What is fear?

Fear is different for everyone.

What makes me fearful won't be the same as you and vice versa.

Everyone's reaction to fear is different and has varying degrees.

This week I discovered what strikes me with fear.

It all started when I received a phone call from the Health Clinic to tell me that Little Miss 4 had failed the eye test she had done at preschool.

I was completely shocked! There had been no indication that her eye sight was anything but perfect.

The kind lady, Genelle, offered a retest because sometimes these tests are skewed because of the loud chaotic preschool environment.

I accepted. On Tuesday the whole family went to the Health Clinic for the retest.

Hubby and I sat there completely still and speechless as our Little Miss 4 clearly and quite significantly failed the test in her left eye.

The kind lady, Genelle, explained to us that our eyes aren't fully developed until we are eight years old so hopefully with glasses Little Miss 4's left eye could be corrected. She also told us that if treatment had been left until she was eight it would be too late and she would be blind in her left eye.

Cue fear!

My beautiful angel, blind! What?

To find out exactly what the issue was Little Miss 4 would need to see an Orthoptic Surgeon.

On Thursday Little Miss 4 and I headed to the hospital to have further tests done.

After three hours of tests, eye drops and waiting we found out that Little Miss 4 is extremely long sighted in her left eye and also has a slight stigmatism.

Another kind lady, Kate, explained to me that if we were to do nothing and something should happen to Little Miss 4's right eye, she would be completely blind. (It seems some parents don't believe the diagnosis and therefore do nothing. Incomprehensible to me.)

Cue more fear!

My beautiful angel, blind! What?

We left the hospital with a script for glasses and an appointment to return in two months to learn how to patch her right eye to kick the left eye into getting stronger.

While I am stricken with fear over my daughter's sight, she is simply not phased. She feels "good" about getting glasses and patching her eye. Last night we talked about friends and family who have glasses. Even people we see on TV - like George and Elaine from Seinfeld (that's my girl).

She is such a great kid.

She wanted red glasses so picked out the reddest, boldest frames that the shop had! That's my girl.

What strikes fear in you?

Wordless Wednesday - my Autumn garden

Because sometimes there are no words.

Linking up with My Little Drummer Boys and Twinkle in the eye for Wordless Wednesday.

Trendy Tuesday - Darker lip colour

Trendy Tuesday has arrived!

I am so far from trendy I don't even have the words to explain where I fit in the spectrum of trends. In fact, I probably don't fit anywhere.

But I do love to peruse my glossy magazines and fashion/beauty websites to see what is out there and making its mark on the trendy people about town.

So I thought every Tuesday I would try and "rock something trendy".

My first attempt at trendy is dark red/crimson lipstick.

According to Vogue Australia "Colour Me Crimson" is a daring new look for 2013. They suggest experimenting with a darker lip colour for an added edge.

What better inspiration that these very trendy ladies....

Miranda Kerr

Dita Von Tesse

Anne Hathaway

Julia Zemiro

Another good reason to be rocking the red lippy is next week's Kiss Goodbye to MS campaign!

So here I am attempting to experiment with a darker lip colour for an added edge.

Will you be rocking red/crimson lipstick?

Linking with Essentially Jess for #IBOT

My itty bitty party girl

Kids! Who would have thought that one day my kid, who is four, would be more social than me.

Okay, so it really isn't that hard to imagine, I don't get out that much. If at all these days. Actually her social life is fast becoming mine.

This weekend she partied like it was 1999 - and she wasn't even thought of then!


Saturday afternoon I took her to Mr W's party. It was a pirate party. The room was adorned with pirate treasure, a ship's mast and a lot of very energetic pirates!

It always takes her a few minutes, or 20, before she warms up and prises her tiny hand from around my leg. But once she gets into it, she has a great time.

My wee little pirate!

She pinned the eye-patch on the pirate, dug for buried treasure, bashed the pinata for the hidden loot and played tug-o-war.

Oh and she won the Best Dressed Lady Pirate - so proud and worth the $30 I spent on the outfit, even if she didn't wear the groovy striped stockings or red bandanna.

Sunday afternoon I took her to Ms V's party. It was a princess/fairy party. The house was adorned with princess paraphernalia. Upon entering the backyard we spotted the jumping castle!

This party was all about the jumping castle. After the obligatory warm-up time, she was on there and not getting off in a hurry.

I forgot to take a picture of my Tinkerbell fairy before we headed off to the party, so took one upon arrival at home...here is the result - and I think she gets this "I have had enough" face and hand on hip from me.

My tired Tinkerbell

Tired and cranky are the two words I would use to describe my little Pirate Tinkerbell after two parties, a truck load of sugar and a jumping castle. Totally exhausted are the two words I would use to describe me.

