In a meeting as usual for a Friday and I got a phone call from Codi’s daycare centre…the little one had a tumble from great heights (not really) just from the top of the toddler slide That was a big one, but he’s okay no concussion. I have noticed in the last few days his eagerness to run as fast as he can, attempt to walk down concrete stairs by himself and fall down hard to the ground as many times as I can count…is this the beginning of the two’s stage I wonder…oh well off to pick him up now and give him lots and lots of cuddles.

I have just read this great post…”Parenting not just a job but an adventure“…and it has made me think about how views are changing for the better in regards to parenting and how blogging has given parents a platform to educate (without trying to) others about it’s real value.
Parent blogging is changing our world. Social networking is changing our world. Family orientated social sites are pinned to do the same and our kids are going to benefit from it in such a massive way, how much they will benefit by this is incomprehendable.

Parenting not just a job but an adventure made me think that parent blogging is like being an activist and another voice for parents…bringing up kids is an economy in itself.

I was interviewed today about being a professional entrepreneur, wife and mom and business…it was so great that the angle was more about how a crazy, intense business women who turned into soft jelly on becoming a mom, manages her life now. Gees, I remember (with a red face) how hardcore I could be, how impatient with delays I was and frustration of feeling like I was handling so many un-ending projects that had too many problems to fix (and that was only a small internet company, but I was handling things in a COO, CTO function until I told my business partner and husband I had to reassess  my stress levels and vision in life) - how much I have grown having my little Codi. How much I want to share will the whole world on my transformation directly with other young women out there thinking it’s all just career.

I must write an article in Minti on setting a vision for your life, not just your career. About a year ago I spoke to a group of 200 young profesisonal women, just on this very issue. Setting yourself up early financially with the view of setting up a sensational family. I hope one day I can talk to more young women and provide more rounded information on the future decisions and goals in their life to make informed choices.
I must admit people ask me a lot the two questions below…

1. How are you able to work with your business partner who is also your husband?

My answer: “Some people say, I couldn’t work with my other half…well I say, I couldn’t work without my other half!!!”

2. How do you juggle it all?

Planning and allow great people to transform you. Our CEO, Jackie taught me how to actually implement a balanced scorecard system (not get other people to use it) but to implement one for your life and your business. We are playing the game of life, you need a scorecard right? Heather, Organisational Coach taught me the inner workings of how people function, grow and develop as well as my own strengths, limitations and areas to improve. She taught me crucial lessons of having a clear objective with tactics to achieve that objective and gain the buying of people around you. Matt, a very seasoned M&A guru has re-shaped our view of business entirely and had added an amazing dimension to Clay and myself.
In a nutshell - surround yourself with masterful and like minded people.
What made an impact on me and my thoughts come from…

*Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich.
*13 Days (the movie about the Cuban Missile Crisis)

Haven’t posted for about 3 weeks … like life it’s all pretty full on lately (just set up a new blog) and it’s now just subsiding…yay.. I have been stoked for the last couple of weeks at Codi’s love of drawing!!! It was amazing to me, I was over the moon. I would draw in texta, a big tree and all we hear nowadays is Teeeee, Teeee. 18-19 months is a fantastic age.. It is great to hear him try and say words…triangle (angul), car, circle (curcle), apple and just today, sun.

List of words Codi can now say (bubbles, auntie, mumma, daddie, nan nan, pop pop, star, swing (seng), triangle (angul), car, circle (curcle), apple and just today, sun. The amount of words he can say, and the words he understands differs a great deal. From just thinking about it, I would say he can understand about 40 words.. but I think I will pay a bit of attention going forward.

I am really happy these last two weeks, he has taken to drawing, coloring in (manic scribbles), puzzles, saying the names of shapes and objects I draw and put up on the wall. I noticed he also likes to decorate things (must buy some glittery stuff).

It’s funny when I talk about this, it’s like oh yeah…but to me it’s amazing, since it’s my first child I suppose. I love just seeing and praising Codi when he is motivated himself to learn new things and I am there if he needs any help…

Upon becoming a “first time mom“, I became so passionate about the need to create a powerful voice for parents. Why, I thought in business, do we eagerly read about great business icons? Why don’t we also read about great icons who silently “build the next generation in society”, of which we expect to be better and more advanced than the last? Is it because it’s to simply called parenting?

I wanted to be able to read about advice and experiences in real time, created by parents, who by the way don’t think the two words “icons and parenting” should be put together in the same sentence, but I strongly believe, they seriously are, yes that’s right ‘icons’, in a micro-world? Their advice and experiences are golden, they are human and social scientists, constantly refining the experience their children have with the world and the world with them. Parents sew the fabric of society. Big visions and funny analogies, but I felt passionate enough to want a place were parents are valued by their peers. I felt we needed a place to bring it online, faster and faster so the experiences and advice can spread. If anything it would help stop re-inventing the wheel.

I found during my research into the parenting space that two things emerged, parents need more praise, and parents need more praise. I don’t know how many parents I spoke to, just by being guenuinely interested, how freely such heart felt experiences, some challenging and some with such happiness was shared. I found this both online and offline. I felt more parents need to be a part of this, not just a one on one exchange, and that everyone has their own advice, experiences and method. I discovered that there were so many “parenting scientists” out there and alas “Minti” was created. I was triggered to write this post out of the need to listen to my RAS.

