I was interviewed by Kirsten Krauth over at her excellent blog Wild Colonial Girl about the creative life and how one goes about it with so many responsibilities.

Here’s a tiny excerpt:

How has your blog influenced your other writing, your novels, your nonfiction, your poetry?

KA: It’s made me more open to the value of flash/shorter fiction for starters! It’s made me realise much quicker the greater potential an idea might lend itself to having, i.e whether it would be better to make a blog post out of something or turn it into a poem. For example, a day I had at the park years ago could’ve been easy to turn into a post along the lines of ‘We Had A Crap Day At The Park – Let Me Whine About It To You’. But I knew there was more to it than that. So I turned it into a poem — and it went on to win a literary award.

As I feel the squeeze of life, I do try to remember the blog byline ‘Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday’ when I post or meditate about what to write about next. I like how it resonates with others too. There are days I feel like a bit of a failure; then others I think I’m doing okay.

Writing/Blogging/Mothering – The Whole Jolly Lot is a post from: Miscellaneous Mum - Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday

For those of you who have been debating whether to attend the Emerging Writers’ Festival or not, in a piece of developing news I will be taking the ‘Blog to Where?’ session during the blogging masterclass.

From the website, here’s a little more about the day:

Take your blogging to the next level.

Aimed at writers already blogging, this masterclass will deal with a variety of subjects relevant to digital skills development and career projection.

With five sessions, two inspiring keynote addresses, handouts, and plenty of time for questions, we’ll help you navigate the art and business of blogging. Sessions will cover:

• Blog to Where? – a blog’s success can lead to a variety of opportunities. See how they can be pursued.
• Monetisation – tips and tricks to making money from your blog.
• Content Creation – writing blog, podcasting, video blogging – how should you say what you want to say.
• Strategic Planning – planning and forecasting for blogging success.
• Audience Development – how to create and engage an audience for your blog.

There’s a marvellous calibre of bloggers speaking on the day – and for just $75 you can’t beat the value.

The day is almost SOLD OUT. If you’d like to attend, tickets can be purchased here.

Perhaps I’ll see you there!

Brief Speaking Announcement @ #ewf12 Blogging Masterclass is a post from: Miscellaneous Mum - Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday

Yesterday saw our annual pilgrimage over to Williamstown to one of my oldest girlfriend’s biggest morning tea Cancer Council fundraising extravaganzas. We’d arrived just as my face resumed its normal colour after being beet red, thanks to a ten kilometre run I’d done earlier with another girlfriend in a very respectable time (6o minutes). As we sat there, among the other morning tea guests, I felt more than the usual post-running endorphins. I felt centred and calm. I backed this up this morning with some yoga, for although I ran okay I’ve not done so properly, or for such a distance, in quite a while and, oh my, I’m sore.

I had planned on writing a long, open letter to myself this mother’s day, but that idea got shelved by the book I preferred to read instead and a few other greedy allowances I don’t normally take for myself. Riley has been obsessed with the presents he’s bought me all week and the door was thrown open this morning with he and Keira carrying in the bounty that the school stall provided and a few dollars bought. I now have a further few coffee mugs to add to my collection, each stamped with a ‘World’s Greatest Mother’ emblem.

I think I’m going to spend the rest of the day quietly taking stock and pottering around the house. Enjoying the day for what it is: an opportunity to rest and assess the weeks ahead. For they will be busy.

I hope you have had a happy Mother’s Day, or a happy Sunday. x

Being Present, Not Focused On Them is a post from: Miscellaneous Mum - Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday

We’re currently… well, what’s the best phrase for it? ‘Considering our options’, I suppose you’d say. House hunting. Sniffing around. Then, every so often when we do this, we get scared and stick our heads back in and are completely happy with our lot, which may be what happens here again.

In that spirit of mind, I’m re-posting the below from December 2007. Yes, 2007. YE OLDEN DAYS.  

‘Are you sure you want the ‘brick red’ tint added to the concrete?’ asked the landscaper.

‘Sure,’ said Adam. ‘It will match the bricks to the house.’

‘Are you positive?’ The incredulity was starting to tell me he did not agree with our choice.

‘Yes!’

