Have I been played?

Mon, 13 May 2013 18:28:25 EST

My disabled daughter said she needed her own home so she could move away from her boyfriend who she felt was sexually exploiting her. Based on this, I pushed hard and managed to obtain a beautiful little two bedroom Government home with big backyard for her. I spent a week finding and moving in free or secondhand cheap furniture and her house now is a wonderful cozy home complete with flat screen TV, microwave, lounges, etc etc...

And then she moved her boyfriend in...

On time is good, early is better

Thu, 9 May 2013 18:04:28 EST

I was reading an article on a website this morning and it was talking about good "life behaviours". The one that rang true with me was the importance of not only arriving on time but arriving early.

It said that, if you arrive early, you will get opportunities that the later people will not have. If you are late, there are punishments, consequences or you just miss out on whatever is on offer and when you arrive you will be at the end of the line.

It reminded me that i...

dieting stories...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:24:03 EST

This week my life is a glorious boring routine, but I wanted to post a blog that my SP friends could enjoy.... so I put into my search engine "dieting stories humorous".... try it! You'll enjoy what you find (a Readers' Digest site).

With all due respect to the author (Betty Strohm) of this quip, here is her anecdote...

Subtle Hint
Although I knew I had put on a few pounds, I didn't consider myself overweight until the day I decided to clean my refrigerator. I sat ...

I'm NOT Gonna Be A Bear (but I can see the up-side!)

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:42:38 EST

Someone sent me this email this morning and it made me smile. I hope it brings you a smile too~

I'm Gonna be a Bear.

In this life I'm a woman. In my next life, I'd like to come back as a bear. When you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could deal with that.

Before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. I could deal with that too.

When you're a girl bear, you birth your children (who are the ...

Diving with seals...and sharks?

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 23:15:36 EST

This weekend my 16 year old daughter Claire is going scuba diving. I am not going because I think I would panic so deep below the surface, so I am trusting her teachers and the other trained divers in the group to look after her. She is a good swimmer, completed her training with good results, and had an awesome weekend away on her first dives a few months ago.

But ...

This weekend Claire is going diving off a small island that has a large seal colony and I know she is...

Track BEFORE I eat!

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:22:31 EST

I really thought I had done well yesterday ... until I wrote down everything in my nutrition tracker... So toady (and for always) I am going to check with SP BEFORE I eat... I am sure I will not think things taste so good when I see how many calories each is sneaking into my body!
386 362 249

I want you to be happy

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:06:28 EST

As many kind people in the SP community know, we lost our wonderful English cocker spaniel Gemma this week. Thank you to all for your wonderful support and kind words. They are really helping my daughter and I to cope.

This morning I understood that our pets are in our lives because they want us to be happy, and Gemma would never have wanted us to dwell on the last tragic hours of her life.

I have often heard people say that we should celebrate people's lives, not mou...

Our home is empty without Gemmy

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:19:35 EST

Gemmy, our cocker spaniel, died yesterday, unexpectedly. We had less than a morning to give her a chance at surgery, but even that proved impossible.

We buried her today and we are devastated.

We miss her warm and noisy welcomes as we arrived home, her loving licks, her patient and ever-loving silent waitings for us to finish our meals and rejoin her in the loungeroom, all her fun tricks and skills, and most of all her warm cuddles.

We still hear her dog tags...

Gemmy didn't make it

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 03:03:42 EST

Thank you to all who sent their good wishes and prayers. Gemmy didn't make it. Her tumor was too close to major blood vessels and the vet couldn't operate. We are all devastated and inconsolable.

We love you Gemmy!

(This is Gemmy waiting to be packed in our suitcase for holidays)

Gemmy is very very sick

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:17:11 EST

I need to talk to someone. I feel totally miserable. Our vet said that Gemmy has a large lump on her spleen. We (my son and I) had 30 mins to decide - surgery with 50% success rate, or euthanasia.
And even if she survives the surgery, there is a chance that this is a cancer that has spread.
Humans weren't created to play god. I don't feel I have the right to say who lives and who dies. Gemmy is having surgery right now. We hugged her and said our goodbyes.
And now I am at ...

Feeling very very sad and helpless

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:08:23 EST

I have an English cocker spaniel named Gemma. She turns 10 next month. Gemma is actually my son's dog, except he left home a year ago - I've never really been a very doggie person - or so I thought until she had suspected cancer six months ago, and then I realised how much of a family member she is.

