We love a long weekend!
 
We’ve just had one but at the time of writing this blog were looking forward to it.
It can be an extra day to sleep, to binge Netflix, to cook, play with our animals or to clean out the wardrobe, but let’s be real, who wants to clean out their wardrobe?
 
Our bloggers have so many experiences to share.
 
 
Hi my amazing readers! Today I'm going to talk about the LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG weekend!!!! Woohoo!
A long weekend is 3 days in length and it was last weekend by the time you read this. Every state and territory has a long weekend for Labour day.
Fun fact: Labour day is called labour day bank holiday to give the bank a day off/short day.
Double fun fact: Labour Day celebrates the achievements of workers within, and for, their community.
I never knew why we had Labour Day until this very moment. Isn't this interesting?
You and I are learning something new or maybe you knew and I didn't, who knows?
 
Thank you my readers, look forward to next weeks blog.  
Bye for now – Angelina.
 
 
Hello! Welcome to this blog, we will chat about the long weekend.

For the long week I’m going to Moomba. I’ve been wanting to go to Moomba since I was a little girl. Moomba is a carnival that happens each Labour Day weekend in Melbourne. There are shows and carnival games. If you don’t like roller coasters that’s ok, there is something for everyone and anyone to do.

I’m looking forward to the rides with some of my new friends, and it is going to be so much fun. We have another conundrum this week, as it is meant to be around 38/37 degrees on Saturday which is very hot weather. I’m going to wear a lot sunscreen, and drink a lot of water, and wear a hat.

This weeks’ blog joke is related to carnival rides I have chosen two jokes as it is hard to choose between them as they are so funny. I hope they make you laugh when you read our blogs, especially the jokes.

How do you catch a squirrel at the carnival? Climb up a tree and act nutty!

What did the carnival clown say to the unicycle? We wheel go far together.

Did you know we have an even longer long weekend each year, and that is for Easter, it is for four days.  This year I’m going to be in Cairns for Easter for a family holiday. Easter is a time when you eat loads of chocolates, I’ve even included an Easter Joke as you guys love the jokes.

Why shouldn't you tell an Easter egg a joke? it will crack up. – Scarlett
 
 

It was a long weekend last week, and on Saturday I had the best time with Kristian, it was also a double celebration for my birthday.  I went to Fortress to play many games.  I then went home to play games with my friend and sleep all day 😏. Then  I went back to Umbrella on Tuesday . I love long weekends because I get to sleep even more. – TJ
 
 
What are you doing for the long weekend?

Welcome back my dear loving readers, today we are blogging about what you would do when you have a long weekend.

The quote of the day
"You must be the change you wish to see in the
world." 

What it’s normally a long week for my family? Sometimes we have some family and friends over for dinner and have some drinks but this long weekend I think we will be resting and maybe going to the beach with some of my family members, just playing games and talking with friends online. I might see if I can go to the Moomba festival on the weekend. My long weekend will start this Thursday afternoon till next Tuesday morning. All I know is that I'm going out for dinner this Thursday, I will be cleaning my room tomorrow and I am changing the setting of my room. I am planning to get lots of sleep on the long weekend. 

Out of the topic but did anyone have their Facebook and Instagram not working on Wednesday morning because I got locked out of my accounts for hours.

Thank you for reading my blog. Signing Out My loving Readers - Kathryn 
 
 
 
Hello fan cakes 

Welcome to my conundrum, I am going to visit Robert and his family in Gippsland, the only problem is I have to travel by coach. You ask, what’s the problem?

Well, I am on it for over an hour because V-line trains are not working. The coach is big and luxurious with air conditioning, you see them everywhere as people go on holidays in them. I am not looking forward to this though, as the weather is going to be hot, you can’t open windows, the coach will be full of people who hopefully have showered and used deodorant or otherwise it will be smelly. Thankfully there is a toilet on the coach and I can listen to podcasts or watch Netflix.

Can I explain about the coach, I have travelled on it before.  As I said above, it’s large and most times the seats are comfortable with room to move between passengers. For me it’s hard to get up the large steps but slowly I manage it and am always happy to sit down.  Hopefully I can sit up the front where I can look out the front windows and side windows, also, I feel safer. It’s a long trip as we stop at every station along the way and have to deal with traffic.

It’s going to be a fun weekend with Robert and his family doing many activities, and I am looking forward to it. By the time you read this it all happened last weekend, and I survived it. Bye to my fan cakes  - From Jess 
 
 
Hi readers, today I am going to talk about what I am doing for the Easter long weekend , I will be away to Echuca for four days and three nights.  I will be going with my neighbours and my parents, it will take four hours to get there from my house and by the time we get there my bottom will be sore from sitting in the car for so long. I will be going there by car and we will be staying in a holiday park. I am looking forward to spending time with my neighbours kids and going in the pool and to the water park. I love to hang out with my neighbours and their kids, they are like family, it’s good to have great neighbours in the area you live in as we are very close. 

We have another long weekend soon, the Labour Day long weekend but it is only for three days. What I will be doing is hanging out with my neighbours and staying up until 2:30am, watching Netflix and playing Fortnite. Then sleeping in until noon Saturday, Sunday, Monday and talking to my best friend Katie on a snapchat call.

Have a nice long weekend every one ! Thank you for reading my blog - Alannah 
 
 
Good morning fan club, today’s topic is the long weekend.  Are you doing anything?

This weekend I am not going away, I am staying home with my mum as we are going to have a quiet weekend because on Tuesday I am going to the Pink concert with my support worker and a group. I will need my energy! I am not sure how we will get there but I can’t wait and I am excited to go.

Like most weekends, I will listen to music on YouTube, I will sing along, play with my pets, watch funny videos, read funny jokes, and watch movies on my weekend. This long weekend I have an extra day for sleeping and all my favourite things to do.

I hope you will have all a nice weekend and this week I have one joke to share.
What kids play when their mum is using the phone? Bored games.

Thank you for reading my blog.
Bethany
 
 
This week was a long weekend called Labor Day which entitles us a free public holiday for the second Monday of March so I’m going to talk about an upcoming trip I have planned for just after Easter in April.
 
It’s going to be my brother's 30th birthday and for his birthday he decided he wants to travel around Tasmania with the family. We will be staying a week looking through Tasmania starting with Spirit of Tasmania along with the family car, it will take us roughly 8 to 11 hours to get to the smallest Territory although I’m not sure what we’ll do, we will just have to see what my brother is feeling on the day, I imagine we will be extremely tired as we will be driving everywhere in Tasmania,
I’m hoping to relax and see the great nature Tasmania has to offer like their native animals, nature reserves and beaches, I’m also excited to see the beautiful landscapes and vineyards as I heard they have a extensive amount of flavours. – Holly
 
 
 
I am going to stay inside and stay cool because it is going be a really hot long weekend.  Saturday, I am going to wash all my bedding and wash my clothing and get it all dry because it is going be very warm.  Everything will dry quickly. I am going to do some tidying up but also take time for me, and listen to music and watch some tv and rest with my dogs.
 
Sunday and Monday I am going to work on writing my new song and start writing my book.  I keep a journal and gratitude diary and write lists of my wants and needs.  I have to make sure I stick to my budget and I am also going to write a journal about how I can do things better.  I will listen to music and tv and watch tv with my dogs and hopefully I will be up to practicing my singing if I am up to it as I have had a case of asthma.
 
