Tuesday 30 August 2011

Jingley Jingles

I just read Jodie's post today at Mummy Mayhem in which she is talking about Mad World and advertising of years gone by. I know many bloggers are from PR or media backgrounds, but I am purely a consumer, a sucker for a good advertisement, well really an advertisers dream (2am on the Shopping Channel is amazeballs with such quality stuff I need!!!)


Jodie mentioned jingles and when I thought about it, there doesn't seem to many jingles used anymore. Is that because we are more stimulated by the visuals than audio nowadays, or is it the brands that want something to be visually enticing first and foremost? Or, is it that I am no longer part of the target audience and the Gen Y and Z respond to different methods altogether? (Any reasons advertising people???)


I remember growing up with some great jingles, for Vegemite, for cereals, toys, services and all sorts. I can remember the words to so many of them, and yet, can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday. So obviously the jingles worked on me.


When travelling through Europe, and bumping into other Western Australians, drunken conversations would inevitably turn to reminiscing of home. 9 times out of 10, the Channel 9 Community Service announcements were brought up. We all knew all the words to everyone of them. For those non-sandgropers, they were a series of public service announcements on Channel 9 telling us not to put knives in toasters, to wash our hands before we ate, to eat healthy and to stay away from ding-a-lings. Life seemed simpler then!


These ads definitely influenced me. I know that Mum knows, I brush my teeth, keep cuts clean, I know what each of the vitamins do (after singing through the song in my head), and I think that the ding-a-lings ad may have had something to do with my irrational fear of people with red hair when I was young (sorry!). If you only watch one, watch Ding-a-lings!

















Are there any radio or television ads from your childhood that get stuck in your head?



Chantel x
















Sunday 28 August 2011

Sunday Session

  

Thought I would do something different today and link in with Thea's Sunday session at Do I really Wanna Blog?

I love music, our life is full of music and our house has very eclectic tastes. I love nothing more than watching Master Z 'dancing' to the radio. His favourite is Copperhead Road from Steve Earle - not a song I like, but a certain radio station I sometimes listen to as I know all the words to all the songs, plays it every day!!! He enjoys it as he can stamp his feet on the floorboards throughout.

I am more a Triple J girl, desperately clinging to my youth. This week, I heard some awesome songs that took me back to the nineties when life was so simple. Mike Mills, a well known director and graphic artist was on Zan Rowe's morning show on Friday and played 5 songs that he has been involved in some how. My favorite of these was Sonic Youth's Diamond Sea - but the radio friendly version, not their usual 17 minute prog rock version. Mike did the cover art to Sonic Youths' album 'Washing Machine' that this song came from.





Second song I chose, is Blind Melon's No Rain as it was part of a mash on Spicks and Specks  and again flashed me back to my uni days - haven't thought about this song for ages, buts its a cute little catchy tune that reminds me of summer.




What songs have caught your ears this week?

Chantel x







Saturday 27 August 2011

Grateful for......

There are so many things to be grateful for the past week, I thought I would choose my top five:


1. TBone - I am off on another manic venture in my quest for working out what I want to be when I grow up. This week, it is a solicitor and I have decided that once I finish my MBA next July, I am going to commence a postgraduate law degree. This will only work if I stop working part time and TBone is very supportive and happy to allow me to explore my dreams - probably because he knows next month I will come up with a new crazy plan. (but I think this one may be a goer:o))



2. My parents - they have been overseas for six weeks, arriving back on Tuesday and having them away for so long, made me realise how much they do for us, not only with Master Z, but just being there for a chat, or unwind.

3.  Birthdays - what started out as a shamozzle in my head, turned into one of the best birthdays a girl could ask for. When I stopped throwing a tantrum and took stock of things, slowed the pace down and accepted that not everything needs to go the way I planned to still be great, we had a lovely weekend. I also looked very ungrateful and can't believe that with all the terrible things people are going through in their lives, I felt the need to whinge about this.



4. Our health - our house hasn't been well for the past 8 weeks, with one of us down with something or other each time. But the lurgys we have had are fleeting, symptoms controlled with paracetamol and rest. We are so fortunate to be healthy.


5. Wine - I love wine, I love white wine, I love red wine. Our quarterley wine club dozen arrived yesterday - nuff said!!!


What are you grateful for this week? 


