“Poker reveals to the frank observer something else of import – it will teach him about his own nature. Many bad players do not improve because they cannot bear self-knowledge.”
David Mamet

I love playing cards. I used to play whist with my granny when I was small. She made the best meringues ~ crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and sandwiched together with whipped cream.

Those meringues could have cemented my love of card playing. But it’s the combination of familiar cards, versus the random nature of the hands you’re dealt, which makes card games fun and interesting.

Poker People

I learnt to play poker in Costa Rica. We were hanging out in the jungle with US expats and that’s what they did during the long, dark, rainy nights. So that’s what we did too.

I read a few books about poker and practiced online before taking part in a tournament for real money.

It was small stakes. Usually $20 to play then, if you won, you’d come out with $200 six hours later.

It wasn’t about the money. The main appeal of poker night was to socialize and have fun.

I never came 1st – I squeaked in at 2nd a few times – but I definitely enjoyed poker nights.

It’s More Than Just Understanding the Game

I think I know the rules of playing winning poker. The problem is, I don’t always stick to them.

It’s easy to make mistakes. Either you lose concentration, get bored, give up too soon, take silly risks or allow yourself to be intimidated by other people, especially the people who have a much bigger stack of poker chips than you.

So here’s my pick of poker skills to help you win at life, as well as at the card table.

5 Poker Skills for Winners

1. Know When to Fold

New players often make the mistake of betting on cards that they should have thrown away in the first round.

In poker, as in life, you have to know when to give up on something. It’s good to try things, and sometimes perseverance is the key to winning in life, but often it’s a case of knowing when to fold  your hand and quitting while you’re still ahead.

Sometimes the cards you’ve been dealt are mediocre and your betting position is poor. That’s when you need to cut your losses and get out of there fast.

Patience is the key to winning in poker and in life. Sometimes it’s a long wait for a decent hand but if you don’t learn to bide your time you won’t win.

2. Perseverance Pays

I know this seems to contradict with rule number 1 about knowing when to fold. But winning in poker and life is about being able to balance these two opposites, and learning which one to apply in individual situations.

You have to learn when to get out because you’re onto a loser and when to stay in the game for a chance to win. Sometimes, when you have a semi-decent hand at poker, you have to keep representing yourself as the best hand on the table, even when you’re worried that you might not be.

In that case, you can’t just bet once, you have to keep putting your neck on the line and place bets repeatedly or you won’t win. Read this for proof that perseverance pays off.

3. Be Confident

Sometimes, no matter how long you wait, you never seem to be dealt a decent hand.

So you have to bet anyway because things can still work out, but only if you’re super-confident.

You may not have been dealt the best hand in life, you may not be the most skillful player, you may not know all the odds, but confidence can be crucial for getting you through and setting you on a winning path.

4. Be a Gracious Winner or Loser

When you lose do you throw your cards on the table, shout, cry and storm out? I’ve played poker with grown men who throw a worse tantrum than my four year old when they lose.

Most people don’t want to play with them again.

When you lose at anything, it’s important to be able to shake hands with your opponent and say:

“Good game, well done.”

Even though you know they only won because they were on a lucky streak and, if the odds had played out as they should, you would have won, gosh darn it!

If you’re a good loser, people will respect you.

They’ll say you’re a top guy or chick. They’ll look forward to playing you again, and when you do win, they’ll be glad you did because they like you. They’ll say you worked hard for it and you deserved to win.

Just be sure not to rub their noses in it.

5. Study, Practice, Have Fun

As with poker, you have to apply yourself to winning in life and work at it.

Study finding happiness and self-acceptance as poker champions study the odds of certain hands. Practice your life skills daily to get better at them and come out a winner in the end.

Most of all have fun. Remember that poker and life are both games.

They can be long, grueling and frustrating games at times, but the first rule in any game is to enjoy it. Otherwise what’s the point in playing?

Thanks for Reading

A warm welcome to all my new subscribers – it’s great to connect with you. I wish all my readers many full houses, flushes and hidden straights in life.