I am going to take the whole long weekend to just take time for me and do my meditation.  I will do more UFO alien research and some more self reflection, and my emotional regulation. I also have some important decisions to think on, I hope to come to the right decision by writing in my journal all my favourite foods, meal plans and shopping plans and teach myself how to write shopping lists. Eventually I want to cook my own things at home.
 
I want to take the time this weekend to plan putting money into my savings so I can keep a record of my saving.  It's important to save some of my money.  I hope it will motivate me and help me see the importance on saving and have all my practical plans written down in journal book will help because then I will not forget. 

I am going to spend the whole long weekend and home with my beautiful dogs. I hope you all love my blog and stay positive. - Gipsy 
 
 
Long Weekend and 10,000 Steps. *Blog written before long weekend. 
Hello Friends,  
 
Just a heads-up friends I will be talking about Lifeline in this blog. 
 
Why long weekends and 10,000 steps you ask? Maybe you didn't even ask but that's too bad I'm telling you anyway! The long weekend is quickly approaching, and I will be spending it getting my steps up, why am I getting my steps up? Because this March I am doing Lifelines 10,000 Steps a Day in March Challenge to raise money for Lifeline and all they do to help my fellow humans. When I signed up to do the challenge, I was sent a welcome pack that included a t-shirt, I'm going to wear it until it falls apart.
 
There has been a lot of walking for me lately and everyday walking 10,000 steps is roughly 8km and depending on how fast I walk it's about an hour and a half solid walking. Some days it's easy and other days it's hard work but I break it up throughout the day. It’s good fun though and I am enjoying it. It's a lot easier to get steps on a Monday when I don't have Handmade by US (I love Handmade by US), So the long weekend is helpful as far as getting my steps up, I can just walk all day and get the steps a lot quicker.  
 
I think chopper (my dog) enjoys helping me get steps up and he really loves having everyone at home on long weekends too. I’m hoping I can go for a long walk with my sister Sheridan too. I really enjoy going on walks with my sister because it's just a good time. Also, it's just great to spend extra time with her.  
 
I hope that you all enjoy your long weekend and don't forget that you are never alone.  
Your friend  
Shan 
 
* Lifeline is Australia’s leading suicide prevention service. We are a national charity providing all Australians experiencing a personal crisis with access to 24-hour crisis support. Services and resources are provided through face to face, phone, text, and online mediums. Through our commitment to ensuring that no person in Australia has to face their darkest moments alone, we continue to work towards ensuring our services are available to any Australian who needs us at any time, and on any platform, they feel most comfortable seeking our support. *TAKEN FROM LIFELINE WEBSITE.  
 
 
Dear readers this week’s topic was about the long weekend 
What do you do on Labor Day weekend?
Let me start telling you about what did on the weekend.
 
On the second of March my parents and I went to different car dealerships looking at cars because I have saved a lot of money and was able to get a car for myself.
 
My parents and I discussed that we would drive back to Hyundai in Cranbourne where we went  looking around at all the cars. There was a lot of discussion with Mark, the  car salesman.
Guess what!
I BOUGHT A NEW CAR!!!!!!
It's a metallic candy APPLE RED Hyundai venue and it's BEAUTIFUL and I’m picking it up this Saturday and I can't wait start driving in it.
 
Hope you have a good weekend. - Written by Charlotte

​Wait what? We get an extra day this year? How does that work?
A “LEAP YEAR” is simply a year that has 366 days instead of 365. They exist because it takes roughly 365.25 days for the earth to orbit (move around) the sun and so we need to add around one extra day to the calendar every four years.
 
So, what will you do with an extra day this year? How would you spend a full day that is all yours? THAT, is what we will share with you today.

​There are 366 days in the year 2024
 
Wait what? We get an extra day this year. How does that work?
A “LEAP YEAR” is simply a year that has 366 days instead of 365. They exist because it takes roughly 365.25 days for the earth to orbit (move around) the sun and so we need to add around one extra day to the calendar every four years.
 
So, what will you do with an extra day this year? How would you spend a full day that is all yours? THAT is what we will share with you today.
 
 
A leap year is like a block of chocolate that never runs out.
Today as I am writing this blog it is the 29th of February, which is an extra day every four years called a leap year. So today we shall talk about what would we do with an extra day in our lives and not worry about anything for 24 hours. As you can see the world is our oyster and however, we use our time, it’s for ourselves and we can do anything we want. 

If I had an extra 24 hours all to myself, I would complete my multiple character sheets for my roleplays as I have been so busy with work and social life, as well as create and learn how to make my own models and use them for the many role plays since I spent money on many models and use them in VR, (virtual reality). Being in VR is very exhausting as It can take a least 5-7 hours for a mission in VR when I do role play. If I did learn how to make my own models, I could potentially sell them.  – Holly
 
 
This year February has 29 days in the month. It is February when I am writing, and soon it is my birthday 😊.  For birthday fun I want a house of party 😎. I like to work hard, and to save money and buy a cool car. This will be an orange car, I will love it.  With my extra day I will hangout with my friend and I love playing Fortnite and Poppy’s Playtime.  I will eat all my favourite foods like spicy hot parma, cheesy popcorn and of course, pepsi max.  What would you do with your extra day? You should have fun and do fun stuff. And laugh and smile. – TJ
 
 
Hi my amazing readers! How are you all?
Today is a leap year day which means an extra day has been added to your daily life and calendar. What do you think about this leap year and what does it mean to you?
 
You might be wondering, Angelina, what does an extra day look like for you?
 
Well, an extra day for me is spending valuable time with those who I truly care for. My family. My sister, mum and dad. It would also be a me day, a me day is sitting in my bed with my PJs on and playing Roblox on my laptop, which I'm typing my blog on for this week. I would eat dinner with my family and my favourite food that we would be eating is oven cooked chicken wings with my grandpa's and mum’s special recipe. Shhhh its a secret!
 
What about you? – Angelina
 
 
Hello and welcome to this blog. It's about the leap year and what we would do on an extra day.
 
I would have a movie marathon with my favourite snacks and drinks. I would watch movies I've never seen before, but it is hard to remember which ones I've not seen as there are so many to choose from. There are heaps of movies on Netflix, Stan, and Disney Plus.
 
If you love Taylor Swift as much as me a movie that shows fans one of her concerts is coming to Disney Plus on March 15.
 
My favourite movie is Pitch Perfect as I love the actors in the movie and the songs they sing in the movie are great. It is worth checking it out if you have not seen it.
 
In this blog, I’m going to choose two jokes as it is hard to choose just one.
 
This first one is related to Winnie the Pooh 
Why was Tigger’s head stuck in the toilet?  Because he was looking for Pooh
 
The second one is related to Cinderella it’s such an amazing Disney movie.
Why was Cinderella bad at Baseball? Because she had a pumpkin for a coach! – Scarlett
 
 
Hi sunflowers, today’s topic is a leap year.  The 29th of February is an extra day in February, which happens every four years and it’s called a leap year.  Normally February has 28 days. We were asked what we would do with an extra day,
 
On my extra day my favourite thing to do would be to hang out with Jess. We would go bowling and have a wonderful lunch which would be pasta and Coca Cola. We would then go shopping at Fountain Gate and watch a movie.  After the movie we would go to find puppies at the pet store and cuddle them and pet them. 
 
