On Men and Mondays

May 14, 2013 No comments

It’s 11pm on Sunday night. I’m lying in bed, trying my very best to sleep…and through the window I can hear the loud, obnoxious sounds of someone in our neighbourhood getting their party on.

They’re chanting ‘scull, scull, scull’…and I’m just hoping that they either run out of beverages very soon, or are very sleepy drunks.

Luckily, this doesn’t happen very often. But when it does, I don’t feel so bad about cuddling into my bed for an extra hour or two on Monday mornings.

I think Mondayitis might be contagious.

I married a man who has shown signs of this ailment since his early years. I wish I was kidding, but last year when we visited his parents’ house, I came across a diary of his early years. His mother noted when he was just two years old that he hated Mondays and was very irritable all day.

This hasn’t improved in adult life – so much so that my beloved husband is now in the job of his dreams…only four days a week, with an RDO every single Monday.

Of course, this doesn’t translate to sublime Monday mornings for me! If you’ve ever had to drag yourself out of bed while your partner peacefully snores on, you’ll know how I feel.

When our bed is this good, can you blame us?!

It just adds insult to the injury that is Monday morning!

So why do we get Mondayitis? It’s apparently a real thing…after some speedy ‘Googling’, I have discovered that the average person spends 34 minutes complaining on a Monday morning, compared to 22 on any other weekday.

Thanks to the wisdom of the internet, I am led to believe that this condition can be caused by anything from eating too much on the weekend (a real possibility) to simply being more tired on the days that follow a sleep-in (and we do like our weekend sleep-ins!), or even over-focusing on our weaknesses when it comes to our work life.

But can Mondayitis be cured? If you’re like me and don’t have the luxury of simply cancelling Monday, how can you move on.

Try thinking of it like this…instead of thinking ‘Mondayitis’, use the power of punctuation and simply think ‘Monday it is’. And perhaps try being grateful that you do actually get to have a Monday.

And the good news? Monday will be over in 24 hours!

 

3 things my mother was wrong about…

May 12, 2013 Comments: 2

Note from Sarah: This was published on iVillage – on the front page! Be cool, be cool…

 

In honour of Mothers Day, I’d like to make this week’s blog a salutation to my mother.

My mom and I…aren’t we cute?

As children, we are taught to never ever question our mothers, and I’m sure I’ll pay for this one day when I have children…but I have to say it.

There are some things that my mother was wrong about.

1. The Eiffel Tower is not very far away.

This is one that my mom will never live down. We were on a family holiday in Paris, and we were out and about doing our touristy thing. At the Arc De Triomphe (please don’t think I’m just name dropping, there really is a story here…), my mother says, “oh look, I can see the Eiffel Tower from here…it doesn’t look so far away. Let’s walk there!”

Famous last words.

We spent at least five hours walking through Paris (which was actually quite lovely), stopped on the way to get scammed by some fellow selling jackets, and by the time we reached the Eiffel, we were all too tired to even look up and see it.

However, we are able to look back and laugh at this memory…and my mother even has a giant canvas of the Eiffel Tower in her office to make her giggle every day.

2. Sarah, you’d make a terrible au pair.

This has scarred me for life. You know how mothers are supposed to say that you can be anything you want to be and support your dreams? When I was in university and couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with my life, I thought it might be fun to go overseas, live with some rich people and take care of their well-behaved kids…otherwise known as being an au pair.

My mom shot that one down quickly…she promptly informed me that I was terrible with children. Determined to prove her wrong, I spent the next two years helping out in our church’s moms group, where the children LOVED ME.

They also move too fast to be photographed…

She eventually ate her words, and we can laugh about this one too.

3. That garlic bread/piece of cake/delicious treat will go straight to your hips.

You know what? Just like eating crusts doesn’t make your hair curly and eating your carrots doesn’t mean you can see in the dark, eating one more bite of bread/cake/bad things does not mean that my hips will balloon to the size of a Biggest Loser contestant’s.

If there’s salad with the garlic bread though…

Sure, maybe if I continually eat these things day in, day out…but not one more bite. Just let me eat my cake! …this one is still a sore point.

Luckily, there were many more things that my mother was right about. Like how I can do anything I set my mind to (like being an au pair or not getting fat!), and how to think critically (and work out for myself exactly how far away the Eiffel Tower is).

She and my dad sacrificed to give me a fantastic education, and she taught me how to pick a good man (which I definitely got right!).

Having a fabulous mother in my life has made me a better person, a better daughter, and a better wife. She needs to stop crying when she reads this, and I hope I can celebrate her for many Mothers Days to come!

What’s the best thing your mother ever told you?

 

3 Reasons Why Marriage is Like Business

May 1, 2013 No comments

Note from Sarah: This was published on Project Eve! 

A few weeks ago now, I spent three days at a business conference. The focus was on how to build a better business…and I realised that there are actually several parallels between a good business and a good marriage.

Let me explain…

1. You have to remember why you went into it in the first place.

All too often, business owners get distracted by the day-to-day running of the business and lose sight of the bigger picture. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that this can happen in a marriage as well – we get caught up in looking at the bank balance or maintaining our social life or exercising, and forget why we took the leap into marriage in the first place (and that was because we were in love!).

Remember that giddy excitement…

The remedy for this is to simply take time alone together to remember – however that looks for you! We like to go out on movie dates, but a nice dinner out on the town, a romantic getaway or even a long drive can work wonders.

2. To succeed, you have to get the right people on your team.

It’s easy to underestimate how important a team can be in a small business – if they have the wrong attitude or don’t understand where the business is headed, they can very easily derail the whole operation.

Business partners…signed on the dotted line!

In marriage, it goes without saying that you need to be married to the right person, as they will be your ‘business partner’ for the foreseeable future! But it doesn’t stop with being married to the right person…you also have to surround yourselves with friends and family that will support where you are headed and what you want to achieve in life. I’ve seen a number of people who get married and then isolate themselves from all their friends – that’s not healthy at all.

3. Speak the language of your customers – or they really don’t care what you’re doing!

I’ve seen so many small businesses who are marketing to entirely the wrong audience – they send the wrong messages because they don’t know how their target market communicates or what they value.

If you’ve heard of the book ‘The Five Love Languages’ by Gary Chapman, then you know how I’m going to compare this to marriage! Everyone has a love language, and if you’re ‘in business’ with them, then you really must know how they communicate. It could be as simple as doing the washing up more often or turning off the TV and just having a chat.

 

So there you go…three reasons why marriage is like business.

I’m sure as I learn more about both, there will be more comparisons ahead!

 

I’m in the doghouse…

April 24, 2013 1 comment

I think I’m banned from going to yoga classes.

We had a small incident last week in which my poor husband found himself dripping wet and locked out of the house…while I was happily getting my yoga on across town.

Let me explain…

Due to various stories that we’ve heard, my husband has been urging/pleading with me/getting rather anxious when I don’t lock the doors behind me. And I’m not just talking about when I go out – it’s while we’re at home too.

Residents of our neighbourhood would probably be quite surprised at this, because the previous owners used to just leave their front door open and let anyone and everyone waltz in!

But anyway…like a good wife, I’ve been obeying my husband and getting in the habit of locking an outside door anytime I go through it.

Can you see where this is going?

The spa in happier times...

 

Cut to last week…my husband was happily in the spa, and I was getting ready to go to yoga with my sister. As she arrived, I ran outside to say goodbye to my husband and ask him to put dinner on to warm up before I got back. As I gave him a peck on the cheek, I noticed what the time was.

We were going to be late for yoga! And being rushed isn’t the best state of mind to arrive in, especially when everyone else is already so calm.

With this in mind, I dashed inside, locked the door behind me, grabbed my keys, locked the front door, and left.

When I arrived home a good hour and a half later (we stood around chatting for a while after the class had finished), I was nice and relaxed. I walked back through the front door, and there were no lights on. Strange…I also didn’t smell the delicious aroma of warm pumpkin soup.

I was getting ready to be cranky with Husband dearest for sitting in the spa all evening and neglecting the tasks I had requested. As I unlocked the door and walked out onto the back patio to try and see where he was, I saw a pair of eyes staring accusingly at me from the hammock.

The hammock, also in happier times....

I said, “Darling, what are you still doing out here?”

And then it sunk in.

Oops!

There was a very long, warm shower taken, not many words exchanged over dinner, and there may also have been muted threats of vengeance.

It’s safe to say I’m still in the doghouse for this one. Which is rather fitting, I guess…given that our doghouse is on the back patio!

The doghouse...at least there's good company!

 

 

Recipe Tuesday – Butternut Penne

April 23, 2013 No comments
It may not look as good as the recipe picture...but boy, did it taste good!

It may not look as good as the recipe picture…but boy, did it taste good!

Wow, it’s been a long time since I did a Recipe Tuesday!

It’s been a long time since I attempted to take photos of my cooking too…and that clearly shows. Please excuse the atrocious photo quality – it looks much better where the original recipe comes from.

This recipe was made out of a desire to get rid of some creme fraiche and some pumpkin. That’s all. I find that sometimes the most delicious things come from necessity, when you’re trying not to be wasteful! Perhaps it’s God’s way of telling you that you’re doing a good job by not wasting food.

