I havent read the other replies- I would be cautious about selling something so solid and stable as your cafe and home- for a job- unless that job is quite secure. I might give dh a few months of it, make sure he likes it and it fits, before doing such a drastic thing. And i love to travel. However, if it jsut felt right and the job seemed secure, I would do it.

As Rosie says, in Australia backyard line drying is the norm. We even have a classic Australian made washing line called the HIlls Hoist which is in most backyards built before the last few years. Most Aussie kids grew up with one- we would hang off them, build cubby houses with them- they are an Australian icon. Laundry rooms usually lead onto the backyard, not the front. Front yard? Not legal here. However in our home we dry indoors on racks, but it is convenient because the laundry is huge in this particular house. The Hills Hoist has been removed and a line put on the side of the house just under the aerial on the roof- where birds sit and poop on the clothes. Not practical.

Dh reckons he will never retire- he loves his work too much- and truth is, he probably wont need to unless severe illness takes its toll. His work is not physically taxing. But since he is self employed, and i am not employed, we dont get any benefits. There should be a pension for us later but who knows. We have 2 investment properties. Our idea is to pay at least one of them off

Low carb feels awful to me. It works for many people though- my concern is always whether people can limit a major food group in the long term. I can't. Many can't. For some it seems like a natural way to eat and they feel much better eating that way. For me, not. I dont like eating much meat at all, or soy. I got to my goal weight last year with WW and am maintaining with the No S Diet which to me is more of a lifestyle than a diet. Its doable for me and it can be combined with any dietary approach- I am mostly vegetarian.

Half of our food bill is produce. Maybe more than half. I shop at farmers markets and buy what is cheap and in season. Snacks here are fruit, lately salted peanuts (because they at least have some nutriitonal value), and cereal. I plan meals but only loosely so that I can make use of specials. When a special is something we use often, I buy in bulk, but not so much that it skews the weekly budget. Use up leftovers. Cereal is a waste of money- better off buying oatmeal and making porridge, or eating fruit/toast. But then, cornflakes here are cheap and ds loves them. I would not think in terms of calories- trying to get more calories for your $. I would think in terms of nutrition- how much nutrition can you buy for your $. Empty calories which are cheap, processed, tasty, are ultimately unfulfilling to eat and leave you feeling hungry. I woudl be thinking in terms of a balanced diet- lots of vegetables, some fruit- and work from that angle. Healthy fats- the cheap ones make you sick, literally. Make your carbs wholemeal as much as possible. Stretch your meats with vegetables. Then it is efficient nutrition, not wasted calories.

WHen I first read the title I read what is the minimum "staff" needed for camping- I immediately thought, you haven't camped much have you? And then...oh, a chef and someone to put the tent up would be nice! A change of clothes, walking shoes, tent, mattresses, sleeping bags, food, matches, water, toiletries. I have just been camping for 4 days last week. My tent broke so i slept under the stars- it was beautiful.

The only 2 apps I use regularly are Kindle for reading books, which seems to be what I mostly use my ipad for, and iperiod. I love iperiod for noting my cycles in as much detail as I like, from moods to physical symptoms, and also it sends me email notices (if I want) to tell me when my period is coming based on averages of my previous cycles. All other apps I downloaded seem a bit like gimmicks to me now. But maybe its just because I don't need them. Since I am home most of the time, and I have an imac so I really dont use my ipad as much as I thought I would (when I was still homeschooling....). But I am keeping it for travelling, and for buying and reading ebooks.

Until this house we always line dried- now we dry on racks because birds can sit above the line here which is not a good thing :) The laundry is big and has the hot water system in it, so the room heats up a little. We have 4 racks, each of which can hold a load of washing. It generally takes 12 hours to dry in summer and a good 24, even 36, in winter. We don't own a dryer- it would be too convenient. In winter if there is something we particularly want dried we put it in front of the heater in the dining room. We have never had a smell issue- fresh washing smells like fresh washing here. If you forget to take it out of the machine for a day, it can smell a bit! We open up the laundry most of the time to allow air circulation- and shut it down at night time so that the water heater warms the room.