‘Okay then …’

On the morning of the job I had to take the kids out, thus leaving the men alone to get to work. When I got home I discovered that concretors are a breed of messy human being I have never witnessed anywhere except in the bedrooms of teenage boys. The red wet, sloppy concrete trails over our driveway looked like the Saw movies had all been shot there five minutes ago. When I went to inspect the progress, my eyes were immediately burned by the brightness of our new backyard.

‘Don’t worry,’ said the landscaper, with a wry little smile (I swear) playing on his lips. ‘It will dry lighter than it looks now.’

Later I took Riley in for his afternoon nap. His room is above the backyard; the bright red glare trimmed the edges to his curtains and then bled into the room at large. It was eerie. It was positively Martian.

Behold our Martian environment! It may be cold, but at least the humidity is right.

I looked at Riley; Riley looked at me. As I went to put him down, he began to protest with a face much like this one:

No, mum! I don’t want to be an intrepid intergallactic explorer! Don’t leave me to fend off foreign beings alone!

Don’t worry – he slept fine, in the end. But still, it’s been a few weeks now since the job was completed and I walk into the bathroom on a sunny day and get a shock when I need to blink away the redness. I’m sure I will get used to it too…eventually.

Before

After

The ‘after’ shot could’ve been staged and shot a bit better, but you get the idea. Along the side wall we’ve planted star jasmines and liriopes. At the back fence (which you can’t see here but you can if you click on the bigger picture) is a japanese maple, which in autumn will turn a beautiful orange colour. We’ve ordered the water tank and it will be installed behind the steps just before Christmas. The cubby house, which will go directly behind where I stood there to take the shot, is still on our ‘To-Do’ list.

Still, all in all, I’m happy with it. The kids will be able to ride their bikes or play hopscotch.

(Postscript: Have the kids ever ridden their bikes or played hopscotch down there? Of course not. Is it as red today as it was then? Yes –  underneath all the leaves, debris and possum faeces. See the ‘before’ picture again. Although the jasmines are magnificent. The cubby house never became a cubby; instead our vegetable garden.)

Backyard Landscaping – Not For the Faint Hearted is a post from: Miscellaneous Mum - Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday

Last week I opened the front door to a rather handsome newspaper photographer on assignment to our house to get a picture of me for an article about Miscellaneous Mum’s inclusion as a Best Australian Blog finalist.

I should say up front that this house has not fared well in the appraising eyes of other professional photographers whenever they have been sent here on assignment. I remember the last time, for example: the guy walked through, testing the light, looking at the furniture, all the while nursing a camera with a lens the length of an elephant’s trunk, tsk-ing through his lips to himself.

Finally he turned around to me and said, ‘This just isn’t going to work.’

‘What?’ I said, taken aback. ‘Why?’

‘It’s…’ He searched for the words. ‘It’s… never mind. Get in your car and follow me.’

So this was the sum of it: we had to drive up to the back hills of the suburb where I live, late in the afternoon, just as the mosquitos were coming out, to get a shot among some trees because, as near as I can figure, our home just wasn’t pretty enough. I hummed Kasey Chambers all the way home before coming in to stare hard at our ancient yellow leather couches for a few minutes before shrugging and realizing, ‘Oh, hang on. That’s right. I don’t really give a crap about this kind of thing.’

And life went on.

This time we stayed here and that was an automatic plus in my book. What spiced up this occasion was that a member of our house was called up for picture duty.

Our cat.

I questioned – politely – the photographer once the request came out of his mouth. ‘Uh, really? You sure?’

‘Yes, you lie on the carpet and type on your laptop and I’ll get the cat to walk past the monitor and it’ll look nice and natural. The kids aren’t here, are they?’

‘No, they’re at school.’

‘Okay, we’ll stick with the cat.’

There was just one question mark over the idea: I just couldn’t see how we would get the cat to cooperate.

Whiskers has a default mode which is SLEEP. She’s generally pretty laid back and curious, especially around babies, but usually leaves you alone. This is when she’s happy.

When she’s not happy …. let me paint you a picture:

Turns out she was in this second mood on this particular day. We chased her all over the house; she even went and hid behind the back of our bed – something she’s not done since she was a kitten.

Eventually I had to tackle her like she was a loose ball at the footy to keep her still. The photographer, bless him, kept his blithe good humour.

‘Great! You’ve got her! Now, let me line up the shot … and on my word … let her go. Wait … okay … now!’

