kate says stuff

#OperationMOVE - The Penny Drops

2013-05-24T08:00:00.000+10:00

I'm a bit slow on the uptake sometimes.

I've been feeling all blah and not been moving as much and whinge sook la la woe is me.

This time last year I'd done about half of the C25K running program and whilst I wasn't able to run far or fast I was enjoying it. Then we moved house, my back went ping and once I was recovered from that I just could not be bothered doing anything.

Until Spring, and the beginning of #OperationMOVE.

This year I have many months of running under my belt. I know how much I love it, and how great it is for my physical and mental health.

But still I've been dragging my heels and making every excuse under the sun (or lack of) not to get the trainers on.

Oh hello, lightbulb moment, the SADs have arrived.

I should have cottoned on when my mood started sliding and the sun disappeared. But like I said, bit slow sometimes.

The best thing is that having made the connection I will not let it be an excuse for not moving any more. I'm back on the Vitamin D's, and I'm soaking up the sun when I can see it. You're not going to best me this year SADs, I have races to train for!

Does the weather impact you as heavily as it does me? What do you do to help combat that?

And while you are here, it is check in day so tell me your numbers!

Chronic pain, addiction and other random things.

2013-05-22T15:57:00.002+10:00

Picture is unrelated. I did say random.

I don't often write about my chronic back pain, because boring sooky la la whingefest and who wants to read that right?

But it is something that shapes my life one way or another.

About six years ago I was a manager for Tupperware. I don't recall having any particular pain before my back went to hell, but I remember the day it happened all too well. I'd finished a party and was driving home in my lovely Tuppertruck when I became conscious of a nagging ache in my back interspersed with shooting pains. I didn't think much of it at the time, figured I'd been sitting in a weird position or something.

When I got home I bent down to duck under the garage door and in a split second my back felt like it had locked up altogether. Trying to straighten up was absolutely agonising. We sorted out the (then two) kids and I took painkillers and anti-inflammatories and went to bed, thinking it would be okay by morning.

It wasn't. I took two steps from the bed and collapsed in a screaming heap on the floor. I was completely unable to straighten my legs and the pain was like nothing I had ever endured before... it made giving birth look like a walk in the park. My husband called an ambulance and I was admitted to hospital for a few days for IV pain relief. It was indicated that I had a prolapsed disc in my lower back. When I was released I needed crutches to walk for the following weeks. It was a horrendous time, especially with two very young kids who still needed my attention.

In the six years since I have done chiro, physio, exercise, no exercise... there are things that help for a short time but the pain is always there. It eases for periods of time, but every year or so something will happen that causes a huge flare up and a few days in bed drugged off my head. This time last year it went when we were moving house. That was convenient. Not.

If I think back over the past year, there are only two days when I didn't need medication to be able to move. It is at its worst in the mornings and most days are started for me by taking painkillers and moving incredibly slowly until they kick in enough for me to be able to bend. On a very bad day I can't put my shoes on and need my kids to help me a great deal. On a good day the pain is minimised quickly and I am functional within half an hour or so. When the painkillers work I have a constant low hum of pain, it never goes altogether. During a bad patch they get me to the point where I don't feel like crying constantly and sometimes that is enough.

When I started running I hoped that it might be a really good thing for my back. As it turns out, it doesn't make the pain any better but it doesn't make it worse either. My doctor tends to think (as do I) that the benefits make it worth continuing.

During my whirlwind weekend I had the pleasure of meeting a woman I have long admired, that being Kim from Allconsuming. She's not long past back surgery herself and is looking in fine fettle for it. Aside from the fact that she is just an incredibly lovely and inclusive woman, chatting with her has made me think more about the long term with this back of mine.

I've assumed for ages that once I'm not having to lift and carry small people that it will just get better. And hey, possibly it will. I certainly hope so. But in the meantime I'm existing on painkillers daily and in honesty I could well be addicted to them... I've not been pain free for a long enough stretch to find out. And we're talking about moving to a higher level given that I'm still having agonising mornings more often than not. I have enough not fabulous addictions without throwing morphine into the mix and speaking with Kim has made me think that when I next see my doctor it is probably time to get another lot of scans done. Who knows if the problem is the same or has changed or whatnot, it has been a long time since I last had them done.

I don't love the idea of surgery, and I hope it isn't necessary down the track. But nor do I love the idea of taking painkillers every day of my life and never knowing what it is to be truly pain free.

I know many mums in particular suffer from a dodgy back now and again. I have a few friends who have endured the extremity of a similar injury to mine as well. It is not as uncommon as we'd like to think.

Do you deal with pain on a daily basis? How do you cope with it physically and emotionally?

Parenting. You are doing it wrong.

2013-05-21T20:27:00.000+10:00

When I had just one baby boy, I knew so much about parenting. I was doing it right and a whole lot of people were doing it wrong. Then we had a little girl, and I had another chance to feel superior about our parenting choices. Especially because by then I was tandem breastfeeding like a proper crunchy Mama. No formula would ever pass my babies' lips. No plastic nappies for my precious babes. And no WAY would my baby be sleeping in a cot like a poor abandoned thing. The very thought!

The problem with being right all the time is that there are no shades of grey. There is right and there is wrong. That's it.

The other problem with knowing everything when you have very small children is that when your high horse bolts off into the sunset, you have a really long way to fall and much dirt to eat when you hit the ground.

The longer I've been parenting, the less I know about anything at all. And sure we're still living on the crunchy side, but it is no longer because I know that it is the RIGHT way to do things. It is more because it works for our family and my own belief systems.

When you are right about everything, and very vocal about it, you stand to alienate an awful lot of people. People who may also be doing it RIGHT, even if they are doing it differently to you. Just because it isn't your shade of right, that doesn't mean it is wrong.

Those two girls up there are six weeks apart in age. One is still breastfed to sleep at night, the other had a combination of breastmilk and formula in her first year of life. One sleeps next to her Mum, the other has had her own room since babyhood. One was born at home, one in a hospital.

If you look really closely maybe you can tell which is which...

Oh hang on, no you can't.

Because both of those girls are loved and cherished, and being parented in the best ways their Mums know how, even though some of the choices made are at completely different ends of the parenting spectrum. None are wrong. None are right. They are simply choices.

And even when those choices are not the same as yours, they deserve to be respected.

Whirlwind

2013-05-20T12:20:00.000+10:00

I love the airport. I love the promise it holds, the excitement of new places and experiences.

I used to fly a lot more than I do these days. When we had just one small boy we lived in Brisbane for a while, and flew back and forth to Melbourne a fair bit. In later years I'd often go for a weekend with my sister in Adelaide with whoever was the baby, but I never did get to do that with our last baby as we had other challenges to deal with.

I often see bloggers flying here and there for things and think that must be extremely cool. It's not quite as simple for us to do that sort of thing.

Over the weekend there was a launch party in Sydney for the Kidspot Voices of 2013 competition. It took a lot of organising, a LOT of stress on my part and more than a few tears but on Saturday afternoon I finally boarded a plane ALL BY MYSELF and took off on a whirlwind adventure.

I had a couple of reasons for making this trip happen. Firstly because making the top 25 blogs in the personal/parenting category felt like a pretty big deal to me. Secondly because it gave me a chance to catch up with my beautiful friend and business partner to talk face to face about The Shake.

