tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000Wed, 08 Jan 2025 10:06:48 +0000Work and lifeJust for meMarriage and parentingBloggingfoodPregnancy no. 4freelance writingLiving simplyLooking after yourselfMotivationinspirationGodPMSdepressionlife and workAnxietyArticles published elsewhereBody imageGiveawaysLentLife the universe and almost everythingMedia musingsWisdombirthdayschildrencommunitydaily lifehappinesshome-based businessmoneyhttp://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)Blogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-37310278534225609Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:34:00 +00002011-11-30T11:34:15.233+11:00That's how I feel at the moment. It's ok. It's all we can really do sometimes isn't it? Muddle along and hope for the best? I'm busy with the laundry, the cooking, some writing, the playdates and the story-reading and playing with small ones. No blogging and very little cleaning. Something had to drop off my to do list. One day I will write about my recent silent retreat. Today I have a http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/11/muddling-along.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-6404908195921345728Fri, 21 Oct 2011 03:43:00 +00002011-10-21T21:42:43.766+11:00freelance writinghome-based businesslife and workI've been a working from home mum for five years now. I cannot believe it's been that long! I love having my own writing and editing business, but I've struggled to fit it into my life since having kids. I've been frustrated about not being able to grow it as quickly as I would like. And I've also found it hard to come to grips with the inconsistent work http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/10/working-in-home-based-business.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-2097882511953809676Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:19:00 +00002011-10-05T09:19:57.329+11:00 I'm linking up with My Little Drummer Boys' Aussie Wordless Wednesdayhttp://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/10/wordless-wednesday-at-monastery-picnic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-8766962949544833576Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:12:00 +00002011-09-30T18:10:06.534+10:00Sometimes I wonder, where are the happy people? Seriously, for all the articles, books and even research papers that are around which are devoted to happiness, all the daytime chat show hours, we seem to still sit around being miserable a fair amount of the time. I've been guilty of this myself. It's easy to be happy, I've said, you just have to live in the moment. http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/sometimes-i-wonder-where-are-happy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-4611952619346881795Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:42:00 +00002011-09-30T08:42:24.449+10:00I've updated yesterday's post to reflect my better understanding of the situation I was responding to.http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/suicide-catholicism-and-hope-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-2365430137491889817Thu, 29 Sep 2011 00:01:00 +00002011-09-30T14:22:34.310+10:00GodFor Lori, whose husband died this year: I'm so sorry that you felt let down by that Catholic priest when you looked to the church for support. (*see below for a fuller explanation in an update) I believe Catholicism does offer answers, but it doesn't claim to answer everything about why horrible things happen to innocent people. You only have to look at its symbol, a good young man murdered andhttp://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/suicide-catholicism-and-hope.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-6694529812681014693Sun, 25 Sep 2011 23:45:00 +00002011-09-28T12:41:03.390+10:00happinessOver the weekend I re-read Enough by John Naish. I think what I like best about it is its title. It basically sums up his whole thesis, in an imperative tone which I think is intentional. One of the arguments Naish makes in his book is that Western societies in particular must regain a sense of 'enoughness'. That we will have more satisfaction with our lives http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/are-you-happy-or-happy-enough.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-1231849174881280897Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:27:00 +00002011-09-24T07:27:53.184+10:00inspirationlife and workI've been thinking this week about work. How many hours should I be working each week? What do I want to achieve with those hours? How do I wish to spend my non-working hours? I'm fortunate to be able to choose my hours, working in my own business. But I need to reassess how things are going from time to time. I found this to think about, from Enough - Breaking free from the http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/pondering-this-weekend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-2068724414543224495Fri, 23 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +00002011-09-24T07:33:51.445+10:00inspirationJust for meLast week I posted some quotes I loved at 16 - and now. Here are some more: The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention It's only when you quit that you lose Things turn out right a ridiculous amount of the time. Stephen King The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Chinese proverb The way to love anything is to realise that it might be lost. G.K. http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/happiness-journey-and-everything-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-1427157727830845441Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:24:00 +00002011-09-22T07:24:42.400+10:00daily lifeWeekday mornings used to be so stressful at our place. I always lost track of the time. I'd forget whether I'd taken my multivitamin or not, and where my keys and sunglasses were. The kids were always scrambling around looking for their shoes at the last minute, too afraid to ask me for help because I was giving them the look of death. I sometimes had to dig into the dirty laundry baskethttp://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/maximise-your-day-minimise-daily.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-6133032728948172431Tue, 20 Sep 2011 20:13:00 +00002011-09-21T06:15:25.295+10:00Marriage and parenting Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys today.http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/wordless-wednesday-present.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-1624682431612011607Mon, 19 Sep 2011 21:24:00 +00002011-09-20T07:24:49.226+10:00freelance writingWork and lifeIt's been a long time since I posted my freelance writing goals. My business has been basically in maintence mode since I've had my gorgeous baby at home with me 24/7. I picked up one very valuable client during that time, who is also a friend. But now is the time to start setting some further goals and particularly promoting my services as I'll have some week http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/freelance-writing-goals-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-2760289794018505901Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:59:00 +00002011-09-19T07:16:35.510+10:00Just for meMotivationI seen a few people's lists of the 100 things they'd like to do in their life. I like reading them. Then there's the Day Zero Project where people nominate the 101 things they will accomplish in in 1001 days. Me, I just can't come up with that many meaningful things to do. I mean, apart from learn to play the piano, there's not much else I want to do which I haven't http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-new-approach-to-goal-setting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-3417132514451214492Sat, 17 Sep 2011 02:37:00 +00002011-09-17T21:10:23.328+10:00WisdomI like this, from A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I learned while editing my life by Donald Miller. The book is full of pearls like it (plus, it's really funny): If you think about it, an enormous amount of damage is created by the myth of utopia. There is an intrinsic feeling in nearly every person that your life could be perfect if you only had such-and-such a spouse or http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/something-sage-for-saturday.