social commentary Sunday . . . 'the price of professional talent'

Greetings all,

Now i am all about positive thinking & aiming high with aspirations, however, just how badly are some children being set up for failure - being told constantly they can be whatever they want to be.  Is the value put on their apparent 'talent' instead of worth as a human being??  Who wants to admit "my supermodel daughter was charged for drink driving??"  Too much focus on primping looks, instead of being a functioning member of society.  Our Olympic swimming team . . . cocooned in the insular environment of success based on performance . . . most acted like brats when they didn't win & made fools of themselves on social media to confirm their dysfunction.  Versus the incredible success from our dignified ParaOlympic swimmers - who showed grace & appreciation + a life beyond swimming talent or their disability . . . on a fraction of tax payer funding & corporate backing!!    

Are today's children reminded that it takes high grades to get into medicine/ law/ engineering?? . . . + talent to be a singer/ actor/ model/ writer/ designer/ artist!!  If you want to have a highly desired career, it takes a lot of practise, dedication, luck & talent.  Are they going to cope with rejection & not starting off their working life - as the boss??!!  Growing up i wanted to be a vet, then 'realistically downgraded' my dreams to forensic science, i got the marks & attended University.  In my early 20s i realised i didn't want to be a pharmacologist, rather a wife & mother instead.  I was raised to work hard so i could control my choices & be flexible with the world, i wasn't always going to get what i wanted, so i've coped with rejection & dramatic changes to my plans.  Sometimes timing & circumstances are everything!!  

At the Emmys this week, my favourite character "Cam" from Modern Family, actor Eric Stonestreet won & said those damning words many obscure successful singer/ actor/ model/ writers say . . . the 'never give up on your dream' speech.  Because he made it.  Reality . . . it was a fluke!!  The unconventional non-Hollywood-cookie-cutter-actor sometimes does make it.  It's rare.  You might have incredible talent - but you still have to be 'discovered' to be a professional, especially if you're going it alone on YouTube.  I adore Eric, however, wonder how many want-to-be-actors are slogging it out at auditions today & will never ever succeed.  Do they have a back up plan??  Even the highest earning actress in the world, Sofia Vergara has a back up career, as a dentist.  She truly has everything!!   

There has to be a limitation on how far you will go to make your talent a profession.  The incredible talent of JK Rowling is stratospheric & i believe the world is a better place with the Harry Potter series, the legacy for children's literacy is tremendous.  However, how dangerous is it for an aspiring writer to believe they are the next JK Rowling??  The Harry Potter manuscript was rejected dozens of times too.  Dream high, yet beware of when it becomes an obsession - impacting on your job/ income, family/ relationships, thoughts/ health . . . this is dangerous territory & those dreams should be a 'hobby', allowing life to go on, remain grounded, satisfied & realistic with what you have!!  

Why do people have to have a talent full stop??  Why isn't it Ok to simply be Ok??  Work in a solid job that provides for your lifestyle/ family/ hobby & be awesome at making people feel good about themselves.  Does your talent only count if it's your profession??  Why is super stardom so desirable??  Star-doom.  Beyond talent & being paid to do what you love . . . there is the fame game.  

Kim Kardashian has made a career out of nothing, to become a model, spokesperson, brand & 'event draw card'.  Whatever.  Alas, Kim wouldn't be paid the big bucks if people didn't let her become famous (media & fans) but at what cost - her privacy, her love life - constantly having her intelligence & morals questioned . . . she continues to cash the cheques.  Did Kim dream for this??  How can you dream to turn nothing (no product, no service, no talent) into an empire??  This is an entirely new 'dream' & the fact it doesn't relate to anything in this poster . . . does not gain my respect.

Chatting about 'talent' to my gal pal Tania McCartney, a full-time-day-job-professional author, who works hard, has talent & experience, self publishing & kaboom, discovered - numerous titles with books flying off shelves . . . she sent me this poster - the wording more eloquent & concise than my ramble above.  Reality television does not help this message - even the harmless MasterChef series is shocking a generation of want-to-be chefs out of the kitchen as they don't want to wash dishes & work their way up.  I do not respect fame or success without doing the hard yards.  

