. You should give it a go if you ever find yourself around this way.

What did you get up to today?

Are our Kids at risk from WiFi?

2011-05-17T12:50:00.001+10:00

While kicking back and relaxing to the start of the new season of Offspring last night my attention was grabbed by a promo for another show which proclaimed new research into the dangers of WiFi type technology for children. Always in for a good worry about child related safety I was immediately sucked into a small vortex of panic about whether our home modem WiFi is in fact doing damage to the brains of the beautiful little people I love. Cancer, tumors, low concentration levels what am I unknowingly inflicting on my babies by blogging on the couch?

As you'll already know if you regularly read here one of my less helpful hobbies is waking up at night for the sole purpose of worrying unnecessarily about stuff. Any stuff really and it can occupy me for hours! One of the things that often strikes fear in my heart at 3.00am is electromagnetic radiation. Yeah really, but perhaps should explain. A few months back we renovated. After removing a wall or two and then adding a few more here and there we moved the pinks bedrooms and their playroom to the other end of the house. (Sounds so simple when you say it like that - and don't mention living with sheets as walls in the middle of a Ballarat winter or our Danger Mouse stone deaf builder.) What I didn't consider was that this would leave the mains power box for the house on a child's bedroom wall. And here we have the beginnings of my nocturnal worrying about electromagnetic radiation. I've discussed my fears with the Dear One and others and come to the 'day time' conclusion I'm probably worrying about nothing - but 'just in case' her bed is now positioned so her head can rest at the furthest point from the meter box.

Disclaimer - this is not my child (thanks google images).

But now I have some more food for my fears! So this morning I've been surfing the net getting acquainted with the European study which lead to the discussion in the first place. The study questions whether WiFi should be allowed in schools due to the undetermined risk. Evidently behavioural concerns and lack of concentration are being looked at closely as well as the risk of cancer. Here is an article from The News which outlines it all. As with most similar debates if you look for long enough you'll find information to support both sides. Not really much help for the over conscientious worriers amongst us. On the one hand I get really cross that as a mother (parent more specifically) we are forced to worry such a lot about our children these days (and as you can see I don't require help on that front) and often marketed to in a way which plays on those fears for profit. Yet, like every other mother on the planet I don't want to place my kids in danger and I sleep much better knowing I've done all I can to protect them from harm - both now and in the future.

And all this just because I decided to banish the Dear One to the playroom to watch the umpteenth rerun of Top Gear while I chilled out with Offspring. That'll teach me! Do you worry about this wireless WiFi world we're living in or should I just choose to take a chill pill and watch some more mindless TV (with the adds firmly muted!)

Product Reviews: Two Top Pre-School Toys

2011-05-16T11:05:00.001+10:00

As you may remember I recently attending a lovely blogger brunch organised by Kids Business and sponsored by Room to Grow and Kleenex Mums. A little catch up post if you missed out on hearing about how much fun it was. Due to the amazing generosity of several major brands that attended I brought home an pretty impressive collection of toys and other bits and bobs to be tested out on my very own product review team (AKA the three pinks). Just a reminder of what it looked like.

The review team have now had over a week of serious playtime with the products and are now ready to make their report. There were a couple of clear stand out products which have been played with all week long and scored highly on both the fun and quality factors. So these are the ones I'll share with you.

I will admit had never heard of the BRUDER range of toys prior to the blogger brunch (maybe because I have pinks not blues?) but this is a brand I will be searching out in the future. This yellow Mercedes Sprinter Van was an instant hit with the girls and has been played with and squabbled over daily since it came to live with us. (Hang on - is that a good thing?). The quality is excellent and that, in combination with the amount of play-time it receives, makes it worth spending money on - in my opinion. Bruder make a very wide range of mostly vehicle based toys (tractors, trucks, 4 wheel drives and farm machinery) and as their slogan says they really do appear to be 'Just like the Real Thing'. Even the Dear One (who drove a Sprinter for years) was impressed with the design and quality.

Hasbro's Play-Doh range has been around for a long time - but it's still a winner at our house. This little kitchen set has provided lots of hours of creative play and entertainment this week. I've been served up meal upon meal of pancakes, fruit and toast (I love the little toaster #tocute!). All of the little implements are good quality and easy for little fingers to use. I especially like the idea of using this particular sized item for birthday presents within the pre-school set! Not too expensive, creative and hours of entertainment. I will buy more of Play-Doh's toy range - though I will continue to make my own pay dough (despite being reminded of my own childhood by the smell of the Hasbro play-doh that came with the set).

If I finish this post without mentioning Pink Poppy the biggest pink probably won't talk to me for a week - so here it is miss almost seven. Pink Poppy's range of bags, stationery, hair clips and all things girly have besotted her to the point where their catalogue and the beautiful gift they sent home had disappeared into her room long before I got a chance to check them out! However, if the opinion of seven year old holds weight - they too are a real winner.

On a personal note I also loved some of the Kleenex goodies and the delicious Mrs Mays Healthy Snacks that were in our attendee goodie bags. Good products that again I will purchase in the future.

So that's a wrap of the top products. Once again thank-you to Kids Business for putting on a lovely get together and to all of the brands who presented for the courteous and friendly approaches they made. Well done all involved I say!

More on the search for blog/life balance - do you schedule posts?

2011-05-15T06:41:00.005+10:00

My blog and I are off on a slight tangent at the moment. As you would have guessed if you read my last post The Unbalanced Mummy Blogger I've been thinking a lot about the way I go about blogging, how it eats up such a lot of my time and how I can be more balanced about my approach to it. I loved all the feedback and comments from yesterday. Thank-you so much for sharing your own ways of balancing life with blogging. If you to are interested in life/blog balance Louisa from Everything is Edible and Kym from A Day In the Life of Us have also written great posts on the subject. So today I'm hoping I won't be stretching the friendship if I ask one more question.

(Thanks google images - you make it easier since I lost all my blog pics on my RIP laptop)

Do you schedule posts regularly? I've struggled with this as my writing style is very much that I write what I am feeling right now and I'm not sure how that would translate to planned writing. I don't pretend to be a 'writer' of any type and I have no formal training greater than high school English (and years of writing work reports, but I'm a social welfare worker so not so creative more informative.) I'm just a gal who is good with words and loves to write about what is going on around her. To be honest the thought of pre-writing and scheduling is a little scary (it's okay I scare easily) but it seems it may well be the best way to create the blog/life balance I want/desire/need and enable me to keep doing what I love. And that has to be a good thing - right?

Do you pre-write and schedule posts? Does doing it make a difference for you? Is there a special secret that makes sheduling work for you?

Caz

The unbalanced mummy blogger

2011-05-14T09:18:00.001+10:00

I new that one day the point would come when I'd have to sit down and have a serious talk with myself (as you do) about my little pink blog. And yesterday, with a little helping hand from the blogger crash, that day arrived. I've grown to love my little patch of bloggy world and all of the bits and bobs that come along with it. But as you may well be aware, if left unchecked, a love affair with a blog can do some serious damage to your time management systems.

My pinks always have and always will be the highest priority in my life - and that is the way it should be. So in the past blogging has just fitted in around their needs. But as you get more invested in your blog it starts to demand more time and you eventually reach that point where you have to ask yourself some serious questions. Why do I blog? What do I want from my blog? And just how much time do I want to commit to running it?

Have you ever noticed just how easy it is for your blog to eat up all the spare time in your day? Or maybe that really is just me! Big gulp ...... I need set myself some blogging boundaries and find the all important balance. In the past I've been able to just float through blogging, fitting it in during the gaps in my day, but now things are different. The Dear One and I have had 'that' discussion about how much time I'm spending F2S (face to screen). Apparently a little bit much. So now it's time to focus on a planned approach to my love affair with my blog, one which also nurtures my other great love affair - with my family.

Having figured this out now I just need to work out how I'm going to make it happen. This could be tricky. Early mornings? (That would be mean really early as the pinks are up at 6.00am). After the kids are in bed? (I'm usually brain dead about then so it isn't going to be a great time to produce fabulous witty posts.) Maybe an hour in the afternoon while the kids have their TV time? I'm really not sure how I'm going to make this happen. How do you manage to keep your blogging habits family friendly? Do you have a special approach or do you just float on through like I've been doing? Come on people, share some secrets with me - tell me how you achieve mummy blogger balance.

Lost for words - literally!

2011-05-11T21:38:00.002+10:00

I don't know about you but I've been having one of those weeks. You know the ones that feel like you're stuck on a revolving treadmill of sanity stretching? Of cause I should say it has had its highs, like being chosen as one of Kids Spots 50 Top Bloggers - now that was a totally unexpected thrill! And it has also had its funny moments, like the pinks naming their granny's new kitten "pat the cat" - evidently after Post Man Pat and his black and white cat. But generally speaking it has been long and draining and focused mainly around renovations involving ear splitting jackhammers and computer crashes that all but wiped out my digital piggy bank of life.

Funnily enough one of the first things that happens to me when life throws these curve ball weeks at me is that I lose my writing mojo. I've sat down to write blog posts on several occasions over the past few days and found there is nothing happening. It's almost like I can hear static in my mind when I try to tune into my writing channel. To be honest I'm even struggling to get this post out. Its all rather odd to me - because I am word girl! I love words and usually they love me - but not right now. Words are not something I can force out either, if I do the result is clunky and not worth inflicting on you! So for now my words are limited. Maybe the noise from the jackhammers is responsible or perhaps my writing mojo was contained in the hard drive of my now dead laptop (RIP little laptop!) I really don't know but for now let's just say my words have gone fishing and leave it at that.

Kids Spot how I love You (50 Top Bloggers)

2011-05-10T09:57:00.006+10:00

I am totally humbled (and just a tad over excited) that someone chose to nominate The Truth About Mummy as one of the Kid's Spot 50 top bloggers. I honestly had to read the email from Kids Spot a few times before I understood what they were saying. You see I view myself, and my little pink blog, as a rather small fishy in the ocean of fabulous blogs and bloggers that makes up the Australian blogging community. And what a community it is! (But more about that later.) I am also totally amazed that Kids Spot chose to action the nomination and make The Truth About Mummy one of their top 50 blogs! All I can say is thank-you kids spot! And to the person who put in the nomination a massive thank you. That little act of faith in me and this blog has touched my heart very deeply. You are a total sweetheart and this word loving, very ordinary, dyslexic mummy of three beautiful little girls can't thank you enough.

I would really encourage everyone to check out all of the blogs nominated. These are 50 fabulous blogs and many of my own personal favourites. Just to let you know I've already voted for more than just a few of them myself! If you are looking for information, inspiration or just a good old belly laugh, reading these blogs everyday will get you well on your way.

Unfortunately as blogger is having a slight melt down today I can only leave you a messy looking old hyperlink - but here it is. Read, enjoy and spread some vote loving around the place!

http://www.kidspot.com.au/MySpot-Top-50-bloggers-The-Truth-About-Mummy-...-Kidspot-Top-50-Bloggers-2011+5587+416+article.htm

So once more, thank-you kids spot - I love your work!

Happy Mummy Bloggers Day

2011-05-08T06:33:00.000+10:00

Mother's day, along with my birthday, are my days off. Two days a year that I get to put my feet up and, to the best of my families abilities, relax. It's not a day of big presents. In fact purchased presents for parental days are not allowed here. In all honesty I prefer the handmand cards, handprints, poems and soggy love filled bowls of wheatbix - because I know they come straight from the heart. (Sorry to sounds all pollyanna on you there. I'd probably change my mind for an Iphone, Apple Mac laptop or a Coffee Machine!)

We've actaully tried to make a bit of a stand on this one and are choosing to shun the commercial side of mother (and father's) day as much as possible. Rather I just get to enjoy being a little (or hopefully a lot) lazy - and not feel guilty. No mothers guilt for me today! I'm allowed to say 'ask Daddy' as many time as I like and don't have to cook, clean or do the other mummy jobs that normally fill my days. Oh yes, blessed is me on Mother's day.

