DOLLHOUSE

A Supernatural Mystery for teens
Only $2.99

DOLLHOUSE, by Anya Allyn, is a supernatural mystery set in the wilderness of Barrington Tops, NSW, Australia.

Fifteen year old Aisha disappears in the forests on a school hiking trip. She’s the latest in a string of children to vanish there over the past five years. The towns surrounding the forests are on edge and they demand answers. And wildboy Ethan—Aisha’s boyfriend—is on the run after he and his grandfather are blamed for Aisha’s disappearance.

Cassie is just about the only friend Ethan has left. She’s been secretly in love with him ever since her mother dragged her to the wilds of Australia from Florida six months ago.

Desperate to prove Ethan’s innocence, Cassie searches the forests with Ethan to find out what really happened to Aisha. But Ethan’s growing strangely silent, and Cassie’s left questioning if her feelings for him are clouding her judgment.

Cassie discovers a dark secret lurking in the heart of the forests; a secret world of nightmarish horrors—where nothing is as it seems, where the supernatural invades your soul, where the people she trusted most might be the people she can trust the least, and where escape exists only in dreams.

The internet never shuts down.

It’s easy to while away a couple of hours online.  Before work, after work, in between housework or looking after kids.

Swivel-chair potatoes

Before the internet came along, most of us woudn’t have identified with being a ‘couch-potato’

Couch potatoes are sluggish, passive consumers of entertainment. We’re not like that!

Online, it’s true that what we do is often not passive. We’re actively doing a lot of different things. We can visit 200 stores or more in a single day, pay our bills, chat with friends, read the news, play multi-player games, watch videos and movies and update our blogs and Facebook pages.

But the truth remains that we’re still just sitting there.

Whether we sit on a computer chair or relax with a laptop on our sofas or beds – it’s all the same. We’re not moving.

Where have you been?

It’s easy to get involved with any number of groups online– friends and family on Facebook, groups within Twitter, blogging communities, business networking websites, discussion forums, social networking applications, niche groups… it goes on.

Keeping up with even a small number of these can be extremely taxing on your time.

We can even end up feeling obliged to update everything and read everyone else’s updates.

People notice if you’re missing from the scene and you might even be left feeling that you’ve let the community down.

The never-ending update

We spend so much time ‘connecting’ online,  sometimes we lose sight of ourselves.

You might have heard people saying that they’re taking a break from the web.

That’s how intense it can be. We can experience internet burn-out.

We don’t normally need to ‘take a break’ from the TV. We use TV to wind down, to relax.

(On the TV, no one is asking you to look at the latest cute LOL cats picture,  join their Facebook page, or sign up for their newsletter or RSS feed. there’s no emails.  And you don’t have to update the TV on your life. It doesn’t care. And sometimes that can be a very good thing.)

But of course, we don’t want to go from being glued to our computer monitors to being glued to the TV screen.

Reconnecting with ourselves

Women have had a huge role in shaping the web and making it into the social playground it is today.

But it’s gone too far if we feel ‘accountable’ to online communities.

Women can get caught in a trap of feeling accountable to everyone and not thinking about themselves often enough.

Women are taught to please– to be everything to everyone.

But of course, we can’t be.

Men take time out. It’s a healthy thing – for mind and body.

When we were children, we wanted to climb trees, swim rivers, sing, dance, run, zoom about like wild things. We found joy in making our bodies move!

For many women, the daily routine of marriage, children and household chores can have us going around in circles most days,  and the emotional weight of being the ’nurturer’ can wear us down.

Anne Maybus at Cherry Magazine wrote a very insightful article on this subject, Whose Body is it Anyway?

Anne talks about how from the time girls start developing– society places different expectations upon them.

Do it today

Move.

Do.

Be.

Find.

Discover.

Jump.

Run.

Spend more time away from the internet.

Reconnect with the child you were.

Don’t wait…

The child in you is waiting.

I have tried a lot of software over the years – both free and paid. Mostly I use them for photos.

Below I’m listing the best I’ve found in each category that are available for free. (I personally use all of the these on a weekly basis.)

Best free viewer

Irfanview

This awkwardly-named but amazing little image viewer has multiple uses.

Irfanview supports an incredible amount of extensions, including .jpg, .png, .ico, .gif,.psd.

You can crop, rotate, colour-correct, and save at a lower resolution. There are handy plugins that you can download to extend the capability of the viewer.

