yoU

Unique. I definitely try to be. I've been saying a lot recently that Willow marches to the beat of her own drum, but really... who am I kidding, I'm probably the one she gets it from. My main philosophy in life is to do things that make you happy, and for the most part, those are the only things I do. It's working out well. I also love unique people. I talked in 'Q' how I liked quirky people. It's usually from afar. I just admire them, particularly unique looking people. Needless to say I've had many 'discussions' with others about uniforms in schools, or hard and fast uniform rules.

Unflappable. It's pretty difficult to ruffle my feathers. I like this about myself. It's helped me a lot, but most notably with some special needs children. Staying calm often helps to keep them calm in certain situations, and I do that well.

Mr T

Teacher. Through and through. I remember playing 'school' with my nana when I was a kid, and how I would have loved her to have seen me graduate with my Bachelor in Teaching. I started in a classroom having just turned 20, like a few days before school began, and I've had highs and lows, but it's what I love. When things are going right, I love teaching. It's what I'm meant to be doing, and I love it.

Traditions. I've been really big on ensuring that our girls have traditions and things they love about their childhood. Every birthday, easter and christmas have traditions and I love making memories with them. It's one of the best parts of being a parent I think.

Thankful. I have to be, right? Great, great things in my life, and I'm very thankful for all of them.

Yes S!

Sook. I am the biggest sook when it comes to books and movies (heck, even ads , blog posts or youtube shorts) that pull at your heart strings. I will cry at the drop of a hat - usually when there's something to do with animals or children, or anything heart warming. You can guarantee it, I'll have a wee tear.

Soulmate. I've found mine. I really believe it. I've said it before, but I'll say it again - don't get me wrong, we fight, we have ups and downs, but it's totally more up than down and Damien makes me as comfortable as possible. That might sound really lacklustre but I think it's important. I don't worry about him straying, I don't want for anything, I feel appreaciated and most importantly - I'm happy and I feel loved. We're imperfectly perfect.

Stubborn. Am I what!? Holy moly. 

Be vewy vewy quiet... we're hunting for R

Rich. Not in money, but in experiences and in family and love. I have such a rich life, I really do and when I sit back and think about it, it's actually pretty cool. I'd love to have given my 15 year old self a peek into what life was going to be like when I had that elusive husband, children and mortgage. I could put some of her worries at rest and let her just live and enjoy her teenage years rather than worry about why some boy doesn't like me, or how if I could just lose a bit of weight things would be better. Pft, I've put a lot more weight on now mate and it's sooo super better. You have a great life 15 year old me, promise.

Ruthless. I am the queen of the cull. I love to throw things out and do it periodically both at home and at work in my classroom. I'm currently even doing it to our school staff room (a major dumping ground). On the flip side, I'm married to somewhat of a hoarder who often utters the phrase, "but we might use it at some point". No, no we won't, chuck it out.

Reader. Speaking of my 15 year old self. I'm so pissed off at her that she didn't begin my love of reading sooner. I only became a reader in my late teens and as busy as I am, I still to this day, always like to have a novel on the go. I wish I was a bookworm kid, but again I was too worried about friendships and wot not. Oh to have time to have my nose in a book (or at my phone of tablet on kindle) for an extended period of time without putting myself to sleep. I now look forward to retirement where I envisage an old lady surrounded in piles and piles of books... or a very full kindle library.

Cutie Q

Queen! I have been falling more and more in love with Constance Hall recently.  Initially I wasn't that interested because I try to stray away from people who talk constantly about how hard parenting is and continuously make jokes about how they're struggling etc, but Constance is just real. Like, not trying to be 'real', she's just herself, and I can totally appreciate that. I've learnt as I get older than just being your genuine self is super empowering and this chick is super empowering.

Quirky. Chances are I will attach myself to you much faster if you are a teeny tiny bit quirky. I like weird.

poP

Positive. I feel like I've already talked about positivity quite a lot in this series, so I'll just leave this lovely quote here.

Puppies! I can't remember a time that I didn't love puppies. I've always been an animal lover and I'm a dog person through and through. Any dogs I love, but rottweilers are a recurring theme in my life. I remember as an 8 year old being passed a teeny tiny rottie pup over the fence from our neighbours who had just had a litter and then when meeting the love of my life to find that his cousin also had a beautiful rott. I often wish the puppy stage could stay around a wee while longer, particularly in aesthetics (not so much in energy levels!).

Oh, Oh, Oh

Optimist. I like to look on a bright side. I love positivity and I love positivity stories and quotes. I like to think that something better is always just on the horizon. This cuts directly in with my depression, where I don't feel optimistic at all, but somehow, one way or another that side of me fights back. It's definitely a back and forth action, but it's there, and I'm grateful.

Organised. I am an organised FREAK. I like right angles, I like organisational baskets and bins, I love labels and I like cleanliness. Organising things pleases me and makes me feel content. Messy places make me a bit twitchy and I've often been found cleaning up places that aren't mine.

Outgoing. I'm a contradiction in myself, as with many of the other things about me. I do like going out and I'm fairly outgoing. I do also like to stay in. Sometimes I can't even choose!

Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, Letter N

Nice. That's all I can really think of for N. I try to be the nicest person, mother, wife, friend I can, but I'm often hard on myself about it. I often feel selfish for things that I do, or don't do and it brings me down. Inner talk can be a bummer if you don't work on making it positive. It's always important to first be nice to yourself... and as I've said before in this series, I'm working on it.

Mmmmmmmmm

Masters. In the next ten years I'm wanting to get my masters of education. I've made the first step this year with getting my post-graduate and I'm hoping to continue along the same line.

Mum. One of the biggest roles in my life is being a mum. Once I went from not being a mum to being one, that's really all that mattered. I love being a mum. That's not to say that it's not hard sometimes and that I love every second, but I couldn't be without these two little faces. I can't remember when it was like before them and although I'd love a sleep in or a quiet Sunday afternoon now and then, I know that I wouldn't go back for anything.

L-L-L-L-L Love Love

Lists. God I love lists. I make lists upon lists to help me focus on what I need to do. I'm so OCD about this that I cull my lists constantly and make new ones. I have a busy brain and doing this allows me to calm down somewhat.

Lucky. I consider myself a lucky person. I've won a few things and I've even spawned one of the most lucky people I know (who also begins with an L), Leah! When pregnant with Leah I won a couple of big sums of money and then when she was about 6 months old she won a $5000 prize from a bank competition. She's a tin arse, just like her mum.

Laugh. I love to laugh. I don't take anything too seriously, anything. This can get up people's nose sometimes, but that's not my problem!

Kickin' it with K

Kind. I try as much as possible to be as kind as possible and I always, always preach kindness to both the children I teach and to myself. Ellen's 'Be kind to one another' has become my mantra. The world is going a bit nuts at the moment and I can't understand a lot of it. It might be naivety on my part, but I don't see why people can't just get along! Be kind people, be kind.

Kaizen. One of my favourite words. It's a Japanese business concept about continual improvement and personal efficiency which I am aaaaaaaaaall about.

Kate! I've been known by many names in my life. I got called Katherine or Kate (at home) for the first few years of my life before Kate became my preferred moniker. In my teenage years I was known (and still am by many of my old friends) as Kat. The only person who was ever allowed to call me Kathy was my late (and super great) Uncle Bryce.

Jumping J Flash

Joker. As I went over in the F post, I like to try to be as funny as possible. I often wonder why this is. I do know my dad was a joker and my family is far from serious at the best of times, so I guess in a way I got it from dad. He loved to have a laugh. Believe it or not, as a child I was very shy and quiet and it was only through my teenage years that I came out of my shell and become the outspoken person I am today. I also wonder if I was trying to compensate for my perception of how I looked by being the joker. I've never liked how I looked and would believe that no one else would either, so I had to work on my personality to have people like me (in my mind). I like how I've turned out! Haha.

Jammin'. My husband has recently got me listening to Bob Marley. I've never really liked reggae music and I'm not 100% sure why but with Damien being as relentless as he is with stealing my car stereo, I've begun to appreciate Bob Marley with quite a lot of respect. My favourite song is 'Them Belly Full' which has the such a great line - "A rain a-fall, but the dutty tough" which really means "The rain falls, but the dirt is tough". How fucking beautiful is that?

Eye

Interesting. At least, I think I am. I'm a super fan girl, and if you're talking about any one of the things that I'm interested in (there's a few) I will be your bestest friend. I think all my infatuations with things make me an interesting person. I would like to know me at least! My fan girldom status makes me have a very indepth knowledge of the things that I'm interested in and I can literally talk for hours. I get very excited!

Independent. As much as I love and need my close family, I am a very independent person. I've said to Damien a couple of times that I often enjoy the nights when he's late home because I can do what I want on my own timeline (much to his sadness). I do get lonely, but I also enjoy being alone.

Innovative. In my line of work I like to keep up to date with the new developments. I enjoy trawling twitter and pinterest for the newest things and giving them a try if I think they fit in with my exisiting pedagogy.