This morning she didn't eat her breakfast - the first time in 10 years. She is very very food oriented, so this is a big signal. Then I saw that she had been very sick both in the h...

My 2013 goals and how I'm going

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:12:44 EST

As part of the Winter Challenge, we have been asked to look back at our goals and see how we are going this year. This is my progress report to myself, and so I don't expect anyone to read it or review it.

I set myself three main areas for my goals (self, others, the world) and measurable goals and activities under these headings.

The whole document is below, but in summary I think I am doing pretty well, and this is due to having written these clear goals. For me, th...

Optimist/Pessimist/Awesomist

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:16:28 EST

I posted this link on a dear SP friend's page, but thought others might be as delighted as I was when I first saw it... enjoy!

Love and Hugs to All My Lovely SP Friends

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:43:01 EST

Sorry I haven't been more involved in SP recently, but now that my daughter is back at school for the new year I have time to continue focusing on my goals and getting some of my projects finished.

I have also been very busy as the costume consultant for the year-long dance program as my city (Canberra, Australia) celebrates its 100th birthday. If the link works, this is a photo of my daughter and I at the first dance, a colonial ball... the next ones are 1910s (Edwardian) and 192...

I love a sunburnt country....

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:53:31 EST

There is a beautiful poem by Dorothea Mackellar that is well-known in Australia... if you have the opportunity, it is well worth reading. The most quoted verses says ...

"I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!"

From time to time this wonderful country tests us t...

Everything wasn't enough.

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 16:20:53 EST

I had breast cancer. At the same time I was trying to find out why one of my four children was acting up at school. I researched and she was finally diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of high functioning autism. Just before that my son had been diagnosed with deformed kidneys and had to have surgery, and during my chemo I spent weeks by the side of my dying Nanna. My older daughter did some helping out, and she seemed to be doing OK, personally and at school. I thought I spent qu...

My Goals - and the ways I am going to reach them.

Mon, 7 Jan 2013 22:09:50 EST

I have put a lot of time and thought into my goals (for 2013... and beyond) and realised many things.... including that my goals have to support (implement) my values and priorities, that clear goals make the pathway to success clear, and that I have three main areas of importance in my life, but over two pages of steps to ensure I reach them!

I won't bore you with all the details (but have written them in my journal, and printed them for a copy next to my computer/diary) but her...

Australian fires

Sat, 5 Jan 2013 16:43:53 EST

Our news broadcasts today are focused on the fires that are raging in several of our seven States. This morning we woke to the news that a town where we spent Christmas a few years ago has been virtually wiped off the map.

I was going to write here about my goals today, but instead I want to send positive energy and prayers to everyone being affected by these fires, and especially to the firefighters who risk their lives for us.

Several years ago, fires wiped out hund...

Quality not quantity.

Fri, 4 Jan 2013 16:19:51 EST

SP is a wonderful support system. It is a reliable and easy way to log food and exercise. SP friends, chosen because their stories ring a bell with us, help us as we help them. Updating status and writing a blog helps us to get in touch with how we are doing and make us analyse how we could do better. Seasonal challenges inspire that extra effort in us.

SP is also FUN! It's a way to play games, compete with earning points, while also learning so much about being fit and health...

Dreams are a wish your heart makes...

Wed, 2 Jan 2013 16:19:10 EST

According to Cinderella (or was it Sleeping Beauty?) dreams are a wish your heart makes when you are asleep.

And I think that goals are only wishes or dreams unless you (according to Dr Phil) (gee, I'm on fire today with the famous quotations!) put verbs in your sentences!

What I mean is...

So, you set yourself some SMART goals, you wrote them down and you put them in prominent places in your life so you'll be reminded of them.

After all that work,...

IndyGirl's Blog : Flat Tyre? Get Back on The Road!

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:28:42 EST

I just read a very thought-provoking yet simple blog from Indygirl (29 December 2012).

In it she said that "If you got a flat tire, you wouldn't throw a fit and run around the car popping the other three tires. You would do what you had to and get back on the road the fastest.
If you slipped up on your plan... You know where I'm going with this!
Seize the moment and you take back your life. Change all of your tomorrow's into today."

(To Indygirl : I hope yo...

Can I sign your head?

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:50:59 EST

I have a daughter with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of high functioning autism. She is an absolute delight, as she sees the world quite differently from my other children.

