OB tagged me and now its my turn to write down my top 10 things I love about Minti:

1. I love the friends I've made.
2. I love knowing that other people have the same struggles as me and I'm not alone.
3. I love being part of a growing and fabulous community.
4. I love the friends I've made.
5. I love being able to write for other people to read.
6. I love getting 5 stars on what I write *****!!!
7. I love the friends I've made.
8. I love that I always have people to interact any time day or night (love that international flavour).
9. I love getting to share what's going on in my life.
10. Did I mention that I love the friends I've made?!!! 

Okay, now I just have to tag someone else.  Watch out everyone!

I have a raging cold and I'm all stuffed up and feeling miserable.  Aachoo!!!

Got my Visa Debit Card today.  Woo hoo!  I figure this is my first step in dealing with debt.  Very glad to be moving towards something positive.

I better go and try and have an early night for once.

I've been wanting to get my debt under control and paid off and have been looking into ways to do it.  I've just applied for a Visa Debit Card so I don't make any more payments on my credit card and can just concentrate on paying them off.  I also applied for a debt consolidation loan, but I got knocked back (don't know why).

Today I spoke with a debt company about the possibility of entering a Part IX Debt agreement.  As far as I can tell, it's about 2 steps below bankruptcy and you have to register it with the government which is pretty scary.  It also makes you ineligible to get unsecured credit for the period of your agreement (in my case it would be 4 years). But then it would free up a little more cash for me each fortnight and it would have all my creditors off my back, as they have to deal with the debt company directly.  Also, I wouldn't accrue any more interest (though there are some much lesser admin fees on top of the debt).  Information on a Part IX Debt agreement is available at www.itsa.gov.au .

I'm going to have to do some serious thinking about this.  I'd so love to just win the lotto and have all these worries and considerations all go away.  Oh well....

Well, today was my first day of uni for the year.  I'm doing a 1st year design course, and it turns out the course is basically a drawing course focussed around life drawing!  I'm really stoked because I've done quite a bit of life drawing before and really enjoyed it.  I think this should be relatively familiar territory for me.

The only thing is now to get all the art supplies I need for class. I need quite a lot, including some things like A1 paper (which is huge!!!).  It should be good.  I've just got to keep up to date with the homework.  I think that is going to be my biggest challenge.

Went out with my BF and his friend last night and saw this Bollywood stage show.  I think it was essentially the dance recital for a local Bollywood dance studio, but they got the big theatre and charged full price for the tickets!  It was a bit amateurish, but the thing that got me the most was the script.  It was so corny!  The whole audience was in fits of laughter at the big romantic climax.  I don't know if it was intentional that it be that funny, but it really was.

Got the kids back today, so I'm back into being a mum again.  And tomorrow I start uni!  I hope it's good.

Had such a lovely Valentine's Day!  The day itself was actually pretty ordinary, but when I got home from work, my BF greeted me with a bunch of red roses and a bottle of the Flaschengeist champagne with 24K gold leaf flakes in it.  Very swish! Then he gave me my present (no, those weren't my present, just the appetiser!).  It was this big frame. On one side is a photo of the 2 of us and a little metal plaque below it with the date inscribed.  On the other side is a decorative piece of paper with a calligraphy on it, and it reads:

"Declaration of Love

On this day 14th February 2007
I XXXXXX declare my love to Leith XXXX
When I first saw you, you smiled and lightened up my world
Your passion, intelligence, kindheartedness
are qualities that I adore
On days when I'm feeling down I can come to you
look straight into your eyes
and still be amazed by your beauty.
I love you more than anything imaginable.

This is my declaration of love to you.

Yours in Passion and Love
XXX"

Apparently he wrote it all and put it together himself (knowing him - I believe it!).  Feeling a little bit spoilt.

The kids went back to their Dad's on Sunday.  Just me now and my BFs staying over.  We have plans for Valentine's Day tomorrow. He's got some big surprise which seems to involve multiple presents - this from the guy who got me live butterflies last year plus candles plus flowers.  I'm very intrigued as to what he's got planned.

I have very little money to do the same in return, so instead I'm going to make him a 3 course dinner. I made the dessert part tonight.  I'll let you know all the details tomorrow after the dinner.  I know he reads this sometimes, so I don't want to give the surprise away!

Happy Valentine's Eve everyone!

I haven't written anything for a week!  It's been a hard week.  Not for any real reason, but just because having the girls for an extra long period of time on my own was taking its toll on me.  I'm feeling better this week getting back to work.  I think it's because at work I'm valued and praised and I know I'm doing a good job.  At home with the girls I'm uncertain, I'm never praised and I haven't got a clue if I'm doing the right thing or not!  A lot of child-raising is very much delayed gratification.  And when you're in the middle of a week of screaming, demanding kids, it's hard to remember why on earth you're doing it.

But I'm feeling better, the girls have started school this week - Gracie for the first time - and they seem to be doing well.  One of the after-school carers told me that they were just so cute together.  They always look out for each other and give each other hugs and defend each other from anything they don't like.  I wonder if this will last past early childhood!  I hope they stay friends.

I finally enrolled for uni too.  This year will be my second year of a Bachelor of Architecture degree.  I'm doing it very slowly.  I only did 2 units last year and I'm only planning to do 2 this year as well (1 each semester).  I'll have to ramp it up to 2 units each semester next year or we won't get anywhere fast.  But that doesn't start till the week after next.  Looking forward to it!  I'm doing design units this year and I expect I'm just going to be drawing and making sculptures, just like in kindy!  So much fun!