One of the best features is the lightning-fast startup. When you want to crop a photo fast, there’s nothing better.

http://irfanview.com

Best free image Resizer

Pixresizer

You have 300 photos sitting on the SD card of your camera.  You want to pick out the best ones and email them onto your Aunt, but the files are huge!

This is where an image resizer that does batch processing will make the operation a breeze.

Pixresizer, from BlueFive software, is the best of the best.

You can specify the exact size you wish your images or photos to be, or choose from predefined sizes.

Cleverly, it won’t allow you to batch-resize your images in their original folder - you must place them in a new folder.

(because resizing your original precious photos or images is not something you want to do!)

Pixresizer is great for bloggers, because they can get images down to the lowest possible bytes or kilobytes, while preserving the sharpness as much as possible.

http://bluefive.pair.com/pixresizer.htm

Best free image and photo editor

Paint

Paint.net is impressive.

It has layer functionality, a clone stamp tool, curves adjustment, special effects, and a new ‘soften portrait’ effect which doesn’t take away resolution.

If you are new to graphics programmes or are lost with any feature, there is a paint.net forum to help you on your way.

http://www.paint.net

Okay, so her life so far has been quite outside of anything most of us have experienced. On 60 Minutes last Sunday, Drew spoke of first trying cocaine at age twelve, being in rehab at age thirteen, and having a family of film crews instead of her own flesh-and-blood family.

Managing a meteoric film career in the midst of such instability would have done most people’s heads in.

Around the web at the moment, media sites have picked up on her stating that she’s ‘still not sober’ (apparently meaning that she still uses substances to ‘balance’ her life.)

But all of that is not what fascinates me.

It’s the fact that there’s something about Drew that still comes across as child-like and down-to-earth – despite all the wild adventures, wealth and fame.

She’s got the girl-next-door look even though she’d come last as an actual contender for a real-life girl-next-door.

Drew Barrymore’s engaging uneven smile

When Drew starts talking, one side of her mouth her mouth rises into a kind of lopsided smile, and her teeth look natural (at least, her teeth don’t have that perfect Hollywood look that can only come with veneers and caps.) There’s her unusual chin, for which she has never sought the services of a cosmetic surgeon to ‘fix’.

The lopsided ‘naturalness’ is very attractive.

You don’t notice the lopsidedness so much in publicity photos. It’s more when she’s talking or being herself.

I’ve been looking at teeth a lot in the week, which probably explains my focus on Ms Barrymore’s teeth in the 60 Minutes story.

A backflip into the world of cosmetic dentistry

My teenage son did a backflip in a pool at a pool party last Saturday night, and snapped off almost half his front tooth. The nerve inside the tooth was slightly exposed, and suddenly we were exposed to a whole new world inside dentistry – root canals and crowns.

We’ve seen whole photograph albums of repaired teeth in the dentist’s office and lots of before-and-after shots of whole sets of teeth with shiny new veneers online. We’ve spent the last three days at the offices of a dentist and endodontist.

Fortunately (touch wood) a specialist said there’s a chance of the nerve staying alive and he may not need to go down the road of a root canal and crown. He’s young and has excellent teeth, so at the moment we’re just waiting and hoping – with the aid of a temporary cap over the missing part.

What makes a great smile?

Online, all those photos of repairs for damaged or decayed teeth were amazing, especially once the veneer (or crown) goes over the top.

But the photos of ‘afters’ when the ‘befores’ looked perfectly fine (even if they weren’t ‘Hollywood perfect’) were disturbing.

If people like the look of perfect teeth and want that for themselves, I don’t have a problem with it. The disturbing part is when the ‘before’ picture is labelled as ‘Good smile’ and the after picture is labelled as ‘Great smile’.

A great smile doesn’t require perfect teeth, perfectly-shaped lips or a perfectly-even mouth.

Just look at Drew Barrymore.

The above image is under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License via Bollywood Sargam

In response to requests from their readers, Brigitte magazine will be using real women (and paying them the same rates as models previously received from the magazine.)

Not everyone is impressed.

Louisa von Minckwitz, who owns the German-based Louisa Models agency, told The Associated Press she believed the ban on models was a marketing gag that would not last for long.

“Women want to see clothes on a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing person,” von Minckwitz said.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33178280/ns/today-today_fashion_and_beauty

The above quote from Louisa von Minckwitz is disturbing.

