Training Bra's

No one tell you about the pain of leaving Maternity Bras behind! I don't mean the metaphorical pain of ending a nursing relationship... I mean the physical pain of putting an underwire on again... Arg no one tells you!

I think that underwire bra's are a torture device! I have not worn one for nearly three years, what a shock I'v had. I am currently in training to wear one again. I can only do a few hours before my good old maternity bra calls to me.

Oh I'v been measured, I have tried on a number of different sizes, its all correctly fitted my post baby body is just surprised at the discomfort in wearing one after all of this time.

It's funny, I don't remember the pain before, perhaps it was there and I'v forgotten, either way, I am happy with my new reinforced figure and persistence will win out. I am just retraining.

Back To School...

I have spent the last week at school,  filling in for a colleague. Hence my absence from  the blog. Going back to teaching has been exhausting and has reminded me of why we decided that I would take a year off for E.

I have really missed spending time with her teaching a class has its merits but there is something special about spending a lot of one-on-one time with your own child. The experiences, the conversations and the amusement! I can't wait to get back to being a full time Mummy!

May 31st- A vivid memory

My daughter runs excitedly around the garden. She runs in circles, occasionally shouting " I find it!" before she bangs into my legs.

Although this scene has been re-enacted many times it shines in my mind. My active toddler has changed from the vulnerable newborn into a running, chatting whirlwind. I realise that this stage like the ones before it will be short lived.  But my memory will remain bright.

May 30th- Letting go

Letting go- such an emotive term. To me letting go means not holding onto anger and disappointment. I think that holding onto these emotions is destructive and can prevent you from getting on with your life.

Sure, disappointing things are going to happen, people will let you down. You will get angry, take a breath, then count to 10 and let it go. You will feel better.

May 28th- Pictures

May 27th- Dear Readers

Dear Reader,

Thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. I hope that you enjoyed your visit!

I have enjoyed the blog everyday in May challenge. I know that I haven't blogged everyday but a couple of times a week but I am finishing today!

I have loved the challenge of completing the blogs and sharing parts of my life. I have also liked responding to my readers comments.

Thank you,

Anna

May 26th- Something I read.... Well actually saw

http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html

What a cool talk! All about the importance of body language. The main message appears to be fake it till you make it. So if you act confidently and in an alpha way,  your body believes that you are. It sends the right hormones and makes you believe that you are.

Watch the video and see!

May 25th- Something said that was never forgotten

I think that its sad that we always remember the bad things that people say and never the good. Apparently for every negative thing you say you need to say 3 positives!

Generally I really don't pay attention to peoples negative comments.

However when I was about 15years old, before I started shaving my legs. There was a girl called Julie in my PE class. She saw the blonde fur that my lower leg was covered in and said "OOhhh  Gorilla legs." I was embarrassed but still managed to say... " I don't need to shave the hair is blonde!"

But I went home and asked Mum for a razor:(

May 24th- Three bad traits

My three worst traits are:

-I am impatient, I really hate waiting.
-I find it hard not to judge, I try really hard not to... I try to walk a mile in their shoes but sometimes I do judge.
-I get obsessed by things... latest obsession- writing!!!!

May 23rd- Things School won't teach you

I am a teacher but even I can recognise that school cant teach you all lessons. Here is a list of things that school didn't teach me:

• How to Love
• How to grow things
• How to be a good Parent
• How to run a household
• How to be a good Wife
  
  
  
  

  

  Wedding  Table

May 22nd- Rant

Why can't kids medicine be delicious?

My baby- 2.5yr old has tonsillitis! She has to take Panadol and antibiotics. 5mls of each a number of times a day. I will try and describe how it goes.....

me: Time to take the medicine
Baby:  no like
Me: I know you dont like it but it will: make your sore throat better/bring the fever down
Baby: No like ( thrashing head around)
Me: Do you want a smartie?
Baby: Yes ( rapid nodding)
Me: Well if you want a smatie you have to take the medicine.
Baby: No like ( reaching for smarties)
Me : (Trying to instert syringe into mouth) come on, (I squirt some in)
Baby: (Spits it out) no like (starts crying and head thrashes more)
It goes on like this for 10 minutes.
Finally the fight goes out of her, and she takes the medicine. 15 minutes has passed!

