Day 19. Blogs I love..

Quite clearly I haven't been 'blogging every day in May' as I have fallen behind quite a bit.  However, i'v decide to pick up and start from today again with 5 blogs I love; 

1.  Sunny Side Up :  I love, love, LOVE this blog.. I have read it for such a long time now and find so much inspiration and awe inspiring beauty in Erin's posts.. what about the new house? Amazing, a girl with 5 kids could only DREAM of a house like that.  This blog is definitely worth a read if you haven't before. 

2.  A Little Delightful:  Bianca's blog is very pretty and has always been one that I enjoy reading. 

3. Mummy Smiles is another blog I have always enjoyed reading. 

And a few I have recently picked up on;

4. Life Love and Hiccups &

5. Mummy Daze 

These plus many others always offer a great read when I have a spare five seconds to actually read blogs.  Which I don't get much spare time to do anymore, but when I do, it's nice to know they are a great go-to list that doesn't disappoint. 

Day 6. What Do I Do

Growing up I was always certain of 2 things.. I was going to be a Teacher & I was going to be a Mum. I had never had an inclination to be anything else and had my goal firmly set at the young age of 8. In 2005 I became a Mum and in 2008 I graduated Uni with a Bachelor of Education in Primary Teaching. So today I am a Mum first & foremost and In the past I have done relief teaching. I am still hoping to return to relief teaching although I realised just this morning I let my registration lapse 2 days ago! Eek. I guess amongst the cleaning, cooking, tending to a crazy puppy, playing with Mr 1 and playing nurse to Mr 8 who is home with a cold I will now need to find time to re-apply! I find both of my jobs rewarding although I find being a Mum the harder job of the two.. You constantly wonder what you can do better, what you did wrong & if your doing enough. The pay rate is better for relief teaching, I love to think that every minute of my time is worthy of $1.00, however, the love of my children is payment enough for being a full time SAHM.

In the future I'd love to return to teaching just so I can start saving towards a bigger house & a bigger future for my family. But for now I'm happy staying at home with the kids.

Day 5. My Son ~ My friend, My inspiration & My Blogging Friend!

Today is the day to publicly announce ones affection towards a blogging friend. Unfortunately, although I find many of the Blogger's to be super wonderful & inspiring Women, I don't really have any 'Blogging Friends' as such ~ maybe next time ;)

So today I would like to write about my eldest Son, Mr 8. In part, he is a Blogger so I am actually openly admiring him. But even before starting up 'Mega Igloo' I have always been his biggest fan! I was impressed when he asked if he could start up a blog, he is a keen little writer & I loved the fact he wanted to share his passion for Club Penguin with the wider community. He helped me set up his blog & each day he eagerly checks his stat's & thinks of ideas for his blog. He has shown a lot of dedication to his blog.

He's a very entrepreneurial child, always devising things to make & sell ~ to his family of course. But he has suggested selling things on eBay. He came to me at 4 & told me he no longer liked a particular toy & could i sell it on eBay lol. He's both a spender & a saver which he didn't inherit from me, a pure spender :P

He's the type of Son that everytime we are outside, he will pick me a flower, he makes me presents & tells me he loves me often. When his Dad & I parted ways when he was 16 months, he was my lil' man, it was just the two of us making a life together and since meeting my new Husband 6 years ago, he has adapted well with the change of becoming a little Bro. And when Mr 1 was born nearly 2 years ago, he has dived superbly into the role of Big Bro also.

He loves school, has a lovely group of friends & is a great student. Recently he started Auskick which he loves. I can see so much of myself as a child in him as he is eager to learn, but he also is hesitant in some areas. I'm hoping over the next few months we can help him to overcome some of his limitations so that he truly can live life to the fullest ~ I know he's going great places.

Day 3. Things That Make You Uncomfortable

 

 

 

Linking with 'Story of My Life' for their Blogging Every Day in the Month of May challenge. Today's topic is things that make you uncomfortable. I'm the kind of person who feels uncomfortable about many things, I spend a lot of my day feeling uncomfortable because I suffer a little from anxiety so my anxiety makes me over think things, which then make me feel uncomfortable and sometimes worried about all sorts of crazy things!

 

But here goes; What makes me uncomfortable?

 

1.  People getting in my personal space! I'm not terribly comfortable with touchy-feely people that feel the need to get really close to me when conversing or who feel the need to kiss me or cuddle me.. I need my personal space.

 

2.  'Nose-air'  yes, you read right.. the air that comes out of people's noses when breathing.. I hate the feel of it, it's warm and gross and freaks me out.

 

3. Having to sign the kids in when they are late for school. I feel like the office lady judges me and I always feel the need to offer a reason even though it is usually Miss 11 has gone feral or Mr 8 wont touch his shoes without washing his hands several times.  Even if the kids are 2 minutes late, you have to sign them in, it adds a lot of extra stress on one in the morning!

 

4. I'm a bit of a helicopter Mum so I feel really uncomfortable if someone elses child is doing something that seems dangerous to me, yet the other parent is oblivious and feels that it's 100% safe.. My stomach does flips the whole time.

 

5. When I see pictures of peoples kids on Facebook in ill-fitting child restraints in the car, with their straps loose or hanging off. Or worse yet, peoples kids NOT in car seats!  It makes me feel mad and uncomfortable.

 

6. Wet floors, wet hand-towels, wet towels.. anything wet in general.. Uncomfortable plus!

 

7. Cigarette Smoke, it chokes me.. I literally can't breathe around it and am really sensitive to it.. Iv told a few people in my time what to do with their smokes. For me it ruins whole events and nights etc when I just can't catch my breathe and smoke around my kids and watch out! 

