WOWZA! I actually didn't realise that it had been 3 months since my last post! How time flies when you're having fun? or caught on the rollercoaster of life! As per the life that everyone experiences, it's been busy, fun, stressful, exciting, sad and the list could go on but you all know how it goes particularly when it comes to December and CHRISTMAS appears right under Rudloph's shining red nose! So with Christmas celebrations out the way, I've had some time to start thinking about the New Year, 2012! Yes, I'm one of "those people" who look to the New Year, with new goals and resolutions... some which stick and probably more than not, those that don't!

For some reason (not sure why yet), I'm REALLY looking forward to 2012. I turned a nice round age in 2011 and since then, I feel that my perspective has changed a little! I worried so much in the last decade about what other people thought, was I a good enough person?, do people like me? and the list could go on! Having started this new decade, I've decided that I'm not going to worry about these things any more; it's just a complete waste of energy and yes, I am a good person and yes people do like me. If no one liked me, how could I possibly have the wonderful, supportive girlfriends that I do today? The answer is.. I wouldn't have them and I wouldn't be on this ride!

So to keep with the change in thinking, on a holiday in 2011, I gained the courage to put myself on a Toboggan! Yes, I know... it's only a Toboggan but my brain sees/ hears Toboggan and thinks "injury" "out of control" "accident" and all these other negative terms which take over any sensible thinking. But this time, my sense of regret was more than my sense of injury! So, i dug deep and after watching my 3 year old! go down, I figured I had nothing to lose (maybe a finger or I could break a bone but no one ever died from those!). So on I hopped!!! And I must say I'm so very pleased I did! Not only was the view from the toboggan AMAZING! but the freedom I felt as I zoomed around the track was something I hadn't felt in a very long time! and the old cliche of the "wind in my hair" was such a refreshing feeling!

This toboggan experience also gave me a new insight into the busy lifestyles of society these days... just like the toboggan, I CAN actually control AND choose how slow or busy my life is... if I wanted to go fast on the toboggan, I pushed the lever down and if I wanted to slow things down, I just pulled the lever up, so in turn... If I wanted my life to be busy and fast, I'd say "yes" to everything but then if I wanted to change the pace a little, all I had to do was pull that level up and say "no"... it really was as simple as that. There was nothing complicated about it... it was just a matter of two simple little words... that we all struggle to say! Which one do you struggle say?

So with 2012 upon my doorstep, I'm still going to make my resolutions (I know that one of my resolutions... will definitely have something to do with one of these words... can you guess which one?)  but I'm also going to take the pressure off myself to achieve them all and allow myself to adjust them along the way as life goes up and down and around! For the first time ever, I'm going to try and take my time and enjoy achieving what I set out for myself rather than racing around like I'm on acid, trying to achieve everything all at once in the quickest amount of time possible which is how I usually roll!

With 2012 here in approximately 37 hours, I encourage you to do the same; I encourage you to not only decide which two letter word is going to be your mantra for 2012 but to also set yourself some goals for 2012 (you've got 365 days to achieve them!) but in the same notion, allow yourself the opportunity to relax and review these every week, month, 3 months whatever suits you to see if they are still suitable to where you are at the moment or where you want to be at the end of the month or year. Wherever that may be, trust that that's where you're supposed to be... 'cause you never know... it just might lead you somewhere pretty wonderful!

I'm not too great at this "regular" blogging thing am I?

I've just returned from spending a week away with my boys recently in beautiful Merimbula, NSW, Australia. We've been to Merimbula two years in a row and how much has life changed in that year! Merimbula will always be a special place for me as when we went the first time, it ended up being the perfect antidote for my depression. It was at Merimbula, that I had the time and the space (and the beautiful ocean) to sit and reflect and make some decisions that would change my life forever.

I've never been medicated for my depression (I tried 2 days of anti-depressants, but had a severe reaction and that's a whole other story) so I have always tried to manage my illess through naturopathic channels, counselling and any other way I could find that worked! The biggest decision I made at Merimbula and one that would change my life forever , was to join a gym! I hadn't been a member of a gym for around 5 years and certainly hadn't done a lot of manage my health or fitness during this time; I think I exercised about 3 times when I was pregnant, then after the birth of my son, always tended to find an excuse (as you do!) and then between starting a business when my son was 6 months old, going back to work and trying to be the perfect mother, I had let the gym bunny side of me take a big hopping leap. This was a big thing for me as my first job was working at at gym and being fit, active and healthy has always been a part of my life and over time I've come to realise it's a part of WHO I am! 

