Rumbling tummies, mumble grumbles and happy highlights

It’s been a long week without my husband here in Perth. I have so much to catch up on.

Quinn's Beach

The Karrinyup Resort Caravan Park is lovely. It is without doubt one of the best family orientated parks I’ve stayed in. The amenities are clean and our closest ablutions has private cubicles like your own bathroom – not unlike a private ensuite site which are normally extra. It means I can have the boys in there with me, huge bench seat , toilet and vanity. The park has lovely surroundings , a lake & lots of trees, is very well kept and being upgraded further.

The Jumping cushion is awesome and with the playground right opposite us I thought it was a godsend. Though not without a few disadvantages...

My visions of a week to myself , while the boys played and soaked in the love of other playmates, were dashed the second day. Things did not go as I planned. I envisioned a week to catch up on blogging things, emails, site seeing Perth, reading and relaxing by the pool or beach. Insert *sad face*

However ,we have been inundated with cute, pint sized poppets asking for food & drink or eying off our toys – sure my children encourage them and sharing is caring . One in particular starts door knocking at 6.50am ...ignoring her makes her knock louder .(I did mention it to her Dad the first time I spoke him at length in the pool yesterday . Then I saw their mother the first time in 5 days – she mentioned apologetically  B was supposed to be going to toilet. She is 5 and very sweet , though it scares me she is so friendly.

B & her brother C, shared our pancake breakfast this morning too –told me you shouldn’t go off alone “because some creep might take you” when I told my boys off about “going off without telling me”.

A few other lads 5-8yrs and a big brother (14)  had 5 kids playing under their awning one day (ah ha- they were opposite the jumping cushion) - since gone home. The big boy was quite happy to have 5-not including –his- siblings there. I passed his mother up near my caravan – she said yes, she had HAD quite a few children at her place !

The Drummer boys love their new friends B & C but I feel like I am responsible for them when they are here – get your bike off the road , be careful, off that top bunk ...does your mum know where you are ? B was in our caravan 2 hrs the other day watching Snow white !!

Not to mention again, but I am over playing hostess with a steady supply of food & drink to rumbling tummies and sorting out my boys sibling spats. I am up & down like a yo-yo. I’ve been so frustrated ..though it is still 80% my own boys killing my time.

After chatting to B & C’s Dad – they are from Queensland and have been on their road trip – around Australia since December ...small world factor is their dog is being bordered by family who live in next suburb to us (5 mins away) in Sydney.

Ok, enough grumbling . I‘ve also had a dynamic and exciting weekend with a visit and play date from Lani & Boo , at Me & Boo. We had a beach/playground meet up arranged with Glowless at 1.30pm on Friday too but she unfortunately fell very ill with tonsillitis and later ended up in hospital.

Anyway, I was in Telstra shop @ local shopping centre sorting out my WIFI credit around 11.30am. Lani and Boo were randomly passing . Lani saw the boys in the shop window and recognised them #smallworld ...She said hello and they immediately told her we’re ‘Sam & Joel’.

So in a twist of fate - we ended up back at Karrinyup Resort instead and the Drummer boys & Boo played all afternoon while we chatted, then we had an impromptu dinner and a little wining. Then again for a short while Saturday, Boo and boys bonded it was so sweet. I really enjoyed Lani’s company too. I love her humour and our sensitive talks. We have met before in Sydney.

Saturday afternoon we were invited to dinner by the gracious Sarah  .Her 3 cherubs were lovely .My boys had a great time playing with them and I had to drag them away. MR S cooked up some delicious pizzas with pizazz . Sarah lit some candles for the Wave of light too. It was a very special time.

 

I came home & lit my own candles

 

I am truly thankful for the friends I have met through blogging , the connections and the good conversations I had with both Lani & Sarah. It was a highlight of my week.

I haven’t been totally starved of adult conversation , everyday people strike up conversations about road trip travels, caravans, kids and anything. I‘ve been waylaid so many times ...in a nice kind of way it makes you slow down and stop rushing.

A lovely ‘grandmotherly' lady stopped me to give the boys ‘caravan’ home made apple & cinnamon muffins, and chat about ovens & temperature conversions Saturday afternoon as I was trying to leave for Sarah's. She had recognised the boys from a week before at another location.

Apparently B & C parents have also supplied my children with choc yoghurt (one day) ...I wasn’t aware till the evidence was all over their face or shirt.