Linking up with Maxabella's Grateful for Link






Friday 26 August 2011

This week, I know I am ashamed.....


I have always been a proud, boxing kangaroo flag flying, yellow and green wearing Australian. This week, I am ashamed to be Australian.

I am ashamed that our parliament is having to have a debate about an issue that shouldn't even be an issue. An issue that is a civil right and should be available to everyone. I am talking about marriage and specifically marriage between two people of the same sex. 

What angers me is that in this day and age there is this inequality among our society. That it is even an issue that we are having to debate is terrible. That people in same sex relationships have to fight and rally for legislative change is archaic. The marriage legislation as it stands denies people in a same sex relationship and their families legal equality and perpetuates discrimination and prejudice. 

It doesn't matter if you don't believe a marriage licence is worth the piece of paper it is written on, the fact remains if you are in a heterosexual relationship, you have the choice to get married if you want to. People in same sex relationships are not afforded that right. 

I myself, love being married and I value my marriage and it saddens me that there are still people in our country that are don't have the opportunity to marry the person they love. 

I am linking in with Yay for Home's Things I Know






Chantel x

Tuesday 23 August 2011

Priorities

Saturday was my birthday and we had the whole weekend planned with fun stuff to do. I love birthdays. I love to make a big deal of people's birthdays and I love to celebrate my own. We had planned that when TBone got home from work at 2pm Saturday, there would be a quick turn around and we would head off for afternoon tea at Koko Black (I know, a cafe devoted entirely to chocolate - could you get any better!!!) then shopping for my presents, followed by a quiet dinner at home with candles and an expensive bottle of red we have been saving for a special occasion.

But....

Poor TBone came home at 7am Saturday with a stomach bug and spent the rest of the day in the bathroom. Seems he caught Master Z's bug of the week from day care.

Now, I am usually very laid back and caring - I am a health professional you know :o) - but for some reason, all care and compassion left me and all I could think was that my birthday had been ruined! I was close to tears even though I knew perfectly well that there was nothing he could do about it. The poor thing was feeling terrible not only for the lurgy, but as he felt he had ruined my birthday. 

I spent the morning huffing and puffing, playing with Master Z and feeling very sorry for myself. What a waste, as it was a beautiful day in Perth. Once Master Z went down for his midday nap, I thought, right, going to go and buy my own presents. First, I decided to get my finger and toe nails done, so headed to a local salon. I asked for the special pedicure and manicure and got shuttled to one of the booths. The guy started sanding my nails and then clipping them back - that was then I started to pay attention to what was going on. He then pulled out acrylics and I pretty much melted into a blubbering heap. My fingernails had been cut right down. "I don't want acrylics, I only wanted a manicure, its my birthday and everything is going wrong!" 

The poor people in the salon didn't quite know what to do with this stranger with tears running down her face and mascara following them. They were very lovely to me, fixed my now very short nails up with a manicure, dealt with my elephant like feet and toenails with a pedicure, not even commenting on the fact that my legs were hairy like a bear.

As I was relaxing I decided I needed to grow up, act my age and make the most of the day. I can be very Pollyanna when I need to be. So I went home, picked up Master Z and went to have the day we had planned, unfortunately without TBone though. I had a lovely afternoon being escorted around Claremont by Master Z and TBone was well enough to have a low key version of the dinner we planned - but we have saved the wine for another time.

The next day really put things into perspective for me. TBone was well, the weather was fantastic, despite predictions otherwise and we headed to one of my favourite places in Perth, the zoo. Master Z had the best day, his smile was beaming the whole time and he chattered away throughout the day. He was so excited to see the lions, tigers, elephants and the meerkats up close and spent the afternoon imitating the monkeys. I had the such a lovely time just watching him happy. We let him spend most of the time out of the pram, wandering around the zoo at his pace.

That's when I realised that what happened Saturday didn't matter and I am embarrassed at my tired and fatigued reaction. The day we had Sunday, a simple activity, the three of us together enjoying each others' company, Master Z soaking up new experiences, that is what deserves to be celebrated. And that is how I will remember my birthday for this year.



Saturday 20 August 2011

Pretty Lady



I am a slave to Princess K, but wouldn't change it for anything. She is our beautiful 3 year old Bernese Mountain Dog, who has brought so much to our lives.


