Archive for 19/04/2008

Tough Love

30/04/2008 Joh friends

Tough LoveWhen I was in Broken Hill a couple of years ago, I saw this sign and had to take a photo. My friend Rhonda and I often say ‘tough love’ after we’ve had to pull our kids back into shape. Sometimes, they just get a little away with themselves. They start taking you for granted, or forget to ask and just expect, or begin to feel sorry for themselves as they feel entitled to privileges.

I didn’t know there was an actual organisation called toughlove. We just nicknamed our ‘putting our foot down’ and ‘standing up for our rights’ behaviour as that. I looked at the website and reckon it looks like that is what they are about too! It’s a shame that so much publicity goes to the Corry Worthington’s of the world and not to promoting programs to support parents through tough times. I have not come across this organisation but it sounds like a positive thing. Has anyone had any experience with this group?

Tough isn’t abusive or cruel. It is firm and sticking to your guns. It is setting boundaries and having standards that you mean to uphold. I think kids like boundaries. We all like to know where we stand. It demonstrates that you have a healthy self respect. It’s good modeling for young people to see that you won’t allow them to walk all over you. I think it is responsible parenting. Columnist for ‘The Australian’, Ruth Ostrow, wrote a great post along these lines on the weekend ‘Mum’s Who Kid Themselves’, it reflect on parenting skills in the area of dieting. It’s not about being extreme or over the top with discipline, but sometimes we make rods for our own back, don’t we? I know I have. Even Madonna (according to today’s Age) is into Tough Love.

Popularity: 9% [?]

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‘Pooh Duck’

27/04/2008 Joh blogging, relationships

When I began ‘Joh Blogs’ a couple of years ago, I made a blog for Andy too, but he didn’t get into it. He didn’t quite ‘get’ blogging at that time. When pushed to come up with a name for the blog I initiated for him, ‘poohduck’ was his chosen title, which captures his quirky, humourous, slightly irreverent nature beautifully and makes me smile whenever I hear it.

Since I met Andy, his camera and photo’s have always seemed to be a part of him. I think he has an amazing eye and have spent many enjoyable times looking at his photo’s and watching him take them. Almost every photo I have of him contains his camera.

We have maintained our friendship since he moved to Tasmania. I’m always happy to see that paperclip on the top of an email indicating it contains some latest image. Whilst exchanging emails recently, I asked him if I could use some of his photo’s on my blog. He agreed and then one thing led to another and we decided we would create a blog together, expressing his passion for taking photo’s and my enjoyment of them.

So ‘poohduck’ is being resurrected. Past, present and future images will be shared with you. He has an amazing ability to find the best glimpses of nature. I often noticed how we would be in the same places and yet he would have zoned in on beauty that I hadn’t been aware of. I’ve also never had the patience he had to set up a tripod and play with the camera settings and read the manual, like I’ve watched him do. So if it sounds interesting to you, drop on in. Give us some feedback. We’ll appreciate it.

PS: www.poohduck.com should be up soon, for a sneak preview check out www.poohduck.wordpress.com.

Popularity: 10% [?]

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The Island by Armin Greder

26/04/2008 Joh reading

The Island ‘The Island’ by Armin Greder is a dark tale. It has been shortlisted in the Picture Book category for the 2008 CBCA Awards. It’s no pretty little picture book with a feel good ending. ‘The Island’ doesn’t tell readers about prejudice, fear and the illogical feelings that arise in others when confronted with someone different, it shows you.

I read it to my year 9 classes this week and the students were very quick to get the message. They commented on the ugliness.

Popularity: 14% [?]

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ANZAC Day and Pa

25/04/2008 Joh family

Pa in the ArmyAt school yesterday we had an ANZAC service. The students are always very reverent and respectful of this ritual in the calender. It is a powerful experience to be in a gym with over 600 teenagers and teachers and experience total silence and stillness. To be able to hear the slightest creak in the building and the birds outside.

This is the first ANZAC day since Pa died last year and I miss him. I usually go to the dawn service. He hasn’t marched for a couple of years due to being unwell, but I would spend time with him on this day. He would tell me stories about that time and stories from other men he had heard. He spent some time at one stage of his life at the RSL. I remember when he was in his 70s he would talk about helping out the old blokes, yet some of them were younger than him! It was quite ironic. I intended to write about some of the stories about him that I remember but I can’t today. Maybe next year.

In this photo, he is in the back row, forth from the right.

Popularity: 64% [?]

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All Will Be Revealed

25/04/2008 Joh gratitude

On Sunday I am going to announce a secret, exciting, project I’ve been working on. It is the realisation of a goal that I had once upon a time, but let go. It was something I thought would never happen. All that stuff about visualising and letting go – seems it’s true! I want to tell you now, but I have nothing to show. I prefer to show than tell to be honest, so you’ll just have to wait.

It was smoky and smelly here today. It can’t be healthy. I’m tired tonight. Glad we have a three day weekend. Tonight my home is full of teenagers and I am going to bed shortly with my earphones.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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TED talks: Amy Tan: Where Does Creativity Hide?

23/04/2008 Joh reading

 I love Amy Tan’s novels. “The Bone-Setters Daughter”, “The Joy Luck Club” and “The Kitchen God’s Wife” were very enjoyable reads for me and I will have to track down the ones I haven’t read yet and add them to the pile that is turning into a bookcase! Time for reading for me lately is just not being found in it’s usual places. What’s that about?

