Normally when I walk into work, I am so focused, so rushed, thinking about not losing any time, what I need to get for dinner, did I put the right school lunch into the right bag, what was on my desk the day before, damn I forgot the washing in the washing machine, you know how it goes! I have always been so focused on stuff, that I have never actually looked up to see what my surroundings look like. (more…)

We went to a birthday party the other day, and the traditional “lollibag” took on a whole new meaning. It was an oversized plastic “chuppa chup”, (pictured above), with mini lollipops inside it. Oh, and it doubles as a money box when all the sugar fixes on a stick are consumed! It came in an awesome oversized wrapper, in the same design as an actual “chuppa chup” wrapper. (Don’t know where that is right now!). To add to the delight, there was also a jar of jelly beans, just in case we didn’t quite get enough hyperactivity out of the first lot! (more…)

Last night, there was an almighty battle between two arch rival teams in the game of AFL. Collingwood vs Carlton. Always packs out the ground, (except for last night because the game was at the odd time of 7.10 and it was raining and bitterly cold!), as they are two of the biggest teams in the AFL. As with most teams, their fans are fanatical, and bitter enemies until the end. (Except for my little girl who at the age of three went along to such a game wearing a Collingwood jumper, as we barrack for Collingwood, but waving a Carlton flag, as her cousins barrack for Carlton!) (more…)

Just got home from school pick up, went to the mail box to check the mail when my daughter said, “What’s that for mum?” She was pointing to my feet. I looked down and saw this:

Ohhhh nooooo! I had gone to school with two different shoes on! I had been in such a hurry to leave, because I was running late again, that I grabbed the shoes from the shoe rack and just put them on without looking! I have always had this image of one day going to school and forgetting to change my shoes and looking down to see my slippers! I never thought it would be this! I’m still wiping away the tears from laughter! Oh well, for those of you who didn’t notice, now you have! It’s always good to have a laugh, even better when it can be at yourself!

The other day my son came home from school after completing a maths test. “How was the test?” I asked him as he walked through the front door, dropping his blazer, tie, belt, socks at different intervals in a line down the corridor, like a working man eager to leave his busy day behind him. “Great”, he said, “I finished it early”. “Awesome”, I said, “Did you review it?” “Well, kind of”, he replied, “I made sure I finished every question, but I didn’t check every answer, I had just done it mum, I didn’t want to do it again! But I made a paper crane out of my working out sheet!” (See photo above). Gee, I thought, typical Year 7 kid, can’t do too much work now can we! “But”, he said, “the teacher supervising saw my paper crane, screwed it up and threw it in the bin!” I asked him what he did and he said, “I told her that it had a life to live and its legacy will live on! And then I did a “bin dive” into the bin and saved it!” He pulled the paper crane out of his school bag and showed it to me with pride. I laughed, I knew he had not been disrespectful, and I told him I was glad he had saved the crane.

On the same day, my daughter came home from school and told me that they had been asked in class, to write about their wonderings of Australia. She said a little boy had written “I wonder what would happen if cows ruled Australia!” I thought that was funny and had a giggle, but her substitute teacher thought it was not, and so he got into trouble!

Don’t you think that sometimes it would be great to see the lighter side of life and not always be so precious and proper? We get so caught up in the dos and don’ts that we forget to have fun. A child’s imagination is bursting with innocent, creative thoughts and perceptions that are yet to be suppressed. Let’s nurture that and teach them that as long as we are always respectful towards others, it’s ok to have fun and laugh, after all laughter and happiness are the keys to a healthy and happy mind and soul, am I right?

My son came home from school the other day and showed me this photo. “Look mum”, he said “I took this photo on my way into school this morning, it reminds me of the path to life!” Wow, I thought great photo, but how can a Year 7 kid think of something so deep?

It’s the path that leads to the school when you enter from the back gates, and instead of playing on his phone or on his iPad, he was in touch with his surroundings and appreciating life. I think that sometimes we can all learn from our kids, take a moment, stop rushing and remember what it’s like to look at the the world through the innocent eyes of a child. Remember how we used to think before our opinions and thoughts became tainted by the expectations of society. Maybe then we will remember that it is the simple things in life that matter the most!