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#blog12daysxmas #blogjune Random thoughts

And again…

I find myself unable to blog on a daily basis due to illness and busyness.

What is it about this month that has caused my inability to keep this blog happening on a daily basis?!!! Looking back, I know it’s been filled with both illness (that vomiting bug in the first couple of weeks wiped me out!) and busyness (Uni assignments, work deadlines etc) but has this month been more trying than the others or is it just run-of-the-mill reflection of how my life is at the moment? I’m not entirely sure. Maybe taking this #blogjune challenge was not as realistic as I thought it would be. It’s funny – I did the #blog12daysxmas challenge with no hiccups, in spite of floods keeping my family stranded in 1770 where staples and petrol ran out within days, and prices of ferry rides to Bundaberg (ha! Where THEY were flooded worse than us!) skyrocketed. I even managed the #octshowntell last year. So what is it about this one that I just couldn’t manage it? Is it that 12 days, or one story a week, is do-able, but 30 consecutive days is not? Hmmm…?

Well, I’m not particularly impressed with myself. At church this morning, we were regaled with a delightful reading from “Reuben Ramsay OR The Boy That Nobody Wanted”. A 1849 tale of a boy who looks into the mirror after deciding that nobody wants him, and then realising that he doesn’t even want himself. The Christian influence enters in the form of a lady, who tells him that what he was looking into when he realised that he didn’t even want himself was actually the ‘mind’s mirror’. As in, he wasn’t looking at the reflection of his physical person, but his personality. It was this – his personality – that he didn’t like, and he could change this by giving his heart back to Jesus, who made his heart in the first place.

An accurate reflection of us all, I would suspect, when we truly self-reflect. Well, it is an accurate reflection for me, anyway. I’d prefer to see something a lot nicer in there. Someone who keeps the commitments she makes, for example, to blog daily for #blogjune. Someone who doesn’t keep on stuffing up, publicly, and having to apologise and start over. Wouldn’t that be great. Maybe I should re-read that book, and take the advice offered.

 

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#blogjune Random thoughts

Se7en

And this’ll probably be the last for today, I think… (Disclaimer: the contents of these lists are not necessarily in order. They probably change in priority according to my moods anyway!)

Seven Things that Scare Me:

  1. Australia’s worsening national debt
  2. Preventable mistakes
  3. Becoming the victim of eye-dentity theft
  4. Horror movies
  5. Not being the mum that my kids need me to be
  6. Loss of people / relationships I hold dear
  7. Spiders

Seven Things I Like:

  1. Hubby and our three little ‘uns (d’uh!)
  2. Cheesecake. Oh, and Raffaello.
  3. Holidays
  4. Plane trips
  5. Singing
  6. Teaching
  7. Friends

Seven Random Facts About Me:

  1. I got my motorbike license before I got my car license.
  2. I’m very comfortable sitting on the floor. In fact, I often prefer it to furniture.
  3. I’m rather conceited about the metabolism I inherited from my mother. I show this by eating dessert while watching The Biggest Loser. How bad is that!
  4. I’m not particularly good at keeping fish alive. In a tank, anyway. In the fishpond, they seem to be completely fine. For ages.
  5. I smoked for a while when I was 19. I killed the cravings (when I stopped) by eating a snickers bar each time I wanted to light up.
  6. When I was in Uni (the first time) I wanted to get a large tattoo on my upper arm. A panther. I’m glad now that I didn’t.
  7. I used to be in leadership in a cult. SOOOO happy now that I’m out!

Seven Things I want to Do Before I Die:

  1. Hang-glide
  2. See my favourite places with my own eyes. Israel, Rome, the Kimberleys, the Daintree.
  3. See my kids grown and happy in strong, positive relationships
  4. Be published. On paper. (Better hurry up with that one, hey!)
  5. Ride a camel
  6. Learn to ski
  7. Umm… it was stretching it to get to six!

