Day 816

It's the end of another year.  I've gotta tell ya, in my mind 2011 had a hell of a lot more forward movement in it that 2010 did. I mean, 2010 was a good year but I found it to be a very frustrating fascinating year.  Yes, there were frustrations fascinations galore in 2011 as well, but on the whole there was a whole lot more forward movement than the year before.

Every Christmas and birthday I give my kids a book (rather than a card) and in the front of that book I write them a message.  Their Christmas book usually has a summary of their year to help them chart their lives.  For example I might write "this year you played soccer for the first time, got your first BMX bike and trained your eyes to help you read a little easier".  Or something like that. And I continue on for a few paragraphs of recognition.  Just little summaries to celebrate their year that was.

So I figured I could do the same for myself here.  I help others celebrate their lives all the time. Perhaps today is the day I should celebrate my own.  Because no matter how poorly you think you feel, or how shitty you think your life is (or phases of it) there is always something to celebrate. Always. You've just got to find it.

So here is my 2011 celebration:

This year I had my first book published, secured the Foreword and illustrator for another book, wrote another three books and publicly declared myself a "children's book author" to the world.  From a business perspective I opened my mind to the possibilities, renewed my business focus and increased my client base and networks in the process.  I actually got myself a coach and developed a brand new product line which will be directed at children to assist with self worth, resilience, health and fitness.  During that process I had discussions with the ACT Government and wrote my first ever grant application.

From a friendship point of view I visited people (close by and with travel involved) attended celebrations, held babies, made loads of phone calls, sent text messages and cemented some on-line friendships. From a family point of view I got to be 100% involved with the lives of my children all year and was able to actively parent them every step of the way.  I also got to be involved in Chelsea's wedding celebration in a relaxed and fully supportive way.  Plus I got to see my Nanna turn 90.

Derek and I had an enormous fight during the year (mammoth) which scared the bejeebers out of me, but made us stronger in the end.  We have further cemented ourselves as husband and wife for life. As an extended family (included my folks) we got to go to the Gold Coast this year and we also got a winter escape to Hawaii (again with my folks and Derek's brother's family).  There was lots of time spent by the beach or at the farm throughout the year.

I was nominated for an ACT Lifeline "women of spirit" award this year which was nice in recognition of my work with the cheerleaders, plus I got to finish my cheer coaching career with a gorgeous group of year 6 children, while continuing to lead and inspire the younger cheerleaders.  Another successful trip to Nationals capped it all off nicely.

This year my health was quite good, despite the challenges.  Sure, I had some strange things going on with the dizzies, vertigo and other strange stuff that disabled me for a bit and left me unable to drive, and I have aches and pains and migraine, but it always passes eventually and it hasn't killed me (yet) so it all probably just makes me stronger.

Yeah, 2011 is worthy of celebration from a me, me, me point of view.

I am almost sad to see it end ....

I wonder what 2012 will bring!

Day 815

I am still visualising that dream house in my mind.  As I sit and plan for my new product line, I do so with clear visuals of me sitting in that home office, with the kids playing downstairs in the rumpus room and Husband in his own office space. I can see it as plain as day.  The thought of the mortgage almost sends me into hyperventilation mode, but then the productivity that could occur in that space would totally counter-balance it all.

The house is still for sale. It is not yet "under offer".  They won't accept our bid but it seems no one else is bidding either, soooo ....

We'll sit and wait.  And visualise.

Day 814

Today we are going to talk about Chairs. The Rio Gear beach chair to be precise.

When we were in Hawaii this year the hotel pool was closed, so to keep the guests happy the concierge would provide us with little fold up beach chairs with enclosed towel that we could wear as a back pack and walk to the beach.  We fell in love with those little chairs.  They had little beach legs, a cup holder, mobile phone pocket, zip carry compartment, cooler bag compartment and the best part is that they would not only recline, but could lay flat.  And all of this could be strapped to your back for easy walking.

Imagine my delight when we walked into Costco a few weeks ago and found our Hawaiian chairs.  It was pure  bliss! Not only were they there and had ALL the compartments and special features, but they were less than $30  a chair.  So we bought 12 of the bloody things.

Yep.  The Clampets have arrived with a big dose of Griswold's thrown in.  Everyone in the extended family got a Hawaiian beach chair for Christmas and as a group we now strap them to our backs and walk up the beach  in perfect formation.  There is no stopping us.  We are in Aloha heaven ....