And I managed to even sneak it all the way past the Husband until he told me the next morning…”Hey, there was no meat in dinner last night!”.

Winning.

What’s your pet peeve?

April 17, 2013 Comments: 4

I spent a few days last week at the Gold Coast, toughing it out for a Business Camp. This ‘Camp’ was held in the really rough surroundings (I’m totally joking!) of the Sheraton Mirage – 5-star conferences are truly a burden that one must bear for the good of the company!

Business Camp – so tough you couldn’t handle it!

At this event, and many others like it that I have attended, there is one common factor…a terribly designed tea and coffee station.

Now I acknowledge that this is a first-world problem, but it is one of my favourite pet peeves.In my mind, it’s not very difficult. You grab your cup, get your tea bag, put in some hot water (without splashing any on yourself!), proceed to the milk, stir well, and then remove your tea bag, leaving it in a neat rubbish bin.

However, I have yet to see a tea and coffee station that actually works this way in practice. 

Usually, it’s chaos. There are people who start with the hot water, or the tea bags are at the opposite end to the cups, and the coffee and hot water urns aren’t labelled…so good luck getting a good cup of tea!

Not to mention the health and safety risk caused by people unexpectedly stepping back with a full cup of tea, only to bump into the person who’s decided to circumvent the line and make their own rules. Tea and coffee stations are a downright hazard!

This pet peeve is a rather unusual one…but I still think it’s quite valid. If I feel the need for a change of career, perhaps I should go into the hospitality business and make my fortune revolutionising the tea and coffee stations of the world!

Okay, so I might be a bit of a tea snob…

My husband’s pet peeve is a little less exotic – he can’t stand it when a light is left on in a room that is unoccupied…even if the previous occupant of the room will be back in the room in the near to immediate future!

I, of course, love to leave lights on ‘for when I come back later’, and usually only remember once I have walked away and settled into doing something else.

This is more noticeable especially now as we move into the winter months and it gets dark earlier – there are more opportunities to turn the light on, and therefore more opportunities for me to remember to turn it off…or to get really good at jumping up and turning it off before anyone notices!

So what’s your pet peeve? Anything stranger than a tea and coffee station?

You have to like yourself first.

April 10, 2013 1 comment

I attended a brilliant networking lunch the other day, with June Dally-Watkins as the guest speaker.

Now if you don’t know who June Dally-Watkins is, you could Google it…or I could just tell you that she is an ex-model, entrepreneur, business owner, mentor to hundreds of young people, and not to mention oh-so-classy.

When she walked into the room at the luncheon, before she had said two words I witnessed over 300 ladies sit up straighter, cross their legs and put on their best smiles.

June Dally-Watkins – I was so close!

Even now as I am writing this I’m sitting up a little straighter!

The theme of the lunch was ‘Revealing Your Inner Beauty’ – and it was amazing how June was able to convey that message. She spoke about treating your body well, as it’s the only one you’ve got (whether you like that idea or not!). She also said something that stuck with me in particular – that having good posture, a bright smile and nicely crossed legs doesn’t need to cost anything, and can change your appearance so much.

The other outstanding thing she said was that you have got to like yourself first before others will like you.

Personally, I think this is brilliant advice, because it really worked for me. I remember that just before I met my husband, I decided that I was no longer actively going to be looking for a boyfriend…I was just going to learn how to be okay by myself.

And then lo and behold, before I knew it (and I mean within weeks!), a lovely young man found his way into my life. He was actually right there the whole time…but that’s another story altogether!

Us in the early days…

If you come into a marriage (or any relationship, for that matter) while you’re still trying to figure out how you fit into the world, it’s going to be a struggle.

This is not a love doctor column (perhaps it could be?) but that’s my bit of advice for the week.

So stay classy Rockhampton, and don’t forget to sit up straight and smile!

Growing old together

April 2, 2013 No comments

My husband and I had a very sobering moment in the car on our way home from our Easter holiday yesterday.

One of the shows…

We spent the weekend at a music festival in Toowoomba – it was great fun and an awesome experience. But as we were driving home and searching my iPod for the songs that we’d heard over the weekend (hoping to relive the great moments when we heard them sung live!), we were hit with a terrible realisation.

The ‘cool songs’ we were searching for were nearly 10 years old!Thanks for nothing, Wikipedia. What a way to make a girl feel older than her years!

This led to a discussion of other moments from the weekend that we feel may have aged us.

My 13 year old cousin knew more about the artists playing than we did! As I realised this, I was taken back to childhood car trips with my parents, trying to explain the difference between Kelly Clarkson and Beyonce…my dad still thinks most female singers are Kelly Clarkson!