Were your kids more social than you this weekend?

Sports Sunday - Women in League

I love sport, especially rugby league. To me, rugby league is a kind of therapy. I can yell and scream during the game as loud as I want and a lot of my issues seem to melt away - for 80 minutes anyway. It is extremely curative.

When I was first started going to games with my Dad, there was not a lot of mention of women in rugby league. It was hard for women to even become members of some Rugby League clubs. And there wasn't talk of women playing rugby league. I am sure they did but it certainly wasn't recognised in the media.

Thankfully, over the years the role of women in rugby league has completely changed.

This weekend was the annual Women in League round.

This is the seventh year that rugby league has celebrated women.

Did you know that over 140,000 women and girls have a direct connection with rugby league, as administrators, players, coaches, employees, volunteers or club members.

As part of the Women of League round (May 17-20, 2013) players, coaches, referees and fans all get involved and turn the game pink to celebrate the role of women in the game.

Not only a time to celebrate but also to raise money for many worthy women's charities, including the McGrath Foundation. Last year, the McGrath Foundations "Pull On Your Socks" campaign raised more than $100,000 through the support of Rugby League clubs.

I am so glad that there has been this shift regarding women in rugby league. I am glad that my daughter will grow up not having to question why women can't become members of rugby league clubs. That she will always think that rugby league has celebrated the role of women.

Did your club get involved in the Women of League round?

The great vaccinate debate

It seems the great vaccinate debate is doing the rounds in the media.

The Sunday Telegraph and Daily Telegraph have launched a pro-immunisation campaign to protect vulnerable children called #NoJabNoPlay.

More than 3,000 parents have now signed their petition calling for restrictions in childcare for unvaccinated children. 

They are of the belief that it is one thing for anti-immunisation supporters to make a decision about the health of their own children, but it is different when that decision puts other children at risk.

The NoJabNoPlay campaign is asking the state government to allow childcare centres to ban children who have not been vaccinated. It also calls on the federal government to withhold the childcare rebate from every parent who fails to immunise their children.

Currently the federal government withholds childcare rebates for nonimmunisers, unless they have registered as a "conscientious objector". 

To read more, you can view the article here - http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/time-to-stop-keeping-kids-immune-from-jab/story-e6freuy9-1226635389528

In the latest (and sadly last) madison magazine, Fiona McDonald has written a piece titled Vaccines. The Risks, The Rumors, The Reality.

In her article, Fiona tells the story of several parents who have had different experiences with immunisations. One is of a seven year old boy whose parents didn't want him to be immunised and he got tetanus from a small cut. He was placed in an induced coma after suffering weeks of full body spasms. He was given a ten per cent chance of survival. He is now fully immunised and back at school.

The article details that in some areas of Australia the number of people immunised reaches as low as 65 per cent. According to the article people question advice given to them by the government or doctors. These areas are shown to be more prone to outbreaks of measles, rubella and whooping cough.

Dr Menzies, a researcher at Sydney University's National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases was interviewed for the madison article and he thinks the miracle of modern medicine has, ironically, led many parents to forget just how dangerous diseases can be.

The article goes on to talk about Online Misinformation, Are Vaccines Dangerous?, Misjudging Risk and How worried should we be?

If you are interested in reading the whole article, it is on page 56 of the 100th madison magazine edition.

I have to admit I didn't even think about not immunising our kids. Hubby never mentioned it to me either. When their vaccinations are due I just take them the doctor to have them. I couldn't imagine the grief of losing a child to a disease that they can be immunised against.

It seems that this will be a debate for the ages though.

Brave Angelina Jolie

image from here

I am sure there will be hundreds, if not thousands of posts and media comments on the latest news of Angelina Jolie having a double mastectomy.

This post is going to be one of them.

I salute Angelina Jolie for the brave decision to have a preventative double mastectomy. I believe her when she says the choice was a difficult one. At the end of the day she is a mum trying to do the best for her kids and family.

When I was in my early twenties, I lost two of my beloved Aunts to breast cancer.

They both suffered so much with this awful disease and the torturous treatment.

One memory that will live with me forever is my aunty showing me the side of her breast after a radiation session, it was blistered and hot. This treatment was burning her from the inside out.

I cry for what they went through and for what they are missing.

I would have loved for them to have had the choice of a mastectomy before the breast cancer took hold of their lives and the lives of those close to them.

If I was faced with the same decision as Angelina Jolie, I hope to be so brave.

This is her article in full - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/opinion/my-medical-choice.html?src=me&ref=general

Another poignant piece on this tough decision is shown in a TV series by Dawn Porter titled My breasts could kill me. It can currently be viewed on ABC iview - http://www.abc.net.au/iview/#/series/11608.

Would you be so brave?