Like a proper runner, I packed my trainers and gear. After Zoey picked me up from the airport we started chatting and didn't stop for the entire time.

We checked out some landmarks whilst discussing priorities and directions we want for The Shake. We had a couple of drinks while getting ready for the launch party and talking some more about how we want to achieve our goals.

And then we headed to the event where we were overwhelmed with support for Zoey's dream-become-reality.

It was so wonderful to be in a room with so many bloggers I have long admired. To finally speak to them in less than 143 characters. To give some of them who have become such amazing friends online a long awaited hug.

The time disappeared so fast. Possibly aided by the wine. And the scotch and coke at the after party. By the time we headed back to the hotel I'd spent time with so many incredible writers, it was quite overwhelming.

The thing with your partner living in a different state is that it takes so long to have a conversation sometimes. We made up for that with a midnight feast, and kept chatting until well into the small hours of the morning.

I woke not to my usual alarm (ie a small person in my face) but when my own body decided it was ready. Amazing.

The problem of course with too many wines is that you don't particularly feel like going for a run the next day, so we didn't. Instead we went and had brunch and big coffees before I had to get to the airport to head home again.

It was too quick. It always is when you are spending time with someone who just understands you, and whom you do not get to see often enough.

My babies all had wonderful weekends as well, and at the risk of this post turning into an academy speech I need to thank so many people.

When you have four kids, two with additional needs, nothing is as straightforward as it seems.

My bestie did our laundry all week because my washing machine is broken. If she hadn't none of us would have had any clothes left to wear and it is a pretty big imposition picking up the washing of a family of six. I can't thank you enough Chel.

My big boy stayed with the Supertrucker because they had a motocross day to attend. It did them both good to have an entire weekend with each other. I love those boys.

My big girl was gutted when she realized that her own BFF's birthday party fell in the middle of this crazy weekend, until that generous and lovely family offered for her to stay there for the entire weekend so she wouldn't miss out. I love that my girl has made such a beautiful friend and am so grateful to them as well.

My little two spent the time with my Mum. This was of course my biggest worry... That my little night wakers may not cope. But they had a wonderful time with Nanna (who also did a heap of catch up washing for me) and the fallout from my Little Mate has been minimal thus far. They are growing up. I missed them though, so much. And I have the best Mum in the universe. I honestly do.

It was such a whirlwind weekend, but it was so good for me and for them on a number of levels.

Does it take the organizational skills of a genius for you to do something different too? I so often just don't do things because it all seems too hard, but as with all hard things it was so worth it.

When size does matter. {Sponsored Giveaway}

2013-05-19T08:00:00.000+10:00

This post is sponsored by Colgate and Digital Parents Collective.

Dental health is a big thing at my place. If you've been here awhile you might remember the trauma around my Little Mate's dental surgery last year. Thinking about it still sets my teeth on edge, no pun intended.

Sadly a collision at speed between his mouth and some concrete has seen a couple of his flash new chompers looking a little worse for wear these days, but I remain so grateful that he has them at all. And as you can imagine I'm pretty strict with all the kids when it comes to brushing their teeth.

Anyway, I was sent some new Colgate Slim Soft brushes and popped them on the bench to move to our bathroom later on. That was my mistake.

My big kids spotted them and claimed them immediately. So much for me reviewing them hey?

But then I'm hardly going to argue when my kids WANT to brush their teeth, and a new toothbrush is generally novelty enough that I get a week or so of no heel-dragging at teeth time.

So because I haven't gotten to use them myself, I asked my big boy what he thought. He replied 'It feels softer and more comfortable than other toothbrushes'. Well done son, there's a career in advertising for you yet.

I didn't even need to ask the big girl. The first time she brushed she came running out and told me that 'It's really skinny Mum! It feels soft and skinny in my mouth!'.

From the mouths of babes. About the mouths of babes. Yup.

Here's the pitch. The bristles are 17 times finer than those of an ordinary toothbrush, make cleaning in those crevicey spots much more effective, and the softness doesn't leave your mouth feeling like it's been attacked by sandpaper on a stick.

Here's the REAL pitch. If you buy them, your kids might be more willing to brush their teeth for a while. And that right there makes it worthwhile if you too have children who act as though they've never heard such a shocking suggestion, despite hearing it twice daily forever.

At $3.99 for a single or $6.99 for a two pack, I think that is money well spent.

I will be buying one for myself and hiding it before the two year old eats it. You can find them at Woolworths, Coles and Priceline.

Or maybe you'd like to win some to try? I'm giving away four of the Colgate Slim Soft toothbrushes (which will either see you sorted for a year or cover your kids if you have four like me) to three winners.

To enter please leave a comment telling me how you encourage the people at your house to brush their teeth. No really, I want to know! Entry is open to Australian residents and this is a game of skill so be a bit creative. The competition closes at 5pm on Saturday 25th of May. Good luck!

#OperationMOVE - some weeks.

2013-05-17T08:00:00.000+10:00

May has been a pretty rubbish month for moving for me, so far.

I've been beating myself up about it a fair bit, which along with the filthy weather here has not been brilliant for my mood.

But I've had a little epiphany. I've been moving flat out for 8 months straight now. One month is not going to take away all the gains that I've made. One month of moving less may actually be a really good thing as I'll be starting training for the half marathons very soon and lazy days won't be an option then. Taking the time to just relax and do less is not necessarily a bad thing.

That is what I am telling myself anyway. But I can see how people slide into inactivity so easily. If it weren't for the support and encouragement of our Facebook group I can see that I'd allow myself to just let it go, and be facing a total start over come Spring. And yet again I feel so grateful for this group, for all of you who read here and join in and chat in the group and just keep me moving... keep us all moving. You are so amazing and I could not be prouder.

So here is the tally for the month so far, I hope you are travelling a little better than I am!

Tell me your numbers! :D

Postnatal Depression - A Guest Post by Kym.

2013-05-15T16:00:00.000+10:00

My beautiful sister shares her mental health journey today, and her experience of postnatal depression. Thankyou so much Kym, you are an inspiring woman and I am so incredibly proud of you.

I am blessed with mental illness.

I've had a long history with multiple diagnoses... anxiety disorder, major depression (clinical term, not just me quantifying!), borderline personality disorder.. All adequate ways to explain and justify the things in my brain's functioning that aren't ideal.

It all fluctuates to varying degrees and grabbing the bull by the horns when I was 20 (I'm now 33) and obtaining those diagnoses and beginning the journey of treatment/medication/education was the best thing I ever did. Ever. Because all the good things since could not have happened without that. I have a fantastic life! I have a beautiful husband, a wonderful son, a job I am soooo passionate about, so many wonderful friends, great family (on BOTH sides! How lucky am I??) and an appreciation and deep gratitude for every single bit of it. It was hard earned, this brain functioning, and is hard earned still... but worth every bit of effort I've had to pour in, and every misstep and stumble that even now can be a horrid reminder that my chemistry is what it is. I can manage it, but I can't neglect it for even a few days.