When I went through chemo a few years ago as part of my breast cancer treatment, I lost all of my hair. One evening she came up to me and said, "Mum. If you had broken your leg, we would have been allowed to sign your cast. Can we sign your bald head?"

How could I say no? I found up the photo of my...

It's too big!

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 03:55:08 EST

Hi Everyone! I hope your new year's plans and goals are taking shape!

I promised to upload a Christmas photo of me, one per year so I can see my progress and be accountable through your comments and support.... but SP says that the photo is too big!!! I am hoping that this is a comment on the file size and not the size of the photographic model!!

I will have to wait until tomorrow when my tech support person (teenage son) visits.

17 388

I'd give me a 7/10...

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 17:01:09 EST
It was Christmas.... A time when all those we love and who only want the best for us meet in one place and try and outdo each other with the number of calories they can put on the temptation, I mean "party", table in front of us...

And just in case we do not succumb to those evils, we disguise more calories with delightful coloured paper so we can eat and drink a few thousand more take-home chocolate or alcohol flavoured calories in the following weeks...

What a strange ...

Dig deep! Or deeper!

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 00:23:15 EST
I've been thinking a lot about my last blog about digging in... and then I realised that this means that you are really looking at your goals and your actions and making sure they stay on track and complement each other.

But then I realised that I can do more : I can dig deep!

This takes "digging in" to a whole new level, where you really, really analyse what you are doing, why you want to do it and hones your ferocious determination to meet those goals.

So ...

Dig it!

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 17:12:30 EST
I was readings someon 's blog today, about how they kept running even when it started raining heavily. She used the expression "digging in" to mean that she was no longer on automatic, but was having to make a determined effort to keep going.

That struck a chord with me. I have been cruising, keeping to a comfortable plan, but not digging in and really making that extra effort to make those awesome changes I want.

So I am digging in! I am using my ferocious determinat...

Challenge - Post your Christmas photo on SP...

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:02:15 EST
We all do it... or are forced into it... that wonderful Christmas photo.

Yippee! Or, oh crap!

I have decided that each year I will post my Christmas photo here. It will be a regular check on how I am doing....

... Are you brave enough to do it too?

Say 'cheese'!
334

Left out of my Team's Winter Challenge, so doing it alone

Sun, 16 Dec 2012 18:42:14 EST
How did this happen? I said I wanted to come back to do the Winter Challenge with my team but somehow got left off the team. Initially I felt very isolated and valueless, but it is only a limiting decision that I cannot be my own team. So I am team McMesalec for the Winter Challenge - and bring it on!

The week 1 challenge is to post a blog with 3 ways I can better manage your stress around the holidays. I have listed these FOUR, which I will do every day :
- Don’t bottle u...

Pay It Forward

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:54:23 EST
It's a book (an AWESOME book). And now it's a movie (starring Helen Hunt).

But most of all it's modern magic that we can bring to everyone's lives.

We have all been taught to repay favours, but pay it forward is a little different... A stranger does something nice for you, not wanting or expecting payback... And as a result you do something nice for a different stranger, again not expecting payback, but just asking them to pay it forward.

Can you imagine how ...

My daughter saved my life yesterday!

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:25:02 EST
You might have read my previous blogs and know that I work at Pegasus, the riding school for the disabled here in Canberra, Australia. It is set on a lovely farm, with paddocks, dams, haysheds and of course lots of beautiful horses.

It is the job of my daughter and myself each Friday afternoon, to take the horses out of their stables, put them in their paddocks and feed them.

You might know that Australia has some of the most deadly snakes in the world, and, as it is su...

Words of Wisdom from Seuss - 2

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 21:00:32 EST
Ahhh, Dr Seuss... So simple yet so profound...

354 354 354

Only you can control your future.

41 41 41

You are you -
Now, isn't that pleasant?

224 224 224

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose.

101 334...

Words of Wisdom from Seuss - 1

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:18:57 EST
When you don't understand life, or you are challenging the value of it, you can always rely on Dr Seuss to make you think ... and laugh...

Here's some words of wisdom from Dr Seuss :

You're on your own
And you know what you know
And YOU are the one
Who'll decide where to go.
306 306 306
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot
Nothing is going to get be...

Mindfulness and memories

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 17:01:43 EST
I wish I had learned about mindfulness when I was I child. I know that I would have appreciated every moment more, and would have more crisp memories of those lovely days and chapters in my life.

I want to go back and be mindful of :
- hugs from Nanna
- hearing Pop whistling in the back yard
- going fishing with my Dad
- working side by side with my Mum
- opening Christmas presents on my parents' bed
- holding my babies
- listening to children's ...

