December 2011

 2011 has been a very interesting year for us, and I can say the most common phrase in our home has been “we’re almost there, just keep going, stay positive.” Coming back to Singapore 12 months ago today remains the best decision we’ve ever made, but it was not an easy decision. This is not a place to be without the financial means to support oneself, so we’ve had our heads down, focused on building our business empire. We’ve had a lot of great success, but we are not at a plateau of ease yet – and that, more than anything, has been really really hard – let’s just say that my aching jaw from the constant uncertainty is testament to that fact. But 2012 is going to be our year of ease. I’ve never been one to make decisions that provide a smooth journey in life. I’ve picked up and moved countries seven times, and within that, the moves in-country would probably add up to about 70 or so, with more than 20 in the last three years. I know, what the hell is that all about? All I can say is I’ve never felt “settled” anywhere and up until this year, have never really wanted to settle in one place. Once I got a taste for this big magnificent world, I’ve never wanted to do anything but keep experiencing it. However things are changing – or maybe I’m getting old – as we have decided Singapore is our home, and as long as it will have us, we are very very pleased to be here. Singapore just works for us in too many ways to mention, but the most important thing is the boys love it here – this is definitely an amazing place for a young family. But Steve and I love it here as well, because while the rest of the world wallows in recovery, Singapore is boom-town, and with that comes hope and energy. We’ve also got a community of awesome friends here. It’s just great. A recent bonus was the return of our helper of two and a half years, Vicky, into our lives just over a week ago, and while she is recovering from a terrible personal tragedy, it is amazing having her back in our family. She is so beautiful and loving with the boys, and over the next 12 months, she is focused on getting herself sorted out in a way that means she can go back to the Philippines and achieve ALL of her dreams. We’ll do everything we can to make sure that happens, because she deserves the world. Knowing that we have her with us for the next 12 months will be the difference we need, because with Vicky backing us up we can conquer the world. Additionally, every time I see Vick, I am so grateful to her and because she lost her little love, I am even more grateful for my lads.  More than anything else, it is Vicky that will get us across that “almost there” chasm. We can’t do what we want to do without her, because our boy’s happiness remains our number one priority. The last two ladies we’ve had this year just didn’t have Vicky’s magic, and that took one of us out of the game, which we just can’t do right now. For me personally, I have loved being back. I’ve been able to work again – something that hasn’t been able to happen as much as I wanted since the boys came along. To say I’ve spent four years frustrated is an understatement, as Steve could attest to, watching me champing at the bit in my early years of motherhood – continuing to want it all. The thing I know for certain is I am most happy when I am working, and the best part of my working life now is I get to spend 90 per cent of it writing – both personally and professionally. My aim on returning to Singapore was to write, so that makes me very happy indeed. I am also thrilled to be back with old friends, but also making new friends everyday – people from all over the world, who have different ideas and values – and that is one of the things I love most about being in Singapore. The diversity of people I get to meet and welcome into my life.  I love that. So while we haven’t yet hit our threshold of ease, we now know it really is just around the corner, and we also know that 2012 is going to be a sensational year – with lots of travel, laughs, exciting work, success, fun – all the while surrounded by amazing friends who inspire us to be better people. That’s all we want and it’s nice to finally hit a time in my life where I’m OK to chill and take it all in. I don’t know why I’ve always needed to be on the move – hungry for more – but I know I’ve had an amazing life because of that hunger. Now it’s time to stop and smell the proverbial roses for a while. I can do that now, I’m ready, but please, don’t accuse me of settling. Anytime people mention the “S word” it makes me want to pack up and move on again. I won’t be having that. Although I do plan on buying a cat, and that, more than anything else, is a sign that I am standing still for a good while. It’s also going to be a Rex, if I can convince Steve – although I have mentioned that he doesn’t get a say in it…. With that I would like to wish everyone a very very Happy New Year, Happy New Holden – as some people from Wodonga like to say – and please ignore all of the doomsday predictions, be happy and be positive, because 2012 is going

