​It’s HALLOWEEN!
 
Wooooooooooooo It’s a spooky day today as we celebrate Halloween in our group.
 
Our bloggers are going to share with you their take on this annual event and share their thoughts on whether they celebrate the day…
 
Hey everyone and welcome to another spooky edition of my blog. With Halloween fast approaching I thought I would share the origins of this holiday.
 
Despite the majority of people believing that Halloween is American it actually originated in Ireland to celebrate the end of the harvest season. The date is marked with candle lit pumpkins and skeletons (something I think Cindy would look great dressed in costume).
 
Did you know that people are tipped to spend $430 million dollars to celebrate this holiday. Is Halloween too Americanized to be celebrated here? At least one Aussie thinks so.
 
Do you celebrate? And if so…
How?
What’s the best outfit you have seen?
Is it too commercialized? I
s the community spirit still what it once was?
 
Thank you to our readers, I
 
 hope you’re enjoying your newest bloggers entries.  – Ben
 
 
Hi friends how are you? Welcome back to my world of blogging. Today’s topic is Halloween, I chose to write about some of the things I do on that day. I would like to tell you first that Halloween started in the middle ages and is dedicated to remembering the dead including saints. Nowadays people decorate their houses with decorations that you can buy everywhere.


In the older days they used to carve roots vegetables that are called a Jack-O-Lantern it is originally from  turnip and a weird looking vegetable called mangelwurzel that I can’t even pronounce. These days you may see jack-o-lanterns made of pumpkins. 
Trick or treat started in Scotland in the 1920s and a lot of people watch scary movies on that day but I don’t watch them because I have nightmares.  

I bought a Halloween dress on Temu and I do trick or treating with my mum and my sister, and then I like to watch movies that are not scary. 

Thank you for reading my blog have a great rest of your day. Keep on believing, keep on following your dreams.
 
From your lovely friend Bethany 
 
 
I love Halloween because I love the scary movies. Like Friday the 13th and Michael Myers and Chucky the doll.
 
I have a Halloween zombie costume for me but it is too small. I will earn money from work for my new costume for Halloween next week. I am going with my mate for Halloween trick-or-treating and will have fun with her kids.
 
Do you celebrate Halloween readers? Yes or no?
Your mate, TJ
 
 
Dear readers, this week's topic is Halloween.
I chose to write about the origin of Halloween.
Readers, I have a question: Do you like Halloween or do you celebrate Halloween?
 
Some interesting facts about Halloween are that it started a long time ago and is celebrated on the 31st of October every year. It was called (All Hallow’s Eve) and now we know it as Halloween night when all souls of the dead return to the living and where they remember the dead and the Saints. It was a Pagan tradition celebrating Scottish and Irish Gaelic and Samhain festivals in Scotland and Ireland which mark the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter.
 
Halloween for me is about being with my family. On that day we dress up, we give out lollies to the little kids, go trick or treating with my friends, and watch a scary movie by myself.
 
Written by Charlotte

Do you have something that makes you feel unhappy?
We do, and today our bloggers write about things that they don’t like. So many times we have written about the positives but today, we’re going to spill the tea on some new things you will learn about us…
 
 
Hi friends, how are you? Welcome back to our cosy corner. Today’s topic is something that you don’t like.

I am a very picky eater, but I am trying to push myself to try new foods. 

I do cooking on a Tuesday and we cook new recipes every week. Some of them I am familiar with and others are quite new to me. I am not a big fan of meats. I like fried rice; I don’t like very spicy foods and the same with some fruits. I don’t really like lemons or mandarins. I haven’t tried many of the fruits, but I will try to push myself. I would like to try some different fruits like different varieties of apples, mango, durian, dragon fruit, mangosteens, guava, cumquat, lychee and star fruit especially as summer is coming. There are new types of watermelon, different colours too that I would like to try and also cotton candy grapes. 

Have you tried any of the foods I have listed and if you have what do you think of them?
Even though I can get annoyed by things like too hot and spicy, and most meats, I am still willing to try them. 
 