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Other Inspirational Stories

>> A Surfer’s Guide to Living Life to the Full

>> 10 Things To Be Grateful For and Why You Should Be

>> 101 Ways To Feel Happier

>> 5 Ways To Prevent Depression

>> 10 Ways To Get The Life You Want

>> 3 keys To Living Our Dreams

Thanks to CarbonNYC for the photo.

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Sometimes it’s fun to live vicariously through your children. They learn so fast and have so much fun doing it. Plus they get rewarded for their efforts.

My daughter just learnt to ride her bike. There’s a video here to prove it, but more on that later.

When was the last time you got a certificate in recognition of your achievements?

No one’s going to give me the Nobel Peace Prize, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been doing anything worthwhile, or worthy of at least a little pat on the back.

So what have I been up to since February?

Let me see…

• I washed and dried 256 loads of laundry. Approximately.
• I shopped for, prepared and served 392 meals. More or less.
• I learnt how to set up and publicise my blog, then wrote 83 articles for it.
• I finished my 68,000 word manuscript. It still needs oodles of work, but what I’ve done so far is a reasonable start.
• I got a travel article published in a national newspaper and some financial remuneration for my effort.
• I entered a couple of writing contests. Didn’t win but we tell the kids it’s all about taking part and having fun…
• I helped about 50 kids (not all mine) with their spelling or reading.
• I launched Mucho, our new web design and Internet marketing business, with my hubby.
• I wrote a shed load of web copy and sales copy emails.
• I got out and about networking at business meetings and meeting some good people for fun.
• I surfed. Not as much as I should have but I pulled on my wetsuit and gave it a go.
• I resisted the urge to give up on several projects and kept on slogging away at them.
• I taught my four year old to ride a bike. Now that’s a major parenting achievement and not as easy as it sounds.

Just look at all those action verbs.

Then there’s the vicarious living through my kids…

My 11 year old son won a prize for dancing at the school disco. He was the only kid in his class chosen to take part in a national science exam and was chosen to be part of a special reading program run by a university in Queensland because he’s a super reader. He loves learning the guitar and playing basketball.

My 8 year old son got sent out of his violin lesson for laughing. The the same thing happened in his drama class a few days later. When he saw a book called Puberty Boy with diagrams of a penis he wanted to know if I had a book with pictures like that of girls. I lied and told him I didn’t. He was the only kid in his class who was nominated to take part in the national maths exam and got a credit.

Both my sons have reading levels well above average for their age group despite the fact that they have been bandied around Central America of 18 months and spent a year being educated solely in Spanish in the Costa Rican education system.

My four year old daughter just got an orange belt in karate. She’s been doing karate for 10 months and in order to get her orange  belt she earned stripes for co-ordination, fitness, discipline, memory, teamwork, control, balance and focus. She kicks butt and keeps her family in line, especially her older brothers.

She just learnt to ride a bike too. Oh, maybe I mentioned that already?

4 Tips on Learning Something New

Because we bloggers are supposed to provide our readers with useful information here are a few lessons gleaned from the learning to ride a bike experience. You can apply them to learning any new skill or doing something you’ve never done before.

1. Make sure you’re wearing the appropriate safety gear. You will crash from time to time.

2. Start down hill. Make life easy on yourself, and don’t try to go too far to begin with.

3. Find someone patient to help you. If you can find more people to clap and cheer you on that’s even better.

4. Go easy on yourself. If you can just balance and pedal you’re off to a flying start. Learning to steer, stop gracefully, wave at people as you go by and ride with no hands can come later.

Check out the video

I think you’ll enjoy this 18 second video of my daughter riding her bike without trainer wheels.

Hear the proud mummy praise her, see how her little face glows with achievement, then cast your mind back to something you’ve done recently to be proud of. I’m sure there’s heaps of stuff you haven’t even had time to consider.

Thanks for reading

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More Popular Articles

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>> 3 Keys To Living Our Dream
>> Changing Crappiness Into Happiness
>> Follow Your Dream, You Only Live Once

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“Life is too short to be little. Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly, and expresses himself with frankness and with fervor.”
Benjamin Disrael

You know the old “life’s too short” cliché? Well, sometimes clichés turn out to be true.