 I have a few jokes for you this week. What do you call a pig that does karate. A pork chop. Why did the cookie go to the hospital Because he felt crummy. And lastly, What did one toilet say to the other toilet? You look flushed.  

It’s important to smile and laugh and be happy, especially on your extra day of the year, 29th February. – Beth
 
Hey fan club today ⬇️
I have a an “extra” day what do I do with it? 
Well there are many things I can think of, like:
 

• Spending time with Robert that means having to travel on the train to see him. 
• Bowling with friends and trying to get my best score.
• Cooking extra meals and sorting out my cookbooks.
• Working at Vinnies tidying up the selves and finding new fun things to play with.
• Spending extra time with my Umbrella friends.
• Another day to spend “” blogging” and thinking what to write about. 
• Spending time with my family. 
• Sleeping in or simply relaxing.
• Doing work in my garden by watering and picking ripe veggies.
• Craft, especially diamond art which I love.
• Clean the pantry, someone needs to do it!
• Clean the house again someone got to do it!
• Clean Facebook list.
• Clean handmade case out.

Gosh when I look at my list I need more than an extra day I need an extra week! 
How would you spend on extra day? 
Love from a very stressed Jess ( due to my extra day lol).
 
What would you do if you had an extra day? 
Welcome back my dear loving readers, today we are blogging about what would you do when you have an extra day?

The Quote Of The Day: "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." 

What would you do if you had an extra day?  Well, it would be a normal day for me. 

I normally have time with my family and loved ones, pets and talking to my best friend and more friends. Sometimes I would clean my room, just resting in bed and watching TV. Of course sometimes I play video games with friends. It depends how my mood is on the day. I normally finish my day with a nice warm bath or shower and my skincare routine before bed. 

But I don’t mind a leap year but that means I have to wait for one more day till it’s the first day of the month of March since my birthday is in March. 

Thank you for reading my blog 
Signing out my loving readers – Kathryn
 
 
Good morning readers, the topic today is what would you do on an extra day because this year we have a leap year. On my extra day I would sleep in and then have breakfast, I would probably watch YouTube in the lounge room for a bit. I like to watch miniature cooking. I find it clever and relaxing. On my extra day I would listen to music with my speaker and play Fortnite on my bed and try to improve my level.

It would then be time for lunch and I would eat chicken tenders and mini dim sims.  After I eat I would play music for a bit longer, then when my parents get home I would go to my room and watch more YouTube on my Xbox. It would soon be night time so I would talk to my friends on social media, and go to sleep at 12am.
 
This is what I would do on an extra day. To me it would be just like a normal day.
 
Todays question for you all is:
 
What would you do on an extra day ? 😀
 
Thank you for reading my blog this week  - Alannah
 
 
 
This weeks topic was about the leap year which means we all get an extra day.
 
Dear readers, let me start by asking what do you do on the extra day of a leap year? Let me tell you about what I would do on an extra day. well I normally would do nothing but this week I went on a bike ride and cooked dinner for my family also I watched all five Twilights movies which talks about a teenage girl called Bella Swan and she moves to Forks in Washington to live with her dad Charlie and she transfers to a new high school in March.
 
When she moves there it’s Autumn and she gets to see her friends who she has not seen since she was a little girl. His name is Jacob Black, he is a werewolf, and his name is Billy Black. Jacob and his dad give Bella a truck as a welcome present. The next day was the start of Bella's new high school. She makes some new friends and meets a new student called Edward Cullen who is a vampire. Ok, I'm going to stop there because I don't want to spoil the movies.
 
For those who watch the movies, what team are you? I am on team Edward
Written by Charlotte
 

Hot days can be the cause of a “CONUNDRUM”!
 
What does that word even mean? A conundrum is another word for challenge or problem and oh boy did we cause one today! We asked our team to use this unfamiliar word in their blogs and do their best to understand the meaning. Be sure to look out for the word CONUNDRUM in all of our blogs today…
 
Also, the day these pieces of writing took place the temperature in Melbourne was forecasted to hit 38 degrees. If you can’t remember what that day was like…It was HOT! Sweaty uncomfortable sticky heat and for our team, it was a day we decided to write whatever we were feeling! It was our “Choose your own adventure” day!
 
Personally, I think this team did incredibly well just to show up and get busy. Those super-hot and uncomfortable days sometimes challenge us in many ways including our mindset so a shout out to the “JUST WRITE” blogging team who as always, got busy and delivered these impressive pieces of writing… with a conundrum thrown in for good measure!
 
 
 
Welcome to our blog this week, it’s another “choose your own adventure” week.

Taylor Swift is a singer who is currently touring Australia, on her Era’s Tour and she performs many of the songs from her albums.  She has written most of her songs. They are the best, especially her original songs.  They are very well known. 

Getting ready for the big day was a lot of fun.  I got ready at my friend's house I curled my hair and I looked a bit like Taylor Swift, it was really cool.  I’d been making friendship bracelets to swap with others at the concert, since July 2023! I met a couple of little girls at the Mexican place we had for dinner, and I gave a bracelet to them, they were very happy.  

Sabrina Carpenter was Taylor’s support act, she was really good.  She performed a song I knew from Grease the Movie.

I was so excited when the countdown clock for Taylor started, everyone in the crowd counted out loud.  It was magical. Melbourne has been her biggest concert in the Eras Tour so far.  The effects were amazing, I sang all the songs and danced to most of them.  I had no voice the next day as it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.

Some of my favourite rite Taylor Swift songs are Cruel Summer, Love Story, Welcome to New York, You Belong with Me, Shake it Off, Style, and Blank Space.  There are too many great songs to list.   

We had a conundrum on our special day, there were many crowds and I thought we might get lost.  My friend and I stayed as close to each other as we could, so we didn’t get lost.  We had Maccas on the way home as we were starving after our dancing and singing with Taylor.  

This week's joke is, you guessed it, about Taylor Swift! 
What do you say if you were ever to fire someone who is a Taylor Swift Fan?
I knew you were trouble, trouble, trouble! – Scarlett
 
 
 
Hello readers, I get to blog about anything today, it’s a choose your own adventure.  It’s about myself, I love playing Xbox but I like to play scary game it’s called Amnesia the Bunker.
 
I can’t do it anymore because my little brother will say ahhhhh and he will have a bad dream. One more thing I love my job and all my beautiful friends. Whatever they do I will always care about them. This is how I make good friends.
 
Today Cindy has given us a challenge she wants us to use a new word, “conundrum” and my conundrum is I don’t know how to use it; there I used the word Cindy does it make you happy. LOL

Thank you m8 (mate) from TJ.
 
 
This week we chose our own topic and honestly today is very hard thinking of what to write about. I would like you guys in the comments to give us ideas about what to write because it has been getting harder and harder to write new things.

It is such a conundrum- wait now I remember, Cindy gave us a challenge about using the word conundrum, anyway with that out of the way I shall talk about the other times I have traveled overseas. Let’s get started!