Fun fact from Beth - In the realm of exotic fruits, two reign supreme: the durian and the mangosteen. Known affectionately as the King and Queen of Fruits, these tropical treasures offer a unique blend of flavours, textures, and health benefits that have captivated fruit enthusiasts worldwide.
 
Thank you for reading my blog, your bubbly friend Bethany 
 
 
Dear Readers,
 
I’m really scared of smoke alarms and high-pitched noises as they pierce my ears and cause a sense of panic in me that I won’t get out fast enough. Another thing I used to be scared of is fireworks. It’s the sudden, loud noise that I don’t like. This includes balloons.
 
I am still scared of surgical masks (even though I have to wear one nightly) and CT Scan Machines and MRI due to being confined to an enclosed space.
 
Some of the readers may not realise that you can listen to music to pass the time while you are in getting scanned.
 
Thanks for reading my first blog. – Ben
 
 
Dear readers, today's topic is about things that annoy us.
Readers, I have a question: What's something that annoys you?
Let me start by telling you about buying Christmas presents and how this annoys me.
 
I don't like shopping for presents during Christmas time because it’s so crowded in shopping centres and everything is so busy. The Christmas carols are so loud, and everyone is in such a rush.  In the city it is worse because it's so hectic especially around the Myer Christmas windows as the line of people waiting to see them is huge and so long.
 
For our family it’s a tradition to visit the windows together.
I prefer to buy gifts for my family in November to avoid the chaos.
Do you like Christmas shopping in the centres and when do you do your shopping?
 
Written by Charlotte
 
 
There are things that annoy me a lot, sometimes my little brother, sometimes my mum. But I know that they care for me. 
I probably annoy people too!
I call them doggie and sometimes I don’t listen. That would be annoying.  And sometimes I can be cheeky but that is me. 
If I am always be late it’s annoying to me and to my mum, but my days are fun too!
If things annoy you, you can do better, and not be late and not be fighting too. Be kind be nice. TJ
 
Red flags, the ick or just plain annoying,  
I have a list of things that are red flags, cause the ick or annoy me to no end and I mostly just try to ignore them and get on with life. It doesn't work though I always end up over thinking it and having to do a brain dump about it. At the same time, I over think about if I'm annoying or cause people the ick but that's for another time in another blog. I'm going to dive into this, and I hope you’re ready for this week's blog post.  

Now going into this I must say that I have not written this blog meaning to offend or upset anyone and I also want to say that I have written this from my point of view and only my point of view. I send everyone love and kindness always.  

Something that really gets to me is when people see the disability and not the person. I will go to get coffee or lunch with a good friend of mine, even when she is clearly the customer the cashiers will always look at me or ask me questions about her order, there is no acknowledgment that it is her order and I feel like I have to remind them that I'm not the person that is buying their goods and just because someone has a visible disability doesn't mean that customer service goes out the window. See the ability not the disability.  

As someone who now has amazing and supportive people around me, my next one really grinds my gears. It is people who are supposed to help and support others as their job/career and are not at all helpful or supportive. I have experienced and observed many different examples of this, and it upsets me that someone can happily and without a second thought just not care how it affects others. Not a single bit of empathy is shown and that is disappointing and makes both my head and heart hurt.  

Anyone that calls out “MY DOG IS FRIENDLY.” instead of putting their dog on a lead. Yes, your dog may well be friendly, but did you think about the fact that the other dog that is running towards may not be? Why would you expose your dog to danger and uncertainty? You’re also causing the other person and their dog a whole heap of stress also. It's a recipe for absolute disaster. Just be a good dog parent and put your dog on a lead and everyone can go about their business, and it will all be tickety boo. 
​
I will end this blog now so that it doesn't turn into a novel.  
Thank you so much for your dedication and support.  
Love your friend, 
Shan.  

We can't show you anything with this weeks blog because we are keeping it a secret!

​THE END! 😜

It's a week of gratitude and thanks for our incredible bloggers this week and writing about what the best part of our days are. Being thankful for opportunity, being thankful for sunshine and showing gratitude for opportunity to nudge the boundaries of our comfort zones, are just a few you'll read about this week. Happy reading! - Krystle 
 
Dear readers, this week's topic is what is the best part of my day. Readers, I have a question what was your best part of which day this week?
 