Appreciate what you have & be kind to people.  Bake those awesome cakes, you don't have to sell them to confirm your talent, soak up how you make people feel when they receive one.  Try amateur theatre & share your talent locally, than expecting to walk straight in to a Hollywood role.  Write your friends beautiful notes & create stories for your children, unpublished!!  Doodle away while you're on the phone, without dreaming of being PIcaso.  I focus my children on how they act & relate to other people EVERY DAY than the latest certificate, award or ribbon they bring home ONE DAY.  The world doesn't need anymore spoilt brats or substance-less talented people!!  Plus they do the dishes!!  Love Posie

My Week With Marilyn, i mean my week with the iPhone 5

Greetings all,

This is my first smart phone ever, the iPhone 5, so i'm loving my new toy.  I have signed up to Instagram, i've actually let out some Tweets & had all sorts of things linked to Pinterest & Facebook automatically.  I have downloaded Apps, APPS!!  No games, i loathe children playing with screens, they should be kicking a ball or climbing a tree!!

Unlike the 7000 people who queued at Apple Canberra last Friday, my husband wandered in on Saturday morning, straight to the counter . . . to drag me into the 21st century of technology.  We bought it for a few reasons, mainly the video camera & my enthusiasm for social media.  My children enjoy leaving me notes & quirky reminders.  It's on my existing $20 plan, with zero data allowance outside the home WiFi, so far that's fine, i really do use the phone as . . . a phone!!  I'd rather email from the Mac desktop, with a life size keyboard, i just fixed my wrists with surgery, poking at a tiny phone pad is ridiculous!!

All accessories sold out immediately, so i was a nervous wreck taking the phone out & about, until i popped along mid week to buy him a leather jacket & screen shade, cool yo?? 

This week i really did hire the My Week With Marilyn movie, oh what a messed up gal she was.  So glamorous & popular, yet insecure & lonely.  A beautifully shot film, especially loved the English countryside & Eton School.  I wonder what mischief & trouble Marilyn Monroe would have created on social media??  Sigh, i digress . . .

so now there are a zillion other ways to get images & snippets of my world . . .

Follow @posieshoots 

  Follow @posietweets

OMG, i've even gone & got myself a Quick Response bar code, i Robot.  Tania McCartney is a new smart phone girl too, she understands technology & social media ten times better & faster than me, so does the research & just links me to what i need to know.  Everyone needs a guru girlfriend who explains in motherly terms what you want, not geek speak.  Seriously folks, scan me . . .

Did you get the new iPhone 5 or can you still love last year's model??  I'm still laughing at the iPhone 5 launch - talking about the camera "the sea is bluer & children look happier!!"  I admit the camera is marvellous.  How much technology & social media can one person handle??  I'm a tad freaked about the price but i've never lost a mobile phone - i've had one stolen in Italy, now living at the bottom of a canal in Venice i guess.  I will be very happy with this phone for a long long time.  Love Posie

Snap It 'three'

Greetings all,

I'm still over consumed by Harp's blue eggs, they are so beautiful.  Look at them lined up, three in a row.

 Just spent a gorgeous morning out & about in the city, a spot of eye candy shopping, then lunch with my husband.  It was all kind of relaxed & impromptu as handsome soldier left his lunch behind on the kitchen counter . . . so i brought it in & to fill in three hours before midday, i took to the shops.  Here are my favourite three purchases.  

My head is spinning with the gorgeous gifts for Christmas i've set to memory, i start early as we have big families + our own set of children, i pace myself & don't go overboard when i plan.  Quite frankly, our children would prefer a farm & animals than material things, bless them.  I could totally see us heading off to the coast in January with a lamb, calf, piglet & foal in the back of the car??  My husband can't!!  I want a farm so badly, i need space.
Playing along with Faith Hope & a Whole Lotta Love's Snap It today & test driving my new iPhone 5 - he got a leather jacket & screen shade today, very cool!!  I'm getting my head around Instagram, slowly does it, me & technology.  Follow me at posie shoots . . . auto correct keeps changing it to Posie Hoots, which equally like!!  Enjoy, love Posie

a proud mother hen moment

 Greetings all,

A big day in the chicken coop . . . we discovered our first blue egg in the nesting boxes.

 The novelty of chickens has not worn off over the past 6 months, the children spend every spare moment in the run, cuddling Piccolo (our bantam cockerel with the broken leg) & hand feeding every happy chicken. 