This talk is amusing and revealing about her life and what has inspired her. She asks interesting questions and her thoughts mirror in her belief in serendipity, feng shui and other ‘superstitions’. Although she uses humour to reveal the off beat nature of her thinking, I can identify with it and the way one thing leads you to another and then you find the thing you are looking for.

The theme of ‘How do we create?’ is covered on that blog post at the TED Blog. I haven’t had a chance to watch the others yet, but perhaps this upcoming long weekend will give me that extra time… or not!

Popularity: 9% [?]

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Saturn and other astrology…

22/04/2008 Joh astrology, relationships

Mediatrix has something to say about Saturns movements in her post: Incomprehensible Aquarian Men. I’m not sure about Aquarian ones particularly because I don’t know too many, but I am finding men generally pretty incomprehensible lately. Interestingly the Saturn movement times have been quite significant for me.

In the quest to move on romantically I have been reading a bit about astrology and compatiblility. I found this article about Love and Saturn Retrograde pretty helpful to be honest. I don’t have Saturn retrograde in my chart, but I have seemed to attract a few over the years! It was kind of reassuring for me to read. If you aren’t familiar with your chart, www.astro.com is the best place to go to get all your astrological information about what is where.

I have also found this pretty comprehensive article about the forecasts and things happening astrologically in May: Astrology by Kim Marie. It’s a huge read.

Popularity: 6% [?]

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Winter Uniforms

21/04/2008 Joh learn, work

Our students have switched to winter uniforms at school this week. This involves wearing a long sleeved shirt and tie. If today is any indication I am going to spend a significant amount of time, showing kids how to do up ties, reminding them to do them up and other general nagging about the dress code. It drives me nuts and is the least enjoyable part of being a co-ordinator. Why do they feel a need to walk around half undressed? Shirts unbuttoned and ties at half mast. It can’t be about individuality, cause they all want to do it.

 I’ve been irritable today. It’s possibly just feeling like a nagging mother, yet perhaps the ‘w’ word - winter, is creeping up. I had better get on to that Winter Survival kit, I suggested when I read Develop a Strategic Plan for Happiness: The Clearing Space. I’ve been thinking about what kinds of things, besides chocolates and soup, would make winter more tolerable. Please feel free to make some suggestions for me.

Popularity: 9% [?]

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Exercise and Me

20/04/2008 Joh health

I like being fit. I really only like it because it allows me to do what I want to do. I haven’t always loved exercising and I’m not really a sporty person, but that could be due to commitment phobia, because I’ve played netball, tennis, basketball and enjoyed them all, but found being committed to a team to be a pain. I really like playing sport for fun and my competitive nature is reserved for other areas of my life (in other words I lack skill).

Since around July last year, I have lost 15 kgs. I can’t say it has been due to one special thing, but more a variety of influences including a great head start when I was sick with gastro a couple of times last year (not recommended- painful and upsetting). I have exercised, been busy, set a strong intention to lose weight and done a fair bit of personal growth in that period. I would say it is this combination of factors that really resulted in this loss.

When I was sick, I went to the doctors and she told me I really needed to lose 20kgs. 20 kgs. It seemed such a lot. I really hadn’t weighed myself for a long time and had decided that as long as I generally focussed on eating healthy and exercising regularly all should be well. Except I wasn’t really doing that. I was exercising randomly, comfort eating frequently, as well as eating generally well. So I dragged out the scales and began noticing what I wanted to deny. It’s so easy to not notice how big you are becoming!

I still have 5 to go and I haven’t shifted the scales a bit for around a month, but I am now enjoying a routine of exercising, drinking water, taking vitamins and eating regularly, mostly healthy foods. I honestly haven’t denied myself chocolate or lemon tart or any yummy things that come my way in the course of life. I just don’t make a habit of having every flavour delight I know in bulk quantities in easy access at home. I am about to start doing some different exercise cause I think the beep test showed me I’m still not really that fit. This site ExRx.net is a great resource for working out something that suits you. I also find Craig Harper quite motivating at times, for the mental side of it. I’m actually really enjoying my exercise now and I think that happens once you get over that hump at the beginning. You have more energy and so are more inclined to do more physically. It’s a half hour a day I get to listen to my iPod and feels like it’s something for me.

Popularity: 7% [?]

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Set and Forget – Bill Paying (& son returns from Cairns)

19/04/2008 Joh family, travel

I don’t like having to pay bills. Not just because I don’t always want to part with my money, but because it’s boring. I have most things set up to work automatically now and I probably am saving a fortune in late fees, because I would always put off looking at it.   

I have just waited over 15 minutes on the phone to City Link. My etag didn’t beep last night when I went through. I noticed this because they sent me a letter this week to enquire if my device was working properly. This caused me to look up my statement. Since February I have been charged an extra 90 cents for every trip I’ve made for having no tag. I had no idea. I only really glance at the statements. Very briefly.

To more than balance that small amount lost to the City Link coffers, I found out that my school fees were in credit this week because I had forgotten to reduce the payment when my daughter left school. So that was a pleasant surprise.

I should probably pay a little more attention though.

I collected the tired young basketballers from the airport last night at 11.50. The girls had won the carnival and the boys team came around 9th. My son return with four stitches in his chin. It sounds worse than it looks though. I did offer to fly up there when he phoned for the medicare number on Tuesday night. I thought he might need me – but no, he assured me he was fine.

Popularity: 10% [?]

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