Blogger Mouth

Some people are lucky and they love their jobs. They love going to work and can't believe they get paid to do it. It leaves you wondering 'why them and not me'? But there is a choice in all of this. You can just leave the dreaming for others and choose to face the daily grind or you can be a dreamer and chase your passion. Both choices have good points and bad, here's what I think. Suck it Up and keep Your Day Job Because somebody needs to pay for electricity, gas, food etc. A struggling Actor won't pay the bills. In the words of Obama 'A Great Education Helps to Create Ladders of Opportunity - a good education for your kids costs money. You'll have a better chance at paying off the mortgage - if you live in Sydney selling your house when you retire leaves a far bigger nest egg than Super (retirement fund). And if you have a big enough nest egg then you can finally chase your dreams. It builds resilience to help battle adversities that may cros...

I'm turning 50 this December and the thing that worries me most is I have no idea how to celebrate it. I'm the unassuming type, don't like to be the centre of attention BUT I have always celebrated my milestones. When I was 16 and 18 I had a big party at home with family and many dear friends in attendance. For my 21st I struggled a little but in the end I celebrated my 21st by having a BBQ in the park with family and friends. I had to do something different though, so I stayed sober that entire day and night!! Simply Un-Australian. For my 30th I had a big dinner with family and friends and for my 40th a friend and I celebrated jointly at the Casino. Now I know about the wonderfully exciting list of things you can do for your 50th but none of that grabs me. Yes I know I can visit the Big Apple or go to some other exciting far away land OR pick 50 exciting things to do the year I turn 50 OR have a big party where I can pretend it's the 80's all over again BUT I ...

Over the years my husband and I have visited Oahu many times but this time we had our kids so our approach had to change. Traveling as a family is more expensive and you can't just do what you want, the super active kids with no attention span need to be considered. Cheap Airfares Our kids are 11 and 14 so that meant 4 adult tickets. We had a wedding to go to so waiting until the 11th hour for a deal was no option. But if you can wait Jetstar (sign up) will send you notifications each time a deal comes up. If we had the time we could have paid as little as AU$2,400 in airfares for the whole family! Getting there We flew Hawaiian and they were great BUT not a cheap option for the budget traveler. Jetstar is a good option, leaves you extra money to spend when you get there. My advice is take the overnight flight there and back as 10 hours flying time for kids during the day is testing to the say the least. Airport to hotel  Don't bother with a shuttle as taxi's are c...

My husband comes from a tight Italian American family from Upstate New York. The extended clan often come together for a week or two every second year or so. It's both fun and suffocating for someone like me. See I come from a family that never took holidays ANYWHERE, in fact we never once went out to eat at a restaurant. My parents came to Australia in the 1950's escaping a beautiful Lebanon battered by poverty. We never followed rules (social ones I mean), I don't recall sitting at the dinner table because we usually ate in front of the telly (television) or out in the back yard. Don't get me wrong we had fun playing out on the road, jumping off the garage roof, swimming ALL DAY at Ryde pool on those sweltering hot summer days, hiding in the cornfields dad planted in our backyard!! Endless fun that cost not a penny. As a grown up I have traveled extensively, eaten at numerous restaurants, and enjoyed the spoils of good living BUT it never feels the same as that simp...

Have you ever felt like a rat running on a tread mill that just never stops? This is how it usually goes. You wake up at the crack of dawn to exercise (it relaxes you, makes you look and feel good, heals your partners wondering eyes or/ and you're just bloody stupid). You race home from the gym, shower, cuddle kids, and help them get dressed, eat, pack school bags and if you're lucky enough you're partner will help and even better take them to school. Half crazed you race out the door with a mouthful of porridge in your gob (still swallowing) run like mad to catch your train a kilometer down the road because your household only has one car. Finally you get to work maybe a few minutes late and nervously wonder if anybody noticed. The "how was your weekend" from colleagues just reminds you how hard it was (cleaning, grocery shopping, kids sports/ birthday parties, visiting frail parents who also need your help). You work hard and wonder if you'll ever d...