I had heard about this too, and had gone to great lengths to avoid wet hair going to bed most of my life :) Then recently I had been goign out one evening a week, and really wanted to shower and freshen up before going to bed- and I decided to try having wet hair to bed. Really....nothing bad happened to me. :) No headaches, sinuses, my pillow didnt even seem to notice. It was even in winter, which I thought would be worse. I noticed nothing, and I am a bit fussy and sensitive.

I never watch this show but happened to catch it the other day. A homeschool mum was swapping with a high powered workaholic coloured woman...it was very interesting- I am sure many of you have seen it- but wow, I agree with my son that it gives homeschoolers a bad name. The homeschool mum was totally overprotective, her kids had never had friends over, and she was obsessed with medieval culture- probably an SCA fanatic (we are in the SCA here and we see a lot of fanaticism). The kids seemed ok but couldn't use a cell phone. The other mum put them in school- where they actually made friends and did ok. The coloured womens kids were taken out of school and homeschooled- dressed in medieval costumes, taught dance and how to make leather shoes. No academics. (I guess it was only a 2 week show and she was trying to show them something- but the dad was freaking). She was so cutesey about it all. Ugh. Out of touch, it seemed to me. Or rather, "touched". The outcome was that the homeschool mum realised she needed to be less scared of the big wide world...and allow her kids to have friends over....and the other family acknowledged that they really needed to spend more time together as a family, which was worthwhile. Even the teenage kids wanted more time with their mum- and she didn't think they would. Interesting. Lots of frama and conflict. But I was not impressed with the homeschool mum as a public example! I will now take my head out of reality TV, and go back to my normal non reality TV, which is how I like my TV.

Thanks for starting this thread! I just looked up XBX and printed off the program! I do yoga and walking and various other things, but I love to vary my exercise and I think I need to push myself a bit more. I get bored doing the same exercise over and over. When I was a kid my dad showed my brother and I FBX exercises and we used to do them- I even remember getting up really early and going to the local oval and doing them, as well as jogging, before school. My dad is still fit at 73, even though he has cancer- probably fitter than me. As for getting older...mmm, I am feeling it at 43. I think we just feel it more as we get older...we suffer any consequences of years of bad habits...but it is never too late to get healthier, to form better habits. Someone reminded me the other day (when I was feeling my age!) how beautiful and well kept many European women look even right into old age. We are never over the hill except when we decide we are.

That sounds really beautiful, Joanne. Good on you for making the time to do something like that.

Can I just say that I think this is a wonderful and rare thing to do? We were discussing this in a womens group I am in recently. Some women were completely freaked out at the idea of going to a restaurant on their own- like it would just feel wierd. I had never done it- not a proper restaurant, although I had sat in cafes- and I decided it was something I wanted to challenge myself to do, so a couple of times now I have done it- gone to a restaurant on my own, with no intention of chatting or meeting with people, and just .....being on my own. Its is very liberating, actually. Quite different from being in company. I really noticed there are a lot of people out there who are alone, too. Just thought I would comment on that because it seems that its not so common a thing to do (I guess most of us do shop alone, though...whenever we possibly can :) )

I have a discipline of early morning rising and its really important to me to get that time in. Even if I sleep in (I never set an alarm- I just go to bed early enough, as well as have chronic early morning insomnia :) ) I will tend to stay in my room until I have done some sort of spiritual practice- and/or exercise, which is usually walking outside in nature. Then I use the mornings from 7am onwards to DO STUFF. As in- mornings are my most productive time by far, so I have always tried to fit most of our homeschooling into the mornings, as well as anything else important that requires concentration. Most afternoons I have a rest and I have been doing that since the kids were babies. Late afternoon, after a rest, I usually catch up on housework, do the shopping and errands, and make some dinner. Dh has worked evenings for years, so for many years, I had a TV in my bedroom and the kids and I would pile into my bed and we would watch an episode of a series together- like Star Trek- and then I owuld read to them. (Last 2 years I stopped evening read alouds). Then once i have put them to bed, since dh is not around, I get more time to myself. As to what I do- frequently, I am on the computer, which is sometimes very nourishing but sometimes just pure escape. Sometimes I have an art project going on. I always have several books on the go at once. I meditate and do yoga. I walk. Lately I am making a big effort to get out and connect with friends more. I never have any problem filling in my time :)

Anything someone else is generous enough to make me? When I am sick I often make myself healthy stuff like broth with chilli and garlic, and vegetable juices if I am well enough to stand and do that. But when I am at my lowest.....probably just chocolate. Dark, dark chocolate.

Lol, must be a WA thing! We always were a little backward over here.