 Harp, our beautiful Araucana chicken, laid her first egg, ever.  Hardly ground breaking to the uninitiated - a hen laying an egg, whoopee - alas, Araucanas are from Chile & known as the Easter chicken, as they lay coloured eggs.

 We take a little basket to collect eggs from the nesting boxes, genuinely thrilled each time we are blessed with an egg or six . . .

we've become such experts on our chickens & can identify which hen has laid each egg, it's a fun game . . . who to thank each day.

Honestly, i felt like a proud mother hen, i can't wait to find more & compare the colours, she should lay a range from blue to green, lavender to khaki.  Another colour delight from Mother Nature & new addiction - i want to breed Araucanas!!  I popped a photo of the eggs on Instagram (posieshoots), still learning how to use my iPhone 5, i really love it.  Love Posie

social commentary Sunday . . . 'passive aggressive women are ugly'

Greetings all,

Guess what, this is my 650th post so i thought i'd make a beauty of a social commentary - a topic which makes my blood boil.  I detest manipulative women.  We all know egomaniacal go-getters who are insecure & have to push you down to elevate themselves . . . they might even live in your family . . . passive aggression is a nasty trait.  Sometimes they're so smooth, you don't even realise it's happening until it plagues your thoughts . . . their toxic venom, side comments, looks of distain, hostile/ undermining/ exclusive/ obstructional behaviour . . . their psychic talons haunt your weekends.  They destroy your confidence to elevate their worth, subtly digging away at you with their pathological negativity.  

Please don't confuse this with healthy aggression - women in business or social circles who are positively confident, tenacious & determined - men often consider them bitches, because they're more capable & threatening - however, they tell you exactly what they think, they're up front & confront issues with a clear conscious & reason, not behind your back with 'yes-men' cronies, ripping the rug from under your feet.  Often they are the best bosses & greatest friends, consistent & genuine to the core . . . the perfect person to ask for an honest opinion. 

If you have the guts to stand up to a passive aggressor, they are often afraid of confrontation, however, instead of backing down & apologising, oh no, the petulant child inside erupts & they create a twisted web of lies to counteract & confuse you.  They may have 'learned helplessness' & play the victim role, as hostile 'jokes' roll off their stubborn tongues.  Negativity abounds.  If you shine above them with success, you might score a back handed compliment, little else.  I've never met a passive aggressor who was self deprecating or able to relax, their interpersonal skills are resistant to light hearted fun.  Watch as they exclude you from a meeting yet steal your ideas as their own & lap up the praise - if you demand "but that was my idea" watch them switch on the charm offensive with the old patronising "we're all part of the same team" as they trot off to a celebratory dinner, without you.  If you leave, some other schmuck will take your place & be sucked dry too.  It's a parasitic cycle.
Ok, so what has got this housewife all riled up about passive aggression?? . . . besides my experience from my short career in the oil industry, being a member of various P&C committees + part time jobs in retail, telecommunications, customer service & banking while i was at University . . . oh SO many examples of passive aggression female team managers there.  Yes i've had some great female bosses & colleagues too.  I loved each job, including gift wrapping wedding presents for 3 years at a department store - i did it beautifully with pride until a new floor manager tried to set a standard (without any experience, she just wanted to be seen making changes) even though my method was more efficient & economical, offering a variety of wrapped gorgeousness for a display of wedding gifts en masse for each happy couple . . . kapow, i was kicked out of the wrapping room & da dah, brides starting complaining about the new boring wrapping quality.  Humph.  Time to leave, i was 21 & didn't need her drama - once you start dreading going to a job you once loved because of the boss, there's not a lot which can fix that feeling.  

Last week a friend of mine who is highly professional & respected in her industry, got a huge public passive aggressive slap in the face at a small-local-industry-related-event.  Keep in mind that guest lists are printed with the event information & it's an industry where everybody checks out who is coming in advance (read: no excuses) . . . a colleague/ competitor was chatting in a circle, which included my friend, then did the "what's your name again??" for everyone to hear.  Purely to humiliate & push her down, she knew full well who she was - they'd met at SEVERAL small-local-industry-related-events previously (& recently) including one of her own launches!!  My friend was extremely embarrassed & deflated, way to make you feel like a nobody in your industry.  Thing is, she doesn't even like this other woman, she's a 'braggart' who takes everything you say & has to up you, to appear more special & wonderful, she just happened to be included in this networking social circle at a break during the event, unavoidable.  It's beyond awkward, it's down right rude & inexcusable!!