The next leg of my many trips going overseas took place 4 years later when I went to Singapore with my cousin and my yaya and with her friend and her two grandchildren.

Yaya chose to go to Singapore with me and my cousin because that’s what my brother and sister did when they were 12 as well, it helped me be independent and learn how to plan and learn about different cultures, did you know in Singapore it has the most lighting strikes than anywhere in the world! Crazy right? And it is illegal to chew gum in Singapore too. Singapore is especially very clean and very humid. 

We stayed on an island called Sentosa island in a resort called Shangri-La Rasa. I chose an activity on the first day and I chose to go to the Merlion and the dragon trail nearby.- Holly
 
 
Hello to my amazing readers! How are you all?  To be honest this week's topic is a bit of a conundrum to me because I couldn't think of what to write. So that is my conundrum right there.  
 
​Oh! I know what to tell you all about, my amazing trip to the city last weekend, with my awesome family.  
 
 We took the train to the city, the train was partially full but not too full, luckily.    
My family and I went to Melbourne Central. Melbourne Central is so big and its filled with brilliant stores inside.  I look forward to going to Melbourne Central every time.

On the train, we saw some Swifties and some of what they were wearing was absolutely incredible. There were feathers, there were sequins, there was so much colour and everyone was so happy. I had a great day with my family and look forward to the next day out together.
 
Thanks readers, I look forward to next weeks blog with you! Angelina
 
 
 What are you afraid of ?

Welcome back my dear readers, today we are blogging about our own adventures or topics.  Today I’m writing about what you are afraid of. 

The Quote Of The Day
“Choose the great adventure of being brave and afraid at the exact same time”

Just a heads up, a little warning about my blog. It is about losing someone.  Sorry if anyone has lost family member and loved ones.

So what are you afraid of? Well, I’m telling you guys what I'm afraid of. I’ve been through my fear already. Unfortunately I lost my Nana in March last year.  I found it very hard but I’ve accepted things now and I'm feeling okay.  It was a conundrum for me to start, as I didn’t know how I could live without my Nana. It was really hard.  Every year I will think of her especially around my birthday, it will become a happy memory and eventually not sad.    

We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory. There is no true loss.

Thank you for reading my blog. Signing out my readers – Kathryn
 
 
 
We were given a word called conundrum for today’s blog
 
I am going away to Corowa to see my grandma for the weekend with my mum and dad, we will be driving there tomorrow afternoon. My conundrum is the car ride is going to be a four hours in the car and my bottom gets sore when sitting for that long. 
 
I will be away from Friday until Sunday. Myself, mum and dad will be staying for 2 nights and 3 days. The next conundrum is I hope I don’t wake up early on Saturday and Sunday because I like to sleep in.
 
For those who would like to know where Corowa it is a country town in NSW and it a beautiful place to visit they have Lakes and parks that you can go on walks with your family. Its on the bank of Murray river . My favourite things to do when I am there is to go the chocolate factory they make big chocolate freckles. I am excited about going to Corowa to spend  quality time with my grandma. – Alannah
 
 
 
Conundrum.  “If you run into a problem which does not have a clear solution”- Cindy 
Hello Friends,  
 
So today we were given the challenge to use the word Conundrum in our blogs. I think I'm winning today as I've used conundrum 3 times now. I could just end the blog here and call it a day, but where's the fun in that?  
 
You know what isn’t a conundrum? Writing the rest of this of this blog. After being offered the challenge of using “conundrum” in our blogs we decided to do a choose your own adventure. So where are we going with this blog? Did you know Taylor Swift has cats? If you didn't you do now.  
 
I’m a bigger fan of Taylors cats than I am of Taylor, and they didn't have to do anything at all for me to love them! They are the cutest cats ever; they have the cutest faces and they're so fluffy. Honestly, they didn't even have to be cute, I just love cats (and dogs). Let's get into their names, breeds and who they were named after.  
 
Taylor Swift has three cats; Olivia Benson, Meredith Grey and Benjamin Button. Olivia is a Scottish Fold (cat breed) named after the character from Law & Order: SVU. Meredith is also a Scottish Fold and is named after the character from Greys Anatomy. Benjamin is a Ragdoll and is named after the character from the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” 
 
Obviously, these cats have well and truly landed on their paws (see what I did there?) If I was a cat, I'd want to be Taylor Swifts cat. These cats live a life of Absolute luxury, they get featured in Taylors social media, they've met famous people, and they also appear on a t-shirt dead pool wear in Deadpool 2.  
 
Benjamin stared in the song ME! He was given to Taylor to hold, and she fell in love with him. He was adopted by Taylor after she was told he was available for adoption. So, if you're a cat that wants to be adopted by Taylor Swift that's the way to do it! 

When time magazine told Taylor she would be person of the year she immediately asked if she could bring her cat. Benjamin is on the time magazine person of the year cover with her.  
 
There you go my lovely friends, we started at conundrum and ended with Taylor swift's cats. We could not get anymore authentically Shan than that. I mean we could but not today we don't have the space for that.  
 
Go have a wonderful day and I hope you don't run into any conundrums (that's 7).  
Love you all  - Shan  
 
 
 
Hello welcome back fan club, today’s topic is to use the word, “Conundrum”. What the heavens does the word mean and how do I use it? 
 
I wanted to talk about another topic today but now I have this conundrum to use the word in my topic I hear you ask” what is my topic? 
 
IVF Babies and some of the steps involved. The reason why is someone close to my heart has been through the process.
 
We sat down and had a talk about what they went through, and the many steps involved. Some of the process was to use a sperm donor, egg collection, egg fertalisation and transfer of embryos and there is plenty of medication, tests and time involved along the journey.
 
They were lucky to be successful with the egg collection and transfer, sadly not all participants are. The eggs not used are put into a freezer and are frozen for a number of years or until they want to try again. They were fortunate to have Twiblings.
 
The IVF Journey involves lots of science, lots of love and support, plenty of patience as there is a lot of waiting and plenty of emotions, plus it costs many many dollars.
 
After learning  of the IVF journey I am amazed and admire anyone who goes through it. Do you know anyone who has been through this journey and what a “conundrum“ it is for them.
 
From Conundrum Jess lol 
 
 
 
Good morning sunflowers today’s topic is a choose your own adventure or topic.
 
Today I learnt a new word, one I had never used before and that word is “conundrum”. I have had a conundrum to deal with in the past but first I want to tell you about friendship.
 
For the people who don’t know what friendship is or what it means, is that you have people who are true friends are that extra bit more special to you, and you are extra special to them. I know it’s hard but you need people who are kind, sweet, supportive and caring and know what you have been through. You don’t want a friend who is not a true friend. They are bullies to other people and are not nice and may do bad things to hurt you. Don’t have those type of friends.
 
Conundrum is that big word I need to use in my blog, but how you may ask? If you have a hard problem that you can’t handle and feel there are no solutions, that is a conundrum. I’ve had an experience with bullying in the past, but I have grown past it and I feel so much better now. I want everyone to know that you don’t need to go through bullying on your own. It is important to tell a trusted person that will help you.
 
They are true friends as well as your family and that was my conundrum you will have bullies around from time to time but stand up for yourself and know that you are not alone. Thank you for reading my blog – Beth
 
 
 
Last week's topic was choose your own topic or adventure and what I chose is the changing seasons. Let me start by talking about the four seasons in Australia.
 