Is it only models who can be beautiful or aesthetically pleasing?

This question especially interesting when it is considered that many models are neither beautiful nor aesthetically pleasing in the eyes of all beholders.

Today’s fashion world demands a certain type of woman to model clothing, but she is certainly not the type of woman that all women aspire to look like.

What does the ideal woman look like?

Over the decades, the ‘ideal body shape’ and ‘ideal features’ have greatly changed.

Whereas a petite and well-rounded Marilyn Munroe body with very feminine facial features was once in vogue– tall thin bodies with often very strong facial features now grace the catwalks and fashion pages.

In the 1920s, women’s breasts and waists virtually disappeared– replaced with dropped-waist clothing that accentuated long slim lines and no curves.

What does a real woman even look like?

Is she a size 14? Is she a size 8? Does she have have the classic hourglass figure? Is she small and slender? Is she tall and bony?

Real women are all of these and more.

What feeds the fashion world?

And the question must be asked– do women really desire to see models displaying the clothing they buy?

Do we really need to see the kind of women the media feeds to us as a standard of perfection to motivate us to buy an article of clothing or a fashion magazine?

In part, the answer must be yes, because the fashion world thrives on consumer response.

Even Australian women’s magazines that feature only the real-life stories of ordinary Australians often feature young perfect-looking women on the covers, such as That’s Life and Take 5.

In part though, the answer must also be no, because recent media features on ‘real women’ have gained large support and nods of approval from women.

Brigitte’s editor-in-chief says that the magazine wants to depict women with an identity– real people with real lives.

This is where I think the heart of the matter is.

The identity behind the woman

No matter which way fashion swings– even if Marilyn-Munroe-style or plus-size women of past centuries come back into vogue– if the focus remains on women’s bodies and women’s attractiveness, we’re losing.

Yes we have male models, but they don’t tend to send men into paroxyms of shame over having the ‘wrong body parts’ or exacerbate male eating disorders.

(That’s not to say men don’t have pressures on them to look like action-movie actors, which can have them resorting to steroids and body-building products.)

The intense focus on the ‘perfect female body’ has been with us for a long time.

And the only way out of it is to shift the focus onto real personalities and lives.

Which is where real beauty is found.

It hasn’t disappointed so far– it’s an all-purpose camera that suits a busy, active family.

Brand new on the market, it has brought some mixed expert reviews. In the end, it depends on what you want in a camera. This is a low-tech review on this camera.

These are the features that sold me:

20x Optical zoom

20x optical zoom– I can shoot footage and photos of my boys surfing or playing soccer. I took both video and photographs of my sons body boarding and surfing the other day.

It’s wonderful to have one small gadget that does it all. The image below is a still that was snapped from a video.

Bodyboarding at Pearl Beach, NSW

Image quality

Yes, it’s 12 megapixel, but more MP doesn’t always mean better photos. Sometimes more MP means that something else suffers.

As for the image quality, from what I could see from researching this camera, it’s much of a muchness between recent models of digital cameras at this price point. (Under $600)

I liked what I saw in reviews for the Canon SX20 and I’m really happy with the images so far– and any unwanted softening is due to the photographer (me!)

I have much to learn about the best manual settings, and I’m sure I’ll get much more out of this camera as I keep experimenting.

It also takes decent photographs in low-light and at night.

The image below is a quick snap taken in between the kids charging around the house– no time to worry about messy backgrounds or dirty t-shirts!

Messy kids stopping their play for mum to take a snap

High-Definition video

The video camera stopped working years ago, and the chance to have both High-Definition video and high quality photos from one device was attractive.

It’s not as good as a dedicated video camera of course, but the video quality is beautifully crisp and clear, and I’m fine with taking clips of 5-20 minutes at a time. Video can be taken at the same focal length as photographs.

You also have the option of shooting low-res 640×480 video which is great for uploading to the web.

Manual controls

The Canon SX20 IS may lack the finesse of a digital SLR, but it does have dedicated buttons and a dial for focusing, ISO, shutter speed, macro and aperture settings.

The lowest aperture setting is f/2.8, which allows for nice bokeh. (Bokeh (Boke)  is a Japanese word for ‘blur’ and often refers to a background blur with the subject in sharp focus.)

If it didn’t come with the option of manual controls, or if the manual controls could only be accessed through menus– this would have been an immediate turnoff and I wouldn’t have bought the camera.

