I have been awarded the Liebster blog award by two lovely bloggy people:

Jay from learningtoplayandplayingtolearn 

and

Tracey from blissamongstchaos.blogspot.com.au

Thanks girls!! I didn't win a spot in the top 25 family blogs but this feels just as nice. I was just pipped at the post, coming in at number 28 but with 125 blogs up for the top spots I didn't do too bad!

What is a Liebster award you may ask ... 

"The award  is given to support and recognise up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers (on their blog) or likers (on their Facebook page). The word “Liebster” apparently has German origins and is reported to mean sweetest,  kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. By following some basic rules (answer 11 questions set by your nominee, write 11 questions of your own and pass the award onto 11other  bloggers to answer) it enables readers to get to know new bloggers and connect  with a wider audience."

Sweetest and cutest, orrrr Shucks guys - stop it I'm blushing!

I had two different lots of questions one from each nomination so I have combined the two lots to come up with one lot of 11 questions. Here they are.... (drumroll please)

1. How long have you been blogging?

6 Months! Wow, I had to go back and have a look and I am one day off my six month anniversary. It didn’t feel that long, I’m really surprised by that!
  
2. Inside or outside?

Definitely inside. I don’t mind going for a walk but I am an inside person. 

 3. If you could have as many children as you wanted, how many would you have?

The same as I have now, two. I would not want to have anymore! I think if I had more than two I’d have a mental breakdown. Unlike now... where I am totally sane......

4. What is your favourite TV show at the moment?

Once Upon a Time – but it seems I may be alone on that because every time I try to bring it up in conversation to talk about it, no one seems to be watching it!

5. What is your favourite colour?

It changes. I love green... but I also love orange. I can’t choose.... and sometimes it’s Van Gogh Yellow. I’m sorry .. I can’t commit. 
 
6. Best book you ever read?

There are too many good ones.. I can’t choose just one but I could not put down the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy or the Hunger Games Trilogy. But they were both great for different reasons. 
  
7. What is your 'houseworking' music of  choice?

Definitely dance music. I’m loving Britney and will.i.am’s new song Scream and Shout and  Pitbull’s and David Guetta’s new albums. 

8. What is one word your friends would use to describe you?
 
Honest
  
9. What is your favourite quote?

If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?
  
10. What is your favourite movie of all time?

The Wedding Singer... sad but true. 
  
11. Do you prefer wine or spirits?

Do I really have to choose??   
I would now like to pass the award onto 11 deserving and sweet blogs ..

Musings of the Misguided
Little Miss Marmalade
Organised Chaos
Declutterbug versus Captain Stingypants
MinsMash
The Divvy Spot
Mumabulous
Melbourne Mum
Family Survival Coach
10% Inspired
It's not Art it's dinner

And here are my questions

1. Why did you start blogging?
2. How often do you post on your blog?
3. Beach or Mountains?
4. Country or City?
5. Do you find blogging a chore or a joy?
6. Have you ever considered giving up blogging?
7. What do you really want for Christmas?
8. Boys or girls - which one is easier?
9. Are you more creative or analytical?
10. Planner or just see what happens?
11. The future of your blog?

Really looking forward to seeing your answers so make sure you post your blog link for your Liebster Award on Mother Loads facebook page so we don't miss out!!

Cheers,

Lee

 
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It seems that Spring has finally arrived in Melbourne and I for one am loving it! But with the change of seasons, warmer weather and wanting to get outside and soak up the warmth comes that nagging feeling that Spring should also involve a Spring clean.

I can hear the collective groan "Not more work", my life as a stay at home mum often feels like it's one step above ground hog day as it is. Now, I am not saying that I don't like spending quality time with my little guy (because I do.... generally) it is more the lack of social exchanges and the day to day of a life which revolves significantly around hanging out at home which sometimes gets me down. I mean one more load of washing and I'm going to poke my own eyes out. So, to add to the excitement of stay at home-edness (I know, it's not really a word - I'm hoping it'll catch on), I thought I would turn it up a notch and try and get my life more organised (and by my life, I mean mine, my husbands and my kids - cause they would be happy to coast along as is).

I have been perusing the living lighter (as in environmental footprint), working with what you have, saving money and living life more frugally type blogs, websites and books to garner some tips on how to do just that. Whilst perusing I have come across the book "lemons and lavender; the eco guide to better homekeeping" by Billee Sharp. Which has some exceptional blurbs in the front extolling the virtues of the author and the great ideas contained within the covers of this book and let's face it, I picked it up because the cover was pretty.

In flicking through the book I have found there are quite a number of good ideas (some obvious but hell, I'm not doing them at the moment so not obvious enough perhaps) and I have decided to take some on. I plan to take on one change a week and see how that impacts on my life. I am starting on the "Revolutionary Budgeting; Taking Control of Your Resources" chapter. Which is actually the first chapter but also the one I probably need the most help with.