Go get yourself a chair.  I highly recommend them

This is not a paid promotion - I genuinely love the chairs. They are made by Rio Gear and can be found at your local Aussie Costco.  They are not totally magical though. In reference to yesterday's post, carrying the chairs does put a strain on my neck.  It doesn't dispel the love though.  Photos of my own special chair below.  

look at the little cup holder there on thee side with mobile phone pocket next to it, and the lovely little neck pillow

the main zipper pocket is at top with the cooler pocket underneath (you can see the shoulder straps hanging underneath) . That other leg folded at the back also acts as a towel rack. 

all folded up and ready to carry away

Laying down flat

Day 813

I am as stiff as a board.  Completely inflexible.  I'm not actually talking about my personality (although some may argue that description may fit) but my body.  For months my body has slowly been seizing up limb by limb.  It started with my neck and shoulders, which then refers pain to my head, and has gone through to my back and legs.  Now my arms are also feeling 100 years old.  I am only 40 and 813 days old (that's 42 and a bit in lay-man's terms).  Why is my body behaving this way?  Is it the fibromyalgia pain that I never seemed to have suffered in a big way before finally kicking in? Or is it age? Or is it just lack of exercise? Or a combination of all three?

Every morning I lay on the floor and do my stretching exercises.  Throughout the day I do a few more.  I used to be quite flexible (for an old tart) being able to lay down and lift my legs back towards my chest.  Notice that I said "towards" not against. I was never that flexible. But I was a hell of a lot more flexible than I am today.

I am hurting.  My body hurts.  It's constant.  And I'm not sure what to do about it ....

My New Year's resolution.  To become more flexible.  This whole fibro/age/lack of fitness is not going to beat me!!

Yoga anyone?

Day 812

Yesterday I sat in my Dad's study. I had his computer turned on with his Skype account open.  Next to it I had my new iddy biddy laptop.  Next to that I had the iPad with my Skype account ready and waiting, and Facebook sitting in the background.  Next to that I had my super smart LG phone with Facebook open and my emails downloading.  And I sat and I waited for my bestie to log onto something ... anything ... some form of connection ... from across the oceans to the east coast of the USA on their Christmas Day.  I needed to talk to her because Christmas Day is also her birthday.  This year it is a big birthday. 40. So I sat with all these gadgets and waited. Nothing.

Then we had visitors and I forgot about it all for a while.  My friends had come down from Brisbane for their family gathering at a nearby farm and had popped over the hill for a cuppa and a Christmas catch up.

When I returned to the study a couple of hours later I found that my bestie had Skyped Dad, and me and Facebooked me.  Bum. I missed her. And now she was turned off.

So I lined up my devices again and sat and waited.

Then Mum and Dad had visitors so I went to mingle with their people and to play Sticky Wicky with Darbs.  When I returned I found an odd symbol on my phone.  Tahlia told me it was someone trying to Facebook chat me.  Ohhhhhhh.  So I clicked on it (well not "clicked" on it as much as touched it with my too big finger) and there was Cathy chatting to me.  But for whatever reason I couldn't chat back.  My phone was frozen or the connectivity was bad or something. Bugger. I checked Skype on all the devices. She wasn't logged on.  I tried again to reply on Facebook. Nope. Frozen. So close but yet so far ...

Then today we got in the car to drive home for a quick unpack and reload before we go to the coast.  I have my new little pocket WiFi thingo. So there I was in the passenger seat with my phone, the iPad and the new iddy biddy laptop with Skype on, Facebook open and waited.  Hoping.

When we got home I thought "all this technology and still no contact!".

Then I went STUFF IT.

And I picked up the home phone and simply rang her ...

Yep. The good old fashioned not-being-bugged plugged-into-the-wall telephone.

And we talked ......

Finally.

Day 811

I am writing to you today from my brand new iddy biddy ASUS "fits in your handbag" laptop.  Why a laptop and not an iPad you ask?  Well, because I am a touch typist and I need to carry around full word processing capabilities for writing my books. So now I am not confined to a big screen, a keyboard with letters and buttons missing, and power cords, but instead have this little tiny thing with a real life touch-type keyboard that allows me to speed type anywhere and everywhere.  And with battery life to boot!! Gooooo you good thing. Yay!!! Good Husband.

What did you get for Christmas?

Day 810

Ho ho ho. Merry Christmas.

That's all. Nothing much else to say except ho ho ho. Too busy sharing the in-real-life love to hang here for too long. We are at the farm getting ready for extended family cooked luncheon gathering. No. We're not cooking the family. We are cooking lamb, pork, turkey and all the veges. Oh, and there is Christmas pudding, fruit salad and bon bons. Yay!

Wishing you a world of love and peace today. Hope Santa came.

See you tomorrow.

Day 809

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way ....

At the moment that should be "jingle boobs" given I have a severe case of the droops.  Losing weight in your middle years unfortunately means some saggy baggy bits.  Fat arse = firm and round.  Skinny bum = bones and drapery. I guess if I'd coupled the weight loss with exercise I may have had a better result ... but for now my headlights are pointing towards the ground and if I lay down they mysteriously disappear into my arm pits.  Is it too late to ask Santa for a boob job?

What am I doing today? Well, when I am not marveling at my jingle bits, I am packing for some time away.  We will start at the farm and then head to the coast.  For all you robbers out there don't think this is your free ticket to all things Langdown Lodge.  We have a kick arse back-to-base security system on the house with little "eyes" about the place.  So you won't escape ... The only thing worth stealing is the TV anyway. You definitely won't want this laptop as all the letters have rubbed off the keys and some of the keys are actually missing. I have now completely lost my E, U and Z. Hey Zeus!! Will the S be next?