I am unmedicated now, and have been for 8 years. My first psychiatrist was great for educating me. He had a course you had to do as part of your therapy that explained brain chemistry (in a simplified way, of course) and did wonders to help me separate my illness from *me*. My second one didn't bowl me over with revelations but did refer me to my third (when I moved interstate), and it was my third who worked with me on cognitive therapy and psychotherapy and helped me eradicate my need for the medications to stabilise my chemistry. I can now do it in other ways. They aren't as simple as popping a pill - but as anyone who has taken anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds can attest, that road is no picnic either! Lots of trial and error, awful side effects... I am happy to no longer be dealing with that (but, would take them again if it was warranted, they can really save your life). My third was my last, and I finished with him 8 years ago, too. He was amazing for me, and I firmly believe that getting past ANYTHING is about finding the help that perfectly matches your needs, even if it means shopping around. He also genuinely cared about me - so much so that he has attended a few gigs and things I've done since - he would just wave and then a week later there'd be a letter in the mail telling me that he thought I'd done well or something. He retired when I stopped seeing him (was I his crowning achievement?? hehe hardly) but always said to me that the thing I had to remember was that it is a lifetime of management, and that there is no prize for doing it alone - there would always be help available and I should never feel hesitant to ask for it.

When I got pregnant, my psychiatric history was one of those red flags for the doctors, they all reminded me that it was possible that I would be more vulnerable to post natal depression. Ha.. as if! I am the queen of my brain, I know it better than anyone on earth and ain't no PND gonna sneak in and wreck my life - ESPECIALLY since my baby was an absolute miracle, I knew there was NO WAY I'd have even a moment of not appreciating and remembering that and feeling good about him!

Yeah.. so.. well.. turns out I'm not as pro as I thought.

The exhaustion alone with a newborn, could cause PND. Oh and the hormones, which is actually what brain chemistry is. All that fluctuating madness is enough to drive you to madness. And of course my predisposition didn't help. But I KNEW having a newborn was hard, I had seen plenty of new mums going through exactly what I was going through, and so that made it normal, right? Only, it isn't what's going on with your baby that is the issue (it can sure seem like it!)... it's how your head is dealing with it all. As a seasoned mentally ill pro, I did a pretty good job at hiding what was going on in my head. In fact, when I *came out* with PND down the track, people were surprised. But if they'd been reading my mind, they'd have noticed it long before I acknowledged it.

It is so scary. Depression is scary enough - because it feels like it's who you are, it feels like it is part of you and your personality, and it is hard to separate it from your identity and treat it as an illness. But throw in a baby that is almost entirely your responsibility and suddenly it is actually utterly terrifying.

Some women experience thoughts of harming their baby - I had a couple of thoughts of that but thankfully it wasn't excessive (it was so distressing - I would NEVER hurt him - so why would my brain create these scenarios?). Many experience self-harm thoughts. For some women, these thoughts can become reality. Again, I am so glad that didn't happen to me. There is a checklist that is used in diagnosis of PND that is worth being familiar with. It includes a lot of things that are normal to experience once in a blue moon but not to experience often, and things like that.

I had a lot of terrifying nights. My husband would be sound asleep beside me and I'd be feeding my son for the 4th time (and each feed was well over an hour) and just losing my mind. I'd scream, silently, and I'd be praying like mad for some relief. My days were often dark - I forced myself to be out in the world, knowing that is one of the things that helps my chemistry the most - and luckily I was able to go to work with my baby and still teach and take my choirs and have hours here and there where I was "me" again. Having to smile and be energetic, having to look after other people's needs (bigger people!), being trusted to cope - these things helped me enormously. But didn't take my PND away.

And this baby, this precious ball of lovely who I love SO MUCH, he was growing fast. SO fast. And I was miserable. I felt detached. And if he's the only baby I ever have, I'd be so furious with myself if I let ANYTHING get in the way of me savouring his life.

I knew that my third psych, had he known, would be looking at me with expectation. Why was I wondering what to do, when I knew what to do?

So, I bit the bullet, and saw my GP. A few weeks later I was beginning a few rounds of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). I opted for the non-drug route to see how I'd go. And the minute I started using what I was learning in CBT, I remembered how much work this old brain needs. How much maintenance. And I hadn't been maintaining it - I'd been busy with motherhood.

It's not enough to get help - you have to USE IT. But I know that. And I am willing to work. I have always been willing to work. So it wasn't long before things shifted, and I was able to gather momentum and really notice changes.

I would be telling a very different story (or I'd be unable to tell a story at all) if I hadn't experienced mental illness pre-baby. And I think that for women experiencing PND without a history of mental illness, it must be so much harder again.

Everyone has a different experience, and all experiences are valid. If you think that something isn't as it should be in your inner life - or your outer life for that matter - then you need to reach out and accept the help you need. And if you aren't getting what you need, reach again, in another direction. It is somewhere within your reach. And if you yourself can't reach out for professional help, then confide in someone who will take that step with you. The only wrong thing to do is to suffer in silence.

There are a lot of emotions tied in with motherhood and depression - guilt and shame are big ones for me. And all the bravado in the world won't cure the inner life, the one that I have to experience twenty four hours a day. So, I think being honest matters. I think being unafraid to discuss it, unafraid to talk about the feelings and experiences, unafraid to express my own inabilities and shortcomings as a mother and as a human being. All these things help to take some of the stigma out of PND and out of mental illness in general. It's hard to do - it's hard to admit. But I know this illness is NOT who I am, it does not control my life (anymore), and it has given me more in my life than it has taken away, by challenging me and forcing me to grow and learn.

Which is why I am blessed with mental illness.

One in seven new mums are diagnosed with postnatal depression. PANDA offer care and support to affected women and their families, but desperately need more funding to help reach the 93% of struggling Mums that they currently cannot. This May PANDA are asking you to quickly and easily email your local MP via the Million Mums website and let them know that this essential service deserves their support.

When the day comes...

2013-05-14T15:56:00.000+10:00

Sometimes all the mental preparation in the world won't help when the day comes. Knowing the likelihood and experiencing the reality can be two very different things.

We had another appointment this week. This time we were meeting with my Little Mate's new early intervention caseworker. Another hour spent telling the same story that we told to her senior a couple of weeks ago. The same story that I seem to have repeated a million times over the past couple of years and that I am sure I will continue repeating maybe forever. Another appointment to make another appointment after which there will be another appointment and maybe after all that my son will actually start receiving some therapy. But that is a whole other story.

My Little Mate and my Little Miss Thing were there and played happily together with the playdough that had been provided. They were getting along beautifully. She was chat chat chatting his ear off, and mine, and the case worker's.

Towards the end of the session our case worker commented that there couldn't be any concerns about my little girl's speech. And that was when I knew.

Over the past few weeks my daughter has been putting together increasingly complex sentences. She is a fairly precocious child, but I'm sure on a par with her age peers. She talks to and at me all the time.

In that moment I stopped listening to my children with my 'Mummy' ears that hear the context and the sounds and the meaning that other people do not. In that moment I knew that the day had come. My two year old had well and truly overtaken my four year old in terms of verbal skills.

I heard her ask him questions. I heard her prompt him the way we do to answer things and interact with her. I heard her diction and clarity.

I heard him struggle to respond. I heard the way the words sounded coming out of his mouth, fuzzy around the edges and unclear at times. I heard him resort to noises and grunts when he got frustrated.

Maybe it has been like this for a while and I just haven't noticed. But now that I have I can't unnotice it.

It is just another step in our journey. In the great scheme of things it matters not at all. And yet when I got home I cried on my husband's shoulder because we knew that it would happen but that doesn't make it any easier.