Life is too short. We’ve only got a certain number of years to live and, worst of all, we don’t have any idea how many.

Make sure you’re not falling into any of these life-sucking traps because life’s too short for them.

Life’s too short to:

1. Stay in a job you don’t like.
2. Play it safe.
3. Worry about what other people think.
4. Stay put and not travel.
5. Maintain your prejudices.
6. Be mediocre.
7. Give up on.
8. Not spend it with family and friends you love.
9. Bear a grudge.
10. Be petty.
11. Read about things but never do them.
12. Be mean.
13. Go on fad diets.
14. Be indirect.
15. Wear boring clothes.
16. Eat junk food.
17. Hang on to clutter.
18. Not speak your mind.
19. Follow the herd.
20. Try to impress people.
21. Be grumpy.
22. Be insincere.
23. Take too seriously.
24. Hold on to your fear.
25. Be stuck in the past.
26. Daydream away.
27. Delay doing what’s important to you.
28. Spend in front of the computer or TV.
29. Be miserable.
30. Wish away by living in the future.
31. Hang on to self-destructive behavior.
32. Not ask for help when you need it.
33. Compromise your values.

Is life is too short to stuff a mushroom?

Shirley Conran, author of seventies classic, Superwoman, famously said:
‘Life is too short to stuff a mushroom’.

Trouble is, life’s not too short for eating stuffed mushrooms is it? I think it’s a case of making sure your priorities are right and being true to yourself. What do you think? Have I missed anything off the list?

I wish us all a long life but even if it doesn’t turn out to be as long as we’d liked, at least we can make sure it’s happy and fulfilling. Now let’s go out and have a fabulous day.

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More Personal Development Articles

>> 10 Things To Be Grateful For and Why You Should Be

>> 3 Keys To Living Our Dream

>> 10 Ways To Get The Life You Want

>> 101 Ways To Feel Happy

>> 5 Quick Ways To Volunteer and Feel Happier

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Here’s a reminder that there are many creative ways to do things. I love to dance. Dancing’s fun and can be a good work out too, but I’ve never tried dancing to change the world. Some people have though, and I think it might have worked.

Here are 6 dance videos to inspire and delight you

They may amuse you, surprise you and touch you too, plus they’re all examples of people using the power of dance to change their own lives, and even change the world.

Just watching these dancers fills me with hope, energy and enthusiasm and that’s got to be a good thing. I hope they’ll have the same effect on you.

Shut Up and Dance

If you can’t dance yourself, come up with another creative way to change your life. Try writing, painting, taking photos, singing, writing music, acting, or just about any form of exercise.

In case you’re wondering, Shut Up and Dance, is a great song by Shaggy which I love. The chorus goes something like this:

I said, hey, you standin over there by that wall,
Get  up do your thing on that floor.
Don’t stop! Party till the break of day.
Are  you  ready? Shut up and dance.

It looks lame in print – I guess you need to hear it and you can, right here on the Amazon website. Make sure your boss isn’t around and hit preview. Now get up and have a boogey:) Go on, no one’s watching.

Now, I’ll shut up so you can watch people dance.

Sasquatch Music Festival 2009

Do you ever feel that no one really gets you? That no one cares? Have you ever felt powerless? Watch this hilarious al fresco dancing guy start a rave and you’ll realise that you can change the world, start people thinking and create a following just by doing you own thing and being yourself. This video is a call to action.

Prison Inmates Dance to Thriller

These inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines practice their dance routine as a tribute to Michael Jackson. Sure, it’s not as polished as the original video, but if shows the resilience of the human soul and how much we should value our freedom.

Where the hell is Matt?

Matt Harding’s videos of him doing a frankly inane and rhythmless dance went viral in 2006 for a reason. It’s not about dancing ability but just getting our there, doing crazy stuff and not being ashamed of who you are. Roll your eyes, cringe in embarrassment but please hand it to the man – he’s entertained a lot of people, taught us something about tolerance and helped many people see a little of the world through his adventures. I like it best when the locals join in, and I think Matt might have lost a bit of weight thanks to all that dancing too.

