Slow Blogging

Slow Blogging was a term used at last week's Digital Parents Conference in Sydney. I can't remember who mentioned the phrase but I do remember commenting that I preferred that term rather than what I thought I was - a Lazy Blogger (also know as CBFB or Can't Be F***ed Blogger).

It's not that I don't want to submit an exciting and informative post, it's just that by the time I've read everyone else's blogs, it's quite late and frankly I'm stuffed! In fact I'm writing this at 11pm on my phone with the Blogger app while lying in bed.

I promise in the upcoming holidays I will get into it and attempt some quality posts.

So here's a photo of some creative urban art in Leichhardt taken on the way to work which reminds me I should have been pedalling to work instead of sitting in my car sipping a latte, lazy, polluting wanker that I am.

Exhaustion 3; Creativity 0

Let me just start by saying my creativity is having a major battle with my exhaustion.

I would love to make this post all about what the Digital Parents Conference was all about and how I was knocked over by the amazing bloggers‘ stories that had a room full of women weeping and cheering and then weeping again and then dancing on tables (yes they really did, even if it was for but a brief moment to bring the Harlem Shake, Blogger version, to life).

But to do the two-day extravaganza justice I need more time!  But I will record here, before the feeling goes away, how I felt so at home with so many writers in one room.  How motivated I am now to pull my story together that I’ve been drafting for twenty years.  And once I get my notes out and everyone’s cards I collected out of my bag I will start to do a proper summary of what it all meant to me and acknowledge the greatness of those I was privileged to be with.

This is sounding a lot syrupy than I intended it to be so I’ll just finish by promising to get lots of sleep on the weekend so I won’t snap at all three members of my family again like I just did (why can’t I have my own room???  Allison and Kerri said writing is a very lonely job but not ‘round here!).

Anyway, I’ll leave you with a little peak of what my view was like in snapshot form:

... and if anyone sees this guys' little partner, please let me know! It was only it's second time out and he escaped (damn Bon Jovi)!

*Joining my Dancing Queen, Grace with FYBF*

The Yellow Car© Story

Once upon a time there was a tiny little girl called Chicken who loved to go on expeditions with her Daddy.  These expeditions would take them all over the land of Sydney to pick up and deliver mysterious cardboard boxes which would contain tiny, shiny yellow and green digging machines that her Daddy would sell to excited collectors.

One day they were on a long expedition to the Far West when a very shiny, yellow sports car sped past them and Chicken yelled out "yellow car!" and because it was in the time when they was hardly any yellow cars around, they wanted to follow it.  Now as sports cars are very fast and blue station wagons are not, they tried to drive very fast on a lonely freeway to catch up to it.  

They never caught it.

And ever since then the legend of the Yellow Car began a tradition of the best car game in history, Yellow Car© .

For about 13 years we have been playing this game which is simply points given for every yellow car spotted. If you spot a yellow van, it's double points; a yellow truck or bus, triple points; a yellow helicopter (yes I have actually scored that one), 10 points.

This game has given our family hours of lively competition on long and short car trips.  Admittedly some are more competitive than others and this has developed into a list of rules mainly set by the main driver, Mr Moneymaker.  The rules have been contested fiercely as they seem to change with every spotted yellow car.  For example, cannot award points: if there are an odd number of people in the car; or if somebody is asleep unless it's Nugget; or if the car engine is not running; or if the yellow cars spotted are lined up in a row, say in a car yard.

They go on and have kept growing to the point where Chicken decided that a Yellow Car© Rule Book was needed.  So she created one with all the rules that were already set and extra pages for those that were yet to be created (and we knew there would be more!).

I know that we've never kept a record of our scores (even though that yellow helicopter spotting should have been the winner of all time), but this one I spotted in Akaroa, New Zealand last week should have been the all time classy winner:

(it's even got my species on it!)

This game created by our family has now been passed on to other families and friends so it can grow and spread throughout the land, perhaps one day to become more popular than I Spy (and don't tell me everybody's not getting totally sick of that game!).

So if you're hard up for a simple game to play in the car (it can even be played by yourself, not that I have, ever, no no no), please feel free to go right ahead.  And if you get a little bored of Yellow Car© you can try our offshoot game, Mattress©.  That's where you spot mattresses dumped on the side of the road, if you didn't guess it already.

*Don't forget to check out my fundraising page for Care Australia to motivate me doing 10,000 steps a day with the Digital Parents Conference team.

**This true fairytale is part of Essentially Jess's IBOT.

With the best intentions ...

*Linking up with With Some Grace FYBF*

It's the beginning of February and there's so much I want to achieve, improve and create this year so I need to get myself organised.  This means going against my natural instinct and get myself 'scheduled'! I've got a lovely new blue planner from InnerB which should help me enormously. I've signed up with a team at work for a health challenge and I'm booked into the DPCON13 in March.  Nothing should stop me now!!!

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With the best intentions I boot up the MacBook almost every night determined to write a post that will entertain or inspire or amuse or at least provide something interesting to read for someone!

With the best intentions I start to wade through junk emails to find those gems that will inspire or motivate me to jump into action.

With the best intentions I pour a glass of wine to relax my brain from another hectic week of work, kids, house and the detritus of life.

With the best of intentions I vow that from this day on I will promise myself to eat better and move more before my bones solidify in a sitting position.

With the best intentions I pour over wonderful interior design magazines and blogs so I can create a home of comfort and style.

With the best intentions I cruise through Pinterest for oohs and aaahs and I wish's ..... (oops, just flicked over there and got lost in My Big Nutshell!) um, so I can create beautiful things too.

With the best intentions.