I have had enough of these passive aggressive types, who live to put you down to elevate themselves.  If "what's your name again??" happens to me . . . i think i'll shoot back "gosh you have a bad memory, we've met several times!!" putting them on the back foot, shock them, they don't like confrontation or a dose of their own medicine.  It might take all the guts you have, you might shake & want to run away . . . it's time to turn the tables on these passive aggressive women, bravely shut them down & end the cycle, setting a wonderful positive example to our daughters!!  We need to stop them hurting us.  Their issues do not deserve to be given a second thought in our beautiful minds.  Love Posie

one year ago . . .

Greetings all,

One year ago, my husband landed in Afghanistan for his third deployment of that dusty hell hole.  The last thing he said before leaving was "thank you" for letting him go.  I've done that 5 times now, leaving him a base, dock or airport, saying goodbye as he leaves for up to 9 months in a war zone.  I don't think about being alone or parenting solo, it's not knowing what he's doing or when i'll hear from him next, it's wrenching.  I cry my heart out & the children are numb for a while . . . our handsome soldier has gone away again.  

I have been madly in love with this man for 19 years, he was my teen love through University & we've both changed - i was going to be a forensic scientist (before it was CSI cool) with tonnes of attitude . . . he was in a few dead end jobs & apprenticeships, i always knew he'd end up in the regular Army, deploying to war wasn't on the cards.  We grew together, i softened . . . love, marriage & children came naturally, living all over Australia, having twins, holidaying in Europe twice, taking the children to Disneyland & creating a farm dream have been lovely surprises we never expected on a low income.  I tell you, it's not how much money you make, it's how you use it & save, save, invest & save some more.    

My husband has an innate sense of responsibility, many servicemen do, he has uneasy calm in difficult situations & can be un-reactive.  I don't do drama, so we're kind of perfect for each other.  I find hot heads very unattractive.  I know he supports me in everything i do.  It's the most wonderful feeling to know someone is your rock, unconditionally there for you & eternally kind to your heart.  I can't tell my daughters about what it feels like to have your heart broken by a boy, but i can show them true respect in a relationship.        

Best of all he doesn't question why i live my life with rosy glasses & looking for eternal goodness.  Sure i have reality, war zones are never far from his world, i figure it's a more positive brain space to live in the moment & love it.  He knows not to question why i covet metal signs, leave my mobile phone at home, hang bunting around the house, walk into shops i can't afford to buy anything in, collect petals for the chickens, match pegs with washing on the clothes line, eat a cookie then run flat out for half an hour . . . or why i'd photograph a cabbage . . . "is that going on your blog??"  He just lets me be me.   

 Last weekend we cuddled up in watched the special forces movie Act of Valor.  They included the soldier family life - BBQs, kicking a ball around with the children - then they walk away to a deployment.  I can't imagine how it must feel for my husband to leave us, other than confusing . . . he can't put it into words, just tears . . . keeping extremely busy & focused on his job.  

Then he comes home to all these girls, a son desperate to have father & a life of home baked goodness, it couldn't be more removed from a war zone.  He slowly finds his place back in the family, fixing things - not necessarily when convenient to me (like changing engine oil while i'm serving dinner??) - so i look at the helpfulness of his actions & intentions.  I let him potter, i do not nag.  I've found him tidying up the dreaded cupboard above the fridge (which i can't reach) & the cutlery drawer, he might vaccum around the lounge (not under it) but pull out the fridge to mop behind it??  No rhyme or reason, i just let him go for it & not complain when i can't find steak knives!!