Try this...

Sun, 25 Nov 2012 16:54:38 EST
After experiencing more knee pain, back pain and even abs pain than ever before, I started feeling like there was no solution.

Then of course common sense (which wasn't very common for me) kicked in and reminded me that, if I lose the extra weight I have been carrying for the past few years, there's a good chance these problems might go away. (Duh!)

But just to bring this logic into reality, I grabbed a five kilo (10 pound) weight from the gym floor and went for a little...

The world is in safe hands

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 18:37:39 EST
Last night my 16 year old daughter had six friends stay over for her birthday party.

I am an extreme introvert, so I was dreading having to open my home to a hoard of noisy teens and watch them disrespect and destroy it....

OK, so I'm somewhat of a drama queen....

But I should have trusted my daughter and I should have stayed calm. My daughter has a beautiful, caring personality and is an absolute delight to be around. And her friends were the most amazing g...

Be careful whose toes you tread on...

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:35:00 EST
Someone once told me "Be careful whose toes you tread on, because they could be attached to the a$$ you have to kiss later" (my apologies for the language).

I am a volunteer at a certain place, and there are some people who are not nice and who constantly break the simple rules. Regardless, I remain happy and helpful and positive (and have a bit of a "debrief" when I get home).

Yesterday my doctor told me I have to have a kidney function test (recent blood results were ...

The power of words - thanks to another SP person

Sat, 10 Nov 2012 18:09:36 EST
I have cried twice in the last two days. The first was when my breast cancer nurse and best friend ever told me she is moving even further away (she used to live four hourse away, and now will be living 11 hours away by car).

The second time I cried was when I watched this YouTube clip, posted by a wonderful SP person.

Please take the time to watch it. I am sure it will make you see the world in a new and wonderful way...

www.youtube.com/watch_po

Why did the chicken go to the gym?

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 18:50:47 EST
To work on its pecs!

It's the start of a new week! I hope your week is an awesome week and that you get to the end of it and know that you did wonderful things, and took more steps towards your goals!

And hopefully you will hear better jokes than this one, but I hope it helped you smile today!

The lame leading the blind

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:08:36 EST
I have a wonderful friend who recently said he has always wanted to learn how to tango. But he said he knows he couldn't ever do this because he only has one eye, and does not want to crash into anyone on his blind eye.

I know how to tango, but due to a spinal operation, find it difficult to balance when stepping on my right foot.

Talking to him recently, I realised that together we could make his dream come true... I told him that I could lead, because I can see where ...

A Holiday in Paradise...

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 22:34:43 EST
To celebrate turning 50 and beating cancer, my daughter and I went on a holiday to New Caledonia, a French island (or series of islands) in the south Pacific!

We swam in coral lagoons, enjoyed lunches with tribal elders, watched the Bastille Day (national day) parade/fireworks and went on an eco-tour through one of their magical national parks.

It was a very challenging experience, because we had to speak French for the whole time.... but it was also a very confidence-bu...

Falafel...

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 18:43:35 EST
On Saturday my daughter and I went to a medieval feast. This time it had a middle eastern theme. We had music, games, drinks and food which were all very enjoyable. But the most enjoyable part of the evening was as a result of the humble falafel...

When our plate of finger foods arrived on our table (our group is always the most fun/noisy/happy one) one of our friends pointed out how strange the word "falafel" sounds.... and that got us thinking...

- If Disney release...

Sifting for sapphires

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 18:21:12 EST
My daughter spent all of the Easter break in hospital again, poor thing, and we are still no closer to a diagnosis. I spend nearly every day with her - it is very worrying and tiring, but that must be nothing compared to how she is feeling.

But last weekend I left her in the capable hands of other family members and went on an excursion with my sister to sift for sapphires in a nearby river! We found about thirty of them, including five that might even be large enough to cut. I...

I Am Just A Mum (a poem)

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 21:03:57 EST

I wrote this poem in 2003 for my children, Claire, Leslie, Sam and Melanie, when life was simple and cancer was not challenging us. Many years later, when my son bought himself a new wallet, he showed me that he had been carrying my poem around with him. I hope you enjoy it.

I am creator,
Nurturer,
Hold my hand and
You will walk.

I am the feeder
And the cleaner -
At my side
You’ll learn to talk.

I am the hel...