This year we started with summer and most of us will say it is the hottest and for me most nights are so hot that you can’t sleep but I am lucky to have the air conditioning and can turn on the fan when I need it.
 
Some ways for me to cool down in summer time are to go into our spa, the beach, eat ice cream, have icy cold soft drinks, cold showers and as summer ends we slowly move into Autumn which means it gets colder and leaves on the trees start to fall off.
 
How do I feel about Autumn? I like Autumn because it’s getting colder. However, some days do get a little warm and sunny. It’s a good time for me to look after myself by doing self-care and going for a walk as Autumn ends Winter starts and my conundrum is I don't like winter but the only thing I like about winter is my birthday also drinking hot drinks and eating hot comforting foods, having hot showers, my warm comfy bed, my warm clothes like my pyjamas.
 
As winter ends we start spring. It's time for flowers to bloom, bees are buzzing, the sun is shining, it’s nice and warm.
What is our favourite season?
Written by Charlotte
 
 

Song writing for me can be very challenging and seems like a conundrum at times because I really need to think about the song title first.  The structure of the songs, the lines of the song and how my song will grow. I find it important when I think of a word or a few words, I can write them down straight away so I don’t forget what my thought was.  I can then put my thoughts into lines, which then form the verses of my song.
 
I will also think of tunes and hum them vocally and I will practice these tunes and hums.  With practise I will be able to sing my song vocally and record my song. I really prefer to write my own songs because that is very important to me and I am doing song writing lessons.  I really love writing my songs and I have just finished my first song. Now I have to start voicing my song so I can record it.
 
Next week I will be starting to write my second song which is very exciting, it will get easier and easier. But the best part of writing my own song is singing it and then recording it. I have been singing since I was a little girl and all I ever wanted was to be a pop singer.  This year my aim is to work on my most important ambitions and dreams, and this has made me a happier person and how I feel in myself. 
 
Don’t let any one stand in your way. If you have a dream, go for it.
 
I really love Taylor Swift, she is a mega star and she really inspires me.   She is my biggest inspiration and if had an opportunity to meet Taylor Swift I would. She inspires me and I love her positivity and how well she sings and beautiful her voice. Her performances are fantastic. She is incredible.
 
I hope you all love reading my blog because I loved writing it. - Gypsy.

​I’m stuck on a desert island…
 
This week we had some fun with our writing all whilst using our super brains!
We discussed what would we bring if we were stuck on a desert island. BUT… we put some boundaries around the piece of writing (because we wanted to challenge our team).
 
Please enjoy these creative pieces which we can assure you, caused so much conversation and lots of laughs within the team. You as the reader will be looking for the three main key points given to our bloggers in their brief:
 
1 The Island name
2 What does the Island look like?
3 What 3 – 5 items would you take with you?
 
Enjoy! This one was a lot of fun and the best part, it was suggested by our blogger Jess!
 
 
Hello Readers! How are you all?
Today I'm going on my own adventure to a historic deserted Island named the Angea Island.  The Island has been deserted for 100+ years.
I have just landed and it's so pretty with wildlife. I have just remembered that I brought very limited supplies.  I've bought 3 water bottles, 1 packet of original Pringles and a phone without the charger. I'm in BIG trouble! My family is probably wondering where I am but they will never know because I have NO data or service to contact them.
 
What would you do and take if you were on a deserted Island?
 
Now it's been 20 days and I have just finished half my packet of Pringles, a water bottle and my phone battery is on 66%. I am in grave danger!

The wildlife has disappeared and I'm trying to hunt for some food to eat because I'm so so hungry. I need so much help! There is no more battery on my phone, I can’t even take photos anymore!
 
20 minutes later... It's been over 20 minutes since I've blogged what I have been up to on this miserable and pathetic Island. I have searched through and through, this deserted mysterious and jungle is so thick, but it is colourful.  Oh!!! Did you hear that!??   I’m sure I just heard a species of animal, but it has flown away.  What am I going to do?!
 
It has now been over 20 days and I have spotted a helicopter and I believe that they have spotted me form way up in the sky. Heck yeah!! I have been rescued and brought back home.  Thank goodness!
 
Oh no!! I've left my phone on the island....  I wonder if I can go back and get it!??
 
Did you enjoy my story? 
What part did you like?
 
Thank you so much for reading! – Angelina.
 
 

Today's blog is about what you would take to the island, it's an interesting topic. This topic reminds me of one of my favourite shows, I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. This is a show where they compete for food and it is airing next on the 24th March. There have been loads of celebrities I've heard of on this show, but also some I have not. 

Some of the things I would take to the deserted island are a bottle of water, blanket, a mat to sleep on, and some insect spray to keep the bugs away and enough snacks to last me 1 year. I would love the Island to have lots of trees with branches to keep some of the rain off myself. My island would be called Jungle Adventures where something different happens each day. I think if it wasn't interesting, I would get very bored.

Every day on the Island I would wake up and make sure my bedding did not have any bugs or insects in it. I would just get out and explore nature and enjoy the sunshine of the sunny days. There are many movies and TV shows related to the jungle, another one is The Jungle Book and there is a movie called George of the Jungle.

This week's joke is related to Camping.  

What did one marshmallow say to the other around the campfire? 
Time to get Toasty! 
 
I love marshmallows especially when they are toasted as they are nice and crunchy and yum. – Scarlett
 

 Today we had a lot to talk about with this unique topic at hand. “If you were stuck on a deserted island what 3-5 items would you take and why?” We had a lot of discussions about this topic so we decided to make a topic of our thoughts.

So let me list my chosen necessary items for survival.

1: A radio tower, useful for connection and radio frequencies and power source for broadcasting and telecommunications and WIFI, put it on the highest point on the island and it will use the radar in the middle across the whole island so everywhere will have the connection.  

2: Underground bunker for emergencies and liabilities against harsh weather and wildlife, most bunkers have a small simple bed and emergency items for survivability and ventilation, canned food is already supplied by these bunkers, it's not the most luxurious thing but I’m talking about survivability here, you may never know what you'll find.

3: Next will be my boyfriend, I will refer to him by his nickname, Kit
of course it is going to get very lonely and who else would you need to help you survive this ordeal?  Oh wait we're not actually playing a survival game are we, well it don't matter company is company and I feel I don't need another reason for including him.

4: Various seeds of fruits and vegetables to make spices as well, you have to have fresh produce as well but things will rot quickly so why not make your own fresh produce, sure it'll take a few months but it'll be worth the fresh wait for nice greens and fruits.

5: last but no means least a solar generator to power the whole island and provide electricity and protection from elements and the unknown.

My island will have a mountain in the centre, potentially may or may not be a volcano but, volcano's do give a potential for really good soils and useful resources after the magma has cooled down so about that name I shall call it “The island of useful resources” because I shall make the island a trading centre. – Holly
 
 
 Dear TJ, 
 
I am writing to myself from the desert island. I am stuck on the island of Aniwa, near New Caledonia. It is hot and it is dry. I might survive. I have my water bottle and cool orange clothes for a hot day because every day is a hot day.
 