My challenge right now is to stop Husband from actually packing the kitchen sink.

Before I sign off today I just wanted to say thank you.

Christmas is a time for joy, love, peace and magic, and it's also a time for gratitude. Thanks for having Deep Fried Fruit as part of your 2011. I look forward to seeing you in 2012.

Merry Christmas!! 

Just because I have sent my "merry's" today doesn't mean I won't be back. Given this is a daily diary, I will see you tomorrow.  You can try, but you can't get rid of me that easily. 

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way ....

Day 808

For the entire month of December I have been convinced our phone has been tapped.  It made sense because Derek is going through a major security clearance for work so I figured it was ok if the spooks bugged the phone. We have nothing to hide.

No, I'm not all paranoid and no, I don't have my walls lined with tin foil.  It's just that when I picked up my phone to dial out it had a weird tone which convinced me someone was hacking into our calls.  

I didn't think too much about it other than that it was going for a long time.

Then last week I rang home.  Usually our answering machine would pick up, but this time it didn't.  The phone kept ringing and ringing.  Who turned the machine off?  Just as I was about to hang up I got the Telstra Home Message Service asking me to leave a message. 

What the?!?!

Since when did we have Telstra messaging service??

Holy crap.  

That's the weird dial tone!!! We're not being bugged at all ... it's telling us we have messages.  

So I raced home and had to ring a friend to find out how I retrieve the messages (given I didn't order the bloody thing and have never used it).  

Turns out we had a shit load of voice mail and once I cleared it all the phone returned to it's normal tone.  We're not being bugged at all!  How funny ....

How very very funny.  

And I promise I'm not paranoid ....

But now I'm sitting here sucking my thumb wondering how many unanswered friends I've lost in the process ...

Day 807

Overdue electricity notice.

Overdue water and sewerage notice.

Added together they total over $1000.

Bugger!!



Time to start shopping for Tahlia's new school uniform.  She will be attending a "ladies college" next year.  Well ... its not so much a ladies college as a Catholic school for girls.  Her uniform is not cheap and we haven't managed to find any hand-me-downs.  It'll cost us hundreds.  Today we go and put it on lay-by.

We also got a notice about her book pack.  We've got to buy the school issued bits and bobs.  $75.

My first mobile phone bill for my new phone came in last week.  My capped plan of $49 came in at over $200.  Something to do with me being between plans and it having to get pro-rata'ed.  I called to question.  They explained.  I am none-the-wiser but Husband understands it all.  It sucks.

Our back-to-base security provider called yesterday.  Apparently there is an issue with our payments or something?   Shit.

I'm too scared to open the rest of the mail.  Ignorance is bliss and all that.


Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining.  I'm just realising that the magic of Christmas (and all this wonderfully uninhibited Christmas shopping) doesn't mean the bills stop arriving nor the commitments become any less pressing.  Money is spewing from our bank account.

Spewing!!!

Day 806

The fabulously frustrating fascinating world of FFS ....

Husbands just wouldn't be husbands without a big dose of FFS thrown in on a weekly basis.

I don't like going to the malls when it is busy. That's why I plan my Christmas shopping for first thing in the morning, with concise lists and limited need for a return visit.  I will not shop the week before Christmas. No way. Of course there are exceptions to this rule - the first being when actually shopping FOR my husband's gift, as well as the last minute need to shop FOR/on behalf of my husband.  The former is my cross to bear, the latter is a great big dose of FFS and one I'm still taking deep breaths about.

I asked Chelsea what she would like for Christmas. She said "Paco Rabanne Lady Million" perfume. I have no idea what that is but I will get that sorted.

So I told Husband.

Ok, he says.  But she's my daughter I will buy it for her.  I have a guy who I sell comics to on EBay who specialises in perfume. I'll ask him.

Righteo then.  Over to you Husband ....

That was four weeks ago.

As you know I had my Christmas shopping trip around three weeks (or so) ago. Want me to pick up Chelsea's perfume? No, he says. I'll do it.

A week later.  Have you ordered Chelsea's perfume Husband? You'll need to allow plenty of time for delivery.

No. What is the name of the perfume again?


I wrote it on a Post It and gave it to him.

Another week goes by.  Have you ordered Chelsea's perfume Husband?  We'll be seeing them for an early Christmas.  Need plenty of time for delivery.

No, will get it sorted.


Last Saturday as I was out shopping for the big Langdown Christmas Bash I got a phone call. I juggled my bags, dropped my keys (which broke the door-unlocker-button) and almost dropped the phone trying to answer Husband's call.

What is the name of that perfume again? I'm at the mall.  Will look into it ...


FFS. I sat in the gutter with my bags and scrolled through the text messages trying to find Chelsea's original message with the name of the perfume.  Paco Rabanne Lady Million.

