Lonely Planet Has Given Away "The Secret!"

I'M BACK!

Did ya miss me??

I missed you guys real bad! But it was nice to take a break from the computer screen and relax and recharge!

So where have I been?

Me, Hubby and the Boys travelled 3 hours in the car down the coast of Western Australia to the South West to a small town called Busselton. My parents rent out a holiday home there and so the perks of that is that out of peak times we get to stay there for free.

This is Busselton:

Well that's Busselton Jetty but you get the idea - some of the best beaches in the world are in the South West.

Only 45km from Busselton is Margaret River which contains more wineries than you can poke a stick at and half a dozen boutique breweries as well. There is tons for the kids to do too, with farms, mazes, mini golf etc etc so it is a great place for a family holiday. Yallingup and Dunsborough are just down the road too a favourite for haunt for surfers.

We spent 5 days there and had a great relaxing time. We went to farms, breweries, the Busselton Show was on while we were in town, we went to the Margaret River Chocolate Factory (YUM!), went to the beach and just basically chilled out as a family!

Usually I take the opportunity to take the home chef hat off while we are away, as I cook every night at home so while we are away we usually eat out for every meal other than breakfast But as it is just before Christmas it's not the best time to be flashing the cash on holiday. Also the holiday house is set up as a home away from home (literally, most of my old kitchen plates, cups and glasses have migrated down there, even my old hair dryer - it's like the ghosts of household items past) then I decided to be a bit more frugal this year.

I packed lunches for during the day for 4 out of the 5 days also cooked 3 out of the 5 nights rather than eating out. The one day we did have lunch out we didn't have dinner as we were so full! Preparing our own meals made a huge difference to the holiday budget and we hardly noticed it. Most places are set up to be able to have a picnic lunch anyway and it was lovely sitting by the beach having our lunch than ordering an expensive (as it is a tourist destination, eating out can be pricey) meal. In fact the most expensive part of the holiday was paying to kennel my dogs!

So what has this got to do with Lonely Planet?

Well on our car trip back they announced on the radio that Lonely Planet has named the South West in it's worlds top ten holiday destinations. They have designated a chapter in their Best In Travel 2010 edition.

Bugger!

The world will now know what us West Australian's have known for years. It was our little secret. While others ranted on about Sydney and Brisbane and shopping in Melbourne we would snicker knowing we had our little 'South West'.

Well thanks Lonely Planet - the secret is out! As long as they don't tell anyone about the North West....D'oh!!!

Creepy Guy and Pink Ribbons!

I woke up this morning all motivated for my first day as an AVON rep. I had got all my books and order forms ready and after dropping Grotbag at school I drove to my assigned 'territory' to drop so me books at some doors.

Ding Dong AVON Calling!

My 'territory' was one suburb over (apparently the whole of my suburb is the territory or just one person - go figure) and also right next to a train station so I parked the car, put Bugalugs in the buggy and off I set.

It was a beautiful day, really warm, a bit over cast but lovely and I was relishing the fact that I would be getting some exercise as well as (hopefully) earning a bit of extra cash for Christmas.

No sooner had I delivered about 10 books I saw 'creepy guy' coming down the road in the opposite direction. Now although it was pure daylight there really was no-one around. He looked to be talking to himself, looked like he hadn't washed in weeks and sported a beard that looked like it had things living in it. So I thought it would be safer to cross the road and the double back on myself. I saw him turn into a street and then saw him heading toward the train station. Phew!

Bugalugs had fallen asleep and I was enjoying the walk. I turned into a cul-de-sac and delivered a couple more books. I turned around and who should be coming down the cul-de-sac but 'creepy guy'! There really was no one around and as it was a cul-de-sac I had to walk right past him. He was looking around and then straight at me. So I walked straight past him and kept looking right at him staring him down. He eventually looked away and then said 'er..do you have the time" I told him no and kept walking. All I could think of was Bugalugs asleep in the pram. Creepy guy just kind of just stopped and loitered at the end of the cul-de-sac and I kept looking around to make sure he was still there. He completely avoided eye contact and I high taled it out of there. All the way back to the car I kept looking over my shoulder and got Bugalugs in the car quick smart. I had the eebbiie jibbies by then and just wanted to get home.