My goggles and snorkel will come in handy so I can catch fish under the water.
There are beautiful trees, sand, and clear water to see the fish to eat. I need to cook them with matches and lucky there are trees to chop down to make a fire.
 
I think I will survive on this Island. – TJ
 
 
 
Dear readers, last week's topic was what would you bring to a desert island.
 
Let me start by telling you about what I would do if I was stuck on Island Charlotte.  Lucky for me my Island already has palm trees with coconuts on it, and banana trees with real bananas on it.  
 
There are five things that I would bring to survive, to help me survive for 40 days. A survival kit, sleeping bag, a snake aid, a flint with matches back-up and clothes.
 
Lucky for me there are coconuts and bananas, I have this food to eat. I need to build a shelter and my survival kit has the tools to do it.  I can build a fire with the flint and matches. 
 
I would write in the sand “SOS” and I will use my clothes to keep warm as I sleep in my sleeping bag. If a snake bites me, I would use the snake aid kit. How would I feel?  Fine and also anxious because I know that even though I'm stuck on an island I would be rescued by helicopter in 40 days.
 
What do you if you were stuck on an a desert island? – Charlotte
 
 
 
If I was on an island the name of my island is called Mango. What does it look like?  It’s beautiful, clean, with white sand, surrounded by palm trees, crystal clear blue water, covered with rainbow coloured rocks, cliffs, beautiful wildlife, and a lot of mango trees. The five things I will take with me are.
 
1 Water
2 Food lollies and chokies
3 Sleeping bag to keep warm
4 Mango my soft toy cat to cuddle with and give me comfort
5 Jess my good friend for entertainment and company.
 
Thank you for reading my blog Beth
 
 
 The five things I would I take with me if I was stuck on a desert island are a surviving bag which contains all the essential things I will need for example, water, non perishable food, a first aid kit , cash, prescription medication, extra batteries, matches, a toothbrush toothpaste, some soap, sleeping bag, solar power flash light , solar power block charger, cord.

The second thing is foldable tent where I can sleep at night and when it rains I won’t get wet.

The third thing I would bring my phone because it’s entertaining and I would play games that don’t use internet.

What would I name my island? The Sunset Island, it’s beautiful and It’s surrounded by white sand and it will have a large pond with fresh natural springs water which is safe to drink and it will also have palm trees for shade. 

What would you do if you were stuck on an island ? Thank you for reading. – Alannah
 
 
Pumpkin Sunset Island
Hello there again my gorgeous readers, today we are blogging about what would you take to a desert island. I want to ask what you would take if you were stuck on a desert Island?

The Quote Of The Day
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. 

What would I take to a desert island?

Sunscreen, first aid kit, water purifier, bulk cases of 20 year shelf life survival food, and a tent. What does my desert island look like?
The blue clear waters of the Southern Great Barrier Reef, perfect for relaxation and gorgeous sunsets everyday. I'm here to swim in the ocean, and to enjoy my time. I am going to make the most of it. This is a holiday for me.  

How am I surviving:
I won’t get burnt because I have my sunscreen, nothing is biting me as I have my first aid kit. My tent is set up, and I can have many good sleeps without the mosquitos and spiders.
 
What would you do if you ended up on a desert island without all of your stuff?.
 
Thanks You For Reading My Blog 
Signing Out My Friends – Kathryn
 
 
 
What would I take to a Deserted Island?
 
My Island is called Mermaid Dolphin Fairy Island.
 
We are only allowed to take five things and with great thought these are the things I would take:-
 
1) I would take a big ocean liner cruise ship, that has all the wi-fi facilities with TV’s and music equipment and with the modern facilities that we use in today’s modern world.
 
2) My five beautiful companion dogs Snowy, Prince, Lucky, Squeaky and Gracie.
 
3) Lots of food and drinks such as cans of no-sugar coke, no-sugar creamy soda, no-sugar lemonade and raspberry cordial. Also sweet snacks, low fat desserts are my favourite. I also love Italian, Indian, Mexican, Thai, Indonesian and Asian food which I can cook. Plus food for breakfast, fruit, veggies and of course a huge cutlery set that has plates, cutlery, bowls and cups. I will also take mine and my dog’s medications and vet supply’s.
 
4) Clothes, all for summer and a few warm things for the night time, shoes to protect my feet and my personals products.
 
5) Notebooks, journal books, pens, markers and highlighters.
 
My island is tropical, and the weather is very warm and tropical so I do lots of swimming. I am in the water a lot and I spend most of my time in the water with the mermaids, the dolphins and the fairies. There are lots of palm trees.  My dogs and I are having so much fun which I love most.
 
What would you take to deserted Island?
I hope you enjoyed my blog. – Gipsy
 
 
 
My Island is called Mermaid and it’s stunning.
 
Let me describe it. There is white sand everywhere ,the water is a beautiful aqua colour and so inviting with the most amazing coral, it’s surrounded by palm trees to give shelter from the sun.
 
We are only allowed to take 5 things, OMG what do I take?
 
Well of course Robert my finance and the other 4 things I have decided on are my phone with a portable solar charger
Water - 365 bottles of 3 litres each. Matches for Robert to light the fire to cook the fish, he will catch and cook our food which was difficult to decide on but after discussion we settled on canned food such as soups and veggies and after a trip to Anaconda dehydrated food designed for camping and a sleeping bag for us to rest on.
 
For me being on Mermaid Island with my own Tarzan (Robert) would be a dream come true. What do you think and what would you take on a desert island.
 
Memo to Cindy next time I get an idea don’t listen to me! 
 
Love the Jess the Mermaid Island.
 
 
 
What would you take to a desert island? 
 
Hello Friends,  
 
So, this blog shouldn't be too hard, I've only got to name this desert island that I'll be stuck on, describe it and tell you what 3-5 items I would bring to this island. Righto let's do this! 
 
Are you ready for my Island name? Here is what I'm calling my Island; Mulysa Mahkra. I had to get extremely creative with what I was going to call my lovely Island that I've just been dumped on. Think “I’m a Celebrity get me out of here.” kind of entrance. Like I was just dumped from the sky onto this island and left to fend for myself. Sounds truly amazing right?  
 
Now to what I'm going to have dropped on Mulysa Mahkra Island, my first item that I will be taking is not an item at all, but a human named Bear Grylls, why Bear Grylls you ask? Because I want to come out of this alive and I have no knowledge of how to survive on this island. You know who does though? Bear Grylls. This makes it hard to think of anything else to bring, anything else I might need Bear Grylls will have the answer for. I’ll bring a spare pack of clothes; trackies (tracksuit pants), a hoodie, a T-shirt and my unicorn Oodie. So, with Bear Grylls that's 5 things. What Bear Grylls brings is none of my business, it will be a bonus if it helps us stay alive though.  
 
What does Mulysa Mahkra look like you ask? Mulysa Mahkra is an Island that is very simple and literally is surrounded by nothing but the ocean. All round ocean views sound beautiful, you know once you get past the part that you're stuck on a desert island. Picture a whole heap of sand and a little clump of trees in the middle. There is a blanket of grass under and around the trees, the only wildlife you'll see is the colorful fish in the sea and the sharks that eat them. 
 
