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Wednesday 26 February 2014

Thank goodness for tea!


I love this quote sent to me today from one of my favourite people to drink tea and chat with. We have sorted through many problems together over many cups of tea, and I know that the few problems that I have just had to accept and live with have certainly been made lighter knowing that when needed a cuppa and a shoulder to lean on is never far away.
 
Vanna xx
 
 

 

Thursday 20 February 2014

A rant for the day!

I was watching My Kitchen Rules last night and it made me so cranky that I had to write this quick post. Two of the contestants spent most of the night saying that they hoped the people cooking were going to fail. Then each time they made a mistake or didn't do well there were shots of these contestants smiling and giggling.

What is this all about??
It makes me so mad!!

I know its only TV and its all probably scripted and each contestant is turned into a caricature so that the viewers are encouraged to 'love to hate them' etc, however I don't think that's enough of an excuse to sit there and blatantly wish for others to fail.

We have also been watching a lot of the Winter Olympics and it made me wonder what sort of reaction an athlete would get if when they were interviewed before an event they said they wished that their opponents would fall over, or miss a jump so that they had more chance of winning.  Again, I know that there is a difference between a reality cooking show and the Olympics, however when these attitudes are presented on TV as acceptable what does it say about our culture and what messages does it convey about how we should be relating to each other?

Television has a huge influence on, and is also a reflection of our society. It also worries me that children are watching these shows and if they don't have an irate mother like me yelling at the TV to stop being so rude and revolting, will children think that this is an OK way to talk about others?

Thank goodness that there is one kind and positive contestant to watch - however interestingly she is being labelled as kooky. Why is it kooky to be kind and to look for positives?

I guess the positive  (because I am definitely kooky!) from this is that it makes us think and react and hopefully notice how 'not right' it feels to hear and see people acting in this way towards others.


Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama


Vanna xx

Tuesday 18 February 2014

I love my job!

 
There are many reasons that I love my job as a preschool teacher and getting to celebrate my birthday at work is one of them. What could be better than seeing 25 smiling 3 and 4 year olds singing happy birthday to you!
 
 
 
It was my birthday last week and my boss and friend made me this gorgeous cake after consulting with the children the day before regarding decoration and flavor. All morning I got not so subtle hints from the children that I would be having a surprise. One girl was particularly excited and regularly came up  to tell me "It's your birthday Vanna. You're going to like the surprise. It's tasty. You're gonna love it!" 
 
The anticipation, and the excitement when we finally had the cake (after waiting for what was so long for them) on the children's faces was beautiful. As well as their obvious excitement about getting some cake the children's involvement also shows their ability to share in someone else's special moment and the innate openness of their hearts as they join in and celebrate. 

Life is good when work is love heart cakes, singing,
smiles, and birthday hugs!