TGIF !!

I know that I am definitely glad it's Friday - even though it's been a short week, it's been a long week.

I know that it seems like I am wishing my life away but I'm not, promise, I'm not - I just enjoy the weekend more than week days.

I know that I only have 6 address labels left which will all get used up today so the universe will definitely know that it's time for us to move on and send a buyer to our home for the open house tomorrow.

I know that Project Brighten Someone's Day has probably brightened my days more than it's brightened anyone else !!

I know that catching up with a friend I haven't seen in forever is a great thing happening tonight.

I know that if K's plans for the next 18 months come together, I'm going to miss her heaps BUT it may also be a good excuse for us to travel to see her.

I know that I am so pleased I don't have to do the whole school uniforms, book lists, shoe shopping thing anymore and want to wish all those children out there a happy year at school.

I know that I am very different from a lot of Moms whose blogs I read - I didn't cry when K started school but that may have had something to do with the fact that I was back working full time from when she was about a month old.  Now, our nanny, wasn't quite the same - she wouldn't come out of her room on K's first day of school - never mind that she had been going to kindy for 2 years !!  When we finally got her to come downstairs to have her photo taken with K, she had puffy eyes and tears running down her cheeks - poor thing !  I wish we had stayed in touch with her.

I know that I am not looking forward to Mt Washmore on Sunday.

I know that if I don't tackle Mt Washmore on Sunday, I'm going to be playing detective next week trying to find some clean clothes.

I know that I could put my head down right now and nap for a couple of hours.

I know that this isn't possible given where I am right now.

I know that it's Friday which means it's time to link in with Miss Cinders for TIK - the easiest linky on the planet.

Have the best day !

What do you have planned for the weekend ?

Is the weather cr*p where you live ?

TFTD : There are far, far better things up ahead than any we leave behind.

Things I Know

Today I know that I am grateful for the small amount of rain we had yesterday which helped to bring the temperatures down to a more livable level.

Today I know that I am grateful to K who found out everything there is to know about theme park passes for BIL and SIL for when they arrive on the coast on Saturday - it saved me having to do it !!

Today I know that one of the best decisions we made, as a family, was to immigrate to Australia.

Today I know that we will be celebrating Australia Day just as passionately as anyone born in Australia.

Today I know that it will be difficult to know what to watch on TV tonight - Federer plays Nadal (IMHO this should have been the finals) and Australia plays England in the 4th ODI (yes, it's a dead rubber but that won't stop me watching it).

Today I know that I am seriously contemplating going to the league 9's in Auckland next week seeing as we won't be moving that weekend.

As it's Friday, I'm joining in with Miss Cinders for the Things I Know linky which is always such an easy linky to join in with !!

Have a great Australia Day long weekend if you live in Australia - and have a great weekend if you don't !

What do you know today ?

Who do you think will win the

tennis tonight ?

TFTD :  Your life isn't perfect, but it does have perfect moments.

Thankful Thursday

As I write this I am sitting with an ever growing shopping list next to me.  This Saturday some family arrive from Perth.  This Saturday some family arrive from Rocky.  This Saturday some family arrive from Adelaide.

Thankfully they aren't all staying with us - just the 4 from Perth.

This Sunday we are having an open house - but not the open house that we have had over the past 3 weekends - an open house for all the family who have arrived on the coast from around the country.  We will all be together on Saturday night for a nephew's engagement but on Sunday it will be a lot more casual.

Thankfully we have a pool that the children (and adults) can swim in should the weather require it.

It isn't very often that we manage to get this many of our family together in one place so I imagine that there will be lots of talking, lots of laughing and even more drinking of alcoholic beverages.

Thankfully we have aircon that can be switched on, so if it gets too hot outside we can all move inside to the cool.

There will be lots of food and drinks.  I am sure that there will be lots of 'remember whens' as well.  At this stage I'm not really sure of exactly how many people will be there but that doesn't really matter - whoever pitches up, will be there.  Whoever doesn't make it will probably miss out on giving their tummy muscles a good workout.

