Sexiest Man Alive

Well I have been pleasantly surprised this morning.

Today is the big release day of the second Twilight movie (apparently) and it was all over the TV news this morning.  As I was looking at a scrawny, ashen, completely unattractive (to me) young boy, I felt old age slap me in the face again.  I remembered when women of my mother's era (not my mother because she just wasn't 'like that') drooling over Paul Newman and Robert Redford and I just used to think they were old men.  This morning I thought I'd turned into an oldie because I just don't get this Robert Pattinson thing at all!!  Give me Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman, even Tom Cruise any day.

And then it happened.  Another item on the TV news...the announcement of the new 'Sexiest Man Alive'.  I was a little sad to see Hugh Jackman's reign come to an end and had fully expected to see Robert Pattinson take the title because he was apparently a shoe in or shoo in (where did that come from by the way??).  But no, the new 'Sexiest Man Alive' is Johnny Depp.  Oh thank God.  The world has not gone mad and I have not turned into an old fogie overnight.  PHEW!!

So I thought I'd have a little fun this morning and name my top 10 list of the Sexiest Men Alive....here goes....

10.  Simon Baker - he's been a hottie since the days of E Street when he was Simon Denny, then Simon Baker-Denny and now Simon Baker.

9.  Pierce Brosnan - I was a massive Remington Steele fan...he was why!

8.  David Beckham - OK, we all know about his voice, but you can't deny he's a good looking man (when you can't see his tatts).

7.  Owen Wilson - He cute and funny, gotta love that!

6.  Hugh Grant - Yes, I know he's foppish, but I happen to find foppish very attractive.

5.  Hugh Jackman - another Hugh.  Can't go past last year's winner.

4.  Matthew McConaughey - Oh yeah, and he comes with a Texan drawl.

3.  Tom Cruise - I know, I know, he's a little nutty.  But he's gorgeous, always has been, always will be!!

2.  Brad Pitt - There's only one word for Mr Pitt....Phwaw!!!!!!

(Drum roll please)

My Number 1 is......my husband.  And as much as I would love to put a pic of him on he would kill me if I did.  Let's just say he's the best bits of all the men above rolled into one.  Yep, he's that good!  I married him for his looks, of course.

So ladies, have some fun with me, who are your top 10 sexiest men alive?

Oh, OK fellas, you can join the fun, who are your top 10 sexiest women alive??


PS Or men's top 10 men, or ladies' top 10 women (you're quite right Emily!)

Epiphany

Tonight I had an epiphany.

It's something that is always not far from the front of my mind and after reading Jayne Kearney's beautiful blog post (@indydreaming on Twitter) 'A Backward Glance' I have been thinking a lot about 'looking back', or as I tend to do more often 'looking forward'.  Two mantras I used often when my children were tiny and I was trying to feed, settle and soothe them, were -

S/He won't be doing this when s/he's 21.
and
This won't last forever.

Often, almost every night in fact, as I gaze at my sleeping children I get emotional, sentimental, a tear in my eye as I wonder how they got to be so big.  I stand and wonder how I will feel when they're all grown up and my babies are all but gone.  But my epiphany (which came to me in the shower as most of my epiphanies do) is, I realized that I never, ever, as I look lovingly at them, wish they were back to being a baby, or smaller and littler and cuter than they are right now.  What they are at this moment is completely perfect, and I wouldn't want them any other way.  So then I realized that when they are bigger I'll be thinking the same thing, so I don't need to feel so sad.  The memories, the photos, the videos will be with us forever.  We can reminisce and enjoy them as part of our family history.   I'm not losing anything after all, I'm gaining more.  More time, more memories, more experiences, more cuddles, more conversations, more play, more fun, more outings, more of everything.

I love my little family of four.  It's perfect in every way.  Yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Paranoid Parents

I have never been one of those mums who is paranoid about the dangers and perils that could possibly befall my children.  My ex-friend was and she used to drive me nuts.  My mother-in-law is and I won't say she drives me nuts (because she doesn't), but I do wish she would learn to 'let go'.

As a child growing up on a farm with my brother and sister, we had pretty much free rein of the 100 acre property.  We always told Mum or Dad where we were going so they knew the general direction of our whereabouts, but we were out of sight a lot.

