An action packed 2012

It always amazes me when I get to the end of a year and look back, so much has been achieved. My intention each year is clear, I make a list and by the middle of the year it has doubled and by then end of the year much more than I planned is achieved… how does that happen? One thing was for certain my work load was vast…. From 300 plus students, my private practice and my study not including family and friends…..

2012 started with various College activities and takes me through the whole year as this is an important part of my professional life as a midwife.  Then comes my usual trip to Singapore and my 140 students, my usual local students another 150 plus, as well as whatever extra your workload includes. Our private practice was steady… and my usual two units of my personal study and whatever extra summer/winter intensive units I could include. Most importantly there was the family, 6 children and 8 grandchildren to fit into my life….. You might well ask how it all happen…. It just does.

Highlights for the year included: Major decision about changing my work place – I was asked to review my study plan and consider switching to a PhD – this was a major turning point in my academic work life and chose not to commence a PhD at this time in my life as I was already committed….half way through my Law degree and did not want to change at this stage. This gave me the opportunity to re-evaluate where I was in terms of my study and my working life and made a decision to reduce my work hours therefore my workload….by far the hardest part of my work was the marking component, it always coincided with my own study and made this time of the year extremely stressful for me…and therefor my husband and made me unbearable to live with. So began the process of changing my job.

Our holiday to Thailand was a brief respite, it gave Ian and I time together just sitting on the beach, reading I read all three 50 shades books and found them brilliant…. Good light-hearted reading. We did some sightseeing; dining, walking and just general fun… the only problem was it was so brief….
The midwifery private practice is steadily growing however the political struggles continue; we still do not have visiting or credentialing rights to government hospitals….each woman brings with her a new challenge…. And we have been rejected from more hospitals than I care to think about…. But we continue to serve the women who employ us and continue to take the issues up with both the Health Minister and the Hospital directors….. Interestingly the Director General Kim Snowball resigned due to pressure of the job…now there was a surprise… NOT.

My study, I usually take two units a semester, and a winter and summer intensive… I really enjoyed Bioethical and Medical law… a brilliant unit as well as Occupational Safety and Health Law… they were my highlights. I also committed to the Flinders Graduate Certificate of Midwifery, two units pharmacology and diagnostics…..the two worst units ever… disorganised, time consuming over assessed and inconsistent with the marking of assessments….. Thank God I passed and will be an endorsed midwife able to prescribe……Worst law unit was evidence…. It just about broke me…. but have a good handle on it.... I must learn not to show what I am thinking on my face....

Change of job midyear as another major step…. Moved to half time (.5) as a senior lecturer… this reduced my work load significantly… and allowed me more time to complete the extra units for my midwifery prescribing …..this job has been challenging in a different way…the private sector is always different..... new courses are always difficult and have teething problems….but most of them have been overcome….watch this space.

With so much study and work, sadly my blogging has taken a back step…. But I hope that I will have more time to do more of this in 2013…. As I do enjoy blogging… I am always thinking of blogs...but finding the time to write and post them is difficult....

My diet has been fantastic....very hard work....I just did not realise I was as fat as I was.... sometimes I think I am mad deciding to diet when my life is so busy...there is never a good time.... you just have to do it..... it has been well worth it.... have lost now 18kgs.... would like to lose another 10kg.... I always think you never see a fat lawyer..... a  shallow reason for losing weight...but it has worked for me....I feel really good for the weight loss.

The family is all good…. I am so blessed.. I had some personal struggles with a decision made… I guess this is normal, the challenge is to give your opinion and then stand back and watch how it all plays out…when it doesn’t go your way….it is about letting go… continuing to love & support and deal with how you feel in your own way… and that is not always easy…. And sometimes you find you don’t even like each other for the decisions made…time does heal…. the trick is to accept and move on…and that was the biggest lesson I learned in 2012.

The grandchildren are the delight of my life… Christmas is always my favourite time of the year…. I love watching them open their presents….. and it is the time of year in which I can spend some quality time with them……watching them all growing … wow… Jasmine is 8 now… Talia 6, Sam 4, Dylan 7, Isabella 4, Jessica 7, Logan 4 and Tayla 18mths…. And a new one due in April……one of the grandchildren has just been diagnosed with Dyslexia…. Which will bring us some new challenges… the highlight for the year was the family portrait with nanna and pops… I didn’t think it was going to be as hard as it was to get all 8 in  a picture, between Sam having a sad, Talia falling of the fence, Tayla teething and off course Isabella deciding not enough attention is being paid to her…. But the photos were a great success… can’t wait to receive them, they were overpriced and the copyright annoys me…but they will be well worth it…

2013 will bring many new changes for me…as I am going to work towards my career change… not that I want to leave midwifery… but I really want to see some changes from a political stance….our practice will be busier…. Three of the grandchildren will be in kindy…and the rest will be in year 1,2,3,4. My study will continue and hopefully my plan is to be finished by the end of this year…..Wow!
Wishing everyone a happy, successful and healthy 2013.....go forth and reap the benefits of life you only live once.... and don't forget to play: