Today’s post is the second in my weekly column at BonBon Break Magazine called, “What I’ve Learned…” After a Boys Only shopping trip, Little Man and Darren arrived home, clearly up to something. Little Man disappeared into the study and came out a few minutes later holding a gift-wrapped present in his hand. “Mum, you… Read More
A letter to YOU.
Hey, you! (Yes, YOU.) I see you, you know. I see you in those moments when you think nobody’s looking, those moments when you’re not sucking in your tummy, when you’re yelling at your kids, when you’re serving McDonalds for dinner because you’re too tired to manage anything else. I see your panic when you… Read More
Big announcement!
Let me start by telling you a little about my childhood. My mother was, amongst other things, a writer. I would spend hours poring over her scrapbook with clippings of all the pieces she’d written for various magazines, voraciously lapping up her success and revelling in it. I’d stare at her byline under the picture of… Read More
A Thank You Letter to my daughter’s Kindergarten Teacher.
To my daughter’s Kindy teacher, How do I begin to thank you for what you’ve done for Baby G this year? You welcomed my little girl into your classroom in the beginning of the year with your arms wide open. No booboo wasn’t worth a cuddle and a band-aid and, likewise, no achievement… Read More
The Ugly Beautifuls
The Ugly Beautifuls On a recent family trip away to breathtakingly beautiful Kalbarri, a small coastal town on the West Australian coast, we spent a lot of time walking the seemingly endless length of the untouched beaches and collecting shells. In the evenings, we’d lay them all out and sort through the treasures we’d found…. Read More
Damn you, Barbie!
This morning, as I battled to tame her deliciously curly brown hair for school, Baby G very sadly uttered, “Mama, I wish I had long, straight yellow hair and blue eyes.” That one sentence halted my world, Matrix like. In the microseconds that followed, I was forced to swallow the bitter pill that was her… Read More
Myth of the perfect mother.
This morning, the most beautiful picture found its way on to my Facebook newsfeed. It made me smile. It grounded me. It made me proud to be privileged enough to be called “Mum”. Here it is: I was all loved up and happy until I read the horrific caption that went with it: “This picture… Read More
The ugliest doll in the shop.
(How a doll from 1984 taught me a lesson last week.) I walked along the aisle, staring intently at box after box. Peeking at me through each cellophane window was a hopeful face that quietly implored, “Me! Me! Choose me!” I was as stressed out as an eight year old could be, torn between… Read More
Enough Mylie!
If you were an alien visiting the Earth and found yourself in a Western country this past week, you’d have learnt the following things about the People Of Earth: ONE: Miley Cyrus is Very Important and has magic powers. With a few shakes of her rear (accompanied by an unnaturally long extension of her tongue), this… Read More
A letter to my inner party-pooper.
Hello there, you miserable naysayer, I’ve been home for almost two weeks and I’ve been wondering where you are. You’ve been very quiet (not like your usual ankle-kicking, dream-squishing self) and, for that, I’m grateful. I do realise that you’re waiting to jump out and yell, “No!” and “You can’t!” when I’m least expecting you… Read More
Imaginary friends, kangaroo scrotums and personal growth.
I have a confession: I have a slew of imaginary friends. We may never have met in the flesh (you see, they live in my iPad) but if there’s anything I’ve learned this past year, it’s this: kindness and compassion don’t need flesh and bone to be felt. Funny bones can be tickled via keystrokes. … Read More
Is that your baggage?
I couldn’t believe I was finally here. After a whirlwind six weeks of pre-cooking meals, re-organising of karate/dancing/footy schedules and some serious yanking up of my big girl knickers, I was finally standing at the Qantas check-in counter at the airport. Brand-new red conference handbag slung (so fashionably, people were fainting left and right) over… Read More
A letter to a little boy in a scary world.
In a world that seems increasingly discriminatory based on religion and race, I have some words for the little boys of the world.
I can’t help but feel sick that we live in a world where race is still an issue, where religion is an issue, where sexual-orientation is still an issue. What a world for our kids to grow up in. All I can offer is this: A letter to that little brown boy. A letter to… Read More
I’m leaving on a jet plane… (or seven.)
I'm a BlogHer Voice of the Year!
“Congratulations! Our Voices of the Year committees have selected “You Suck!” to be honored at the 5th annual Voices of the Year Community Keynote!” This was the opening line in the email that had me shaking like a leaf for an entire day. This letter wasn’t from just any committee – this email was from BlogHer. For some… Read More