We are trying to get handsome soldier posted back to Canberra & living with us again, that means countless appointments & paperwork, or he'll be in Brisbane for 5 years, on his own.  I said to the last 'authority' involved in the decision "this is all positive, we really love each other" & she said "i can see that".  Then i realised she must witness many marriage break downs & worse, we must have been a breath of fresh air, still so happy after almost 2 decades.  I've had a crush on my husband since 1994, butterflies & giggles, blushed cheeks, i still get them.  Love Posie

a dysfunctional week where things fell into place

Greetings all,

Dysfunctional, disjointed & disconnected are the words which best describe my week, yet, somehow everything has fallen into place.  Overflowing with school activities like the annual WalkAThon, learning journeys, Dad's-Day, high school Japanese trip to Sydney, sports & signing countless indemnity forms for more sports - i feel like a lawyer attached to an ATM - i've run all my errands & ticked all the to-do boxes.  I like being at home, it's serene, happy, chores are done & i'm prepared for the weekend, however, sitting here eating corn cakes for lunch on the 12WBT, i just feel exhausted.  I am getting the new iPhone 5, my first smart phone ever, but i looked at the long queue, yawned, i can wait. 

While i've spent most of this week out, i've been knocking over small jobs at home like finally purchasing the correct hooks to hang some of my metal signs!!   

Our neighbours dumped all their weeds into our chicken run.  We asked them to.  The chickens have had the most incredible week chowing down on various greens & mulching the rest.  They are so inquisitive, you just have to flip a bunch of weeds & the chickens think it's new food.  It rained heavily during the week, to my surprise, chickens are completely brutal when eating snails!!  I thought they were pecking small rocks, then the commotion, noise, frenzy & excitement as they gobbled them down.  RIP snails.

 Our wee little Hamburg bantam Piccolo - did indeed break his tiny rooster leg.  My darling husband put it in a paddle pop splint (muttering under his breath "it's a rooster for goodness sake") & a miracle, he's walking again.  My husband is a saint.  First act of sainthoodness was marrying me!!

 The learning journey (open class room) was so much fun.  I learned the hard way, to cover 3-4 children & all their work/ art/ projects individually in one hour is impossible.  So this year i gathered my 3 primary schoolers & we did it as a family, everyone got a fair share . . . except handsome soldier who was stuck at the medical centre & missed the whole thing.  Year 5 made movies of their New Olympic Sports - one daughter had created Don't Let The Balloon Touch The Ground, she was also the commentator.  Her confidence & personality shone through, she was very entertaining.

 A little bit of a thrill on the way to school, we swung by a new McDonalds restaurant opening as our favourite radio stars were there - Scotty & Nige from 104.7 - very entertaining & so happy to chat to us.  My children's heads were exploding with the excitement of meeting Scotty & Nige then having McDonalds for breakfast, as i'm such a health & homemade devotee.  As we left, they said "that mother was hilarious" so i'm officially cool in my children's eyes.   

Have gorgeous weekends folks, i'm off for a run, i can't believe in just a few weeks i've fallen back in love with running & dare i share . . . several mummies at school have noticed, saying my skin looks great & my face looks slimmer.  Yahoo.  Love Posie

snap it 'colourful'

Greetings all,

Oh yay, Faith Hope & a Whole Lotta Love's Snap It this week is colourful, do i hear a hallelujah.  I adore, love, breathe & live colour.  I snapped these flowers at the first day of Floriade in glorious sunshine.

 Weekends = freshly squeezed orange juice from the bounty of oranges my husband brings home (caveman style, sack over shoulder, beating chest "want juice") from the Farmer's Market.  The rich pulp is so sweet & delicious this time of year, i made ice blocks for the children after our Saturday in the sun.   

 Thank goodness i make hay while the sun shines (literally - hay mulch from the chicken coop has been spread on the garden) as i got hail on the school run.  Look at it hitting the centre sun roof.  My husband even rang to see if i had thrown myself over the top of our new car to protect it??  Um, no, i stayed inside with a magazine & heated seat thanks!!

 This darling girl, my treasured middle daughter, has just spent two days home with her mama - she has a really sore shoulder, she can't play sports & is completely deflated.  We've had such a nice quiet time together, she never asks for days off or gets sick . . . we've done sushi, a movie & Lego . . . that is my children's trifecta of mama love!!  

Loving the colour of Spring . . . fashion, flowers, food . . . just makes you feel happy.  I wish i could rock coloured jeans, like i did back in year 8.  My girls have pink, lemon & lime, mixed with pastels, sequins & primary colours, it all works so well, on them.  

Are you introducing as much colour into your life as possible this time of year, Southern Hemisphere folks??  We're still waiting for our Araucana chicken to lay her Easter eggs, stay tuned, she's still settling in.  Love Posie

on the weekend i went to Guns Guns Guns

Greetings all,

Sunday was Open Day at the Australian War Memorial annex/ archives/ storage hold & it was like walking into Guns Guns Guns, Guns'R'Us & Guns Galore.