All I can do is be grateful that compared to six months ago, my son's language has improved enormously. I can be thankful that he is nurtured and supported at his kindergarten. I can hold him tight because he is my beautiful boy and nothing will ever change that. But I will allow myself a small moment to grieve yet again for this life that looks like nothing we ever imagined, and for the challenges that he faces.

The day has come, and maybe those roles will never be reversed again. And sometimes that weighs so heavily on my heart.

The time is now.

2013-05-13T22:20:00.000+10:00

The past little while I've had this weird feeling of waiting. Like something is about to happen.

Maybe it's because of The Shake. I'm so proud to be part of something that is growing and evolving and that I believe in so much. We've come so far, and we've only just begun.

Maybe it is because I've not been able to run much lately and my cells are screaming for it. The wait to get out and stretch my legs has been excruciating.

Maybe it is because of the wait to find out what will happen with our son next year. It is certainly something that is never far from my mind.

But with all this waiting, all this anticipation, I seem to have lost now.

I've always been a bit like that. So busy looking forward to the next big thing that the everyday but still fantastic things just pass me by. I'm great at living in the moment, if that moment is a week or two away.

Last week my Little Mate wrote his own name for the first time. My Big Boy was selected for an interschool sports competition. My Little Miss Thing started throwing great long sentences around. My Big Girl started a 'BFFs Club'.

These kids of mine are growing up right now. Right this very minute. And if I don't find a way to be more present all these things will be barely recalled memories and I will wonder where their childhoods went.

Maybe I will wonder that anyway. I am sure the time-space continuum alters once you have children and a day can last for months but the years are gone before you can blink.

But I am going to try anyway. To listen more closely. To watch without interfering. To cuddle at every opportunity. As I type this I am wedged between two sleeping small people. Tonight I won't be in such a rush to run away the moment I'm sure they are deeply asleep. Tonight I will just lie still and listen to their breathing for a while. Gaze on their sleeping faces. Wonder at them in this moment.

I can look forward to tomorrow, but I can live in today as well.

The time is now.

The love of my life. {Sponsored Giveaway}

2013-05-12T08:00:00.000+10:00

This post is sponsored by Republica Coffee.

I tend to get a fair few product pitches in my inbox each week. Some are worth considering. Some are downright ludicrous. Every now and then one gets me ridiculously excited.

When I got an email from Republica Coffee I literally punched the air. Because COFFEE!

Anyone who knows me, knows that coffee and I have a deep and serious relationship. It is there for me first thing in the morning, no matter how rough a night it has been. It perks me up when I am feeling low. At 4pm when I hit the wall, it holds my hand and prepares me for the coming arsenic hour. It is fair to say, I am in love with my coffee.

The thing is though, all coffees are not created equal. Aside from the fact that some just do not taste as good as others, when I'm purchasing my beloved beans I am conscious of the fact that in this world there are children the same age as my own working under terrible conditions so that we can enjoy a hot beverage. There is something terribly wrong with that scenario, and I try to purchase many of our goods as conscientiously as I can.

I like to know the kind of conditions the beans are grown under as well, given that they will be doused in hot water and any pesticides or poisons used will be making a beeline for my belly.

As a result, buying beans isn't as straightforward as you might think.

Republica addresses both of these concerns, being both 100% organically grown and 100% Fair Trade produced. And it tastes really good too.

I have a not fabulous but good enough machine that grinds the beans and pumps out the java. I've tried a few different brands of coffee with it over the past year or so but not found one that was just perfect for me. I expected to enjoy the Republica coffee well enough, because it is coffee, but wasn't expecting to have found a new favourite. I really enjoy the flavour as it turns out, and am keen to try their other varieties as well.

They also do those sachet gigs that you pour hot water over for an instant cappuccino or mocha, as well as the most divine drinking chocolate. I found the sachet 'cino a little strong for my taste but still quite nice. The drinking chocolate is a whole new level of delicious though. Seriously good.

Republica is available online, as well as at Coles and Woolworths.

Are you a caffeine fiend too? Perhaps you'd like to try Republica for yourself?

Well I have the MOTHER of all coffee lover's giveaways for you! You could win one of FIVE Republica packs, each valued at $350 for a total giveaway value of $1750. Happy Mother's Day to you!

Each pack is designed to give you the ultimate coffee break moment, including an aromatic candle, the Ultimate Chill 2012 CD, a copy of the Penguin classic 'The Great Gatsby' and of course Republica coffee. In addition each winner will receive Republica coffee to their doorstep every month for FIVE MONTHS.

I cannot tell you how gutted I am that I can't enter my own giveaway, because oh my gosh AMAZING!

To enter, please leave a comment telling me your ultimate coffee break moment, then use the form below to validate your entry. This is a game of skill and chance will play no part in determining the winners. Entry is open to Australian residents and the competition will close at 5pm AEST on Sunday 19th May.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sorry Tom Cruise, Mum's making a roast. {Sponsored Giveaway}

2013-05-11T08:00:00.000+10:00

This post is sponsored by Steggles.

Okay so it's not the exact same type of roast, but if you get the reference you are one of my people.

It's Mother's Day tomorrow. We don't really 'do' Mother's Day as such. My big kids will have bought something lovely from the stall at school and I cannot wait to see what the littles have created at child care for me. Those handmade gifts are the ones that mean the most.

We'll be visiting my mother-in-law and enjoying some family time though, and that makes it a pretty great day for this mother anyway.

I know loads of families have roast dinner on Sundays anyway, and I'd hope that if that is what your family does that the Mum isn't the one cooking it on Mother's Day. Roast chicken is my all time favourite (although I'm pretty partial to lamb and pork as well) and my own Mum does the best roast chook of all. The potatoes are always perfectly crunchy and the chicken moist and delicious. I've had a few roast chook epic fails in the past, but thanks to Steggles I've finally cracked it!

The key is... Wait for it... Read the suggested cooking time!

Yes, seriously. I've never roasted my chooks quite long enough, or I've cooked them for too long so they've ended up dry and yucko. Who knew that reading the bit that says 'cook at this temperature for this long' was important?

Anyway. Here is a Steggles Family Roast that I prepared earlier. As per the instructions. And you know what? It was as good as my Mum's roast. And it was big enough to feed all my hungry hippos AND when we were done I popped the carcass in my pressure cooker and voila, best chicken stock ever. Waste not, want not.

The only real issue is that there are only two drumsticks, or 'chicken bones' as my kids lovingly call them. "I want the chicken bones!" "No I want one too!" is the chorus I hear, which increases in volume and intensity as soon as the Supertrucker nabs a chicken bone for himself. Luckily the little girl doesn't really care and will nom down on as much as I will allow her to have. She loves chicken so much that she insists on calling all meat products chicken. If it means she's eating her dinner I am hardly going to argue.

Because the people at Steggles are lovely folk, they'd like one of you to enjoy a Family Roast too. One winner will receive a gift pack including an apron, cooler bag and a Coles voucher so you can grab all the roast dinner necessities along with your chook. The total prize pack value is around $40, not bad huh?

To enter please leave a comment telling me your best tips for the perfect roast chook. This is a game of skill and chance will play no part in determining the winner. Entry is open to Australian residents and the competition will close at 5pm AEST Saturday 18th May.

Do you have a roast on Mother's Day? And does someone else cook it for you?

#OperationMOVE - It's my prerogative...

2013-05-10T08:00:00.000+10:00

to realise that I'm being completely daft and change my mind.