Yesterday I had to ‘escape’. I‘d wanted to take the boys on a train ride to city but the train services were cancelled for upgrading. After getting lost too many times out & about – (It's hard to read the ipad while driving) I decided to cancel the city idea .

So we headed to a little beach at Hillary’s boat harbour. It was very hot but the boys enjoyed it. We had a paddle, an amusement ride and browsed the shops...till they whinnied about coming back to their friends and the pool.

Today is a new week - the park is much quieter with the WA families back to school. I’ll be sad to leave but moving onwards to the next adventure is always exciting. We are heading down the south west coast and into wine & gourmet food country. I can't wait !

So how was your weekend ?

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Reconnecting with 2011 goals and Bloggers Brunch

An extra incentive to attend the Nuffnang Blogopolis was an invitation to the exclusive Kid's Business Blogger's Brunch on Friday 29th July. It was a privilege to attend to hear some amazing speakers speak about motivation and reconnecting with our New Years goals !

The venue was impressive, it had a huge raised carved ,wooden podium with long wooden seats for the speakers to sit on and amazing decor around us.

First the speakers ...

 Melinda Gainsford Taylor  Melinda , a 3 times Olympian, spoke as an ambassador for Weight Watchers. I enjoyed her story and struggle to maintain healthy weight and exercise after being an elite Olympic sportswoman.
Her top tips for busy mums trying to get into an exercise routine were

1. Schedule exercise into your weekly program...write it down.
2. Grab a friend to be your exercise buddy
3. Put your clothes out on the FLOOR the night before ...so you have no excuse not to miss them and don't have to go looking.

I even learned Melinda was raised on a sheep & wheat farm in Narromine which is near to where we are moving. I am starting my couch to 5k [again] as soon as I am well enough.

 Nicole Avery from Planning with kids spoke about blogging goals , of course, and asking ourselves about our reasons for blogging and what we want to achieve.
Why do I want this ?
She encouraged us to write down our goals each month and review them regularly, and at the end of the month. To spur us on.

Nicole's top tips of things to do differently after her week  to help us achieve our goals

• Don't let your inbox rule your life, only check it twice a day (and action what you need to)!

• Before you go to bed spent 30 mins on a task to achieve your goal.

• Don't let Facebook and Twitter rule

• Those who schedule blocks of office time, remember to take a break from your office after a few hours.Go for walk , play with kids or anything to refresh you.

Heather James of Inspiring Mums - said doesn't consider herself an accomplished speaker but whoa she certainly inspired me to get back on my GO TRAIN. Read more here. She has overcome much adversity and achieved so much.

 Susan Jackson spoke on financial goals , tracking our spending on STUFF . I am now starting my spending diary for the next 6 weeks to see if I can change a few bad habits and think longer term.

 Bernadette Black winner of the Barnardos Mother of the Year award 2009  - started her inspiring story telling us how she became pregnant AT 16 ! She was amazing and encouraged us to put a roar in our belly. I really want to read her book Brave Little Bear. Bernie has triumphed over some extreme challenges .Today she runs the ‘Brave Foundation’ an organisation helping thousands of teenage mums deal with their challenges and to assist them to finish school.


Christie Kids Business spoke too and promised we would walk away feeling inspired as a woman and mum. It was all about being responsible for ourselves to chase our goals and stay on track and to think forward where we want to be 5 yrs from today. I certainly came away inspired.

Of course the day was really all about the exhibitors and sponsors too.

Weight Watchers 

Homedics

Aunty Rozzy

Protector bed

Blackmores

Million Dollar Woman

Garnier

They showcased some of their products and each blogger had the opportunity to walk away with gifts bags of free products including a HOMEDICS Neck massager, Aunty Rozzy books, Protector a bed pillowcase (so far) , Blackmore's vitamins, Garnier Moisturiser and new eye products, more information on Million Dollar women ...(which I saw an ad for , the very first time at home)!

Some bloggers were definitely having trouble carrying everything they scored out the door! Hopefully I'll have some giveaways to post soon.

If you attended the Bloggers brunch what did you enjoy most ?

I'd like to say a big thank you to Christie from Kids Business for organising this event  held at Family Life in Grattan Street Prahran. Room To Grow TV filmed the entire event too.

I am not just saying it , it seriously made me think about goal setting and motivation to love my life now but also be future focused.



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Not another Blogopolis post ~ just a quick update.