Please medical companies work on the tastiness of your concoctions.... for the sanity of parents everywhere!

Scribophile

http://scribophile.com

What is it?

Scribophile is an online writers group.  All genres are covered and there are a number of different groups, which are genre or interest based, that you can join.

There are four forums covering: writing, new members, publishing and Meta Scribophile. Contests are often run and there is also a blog.

Scribophile is karma based. In order to post your own work you need to critique other peoples. Critiquing earns you Karma points and posting your own work requires Karma points. 

Critiquing work offers an excellent opportunity to help others improve on their writing. Receiving critiques allows you to reflect and improve on your writing.

There are 3 types of critiques: Inline- critiquer can delete/high light and add text, Prose- critiquer answers specific questions on plot etc, or free form.

On your profile you can share some personal information receive public messages and picture gifts. There is also a private messaging system.

Why its great:

As a worldwide site there is always someone to answer a question or to talk to. The critiques that I have received have been thoughtful and constructive; they have really moved my writing along. 

Downsides?
Talking on forums and writing critiques can be time consuming, taking you away from your own writing!

Scribophile offers a free and a premium service.

So if you are looking for the next step, come and join me on Scribophile! My username is Anna Broadwood

May 21st- Links to my favourite posts

As this blog is only 21 days old I feel it would be disingenuous of me to link to my favourite posts so I will just name my top three and tell you why I liked them:)

My favourite photo- I love that photo, even though I am not in it. When I see it, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside:)

A day in the life of Anna- This was so fun to do and I am going to repeat it in a more thorough manner in the future.

some advice- I like this list. It was a created from a prompt in my writing class!

Ahh up to date at least for now... feels good!!

May 20th- Something I'm struggling with...

Mmmmm, keeping up to date with this blog is proving quite difficult. I feel motivated about once every three days... hence the bulk posts and my dating each one individually. 

I feel pulled in a number of directions, other writing, scribophile and editing as well as caring for my little girl and keeping the house together... but thats life. I will try and keep on top of it after all only 11 days to go:)

May 19th- 5 of my favourite blogs

The story of my life blog- Lets face It this blog wouldn't be here with out it. Full of great writing and ideas:) Love it

Smitten kitchen- weblog/blog who cares when there is food this good on the web. I love cooking and there are some great recipes on here.

Bakerella- another cooking blog. Great recipes here as well, more on the sweet side.

Counting coconuts- good ideas for at home mums, being a bit quiet of late, but i get that, blogging is hard work!

Magical gains- my Sisters blog, an excellent resource for magical creatures, the lesser known ones: ) Enjoy!

May 18th- A story from my childhood

Arg, where to start????

The day I broke my arm

The CWA (Country Women's association) in Melbourne, had a great group of flats that Country people could stay in for a minimal fee. Living in Donald- country Victoria. My parents took the opportunity to use them as often as they could.

Dad had left that morning to attend a conference, so mum was left in the flat with three children under four. I was the eldest. I thought  I could multitask, I was wrong.

I remember the light shining in through the curtains making wonderful patterns on the dark wooden floor. The television was on, but it didn't interest me enough to capture all of my attention. There was a bar stool and a bean bag placed conveniently nearby. I clambered onto the stool and jumped off, successfully landing on the beanbag. I repeated the manoeuvre a couple of times. Pleased at my accuracy and the tiny butterflies the risk bought to my tummy. Momentarily distracted my mum didn't notice what I was doing.

Suddenly the meaning of the large bangs she was hearing became apparent and she carelessly said " Anna, stop doing that, you'll break your arm." I was teetering on the edge of the  stool during her pronouncement. Momentarily distracted by the television I jumped, landing on the hard shiny wooden floor. When I got up my left  arm was bent in an unnatural manner.

With my siblings, I was bundled into the car, I remember crying. Not because my arm hurt, but because despite my arm looking funny I was trying to impress upon my mum that it absolutely was not broken. Needless to say it was!

Genius Bordering Insanity: Writing Advice: How to Show Emotions in Your Writing

Genius Bordering Insanity: Writing Advice: How to Show Emotions in Your Writing

Great advice:)

My favourite photo-May 17th

I really love this photo. It shows two different generations. My baby E and her Great Grandad on my Dad's side. I like it because she let me put something in her hair! And the fact that she is in focus and her Grandad is behind her:) It also represents a great holiday that we had!

