Sorry for the spammers

Hi everyone .

Unfortunately my change of name from Simple Loving Thoughts to Button Brain has taken an unexpected turn.

Some very enterprising spammer has registered that blog name "Simple Loving Thoughts" and is merrily spamming my old email follower list with awesome links to essentials such as herpes medications.

While I absolutely promise I did not sell your details to anyone, if you have followed by email Simple Loving Thoughts, this gives them access to you. I have asked for further support  from Blogger via their forums but right now, all I can do is apologize.

Please take care to unfollow or unsubscribe at the base of their email.

Cheers, love and best wishes

Lisa

PS This shouldn't apply to followers of Button Brain

Button Brain is Back

Well hello there!

After almost a year of sitting back and smelling the roses ( or to be more accurate, doing the hard yards at work, in mothering and wife-ing) I have discovered that I miss my little blog, and the bloggy world, very much.

I miss writing, I miss interacting and I miss knowing and acknowledging that my mess is the same messy mess as everybody else. It might be a different shape or colour, but either way we are all a red-hot mess in some private way.

I miss having a hilarious moment and having somewhere to record it. I miss the virtual high fives and the encouragement when things have gone well. I miss those moments when I talk about something personal and someone else replies "I've been there too."

My community, my support base has been less without blogging. I did not realise how much my sense of belonging came from a bunch of people who have most likely never met me in real life, but who were cheering me on, wanting the best for me and sharing the laughs and tears along the way.

So I'm reopening the blog-space that is Button Brain. A couple of posts have been removed as their content is perhaps no longer my story to tell. Everything else remains. The good, the bad and the in-between. There are posts from my early blog days that are clumsy, before I knew about the "rules". If you stumble across them, be gentle. I did my best. I wrote from my heart.

In my house:

The Button Brain household is still running along at a steady pace. The kids are still all here, under our roof, eating all my food and making me wondering if I need to build a basement for them to move into when they turn 40.

The Man I Married is still the Man I am Married to ! Phew, another year, more bridges built, more rivers crossed and more lessons learned. We are forgiving souls, even though deeply flawed, and we are a work in progress. I suspect this will always be the case.

I am a night shift  nurse, working in acute general nursing and paediatrics. I love my job. I can find the funny side of most situations and for the saddest times, I feel honoured to be there when I'm needed.

Life is good. I am looking forward to once again sharing it with you.

Back in blog land

Hello bloggy friends.. It's been weeks since I last posted.

I could lie and say I took a much needed hiatus to reflect and refocus. 

That would be a big fat lie.

I just haven't really had much to say. The blog world is overflowing with so many people hot on the pulse of every social drama or conflict, every injustice and here I am, wondering what the heck I'm gonna make for dinner, and how on earth I'm going to get all these clothes dry on the middle of a cold wet Victorian winter..?

Does that make me shallow? That I spend more time thinking about the general comings and goings in our own little house than I do about the greater matters of the universe? Probably.

But as hard as I try I just can't get on board with constant social outrage that seems to be fuelling the greater portion of blogging land at the moment.  I'd rather have a laugh at something silly, or admire something gorgeous. 

I'm the one posting goofy pictures of a cat who missed the window sill.

I'm the one saying "Nawwww" at the fluffy baby bunnies.

I'm the one chuckling at this and forwarding it to everyone I know who grew up watching the Muppet Show

( Hahhaaaaa , you just read that using the chef's accent, didn't you!)

So for a while I've wondered if I should be bothered with this blogging thing, because I really don't seem to fit the norm. I'm not deep and meaningful ( I have short bursts of that but nothing sustained). 

I'm not a 'Mummy Blogger", I'm fairly old fashioned in what I think is appropriate in public.... and I don't have my ranty pants on twice weekly.

But I've decided that I will keep doing it, because I like it. And if my non-ranty posts amuse someone, that's lovely.

I'll leave the social rants to someone else.

xx

World Autism Day - The Carnival Ride

Today Is World Autism Awareness Day.

Not only do we want to raise awareness amongst the greater community about the challenges of living with Autism, we also want to take today to reflect on the joy and wonder that Autism brings to our world.

A couple of years ago I wrote a post about how it feels to find yourself parenting a child with ASD.
I am re-posting it today, for Autism Awareness.

Like so many young romantic couples, we bought tickets to go on the Carousel.

Many of our friends had already gone on it and said it was great. It looked like fun and we could afford it. We had to wait in line, but we had friends waiting too, so it was a good, gossipy wait, talking about what it would be like.