I agree with stopping before you get to that point. Do the harder stuff first. The important stuff, too. I leave that last hour (sometimes 2) for them to do independent work because I am pooped- I go and rest so that I can get through the late afternoon and evening. I make it work within my energy capacity. If I am burning out, I change what we are doing. I dump a parent intensive program for a less parent intensive one. I cut out the non essentials. I shorten lessons. We start by 8.30am so that I can devote my best hours to school. By 1 or 2pm I am done. OK, by 1pm. But my kids are older and can finally work independently a fair amount. I would seriously consider cutting back to about 3 to 4 hours with kids your kids' ages, but that's just me. Or, implement the mandatory afternoon 1 or 2 hour rest time that Susan Wise Bauer recommends for homeschooling families. I learned that taking that break is for me the difference between being a reasonable person and enjoying our lifesyle, and just scraping through each day. You could finish the last hour of work in the afternoon or evening, or save the readalouds for them. Dont underestimate how exhausting it can be to homeschool.

Well, yes, it is quite common actually, especially in some social demographs- its probably a more working class thing, but its common out in the country. In fact, I think my dh says it sometimes. And now that I think about it its quite common on the phone to hear someone say that. It's a way of being friendly - g'day mate. Blokes (that's guys) often say it to each other- its not generallysaid to women, although perhaps it is in some areas and some women would consider it fine. It's more of a blokey thing, though. I noticed my ds14 has started saying it more now that he is working with other guys in a reticulation business. As for pumpkin Pie, I am on Rosie's side on this one. I can eat it. Its called gramma pie here. But you would have to add an awful lot of sugar to make it taste ok, and I don't like to eat sugar...so why bother? If you have to add that much sugar to make something taste reasonable, well, I would rather eat.....a lot of other things. I do remember eating it as a child though- my granma made it. It was ok. Not something to rave about.

Sleepmaker, Sleepstream, Sleepmachine, Powernap are all sleep related apps. My guided meditations come from various websites like wildmind.org and other things on my ipod. I am not aware of any apps. There is a free Kindle app. I can sit in my bed and buy and download a book from Amazon through my Kindle app, in about one minute. I love it!

I use my ipad for ebooks, checking email , a menstrual calendar, and for guided meditations and audio books/ipod, as well as some sleep programs. Sometimes, for searching the internet. I bought the separate bluetooth keyboard so that I could write easily, but the truth is I do not use it much for writing. After the novelty wore off. I have a good computer in our living area- I tend to use that for most of my computer useage. I use my ipad either in the kitchen area when I want to check my email without turning on my computer (it is very useful for that)- or in my bedroom- and it is very handy for that too. I do love my ipad. I would not substitute an ipad for a computer unless you wanted it just for a few things. If you wanted to be able to write and use a word processor, or multitask, I think a computer is better.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions about the father's guilt either, but it is not normal for kids to be jumping into beds with fathers not their own, either, family bed believers notwithstanding. It is a bit silly to be doing that after being accused of sexual abuse, even if it was from a bitter ex-wife. One's own child is one thing- but a guest? I would feel weird even if there was a woman in the bed too! I would be trusting and acting upon my own intuition in the circumstance, as the book "protecting the Gift" that Joanne mentioned recommends. I would probably do nothing much at all but watch my own child for any signs of abuse, even ask some discreet questions, and most likely, not allow my kid for a sleepover there again. But realistically, I probably would have tuned in (checked in with my intuition) before allowing my kids to sleepover at a divorced father's home in the first place, to tell the truth. And I hate it that we need to consider these things, and also that many innocent men are accused and even convicted of such crimes....but thats the world we live in, and for every innocent there are probably many guilties.

Christianity isnt the only teaching that seems to predict some sort of end of an age coming up around now or soon. The whole 2010 Mayan prophecy thing coincides, don't you think? Do I believe any of it? Either its true or it isnt, and my belief or not won't change a thing. I am not much into beliefs. I have an open mind, and meanwhile, I get on and live my life the best way I know how. Life is always unpredictable and death is always possible at any moment- we just block it out of our consciousness most of the time. Best not to take any of it for granted. I have friends- not Christian- who are preparing for a world wide type of meltdown, end of the world type of scenario.

My kids and I love this show for the music- but the drama is certainly your average trashy drama. It only started a few weeks ago here and there is a teenage girl who gets pregnant to one of the teenage guys, but she doesnt think he would be a good father so she sets up another guy to think he is the father jsut because they were in a hot-tub together. I am looking at this and rolling my eyes at the tacky drama. I can imagine many parents not feeling it is appropriate. I feel my kids can handle that sort of thing and recognise it for what it is...and I watch it with them....and we love the music. There are lots of good messages in it also.

