Here you’ll find stories of my remote for-purpose business founder, family-loving, grant-seeking, adversity-facing life.
‘Tis the good, the bad and not too much ugly.
Hey, you awesome go-getter!
Excitement vs anxiety
Did you know that physiologically, both excitement and anxiety present very similarly?
When you get the phone call for surgery
It’s like a little firework of thoughts goes off in your mind in about 5 seconds flat. There is a mix of actual rational thoughts, like the question of our coping ability at the moment, then there are the crazy, not so important thoughts, like being able to water the garden tomorrow.
Have some fun & surprise your family!
I don’t know if it’s just me or not, but quite often in life I forget to have fun. The kind of fun that makes me feel young. That makes me laugh so hard my belly aches. The kind of fun that takes my kids and husband by surprise. I get so caught up in the day-to-day monotony of life, that I forget about fun.
But, every now and then I decide it’s time to surprise my family.
Managing unhealthy stress
I thought ‘that’s it, that’s exactly how I can manage unhealthy stress better’. So many things can push in on us and wear us down. Serious health issues are a big one which can just be so relentless. But there are many, many other causes of stress too. If you’re looking for ways to manage unhealthy stress, then check this out.
Small things can be powerful things
Today is R U OK? day. It’s such a great initiative which encourages people to stay connected and have meaningful conversations. I don’t think you should ever underestimate the power of doing something small for someone who is struggling. Small things can be powerful things.
The day I bought a scooter
One of the absolute best things that has come out of our family living with Congenital Heart Disease, is the fact that we tend to live with a mentality of 'why not?' rather than think of all the reasons why we shouldn't do something. It's like since we came so close to losing our HeartKid, my husband and I have subconsciously decided to make the most of life while we've got it.
Normalising healthcare
Yesterday I took our daughter and our HeartKid to Chadstone and coincidentally the Teddy Bear Hospital was on. Given that the kids spend a fair bit of time visiting medical clinics and talking about health, I'm always quite surprised that they want to do things like the Teddy Bear Hospital. But they were keen as.
My go to song
When things get too overwhelming and I need something to help me get back up again, this is my go to song.
Bake a cake...just because
Cooking for me is one of my ultimate escapes. I love the creativity of it. I love the aroma that fills our house when I sauté onions, fry off spices, melt chocolate, stew apples or bake pastry. It makes our house feel like a home.
Why a blog?
For 5 years, I’ve been struggling to cope with our 5-year-old son’s heart condition. Yet now it feels like I’m moving into a new stage. A stage filled more with hope, story sharing and helping others, rather than the all-consuming internally focussed survival mode that I was thrown into 5 years ago. My hope, really, is that by sharing this part of my story, other families facing chronic critical illness may realise they’re not alone.