As soon as I got home I called the lady who had signed me up and left her a message telling her she could have the territory back!! Ain't going there again!!! (it's 9 o'clock at night and she hasn't called me back....hmmmm!)

After I came home and calmed down I tried not to think of what would have happened if he had come up behind me before I saw him coming down the cul-de-sac. I also realise he might live streets around there and so really don't want to have to maybe bump into him again. He may have just come on the train and was wandering but I don't want to take that chance. The thing is the suburb is a really good suburb so it wasn't like I was on the wrong side of the tracks.

Anyhoo....it kind of tainted my first AVON experience. I think I might give up having a territory and just stick to doing it socially among people I know. A lot safer that way! I am under no obligation anyway so can just quit anytime so will see if it is worth my while.

On a brighter Pinker note I am holding my 2nd Annual Pink Ribbon Breakfast this Saturday for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Last year I raised just over $550 so am hoping to double it this year. It really is fun day. All the girls come dressed in pink and bring a little something to eat and share. We have a raffle and basically chat and gossip the morning away!!! I will be sure to post some pictures of the day!

You can help me achieve my fundraising goal by making a donation, with all money raised going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation's research programs, It's quick and easy. You can make a secure online donation to my breakfast using your credit card by clicking HERE.

And even more exciting news...my Hubby is home tomorrow YAY! It's early as he is not supposed to be back until Tuesday but is attending a conference so they are flying him home earlier so we get a 'free' weekend together. Well, I am kicking him out while the breakfast is on....well no men allowed!!

Wordless Wednesday!

OK.....I can't keep quiet so this is not really wordless Wednesday but I took this photo of Bugalugs yesterday after his dinner and it keeps making me smile so it was too good not to share!

Blog posts are a bit thin on the ground as I have loads going on outside of the blogosphere including a Pink Ribbon Breakfast I am hosting on Saturday for the National Breast Cancer Foundation and also preparing for a mini break with the family.

I have also spontaneously signed up today to be an AVON rep in my area????? What the? Well I need to lose the baby weight but love food too much so have to move my butt instead, plus I can do it with Hubby working away and with the kids. Hopefully it will bring in a little bit of cash too which can't be bad so will have to wait and see.

Anyhoo, thanks for all your comments I have been reading them all and will eventually get around to replying to you all. Promise.....

Good customer service from a call centre...no, really I am serious!!

It's all very well to bitch and moan about bad service. I mean it happens quite a lot but just like anything that happens all the time you end up becoming immune to it and start accepting it as the norm.

However, every now and then there is a company that provides good customer service or has an idea in customer service that in my opinion EVERY company should adopt.

This morning I received a nice little email from my ISP telling me that I have reached my download limit for the month and so although I won't get charged anymore they will slow me down in the peak period. I was expecting this little gem as last week I got the preliminary email telling me I had reached the 80% - it was like a little 'whoa slow down sister or we will do it for you' message.

So having decided that I cannot deal with slow Internet speed I called them (they are available 24/7 - yes people 24/7 it's Sunday morning here as I write this) - and as usual I find myself in a queue. But low and behold this was the message that I heard:

"Hi there, you must be really busy and not want to spend the next 20 minutes holding for the next operator so guess what....we will call YOU back. Yep just type in your number then press hash and tell us your name so we know who to ask for. And don't worry your little self about losing your place in the queue, we will save your spot and we should be able to call you in the next *pause* 12 to 19 minutes. So off you go, go hang your washing out, have a cup of tea or read a few more blogs and we will give you a call in just a mo!"

Well not verbatim OK .... I am inflicting artistic licence here but seriously is that good or what?

I don't know any other company that does this but all call centres should adopt it - think how much happier all us little customers would be.

So in the time I COULD have been waiting on the phone I put my washing away put another load on and put Bugalugs down for a sleep. And they called me back about 15 minutes later and they put me back on normal speed, changed my plan for next month all within a few minutes.

Ahhh what a way to start a Sunday morning....

Do you have any good call centre customer service stories? Any cool practices that you think others should adopt? Let me know in the comments...

...Because My Husband Works Away - Social Engagements

I have been planning to write a post about how I cope "...Because My Husband Works Away". I was reluctant at first as I know there are a lot of single mums, army wives and widows that might read my post that felt a bit wrong writing about it.