I sometimes place images with articles in the course of my work, and I need a camera which can take a decent photograph.

With this camera, I can fiddle to my heart’s content– and use the automatic settings when I don’t have time to fiddle!

 Great price

For well under $600 (shop around!),  I now have a great camera that doubles as a camcorder and shoots at super-long focal distance. Perfect!

(The image at the top of the page is from the lookout at the hairpin bend at Umina Beach, NSW.)
 

Other features

The above five things made me decide on the Canon SX20 IS

If you want to shoot in RAW, don’t go for this camera. Buy the Canon SX1 IS instead, or better still, buy a digital SLR with RAW capability.

The Canon SX1 IS also shoots in full 1080i High-Definition, while the Canon SX20 IS shoots in 720p. Be sure not to get confused with the Canon SX10 IS, which does not have HD video capability at all.

It has a slew of other great features, such as face recognition technology– although many of the features can be found on your average digital camera.  I have a minor whinge with the lens cap, which threatens to lose itself at any moment– as it is not affixed to the camera in any way. (This is actually quite important, as a scratched lens is no fun at all.)

If like me, you’re happy to read over specifications and features until your eyes bleed, be sure to check the Canon website and expert reviews online.

If you were expecting something like the blogger’s version of Stephen King’s ‘On writing’, well, this isn’t it!

A blog-owner wears many hats and ‘writing a blog’ isn’t just about what you put in your posts. It’s the whole shebang and it’s not always easy to find your way when you start your first blog.

Be original

There’s not much point in modelling your blog on an established, successful blog.  Find your own niche– one that suits you, excites you and can offer something new or different.
If you’re writing a personal blog about your own family– that’s original by default, because no one has a family like yours. But do try to give even a personal blog a definite focus– this helps create atmosphere and something to ‘hang your blog on’.

Be creative

Just because you don’t see anyone else doing it, doesn’t mean you can’t do it! And it’s fine to write on something unrelated to your blog if you style it towards your readership.

A good writer can find an angle and tone to suit almost any group of people on almost any subject. And you can too.

For example, if you’re writing a photography blog and you’ve just been to see a movie with your favourite actor in it– you could write a post about:

• • how that actor is portrayed in paparazzi/media photographs
  • how to take a great quick portrait snap for a fan who unexpectedly comes across a movie star they love
  • how you might photograph that actor if you had the opportunity
  • the promotion of a specific camera you spotted in the movie
  • the Photoshop techniques used in the promotional posters for the movie

  Be engaged

  If it’s a chore to post to your blog, something’s wrong.  Writing a bit of ‘filler’ every day or week isn’t going to do anyone any favours, least of all you.
  Do whatever you need to do to keep your blog fresh and your passion alive.

  If a blog no longer excites you– reinvent it, bring new people in, sell it… or walk away from it.
  Be careful if you choose to sell a blog. Your name, photos and content may be all over your blog and can be used by the new blog owner in a way that you did not intend. Also, there may be potential in your blog that you left sitting on the table– be prepared to kick yourself if you sell and someone else makes a success of it.

  Be realistic

  Yes ‘content is king’, but this term tends to be endlessly buzzing about the web  like  blowflies in the Australian summer.
  What is great content to one group of people is waffle or even incomprehensible to another.
  Write content that suits you, your blog and your readership.

  Some blogs consist of nothing but short, snappy reviews. For web users looking for a specific item, a quick review might be the bees-knees in terms of information.

  And don’t believe that great content will always win. It will not.  If Google can’t find you and if potential readers can’t find you, your wonderful content will go unread.
  After all, an amazing book in a box under your bed might well be amazing, but how many people visit the murky underbelly of your bed each day?
  If you’re unwilling to promote your blog in any way and if you’re unwilling to write content that matches your blog, your content might not find a readership.

  Be thorough

  Check your blog posts for sloppy spelling and goofy grammar. 

  Its definately true that people writing posts about mispellings will offen have mistakes in they’re own posts!

  (Of course, you spotted the incorrect spelling and grammar in the line above didn’t you? There are five  instances.)

  For some readers, mistakes will detract from their reading experience and may lead them to hold what you say in less regard.
  (Personally, I’m far more interested in what a person has to say than focusing on spelling and grammar, but I find that a truckload of mistakes will make an article difficult to read. I do check my own posts carefully, but I’m quite sure that even then an error slips through now and then!)
  If you have trouble in this area, don’t agonise over your posts– your content is more important. Always run a grammar/spellcheck or have someone who is great at grammar proof read your posts in turn for you doing something for them that you’re great at.