I'm going to go look for it now.


Ok. good.

So I then forget about the perfume until Sunday.   You got that perfume for Chelsea so I can wrap it?

Oh, I didn't get it, they didn't have it at the chemist.


The chemist?!  You went to the flippin' chemist? Did you try anywhere else? You needed to go to Myer or a perfumery or something.

Oh yeah. They said that. Apparently it's around everywhere. Not to worry. I'll get it.


So now Derek is on his way back from the coast and we are meeting with Pat and Chelsea tonight to exchange gifts.  I am thinking there will be no time for him to get perfume. So yesterday before I went to my nails appointment I arrived at the mall at opening to check out the whole Paco Rabanne Lady Million situation.

Myer have a special gift pack which you get for free with the 50ml bottle. It has other lotions and potions with the perfume in a very nifty "safe". I thought that sounded lovely!

The bad news was there were none left. They had sold out the day before.  FFS. Are you shitting me?!  Can I get some anywhere?

They rang around Canberra and found one box left in the city.  They put it on hold for two hours.

I rang Husband.  Did you get that perfume yet?

No. But I will.


No you won't. They're sold out! I have some on hold in Civic. It's the last box.

Thanks Wife, that's great.


I really should have got this three weeks ago you know.  When I first suggested it.  Before it all ran out.

Oh well he says. That happens.


That happens?  That happens?!!! As I was driving around the city in bumper to bumper traffic trying to get the last car park in the entire place for the last box of specially gift packed Paco Rabanne Lady Million I was thinking THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO HAPPEN!!!

You frustrate fascinate me Husband. You really really fascinate me.

Merry Christmas Chelsea.  Luckily you're one in a Paco Rabanne Lady Million ....

Day 805

Shhhhhh .....


It's quiet here.


I am all alone.


Completely and utterly alone.


Even the dog has left me.

On the spur of the moment Derek took Max and the kidlets to the coast for two nights.  They left yesterday morning.  He's still working of course ... he's just doing it remotely while the kids get a change of scenery.  Apparently he has all these on-line courses he has to complete before Christmas and doing it in the office is difficult, so he's getting them done from the comfort of his parent's lounge room.

As a result I am all alone.  Only the third time I've ever been in this house alone of a night time without kids or husband. Only the third time in 13 years. Wow!!

Did I run around the house naked all night? No. I thought about it.  But instead I had a girlfriend over for a drink and a chat, and then I sat up watching re-runs of Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond.  Despite my reference to "girlfriend" she's not of the getting naked together variety.

Prior to the evening hours I spent the day getting my business bits and pieces sorted, as well as finally finding the bottom of my in-tray, finalising my tax, and overhauling my filing cabinet.  I also had a meeting with an innovations expert, contacted a couple of lawyers for more quotes on getting my IP sorted, and had a phone call with a group about forming a strategic alliance. It was a good day from a business perspective.

It was also a good day from a Leanne point of view, although I wouldn't do this "all alone" thing on a full time basis.  It's OK occasionally but I miss my family.  Mind you, not screaming at kids to close doors and drawers is kinda nice .... and not sweeping up dog hair is a relief also ... and having a king size bed to myself which hardly needs to be made this morning is pretty awesome ...


Be careful what you wish for...

Day 804

Sometimes it's hard to know if you were in the right place at the wrong time, or the wrong place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time, or the right place at the right time.

Phew.  That makes me exhausted just thinking about analysing that.

I am contemplating that right now as I think of the experience my nephew had on the weekend.  He may very well have been in the wrong place at the wrong time .... but then he could have been in the right place at the right time ... depending on your perspective.

Josh was walking through the mall on Saturday having just bought his lunch when a bag full of "something" (possibly cap gun ammunition) exploded nearby.  He was about 4-5 metres from the explosion when it occurred and he saw an adult man fall to the ground with his jeans ripped off him, covered in blood.  Josh said it all happened in slow motion. He thought the man was dead.  He wasn't moving and his clothes had shredded.  Nobody knew what had exploded.  The panic mindsets suggested it was as bomb. People started running everywhere.  The police came.  Josh felt like he was standing outside himself watching a movie.  His ears were ringing with one ear numb.  He rang his mum to tell her what had happened. She was on her way.  He just stayed where he was watching it all unfold wondering if perhaps this was actually real, or whether he was dreaming. The police interviewed him and he told them what he could.  Meanwhile the ambulance treated the man as well as a teenager who was injured.  The area was roped off and a tent was put up around the victim.  Nobody died.

As far as we can tell Josh seems to be handling it all very well.  He is talking about it freely.  He is not injured and his ear is getting back to normal.  Of course there may be some post trauma still to come, and he has yet to go back to the mall so it will be interesting to see what his cellular memory might do when he first sets foot back inside the mall. But for now he is good.

So, was he in the wrong place at the wrong time?  Or the right place at the right time?