Thankfully we are financially able to do this for our family.

There will be tennis and cricket on the TV.  Unfortunately we only have one TV so it will be a case of majority rules as to what we watch.  I don't think the children will get much of a look in to watch any movies on Sunday - unless it's in the afternoon when everyone has eaten and drunk too much and crashed on the couches and mattresses for an afternoon nap !

Thankfully I am not the stress head that I used to be and can do casual, open house without worrying to much about it.  At the end of it all, the house will probably need a really good clean but that is OK - so long as it's done once the visitors have left on Wednesday night - it will all be good.

For any South African's reading this - on the menu (so far) are boerewors rolls and milk tart - I am thinking of making at least six milk tarts because no matter how many I make, there never seem to be any left overs. I get that those are probably both rather un-Australian but, given how multi-cultural Australia is, we should be good.

Because it's Thursday, I'm joining in with Rhianna for Thankful Thursday over at A Parenting Life - why not join in as well because we all have 'stuff' to be thankful for.

What are your plans for

Australia Day ?

Do you have any traditions for

the day ?

TFTD :  Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars : you have to let go at some point in order to move forward. 

I Know, It's A Process

And I have to be patient but honestly, I. Have. Had. Enough.

Four weeks into having a house on the market and I am totally over it.  Four weeks ago I was the positive one, the one who believed that there were heaps of people out there who would just love to live in our home.

Four weeks ago, I believed that having 60 days to sell our house would be more than enough time.

Four weeks ago, I believed that by the end of February we would be in our new home, planning where we were going to build for my folks.

Four weeks ago, I was naive enough to believe all of the above.

Four weeks on I have come to the realisation that I am no longer that positive.

Four weeks on I have come to the realisation that I don't know if there is anyone who wants to live in our home.

Four weeks on I have come to the realisation that people don't read adverts properly.  Nowhere on the advert is 'Living on water' mentioned or even implied and yet people turn up each week to our open house and leave, disappointed, because it isn't on water.  I guess they thought it was a real bargain at that price on water !!!

Four weeks on I have realised that I am not as patient as I thought I could be.

Four weeks on I just want to pull the pin on the whole thing and get back to living my life like normal instead of living around open houses and wondering about what is going to happen and when we are likely to move.

Four weeks on I don't want my lack of positivity to hinder the process but I am battling to 'keep my chin up' and remember that 'what will be will be' and that 'everything happens for a reason' - right now it all sucks big time and I am feeling miserable.

I know it's a process that has to run it's course but I feel like a petulant toddler who wants to throw a tantrum by lying on the floor and screaming the roof down.

But, because it's Tuesday and it's been forever since I have joined in with the lovely Jess from EssentiallyJess for #IBOT.

Do you have any experience in

selling your home ?

Was it a good or bad experience for you ?

Please let me know I'm not the only one

who gets impatient with things like this.

TFTD : Yesterday is gone.  Tomorrow has not yet come.  We have only today. Let us begin.

Do I Know Anything ?

Of course I do !!!!!  Everyone knows something !

Linking in with Miss Cinders from The Miss Cinders for Things I Know today because, as she always reminds us, we all know sh*t.

- I know that I feel different about social media after having that break over Christmas and the New Year

- I know that I missed my friends who live in my computer

- I know that they are truly amazing ladies who I am proud to call my friends

- I know that I really appreciated the time that I got to spend with my family instead of being on the computer

- I know that I love growing a business that makes others happy and feel better

- I know that this year is the year I get serious about my fitness again - my health is mostly back on track (except for the itches which are currently driving me up the wall but a couple of doses - some double - of phenergan keeps them relatively under control)

Here's to a FANTASTIC 2014 !  Have the best weekend !

What do you know today ?

TFTD : Find a partner who encourages you to grow, who won't cling to you, who will let you go out into the world, and trust that you will come back.

Bonus TFTD : Self-doubt is the enemy of personal growth.  It's only when we shed our apprehension about our own self-worth that we realise how much we are truly capable of and that we can access our true potential.

