eleven opinions on the eleventh

Greetings all,

What a full-steam-ahead new year we've experienced.  On New Year's Day we drove from Brisbane to Canberra & since then . . . we've checked out more local farms for sale, started training for a triathlon (the 14 year old girls programme, don't laugh at me) & i've turned the house insideout during my biannual psycho clean.  Invigorating!!  I'm also powering along over on Instagram, just completed a Vignette Challenge & now i'm doing a series . . . Stacks of Shacks, with images of the shacks i photographed from the Pacific Highway at high speed while holidaying on the north coast of NSW.

Before i thrust my opinions on you, imagine soothing dolphin noises.

I receive lovely, kind & sweet comments about being nice, friendly & fun on social media.  Why thank you, however, i also have an opinion, or eleven . . . on everything!!  I've done around 50 Social Commentary Sunday posts now, proving very popular with wonderful engagement . . . so here goes something new.

1. It's a new year = everyone proffering empowering quotes like "be yourself, everyone else is taken" & "don't let the bastards get you down" . . . so here is mine - you cannot control what people think of you, perception is reality, run with what you love & your happiness will be contagious. 
2. I really don't understand the hype about Justin Beiber, however, i really like the duet Beauty & the Beat with Nicki Minaj, i can't help but sing along.  He sings like a breathy girl anyway, suits my one-tone-voice. 
3. Les Miserables the movie is brilliant.  I grew up with the musical masterpiece . . . the cinema version is gripping & fantastic.  Hugh, Russell, Anne are all excellent; the children were amazing; Amanda Seyfried completely stole my heart; handsome Eddie Redmayne was perfect; & Samantha Barks who played Eponine - broke my heart, she was INCREDIBLE. 
4.  I think fire works are a waste of money & create pollution.  I appreciate the idea of a sky spectacular, but seriously, millions of dollars literally blown up in coloured gun powder??  NYE in Sydney is getting out of control, sure it's a tourism investment & 'gift to the people' - perhaps half the size & divert the funds to where they are really needed.

5. The only way they can ruin MasterChef Professionals - is by over advertising it.
6.  Australian Mummy Bloggers Making Stacks of Cash.  I'm Australian.  I'm a Mummy.  I'm a Blogger.  I'm not Making Stacks of Cash.  Do i have a problem with it??  Of course not.  I believe the professional blogger's content improves with the paid promotions, their grammar certainly does!!  If you don't agree, unfollow & support someone else - don't join a disgusting-hate-filled-forum (available for public viewing) to bitch about them!!
7.  Are you guilty of posting on social media, that you are "so busy" - there are a limited amount of times we need to hear from people each day, get your job/ errands/ tasks/ children's dinner done  . . . so you are not "so busy!!"
8. Is posting holiday snaps of your amazing beach house/ exotic island trip/ cocktails by the pool at a resort . . . boasting??  I quite enjoy the free holiday by viewing them, if you have the cash flow to spend, good for you.  If you don't & you're jealous, leaving hate filled comments doesn't help anyone - the happy holidayer or feeding your own misery.  
9.  Taylor Swift breaks up with boyfriend.  Who cares??  Surely someone that impossibly busy can't have a relationship with anyone beyond her immediate travelling business posse.  Certainly not with someone who is also famous/ busy/ travelling.  She's young, she's meant to date, break up, date, break up.  Why is this a headline??  Use that prime-time-celebrity-news-spot on one giving their attention to a charity instead.  

10. John Travolta.  He's a QANTAS Ambassador & at all the G'Day LA events (celebrating Australians in Hollywood) having a ball.  Have we forgiven/ forgotten all the accusations/ divorce situation.  I'm not a fan, so i haven't followed it.

11.  Even healthy eating, vegetable juicing & home-bake-from-scratch mummies like me eat McDonalds for dinner with their children once in a while.  I have been cleaning like a maniac for 3 days straight, my husband is interstate for a week, honestly . . . it was McDonalds or nothing tonight, this post would have not happened without it as i was physically spent.  The children were shocked with the treat & enjoyed it.   
I think i might do this every month - solving the world's problems with my opinion pieces.  In the meantime, i've still got my head buried in the sand!!

Pippi Beach, Yamba, north coast NSW, we had a fantastic holiday.  Love Posie

social commentary Sunday . . . 'hopes & dreams for 2013??'

Greetings all,

Well hello 2013 & happy new year!!  I didn't meant to leave a 2 week gap between posts, we're just back from a wonderful Canberra-Sydney-Brisbane 3000km beach holiday, which was too dreamy & busy to blog!!  

I have a mix of plans for this year . . . some personal, private & pure; others public - to play out on social media.  I want to get back into creating on a daily basis, i miss it . . . i want to earn the time to do it though - family, housework, exercise & health comes first, or i'll end up over doing it again (FYI 11 months ago i had surgery on both wrists/ 18 months ago i completely burnt out physically, mentally & emotionally from sewing non stop professionally for a dozen years!!)  Always seek balance . . . tick.

Publicly, i am only going to commit to light & pressure-free social media links, like #lifeflashes for Donate Life week.  I just can't keep up with daily/ repeat/ multiple memes.  Only commit to really special causes . . . tick.

This was our view of sunrise on the first of January 2013 - heading out of Brisbane back to Canberra, about 4a.m. by the time we hit the NSW boarder.  The roads were empty & we took our time doing the 1201km journey, with 4 active children & a German Shepherd!!  Lots of beach stops down the coast. I love waking early, i achieve so much more in my day & sleep more soundly.  Wake at sunrise, even in chilly Winter . . . tick.

Walking on a treadmill is one thing, going to the gym is another, however, walking in nature is incredible.  To do it with my husband each morning while he's on leave, is magic.  We see things each other doesn't notice.  So i'm not going to renew my gym membership, instead, commit to yoga,  running & cycling from home.  Workout - outdoors . . . tick.

 We haven't taken a family holiday at Christmas before.  Sure we've stayed with family interstate & had 'holidays' exploring new cities we're posted to with the Army, so this was a really big deal (expensive) but so so fabulous!!  We don't need a break from our lives, or our children . . . our holidays are not an escape, they are just a change of backdrop.  As we live inland & want to purchase a farm this year, we can't afford a full on serviced apartment beach stay again, however, we can take beach trips on weekends, it's only 90 minutes to the coast from Canberra.  Visit the beach more often . . . tick.

 In the meantime, this view will stay with me for a very long time.  Spend more time daydreaming . . . tick. 

 Do you have grand plans for 2013 or will you just make small changes & soak it up like me??  I turn 38 this year, sounds so grown up & sensible.  It's a big year for our family as our eldest daughter starts year 9, apparently the 'dreaded' year of school, but she's too beautiful to turn evil quickly.  Our twins are in year 6 & will rule their school, then this time next year, will be trying on sack sized dresses for high school!!  Our gorgeous boy, my baby, is 9 & in year 4, like a flash, he's a young man.  They each got stellar school reports, fantastic grades, wonderful comments & best of all, they show plenty of personality.  They are truly, the people i hoped & dreamed them to be, only so much better!!  

Wishing you well for 2013 & if you're keen on Instagram, check me out at Posie Shoots where i post a few photos each day.  I'm loving this smart phone caper.  Love Posie