If he was only two metres further to the left could he be the one lying on the ground with a tent around him?  If he had chosen to eat a donut rather than a burger could he be the one with pellet cuts all over his body?  If he had stopped when crossing the street for a do-not-walk sign could he have missed it altogether ? If he had chosen a shorter line in the Maccas queue could he have already been in another area of the mall?

There are a lot of "what ifs" in our world.  As well as a lot of "if onlys".  It only takes a split second decision or a minor diversion to potentially change the course of our lives.  That's why there's no point getting hung up on it.

Direct what you can, use your sensory acuity to adjust as necessary, and just know that the rest is out of your control.



I know what is in my control! My new business venture.  It's my job now to make sure I am in the right place at the right time to take advantage of opportunity ...

It's also my job to make sure I'm in that mall when the electronics sales are on so that I can get my hubby his Christmas gift.  Why do I always leave him til last?

Day 803

Another Langdown Christmas bash done and dusted.  Around 70 people partied with us last night for our Hawaiian themed bash.  We had a ball! 

And now all we need to do is finish the cleaning.

Nah .... stuff it .... sleeping sounds far more appealing ....

Day 802

Note to self: never sob after a spray tan. Facial stripes are so last season ...


Yesterday Tahlia came home from school sobbing.  We hugged and we sobbed.  She cried because it was her last day of primary school and everyone was feeling a great deal of love, gratitude, relief, expectation, fear, loss and loneliness.  I cried because the entire school gave them a guard of honor to thank them for their leadership and to wish them well, and I missed being part of the outpouring of love and gratitude.

Then I headed off for a spray tan and came home to relay my day to Mum on the phone and started sobbing all over again. Hence the new look facial stripes.  Forget my inner lioness, I am now exploring the merits of my inner tiger.

Today I am grateful that my children go to an amazing school and that Tahlia's years in primary school are actually worth crying about.  

Day 801

Today is the last day of school for the year.

I have one very excited little boy. He can't contain himself.

I have one sad little girl who says primary school was her second home.  Her heart is breaking that she is now walking away.  There are a lot of cuddles, words of wisdom, encouragement and reflection this morning ...

Day 800

Look at that big round number up there. Day 800!  That means I am 40 years and 800 days old. Not a good way to view one's age.

Of course the kids are counting down the days until Christmas.  I am just counting the days until the end of the week.  Today is another one loaded with back-to-back festivities - farewell breakfast at school, Tahlia's candle ceremony, the cheer concert, the cheer party and the cheer planning session tonight.

Rather than think about all that right now, I think it might be time for a Christmas reflection:

I remember one Christmas a few years ago when Darby was only about three years of age. We were at church on Christmas Eve and the priest was talking about the birth of Jesus and was talking about the importance of that in life etc etc.  He spoke of the spirit of Christmas and the need to remember it's true origins.

At one point he said something like "Christmas signifies the coming of our savior Jesus Christ" he then said something like "tomorrow let Jesus come into your life...." (blah blah blah) at which point the entire congregation went very quiet to reflect ... you could hear a pin drop.

Darby looked towards the priest with a big frown on his face, then turned to me quizzically.   His little voice spoke up and bounced off the church walls in the silence. It was a voice of panic ...

"Jesus is coming? Jesus is coming? But I thought it was supposed to be Santa!!!!"

Hysterical!

Of course I got the uncontrollable giggles for the rest of the mass as did many others in the pews around us ...

(Which brings me to another reflection of when I used to have to go to church for school and I'd get the giggles in all the wrong places .... shoulders shaking, eyes watering, trying unsuccessfully not to make a sound.  The more important it was to stop laughing, the more uncontrollable the laughter would become.  Yes. Hysterical.)


I love those stories ... they continue to make me smile today.

Happy Thursday!! I hope at some point you manage to get an uncontrollable fit of the giggles ...

Day 799

Well, my daughter is now officially a year 6 graduate (sob).

We had the most beautiful graduation ceremony last night which included the graduation mass, a slide show of memories, a beautiful song (and dance) routine from the year 6 class in which Tahlia actually got to sing on the microphone in a bit of a "solo" (who knew she could sing?!) and finished with the year 6 party.  Of course my battery was too low to video Tahlia's singing debut which SUCKS.  Oh well ....

After a late start the party went off without a hitch.  Husband and a team of blokes took charge of the sausage sizzle, while I stayed inside and took the role of MC and DJ.  A very fabulous and talented mother took charge of the photography for us on our special red carpet.  She does amazing work (including my official author shots).  You can check out her website here and her Flickr site here.

The theme for the party was Live, Laugh, Love and the special highlight of the night was a red carpet experience leading to a "photo corner".  The kids LOVED it!! Definitely no shyness involved.  They were all movie stars ... and we had a few rock stars thrown in too.  And quite a few shufflers and hip hoppers as well. That was obvious once I got the strobe light and laser light out.  Everyone was shuffling.  It was all very sad when I had to announce the final song at 8.45pm.