When we finally got through the gates, none of our friends were near us.The ride started and almost immediately, we realised that we were on the wrong ride.

Our seats didn't look like the other seats, and the cars banged and crashed and made weird noises. The seat belts pinched and I felt the first tentacles of fear sneaking into my heart.

A man popped out in a white coat and told us we were on the Monster Crash Roller Coaster. He smiled in a detached way and sent us through the big swinging doors.

  ***************

The Roller Coaster is not at all like the Carousel. It is unpredictable, frightening and fast. There are exhilarating highs and stomach churning free-fall drops. There is always a jagged corner hurtling towards you and you never really know where you will go next. You can't hear anyone else because there is so much other noise, and sometimes you actually scream in true fear.

Even with someone sitting right next to you, there are moments when you feel totally and desperately alone. 

You can see the carousel in the distance, with it's pretty lights and gentle well groomed ponies.

Your friends are watching you, as you fly through the air, hair tangled, clothes askew. You can't explain to them why you aren't sitting nicely or why you need to hang on so tight. You know from where they sit, you look wild eyed and out of control. You wish you were sitting on a happy little pony, not this monster ride. 

You start to worry that you will not make it to the end. You worry the safety rail will fly open, that your car will derail. You forget to breath. Your stomach churns and your fingers ache with the effort of holding on.You close your eyes and wish for it to be over, to be different.

But then... you stop and really concentrate.  Your heart is leaping, not only in fear but also in the most incredible joy. You are starting to anticipate the climb and then the drop. You learn to hang on tight in the scary bits, and you open your eyes and really look at the world from the very peak of the steep climbs.

The world looks so different up here, and none of those people on the Carousel can possibly see the world from this angle. 

They have no idea how beautiful it can be up here. 

At the last climb and free fall, you are grinning, eyes wide open. 

As you reach the peak, you let go of the safety bar and raise your hands over your head and welcome the rush.

  ***************

　
The ride slows down and we turn to each other, grinning from ear to ear. No, it wasn't the Merry-go-round ride we anticipated. It was so, so much more.

We have since then ridden on the Carousel. It is fun and wonderful too. But there is always a special place in our hearts for the Roller Coaster... what a ride.

I must confess - March tales

This week for I Must Confess, I am being prompted to link to a post from March 2013,

There is the one where I talk about getting fit after a looonngg absence from the gym ... turns out I did exactly the same thing in December, staying power is not my strong suit.

There is the one where I confess I have gone back to the Dr for help with depression (again!!!) and am hoping for sunnier skies. Since then the skies have been sunnier, cloudier, storming, shining, snowing, hailing and glorious. I don't think the black dog of depression is ever going to move out of my yard but I do think I've got it on a short chain (for now)

There is the post about DPCON13, a conference for Australian Bloggers, mostly from the parent realm and how I LOVED the conference last year... Last week I went to the DPCON14 conference on a cruise ship (OH MY!) and it was magnificent. Once again, the tribe has spoken, I belong.

There was a post about my very naughty raggy Cavoodle who is like a little Houdini. When he gets out the front door, he runs like he will never run again. He still does it. It is less amusing now.

So the post I am sharing is my 20th Anniversary Post. I love it, for all the things it says about us and me. Twenty One Years Last week, still here.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

20 Years

Once upon a time there was a little boy

and a little girl.

They grew up in different cities, in very different families.

She was (mostly) a good girl who came home on time, who got good grades and who had only had one boyfriend.

He was a bit naughty, left home at 16 and had plenty of girlfriends :-)

And then they met.

After three weeks of dating the boy told the girl he was going to marry her.
She laughed.

18 months later......

Just babies were we, me at 20 and he just 21.

What a spunk! A very tall spunk!

She's still (mostly) a good girl
He's still a bit naughty.

20 years.
Happy Anniversary Babe. 
I love you

Cocktail Dresses for Cruising

If I tell a mum at school that I write a blog, usually the reaction is a polite but blank smile.

Trying to explain to non-bloggers (or non-blog readers) what the point of a blog is, is nearly impossible.
Mostly because in my case there is no actual point. I don't review products, I don't have a sponsor, I don't make any money and usually I don't have anything profound to share.
I just like to write.
And over-share.
And off-load.

I can't explain why I like it, why this has become my hobby. It is no more significant than if I spent my time knitting or perfecting the art of cake pop making (NOT gonna happen). Yes, its probably a bit of time wasting nonsense and yet, so is just about anything we do outside the confines of our working hours.