I'm confident that I will survive this experience because of my genius idea to bring Bear Grylls to my wonderful Island. I will also be learning new skills and finding creative ways to go about the day-to-day things we take for granted, like having food and shelter.  

Go right on ahead and have think about what you would take with you to a desert island, just not Bear Grylls. Thats my idea, I'm claiming it. 
 
Notice anything about my island name? Thats another thing to think about. (Ugh homework)  
 
Love you friends  - Shan  

​Love is in the air this week as we explore what it is that radiates those warm fuzzy feelings. Love is so much more than Valentine’s Day and even more than a day which encourages us to head to the shops and buy things. Love can be felt and shown in so many different ways and our team, as always, has so much to share. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the feelings of love.
 
 
Valentine’s Day is more to me than love, it’s about love for everything in my life, people, places, foods and activities. 

The things I love are, my bed because it’s where I spend most of my time, I love my family because I do fun things with them.  I love my friends and best friend because we go out on weekends and do fun stuff, I love food because I am hungry all the time. I love to watch YouTube because I am watching it every day. I love to listen to music I listen to it when I am going on holidays or in the car, I love to go on my phone because it entertains me, I love energy drinks because they give me energy when I am tired.  I love to go shopping and spend money because that’s what I like to do.  I am saving my money toward a new laptop. I love to cook with my mum and I love to help cook dinner, especially pizza and tacos. 

I love going on holidays with my family because it’s fun and I’m going away for Easter with four families in my street for four days it will be so fun. We’re going to the NSW border Echuca Moama in cabins. I love to play with my nephew Tyler because we laugh a lot and have fun when he stays over.

I think it’s fair to say i have a lot of things in my life to love, and people who love me.  Happy Valentines Day to our readers. – Alannah
 
 
 
What is love baby don’t hurt me don’t hurt me, no more. by Haddaway 
Love is considered to be both positive and negative, with its virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection—"the unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another."
Ah love, love is everywhere we see and feel, it’s the fundament of our very soul and lives, now each one of us deal with love different than the rest of humanity and I shall explain what my boyfriend and I did for Valentine’s Day.
As you guys may know, my boyfriend lives interstate from an hour from Sydney and he and I brought each other something very different than typical chocolates and flowers for each other although we do that too but this valentine is so much different, This year we sent each other our current favorite booster box from a trading card game we both enjoy, just a bit more expensive than some chocolates and flowers combined.
 I am hoping he gets the cards he needs for his deck as I have just finished making my deck for tournaments as I needed the one card for it and I got it in the booster box, yay! – Holly
 
 
Welcome to this week's blog today, I will chat about what I love. 
One of the things I love doing is working, as I'm learning valuable skills that can help me with future employment and developing my skills. Just remember it is okay to make a mistake as that's how you learn and grow.

My favourite food is lasagne I love making it with the family.  We have it sometimes and I love to help make it with mum, as it brings me joy.

I love playing Minecraft with my friend Kalena we play most nights.  Currently, we are building places we have been to see what they will look like in the Minecraft version.  One of our first ones for the year is almost finished, after this one we are going to build a radio studio.

I love listening to music in my spare time as it is very relaxing.  Some of the artists I love listening to are Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac and many more.  I especially love 80s music.
I also love listening to podcasts in my spare time as you learn so much.

For those following along on the countdown to Taylor Swift, It’s TONIGHT and I'm so excited.
I also love watching sports, especially tennis and footy, and love watching different teams play against each other. I love watching my team the Sydney Swans.  They are another love of mine.

This week's joke is related to love. 
How can you tell if you are in love? 
If they stole a pizza from your heart. – Scarlett
 
 
 
Valentines day is about everything that I love.
There are lots of things that bring me love and joy. 
I love my good friends as we hangout together on Monday to Fridays.  And I love bowling too. I get to hangout with my mate Krystle and we are both trouble. But I love trouble. I love my weekends as I get to hangout with Kristian. I really love my dog and I love to walk with my dog every afternoon. Happy Valentines day to everyone reading. -Tyson
 
 
Hi my awesome readers! How are you doing?
This is the week of Valentine's Day, and Valentine's Day is about self care and love.
Valentines is a special and magical day but it is also about self care for ourselves. And that is really important. You might not need a partner for love, but for me the love I share is with my family and friends, that’s what Valentines means to me.
Valentine's day can also be a chill day. Valentines can also be called Galentines and its about looking after the gals.
Happy Valentines day my loves! – Angelina
 
 
 
Valentine’s is just about love, but also love of anything and appreciating someone. I have a wonderful friend and her name is Jess. She supports me and helps me in blogging and handmade groups and she also tries her best to help me with what’s upsetting me. She is very beautiful and very friendly, she has a big heart of kindness and is very trustworthy, she loves me and I love her. She is bubbly and this makes me happy and comfortable. I look forward to coming to the groups because Jess is there.
 
It’s also important to care and love for yourself on Valentine’s Day, and all days. It’s not all about what is going on in your head it’s about friends and family. It’s about how you appreciate someone who has been through stuff and you want to have friends who are there for each other. It doesn’t have to be anything big it can just be something small it’s all about being kind and understanding people and how they feel. I have five cats their names are Sonny, Sasha,  Leo and Girly and a 1 month old called Sylvia and have one dog named Ripley and I have 3 fish that I play with and I love them.
Do you have any pets? Do you have a love of your life Thank you for reading my blog - Bethany 
 
 
My love is our dog his name is Froggy and my little sister got froggy for her birthday. He is a black pug and I was so excited when we got him, now he is 2 years old, he sleeps on my bed and I always love to give him a lots cuddles. We play fetch all the time when I throw the ball to him he is so happy and it is his favourite game to play with me and my older sister. We love our dog he is part of our family.


I also love listening to music I love Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Pink their music makes me feel happy. I love to hangout with my mum the many things we do together is feeding the horses, we cook dinner and we watch TV.  I love to go to bowling, I love to go to the movies, and I love looking after my horses. Thank you for reading my blog and I was happy to share a bit more about have a nice week Kiara.
 
 
Hello to my fan club today’s blog is about Valentine’s Day and love. I will be talking about myself and my fiancé Robert.  
Our relationship has grown so much this past year we have been engaged for 2 years. Let me share how wonderful he is.

He is kind, not only to me but his family, my family, and our friends. Rob is generous in his love and support to me and my family. 

Teddy bear (Robert’s nick name from me) is supportive in what I am doing and always asks how I am going. Also he is caring about how I feel and is very honest.

He is an all-round fabulous guy, who I LOVE VERY MUCH. 
How lucky am I to have Robert as my fiancé and friend.

Do you have someone or something special in your life? – Jess
 
 
Galentine's Day (Blog was written before Feb 14th)  
Hello Friends, 
 
While many people are getting ready for Valentine's Day I am getting ready for Galentine's day. For anyone thinking “what the heck is Galentine's Day?” Let me explain; Galentine’s Day is a day to celebrate the other important relationships in your life. You know friends, family, pets and even your plant babies. I think that you could also have a solo galantine's/valentine's day. There'll never be a more important relationship than the one with yourself so celebrate and take care of you too! I will mention this a bit in this blog. 
 
