The big problem for twenty first century households, I now know, is chronic over-commitment which leads to never enough time and nowhere near enough energy. To cope, we give priority to the most … [Read more...]

On Saturday, 19th March 2011, 170 women and men came together in Sydney to talk, tweet, listen and learn about all things blogging. The inaugural Aussie Bloggers Conference was a meet-up, a conference … [Read more...]

My family and I were lucky last month. We visited the magnificent city of Christchurch and left only two short weeks before the tragic earthquake that crumbled this beautiful place to the ground, … [Read more...]

There's something happening to my days. It's not the usual 'oh my how time flies' type of evaporation that most women of a certain modern age experience - 'oh my goodness, it's Christmas already, yada … [Read more...]

The drive in to Wellington is fascinating. When coming in from the north, you hit a multi-lane road (one of very, very few, all over NZ - hurrah!) and then weave through a series of cavernous hills, … [Read more...]

In response to alarming statistics relating to body image amongst Australia's young women, the Equality Rights Alliance is running a campaign to fight negative body image. The Alliance is intent on … [Read more...]

Australian journalist and writer Katrina Beikoff experienced first-hand the kind of parenting Amy Chua speaks of in her book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Chua’s narrative of her Chinese cultural … [Read more...]

On day four of our NZ road trip, we left Auckland early, grabbed takeaway coffees and headed south east on highway 1 before turning off at highway 2 towards Matamata or ‘Hobbiton’ – the site where the … [Read more...]

Hard to believe we’d not yet travelled to our across-the-ditch neighbour New Zealand… so a school holiday trip was long overdue. As we’re not [yet] skiers, we thought the height of summer might be a … [Read more...]

My daughters have been drip-fed a new Disney princess every few years since birth.  In the twelve years since my eldest was born, Disney conceived Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana (the … [Read more...]

Worn out from the year that was? Emma Grey of WorkLifeBliss gives us her top 10 tips for work-life balance in 2011. 1.       Have a reason to leave Just as it’s easy to expand into a higher income, … [Read more...]

Recent news of the death of anti-anorexia billboard model, Isabelle Caro, came one day after I gobbled Portia de Rossi’s graphic memoir about her battle with anorexia in almost one sitting.  An … [Read more...]

Inspired by the blogging phenomenon that is Blogher, a small group of fabulous women bloggers have been busy working over the last six months to put together the inaugural Aussie Bloggers Conference … [Read more...]

Our decision to spend our next holiday on the islands of Samoa was a simple one to make. We wanted to go somewhere relaxing but fun, a place where we could stay mainly in the one spot, and somewhere … [Read more...]

I'm not sure it's wise to admit I have a crush on the very same man my 10-year-old daughter has one on. It's kind of embarrassing, really, but then - just because you're chugging up and over the hill … [Read more...]

Day Three of our California Adventure in San Francisco was very quiet. Lots and lots of rain. We had a much-needed sleep in, hung out on Union Street, shopped and took long reprieves in … [Read more...]

A report released recently on the impact on children of having a working mum, tipped fresh fuel over the smouldering ‘Mummy Wars’ debate. Working mums have ‘higher maternal sensitivity’ than their … [Read more...]

Oh sigh. It didn't let us down. That amazing place. How I've longed to meet you, San Francisco. Travelling to the US takes a looooong time so it's well worth making a longer trip of it. We factored … [Read more...]

Cool weather, snow-topped mountains, wild beaches, untamed forests, small cities, wonderful people. Tasmania. I’m a Melbourne girl. I was born here, grew up here and now live my adult life on the … [Read more...]

I had my first Italian language class in 1986. I was just six years old so I can only vaguely remember the teacher and, unfortunately, a minimal number of words he taught us (made even more … [Read more...]

In 2008, my husband and I made the impetuous decision to snaffle the kids out of school and head to Disneyland. To abscond. To play hooky from life. Irresponsible? Maybe. Naughty? A little. Exciting? … [Read more...]

Emma Davidson may be ‘just’ a young Australian mum of three young children, doing the regular stuff Australian mums do but she is also a quiet force when it comes to the world’s continuing injustice … [Read more...]

Over 50% of Australian mums are struggling to provide nutritionally balanced meals to their families, according to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). Major food company Nestlé recently ran a … [Read more...]

Well. I made it. Two weeks of no sugar, no alcohol, no dairy and no wheat. It had its ups and downs, but it was also totally do-able, and I'm so happy I made the time to try this programme, inspired … [Read more...]

Was it unlucky number thirteen that did it? Today I didn't have to worry about my diet in the least, because I spent most of the day throwing it up, not shovelling it down. Sorry to be graphic, but … [Read more...]

Oh my God. What can a single glass of wine do to the body? I'll tell you. A lot. Woke feeling seedy again this morning, for the first time in days and days, and I knew it was the wine with dinner … [Read more...]

Okay - a little advice. Do NOT plan a hot date in the hours following a cabbage dinner. Enough said. Woke feeling great and not ravenously starving, as had no desire to pig out before bed last night … [Read more...]

Woke feeling deflated about rice cracker blow-out last night. Got on the digital scales and YET AGAIN my weight has not fluctuated a single gram. Banged scales with my first and gathered weighty … [Read more...]

Uh-oh. Day Nine became blow-out day, alas. It all started well. Woke tired but not at all 'hungover' or headachey. Just sleepy. Felt motivated but also wary that I'm not losing a single gram. Could … [Read more...]

Woke on day eight feeling good. I feel lighter. No hungover feeling. My whoozyness and headaches have stopped. Husband is waking me at 6.30am - half an hour earlier than usual - and I start the day … [Read more...]

One week down! Had a terrible night's sleep. Now, this may not seem unusual to some, but I never have a bad night's sleep, so it's unusual for me. Hoping it's all those vitamins and minerals going … [Read more...]

Day Five. Woke feeling really tired but that lovely sleepy tired, not that exhausted deathly tired. My daughter woke me right in the middle of deep REM sleep (I was having a dream I took off a massive … [Read more...]

Day Three of my Feel Good Regime and eating has been a breeze. In fact, SO much easier than I thought it would. The thought of eating some chocolate turns my stomach, and trust me, this sends me into … [Read more...]

I really appreciated Danielle's comments on Day One of this challenge, about how she is totally over women obsessing over body parts, and wanting to be thin. I totally agree, and I'd like to reiterate … [Read more...]

Day Two of my no sugar, wheat, dairy and alcohol challenge. Oh - an no carbs after six. 'Carbs' in this instance involve anything white or beige - refined sugar, pasta, bread, potatoes, rice - you get … [Read more...]

Today, I am another year older. This in itself, is not such a big deal. But what IS a big deal is how I’ve been feeling this past year. In a word: lousy. The following is quite intimate, but here … [Read more...]

Recently, I did a blog post on encouraging healthy eating amongst children. The post started out innocently enough - a mother posting on why she thought offering a healthy and varied diet to children … [Read more...]

I know, I know – it seems like the school holidays have only just begun, but like most years, January will evaporate like a salty ocean droplet on a surfer’s shagpile head. Suddenly, you’ll be staring … [Read more...]