Thankful Thursday

Who forgets it's Thankful Thursday ?  Me, that's who !!!!  I am so out of the loop of blogging I completely forgot about TT over at Rhianna's A Parenting Life - but this post will make it all good for the day !

Right now I am thankful for all the new and returning clients I have had to The Body and Feet Retreat.  It has been so good catching up with clients I haven't seen for a while and meeting new clients.  I am even more grateful for the word of mouth advertising that my clients have been doing which has resulted in the new clients coming to see me.  One lady is up from Sydney visiting family and she wanted to know if I had ever considered moving to Sydney because she would come to me every week for a massage !!!

When K called just now to have a chat, I mentioned that I had a client at 6pm tonight and her reply to that was "Gosh, you have been a really busy bee with your business this year haven't you" - and she wouldn't be wrong.  I have had more clients come for treatments since the beginning of the year than I had in the last two months of last year !  Most nights I start between 5-6pm and finish around about 9.15pm.  While it has been tiring, it has also been so fulfilling.  I love being able to watch clients walk out feeling better than when they arrived.

I will probably continue to see clients for another two weeks and then, all things going according to plan, we will be busy packing up to move.  I am very excited about my new therapy room which has direct access outside so it will be more professional and less stress for me in terms of making sure that the kitchen / diningroom  / lounge are all tidy before clients arrive.

Have a terrific Thursday !

What are you thankful for today ?

TFTD  :  The biggest lie "When I get what I want I will be happy."  The truth is, you will be about as happy as you decide to be.

This Is Not What I Expected To Blog About

Wow - I wasn't expecting to take a break from blogging but it seems that I did.  And, while I have certainly missed my friends who 'live inside my computer' - I have felt some relief at not feeling the pressure of trying to think of things to post about.  The break has done me the world of good.

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and New Year - both were very quiet for us (which suited us old fogies down to the ground) and, although it was quiet, we were certainly busy getting our home ready to put on the market.  It is now on the market and things are progressing very well.

Now, those of you who have been following my blog for a while will know that I am not the most maternal person going - OK, I'm not maternal by any stretch of the imagination BUT I do still know right from wrong when it comes to children.  I may not be able to inter-act with them very well but these two stories, in the past 24 hours, have left me scratching my head with my mouth hanging open.

News story last night - two children, aged 4 and 10, were left about 300m from the flags on the beach while their parents went shopping.  Firstly, which parents would leave two children that age unsupervised anywhere - never mind on the beach ?  And secondly, which parents would leave two children that age unsupervised anywhere - never mind on the beach ?  The little girl went into the ocean and got caught in a rip.  Thankfully a board rider heard / saw her and rescued her.  That could so easily have ended very very badly for that family.  Can you imagine how her older brother would have felt as he would (I assume) have been told to 'look after your little sister' ?  Given how un-maternal I am - I still would not have done that to my child.

News story today - 19 children had to be rescued from locked cars in Victoria.  Yesterday the temps in Victoria were horrible.  At 6pm last night the temp was still 43°.  By 9pm it had dropped to 38°.  Again, which parents think it's OK to leave their child locked in a car ?  Never mind about the heat - who locks their child in a car ?  Again, given how un-maternal I am - I know that it isn't right to lock my child in a car.

So it begs the question - are they not maternal or are they just plain dumb-arses ?  I'd like to think that people who have children have a protective instinct - somewhere, that they would protect them at any cost and if this is the case, what were these parents thinking ?  Or where they just not thinking ?  But that begs the question - how can you have children and not think about what you are doing with them ?  Where you are leaving them ?  How safe will they be ?  While I don't want to believe that every second person walking around is a pedophile,  you would have to think that two children alone on a beach, 300m from where most people are sitting / playing / swimming, would be easy prey for anyone so inclined.

I am just shocked that parents can treat their children like this.  It has just blown my mind.

Am I being unreasonable ?

Would you leave your child

 under 10 unsupervised ?

TFTD : It's not always where you are in life, but who you have by your side that matters.