Whatever Mother's Day means to you my lovely bloggy mummy friends I hope you enjoy it and get spoilt silly,

A little bit of bragging about a blogger brunch

2011-05-06T20:50:00.002+10:00

Thanks to Kids Business and Room to Grow today I attended the Melbourne Blogger Brunch and let me tell you it was a fabulous morning. I'm so glad I made the effort to get up early, organised and down to Melbourne. Despite struggling to understand the parking regulations and taking ages to find an actual park I even made it there on time. Yay for me.

The theme of the day for me was spelled out beautifully by the lovely Allie of Motivating Mums who told us that the biggest obstacle for women in business/blogging is lack of confidence - or in other words ourselves. How true! I can't tell you how many times I've dreamed big and then shrunk back in a fit of self doubt. The speakers certainly showed what can be achieved when you override self doubt and move forward with your dreams.

Perhaps the best thing about the Blogger Brunch was the chance to meet some of the fabulous bloggers I follow in real life. It was an almost surreal experience putting faces and voices to these women I've been reading so much about. I met to many fabulous women to mention now in my travel tired state - but let me assure you I loved meeting everyone of you.

Of cause we also got a lovely goodie bag and some opportunities to interact with companies wishing to promote their goods. The little pink peoples eyes nearly popped right out of their heads when I walked in the door.

And that my friends is a very brief idea of what our day was like. Thank you so much to Kids Business and Room to Grow for a fabulous day. Thank you so much to the fellow bloggers I met today - it was inspiration, enjoyable and just a whole lotta fun!

An early Mothers Day gift - with tears.

2011-05-05T11:20:00.000+10:00

It doesn't seem to matter to a mother's heart how many little hand prints come home from kinder for mothers day with this beautiful little verse attached. The result is the same - tears in my eyes.

It reminds me so beautifully that despite the hardships and hard work of motherhood it's only a season and I need to relish it, love it and let the small mistakes, messes and sleepless nights pass me by. These wonderful little pink people I'm raising will all to soon be independent young women ready to set sail on a life of their own. Their childhood will be a memory. My time and effort now is a gift to them that I hope and pray will make their journeys both easier and happier - rather than the other way around. Cleaning finger prints off the wall (and the million other little chores that befall a mummy) is a small price to pay for knowing I've done all I can do to help them be the best big pink people they can be. And now more tears - I swear I'm getting more emotional with every post!

I love you my little pink people and if you ever chance to read this blog in the future (when you are big pink people) know my heart is for you and I love you beyond measure. I know I make mistakes and I don't always get it right, because I'm learning and making things up as I go too. But I do love you and I will treasure all of your hand prints, pictures, cards and every moment I have with you. Love you little pink people - Mummy.

The Tangled DVD Winner

2011-05-04T19:50:00.001+10:00

The random number generator has spoken.

(1-37)

Congratulations lucky number 12 (Ang)

"Great comp Caz! My miss munchkin would be over the moon if Tangled showed up in the mail. She has been a massive fan since I took her to see it in December and has been anticipating its arrival on DVD ever since. I kind of liked it too ;o)."

Hoping you and your family love the movie and get many hours of enjoyment from watching it Ang. I will be in contact to get your mailing address.

The fear of death & Osama

2011-05-03T13:43:00.003+10:00

"I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

~Martin Luther King Jr

A very good friend of mine posted this on her facebook wall today and it echos my feelings perfectly. You have probably seen it yourself already. You see I find it hard to rejoice in death - anyone's. I know this man caused more pain and suffering than is speakable and I certainly don't feel sorry for him. But it just goes against everything inside me to celebrate death. Maybe because it's something I live in fear of. Not mine - but the pain and suffering of going through the death of a loved one. Or even the potential pain my death could bring to my beautiful little pinks My eyes fill with tears just thinking of that.

As you can probably guess I've experience the heart stopping blow that the death of a loved one causes. I've had to walked through grief twice and it has changed the person I am and left me a little less sure about life. At fifteen I came home from a Sunday afternoon horse ride to find my 19 year old sister had crashed her car into a tree on a country road a few miles from home - the ambulance had passed me a few minutes before I got home. She died a few hours later in hospital. My heart shattered when they told us and my innocent view of the world changed forever. The infinite finality of death is so difficult to work into your reality - especially at 15. And then before I really had a chance to allow my heart to mend and reshape itself into a sense of normal I lost my father to illness. I was a typical Daddy's girl and him dying stole away all of my remaining security and trust in life. At the age of 19 was once again swirling around in the depths of grief and trying to reshape the broken bits of my heart into some sense of normal daily living.

Now you just don't go through things like this without it changing who you are. I'm pretty sure I think about death a little more than the average person. As I said before the thought of dying and leaving my beautiful children without a mother is a constant lingering fear I deal with - sometimes daily. I tend to catastrophise rather a bit too much and I find myself thinking about the 'what ifs' way more than I should. When people I love are running late I have to check myself so I don't start thinking the worse - because my experience tells me it can happen. The fear of people dying is very real to me and so I simply cannot celebrate death - anyone's. Despite this man's terrible actions I'm sure there are people grieving him - maybe little children. For them I feel sad. Don't misunderstand me I am glad he can't cause any more pain and destruction. I am also glad those people who have lost loved ones to terrorism can have some sense of justice. But personally I just cannot celebrate someones death.

Confessing my shame

2011-05-02T11:06:00.001+10:00

I had a planned post for today but instead I'm going to share with you how I almost lost my licence for a month this morning on the way between kinder and school. Such an innocent simple little drive I take every week - but today it taught me a rather big and uncomfortable lesson.

I was speeding *hangs head in shame* Monday mornings are always a little on the manic side around here. The kinder drop off is at 8.45am and after a few minutes settling the middle pink into an activity we dash off to drive about 8kms back out into the country to the biggest pinks school. This usually involves some very quick maneuvers to get the littlest pink into her car seat and a well paced drive which usually gets us to school just in time to throw lunch boxes, drink bottles and reader bags into their tubs before the bell goes for assembly. Today the kinder doors did not get opened until after 8.50am - gulp.

I remember looking at Blue Bessie's clock (that's our family car) and seeing that it was already 8.55am when we got back in. I can also remember seeing the 80km 'slowing down please' sign as we scooted through the paddocked roads on our way to school and actually thinking 'it won't matter we're not even in town yet'. And just as this thought floated out of the other side of my mind I remember seeing the flickering of lights behind me. It did matter!

As two little pinks sat in the back seat the nice officer told mummy off for speeding so much she may well have lost her licence for a month. He patiently explained how much more important it is to arrive safely than on time - especially with children in the car. And then he dropped his bombshell by asked me who was going to take the children to school tomorrow as mummy may well not be driving for the next month. By this stage my heart was sinking slowly slowly down to my shoes and my eyes beginning to brim with hot shame filled tears.

Whether the nice officer felt sorry for me or was just in a really good mood following a nice morning at home before his drive to work I'll never know but he let me off with a warning. He told me to go home and sit and have a very good think about what I'd done and I looked up at him with my big sad tear filled eyes and told him I would. (Does a blog post count Mr Officer?).

Speeding is dumb. Speeding with kids in your car is even dumber.

Grateful for my husbands other lover!

2011-04-30T08:44:00.000+10:00

Today I'm Joining with Maxabella Loves to share the grateful spirit.

Today I'm grateful for my own royal wedding. Well okay, not so royal, but pretty high up there on the scale of my own perfect day - so definitely worth sharing. It will be 13 years in November since Daddy Pink and I had our own wedding day and though it wasn't broadcaste to a world-wide audience (and surely didn't cost 80 million pounds) it was, non the less, my own day of feeling like a princess and a memory I'll treasure forever.

For a perfect day almost 13 years ago I'm grateful.

(I decided early on in the planning process that the best way to get The Dear One interested in our wedding photos was to include his other lover!)

What made your wedding day special?

The Easter Egg Brownie Challenge

2011-04-29T13:01:00.001+10:00

The other day I was offered a challenge that involved chocolate, Easter eggs and brownies - now how could I possibly say no to that. The challenge was to make the above super delicious Easter egg brownies and use the new Finish Quantum Dishwasher tablets in my dishwasher to see if they could clean the baking dish like new. With very little hesitation from my part I agreed. Because brownies are yum and as I shared recently I love a good cleaning product (Danger Will Robinson - domestic geek alert.)

A lovely parcel of goodies arrived at my doorstep Wednesday (including the baking dish). After standing at Penny and Benny's (our resident googie laying chookens) roost door begging for eggs for several hours yesterday I eventually sent the Dear One off on his Motorbike to buy me some supermarket eggs.

Eggs in hand the two littlest pinks and I set to work. Melting the chocolate and butter.

We added the sugar, eggs and flour before all having a lovely sticky chocolaty mix of the bowl.

Then for the fun part! Twenty carmel Easter eggs got unwrapped before 18 of them were pressed into the brownie batter. (Now whatever did happen to those two missing eggs little pinks?)

And 25 minutes later this is what we took out of the oven. The smell was sensational - right through the house!

And now for a little brownie eye candy.

And please let me assure you they tasted just as good as they look - and don't they look good. Decadent would be an appropriate word I think!

And now for the rest of the challenge. I loaded the baking dish into our dishwasher and popped a Finish Quantum table in. I turned on our normal dishwasher setting and pressed start before wandering off to find some other task to keep me occupied for a while (and distracted from the still warm stash of brownies.)

As you can see the dish came out perfectly clean and sparkly - as did the rest of the dishes loaded in there. (But I do wish the dish had been a little more 'baked on' to give Quantum a real test out. Next time I undertake a challenge like this I'll be sure to make much more mess!)

RECIPE

Decadent Easter Egg Brownies

Ingredients

125g unsalted butter

200g Dark chocolate - chopped.

3/4 cup caster sugar

3 eggs - lightly beaten

1 cup plain flour - sifted

Caramel Easter Eggs - 20ish

Cocoa powder - to serve/dust with

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degree & spray baking dish.

Melt butter & chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of water on a low heat. Make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water as this will burn the chocolate.

Cook stirring, for 2-3 minutes until smooth and combined. Remove from heat and stir in sugar thoroughly.

Set aside for 5 minutes.

Stir in beaten eggs and flour.

Pour mixture into baking dish and smooth with a spatula.

Press in Easter eggs (or maybe caramel chocolate bits)

Bake for 25 minutes or until Brownie is firm to touch.

Cool in dish and then cut into squares of an appropriate size for you.

ENJOY

If you would like a free sample of the new Finish Quantum tablet to try out for yourself email your name and postal address to finishsamples@handlingmatters.com.au

All opinions expressed in the post are my own. I received no payment for this post, however I was given the challenge package with all of the ingredient and baking dish.

Wordless Wednesday "Up the Garden Path - a weekend project"

2011-04-27T12:42:00.001+10:00

Playing Wordless Wednesday @ Faith Hope and a whole lotta love.

Three Fabulous Books

2011-04-25T11:13:00.000+10:00

Just one important thing before I begin today. Today being ANZAC day in Australia and New Zealand I'd like to take time to say thank-you to the service men and women, and their families, who have sacrificed in so many ways so we can live in this beautiful free land of Australia. Your effort and love for you land and people is not forgotten.

And now Three Fabulous Books

Sitting on my coffee table right now, I'm happy to say, are three rather fabulous books. When I get the chance to sit down for a few minutes I delve into one of them and get lost looking for inspiration and information. Having a stash of good books is one of the things in life that truly makes me smile.

First up it the blogosphere's very own Planning Queen's Planning With Kids (Nicole Avery). I was lucky enough to be able to order this book before it was released and have my very own signed copy. When it arrived in the mail the Dear One read the back cover and told me this book was right up my alley. (He knows me so well.) This is a fabulous book filled with tried and true advice for living an organised and fun filled life with kids. Nicole should know - she has five herself and is organised enough to be able to bring them up, write a highly successful blog and author a book (among other things I'm sure). I can really recommend this book to all families. You can order a copy at right here if you'd like to see what I'm on about.