 

8. Swearing.. I'm all for an appropriately placed expletive, but some people just take cursing to the extreme. 

 

9. Drunk people make me uncomfortable.. no one needs to see that.. it's lame, immature and unnecessary.

 

10. Trying on clothes.. literally uncomfortable, so can't wait to lose a couple of kg's.

 

So there you have it, I could probably fill a list to 100, but thought it best to stop at 10. 

 

What makes you uncomfortable?

Day 2. Educate Us on Something You Are Good At.

 

 

Blogging Every Day in the Month of May over at 'Story of my Life' has set the topic for Day 2 as 'Educate us on something you are good at or know a lot about' ~ hrmmm.. That's a tricky one and after much consideration aside from making a good Spag Bol, applying for a job is my next area of speciality.

I don't know why, but Iv always had a knack for applying for & securing jobs.. Iv always got every job Iv been interviewed for, so much so that in the past I was fortunate to 'take my pick' from multiple offers. I'm a little out of practice now because I haven't really worked in a few years & being a relief teacher wasn't really a game of skill, however, here are my tips;

1. Create a great resume & cover letter. Don't waffle on too much in either, be concise and allow your resume to stand out. I found a decorative header with your personal details on it, always gave a nice touch. Start your cover letter with 'I'd like to introduce myself to both you & your company' ~ this line has worked every time, Mum even got a job based on this line & many have complimented me on the tone that this introduction sets. Whilst you should have a universal cover letter, you should also personalise it for each job you apply for.

2. Set yourself up a folder with copies of your resume, a universal cover letter for random handouts and pop in a page with all your important details on it for ease of filling out applications such as bank details, tax file # etc. Pop in your quals & certificates too for fast & easy reference during interviews.

3. Dress to impress.. Even when handing out resumes, first impressions count. Do not wear your daggies when meeting prospective employers, dress in interview attire even if your handing in an application at the jeans shop or Macca's, they need to know your a professional.

4. Go alone.. Do not hand out resumes with a bunch of your mates.

5. Be polite, when working in retail we once had a Mother/Daughter come into the store who were very rude. Later that day, the Daughter came back with her resume.. It was filed in the bin, because FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT & people remember!

6. Always hand your resume to the Manager, ask for them. If they aren't available, come back.

7. During the interview be calm & don't waffle.. Answer their questions and don't be too nervous, they want to catch a glimpse of the 'real you' ~ however, at all times remain professional. Fill them in about your weekend, AFTER you have secured a job, not at the interview!

8. Always put an open availability, you can change this later. But your application will appeal more if you appear flexible.

9. Get lots of experience. I found working many part time jobs in my younger years gave me great experience to gain jobs as I got older. Start off in take-away and build your way up, a lot of employers value the training program's that larger companies offer.

10. Enjoy! Whilst applying for jobs can be a tedious thing, particularly if there is financial pressures behind securing a position, but enjoy & don't be disheartened. If you lose the passion to job search, you will lose your spark. And it's that spark that will set you apart.. So remain cheerful & keep motivated. If you are knocked back 1 or 1500 times, the right job will be out there. Perseverance is all part of finding it.

I hope in part my tips have been useful.. Thanks :)

Day 1: The Story of My Life

 

 

I thought I'd give the 'Blogging Every Day In May' challenge a go, I know I'm already 2 days behind, nothing unusual there, that about how far behind I am in 'Photo of the Day' too, however, here goes ;)

The first topic is; Story of My Life in 250 words or less.

Well it all started 32 years ago, I grew up in the family home with Mum, Dad & my Brother who is 3 1/2 years younger than me. I feel I had a fairly blessed childhood, we never wanted for anything and were quite spoilt, I remember lots of fun & lots of love. I spent a lot of time with my Nan who devastatingly was diagnosed with a brain tumour when I was 10 years old. I feel this was a critical turning point in my life, because a lot changed after Nan died. Nan was Mum's, Mum & Mum was just 30 when Nan died. I couldn't imagine living without my Mum at this age and Nan & Mum were like 2 peas in a pod they were that close so understandably nothing was ever 'as happy' for many years. I was a difficult tween & a terrible early teen who gave Mum & Dad lots of stress. By 16 though i had sorted myself out & Mum and I were also very close & still are till today.

I was a good student however, and loved school. I attended a Private school from years 9-12 and felt fortunate to always be surrounded by friends. After school I travelled 1 hour away from home to go to Uni, I studied to be a Primary Teacher and lived with my long-term boyfriend whom I met at school when I was 15. We played house, worked consistently in various retail roles and bought a couple of pets. Sadly both of our degrees took a back seat to our jobs & Uni lost its appeal for me when I could earn 'spending money' and go shopping instead. I was always very 'homesick' away so buying my family home from my parents in 2003 & moving back to my hometown was the next chapter in my life. I loved being a homeowner as iv always been very house-proud. We welcomed our Son in 2005 and we split in 2006. Fortunately I got to stay in the home & upset at first, I forged a new life for myself & my Son. Determined to finish my degree I re-enrolled back at Uni & enjoyed for the most part being a single parent. It was odd after 10 years to re-enter the dating world, however, I wasn't single for long, meeting my now Husband 6 months later on a dating site. Enter 'instant large family' a single Dad, also Damian with 3 kids, we blended our families together & his cohort moved into my home ~ which today is 'our home'.

We were engaged in April 2009 & married on 10th October 2009, happy to report that were still happily together still to this day & were also over the moon to have welcomed our Son, my second in 2011 which totalled 5 kidlets between us. I have since finished my degree and work as a relief teacher (although haven't been back this year) I intend on heading back into teaching next year as its a job I love and always felt destined to do. However at the moment I'm more than happy being 'Mum' and 'Wifey' ~ which really in a nutshell brings you up to the condensed story of my life..