Here is a picture of my one minute of fame on the red carpet.  That is the photographer I am cuddling. So who took the photo?!

Copyright Juzz Photography

Day 798

Please step away from the screen ....

BRMP BRMP BRMP

I repeat ...

Please step away from the screen ...

BRMP BRMP BRMP

We have a head that is about to implode ....

Did I take on too much?

Possibly ....

But then again, I've always liked a good challenge.

Where would be the fun if things went smoothly?

It's the year 6 graduation ceremony and party tonight and coordinating it is becoming quite a fascinating little adventure.

Day 797

Yesterday Tahlia and Darby both headed off to Tahlia's new cheer squad for the summer program.  No, Darby won't be cheerleading, but he did ask if he could do some tumbling classes.  Apparently when he's a huge football star he wants to be able to do flips when he scores a try! Or something like that ....

So they went and they had a ball.  Even when they got home they went straight to the trampoline to practice.  Darby is even doing stretches in front of the TV to keep his body flexible.  When's the next one Mum? Not till after Christmas mate.  Scowly face ...

Tumbling wasn't the only thing to hit our house yesterday. Christmas landed smack bang in the middle of our lounge room as well.

Every surface of the lounge room has been Christmas-ised.

As you can see I go with the traditional Christmas colours of green, red and gold.  It just seems to work for our house ... which is all wood trimmed and set in among tall pine trees.  You will recall (from last year) that our tree is the Luke Longly of Christmas trees ... even taller than Derek's 6 foot 5.  I guess it must be at least 7 foot.  Lucky we have those cathedral ceilings.  When we dress the tree we start with the lights, then I move to the standard store bought baubles of red and gold.  Then it's time for the special decorations - the ones that have either been given to us as gifts or the many many MANY that the kids have made over the years.  That is what I like about our tree ... the eclectic arrangement of personal bling.  It may look a bit like Rudolph threw up all over it, but there's a history there which (for me) far surpasses the perfect trimmings of shopping mall decorations.

How's your Christmas decorations going?


Are they up yet?


I would love to see your tree ...

Day 796

Last night Tahlia was at a birthday party sleep over so Darbs and I did boy things together.  We played the Wii, we watched Transformers and we build with Meccano.  Daddy was there around the edges but he was super busy getting all his comic sales posted out in time for Christmas (and watching the cricket).  I must say, that Meccano caper isn't bad for challenging the mind.  I'm not sure it was invented with acrylic nails in mind, but we managed to get through about one fifth of building an aeroplane.  I feel like a freakin engineering genius!! Note to self - must let Darby actually do some himself next time.

Today is Sunday - my favourite day.

Today I de-clutter my mind a little by writing lists, ticking off a bunch of to-dos and getting my week started from a calm place. I've gotta tell ya ... I'll be bloody pleased when the week is over.  It's a big one .... my grant application needs to be finalised, last week of school, Tahlia's year 6 graduation ceremony and party (yes ... the party I am coordinating ... idiot), a bunch of end of year activities at the school including the cheer concert, a strategic planning session for cheerleading, clients, and hosting the annual Langdown Christmas party where we are expecting about 60 people this year.  In the middle of that I am supposed to be focusing on getting the trademarks in place for the new product line, finishing my Christmas shopping and cooking occasionally.

Yes, today is Sunday - my favourite day - and I am going to savour the serenity of it while I can.  Because (quite frankly) sometimes I get a good feeling ... and I like to savour that feeling.

Pump up the volume and dance with me ... my new favourite song.

Day 795

Sometimes you've just got to look fear in the face and stare it down ...

The kids and I just returned from the city pool - a different pool than normal - and they experienced the diving boards and diving tower for the first time.

Darby took to the diving board feeling his way on the spring board and learning to trust the depths of a seemingly bottomless pit.

Tahlia went straight to the 5 metre tower (of terror). There is actually a 10 metre tower as well, but apparently it is now closed to the public.

Darby didn't take long.  He felt safe.  There wasn't far to fall and it all looked quite respectable. He walked to the end, looked, bounced and jumped.

Tahlia, on the other hand, had much further to fall.  She was way out of her comfort zone. She stood there for a very long time looking over the edge.  Just stood and stood. She walked away. Then came back again.  She was going to do it ... or was she?  You can do this Tahlia! Yes, she said.  I can.  She looked and looked. She stood and stood.  She contemplated and contemplated.  She hesitated and hesitated. Then she jumped and squealed the whole way down.

Once she resurfaced she smiled and smiled.

Then she went up those stairs and did it over and over and over again.

She had stared it down. Fear conquered.

Day 794

Yesterday I got out of the wrong side of bed.  I was a negative Nelly.

Today I got out of the right side of bed and I went for a walk around the lake.  I am now a positive Pete.

I think I should do this walking thing more often ....



An update:  That house ... the dream home ... they are still rejecting my offer.  I am not despairing yet though.  It might still happen.  No one else is buying it ...