In 2 weeks I'm heading off to a blogging conference, this year aboard the awesome Carnival Spirit Cruise Ship. I've been to the last two Digital Parents Conferences and loved meeting other bloggers. They get me, (or if they didn't, they did a great job pretending to understand me!)

I have a room-mate matched up, I have my plane tickets booked. Hubby and kids are well warned and prepared. In the wee small hours I briefly considered booking in for spray tan and some botox but I decided that a weekend cruise probably didn't warrant that degree of vanity.

So yesterday I tweeted one of the organisers to get an idea of the plans for the first evening - how we would all find each other aboard this enormous ship.
She wrote back with details and asked if I had my Cocktail dress ready.

I chuckled, then realised she was serious. A cocktail dress! Not an item that is essential in the wardrobe of a night shift nurse with 4 kids in hometown Wangarattta. I can't say there are a great number of Cocktail dress worthy events on my calendar.

I'm not even sure I know what makes a dress a 'Cocktail dress'. Are there Cocktail dress rules?
I am worried now that I will commit a Cocktail Dress faux pas, and of course be completely unaware.

Fortunately, I turned to the endless wisdom of google, which gave me not only the definition of a cocktail dress ( including the variations of hemline length and acceptable standard of dress by accompanying males) , but google also offered examples.

Now I know what I'm looking for, I'm off to shop... where do you think I will find one of these ?

Linking Up With Jess For I Blog On Tuesdays

Best Book Titles - Wordless Wednesday

Let me say this first - I am easily amused.
Set me down with 10 spare minutes and a google screen and I am as happy as a pig in poo!

This morning with a cup of coffee and too much time on my hands, I thought I would find a new book to download onto my Kindle.
So I googled "Funny Books" and hit search.

Now that I have stopped snort laughing, I am sharing my favourites, in all their glorious wrongness.

 

Please...don't.

 

For woodworkers who have already made enough decorative bowls and cutting boards.

 

 

 

It seems there is no end to the handiness of some people, and whether you are a cat owner or dog owner there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to shave them bald and come up with something cosy.

 

If Self Improvement is more your thing, don't worry! I have something special for you.

 

I've tried this. It totally doesn't work.

Like, REALLY love him.

In red ink.

That's a lot of love.

 

Perhaps I should get a copy of this for J-man , along with a balaclava and a machine gun.

 

oh dear!

 

I think I already read this one.. I am awesome!

For those preferring some fictional escape -

Love the little elf cuddling Santa LOL

 

...............

A question every mother has asked at least once in the toddler years.

 

 

Okay this one might be a fake but it made me laugh.

 

But this one is real. Someone actually thought that was an appropriate title.

 

 

And finally, for those nights when you just are not "In The Mood"

I'm off to buy some wool.
xxx



Linking up for Wordless Wednesday (or in my case Minimal Word usage as I can never shut up completely)



Trish at My Little Drummer Boys  



Bree @ Twinkle in the Eye





& Create With Joy

 

Mummies can work too .... Weekend Writer

"But Mummy, when you go to work I don't feel right. I miss you"

The words from my daughter today, as I accepted a night shift from my nursing co-ordinator.

Mid last year I finally got my Nursing Qualifications. It took 40 years, 4 kids, many hours of study and a few false starts but finally, I had the beginnings of a career.

Since September ( when my registration was recognised) I have worked mornings, afternoons and night shifts. More and more I am becoming a night shifter.
The hours suit me - I can leave for work after my littlest goes to bed and I am home before she pours the milk on her Cornflakes.
I sleep when the kids are at school.
The challenge of night shift appeals to me, with a bigger patient load and less "on-the-ground" support. The learning curve is steep but the satisfaction of a well completed evening is enormous.

So what's with the guilt trip being laid on me? Miss 9 has happily accepted that Dad goes to work 5 days a week, for a few years Dad would leave on Sunday night and not re-appear until Friday night.

I am feeling torn. Again.

Image Credit

I want to grow, to develop a career. I like the interaction and frankly, it's nice to finally be able to take some of the financial burden that The Man I Married has carried for so long. It's nice to see a payment in our account and know I put it there.

But the (guilt) MOTHER in me is whispering in my ear, guilt tripping, and the small child in front of me, telling me that she doesn't want me to go breaks my heart.

It's so hard to ignore the negative voices.

I know she is safe. Looked after and loved.
I know this is just because for so long I was here, always, and she is struggling with the new regime.
I know she will be fine if I go to work.
I know every hour or so, her words will jump back into my mind and I will wrestle the guilt back down into a manageable lump.