I have the same issue- especially around names. I am notorious for burning things- I need a timer for sure. But I have always been like that in the kitchen. I can go from one room to the next to do something and by the time I get there, forget what it was I went there for. I have learned to write everything down- names, to do lists, reminders to do even the most trivial things. Dh is far worse than me- his coping mechanism is to do everything now- when he is thinking of it. So I can be in mid conversation with him and something I said triggered a memory of something he needs to do and he will literally get up and do it while I am talking. Very annoying, but I have become more sympathetic as I get older! I wonder if it information overload, due to the sheer amount of information we absorb nowadays. I don't know- it does seem age related. I have also wondered if the amount of electromagnetic radiation we swim in nowadays, especially those of us who spend a few hours a day glued to screens, affects our short term memory. I was worried about it for a while but it doesn't seem to be getting worse- in fact, since I stopped homeschooling, it might be a bit better because I am more relaxed and have more time. It does seem to be common- whether its normal or not, I am not sure.

We do not focus on not being in debt, but we live sensibly and well within our means. We do not owe money on anything except our 2 country investment properties which bring in almost enough income from rent to pay the mortgages on them. We focus on living the type of lives we want to live, now, recognising our abundance, being grateful for what we have, and teaching the kids to appreciate what they have and recognise their ability to create abundance for themselves. I think focusing too much on money and debt, sacrificing for the future etc can create a feeling of lack which then can rub off on kids..but of course it is necessary to make a big change if a debt mentality has been developed. And I know it can be hard for many people. I have lived poor, but I never felt poor. All of us live abundant lives compared to a few generations ago. We have electricity, running water, food- its too easy to forget that.

I was going to say that....dh makes sure the kids have decent pocket money, and the ability to earn money, so that they aren't tempted to do anything dishonest. In our family we pretty much teach that you can have what you want- what are you prepared to pay for it? (time, energy). We live in an abundance mentality. I think to many kids, candy is a kind of treasure- my son was- and is- like that. Because I always restricted sugar, he became greedy for it and did steal it a couple of times. Once he had pocket money and a local shop he could go to any afternoon, it stopped. ETA- my son was 7 when he stole.

I let them have it. As long as they can spell correctly in real life, and they can- in fact ds has corrected his teachers several times- I don't mind what they do in their teen speak. I try to be careful of criticising the younger generation for their idiosynchracies, as every generation seems to do that as we lose touch with what it was like to be a teen ourselves. There is some interesting creativity in their text languaging that I enjoy sometimes. But then, I don't have illiterate children.

Yes, this. I haven't used disposables for years except in an emergency, although dd insists I buy them for her. I don't even like the feel of disposables any more. I think one of the things I have saved a lot of money on in the last year is clothes. I have learned to ditch any clothes that I don't love and don't look good on me- ruthlessly- and learn what colours and styles look good on me- and I have a minimal wardrobe nowadays- but it makes it much easier to get dressed, I love my clothes and i am not often tempted to just pick up this or that on impulse, even when 2nd hand shopping. Iw ill also spend more on something that is worth it to me. I buy good quality stuff now and plan what I need each season. I used to buy cheap clothes willy nilly and it was so wasteful and then frustrating to have an overflow of clothes. I think I have saved money by becoming more minimalist and cleaning out things- it makes me much less likely to impulse buy, because I want to know exactly where it will go in the house. Unfortunately dh has not get cottoned on. We don't even own a clothes dryer. I hate economy shower heads with a vengence- give me good water flow anyday- one area I wont cut back unless it becomes necessary. Whats the point when it takes half an hour to get the conditioner out of my hair? If I owned our home we would be recycling all our grey water to the garden, and we would have a rainwater tank.

My dad has his family tree going back to the 1200s in England- Cecilia is very common, as is Susan which I found in virtually every generation- I am Susan (by birth) although they didn't name me that consciously. I like Cecilia too, a lot= that is a name I would consider using and I have mentioned to my dd she should name a daughter Cecilia :) . My grand mother still alive (she is 90) is Enid May- not so keen on that. My other grandmother was Gladice- not so keen on that either. My grandfather still alive- 97- is Dennis. My other grandfather was Horace. I remember lots of Johns and Thomases. My great uncle is Reginald. A great aunt is Sylvia. Another is Marjorie. All very English.

That is wonderful! Yes, I have read the book too- good book.