We got her just after we moved into our first home. We wanted to practice our care skills on a puppy before we inflicted them on a child. She hasn't worked out too bad. Apart from the usual puppy mishaps, and few holes dug as a demand for a walk, she is well behaved and follows commands if she wants to.


Her nature and temperament is wonderful. She is a gentle giant - except for a tail that wags with enthusiasm with the power of a propeller. She has knocked Master Z over with it on several occasions and then shown a look of horror when she registers what she has done (well, what I perceive to be her look of horror.....) 


She is excitable and playful. She does the typical Berner thing of trying to get as close to you as possible, looking for pats. She will place her enormous paw on your feet and lean into you to let you know she loves you. She can be needy, but likes nothing more than to just know we are close. As long as we are in sight, she is happy.


She has a huge bark that fends off strangers - but in reality if anyone approached her, she would probably pee herself and run to the corner of the yard - hopefully no-one is ever willing to test that theory. I am pretty sure she would put herself in front of us if there was ever any trouble and she can look pretty menacing to those who don't know her.


When I had a miscarriage prior to Master Z, she knew we were sad, she was quiet and calm, not her usual boisterous self. She sat in the lounge next to me with her head on my lap as we cried over one of the most painful things we have had to deal with. She somehow knew and was there for us in the only way she knew how.


She is fantastic with children and likes nothing more than hugs and pats. She knows she is pretty and expects passers by to stop and comment and fawn over her. She looks put out if she gets ignored.


Not just a pretty face, but a beautiful nature also. We are so fortunate to have her in our lives. Today I am linking up with Maxabella for her Saturday Grateful for.......




Head over there to check out what others are grateful for on this beautiful day.



Chantel x




Friday 19 August 2011

Things I Know...My week

I thought I would link up with Yay for Home's "Thing I Know" this week as I haven't really been near the computer much and want to try to be more consistent and I think if I set my self a task for each day of the week, I am more likely to do this.

 


I know Man Flu is life threatening and causes the male sufferer to lose powers of mobility, speech and reason - and it has similar symptoms in the male under 2. When transmitted to the female however, the symptoms are very subdued and they allow the female sufferer to continue on with life and responsibilities as normal!


I know that joking aside, TBone is obviously working long, hard days for us at the moment and must have been pretty run down to have caught said man flu and I am grateful he was able to have 4 days off to rest up and be refreshed for the coming months which are going to be very busy for him at work.


I know that I enjoy going to work, but not really for the work I do, more for the people I work with that make me laugh each day and allow me to distract them from doing the serious stuff.


I know that I have missed Mum and Dad while they have been off galavanting around Europe for the last six weeks and I can't wait to see them Tuesday.


I know how much of a help they are to me by having Master Z two days a week to allow me to go to work - I appreciate them.


I know I am really looking forward to this weekend, celebrating my birthday with my boys and going to the zoo on Sunday - Master Z is at a really good age to enjoy it and I can't wait to see his face.


I know The Sassy Cookie in Vic Park does the best gluten free cupcakes ever - and I may or may not be addicted - 3 trips in 3 days isn't bad surely???? (not all for me.....)

What do you know? Head to see Shae at Yay for Home!  to check it out.

Have a great weekend
Chantel x       









Monday 15 August 2011

Mummy Fail #7384926

Master Z has very little hair. It is fine, golden, like spun silk, very much still 'baby hair'. Recently we had been commenting that he was starting to develop a mullet so I thought I had better give him his first haircut. As he has such a little amount of hair at this stage, I figured that it would be futile to take him to the hairdressers, and that I could manage fine.


Yeah, right.


Unfortunately for him, after a short meeting his daddy's hair clippers, his hair looks like this:




Yep, he has an 80's two step. That would be fine in itself if you want to get your inner Bros or East 17 on, however it is a very jagged two step and is a pretty noticeable cock up.


Fortunately for me, at 18 months, he doesn't really have an understanding of what his mum has done and he doesn't know how to check the back of his head. He is also too young to read and dial the number for Children's Services.


I haven't been able to get a photo that shows the style to its full effect, but the Simple Jack photo is pretty accurate. He is having some professional photos done on Friday, might have to take a hat as a prop!

Sunday 14 August 2011

Check me out!


