All these back to school posts from parents with anxious kids has reminded me of when I went back to school as an adult.
I know that anxious feeling all too well.
When I went to Tafe for the first time as a 22 year old to complete my first block of assessment as part of my plumbing apprenticeship, I was so scared I nearly quit.
If you want to give your anxiety a work out, arrive at a Tafe where you know no one and you’re the only girl standing by yourself because all the blokes have congregated in groups and made small talk about cars and tv shows you’ve never heard of.
My first week at Tafe when I started my apprenticeship was anxiety hell.
I think I cried everyday in my first week. Not at Tafe. Usually on the way to and from Tafe.
And then two remarkable things happened.
First, I found out my teacher used to work with my dad long ago, in fact at one time my dad had been my teacher’s boss. My teacher remembered me as a little girl. He couldn’t understand why I didn’t have the same surname as my dad. I explained because I was married. I would have been confused too.
The second, was I ran into my cousin’s husband which meant I knew someone at Tafe, even though he was studying to be an electrician. Seeing a warm, friendly, recognizable face amongst the sea of male tradies was reassuring.
What got me through those first four weeks were prayer, phone calls to my dad telling him I don’t think I could do it and visits to the library where I would read the Courier Mail front to back at each smoko break. By block 6, I was over reading the paper and studied a Diploma in Fashion Styling via correspondence. In 2009 I graduated with a Certificate IV in Plumbing and Drainage and a Diploma in Fashion Styling. A girl has to be both practical and stylish. 🙂
Having gone through back-to-school anxiety as an adult, I believe it’s given me confidence to deal with new situations more easily.
I think the biggest cause of my anxiety was simply wanting to fit in and the sooner I realized I stuck out like a sore thumb and would NEVER fit in, the sooner I was able to let go of those anxious thoughts and get on with what I had to do.
By block 4 I was all over Tafe. I had my smoko routines set up, despite constant invitations from the apprentices to have lunch at the topless waitress bar up the road.
My Tafe experiences stretched my capacity to cope with my anxiety. I wonder if it helped me avoid being an anxious mother? I don’t know how many times I yearned to be a stay-at-home mum while studying my apprenticeship. And funnily there are times when I’m in the thick of motherhood and I wish I was welding some copper at Tafe or digging up sand to install some drainage. Someone slap me!
I prefer my life much better now.
It’s been 6 years since I was at Tafe doing my plumbing apprenticeship.
I remember the relief of never having to go back there once I finished!
That was a fist pumping satisfaction I was glad to have experienced.
Have you ever experienced back to school anxiety as an adult? How did you confront it?
A week of first experiences and unexpected issues; new things in the pipeline.
Our week started with the glorious long weekend where we got to spend quality time together as a family… at home. We rearranged our outdoor area. The mess outside was making me cross every time I took the girls outside to play. And when we were inside, my eyes would always get drawn to the chaos outside.
From this
To this
We received an unexpected bill and letter from Energex stating our electricity had been changed over to another energy retailer and as a result the tariff we received for our solar power had been cancelled. The letters had been delivered into our post box on the weekend which was strange but the paperwork was legit. I’m still sorting out the issue which will make for a great blog post because apparently it’s not an uncommon occurence.
Esther started her first day of Kindy on Tuesday and we were all excited for her. We got to Kindy ten minutes early and had to wait in the car for the door to open. When it was time to head in, it was chaotic with kids learning where to put their bag and morning tea. We let Magdalene loose because she was itching to check out all the wonderful activities that had been set up. It was a challenge getting her back into the pram to come home.
Esther ready for her first day at Kindy
Learning where to put her morning tea
Magdalene didn’t want to miss out
Exploring the playground
When we got home I turned on the TV as a distraction so I could feed Phoebe and when the music played for Playschool , Magdalene called out ‘Esther, Esther Pwayschoooooool.’
There was no answer. She got up from her chair to check for Esther in her bedroom and then came back and put her finger to her mouth and told me ‘shhhhh. Esther sleep’. THAT brought tears to my eyes because I didn’t think about how much she would miss her older sister.
The moment I arrived to pick Esther up from Kindy she asked me ‘So mum, can I go to school now?’
Amongst the new routine and going about of normal life, I put up this post which was shared and re-shared and has had over 6000 views. The response was phenomenal and I didn’t expect it to resonate with so many people.
To clear the confusion, I did NOT have that rude lady in my home. It was an analogy. The post came to me when I saw atrocious comments on an article Kidspot shared written by one of my blogging friends. And then I saw a video from a styling blogger who had been attacked from a reader about being a poor role model because of her body shape.
SO much effort is put into a blog. The reasons are far and wide why a blogger decides to write a blog, but the undercurrent of every blog is a heart that wants to HELP and INSPIRE people. And yet the screen and keyboard become both a shield and an arrow.
The moment negative words are typed and sent, you are sowing hate into your heart and the more you continue to water that seed of hate, the more negative your life continues to spiral.
But none of us want to see you or ourselves live a crap life. Life is hard enough already and who wants a crappy life?
Anyway, thank you for reading my post and for sharing it and for leaving insightful comments. I still need to reply to a few.
It’s now Thursday and the week has passed by so fast. It will be Easter before we know it!
How has your week been? What is one good thing that has happened to you this week? Have you got anything new in the pipeline?
The other day I opened my home to a lady that I hadn’t met.
I had been challenged to open my home to others to bless them and I decided to randomly allow this lady into my home.
The moment she entered the front door she was warmly greeted by Esther and Magdalene. My dog Bentley excitedly jumped at her feet, with his tail wagging faster than a whipper snipper. She kicked him to the side where he whimpered and limped back to his mat.
The lady smiled slightly and looked my girls up and down. Her eyes turned to me and Phoebe. Phoebe was attached to my hip and her eyes roamed from Phoebe’s face to my hips and then they rested on my tummy. It jutted out a bit too much for my liking, and her stare told me she agreed with me.
I led her down the hallway into the kitchen and living area and I noticed her scanning the state of my living room. There were Duplo blocks spread from one side of the living room to the other. Food crumbs on the coffee table that Bentley obviously hadn’t noticed to lick. Phoebe’s play mat was strewn with baby toys and there was wet arrowroot biscuit matted into the fabric.
‘What kind of role model are you to other mothers when you can’t keep your house tidy for a visitor?’ She exclaimed.
Her negativity didn’t bother me because I had come to accept the season I was in with little children and I had read somewhere that a messy house meant happy kids. And my kids were happy.
Esther pulled on the lady’s arm and asked if she would like to see her room. ‘If it’s in the state of this living room, no, you little sh*t.’
I was taken aback by the ladies words. What was her problem and who was she to speak to my daughter like that in my own home?
‘I’m sorry, but don’t speak to my daughter like that. You had no right to say that to her.’ I stuttered.
She replied, ‘But I have every right. You invited me in. I don’t like what I see and I should be able to tell you how I feel. If you don’t like it then, close your home and don’t invite people in.’
Not one to want to stir up further trouble, I settled Magdalene and Esther down at the coffee table with some pencils and paper to draw. I placed Phoebe in her walker while I went to make a cup of tea for my guest to help her calm down a little.
Everything I offered her was wrong. The tea was too strong so I made another cup and that one was too weak. The slice I baked wasn’t made from organic eggs and she didn’t want a bar of it. And why was I cooking unhealthy slice when my bum was twice the size of Beyoncé’s? I wanted to joke to her that it was triple the size of Beyoncé’s but I didn’t want to give her more ammunition to berate me.
My life and my home were stripped apart from her words and her stare. Everything I loved and believed in was abhorrent to her and she made me know and feel it so.
The moment she left, she turned around and asked me ‘So let’s do this again next week shall we?’
I smiled and nodded, thinking no way. I needed to block her calls from my phone and delete her mobile number.
Once she left, I locked the front door.
I escorted my girls into the living room where we played a little and tried to move on from the negative atmosphere the lady tried to infiltrate our home.
What may read as a shocking morning with a stranger is a common and daily occurrence on the internet.
Us bloggers open up a space and set up a home on the internet freely sharing our space with others, only to have one or two or even a few visitors decide it’s their right to leave a string of abuse or negativity to our flourishing home.
You are most welcome to visit our home, any home. But it’s not your right to leave negative comments or bring the owner of that home down. It’s an absolute privilege to be given a voice to comment so please use that wisely. Or else next time, you will find that your voice will be blocked and there will be no point for you to visit our open home.
How do you handle negativity on your blog or website? Ever entertained someone rude in your home?
Around this time of year I buy a new devotional book. For those that don’t know what a devotional book is, it’s a book that has daily readings from the Bible and offers practical ways to live out what has been read. Usually each reading is marked with a date.
The last couple of years I have had Joyce Meyer books. This year I haven’t had the energy to go to Koorong Bookstore to buy a new devotional so I pondered through our collection of books in the playroom.
I found an old book of Daily Readings for Women with lines on the page where I could write reflections or prayers.
I started to read this devotional at least 10 years ago. I stopped reading it sometime in March because that’s when I stopped writing my prayers. Obviously work and the busyness of life prevented me from reading it further. So much for that New Year’s resolution of reading my Bible daily!