A friend and I have been on the search for an inspirational book to read together 'book club/study style' for a while now. We both were fortunate enough to once belong to an amazing womens' group where we read books and came together to discussed our thoughts, feeling and lives with each other. It was run through a local church but was very non-judgmental and caring - a place where you could really bond and share with other women from all different generations and backgrounds. We've been trying hard to recapture a little bit of this. There is something so powerful about women coming together to share their thoughts, beliefs, concerns and joys while dropping the competitive (can I say bitchy) side that seems to lerk within our complex female natures. In my experience this is pretty rare - but totally fabulous when it happens. Anyway I digress. This is the book we've chosen to read. What made me fall in love with the idea of this book is firstly a review which read "it will mess with your mind in a beautiful way" - how I love the sound of that. And secondly that it focus on being grateful and in that I"m a big believer. It's by Ann Voskamp and explores the ramifications of her parents losing a toddler in tragic circumstances when she was young and how this has shapes her life and view of God.

The final coffee table offering is this classic by Shannon Lush. How thrilling is it to know the secrets to removing stains. Okay, yes I'm revealing my dorky domestic side here. I love finding a new trick to clean and restore. It's a secret little passion of mine. I found this copy at Aldi this week and snapped it up with a smile on my face. Thank-you Shannon for giving me some new tricks to try.

How about your coffee table - reading anything good that needs to be shared?
And no, I did not write this post in my PJs sitting on our front Verrandah in the lovely Autumn sunshine while the girls played Real Estate Agents with their bikes. (Note to self, time to settle and stop moving house.) But then again - maybe I did :O)

Things to be grateful for

2011-04-23T07:56:00.001+10:00

With Maxabella away celebrating Easter I'm holding my very own grateful Saturday today - because I believe being grateful is an important key to a happy life. So here is this weeks Truth About Mummy grateful list.

ONE

I'm grateful that my blog has return to normal now that Photobucket have sorted out their issues. Yay I have headers and titles again .... **insert happy dance here**.

TWO

I'm grateful for Kids Business/Room To Grow Melbourne Mummy Blogger brunch on the 6th of May and the chance to meet some fabulous local mummy bloggers. Let me know if you're going too - so we can meet IRL!

Three

I'm grateful for the super silly Easter Egg Hunt I'm planning for the pinks tomorrow. Now the biggest pinks is a good reader I'll be able to leave notes and send them all over the place in search of their chocolate googies. I have it all planned out in my head and will spend tonight writing notes and get up super early Sunday morning to hide the eggs. I'm also grateful we live in a country were you can celebrate your religion freely and shout out 'Thank-You Jesus' if you want to.

Four

I'm grateful for time at home this week. Time to potter, decorate, bake, play and just be mummy with my pinks. My home is truly my happy place and I'm oh so grateful for it. (My new carpet is only weeks away now).

What are you grateful for this Easter Weekend?

Tangled Giveaway & Review

Open until the 2nd of May, 2011

Being a mummy is tough Gig!

2011-04-21T11:16:00.000+10:00

Being a mummy is a tough gig filled with highs and lows. To be honest sometimes I wonder if we really knew how hard it was going to be if we'd enter into it with the joy and gusto most of us do. All those dreams about how we're going to parent our children and the mental lists of things we'll never do with our kids ........ until we actually have them and live in the raw emotion of sleep deprived and over stretched family life. Okay, just so you remember, I REALLY do love my three little pinks beyond anything I could ever imagine. They truly are the sunshine of my life. But let me say again being a mummy can be a tough gig.

If you are a mummy you'll probably be nodding your head about now and thinking of your own list of reason why you agree with this statement. If not, well you're probably not reading my blog! We could talk sleep deprivation, bad behaviour, tantrums, mummy guilt, endless housework, lack of me time .... and so on and so on. For me, what I find really hard is the constant nature of the job. There is no long services leave or holiday plan when you're living in the pre-school set. Being mummy comes with you day and night, 365 days a year - and they tell me the worrying only gets worse as they get older. Fabulous news for someone who spent 2 hours last night looking at the bedroom ceiling worrying about the girls not being able to swim well enough and the fact that the house won't be looking very 'renovated' by the biggest pinks 7th birthday party in June - yes champion worrier here!

But then there are the highs. Those moments when you think your heart will burst with joy, pride and happiness just from being near them. The happy tears when three little whispering voices break out into the 'ABC song' in the backseat of the car because they know it will make mummy laugh. The little girl who yells out in the supermarket at the top of her loudest, most bogan inspired voice "I LOVE YOU MUMMY" (and then proceeds to pull your top down from the V neck exposing your bra to all the shoppers on the cleaning Isle ...but let's not talk about that bit.). There seems to be an almost magical river of love and tenderness which starts flowing from your deepest parts when you fall in love with your child. And it just keeps flowing and growing - despite the hardships. Frankly, it doesn't make the hardship any easier but it does keep you fully and squarely in love with your children regardless of how hard it gets. I always know even after the most frustrating, irritating, earplug needing, sleep craving, sanity stretching day I'll still be in love with my little pink people when I wake up next morning.

Being a mummy is a hard gig ......... but with big rewards. Rewards I wouldn't miss out on for all the adult outings and 'me time' in the world. What do you think is the hardest thing about being a mummy? And what do you do when the sanity stretching gets to much. Sadly, I must admit that I reach for the remote control and bow down to the alter of ACB kids,giving myself an hour of peace to regroup and recuperate.

Winner of Minnie's Masquerade

2011-04-18T20:24:00.000+10:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the Minnie's Masquerade DVD giveaway and thank-you to Disney and Aussie Mummy Bloggers for the chance to review and giveaway this super cute DVD. I popped the 21 entries into the Random Number Generator and behold ...... the winning number is 1 (one). And number one belongs to the lovely Kellie of Threelilprincesses.

Princess Ella is obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She loves Mickey and Minnie.
She'll watch an episode and then asks for it to be put on again. Maybe I could get 230 minutes of free time!! LOL! Most definitely for me would be my blogging to do list - it's now spilled over to quite a few pages! :(

Congratulations Kellie - hope this gives you some extra time to conquer that blogging 'to do list'. Please send me through your addy so I can get Minnie on her way to you asap. And if you didn't win please don't despair. I have a brand new Tangled DVD Giveaway just for you!

A Tangled Giveaway

2011-04-18T12:51:00.003+10:00

I can't tell you how the little faces at my house beamed when I told the pinks we'd been given a copy of Disney's Tangled to review on The Truth About Mummy. Our first experience with Tangled came at the end of last year when the big pink went with her school class to see it at the movies. It was ALL we heard about for days afterwards. "Her hair was so long Mummy", "The horse was so funny Mummy" , "The Lantern were so beautiful Mummy" and on it went. The raving was so profuse that I'd already decided I'd need to see the movie myself and probably be buying the DVD as soon it was released. (Thank you to Disney & Aussie Mummy Bloggers for making that happen a little sooner than the release date!)

Just in case you were sleeping under a large rock last December (or don't have little pink children :) and missed the Tangled promotions check out the trailer.

This truly is a magical fun filled and most enjoyable movie to watch with your children. I 'm happy to say it is being released 'for you to own' (as they as) on May 11th. (DVD $29.95, Blu-Ray Pack $39.95, 3D Blu-Ray Pack $59.95 - both versions are packed with Bonus Features to keep you all amused.) It is filled with fabulous music and friendly well known voices. (The Dear One and I compete fanatically to see who can guess the owners of the character voices first - leading to some rather stern 'shhhhhing' from the biggest pink!) The characters are fabulous. Watch out for Pascal (AKA the little green chameleon) and Maximus (the horse) - highly halarious and worthy of a show all to themselves!

If you'd like the chance to win a copy of Tangled and have it posted right to your mailbox then here are your instructions:

Make sure you are following The Truth About Mummy.
Leave me a comment saying why you want to win. (If you don't have your email available on your profile let me know how I can contact you.)
For an extra entry Tweet this competition and leave another comment saying 'Tweeted'.
For an extra extra entry share about this competition on facebook and leave me another comment saying "Facebooked" (you best like me facebook page too :)

Giveaway closes on the 4th of May and the winner will be announced here and by email. Open to Australian Residents only. Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of the DVD courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment via Aussie Mummy Bloggers. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

Grateful for three and the pink triangle!

2011-04-16T09:26:00.000+10:00

Grateful For ...

A little girls delighted face as she opened her presents.
A pink triangle birthday cake

Brand new hot pink gumboots

A floor covered in pink wrapping paper

and

A brand new three year old.

Happy birthday my darling littlest pink - mummy loves you to the moon and back and again!

The birthday cake. Iced on a box lid - because it wouldn't fit on my cake boards!

Another Happy/Sad Mummy Moment

2011-04-15T06:49:00.001+10:00

Today is the last day I will be the mummy of a two year old - Ever!

Does that mean there will be no more tantrums?
Probably not I suspect. But my life is moving on and stepping forward from babies.
. The warm heavy weight of babies in my arms has been replaced by little people with minds, questions and desires of their own.
The baby paraphernalia, that had been a permanent fixture in my house for seven years, has all but been given away.
It's another happy/sad moment on my travels through the mummyhood.
My emotions are very mixed - but I am a little excited about life with three independent(ish) children and little more time for myself.
Today's job: Make a pink triangle cake as requested by my gorgeous littlest pink who is almost three!

PS - Don't forget to enter the Minnie's Masquerade DVD Giveaway!!

Chocolate Chunk Muffins

2011-04-13T20:09:00.000+10:00

Muffins work perfectly for lunchboxes and so they get made regularly around here. This little gem of a recipe came in a beautiful muffin book a friend gave me, some time back, called Easy Muffins (Parragon Book). It's reasonably no fuss and passes the cooking with kids test with flying colours. The pinks love the chunky chocolate bits and tell me these are one of their favourite muffins.

INGREDIENTS

280g plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

pinch of salt

115g caster sugar

175g chocolate smashed into .5cm (ish) chunks

2 eggs

250mls milk

85g melted butter

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method

Pre-head oven to 200 degrees

Grease and put paper cups in muffin tray (12ish)

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

Stir in sugar and chocolate

Lightly beat eggs and add milk, melted butter and vanilla.

Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients remember not to over mix - just combine.

Put the mixture into the muffin tins and bake for approximately 20 minutes - or until the muffins begin to look golden.

Cool, remove and enjoy.

Hanging the 'Back in five minutes' sign

2011-04-08T15:35:00.000+10:00

I'm just hanging the 'Back in Five Minutes' sign on my blog while I quickly dash off for a short 4 day family holiday to Hindmarsh Valley and the fabulous Victor Harbour. Bags are packed and 'Bessy Blue' (the car) is read for her 4.00am start time. (Yeah I know that's insane but the kids love the adventure of it .... not to mention breakfast at McDonalds!!!)

Enjoy your weekend, and if you're in Victoria the start of the school holidays.

See ya'll next week .......

PS - don't for get to enter my Minnie's Masquerade DVD giveaway it's here!!!!!!!!

Minnies Masquerade Disney Review & Giveaway!!

2011-04-07T08:41:00.001+10:00

On Sunday we continued on our path to a fully renovated house by painting our master bedroom in Hayme's lovely Honey Cream. Now, despite the fact that it looks fabulous, and means I'm one step closer to getting my new floor coverings, you're probably wondering what this has to do with Minnie Mouse or indeed a DVD giveaway. Well let me just tell you that getting up a ladder to 'cut in' around ceilings is a job that requires concentration and I needed a small (115 minutes to be precise) window of uninterrupted time to get the job done. Enter Disney's 'Micky Mouse Clubhouse' and Minnie's Masquerade. Before pouring the paint I popped Minnie into the DVD player and asked her very nicely to keep my three pinks entertained while I whipped up some renovation magic. And I'd like to tell you Minnie did a fabulous job and there is a strong possibility I will ask her to mind the children again in the future. Thank you Minnie for helping me out in your own upbeat happy and giggle friendly way! Nothing like a good dress up party with friends!