SSSSHHHHHRRRRROOOOM!!

She was gone.

‘Hang on, I didn’t quite get it. Try again.’

What follows was a repeat situation of what I’ve just described. We had to shut doors, synchronise our movements, endlessly shake a food bag to get her. Finally I had her in my arms, hair all over me, and waited for the release order.

“Now!”

I let her go … and this time she stayed still. She hopped up and walked past just as she was supposed to, flicking her tail, exposing her butt to my face in that “I’ll do it in my own way and time, thanks” way cats have mastered.

Job done, the photographer left, and Whiskers slept for the rest of the day.

The things we do for our art, eh?

My thanks to Jason, Julie and the Diamond Valley Leader for being featured. The cat has received many compliments  - and I guess she earned them!

Our Cat: Reluctant Media Star is a post from: Miscellaneous Mum - Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday

At the kitchen table, among the fractured rainbow of strewn crayons and sticky notes, they sit together, talking. She has donned the mantle of teacher; he is the willing (for now) pupil, pencil poised and ready, even though words are still being slowly assembled in his written vocabulary.

‘Now, first,’ she says, confident in her authority, ‘I shall teach you about stories.’

He waits.

‘A story must always have some sort of problem that needs solving.’

He nods.

I look over from my seat, agog. She’s just condensed the first chapter of any number of creative writing books out there down into a single sentence.

*

But stories need creating before they can be told, whether it’s in the mind or by practice. Nowadays he’s taken to going outside, ‘to play Minecraft’.

Poised on the back step, I watched him breathe deeply and exhale. ‘It’s Minecraft … in real life,’ he says.

‘Isn’t it real life in real life?’ I say.

‘No, it’s real life, as I pretend to play Minecraft in a real life that is like Minecraft.’ He turns to argue, stable in conviction. ‘Don’t you understand?’

*

Am what am I doing, I wonder, on occasion, as my two children push through the draping veils of their years, hands outstretched, fingers searching to land upon the shapes that will withstand the pressure of probing.

Don’t we all brush up against such obstacles as we navigate our lives; sometimes we may even install them in our wake, to obfuscate the path, to keep others away.

Cairns of significance; symbols of presence.

How you choose to do it is up to you.

Edit, edit, edit.

Create, create, create.

You might need to be the problem that needs solving or the adventurer that steps out into a world of his choosing.

Think of the possibility. The potential.

Now, go.

Image source: Scoobymoo

Being the Story; Being the Teller is a post from: Miscellaneous Mum - Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday

So! It’s Mothers Day on Sunday. I’m sure you hardly need reminding, but I’m here today to do just that – in an adorable, endearing way, obviously. That’s the tone I write all my posts in, isn’t it? (Don’t answer that.)

Anyway, I’m here to advocate ease and convenience when buying presents and what better way than to organise an Australian magazine subscription? Oh, and also, remember when I said there’s a competition running at the moment? Here’s a nifty video to tell you more! With a super-perky voiceover I could never hope to replicate!

Have you put in your order for present ideas yet, mothers? I must admit, I’m not sure what to do. I get confused. For example, like, on the Burkes Backyard page it says, “Subscribe now to be inspired and informed as we help you create your dream way of life.” Such is the promise of many other home and lifestyle magazines, like Real Living and Country Style, and this is all fine if you have a flair for that kind of thing and know what you’re doing.

I do not.

Case in point, we recently bought a new quilt cover and flannelette sheets. The pictures on the packaging looked like these:

This is how it actually looks on the bed, after many minutes of primping and smoothing over:

In many ways I feel defeated before even opening a page! Perhaps that’s why I’m more likely to reach for a Good Health or Australian Mountain Bike over a Frankie or Vogue these days. It depends on my mood. Better yet, maybe a Good Reading or Vanity Fair.

Actually, with those photos above, I think they might end up being my presents – which will be totally fine if I get some quality reading material too. Hint hint, family.

This post is the last of three sponsored by Magshop Mother’s Day Gifts promotion.

One Enormous Hint is a post from: Miscellaneous Mum - Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday

I first saw this song at the gym when it came on the monitors, but as my earplugs weren’t working I couldn’t listen to it. Frustrated, I was there jogging along thinking I DIDN’T KNOW RUPERT SANG. HOW DID THIS PIECE OF INFORMATION PASS ME BY? IS MY POP CULTURE RADAR MALFUNCTIONING? IS IT INAPPROPRIATE THAT I AM THINKING IN CAPITALS ABOUT AN ACTOR WHO IS CONSIDERABLY YOUNGER THAN I AM?