Another update:  My beard is growing back.  Will Nair it next week.

Yet another update:  My new project (my product line) is becoming quite real! Am in discussions with lawyers and business coach about intellectual property and the fact that this idea of mine has real potential to go global.  Turns out I am about to spew money from every orifice to secure my trademark across many classes.  Money spewing is not overly fun and can be very painful, but if the ultimate vision is worth it then it's gotta happen!

A final update:  I found out all about Sticky Wicky and made a new friend and someone to network and mastermind with in the process.  The lovely lady at Sticky Wicky told me all about how her hubby dreamed up the new approach to back yard cricket 15 years ago and two years ago they finally decided to do something about it. And now they are going like the clappers!!! It is good to hear the stories of others as I embark on my own (very scary) innovations journey ...


Happy Friday.

Day 793

From little things, big things grow ....

Like planter warts, lady beards and arses.

That's all.

Day 792

What keeps you up at night?

For me last night it was "Meet the Fockers" on TV. I'd forgotten just how hilarious it was!

For the kids it was watching farts on You Tube.  Yes, we still can't go past a good fart joke ...

Day 791

Google Images

It seems I have spoiled my kids when it comes to Santa.  Apparently whatever you ask for, you get!

Hmmm.  Really?

I guess they might be right. Perhaps Santa does give them all that they ask for. The thing is they never ask for much so I guess that's easy.  Both kids have only ever put four or five things on their lists ... it's always been relatively low key and achievable.

One year Darby got a heap of other things in addition to his list.  I remember it like it was yesterday. He said "hey, I didn't order this!"

Yes, apparently you order stuff from Santa and he delivers it.  He even stuffs up sometimes and gives you extras.

So this year Darby says to me "Mum, if Tahlia and I both ask for iPads for Christmas, then we will get them and the family can have three!".

But we've already got an iPad mate. We don't need anymore.  We can share.

"But that's what is so good about Santa! You ask for stuff and he gives it to you for free, we don't have to pay for it and then we don't have to share anymore."

Ohhhh.  I see.  Hmmm.  But .... if we ask for two iPads for Christmas from Santa, isn't that a bit mean because we've already got one and we might be taking iPads away from kids who don't have any yet?

"Oh, you're right Mum.  Santa might only have like a thousand for the whole world.  I'd better not ask for one then."

Phew!!!!

"Am I allowed to ask for an XBox?"

Sure.  But we do already have a Wii.  What if there are kids that don't have any games at all and we take the last XBox?

"Oh.  Ok."  Big sigh from boy child as he processes the thought that this Santa gig isn't as easy and as magical as he'd thought.  There is still so much darn conscience involved!

So I started to feel a bit bad that I was putting limitations on his wishlist.  Perhaps he should wish for whatever he wants and then when he only gets part of the wishlist I deal with his response then.  Is that what I should be doing?  Am I taking the path of least resistance with my current approach?  Am I taking away from their resilience training by not allowing for disappointment?  It's a tricky one.

Anyway, this is Darby's Christmas letter to Santa this year:

Dear Santa

How are you?

I hope you are well.

I am looking forward to Christmas this year and hope that everyone in the world has a happy time.

I have put my Christmas list together.  Number 5 on the list - the XBox - is just in case you have any left over. I already have a Wii so don't want to take games away from people who don't have any yet.

Thank you Santa.

Love from Darby

1.  Super Smash Bros Wii Game

2.  Mad Gear Scooter

3.  Sticky Wicky

4. Nike shoes

5. X Box
6. A hat like Tahlia's
7. A Tiger's football

As you know I have already done my Christmas shopping and I am feeling good about what has been allocated to Santa - but numbers 3 and 4 are new items on the list.  What the hell is a sticky wicky?  I hope Santa knows.  And Nike shoes?  What happened to good old fashioned Kmart sneakers?  I hope Santa does name brands.

And that Number 5.  Well ... it goes against every grain inside my being to lavish the kids with more indoor gaming devices, but interestingly enough when I bought my new smart phone the offer included a free XBox.  I'm not giving away any secrets, I'm just saying that if Santa also bought himself a new phone this year he might actually end up with a spare XBox.  Darby might be lucky.

Day 790

Maxwell TP The First

Max the hip gyrating Lab is almost completely blind.

You'll recall that year ago we took him to a visiting optomologist who diagnosed him with a degenerative retinal disease.  He predicted that he would lose his night vision first and then be fully blind within the year.  He was pretty well right.

Max cannot see in the dark.  He cannot see in half light. He cannot (and will not) go down stairs.  If a school bag is left in the hall, or we move the furniture on the back deck he will fall over it.  While he can still see in full daylight, it is fuzzy so he will do things like run into wire fences, or fall over rocks, or bump into branches.  Our dog is almost completely blind.

It is odd seeing a big beautiful blonde Labrador (traditionally  the poster pet for leading the visually impaired) being the one needing a seeing eye dog.