Elvis Presley

Needs no introduction really. Elvis is the ultimate hip whose dance moves and music shook up the world. Here he performs Hound Dog.

Evolution of Dance by Judson Laipply

Clever comedy routine which will make you laugh and marvel at how the world changes, how fashion influences us and how fast times change. If we want to survive we need to be adaptable.

Power Shift Sydney Flash Dance

A flash dance organised in July 2009 to bring awareness to Power Shift and their plea for renewable energy sources. Set to a selection of fave tunes like Forever Young, Everybody Dance Now, What Is Love? and Sweet Dreams Are Made of This, the raw dance on the streets of Sydney and in front of the Sydney Opera House will make you want to stand up for what you believe in or just shake your buns.

For me, these videos are the final proof that actions speak louder than words. Happy viewing and thanks for visiting GetIntheHotSpot.com it’s great to be in touch with you.

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Thanks to being listed in the “101 Most Awesome Adventure & Travel Twitterers You Should Be Following,” I now have heaps of new travel-crazed readers. I came in at number 42 but still can’t believe Lance Armstrong beat me at number 9. He’s not really in my league but never mind…

Seriously though, I was honored, and it reminded me that one of the main things people like about my blog is the travel angle. So I decided to write a long overdue travel article.

Since we’re all self-described travel nuts I thought it would be interesting to explore why we love to travel. Great idea, I thought, and, even better, I can probably knock out an article on that in under an hour.

But then my mind started ticking over and I knew I owed it to my delightful readers to live up to my promise to inform, inspire and entertain you. So I decided to put up some travel photos to illustrate my thoughts and hopefully raise a smile. Then of course I had to scan them all in, crop them etc etc and it ended up taking bloody ages. But I think it was worth it. I hope you do too.

So What Is It About Travel?

For some it’s a dream that comes true once a year for the annual vacation. Often people yearn of a greater adventure like a year in Africa (me) or selling everything and bumming off to Central America for 18 months with the kids as we did in 2007. For some, travel is a sweet plan for retirement on a boat, a housebus, with a backpack or by train. I haven’t quite decided yet and might have to run with all of these in my golden years.

For me travel has been an all-consuming passion. My whole life’s been geared towards it. I trained to teach english as a foreign language so I could travel and get paid for it, and I did just that for years. I worked in exotic locations like Zimbabwe, Laos and France then saved up so I could travel extensively in Europe, Africa, South East Asia and Australasia. It’s been grand.

But Why Oh Why Do People Love To Travel?

These are my ideas in no particular order.

1. To challenge yourself

My toilet and bathroom when I worked in rural Zimbabwe in 1992. I shared it with seven other teachers and their families. No running water, just a hole in the ground loo and no lock on the door either ~ the towel hanging on the door indicates the bathroom is occupied.

2. To enjoy new experiences

Looks as if my husband, Rich, had fun hanging out with this monkey – he’s the one on the right. This photo was taken in 2006 at a monkey sanctuary in northern Thailand. You can’t experience that in England can you?

3. To find yourself

Following in the footsteps of the Beatles, many people travel to India to find themselves but this traveler looks as if she lost herself. Do you laugh when travelers dress like a local? I do. Here a young hippy chick in India dons the local garb. Okay, I confess, it’s me in 1996.

I still claim that I’m the only person to ever put on weight while traveling in India, but seeing this photo it’s hard to believe. I look even slimmer than the palm tree I’m propping up.

4. To learn a new language

No sooner had our daughter started speaking, aged 18 months, than we whisked her off to Vanuatu to learn bislama with the natives. Sometimes called pidgin english  you can probably guess what ‘allo’, ‘tata’ and ‘tank u tumas’ mean. I love speaking in foreign tongues, it gives you a whole new outlook on life.