Let me start by telling you about my best part of my day this week. The best part of my day is my mum’s birthday, which is today, or last week by the time you get to read our blogs.  My mum is the best mum in the world, as she does so much for me.
 
My older sister and I love her so much and if there ever is a competition for the world’s best mum, my mum would win first place. I hope my mum has an awesome birthday and happy birthday to my mum, I can't wait to celebrate her birthday with her.
Written by Charlotte
 
Hey friends welcome back to our cozy little corner today’s topic is what is best part of my day, why, and how I will make sure I keep having great days. 

Everyday I look forward to hanging out with my friends, my support groups and going out with friends even if it’s not with support workers just getting out of the house and sometimes enjoy the sunshine while I can.

Wednesday, I enjoy the day spending time with my best friends and doing things that I enjoy, whether it’s bowling or cooking or doing something in my own time or looking for a job. 

But the best part of my day on Thursday is getting out of my comfort zone and trying something new. It makes me more of an independent person, I always like to try something that is something I haven’t done before. Another thing I enjoy doing is getting out of my comfort zone, for example cooking at home on my own. It makes me feel brave but it is a little scary. I will get better each time I cook at home. 

For those who don’t know what blogging is, let me tell you. Blogging is a piece of writing. We come together and decide on a topic and write about what is of interest to us. I enjoy it very much. We publish our blogs each week. 

For those who don’t know what media is, let me tell you. It’s where we interview people in front of the cameras, learn camera skills, being in front of cameras and asking questions of our guests to learn about their businesses. 

I think it’s important to push yourself out of a comfort zone, in order to grow and develop. I also love knowing that my blog gets published and other people can read it. Thank you for reading my blog, your wonderful friend Beth.
 
What is the best part of your day?  
Hello Friends, 
 
As the title says we are talking about the best part of our day, this one is a no brainer for me because the best part of any day is Chopper. Chopper for those who are new here is my sister’s American Staffie, he is a light brown/red colour and white as well. He is a very handsome boy. He is her four-legged son and my favourite nephew. I love him so much and he brings so much joy to everyone he meets. 
 
It's a highlight to see his adorable good morning dance, all the excitement and love he has for each family member comes out with a bum wiggle, tail wags, excitement circles and every bit of love is shown with every ounce of his weight thrown in. Mornings are so much better with an over-excited Chopper; he never fails to bring a smile to our faces, and I like to think that we bring him joy as well. Though I'm pretty sure we are his whole world.  
 
Apparently, Chopper kisses and stinky dog breath are a non-negotiable part of Chops greeting and excitement which is something that has become an everyday thing. Whether it's a good morning greeting, greeting his favourite visitors, greeting new people or just everyday excitement you get what you get and you don't get upset! He is honestly such a beautiful and loving dog so unless he is jumping up there is nothing to get upset about.  
 
On our walks he will carry a toy, sometimes it's a slipper or a sock and he does occasionally carry sticks or branches too. It’s something that makes my day bright and happy because it’s adorable and he brings so much happiness to complete strangers when they see him (especially the time with the slipper). After walk zoomies are a great part of the day! Zoomies full stop are hilarious and dangerous if you happen to be in his way you become a bowling pin, and he is the bowling ball. It's a high adrenalin activity and he lives life on the edge when it's zoomie time.  
 
He does calm as well, plenty of cuddles and time in the sun. I'm convinced that Staffies are solar powered as Chopper spends as long as possible in the sun and if we didn't move him, he would overheat. Staffies also do not come with personal space, which is fine because I have become accustomed to my role as Choppers couch! 

Another little bit of joy there's no need to "boop" chopper because he will "boop" you. I'm laughing right now because people think I'm kidding. He is super good and gentle with kids and doesn't "boop" them though, he just sits like a good boy.  
 
