In celebrity baby news just in, New Idea magazine is reporting that the father of Fifi Box's baby is Australian iron man Grant Kenny, who was once married to swimmer Lisa Curry.
For more on Fifi's announcement, click here.
And for more on this story, click here. I know this story is in the public interest because Fifi is on radio and has a high profile, and with her 'baby daddy' said to be Grant Kenny - who was hugely high profile in the 1980s and 1990s in both the sporting and Aussie celeb scene - it's created a mini media 'storm'. But really, essentially - it's about two people in love, with well-publicised pasts, who have found each other and are now having a baby. And at the risk of going all Pollyanna on you, I am very happy for them. It's a baby! It's good news! Let's not murky it up with talk of age difference and the like. Huge congrats again Fifi...
I procrastinated about writing this blog post. Because, you know... oh, look at that: a book I am one page into! Add it to the pile. And, wait... is that crab salad I have in the fridge for lunch? And, hey... there's my paperwork for my invoicing. I don't know if it's a case of job-half-done-itis... or a severe case of 'scatterbrain', but I do know I am a procrastinator. I can relate to this meme:
And so, this arrived in my inbox today and read it with interest... then did something else. It's a survey* released today by Yellow Pages that reveals Australians are some of the biggest procrastinators. Yes, the survey revealed Australia is a nation of procrastinators, with 53% of respondents admitting they put off jobs at home or at work. According
to the survey, 69% of Australians are more likely to procrastinate at home than
work, with household chores (67%), DIY (36%) and cleaning (35%) the tasks we
avoid doing the most. More
than a third of survey respondents (36%) also admit to procrastinating at work. Completing tasks associated with a specific job role (13%), administration (8%)
and maintaining a clean workplace (8%) are the things they avoid doing. Males
and females share similar attitudes to procrastination, with 52% of men
indicating they procrastinate, compared to 54% of women. The survey showed that men are more
likely to procrastinate at work, and women are more likely to procrastinate at
home. The latter, I can vouch for... Residents
in NSW (55%), Western Australia (54%) and Queensland (53%) are the nation’s
biggest procrastinators. On the other hand, Tasmanians are the least likely to
procrastinate and prefer to solve their problems straight away. State by state, task by task, here is more about what we hate doing: Paying
bills (VIC, QLD, WA); gardening and mowing (NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS) vacuuming
(SA), dusting (WA and SA) and doing the dishes at home (VIC and TAS) are among
the list of things Australians procrastinate about the most. In line with the survey, and to help Aussies solve their procrastination problems and ‘tick’ things off
their ‘to do’ list, Yellow Pages has released an updated iPhone and
iPad app. With more than 1.4 million local business listings,
the new and improved features include: a ew iPad design to make finding and contacting businesses easy; an opening hours indicator on the search results; options to refine results, such as “sort by distance from me”; integration with iPhone & iPad address book for ‘Add to Contacts’ and
sharing business information; users can contact an advertiser from search results via phone, email or by
website click with their iPhone. Mr
Evan Ravensdale, Yellow Pages Group Product Manager, said the App
will make it easy for Australians to find solutions to the problems they
procrastinate over the most. “Now,
there’s no excuse for Australians to put off those jobs they don’t like doing,
or don’t know how to do. The improved Yellow Pages App provides solutions for
every problem, no matter how big or small it is.” A
full list of the Yellow Pages® App features are listed at www.yellowpages.com.au. The
free app is available for download at https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/yellow-pages-australia/id325629947?mt=8 *The
survey was conducted by OMD Insights and utilised a sample size of 1029 across
Australia (excluding the Northern Territory), QLD N=181, NSW N=309, TAS N=100,
VIC N=231, SA N=104, WA N=104.The
survey was completed by males and females aged 21-54.Results cover: use of digital devices,
leniency per state and by gender regarding tendency to procrastinate and tasks
most likely to be procrastinated. Results available for publication.
Now that's a gloriously happy wedding photo. In Woman's Day - out today - comedian and radio presenter Hamish Blake [and one half of comic duo Hamish and Andy] and his new bride author and beauty writer Zoë Foster have shared their wedding photos exclusively with the magazine. Here is the lovely cover:
Details of the nuptials - which Hamish describes as a wedding to his “best
friend and team-mate” Zoë Foster and which the pair described as a "wedding themed party of love" - include a 6 page wedding album revealing romantic and kooky elements, including puppets and a wedding cake made from Snickers
bars. Hamish likened the soirée to "a birthday party for a five-year-old!" What a perfectly suited couple. Huge congratulations to the ecstatic twosome.
Jessica Ainscough is a wellness warrior, writer, blogger, holistic health coach, and all 'round inspiring human being.