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-4855475035944733439Wed, 14 Sep 2011 21:21:00 +00002011-09-23T13:52:29.671+10:00inspirationJust for meMotivationAt 16 I didn't keep a journal but I had this very slender, purple notebook that you could seal shut with a stud. I used it to scribble down quotes I liked from conversations, books, short stories or poems. All this time it's been in my top bedside drawer. I hadn't opened it for years and years and forgotten what was inside. The other morning&http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/inspirational-quotes-i-loved-at-16.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-4793693589715705888Wed, 14 Sep 2011 00:54:00 +00002011-09-14T11:59:50.199+10:00Marriage and parenting Joining up this Wednesday with Little Drummer Boys.http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/wordless-wednesday-mr-happy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-1499091246886619947Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:34:00 +00002011-09-13T14:34:44.194+10:00moneyI have donor fatigue. I admit it. We have our children's school fundraisers, the various public awareness and fundraising days (Daffodil Day, Red Nose day etc), our family's own regular giving and my husband's work-arranged giving. I am all donored-out. I've even avoided the kind-looking Salvation Army person stationed with a collection bucket outside my http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/four-reasons-to-fight-donor-fatigue.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-1930991688356706691Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:21:00 +00002011-09-12T12:56:24.033+10:00BloggingGodWhat am I doing with a blog? Why do I feel an urge to write and, importantly, what am I to write about? What's worthwhile? What is the best use of my time here? About a year or so ago I was directly challenged by these words I read in a book. "If your words do not bring with them the light of Christ, then they increase the darkness." Increase the darkness. Those words cut right to the depth http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/whats-worth-blogging-about-911-dark-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-6256306088909882144Sun, 11 Sep 2011 03:31:00 +00002011-09-11T13:33:45.546+10:00childrenfood This was too cute not to share. The girls were home from school - a staff development/pupil free day. It was too cold and rainy for the park, but the perfect day to put the oven on and potter around the kitchen. We made raspberry, blueberry and chocolate chip muffins. When we moved on my husband went in and baked a leg of lamb, studded with garlic and with a thyme, sage http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-little-muffin-maker.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-3325293256097211547Wed, 07 Sep 2011 11:52:00 +00002011-09-09T11:47:37.043+10:00depressionLooking after yourselfPMSSome of my readers come here looking for advice on alleviating PMS symptoms after childbirth. It's true that some women find that there's an increase in pre-menstrual symptoms or their severity after having a baby. But it's hard to find out exactly why, apart from the obvious, that is, fluctuations in hormone levels. I tried to find an answer after http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/some-tips-for-pms-after-having-baby.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-2810878151566598052Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:14:00 +00002011-09-14T12:08:45.501+10:00freelance writingMarriage and parentingWork and lifeI'm so lucky to be able to work from home while my children are little. I've been a work from home mum since our second child was born nearly six years ago. My four-day weekly income was only slightly more than the cost of putting two children into formal childcare and we didn't have anyone who could help us out with free child minding a day or two a week. Sohttp://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/musings-on-working-from-home.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-2457965902290912842Mon, 05 Sep 2011 02:46:00 +00002011-09-05T12:49:02.617+10:00Life the universe and almost everythingMy husband is a bit of a numbers man. He's not an accountant or anything like that, but he occasionally likes to make intriguing calculations about things in every day life. Some are interesting, others less so. I had to feign interest when he wanted to tell me how many yellow cars he's likely to see on his morning work communte. But I like this one: he's worked out http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/can-you-spare-three-days-to-hang-out.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-2786906474989443184Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:35:00 +00002011-09-01T22:37:02.291+10:00Just for meMotivationThis is what I need someone to tell me every day. It's what I will tell myself every day, now. Whatever it is you want to do, if it's really important to you, give yourself permission to start it today. Don't listen to the "Yes, but..." monster in your head. Case in point: I want to write books. I have wanted to write books since I was eight years old. I did journalism because I wanted to http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/09/you-can-start-it-today.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-6659771760836707252Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:30:00 +00002011-08-31T10:32:00.889+10:00Articles published elsewherefreelance writingMarriage and parentingEver been frustrated by the differences in your parenting styles? I've written an article for a Father's Day edition of CathFamily e-news about involved fathering and some benefits of Dad's way of doing things. Here's an excerpt: A recent study (as reported in the Wall Street Journal) on the impact of involved fathering on children’s development found that fathers are more http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/08/daddy-difference-how-his-way-is-good.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7099574127812964000.post-5197932253393462269Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:50:00 +00002011-08-28T22:50:45.082+10:00Marriage and parentingWork and lifeAh, did you think I meant money? Of course not. It was better than money. My husband and I just spent the weekend helping to run a pre-marriage course for engaged couples. It included pretty much every aspect of their hopes and dreams for their lives together and covered things from sex to budgeting to resolving arguments fairly. We do this a couple of times a year and it is http://livefirstwritelater.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-i-got-paid-for-volunteering.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Marilyn Rodrigues)4