The family trooped to my little girl’s school one Friday last month to attend its annual Family BBQ party. One of the come-ons that I’m sure made many families attend the event is the raffle. There were lots of cosmetics and free hair and body treatments/spa certificates that were given away. Lo and behold, I was one of the lucky women who won! We left the party early and I was surprised to see an envelope in my daughter’s pocket the following week. The bonus is that the spa place is so close to where I live. I was told that the services are really good and that they have excellent facilities, from massage rooms to spa rooms complete with hot tub and hot tub covers! It is such a pleasant surprise because I badly need to get some pampering.

With my plans to travel mid-year, I am now scouting for a laptop.  When I checked out the online stores, I was unsure whether to buy a cheap netbook having a measly 1GB.  Or a laptop with higher specifications, which already costs almost a thousand bucks!  Given a choice, I’d want another Apple but since I have an iMac already, a Macbook pro seems too much.  I don’t need over the top laptops or touch screen laptops, just a machine which will allow me to browse the Internet, send emails and edit photos.

If I would ever need to lose weight, weight loss pills will probably be my last resort. I am scared of the side effects and I am not really good at popping medicine, even vitamins. I have a friend who was once into diet pills and I noticed some changes in her moods that could be the side effect. Exercise, specifically dance exercises and a good diet change will most likely fit my idea of a weight loss program.

The past few nights, my youngest child has been waking up several times crying and wailing. He didn’t need diaper changing; he wasn’t hungry, feeling cold or otherwise. He would just wake up and cry feeling some form of discomfort. I would cradle him, tap his bottom lightly and even hum to him to lull him back to sleep but it would take some time to work. He was just restless. I couldn’t think of any other reason but teething. If it is, I wish he would get over it so he could sleep soundly. Not only does it affect his moods during the day, it also impacts how my day will be like. With my consistent lack of sleep, I will one day grab natural sleep aids just to give me a good night’s rest.

Here I am on a Saturday morning, typing away on my computer, checking out my Facebook account and browsing Internet pages. There are too many windows opened on my desktop that I would accidentally click on links directing me to pages about oxyelite pro reviews, diet pills or work from home stints. It is lazy mornings like this that make me really grateful for the weekends. Later today, we will bring the kids to a play area in Seven Hills and dine out. Life is good.

During my first year here in Sydney, I was shocked to see TV advertisements on male enhancements and the likes shown on afternoon TV.  That time, it has made me watch less television especially when my daughter was around.  But thankfully, I don’t see these types of advertisements lately.  I believe that the advertisement board should maintain a strict stance on television guidelines.  We’re talking about very young kids whose brains are like sponges, which can absorb whatever you expose them to.

As most things here in Sydney, printer inks are expensive.  And I noticed, that with average use, I still buy consumables twice to thrice a year!  Sum it all up, my consumables amount to buying a brand new printer. Ha ha.  It seems the printer I have now is an ink-guzzler and that means I need to replace it soon.  It’s just that I have been loyal to that brand for years!  What I like to buy next, if ever, is one of those Epson printers.  I have read great reviews before and I’m sure it will be worth a try.

On Friday nights, the only TV show I’d stay up to watch is Better Home and Gardens. I get tips and tricks on home maintenance and quick and easy recipes, too. And it is also this TV show that feeds my dream to build our very own home. Right now, we are still waiting for the ‘right time’ and the ‘right place’ to do so, until then, I will continue ‘dreaming’ of styles, designs and color schemes for our house and browse websites like www.betterbathrooms.com until my eyes pop-out. He he.

In reality though, it is quite scary to be a homeowner with all the responsibilities and obligations tied to building then eventually maintaining your home. For us, who have been renting for a total of 10 years now, we have enjoyed the benefits of calling our house agents for any repair or damage that need immediate fixing. We also don’t have to worry about wear and tear, roof replacements or repainting walls.

But of course, there are also a lot of reasons to invest in your very own place. Like the beautiful family memories and experiences that make for a home can only stay and be enjoyed for years to come if the place is owned.

I guess for us, it is only a matter of time before we eventually take a plunge and make that life changing decision.

I browsed a couple of job websites the other night to check on possible work from home opportunities. Among all the jobs posted, there is only one that I feel I could get myself into in the interim. (Interim means until my youngest child is in big school.) The job is medical transcriptionist. It seems training; sharp listening and typing skills are what you need to get into this industry.

I proceeded to check for a centre where this type of training is being offered and I was surprised with the investment involved in the study apart from the length of time it requires. I then discovered that medical transcription is a huge business. Salaries are not that high but with the effort required and the tempting work from home arrangement, I think this job fits the bill.

A transcriptionist can also work in hospitals, without ever needing to wear scrubs or scrub uniforms, of course. The advantage of working in hospitals though is being in the know of the latest technology or software being used in the transcription business. Oh well, I still have to think about this. I’m trying to work out something else right now (and it also doesn’t require me to wear a lab coat, he he) and if it doesn’t pan out, this career will still be a possible fall back.

There are just so many things to be thankful for.  Some of them come go unnoticed because we enjoy them day to day.  And there are things that are very significant like living free of loans or payday advances.  I believe that these are helpful to resort to but only in times of emergency. But to rely debt as a means to survive, is a very difficult and sad state.