Never thought I would be saying that, ever! But wow, I am so happy with the changes to this blog courtesy of Sass at MooZoo Designs. It is so pretty, and girly and I love everything about it. Thank you so much Sass!


I mentioned in my last post that I wanted to make this a pretty, girly place. The things of beauty that I want to embrace, but don't often get a chance to in my real life. I want some part of this blog to be about celebrating things in our natural world that are beautiful and to highlight things I find that are just 'pretty'


The work I do has a lot of negative energy surrounding it. Dealing with people with illness and injury in a litigious environment often brings a lot of resentment, cynicism and anger. I am trying to rid my life of its negative aspects as much as possible, and I want to use this blog space to help to neutralise some of the negative energy I absorb from my work on a day to day basis. 


I have also changed my domain name, but am still waiting for that to transition, so at the moment things will be a bit out of sorts.


So, here's the new me, doesn't this space look fabulous? Make sure you stop by MooZoo Designs if you are looking to inject some life into your blog. 



Chantel x

Saturday 13 August 2011

Disorganised

I had an exam on Wednesday and had several days put aside in the weeks before to devote to study. Yeah, best laid plans..... I even had 3 weeks off work prior to it (conveniently had annual leave to look after Master Z as my parents are in Europe). It would have been studious of me to use this time to read the textbook (yep, 12 weeks in and the pages are nice, clean and unopened...), do the exercises (Corporate Finance unit, so maths and formulas - blurgh!) and I could have even done some past exam papers. 

But alas, No. I didn't really put much time in, being very easily distracted by playing with, or watching Master Z play. Them when he was asleep, instead of studying, I spent my time playing with Blogger, reading other blogs or trying to work out what I am going to do with my blog space.

I have been reading recommendations from others in the blogosphere who seem to know what they are doing and the first thing most say is to own your domain name. The name I had chosen for my blog is a Bob Dylan song title (well, came to me from The White Stripes), and so all variations of this have been already registered as websites. 

This got me thinking about how I want "my space" to look and feel. If this is the place I come to for solace and reflection each day, I want it to be comfortable, reflective of who I am and what I like. Thinking more about things and leaving my options open for the future, I decided that only two weeks into this process, I was going to look at a new name. (I am thinking of cutting out coffee, so it would just taunt me!). 

I also thought about what type of space I wanted to create. I am not a girly girl by any shot of the imagination - but I would love to be. I would love to have my fingers and toes painted all the time, take the time to look after my skin with a beauty regime (apparently soap doesn't cut it), wear makeup whenever I go anywhere, have my hair brushed, my bras and knickers matching and I would love to leave the house without food or dirt on me somewhere. In reality, I am a tomboy, I am very messy, chaotic, disorganised, a procrastinator (hence the poor exam prep), very pragmatic and figure due to family history will be mother to boys only. 

At this stage, there is no pink in my life, nothing girly or pretty and deep down, I think I want an element of that. I have decided my blog is going to be a way I can create that in my life. With that in mind, expect a change in name, domain and look over the coming days. 
All that time I spent thinking about beautiful and pretty things, my procrastination didn't really leave much time for study. I am mad with myself, but just didn't get into this unit at all. I am not comfortable with things with black and white answers and only did this unit as it is compulsory. I much prefer being able to analyse both sides of an argument and write essays rather than find the formula that fits. Fortunately I only need 4/35 for the exam to pass the unit. I actually don't think I did that bad on the day, so fingers crossed.

I often find I am most creative when I should be doing something else. What things do you do when you procrastinate?


Monday 8 August 2011

Dear Masterchef Producers and Channel Ten.....


I love your show. I love food, I love cooking and I love to see what your 'average Joe' chef's come up with under pressure. I love to watch their journey as they develop new skills, learn posh words for a technique that Nanna called 'braising' and become a bit up themselves as they hob nob with famous chefs. 

What I don't like though, is the editing of the show. The repetition of scenes coming out of the ad breaks as though we are all so stupid that we will have forgotten what was said three minutes ago.

I don't like the commentary from the contestants - they must feel so silly talking to camera and having to break every task down into every obvious little step. Things like "If she doesn't put it in the oven, its not going to cook".

I don't like how you use music to create suspense, but then you ruin it by playing the piano tinkling bit early, so we know that there is a silver lining coming. 

I don't like the David Caruso stares into the distance from the judges as they taste the food, and the close ups of George chewing in general. 