Well it is almost upon us again – and I have no bloody idea where this year went – but I wanted to say Happy Holidays to everyone who reads my blog. I know most of you, but slowly people beyond my circle are reading it too, and I am very grateful for the support. As the Silly Season approaches, I hope everyone stays safe, drives slowly, keeps rugged up in the North, is sun smart in the South, and takes the opportunity to have a really great laugh, spend time with good people and relax. That’s what it’s all about after all. I didn’t get my shit together to do Christmas cards – maybe one day I’ll get on that horse again – so this is my card. A belated Salamat Ashura, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, a belated Happy Bodhi Day, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Yule, and Happy Zarathosht Diso – although I’m not sure a happy should be placed in front of that because it marks the death of the Prophet Zarathushtra – then again, Christians are known to say Happy Easter…. Here’s to 2012 – and despite the naysayers and doomsday predictions – I know that this is going to be the most amazing year yet. I’m a clairvoyant too don’t you know. Sending love and hugs all around the world. Yours, without the bollocks Andrea and her three lads Steve, Lex and Jax xxxxxx

Perhaps a Global Boycott of ‘Target’ is in Order? A friend from my Boston days, Erica, posted a link today about a “Nurse-In” scheduled to take place at all US Target stores nationwide on December the 28th. This follows a Texan Mom, MichelleHickman, reporting that she was bullied by Target employees for breastfeeding her child in-store while Christmas shopping. I know that this sort of stuff creates all sorts of reactions – many not supporting the mother in question – but I think this is worth exploring a little deeper. The article linked to a recent English boob-in and it also reminds me of another group of women staging a protest in Singapore a few years ago. Unfortunately I can’t find any coverage, but this happened because a Caucasian woman was kicked out of a cafe for breastfeeding. The next day, the cafe was mobbed by breastfeeding mothers and it got a lot of attention. The cafe naturally changed its policy. We’re almost in the year 2012 and this is still an issue? I mean come on. Is there anything more natural in the world than breastfeeding your baby? Look at the English article – people complained because they found it a disturbing sight while eating! And it’s not just men, women complained too. But the Target story really got to me for two reasons – the demographic most likely to shop at Target is lower-income earning women. They will shop not only for themselves, but for their entire family. Secondly, it is this group that is probably most at risk of being isolated in their early parenting years, and as a Mother who spent a lot of time in isolation for various reasons, this is probably the thing that concerns me the most. Mothers need to be able to get out in the world, so they’re not sitting at home, isolated and driving themselves crazy. Attitudes like this DO NOT help. So I have an issue with Target in this instance, but also any other organisation that claims to market itself to women – because lactating mothers are definitely part of this demographic and they need to be factored into the overall experience.  This is not the first time Target has been accused of “breast-causes-distress” behavior apparently – it happened in 2006, when a woman was shooed from the fitting rooms for breastfeeding. Target’s public response?   “Target has a long-standing practice that supports breastfeeding in our stores. We apologize for any inconvenience the guest experienced and will take this opportunity to reaffirm this commitment with our team members,” company representative Kristi Arndt said. “For guests in our stores, we support the use of fitting rooms for women who wish to breastfeed their babies, even if others are waiting to use the fitting rooms. In addition, guests who choose to breastfeed discreetly in more public areas of the store are welcome to do so without being made to feel uncomfortable.” Of course the discussion always moves on to other recommendations where women can breastfeed. I’ve heard people suggest women should go to their cars or public toilets to breastfeed. Now the car is do-able if you have one child – perhaps – and if it’s not -40 degrees outside and if you’re not in a behemoth shopping centre where it is going to take you 20 minutes at least to get to your car. Anyone with a screaming, hungry baby knows how long 20 minutes feels like. BUT public toilets? I was a discrete feeder and regularly found myself in public toilets feeding my boys. Let me tell you, Singapore is a hot and humid place, so this is NOT a pleasant thing to do. But it was my choice. The challenge with public toilets is most are filthy, stinking cesspools you want to escape as quickly as possible. Also if you are feeding a child in a toilet for at least 30 minutes – which is about right for most – someone is going to take a dump, and that is not a pretty experience for anyone. So, no, public toilets are not a great solution for the average woman who does not feel the need to hide away to feed her baby. Living in Asia the challenges of breastfeeding are quite different. As a general rule, most women do not feed their children for very long – it’s just one of those things. Even though I decided long before my boys were born that I would never, ever feed in public, I certainly would not do it in Asia. My gargantuan tits would have caused a stampede, more out of curiosity than anything, so hiding away was always my preference. Before I gave birth, I went to all of the shopping centres I expected to frequent with my babies and checked out their feeding facilities. Those who had great facilities got my custom. Those who didn’t still haven’t seen me back. However, as a general rule, Singapore has excellent feeding facilities and parent’s rooms – which was a bonus for shy me. I am appalled that Target does not have facilities for feeding mothers, and Target, it’s time to change. It’s simple. Make sure all of your stores world-wide have comfortable feeding rooms, with comfortable chairs and entertainment for older kids and do it now. Other stores targeting women and families should take note. Please also make sure these rooms are nowhere near the stink of public toilets and make sure they are cleaned often. There is nothing worse than being in a filthy room with your precious little baby.  