My Dental Experience in Thailand …

    Please note, this is my personal story and an account of our experience when hubby and myself recently travelled to Thailand for dental work.  It is in no way a judgement of Australian dentists who, in my opinion, are qualified, well-trained, empathetic and ethical professionals.  It is also in no way a recommendation that everyone should book the next flight to Thailand, or any other country, to have dental work carried out.  The decision to have dental work, or any other medical procedure, performed in another country is a difficult, important and … read more

Bon Voyage … My Sweet Girl …

  My house is feeling a lot emptier than usual … 5 days ago, I said farewell to Miss 18 as she embarked on a Gap Year to the UK.  I’ve known it was coming for such a long time but it still managed to creep up on me until suddenly it was no longer something that was going to happen in the future … instead it was happening NOW and then, just as quickly, NOW became yesterday … and she was gone!   Her Gap Year was organised by her former school.  There are 14 students in total going and they have each been placed to live and work in a school in the UK for a … read more

10 Facts Every Woman Should Know …

  Everywhere you look, every day, we’re surrounded by “perfect” images of women on social media, billboards, TV, magazines and in the general press, so it’s no wonder that many of us can end up feeling less than adequate.  I stumbled across this post on Facebook today and it really resonated with me.  It’s a healthy dose of perspective to remind us that we need to believe in and love ourselves and that perfection is a myth … we’re only human, faults and all!  I thought I’d share it with you … let me know what you think.   Everyone has rolls when they … read more

Adult Colouring In … why it’s a “Thing” and how you can benefit! Plus 2 Free Printables!

  I've always known colouring in was therapeutic ... after all, I am the Mum of three beautiful girls and an aunt to over 30 nieces and nephews and I've done more than my fair share of it over the years.   When my girls were little, we'd sit down frequently to colour and draw and it would make me laugh when I realised I was still sitting colouring, lost in my own little world, long after they'd snuck away to entertain themselves with something else.  I used to find it very relaxing because, for those brief minutes, the act of colouring allowed me to switch … read more

The Story of the Red Bowl …

  Today I thought I’d take a break from recipes, organising, cleaning and decluttering tips, and instead share a little story that happened just a couple of weeks ago.   I recently visited my eldest daughter, Miss 25, who now works for a mining company a long way from home. She’s loving the experience, is really happy and I loved being able to visit and do some cooking while she was at work to stock the freezer for her. You can read more about that here. We had a great time having dinner at one of the only two restaurants in town on the first night, I … read more

Simple Tips to Help you Cope when you’re Having a Bad Day …

  We all have those days when nothing seems to go right … don’t we! In fact, I had one the other day, I slept in which meant we were late for school, I was late to an appointment, I lost my credit card, I got a flat tyre and my shoe broke ... and that was just before lunch! But when I have a day (or morning) like that, as much as I’d love to wave the white flag and concede defeat, I know that I just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward.   So when times are tough, here’s a list of simple, practical things that really … read more

Christmas Family Traditions …

  Christmas is a special time of year to spend time with family and friends and creating family traditions is a wonderful way to build lifelong memories.  Family traditions are simply the things we do year after year that have meaning, purpose and significance for us.  Every family will have different traditions that reflect their personalities, culture, budget and spirituality and having traditions is a delightful way to bond and reconnect with the people in our lives.   As an example, one of our family traditions is our Annual Pudding Day.  It’s usually … read more

Mother Knows Best …

  Mums are clever and usually always right (as much as we sometimes hate to admit that)!  However, there’s a certain security and trust in their wisdom because it comes from years and years of experience.  Mums constantly share little pieces of information and encouragement to help and guide us as we navigate our way through childhood.  My own Mum certainly dished out her own little “pearls of wisdom” and, although I’m sure she felt her words sometimes fell on deaf ears, I can assure her, I really was listening! And what’s ironic is, now that I have my own … read more

My 10 Point Survival Guide for Mums …

  Being a Mumma can be the most rewarding thing any of us ever do but it can also be really hard.  As much as we love our kids, it can often feel like “groundhog day” ... endless days of relentless routine and days where nothing goes right … you know what I mean!  Some days it feels like the world is crashing down around us.  There are days when the littlies are sick and want nothing more than to be carried all the time which makes it harder to get much else done.  There are days when the hours fly by like they are minutes and days when the house feels like it’s … read more

A Letter to My Girls …

Today, I thought I would share a letter I wrote to my beautiful daughters a couple of years ago …     To my Darling Girls,   The road you travel through your teenage years can be full of potholes and obstacles, destined to trip you as you walk this difficult path.  But with a positive attitude, a big smile and a guiding hand along the way, your journey need not be so tough.  Reach out and take our hands and we’ll tread this path together.  You don’t ever need to walk alone and, remember, we will always be there to catch you should you … read more