 They had WWI & WWII allied & enemy guns, guns from planes & anti air craft guns off ships.

 Then it was Planes Planes Planes with Bombs Bombs Bombs, the odd torpedo & the G for George Lancaster Bomber mission board - i've seen a documentary on this RAAF plane & crew - incredible work against the odds (read: superior German Air Force.)

Then it was Tanks Tanks Tanks.  Little boys were running around asking their fathers a million questions, except my little boy, who has grown up around tanks & armoured personnel carriers, so we focused on the history (my husband knows EVERYTHING) but considering we'd just spent 3 hours at the Australian Institute of Sport in the sun, running & jumping, nerves were frail.

 If you listened, you could hear parents & grandparents telling their children who in the family would have used which equipment - tanks, planes, helicopters, trucks, cars, motorcycles & my favourite - the Light Horse.  My great uncle Rupert was a Light Horseman at Gallipoli (he was a jockey) taking his own horse with him & heart breaking, had to leave him there.

It was fascinating to see the restorations, archaic equipment & how advanced warfare has come.  There was amazing brass band music as we walked in & the Federation Guard Precision Drill Team spinning their weapons & doing tricks, fantastic entertainment while in the queue to get into the hangar.  I think we'll go again next time (has taken us 5 years to get in there) & take the good camera.  More free activities/ gold coin donation in Canberra.  Love Posie

i'm grateful for . . . 'flower festivals & eye candy'

Greetings all,

Spring means one major event in Canberra . . . Floriade, the glorious flower festival.  It's free entry during the week days & i try to go once a week, on my own, with children, meeting a friend . . . it's just so relaxing.

It opened to today & the weather was Spring perfection.  It runs for weeks so the flowers have a chance to bloom & the 'art' changes.  It's magical, right on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin with all sorts of activities, demonstrations, sculptures & a wine bar.

 I love impasto art, i painted like this for the HSC & scored full marks!!

 During the weekdays, school choirs & bands play, you can bring a picnic or wander the flower displays, listening to the music.  Be careful to dodge the tourists with their cameras.

 Jamie Durie fans, here is some eye candy for you - he's designing the gardens around a new 'lifestyle experience' in Canberra.  He was really friendly & as celebrities do, position themselves for photo opportunities - assuming i was going to launch my children at him for a snap - alas no, i had to say "sorry, they just really need the toilet."  This stripper-turned-celebrity-gardening-entrepreneur was unflappable, kindly giving us directions to the nearest demountable toilet block "behind the pine trees" to which my husband said "the children can just go behind the pine trees. we'll say Jamie said it was Ok??"  Laughs were exchanged, i thanked him for being so informative about the amenities & we parted ways.  

 There was a short queue at the Petting Zoo & very friendly staff, with plenty of animals to cuddle.  The children thrilled the handlers naming all the different types of chicken breeds.

 Then we trotted back to the car & off to collect our high schooler from a Volleyball referring course, she qualified & everything.   

Notice the jackets??  Glorious sunshine & 8C at midday, welcome to Spring in Canberra!!

For more Gratefuls, visit Village Voices, love Posie

the teen & tween fashion dilemma

Greetings all,

I have never complained about teen or tween fashion because i simply don't have a personal problem with it.  I have always found gorgeous quality, well priced, non trashy clothes for my 4 children with ease.  I avoid the rubbish & black vamp gear, who on earth designs & buys those awful clothes??  Not me. I don't even go into the stores which sell them.

Alas, i was faced with a dilemma yesterday in David Jones.  I took these pretty children's size 12 Gumboots designed denim shorts to the counter & explained my issue to the lovely Fiona (mother of 4 adult daughters, perfect mentor) siting my 13 year old is slim & these shorts would still be baggy on her, yet hips have to be coming eventually . . . however, i'm stuck with a teen fashion dilemma . . . these shorts would look adorable on my daughter this Summer, but incredibly inappropriate on her more developed peers.  Can she simply get away with these little short shorts, because she looks younger than her age??  It's the whole over-sexualisation of children issue.  Are we over thinking it??  Clearly these are a simple pair of Summer shorts on a sweet young lady??  Is it Ok because she doesn't have hips & boobs, boys & men won't be looking at her??  Why do i think the same shorts would be inappropriate if she did have a woman's body??  She still an innocent mind??  She has red & khaki shorts the same size, wears them often, no worries.  Is it because these are denim??  They're not even tight Daisy Dukes!!  