Also put proper nappy disposal bins in the rooms – the stench of another baby’s boggy nappy has made me gag on several occasions. Secondly train your staff to be more sensitive and aware. There is no point issuing a statement that you support breastfeeding anywhere in your store if your staff is unaware of, or untrained in, this policy. There is nothing worse than dealing

 Book cover, as it appeared on allenandunwin.com Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs. In fact, he has two feet, but only one of them is functional – the foot he calls his “Chicken Drumstick.” This foot, and a very strong neck, have allowed Nick to become almost completely independent – something he has been determined to be from a young age. You’ve probably seen one of his YouTube videos at some point? Amazing guy, really really amazing. Nick has written a book – “Life Without Limits” – and I have to say, I’ve picked this book up, put it down and picked it up again too many times to count. Why? Because the description on the back of the book talks about his faith in God as the central pillar of his life. I do not have any issue with anyone believing in God or following whatever faith they choose, but rarely do I enjoy reading stuff by people who hand it all over to God. Nick is a very strong believer and his faith is definitely central to all that he does – and with or without God, what he does is incredibly inspiring and amazing. So I decided to get over my initial hesitations – because all perspectives are welcome in my life after all – and I’m glad I did. Living in a world where people fear imperfection, I still find it hard to imagine how his life has truly been. Just the story of his birth and his parent’s reaction to it was heartbreaking. But one thing for sure is that he has the most amazing attitude of any human being I’ve ever known. While he’s sure to have his bad days, as a general rule, he is one hell of a happy dude and throughout the book, he subtly challenges everyone to live a better, happier life, because if he has been able to find a path to happiness, with all of the limitations his body has thrown at him, then we can all do it. He looks at his lack of appendages as a gift to do God’s work, and I think that’s awesome. I was blown away by his experiences, how he’s overcome challenges, his determination, his attitude and so much more. Fantastic bloke, really fantastic, and while I don’t buy into his religious message, the book is so much more than that. If you know of anyone who needs a good kick in the arse, this book will certainly do it – and if they don’t read, he does videos.  Seriously, when you read about his limitations and how he’s overcome them with his attitude, there really can’t be too many people out there with an excuse to stay miserable for the long term. I mean he swims, loves fishing, plays golf, has surfed with the best surfers in the world and so much more. But his story of how he has also been humbled by people he has met is touching too – people with absolutely nothing have shown him great compassion. I really liked his chapter on being ridiculous – something he enjoys. And he’s so right, not enough adults are ridiculous these days and being ridiculous does feel good. He’s reminded me of that. Nick challenges everyone to be happy and to live life to the full because it’s the only one we’ve got, so why not? That’s a good challenge and he’s left me positively optimistic. Good on him. If you want to know more about Nick and his organisation, it’s Life Without Limbs. A great Christmas present if you’re out of ideas. Yours, without the bollocks Andrea

I’ve been thinking a lot about the lessons I’ve been learning on this parenting journey- after the fact of course – and thought it might be good to share a few and hopefully it’ll inspire other parents to share as well. The first HAS to be “What you Resist, Persists.” I can’t remember who made me aware of this, because it took me some time to “integrate” this philosophy into my “parental psyche,” and it was only then that I recognised there were many things I needed to stop resisting before they would go away – if this philosophy was true. Having two lads 15 months apart has been intensely challenging. The main issue is when they’ve gone through their growing up stages that results in enormous anxiety and annoyance for the parents – such as running on the road, flying down stairs, leaping off tall buildings, and so on and so forth, all with no awareness for their safety – is the duration. As a result of the age gap, we’ve never had a break to recover from the stresses and strains it causes, because our “stages” have overlapped and then some, as they egg each other on. All parents know that these hair raising stages are challenging at the best of times, so having them for twice as long is not much fun.  