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We May Not Be Cut Out For a Five Star Life – and other Tales From The Road

October 9, 2012 By Janine 17 Comments

2,500 kilometres. 3 states. 4 stopovers. When I first started blogging I wrote a post about my guilt over not having had any family holidays for a long time (it's been about four years), I'm over the guilt, we are never leaving the house again. Note to parents of young children, don't waste money and energy on giving them experiences to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, Family Living Tagged With: Family, Holiday, Road Trip

Weekly Photo Challenge – Regret

February 13, 2012 By Janine 13 Comments

Regretting trying to catch THAT wave!  Surfer was fine. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Photos Tagged With: David Fitzpatrick, Holiday, Photographs., Photography, Postaweek 2012

Lord Howe Island – A Family Holiday

January 22, 2012 By Janine 10 Comments

Despite my inclination for home and hearth occasionally  I must hoist myself out of the lounge and into the big wide world to give my children experiences beyond their small hometown and away from the digital activities that seem to control their free-time. Lord Howe is a spectacularly beautiful island, off the mainland of Australia. It’s one of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family Tagged With: Family, Holiday, Lord Howe Island., Old Gulch

Is the Family Holiday Dead?

October 6, 2011 By Janine 3 Comments

Swimming at Lord Howe Island

I'm feeling a little guilty at the moment (a lapsed Catholic I feel guilty almost constantly).  It's school holidays and we have gone nowhere.  Now if that was a once off I wouldn't mind, but we spend a lot of holidays, well not actually holidaying anywhere. You can count on one hand the number of organised holidays we have taken.  Stradbroke … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family, Photos Tagged With: Family, Holiday, Lord Howe Island.

Janine Fitzpatrick is a personal blogger with an untidy house, imperfect children and no celebrity friends.

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Weekend Notes

WATCHINGI went to see Fiona O'Loughlin last night. She's the comedian who survived alcoholism, a two week coma from not realising, in her drunken state, that the heater in the dive she was living in was leaking carbon monoxide.  Then went on to spend … [Read More...]

Weekend Notes

Watching We headed to the movies this weekend and saw the latest Spike Lee film, BlacKkKlansman. It's the story of the first black cop in the Colorado Springs police force, Ron Stallworth, who in the late 70's managed to infiltrate the Ku Klux … [Read More...]

Sleepless

So I've been awake since 3.00am. In that time I've signed the family up for an organizing app which can run a joint calendar, shared shopping and to-do lists and has downloaded a series of recipes that are supposed to make my "what's for dinner" … [Read More...]

Grey stairs.

The Widow Goes On A Date

The last time I went on a first date Bob Hawke was Prime Minister, Liam Hemsworth was being born, Madonna was singing Vogue on the radio, Macaulay Culkin was being left Home Alone and Kevin Costner was Dancing with Wolves. It was a long time ago … [Read More...]

Father with two daughters.

Another Father’s Day

Hi Simon, How's things going up there? Did you have a beer with your Dad for Father's Dad? We blatantly ignored the day here. Just pretended it wasn't happening. We still think about you every day. I didn't post anything on Facebook because it … [Read More...]

Daisy flowers

Hellooo Again

  Hi, I'm just here unwrapping the dust covers, brushing down the spiderwebs and sweeping up the left-over dreams of my tiny little space on the internet. I know I've been gone almost 12-months. I'm not even sure how that happened. A … [Read More...]

A messy scrapbooking desk

Milestone Moments

Hey Simon, Despite my best intentions to ignore the milestones they keep on happening, with or without you. We celebrated your Mum's 80th birthday back in August. A rushed trip of some 1,850 kilometres all up with just four days to do the 9 hour … [Read More...]

Weekend Notes

What have you been up to this weekend? Watching  We caught Home Again in the cinema. It's the latest Reese Witherspoon film.  It's a fun little comedy. Reese plays Alice a just-turned 40 divorcing mum of two. At her birthday drinks she … [Read More...]

Picture of a beach.

Weekend Notes

  As the weekend draws to a close here's a little of what caught my eye in the last 48 hours. Watching Saw Battle of the Sexes the new Emma Stone movie about the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Oh what a time … [Read More...]

A Bag of chips, wine, chocolate, lemonade and magazine. A parody of a bug out bag for the apocalypse.

Could You Survive The Apocalypse?

South Koreans are buying "survival bags" and turning to YouTube for tips on making it through a nuclear blast. The New York Times is writing articles on How To Survive The Apocalypse and the doomsday preppers are starting to look like the smart ones. … [Read More...]

chocolate and wine

Home Alone: The Empty Nest

The empty nest looms in my near future. One more year before the youngest heads out into the world without my micromanaging her every move. I can feel the rotor blades on my helicopter starting to slow.   I heard a whisper of what may … [Read More...]

Weekend Notes

It's a long weekend here in Australia.  So it's been a lazy time. Perfect for some catch-up TV, movies and reading.   Watching I've been enjoying Doctor Doctor it was shot in my old hometown of Mudgee and gosh it's looking … [Read More...]

iVillage

Janine Fitzpatrick is a personal blogger with an untidy house, imperfect children and no celebrity friends. Read More…

Grey stairs.
Father with two daughters.

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