My sister and I excited about some artist or another…

On Sunday, we left the festival when it started bucketing rain…walking in ankle deep mud just wasn’t worth it for us! I know many of our friends who really got into being soaking wet and freezing cold, but we just weren’t that enthusiastic.

However, we did have a few youthful moments on our side.

My husband was a keen participant in the mosh pit on more than one occasion, and I even joined in. Dancing around with hundreds of sweaty bodies does make one feel alive…if not rather gross afterwards!

We also left to drive the eight hours down to Toowoomba at 2am…but I won’t mention how many nana-naps we needed to recover from this!

This is us looking fresh at the start of the weekend!

All age jokes aside, we had a wonderful weekend with our family and friends, celebrating what Easter is really all about.

And I know that marriage is about growing old together – it just took this weekend to realise that the process had already started!

Maiden vs. married…to change or not to change?

March 27, 2013 No comments

I was on the phone last week, booking an appointment for my Dad and I (we’re going to donate blood…and you should too!).

The lady I was speaking to has only known me for about the last year or so – and when she booked my dad in, she booked him in assuming we had the same surname.

I thought this was particularly hilarious, as my Dad is not my father-in-law- sounds like the start of one of those dreadful puzzles about complicated family relationships!

See how excited I was to get to be a Pierce?

Anyway, this started me thinking about my married name versus my maiden name, and I’ve compiled a short list of three reasons why I love my married name, since I have moved ‘up’ the alphabet from the end to the middle, and taken on a much simpler name in terms of spelling and speaking.

1. Spelling ‘Pierce’ over the phone is not difficult. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my maiden name – but Pierce is so much easier to spell! This may or may not have been a criteria when husband-hunting…

2. I hadn’t particularly built a name for myself under my maiden name, other than in school circles. I particularly like Pierce as a name (which is good because that’s it forever!). But perhaps the situation would have been different if I had already ‘built a name’ for myself in my career and didn’t want to give up the recognition that came with my maiden name. I guess that’s why taking on married names has only become an issue recently – fifty years ago, women weren’t as career-minded and corporate networking and identity were not high priorities for most.

These days, women do everything from keeping their maiden names to hyphenating their name with their husband’s name – I’ve even heard of the husband taking on the wife’s name! And this issue seems to be a particularly Western thing too – Asian cultures sensibly get around this issue by not making it an issue at all.

Signing my maiden name away…

3. It might have been weird.

In pondering this, I asked Husband Dearest what he thought of this, and he was glad that I’d taken on his name. His reasoning? “It would have been a bit weird otherwise.”

For all the fuss that feminists may make about ‘keeping your identity’, we should just ask the blokes what they think more often. And I’m proud to be a Pierce, for the record.

So for all the jokes I used to make about ‘moving up the alphabet’ (you try being a ‘W’… when they’re calling names in alphabetical order!), I’m really quite glad I did.

 

Sure honey, go right ahead…

March 25, 2013 No comments

“Honey, do I look fat in this?”

This phrase has been known to strike terror into many a man’s heart.

You’re faced with the ultimate choice…do you tell the truth, or do you tell her what she wants to hear?

Some wise man in history decided that a little embellishment of the truth would go a long way here – but unfortunately, this is a no-win situation, especially in marriage.

You see, when you’re married, your words often come back to bite you…until death do you part.

Take, for example, another classic situation – ‘Honey, when you go shopping, please, just buy whatever you like.’

(And sometimes I do buy what I like…)

Sometimes I think men fail to realise that, however sarcastically this was intended, we are going to take you at your word.

If you say ‘Sure, babe, you can change the colour of your hair!’, you had better not complain when we go out and do it.

(Please excuse the shameless selfies!)

I had a haircut this week. Really, you noticed? That’s too kind.

My husband and I had discussed this issue in the past. He had even made reference to how his sister had gone blonde when she was dating and newlywed, and then changed back to her natural brown once she had ‘got her man’.

(I was really quite blonde…)

I wasn’t sure if this was a disapproving statement or not – perhaps I should have paid more attention. I was blonde-ish when we were dating and newlywed, and this week I decided my poor hair needed a break from blonde.

I even ran a picture of my potential haircut past my husband, and he smiled, nodded, and said ‘you go for it’.

I have come to learn that when he says ‘you go for it’ he is often being sarcastic, but I decided that now was as good a time as any to make my point.

So that night, I came home, hair cut and dyed…and the first thing he says is ‘why so dark? and short?!’.

…but honey, you said I could.

This week in my house we’ve been learning to mean what we say…however futile this lesson may be!

I still haven’t been brave enough to ask if I look fat in something though.

 

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