Lex, in particular, is the child I’ve had to really practise the art of not resisting. With his hearing issues he lost two senses – hearing and smell. As a result, he resorted to exploring the world with his mouth for much longer than most kids do. While his oral exploration has significantly lessened since his operation – now only flaring up when he’s stressed or anxious, not to mention I know within the next few months it will stop all together – a couple of years ago it was hell. The shit that boy would pick up and put in his mouth – let me say it used to make me feel sick down to my toes. Naturally it got a VERY strong reaction from Mummy and Daddy, and so it continued. I was resisting it so strongly, because it revolted me so strongly. Then one day I said, “knock your socks off mate, it’s your mouth, your body, go for it.” And then it just pretty-much stopped. That was my first lesson in not resisting, and I’ve got to tell you, this lack of resistance really does work. Jax is going through a stage at the moment, waking up at some point in the night and climbing into our bed. Lex is a pleasure to sleep with, Jax is NOT. He sleeps on your head, kneads you with his feet, is constantly moving, loves to stroke your hair (mine obviously, he shines his Dad’s noggin) or speak to you at 3am – I could go on. As any parent knows, constant night time interruptions are brutal for the mind and body, so as a result, Steve and I are walking around like zombies. However, we recognise that, for whatever reason, Jax needs us right now, and we figure if that’s the case, he is welcome. Jax is not a “needy” kid, so he’s obviously feeling a little insecure about something and we’re committed to helping him though that – whatever the cost to us. While I appreciate that some parents think children in the marital bed is wrong, we have never thought so. Our philosophy is if they need us, we are there – but we do suffer the consequences. The truth is we know that if we let it be and accept the need, one day very soon it will stop – especially because Jax LOVES his sleep.  But if we resist it, Jax will continue for much much longer. I’ve applied this philosophy so many times, in so many situations, and it has worked. For example when the boys go through whining stages – OH PLEASE STOP WHINING – I just switch off and let them be. They stop. I also take the opportunity to reflect often, which gives me the opportunity to really see where I’ve been resisting behaviour, which means it has a tendency to continue. When I recognise my resistance, I stop, take a chill pill, and let them be. It’s working for me. So there you go. I think “What you Resist, Persists” has worked in lots of areas of our lives, and with my kids I have recognised it as a powerful tool in my parenting arsenal. It also makes my life easier and takes away a lot of the anxiety I feel as a parent. I would love to know any other great lessons learnt? In the meantime, I’ve got a few more I’ve picked up along the way I’ll share at some point. I think Lesson #2 is “Don’t Fight the Fashion Wars.” Yours, without the bollocks Andrea

I spend a lot of time wondering why I was gifted with two magnificent children. I look around at other Mums and in many aspects, I am lacking. Take these last two days. I decided it was my turn to participate in the school activities leading up to Christmas. First up yesterday it was Jax’s turn for a bit of carol singing – no problem. Then as I got in the car to make the dash to school, I ripped the inside of my linen trousers and had to spend an hour sitting on the floor making sure no one saw my snatch. At least I participated in “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain” with some gusto – yes I know, not exactly Christmassy. However, the bit of the memo I missed was that we were supposed to take a plate, so while everyone else turned up with beautifully decorated cupcakes, fruit on sticks and gourmet sandwiches, scabby old crotch-less me turned up empty handed. Today it was Lex’s turn and we were going to build a gingerbread house. All the Mum’s and Dad’s were outside waiting, sharing the usual awkward small talk that happens when people don’t really know each other that well – yet. Then the kids were dispatched from their classroom, but I noticed that all of them were carrying plastic bags. So I asked Miss Lucy – Lex’s adorable teacher – if he had one. She looked at me and said “it was in the memo – you were supposed to bring all you needed to build the house.” Awesome…. it seems I’ve missed another memo, so what should we do? I was directed to an art section under the stairs, grabbed a bunch of recycled stuff, and raced back for the exercise. We were sharing a table with the love of Lex’s life, Alice and her Mum Charlotte – who does enjoy this sort of stuff. It was very pleasant, and because Alice loves her arts and crafts, she was very enthusiastically building a tower-like structure, decorated in lovely ribbons and buttons. I sat there with my son, who is so much like me it’s scary, and thought what the bloody hell am I going to build, because Lex certainly isn’t going to help? I could feel the anxiety brewing, like I was back in the classroom many years ago, required to participate in art exercises – something I HATED! And Lex is definitely taking after his mother in this regard.   