Hhhhhello H

Happy. I think I show the outer demeanor of happiness most of the time. No matter what I'm feeling inside it's hard to see me without a smile on my face or trying my best to be positive. I'm also very content with my life. That doesn't mean I'm not pushing to improve or make changes, but I am happy with where I'm at.

Hugger. I love to hug.

Hair. I'm so excited to get my hair did tomorrow. I've had many hairstyles over the years and many, many different colours. I feel sorry for my hair sometimes, it's been through a lot. I'm loving how long it is at the moment - makes me feel girly!

What up G?

Gorgeous. This is one of my favourite words. Unfortunately I don't think it enough about myself, but I love describing others and other things with it. Sometimes though, I do feel it, and I relish these times, it's lovely to feel that way. I'd like that kind of confidence all the time.

Gamer. I've loved games for as long as I remember. I think back to before I was even school age and watching others play our Atari. A gaming console of the late 80s/early 90s.  I don't remember playing too much (now having a 4 year old of my own I can understand why) but I loved watching. When I was about 5 my family purchased an Amiga 500. A cool little home computer that my brother and I loved to play games on. I remember pinball, racing games, side scrollers, minigolf and platform games. I loved them all. And I still do. I am what you would now consider a 'nostalgic gamer'. Although I appreciate what modern graphics can do and how unbelievingly large games are today, I still like oder games more. I've even just tattooed myself with 4 characters from my favourite series - Paper Mario.

Grateful. I am so thankful for all that I have. I have two beautiful girls and the most amazing husband and I don't take those things for granted whatsoever. They are my world and I would do anything for each of them, as well as my fur baby Jake. I am very lucky to have what I do, and I am very grateful for it all.

For Fs sake!

Fuck! I swear far too much, and terribly (to many) I don't even sensor it around the girls. We've sacrificed a lot having kids, surely I shouldn't have to sensor myself in front of them too! I'd rather be myself and talk how I always do and teach my girls when it's appropriate to use those words (when you're an adult!) rather than not use them at all. They then become taboo words and I want to be as real as possible with my kids as much as I can.

Friend to animals. I absolutely adore animals, sometimes more than people. I've always been this way. When I was a kid and we would go visiting at a relatives house I would always hone straight in on whatever animals they had and that would be me for the entire time I was there - patting, holding, playing. Strangely enough, I'm quite allergic to animals hair - of those that I'm not used it, but I can't help it, I just love 'em.

Funny. LOOKING, hahahaha. I like to make jokes and I feel like I'm a bit witty. People tend to laugh around me and I seem to get on with those that can take a joke the best. I also like to have a good laugh.

Excellent E

Easy-going.

In all that I do. I'm a bit of a contradiction really because I'm very opinionated and I like to voice my opinion, but I'm also quite easy going. I don't force my opinions on anyone - other than to listen to my bullshit, lol, and I try to stay clear of outwardly judging others (much harder to stop altogether, in my brain I judge almost automatically). I think this is why Damien and I work so well together. We both don't give too many shits about anything, and when we do we can just casually talk about it.

Excitable.

Tattoos. Horror movies. Nintendo gaming. Rottweilers. Disney. Skulls. I'm a fan girl, that's for sure. And the minute you begin talking about anything that I'm into I will be your best friend. I often make a high pitched squealy noise when I'm super excited and my hands move double time.

Enthusiastic.

This is actually something that I'd like to display more. I have such an outward demeanor of non-chalance and sarcasm that I hide how enthusiastic I am about things sometimes. For fear of being judged usually.

Educator.

Deep down, whether I'm still enjoying teaching in the current climate or not, I love to teach. I am attracted to any information about teaching or working with kids even when I'm not looking for it. Deep down, I'm a teacher.

The D has it!

Dedicated. Determined. Driven.

I feel like all of these things fit in together.  As I think I've already said in this series. I'm dedicated to continually improving myself in every day possible. I'm 100% goal driven and I'm not scared of hard work to get where I want (in most aspects that is). I worry though, that I'm going to get through life and either not be happy where I'm at in the end or that I spend all my time of improvement and I'm never happy with what I have, or too tied up to enjoy the moment. I overthink things, can you tell? (whoops, should wait for O for that one!) Because of this I try to both keep busy with my many ventures of improvement and enjoy the moment and I'm definitely getting better with it.

Depressed.