Yep, we thought of getting him a seeing eye dog, but decided that was a bit weird, so we are his seeing eye people instead.

His tail is still wagging, and he is smiling a lot (especially after a weekend spent humping with his gay cowboy lover), so we know he is doing ok.

He just needs us to guide him ...

Day 789

Borrowed from Google Images

Christmas shopping!

Yep, finally started.

I drove to the mall at opening and went straight to the things I knew I was getting.  There were no crowds, no Sunday shufflers, no pushy foreign sales person trying to catch my eye and lure me to the exotic beauty products. I was safe!

I grabbed the goods on my list and carried them straight to the car.

I then returned for things more spur of the moment, and delighted in the ease of the decision making process.  I found stuff that was just perfect for my kids. I again went to the car to secure my treasure in the safety of the boot.

Then it was back again for some mindless meandering with a bit of a thoughtful browse thrown in.  Again I returned to the car with more bags and marveled at the loveliness of my load.  And all the while I hadn't even noticed that the mall was full and that shoppers were clogging up alley ways and congesting the escalators.  I was so immersed in a Leanne bubble that crowds which would normally peeve me, just passed me by with not so much as a glance.

It was a very pleasant experience!!

The good news is that my kids are done.

The bad news is I still have about 15 other people to buy for ...

Next Sunday perhaps?

Day 788

We have escaped. We are all hanging with Ma and Pa at the farm. I write this from the steps of the front veranda. The sun is shining,the dogs are panting (very content after a few hours of hip gyrating broke back mountain cowboy activity), Derek and the kids are in town at the markets and may hit the local pool and Mum is pulling weeds from the garden. The sprinklers (run with bore water) are spraying near my feet. Dad is in town doing some Rotary work before then doing a course to certify him as a fencing contractor. Fencing is something he has done all his life but now he needs a piece of paper. Another feather for the qualifications cap. I don't need to move. I am sitting here in the now. Something I don't do enough of. It feels good.

Focus is important, but so is mindfulness. Today my mind is at peace. Will get back to focusing on Monday.

Happy Saturday.

Day 787

That's been one of my mantras - focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.

Steve Jobs

Yesterday  I talked about the many roads I am travelling on and the different hats I am wearing on each road.  What I didn't tell you is that on one of those roads ... my business road ... I am wearing just the one hat but I am continually scurrying up and down different forks in the road trying to manage a bunch of projects.  All wonderful projects but all requiring so much of my energy. Well, that scattered energy is not going to lead to success in any of them.  Success comes from focus.

After discussions with my coach and a long supportive chat with my husband we all agree that it is time to focus on my dreams and the dreams of my family.  I spend a lot of my business time supporting the dreams of others, but in 2012 it is time to focus on Team Langdown.  So over the next week I will be cleansing my work pallet so that the business road doesn't have quite so many in-roads and off-ramps.

Focus.

That's the word of the month.

One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.

Tony Robbins

In December I am focusing on moving mountains with my husband.

What will you be focusing on? 

Day 786

So many roads, all leading to the one destination. I am travelling all of them.  Each road I am a different Leanne wearing a different hat.  But they are all leading to one big thing.  And that big thing is becoming evident with every passing day. How exciting!

But these roads aren't easy. Some are straight and steady. Some are speedways.  Some are bumpy bush tracks.  I drive the trusty ol' KIA Carnival down most of them, but occasionally I wish I had a four wheel drive, or a racing car.  Both would help me get to my destination quicker (depending on the road I am on), but I guess then I would miss the challenges and some of the scenery.  So my vehicle is the KIA ... that way I can take my family with me.

One of the roads I am travelling on has a brick wall in the middle of it ... that road is my publishing journey ... that brick wall is my lack of books on my door step.  

I have sent emails and made phone calls.  Still no books.  Everyone is looking! But no one is finding.  Apparently they are either swimming with the fishes in the Pacific Ocean, or perhaps they are flying to the moon with Richard Branson. If it is the latter then I know greatness is just around the corner.  If it is the former, then I have failed haven't quite gotten the result I was after. This is where I would like to start hitting my head against the brick wall.  Hell, I've had headaches all week anyway, might as well make it a blinder.  

The other day Mum came to the rescue.  She not only arrived to help me around the home, but she also handed me a bag with a pile of books inside. My books.  Can you believe that two days ago it was the first time my husband and kids had seen my book?!  The first time.  A proud husband took a copy to work with him yesterday.  A proud son took a copy to school with him today.  My daughter smiled a lot and then got distracted with all things year 6 with ne'er another thought about my book.  I know that she is secretly proud on the inside.

But despite this slight cushioning that Mum has supplied, the brick wall is still there.  And my head is bobbing about on my shoulders in an agitated state ready to start butting it.  

There is a reason my books are not here yet. There is a reason behind this challenge.  I know they will arrive when the time is right ... and that there is an opportunity here hidden in the brick wall ... but I'll be stuffed if I can bloody well find it.   

Better get that Panadeine Forte out ...