On a personal note I loved seeing Micky, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and the gang entertaining my children. I felt a little nostalgic remembering back to my own childhood and how much I loved watching Saturday morning cartoons with Micky and Minnie. But for the pinks it's all brand new and obviously very entertaining as they sat glued to Minnie and her Masquerade Party for the full 115 minute running time. (There are five differnt epps on the DVD). For the middle pink (5) this is not surprising as she loves to watch 'the box' but for the biggest (6) and smallest (almost 3) this was downright miraculous - as generally they'd much prefer to be on the move, bouncing around and doing stuff rather than watching the telly. Again - good job Minnie.

In honour of the release of Minnie Masquerade yesterday the lovely people of Disney and Porter Novelli and have given me a copy to giveaway to a follower of 'The Truth About Mummy'. So, if you need 115 minutes of time to achieve some household renovations (or maybe something else) this might be just for you. To enter make sure you're following 'The Truth About Mummy' and leave me a comment telling me what you'll do with the 115 minutes you'll have free while Minnie is looking after your kids. For extra entries follow on The Truth About Mummy on Facebook and/or tweet this giveaway and leave a separate comment for each. Good Luck - giveaway closes April 18th and is open to all Australian Residents.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of the DVD courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment via Aussie Mummy Bloggers. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

Dot Point Diary

2011-04-06T02:07:00.001+10:00

Me and the pig are just dropping in to say howdedodee and do a little dot point diary.

I'm back working. Only casually, which is rather nice, but as with most things in my life it looks like this too will be tinged with a nice amount of insanity. How easily I forget the frenetic pace of life within an underfunded and over frequented disability support agency.
Road trip to the lovely Hindmarsh Valley (Victor Harbor) coming up a little more quickly and anticipated. Yay!!
Another room painted. The master bedroom is starting to look a little more fabulous. Struggling to hold my excitement as we're almost ready to lay the new floorings. (Ensuit must be gutted first - sounds rather rude and unpleasant for the ensuit).
Commenced planning for the littlest pinks third birthday in just over ten days. Now just how did my baby suddenly become three?
I'm on wrapping duty for the kinder Easter raffle this afternoon. El-presidento must do here duty! Sure hope we don't win. Too much yummy chocolate involved there. )And to top it off we have about a million tickets in the school one as well!)
And finally, sorry for the lack of bloggy commenting emanating from here at the moment. Life is V busy and it's playing havoc with my bloggy mojo.

Figuring Life Out - One Thousand Gifts

2011-04-04T14:41:00.001+10:00

Whatever your religious beliefs this is really rather beautiful. I'm looking forward to reading the book - as I'm big on grateful!

Grateful for being busy

2011-04-01T21:12:00.000+11:00

Grateful

For a super busy week.

For school sports in the sunshine.

Five year old birthday parties and surprise packages in the mail.

For successful job interviews and just a little bit of work.

For loads of washing washed, floors swept and toys put away.

For being busy .... because it means I'm alive and have a lot to live for.

Joining with Maxabella Loves to share the grateful spirit.

How busy are you mummy?

2011-03-31T11:08:00.001+11:00

Life gets busy here in mummydom. I remember when i was pregnant with my first little pink person and a girlfriend told me to rest up and enjoy as much time as possible on the couch, because life was about to get busy. I probably nodded my head in polite acknowledgement before dismissing her comment and getting on with life as a pregnant working woman. Now, I think back to those words and know I should have stapled myself to the couch and watched TV non stop until labor started ........ just to make up for life on the other side of three pregnancies. (Hindsight is such an treasure!)

Now, before you think this is going to be a whinge whine post let me just say ' I AM LIVING MY DREAM RIGHT NOW and even on my most horror filled mummy madness day I appreciate how lucky I am to be living in my present reality. I long ago discovered the secret that living your dream doesn't mean you'll be happy, or on an emotional high, every moment of your life. Living your dream still involves down days, battles with life, being stretched and occasionally thrown out of your comfort zone in a rather undignified fashion. Life is just like that!

Anyways I'm heading back to work again next week. It's only a few casual hours to start with but it has me a little spooked because I know how difficult it is finding the work/home life balance with kids. It's got me thinking about how busy life as a mummy is and how some people seem to cope so much better than other with all that entails. Somehow you go from that big bellied woman sitting with her feet up on the couch to being insanely busy from sun up to sun down and beyond. (Now just how did that happen??) To be honest I know for me, some of this is my own silly fault. I'm not forced to write this blog, I was not held at gun point and forced to become the kinder president (think the power might have gone to my head) and to be totally honest I didn't have to accept this job. I think maybe part of me must actually likes being busy. (But let's not go there!). It's all about balance - yes there it is again, my favorite word.

How do you find balance being a busy mummy? Do you just 'rock on' with it all until you drop from exhaustion or are you better planned and give yourself regular me time to re-energise? There is one thing for sure there are always things to do when you're a mummy - the list is never ending and boredom is rarely a problem. Do you think there is a magic key to getting that balance right?

Reflections on turning five

2011-03-29T20:14:00.001+11:00

The heart shaped birthday cake the middle pink requested.

Five years ago today I was waiting in the hospital for my squishy moo middle pink to make an appearance in this world. I already new she would be a pink and had my suspicions that she would be a little on the squishy side - due to her in womb habits. The middle pink was born almost 2 weeks overdue by c-section. I'd been planning a v-bac but the waiting became to much and I booked myself in for the ceasar - despite my midwife telling me she would come when she was ready. I remember the lovely lady who delivered her saying she could see why she hadn't arrived on time - she was just too big. My middle pink weighed in at 9pounds16 or 4.5kgs. She was an adorable chubby newborn who looked nothing like her equally adorable big sister when she was born. I was a bit shocked by that - for some unknown reason I was sure she'd look similar.

I love that first day in hospital with a newborn. High on happy hormones and with a brand new person to explore and get to know. The middle pink had the most humongously loud cry that would stop the moment I touched her. She could be put to sleep with the caress of my hand and breast feed like a champion. I can still clearly see her wrapped up tightly in her lovely pink wraps with a tiny bit of purple bonds poking out underneath. My heart still melts at the thought of picking her up and feeling that warm soft weight in my arms and the intoxicating smell of newborn. She was a beautiful bundle of emotions, warmth and deliciousness. My beautiful middle pink. And today she is five. Mummy loves you squishy moo.

Loved you Melbourne Zoo

2011-03-27T20:42:00.003+11:00

The Pinks, the Dear One and I had a fabulous day at Melbourne Zoo. It was heads and tails a winner with us. (Sorry couldn't resist that one.)

The most magical moment was watching the seals play. They put on a sensational show for us. The pinks got so excited watching from the underwater windows as the seals dived, span, swished and danced in front of us. (Mummy may have been a tad excited too.)

The Dear One and I marvelled at how they've managed to make so many little worlds within the zoo - and kept them so separate and authentic. We made it around almost all of them in the four hours we were there. And then 'that' moment happened (somewhere just near the baboons) when we both new 'the wheels were about to fall off the kiddie cart' and it was time to head home. Love you Melbourne Zoo - thanks for a fabulous day.

The Great Bloggy Dilemma Exposed!

2011-03-25T15:25:00.001+11:00

Thanks google images

Okay, time for couple of F.A.S.T honest truths from 'The Truth About Mummy'. I really don't have time to write this post right now - but it's in me so I ~~need~~ want to. The messy kitchen, unmade beds and other domestic chores will have to wait for their goddess today!

I've been feeling a little discontent about my blog this week. Now if I can only put into words why. A combination, I think, of feeling a little 'left out' (oh whoa is me) of the rapturous reports and afterglow from the AMB conference (bloggyworld seems a little slower as it baths in the radiance of the attendees post conference posts) and my own internal conflict between writing this blog to suit myself and writing to entice readers and have impressive stats. There, the great bloggy dilemma is exposed.

If I am totally honest I think I'm a bit stuck between these two conflicting reasons to blog. In some ways I see blogging a little like one of those facebook games like Farmville. (I can't actually remember the names of any other ones but I know there are squillions of them.) Only here in bloggyland while building our blogs, attracting new followers and sourcing unique visitors, (the game) we get to use our creativity, make new cyber friends and attract PR attention (get free stuff!!!). This is my chosen game and it can be thrilling. However, on the other hand this is my blog. My space for 'me' stuff - and sometimes the two don't mesh. I love getting new followers, good stats and loads of comments. But I also like to be authentic and write about what is in my heart right at this moment - which may not necessarily be popular or click worthy. You see my current mind set? Playing the game is fun but in the long run I think I'd rather have a creative space which makes my heart sing, my face smile and feels like an extension of me.

Now, as I am writing this the answer to my bloggy dilemma is forming in my mind. (That, of cause, is why I love to write - despite being a member of the dyslexic race.) I can do both. I just need to keep in mind my favourite word "B.A.L.A.N.C.E." and to concentrate on just being what I am. And that is a truthful mummy with stories to tell about life in the mummyhood. This may not be the appropriate strategy to build a super blog, but I'll just have to live with that. I honestly don't see myself as the superblog type anyway - I just don't have the time and energy (and possibly the personality) to pull that off.

So there you have it. Ramble over. I'm once again feeling happy and at peace with my blog and its role in bloggyworld. Thanks for giving me the space to 'thinkwrite' my way back again my bloggy friends.

Today at my house

2011-03-24T06:27:00.001+11:00

Thanks to the lovely, friendly and very talented Tracy of Our Life in Blog Form today I am checking out this interesting looking site.

Today I also have a job interview.

(Not sure how that happened!)

Today I am going birthday present shopping.

(Shopping on my own - squeeeee :)

Today I am learning about Leap Star learning products.

(because they might be a good birthday present idea)

Today I am writing a very slack blog post!

(It's okay I asked my Mum and she said I could.)

Today I am attending my first 'Parent and Friends Association' (PFA) meeting for the big pinks school.

(I figure this school will be part of our lives for the next 9 years so I might as well get involved.)

Today I am not going to my gym class because of the above meeting.

(And I just bought I new yoga mat too!)

Today I will catch up with some old work friends.

(At the above mentioned job interview.)

Today is the first day of the rest of my life ..... so let's get on with it.

Melbourne Zoo

2011-03-23T12:55:00.000+11:00

We're off to the Melbourne Zoo on the weekend. The middle pink is turning five next week and given the choice of a party and a family trip to the zoo she picked the zoo. This is no great surprise to us as she has always adored animals. As a result we've been talking zoo animals over tea for the past few nights. (And making some rather interesting animal noises while we eat!!)

The littlest pink is nearly jumping out of her skin with excitement about seeing the monkeys. Perhaps because she shares numerous characteristics with them!!

The birthday girl says she loves them all but really wants to see the Zebras because they are so stripey.

This biggest pink is a sucker for anything baby and is heading straight to the baby elephants.

Personally I'm a big giraffe fan.

Not sure but it might be a Ross/Friends/Madagascar thing or maybe just because they are such a bizarre and beautiful animal.

The Dear One says he likes them all but secretly I think he's a tiger man.

So, come Sunday we'll be heading off in 'Blue Bessy' car for a trip to Melbourne and a day out at the zoo. I haven't been for years myself so am just a tad excited too. I'm also pretty impressed with their admission charges - I was expecting them to be so much more.

Do you go to your local Zoo? What's your children's favourite animal to visit? Any tips for a successful Zoo trip day out?

And the winner is ....

2011-03-22T12:03:00.000+11:00

Thank-you to everyone who entered the Mummy Moments $30 gift card giveaway - all 32 of you. (The most comments I've ever had on a blog post!!) The random number generator did its thing for me this morning and the the lovely Katie of Little Victories came out on top with comment number three:

"What a generous idea! What gets me through the harder days in mummyhood : the cute things my kids say and do. No matter how much I might struggle through the day and feel like nothing I say is sinking in, there is always SOMETHING that one of them says or does that makes me smile and remember that everyday is worth it :) "

Having just popped on over to Little Victories I see that Katie's last posts was a week ago and it was about packing her hospital bag for the impending birth of her 3rd little person!! Katie may have her arms full right now with a bundle of baby deliciousness. Congratulations Katie. I'll look forward to hearing about how you spoil yourself ..... when you have some spare time!