What has been interesting is how similar my prayers are from ten years ago to today. Same prayers, different seasons.
Ten years ago I was newly married, a young 21 year old trying to work out what kind of career to pursue so that I could be a stay-at-home mum. Fast forward to now, and I’m living the stay-at-home mum dream with the career on hold and I’ve slightly changed direction.
The prayers that I have been praying for the last ten years have specifically asked for wisdom. Wisdom on how to continue to be a loving wife. Wisdom on how to be a good mum. Wisdom when making big decisions. Wisdom with my career. Wisdom on how to write this blog. Wisdom on how to manage our finances better. Wisdom when dealing with others. For me wisdom is a precious thing that I value highly because when you make the right decisions using wise counsel, life seems to run a bit more smoother and you can avoid nasty situations.
The times I need wisdom the most are when I am faced with situations where people have done the wrong thing by me and all I want to do is be mean back or be the upper hand. But this is not godly and it’s not a great way to live. Wisdom to know how to calmly deal with these situations is really what my heart desires. I’ve had a situation that reared its head at the beginning of this year where I have been in the right but someone has done the wrong thing by me.
The reality is people will always do the wrong thing by you. There is a nasty spirit of pride in the heart of every human being and when we entertain this spirit, it can bring out the worst in us. I’ve seen it bring out the worst out in me. Hence why I pray for wisdom every day so that I can attempt to live a life that honors God and blesses others.
It’s been a bit of a battle lately to live this out fully because sometimes doing the wise thing doesn’t bring out the upper hand results I really want to see. I didn’t realise I had a problem with pride until I was challenged with this particular stressful business situation. Ironic how it hit fairly soon after the amazing high of last year.
I was reminded of this when I discussed the situation with my parents who would have to be the most wisest people I know when it comes to dealing with business and probably life in general. Don’t be surprised when you’re hit with a low after a high. It’s often when we are in the low valleys that we learn our greatest lessons.
As a little girl, I loved the story of Solomon in the Bible. When given the opportunity to ask God for anything – he chose wisdom above everything else. God was pleased with this request and gave him not only wisdom but success in other areas of his life.
Who do you turn to for wisdom? Is wisdom something you value or do you value something higher?
Proverbs 13:10 Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. NIV version.
I lost Magdalene at the shops on Monday and it scared the crap out of me.
One moment she was standing with other children her age watching the Playdough show, the next she was nowhere to be seen and I panicked. Where could she have gone? Did someone take her?
It’s not the first time I’ve had this experience at the same shopping centre.
When Esther was two she ran away from an indoor playground when my attention was momentarily taken by another mother whose child was playing in the same area. There were a number of mums from my church who were watching their kids in the same playground. When I couldn’t find Esther, all the mums who knew her scanned the area where she had been playing. I remember the fear that crept in my heart when we couldn’t locate her. And then she emerged from the Cheap $2 shop adjacent the playground, arms laden with craft supplies, oblivious to the ruckus of panic she had caused us mums. We all laughed. I roused on her and took her back into the shop to put back all the products and I vowed to never take my eyes off her again.
When I realized that Magdalene was missing on Monday, I got Esther into action to help me find her sister. Phoebe was crying in the pram which didn’t help with the fear in the pit of my stomach.
My cheeky Magdalene.
After about 5 minutes of asking other mums if they had seen my Magdalene walk off, I wheeled the pram around to do a search within the shopping centre and coming towards the gathered mums and kids who were watching the show were two young women (who I assumed were mums) carrying my Magdalene. Relief washed over me and I nearly burst into tears thanking both the women for bringing my daughter back to the gathered area. I explained that I took my eyes off her for a moment to give her sister her bottle and when I looked up she was gone.
Apparently Magdalene bolted from watching the show and headed towards the playground. Her freedom run was recognized by the women as a ‘toddler on the loose’ and they knew they had to catch her and find her mummy.
Praise God for the community of mums.
Thankfully they didn’t judge me when they saw I had my hands full. I was relieved they found my baby girl.
It wouldn’t have mattered if they did judge me. They did the right thing by catching my daughter and bringing her back to the show to find me. I’m sure I’m not the only mum that thinks about Daniel Morcombe when their child goes missing. It was my first thought when I couldn’t find Esther two years ago and the same thought entered my mind on Monday. It’s every mother’s worst fear.
It made me think how aware I am when I’m out and about. Often I can be focused on keeping my own brood safe within arm’s reach, and not fully aware of children that may do a runner or find themselves in the most unsettling of circumstances being lost. I think that I would notice a lost child if I saw one, but after Monday’s episode I will be sure to be more aware of the children in my surroundings.
Have you ever lost your child at a shopping center or park?
I’ve been so thankful for our air conditioned home this weekend. Well actually, I’m grateful for our cool home throughout summer thanks to our ducted air conditioner. Brisbane has been hot and humid all weekend and the temperatures are going to be similar all week.
Our air conditioner runs 24/7 from the end of November to about the end of March.
Hence our need to install solar panels to compensate our electricity costs in the summer months.
If you don’t have panels and are trying to save money on your electricity bills, turning on the air conditioner may be a battle of comfort over your wallet. But I’m going to explain some ways on how to run your air conditioner without it costing you a fortune.
First up is maintenance. Whether you have a ducted air conditioner or split system, both require to be serviced once a year. This ensures that the air conditioner is running efficiently and can prevent problems occurring when you need to use the air conditioner. Most people don’t get their air conditioners serviced which means they may not be working as efficiently as they could be.
Our maintenance service includes checking the ducts, motor, fan, and vent. It’s best to book this service in Autumn or Spring which is the non-peak demand for air conditioning services. A service to your unit ensures it is ready for use during winter and summer.
The vent needs to be cleaned every 3 months or sooner if it’s clogged with dust
Once a quarter the vent needs to be hosed down to get rid of the dust and whatever gets caught in the fibres. We used to use a vacuum cleaner to suck up the dust, but this ruined the wool fibres in the vent and we ended up having to buy a new one. Once the vent is hosed, leave it outside to dry completely before putting back inside.
The second tip is temperature control. Keep the temperature at a constant 24 degrees. The cooler the temperature, the harder the air conditioner has to work to maintain a lower temperature. Also ensure that windows are covered to keep the cool air in and heat out.
Maintain the temperature to 24 degrees.
Thirdly, my next tip is one that many Australians get wrong every time they turn their air conditioner on and I have tested this theory myself to prove that it does work.
Turn your air conditioner on in the morning BEFORE the house starts to heat up. Most people wait until they can’t bear the heat, by which time their house is like an oven and the air conditioner needs to work hard, drawing more power than normal to get the temperature down in the house. If you start the air conditioner in the morning, it won’t need to work so hard to maintain a cool temperature. In weeks like what we have recently experienced in Brisbane, I would be keeping the air conditioner on 24/7 until the weather starts to cool down. But that’s just me.
I accidentally tested this theory when I had Esther. Before children, Jacob and I would turn the air conditioner off before we left for work on a morning and then turn it back on at night when we came back from work. Our house would be so hot and stuffy when we got home from work!
When we had Esther, I had the air conditioner on all the time and rarely had it off in summer. I remember being scared about opening our electricity bill and was surprised to see that there was at least a $200 difference less on that current bill to the same period in the previous year. Our maintenance serviceman later confirmed our unit used less power if our house was already cool.
I’ve mentioned before that installing solar panels is a great way to offset electricity costs on your home. If you can’t afford solar panels, what about installing a solar paneled air conditioner? The air conditioner feeds off the panels installed on your roof which means it hardly impacts your electricity bill when you use it. It’s something to keep in mind if you are looking to install an air conditioner.
Do you use an air conditioner during summer? How do you keep your home cool during periods of intense heat?
I follow a few Facebook pages that are specifically for women in trades. The Facebook pages are a great support to women working in all kinds of male-dominant industries and have been a great platform for women to share their struggles and triumphs at work.
On Sunday, a fellow sister in the trades shared a photo of a space under a building she had to crawl through to work in. She was 6 months pregnant and found it difficult to flip herself around to do the work. She asked others how far in their pregnancy did they stop work.
My stomach turned when I looked at the space this woman had to work in. She explained it was hard to flip around under the building to do her work because of her bump. If I was in her situation I would have sworn and told the boss to get someone who could do the work safely.
But I’ve always worked with my dad when I’ve been pregnant. The bub in my tummy was his grandchild so as a dad and potential grandfather he would do anything to protect his own. Managers that employ women don’t have that connection with their employees.
It’s already hard for us women to get a job in the trades and when we do, we feel compelled to work better and harder, so if we fall pregnant we feel we need to keep working until the end of our pregnancy which is an unrealistic expectation.
Some of the answers that the women share on the Facebook page shocked me. Many worked until they were 38 weeks and explained it kept them fit and every woman was different in how they handled pregnancy.
I’ve shared my scare on here before when I was 28 weeks pregnant with Esther. I pushed myself to work too hard and the night I was in hospital my dad told me I was to do apprentice duties from then on. I remember feeling angry at myself in hospital for pushing myself too hard to prove that I could still work as a pregnant plumber. For me, it wasn’t a boss that pushed me to keep going, it was my pride.
After that experience, I vowed not to push myself in future pregnancies. Any crawling under houses that had to be done when I was pregnant was done by my dad. I would only crawl enough to safely pass tools and materials to get the job done.
The argument that pregnancy is different for every woman is valid, but here’s the thing, there are no guarantees in pregnancy. While we endeavor to work in a safe manner in the trade industry, there is more risk involved working on the tools than there is a woman working in an office environment.
So how far along in pregnancy should you stop working as a plumber? (or any other trade)
My suggestion is to cease doing a large amount of physical work from the start of the third trimester. The reason I suggest this is because it is common for a pregnant woman to experience one or all of the following
Your bump grows or pops out significantly in the last 12 weeks making it hard to fit under or in between spaces to work
You are more tired and exhausted which means you can be more prone to making mistakes
Back aches and pain in the legs and feet start to occur to compensate carrying the extra weight
You need to keep healthy so any unhygienic work needs to cease so that you are in optimum health when you give birth
Any work that causes high exertion can cause your waters to rupture or have a small leak prematurely. This was what happened to me.
If you feel that you can still work, ask your doctor whether they recommend for you to do so.
I think it’s also important to speak to your manager about the impending arrival of your baby rather than hiding a bump under your work shirt. You and your manager may be able to think of jobs that you can do in the final months of pregnancy if you want to work further than the start of the third trimester.
It’s also important to have support around you if your work environment is hostile to women. Unfortunately I have no advice in relation to this because I didn’t experience it in my immediate work environment. Being part of a union and confiding in fellow colleagues who are for you will be important at this time. They can be there if you come across negative attitudes and behavior for being pregnant. In Australia it is discriminatory to sack a pregnant employee and is classed as an unlawful termination. For information on your rights at work while being pregnant head here.
For the managers that find themselves in the situation of having a pregnant employee, tread with care. Be open to what your female employee is able to do. Request medical certificates if your employee insists on working in the last trimester. It can be a special time in a business’s life to celebrate the birth of an employee’s baby and it can be a great way to connect with your customers. Pregnancy and babies seem to bring everyone together. Never underestimate the value and attention a pregnant tradeswoman can bring to your business. When handled well, it will be recognized.
If you’re a female tradie, how far into your pregnancy did you stop work? How did your manager and/or colleagues react? If you’re not a tradie, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Phoebe turned 6 months old on Sunday. She’s at that sweet age where she can hold toys in her hand and bring them to her mouth to suck. She loves her solids and rusks and now sleeps in her own room. This week she’s only woken once during the night which means I’m getting more sleep but strangely I’m still feeling exhausted when I wake in the mornings. I’m not sure what is with that.
The last 6 months have gone fast and I’d be lying to you if I told you life is a breeze with three. I’ve been the most frazzled, overweight, tired and emotional than I have ever been.
But I’ve also been the most satisfied, content and grateful for the life I have as a mum to three beautiful souls.
Trying to fit blogging with a young family has been difficult. There have been times where I have cried because the busyness of being a mum stops me from getting to the computer. I enjoy this blogging gig and I’m always looking for ways to make my blog better or simply key out a few new posts to keep the momentum of my blog running.
But mothering comes first and my knock off hours in the last week have extended past 7:30pm – often as late as 9:30pm by which I am exhausted and instead of sitting at my computer typing a blog post, I head to bed to get some sleep before the midnight or early am feed.
Blogging has started to become a bit difficult in the last month or so because Phoebe is more awake and alert during the day. The only time I get to blog is at night and I need to know exactly what I’m going to write about or else I will sit and read other people’s blogs. And the next day I will be kicking myself for getting distracted.
Adding a third baby to our young family has added extra work and another notch of busyness which makes it hard for me to have any time to myself. When it comes to blogging, I have had to let my ideals go of trying to write consistently each week because no day is the same. I’d love to have a routine that I follow strictly to blog, but the moment I find myself in a nice routine, Phoebe will change hers which will kick my sequence out of kilter. I’ve learned that it’s best to take each day as it comes.
Blog when the baby sleeps… or go to sleep yourself.
So how do you blog with a baby?
Here are my tips that I have followed in the last 6 months.
Try and have a few posts ready in the pipeline for after baby is born. Getting guest posts from other bloggers is another way to keep the blog running while you spend quality time with the new person in your life.
Don’t pressure yourself to blog if you don’t want to or quite simply can’t. When your baby sleeps, you may need to rest yourself or get chores done around the house.
When you do get pockets of time to yourself, use them wisely and pump out a post or two. Don’t scroll through social media because you will get distracted and your baby will cry for attention sooner than you think.
When feeding your baby, think of post ideas or what you want to write about on your blog.Try and consistently write at a time when all the kids are in bed. This may be at night or early in the morning. Early mornings don’t work for me because Phoebe likes to be up at 5am. Jacob usually takes Phoebe out so I can get an extra hour or so of sleep before getting up for the day.
Get your partner to help where possible so you can stay at the computer if the baby stirs and needs to be resettled to sleep. Phoebe has stirred right now and Jacob has settled her back to sleep.
If you’re desperate to write a post because you are inspired, put your baby in a carrier. Occasionally if I’ve had to reply to an email, I will have Phoebe sit on my lap or I put her in her walker and wheel the walker into my office area so she can see me as I type.
While feeding Phoebe I will reply to blog comments or write new posts in notes
The last 6 months have shown that blogging with a baby can be done. It’s not easy but it is achievable. I’ve also learned in the moments when inspiration is lacking, I look to my baby and write about her and a post is formed quite quickly. Best of all readers love reading about babies.
How do you manage writing a blog with young children or a baby? If you don’t have a baby, what prevents you from spending time doing things you love?
I thought I’d share my view from a plumber and mother’s perspective on this debate.
Firstly, to answer this question, there is no law stating you can’t use an accessible toilet if you are not disabled.
Accessible toilets are plumbed for disabled use, not plumbed for exclusive use like a disabled car park. Cars stay in the one place for a long time. Hopefully when someone does their business in an accessible toilet it’s a short trip in and out. It may depend on what they ate the night before. 🙂
In most cases, the accessible toilet is used for a specific reason by someone who is not disabled – like changing a nappy when no parent room is available or wheeling a trolley full of kids for safety, when a normal cubicle doesn’t allow for this. It could be an elderly person who wants to avoid an accident and it was the first door available to relieve themselves.
I think it is bad toilet etiquette to use a disabled toilet if you aren’t disabled and there is no reason for you to require the special facilities.
When I went to Tafe, there were no female bathrooms in the plumbing shed. I had to use an accessible toilet that had a female and disabled use sign on the door. I don’t know if it has changed since but I actually hated using that toilet because I had to pass the staff room window to access it. The teachers knew where I was headed and as they were all male it just made me feel uncomfortable. And the toilet was used by the blokes at Tafe too. I could tell by the drips on the tiled floor around the toilet bowl. Disabled toilets are unisex so that female sign on the door meant doodley squat. Once I found an exclusive female bathroom in the library, I went there instead.
I’ve never been disabled and so cannot comment on the frustration of not being able to use a disabled toilet because an able body is in there using the facilities. What seems to be the most common problem is availability of accessible toilets and Changing Places Facilties with most property developers providing the bare minimum to meet a building code. It also doesn’t help when the cleaners or centre management use the space for storage!
Some solutions to making accessible toilets more available would be to provide more than one disabled toilet in each property where needed like in large shopping centres and high traffic public areas. I have seen some shopping centres come on board with this idea by providing two accessible bathrooms after a renovation. Providing a larger cubicle in the male and female bathrooms for mums and dads with a brood of kids and trolley would also be practical as it enables the accessible toilet available for the exclusive use by the disabled.
As a result of doing a bit of research on this topic, I came across a website explaining the need for Changing Places Facilities. Changing Places Facilities are rooms designed for those that cannot use standard accessible toilets. The facility requires a toilet pan, an adult size changing table, a ceiling hoist, sufficient circulation space ( for 2 carers and their client) and a safe and clean environment. It is specifically designed for those that suffer from major disabilities like those with acquired brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, motor neurone disease and their carers. As a plumber I haven’t heard of this before, but it makes sense how important it is to provide these facilities in every public place to allow these people to live a normal life. Under the current BCA there is no need to provide a Changing Place Facility as it is above and beyond the current legislation in place. I think this ruling needs to change.
I can not imagine a carer trying to change their client’s sanitary needs on a dirty toilet floor. It makes sense to provide adult change tables and hoists to assist them, provided in a room that allows ease of mobility.
After even more research, I came across a website detailing how many Changing Places Facilities are available in Australia and I was shocked to see that there is one in NSW and a few in VIC & ACT! There are NONE in QLD. No wonder I had never heard of them.
As an able bodied person, I take for granted the facilities provided to me and writing this post has opened my eyes above the trivial question of can you use a disabled toilet if you aren’t disabled. It seems there is a real need to provide Changing Places Facilities or change the legislation on the design layout of a disabled toilet so it can be used for adult changing.
It does need to be said that accessible toilets should mostly be used by the disabled, not the well-abled.
I was going to ask if you have used an accessible toilet, but to be honest, I don’t really want to know. Have you ever heard of Changing Places Facilities and do you think they should be provided in every public area?
I’ve taken some time to enjoy being with my family this last week during the Christmas and New Year’s public holidays. It’s been wonderful to spend time together which sounds crazy because don’t I spend every day with my girls? I do, but it’s nice to have Jacob home to help me and share the constant attention our little girls require and request from me on a daily basis. Having Jacob home has given me time to think about my goals for this year and what my word is going to be.
Have you seen other bloggers sharing their word for the year? I’ve decided my word for 2015 is going to be “notice”. And no, I’m not handing in my notice anywhere…
I want to notice more rather than rush through life and allow it to pass me by.
I want to notice a need and meet it.
I want to notice my girls as they grow and interact with each other.
I want to notice my husband more as he fulfils his role as a husband and father.
I want to notice more miracles.
I want to notice new and upcoming bloggers and encourage them to keep writing and run their own race.
I want to notice life around me rather than live insular and focus on myself.
2014 was an epic year for The Plumbette and I’ve been wondering how 2015 could trump it’s predecessor.
But I believe that a new year = new possibilities and I’m eager to see how the year unfolds.
Esther starts Kindy this year which is exciting and scary because I will need to be organized. I won’t be able to sleep in (which is till 7am) if Phoebe has kept me up the night before. I was hoping she’d be sleeping through the night by now but she isn’t. Fingers crossed she will sleep long stints at night soon. My concealer has been getting a good work out these last 6 months!
Esther has also started calling Magdalene –‘Mags’, which I think is cute. Magdalene responds to her new name as if she is someone important. She has so much sass it’s not funny. She turns two at the end of next month and I marvel at her vocabulary. She’s also learned the eye roll, which makes it super hard to discipline her when she’s done something wrong.
No doubt I’ll continue to have interesting conversations about what I do like last week when I caught up with my dad at McDonalds. It’s started to become a weekly ritual to have lunch and my Dad takes the older two to the playground.
While we were catching up, a Grandma with her two grandsons sat at the table next to us. She looked over at Phoebe who was sitting on my dad’s lap and told me how beautiful she was, as were my other girls. I said thank you.
She then asked if my husband was a plumber, which I thought was a peculiar thing to ask.
I told her no, he wasn’t, but I was, to which she tilted her head in surprise. I explained I wasn’t working because I had Phoebe 6 months ago. She then asked my dad if he was a plumber and he said yes, and that he wasn’t working because he was retired. He then added he wasn’t the father, and that the girls were his grandkids.
It was one of those awkward conversations that didn’t intend to be. I think the Grandma was trying to make small talk by suggesting I’d need a plumber for a husband to earn a lot of money to provide for my girls but she didn’t expect me to tell her that I was one.
On Sunday my story about becoming a plumber and writing this blog was featured in the Sydney Morning Herald. I was able to get a copy in Brisbane, but here it is online if you want to have a read. Thank you to those who did grab a copy for me as I will get in touch to send some them up to me. 🙂
Last year I had a few requests to be featured in the media and I’ve had to be upfront and explain that I’m on maternity leave and not on the tools at present. I don’t want to mislead anyone, especially when there seems to be a momentum of coverage on women succeeding in male dominant industries at the moment.
This year, I’m going to shift some of my focus onto the design aspect of bathroom and kitchen renovations from a plumber’s point of view. If you are a plumber or have recently renovated a bathroom/kitchen/laundry in your property, I’d love for you to send me before and after photos. I would love to feature them on the blog to show others your great work.
Of course I will also continue to share about family life. It seems the mix of plumbing and family posts is what keeps bringing you back.
Thank you for all your support in 2014. I’m looking forward to noticing more in 2015.
What’s your word for 2015? How has the year started for you?
The lovely Robyn from Mrs D Plus 3 wrote a post reflecting on the past year which I really enjoyed reading and I thought I would do the same. It’s kind of like the Taking Stock blog posts that have been doing the rounds each month, but this one is a year in review for 2014.
First memory: Wondering on the first day of January what the year would hold for us. I was fearful about having another baby so soon after Magdalene. I was worried about work, worried about how I would keep my blog going and worried about what others would think of me. I remember sitting on my bed with my head in my hands and then racing to the toilet in our ensuite to throw up. And then I would eat a cruskit. I went through boxes of cruskits and Jatz!
Biggest regret: I have two regrets. The first one is worrying about so many things when I should have just prayed and let go. The second is not realizing how much of a big deal it was to make the Top 30 Personal and Parenting Voices of 2014 category for my blog. I wished I had gone down to Sydney for the master class and the launch party.
Funniest thing: My Magdalene is so funny. If she hears someone fart she will shake her head and say ‘phoar, stinks’ and then point at the offender and say ‘fart’. No one can blame the dog if they let a fart out and Magdalene is within earshot or gets the first whiff. She will point to the culprit.
Favourite photo: After doing the Olympus Sponsor challenges, my favourite photo would be this one of our family. I remember posing for this photo outside and trying to get everyone to look at the camera. This was the result and I laugh at Esther’s face and poor Phoebe bent over!
These two photos taken on Christmas Eve had to be shared too.
We said smile Esther, not poke your tongue out!
I wasn’t ready for this one but Esther has the best facial expression! And Magdalene’s smile is gorgeous.
Proudest moment: My blog making the Top 30 for Personal and Parenting in the Kidspot Voices of 2014. I’m also proud of the sponsored post opportunities that have come my way and being able to use those funds to invest back into my blog and our family budget. I’m super proud of my girls too. I love my family and I love the way my girls interact with each other.
Best purchase: Our new car. We upgraded from a Honda Civic to a seven seater Toyota Kluger. I was a bit worried about driving such a big car, but I’ve driven dad’s Hilux ute for years. There is so much SPACE and I love the reverse camera.
Favourite outfit: I have too many. Probably my black jumpsuit with the sparkly bolero jacket that I wore to the Annie Sloan Cocktail Party in August and this year at the Kidspot Gala Awards night. For a $50 jumpsuit and a loaned Bolero from my mum, it’s a pretty good outfit.
Best month: July. I turned 30 and I had Phoebe 2 days later. Jacob had most of July and all of August off to help me with the girls. The time went so quickly.
Biggest achievement: Winning the Healtheries #Snackosphere sponsor challenge with Kidspot Voices of 2014 and being a runner up in the Garnier Smart Beauty challenge. I still can’t believe I won and but it’s started to hit home as the prizes have started to arrive at my doorstep last week.
Favourite Movie/TV series: The only movie I saw this year was Mom’s Night Out and I could relate to it so much. My favourite tv series would have been The Block and House Rules. I can’t wait for the series to return in 2015.
Most memorable News headline: There have been so many this year. Back in March, I was celebrating my cousin’s wedding and the next morning I read in the news that a Malaysian Airlines Plane had gone missing. We still don’t know where it is. Other memorable news headlines that have touched me are the wars in the Middle East and between Russia and the Ukraine. The loss of life from the MH17 plane that was shot down. And the recent events last week in Sydney. This year has seen a lot of tragedies.
What made you belly laugh: Phoebe’s number threes. She has done the worst nappies out of all three of my girls. I started Phoebe on solids as soon as she was 4 months and last week while sitting in her bumbo, she was sitting in this mess while I fed her! Daddy cleaned that one up.
Biggest decision: A personal matter – whether to get my tubes tied when I had Phoebe. I was booked in for a cesarean to have her and my obstetrician suggested it could be done if I was certain I didn’t want more children. I remember discussing it with Jacob and making sure we were both happy with the decision. Jacob was fairly keen because it meant he wouldn’t have to go and get nuked himself. 🙂
A lesson learnt: It’s better to have a messy home and enjoy playing with my kids, than to have a clean home and not create memories. Esther starts Kindy next year and a little part of me is sad that she is growing up so fast and won’t be home with us during the day for 5 days each fortnight.
What made you cry: I had friends of friends who lost their babies right before I had Phoebe. I cried when I heard the news of their loss. I cried when I heard about the 3 children and their grandpa tragically killed on flight MH17. Put in a prayer for those parents this Christmas and New Year who would have missed their darlings this Christmas. I cried during the siege when I heard 2 people died and the 8 children who were tragically killed in Cairns.
Most random thing you did: Jacob and I tried a new restaurant to celebrate my 30th Birthday. Because we hadn’t been out to dinner for a long while, I had to look up a bloggers Instagram account to check out her food photos and that is how I decided what restaurant to go to. And you want to know the blogger in question of whom I stalked? It was Nikki from Styling You. She’s only lived in Brisbane for a year and knows more about the best eating joints than I do and I have lived in Brisbane all my life!
What stands out for 2014 for you? Has it been a good year or not so good year for you?
Do you shake your head in disbelief when Christmas Day is over? So much momentum and excitement for the day to arrive and then it comes and goes and suddenly it’s Boxing Day.
We had a fabulous Christmas Day. I would say it was one of our best. It helps when your children understand more as they get older. Esther was so excited and Magdalene and Phoebe were a bit oblivious to it all. Well Magdalene knew something was going on and would always point Santa out to me at the shops.
This year, we had the morning to ourselves as a family and it was special and fun. So much fun! I’ve ingrained the morning in my memory as one of the best Christmas mornings ever.
I was quite restrained with the Christmas gifts because I knew my girls would get a lot of presents from Grandparents. This Christmas tree is 53 years old and was brought back from San Diego from my Grandma Jones. It’s metallic silver and I always loved decorating it with her as a little girl. When she offered it to me when her and Grandpa were culling their possessions to move into a nursing home, I was so happy to take it. Unfortunately the top of the tree went missing, but I place a tall silver angel on the top and you wouldn’t know the difference.
Our Christmas Tree barricaded with a pet enclosure to stop little hands getting to the presents and baubles!
My girls’ stockings looked empty when they had presents in them. Their stockings were filled with items for their room like a retro doll and Sonny Angels. This year we bought the girls a kitchen and the necessary utensils and plastic food. It was a big hit. Especially with Magdalene who has been ‘cooking’ every day since.
We also bought a fabulous Dinosaur water play pool thing which we pumped up on Boxing Day and the girls had a fantastic time playing on it. It is safely stored in our garage for the next use.
I thought I’d share some pictures from the morning. Esther was adamant to Santa about getting a yoyo which Jacob had to make a mad dash to the shops to put into her stocking! Her face when she found it in her stocking was priceless. It’s what you dream of as a parent to see on Christmas morning from your children.
Phoebe was happy to play with the paper and take in the antics by her sisters with their presents.
Phoebe is screaming with delight at her new Tiny Me personalized bag
The weekend before Christmas, Esther explained to me that even though we didn’t have a chimney, Santa would arrive through the air conditioning duct. Her four year old intellect astounds me at times!
We had lunch out which was good because there was no stress about food prep and no mess to clean up afterwards, but taking little kids out for lunch can be a bit stressful because they don’t always like to sit in the one spot.
The girls did well but me, well I was a bit exhausted after it all trying to make sure each child was ok and behaving. Being at home means the kids can run amok at bit because it’s Christmas Day and anything can kind of go.
Hard to believe I was pregnant with this bubba this time last year.
How was your Christmas? I’d love to hear how your day went. 🙂
I don’t want to take too much of your time because I hope you are spending this Christmas with the ones that you love, but I couldn’t not wish you a Merry Christmas.
I appreciate you visiting my blog and reading my words. Without you, I wouldn’t have a blog. Your comments and likes on Facebook mean a lot to me and I hope that I’m helpful in the area of plumbing, but relatable in the area of parenting and living life in general.
I love Christmas and what it means with baby Jesus being born. I’ve been encouraged by a number of messages over the last month at church about how to handle fear and that the impossible can be made possible with God based on Jesus birth.
I’ve had my own revelation from the Christmas story and that is this. The road is not easy to fulfil what is promised.
When Mary was told that she was going to have a baby, I wonder what she visualized as part of her birth plan. I don’t think she expected to lay baby Jesus in a manger. But she did and she survived and what was said to her by angel Gabriel came to be.
You may have a dream in your heart or you may have been given a prophecy or revelation that you will do something in particular, but the road has been difficult to see that dream become a reality.
Don’t be discouraged or dissuaded. Persevere and never lose hope of that vision even if your current circumstances look bleak.
I have faith that God can work in your life to make what is impossible possible. And sometimes the answers or road forward may be provided by something or someone unexpected. Mary and Joseph needed somewhere to stay for the birth and they were offered shelter in a barn.
Look for the barn and don’t be discouraged by its status. In my experience with God, He likes to use the unexpected to grow your faith and reveal His Glory.
Have a most blessed Christmas. I will still be blogging here and there over the holiday period.
From all of us at The Plumbette HQ, Merry Christmas and God Bless and may your 2015 be a bright one. Xx
Luke 1:30 But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.’
This post has been written in collaboration with Bobux
When Esther was a toddler, I was afraid she was never going to walk. She crawled and walked on her knees until she was 20 months old.
Esther walking on her knees in the rain!
At the time I worried whether there was something wrong and if I needed to see someone because she had no inclination of wanting to walk on her feet.
She loved walking on her knees.
All her size 0-1 pants had brown stains and holes in the knees from her constant knee scuffling. It didn’t matter what surface the floor was – concrete or even pebble paths, she always walked on her knees.
It was a frustrating time as a mother for me because every baby that had been born at a similar time as her were already walking. As a result of Esther not walking, there were certain things we couldn’t do that other toddlers her age could like visit a park.
It was back breaking work to hold her hand as she learned to walk on her feet. We would practice walking laps up and down our hallway with me bent over like the Notre Dame holding her hand as she learned to walk on her feet.
I asked my Aunty who works with special needs children if her motivation not to walk on her feet was of concern and the reply was no, but if she wasn’t walking by the time she was two, it would be something to look into.
Thankfully Esther was on her feet just before she turned 21 months and my back was all the better for it. The thing was as soon as she was steady on her feet, those legs went from walking to running!
When Magdalene started walking at 16 months – 3 weeks before Phoebe was born, I was celebrating because the last thing I wanted was to have a toddler not walking before I had another baby via C-section.
Once toddlers start to walk (and some can start walking as early as 9 months), it’s important they wear the right shoes to assist with their movement.
I have found it hard to find well fitted shoes for toddlers that don’t have too thick a sole so that your toddler doesn’t feel like clomping while learning to walk in their shoes.
New Zealand shoe company Bobux has designed a shoe called the Xplorer especially for children who are learning to walk or are in that sometimes walking/sometimes crawling phase.
The Bobux Xplorerhave an edgy design, are robust and flexible, enabling little feet to be supported in this new movement stage.
Bobux are launching their Xplorer shoe range in Australia (and around the world) and are looking for 120 Australian mums to sample the new range on their little persons feet who are just learning to walk. These shoes were made for walking for little feet.
If you have a little one that is freshly on their feet, Bobux want to invite you to apply for a sample of these shoes.
These designer learning-to-walk shoes are packaged in a limited edition tube, and if you are chosen, your toddler will be the first in the world to experience the Xplorer shoe.
To find out what size your babe’s foot is, head here. If your application is successful, you will be contacted after January 19 and advised on a delivery date for your free pair of Xplorer shoes which are due to arrive in late January 2015.
To apply for the sample fill in your details on this application form before 5pm Monday 19th January 2015.
When did your little one start to walk? Have you had a late walker like my Esther?
Disclosure: There are no guarantees that you will be chosen to receive a sample (but I do hope you are!) and The Plumbette is not responsible for the delivery of the shoes should they go missing in transit. This post has been written in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.
What a week. My Monday morning started well when I received the first lot of prizes from the Kidspot Healtheries Sponsor Challenge. But then I scrolled down my Facebook newsfeed to read about the siege in Sydney and I had a range of emotions run through me
Fear
Surprise
Anger
Guilt (from uploading a picture of my prize and being oblivious to what was happening in Sydney)
Love
Hope
Relief
When Jacob and I went away to Melbourne a couple of weekends ago I did worry about an attack happening in Melbourne while we were away. With the G20 in Brisbane and the unrest in the Middle East, I have been on edge almost expectant of something happening. I pushed such negative thoughts to the back of my mind. It didn’t work. So I prayed and asked in Jesus name that he would remove the thoughts, give me peace and protect Jacob, Phoebe and I while we were away. I also told God that I’m not finished with this life yet and I have a book to get published, girls to rear and mother and a husband to love and support. There are many other reasons I am here on this earth too, but for that moment in time, those things were what came to mind.
I was in disbelief that a Lindt Café had been chosen for this atrocity to take place. As you know, Jacob and I had been to a Lindt Café in Melbourne and even though we had visited a different city at a different time, I couldn’t shake the chill of knowing innocent people were caught up in a terrifying situation.
This was a photo I took of Jacob and Phoebe when we visited the Lindt Cafe
I had the “what ifs” run through my mind and then I had to turn the tv off and stop scrolling through Facebook to avoid feeding my fear.
Tonight, my heart is heavy with news of a newborn in ICU and the death of 8 children in Cairns.
I read a Facebook status that stated ‘What is wrong with us?’
What indeed is wrong with the world we live in, that people could hate so much to commit violent crimes against each other. Especially to children.
But people die every day from crimes, from violence, from cancer, from accidents, from unnecessary or avoidable circumstances. We just hear the most newsworthy deaths.
What breaks your heart, breaks God’s too.
You see, I believe that when God created each of us and yes, I have faith that believes each person was uniquely designed and created, he had a wonderful life ordained for us, but sin and Satan have marred that life and these terrible tragedies are a result.
While we live our lives oblivious to whether there is a God or not or whether we trust the universe or not, there is a spiritual battle. I think busyness and stress keep us ignorant from spiritual battles that are happening in our world and we need our spiritual armour on more than ever.
This week’s tragedies have confirmed to me that I need to focus less on the material and more on the eternal. Most of the time I find this hard to do because the material is in front of me on a daily basis and I want my immediate circumstances to be perfect.
The other message that I got loud and clear was this – we are each highly valued. Each one of us is valued by each other even if we don’t know each other.
The floral tributes in Sydney and the messages of love through the hashtag #illridewithyou are proof that not only does love prevail, but we value each other and the safety of each person.