I bought them.  She didn't like them.  The fabric patches "aren't my style Mum".  Said she'd wear them around the house & to the pool.  But not out.  Problem solved??  Her sisters love them.  See you for round 2 in 2 years when the twins want to wear them!!  

 Now i never complain about boys fashion either, because i stick to a few brands - Fred Bare, Country Road & Seed.  Their graphics aren't offensive or cliche, they are clever & cool, printed on quality of Tshirt material with strong stitching.   

Yes, Fred Bare boys Tshirts are $40 each (i wait for discounts & sales) but they for last years & don't fade.  In fact, these two Ts i picked up yesterday, fit all 4 of my children & all 4 will wear them too.  Children's fashion is my hobby, truly, that is why i spend money on it where others spend cash on coffee, takeaway food & pricey events . . . i save up for children's fashion, good quality & style.  Once children hit school they have a uniform 5 days a week, they require a small selection clothes, so i invest in the good gear.  I'm also an expert in stain removal, so yes, they do wear these clothes to messy play dates & dare i say it, my daughters wear dresses to parties & my son wears a button down shirt - they are often the only children not in jeans & Tshirts, the mums comment (often to mock me) i reiterate - children's fashion is my hobby.

 My sister openly knocks me about my obsession with designer children's fashion . . . guess who asks for the hand-me-downs??  FYI i've kept all my sons tiny Fred Bare clothes to make into a patchwork quilt for when he runs off with some wife who steals him away from me.  

Do you share my interest on children's fashion??  Have you moved into the murky water of teen fashion yet??  Love Posie

snap it 'bright'

 Greetings all,

Well this is a very different post to what i had planned yesterday for Snap It 'Bright' today.  

The sun is shining & i'm looking on the bright side.  I must.  The day did not start off well . . . i slept heavy & woke drowsy; our inherited old hen Maisie passed away face down in a water cooler (very rock'n'roll) & our tiny chick Piccolo appears to have broken a leg??  Maisie lived a happy long life & Piccolo was a runt we saved & she has thrived.  The children were upbeat & stoic about the chickens, trotting off to school & excursions, however my high schooler is home, exhausted from a 9-10p.m. volleyball match & i'm simply deflated  . . . welcoming the excuse to ignore paperwork, just exercise & watch a movie with my girl.

Until i wrap up my business completely, things still haunt me.  Small handmade business is tough - you create beautiful things & sell to the friendliest of retail outlets - but it turns sour when they won't pay up.  This is the reason i pulled my wholesale range a couple of years ago (i used to stock 50 stores around the world) as this mama who was sewing her heart out at home to keep her family financially afloat, was being screwed over big time.  You would be shocked at which stores, their reputations so high profile . . . yet managed by business incompetents & egomaniacs.  I've also had several 'friends' never pay for goods too, even when goods are delivered with an invoice & payment terms!!  It breaks your heart, you can only ask so many times . . . it's amazing how suddenly a 'friend' can avoid you for $50.  I rarely tell 'friends' what i do, to avoid these situations, yet it still happens.  I move on, their loss, i often wonder if they cop the karma??  

So when the most recent screw over finally paid me out, i treated myself to something i will love forever, something materialistic, something for my future homestead . . . a giant yellow metal sign saying "you are my sunshine" as on those dark days of drafting letters of demand you need bright sunshine!!  I will never be screwed over again, i am an advocate for small businesses getting paid.  I bought the whole set of sunshine signs, yeehaw!!

My husband is easy to please, freshly squeezed orange juice on a Saturday morning, that is love to him.  A bright start to the day!!

I'm thoroughly enjoying the Michelle Bridges 12WBT, look at this for a Sunday lunch - Thai Beef Salad.  In just 2 weeks i've lost 5kg & feel strong.  Bright food, delicious!!

 On Father's Day we went to Questacon . . . talk about a migraine inducing bright light tunnel!!