5. To experience new cultures

This man earned a tidy sum by loitering outside our son’s school in Costa Rica and selling fresh coconuts and deep fried plantains chips with lime juice and chili. They called him Senor Pipa – Mr. Young Coconut. I’m pretty sure he’d be moved on quickly if he set up camp outside the kid’s school here in Australia…

6. To party or just to have fun

Travel is fun and lots of people travel with the sole purpose of enjoyment, wild partying or just because the funniest things happen when you’re traveling. Silly things like this sign about a bizarrely-named traditional story from Paama Island in Vanuatu, which especially amused our 4 year old son, Max.

7. To see  new things

I’ve seen the Taj Mahal, climbed the Eiffel Tower and the Twin Towers, and spied sloths, tapirs, lions and elephants in the wild, but I can never go within a 50km radius of a waterfall without checking it out. I love the noise, the spray, the constant rush of sparkling water.

I was raised in a watermill and we had two waterfalls in our garden so maybe that’s where my love of them comes from. I recommend New Zealand and Costa Rica for waterfall lovers. Here I am with the kids at a fairly decent cascade in Costa Rica. I don’t think I could ever tire or visiting new waterfalls!

8. To eat new food

I like to try new stuff but I draw the line at some things like the crispy fried giant centipedes offered as bar snacks in Zimbabwe. My husband is more adventurous and enjoyed a breakfast of roasted squirrel with a side order of toasted maggots for breakfast during a trek in Thailand. I went hungry that day.

I have eaten kangaroo though. It’s quite popular here in Australia, but even more widely eaten in Belgium of all places.

Why Do You Love To Travel?

Thanks for reading Get In the Hot Spot

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Other Travel Stories

>> Follow Your Dream, You Only Live Once – Central America, Guatemala

>> Daylight Robbery, Little Cove, Noosa

>> Traveling Close To Home: Coolum, Australia

>> Lessons From An African Witchdoctor

>> Sunshine Coast Tourist Guide – Australia Zoo

>> 8 Secrets of Mountain Climbing and Life

Filed under: Travel | 15 Comments » | Print This Post

No matter how much I shy away from it, more and more of my writing here is about self help, personal development or self development. Call it what you will, I’m writing about how to make life better.

Since my goal is to inspire you to live your dream and inform you how to get going, you may be wondering what qualifications I have for writing articles on personal development.

The answer is none. I’m not:

• a personal development expert
• a psychologist
• a counsellor
• a neuro-linguistic programmer
• a social worker
• a psychiatrist
• a leader
• a motivational speaker

I’m  just an ordinary 40 something working mother who’s been focusing on living my dream my entire adult life.

How I Got Interested in Personal Development

I think I’ve been lucky in that I’ve always known what my dreams are: travel and writing. But I wasn’t confident enough to pursue them as a career until later in life.

My life goals were quite clear to me even as a child. I wanted to travel, write, get married and have kids. Like most of us, I’m a complicated person with simple goals.

Today I’ve achieved many of my goals and am enjoying an enviable lifestyle. But to get to this point I struggled along the way with lack of confidence and depression.

Having kids was hard for me physically and emotionally. I was a good mother who thought I was bad. I was my own worst enemy, trying to be perfect, and hating myself for falling short of perfection on an hourly basis.

I pulled myself out of that in 2003 thanks to a combination of talk therapy, anti-depressants and endless reading of self help books. In the process I reassessed my life, my life goals and my outlook on life.

Personal Development for Practical People

Here at Get In the Hot Spot I share what worked for me. In particular how I found the strength to carry on (by prioritizing my own happiness) and how I gained the confidence to pursue my dreams (by acknowledging that life is short and many people die without achieving their dreams).

I aim to make my writing practical, fun and accessible to people who’ve never prioritised their own happiness or been interested in personal development before.

I want people to stop delaying pursuing their dreams and start living the life they want today.

Why We Need Personal Development

Pick up a copy of a gossip magazine at the supermarket and you’ll see that even celebrities who seem to have everything – looks, talent, fame and fortune – are often unhappy. Happiness is strangely elusive but we’re all struggling to do the best we can in life, so personal development help, inspiration and motivation are always needed.