Love a little flower art!

2011-03-21T21:22:00.001+11:00

The lovely Carly of mamma-razzi has been encouraging me to use my camera to its full potential. I'm struggling to get my mummy brain around the the concepts.

But I do so love some flower art!

Carly has also shown me how to add a water mark to my photos. As you can see it's not there! I forgot. And as my bloggy time is limited today that will have to wait until next time.

Tomorrow I'll be drawing my Mummy Moments gift card giveaway. Drop in and leave me a comment if you'd like a chance to win $30 to spoil yourself with.

Never fail carrot cake

2011-03-20T03:22:00.003+11:00

In honour of the Dear Ones birthday, at this time every year we make this fabulous carrot cake. The Dear One is not a big cake fan, which makes birthday's hard, but he does love and good carrot cake - so I have had to put some effort into finding a good recipe. This one was passed on to me by a friend who is a chef - and it is simply perfect. It ticks my two most important boxes for a home baked cakes - easy and delicious. I made this one with the littlest pink and once again it worked a treat. It looks much nicer iced, but the Dear One is not a fan off frosting - and as it was his birthday we go by his rules!

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups of vegetable oil

2 cups of white sugar

2 tsp Vanilla Essenes

2 cups plain flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

ICING

1/2 cup of softened butter

8 ounces of cream cheese (softened)

4 cups icing sugar

1 tsp of vanilla

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 175 degrees

Grease cooking tin (I always trace the bottom of the pan onto baking paper cut it out and put the circle of paper on the bottom of the inside of the pan - simple and no stick.)

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla.

Mix in flour, baking soda and baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in nuts.

Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and turn out onto wire rack to cool.

Apart from the taste and texture of this cake the other great thing is how kid proof it is. I measure out the ingredients and then let the kids put them into the mixing bowl and mix to their hearts content. .....and still it turns out beautifully!

Grateful for paths well worn

2011-03-18T22:10:00.003+11:00

This week I'm grateful the wisdom of those who have travelled well worn paths before me. For my mother and her lovely sisters who visited today. For the laughter of my little pink people as they played and danced with their granny and great aunties. For the fabulous concert the pinks impromptu-ed as only little ones can. For huggles and cuddles and the voice of the littlest pink who boldly told her great aunties they would miss her as she said goodbye.

And

For my camera and my current obsession with flower photos. Did you notice? I think I've used them in at least every second post for the past few weeks. I love this one. I could get lost looking into the depth of those luscious petals. Simply beautiful. I'd really love to get some of these enlarged on canvas so I can hang them in our lounge and dinning area.

Joining with the fabulous Maxabella Loves to share the grateful spirit this weekend.

GIVEAWAY ALERT - $30 gift card to spoil yourself with.

Does motherhood mess with your mind?

2011-03-17T15:43:00.001+11:00

Yesterday morning I was dutifully making school and kinder lunches for the pinks. Mornings are a busy time around here - as most school/kinder/toddler families will know. Uniforms, hair, breakfast bowls, backpacks, lunches and drink bottles can be seen hurtling through the air at a million miles a hour as we dance the jig that is getting to school and kinder on time.

Most mornings this is actually 'almost' fun, but yesterday after my night of insomnia I was feeling more than a little fuzzy in the head. Sandwiches made I was packing the other bits in. Fruit, yogurt and chocolate chunk muffins and off to fill the drink bottles. When I walked back I was a little annoyed to see one of the muffins missing and straight away raised the question - "who took it?" The biggest pink looked at me quizzically and proceeded to tell me that she had watched me put one muffin into her sister's lunch box and then take it straight back out and put it into her lunch box. What the? Why would I do that! I'm sure I put one in each box. As the biggest pink is not known for being untruthful (or wrong for that matter ....... unfortunately) I counted the muffins left in the container and sure enough she was right.

How could I be so sure I'd done one thing when clearly I hadn't? Is my brain that unreliable? I raised this question with a mummy friend, while out on a much needed walk of our local lake, later that morning. She nodded her head in agreement and started telling me some of her own mummy brain tales. This raises the questions 'does motherhood mess with your mind'? My youngest pink will be three next month - so surely 'this too should be passing' and I should be returning to the intelligent sharp minded person I once was? It appears not. On a positive note we had a hoot of a time laughing at each other's ludicrous stories and played with the idea of writing a best seller based on a collection of them.

Do you have a funny Mummy Brain story to share? Can you tell me when I should expect this phenomenon to end? Or should we all just learn to live with this new 'post mummy' normal and laugh at ourselves regularly? Your thoughts on long-term Mummy Brain please.

Do you want $30 to spoil yourself with ... GIVEAWAY ALERT

About insomnia

2011-03-16T04:18:00.000+11:00

Years of child induced sleep deprivation have left me with insomnia. To prove my point I am writing this post at 4.00am in the morning - having been awake and reading in bed since 1.30am.

This is a bad night - usually I wake up around 3.00am and just get up and start my day then.

All of this is not good - my family has to put up with me in my grumpy easily annoyed sleep deprived state (sorry in advance family). And I can't even blame the children as they have all been sleeping beautifully for the past few weeks. Luckily this doesn't happen every night. The insomnia gremlin generally hops into bed with me 2-3 nights a month. Looking on the bright side it's a great time for folding washing, reading and writing blog posts - at least there are no interruptions.

What do you do when you can't sleep? Any sure fire insomnia remedies to share with me - or like me do you just give in and get up?

Don't for get to enter my Mummy Moments $30 gift card giveaway A chance to do something just for you and then tell me all about it.

'Mummy Moments' A $30 giveaway just for Mummy.

2011-03-14T18:32:00.001+11:00

A beautiful rose from the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.

I was once told the becoming a mummy was the most difficult and the most beautiful thing I would ever do. After living the life of 'mummy' for the past seven years I can fully attest to these words. Every other achievement and trial in my life seems to pale in significance to birthing and raising my three little pink people. Being mummy is a wonderful, heart wrenching experience that to be totally honest is sometimes a lot of hard work.

Sailing around the blogosphere, as I do regularly, I read many similar experiences to my own. The hard work of balancing being mummy with work and other life commitments. The pure blissful joy of watching your child grow, learn and reciprocate your love for them. The hard and relentless days of sleep deprivation. A very wise man once told me that 'most of us are like the rest of us' and as mummies I think that it totally true. We're all walking the same well trodden path an experiencing the same trials and triumphs.

So today, in celebration of all things 'mummy' that we share I'm holding my own personal little giveaway. This morning, while out grocery shopping with the three pinks, we picked out a lovely Coles/Myer gift card and put $30 credit on it. I want this little gift to be a blessing for a fellow mummy, grandmother or carer. In other words I want the person who gets it to spend it on something totally indulgent for themselves - and then report back to me and tell me what you did with it (I would even love you to write a guest post here on the Truth About Mummy to tell us all about it :) Something crazy, something fun or even something practical - I don't mind as long as it makes your heart sing with happiness. You might even like to spend it on your weekly shopping to free up $30 to do something fabulous that Coles/Myers don't offer.

So here are my giveaway rules. Make sure you're following along with The Truth About Mummy and like my facebook page. Then simply tell me what it is that gets you through the hard days of life in the mummyhood. That way we can all be inspired (or have a good giggle) as we read the comments. Please also make sure you leave me an email address or have it on your blogger profile so I can let you know if you win. The giveaway is open until Tuesday March 22nd and is open to all Australian residents. The only other rule is to jump for joy if you win and do something that truly makes you smile.

Begonia Festival - a girls day out.

2011-03-13T20:01:00.004+11:00

This morning, on the spur of the moment, the pinks and I decided to take on the Begonia Festival crowds for a little 'girls day out' adventure (Daddy still being away with his Mild Hog mates!) As always on Begonia weekend parking was difficult at Lake Wendouree - so a stroll through the Botanical Gardens was called for.

Our first stop was at the Plaster Fun House tent. With a pony, cow and dinosaur in hand the pinks set to work.

I love the fact these activities are all free for the weekend. Nothing like fun for free! (And they even had smocks available - not that my little pinks are wearing them.)

Then it was off to the Arts and Creation Tent where the pinks got to colour pictures and make fabulous frames for them out of recycle materials. There was a host of other activities in the A&C tent too - but as we were operating within the 'almost three year olds' attention span that was it for us.

The Petting Zoo is always a huge hit with the pinks. This deer was a special surprise that the girls adored. It was quickly identified as a Reindeer and potentially even one of Santa's! The jumping castles, giant shark slide and rainbow ice-cream topped of what was a fabulous 'girls day out' adventure.

The Mild Hogs

Grateful for emotions, followers and the human spirit

2011-03-11T21:50:00.003+11:00

Thank you google images for this grateful reminder.

This week I'm grateful for being the emotionally sensitive woman that I am. For the joy and bittersweet sadness that this brings to my life. For the way it helps me be a careful loving mother as well as a compassionate but often tearful wife and friend.

I'm grateful for almost reaching 200 followers here on the 'Truth About Mummy'. When I started blogging here I never though I'd even come close to this - I'm a little humbled and very grateful. If you'd like to be my 200th follower please feel free - you'll always hold a special place in my bloggy heart!

And finally the newest in a seeming series of natural disasters our world faces at the moment. I'm grateful for the indomitable human spirit that shows enormous ability to recover, rebuild and regrow. To our friends in Japan, Christchurch and the flood areas of Queensland and Victoria. My prayers and thoughts of love continue to be with you.

I'm once again joining with Maxabella Loves to spread the grateful spirit.

Are you an emotional woman?

2011-03-11T13:36:00.001+11:00

Being an emotional female is both a blessing and a curse. Riding the highs and lows of emotion is exhilarating but exhausting work. Right now my emotional self is feeling a tad on the low side. It's not because the Dear One has headed off for his 40th birthday road trip with the aptly names 'Mild Hogs'. (A group of eight grown up men road tripping around Victoria on their BMW motorbikes in the style of the Wild Hogs - let's hope they don't meet up with the Banditos!). And it's not because I'm unhappy with my life or my family. In fact I'm glaringly aware of how lucky I am to have what I have. But still I can't shake this slight emotional dip which has seemingly infected me over the past few days. As any other emotional female will agree - it goes beyond logic.

Emotions seem to exist in a little realm of their own somewhere between your spirit and your body. I certainly wouldn't call them a spiritual thing but they sure aren't a logical part of the body either. They can be delightful. That tug you feel inside yourself when you see a newborn baby, tears of amazement and love well up in your eyes before you even have time to register the thought pattern in your brain. Pure blissful joy. But I should warn you I am one of 'those' women who cries at TV commercials and has to choose not to watch some movies because I know I'll be left emotionally shattered by the sad ending. (I'm aware I sound a little pathetic - blame it on the emotions). But then on days like today being emotionally sensitive can be a burden that I think I could live without. It seems to weigh me down and stop me loving life - like I know I should be.

Would I be wrong in thinking that with each pregnancy and birth I've gone through my emotional side has become stronger? Maybe it has something to do with that link between mother and child? I'm still in awe at how my boobies would seem to know when my babies needing feeding. I'd get that zingy feeling and whamo 'let down'. I'm sure it happened when my little baby pinks were thinking about their next meal. Even now I'll wake up in the middle of the night and just know I'm needed. I'll be wide awake immediately and sure enough within minutes one of them will cry out 'Muuuuuummy' - and need the sicky bowl. You just can't logically explain that type of thing.

I wonder if this emotional dip is trying to tell me something? (Yep - I do like to try to find meaning in these things.) If it is, I'm not hearing it yet, so it might need to shout a little louder in order to drag my attention in the right direction. Are you an emotional woman? What purpose do you think our emotions serve in our lives - especially as mummies? I'd be really interested to know what other people think. They're blissful and weighty - but so much more too.