So we did what we could. I started by painting a box red (Lex’s favourite colour), stuck it on a flat piece of cardboard, and the highlight of the proceedings – we added a vertical green wall to appeal to Steve’s engineering background. Not that I could get the bloody thing engineered in a way that it stayed upright of course. At this point, Lex decided we needed grass for the green wall – see he’s smart if not artistic. He headed off, and while I was fussing around with the box (the sweat starting to pour from my brow), he started hacking big palm leaves off a plant in a pot. I didn’t really notice when he brought back a bunch of branches, and then sat down happily cutting off every individual leaf. When that lot was done, he ran and got some more leaves to cut up. There wasn’t much left of the poor plant in the end – sorry! Jax had joined us by this point, because my children cannot accept the other getting attention from Mummy without getting in on the action. Jax decided to paint the green wall – he’s definitely more artistic in that way – and within about a 20 minute window, we had a humungous pile of leaves, all completely covered in paint, there was glue everywhere, and my Coach bag and shoes had gone from black to an assortment of primary colours. Suffice to say, it was a bloody mess, the house looked like something from Hell, and rather than go back and join the Christmas carols, we had to stay and clean up the carnage left by my two lads. It’s just not me this arts and crafts stuff. I know I’m creative in lots of ways, but painting, cutting, building, etc…. no no no.   Steve thinks it’s hilarious of course, but he doesn’t appreciate how much I wished just a little bit of me was capable of doing this sort of stuff with the boys. With all that said, if we’d just read both memos, I would have been off to a much better start in both activities, but memos seem to get sucked into our house, never to be seen again… Please tell me I’m not the only parent crap at this stuff – please??? Yours, without the bollocks Andrea

I was brought up Catholic. I don’t mind that heritage because it’s given me a very deep understanding of religion as a whole and I like that. However, very early on, I decided practising and following Catholicism wasn’t for me because too many questions had no answers, other than “have faith.” Faith is fine, but you know, sometimes an answer to a simple question would be nice as well. For me, too much was unexplained, too many ideas didn’t sit well, and essentially, as a female, how could I continue to support a religion that made me inferior just because of my genitalia? No, it wasn’t for me, but I continued to read extensively on all faiths, because I’m a history buff and it’s just bloody interesting as the whole world has evolved to where it is today with religion at the core. As a result of my early “education”, I spent my 20s working very hard to get rid of Catholic guilt (a HUGE challenge) and started to consider the fact that I didn’t believe in God at all. I never successfully achieved an atheist mind-set (although I tried), but I was close to being a fully fledged agnostic.   The only problem with all of this was I kept experiencing lots of weird stuff – strange happenings and co-incidences – but ultimately, it was the fact I was haunted (starting 10 years ago) by a randy ghost that made me consider there could be something very big and very unexplained going on in the universe. So I started reading more broadly, covering all sorts of topics on souls, angels, the afterlife, quantum physics, and much much more, as well as reading some interesting authors like Deepak Chopra, Dr. Brian Weiss and NealeDonald Walsch, to name a few. But I also read opposite points of view, like Christopher Hitchens, (although I haven’t read Richard Dawkins yet but I’ll get to it) and I even accidentally read the conspiracy theorist David Icke. I can tell you one thing, reading Icke might leave you with a million questions, most of them along the lines of “are you on crack?” – but he does have an ability to make you look at the world in a very different way. Because the truth of the matter is, I don’t know who is right or even if there is any right. Recently I read two more “God” books and the first one “End of Faith – Religion, Terror and theFuture of Reason” by Sam Harris blew me away. Not only is it a very brave and honest book, but I also think it is one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read. This man is a master of the English language. But the book is very powerful, and no religion or society gets off lightly. His focus in the book is religion has the capacity to destroy us and all because men and women are staking “the future of our species on beliefs that should not survive an elementary school education. And then: “religion is as much a living spring of violence today as it was at any time in the past.” He then lists out some recent faith conflicts: Palestine – Jews Vs Muslims The Balkans – Orthodox Serbians Vs Catholic Croatians; Orthodox Serbians Vs Bosnian and Albanian Muslims Northern Ireland – Protestants Vs Catholics Kashmir – Muslim Vs Hindus Sudan – Muslim Vs Christians and Animists Nigeria – Muslim Vs Christians Ethiopia and Eritrea – Muslim Vs Christians Sri Lanka – Sinhalese Buddhists Vs Tamil Hindus Indonesia – Muslim Vs Timorese Christians The Caucasus – Orthodox Russians Vs Chechen Muslims, Muslim Azerbaijanis Vs Catholic and Orthodox Armenians Of course the list could go on and on and on, but it makes you think. One comment, that I found quite alarming, is the fact that with extremism on the rise in many Muslim countries, most other faiths are on the demise in the rest of the world. What does this mean? People who have a belief worth fighting for are a lot more impassioned than those who do not, and he quite rightly points out that this alone could result in the end of the world…. Very hopeful huh? Some stand out observations: “Whenever you hear that people have begun killing non-combatants intentionally and indiscriminately, ask yourself  what dogma stands at their backs. What do these freshly minted killers believe? You will find that it is always – always – preposterous.” “I have just described a plausible scenario in which much of the world’s population could be annihilated on account of religious ideas that belong on the same shelf with Batman, the philosoper’s stone, and unicorns.” “It is time we recognised that all reasonable men and women have a common enemy. It is an enemy so near to us, and so deceptive, that we keep its counsel even as it threatens to destroy the very possibility of human happiness. Our enemy is nothing other than faith itself.” On the subject of honour killings (due to rape): “any culture that raises men and boys to kill unlucky girls, rather than comfort them, is a culture that has managed to retard the growth of love. Such societies, of course, regularly fail to teach their inhabitants many other things – like how to read. Not learning how to read is not another style of literacy, and not learning to see others as ends in themselves is not another style of ethics. It is a failure of ethics.” There are so many more quotes that I could include, because he really does have a way of saying things that resonated deeply with me but that’s enough for now. However it’s important to point out that this is NOT an anti-faith/spirituality/God book – I saw it as an anti-organised religion book. He fully accepts there’s something much bigger out there in the universe going on, unexplained, not understood – but how this “stuff” has been interpreted

There’s a lot being written and talked about these days on the importance of us all loving one another, and accepting that we are not separate, but rather a whole mass of energy that makes up one whole. In relation to love, I think the message is a wonderful thing, but at the same time I find it confusing. It’s hard to take on board because it is a concept defined in a way that contradicts how we’ve been “taught” about love – as in something you do with those closest to you. I mean, how do you love someone you don’t even know? But for our world to evolve and become more magnificent, it seems that we have to love, and I’m happy to do that, because we need to bring down the societal, cultural and racial walls that continue to divide us. It is time. Essentially I interpret this as good thoughts and deeds towards all – so it’s not hard right? Well it shouldn’t be for most… Where did this come from? I’ve just finished reading Dr.Brian Weiss’ “Messages from the Masters” and he reminded me of the greater, universal concept of love once again. I read a couple of his books many years ago, which I found really wonderful and I have to say, I like the way he writes. I like his message because it’s a practical, honest and a not too airy-fairy take on some wonderful, life-changing concepts. Coming to fame with his past-life regression books (such as Many Lives, Many Masters and Only Love is Real), and experiencing a lot of negative shit for discussing this stuff, I think Brian Weiss is one of the good guys, contributing a lot to the world. For anyone else interested in this area, I can definitely recommend his work. The past life information alone is fascinating. In “Messages from the Masters” he talks about the fact that there is only one religion in the world, and that is the Religion of Love. The idea appeals to me (even if religion doesn’t), especially when he maps the world’s religions side-by-side and compares philosophies. Suffice to say, all religion is saying the same thing, so why do we have Holy Wars? Because there certainly can’t be anything “holy” about war – right?   So getting back to love. A little while ago I read an Anthony Robbins book and set myself the task of being happy every day for 10 days straight. I failed every time. I don’t know why it’s hard to maintain a state of happiness, but right now, at this time in my life, it is. I will continue to aim to be happy all day every day, but in the meantime I’ve decided on a new approach, and that is to exude love from every fibre of my being. As love is energy, I reckon the exuding of it is going to be great for me and I’m hoping it helps me manoeuvre through the days to a calmer, happier place. Obviously most of my exuding will be focused on my family – especially my boys when they drive me nuts, which happens on a regular basis. With that said, I wasn’t exuding too much love yesterday when the boys pissed off up the beach out of my sight and into a storm drain…. grrrrrrr. Therefore, if you see me in the coming weeks and think I’m acting a bit weird, don’t worry, I’m just exuding. Anyone want to try it with me? All you have to do is think loving thoughts… Yours, without the bollocks Andrea