So, 4 days after we returned from Merimbula, I started researching local gyms to find one that suited me. I attended trials at a few but still couldnt' find one that suited me and most of all one where I felt comfortable being me; depression, anxiety and all! My last resort was a local "women's only" gym... I'd never thought of attending a women's only gym. Where I've worked always had men and women, so the novelty of a women's only gym had never really appealed to me. I thought after all I'd been through, I didn't have much to lose. I took the chance and stepped through the doors; I felt right at home as soon as I walked in. The manager that greeted me listened to everything I said I needed and  and really understood what I needed to get me going and to get me managing my illnesses. It was nice for a change to not feel judged but feel supported by a complete stranger! I signed up straight away and I've never really looked back... since then this "stranger" is no longer a stranger but someone who I can turn to for encouragment and support. I was also introduced to another "stranger" (my trainer) who I now regard as one of my closest confidantes... she gets me and doesn't pull any shit. She's a realist and tells me how it is... I must say when she first did this I thought "gees, you can't say that to me, I suffer from a mental illness"... but give me 1 - 2 hours later when I actually processed what she had said, I snapped right out of it and was on my way again. Clearly she'd done her job well!

13 months later and here I am... stronger, healthier, smarter and more in tune with me! All because I found a piece of me that was missing... the healthy, active, fit, gym lover who had taken a back seat to something we call LIFE! I'm not saying it's been an easy process, I've had my moments believe me! But it's a journey and

Remember, if you're feeling sad, angry, frustrated, flat, confused etc, find someone you can chat too. Share your problems, no one should have to walk the journey alone. You never know, that "chat" could change your life forever. Mine did.

xx

A quick sneak peak at what keeps me sane!

As we all know, life is busy and sometimes we forget to take a moment, smell the roses so to speak and do something we love or something that makes us relax! How could we possibly forget something so important... but the truth is so many of us do!

We recently gutted out house and pretty much put a new house inside the old shell and one of my "requests" was to provide me with some space (I'm not asking for much!) for me to be creative and a space for me to take a break and time out. I love to scrapbook and in turn make handmade cards... so I thought I'd share a few of my recent creative surges with you.

I hope you too have something that allows you to zone out from the world... even if it's just for 5 minutes... and if you don't, best you go and add that to you to do list!

xx

Mission Accomplished!...well kind of

Yes, I know it's been 16 days since my last Blog but it's tough work being a Supermum! Lucky for me, I haven't been one! Yes, you heard right... for a change I was just me! So cudos to me and mission accomplished!

I've thought of many a topic to write about on here during the two weeks and now I get the chance, I can't remember for the life of me what they were... so I'll just give you an update of life at the moment.

• It's been an emotionally charged 2 weeks with the deaths of 2 of my friends fathers followed by the news that 2 (one of the aforementioned) of my nearest girlfriends and expecting their 2nd and 3rd children.
• Today is the first day of being antiobiotic free for god knows how long (6 - 8 weeks, I lost count after course 3!)
• School holidays are over and back to work but I am very much looking forward to getting the household back into some form of routine.
• We've become more obsessed with cardmaking and scrapbooking than ever before... we're even having dreams about it!
• Only 5 weeks until our family holiday!!!

During the school holidays, on my mission to NOT be Supermum, I read a fantastic book called Baby Proofing your Marriage (http://www.babyproofingyourmarriage.com/); for those of you with children, you'll understand the changes that happen to you and your relationship after you have a baby and for those of you without children, this is a MUST read before you do! I would even go as far as recommending the book to anyone in a relationship. Now, I must say I was a little hesitant about purchasing the book; it was discounted to $4.99 at my local newsagency (not the best marketing tool!) but I thought for $4.99 I can't go wrong! If it's a total disaster, I haven't spent precious crafting $$ on a stupid book. Anyhow, I bought the book and then proceeded to go back and sit in the Drs. waiting room and ponder what loser buys a book about baby-proofing there marriage when their "baby" just turned 3!