  Be accurate

  Maybe blogging isn’t journalism, but you’re still putting information out there for the masses.

  And maybe blogging doesn’t often consist of reports, but you’re still documenting some kind of information– even if you’re just talking about your predilection for coloured paper clips.
  If in doubt, research it. Don’t take anything you read at face value. Remember that other people may have it wrong, so don’t go on their information without finding out from the original source first.
  Admit mistakes and fix them quickly.

  Be real

  These days, blogs that review or promote products and services are thick in the woods.
  If your article is an advertorial, say so.
  If you’re reviewing something, be honest about whether you’ve actually used the item or service yourself, and tell what you really thought of it.
  A blogger can add a voice that is ‘real’ to the advertising world, and it’s important to keep that integrity alive.
  A sign of the times article: Parenting Blogs May Be Be Held Liable For Product Reviews

  Be true

  You can’t please everyone.
  You can’t believe in everything that others believe in.
  You can’t trust in everything that others trust in.
  You can’t be passionate for everything that others are passionate for.
  You can change your mind, you can grow, you can learn and you can expand your horizons– but it’s important to stay true to yourself along the way.
  Write what you’re compelled to write, not what you think you should be writing.

  ]]> http://herweblife.com.au/on-writing-blogs/feed/ 2 http://herweblife.com.au/dust-storm-over-sydney/ http://herweblife.com.au/dust-storm-over-sydney/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:51:07 +0000 admin http://herweblife.com.au/?p=549 We’re in ‘greater Sydney’ here, being on The Central Coast.

  I was typing away an hour earlier, then turned around to see… ORANGE!

  I thought it was bushfire, so woke everyone up. (Good for them all to have an early morning heh heh)

  Am wondering if we should all be turning off our computers and covering them until this passes? Probably!

   
   

  ]]> http://herweblife.com.au/dust-storm-over-sydney/feed/ 4 http://herweblife.com.au/breastfeeding-photos-online/ http://herweblife.com.au/breastfeeding-photos-online/#comments Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:18:42 +0000 admin http://herweblife.com.au/?p=514 Where does breastfeeding fit in online? From parenting forums to the 'mainstream' social web such as Facebook, reactions to breastfeeding photos bring social taboos to the surface. ]]> Where does breastfeeding fit in online?

  The other day I stumbled across a little blog where a mother was protesting that Facebook had just removed a photo of her breastfeeding her baby.  Breastfeeding photos have been controversial across the web for years.

  From parenting forums to the ‘mainstream’ social web, reactions to breastfeeding photos bring social taboos to the surface.          

  At the centre of all this to-do is something very small. The nipple.  The female nipple and areola that is.

  Online there are a myriad of breastfeeding resources– the wonderful Australian Breastfeeding Association for one.  For all intents and purposes, these websites are breastfeeding tucked away in very important but discreet little corners.

  When breastfeeding traipses into general areas of the net, women and their nipples can suddenly become suspect.

  Facebook has a policy whereby no female nipple or part of the areola can be shown.

  Breastfeeding photos on Facebook

  Facebook Policy: Photos containing a fully exposed breast (as defined by showing the nipple or areola) do violate [Facebook's policy on obscene, pornographic or sexually explicit material] and may be removed.

  Now, I understand that Facebook and other mainstream social websites need to ensure that things don’t slide into outright pornography– because if that happens, people will leave in droves. 

  But a normal, natural photo of a baby having a meal of milk from a breast– that’s no different to a baby having a feed from a bottle.

  During international breastfeeding week– August 1-7,  a Facebook protest against the policy was held, attracting a huge number of participants.

  The Mothers for Womens Lib website posted a very insightful piece on the Facebook policy of banning breastfeeding photos: Wimminz disgusting milky nipples! Teh areola! Teh b00bize! Oh noes! (or, Facebook, grow up!)

  (Gotta love that for the title of an article!)

  The economics of breasts

  What is going on beneath the surface of the breastfeeding photos controversy?

  Women’s breasts are seen and worshipped as sexual objects in our society. In very male-centred advertising, breasts are a commodity used to sell everything from cars to fishing rods. Breasts are hot content– filling the pages of men’s magazines and spicing up B-grade movies. Breasts are also used to sell fashion and accessories to women. We expect to see breasts used in this way, because we see it every day.