Did you know that is a trait we inherited from God?
Each one of us is valuable to Him. Not one of us is the same. We are all unique and highly valuable to Him. The reason we live in a world with dreadful tragedies is not because He withdrew His hand. It’s because we withdrew first. And we continue to do so on a daily basis so there is always this frustration and confusion when we want peace and perfection in our lives but we constantly struggle or are hit unexpectedly by a tragedy.
If you are like me, feeling all sorts of feelings, embrace them. Bind the fear and hand it over to God. Don’t let what happened this week stop you from living a life that you love. Be kind to one another and thank God for each day that you live. And remember you are highly valued.
Your value is not based on what you do, but who you are. And just like a mother has a unique place in her heart for each of her children, God has a unique place for you in His.
You were no mistake or Big Bang.
You were designed. If we remembered how valuable we are to God and each other, maybe there would be less hate and less violence. It’s something to think about.
How has this week been for you? Are you fearful after this week’s tragedies?
On Saturday afternoon, Jacob and I took the girls into the Brisbane CBD to watch the Christmas Parade and view the Myer windows. If I’m honest, it’s a bit of an effort to go out these days because I’m exhausted. But a part of me also doesn’t like to miss out and I’m eager to create great Christmas memories for my girls. Which we did.
Our first point of call was the Giftorium at Myer. We arrived at 4:30pm – an hour before closing to ride on the Santa Express. Esther was excited and Magdalene was confused about what she was getting put into. She didn’t smile but I could tell she enjoyed herself.
On the Santa Express
I had received a Myer voucher to be used at the Giftorium and Esther had been harping about getting a Tangled dress which she had seen on our first visit to Giftorium. It was still sitting there so I purchased that and two Little Miss characters for Magdalene and Phoebe.
We then went and found a good place to stand and wait for the Christmas Parade. We were 45 minutes early and stood at the Albert and Queen Street cross section of the mall. The girls were pretty good at waiting. I thought we had lost our great spot when a policeman came up to me and the people standing on either side of me to ask us to step aside to let the animals through for the parade. Esther and Magdalene thought it was pretty cool to see the Donkeys and Camels up close. As soon as the animals walked through a few people who hadn’t been waiting in our spots decided to steal our place. Thankfully the policeman told the people to find another spot because ‘that lady with her children were there first’. Thank you Mr Policeman.
Christmas Lights and Decorations in Queen Street MallMore lights in the Mall
The parade went for 20 minutes and I hardly got to see it because Phoebe decided she was hungry and I fed her her solids which was easier than whipping out a boob to breastfeed her! There was a bit of chaos right before the parade when Magdalene was starting to get sick of waiting and didn’t want to sit in the pram or be held. Thank goodness the drums started which got her attention!
After the parade we headed to the Myer windows. The crowd decided to head to King George Square to view the Pantomime. I knew the girls wouldn’t get to see much of the Pantomime so we decided to do the windows. We then headed to King George Square to view the Christmas Tree and watch the Light Show Spectacular on City Hall. Phoebe loved it and was mesmerised by the lights.
The Christmas Tree at King George SquareCity Hall covered in Ice
Christmas Light Spectacular on City Hall
We were only out for four hours, but it was enough Christmas excitement for our three girls. Christmas in Brisbane is really well done and a great outing for kids.
The Parade and Pantomime run every night till the 21st December starting at 6:30pm.
Have you seen the Christmas Parade and Pantomime in Brisbane? What does your city do for Christmas?
A month ago as I was looking through the junk mail, I came across a Compassion booklet with gifts that could be bought overseas for families in need, as an alternative to buying physical gifts for family and friends.
Each year in October, we have a certain amount of money debited from our account that Compassion uses to buy Christmas gifts for our sponsor children.
In March of each year I receive a letter and a photo of my sponsor child Joseph in his new Christmas Day clothes holding or standing next to his Christmas present.
One year it was corrugated iron for building a house. The following year he was standing next to a goat that gave him and his family fresh milk. Six months later I received a distressed letter from Joseph telling me a car had run over his goat and it had been killed. That following Christmas, another goat was purchased to replace the one killed 6 months prior.
I loved receiving the photos and letters because I could see where my donated funds were going. Jacob never got photos of his child’s presents, just letters detailing what they received. He was often envious of my photos.
The sponsor child experience is a great eye opener to how the Compassion gifts work. I think it’s a great gift option for the person who has everything and doesn’t want anything.
It was while I was looking through that junk mail a month ago, Esther asked me what I was looking at and I showed her the Compassion booklet, explaining there were children around the world who didn’t get presents on Christmas Day.
Her little eyes opened wide and she asked me ‘Am I one of those children?’ to which I aptly responded that she wasn’t, but it was important to give gifts to those children that would miss out. Esther took the Compassion booklet from me and started to flip through it and she shook her head confused.
‘The kids overseas wouldn’t want any of these presents mummy.’ She grabbed the Big W catalogue and started pointing out toys like trampoline’s and jumping castles. ‘ The kids would definitely need this and this and this!’
I smiled at her reaction. She didn’t understand that the children overseas would LOVE a gift from the Compassion catalogue because it would be of great benefit to their family and community.
Magdalene loves looking at the junk mail.
My girls love going through the junk mail to look at the toys and Esther is quite audible about what she would like for Christmas. While she thinks she knows what she wants, I know what will suit her and her sisters best when it comes to play time. I also know that she’s not fussy about what she will find underneath the Christmas tree – although when we saw Santa on Friday she told him she would like a yoyo for Christmas. Thankfully Jacob was able to find one yesterday to put in her stocking!
Teaching a child to be grateful with what they have is something all of us parents strive for, but how do you start and what do you do to make a child realise how blessed they are?
For me, I find it’s important to find the right opportunities to talk about poor people with Esther. We recently borrowed the movie Aladdin from a friend and there is a scene where Aladdin steals a loaf of bread and is about to eat it when he sees a boy and girl looking through the rubbish bin to find some food. I was able to explain to Esther that the children in the movie had nothing to eat and were poor and Aladdin had compassion to give them his bread. While discussing this may not make Esther feel grateful, it will help her understand that there are children who don’t have the luxury of going to a pantry full of food to make a selection for morning tea.
Esther has also started to take offering to church and she is learning that it’s good to donate 10% of what she receives in her bank account to others. I also get her to drop money into collection tins for the Anzacs or whatever charity is collecting at the time when we go shopping. Sometimes if I’m in a rush and shake my head no to the collector, Esther will pull me up and ask for some change to place in the tin. Teaching a child how to give is a great step in helping them understand how to be grateful as they understand more about how the world works around them.
Christmas time is always a great opportunity to teach gratefulness. There’s the Kmart Wishing Tree, Operation Christmas Child – and if you haven’t been able to put together a shoe box this year, why not donate $8 to cover the postage of the box? 1 in 8 boxes don’t have the donated funds needed to send the box overseas. There are also initiatives run by churches to assist with families in need at Christmas. Our church has a Stuff the Bus initiative where we bring non-perishable foods and gifts that are put in hampers for families doing it tough this Christmas.
I’d love to hear how you teach your children to be grateful and at what age did you start? Do you think generosity and gratefulness work hand in hand?
Our recent trip to Melbourne had me rethink the essentials when packing Phoebe’s bag. It can be so easy to overpack when travelling with a baby on a plane, but here are the items I packed to ensure a stress free trip with my babe.
Phoebe and I just before take off.
What to pack for baby for a weekend away:
More nappies than I thought I would need. We go through around 10 nappies a day with Phoebe at the moment, so I allowed for 12-15 per day. We only had a two hour flight to Melbourne, but there was waiting time in airport as well as baggage claim and time in the bus to our hotel that I had to allow for. Thankfully Phoebe did her dirtiest nappy before we boarded our flight and she slept the whole flight down which meant no nappy changes in the air. A quick nappy change was needed in the airport before boarding our Skybus to get to our hotel. I packed all our nappies for the trip in a carry on case to ensure we had enough nappies at the airport.
One full pack of wipes. I have taken a half pack of wipes before and gone through them as quick as quick sand and hyperventilated about the occurrence of a poonami and having nothing but serviettes to mop up the mess. Always take a full pack of wipes. (the packs with 80 or more wipes in them!)
Plastic bags. Great for placing dirty nappies or clothes that need to be washed.
A bottle with formula/breast milk or a dummy for taking off and landing. I breastfed Phoebe on taking off and landing to prevent the cabin pressure hurting her ears. Being a breastfed baby, I packed limited formula and one bottle just in case Jacob needed to feed Phoebe while I was out.
Teething symptoms or an earache can come at any opportune time. I always take a small bottle of Nurofen for Children (suitable for babies 3 months old and up) whenever I travel just in case. It saves having to find a chemist in an unfamiliar location.
A spare set of clothes for each day you’re away. It may sound like overkill but when you’re away you don’t have the luxury of your baby’s wardrobe. Thankfully, baby clothes don’t take a lot of room and can be rolled up easily. If you have a baby that chucks up a lot, pack multiple bibs and tops. Pants and tops are great as opposed to onesies because you have to change the whole outfit if it’s a onesie. Bring spare socks so that footsies don’t get cold on the trip.