On the weekend we had a visit to my old home at the farm and my 5 year old boy had a wonderful time with his four big cousins aged 11, 9, 7 & 6 (the 11 year old lives on the farm).  They went off to the dairy and sheds for over an hour on two occasions, completely out of my sight.  I was so happy for him, that he could now explore like I once used to.  I did of course have the thoughts of all the things that could happen run through my head (I think that's pre-programmed to play as soon as you become a parent), but I quickly dispelled them, knowing that the risks were tiny in comparison to the fun he was having.

On the way home we visited my mother-in-law.  I relayed the tale of my big boy going off with his cousins and the first thing she said was, "Weren't you worried?"  Then we had a swim in her pool with the two kids and the whole time she panicked about their floaties falling off, going too far into the deep end, jumping in, going under.  There are three adults and two children in a very small pool, they'll never learn to swim if we don't let them go.  THEN, after the swim she had to tell me about an article she read in the newspaper about 'all these children' getting burnt by their mother's hair straighteners (I got one for my birthday!)

I know it's my job to protect my children.  I know I have to make sure they're safe.  But I also want them to have freedom to play, to learn and to be kids.

How 'protective' are you??

Hi, my name is Thea

My name is Thea and I don't live on the second floor but I do have a name that is tricky to pronounce.
If we were face to face and I said, "Hi, my name is Thea" you'd know how to say it because you could hear me (although I often get a response of what/huh/pardon).  But because you are reading you may find my name phonetically confusing.  It is not the most common of names and to add to the confusion 'Thea' is pronounced differently in different parts of the world.  So let me try to explain how I say my name for those of you who have never heard of nor seen it before.  It is 4 letters and 2 syllables of the phonetic nightmare that is the English language.  Let's break it down.

It is not 'Tia' as my GP has been calling me for the past 7 years and now I could not possibly correct him without looking totally stupid.

First syllable (no, we are not going to play charades) - Th can be said 2 ways, the breathy way as in thing, thong and thistle, or the way that vibrates as in this, that and there.  My 'Th' is the breathy kind, not the vibrating one!
Second syllable - ea.  For 2 little letters, this delightful vowel combination has an unbelievable number of options.  There is 'ea' as in flea, tableau, pea, ready, area, idea, sea, shea and tea.  My 'ea' is not 'ea' as in flea, pea, sea or tea (however my friends sometimes call me Thee with the breathy 'Th' that rhymes with these words).  My 'ea' is not 'ea' as in shea which rhymes with tray, stay and fray.  My 'ea' is like the 'ea' in idea, nausea and IKEA!

My name is Thea, hope you've got it now!

What Hurts...

This is a total whinge, and usually I feel pretty good because I'm on medication that keeps most of the pain at bay.  However there are times (like today) when when I have 'attacks' and frankly it just makes me want to whinge and whine...so I am going to.

Things that hurt because I have rheumatoid arthritis -

• lifting the kettle
• opening the coffee jar
• carrying the 3L bottle of milk
• picking up a cereal bowl
• carrying plastic shopping bags
• opening the garage door
• cleaning the bath
• squeezing water out of the kids' bath toys
• squeezing a face washer
  
• picking up my 2 year old
• changing a nappy
• getting out of bed
• standing up after sitting for more than 2 minutes
• pushing my kids on the swing
• pushing the stroller
• pushing a shopping trolley
  
• opening my roman blinds
• opening and closing windows
  
• making beds
• carrying the laundry basket
• the kids stepping on my feet
• bumping something accidentally with my hands
• high fives
• clicking my fingers
• clapping
• putting the kids' socks and shoes on
• doing up press studs
• opening child proof medicine/tablet bottles
• carrying anything remotely heavy
• climbing a ladder
• opening our old fashioned heavy drawers
• taking the lid off the ice-cream container
• opening the Play-Doh containers
• rolling Play-Doh
• and sometimes just doing nothing at all

That's all I can think of for now.  I'm sure I've forgotten some, but you get the idea.

Sorry to whinge and whine but I just needed to get that off my chest
If you're having a pain free day, appreciate it...for me.

Why Can't I...Just Do It??

I love a clean house...but I just can't get into the habit of regular cleaning.
I love feeling fit...but I just don't stick to a regular exercise program.
I love being thin...but I just won't stop overeating.
I love having fabulous hair...but I just don't get to the hair salon often enough. (Although I did today!!)
I love wearing nice clothes...but I just seem to buy more kids' clothes these days.
I love a clean car...but I just never wash it.
I love laughing with friends...but I just don't call/text/e-mail, ever.
I love seeing family and friends...but I just find packing and travelling such an effort.