So I grand plans to write up the greatest post conference post but sorry if you want that go here , here or maybe over here and most definitely here for the best round up of all the master classes

Imagine - 51 Blog Tools & Resources Mentioned at Nuffnang Blogopolis #nnb2011
Most of you know I made it despite the turn of events this time a week ago. I appreciated the kind offers. (I just haven't got back to reply to comments because it's so hard on my iPad - it keeps calling me TRASH ! )

I finally got to meet Mel, my dear URL friend who I've known online for six years, now I can count her as IRL because I now know she isn't a balding man in his 60s pretending to be a mum lol * (*pinched this off her facebook status from her friend).

We actually met in online IVF ~ want to be parents forum. 

Her little lads are delightful and I was pleased my own little drummers got to play with them for a bit, till my hubby started the trek back to Sydney with them and caravan in tow.

Mel put up with me gave me dinner and a bed for the night. She also works in the CBD and set me on the right train to the Blogger's Brunch.
Fortunately, I was rooming with the gorgeous Kirsty @ Mummy to five (5.5yrs and under people- she is one amazing lady) , including a set of twins. After the conference we both had an early night and early departure back home.


I am still recovering , not from any hangovers at pre and post drink sessions but from a cold virus. It rendered me voiceless by the afternoon of the conference and with a nasty dripping nose and hacking cough.Still voiceless.

I was very disappointed I didn't have a voice left to ask where some lovely ladies I wanted to meet were and much less the ability , feeling so unwell by conference end.

Still, I, thoroughly enjoyed the day with Kate Our Little Sins , Jodie from Muddled Up Mumma, Grace from Musings of Mama Grace and Maria from Mum's Word and Leigh from Absoluteleigh who I've had the pleasure of meeting a few times before.

I  enjoyed immensely the Blogger's Brunch and Nuffnang Conference , I just don't have the energy to articulate my thoughts into coherent sentences right now. I have serious brain information overload and sleep deprivation.

I learnt overall I need to make a few blog changes AND despite what they said I am definitely staying on blogger...
By far the conversation that had the biggest impact was a heartfelt chat to Fi about Heartfelt and I will write more on that later.

I came home to two children joining me in my coughing chorus and snot trumpeting choir , as well as a burst hot water system. Thank goodness we still have hot water - how I can't tell you, but my man knows all about it and how to fix it Wednesday because he has ordered us a new one.

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What happened next -

Of course things never go to plan.
I could cry and rant about it but I save my tears and tissues for bigger issues.
It's not a disaster , not a catastrophe - just very disappointing.
Very. 
Yesterday less than 24 hrs after we left Dubbo we got an urgent phone call.
An email was sent.
Our only major business client has changed the dates requiring our business 'services'.
They want it to happen Saturday instead of Monday.
I kid you not.
Worse timing ever ? possibly ?
DH needs to be back, in Sydney, Saturday morning early.
Blogopolis day ...

It's a big name brand and we are only a SMALL cog in their 'production' wheel ; important, none the less.
NO 'room' to move or option to say NO.
There could be other repercussions if we tried.

I plan on staying I will not miss Blogger's Brunch and Blogopolis.

I could tow the caravan but I have yet to learn how to reverse it or back it into position.
Strike that idea. It is a damn long way too.
Plus , DH was going to have our boys on Saturday.

Can I fly home by myself and find some where to sleep

 find my way around ? ... of course I can.

The answer is easy but inconvenient and stressful.
I don't like the unexpected , changes stress me out and I've never been alone traveling before interstate.

My DH is stressed about my stress and his own fragile stress levels.

 
It's time I tried something new since I do plan to have a good time - it's not all bad news.
I just need someone to hold my hand...
I need advice on flights that allow checked luggage (twitter has been helpful). 
Onwards.
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Meet me ...

Finally I can say it - shout it if you please...

I’M DELIGHTED TO BE MEETING

YOU -

at the day session, at least, and to meet others for dinner Friday night.

There has been envious watching of all the tweeting and chatting abuzz in the Aus Mum Blogger circles.

This weekend some 170+ mummy and other personal bloggers will hit Sydney for the first Australian Blogging Conference (ABC or Aus Blog Con).

I still don't feel like a real blogger even after nearly 4 yrs of personal mummy blogging (and 6 years of an online presence in other parenting forums).