She is also a survivor. A cancer survivor.
She has written about her incredible journey and what it has taught her in a Josie's Juice blog post and you can read that right here.
And in news just in, one of Jessica's e-books - "Make Peace With Your Plate" - is to be published by Hay House, renowned for publishing incredibly inspiring and life-altering titles.
I asked Jess - who I love and admire [we worked together in what seems like eons ago] - how she felt about news of the publishing deal. Here's what she said:
"Having
Make Peace With Your Plate be transformed from an e-book to an actual
book - and have it published with Hay House - is my biggest dream come true.
I'm thrilled to be part of the Hay House family - a company I admire so much
and whose books I have covering my book cases. Plus, I'm just excited that this
book will be able to reach even more people, and those who need to hear it's
message will be able to hear it. It's my mission to have people see that they
don't need to diet, count calories and deprive themselves in order to be healthy
and look great. It breaks my heart that so many of us have such torturous
relationships with food - and I want to change it."
Here she explains what the book is about in a video clip she recorded about the book:
For more on the book - and you can still download it now or wait for the fabulous hard copy to be published by Hay House - click here.
What do you think of Jessica's incredible journey?
Jess has also written another blog post for Josie's Juice here. Here is another, beautiful clip about Jess' journey:
In devastating news just in, the shooting at a school in Newtown, Connecticut, USA - which left 28 people dead, including 20 school children has gutted an entire nation, and the world. Here is a clip from Obama's statement:
"We've endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years. And each time I learn the news I react not as a President, but as anybody else would – as a parent. And that was especially true today. I know there's not a parent in America who doesn't feel the same overwhelming grief that I do.
The majority of those who died today were children – beautiful little kids between the ages of 5 and 10 years old. They had their entire lives ahead of them – birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own. Among the fallen were also teachers – men and women who devoted their lives to helping our children fulfill their dreams.
So our hearts are broken today – for the parents and grandparents, sisters and brothers of these little children, and for the families of the adults who were lost. Our hearts are broken for the parents of the survivors as well, for as blessed as they are to have their children home tonight, they know that their children's innocence has been torn away from them too early, and there are no words that will ease their pain." The news is hard to process for any adult, so imagine how hard it is for a child - both the kids at the very centre of the tragedy, the ones attending the school where the shooting happened. How on earth to be ever be truly helped through counselling. The trauma will be deep and everlasting.
And to a much lesser degree for the kids who hear the news all around the world will be confused and frightened.
Says Michael Carr-Gregg - a child psychologist - on 'Sunrise' this morning:
"A lot of parents in Australia need to keep particularly young children away from the TV news. if they do find out about it i think it's really important to tell t hug them, to tell them they're loved, to say we're a long way those sort of things happening here, we love in one of the safest countries in the world, and then to monitor them very, very closely."
In the midst of this insanely hard to process tragedy, how will you shield/explain the news to your kids? And the most obvious question: gun laws: what the hell else will it take to change them in the US? Feel free to comment below. UPDATED: here's what organisational expert Peter Walsh suggests about how to assist your children in feeling safe and making sense of it all, from his Facebook page: HELPING YOUR KIDS MAKE SENSE OF THIS PAST WEEK – I’ve really been struggling this weekend with the horror and sadness at the shootings in Sandy Hook on Friday. Words seem so inadequate. Talking with friends today, however, made me think of one tangible and positive thing you can do if your kids are struggling with being separated from you this week. Remember that I’ve often said that stuff has power. Use this to your advantage. If your child is fearful, consider creating a ‘talisman’ for them. Talk to your child about what’s happened, comfort and console them, ensure them they’re safe. Then, find something meaningful to you or to them – a piece of inexpensive jewelry, a scarf, a special toy, something small but important – that you can give your child and tell them to keep close. Tell them this object is a way for them to remember how much you treasure them and that if they’re fearful at all to hold this item close and think of you and know you’re thinking of them. This is just a small thing that will help make your love and presence more real for your child, even in your absence. Stuff has power – here’s a chance to use that power for good.
The Victoria's Secret angels prove they are fabulous at modelling undies and bras. Singing, not so much. Watch this viral video of the beauties here, spruiking underwear - and, oh yes, Christmas cheer - for 2012.
This is kicking off right now - the '121212 Concert for Sandy'.
A benefit concert with the likes of Kanye, Alicia Keys, Bon Jovi and more playing for the victims of Cyclone Sandy.
It's on Starpics [on Foxtel] on Australian TV. Or you can watch live on YouTube right now here.
For more info, click here. And you can donate, wherever you are in the world. Toll free numbers for countries all around the world are being flashed up on screen throughout the broadcast.
To see Alicia Keys talk about the devastation, watch this:
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