I’ve read a shed load of personal development and self help books. I’m not perfect and I never will be, but I’m always trying to better myself and I’d like to help other people do the same.

Isn’t This What We All Need To Do?

Acknowledge that we are flawed but accept and even rejoice in it. Live life to the full anyway and strike out for your dreams because you believe in them and yourself.

I hope that I’ll be able to carry on writing my blog and inspiring people to live better. Thanks for reading it and for embracing me, warts and all.

Here’s my Top 10 Personal Development blogs. Check them out if you have any interest in improving your life. They’re all unique with a different slant on life but each guarantees a thought-provoking and inspiring read. I think this is an essential directory of the best personal development blogs and a great place to get started on your self development journey.

Top 10 Personal Development Blogs

1. Zen Habits

This simple website features well written and easily actionable articles written by someone people can relate to. Proving once and for all that content is king on the Internet, the Zen Habits blog has allowed Guam resident and former journalist, Leo Baubauta, to compete on a level footing with some of the big names in self development, people like Tony Robbins, Steve Pavlina and Dr. Phil.

Zen Habits covers everything including productivity, exercise, finance, motivation and happiness. If you’ve never visited Zen Habits before start with the Zen Habits beginner’s guide here. The Zen Habits brand has recently expanded to cover Zen Family Habits.

2. Art of Manliness

Despite my complete lack of interest in being manly I love this blog. It’s got a cool design and it’s easy to find all the great articles on manly topics like dress and grooming and subjects which would interest anyone like family, relationships, travel and finance. I suppose that when it comes down to it, it’s the high quality of the writing and the diverse range of topics covered that keeps me coming back for me.

3. The Art of Non-Conformity

Chris Guillebeau’s blog has a brilliant name and stunning concept which he sums up saying, “I write, travel, and help people take over the world.” He shows other people how to lead an unconventional lifestyle and achieve their dreams of self-employment and travel. This intrepid writer remains dedicated to his blog and his writing while also fulfilling his personal quest to visit every country in the world in a five year period.

4. Jonathan Fields

Jonathan offers “tips, strategies and conversations at the crossroads of work, life entrepreneurship and play.” Not many people could get away with a byline that long that but Jonathan manages it. He’s got an devilish sense of humor and isn’t afraid to show it. This site’s a great resource and true source of inspiration to professionals, writers and parents. You never know quite what you’ll find there but you always want to read it.

5. LifeDev

This blog specialises in personal productivity, creativity, and getting things done. Writer, Glen Stansberry explains how you can still use structured productivity systems like Getting Things Done (GTD) while working on creative tasks. LifeDev has the best tips on how to work smarter, not harder, as well as more general life-improvement techniques.

6. Life Optimizer

All about living your life to the fullest. Written by Donald Latumahina to help people who are living below their maximum potential. The Life Optimizer articles focus on how we can achieve as much as possible in life and become more effective so that our true potential will be unleashed.

7. The Happiness Project

Author Gretchen Rubin decided to spend a year dedicating herself to the pursuit of happiness and writing a soon to be published book about her year. Grethen has built up a dedicated group of fans quickly and if her book is as good as her blog it should be worth reading.

8. Sources of Insight

J.D. Meier started Sources of Insight to “help anybody be their best in any situation”.  He has a deep knowledge of personal development as well as life and business. He shares the best insights and actions from books, people, and quotes at Sources of Insight. If you’re looking for the top patterns and practices for mind, body, emotions, career, financial, relationships, and fun check out Sources of Insight.

9. The Happy Self

Genuine writing with passion and thoughtfulness. Dayne writes about mindfulness, personal organization, self-transformation, creating a naturally healthy body and mind, manifesting a life of freedom and most of all connecting with the internal reservoir of happiness that resides within you.

10. Plugin ID

Proof that young people are doing good stuff. Glen Allsopp wants to show us how to get plugged into our own identity. Heaps of great information here but scary to think that I’m probably old enough to be his mum!

