a warped view

I don't really go in big for resolutions. I've never been an avid resolution setter. As someone said on twitter the other day, if it's important enough to you then you just do it, you don't wait for a special day to start being better. However this year I've decided to make some resolutions. This year I turn 35 and when I reflect on my life in my 30s I see that its been a massive period of growth and change for me. I've become more willing to be myself, found my own style, lost friends and made new ones and lost some again. This year I embark on a new adventure. On the 29th of January I begin my journey to becoming a Nutritional Medicine practitioner, Naturopath and Herbalist. I'm not sure about the herbs and stuff yet, my main focus is on learning the science behind nutrition, how our bodies work and how we can heal ourselves by making choices about what we put in our mouths. It seemed a natural step after my journey from 100.5kgs to the 74.5kgs I am now ...

Things I am grateful for today 1. Tomorrow we fly to Bali 2. Erin 3. My mum for so many reasons but today in particular for looking after our kids while we're away 4. A fabulous group of friends who are helping out while we're in Bali 5. Music 6. That I can lay on my bed and look out the window at the trees and the sky 7. That I've been blessed by so many wonderful opportunities this year 8. Hugs from small people 9. Smiles 10. The words "I love you" What are you grateful for today?

Things I am grateful for Tomorrow we celebrate my mum's 60th birthday and I am so grateful that she is still alive, in my life, my best friend, a wonderful nanna to my kids, there for me when I need her and someone that I respect and enjoy spending time with. While our genetic family might sometimes let us down, we have an amazing group of chosen family that are amazing people and I love them more than anything. Even though I might not see some of them very often, my life is full of wonderful people that make me happy. I own many beautiful, awesome brooches Now that the HSP and I have passports, he has become very interested in cheap overseas airfares We have almost completely finished the back to school shopping and no one died Even though we have no airconditioner at the moment, when it is hot we have access to a car with aircon and can go to places that have aircon. Lots of families don't have this. Music. It fills me with bliss. Someone cared and was thoughtful e...

a picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you The 2010 day seven post can be found here This is a post that takes little thinking about. There is only one possible answer to what has the biggest impact on me, and that is my kids! How they are doing, if they are happy, what's going on in their lives, all impact on me, my mood, my day, my life. If I'm feeling sad, these three smiling faces can cheer me up and make me happy once again. They have an impact on every decision I make.  oh, and there's this guy too of course...

I consider myself an only child. I will tell people I am an only child. This of course leads to confusion when I then, at some later date, mention something about my sister. You see, when I was about 2 years old my parents separated and later divorced. I have no memories of my parents as a couple, no memories of the three of us as a family unit, none of my own anyway. My dad remarried and when I was 5 my sister was born. Technically she is my half-sister (as we share half the same parentage) but it is not a distinction I make in my mind (or my heart). So why then do I insist on telling people I am an only child? It's not because my sister doesn't count, as I love her more than words could ever say and would do anything for her. It's because it is my state of mind. I was raised by a single mother as her only child, I saw my dad on a regular irregular basis but I'm sure he would readily agree that it was my mother who raised me. For those of you who are an only child...

My middle child, master 10 (almost 11) is a beautiful boy. He is sensitive, polite, caring, intelligent, he cares about other people and how they feel, he notices things others wouldn't and he often compliments me that I look beautiful. He likes to read, he's good at maths, he enjoys cooking and he is a fantastic distance runner. He is, of course, not perfect and he and his sister (miss 13) are very good at stirring each other up! He knows just the buttons to push to send her into full princess bitch face mode. He has the regular issues that 10 year old boys have. Sometimes he gets a bit silly, sometimes he doesn't listen, he doesn't really like doing chores and he has issues at school. My master 10 however is different from most other 10 year old boys. My master 10 was expelled from school when he was in grade 2, at the age of 7. It is not something either of us is proud of. It is not a stigma I would choose to have attached to my child but it is the reality we mus...

As the mother of three children, with one about to start high school I know that next year I will need to be more organised than I ever have before! Miss 13 has been accepted into a specialist music program and there will be lots of after school commitments. When I saw the Masterplan Diary I knew it was exactly what I needed! The Diary has a week to a page and has a section where you can record individual activities for each family member. There is also a box at the start of each week where you can record the important to-dos for the week and a section where the dedicated meal planner can record the dinners for the week. This is the perfect diary for mums! The added bonus for me is that not only is it a highly functional diary it is so very pretty! You can buy your very own from NoteMaker. (one of my favourite websites)

Earlier today I reached my breaking point. It felt ugly and harsh and pointy and sharp. I wrote about it. I sent all the children to their rooms. I tried not to cry. Then I boxed it all up, tied a neat ribbon on top of it and put it away in the-cupboard-of-things-we-do-not-speak-of-that-exists-only-in-my-mind. I gathered the children together, I spoke to them about how I was feeling (in an age appropriate manner of course) and I set some new rules into place. I explained to them that I want them to treasure and value each other, that as brothers and sisters they could ask for no one more loyal in their corner, that they should be kind and generous and helpful to one another. I explained to them that we are all responsible for the kind of house we live in. I told them that I want to live in a happy, loving, uncluttered, tidy house. That I find it hard to cope when there is mess everywhere. I told them I loved them. They all listened, nodding their heads in appropriate places, saying ...

IMG_6846 Originally uploaded by tiffanyff another picture of you with your friends So this time around I am posting a picture of my absolutely 4 favourite people in the WHOLE world. We already talked about one of them, my husband shaped person and best friend, Alan. He is amazing and wonderful and strong and intelligent and supportive and caring and everything I could ask for in a husband, partner in crime and best friend. While our marriage is not perfect (no one's is) we are perfect for each other. We fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and I love him like a fat kid loves cake! My other 3 favorite people in the world are my three kids, Miss 12, Master 9 (almost 10) and Master 4 (otherwise known as base jumping jack or crash bandicoot). They are all hilariously funny, they crack me up everyday and each have an amazing sense of humour. They never fail to amaze me with how smart they are and how caring and wonderful. They are growing into amazing human beings before my eyes and I genu...