 I'm always looking on the bright side of life - actually that was the last song they played at our wedding.  Enough said, stay bright folks, love Posie

the Posie Poultry Report

Greetings Poultry Lovers,

Strike up the banjoes . . . it's a chicken & duck update.  Thanks to chicken loving families at school, i've spread more hens i inherited from a friend around.  My husband came home from Afghanistan to find a flock of 16 chickens & 3 ducks living down our side passage, it had to be thinned out & naturally that happened as cute chicks grew into Roosters, like Viola/ Violo, who is now living on a farm with 13 hens, hello ladies!!

Our beautiful, friendly, tame, raised-from-eggs Khaki Campbell ducks grew a little too noisey for suburbia & our very patient/ tolerant/ deaf neighbours never complained, however, they are moving soon & we can't trust the next family will be so nice . . . so when my sister said she'd LOVE our ducks to join her flock on her property in Bowral, we said our goodbyes this morning & farewelled Calliope . . . 

 Bongo . . . 

 & Bugle (the drake) who we can visit in the school holidays.  My sister hadn't told her 3 duck loving children they were picking them up (on their way home from the snow) so they almost burst when she said they were coming home.  They will be loved & we will take them or their offspring to our farm in the future.

 As we continue our faux farming journey, we're experimenting with new chicken breeds to see which ones we want on the farm.  On the weekend we picked up Saxophone the American Wyandotte from the Farmer's Market, she likes to nest up on the hay in the cool . . .  

& Harp the Araucana, known as the 'Easter Chicken' from Chile - as they lay coloured eggs.  I can't help but admit, i wanted her for her blue, green & lavender eggs, i'm shallow.  She has the most amazing emerald feathers when the sunlight hits them.  They are both 30 weeks old & ready to lay.

So that is where we're at, confident we have another rooster in Piccolo, sob, & we've ordered two ISA Brown chickens (excellent layers) as the decline in eggs with hens leaving, isn't enough for our family & i refuse to buy eggs.  Chickens have just been the most fun & success - consider keeping them in your backyard.  Fear not, our German Shepherd is still walked daily & loved to pieces too.  I don't think we'll do any more chicks until the farm, too heart breaking when they grow into roosters, crowing is not allowed in suburbia.  Yeehaw, love Posie

social commentary Sunday . . . 'how to get the best behaviour from your children on Father's Day'

Greetings all,

My husband & i have been doing this parent thing for a while & celebrated many Mothers' & Fathers' Days (i've spent 10 without my husband to coordinate the children to do nice things for me, yet the military seems to have husbands home for Father's Day, go figure??)  Anyway . . . last Sunday was Father's Day & without even discussing it, we had both planned to take the children out for a picnic lunch, Questacon (science centre) & make the day all about them . . . cue the most perfectly-behaved-happy children a Daddy is proud to call his own on Father's Day.

We have an annual membership to Questacon & go frequently + it's been renovated recently with new attractions.  The free fall is always a hit, even better when the centre is practically empty & your children are told to leave their jump suits on & keep free falling!!

There are so many cool things to see & do from experiencing earth quakes & watching lightening, making Tsunamis & clouds . . .

or go blind staring at 3D puzzles, spirals & lights.

 Most of the science geeks on the floor are senior high school & University students, i actually find many a bit pushy & in your face.  I did science for 6 years at Uni, so i know a thing or two, but they leap in with their own unsolicited explanation, hmmm.

Cap that off with letting the children run loose on the foreshore of Lake Burley Griffen, some shopping in Kingston (where the beautiful people live) & hot chips in a park, then a remedial massage for my broken soldier . . . everyone is happy!! 

So, want to avoid saying "can't you children even behave on this ONE day of the year" & avoid disappointment, do something they will love . . . outdoors, food, adventure & geeky, on a full belly from a delicious cooked breakfast with freshly squeezed juice . . . win win i say.  Personally i dismiss the hype & retail hysteria around these forced occasions, we celebrate being parents EVERYDAY, however, my husband did rather love the Lindsay&Edmunds organic chocolates, Le Creuset salt pig & fancy KitchenAid 4 slice toaster which does crumpets, muffins & super thick toast without getting stuck as his gifts!!  Plus the children made crafty things at school, so happy to let them celebrate their wonderful Daddy . . . any extra chance to spoil him (+ Grandad & Grandpa interstate.)
Happy Father's Day handsome soldier, we love you so much.  Love Posie