A difficulty in my life- May 16th

I am have been doing some writing, and I have realised that my punctuation sucks! I  joined the site Scribophile and the people there have been absolutely brilliant. But, the fact remains, I need to improve my punctuation. So I have joined a course called 'Crafting an effective writer: tools of the trade', from the website Coursera.

I have been enrolled for a week. The course is 5 Weeks. Already, I have learned a lot more about the way the the English language is constructed. Although, I hesitate to say it out loud, its actually been fun.  So we will see how it all goes. I will keep you posted:)

A day in the life of Anna- May 15th

Here are some photos from my day. Today was a day mostly being a Mum at home!

Picture drawn by E- 2.5 years

Lemon drizzle cake

She found a window

Who needs brakes when you have rocks?

Chilli flower

Playing in the yard

Flower from E

Playing with Daddy in the garden

May 14th- 10 things that make me happy!

My husband- loving, kind, understanding:)
My sleeping child- mmm peace and quiet!
Bread- whats not to like?
The internet- games, information, blogs what more do you need?
Reading- on a cold rainy day in bed with a cup of tea:)
Swimming- on a muggy malaysian day, cool clear water= heaven
Travelling- New food, exciting sights, interesting people:)
Seeing my family: I miss them here:(
Cake: sweet, delicious crumbly cake!
Having nothing to worry about- enough said!

Playing with water in the garden:)

May13th- I am sorry....

Dear Drivers of Malaysia,

I would like to offer a sincere apology for the confusion I cause on the road. I learned to drive in Australia, where there are road rules. Oh I know that there are road rules here but in Australia they are enforced, in Malaysia, not so much. Here goes.....

I apologise for the confusion caused when I use my indicator or "party lights". I use them to indicate where I will be turning. Other road-users I have noticed have evolved beyond indicators and will just veer off in the direction they want to go. Sorry!

I apologise or following the speed limit when I am in the fast lane.  I have an aversion for speeding fines and actually my car cant go faster than 120 km/h. So I apologise to all the black luxury cars that seem to tailgate me when I overtake in the fast lane. Sorry!

Finally I would like to apologise to the rude, I mean exceptionally important drivers at tolls. I understand that you think that you are in a greater hurry/ are more important than me and think that if you have the cahunas to push in front of me I should let you in... Sorry not going to happen... go to the back of the queue like the polite people.

Yours,

Anna

I miss..... May 12th

I miss my family.

I have lived away from Australia for the last 6 years. I miss them. I miss being able to pop in for a cup of tea. I miss family dinners. I miss birthday parties. I miss being able to hug and kiss them . I miss watching my niece and nephew grow up. I miss the fact that my niece and nephew only see my daughter once or twice a year. I just miss them.

We go to Australia once or twice a year. It's lovely. We stay with my parents and we spend some intense time together. It almost makes up for the absence but not quite. They visit once or twice a year and I get to show of my local knowledge of Asia. But I still miss my family.

Farm in the city- dragonfly

Sell myself in 10 words- 11th May

Here goes, the brief to sell myself in 10 words:

Great cook, loyal, reliable, organised problem solver, loves her family.

So have a go: 10 words to sell yourself!

Lego Land Malaysia- I also love travel!

The most embarrassing that's happened to me....May 10th

When ever I am asked what the most embarrassing thing is thats happened to me... my mind suddenly goes blank. This time it presented the following to me.

November 2012, I was in a restaurant having lunch after a chiropractic appointment. I asked for my bill and the waiter handed it to me smiling. I handed over the money and he returned with my change. His smile if anything had grown larger. He then leant towards me and said loudly "So, a christmas baby!"

It took me about 20 seconds to register what he had actually said as he accent was so strong ( I live in Malaysia). My usual response to people talking to me is to nod and smile... which true to form I did in this case. When I realised what he had said, I was mortified. I was not pregnant and my daughter ( who wasnt with me was 18 months old.) As the moment had passed  couldn't  call him back and correct him... mmm he thought I was 8 months pregnant... how embarrassing!

A moment in my Day-May 9th

Washing the car... So much fun!

Some advice- May8th

Here in no particular order is some advice:

• Dont cut your hair to short
• Buy a house as soon as you can
• Try and find a type of exercise you like and keep to it ( if you do this tell me how!)
• Men who don't listen to you are dangerous
• Trust your instincts
• wear some black, but not too much 
• If you are worried over something, think... will it matter in 5 minutes, 1 hours, a day, a year, 5 year... no don't worry over it now.
• Vodka lemon lime bitters seems like a good idea now. But, tomorrow your oesophagus wont be happy.
• Make time for your brother. You will miss him when he has no time for you.
• Be persistent
• Have fun when, and with whoever you can.
• Save 10% of your income.
• Travel often and with who ever will go with you.
• You might think you need a partner to move towns or states or countries, you don't!
• Pets are forever, don't get one unless you are prepared for this.
• Gardening is a great way of keeping on contact with nature and the seasons. Grow stuff!
• Organise you wardrobe into colours. Have 3 spring cleans a year to get rid of stuff you don't wear.
• Dont buy on impulse. Wait 24hrs before committing to  a major purchase.
• only use credit cards if you pay them off every month.
• write down and share recipes with anyone you can. The best meals are those that are bound up in memories.
• Dont put up with period who are contemptuous of you or what you do. NO relationship survives contempt.
• Nap every afternoon
• Join libraries, share books, buy a kindle and don't pay too much attention to the news it depressing.
• Take lots of pictures of the people you love in different places. They are the images you will treasure because they have context.
• Make the most of every opportunity, you don't know how long you or the others will be here for. Remember people rarely regret what they did but they are wistful over the opportunities they didn't take.
• Hollandaise sauce is great on eggs... eat it often
• Listen more than you talk. Don't feel the need to fill silences. Ask people questions about themselves, there will be no silences.
• 
  

I am most afraid of...... May 7th

My greatest fear has evolved along with my growing family. Before I was pregnant, I worried that I would remain childless.

Whilst  I was pregnant I worried that there would be something wrong with my child or that I would lose her before she was born.

After I gave birth I feared ( and still fear) that she might get sudden infant death syndrome or some other disease.  Now I worry that she will be taken from us by kidnappers.

However, I guess that my greatest fear is that I or my husband will be taken from her life before we get to see her grow up.

Before I got pregnant I naively thought that once I was pregnant that all our worries would be over... I didn't listen to my sister. Her wistful proclamation as she looked at a photo of herself holding a

pregnancy test, that told her she was pregnant with her first child. She said "That was the moment I really began to worry. Of course I had been anxious before.... but nothing compared to the worries I have now." She was right.

Stray Kitten

My Job- May 6th

I don't have a 'real' job at the moment. I am a stay at home mum. In reality this vocation means that I actually do the following jobs:

• carer
• nurse
• taxi driver
• playgroup co-ordinator
• cook
• gardner
• companion
• playmate
• fun police
• masseuse
• teacher
• relief teacher
• IT technician 
• inventor
• bubble master
• party planner
• PA
• mechanic
• photographer
• writer
• friend
• wife
• mother

My days are spent entertaining and caring for my blonde tumbleweed. She is a precocious, loving, inquisitive daredevil. I wouldn't have it any other way!

waiting for the bubbles!

My Favourite Blogger- My Sister Nicola Sheridan-May 5th

Magical Gains Blog

My sister Nicola Sheridan, is a published paranormal romance author. I am so proud of her. She has sent herself to sleep with stories in her head since she was a child. Now she has written them out for us all to share.

I admire her persistence and dedication to writing. She has a young family and has made time to write and edit despite a hectic family life. Her stories are fantastic and easily transport me to different places populated with unique magical creatures.

You may think that the paranormal genre is dead. That there have been too many vampires and werwolves. However, the magical world is almost infinite. Nicola's blog takes you into the lesser explored realms of magical creatures.... read her blog and you learn about and sometimes horrified by the creatures that are out there!

So today I take my hat of to my sister and author Nicola Sheridan thank you for your blog!

May 4th-That which does not kill us makes us stronger. - Friedrich Nietzsche at BrainyQuote

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. - Friedrich Nietzsche at BrainyQuote

This is my favourite quote. I think that the scars which mark us both mentally and physically are not signs of weakness but signs of strength. They remind us of the things that we have survived. Things probably worse than what is happening now.