Counting the hours until I am home, and my small one feels all is okay once again.



Time to link up for the Weekend Writer Blog Link-up

 

 

Add your weekend post to the linky below .

For the rules and hints visit this page

 

 

Weekend Writers Linkup --- In the beginning

While there are many dedicated daily bloggers out there, there are also many who just blog when they get a chance, and often that chance comes on the weekend.

This is a new link-up, it will run every weekend... and the rules are pretty simple.

Love the Linker! - Comment on the hosts post ---(I love how that sounds - "Host posts"...) - A little loving goes a long way, and with some support, I will do my best to continue this link-up and showcase some of the best Weekend Writing we bloggers have to offer. Follow Button Brain in the social world somewhere - on Facebook , Twitter or follow this blog.... Thankyou!!!

Add the Weekend Writer Button somewhere on your blog, either on the sidebar (I have a Grab the Code option) , or add a link to Button Brain and the Weekend Writers image within your post - feel free to right click and copy the images available.

 Link your previously unpublished weekend post via the Linky tool .. this is any post you wrote and published over the weekend, there are no rules on topics ( as long as it isn't illegal) . If you blog Saturday and Sunday you are welcome to link both.

Show your love to other linkees - we can be a great support and source of friendship in blogland, spend a little time reading other peoples posts.. you never know, you might find a kindred spirit or a fellow lunatic.

Please be honest and only link a fresh unpublished post ... don't link old posts or send your sales pitch every weekend... show us your blog !

Join me this weekend and add your link to the Weekend Writer Link-up.

Liebster Award Loving

What a lovely week! I was delighted to find that lovely Jodie From Fresh Home Cook nominated little ol' me for a Liebster Award.

What is a Liebster award?
“A Liebster award is given to support and recognise up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers (on their blog) or likers (on their Facebook page). The word “Liebster” apparently has German origins and is reported to mean sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

By following some basic rules (answer 11 questions set by your nominee, write 11 additional facts about yourself, write 11 new questions of your own and pass the award onto 11 other bloggers to answer) it enables readers to get to know new bloggers and connect with a wider audience.”

In keeping with the above rules here are Jodie's questions and my answers ...

1.  Tea or coffee?
 Coffee in the daylight hours, then tea in the evening. But I am a sad Nanna so I only drink weak as dishwater instant coffee.

2.  Chocolate or cheese?
Definitely cheese. I really dislike chocolate and rarely eat it. I don't mind chocolate flavoured things like cake or pudding, but I will scrag-fight you to the death over the last piece of King Island Brie.

3.  What did you want to be when you grew up?
I STILL haven't decided on this! I wanted to be a school teacher for a while there, mainly because I really liked the idea of writing whatever I wanted on the chalk board, but since having kids I have discovered that I really only like my own offspring (and even then it's questionable) so the idea of looking after 28 kids I didn't give birth to gives me hives.

4.  What is your favourite post from your blog?
The Carnival Ride is my favourite post.. it describes how it feels to be parenting an Aspergers child while all your friends are parenting 'typical' kids, but it is a positive post, rather than all doom and gloom.

5.  What is your one skill you wish you had?
I would love Go-go Inspector Gadget extenda-arms. How great would those be! You've never have to get out of bed to turn off the light or the TV, you could make yourself a cup of tea, all while snuggling under your doona.

image credit

6.  If money wasn’t a factor what would your ideal ‘job’ be?
Writing, designing, a little bit of nursing to keep my brain ticking... guess what? That's what I do now, only with a little more nursing because $$ is a factor.

7.  What is your most worn & loved piece of clothing / attire?
Pyjamas! If I can have a day in my PJ's I embrace it with love. There is something a little bit naughty about still being in your comfy Flannelette PJ's at 4 pm. Warm and snuggly, sigh.

8.  Where is your best holiday destination & why?
We don't have a lot of holidays. In fact we almost never go on holidays. But as each of our kids get to the end of Grade 6 we take just that child away for a few days to celebrate and to have some time just with them. We have taken 3 of our 4 away so far, each of them wanted to go to QLD to the theme parks. We have had an absolute ball, and with only one child to concentrate on we could spend time getting to know them and enjoy the little quirks of their individual personalities. Those little holidays will always be memories I will treasure.

9.  What is you favourite kitchen gadget & why?
The dishwasher! It's a large gadget I know, but gosh it makes life easier. Our house is busy and there is always washing up to be done. The dishwasher stops me from crying on a regular basis.