One degree of change

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 23:55:28 EST
I just love clever thoughts from other people... here's one that was sent to me today and that I thought you might appreciate :

Little changes can create big changes in your life!
Think about hot water.
At 211 degrees Fahrenheit you can make a good cup of tea.
But one degree more - 212 Fahrenheit - and you create steam...
that can power a 100 ton train!

I'm going to take some time this afternoon to ...

The best of both worlds... Zumba AND a flash mob!

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:23:08 EST
I have recently become an addict... of Zumba, and of flash mobs. My daughter (14) dragged me to my first Zumba class a few months ago, and now I can't wait for the next class. And a few weeks ago I was invited to be in a flash mob (YouTube it if you're not sure) in my local shopping mall - it was the most fun I'd had in years!!!

Now my Zumba class is plotting a flash mob in the middle of our city's shopping centre!!!!!

AWESOME!!!! Can't wait!! Will tell you how it al...

Pain is just fat screaming as it leaves

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:21:00 EST
Today I did a Body Pump class and the teacher commented that "Pain is just fat screaming as it leaves". I loved it and thought you might too!

Have an awesome week!
9

A most serene experience

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:36:38 EST
I have always loved biplanes. They are amazing feats of engineering, despite their simplicity. Biggles has always been my favourite hero. Even Rab from Jag flies a biplane. I have always had a dream to fly in one.

Yesterday my dream came true. I flew in a beautiful biplane, over the beaches where I have been staying this week, and close to the island where I spent yesterday feeding wild dolphins. I also treated my daughter to a flight, and when I get the chance I will post a ...

Making moments

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 03:32:44 EST
This coming year I'm going to "make moments" :
- I'm going to make each moment (eg my daughter arriving home from school each day) something special
- I'm going to make each moment memorable in a positive way
- I'm going to make a moment to enjoy the moment
- I'm going to make a moment to make something (with the crafts I love but have neglected this year, that bring such joy to my friends, family - and me!).

And if other SPark People have other interpretatiton...

Letter to Self...

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:00:14 EST
Lyn,
You know what I am going to say. And to be honest I don't know why I have to say it. You're cheating yourself... and your children.... You're not making the most of your life. Today it is all changing. So take a big breath, "Suck it up princess" (as your friend Victor says) and accept that these are the new rules :
1. Eat when you are hungry, and for no other reason... not to punctuate your day, not to be social with your family and not because you are going out and you th...

No such thing as fear...

Mon, 7 Nov 2011 20:55:01 EST
In a book I read recently the lead character was asked to look inside herself to find where fear was hiding. Initially she said it was in her stomach, or in her heart, but when she looked more closely fear was not there. In fact, every time she thought she was zooming in on it, it was not there.

Her mentor explained that there is no such thing as fear, because it is a reaction to something that might occur in the future, or might not even ever occur, and that it is far better to ...

DRUIDPRINCESS's SparkPeople Blog

Have I been played?

On time is good, early is better

dieting stories...

I'm NOT Gonna Be A Bear (but I can see the up-side!)

Diving with seals...and sharks?

Track BEFORE I eat!

I want you to be happy

Our home is empty without Gemmy

Gemmy didn't make it

Gemmy is very very sick

Feeling very very sad and helpless

My 2013 goals and how I'm going

Optimist/Pessimist/Awesomist

Love and Hugs to All My Lovely SP Friends

I love a sunburnt country....

Everything wasn't enough.

My Goals - and the ways I am going to reach them.

Australian fires

Quality not quantity.

Dreams are a wish your heart makes...

IndyGirl's Blog : Flat Tyre? Get Back on The Road!

Can I sign your head?

It's too big!

I'd give me a 7/10...

Dig deep! Or deeper!

Dig it!

Challenge - Post your Christmas photo on SP...

Left out of my Team's Winter Challenge, so doing it alone

Pay It Forward

My daughter saved my life yesterday!

Words of Wisdom from Seuss - 2

Words of Wisdom from Seuss - 1

Mindfulness and memories

Try this...

The world is in safe hands

Be careful whose toes you tread on...

The power of words - thanks to another SP person

Why did the chicken go to the gym?

The lame leading the blind

A Holiday in Paradise...

Falafel...

Sifting for sapphires

I Am Just A Mum (a poem)

One degree of change

The best of both worlds... Zumba AND a flash mob!

Pain is just fat screaming as it leaves

A most serene experience

Making moments

Letter to Self...

No such thing as fear...