It's a busy life

2011-03-09T18:51:00.001+11:00

There is so much going on right now at our place that blog posting has taken a back seat this week. It makes me realised just now much I enjoy my time here writing, commenting and working on my blog. I love the sense of community we have developed here. The information and ideas I get while reading your posts are remarkable - like having a team of friends ready and waiting to inspire and cheer me on at a moments notice. Pat yourself on the back - you're fabulous my mummy blogger friends. Looking forward to adding something meaningful again soon!

And another thing ....

2011-03-07T21:28:00.002+11:00

Four random facts about life at our house right now.

Wanting to be supportive and helpful I went to a kinder meeting at the middle pinks kinder last Thursday. I walked away as the new Kinder President (how the dickens did that happen?) I've now asked the Dear One to refer to me as el-presidento!
I received a call from my old work today asking me to apply for a casual position they have available as an intake worker for their program. Do I want to return to working part-time after only six weeks at home full-time with the pinks? Is it good to 'keep your finger in the pie'? I'm loving being a stay at home mummy again - not sure what to do!
The biggest pink got an award at her school assembly this morning. A 'confidence award' for her all around good performance at school this year. See the proud mummy sing the praises of her daughter :O)
The Dear One is hitting his milestone forth decade birthday next week and has his new toy in the shed to prove it. Its name is 'Dexter' and it has two wheels and a BMW badge. The celebratory weekend road trip with the boys is coming up.

PS - yes another one of my flower photos. I just love they way these roses come up in shots. I could stare at the petal formation for ages,

Do you worry more than you should?

2011-03-06T14:07:00.003+11:00

Do you wake up in the middle of the night and worry about things? Evidently I do. 1.52am this morning to be a little more specific. My mother used to tell me that things seem far worse at night and not to take the 'night worries' to heart, as things will always seem much bright in the morning. Sage words mummy dearests. We made a bigish financial commitment yesterday and I've been replaying it all in my mind and seconding guessing my motives and wisdom.

I hate worry. It doesn't change anything. Your circumstances and the end result remain the same whether you worry or not - so 'not' is probably the right answer. But try explaining that to me at 2.00am this morning. We have a friend who lives by the creed not to worry about anything unless is occurs within a 20kms radius of his home. Now I'm aware there are a number of flaws to his thinking - but there is something rather delicious about the notion of just choosing not to worry about things you can't change.

"Worry is just a bad mental habit. You feel like you're doing something but you're not really getting anywhere." Chenoweth

Worry takes up bucket loads of emotional energy (and precious sleep time too). I doubt if I'll ever be the type to just sit back and enjoy the 'ride of life' knowing I have no control of where it takes me (far to much control freak in me for that). But I'm working on finding a balance, one that won't wake me up in the middle of the night! As mothers I think we all worry about our childrens' future. I think that's part of the instinctual mother role. From birth we're always looking for dangers and pitfalls so we can remove them before our children run full speed ahead into them. But even this needs to be held in check, as it has the potential to overpower us if we let it.

So I am re-educating my brain. Worry doesn't change things and while it makes me feel busy and concerned it's taking up precious energy that could be better directed into other things! Do you wake up and worry during the night? How do you deal with it? Share your secret worry defeating and mind retraining strategies with me :O)

Just an ordinary mummy

2011-03-04T21:06:00.005+11:00

Look! Another little flower from my garden. It's just a common old creeping daisy - you see them everywhere in these parts. But when you look up close it's rather pretty. I love the deep purple colour in the very centre and the way the petals form such an elegant ark. Ordinary but still beautiful when you really look at it. I see my life a bit like that. Put me in the midst of all the other mummies bustling their way through bringing up children and we all look a bit the same. Flustered, tired, over committed but generally happy.

But when my girls look at me they see something different - their mummy. I'm an ordinary, average looking, garden variety mummy to most but to them I'm someone special and beautiful. I'm the first person they ever loved. I'm the one who cuts their sandwiches into cute little shapes and rubs their backs at night when they can't sleep.

I love being their ordinary mummy, it makes me grateful just for being me.

Joining with Maxabella Loves to share the grateful spirit.

Five important sleep deprivation facts - written by an expert.

2011-03-04T10:47:00.001+11:00

The following list has been developed for you by an expert in the field of sleep deprivation. With years of training and knowledge she is a leader in her field and speaks with knowledge and authority on the topic of surviving life without sleep.

(Thank you middle pink for allowing me to become an expert in something :)

One

You can 'survive' without sleep for long periods of time - but you won't be much fun to live with.

Two

Despite what the other 'experts' say it's better for a child's development to have ABC kids on all day rather than be yelled at continually by a raving sleep deprived pajama wearing woman.

Three

Chocolate, alcohol and day time television, while helpful, don't replace sleep.

Four

Putting one foot in front of the other and getting to the end of the day can be a fabulous achievement and reason to celebrate ... good reason for more chocolate, alcohol and night time TV (but that's just until you fall asleep on the couch).

Five

The feeling of falling asleep with your head on a pillow and waking up eight hours later may well be the best personal experience a mother ever has!

While this post is written with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek I do have a little bit much experience in this area (Yawn Yawn.) To all the mummies out there still suffering the horrors of long-term sleep deprivation;
hang in there
It really is only a stage in life and it will pass ... eventually (i promise).

What's your top sleep deprivation tip?

1000 Homes of Happiness - Truth

2011-03-02T20:28:00.001+11:00

Today I'm pleased to say I released my home from the 1000 Home Of Happiness. It arrived in the mail last week and I've been waiting for today so I could take it up to Lake Wendouree and find a place to set it free.

So here she is. After some discussion with my walking buddies we carefully selected a position where the little house would be safe from the threat of rain but still visible to potential finders. A couple of quick photos and we continued on with our walk, leaving the little house waiting to be discovered. How exciting to think someone might be taking this little home home soon and hopefully sharing their story over at 1000 Homes of Happiness.

If you'd like to know more about the story behind 1000 homes of happiness pop over and visit them - I think you'll be glad you did.

When the Zombie visits

2011-03-01T13:30:00.001+11:00

The energy zapping zombie has been visiting at our house over the past few days. He let himself in on Saturday morning and has been bossing me around ever since. My housework is getting out of control. Mount foldmore is reaching new heights on my couch and the Dear One tells me he can no longer see any carpet on the playroom floor thanks to the ocean of Fisher Price.

This is more than just a little frustrating. I had plans and this little zombie visitor just wasn't part of them. I have some great blog post ideas that I need to research, garden beds to plant out, baking to do, rooms to paint and heaps of other stuff that right now I can't even remember!! So while I'd like to impress you with my witty conversation and inspire you with my lovely written words IT. JUST. AIN'T. GOING. TO. HAPPEN while that zombie is freeloading at our house.

Any body like a Zombie? Free to a go home? I can have him packed and ready to go within the hour......please :O)

Tardy Blogger Butt

2011-02-27T14:25:00.002+11:00

I've been a little tardy with my blogger butting posting. Life is V busy at the moment and I have struggled to keep up. Here it is in point form :O)

EXERCISE

I did walk around our 6km lake on Wednesday. It was not a fast walk as the littlest pink kept wanting to hop out of the pram and collect sticks for the puppy dogs!
I did do a Zumba and Body Balance classes at the gym
I did extend my gym membership for another 3 months
I did intend to WII fit this weekend (still might happen it's only early Sunday afternoon :O)

EATING

Generally speaking I didn't eat very mindfully this week. I sat down on several occasions and ate way more than my body really wanted simple because I was tired and needing something. I didn't listen to my hunger and just ate. I choose not to get to disappointed about this. It's actually taught me something. I made and ate chocolate hedgehog on Friday night. While being rather yummy it really affected my Saturday. I woke up feeling really physically tired and blah-ish. I don't think that much sugar really works well for optimum mummy health and energy levels.

Generally I'm happy with the increase in my moving and will now get my butt back into gear with mindful eating. How has your week been? Linking in with Michelle at Farmers Wifey and all my other Blogger Butt Buddies.

I LOVE YOU FLOWERS

2011-02-25T20:50:00.001+11:00

Like most little pink people my girls love to pick flowers from our garden. These little treasures were given to mummy this morning amidst a game of cars (trikes) out on the back decking. The middle pink came running in, flowers in hand, and huge smile on her face. "I love you Mummy". Yup another perfect mummy moment to add to the list :O)

Lucky for me I love having flowers in the house - for some reason they just seem to make me happy. Doesn't matter to me if they're fabulous florist creations, supermarket posies or crunched up garden daisies. Lately I've started to plant out more easy care flowering plants in our back garden, so we can have flowers inside all year round. And that way little hands will always have something to pick and share. (That is not in any way related to their noses!)

Joining with fabulous Maxabella Loves and sharing the grateful spirit of life.

Come see my new look blog!

2011-02-25T08:36:00.000+11:00

Have a look around. What do you think?

A few weeks ago the fabulously creative Katrina held a giveaway on her blog, which I was lucky enough to win (yay me!!). The prize was credit with her rapidly expanding Design Website Media Mad and this new look for The Truth About Mummy is where it all ended up. I've gotta tell you I'm loving it.

A big thank you to Katrina for putting up with my lack of visualisation skills. I'm one of 'those people' who has to buy a minimum of 10 sample pots before I choose paint for a room. (Because I am evidently missing the gene that allows you to imagine what things are going to look like.) Just ask the 'Dear One' how many of those confounded little sample pots we now have stacked away in his shed because I had to pick feature wall colours for the little pinks bedrooms (on second thoughts maybe don't ask!). Katrina has been very patient with me and I can recommend her to other visualisation challenged individuals!!

There are still a few minor re-adjustments to be made so I fit into my new home - but this is pretty much how she'll look. Fabulous hey!

And the Winner is ......

2011-02-24T17:09:00.001+11:00

A huge thank-you to everyone who entered my Gnomeo and Juliet double passes giveaway. I have loved reading about the wonderful creatures that play in your backyards. I think Gnomeo and Juliet would be proud to set up home in all of them! But alas there can only be one winner and after consulting my friendly Random Number Generator (who now lives in the bottom right hand corner of this blog) that winner is:...

Comment number 22

"Love the reviews by the kids! Sounds like you all had a fab time. I wish I could tell you what was in my garden, but I don't have one. I can tell you that on my balcony we have lots of geckos... not very exciting really!" Made by the lovey Tracy of Our Life In Blog Form

Congratulations! I'll pop the tickets in the post as soon as I have your postal address and you'll be rocking out with Gnomeo, Juliet and Nanette very soon. I do hope you love it.

PS: The Truth About Mummy is currently at the Beauty Parlor getting a bit of a 'Do' done. You may notice that things are still not yet as they will be. (I'm not really sure how it's presenting at present!!). Thanks for your patience :O)

Hurry up Miss Jane

2011-02-23T04:50:00.001+11:00

Do you remember Mr Squiggle, Gus, Rocket, Bill the Steam Shovel and the fabulous Blackboard (Oh- Hurry Up)? If you do, then like me you watched ABC kids way back in the 70s when Miss Jane and the little man from '93 Crater Crescent on the Moon' filled our hearts with art and laughter. If not, you'll probably think this post is rather droll!

I loved Gus the snail and the corny jokes of Bill the Steam Shovel but the one who had the biggest impact on my life was the grumpy old Mr Blackboard with his "Oh Hu-rry u-p" and "Hmmph and double hmmph". To this day when someone is impatient and grumpy for no particular reason (particularly the Dear One) I'll call them Blackboard. Yeah - I'm a bit nasty like that!

Just shows you how much of a long reaching affect ABC kids has on our lives. How about you? Do you still have fond memories of shows you used to watch as a kid? Did any of them affect how you live and think today? I wonder which of the shows our kids watch today will still be speaking to them in 20, 30 or even 40 years time!

PS: The Gnomeo & Juliet 2 x Double Pass Giveaway is drawn tomorrow. Don't forget to tell me what little creatures play in your garden if you'd like a chance to win them.

PSS: The Donna Christine Designs Refashioning Giveaway is also open still open too.

