Archive for the ‘My Stuff’ Category
Romance on a Budget
Now we’re right in the swing of saving for FebuSave and thinking more frugally, my husband and I thought we’d forget about the flowers, chocolate and restaurants for Valentine’s Day and concentrate on spending some time together instead, which costs us nothing!
Last year he had a beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered on our wedding anniversary, which falls in January, and then followed this with a beautiful charm for my Sabo bracelet for Valentine’s Day. Between these two presents hundreds of dollars were spent – and that doesn’t even include the gifts I bought for him.
The Real Cost of Children
Whether you agree with the Federal Government’s calculation that is costs $384,543 to raise a child until they turn 18, or go with social researcher Mark McCrindle’s more alarming figure topping $1 million, raising children costs money.
From kitting out the nursery with a cot and change table, to the first ‘big bed’, clothing, sport, childcare, presents, food, school and the list goes on and on.
Planning for 2010
As 2008 came to a close I thought carefully abut my hopes and aspirations for the coming year and blogged my list.
When I look back at this list I can see I have achieved most of what I set out to do, but also much more than I imagined possible. Here is what I aspired to:
Media140: When Social Media and Traditional Media Collide
As a journalist and social media devotee, my ears pricked up when I saw the tweets about Media140 coming to Sydney.
People I have admired throughout my journalism and blogging career will be speaking at the conference, which aims to find the answers to the question: “What is the future of journalism in the Social Media Age?”
Random Acts of Kindness
This has also been posted on http://raok.posterous.com/
The tragic events of the Victorian bushfires on February 7, 2009, when 173 people lost their lives, saw a huge outpouring of generosity from people throughout the world.
The Australian Red Cross collected more than $315 million to help the survivors of this heart-breaking event at a time when people felt truly helpless, so they did what they could – gave money.
The power of humanity was like a tidal wave, whose rippling effect was felt by millions on this planet.
But we don’t need an event like this, or the Italian earthquake, or September 11, to show others we care. Random acts of kindness occur every day – and it’s up to us to keep those ripples of compassion going.
Is Online Networking Dangerous for Children?
As an avid online networker myself I would never discourage my children from using social media. I think so much can be gained from talking to people around the world – or in the same suburb – to extend your knowledge, share your interests or challenge yourself.
But I would definitely put a time limit on the amount of time they spent networking online so they get to experience a bit of real life – talk to their parents and sibling, breathe air outside the room housing the computer and have real friendships. Obviously with Noah aged three and Ethan still a baby this is an issue I won’t be considering again for a while, but the inaugural Festival of Dangerous Ideas at Sydney’s Opera House over the October Long Weekend got me thinking. One of the sessions included in the program is Baroness Susan Greenfield discussing Does Online Networking Harm Children’s Brains?
If I had my life over
This poem was written by Belinda Emmett after she found out she was dying from breast cancer. It touched me and made me question whether my problems really were as big or important as I thought.
Making 2009 Mine!
After reading Sarah Prout’s blog on Planing for 09 I was inspired to write my own, listing my hopes and aspirations for 2009.
I anticipate 2009 will be a pretty major year for me – both personally and professionally. Read the rest of this entry »
What a woman needs
My oldest friend sent me a great poem by Maya Angelou. See if you find it inspirational.
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to. Read the rest of this entry »
Lessons Learned
While catching up with my email, I read a great story in the Red Tent Woman newsletter.
Peter had just begun his role as a General Manager for a multi-million dollar company. He arrived on his first day, excited and thrilled with the prospect of what lay ahead. John, the owner of the company, gave him his first acquisition and entrusted Peter with a million dollar deal. Read the rest of this entry »