But then I realised that we all have our unique situations and we all cope with them differently and maybe something I write might help or give an idea to someone else. Plus it is a big part of who I am and my life that I wanted to share.

The thing is there are so many aspects to having your Husband home only one week in every three that when I started making notes I realised the post would be horrendously long and bore the pants of anyone who read it. So I thought I would start a little series and write about different parts positives and negatives of our family arrangement.

In this post I wanted to talk about how we deal with social engagements for us as a couple and me on my own. Last weekend when Hubby was home we had 3 party invites for the Saturday night. Apparently October 10th is a popular day for birthdays!

We had already made plans with another two couples to come to our place for a curry night, so had to decline the 3 invites we had. You might think that we would have cancelled or rescheduled our night but babysitters had been booked for the other couples and the plans had been made first and well in advance.

This often happens on Hubby's weekend home. We have quite a few different circles of friends (well aren't we the popular couple *she says sarcastically*) and we often 'book' in to see friends in advance so when other stuff comes up we usually have to decline.

This means that Hubby does miss out on quite a few social events on the 'other' weekends and depending on whether I can get a baby sitter or take the kids I pretty much go to almost everything I am invited to even if he is not home. I am so used to this that I have a little method of deciding what we go to and what we decline.

Weddings and Funerals trump everything. Regardless of previous plans made. I have never had either on the same day so haven't had to decide between the two. Hubby will always try and make them even if it means having a few days annual leave.

Previous plans take precedent over everything else. If we have committed to something we will pretty much always follow through with it. The exceptions are of course the Weddings & Funerals and also if we get invited to something that is a once off like a going away party where we won't get to see the person for a long time.

Special considerations are also given to BFF's and Family. Like on my Mum's birthday this year Hubby is away and I have also been invited to a going away party for a good friend of mine. So first I check with Mum if she has any plans for her birthday like a family dinner or anything. No, she is off to a wedding the next day so is heading off for the weekend. Bonus! I don't feel bad about having to cancel one or the other and as Mum has the day off work to get her hair done and pack I can see her during the day!

BTW if Mum had been planning something I would have tried to get her to do something the next night (I am an only child so no need to worry about siblings!) and no, I wouldn't have got her to babysit on her birthday - I'm not that bad...but if she had offered.....

I am very lucky that most of my friends are mindful of my situation with Hubby working away and so we try to plan book club when he is home or I will plan other things with the girls when he is home too as he acts as an instant babysitter. Or I will plan to have things take place at my house when the kids have gone to bed.

As with babysitters we are very lucky that we have a few people we can ask but I won't waste babysitting opportunities. I realise that sometimes we just have to say no!

Needless to say the week that Hubby is home we are both very busy, me having a bit of time with my girlfriends without the kids and catching up with couples or attending parties, going out for dinner.

The most important engagement though is Date Night with Hubby. We make sure we always have one night where we chill out together at home watching a movie and getting take away or we go out on our own for dinner and movie or something along those lines!

So, do you have filter system like me with your social engagements? How do you decide if it is worth getting a babysitter? Do you have Date Night with your Hubby?

It Only Takes A Second!

Finally the weather has decided to catch up with the season here in Perth and today was a beautiful 't-shirt & thongs' warm Spring day in Perth. (Thongs as in Haviana's not Victoria Secret's!!)

Grotbag and I headed off one of his Kindy friends 5th birthday party today and as the weather was nice he was told to bring his swimming stuff so all the kids can go in the pool.

Bit too cold for me and the rest of the mums but we smothered the kids in sunscreen and let them swim standing around the pool watching them enjoy the sunshine! This was the first time I had let Grotbag go in the pool without me being in with him.

Now Grotbag has swimming lessons every week (and had been to a lesson this morning) but is a bit scared of deep water where he can't touch the bottom. Believe me he is no risk taker this kid except when you put him on wheels - scooters & skateboards are a preference then I have my heart in my mouth watching him.

Anyway he decided the best thing to do was hang out with one of his mates on the steps. All us mums were inside the pool fence watching the kids and chatting. No more than arms reach away from the kids. Everyone is having fun.

After about 20 Min's Grotbag decides he would like to have a go on one of the boogie boards, lay on it and have a kick around. I said he could but to be careful.