I was shy about going.My husband's health was also my main concern six months ago when the ABC tickets were first announced. I held off buying a ticket because ... I just couldn't commit to anything not just that finances were and are still tight.

When DH's scan on Feb 1st was clear the ABC tickets were sold out. I held my breath, hoping , quietly.

Monday, I saw a tweet from the gorgeous Holly @ Good Golly Miss Holly . Don't fret - you still get to meet her too - Holly is going to the hot frocks dinner and I got to buy her day ticket. It suited me.  

I'm most excited to re-new acquaintances , hug and hang out with the chicks who make me laugh and cry daily with their real life stories on their blog or one liners on twitter.

Here is ten IMPORTANT things you should know about me

1. I'm hearing impaired - The thing behind my right ear is my BAHA hearing aid - bone anchored hearing aid and if you can see the screw in my head - it means I've lost it. I may start screaming too.
   
   
2. Seriously if you say 'hello' from behind or from my left I may not hear - please don't think I'm ignoring you. Feel free to tap me on the shoulder or jab me in the back.
   
   
3. If I answer a question inappropriately - don't assume Kelley has given me too many Margaritas - I probably didn't hear you.
   
   
4. I ask people to repeat things, a lot sometimes, in noisy environments - forgive me I am not really stupid I do get things - I just miss bits (see #3 too) and keep asking until I fully understand.
   
   
5. Don't worry I can't lip read much ...but I do concentrate hard on people speaking sometimes so if you think I am staring strangely - I am not.
   
   
6. I don't mind if you talk 'louder' to me but please remind me if I am talking too loud too ...
   
   
7. I'm also vision impaired in my right eye - I wear contact lens only in my left eye. You wouldn't know it until I look at you - my right eye has minimal peripheral vision, my eye has a slight turn and a bit different. I am very self conscious about it but what can I do but grin and carry on.
   
   
8. I hate the way I look especially in photos ...my right side is the worst. Just saying - I will hide in the corner if your camera comes out.
   
   
9. I get very nervous when I meet new people. I may babble to hide my nervousness. I get the feeling many of us are nervous so I know I'm not alone.I don't have any business cards to offer you :( but I do have heart shaped post it's.
   
   
10. Friday & Saturday I hope I leave behind some of my concerns and just enjoy connecting in real life with new and old friends. I'll soak in as much information as I can as the conference and come home re-newed.
    

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On the Blink

It was the letter

at preschool today ...wow ! It was my choice too.

B is for Blink ...now where did October go, where has the last 10 months gone. Call me bloomin' crazy but I might be attempting Nablopomo for my 3rd year ( I think). I can't promise much. My brain is on the blink.

B is for books ~ I still need some suggestions ; for you to recommend your favourite reads.

B is for BAHA. I've now had a screw in my head bone anchored hearing aid for 10 months and it is truly amazing. My hearing has improved immensely. I tried my old (but new in Aug 2009) behind the year hearing aid recently the sound quality was terrible. I saw my GP today, she asked me about my BAHA ... just when I was thinking about blogging about it!

Blogblast for Peace is tomorrow November 4th have you made your Peace Globe.

B is for bomb

Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A happiness weapon. A beauty bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one. It would explode high in the air - explode softly - and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth - boxes of Crayolas. And we wouldn't go cheap, either - not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination. ~Robert Fulghum

Bloggers worldwide unite for World Peace on November 4th.

See a country and state by state report count by Ms. Mimi herself.
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My status ...

everywhere we go these 'daze' we have to have a status ...

Shhh I am addicted to FB status shuffle ...for a good laugh.

and so a 'the status quo' exists.

Status quo, literally "the state in which", is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. So we blog about our current 'status', mostly or alternatively....

The related phrase status quo ante, literally "the state in which before", means "the state of affairs that existed previously.".

Another confession I shamelessly stole some of this next paragraph from somewhere ...

I am a mother, wife one time lover to my one and only but not always in that order. I have three boys and one husband - I am commited to them , they are an easy commitment to make. I write about them often. I devote the rest of my blog to whatever else amuses me, including my waistline , my cravings and my heartstrings .

I have never professed to be a writer but I enjoy writing on my blog.

So this post is pretty much about nothing you might think. Stay with me ... I am getting to the point .I think.

I confess I have been a bit disconnected from the online world the past week. As much as it is my favourite part of blogging.

