“I’ve got nothing to do, Mum,” Cappers said, approximately 57 seconds after arriving home from a two-night school excursion. “Why don’t you just sit on the front verandah and watch the evening fall?” I suggested gently, fighting the urge to launch into a “kids today can’t amuse themselves for one second” lecture. Her face fell;…
The broken camera
My camera is busted. It’s been out of action for about two months now and I feel incomplete. I weirdly feel like I can’t even write properly when my camera is broken. Pictures and words tell stories together. So why haven’t I fixed it? We’ve been working hard to save money these past six months….
Things that are irritating me (MORE THAN USUAL) right now
I’m a cranky kind of person, always have been. On the one hand I’m like an overly-enthusiastic Pollyanna who only sees good in the world and on the other hand I am a curmudgeon who finds Pollyannas immensely irritating. It’s hard being me, no doubt about it. I’m irritated by something (generally myself) on a daily…
In the quiet
I’ve always had a strong need for quiet. I am not one of those people who can happily read or work while music plays or kids bellow. My focus shifts from the task at hand to the music to the bellow to the task at hand to the music… I am what teachers called ‘easily distracted’. Noise smuggles away my…
Dealing with Difficult People #13: Martyrs
I have a lot of experience dealing with martyrs because I am one. I am that mum who takes on too much and then self-flagellates by taking on even more. I am the mum who says, “oh, it’s no bother” when clearly it is very much a bother. I am a martyr mum. Does this sound…
“Having it all” actually feels pretty sh!t
The past few weeks I’ve been slammed at work, slammed at home and slammed in general. It reminds me that I do too much, that life is all rush, rush, rush. Busy, I crave; rushed, I loathe. Living a hurried life is not the dream. Last year I had a major health scare that landed me…
Skinny people are nude, fat people are naked
For a little while when I was at university, I made some pocket money doing nude modelling for art classes. It was a job, like any other and I was grateful to be part of so many artists’ learning. I’d arrive at the studio, head to the dressing room and take off my clothes, throw a…
Time alone
When my kids were little I would crave time alone like a drug. Between family and work, it felt like every minute of every day was accounted for by service and I just wanted to hang out with me for a moment or two. Sometimes I would drive to the shops for milk and stay in the…
Hyper-conscientiousness
I’m a very conscientious person. I want to do the right thing at the right time in the right way with the right attitude. This is why I am flooded with guilt every time I see a police car. It’s not that I’ve done anything wrong, it’s just that I can’t be sure I’ve done…
Say something completely useless
I’ve been inspired by my friend Stacey to write here today, even though I think I don’t have much to say. Back when we all first started blogging, having nothing to say was never a reason not to say something. That was kind of the whole point. Sometimes I don’t write here because I don’t…
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