Nappy rash cream. It’s good to have on hand not just for nappy rash, but for any rash that may come up. Phoebe occasionally gets a rash under her chin and her sudocreme gets rid of it quite quickly.
Top to toe wash is a great to pack for bath time. If there is no bath in the hotel room, I just dampened the hotel washers with the baby wash to wash Phoebe down at night.
Toys or books that keep your bub’s attention. It could be a light up rattle or their snuggly teddy. Take it with you so your baby can be distracted by it if they are restless. Make sure you don’t leave it behind anywhere if they are really attached to it.
A muslin wrap or two. Great for keeping baby warm from the air conditioning to mopping up messes. I always have two rolled up in my baby bag.
Pre-made satchels of baby food and spoons. There was no need to warm up the food in the microwave on the plane and being a short flight, I decided to feed Phoebe her solids before we boarded the flight as opposed to on the flight which can be a messy affair if the flight is turbulent.
We packed the Baby Bjorn so Phoebe could be carried hands free. This worked well when we checked our stroller into the oversize checked in luggage. But you mustn’t wear baby in the Bjorn when going through the security and x-ray check.
A stroller that can be folded down into one piece. Many strollers and prams don’t fold into one item. Our Safety 1st Stroller has a detachable seat, but can be folded down with the seat attached. Check with your airline how many oversized luggage baby items you can check in. Most will allow two to three items. We only checked in one stroller because I organized for a portacot at our hotel (which was free of charge to use) and we chose to travel by bus to and from the airport, so there was no need to take a car seatOn previous trips when taking our older girls when they were little, we would hire the car seats with the car hire and most times the car seats were free to hire because of our membership with RACQ.
These kind of conveniences can assist with the luggage situation. Have you ever taken your baby away for a weekend? How did it go? Can you add anything to my list?
I’m going to start a monthly post that includes some plumbing product standouts that I have either trialed or come across that I think are really cool. I will include a mix of plumbing and items for kids because these days, I’m changing more nappies than washers.
Which brings me to my first stand out product Monster Washer. A couple of months ago my shower started to drip which meant the ceramic disc spindles needed to be replaced. I was sent a trial pack of Monster Washers at the beginning of the year and I have been waiting for the right opportunity to use them. So seeing my shower drip was a good thing! I had to change the spindles to suit washers and inserted these new brass washers in.
These are standard nylon/plastic washers and tap spindles
The Monster Washer – Only available to Plumbers
In plumbing language, I’ve copied and pasted the description from the Monster Washer landing page because I couldn’t describe them any better. The beauty of these washers is they are a 2-part product consisting of a base and jumper valve. The base simply pushes into the tap seat and uses hydrodynamic pressure to hold it in place. The jumper valve sits on top of the base and provides a 7-point locking system. Due to the patented design the Monster Washer cannot be damaged from over-tightening and fixes cracks, grooves and splits in tap seats without cutting threads or using stainless steel seats.
Dad and I would sometimes be called back to leaking taps within 6 months using plastic washers. So far I have had these washers in my shower for 3 months and there are no leaks.
Monster washers are only sold directly to plumbers. If you don’t have a plumbing license you are unable to purchase these washers. If you’re keen to get them into your home, ask your plumber what washers they use and ask them specifically for Monster Washer. Government owned properties and larger Commercial Property owners get their plumbers to specifically use these washers because of their guarantee to last. It saves on future plumbing maintenance bills and can add life to dripping taps. Plumbers, head here to get more information on purchasing this product.
The next product that I recently installed and tested was this smooth plastic shower hose from Tip Top Select. One of the downfalls of using hand showers is the metal rippled hoses can start to look drab due to soap scum. They are often harder to clean because of their grooves and sometimes over extending can cause leaks through the ripples. My dad has hand showers and he had to replace the hoses after a couple of years being in his new home.
This modern plastic hose is much cheaper than a metal one and is easier to clean and maintain. I tested this one and found it to be a good quality hose. Some plastic hoses can be poor quality as the end fittings are compromised with inferior materials. This plastic hose from Tip Top Select has proper brass ends for easy attachment.
It’s a baby shower chair that can be used to bath baby in the shower at a high chair height. I loved this concept and think it would be great for hotels around Australia to offer in their bathrooms when there isn’t a bath to bathe the baby. Jacob and I have had this predicament twice this year with Phoebe. Once when we went to Problogger at the QT Gold Coast and on our recent trips away to Ballina and Melbourne. We innovatively turned the toy bucket into a bath when we went to Ballina, but at the Gold Coast, we had to take Phoebe into the shower with us which can be dangerous when holding a smooth skinned bub and soapy water.
It’s also suitable for new mums recovering from c-sections because it avoids them bending to bath their bub or carry a baby bath full of water which you are not meant to do after having surgery.
The Charli Chair can be using for infants and babies up to 17kgs and has a 5 point adjustable harness to prevent baby from slipping out. The feet are also made from rubber to prevent the chair sliding over in the shower. For more information to purchase, head here.
Have you come across any great products lately? Which items above are you impressed by?
This post has been written in accordance to my disclosure policy. I was sent a trial pack of Monster Washers and 2 plastic hoses from Tip Top Select for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.
Our weekend to Melbourne was one of the best weekends ever for Jacob and I. I’m sure it was for Phoebe too because she had the full attention of her parents. Not that she would remember.
When planning for the weekend away, we knew we had a full day available on the Saturday to go shopping. We are no strangers to Melbourne. Jacob and I had a full week in Melbourne pre-kids around 7 years ago where we did all the touristy things and went shopping. Oh the joy of the double income back then. Sigh.
This trip we planned visits to 3 shops. Myer Giftorium, Tiffany’s and Haigh’s Chocolates.
Even though we didn’t arrive into our hotel room until 4pm, the city outside was still buzzing. We decided to head into Myer Giftorium which was literally around the corner from where we were staying.
The reason I wanted to visit the Giftorium, was because I wanted to show Jacob the concept and I wanted to take advantage of not having to chase my daughters around so I could properly browse the gifts.
Phoebe fell asleep which meant we were able to go shopping. Jacob found some fantastic plumbing stocking filler presents which I just had to buy and put together for a giveaway. I’d seen the Polaroll Toilet dispenser before on Pinterest, so I was pleased to see the Giftorium stocked it. The next thing Jacob found was a connectible drinking straws set which I reckon would be a great stocking filler for a plumber or apprentice. And next to the straws was my trademark tool a plunger – but for your iPhone so you can prop it up on a table at an angle.
The Giftorium in Melbourne is so well done. A Christmas wonderland covering gifts for everyone. We ended up getting a few gifts for family and then checked out the subsequent levels in Myer because we could.
When we started to feel hungry, we found a little Asian restaurant that served handmade dumplings. I also ordered what I thought to be a sweet and sour chicken dish, but instead got this:
Jacob and I aren’t huge chilli fans. I gave it a red hot go and I had tears streaming down my face as I tried to eat the chicken. Thank goodness for the frozen yoghurt shop adjacent to where we were sitting!
On Saturday we headed to Tiffany’s. The weather was great for walking so we took our time to really view the buildings down Collins Street. The reason we visited Tiffany’s was to sort out my 30th Birthday present. You might remember it was the gift I was looking forward to receiving on my 30th Birthday? Well the necklace that I got didn’t fit around my neck. And it wasn’t because I had fluid retention from being pregnant. Unfortunately I couldn’t get the charms off to make the necklace longer, so I ended up selling it and got all the money back I spent on it and used those funds to buy a key to match with the Uberkate Unlock Your Style necklace. As a result of our visit to Tiffany’s the assistant was able to write down a list of necklaces that I couldn’t decide on so that Jacob could purchase them in the future. We have our 10 year wedding anniversary next year and apparently the gift is tin or aluminium? I told Jacob Tin and Silver are the same colour so he’ll be sorted to know what to buy. 😉
After Tiffany’s we headed to the Lindt Café for lunch. We had a big breakfast so we weren’t hungry for lunch but wanted something small. We ordered one of the tasting plates to share. It was a chocolate lovers dream.
After Lindt we browsed a few more stores, bought more chocolate from Haighs and then headed back to the room to rest before I would have to get ready for the Kidspot Voices of 2014 Gala Awards.
It was a weekend of remembering life with just one child. And even though we took full advantage of not having our older two girls with us, we missed them and would exclaim how they would love whenever we visited or saw something new.
The weekend was topped off with the wins at the Gala event. It’s surreal that nearly a week and a half have passed since that night.
As a way to thank you, my readers, for hanging out with me here, nominating my blog to Kidspot and just being such a wonderful support to me online (and some of you in person) I’m running my final giveaway for the year. I’m calling it the Plumbing Stocking Fillers Giveaway. Included is 1 Polaroll Toilet Roll Dispenser, 1 Connectible Drinking Strawz, 1 iPlunge and 1 $50 Coles Myer Giftcard to help with Christmas groceries or gifts this season.
In order to be in the running for the giveaway please follow The Plumbette on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or sign up to the Newsletter and answer this question:
The best thing that happened to me in 2014 was….?
The most interesting answer will win the prize and I will make sure it is sent before Christmas.