New Personal Development Blogs To Watch

10’s never quite enough is it? You should also read these hot new personal development blogs, Lifestyle Design 4U and  Positively Present.

Photo Credit

Many thanks to Christina Evans for the amazing photo of this orange-barred sulphur butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.

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Who Are Those Dorks?

I wanted to write something funny today as I need a laugh and you may too. Rather than my usual ramblings, I thought what might amuse you is this family portrait of me with my parents and siblings.

I’m the kid at the back with the nice pageboy haircut mum claims to this day was flattering.

I’m not sure what date this family portrait was taken, but I’d say it’s circa 1974.

What Are They Wearing?

My younger brother, older sister and yours truly are all kitted out in one of mum’s hand knitted fairisle sweaters. Obviously all the rage in the UK at the time. At least I hope they were fashionable then. Either that or mum had a cruel sense of humor.

My sister, on the left with long hair, seems to be in her early teens and has been able to inject a bit of style into her orange fairisle tank number by pairing it with a white turtle-neck and some brown flares.

Mum and Dad don’t look too bad really, although I think they may be stuck in a 60s time warp and haven’t really got into the 70s thing yet. Maybe that’s why they look okay.

I’m hidden away at the back but I look a bit scared. Maybe Dad was squeezing my neck to keep me still. They always said I was a real fidget. I admit, I still am. My white, bony knees protrude from behind my brother. I suppose was wearing some kind of mini skirt with long white socks.

But let’s not think about that, let’s shift the attention to the little blond boy in front of me.

Why Do They All Look So Sad?

It’s my brother I feel sorriest for. I’m sure Mum chose the blue wool of the sweater to match his eyes. All very well and good, apart from the fact that he seems to have had a growth spurt in between the sweater being knitted and the photo being taken. Then there’s the trousers. Shudder. Diamond check patterns on trousers just don’t seem to be that flattering. No wonder he looks miserable.

Caption Competition

Yes, it’s fun to look back on old photos. Check out the Awkward Family Photos website if you’d like to see some  family portraits that make my family look normal.

It’s all about the caption of course, so if you can come up with a funny caption for my family portrait please leave it in the comments for me and I’ll use my favorite. All the entrants, and the winner, will be rewarded with my undying love for  making me giggle, no matter how cruel their comments.

Have popped up Lisa’s witty caption. If you have another idea let me know:)

Continuing The Family Tradition

I’m thinking about getting a professional photo taken of my young family done too.

Just wondering what I should make the  kids wear to maximize their embarrassment in the years to come…

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Well, nobody told me about Blog Action Day did they?! But I found out anyway.

What’s Blog Action Day?

It’s an annual event held every October 15 that unites the world’s bloggers in writing blog posts about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance.

This year we bloggers all have to write blog posts on climate change. Here’s my humble contrubution.

Don’t Just Sit There, Do Something

Oh, I know, it’s so easy to sit there and think it’s not your problem. Leave it to the politicians and eco-warriors to sort it out.

Unfortunately it is our problem. At the risk of sounding melodramatic the future lies in our hands.

We all have a responsibility to do something about climate change and the good news is that I don’t think it needs to be too hard.

Imagine if everyone in the world resolved to start making small changes. The net result would be huge.

6 Small Changes You Can Make To Help Combat Climate Change

1. Remember to take your own bags to the supermarket so you cut down on plastic.

2. Turn off your computer, TV, microwave, stereo and all other electrical appliances at the wall when you’re not using them. You’ll reduce your electricity bill in the process.

3. Have a car free day once a week. You’ll find a way to get to work with a friend, by public transport, by bike or on foot. And save money too.

4. Go vegetarian once a week. I recommend omelets for supper. Delicious, cheap and healthy you can make them even tastier by adding cheese, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes or anything apart from meat. This will cut down your shopping bill too.

5. Set your washing machine so your clothes wash in cold water. Most of them probably aren’t that dirty anyway so washing them in hot water is chronic waste of resources.

6. Now hang those wet clothes out to dry. Why stick them in the drier when you can save money and help combat climate change by letting the sun and a fresh breeze dry them free of charge?

