One year on…

A year ago today my MIL died.

The end was sudden, but not completely unexpected, but still left us all in shock.

She fiercely loved her children and grandchildren, and was immensely proud of their achievements.

She raised good, hard-working people, who loved their Mum and each other.  That is all you can ask for as a Mum really isn’t it?

We all miss you Pat.   xxx

Stop calling me…

I have my own home based business, which means I spent the majority of time in my office…at home.

One thing I have noticed, particularly in the last couple of months is the increase in begging phone calls during the day…and don’t get me started on the surveys!

On the home line it is calls for either this foundation or that, fundraising for equipment, underprivileged etc.  One the business line it is sponsorship for magazines, golf clubs, schools, you name it, they call me.

It seems to be one call on each line…EVERY DAY!  Every one is a sob story, designed to pull at the heart strings and make you feel like crap if you don’t help…like RIGHT NOW.  We are not talking about a few bucks either, the business ones are looking for $400 odd bucks a time…I am not running a multi-national here you know…even the ones on the home line are looking for $20 here, $50 there…

I do what I can, have favourite charities that I give to regularly, ones which have special significance for me…but times are tough and I simply cannot give to everyone I would rather give a meaningful amount to one or two charities than bits and bobs to many.

A worrying trend right now is charities who either thank you for past assistance -when you have never heard of them. Or worse, organisations who claim you have agreed to assist them when you damn well know that you said no!

And blocking your number shrieks of sneakiness to me, I have to question your legitimacy if you hide your identity!

I am busy here, and I’m sorry, I am not just going to give to every desperate voice on the phone.

In the past I have had a problem with saying no, maybe I am not forceful enough, so that is something I have to work on.

My home number is on the do not call register, but that doesn’t help with charities or surveys, politicians etc., as they are exempt, but they are the worst offenders.  I really think that the loophole allowing them to call is being abused and something ought to be done about it.

To anyone involved in charities please consider your fundraising methods, ringing someone who says no every month or two to see if they have changed their mind isn’t going to wear them down, it’s going to piss them off.  

Serious Business…

In real life I own a small business, maybe not a very exciting or sexy business to most, but it’s mine.

I provide risk (life) insurance advice to families and small business.  Again, not really exciting to most but it is something I love to do and a subject I am passionate about.

I have made a point not to blur the lines between my business and my personal blog but, as I am committed to making sure that families are protected please indulge me the odd post.

It is a fact that the majority of the Australian population are under-insured when it comes to life cover. That is both sad and frightening.  That means that most of the population have not taken steps to protect their family financially in the event that something happens to them… or if they have they haven’t been advised properly or educated enough about the options available.

Think about it for a second, you insure your house or your car without blinking an eye, but what about your income? What if you die, or can’t work for a period of time? What happens if you have to spend your hard earned savings on unexpected medical costs? That’s assuming you have savings to fall back on…

Life insurance is easy to arrange, doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, and despite popular opinion, most of you won't have to undergo medical tests or fill out lots of paperwork.

A broker (like me) works for you, not an insurance company, to find the best deal for your individual circumstances and budget.  I don’t charge you a fee for arranging cover, or for the years of ongoing service required, not even if you have to lodge a claim.

As with everything else, you really do get what you pay for when it comes to life insurance, but a broker will make sure that you have the best cover in the market for you and your family.

I encourage you to think about life insurance for your family, contact a broker and see just what they can do for you.

If you are interested in having a chat, or just getting more information, pop along to my website and see what it is all about.

Spoilt…

It seems to me that in general, contestants on reality shows take themselves way to seriously.

In the past it was the contestants on Big Brother, whinging about not “playing the game” …why the hell else were they there?  and “people not being themselves”... who the hell else would you be? 

Recently we finished another season of Biggest Loser, this year in particular a bunch of generally unlikeable people crapping on about their “journey” …

Now we are immersed in the latest offering from the Master Chef franchise.