So yes, there were many things that got on my nerves, but I still watched as I enjoy the essence of the show. The biggest thing that made me want to write this rant though, was Channel 10's coverage of the finale. This is a wonderful series for all the family to watch, get involved in and have our kids inspired. But then you decide to split the finale into two parts to try to boost the ratings of the obviously ailing The Renovators (does anyone actually get the format of this show???) so that the winner is announced a long time after any child should be awake when they have to get up to go to school tomorrow. 

I would be very interested to see how many people changed the channel over while The Renovators was on. I certainly did.

Much Love

Chantel x

Friday 5 August 2011

Last Saturday of the Month


When I first started dating my husband (16 years ago!), he hung around with a group of about 10 mates from high school. These guys have stuck tight and as girlfriends and wives have joined the group, some wonderful friendships have developed. Friendships I know will last forever and that I count as my best friends.

Over the years, some of us have gone overseas, or away to work, but whenever we have returned home, our friendships with this group of guys and their partners has picked up right where they left off.

We have all started having kids, and this along with work and responsibilities has caused our lives to get busier. This means that we have often gone months without seeing one another.

To rectify this, we have decided to get together the last Saturday of each month, rotating hosts. The idea is whoever can make it attends, and the host decides the set up of the night - if it is a sit down meal, a BBQ, take away, a picnic, a bring and share, or something else. 

We have only had one catch up so far, but it worked really well and was wonderful to see everyone - and great to know that it would only be four weeks until we saw them again.

What things do you do to make sure you keep in contact with your friends?

Chantel x

Wednesday 3 August 2011

Mummy Angst

I returned to work three days a week when my son was 12 months old. For the last 6 months, he has spent those three days each week with my mum. I will be forever grateful to her for what she has done, which has allowed me to return to work with no qualms about how Master Z is travelling.

As he is now 18 months, I wanted him to have something a bit different, get some extra socialisation and expand his friend base. Trying to get him into somewhere has been tough, as the place I had his name down initially, wont have a place until he turns 2 and the other place his name was down advised me they had a 2 day minimum policy just as I was about to enrol. I almost sent him there, but then reassessed why he is going in the first place - he is a very social boy, loves other kids, sees other children several times a week and while Mum remains more than happy to continue with 2 days, he doesn't need to go a second day. 

So, he started at my third choice on Monday. I am currently on annual leave, so Monday was just a trial day, he will be starting properly next Monday.

I had no hesitation or worry about sending him. I thought he was very ready for it, would not cry at all when I left and as he behaves really well for me, I did not see any reason to worry about him being in someone else's care. The only thing I was worried about was that they would see him as the amazing, well adjusted, good natured little boy that I do.

When I attended yesterday afternoon to pick him up, the report was not what I had been expecting. He didn't cry or look for me - yep, knew that- he was a good eater - yep, knew that - he loved outside - yep, knew that,- fell over about 20 times - yep, knew that (I will be signing one of those "cover our arses" forms every week I am sure!) he had no attention span - ?????? this is the boy who will sit for hours trying to get the square peg in the right hole -  and then she said something that crumpled my heart. She said she "had never been so frustrated with a child in her entire life" and that she "had to leave the room she was so frustrated". She said that it was because he wouldn't lay on the mat during sleep / quiet time. She said she eventually had to put her legs over his legs and bottom to keep him there. (???????) 

Master Z sleeps 12 hours at night, self settles and sleeps 3 hours during the day - with no fuss. I put him into his cot around 12.30 and don't hear from him until around 3.30pm. I wasn't that worried that he hadn't slept, I figured a new environment and not being in a cot would take getting used to - particularly when there was 14 other children he could be playing with at that time. What did upset me was her reaction and how she phrased it to me. I would never have described Master Z as a 'frustrating' child and I would also have thought that in a childcare situation they regularly deal with toddlers that don't want to do what is next on the routine.

It broke my heart that she didn't see Master Z the way we see him, and that she may be negative towards him because of what she experienced on his first day there. I will take him back next Monday, but will have a chat with the centre co-ordinator to see if he would be better placed in the baby room as he only turned 18 months last week, so may need to be in a room where a cot is available to settle at nap time. I believe deep down, that Master Z would benefit from a day a week in childcare, but because of the type of child he is, I hadn't prepared myself for any issues. 