To start off my time with Lemons and Lavender I am going to create a household / family budget to get a better idea of our outgoing expenses - now in saying this, I have actually begun this task a number of times over the past few years but have not finished it or set myself an actual budget. My hope in writing all this down and sharing it with someone other than myself is that now I am committed to doing it. Accountability and all that.

We have already begun working on a herb garden. It actually has a double duty - it is a water feature which I was forever worried my two year old would fall in when I was around the other side of the back yard hanging the clothes up. So we have eliminated that problem by filling it with pots and some lovely luscious herbs and lettuce ( I am so sick of buying half arsed lettuce from the shops that doesn't even last until we actually need it for salad a day or so later). This may or may not be a section in the book - I haven't got that far yet as I am focusing on the budget and whatnot. But it seems to be going great guns so f

So here it is, my promise to make one change each week and implement it into my life to create change and a greater life. Who is with me??

Got any great tips?? I would love to hear them.

Cheers,

Lee
 
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Hi ho, I thought I might use today's post as an opportunity to tell you what I am up to and what happening with the blog.

Well, as you will know if you have been following Mother Load, I have been busily blogging along each day, which is both a good and bad thing. Bad, in that I have to think about what to bring up each day (and then get to actually writing it up) but good because it really gives me a focus each day. A surprising and unexpected benefit of writing a blog post each day is that it makes me pay a little more attention to what's happening in my life, conversations I am having with friends and things going on around me. So, in essence it has really allowed me to be really present in the moment, which is nice. Time seems to pass so quickly and it is really easy to miss the moments around you, both good and bad. Another positive side effect if you will, is that the posts have become a little bit cathartic and allow me to work throw stuff that's rattling around in my head - almost like having a chat with a good friend. Listening to what's going on with them and offering some ideas. So, that's nice. Well, for me anyway. You as well, I'm hoping. So I shall continue to blog away, I guess until I run out of stuff to talk about, that is.

Now, you may or may not have noticed but up in the top right hand side of the this page (go on have a look) you will see a little box for you to be able to subscribe to Mother-Load. All you need to do is pop your email address in the space provided and you will never miss another Mother-Load post, Yay! You will also get it hot off the press - so as soon as it goes live, it's in your inbox. Woo Hoo!

Now, I know that some people like to read blogs but aren't keen to participate through comments, so I am contemplating whether to set up a facebook page to make it easier for readers to connect and add their own comments or questions, in addtion to the blog. I would love your opinions on this.

Lastly if you enjoy reading Mother-Load please share links to posts with your friends and help spread the word.

Now I'm off to get ready for toddler swimming lessons with my two year old. In this very cold  Melbourne weather there is little else I feel less like doing right now. I can't wait until my little devil can get in and go for it on his own, whilst I sip a latte and watch on from the sidelines. But until then ... he does love getting in, so you do what you've gotta do.

Cheers,

Lee

 
I had planned to sit down today and blog away peacefully whilst my little guy took his afternoon nap - but my peacefulness has been seriously hampered by an electricity bill and then having to deal with the idiots who make up the random numbers to add to my bill each month before they send it out. I have this vision that they sit in their offices and spin a wheel with figures on it and wherever it lands, that's what they charge you. It drives me crazy!

On top of that, I really hate it when you call up and you have to go through the whole press 1 for something totally irrelevant and press 2 to kiss my arse palava.... and then when you get through you get "Justin" from Mumbai. Who is obviously not a Justin, who is so sorry for the inconvenience... blah blah blah and then you get more random numbers the following month. 

I am still listening to the online music whilst I type this so that might account for my continuing aggression on this topic .. I'm waiting for the reference number so when I have to call back again about the same problem next month and they say they have no record of me ever calling at least I'll have a reference number. OK, that's my rant ..... ommmm ... I'm taking a deep breath and letting it go.

Today I wanted to do something a little different and that is get your opinion (instead of just giving you mine, that is). Now, as you may or may not know I have been busily blogging away each day towards my 1 post a day for 365 days. But I am wondering if it is too much to take on as a reader. So my question is would you prefer to have one post a day or cut back to a certain number a week?? I know not everyone has time to read blogs every day. What would be your preference as a reader?? How many posts would you like to read a week?

Also, as you may have noticed I am not short of an opinion or story - but I was wondering if there are particular things you would like to read about??  Are there particular themes you would like to see tackled each week? Is there something you would like to read about in particular??

I know that some readers are happy to read but not so keen on the participation part but I would ask that you throw caution to the wind and give me your opinion anyway. Please .... pretty please.

All you need to do is put your info down the bottom of this post and give me your comment. You can even make a name up ... should you be in witness protection or just feel really private about sharing. You will not be signed up to anything, your name does not go onto a database in India to receive calls asking for your help to save the orphan pigmy possums at some time in the future, you won't be hearing from Justin either. It's just me and I would love your opinion.

Thanks,

Lee