What's wrong with me?
What can't I JUST DO IT???

I Hate Change - Or Do I?

Isn't change a funny thing?
I'm usually the first to say I hate change.  But after a change I always feel so much more alive.

Today was our 5 year old boy's Prep Orientation day.  He got to check out 'The Big School' for a couple of hours and I got to check out just how much our lives are about to change.  I've been preparing him (and myself) for months but when the moment of change arrives it's never the same as the way I've played it out a million times in my mind.  We aren't actually in the new phase of our lives just yet, he doesn't start until next year.  But this morning as I dropped him off and picked him up I scanned the sea of new faces (and three familiar ones) and wondered who if any I will get to know better, become friends with or never see again.  I get a ridiculous burst of adrenalin when I'm faced with anything the slightest bit out of my comfort zone, so right now I am buzzing big time.  This is a big step.  Our first child is starting school.  Our whole world is on a precipice.  It is almost time to wave goodbye to our old lives....a new adventure is about to begin!

What My Perfume Says About Me

I think my perfume says a lot about me.  The fact that I have seven (at the moment) says one thing.  Yes, of course it says that I like perfume, but it also says that I get little obsessions from time to time and a couple of years ago I had a perfume one.  My collection is much smaller than it used to be.  I had roughly five large bottles but I had dozens of miniatures.  I had one for every mood and occasion, and frankly a lot that I thought stank!  This obsession descended upon me just after I became a new mum, when for obvious reasons, I did a lot of shopping online. 
When I found these websites, Perfume Connection & efragrance, I was a goner.  I particularly loved the efragrance website for telling me which celebrities they thought different fragrances would suit.  So not only does having all of these fragrances say that I'm a little obsessive, I like to smell nice and have pretty things, they also say I'm a little bit Cate Blanchett/Natalie Portman/Britney Spears/Kelly Osbourne/Anne Hathaway/Princess Beatrice/Teri Hatcher/Sonia Kruger/Kylie Minogue/Jennifer Hawkins/Sarah Jessica Parker/Eva Green.  I'm pretty happy with that, apart from perhaps Britney Spears.
My obsession has thankfully subsided into a regular interest and my most recent one was a gift for my birthday LAST year, a little over 12 months ago.  So it must be about time to get a new one...I did quite like my Burberry Brit miniature.

What does your perfume say about you?
Or aren't you a perfume person??

My Children's Eyes

One of the many things that amaze and delight me about my children are their eyes.
My boy has the darkest brown eyes, they almost look black.
My girl has crystal blue eyes.
They couldn't be more different.  And it surprises me almost every day.
But both of them get the exact same glint, a sparkle that looks like the sound of the word "squee", when they're giggling with glee or squealing with surprise.
The most humbling thing for me is recognizing in both of them the look that (although I can't see it myself) I know I also get in my eyes.
It is the purest form of joy.

NSEWSM(&D)S Time

Who can crack this code?  AWDT, AWST, ACST, ACDT, AEST, AEDT, WCT

No?  Here's your answer -

AWDT = Australian Western Daylight Time; AWST = Australian Western Standard Time; ACST = Australian Central Standard Time; ACDT = Australian Central Daylight Time; AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time; AEDT = Australian Eastern Daylight Time; WCT = Western Central Time

What the???  We have 6 states and 2 territories, and SEVEN time zones?  That's nuts!  What a ridiculous thing is daylight savings.  Did someone someday just say, "I want more daylight at the end of the day instead of morning where it is totally useless to me!!"?  Right then, let me wave my magic wand and grant you 'Daylight Savings'!

If we can just change the time willy-nilly to suit anybody, I'm going to campaign for NSEWSM(&D)S Time.  What?  Do I have to spell it out for you??  It is North South East & West Saving Mums' (and Dads') Sanity Time where all clocks have the hours from 4pm - 8pm totally removed and 10pm - 8am is deemed null & void to children so it just doesn't exist for them therefore they cannot possibly awaken nor call for anyone (namely their mother)...of course!

Think anyone will vote for that one?  Makes much more sense to me than daylight bloody savings!!