This then becomes one of those things that brings on the guilt at having to return to work and makes me more determined to find a way we could financially manage for me to be a stay at home mum. Until then, he will need to attend once a week and while he is enjoying it and goes there happily, I just need to get over my own angst that one of the carers may not think he is as wonderful as I do. 

Have you experienced any issues with a childcarer's attitudes towards your child? How did you approach this with them?

Chantel x

Monday 1 August 2011

The Beginning

Here is the Who, What, Where, When and Why of this blog


WHO



I am a 34 year old mother of an 18 month old son. Wife of TBone (he's wanted that nickname since he was little, surprisingly it hasn't stuck (ha ha), so I thought I would give him his glory on these pages!). I am an Occupational Therapist by trade, work three days a week and I am almost at the end of completing an MBA.

I said I would be honest on these pages, and I have already broken that promise by using a cartoon image of myself - if only I looked like that picture, but it is missing the wrinkles, the bags and the double chin. I hope over the next few months I will have the confidence to change that image to the real me.

I love my life, I love my family and my friends. We lived in Leeds, UK, for 7 years, working and travelling, before coming back home and settling down in Perth. The time away certainly solidified what is most important in our lives.

I love cooking, eating, the outdoors, wine and a good book. I try to be generous, giving and reliable. I know my short comings include procrastination, I don't suffer fools, can be very negative about myself (to make sure I beat other people to it) and I am the most untidy person you will meet - the house often has what I like to call a "lived in" look going on. I also have a tendency to use apostrophes and commas in inappropriate places, so I apologise in advance for this. I must admit that I also tend to use exclamations!!!!!!!!! and emoticons sneak in every now and then without me really noticing :o)

WHAT


I am not really a journal person, so I want this to be a good record of how things are in my life  and the world around me. The posts will be about me, my family, parenting, travelling, friendship and things that take my fancy. I will, on occasion, be self indulgent and I also want to use this as a place to store posts/letters to my son so in years to come he will have a record of what his life was like.

I am about as funny as a wet fish, so there will be feeble attempts at humor - just watch the tumble weeds go by! 


WHERE
I live in Perth and am not ashamed to admit I love it. Of all the places in the world we have been, this is definitely home and one of my favorite cities. It might not have the grandeur or history of some European cities, but I see it as an emerging hub of very clever people. We have amazing artists, designers, talented chefs and business minds. It may be because I am a country girl, so am easily dazzled, but I find there is no end of things happening in this city if you look for them. The "Dullsville" tag may have been appropriate 10 years ago, but the life that is coming from the city now is exciting.

I am currently writing this on my bed. We have a terrible internet set up, so this is the only option. I am in the process of cleaning out the junk room to make it into an office and a play room. At the moment it looks like this: 

The hope that in two weeks when my holiday has finished, I will be at a desk, sitting on a chair, hopefully using a computer that is utilising a wireless connection - just go to get myself sorted! I also want it to be a space that Master Z can have his table and chairs and blackboard so he can be close while I work. 

WHEN

I am putting it out there that I will post three times a week at minimum. I will post Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and will aim to post something frivolous each weekend. I would hope that this will increase in the future, but I need to set low targets for myself to make sure I meet them, or I will throw a tantrum and give up :o) 

WHY
Since going back to work I have found there has been no time to read any books (mainly as I am not a chapter a night girl, if I read a book, I read it cover to cover and the world around me has to stop). So to quench my thirst for stories, I have been reading blogs. I love reading about people's lives and views and reading the blogs I follow each morning and evening, fills the void that a good book would usually fill.  

This month, I am turning 35 and the last few weeks have been the first time I have been thinking that I am getting old. In my head I am 26 and will stay there for a few more years, but I think hitting 35 is making me stop and evaluate things about what I have done, where I have been and who I am - and what I want out of the next 35 years. Writing things down is the best way for me to get clarity, always has been.

For this reason, I thought I would have a go at blogging, mainly to keep a written record of our life, but also as a way to improve my writing skills. 

And all the cool kids are doing it :o)

So that's a snapshot of things, I look forward to hearing from anyone that may cross my path, please comment - mainly to furnish my need for instant feedback, but also to let me know your thoughts on whatever happens across my page.

Chantel x

(and I promise posts from here on in won't be so 'wordy')