Seven Things I Can Do Well:

  1. Multitask
  2. Bluff
  3. Proofread and edit
  4. Explain concepts so that others understand
  5. Comfort my children
  6. Play violin
  7. Organise

Seven Things I Can’t Do But Wish I Could:

  1. Turn back time
  2. Forgive myself more easily
  3. Be about a zillion times more patient
  4. Be just a little taller
  5. Break through glass ceilings. Been there, tried that. It hurt my head.
  6. Fit more hours into my day
  7. Win first division lotto. Still trying though…

Seven Phrases I’m Known to Use:

  1. Seriously?
  2. Just wait…
  3. Could you please…
  4. You’ve got to be kidding!
  5. Oh sh*t.
  6. No, sweetheart. It’s not your turn for Mummy time.
  7. Oh my God…
Categories
#blogjune Random thoughts

The naming meme

Thanks, @fionawb – all the different #blogjune variations of this meme made me laugh! Here are my additions…

1. Your real name:

Ceridwyn

2. Your Gangsta name:
(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle.)

Cerizzle
… hmmm… interesting…

3. Your Detective name:
(fave color and fave animal)

Orange platypus

4. Your Soap Opera name:
(your middle name and street you live on)

Hanah Bells

5. Your Star Wars name:
(For your new first name: first 3 letters of your 1st name + first 2 letters of your surname; For your new last name: first 2 letters of your mother’s maiden name + first 3 letters of the city you were born)

Cerbl mobri

… hey, I like this one! It sounds quite Star Wars-y!

6. Your Superhero name:
(your 2nd favorite colour, and favourite drink).

Rust Punch

7. Your Iraqi name:
(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your mother’s maiden name, 3rd letter of your father’s middle name, 1st letter of a sibling’s first name, and last letter of your mother’s middle name)

Eohoyj

… huh?!!! What’s up with that?!

8. Your Witness Protection name:
(parents’ middle names)

X Glyn

9. Your Goth name:
(“Black”, and the name of one of your pets)

Black Aksel

10. Your Ninja name:
(First two letters of your first name added with “ruto”)

Ceruto

hmmm… well, I guess that’s not too bad…

11. Your Pirate name:
(Your middle name after the word Captain)

Captain Hanah

Categories
#blogjune Random thoughts Uncategorized Work

A-Z Meme

This seems an easy one to start with. And hopefully it’ll be quick because Miss 6 will be home from school soon, and Miss 3 and Master 2 are due to wake up from naptime any second… Thanks, @katreena, @flexnib et al for the idea!

A. Age: 37. And slowly getting used to it.
B. Bed size: King. Gift from in-laws.
C. Chore that you hate: Housecleaning. Were I to win lotto, employing a full-time housecleaner would be at the absolute TOP of the list.
D. Dogs: 12 month old German Shepherd and 10 year old Labrador. Don’t visit without prior notice.
E. Essential start to your day: Hugs from kids. Miss 3 especially.
F. Favourite colour: Orange.
G. Gold or Silver: Gold. No question.
H. Height: Average to tall? I’m not sure exact measurements, and I’m too comfortable to get my driver’s license and check…
I. Instruments you play: Violin. Voice. I can also pick out a tune on most instruments. Played Bass Guitar for a few years.
J. Job title: Mummy. (The best word in the English language). Plus I “look after” the marketing for St Paul’s Lutheran in Caboolture, but I haven’t given myself a title for that. Yet. Suggestions welcome!
K. Kids: Three. Plus hubby when he’s sick…
L. Live: Paradise. Better known as the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
M. Mother’s name: Rehanah.
N. Nicknames: C – but only my best friend and her husband call me that. It’s weird, cos they pronounce it as ‘see’ but my name has the initial sound ‘K’
O. Overnight hospital stays: 3 x childbirths.
P. Pet peeve: “Austraya”
Q. Quote from a movie: Not a favourite, but always cracks me up: “You have bewitched me, body and soul. I love, love, love you.” Mr Darcy to Elizabeth in the latest mangled ending of Austen’s P&P.
R. Right or left handed: Right.
S. Siblings: Two. I’m a middle child.
T. Time you wake up: 6 am would be nice. Generally at least one child will wake me around 4.30am.
U. Underwear: Yes.
V. Vegetable you hate: Capsicum
W. What makes you run late: Me. But I try to get away with blaming others…
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Umm… teeth?
Y. Yummy food that you make: Coconut Ice

Z. Zoo animal: The otters at Australia Zoo. But not when they’re asleep.

Categories
#blogjune Random thoughts University studies

Biting the bullet.

