Help Minti raise US$20,000 for the Starlight Foundation for Christmas, just by signing up for free on Minti…and we will donate US$1 on the new member’s behalf!!!

Help seriously ill children this Christmas!

(It costs you nothing - sign-up now and Minti will donate US$1 on your behalf)

How can you help?

It’s really, really simple. Minti is aiming to raise $20,000 for The Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation this Christmas. For every confirmed member who signs up we (not you) will be donating US$1 to help seriously ill children. All you have to do is:

• Sign up to Minti through this page (it’s a free community and advice site for parents) and we’ll donate US$1 more towards our $20,000 goal

OR IF YOU’RE ALREADY A MEMBER THEN

• Refer some of your parent friends to Minti and we’ll also donate US$1 when they sign-up.

Do your bit and we’ll do ours after all that’s what being a community is all about.

What is Minti?

Minti is about advice, friendship and community for parents. Parents can join for free, get their own family page, keep a blog and make friends with other parents. Advance through the Minti ranks by contributing advice, rating articles and writing comments.

Who are the Starlight Starbright Foundation?

Starlight Starbright softens the hard edges of what a family experiences when a child has a serious illness. They create a sense of community between families who are having similar experiences by providing opportunities for them to escape the hospital, doctors, nurses, needles and treatments and doing something fun where they get to join others and just feel “normal” again–perhaps even forgetting that anyone is sick for a short while.

Starlight Starbright softens the hard edges of what a family experiences when a child has a serious illness.

and also meet me over at rachelcook.minti.com/blog

I was thinking the other day… wow the ocean looked quite glassy today, a perfect surf day. I haven’t touched my boards, only once, since Codi was born. So I thought I shall re-live here…all in Australia
Burleigh Heads, Queensland

Torque Beach, Melbourne

Tweed Heads, Queensland

Honeycombs, Dunsborough

Secret Harbour, Mandurah

Avalon, Sydney

Cronulla Beach, Sydney

Coolum, Queensland

and local haunts…isolated, trigg beach break, north trigg

….oh the life of a surfa gal…

I officially signed the papers today (only one paper hehe) to agree to Codi’s transition into the…what for it…TODDLER ROOM. Well done, little man! He started today transisitioning from the ‘baby room’. Oh the pain of it, realizing he is growing up soooo fast! I will be celebrating his 18th soon, aaarrr, hide the skulling jug. Anyway, getting over it, (JUST) and he’s already trying to communicate more just from one day!!!

When Clay gets back from Supanova and Gnomedex, you betcha baby, we will be trying for number twooo babeh yeah!! heheh (I love austin powers)

You know I was thinking..it’s funny when I see questions that ask me what are my favorite movies and I really have to think…

So here are some..

- The Princess Bride

- Lost Boys

- Pretty in Pink

- Point Break

- Electric Dreams

- ET

- Desperately Seeking Susan (still love madonna)

- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (yes I was a fluro socks follower with the pom pom attached)

these are some I really loved, but more importantly makes me do a time warp back into my youth (which wasn’t that long ago)…I wonder what Codi’s movies will be…???

What are your real favourites?

I am still thinking to add more to the list!

It has taken me a week to work out that Codi is starting to move his nap times towards more of an afternoon nap. I am realizing I need to go from…

12 lunch

1:30pm Nap

6pm dinner

7pm bedtime

to…

12 lunch

2:30pm afternoon tea

3-4/4:30pm nap

6:15/6:30pm dinner

7:30pm sleep

We’ll see how it goes!!

Bloger conference is for women bloggers to learn more about blogging on the internet and meeting other fellow bloggers in person. Guys are welcome too.

There are some pretty big sponsors like Yahoo, Club Mom and MSN Spaces. Pretty exciting stuff.

What’s best is that I’ll have some Minti friends with me!!!!

Tracey - http://www.maypapers.blogspot.com/

Heather - http://rookiemoms.com/

Hi I’m Rachel, I am Australian.

A little bit about me…I have two web businesses that are US focused and one Web-Software company that helps build Web 2.0 communities (1 business, 2 start up phase)…I live in Ozzieland for lifestyle reasons and work 100% in the US online space and have been doing so since 1999. I love Amercians, I have always been impressed by their command with words and social ease in which they interact with each other, collectively as a group.

Twenty things about me

• I don’t get complicated jokes with punch lines (especially my husbands or father-in-laws ones).
• I have been converted from an insane, ‘dominate the world’ workhorse into a relax, easy going, fun mom who acts her kid age.
• I am not scared to meet people face to face anymore, outside of my computer and all that was business.
• I used to love surfing my mini-mal, but I still now do but in my dreams.
• I used to love shopping and make up and I still now do but again in my dreams.
• I am a vicious researcher of any trend or market that I am obsessed about.
• I have discovered being a mother to be the most fulfilling job in the world. It used to take me 50 employees to say thank you to give me some slight sense of fulfillment, but a smile from my little man and pooooof I am floating
• I love my husband as a life partner, he is Noel in Notebook and as a business partner, he is my JFK
• I used to despise blogging ‘what the hell is that’, when they first came out and guess what I am obsessed now by blogging.
• I admire mothers…moms are AMAZING. Their stories are AMAZING. I dreamed of providing a voice in Minti because mothers are SMART and we need to learn from them.
• I love dogs, I have two of them, both Bichon x Maltese (why this mix, my husbands allergies aren’t affected by their wool coat)
• I have a loud laugh, but my husband says I am likeable.
• I find that big things comes in small packages to be true.
• I am a science, tech and business geek.
• I am cool when it comes to being one of the boys kickin the footy (ALF Aussie Rules), surfing, music and clothes and can be very tough in a boardroom of men.
• I used to be wild and out there, now I am straight laced and in there.
• I like warm people, but also introverts too, genuine people that have guts.
• I like to belong and feel like I am making a difference.
• I like smart comedy, but also funniest home videos sends me into weeing fits of laughter.
• But, most of all I am on a mission to set up a dynasty for my kids.

It was lovely to be part of this special feature, mainly because it is highlights a change in thinking. Women are starting to draw a line in the sand and saying that we are proud to be ‘mumpreneurs’ (’mompreneurs’).

Codi thought it was interesting to see his picture on some colorful paper.

So now comes the time for us to start trying again for bub 2. I thought I was pregnant but it was a false alarm. I am a little nervous about starting again, but I know that you can’t live in a bubble. I just hope my body is ready and I don’t do crazy things like thinking I am the everyready bunny and not listen to my body to rest. Anyway, we will see how it goes. I may just try and chill and enjoy my time with Codi and not get impatient.

Melissa from The Parenting Weblog, “Why not do something different and give the new parents something to make them ooooh and ahhh even more?” “Gifts for New Parents”….Cool yummy cookies…What a great idea in welcoming them into parent hood. Not only is a first birthday a special achievement and milestone, becoming a parent for the first time is mind altering. I love this idea, it is also lovely to do something different and unique with very important gifts.