10.  Board shorts or budgie smugglers (speedos)?
Oh please ! Board Shorts. And I strongly recommend a t-shirt unless you are built like Hugh Jackman. If you are built like Hugh Jackman, please send photos.

11.  What is your earliest childhood memory?
I remember a giant Easter basket being delivered to our house.. Easter 1974 so I was 21 months old, and I can remember quite clearly how enormous the centre egg seemed. It was wrapped in Aqua coloured Foil and the smell from the basket was divine. I wanted to pull the eggs out and Mum kept telling me "No". Perhaps that is when my aversion to chocolate began?

 

 

ELEVEN additional Facts about me :

 

1 - I can't knit ... I have lots of wool, lots of theory but somehow, no matter how careful I am, I start off with 20 stitches and end up with 17, or 24. They are sneaky little suckers!

 

2 - I can do The Cup Song from Pitch Perfect and like to practice it when I'm alone. I make lots of mistakes but I like to try.

 

3 - I have a dreadful singing voice. Dreadful. People would pay me to not sing. It's a nasally, fingernails down a blackboard with a bit of drowning cat thrown in for fun. When I sing out loud, one of our dogs hides in the bathroom cupboard and the other one races up and down the hallway looking for the fire exit.

 

4 - When I was little my favourite thing to do was playing in the sand pit with my brother. We would collect little black Alexander beetles and put them in his matchbox cars and drive them around the sand pit.

 

5 - When I was 15 I went to New Zealand on a Rotary Exchange for 3 months. I was utterly miserable the whole time.

 

6 -  I always wonder if the people in the background of movie or TV show scenes are actually talking to one another or just mouthing random words. There seems to be an awful lot of nodding going on between extras, how can they all be in agreement on everything?

 

7 - I think about exit plans a lot ... like when I'm in an airplane I make plans so that if the plane breaks apart mid flight, I will grab a door and air-surf on it all the way to the ground, then just before I hit the ground, I'll jump up, cleverly negating the 60,000 metre free fall and it would be like I just jumped a couple metres off the ground. Clever I say!

 

8 - I'm the one in 300,000 girl. If a disease or disorder is very rare then I am gonna have it. I hate when a doctor cocks their head to the side and says " Look, it's highly unlikely, but...." Shut Up ! You just nailed the coffin shut! I have had some weird and wonderful things, been in crazy situations and my family will say "It can only happen to you.."

 

9 - I like Granny Undies. I have a drawer full of "cute little things" but actually I'm much more comfortable and relaxed in my Granny undies .. Everything covered that needs to be covered. Mental Image credit here (OMG not really! Please tell me you didn't click!)

 

10 - In my pantry there is a tonne of food that I know I will probably never use but I feel more rounded having it in there. For example there is a can of chickpeas, just in case I ever have the urge or need to make my own hummus. Between you and I, I'm fairly certain that will never happen, but I like the notion that there is the possibility.

 

11- I've never had a labour contraction. Four kids, not a one! I was awake for the birth of Mr 19 with a spinal block c-sec but fast asleep for the 3 girls. Baby no 1 (J-man) was a tiny wispy blonde baby, so when hubby handed me Baby no 2 (now Miss 17), a chunky little dark haired newborn bundle, I was not entirely sure that there hadn't been a mix up. Only the fact that we were the only Mum and Bub in our tiny little community hospital offered any reassurance that she was in fact my daughter. It also means that I don't remember much at all of their first 24 hours as the general anaesthetic knocks me for six :-(

 

 

It's my turn to pick some bloggers and give them some questions...

 

1. Pink Or Red

2. What is one thing you would love to learn how to do?

3. What is the last thing you do before you go to bed?

4. When do you do your best work?

5. What would you ask for as your last meal?

6. If you could spend a day with any person on the planet who would it be with and why?

7. What food do you hate?

8. What was your favourite childhood toy?

9. Your favourite high school memory is...?

10. What superpower do you wish you could have ? (I love this question so I'm borrowing it)

11. You have to leave your house in five minutes, and never come back. Your kids and pets are safe. What 5 material possessions are you going to grab?

 

I am handing the Liebster award on to some of my favourite peeps, some very newly discovered, some just quietly flying under the radar. Please show some loving support to these bloggers. I will add Links to their Liebster posts when they write them.

 

Kangaroo Dad

A Very Blended Family

Slap Dash Mumma

Min's Mash

The Plumbette

Homelea Lass

Baubles Bubbles and Bags

Caitlins Happy Heart

Shelby In Colour

Just Jojo

Mummys Undeserved Blessings

One of My Own

 

 Show them some loving  xxx