As you can probably tell the best part of today is writing about Chopper, the best part of any day is Chopper and I’m sure this is the same for all dog parents/dog families. Or even all pet parents in general. I'm very grateful that chopper is in our lives, and we get to be his world sharing in his good days, bad days and crazy zoomie days.  
Your Friend, Shan  

Oh hey! Welcome to our blog today. It’s a fan favourite the choose your own adventure and today our bloggers are here once again to share their thoughts and feelings…
 
Hi friends welcome back to our chilly but cozy corner today’s topic is a choose your own adventure and my adventure is my Temu online order.

I first started looking at Halloween dresses on Amazon, the internet, then I looked at Temu and I found a beautiful dress, and its name is Halloween Pumpkin dress.  I placed the order and my mum said that she would pay for it for me, I was so excited that I kept asking her when it would arrive. I think I annoyed her, but Temu eventually updated that it would arrive between the 23rd of September to the 1st of October. I have been waiting for the last two weeks, so it can come anytime now. I can’t wait for it to arrive and wear it to Dinner with Friends in October.

I am really excited because this is the first time I have ordered something online that is magnificent to wear to a special dinner and where everyone will be dressing up for Halloween. I will say what colour it is, but, you’ll have to wait for the proper surprise. There is yellow, purple, orange and black. It is lovely and I’m not giving anymore hints.  

I love shopping on Temu as they have so many wonderful things that are cheap.
Do you shop with Temu or Amazon and what have you bought?
Have a wonderful day my dears 
From your lovely friend Bethany.
 
 
 
 I like to play games with my friend last night but we lost the game.  We do something fun with my niece and we play hide and seek then I love to play with her brother too, so I have fun with my friend and bestie in the same day.
 
I will go to holiday soon then we will go onto the boat.  I will drive the boat and two Jetski and have fun into water with my mum and dad and brother and kids, and some of my friends.
 
I love my work twice a week and have fun with my friend sometime, but keep working hard and have fun with Krystle and always work hard at work. – TJ
 
 
Dopamine  
Hello friends,  
Welcome to another choose your own adventure! I have chosen to write about what I call the happiness chemical of our brain, Dopamine. I will point out that technically there are two happiness chemicals, and the other one is called Serotonin. Serotonin talks to our bodies and helps to control our memory, sleep, body temperature, hunger and of course happiness. That’s enough about Serotonin though. 

Now onto Dopamine, Dopamine is the messenger between the nerve cells in our brain and body. It is a chemical that is released when we do something that makes us happy or feel good. It's like our very own reward system but in our brains, it’s home or where it is produced in the brain is called the hypothalamus which in my terms the hypothalamus is found deep in the middle of the brain above the gland that controls our growth (the pituitary gland).  
 
Dopamine is my favourite because we have something in common, we both like to make people happy and bring joy. Some of us don't have high levels of Dopamine and may need a little bit of help from a doctor with this. It has also been said that a change in diet can help but seeing a doctor is important to get advice on this.  
If you go on your favourite search engine you can find a diagram that will show where the hypothalamus is, I highly recommend learning about all the different parts of the brain and what each part does for us. Brains, while sometimes a bit complicated, are super interesting and amazing.  
 
While I was writing this blog, I learnt that one of our umbrella humans, Krystle, has studied the brain so obviously I had to use her knowledge and learn from her for this blog. Thank you, Krystle, for your brain topic knowledge and your help.  

I really enjoyed writing this blog today and want to thank all our readers for coming back each week and reading our blogs. It means a lot to each of us, and we are grateful.  
Have a wonderfully happy week and enjoy the work of our happiness chemical Dopamine.  
Your friend, 
Shan.  
 
 
Dear readers, this week’s topic is a choose your own adventure.
I chose to write about Lego.
Let me start by telling you some fun facts about Lego.
Lego makes one hundred million pieces in a day and was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, in Denmark.

The CEO of Lego is called Niels B. Christiansen.

Lego is fun to play with and build  and it's very good for fine motor skills .
I love building with Lego. It helps me with my fine motor skills. I find it frustrating working with the pieces especially when I have long nails, but I feel determined to finish it and once I've started, I feel pleased with myself and relieved it’s finished.
​
I am working on the house from the movie Up! right now, it will be stunning when it is done, I'm almost finished.
 
Do you play with Lego or do you like Lego?