Overnight, another spoiled brat was thrown off the show and is now harping on about it being “unfair”. She cooked like shit, got kicked out, fair enough…others with more talent and credibility have already gone.  Maybe she was put up for her unpleasant attitude more than her slightly dodgy cupcake skills.  I’m sorry; anyone who fails to cook chicken properly or forgets to cook rice to go with curry doesn’t have much of a future with food.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love this show.  I love the drama, the tears, the hissy fits, the disasters and the occasional triumph…I pick up cooking tips and the odd recipe too…

…but I am not going to eat anything that these people choose to serve up in a restaurant until they are properly trained and have some experience behind them.

Undercooked meat is the least of my worries though.  I’m not eating anything served up by some greasy haired, jewellery encrusted sweaty amateur in a bad hat.  I don’t see any of the guest celebrity chefs in need of a wash or a haircut; they are all neat & tidy, extremely well presented and professional.

It seems to me that people are pinning their hopes and dreams, their very futures on a game show that they have no control over.  The competition is for entertainment only, skill does play a part but at the end of the day does not necessarily guarantee you anything…some of the biggest success stories from past seasons were contestants kicked out relatively early.

As with any game, it is how you play that counts.  If you compete with integrity and are accountable for your own actions, take responsibility for your mistakes and stop looking for someone else to blame for your misfortune you still may not win but will ultimately be a success.

A good mantra for life actually, don’t you think?

Small things…

You all know what it’s like, you are having a rough patch, things aren’t going as you had hoped, or everything just gets on top of you.  It doesn’t even have to be that dramatic, we have all had times when you wonder why you bother, who cares anyway, it doesn’t matter what you do things just don’t go the right way.

There is huge pressure to be happy, to live the perfect life, to do your best ALL the time! To keep a perfect home, be the perfect parent, wife, lover…whatever.   There are news stories, TV shows and even blogs dedicating themselves to this end…and that’s not bad, if it works for you great.  I read these and sometimes it just makes me feel sad, or inferior or just plain pissed off.  I do my best. 

I’m an intelligent woman and should know better but sometimes the doubts trickle in, everyone else is so much better at “stuff” than me, but then I realise that no-one is perfect, a lot of people just don’t focus on the negative, it isn’t wrong to express how positive things are in your life, it’s just that I –and maybe some of you?- need to realise that just because it isn’t talked about doesn’t mean that these people don’t also have doubts and fears, bad days and problems too.

What we need to remember is things ALWAYS resolve themselves one way or another.  It may not be the perfect solution, it may not be the outcome you were looking for but the situation will pass…so no point beating yourself up of stressing about things, it is what it is and it’s how you deal with it that counts.   If we do the best we can as individuals and can hold our heads up high then sometimes that might just have to be enough.

Some things are out of our control and we just have to hang on and try to enjoy the ride…

…in the meantime, try to look for the small things that bring a smile to your face, make you chuckle or even just lift your spirits for a bit.

I found this little guy in the back of my pen drawer the other day.  Just a little throw-away gift from a supplier, but for some reason I like him, he brought a smile to my face on a not so great day, and sometimes that’s all it takes to get you through!

Identity changed to protect the innocent...

It’s getting cold out there…

I love winter as a concept, in reality it kind of sucks.

I hate the wind we tend to get here; it will freeze you to the bone.  I also hate the flu and colds, coughs and snot, you know, the things people share in shopping centres…don’t like dry skin, chapped lips and cold feet…and every year the need to get firewood from the shed seemingly every couple of house shits me to tears! It isn’t that often of course, it tend to be days between trips to the woodpile, and it isn’t usually me that does it, but I hate having to nag…and there’s never enough small bits of wood to get the fire re-started in the morning!

I don’t like the slate floor in the bathroom, so lovely and cool in summer, it is like ice in winter.  Going to the loo in the middle of the night isn’t any fun.

I do love snuggling up in front of the fire, steaming cup of coffee or a nice red in hand, something lovely bubbling away on the stove, listening to the wind and rain outside and knowing I don’t have to go out in it.

That lovely feeling when we are all home and safe while a storm rages outside.

I can actually sleep in winter, electric blanket, flannelette sheets, feather doona and blankets piled on…robes and slippers, bed socks and fluffy ‘jamies.

I love scarves and layers, gloves and boots. 

As I work from home there is no commute, our school run is no more and with the advent of online shopping the groceries are home delivered…so I can mostly choose when I go out.

What do you love, or hate, about winter?