It happened in seconds, the boogie board tipped and he went under. He came up but panicked and forgot how to swim and so I jumped in and pulled him up (yes fully clothed).

He was OK! He cried! And rightly so he was spooked! So I sat with him on the step. I didn't want to make a HUGE deal out of it for him because I didn't want to create a bad association with swimming and pools. We live in Australia and swimming is a MUST here, the last thing I want is for him to have a big fear of water. So I just held him told him he was fine now and gave him a big cuddle. Within 5 Min's he was fine and back splashing. Mum to the rescue!

It only takes a second. And in that second I was so scared but also focused on getting him up, nothing else mattered.

He has never worn armbands or a float vest but I think I will be investing in one tomorrow and joining him in the pool from now on even if the water is a bit cold! The alternative is unthinkable!

So, have you ever had any close calls with your kids or family members? Has it changed the way you think or do anything to change the outcome next time?

Making Excuses.

She calls you at the last minute to cancel your plans together even though you thought they were set in stone for months. She says she 'isn't feeling great'. Regardless of the fact that you have organised a baby sitter had to for go having dinner with the family thinking you were grabbing a bite while you were out. And you sigh because this isn't the first time.


Later you find out she went out partying with someone else. A pattern she follows of more fun somewhere else!


No bother, you again excuse her poor behaviour because, hey, you've been friends for a long time and it's just the way she is.


She turns up at your doorstep and asks to stay. She has no where to go. You tell her 'just for a week'. She keeps you up every night while she's downing a bottle or two of wine (even though your not drinking) telling you yet again how broke and in debt she is, that her boss is picking on her, how 'That Girl' is a b**ch and how 'lucky' you are to have what you have.


Regardless of the fact that you have to get up at the crack of dawn and feed a baby. And that you too have to go to work because being 'lucky' means having to work part-time as well as being a mum.


Again you give advice knowing full well it won't be taken and you will hear the same story again in a few months because god forbid if she should change her ways. She says she's broke but hey, aren't they new shoes? And didn't you just buy two bottles of wine and instead of eating the dinner I made you, order pizza because now you have the munchies?


No bother, you again excuse her poor behaviour because, hey, you've been friends for a long time and it's just 'the way she is'.


You go out with her to a pub or a club even though that's not your scene anymore. She again consumes more alcohol than needed. She wants a 'man' but stand aloof and looks down her nose at any guy that comes along. You make chit chat with a guy standing near and all of a sudden she's not talking to you because you should have known telepathically that she wanted to get to know him. So you introduce them, she is all over him and he runs a mile. Apparently its 'your' fault. You want to go home and she says your spoiling 'her' fun. You get her inside and put her to bed while you 'don't' sleep on the couch. The next morning she wakes and says what an awesome night that was and you should both go out together more often.

Awesome?


No bother, you again excuse her poor behaviour because, hey, you've been friends for a long time and it's just 'the way she is'.


And then there the time that you had to go and pick her up after a incoherent phone call she makes to you doesn't know where she is so is wandering around. Of course you go and get her. She would do it for you. Right?


Or how she hasn't been able to hold down a job or keep the many 'acquaintances' she has had over the years because someone is always 'out to get her'. But she would be there for you too. Wouldn't she?

You listen to her whine and complain about some of her friends and you think to yourself "hey what is she saying about me when I am not around?" Couples are 'boring' but as soon as there is someone new on her scene you don't hear from her for weeks.

She tells you that you are the only one who 'gets her'. Actually your the only one who will put up with her crap.


But you know that one day, when yet again her crap comes a knocking you would have had enough. You will tell her the truth. But the truth is hard to swallow especially from someone who always looked the other way.


Will it matter to her that you always excused her poor behaviour or that you've been friends for such a long time? Will she give a crap that there is history there? Or will you just be chalked up as just another aqcuaintince in a long line before you.


But by telling the truth you will never get the phone call cancelling your plans, or drunk calls to pick her up. You will never 'annoy' her again by chatting to the guy she thinks is 'hers' or have to stay up late listening to her woes which she could change but never does.

Your shoulders will feel lighter but your friendship heart will hurt. Because instead of holding on to the one thing that was constant, she will, once she is told the truth, set you adrift.

So do you take the risk? Do you tell the truth or keep making the excuses?

'She' is a work of fiction, but if 'She' was real - what would you do?