I was so moved by a speech the other day, whom the person was receiving an award for business excellence and the most profound to me, was him taking the opportunity to give an insight into a life changing experience, not about business but the value of life with his family, that was reminded to him through his experiences with his son being diagnosed with Autism. I was again moved by reading a blog, “Susan Senator” and both experiences on the same issues, were being lived through on different sides of the globe.

It is just amazing being able to learn, appreciate and respect the self-less act of parenting. When in business the act is one that is more self-serving??

This blog post has been “Minti’ed”…

Oh my gawd, has anyone seen “Flight Plan”? I had a terrible experience last week. I had lunch with my son and promptly went to the car and placed him in his seat like I normally do, now with cars that have central locking everyone knows that you can’t activate the central locking if a door is open. Well, our car did and I had no idea that the central locking was armed whilst the door was open. I also had no idea how I managed to trigger the central locking, but I do remember putting the keys on the seat, whilst my son was standing on the seat and then I put him in his car seat (which is in the middle). To try and not lose anything I placed my phone, wallet and the keys!!! on the passenger seat, grapped his fish toy and closed the door…I couldn’t believe I couldn’t open the door any doors or the hatch. The blasted 4wd was non-entry proof. I was shaking so much, I couldn’t think, it was only the calming effect of the shop owner that helped me think straight and call home ) which was 10mins away and ask for help to drop off the spare key!!!! How lucky was I to have someone at the house that couldn’t come and open the car door. Mind you I did feel like afterwards when I told people that it was hard for them to understand just how upset I was. My poor little boy saw me trying to get into the car and go really upset. Luckily I parked in the shade, I was so close to breaking the window to get in. Now I am so worried (without trying to show it) when I get in the car, I have the keys in my teeth and I have a window slightly down enough to be able to get in. I have never been in a situation like that where I was so helpless to get to my son. I urge everyone to check their cars central locking and try locking the car with a door open. I would hate it for others to experience what my son and I went through.

I read a great post on teaching your child “relaxation breathing“. I thought, what a great idea. I have a really close friend that told me “dream talking” also really helped her kids relax before bed. Dream talking is softly talking about visual peaceful things to your child…both great tips to teaching them how to unwind. I think there should be one made for adults I wonder what age I can start to do this with Codi?

was it safe to blog about your family. I hadn’t thought about it again until I read a post at ashaland and travelled through the link in the post to Blogging Mommies post on Safe Blogging. Gees, after reading these posts, I went back to my posts, giving it a good clean up. Surely, blogging software companies should give some guidelines on how to blog safely? I don’t know I am relatively new to blogging, but it would have helped me be mindful with what I am posting about our already private family.

Codi is 18 months old. Every now and then, he does a “tumbler”, my definition of going to sleep at his regular day time nap and rolling around “awake” for the whole sleep time. It gets me thinking should I move his sleep 30mins later to 1:30pm? I think I will test it. I also think about shortening the sleep from two hours to one and a half. I found this great guide to sleep. Currently, Codi is sleeping thirteen and a half hours at night and two during the day. So fifteen and a half hours in total. Parentingideas.org guide shows at 18 months, it changes to 14 hours a day. So we’ll see how it goes.

The one night I go out, the next day I get a really sore throat. I was thinking it was just my lack of being out of the social scene these days and my throat was having a panic attack, until my little one, a day later got a hoarse voice too. It was only till I read this post at Parentinghacks.com that I have something I can actually use to help soothe the families sore throats and also as a remedy to get to sleep. Something I lack the ability to do. I will give this a try and let you know how it goes.

It’s been a great start to the new term. We went to Kindermusik for the second week in a row and I can see it is really helping with Codi’s happiness in joining in. It had been a while and the structure and new teacher was a lot to get used to, but has done a great job of managing to stay part of the class. Swimming, had been a challenge with his dad, as during the week I would take him swimming and let him run amok. Then in swimming class he couldn’t work out why he could run amok as well, and became difficult, crying for me to be in the water. I took the class the following week with him, with no water tantrums. The teacher advised me, that I try during the week with structured part first and then let him loose afterwards to play, as he wanted in the water. We have success!! and a very happy ‘to comply’ little boy. Now his is learning exciting things in class and really enjoying himself, going under the water to see my goggles, pretty well done for an 18 month old. Now we are at the stage of re-introducing swimming with his dad… that has been his dad’s face since all the swimming troubles began, I hope Codi was just going through a “let me do whatever I want phase” and won’t mind his dad taking him in the class too. I think Codi understands now that he can do want he wants most of the time and mum/dad providing some boundaries and structure is beneficial too; learning more fun stuff. I think what has also helped is the new playgroup we have just started to attend. The kids are around the same age and older, so it gives Codi that extra stimulation, and he’s really loving having his friends who live in our area, there. It seems there is a bit of a relaxed and busy vibe about the place and I really enjoy the mothers. I still enjoyed the previous playgroup, but there was a clash of days and fitting things in something was to give. But, I am still a member of our other Playgroup, so it’s like you can visit again anyway.