I posted earlier that I was too chicken (what is it with animals today?!) to look at my stats for #blogjune cos I’d missed so many.

Well, I manned up (ha!) and checked. According to WordPress, I missed Days 9, 10, 11, 15, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22. So by my count (and you’d better check it, cos my maths SUCKS bigtime) I’ve got 8 more posts to catch up on after this one. (Cos this is my second post for the day, right? LOL)

I read earlier today, “It’s easier to quit. It takes faith to go through.” (Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer and yes – I’m reading a book, not a journal article! Uni must be over?!! Yay!)

And that got me thinking about how often I ‘quit’. As in. get a bit bored of the same old, same old, and change direction. So I thought I’d bite the bullet this time. I know I’m quite a few days behind, but I’m determined. Plus we’ve got all those lovely memes that have been popping up everywhere on #blogjune, so that should help a little….

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#blogjune Random thoughts

Sheepish

Why does ‘sheepish’ mean ’embarrassed’? I mean, I get why ‘wolfish’ has connotations of slyness, being cunning and all that jazz. But since when were sheep so worried about their social standing that they could feel embarrassed when they didn’t quite measure up to their own expectations of themselves? Really?!!

Long story short, I’m a little disappointed in myself concerning this whole #blogjune thing. I knew that I’d miss a day or two, here and there, but here we are on Day 23 and I feel as though I’ve missed more days than I’ve posted. And I’m loathe to check the stats in case my suspicions are confirmed.

So yes, here I am, doing my best impersonation of an embarrassed sheep. Or whatever. Sorry!

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#blogjune

Done in.

Final assignment for the semester, submitted at 2am. Up at 5,30 to write news article for work. Miss 6 to school with Daddy, then friend came and visited for a craft morning. Cleaned the house, washed the clothes, ran a couple of loads through the dishwasher, packed away multitudinous numbers of toys, convinced hubby to go back out and buy Chinese for dinner, and now the kids are in bed. It’s 7.52pm and I’m heading for the pillow myself.

Night all.

Categories
#blogjune Random thoughts University studies

whatever

I have been despondent for a couple of days now. Strange, considering it’s end of semester and there’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. Considering that the school won its display at the Caboolture Show, and the playgroup display that I can claim quite a lot of the responsibility for, came second in its own category. Considering that tonight Miss 6 did a screen test for her new modelling agency, and the Australian director (who was conducting the screen test) was so impressed he said, “She’s only 6? Wow! She’ll definitely get call backs with what she just did!”

So some things in life are going well. My brilliant mother bought me a Galileo thermometer for my birthday, which now takes pride of place on my kitchen windowsill (pics to follow when my camera is actually working again), Miss 3 is almost fully toilet trained (OMG that has take just SO darn long!) and Master 2 is having fun saying his new word “Mar-mee” and seeing my delighted reaction.

So yes, some things are good. My final assignment will be completed, and submitted, by the time my head hits the pillow. A good friend is visiting tomorrow for a ‘craft morning’. And also I get to go NOWHERE (boy do I LOVE those days!). My family is (almost) all healthy, the weekend is approaching, and the holidays after that.

So what the hell do I have to be despondent about? Just because I’ve crossed paths with three people that sucked the energy out of me this week? Three people, all in their own little worlds and with no forethought over their words or actions, decided in their own little ways to impact on my little world so abruptly and rudely? Honestly – why can’t I get past this?! It’s (insert swearwords for rest of sentence).

