Well, Stuart and I have and we are enthralled.

We heard about Twilight, the first book in the series, from Morgan – who had been trying (unsuccessfully) for months to borrow the book from our local public library.

It was only at Dymocks VIP shopping night in December, that I was ‘made aware or’ or ‘alerted to’ just how good this book was.  I had no idea that there were 4 books in the series or what it was about.  Stuart and I ended up buying Morgan a copy of the book for Christmas, on the recommendation of others.

I saw several updates on Facebook, from several people I admired about the book.  On Christmas day, I asked Morgan if I could read his copy of Twilight.

It took me about 6 hours – and I was entranced.  We went to Dymocks on the next trading day and asked them to order the next three books – they had sold out!  It was worth the wait for the remaining books.

The Twilight series is the story of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen… no, I won’t give any spoilers here.  I hate spoilers and the rule in my family is that until everyone has read a book, or seen a movie – no one gives away the plot.

I do provide a review of the Twilight Book on my Squidoo lens though, so feel free to have a read.

I’m not too keen to see the Twilight movie though… I can’t see how a book that has so many facets can be reproduced into a movie and do it justice.

I didn’t even have the same misgivings over Harry Potter – and I really loved that series.  I could see how, with JK Rowlings input, the book could be reproduced into a movie.

Today, I’ll reserve my judgment on the conversion to a movie of Twilight.

All of my family, including my Dad, have read Twilight.  Admittedly, Dad didn’t like it so much – but the rest of us have.  Morgan and I have read all four books, Rhiannon is reading the series and Stuart is waiting for her  to finish so he can catch up.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I really won’t say anything about what you’ll find except to say that the books are appropriate for 14 upwards (for all four books) and Twilight and New Moon would be appropriate for 12 to 14 year olds.

My synopsis on Twilight can be read at:

Everything Twilight

Twilight DVD

Twilight Poster
Buy at AllPosters.com

I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on the past year and share some of our highlights with my readers.

I think the best part of the year would have to be the family trip to the Whitsundays.  For over 12 months, I had diligently saved a few dollars each week for a family holiday.  I had purchased in February 2007 a voucher that gave us a great price for a resort in the Whitsundays, but it ran out in February 2008 – so it was a great time to go.  It was also well deserved – our last real family holiday had been in April 2003 before opening our EzyDVD stores and the previous four years had been a whirlwind ride for us.

I loved the Whitsundays – even if it did bucket down nearly the whole time we were there. The best part for me would have been the trip out to the Reef and snorkelling with the kids.  You can view our Holiday picks at our Photo Album

At the end of February, my regular paying gig was terminated! Which left Stuart and I feeling a little panicky.  Fate intervened though and I opened an email from Janet Beckers of Wonderful Web Women – inviting us to World Internet Summit for FREE! I had promised myself the previous year that come what may – I was going to an offline event and there was my chance!  From WIS, I ramped up my online ventures and was off. Want to know more about WIS and how it can help you?  Pick up the DVD for just postage and handling at The World Internet Summit DVDs.

The months between March and July are a bit of a blur really.  The kids went back to School and Stuart started in Year 1 of his electrical apprenticeship. I should note here that Stuart had already been working nearly six moths as an apprentice before starting Tech, so his timeline is a little skewed.  What really pleased me was to see how much he enjoyed learning the new work…. It’s a real testimony to his character that he could just ‘start again’ at this time in his life.

I launched my free teleseminar series, which is currently in hiatus until the new year. However, all of my existing material is still available for free at How To Videos Central.  Part of my end of year review is to consider what I will be doing with this content.  I really enjoyed doing these teleseminars and I think I learnt more from doing them than my participants!

July saw Morgan and Rhiannon attend their ballroom dancing medals and, as usual, their Grandma Leetham, Dad and I were overjoyed to see how well they danced.  Here are some videos of their July exams

In July, we made the decision that we needed to reduce our family expenditure and move in with my parents. Not an easy decision, but it was made.  However, it wasn’t until September that we actually made the move – putting 4 adults and 2 children into a 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house!  I’ll just say it is cozy.

In the intervening months, I was asked to work on several projects with people – either in a JV partnership or on a paid basis.  Then the work really did ramp up!  Sites that I’ve been very involved with this year:

• Stop Smoking With Dr Sally In 21 Days Or Less;
• The Way To Bliss Now with Laura Whitelaw and Liz Lichti
• Banish The Blahs by Joan Adams and Betty DeLorme

My two big undertakings for this part of the year however were:

Ladies In Business Today with Carol Deckert and Ladies In Business Today Christmas Charity Project – will you help us support our charities?

and

Stretch Your Mind And Body with Connie Boris.