(I discovered later he’s not singing.)

Sure, the radio is playing it to death – but for good reason.

Favourite Song of the Moment is a post from: Miscellaneous Mum - Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday

I was lucky enough to be able to make the decision to stay at home as long as I did with the kids until they reached school age. Blogging and writing assisted this, true, but it wasn’t an easy choice.

Then the opportunity came along for my current role and as I talked about it on the school playground I was overwhelmed by the response from many of my friends: that they had been in a similar situation, waiting until their youngest was in school before going back to work, and some had already been on the lookout for a long time.

It’s been ten years since I was out of the traditional workforce. In my old position I dressed corporately, was used to spending nine hours on my feet in high heels, occasionally with a walkie talkie or an earpiece in my ear during a big function. Thing is, those clothes are long gone and even if I’d kept them many wouldn’t fit anymore.

Such times like this are when I turn to Savers. Yes, I could walk into Myers or David Jones and pull a pair of black pants off the rack for fifty, eighty, one-hundred dollars or I could go into Savers and get a complete outfit for less. Nothing against doing things the former way – as I have myself  – but when there’s a family at home, with kids wanting to participate in after school activites, then priorities are brought to the fore.

So I issued myself a challenge. I went to my cupboard and pulled out a few items I’d already bought from Savers, plus I went over to my local store to do a bit of scouting about, and I put together these five outfits to show you that going back to work needn’t be stressful (in the clothing sense, at least!) or a major financial consideration.

Here’s what I came up with:

White Very Very top, size 8: $12.99
Brown Country Road pants, size 8: $9.99
Chunky skull bracelet: $4.99
Total: $27.97

I wear these pants on average once, sometimes twice, a week. They are amazingly comfortable and can be dressed up or down, as the saying goes. The top is beautiful to wear.

Black Review pants, size 8: $14.99
Chelsea Design Top, size 8: $7.99
Necklace: $4.99
Total: 27.97 

I’ve always found it hard to buy black pants. I think it’s because I’m short, maybe. However these are great, even if buying straight leg pants is straying into dangerous territory, thanks to my pear-shape.

Brown Jacqui:E skirt, size 8: $11.99
White Witchery top, size 12: $11.99
Total: $23.98 

The Witchery top is a size too big for me, so I have to wear it tucked in, otherwise it looks a bit tent-esque. This is a lovely skirt, although is very dangerous to wear in the city whenever one of Melbourne’s surprise gusts of wind turns up to blow through. I’ve accidentally flashed many a pedestrian.

Blue Witchery dress, size 10: $24.99
Pendant: $7.99 (There were two side-by-side and I couldn’t decide, so got both!)
Total: $32.98 

A well lived-in dress, I just love it. Not sure if it will transition into winter all that successfully (opaque stockings or no opaque stockings), but time will tell.

Banana Republic dress, size 4: $34.99
Brown cardigan (no label or size): $8.99
Total: $43.98 

I don’t feel all that comfortable in this dress: it cuts across my thighs and does nothing for my boobs. I think I was seduced by the Banana Republic label, which will teach me a well-deserved lesson about forgetting about all that stuff and focusing first on fit. The cardigan – which if you think looks like a suit-ish jacket, you’d be right – is marvellous.

You’ll note I didn’t add in the cost of the shoes and that’s because I’m assuming there’s a pair of nude or black heels (or flats) the cupboard for many of you. But in other Thrifty Thursday posts I’ve gotten shoes that would still enable me to squeak in under the fifty dollar mark, so there’s that.

Next time you go thrift shopping, perhaps you might pick up some bargains too!

Photos: Sarah White.

This post has been written as part of the ‘Thrifty Thursday’ partnership I have with Savers Australia – The Recycle Superstore in 2012. 

Five Back-To-Work Outfits For Under Fifty Dollars is a post from: Miscellaneous Mum - Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday

I’m over at the Emerging Writers’ Festival blog today, talking about my first few months there. Come on over and say hi!

Keep Calm… is a post from: Miscellaneous Mum - Trying to find the objective correlative, everyday