I did it in order to connect with what’s truly important , my family , the real people in the my life, and the mundane everyday things I love doing (housework is not intentionally included in this category but Spring cleaning was what I spent a lot of time doing ...in honour of Father's day).

Sometimes we must cut things out of our life for the sake of making room for what is really important. I have to breathe in, breathe out, and let go ... of why blogging matters so much. It does and it does not.

Cutting cr@p & clutter things out of our life not just for the sake of cutting, but for the sake of putting things in perspective. Is my life really going to suffer if I don't blog today or for 5 days ? Will my stats matter ?

I read a very significant post on blogging the other day (I was still reading your blogs just not commenting much). Titled ..the Evolution of a Blogger by Maggie @okay. fine. dammit.

It was thought provoking and the comments were just as awe inspiring.

Anyway...life goes on and it continues to both surprise and delight me (I can live without the disappointments and stress though). The journey is more important than the destination and I'd just thought I'd share it with you , too.

"I love taking on the status quo, and trying to turn it upside down." — Richard Branson

P.S You are my favourite..... but don't tell the others ;)

P.S.S. I keep hitting ESCAPE on my keyboard but I am still here!

♥

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My Blogging Quest

Jen @ Semantically Driven started a blogging quest ...

• When did you start blogging?

July 1st ,2005 was the very first day I started to blog...

• Why?

I had just started the first part of my IVF cycle . I read an article called "Falling Pregnant" about Tertia and Julie and their blogs in the June 2005 Australian Readers Digest. I wanted what they had ...the circle of friendship and support There were other infertility blogs too and they all really inspired me to start. Though it was a false start. I accidently started a new blog instead of a new post, got all confused ...then gave up.
I started blogging properly again, when my boys were almost 11 months old, after Tiff at Three Ring Circus inspired me.

• What did you expect in the beginning?

Originally I wanted to journal my grief and trying to conceive via IVF. After adopting 15yrs ago, my first natural pregnancy ended when our daughter was stillborn at 26 weeks gestation in 2004. Six months later in 2005 we went down IVF path .Women I met through online parenting forums gave me the knowledge and courage to try again and pursue IVF because of our long history of infertility. A few had blogs.
I wanted to have my own 'space' (blog) in 'cyber' space to do and say my own thing ...add links and write a ton of stuff anonymously. I couldn't do this on forums.
I had no real expectations. I just thought what the heck it if sounds this good I'll try it.

I had intense soul searching to do.I didn't want to tell family or friends in case we failed to get pregnant or suffered another loss.I wanted to journal our IVF experience 'privately' ... well with hundreds of strangers. I wondered if anyone else lived my life ...

• Have your expectations been met or did something completely different happen?

Since I cast my new found blog aside after a few days... feeling a technologial failure. Something completely different happened from what I had planned...I retreated back to IVF sections on the parenting forums to lay low and forgot all about my blog. I got pregnant with twins.
I started blogging again after the birth of my twin sons.
I was glad to see others struggled with the same things and that I wasn't alone. Not that I would wish life difficulties and loss on anyone.
I wanted to be able to look back on the hard parts that were difficult to get through and at the same time, the good parts that were/are amazing, wonderful.

• What’s blown you away about blogging?

The friendship and the connections. The honesty of some bloggers in revealing their own adversity , adventures and truimphs. The fact all over the world people want to be friendly with me. The comments ...

• Have you encountered adversity and had adventures in your blogging quest?

Adventures absolutely .Truly I could never have expected. For many months I had only a rare visitor to my blog.I almost gave up till I started to get comments...don't we all love comments.
Adversity, only in the sense that it sometimes takes too much time away from my family and real life maintaining the special connections within the blogosphere. It is a difficult balance.
I have seen people come and go in the blogland and I guess it is easy for people to forget about you if you stay away.
Adversity also through reading the blogs of others who are going through the darkest of days.

• Why do you continue to blog?

To journal my life with my boys , our cheeky little treasures that fill our lives with much love, joy and laughter. I hope it will be a record for them and to share a little with others going through the same joys and struggles.
I learn alot by reading other blogs and they share a wealth of information and links I might never have known about.
Blogging isn't just about daily dribble.
I can’t blog much about friends or family because some of them read my blog and they would get very upset.That is why sometimes I don’t write about emotional things.
I do love to peek in the windows of other blogs to see how the manage what I am going through but can't ask for advice on publicly. I have made so many special connections with people I may never meet and I know better than some real life friends. I cherish my bloggy friends, they make me both laugh and cry, help me out, hold me up. It is a great community. I also learn so much about cooking, planning, photography,current affairs and general history.
I love to put myself in their shoes and walk a mile with them ...well quite not in their shoes.
Mostly I enjoy the personal stories of others going through similar struggles and of course sharing their joys and mine.
I love humour, the acts of random kindness stories and the everyday fun with kids and spouses.I love competitions too ;).Blogging has been so much fun and therapeutic plus you can win cool prizes. I'm not sure I could stop. ...did I mention I have won a few very cool prizes.