Connie and I even started a Blog Talk Radio show that runs every Wednesday morning in Australia… listen online now to our past shows or you can listen live online to our shows as we do them.

Rhiannon received great news in November, when she was advised by Jenny Ford of Cash Smart Kids, that she had been selected to be featured as a Young Entrepreneur in Peter Economy’s Charity Book Project.  Jenny will be co-authoring this book with Peter and – needless to say, we are extremely proud of our Young Lady.

So here we are near the end of 2008 and as I look back over the year, I marvel at what we have achieved and give thanks for the bounty that we receive everyday.

As of two weeks ago, Stuart has finished at Tech for the year.  He is now half way through Year 2 of his apprenticeship studies – yes, he did 18 months worth of study this year (although he did have 1 or 2 subjects credited for Prior Learning) and has done the amazing thing of achieving all High Distinctions in his graded classes.  As much as we rib him about it, the entire family is thrilled by his achievement (and I know he is too).

Not withstanding the financial situation, it has been an absolutely fabulous year.  I’m grateful for my family and my friends (who are now all around the world). I was going to try and name everyone in this post but decided not to – just in case I inadvertently missed someone…. but you know who you are.  Bless you and Thank You!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas….

My 12 year old Daughter, Rhiannon has been selected as one of two Under 16 year old entrepreneurs to be featured in a book written by Business Writer Peter Economy.

Rhiannon receives this honour through a competition run by Jenny Ford from Cash Smart Kids and will be featured in Peter’s 2008 Charity Book Project.  The Charity Book Project was developed by Peter Economy as a way to use his passion – writing – to give something back, and hopefully to make the world a better place.

His plan? To write a book each year, with a co-author, and donate the proceeds to charity. In the first year, 2008, he has chosen to work with Jenny Ford and write a book to empower parents to teach their kids the money and business skills they need to be self-sufficient in the modern economy.

Jenny devised a competition where the kids had to develop a 2 minute YouTube Video or write a Hubpage about their business. Two winners would be chosen.

Rhiannon will be profiled alongside big names like Ben Casnocha, who started a software business at 13, and was CEO of a Silicon Valley start-up by seventeen.

Jenny’s announcement was made on her blog today – Raising Entrepreneurs.

Rhiannons website helps people Learn To Be Psychic and the blog helps her share experiences and lessons she is learning.

Mem Fox says daycare ‘damages’ babies

As a mother who did have her children in Daycare from a VERY young age – the headline, of course, caught my attention.  I was disgusted by what I read and the first comment on the article really made my blood boil.

For those who know me…. I am an extremely passionate person and believe in standing up for injustice when I see it.  When I read this article – I felt is spoke directly to me and I felt it necessary to respond.

62 year old Mem Fox, is the author of Possum Magic (an Australian childrens book).  According the article, Mem Fox drew howls of protest after comparing child care to child abuse early last month and in her first major interview since, Fox stated that babies less than 12-months-old who are placed in prolonged day care will suffer brain damage.

Fox is quoted:

“Putting babies as young as two-weeks-old into child care for the first year of their life, for 60 hours a week, will cause their brains damage,”

“For me, the corollary is buying a puppy, putting it in kennels for the whole of the week and playing with it at the weekends.”

“I couldn’t do it to a dog, so I certainly couldn’t do it to a child.”

Fox was careful to deny that she specifically labelled child care as child abuse.  According to the article, she claimed she had been quoting a child care centre owner, who expressed the analogy to her. Yet Fox stands by other remarks and contention that babies would not “want” the sort of parents who placed them in care at six weeks of age.

Firstly – on what basis is Fox making these statements? Apparently she is ‘quoting a child care owner who expressed the analogy’ – REALLY?

Secondly – both my children were in daycare from 4 months and 2 months old.  Not something that I was overly pleased with, but we had no option unless we wanted to find ourselves hungry and destitute.  Do my children want me as a parent?  Given I have a 14 year old son who SEEKS OUT my companionship and a 12 year old daughter who asks to go out with me – I think so.

Of course, I could have been the type of stay at home Mum who completely ignored my kids and let them run rampant down the streets.  I would have been a better Parent, my children would want me as a Parent and my kids wouldn’t have brain damage….