A jog around the blogs

2011-02-21T17:28:00.001+11:00

Today my little jog around the blogs started with the fabulous Frills in the Hills. Here I checked out one of Ms Frills incredible muffin recipes, which the littlest pink and I baked while the big pinks were a school and kinder. They turned out looking pretty fabulous - even if I do say so myself! If you're a collector of 'tried and true' recipes, like me, hop on over and check out some of her goodies!

Then I headed on over to one of my most favorite blogs 1000 Homes of Happiness. I love this blog - and not just because they have three small pink people like me (yay team pink!). 1000 Homes of Happiness is in fact a wonderful whimsical idea that really deserves to be shared. I love to pop over and see how they are progressing and find out if any more of their 'homes' have found themselves home. If you want to know more please visit their blog - I think you'll be impressed.

I then did a quick 'jog by' at Seven Cherubs for today's dose of inspirational motherhood. Naomi is a mother to seven and writes a blog filled chock-a-block with fabulous advice, ideas and inspiration. I was indeed inspired by her post today and desperately want the book she has just finished reading. I'm always eager to hear good advice on spending better quality time with your kids.

Finally I finished today's little jog around the blogs by meandering up to the virtual front door of Threelilprincesses. I had no choice in the matter - you could smell the fabulous cooking aromas floating from her windows and my nose just did the rest! Today she's chatting about some of her favorite blogosphere recipes and giving links - another must visit for the cooks amongst us. I had to add a little extra pace to my jog back home, to burn off all that fabulous food. But, yes it was worth it.

And so ends todays Jog Around the Blogs. Don't forget to check out my current giveaways while you're here. There is the 'Gnomeo & Juliet' Review and 2x Double Pass Giveaway HERE and the latest 'Mummy Made Business' Review (Donna Christine Designs) Refashioning Books Giveaway HERE.

Enjoy the rest of your day fellow Bloggers!

'Gnomeo & Juliet' 2 x double pass giveaway.

2011-02-20T14:46:00.000+11:00

Today I took my very own 'hot shot review team' out to see Disney's latest animated epic. Yes the two biggest pinks and I headed off to our local Regent Multiplex to see Gnomeo & Juliet in 3D.

It was our first real experience of 3D and it was all just a tad exciting for Miss six and Miss four. All in all it's a rather sweet and humorous reflection of the great Mr Shakespeare's own epic tragedy - but of cause with a more suitable 'feel good' ending. (No more spoilers than that here.)

My own three top things about 'Gnomeo and Juliet' are; the music, the adorable British accents and the fabulous Nanette (you'll have to go see it for yourself to work out why - but let's just say she's green and rather froggy.) The storyline is nicely done and keeps you involved. There are also a few fabulous one liners that will crack you up - even if you're not a ceramic gnome!

And now for what's really important. The opinions of my crack review team themselves:

The Big Pink Said: "I really liked the Pink Flamingo and Gnomeo's Mother - there were so funny. I loved how bits of the movie came out of the screen at me and how the Gnome danced on the computer - that was so funny."

The Middle Pink Said: "I loved Juliet the best and the rabbits were cute. It was funny and not boring at all - I really like the chocolate mummy gave me too."

Here is another review if you'd like to check out a more professional perspective.
Full Review - The Bard Performed by Gnomes.

Thanks to the fabulous Aussie Mummy Bloggers and Porter Novelli I have 2 x double passes to giveaway - yup that means 4 free tickets all up. To enter simply make sure you're following The Truth About Mummy and leave me a comment below telling me what funny little creatures dwell in your garden. (Like me on facebook too is you want to make me really happy!!) Goodluck.

The winner will be drawn on Thursday 24th and ticket sent out asap. Open to Australian Residents only.

Turning ungrateful on its head!

2011-02-19T10:21:00.002+11:00

Today I'm turning ungrateful on its head while linking up with the fabulous Maxabella Loves.

I'm grateful for being dragged regularly out of deep, night hours sleep to see to my little pink people.

.....

I'm grateful for nappies that find their way into my washing machine and spread their tiny water absorbing crystals through me wash.

.....

I'm grateful for grumpy mealtimes with over tired two year olds and unsympathetic snappy parents who have reached the end of their patience and just want peace.

.....

I'm grateful for the endless loud noises that fill my house and stops me seeking that quiet space that restores my energy.

.....

I am grateful unpacked up toys, crayon pictures on my freshly painted walls and the sounds of Yo Gabba Gabba and Thomas the Tank Engine's theme song that drive me to distraction.

For all these annoying and aggravating things today I am

so grateful.

Because they mean I have been blessed with a family and despite it all I love them to the moon and back and wouldn't change a thing!

(most of the time)

PS- don't forget to check out the lastest Mumy Made Business Review HERE.

Introducing 'Donna Christine Designs' & Giveaway

2011-02-18T06:21:00.000+11:00

I'd like to introduce you to a fabulous new business run by two mum's on the Gold Cost. I think you'll agree their clothing designs are gorgeous and well worth a look. Donna Christine Designs is taking re-fashioning to new heights with their beautiful attention to detail and unique creative flair.

Donna Christine Designs describes their clothing as re-designed, restored, reloved and reworked. Breathing new life into old fashion with their own creative style.

All of their pieces are individually handmade in their Gold Coast workshop. They use original clothing and fabrics, giving new life to something that would normally be thrown away.

Each recreated item has a history all of its own. The garments and fabrics used retain marks, holes or frays from their old life with an added twist of unusual buttons, buckles and beautiful embellishments giving an interesting and totally unique look.

The true beauty of this range is that no two pieces are ever the same so you can be sure you have an orginal masterpiece.

You can find Donna Christine Designs on Facebook where new items are added regularly. Check them out - I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

And now for the Giveway

In honour of the beautiful creative work done by the team at Donna Christine Designs I'm giving one reader a copy of two (Yes Two!!)fabbo re-fashioning books. There is Jayne Emerson's New From Old and Kathleen Maggio's Altered Clothing. If you'd like to be in the draw to win all you need to is:

1) Hop over the the Donna Christine Design's Facebook Page and Like them. (Don't forget to have a look around while you're there.)

2) Follow The Truth About Mummy. (If you don't already.)

3)Leave me a comment and tell me which of the Donna Christine Designs creations most appeals to you. Please also leave a contact email or pop back to see if you win.

The Giveaway will be drawn on Monday 28th of February. The Truth About Mummy has not received any form of payment for this post. This is part of the Mummy Made Business Reviews - supporting mums who are doing it for themselves.

Movie Review "You Again"

2011-02-16T11:43:00.000+11:00

How often do you take time out to sit down and watch a DVD during the day time? Never right. Well today I did. Finding myself in the happy situation of having Daddy home for the afternoon I was able to hide myself away for some self indulgent me time with my DVD player. Cup of tea in hand I headed off leaving the little pinks and the Dear One to amuse themselves for 105 minutes.

The movie: You Again.

Opps - tiny picture.

To be honest I’d already read a couple of not so hot reviews on this one which may have dulled my expectations. Regardless I suck the DVD in, pressed play and snuggled back into my comfy sofa ready to be entertained. The basic premises sees Marni, the once nerdy but now highly successful career women, trying to stop her super nice brother marrying her high school arch nemesis JJ - who had bullied her ruthlessly during their high school years. The story line follows them as they come face to face with the emotional repercussions of their high school years. For sure, it’s a little predictable and a bit high on the schmaltz scale – but for an afternoon of mindless mummy escapism it was a pretty good watch, and one I think you’ll enjoy. Need 105 minutes of mummy time. 'You Again' might be just what you’re looking for!

Marni and JJ (Kristen and Odette) facing off.

Five best things about YOU AGAIN:

1. Fabulous cast members. Kristen Bell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver and Betty White to name a few. (Jamie Lee, Sigourney and Betty are fabulous.)

2. Laughter – even the predictable can be laugh out loud funny.

3. Family friendly. Rated PG you won’t need to send the kids out of the room or wait until they go to bed to watch it. (No sex scenes or outrageous language.)

4. It reminds you how much of an impact high school had on your life and makes you thankful you’re bigger than that now!

5. The script is filled with enough one line motivational sayings to fill a small self help book. You can’t help but being a little ‘self helped’ and uplifted along the way.

I received a complimentary copy of 'Only You' in order to complete this review. All opinions expressed are purely my own honest thoughts on this product. Thanks you to Aussie Mummy Bloggers and good people of Porter Novelli for reveiw referrral.

What I Thought:

The Elevator Pitch

2011-02-15T10:05:00.000+11:00

31 Days to Build A Better Blog

(Day One)

'The Elevator Pitch'

The idea is to have a short and sharp piece that you can say about yourself when the opportunity arises...The goal is both to communicate what you do and entice the person receiving your pitch to want to know more....Knowing what your blog is about helps you in developing every aspect of it. (Thanks for the summary Louisa at Aussie Blogger Mums)

So without further fluffing around and after staying up post Zumba class last night (yay me) here it is: I'd love any feedback (good, bad or indifferent) - I promise not to cry - too much.

The Truth About Mummy is the unfolding story on one mummy’s attempt to balance the desire to be a ‘Super Stay-at-Home Mum’ with the need to be recognised for the intelligent and creative person that she was before moving into the mummy-hood. With a cast of the ‘Mummy’, the ‘Dear One’ and the ‘three little pink people’ it is an honest confessional about the good, the bad - and all of the things that come in-between (when raising kids in the mummy lane).

Sometimes inspirational, a little educational, but mostly just sincere reflections from the heart of a mummy striving for the best for herself and her family. You’ll find stories, reviews, ideas, recipes, giveaways and inspirational tales of other extraordinary mummies living their ordinary lives in the mummy-hood.

While a personal ‘mummy blog’ The Truth About Mummy is also committed to supporting other mummies searching for the balance needed to be a quality mum and a self-fulfilled person in today’s society. To this end we regularly review and promote the businesses and initiatives of women stepping out and making things happen for themselves.

So, what do you think? Comments please :)

The ITG & 31DBBB

2011-02-14T13:40:00.000+11:00

Over the weekend I tried, and mostly failed, to find my 'Inner Teckno Geek' (ITG). I was so sure she was there somewhere, deep down under the layers of mushy mummy brain, just waiting to be re-activated. But alas no. Do you think maybe she has just gone on a long-term overseas holiday and forgotten to tell me? I don't know - but I'm just going to have to get on with my life without her.

Anyhoo without the ITG I have somehow managed to set myself up a Facebook Fan page and a Twitter account. (Follow the links up to the right if your own ITG would like to check I've done it right!) What really struck me was the amount of time it took. All the time saving technology is sure a time waster! But it's all for a good cause - so here ends my moaning on the subject. Putting on my 'happy face' right about now!

Tomorrow I'm starting the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog course (written by Darren Rowse) which is being run over at the Aussie Mummy Bloggers page by Louisa of Everything is Edible. Doing this evidently works better with Twitter and a FBFP (facebook fan page) - which is what led me to looking for my ITG in the first place. This is going to be interesting. I've had a bit of a look through the E-Book and am a little excited. A little nervous too. I already have a few blogging commitments waiting patiently on my desk for me to follow up on. I've got a couple of reviews pending - one of which is for a super creative new mummy business started by some lovely ladies up on the Gold Cost. They do beautiful work and thrilled to be able to offer them some promotional support. And as always the three little pink people in my life come first. Balance. Balance. Balance. Always seeking it and often falling over while trying to find it!

Writing The Truth About Mummy has become a unexpectedly fun filled and interesting journey. I start out blogging because I felt a little lost in my mummy role and needed an outlet to 'Just be Me'. And here I am still being ME so it must be working. Over the next 31 days I'm hoping to learn a bit more about how to write and use a blog more effectively. It's another little journey I'm embarking on. And with this blog it's very much the journey that is important rather than the final product - as I doubt there will ever be a final product. This little blog post HERE sums it up pretty well. And by the way, if you do happen to see my ITG hanging out on some beach somewhere could you send her home. I could really use her help!

Thanks Google Images for the picture. Maybe my ITG has taken off with him?