• How do you see the future of blogging?

Right now I am pondering that ... There are a lot of things I can't say on a public website ...unlike some others. I wish sometimes I was more anonymous.
I cringe sometimes whilst thinking how brave (or stupid) some people are.
I try not to fill my blog with the mundane things in life but sometimes that is all there is. I hope I'll always have my blog to express the things that mean something to me and share them with others.
♥

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A Million Blog List ! what the ?

What is Wiki Blog Directory ?
It is a wiki based blog directory. Like Wikipedia -it is an open blog directory .Simply speaking -you can add links to your blog by editing the category lists and even suggesting new categories. You simply place your link underneath those already listed. Listing in multiple categories is permitted and you can make your own sub categories. You can list by country too.

BlooksLLC, the sites creator, has started the ball rolling for the

Million Blog List

- a new wiki blog open directory where you edit and list your blog. This is an experiment to see how long it will take for 1,000,000 blogs to list themselves on a wiki ... I am #1434 !

Posting and sharing about Wiki directory and Million blog list on your blog earns you the privilege of bold text for your directory entries.

Thanks Sue @Blogging Sueblimely for posting this ... what are you waiting for



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Aussie Bloggers Forum and Bigpond Part I

I joined the Aussie Bloggers Forum and if you click the shiny new button in my side bar you can see what I am talking about.

I am discovering a few new Aussie Blogs, which I love, and discovering new tools and tricks. There is so much to learn about blogging , ranking , Alexa - (it tells you where your blog ranks in the world)and much more.

It is a lot of fun too so if you haven't checked it out already - what have you got to lose (except a few hours blogging). It is busting with a who's who of Aussie Bloggers and some expats and other nationalities too.

Everyone is invited ...the more the merrier.Of course you get to rub shoulders with some A'Listers and Z' listers because we all have something to say. They are all listening attentively too (see post below) and are keen to answer my questions on blogging and share opinions /plug in's and widgets.

It seems a wonderful community of experienced and inexperienced (like me) mates helping each other and connecting across the blogosphere. You can be heard and seen and the advice is free. So what are you waiting for ?

Bigpond Part 1

This morning before 8am there was a knock on the door ... I was in lounge /dining looking for clothes (see below).My eldest, I had fortunately just woken minutes before, was up to answer the door. DH was in the shower. It was my new modem /setup disc from Bigpond.

Three days ago I got a call offering me the 'Liberty bundled home/internet package' because we had been good customers since 1994. The Customer service representative lady took 2.5 hrs (I kid you not) to convince encourage me to sign up and then actually do it (2 -15mins hrs). I was ready in 5 secs to cut her off abruptly because I heard the 10 sec delay (of the telemarketer variety) but I was listening luckily.

It was a very long time but the deal was good.She said would be activated in 2 weeks. Yesterday, I get a SMS to say it would be ready today but I didn't eevn have my new modem at that stage. (The CSR said I would then have 20 days to activate it.)

Today, I thought my Internet had died ... I couldn't get it to work ... ho hum 'boys would you like a story'? So I read Horton hears a Who by Dr Seuss
They continued to trash the room at an alarming rate while I read aloud - 'LOUD' but they didn't want to sit still. Funny, I picked this one - unconsciously running with my theme on hearing and listening ... insert freaky music . I only just realised.

I digress ... they didn't want 'no' story which was actually very long for a toddler. So I sat tapping/refreshing my useless keyboard/screen - bored but with a mountain of washing to fold/hang and who cares attitude!

Then I realised that maybe Bigpond had already disconnected my other ISP ??? I rang them - 'yes they have' - was the answer ... b*gger that was quick and I didn't even want it...yet.

I madly re-installed the new modem and self installed everything - wanting to get my fix ! After a few hiccups and incorrect password ... got a new one and presto ...back online.

tomorrow I will tell you part 2.