Actually, not completely daft, maybe just a little overenthusiastic.

I shared last week that I am planning a half and a full marathon later in the year.

Then disaster; a (very minor) injury, and the realisation that the transition to barefoot will not be a quick and easy one. If barefoot running is to be a priority for me (which at this point it is) then I need to accept that it will be a slow process, and stop being in such a rush to do all the things yesterday.

And so I've decided, rather than attempt to just survive a full marathon, I will run two half marathons a month or so out from each other. I hope to run them in my Merrells and I plan on doing better in the second one than the first.

I've been reading Train Like a Mother and listening to the Another Mother Runner podcasts produced by the authors and loving both. It all makes me feel so totally normal in this obsession. Highly recommend both for a laugh and some inspiration as well.

So that's me. Aforementioned minor injury means my kms are way down this week, but by the time you read this I will hopefully be out for a gentle trot. How has your week shaped up?

Goodbye Girl

2013-05-06T19:57:00.002+10:00

Our Holly Dog is off to greener pastures today.

No not THOSE greener pastures, but the ones at my sister's property. Which probably aren't actually any greener than ours. But I digress.

I'm feeling so sad right now, but that's not a speck on how my Little Mate is feeling. Watching their friendship has been such a wonderful thing and I think he will be lost without her for a while.

When my sister found Holly abandoned at the side of the road, she told us that if ever we needed she would take her. She has a number of dogs, some cats, chooks, sheep and a snake. Probably some other animals that I'm forgetting about too. She loves her animals, so much so that she became vegan a year or so ago after becoming vegetarian in her teens.

I hate that we are 'that' family that gives up a dog. Truly hate it.

But having settled in so beautifully, she has become increasingly lonely of late. She cries when we aren't here and won't let us out of her sight for a second when we are. I'm sure some of this stems from her tough start to life, but the fact is that we will get busier and busier in the coming years (and no, another dog is not an option for us).

On top of that, Little Mate has been getting very rough with her. She's a really BIG puppy now, and is starting to retaliate in the way you'd expect. It's so hard when making the boy understand is a challenge in itself, and you can't blame a dog for being a dog.

It isn't a decision we've come to lightly, and we're all going to be a bit emo kid about it for a while I think. But she will be happier there. Lots of company and affection, we can still visit her so she won't be out of our lives entirely, and we won't have to face that situation where far more drastic and heartbreaking action would be necessary.

I am a sad Kate today. But I'm so grateful that my sister will give her a home where she will be loved and treated so well.

Goodbye Holly Shitwell. Thankyou for helping my children get over their fears, and for your affection and love of them. We will miss you so much.

Au Natural

2013-05-06T12:27:00.001+10:00

I first coloured my hair when I was 16.

Twenty years later, it is entirely colour free for the first time since.

I've had so many colours over the years. You name it, I've probably tried it. I've also been in a cycle of growing it then cutting it really short every three or four years, mostly because it has gotten too over processed and horrible... That's the problem with swinging between red and blonde so often I guess.

Shaving my head changed the way I think about myself. I'll admit I've been so tempted to try all of the colours since, especially given I'm shaving it again every three weeks or so. But I had this nagging idea that it would be nice to at least SEE what colour my hair is.

I had foils not long before I shaved the first time so had a lovely GT stripe effect going on. I covered that with a reddish brown and since have just kept shaving it off until finally all the colour was gone.

To my surprise, I actually quite like my own colour. It has quite blonde patches, and some reddy tinge in the sunlight. Quite similar to my Little Mate actually. Who knew?

And it matches my skin tone and features. Again, who knew? (The answer is, of course, my Mum.)

I spent my teens convinced that I had the mousiest, most boring hair ever. Hence all the dyeing. I never stopped to think that maybe it was okay to just look like an unenhanced version of myself. It took two decades to come to that.

I think I will keep it like this, for a while at least. I'll probably start growing it out eventually, but gosh low maintenance is a nice change.

Are you a colour junkie? When did you last see yourself au natural?

Cook 4 Me {Sponsored Giveaway}

2013-05-05T08:00:00.000+10:00

This post is sponsored by Tefal: Cook 4 Me.

I used to love cooking. It was fun and relaxing.

I don't know when that changed, but to be perfectly honest it is so not fun any more. Possibly that is partly due to the fact that I don't have a dishwasher so I try to use as few pots and pans as possible; washing up sucks! It is probably also due to the fact that our household runs all upside down at the moment. Lunch is dinner and dinner is lunch and red is blue etc etc.

I still love baking, but cooking meals? You can have it.

I was sent this nifty gadget called Cook 4 Me and I was all like hell YES you can cook for me! You can wash up afterwards too if you want!

Sadly, the machine doesn't do that. Bugger. But it DOES make hot meals much quicker and easier AND there is less washing up anyway.

I don't really get the science behind pressure cookers, but I've heard from lots of people that they are awesome. This appliance is a pressure cooker and recipe library all in one! Its capacity is well and truly big enough for our family with some to spare which I like a lot too. It isn't the smallest thing you can put in your kitchen, but since it arrived it has sat on top of my ceramic cooktop which has gone unused anyway. We don't have access to gas here, and I am all sorts of fail at cooking on the electric hotplates even after a year or so of practice. So it suits me to use the cooktop as bench space and instead to use an appliance that actually earns the right to sit there. And did I mention less washing up?

It is very user friendly, you just click through to the recipe you want then select number of people (2, 4, or 6) that you are cooking for then follow the instructions for the recipe on the screen.

The first day we made the macaroni cheese, which the kids sadly did not like as much as the feral orange packet ones you can get. Blech.

But the second day we made the beef casserole in 30 minutes, and even my stew-disliking little two gobbled it up. The meat was so tender, it was seriously yum!

Since then I've made chicken stock in half an hour, chicken noodle soup from aforementioned chicken stock in ten minutes, pork bolognese (the eternal favourite) in 20 minutes, vegie curry in half an hour and reheated a number of meals as well. There is a setting where you can input a particular meat and weight and it cooks for you, and also a manual setting. It even has a keep warm function. Nice. And with more than 80 recipes we won't run out of dinner ideas quickly either.

I like it so much that I have passed on our slow cooker. Because slow is slow, and I like fast!

In all, I'm pretty darned impressed. The inner bowl lifts out easily and washes better than the old pots and pans. There is a dessert menu of recipes too that I haven't even tried yet. Steamed golden syrup pudding anyone? My hips say no, my sweet tooth says YES!

So if you can live with an appliance that earns it space in your kitchen, even if it doesn't do the dishes, I have one Tefal Cook 4 Me valued at $349.95 to give away.

To enter simply leave a comment telling me who you would love to have Cook 4 You, then click here to validate your entry.

The giveaway closes at 5pm Sunday 12th May and is open to Australian residents. Good luck!

Oh my Goodness, Superfoods! {Sponsored Giveaway}

2013-05-04T08:00:00.000+10:00

This post is brought to you by Goodness Superfoods.

By now we all know about superfoods yes? I remember when it was blueberries. I did the quinoa thing. I still consume a fair bit of chia. Always been a fan of oats. I tend to think most foods as close to their natural state as possible are pretty super actually.

But while the word may get bandied about a bit randomly these days, the reality is that there ARE some foods that can do an awful lot for your body compared to others. Sadly icecream isn't one of them. For shame.

It was with some hesitation that said yes to this review. Because you know, superfoods. But as a person who rarely eats breakfast yet intends to run a marathon I know I need to address my nutrition sooner rather than later, and I actually really love barley as a grain.

The key product in the Goodness Superfoods range isn't just any barley though, it is BARLEYMax which is like barley on steroids I think. It is a non genetically modified grain with double the fibre and four times more resistant starch than oats and wheat, that is low GI as well.

It is a doozy of a range, and having tried nearly all of them now I thought I'd share my red hot favourites.

The Protein 1st cereal is really very yummy. When I run first thing I can't eat beforehand, so I've taken to having a bowl of this one straight after a run instead of a protein shake. Much higher fibre and more satisfying too. Definite winner.

We have chicken wraps once a week or so. Mostly because when my kids get to assemble their own food at the table they seem to eat a lot more of it. Winning! I wasn't sure what reception the wraps would get, they have an almost sweet taste to them and my Little Mate in particular sometimes has issues with how food looks. Turns out we all love them, so they are on my regular shopping list now in place of less super wrap breads.

I think the FibreBoost bars were my absolute favourite. I have a chronic back injury and require pretty heavy doses of painkillers regularly. Fun right? Not really, especially with some of the side effects that come with them. So getting enough fibre is really important to me, along with healthy snacking (because if there is a big bag of biscuits on hand I will eat every last one of them).

I found these WAY more filling than any other muesli bar or similar that I have EVER had. By which I mean I can happily eat three of four of other types in one sitting (no, really) and I was full after only one of these ones. Even my fussy 'I hate cranberries and sulatanas and all the things' big girl really liked these. Impressed.

So as it turns out, this superfood is actually a bit super. Who knew?

You can find the range at most supermarkets or purchase online if that's your thing.

Or, if you're keen to find out what is so super about these foods, I am giving away a pack including all the goodies you see up there that will keep you in healthy breakfasts for a good long time, with a total value of $48! All you need to do to enter is leave a comment telling me which product from the range would be the most super for you.

Entry is open to Australian residents. This is a game of skill so put on your thinking caps! The competition closes at 5pm Saturday 11th May.

#OperationMOVE: Getting Naked

2013-05-03T08:00:00.000+10:00

If you read this post a few weeks ago, you'll already know I've been reading a bit about barefoot running.

This week I've put my money where my mouth is. I ordered a pair of Merrell Pace Gloves and took them for their first spin this week.

Where I live, true barefoot just isn't an option. I usually run a gravel trail that is littered with sharp stones and the occasional snake in warm weather. I looked at the Vibram Five Fingers but I wasn't as keen due to my munted toes.

The Merrells look and feel a bit like clown shoes at first. The large toe box is there so that your toes can splay and react as they would without shoes, but they do take a little getting used to.

Having been running in Nike Lunarglides, the switch to zero drop is pretty dramatic. My natural footstrike isn't entirely on the heel, more midfoot really. But the complete lack of cushioning in the Merrells means your body naturally switches to a mid/forefoot footstrike to protect itself from too heavy an impact.

The first kilometre felt quite odd, almost like tiptoeing fast. Certainly I was a lot lighter on my feet but I had to really concentrate on what I was doing. By about the third (of a 5km run) my calves were starting to twinge and I could definitely feel that my muscles were working very differently to how they would with cushioned trainers.

I hit stride around the 4km mark and despite my calves being quite sore by then powered on to nearly a personal best time, 5km in 30:10.

Obviously it will take my entire body a while to adapt to barefoot style, effectively I'm starting from scratch in that sense. Luckily I have a few weeks up my sleeve before I start training for the Sydney half and Melbourne full marathons so I can make a decision as to how I want to run them after my body has had more time to adapt to barefoot style.

I do have to say though, that unlike pretty much every other run I do I have had NO hip or back pain whatsoever post run, which gives me a lot of hope. I'll keep you posted.

And now down to business!

Here are our May goals, I know we are only a few days in but I also know that some of you have been MOVING already :) Hit me with your updates!

Unapologetic

2013-05-02T08:00:00.000+10:00

I am one of those apologetic people. I'd bump into a doorframe and say sorry. I dislike confrontation so much that I'd rather apologize even if I feel justified in whatever had caused the situation.

Sometimes apology is necessary. I hurt people, I cause upset unintentionally. I apologize and I mean it when that happens... And if you think you feel bad about whatever I did to upset you I can guarantee that I feel a million times worse.

But lately, I've been feeling a little unapologetic.

Parenting my boys has forced me to become much tougher than I've ever been. I can't advocate for their needs (or my girls' for that matter) unless I suck it up and be brave in all sorts of unpleasant situations.

The reality of our lives is that a lot has changed over a fairly short space of time. Two diagnoses and a big move have impacted heavily on so many things... My mental health, our families, our friendships.

I am at a point in a few situations where I feel I'm bordering on obsequiousness for no reason other than wanting to keep the peace.

And you know what? I won't apologize any more.

I will not apologize for my kids when they are behaving like kids.

I will not apologize when my autistic child is behaving like an autistic child.

I will not apologize for our family dynamics because we are doing what we need to do just to get by.

I will not apologize for judgements you have made about me, based on whispers from other people. Your problem, not mine.

I will not apologize for my successes, because they have been hard earned no matter how it may appear to you.

I will not apologize for putting my family first, because THEY are the ones who are always, always there for me when others are not.

I may sympathize. I may rationalize. But I will not apologize.

#OperationMOVE - May the force be with you!

2013-05-01T08:00:00.000+10:00

Mayday Mayday! It is getting CHILLY!

Extremely bad play on words there. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not ;)

It is starting to get very cold at my place, especially in the mornings. As a result I'm juggling my training regime around a bit because, despite whinging about the heat over Summer, it would appear my body prefers to move when it isn't 2 degrees.

The great thing is of course that I'm not restricted to running first thing to beat the heat of the day. That flexibility has some definite advantages given how much running around I do with the kids.

This month I am starting training properly for a marathon later in the year. I know, I am shocked too. It is so exciting to have a goal to work towards though! Even such a huge, overwhelming one.

This month we are back to regular Friday check-ins here and I will be running a tally board again to help us all stay accountable.

Based on a few things I am committing to 80kms and 1000 minutes of moving for the month... I'll tell you a little bit about why I've dropped my kms so much on Friday.

You are welcome to choose minutes and/or kilometres depending on the kind of moving you like to do, and if you are new here you can find out a bit more about #OperationMOVE right here.

Will you move with me in May?

The things that make it okay.

2013-04-29T10:00:00.000+10:00

We've had a rough time lately.

My Little Mate's sleep issues have been worse than ever, with many many night wakings and lots of tears. Not just his either. I do not cope well when I am tired, and lately I have been constantly bone achingly weary.

We have had a lot going on. He is still adjusting to the new normal, we all are. I remind myself that his hyperactive behavior, his need for deep pressure more often than usual, his resorting to grunts and funny noises rather than using words that he knows... It is all part of making sense of his changing world.

I have not been a spectacular parent of late. I've yelled too often. I've reacted badly to situations. It is all tied up in itself and in me. I try to catch myself before it is too late, but sometimes I can't, I'm just too tired.

But then we have these wins.

My boy has been having sensory issues with unusual things (for him). He'd outright refused to use his hands at the shaving cream sensory play table at kinder. But his teachers persisted. One step at a time, using tools at first then graduating to fingertips.