I also believe that in order to appreciate the light you have to be exposed to the darkness. You can not appreciate happiness unless you have been sad. I guess that its all about the Yin and Yang. LIfe is in many ways a balancing act and this quote helps me understand why there has to be bad times.

Things that make me uncomfortable-May 3rd

Clothes that don't fit make me feel uncomfortable. There is nothing worse than clothes that are to small for you. Especially pants, its bad when you have to pull your pants up every few steps. However the person sitting behind you is the one who suffers... No one needs to see your whale tail or your builders bum- no really they don't.

However the thing that really, really, makes me cringe is when couples are nasty to each other in front of me. I understand that your better half can be aggravating and difficult. But please, please keep it together in front of your friends and family. You might think that your audience will see how hard life is for you, they might ,but no matter how bad your partner is behaving, its you who looks like the shrew.  I absolutely hate it.

10 top tips on cooking- May 2nd

I am good at cooking. I love it, most of all I am good at sharing what I cook. The 10 top tips that I would give on cooking would be:

1. Plan what you are going to cook. There is nothing worse than getting half way through something that you are cooking only to find that magic ingredient x is missing... meaning a bad substitution or worse not being able to finish at all.

2. Invest in good cook books. They are an inspiration and an excellent resource. I have so many cook books they have been referred to as my food porn.... who am I to argue?

3. Silicon baking paper is your friend. despite what you may think greaseproof paper and glad bake are not the same- Nicola take note! Nothing sticks to baking paper and it can be reused. Greaseproof paper, well lets just say no one wants to increase their fibre intake by eating some! Contrary to mums opinion... there is a difference between Glad bake and other less salubrious brands.. so choose well.

4. Use the internet! Not sure how many grams there are in 3 tablespoons of butter... google it! don't know what creaming is? No its not that... get your mind out of the gutter! use google... If you are unsure of an ingredient, method or mass use the internet to help.

5. I like Foodily. Foodily is an app with a difference. Its a google product that is a search engine for recipes, it is not limited to one website like best recipes and the like. Best of all its recipes are rated by users of the sites and you can connect with your friends... very useful.

6. Sharp knives are safe knives. This may seem illogical. Its not! A blunt knife behaves unpredictably making it a danger in the kitchen. If you cant use a steel( or don't know what one is) get one that you can just pull a knife through.

7. Nothing beats fresh herbs. Try growing your own or buying fresh ones to use. Your recipes will be lifted.

8. Measure, measure, measure.  In baking this is particularly important. Wrong ratios of ingredients may not work or will taste bad. Get some scales, cups and spoons and use them

9. Presentation matters. Half of the battle with food is won if your dish looks good. So cut finely and present on nice plates... they can just be plain white.

10. Taste it. Don't wait until the meal is on the table before sneaking a taste... adjust salt, sweetness or acidity if required.

Papaya- Homegrown

My Life so far... May 1st

I have decided to embark on the blog everyday in May challenge... I am behind so multiple posts a day till I am caught up!

I was born in the UK; I emigrated with my parents when I was 9 months old. We went to New Zealand where my sister was born. When she was 6 weeks old we immigrated again to country Victoria.  We stayed for a few years old, long enough to give me a brother.  After an amazing summer holiday we moved to Tasmania and stayed for 8 years. My parents itchy feet struck again and we came to Western Australia in 1989. I finished my schooling there. During my schooling I had been to 5 different schools, my handwriting tells the tale!

After School was over I went on a two week trip to Malaysia, then later that year I lived with my grandparents for 6 months in the UK, lets just say that the generation gap is alive and well.

I read microbiology at The University of WA, but I decided again the life of a lab-rat. I then completed a diploma of Education at Edith Cowan University.  For My last practicum I won a scholarship, entitling me to work in Kalgoorlie, which I did for 3 years as a Maths and Science teacher. I have worked in 4 Schools my last was the Australian International School Malaysia.

Here I met my husband an English Man. We Married in Malaysia and have continued to live here together for 4 years. Two years ago I gave birth to My daughter a blonde, whirlwind, who enjoys ‘reading’ books. I have taken the last 5 months off to make the most of the last year that she will have at home.  We go to playgroups and have play-dates but her favourite activity remains “Going a Bangsar, shoppin’.  I wonder what the rest of the year holds?