I think you can certainly encourage- she sounds like a teen? I am learning..you can lead a horse to water, you can't make them drink. They have to find motivation somewhere in themselves- but if she is compliant, maybe she needs your direction. Mine are both so clear and definite and dislike my trying to control their direction, so I have backed off, even when my son flunks, and now relegate myself to cheer squad and encouragement.

You are not selfish. And clingy kids can grow into extremely independent older people. My dd was never clingy at all- would go to anyone, anytime. Loved daycare, loved school. But ds was like your son although not as extreme as the vomiting part. Fortunately I had dh around a fair bit- ds did not like staying with dh but it was a compromise I was willing to make for my own sanity. I used to do one activity an evening a week- a cooking class etc- just to get a break. I found homeschooling great for my son- he had mostly outgrown his clinginess by then but wow, is he independent now, and he has been for a long time. I think these kids need a lot more to fill up their love bucket when they are young- but you need to keep filling yours up too, in order to keep filling his up. My son hated gym creche but I made him go- I would bribe him with ice cream or whatever I could! He took bribes- that made it easier.

:iagree:, but I would still be hurt. My dh and dd got back from Paris on Mother's Day. I am honestly a little hurt- they went for a father daughter trip and all and I am thrilled for dd, but they didn't think to bring back anything at all for ds and I- a postcard from the Louvre, anything. Its petty of me but i am a little hurt- on top of nothing for Mothers Day. But...that was my expectation somehow- not sure why- and it's ok. But its ok because at other times, I am gifted beautifully with things that mean a lot to me. Generally, if I want something, I end up getting it. I think just to soften any remaining feelings I have over Mothers Day I will go and buy myself a pair of shoes I want for this winter. I did that at Christmas one year, knowing I wouldn't get anything I wanted from anyone- I bought myself several things, wrapped them up and put them under the tree. I haven't had to do that since. But seasons come and go and some seasons dh is spot on. If he never was...I guess it would take a lot of mature acceptance to not be hurt. It is good to keep a sense of humour about such things though. I am always better off when I can be blunt and direct but use some humour, usually sarcasm, to get the point across.

Well, for you I would make a hot lemon and ginger drink, then a carrot, celery, kale and apple juice. Maybe a hot pot of chicken and vegetable soup with lots of chilli and garlic. There you go :)

My parents used to love it. I like being up and about an hour at least before I am ready for breakfast. And I like my first cup of tea with checking my emails. In fact, please don't come anywhere near me when I get up in the morning. I like my SPACE.

:lol::lol::lol:

I like liver a lot but dont eat it so often- mostly vegetarian nowadays. One way to take it is to buy it in capsule form. But I think organic is the only way to go with liver, due to the filtering factor. I can buy a large organic lambs fry for a few $ here. I like it fried with bacon, with a bit of gravy, some peas and mashed potatoes. Yum.

For some reason it is really important to my father's wife to do the whole present thing- birthdays, Christmas etc- and she gets very hurt and bitter if not acknowledged deeply for every gift she gives. I do exchange presents with both my parents but that is what we do- it's not right for everyone. If they didn't give me a present I probably wouldn't go to the effort of giving them one, either, honestly, but they do, so I do. I find all the politics around gift giving to be annoying and sometimes I want to drop it all, but then, I do enjoy it too so try to just stay gracious around it all. If they stopped, it might even be a relief.

I think you already know the answer. If you would want that for yourself, why would you not want it for your dd? How wonderful.

I dont have a problem with Mothers Day but it's no big deal either. Only my son remembered- he is usually the one who forgets but he made me something in woodwork at school (which he forgot to bring home). My dh and dd got back from overseas on Mothers Day so it wasn't on their mind. A few friends and my parents both said Happy Mothers Day to me. I think its too easy to get cynical about such notions as Mothers Day, but its not such a bad idea for people to remember to appreciate their mothers. Its too easy to forget in the busyness of life. I phoned my mum and chatted for an hour. I sent an ecard to my dad's wife which touched her heart. It doesnt take much to reach out and touch someone's life- why not on Mothers Day? But we don't make a big deal and if you don't want to do it, don't do it- but its what you make out of it that matters, not what others make out of it, or how it has been commercialised. I didnt spend a cent, but I gave my time and appreciation. Life passes quickly and you never know when you will never have a chance to express love towards loved ones again.