I tend to eat this way. It was hard in winter but I am getting back to it now (spring here). As long as I allow myself some meat or fish 2-3 times a week, I am happy with cutting out dairy and wheat/most grains, and eating mostly fruit and vegetables/beans/lentils/nuts and seeds. I dont eat sugar, but I do eat sweet things like sweet fruits and treats made with dried fruits, at times, and stevia in my tea. I actually find my system likes a fair amount of fat so I eat avocados and coconut oil, and butter, and nuts, fairly freely. My weight is pretty good. I lost a bit recently just by going back to my more healthy diet and getting out and walking more. Its a lifestyle thing to me. I don't diet.

Congratulations Amber. Thinking of you.

I've been thinking about you, Amber- I drove past the hospital today and it reminded me of you. Hope you are doing ok.

I keep a minimalist purse (we call them handbags here and purses are wallets for women). I have a leather backpack type purse because I really prefer to have my hands free. I have one savvy-cents.com wallet- absolutely love it One mobile phone One notepad and pen one comb one lipstick or lip gloss one pair of glasses for reading fine print on tins in the supermarket! I regularly clean out my purse to keep the minimum in there.

Nowadays history is only one part of the subject "SOSE" here in West Australia, and they try to cover so many things in SOSE, it's no wonder they can't fit in much history. Especially since so many people think history is irrelevant- except perhaps your own country's more recent history, so you can vote.

Love our home, love our neighbourhood....could live here forever....but we don't own it! It is worth a LOT more than we can afford! (But that's the benefit of renting- we live in a millionaire home in a millionaire area, and pay far less rent than we would pay mortgage on a low average average home in a low average area). We love our neighbourhood as a good area to bring up our kids in, but we can't afford to buy here. We all have our challenges, and life is unpredictable. We love it here- but we have one very, very grumpy neighbour, which is unpleasant. I like to dream about possiblities, and I have many dreams. DH knows I would prefer to own a home- he does not have any desire to and he definitely doesnt want to live in a rough area. So...I make my peace living the way we do.

I love these: youngliving.com but they are not cheap and they are a multinetwork company (not available in stores). But they are the best quality oils I have ever used, so I do use them (and I don't sell them). My favourite single oils are lemon, peppermint, tea tree, orange, lavender, ylang ylang and rose. I use mainly blends, however, such as "citrus blend" or "Thieves" which is a yummy smelling anti-viral/bacterial blend based on a recipe that apparently thieves used to use to protect themselves from the plague when robbing bodies! I also have a "Dragon Time" blend for around menstruation time- it makes me feel much better 'cos it smells so yummy. I would imagine natural food stores would have essential oils- our department stores even have them, as well as many boutique type stores. Just dont buy "fragrant oils" because they are chemical, not natural. Just go and smell, smell, smell, and see what appeals. You will probably find blends as well, such as "Stay Alert" or "Sleep" type labels. I find I am attracted to different smells at different times.

I do not consider myself a "writer" although I am thinking of becoming one. I write a lot. I love to handwrite. I have been doing the daily 3 pages of handwriting from the program in The Artists Way by Julia Cameron. I love it. Something about handwriting really helps me connect with myself emotionally. However....I also type fast and have no problem with that. The problem is having people around me so much when I am on the computer, which is in the living room. If I had a project in mind to focus on, and a chunk of quiet time to do it....I would type, because of the editing factor. If I want to get my thoughts, feelings and emotionas down, as in a stream of consciousness- then its handwriting.

I am a tosser but I am sensitive to my kids' feelings too! I wait till the emotional attachment has gone. I am in a shedding phase right now and am getting rid of a lot of things. Many books, many clothes, and much paperwork. However, I am keeping certain writing assignments and history assignments and their gratitude diaries- I would like to make a lovely portfolio of it all (which is I guess a scrap book thing, not that I am into scrapbooking) so that they end up with ONE lovely momento of their homeschooling years, with samples of their work from over the years. Other than that, all the drills and not so interesting stuff gets tossed once or twice a year. Definitely not weekly or daily.

The bit that stands out to me in the OP is that you feel that being a good mother is always putting your children ahead of yourself. Yes, babies and small children need that kind of selfless devotion. They need to know that they are completely safe and important. However, there comes a time when kids need to know that you are not just there for them. You are a person. If you always put them first, they will not learn to ever consider you. I believe you must model to them that you respect and care for yourself as much as them. You are important too. Your love for them should not dominish your love for yourself, your ability to take good care for yourself. Too many mothers are martyrs and that is not a healthy thing. I say- put your own needs first. Its not selfish to put the oxygen mask on yourself first, is it? But we mums tend to forget to do that, and feel bad if we do because we are trained to sacrifice ourselves for everyone else. Well, guess what....they won't treat us very well if we do that!