The comment left on the article is possibly one of the most insulting things I have seen.  The commentor suggests that parents should consider living in a cheaper area, so the financial burden is lessened and that Mums can stay at home – WHERE THEY BELONG!

Women belong in the home???  Last time I looked, this was 2008, not 1808 or even 1908.  As a woman who loves her children without reservation, I would have gone mad if I was at home with the kids all day.  Maybe my home business would have started earlier – goodness knows I needed the challenges that business provides.

The implication that parents should move to a cheaper location is nearly laughable.  We had purchased in one of the least expensive areas in our city 4 years earlier – housing interest rates had peaked at 18%  approximately 4 months after we had purchased and the real estate market had been stunted for that 4 year period.  Around the time the kids were born, there was a number of layoffs and, in fact, just as I started my (unpaid) maternity leave with my daughter – the company I worked for had laid off half of the staff in our office.  No matter what – there was very little option for us.  Selling our house and moving somewhere cheaper wasn’t going to happen.  Rental prices were rising and no one was buying real estate.  Selling our house would have meant we were in a lot more debt with no assets.

Back to the original discussion – Childcare causes Brain Damage.   Interesting…. my children are in the top percentiles for their year groups – which include children who had a stay at home parent; My children read at a very early age and have a great love of books; My children challenge our thinking – I don’t think they’re brain damaged.

Is this Iconic Australian so desperate for publicity she has to alienate a large percentage of the hard working population? Fine, she has an opinion and obviously believes that the kids should be kept home – good on her for having the strength of her convictions but…. I can’t go on…..

What do you think?  Have you had your kids in daycare from a young age – are they brain damaged? Do they WANT you for parents?

My son turns 14 today.  When I reflect on this, I am amazed at just how quickly the time has passed.  Something many mothers do, I’m sure.

I look at the handsome young man who stands before me today and I remember the cute baby I held in my arms, what seems to me, only yesterday.  I remember him starting School…. and I can only wonder what the future will bring for us.

I am incredibly proud of this young man.  He is my ‘pal’ as well as my son and I thank God every day for sending him to me.  O.K, maybe there are some days that are more of a challenge than not – but…. I know how blessed I am to have a son like Morgan.

So, on this day, I celebrate my son.  I say to him that the world is his oyster and his life will be what he makes of it.  I can only hope to provide the guidance and tools to make of life what he will.

Please join with Stuart and I as we wish Morgan, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I wanted to let her develop her own personal blog where she can journal about her life, not necessarily about business. Her Dad asked the obvious question, “shouldn’t we protect her from the Internet”. An intersting dilemma that I posted to a journalling Skype room that I am a member of and a very insightful discussion between three of us ensued.

The upshot of the discussion was that with appropriate guidance and trust, with a level of parental oversight, she will be safe. This means that I get to see everything she’s posting and moderate the comments that she receives.

I will instill in her is the fact that once you have posted something, it is VERY hard (if not impossible) to remove that post from the Internet. What you post leaves an impression of your character, now and forever.

Our discussion really centered around the fact that young people need to learn the value of exposure while also learning the responsibility that goes with it and that with my guidance , she will be OK.

One of the things that I do want her to benefit from is the fact that her ‘name’ is publicized and her ability to write and communicate is well known. This view was supported by my colleague who noted:

I believe that by having her name established so young, she will benefit in the long run and I can control much of what she ‘sees’. As long as she has a balanced life and not only tied to her computer I see no harm in it. At least she is at home and you can monitor what she is exposed to through her own exposure.

This made for further interesting discussion. I truly believe that children require ‘guidelines’ and rules to develop.  Sure, children will push at those boundaries but that is how they learn responsibility and appropriate behaviour.  I most certainly don’t believe in controlling my kids, I think that is a recipe for disaster.  Instead, I give my children options within appropriate boundaries and, ensure that they incur appropriate consequences of their decisions.  As hard as it is, there are times that I need to let me kids fail at something so they learn the lesson.

Interestingly, I also want my children to feel that I am their friend and confidante and would prefer that they are comfortable enough to bring their friends home.  This means that I need to strike a balance between control and guidance.  So far, it seems that it is working – whilst my son will often say that I ‘embarrass’ him, he is very comfortable in bringing friends home.

So, the upshot of our discussion?  My daughter has a domain name and will start her personal blog in the next few days.  As her Mum, I will keep a vigilant eye over her activities.