Jodie Ansted's Page

Hubby and I are currently negotiatingdiscussing our next family holiday.We’ve had a few good ones in the past. There was the trip to Vanuatu last year: we stayed at a pretty nice resort somewhere in the depths of the jungle. It was my kinda holiday, actually. No cooking, cleaning or clothes washing. Yes – I still had to parent (darn it), but that was nothing compared to my usual workload.Read…See More

Inviting comments on your blog can, at times, become a double-edged sword, as one blogger recently found.One of the most satisfying elements of having your own blog, is the ability for the reader to comment instantly and give their view on your work straight after reading your post (should they choose to). For writers who have had works published in magazines and newspapers only to date, it must be somewhat frustrating at times – mustn’t it? - not knowing how their readers have responded to it.…See More

No. I'm not dying. Not yet, anyway. I'm referring to the light at the end of the Toddler Tunnel.A discussion was held a little while back on Mia Freedman's blog Mamamia about how you know when you're 'done' having kids. Of course, the answer to that varies in each person's situation. There are people who never feel as though they're 'done'. They'd happily have 100 children or, like…See More

Last year, I was sitting at my sons’ swimming lessons, talking to my friend, Kim, and this is how our conversation went:KIM: “So, how’s it all going?”ME: “Pretty good. Nothing too exciting…oh, wait! Hubby is away overseas at the moment!”KIM: (Excitedly clapping her hands together and jumping up and down in her seat.) “Oh, YAAAY! How great!”ME: (Also excitedly clapping my hands together and jumping up and down in my seat.) “I know. I KNOOOOW!”I suppose, that if a young newlywed or someone who…See More

Yesterday, the 8yo and 6yo officially started school holidays, and as I do at the end of every school term, I can't help but think back to my own school breaks, and wish I'd had the gift of hindsight back then.READ MORE...See More

Whenever we're heading out somewhere, Hubby will always inevitably become perturbed that we're not running on time. He stands at the front door, saying, "It's 6pm. We're supposed to be there by now!" And that would be fine, if it wasn't always up to me to get everyone out the door.READ MORE...See More

Parenting is just like sport. Just without the sponsorships (bummer).I remember doing hurdles in high school. They were frightening. As I approached each hurdle my body would tense, my mind wondering if I'd get over it. I would, and with that would come a sense of relief. However the relief was always short-lived, because once again, I'd be faced with another set of hurdles and so on and so on, until I'd finally reach the finishing line.Parenting isn't unlike a hurdles race. With each new…See More