Five years ago today I went on a loooooooong cruise to Hawaii via Tahiti with my kids ... and without my husband. It was my last travel junket as a magazine writer. Talk about going out with a bang. My husband could have squeezed into the cabin too, but he had zero interest in joining... Continue Reading →

Remember the famous line Jack Nicholson barked in A Few Good Men: "You can't handle the truth!" That's how I'm feeling about my credit card bills: "I can't handle the debt!" The child-related financial stuff just keep slamming me. The latest cheery one from my daughter's high school informed me: "Your daughter’s Music Ensembles membership... Continue Reading →

The youngest asked every man and his dog for Rebel vouchers for her birthday - she accumulated quite an impressive haul. They were burning a huge hole in her pocket, so I was railroaded into visiting Westfield over the weekend to spend them. What I didn't quite realised was that our only objective was to... Continue Reading →

I took the youngest to the pet shop last night to get a Siamese Fighting Fish. I gave her a desk for her birthday, her dad gave her a fish tank. It's a very nice fish tank, with a filter and heater and rocks and fake plants ... but no fish. I was kind of... Continue Reading →

We had the youngest's parent teacher interview yesterday. "We" being my ex and I, perched side-by-side on kiddie chairs as handmade mobiles twirled above our heads. The youngest's teacher said it was unusual for separated parents to attend parent-teacher interviews together. I can't imagine NOT doing it together. We are her parents. Her progress and... Continue Reading →

Sometimes I wonder if I need to join Planning Anonymous. "My name is Alana and I'm a plan-a-holic ..." My obsession with planning drove my ex CRAZY. I'd go for walks at the crack of dawn each morning, get home, wake him up and bombard him with ideas for our future. He's not a morning... Continue Reading →

"I Quit Sugar" queen Sarah Wilson was the subject of an ABC article last week that focussed on her anxiety issues. I could relate to much of what she wrote. The anxiety has been strong in this one recently. When I wake in the middle of the night, sometimes literally with a gasping start, it... Continue Reading →

The ex and I joined forces for our last primary school birthday soiree over the weekend, to celebrate the youngest turning 11. She wanted on a "party boat" on Pittwater, come hell or high water (or torrential, incessant rain). We had to cancel the party the weekend prior because of the unsafe conditions and things... Continue Reading →

My ex is turning 50 this weekend and it's freaking me out on so many levels. First level ... my ex is turning the big 5-0. How on earth is the wild 24-year-old I first met waaaaay back in the early '90s turning 50? That's just SCARY. I've only known DD since he was post-50,... Continue Reading →

Isn't it always the way? You start working for an awesome boss, then they announce less than a year later that they're leaving. Sigh. It's been a crazy few days in the workplace, putting together the comms for my CEO, Sandra Przibilla resigning. She's been with the organisation for more than 10 years and has... Continue Reading →