Sorry, readers. I know I’m behind in #blogjune, but I’m kinda over it all right now. Thanks for letting me vent. And I’ll try to blog in a better frame of mind tomorrow. When my final assignment’s done and dusted.

Categories
#blogjune University studies

Reckon it must be end of semester…

I have a new theory. My kids get ill at end of semester. Yes, I know that sounds like an excuse, a bit like “The dog ate my homework” or “Our printer ran out of ink”. And yes, as a High School teacher for over 15 years, I’ve heard my fair share of excuses. Inventive as well as the plain ol’ run of the mill ones. And I absolutely HATE them. Anything that sounds suspicious, I treat with contempt. And yet…

Last week – end of semester – I submitted an incomplete assignment. Illness in my family had taken its toll on my assignment-writing time, but I was loathe to ask for an extension due to the other assignments that needed completing. So I swallowed my pride and submitted it anyway – and made sure it was accompanied by a very apologetic email!

The week before, and for only the second time in my life, I contemplated making the dash to Caloundra Hospital with my child vomiting uncontrollably in the back of the car. (We don’t bother with ambulances where we live… they never find us anyway. The last time, we waited for 90 minutes before calling again – and they still couldn’t find us, so we cancelled the call. Even with heavy traffic, we can drive to the hospital ourselves in 35 minutes. 20 if we “go fast”, when the traffic’s light enough for us to do so!) That was Week 13 – two weeks ago. The day before assessments were due. And when I reflect… my mad dash to Caloundra Hospital with Miss 6 in the back, happened at end of semester two, last year. I called another student en route and asked her to email the lecturer for me, and submit the draft of my assignment I’d sent her previously (we had been collaborating).

So yes. I’m thinking that the worst illnesses occur around end of semester. And I’m only saying this because it’s 12.26am and I’ve got one assignment left to complete, but for the second time in the space of a week I’m in Master 2’s bedroom trying to comfort him as he snivels and whinges and generously distributes his germs all over me. Yay.

Maybe I should just declare a ban on semester-ends?

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#blogjune Random thoughts University studies Work

Loose reins

Regular readers of my blog may remember that I have described myself as a control freak. Even casual readers of my blog may have picked that up about me. I like to make sure that everything is done exactly the ‘right’ way – ie. my way. I micromanage – although I am conscious of this, and try not to! It hits me anew each time I realise that sometimes it’s best just to let people do what you have already asked them to do. (Especially as that’s why you asked them to do it in the first place!)

This also extends to my own direction in life. I like planning where I am heading, and working to make that happen. And I get usually  frustrated when stuff happens that impedes my plans. I guess I feel secure when most of the variables have been eliminated. But that doesn’t mean that plans can’t change mid-way. Hence the ‘loose reins’.

For someone who tends to keep a tight rein on every aspect of life, you might think it strange when I state that, conversely, I’m happy to change direction. Often. In July 2010 I commenced studying again after a break of 15 years. I’m enjoying the MIT(LIS) but by the end of this week, I’ll be facing a dilemma. I’ll have completed six of the eleven 12cp units, but three of the remaining five units are all Semester One offerings. So I’m up to choosing electives, and that means decisions.

Last week I was inspired by Tony Wilson, QUT’s director of Marketing and Communications. As in, REALLY inspired. He was guest lecturing the INN331 unit (that I scored a Disctinction for – Yay! Still SOOOOO stoked about that!) and I listened to the entire lecture with a smile on my face. Broken by the occasional “Oh wow”. He was speaking “my language”. (Well, the language that I’ve been learning ad hoc and by osmosis since starting my marketing job mid-February.) And his lecture got me thinking… why not complete some electives in Marketing?

An email to Helen Partridge later, and 9 minutes after that I had my approval. So as soon as I’ve finished these screencasts and article for INN690, the Minor Project I’m completing with @katiedavis as a very kind and understanding supervisor, I’m off to enquire about enrolling in AMN442 Marketing Management. Wish me luck!