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Studies have shown that people who volunteer and provide their work for free are happier.

Are You Too Busy To Volunteer?

If I told you you could enjoy the benefits of volunteering with a time commitment of only 30 minutes or an hour a week, would you give it a go?

I’m busy too. The usual stuff – a trio of kids and a business to run. But I want to give something back and feel I have a bit to to offer too. Here’s how I squeeze voluntary work into my life.

I help out with reading twice a week in my 8 year old son’s class. And once a week I help out with spelling in my 11 year old son’s class.

My total time commitment is only 1 hour and 40 minutes a week but, by dividing it up into three small chunks on separate days, I can fit it in. The classroom help is also at my kid’s school where I will be dropping my sons off anyway, so I don’t waste any time traveling.

The teachers really appreciate my help – I even have a certificate on my fridge to prove it, and I enjoy getting to know my sons’ teachers and classmates better.

Proof That Volunteering Will Make You Happier

Professor Paul Whiteley, from the University of Essex in Colchester, whose team produced the findings, says research has revealed an interesting link between helping others and enjoying a good quality of life:

“It seems that when we focus on the needs of others, we may also reap benefits ourselves. Voluntary activity in the community is associated with better health, lower crime, improved educational performance and greater life satisfaction.”

5 Quick and Easy Ways To Fit Volunteering Into Your Life

Here’s how you can fit volunteering into your life without giving up too much of your time.

You don’t have to do them all. Just pick one that works for you and do it for 30 minutes, or longer if you can.

1. Working with animals – My friend Teresa lives in the UK at the moment. She enjoys going to the RSPCA to help walk the homeless dogs. Prior to that she lived in Costa Rica where she regularly spent her nights patrolling the beaches to protect nesting sea turtles from predators.

2. Volunteering at a nearby school – Kids need help with reading, spelling, maths, computers and sports. Just about everything really. If you don’t want to work with children directly then you can still contribute by helping in the school office, the library or the tuck shop.

3. Helping the aged – Old people get lonely. Maybe you can ‘adopt’ a granny or grandpa in your area. Pop in for a cup of tea once a week, offer to help clean the high shelves they can’t reach or pick up their groceries for them.

4. Fundraising – Could you stand outside the supermarket shaking a tin to raise money and awareness for your favorite charity? You can’t get much easier than this for a one off voluntary job. You’ll probably enjoy the social aspect and be amazed at people’s generosity too.

5. Pick up litter – Grab a couple of plastic bags and head to your nearest beauty spot. Whether it’s a beach, a park or a forest you’ll probably be able to fill your bags quickly, and you’ll leave with a feeling of satisfaction.

Let me know any other ideas you have for quick ways to volunteer that make you feel happier. Just writing about it has made me feel happier!

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People tell jokes about New Zealanders and sheep. They say there are more sheep than New Zealanders in NZ.

All my kids were born in New Zealand so they are bona fide Kiwis. But we left NZ when our daughter was one and a half.

She’s four now and spent 18 months in Central America where she became a real jungle girl. She can recognise the four different types of monkey that live in Costa Rica and name them in spanish and english. She is au fait with all the birds, animals and bugs of Central America: rhinoceros beatles, bats, snakes, sloths. She has had close encounters with all of them.

We live in Australia now and last week she wanted to go to a petting farm where a revelation took place. She pointed at a calf:

“What’s that Mummy?”

I was suprised. As a baby she learned to point at animals in books and moo, baa or crow accordingly. Now, she couldn’t recognise a cow. I’m English, you can’t get much more basic than a cow.

“It’s a cow,” I said.

Then she pointed at a goat which was the same colour as the calf.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a goat!” I said stunned.

Then she turned to the sheep.

“What’s that?”

She must be the only New Zealander in the world who doesn’t even know what a sheep looks like.

I’ve set her right now and told her that’s where those yummy lamb chops come from.

Still, this time I think the joke was on me.

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Filed under: Smile | 6 Comments » | Print This Post