Terms and Conditions
1.This is a game of skill. Each valid entry to be judged on creativity and originality, not by chance.
2. There is one prize: 1 Polaroll, 1 Strawz, 1 iPlunge, 1 $50 Coles Myer Gift Card.
3.Entries open from 6am Brisbane time Tuesday 9th December to Wednesday 17th December 2014 6pm Brisbane Time.
4.Prize is not transferable or changeable
5.Prize sent out by The Plumbette will not be replaced in the event it is stolen, lost or damaged in transit or virtually.
6.Entry is via leaving a comment or sending an email to answer the question.
7. A valid email address must be included in your entry.
8.Entry into any giveaway or competition is deemed acceptance of these Terms and Conditions
9.Entrants must be Australian residents and aged 18 or over
10. The winner will be notified by email and has 3 days to reply and claim the prize. The winner will also be announced on Facebook. This giveaway is not endorsed by Facebook.
11.The decision on the winner is final and no dialogue will be entered into otherwise.
12. These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time without notice.
It’s interesting to reflect that this time last year I was not in a good way emotionally. It was hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit when I was worried about so many things: Not having work, becoming unexpectedly pregnant, fearing what people and clients would think of me after closing our family business. But the biggest fear I had?
Fearing I had failed God with the so called God ordained plan of running our family plumbing business. Poor Jacob was the only one I could confide and bawl my eyes out too because I didn’t know how to explain it – couldn’t explain it without sobbing over all the changes.
So I prayed. And I prayed. And I prayed.
What do I do now, Lord?
Crickets
What do I do now Lord? What can I do? What should I do?
Christmas Beetles
What do I do now Lord? I need to do something. I need to know. What can I do? What should I do?
Silence
WHAT DO I DO NOW LORD????
Be still. You’re pregnant for goodness sake. Grow where you’ve been planted.
WORD!
So I threw myself into being a full time mummy, and allowed myself to relax in the excitement and anticipation of a new baby. I was going to be a mum to THREE kids!! I didn’t know how we could afford all the expenses for 2014, but I had faith that a God of unlimited resources would provide in amazing ways.
And He did.
While I continued to pray for direction when it came to work, I decided to work a little harder on my blog. I decided to open up more and it helped me find my voice. Grow where you’ve been planted.
Then in March or April when the Kidspot Voices of 2014 Top 100 were announced, I didn’t quite understand what a great achievement that was and didn’t attend the Master Class or Launch Party in Sydney. I was over half way through my pregnancy and I had already been to Sydney a few weekends before for Colour Conference. I resorted that I couldn’t do everything.
But the enormity of making it into the Top 30 for personal and parenting hit me when I realized all the blogs I read who I assumed were in that category weren’t. What the heck?
I didn’t make the Top 5. I wasn’t disappointed because the timeframe of writing posts for Kidspot during the end months of pregnancy wasn’t something I wanted added to my plate. The top 5 were so worthy of their placing. Such wonderful blogs to get lost in.
The first sponsor challenge came through for Olympus and then after Phoebe was born, the Garnier and Healtheries emails were sent through. I hesitated on doing the Healtheries challenge because the Olympus and Garnier posts were very time consuming and when you have a little baby and two kids under three, time devoted to my blog was limited.
I ended up signing up to the Healtheries challenge on the deadline. Esther and Magdalene had been eating so much packet food since I had Phoebe, it would be a good change to add some healthier packets of snacks to the pantry. Thank God for that last minute decision!!
I decided sometime in September that I would try and get to the Kidspot Awards night even though I wasn’t nominated for anything as a way to celebrate my Top 30 nomination. It would be like a Christmas party for working on my blog.
As soon as the invitation came, I booked grandparents to babysit, flights for Jacob, Phoebe and I, accommodation and then I started to think about what we would do on our spare day in Melbourne. There were two ports of call. Myer Giftorium and Tiffany’s. Both of those will be explained in another post next week.
Leading up to the Awards night I was worried about getting to and from the Sketch bar from my hotel. I didn’t really want to catch a taxi by myself late at night. I prayed again and Kirsten from Kirsten and Co answered my prayer, asking me where were we staying and could we cab in and out together? YES absolutely YES. Everything was falling into place beautifully.
I arranged to get my make-up done at the Benefit bar in Myer and that was just a random decision because Jacob and I happened to walk past it while going to the Lift. I needed another primer and thought I may as well get my make-up done for Saturday night.
Kirsten and I met up in the foyer of our hotel and Jacob did the honours of taking our photo. We were in matching jumpsuits. You can read Kirsten’s blogpost here, and my styling one here. Soon after, we caught a taxi and headed off to Docklands where the Sketch bar was located.
View from the Sketch bar
What a brilliant location and fancy do. The red carpet was out, there were photographers everywhere and the drinks were aplenty. Kirsten and I were a bit taken back by how light it was still outside despite it being night time. It felt like 4pm in the arvo but it was actually 7pm!
I mingled with bloggers who I read every week.
I went up to check out the toilets and by the time I found them, thought I may as well use them and realized I had to completely undress to use them! The joys of wearing a jumpsuit
And then it came to announcing the winners for the sponsor challenges. Thank goodness I used the toilets because The Plumbette won the 2nd prize for the Garnier Smart Beauty Challenge. I screamed in surprise because Plumbing and Beauty? How random. But how AWESOME.
Kirsten & Co got announced as a winner for one of the Olympus prizes. I was glad we both won something in the end. And then she was up again for Healtheries and I was in awe that she got to go up on the stage twice.
And when the major winner for the Healtheries Challenge was called I thanked God I used that toilet because I couldn’t believe it. I screamed. I jumped. I crouched low as if I needed to use the toilets again. I had to make a speech and I hoped I made sense in what I said. Sorry if I didn’t. Blame the shock.
My iPhone died fairly soon after the announcements were made so I’m sorry if I didn’t answer all your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram messages of congratulations. But I read them all back at the hotel room. With tears in my eyes.
A special thanks has to go to Kidspot and all the sponsors for putting on an event that rewards bloggers for their hard work. I have to especially thank Healtheries and Garnier for choosing The Plumbette as a worthy winner. You can read about the rest of the winners here.
The prizes amount to approximately $13000. All items that I need. All items that I prayed for and needed divine provision to allow me to continue blogging.
There are many bloggers who will read today’s blog and wish and hope that they get the same recognition and I say to you – yes you can. If it can happen to me, it can happen to you. 2014 is drawing to a close which means 2015 brings new hope and fresh anticipation of being recognized and achieving your blogging dreams of the future.
But my advice is, don’t do it for the awards. Do it because you love to blog. I loved the challenge of the sponsor challenges and I’m so thankful I put my heart and soul into them.
So one year on after all my curve balls, I’m actually in a good place. Those fears have subsided. Everything works out in the end. God’s got my back. It’s a good place to be.
How has 2014 been for you? What do you anticipate or want to achieve in 2015?
The beauty about blogging is that you can pretty much do it anytime, anywhere. If you choose to make your blog your business, you may want to create a dedicated home office. I’ve worked in many offices in the past 11 years. I’ve even seen new offices fitted out. Here are 12 things to consider when creating a home office suitable for blogging.
1. Computer. This one is a bit obvious, but many bloggers blog via their phone or Ipad which is not something I would recommend. There is a lot to consider when purchasing a computer like whether you go Apple Mac or Microsoft? Laptop or Desktop? Choose the computer you’re used to because you are going to spend a long time at it when writing your blog. And make sure it is up to date with the best anti-virus program you can afford.
2. A large desk. I need space on my desk so that I can have everything I need easily accessible. Space is also good to display quotes or art to get the creative juices flowing.
3. A desk lamp. I write at night and find a lamp saves power instead of using the ceiling lights. It’s also better on the eyes when I type.
4. Notepad. Or three. I can’t have enough of them. I use them to write down inspiration for new posts. I hate not having a pad to write lists down on or dates I need to make a note of.
5. Pen. Can’t use a notepad if you have no pen to write with. And have a few hidden because your kids will most likely steal them. Or suck them dry.
6. Weekly and Monthly Planner. A weekly planner is great to get down to the nitty gritty work of scheduling blog posts. A monthly planner is great to plan ahead and gives a great overview of the month.
7. Printer. Everything with blogging is done online, but printers are good when printing off receipts and tickets for events to do with blogging.
8. Internet/phone. Consider using an independent telco like iVox because you will be using your internet and phone extensively as a blogger.
9. Comfortable chair. You’re going to be sitting in that chair for a while as you type out blog posts. You don’t want your bum going numb from all the blog posting or sitting. Or both.
10. In tray. I find an in tray great for keeping mail correspondence or product brochures that wish to be featured on my blog.
11. Quotes and Artwork. Quotes and artwork are great to look at when you need some inspiration. It also makes your office desk look pretty.
12. Storage. I like to keep a clean desk, so in order to keep it neat and tidy, I need storage like filing cabinets to keep all papers in order. I have files for bills and receipts. Having a dedicated storage facility like a filing cabinet means when it comes to tax time you know where to find those important receipts and invoices for claiming.
Where do you blog at home? Do you have an office dedicated to blogging? What could you add to my list?
This is post has been written in accordance to my disclosure policy.
