I've been a busy girl today. Check out my celebrity blather at Village Voices. I'm raving about NW, Tori Spelling and wobbly self-esteem. Go to ... http://blogs.kidspot.com.au/villagevoices/has-tori-spelling-sold-out/

I packed Sprog 2 off to school yesterday, amid feeble protests and further melodramatic coughs. I figured three days at home was enough, for both of us. Besides, the cleaners were coming, plus I had a gym class and lunch with a friend. To increase my chances of attending both, I handed Sprog 2 a $2 coin... Continue Reading →

I threw away all my fishnet stockings yesterday. Even the ones with the silver seams up the back. Not much call for fishnet stockings with silver seams at school pick-up. Despite there being a disproportionate number of retrenched dads loitering around. Way too obvious ... Joke. My wardrobe cull has reached the underwear drawer, where... Continue Reading →

My name is Alana House and I'm a shopping addict. I buy clothes and stash them - like an alcoholic and their four-litre flagons of sherry - in all my cupboards and drawers. I cleared out my wardrobe yesterday to make room for the half a GAP store I bought in Hawaii and counted my orange T-shirts. There were six. Who needs... Continue Reading →

Sprog 2 was home "sick" yesterday. Lots of melodramatic coughing and puppy dog eyes. I figured it wouldn't hurt to give her a day off. But you can't make the experience too attractive or they'll want to do it all the time. So I told her she had to lie in bed for an hour... Continue Reading →

Sex education was the topic du jour at a mums' dinner I attended last night. One of the mums has switched her son to a private school and he's being given The Talk soon, at a special after-school function. He's in year 3, the same as Sprog 1. I haven't even thought about having The Talk with Sprog 1.... Continue Reading →

I was hopelessly naive. Not about the wedding night or catering costs or anything. No surprises there. But when it came to transport, I was a wide-eyed innocent. No, scrap that. I was a tight-arse fool. I didn't organise transportation to my own wedding. On purpose. To save money. We lived in East Sydney, I figured I'd just flag a cab down. I stood on a... Continue Reading →

I went jogging this morning at 6.33am, way behind schedule. I woke at 5.17am, but faffed around on the computer for too long. As I belted down the street I fretted. Fretting is one of my great talents. I may not be able to change a tyre or swim or clean my own house, but I can... Continue Reading →

Another trip down memory lane. Three years ago this week, we were packing to return to Australia after 10 months in New York. Husband's scholarship to university had run out and we couldn't afford to stay on. Looking back, the things that stick in my mind were our local Thai restaurant, Thai Market, the Hungarian Pastry Shop and... Continue Reading →