He has been taking his favourite cars with him everywhere again. He was very unhappy that he was not allowed to have them with him at group time. But gently, gently he was persuaded to let go.

Things that may seem so small, so inconsequential... They are victories for him and for us. He learns that new sensations on his skin can be enjoyable. He discovers that he can let go of his security blanket and still be safe. Baby steps that add up to giant leaps.

I get to kinder a quarter hour or so before finishing time and stand just outside the group area until he notices me. Every single time his face lights up like a beacon as he calls out for me to come in. He sits on my lap and together we sing songs and listen to stories before singing the goodbye song.

Those minutes are so precious to me. I see his achievements, his pride. Those minutes are some of the happiest in my week, because he is in a place where he is cared for and appreciated just as he is and he has grown so much for it. He is a beautiful kid, and I love that I am not the only one who sees that.

Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures {Sponsored}

2013-04-28T08:00:00.000+10:00

This is a sponsored post.

If you are a similar vintage to me, you may remember a woman named Mrs Marsh.

She was the one who showed thousands of kids my age how coloured liquid could seep into chalk, and convinced many of us that if we didn't brush our teeth regularly they might turn a similar blue. Or something. Hey I was little okay? But I did brush my teeth regularly!

Whilst it may not mean as much to younger generations, when I saw Mrs Marsh was back to help promote the new Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Facebook App I had a little smile myself. Not least because my teeth never did turn blue thanks to all that brushing.

The new app is all about connecting the past with the present, and to celebrate its launch Colgate are giving away iPads. Yes really! And not just for you, but for your old Primary school as well! If you like the Colgate Australia Facebook page you may have come across it already, but if you haven't it is easy and fun to enter.

When you open the Colgate Australia Facebook app, you will find a blank photo frame. All you need to do is click on the spaces for photos and add the profile pictures of your friends (with their permission of course) along with your Primary school name, class and year.

Once you have at least three of your schoolmates in your class photo, you qualify to go in the draw for the iPads. Each week the photo judged as having the brightest smiles will win an iPad for the entrant as well as one for the school that they went to. How easy is that?

Circa 1993. Would you check out those pearlies? Not a blue tooth in sight.

I had almost as much fun looking at old school photos as I did playing with the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures App. I still can't figure out how I left school two decades ago, but gosh it is easy to get lost in memories isn't it?

I have a number of Facebook friends from the schools I attended, it's such a great way to keep in touch with them. And now I can look at them all in one place like I did a bigzillion years ago too.

Do you Facebook with school friends? And did you also have the blue tooth fear instilled by the lovely Mrs Marsh?!

Can you dig it? {Sponsored Competition}

2013-04-27T08:00:00.000+10:00

This is a sponsored post.

Because of our family situation, and the parenting choices we have made, the Supertrucker and I have very limited time together. I'd be lying if I told you that this combination along with some of the harder aspects of autism parenting haven't impacted on our relationship heavily. They have.

When life is structured around four kids, shift work and no immediate family nearby the chances of a night out are pretty slim. So slim in fact that we literally had not had dinner out on our own in 8 years.

Speaking of slim, whilst my legs are slowing starting to look like those of a runner, my Mummy tummy shows no sign of disappearing. I'm not terribly fussed about it to be honest, but there are times where it makes me feel a little annoyed. Not because of how it looks, but because it limits me in what I can wear. I'm built a bit like Spongebob Squarepants... No waist to speak of. So for the past I don't know how many years I've avoided hosiery under dresses because it created a very unflattering muffin top outline. Not a great look.

When Berlei asked if I would like to try out their new dig free hosiery, and take it for a spin on the ultimate date night, I was hardly going to say no!

It took a fair bit of arranging one way or another, but my parents generously agreed to come and stay with the kids and we started counting down to our first night off together in I don't know how long!

Tough start to date night. Hard life I lead ;)

The dig free stockings work in a similar way to shapewear; instead of a thin waistband that cuts in to stay up they employ a wide support band that sits over the aforementioned Mummy tummy (in my case at least) and holds everything where you want it to be without cutting you in half.

What I wore.

We'd booked into a lovely local resort type place and I put the stockings to the test with a pretty big (and very decadent for us!) meal.

Entree: Peking Duck spring rolls.

Main: Oven baked salmon and veggies. Mmmmmm

Dessert: Warm date loaf with butterscotch sauce and salted caramel icecream
Too good.

By the end of dessert I was full to bursting and was sure I'd have the food baby belly to show for it.

Oh look! Mummy tummy looks the same despite being crazy full!

Nope. Decent effort Dig Free!

But most importantly they were comfortable, I did not feel like I was even wearing them. They didn't slip down which is my pet hate for stockings... The crotch around the knees look is not my favorite... They just did what stockings should do really; look good and be comfy.

She's got legs, she knows how to use them. Sorry, couldn't resist.

We had a fantastic night off. It did our relationship the world of good and it gave me a chance to miss my kids which was not a bad thing at all. We won't wait 8 years to do it again!

Would you like the chance to win the ultimate date night thanks to Berlei Dig Free? You too could spend a night with your partner, bestie or anyone you like being wined and dined in the comfort of Berlei hosiery too!

To enter, please leave a comment telling me how you make yourself feel like a desirable woman and make sure to include your email address so we can contact our winner. This is a game of skill, chance will play no part in determining the winner. Entry is open to residents of Australia and one winner will receive the Ultimate Date Night package including dinner, accommodation, limousine transfers and of course some Berlei Dig Free hosiery to wear on their date.

Terms and conditions as follows:

Berlei Dig Free Blog Competition
Terms and Conditions
The promoter is The Law Hunt Group ABN 97 131 210 805 (T/A Contagious Agency), Suite 16, Level 2,
285A Crown Street, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010.
By participating in the competition and entering this prize promotion, you accept and agree to be
bound by the following terms and conditions:
1. This promotion is open to residents of Australia aged 18 years or over.
2. Entrants can submit multiple entries.
3. Employees (and their families) of the Contagious Agency, Berlei, (and any affiliated companies)
are excluded from entering this prize promotion. This includes any affiliates, parent or subsidiary
companies of the Contagious Agency and Berlei, as well as well as representatives or agents of
Contagious Agency and Berlei, or anyone else involved or connected with the prize promotion.
4. An entrant cannot enter on behalf of someone else.
5. Entries will be accepted by responding to the question, ‘Share how you make yourself feel like a
‘desirable woman’?” in the comments section on individual participating blog. (For a full list of
participating blogs please contact Contagious Agency via email info@contagiousagency.com.au)
6. An entrant must supply all information required in the individual bloggers comment section,
including but not limited to email address and any other information specified by the blogger.
7. The promotion period opens on Wednesday 10 April 2013 at 8am AEST and closes on Friday 24
May 2013 at 5pm AEST. Entry periods will be specified on individual blogs. Entry periods on all blogs
will close three (3) weeks from the date of the individual blog posting the competition. All entry and
closing dates will occur within the promotional period as specified. Any entries received outside of
these times will not be accepted by the Promoter. The promoter reserves the right to change these
dates during the course of the competition.
8. An entry will be void if it is reasonably deemed by the Promoter to have been made by an
ineligible person or if it is incomplete. The Promoter may request such information as it considers
necessary or desirable for the purposes of verifying eligibility or the validity of any entry and any prize
may be withheld unless and until the Promoter is satisfied with the verification.
9. Entries sent in through agents or third parties will be disqualified. Late, incomplete or otherwise
ineligible entries will be disqualified.
10. There will be one (1) winning entry selected from all entries received across all participating blogs.
The winning entry will be selected based on the passion and creativity of the answer provided. The
winner will be selected on Wednesday 29 May, 2013 before 6pm (AEST) at Contagious Agency, Suite
16, Level 2, 285A Crown St, Surry Hills, NSW, 2010 and the winner will be notified via email on Friday 31
May 2013.
11. Up to 21 blogs will be promoting the same competition, with only one (1) winner selected across
all 21 blogs.
12. The winning entry receive:
a) A restaurant dinner for two in a major capital city as selected by Contagious Agency.
b) One night’s hotel accommodation in a major capital city as selected by Contagious Agency.
c) Limousine transfers from hotel to restaurant as arranged by Contagious Agency.
d) Berlei Dig Free product.
The total prize pool is valued at no more than AUD$1,000.
13. The prize is non-transferable.
14. The prize must be accepted as offered. No cash equivalent or other alternative prize is available
in whole or in part except as provided for in these terms and conditions.
15. The Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize with a prize of equivalent value should the
prize become unavailable for any reason.
16. Submission of entries will not constitute proof of receipt and no responsibility will be accepted by
the Promoter for entries that the Promoter does not receive. The Promoter shall not be liable for any
loss or corruption of data in transit.
17. The Promoter will not be liable for any prize that does not reach the winner for reasons beyond
the Promoter’s reasonable control. Winners should allow up to 6 weeks for prizes to reach them.
18. The winner will be given until 10am Wednesday 19 June 2013 to accept their prize.
19. The Promoter shall use reasonable effort to contact winners through the means specified in these
terms and conditions. If the Promoter is unable to contact any winner within a reasonable period of
such a winner having been selected, or if any winner is unable for whatever reason to accept the
prize, then the Promoter reserves the right to award the prize to another entrant.
20. In the event the Promoter must select a replacement winner, a redraw will occur. The redraw will
take place at the Contagious Agency, Suite 16, Level 2, 285A Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010. Only
original eligible entries received during the original competition timeframe will be eligible for the
redraw. The redraw will occur at 10am AEST on Wednesday 19 June 2013. The redrawn winner will
be notified by email within 48 hours of the redraw.
21. The name of the winner will be made publically available 48 hours after the winner is selected.
22. The winner agrees to participate in any publicity or other such promotional activities which the
Promoter may reasonably require in connection with the prize promotion and the Promoter shall
have the right to use the winner’s name, likeness, image, voice and biographical information for
advertising and promotional purposes in connection with the prize promotion in all media without
further notice and without the need to make any payment to such a winner.
23. The Promoter may refuse or disqualify any entry (including the winning entries) if the entrant
concerned or anyone authorised by the entrant to deal with their entry, acts in a way towards the
Promoter (Contagious Agency) which the Promoter reasonably considers to be inappropriate,
unlawful or offensive. If the winning entry is disqualified the Promoter reserves the right to award the
prize to another entrant.
24. The decision of the Promoter is final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into
regarding the outcome of the prize promotion.
25. Nothing in these rules shall affect your statutory rights.
26. Promoter: The Law Hunt Group Limited ABN 97 131 210 805 is a company incorporated under the
laws of New South Wales, Australia.

#OpMOVE500 - We did it!!!

2013-04-26T23:12:00.003+10:00

At just past 11pm, we ticked over 500kms in one day.

I cannot tell you how incredibly proud I am feeling right now. And tired. Very very tired.

Thank you for joining in. For those of you who got a taste for moving and liked it, keep an eye out this week for the May #OperationMOVE launch post and please think about joining our community.

A HUGE thankyou to the #OperationMOVE Facebook group who are just an amazing group of people. Endlessly supportive and caring, and always inspiring. I love youse guise. Group hug.

Because you took a little leap of faith with me today, I have just donated $500 to the McGrath Foundation (with thanks to the support of Wellwoman and Digital Parents Collective). YOU made this happen.

Sleep well movers. You did a good thing today.

#OpMOVE500 - Claim your kilometres!

2013-04-26T07:00:00.000+10:00

Hooray! Welcome to the inaugural #OpMOVE500!

Today is the day to get out there and move!

We have well over 600kms pledged which just blows me away, I can't wait to see our actual tally go up over the course of today and tonight.

Here is the official tally board. I will be popping in now and again over the day to update it with the kilometres moved as they are checked in.

8PM Update: Oh Em Gee!

When you've completed your kilometres please leave a comment with your total so I can add it to the board.

Here we go, let's get moving!!!

To celebrate #OpMove500, our friends at Yurbuds are generously giving away a pair to two of our movers! You already know that I can't run without mine, and now you can find out for yourself why I think they are so great!

Congratulations Ange Bell and Sara P - you've won yourselves a pair of YurBuds! Hooray!

I am worthy.

2013-04-24T12:07:00.000+10:00

I've made my feelings about blogging competitions pretty well known in the past.

There are any number of things out there that bloggers can enter, a number of which serve purely as clickbait for the site hosting the competition and do nothing more for the bloggers themselves that pit them against other bloggers. I do not like those competitions. Not at all. I find them demeaning at best, irritating in the extreme when they require the bloggers to beg for votes on a daily basis, and hurtful to those who may take their lack of votes as some kind of sign that they are not worthy in some way.

This year I was nominated in the Kidspot Voices of 2013 competition. I was pleased to be nominated, because I know that unlike those other comps this one provides opportunities to bloggers and is judged by a panel rather than being a popularity contest.

I was THRILLED in the extreme to receive an email telling me that this little blog had been judged to be in the top 25 for the parenting/personal blog category. That email came at a time of massive self doubt and sadness. It was enough to put a little spring back in my step. It made me feel like maybe I was doing one thing right in my life. I have missed the cut on a bigzillion comps of various types in the past, I know how sad that can be. So maybe my joy was exacerbated by knowing that other feeling so well too.

Here is the thing. In the past, I have been a bit snarky about things like this. I have maybe put them down a little. In doing so I may have hurt other people's feelings. I am very sorry for that.

To be perfectly honest, this feels like kind of a big deal to me. Since I started running something has happened to me. I am more self aware. OperationMOVE has given me a confidence that has flowed over into other parts of my life as well. It has also made me face up to the fact that my snarkiness in the past has not been because of any unworthiness on the part of organisations or people, but because I have been too scared to put myself out there. To say I really want this. To try my hardest and possibly fail. Far easier to sabotage myself at the outset.

We love to tell people they are up themselves in this country. We slice down the tall poppies like it will make us better in some way. But you know what? It doesn't. It just means we have fewer people to look up to.

In any given group of people, I am never the funniest. I am not the smartest and I do not have the best sense of fashion. I'm not the prettiest or the one that everyone is drawn to. I am just there. I don't say this in any derogatory way either, because these days I don't need to be the most anything. I am okay with just being me.

I am no more and no less worthy than anyone else to be part of this amazing group of finalists. My blog is no better than any of the others, and it is no worse. It is just my blog.

And all this is a very long winded way of me saying that I do really want this. That I work hard and I deeply appreciate having been recognised in this way. And as I tell my son, that no matter the outcome I will be proud for having made it this far.