I didn't know whether I wasted to include this one or not, even though I've written about it before. But I got such a positive lot of feedback from speaking out about it last time that I wanted to include it because I'm not ashamed of it. It's a tough pill to swallow for me - quite literally - because I try to be a tower of strength. I definitely don't stray away from crying (just watch any slightly emotional you tube clip with me) and I feel like I'm good at owning my feelings, and usually being far too vocal with my opinions, but depression is different. I just re-read that post from earlier and it's such a good description of where I was, and to an extent still am. It scares me to come off the medication and go back to a place I was... a place that some days, I'm still at. My mum had a good way of looking at it, tell me that I simply have a problem with my brain that needs medication to balance out - what's wrong with that. If it was my heart would I think I shouldn't be taking pills? Heck no, so why for my brain?

A sailor went to C C C...

Committed. As in, not single. My husband and I were married in 2011, and he is the absolute love of my life. Yeah, yeah, I know...but it's true. I even knew it when I was 7 years old! You can read about our story here.

Confident. Something I would like to build in myself. I'm trying, but she's a hard road mate.

Curious. In a big way. I love to learn new things and I like to be in the know.

Short and sweet today xox

Beautiful Beeeeeeeeeeee

Badass. Or at least I try to be. I don't mean in the 'I ride a motorbike and have a tonne of tough stickers' kinda way, although I do have a few tattoos. I just mean that I say what I think most of the time, sometimes with little thought of how it will reflect on myself. I actually struggle with this, particularly with my profession, as I feel I should be more reserved at times. More often than not, this internal struggle is worked out with 'fuck it' and deciding that to be true to myself and what I think is the best way about it. Most people appreciate this about me, and those that don't? Meh.

Beauty in all things. Something I like to try and see. I've found that since I took up photography I look at things in a different way than before. I'm often looking a lot harder at things than many people and I revel in the beauty of nature (mostly). I'm a strange creature in that I like the outdoors, but not really so much being in them (at times) so I make the most of it when I'm out and about. This has seen my clumsy arse walk into or fall over things many a time.

Better and better. I'm all about self improvement - mentally, physically (not that you'd know), academically, spiritually. I believe it's what we're all here for - to become the best version of ourselves. I try my damn hardest to be mine and go balls to the wall with anything I decide to do. Putting this pressure on myself if hard at times, and I get grumpy at myself when I take breaks, but it all evens out somewhere. I think if we're all heading in the right direction of self improvement, then it doesn't matter which path or journey we take, or how long it takes us to get there, as long as we're moving.

Beautiful. That's a hard one to write sadly, it should be the easiest. But as the last paragraph says, we're all on a journey, and I'm on one to accept myself and my body as beautiful. It's a hard road! It's especially hard to catch yourself when you're so used to making sarcastic comments about how you look. But I'm determined (whoops, should keep that for D!) to be a woman that's comfortable in her own skin and whose confidence reiterates that. I will get there!

A - Z challenge, in July?

One of my 40 before 40 goals is to complete the A-Z blogging challenge every year in April. As you can see, I forgot (lets put it down to the fact I work full time, have two kids under 5, thought it would be a good idea to do 3 courses - including a postgraduate, and you know - also have some time to myself where I blob and watch NRL). But, not one to be put off by a couple of months, I decided I would get it done now. I'm currently on school holidays and if I can smash out heaps of them during this time then boom! Let see how I go huh?

Another good thing about this is that I'm currently doing an A-Z photography challenge so I can share my photos on each post! Clever!

My 'theme' if you will, is simply to write about my life, organised with words that begin with the letter of the day. Here goes!

Artistic. I really enjoy art, but I would classify myself as an artist. I was one of those children who was always drawing and colouring, but unfortunately I still draw as if I'm around that age. Hah! I would love the time to get better, but for now, it's just doodling. I do enjoy creating things digitally - mostly because it's other people's art and I'm just organising it.

 

Awakened. Up to only a year or so ago I would have laughed at you if you spent more money on organic food, when you can get the same item for much less without the organic tag. But recently, I've been doing some reading and viewing that makes a lot of sense to me when it comes to what we put in our mouth, and chemicals. It makes sense to me now, to buy food that hasn't been tampered in anyway with chemicals or antibiotics. Our bodies simply aren't made to cope with them on such a large scale. I'm a great example of this and I'm hoping to be a good example of the opposite once I get my head around how to eat a largely plant based diet when I don't like veges that much. Tips?

Adorable. Last night I was going through some old photos to get them ready to go into photobooks (something else that's been left to the wolves while I do life) and it still amazes me how cute my kids are some times. I don't say that in a braggy way, just in a mum absolutely adoring her kids way. Mothers are supposed to think that right? It's a lovely feeling. No matter how annoying they can be and no matter how many buttons they push, I can still look at a photo of their wee faces and be in love.