  Breastfeeding is something we don’t see. Breastfeeding is not on TV, not in movies, not in shopping centres, not in magazines, and not even in your child’s picture books. There are tiny pockets of it– in private homes, in parenting rooms, in breastfeeding centres, in online parenting forums, in ‘earthy’ children’s books.

  Breasts as feeding devices are not used to sell anything, with the exception of breastfeeding-related merchandise. Breasts as sexual devices are used to sell everything.

  Taking a look at Facebook, is it just about keeping ‘sexually explicit material’ out of user’s content, or is it also to do with social taboos? 

  It’s difficult to counterbalance the ‘explicit material’ argument when Facebook readily allows the framework for such content:

   

  The sex groups and applications on Facebook are mind-boggling.  A quick snapshot:

  Sex Pages & Groups:      Over 1000 in total, including: Morning Sex: 126,355+ fans   Sex (student groups): 2,409 members    You had sex where?: 366 members

  Sex Applications:     389 applications in total, including:  Sex Games: 459,633+ monthly active users   What’s your sex style?: 142,345 monthly active users   Would you have sex with someone here?: 1,929 monthly active users

  There are also sex events to tickle the fancy of Facebookers.

  Looking at the main pages of the above (and not delving any further) I saw one pair of naked breasts, two naked penises, one male bottom, lots of girls in skimpy clothing, and images of sex acts.  There were some pretty lurid descriptions of sex exploits and body parts in the discussions.

  Girls drunk & disorderly on Facebook? – also okey dokey.  

  Almost anyone with a large list of friends and acquaintances on Facebook will have had some pretty racy stuff pushed into their view– whether they wanted to see it or not.

  Breasts and online gaming

  Chicks in medieval adventure games almost invariably have large breasts popping out of barely-there armour. 

  (‘Barely-there armour’ – I can’t see that having been a hit at any time in history!)

  World of Warcraft is popular with both men and women, though women make up a much smaller membership than men.

  GameDaily runs a Babes of the Week spot. This week they featured women in skimpy gear from World Of Warcraft. (pictured left)

  Gamers enjoy the fantasy and escape from real life– and there’s nothing wrong with that.  It’s also true that with gaming evolving from a male-dominated arena, it’s no surprise that any female characters in war games are likely to display distinct sex-appeal.

  ‘Breast-jiggle’ when a female character walks or runs is  a functionality that was long-wished for in gaming, as I recall from my days of playing/designing NeverWinter Nights games. (NeverWinter Nights had a function whereby you could create your own campaigns and adventures, using their game engine and graphics.)

  Where the depiction of highly sexualised images of women in gaming becomes a problem is when it is marketed to children, or used by children.

  Many people will have seen the Evony adventure game advertised around the web.  Due to contextual advertising, the ads show up on some children’s games websites and on some websites where children frequent, as well as many general websites. The actual game looks pretty tame, but the advertisements depict women on their knees, with breasts flowing out of undone garments… at times with the text, “Come play, My Lord” displayed.  You can see the evolution of the depiction of ’boobs’ on Evony advertisements here and here.

  Such depictions set up an expectation that women’s breasts are entertainment. Okay for adults. Not okay for kids.

  Why don’t we want to see breastfeeding photos? 

  It’s difficult to gauge the percentages, but there may be as many women as men who don’t want see any displays of breastfeeding in public. It’s changing, but slowly.

  Incredibly, shopping centres and department stores often did not have breastfeeding facilities until recent years. With women the major customers of shopping centres, why and how did this happen? Why were women forced to feed their babies while sitting on toilets for goodness sakes?  Who are the people responsible for designing shopping centres that did not provide for the essential feeding requirements of babies? It also makes economic sense to keep breastfeeding women at the shops for longer, so why were parenting rooms not implemented earlier?

  It’s more than a disgrace. It’s telling.

  Breastfeeding was an invisible act, much like childbirth. Something tied into the mysteries of life yadda yadda but with enough yuck-factor that it should be kept behind closed doors and away from people in general.

  Breastfeeding on parenting forums

  Breastfeeding on parenting forums is an accepted and celebrated thing. There are the occasional heated discussions between breastfeeding advocates and women who have/are feeding their babies formula– but mostly that’s to do with formula-feeders simply seeking respect for their decision to use forumla (which can sometimes be not so much a decision as a medical necessity.)