The book spent a few weeks in my office and stashed in my beside drawer (as I was still coming to terms with being "that loser") until I became so bored with daytime TV, that I thought it couldn't hurt to start reading. Well, I can tell you right now, after the first few pages, you would have been lucky to pry it out of my hands! I was hooked! I was hooked on this book that cost be less than a Triple Cheeseburger meal but would allow me to understand myself, my husband and our relationship, the best I have in the past 3 years!

The honesty of the authors; Stacie Cockrell, Cathy O'Neill and Julie Stone who wrote this book and the real life comments from those who shared their stories was the key to this book. If you're a bloke reading my blog (which I highly doubt but anyhow) you're thinking, yes of course it's a great book... it's written by 3 women so of course you like it... but as a matter of fact young man, this book is written from both sides of the stories and for that I will be forever grateful as I'm sure, actually I know for a fact I'm not the only woman on the planet who struggles to understanding the processing of the male brain!  There is even a whole chapter dedicated to you titled The 'Sex Life" of New Parents AKA Couitus Non-Existus which gives us women an insight into your 'obsession' or your need to give us the 'Ten O'Clock Shoulder Tap'!

So you don't have a baby, so this book isn't for you... well.... Over the weekend, I had a discussion with a girlfriend who has been in a relationship for about 7 months (not married, no children) and she was discussing some issues she was having with her partner... needless to say, I recommended this book to her! The issues she was experiencing where no different to those that were explored in this book for 'married' people....which made me wonder; maybe Baby-Proofing Your Marriage isn't the best title for this book...maybe it should just be... Understanding and Making the Most of your Relationship.. as it seems, no matter what type of relationship your in; whether it be married, de facto, casual, we all face the same challenges about understanding the way in which the opposite sex's brain ticks and why the do the things the do! I'm not saying this book will give you a 'perfect' relationship as I believe there is no such thing but I will just say if you read this book, you'll have a new appreciation and respect for your partner, I know I certainly do! (Even if he doesn't clean the bathroom the way I do!)

Until next time, I hope you're able to take a deep breathe and laugh next time your partner does something that drives you crazy... no matter how many times you may have asked him on previous occassions not to do it!

xx

Everyone else's but mine!

Clearly... I've been too busy looking and reading other blogs than taking the time to do my own, which defeats the purpose of actually having one really, but I do have an excuse... well actually no I don't. Whilst I haven't actually enjoyed taking the time to update my own blog, I have continued to enjoy the wonderous world of blogging and my subscription list just gets longer and longer.

I've spent a lot of the past 4 weeks either in bed or on the couch (remember, avoiding day time TV is how I came to start my blog) with a chest and lung infection that doesn't want to leave my clearly accommodating body, but I can assure I would really like it to just p*** off! Those who know me, know that respiratory infections are my forte and my body is slowly becoming immune to the ingenius world of antibiotics. I've had plenty of time to wonder what makes my body so delicious to these germ spreading bacteria and my conclusion is (which I did come to on my own but was reassured by my darling who only mean well girlfriends) that like many mums... I'm trying to be SUPERMUM! I've been here before, reassured myself I wouldn't get here again and WOWZA! look where I am, right back here again! SUPERMUM VS the world of BACTERIAL INFECTIONS is getting a little boring and tiring in our house!

So with the week ahead of me off work (I love school holidays), I'm onto my next SUPERMUM mission...to not be a SUPERMUM! Wish me luck!

Stay tuned for how this mission turns out!

A Few of My Favourite Snaps..

I love to take photos...I love the moments they capture, I just wish I had more time to do it. That's one of the aims of the blog... to make me take more photos to share with you... Here are just a few that I've taken in the past.

                    

My first post... ARRRGGGHHH!

Welcome to a "Little Bit of Green Sunshine"... another blog dedicated to the good things in life but also to my life! It's taken me a long time to decide to start a blog; for as long as I can remember I've thought them to be quite self-indulgent (and my good friend Lauren, reassures me they are and "that it will do me good!" so as I sit at home (on sick leave), here I am!

I've been able to spend some time over the past week looking at other blogs and you know what? They're quite inspiring and informative (yes, I know you know this!), so I thought it was about time I shared myself with the word of Bloggers!

So welcome, enjoy and if I'm as lucky as the other Bloggers out there... I might just inspire someone to try something new!

Until next time,

x