Happiness

2011-02-13T21:07:00.000+11:00

"Happiness a Journey Not a Destination.

Enjoy Your Commute"

The Butt Blogger Blogs again

2011-02-12T15:19:00.001+11:00

I honesty don't have much to report this week. I have simply been trying to eat mindfully (which is working most of the time) and been attempting to move my butt more. Simple.

I did have a small light bulb moment. Did you know I love to put food in my mouth when I'm tired? (Yup - I'm totally amazed too:). The lovely Cate from Keep Cate Busy clued me into that fact that this is probably pretty normal. That is, to crave what sustains you when you're feeling at your lowest. Interesting hey. For me it's at night after the kids are in bed. I love to sit down and eat something yummy - it's kind of like looking after myself after spending all day looking after others. If I'm not overly tired I can reason my way past that feeling, but if I've had a few sleepless nights then my willpower turns to mush. So, I as don't seem to be able to avoid the sleepless nights at the moment (to many little pink people in my house for that) I've decided to be healthier about what I choose to put in my mouth. I've been having skim milk, light yoghurt and fruit milkshakes. It's still rather delicious and comforting - but not so bad for my butt! At this stage in my life I don't think I can do without that little bit of comfort eating, so for now I'm keeping it and just making some adjustments.

Looks nothing like this - but you get the picture.

I have been pretty good at moving my butt this week. I've walked the beautiful Lake Wendouree (6kms) with one of my besties. I've attended Body Balance and found this can be a great aerobic workout as well as great for the core! And I've continued with my WII Fitting. I can now run the Island lap with without too much stress. I know it's not the same as actual 'shoe hitting the road' running - but just allow me this moment of self pride anyways! This week my goals is to add a Zumba class to the mix - wish me luck!

I haven't weighed myself this week. Mostly because the kids have an elaborate game of mums and dads set up all over the playroom and have requested that I don't use the WII until later ..... much later! But my clothes are telling me they're happier and that is good enough for me. I'm not much for scales these days .... I just don't think they're the best way to measure achievement.

Well there you go, for a girl who said there was not much to say I seem to have said a bit! Hope everyone else has had a positive week and is feeling fit and healthy. Oh, one thing. What will happen to Blogger Butts post Conference? I'm loving the support and sharing and would love it to continue is some form. Any thoughts out there?

On being thankful ...

2011-02-12T09:01:00.002+11:00

Being thankful has always been a bit of a 'thing' with me. I truly believe that showing gratitude can change your life. (I think what I mean when I say that is that it can change the landscape inside your mind, and that of cause, is the most direct route to changing your life!) So, as you can imagine I am loving Maxabella Loves and her grateful weekend linky

Some Thank-you flowers for Maxabella

So this week I'm grateful for Maxabella Loves's beautiful blog and the chance she gives us all to share our gratitude with each other. Thank-you Maxabella. All this lovely positive energy you're spreading is fabulous!

I'm also grateful for a little challenge I'm taking over the next month or so to improve my blog and blogging. Now this one is in fact a little scary for me. I'm taking part in 31 Days to Build a Better Blog which is being run over at the Aussie Mummy Bloggers. To this end I've set up a Facebook Fan Page and a will be learning to use my inactive Twitter account. (The Facebook link is just up to the right - please feel free to click on it :) Will I be able to keep up? Will my writing style be good enough? Will my knowledge of technology s-t-r-e-t-c-h far enough to see me through? Will my dyslexic brain be up for the challenge? For all these questions, and the slight sense of fear I'm feeling, I am grateful.

And just finally, I'm so grateful for sleep. (How many mother have said that over the years I wonder?) After years and years of babies and toddlers and their erratic sleeping patterns I'm getting some decent sleep. Not every night mind you - but enough to feel human again on a regular basis. I am totally grateful for sleeping children.

PS - I'm also link up HERE as well today

A jog around the blogs

2011-02-10T17:06:00.000+11:00

Today, we here at the Truth About Mummy have been taking a little journey around the bloggosphere, and well done to you out there, the bloggosphere is just a fab place to be. First we stopped of that Diminishing Lucy to print out the recipe for some yummy Manky Narnie muffins for the school and kinder lunch boxes. They turned out just like the lovely lady said they would. Now I just have to work out the best way to freeze them and I have the necessary seven lunch time snacks for the lunch box for next week (5 x school and 2 x kinder)

Then I stopped over at Sleepless nights and Everything is Edible for my regular dose of thinking material about motherhood and life. Sleepless Nights is actually talking about mummy bloggers today and is the inspiration for this post. The mummy blogger scene really is a big old fashioned Mothers Group. We used to meet in halls and houses and swap recipes and stories over bad International Roast Coffee - but now we meet here. I guess there is good and bad in that. The ideas, the support, the information swapping is all fabulous on such a wide scale. But it can't really compete, totally, with a face to face confab with a good friend who can see your tears and your laughter and knows your kids personally. Or do you think differently?

Next on my little journey was the fabulous Frills in the Hills (note to self stop saying fabulous SO much). Here I was stunned to see I had actually won her recent Pilot giveaway for making a comment regarding tips for when the kids returned to school. I think it went something like this "fill out all school notes/forms as soon as they come home and put them straight back in their school bags. That way you'll know you've completed them and can't forget! They sure come thick and fast". Thank you Ms Frills. Thank you Pilot. I am a self confessed stationery addict. I am to Office Works what paper is to glue! I have a secret stash in a draw on my desk that NOBODY is allowed to touch. Oh happy dance - I can add to it now :O)

And finally, to round out my bloggy day, I checked my real world mail box on returning home from the walk to pick up the Big Pink from the school bus. There, thanks to the super fabulous (I know - but when the word fits) Brenda of Mummy Time , the Aussie Mummy Bloggers Website and Porter Novelli I found I have a Movie to Review. So now I can put the kids to bed, put my feet up and put on the DVD player- YAY. (Okay - that will be after my trip to the gym for my third Body Balance session and after fighting to get the Dear One to miss a night of TOP GEAR repeats).

Thanks Bloggyworld - it's been a great day.

Thinking about showing up

2011-02-09T04:56:00.001+11:00

I think it was Woody Allen who said '90% of success in life is just in showing up'.

I wonder?  Could it really be that easy?

They do say (whoever they are) 'the first step is generally the hardest'. I can think of quiet a few examples in my own life where I have found this to be true. The Dear One and I started a business a few years back.  The 'thinking about it' stage was filled with anxiety and fears. But when we made a decision, went to the bank and started, it all just seemed to happen.

I can't tell you how many times in the past I've thought about doing something new, that reaches out of my comfort bubble, only to be assaulted by fear of what might or might not happen.  Fear, is very good at surrounding us when we've got choices to make and tempting us to shrink back to the safe. But really maybe fear is just a part the growing process. Like the book says "Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway!"

Perhaps there is something to be said for the words of Mr Allen.

Blog Following Habits

2011-02-07T12:33:00.060+11:00

I have become a blog following addict. Sad but true. I have fallen in love with the game of following and being followed in the fabulously diverse landscape of the mummy blogger.

There you have it - I've admitted it!

There are so many wonderful blogs around, written by such an extraordinary bunch of ordinary everyday people just like you and me. I am in total awe at the collective amount of fabulous information, advice, expertise and ability there is on offer to anyone willing to search and read. And on top of that the fabulously supportive community the blog world seems to inspire. I've seen some tremendous things happen - especially over the past few months. (Well done you and me for being part of it!).

Some Random blog following facts about The Truth About Mummy:

I have about 100 blogs on my Blog Roll which I regularly try to keep up with and comment on. (Check them out if you need some new ones yourself - I'll share!
I love to read the comments others make on blog posts I follow and will often divert off to see someone else's blog if they leave a good/interesting comment.
I get very excited when I get a new follower myself (usually do a little happy dance!). I will always try to follow them back but get very frustrated when I can't find their blog link on their profile page.
I currently have 135 lovely followers but would love to have 200. I have no idea why - it just makes me feel good :O)
I am currently following over 500 blogs in google reader. Is this normal I ask? I would love to know how many other people are following - just to make me feel a little more on the normal side.
One of the many great things about following blogs are the giveaways. I love a giveaway (even if I don't win) and can't resist signing up for them.

The lovely Lucy of Keeping Up With Lucy has come up with a great solution to the problem of not being able to follow people from their profile page. Please check out Blog Love , if you haven't already, and share some more blog loving around! It's a wonderful way of finding even more great blogs ....... yup - just what I need!

Are you a blog following addict? Do you have some crazy blog following habits? Share some with me .... it will make the 500 odd blogs I stalk very happy.

Blogger Butt Boogie

2011-02-06T08:31:00.004+11:00

Back again for some more butt blogging.

This might be my week to need that 'free pass' that has been floating around the blogger butt challenge. Thankfully I'm not at all stressed about this and don't even feel guilty - even though my trusty Wii Fitting Machine tells me I've gained 100g. (pffft 100gs - nothing much to worry about there Mr Wii :) I have had a big and emotional week and did fall back into my old pattern of comfort eating. That's okay -it was a big week and I refuse to get to cross at myself about it.

Today I'm going to list a few good and bad decisions I've made over the past week. Bit of a confessional to keep me honest.

THE GOOD

I did return to the gym for my second body balance session.
I did go for a jog/walk around our 4 km block (i did stop 8 times too!!)
I did continue to do my Wii Fitting - even though I really didn't want to one day.
I didn't allow myself not to feel guilty about eating to much.

THE BAD

I did comfort eat at night after the girls were tucked up in bed - several times.
I didn't allow myself to get intentionally hungry very often.
I did eat chocolate with my lovely friend Corrie from Seven Years On when she visited.

So that's what I've been up to. A tiring and emotional week leads to some un-intentional eating which leads to no weight loss and a little weight gain. Interesting though. Tired eating seems to be a real key with me (which would fit with the weight gain while sleep deprived thingy). I wonder how I could change that and put something better in place for myself rather than comfort eating to sooth tiredness?

Once again thanks to Naomi from the fabulous Seven Cherubs and Michelle the inspirational Farmers Wifey for Blogger Butt Challenge. Pop over and link in your own fitness fess ups ;)

Grateful for tiles and breathing space for my soul

2011-02-05T11:00:00.000+11:00

Joining with Maxabella over at Maxabella Loves to share the top three of my grateful list with you.

This week I am grateful for:

My beautiful new kitchen tiles. Some patience has been required waiting for them to arrive at house renovation central ... but yesterday they did. The tiler arrived amidst a long and hugely important telephone call, without prior warning, to a kitchen that had not been cleared. Bless him though, he helped me shift the contents of my kitchen benches (including the remains of breakfasts *insert embarrassed blush here*) onto the table. And now I have my long awaited tiles - for which I'm very thankful.

Visits from friends. Today my lovely friend Corrie from Seven Years On is taking the 2 hours plus drive up to Ballarat to visit. She has four fabulously energetic young boys and watching them interact with my three little pink people is hilarious and 100 percent energy packed fun. For friends taking the time to visit I am grateful.

For a little breathing space for my soul. My blog has been quiet the past few days. If you've read my last couple of tiny posts you'll know I'm in 'take a step back' mode, allowing life to wash over me, replenish and refresh me before making some decisions about the future. I call this allowing myself breathing space for my soul. How wonderful to be living in a land, and in a way, where I can take this time for me. For this I am extremely grateful!

The SAHM returns ......

2011-02-03T10:00:00.000+11:00

Now I have finished work.

Today I am a SAHM full-time again.

It's been a tiring week so far - emotionally and physically and I feel like I need to step back and let my mind settle and unwind for a while.

I don't want to think or plan or prepare, but just be me as I am for a day or two.

School start back tomorrow for the biggest pink and kinder on Monday for the middle pink. The rhythm of family life begins again.

I am a SAHM full-time again.

(For a while anyway:)

Today is the

2011-02-02T08:29:00.000+11:00

Last day of work

Excited

Wondering how life will be without that extra income.

Looking forward to being able to keep on top of the housework again.

Excited about what is coming next.

Just a little sad to being closing that door.