  But still, amongst both breastfeeders and formula-feeders, there are women who dislike other women ‘flashing their breasts’ while breastfeeding. Breastfeeding photos, commonly displayed in signatures, can spark criticism if they show the nipple and areola, or if they display ‘too much breast’.

  Very few people, however, would ring up a TV station to complain if they see a naked breast in a movie they are watching.

  I have to admit– through many years of breastfeeding my four children, mostly people didn’t notice when I was actually breastfeeding– I was so painfully discreet. I’ve been uncomfortable at the sight of a woman breastfeeding who had both breasts bare.

  These things are my own issues. I’m not uncomfortable with the sight of women’s bare breasts in a movie (except to question why they’re actually there in the first place.)  I have to be careful not to project my own social conditioning onto my values.

  The ownership of breasts needs to change. It seems advertising, movies and magazines have too many rights to breasts, and women  themselves too few…

  Photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/Carin

  ]]> http://herweblife.com.au/breastfeeding-photos-online/feed/ 4 http://herweblife.com.au/12-foot-trampoline-in-a-small-yard/ http://herweblife.com.au/12-foot-trampoline-in-a-small-yard/#comments Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:43:43 +0000 admin http://herweblife.com.au/?p=529 We picked up a 12 foot trampoline on Ebay last Christmas - new at only $200. They were running out the cyber-door on Ebay auctions. In our small yard, it was soon evident that the trampoline itself was going to have learn some new tricks...]]> It’s September and the weather is hotting up.

  A young man’s fancy leads to… trampolines?

  Well, in this household, the very young men (aged 3 & 7) are out on their trampoline every day.

  We picked up a 12 foot trampoline on Ebay last Christmas – new at only $200. They were running out the cyber-door on Ebay auctions.

  The 10 ft and 14 ft trampolines were the most popular on Ebay

  I tried to get a 10 foot trampoline and kept being outbid, so settled for a larger one.  The 14 ft trampolines were also disappearing fast, not that I wanted one. All the trampolines had safety nets and safety mats over the springs.

  A quick car ride down to Sydney to pick it up showed a line of cars stretching out forever, all there to get their Ebay trampoline.

  Some clever people had shipped in container loads of the things, knowing they’d sell like hotcakes. In the department stores,  trampolines were selling for hundreds more.

  Putting it together out in the hot sun Christmas Day  sun, we realised two things:

  • When the instructions said to set aside two hours to put it together, they weren’t tickling trilbies
  • This thing was going to take up almost a third of our yard

  Show an old trampoline new tricks

  Having a small grass area and a toy the size of a blow-up pool in the same space meant looking at ways to make them complement each other.

  With a bit of trial and error, these are the things that worked best:

  • Give it shade - Tie a shade sail to the poles so the kids have a shaded area to play in – or even have a little picnic
  • A ball arena – Let the kids kick soft balls arounds in there – the netting keeps the balls in and it’s easy for the younger ones as they have much more chance of kicking the ball in a small area
  • Sprinkler jump – Have a sprinkler running into the trampoline (use tank water in areas where there are water restrictions.) This cools the kids and waters the lawn!
  • Parachute play - If you have a 12 ft trampoline with 8 poles, you can get a 12 ft play parachute that matches the octagonal shape exactly. Pop the parachute loops over each pole. The parachute will hang down. Pour soft ball-pit balls on top and let the kids run underneath, hitting the balls up. (Take the parachute off after each play and only use it under adult supervision.)

  Be sure to supervise kids at all times when on the trampoline.

  Nine months after purchase, the kids are still enjoying their trampoline. As far as toys go, it was an excellent purchase. When other kids come over, there’s somewhere for them to go and play. It also gives the kids daily exercise and ‘somewhere to hang out’.

  These type of trampolines with the net enclosure have become so popular, I hardly know anyone with kids who doesn’t have one.

  Our problems so far with the trampoline is that the zipper fell off on the very first day of use, and the black plastic canvas that holds the safety net to the canvas has started to crack and come apart (due to the sun) The netting itself and the trampoline has remained in excellent condition.

  It’s looking like we’re going to need to buy another safety net – what would the kids do without the use of their trampoline?

  Who am I kidding?

  The question is, what would I do without the kid container trampoline!

  ]]> http://herweblife.com.au/12-foot-trampoline-in-a-small-yard/feed/ 7