If you're celebrating Galentine's day whether by yourself or with others remember that the most important person to consider is yourself. Do something that YOU and your friends will enjoy, you don't have to spend all your mental energy on a day/night you won't be able to enjoy, and you can always do something small, it doesn't need to be a big extravagant party or gesture. That being said, if big and extravagant is your kind of thing then by all means go right on ahead, I'm not going to rain on your parade and I'm sure that it will be a wonderful time. 
 
You don't even need to do too much, a simple card with some kind words about how important they are to you and how grateful you are for them is enough. It's the simple things that mean the most after all. Maybe have dinner together and just be in each other's company, just do the normal friendship things and make a morning/day/night of it. Speaking of low key Galentine's Day ideas you could just get together and take a nap. We love a good friend and a good nap! 
 
What about you? What would you like to do for you on Galentine's day? Take some time and really think about it. Get into some self-love and self-care on or after Galentine's Day. Why? Because you are important and need to be celebrated too. You do so much for everyone else and you need to look after you too!

If you can't find a good reason to celebrate you then just do it because I said so, I demand that you do some self-care and self-love activities. Please and thank you. (Pinterest is full of ideas if you're stuck). 

Valentine’s/Galentine’s Day is also a great time to check in with your friends and check in on yourself too. Go on friends, check in on you! Every day is also a good day for a check-in and self-care. 
 
Continue being your awesome selves, I love you all, 
Your friend, 
Shan.  
 
 
Dear readers, this week’s topic was love. How do you feel about love, especially when it comes to Valentine's day?
For me my love is looking after myself by doing self care, I like doing my nails, listening to pop songs, my favourite rapper is Eminem, going camping /glamping, family, myself, spa/pets/dad’s red car and my fresh grown passionfruit. Something I learned that it is a good thing to look after yourself with self-care and one way to do it is by celebrating Valentine’s day with the girls which is called Galantine’s day or just to love yourself on valentine’s.
What do you do for self-care?
Happy valentine’s day – Charlotte
 
 
Things I love that are my Valentines this year and every year.
 
My biggest loves are my dogs.  They are the loves of my life, they are my everything. I really love dolphins and koala bears, pandas, Tasmanian Devils and wolves. I also love owls, seahorses, and all birds such as kookaburras, cockatoos, budgies and rainbow lorikeets. 
I have lots of love for writing.  I love singing and song writing, script writing, book writing, writing in general. Especially my UFO alien research. 
 
I have love for lots of subjects, such as dancing, art and photography.  The beach and waterfalls, new age and supernatural research and astrology and astronomy.  Arc angels and meditation, shopping, going to parks with my dad and my support from my friends.  I love my Frank Green drink bottle and the accessories, notebooks and stationery, aural books and crafting.  Apple iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches.  Everything Apple.
 
My podcasting and recording music, my Disability Matters show and the Radio Voice program. I love my art handmade group, my blogging writing group and dinner with friends. 
 
 I have a lot of love for music, especially pop music and mediation music.  My favourites are Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran and Britney Spears.
 
The foods I love most of all are Asian such as Indian, Thai, Indonesian and Chinese food with the prawn crackers.  Italian food and Mexican food too, and I really love my no sugar coke.  My most favourite tv shows are Home and Away, Bold and the Beautiful and UFO Alien investigation shows.
 
My most favourite movie is The Twilight Saga and I wish that they would do more movies or do a movie that is similar. In the end, my Valentine are my dogs.  I really don’t want a partner because I am very happy and satisfied as my dogs mean so much to me.  
 
Happy Valentines Day to the readers. - Gypsy

Starting anything new can be a little scary but it can also be something to look forward to and embrace. That’s what we focus on here at Umbrella. Always the positivises. We have made a group decision this year to ride through whatever we are faced with and make decisions that will give us the best possible outcomes for ourselves.
 
Making decisions that take us in a new direction can open up an entire new world, it can give us confidence and it can push us to increase our confidence. Or bloggers today are brave enough to share their thoughts on new beginnings.
 
Today I am going to talk about what’s coming up in my life right now as we are preparing for more employment opportunities for me. This week will be my first day at Every1 Café hosted and supported by Amstel and supported by Umbrella support as well.
Last year I had the opportunity to find Umbrella Support and pursue my goals for the future and leading to open employment.  I joined Just Write Blog in June 2023 and have been here ever since, I even visited the café they ran after each blog group, but now it is my turn to serve customers in the café.

Naturally I’m a little nervous but I have sort of done this before back in high school.  Let me tell you about why and how I got to love cooking in general. It started in grade 11 when I chose my Friday electives for the year, none of the electives were interesting nor did they provide information for knowledge for open employment.  So a group of our class asked “is there another elective that will help us get knowledge and possible jobs after completing it?” They replied yes and organized a couple of us to do Cert 1 food handling and hospitality at William Angliss just across the road from school.

We were so fortunate and happy to finally find an elective that will help us get skills for more open employment, I have completed Cert 1 and 2 of food handlers and hospitality service during my 2 years every Friday from year 11 to year 12, it was hard and demanding but it is so worth the time and energy. I’m excited to get back into cooking and even possibly getting a job out of this, I really love showing empathy and joy to everyone I meet while I work on this goal. – Holly
 
 
Hi my amazing readers! I'm back from my break and I'm going to blog about my new beginning.

My new beginning for this year, 2024 is starting a casual job at Amstel Club and I'm so excited and nervous at the same time to start work, by the time you read this I will have already have worked my first shift and I'm getting ready for my second shift.
I am so happy to be able to work with some of my blogging friends.

My other new beginning is that I'm in year 12 this year, the FINAL year for me. I'm so excited to leave school but most importantly, I'm going to focus on my year 12 work.
This part of my life is the FINAL part for school so I have to concentrate on all my work in order for me to graduate, this will be extremely exciting.

I hope to stay in Amstel next year and improve my hospitality skills as a waitress along with learning new skills. – Angelina
 
 
It's important to look forward and aim for new beginnings. I've been starting a new day and with my favourite people who I work with. I love my job at Amstel and I love to hang out with my mates.
 
New beginnings mean trying to do something new and something different. It's good to try new things.
 
This year I'm learning about new food, because I love cooking new food. At work I will learn new skills this year and these are a new beginning for me. TJ
 
 
Hello Friends,  
 
According to linkedin.com a new beginning is “allowing yourself to accept changes that might bring good things to you.” When I read this, it really grabbed me and completely changed what I was going to write about. I was going to talk about the new beginnings of a fresh new year but now we are going down a new rabbit hole. I love this for us.
 
How do you feel about new beginnings? Just really stop and think about that question because I don't think we think about these things enough. Yes, I have homework for you the readers. I feel just like in the LinkedIn quote, that new beginnings bring us good things and that when given the opportunity we should run with it and make the new beginnings as positive as we can.  
 
I really love the opportunity to start fresh. This is something that really brings me so much joy, Change however makes me feel like a freight train that's hit a wall and this is because of the mixture of me being anxious and neurospicey (neurodivergent). Both these things are a part of me and I'm slowly learning to work with that. This isn't about me though, I'm just doing the writing and maybe giving you something to think about when it comes to new beginnings in your own life.  
 
We have many new beginnings in our lives, and some are bigger and more celebrated than others. When we are born that's the biggest new beginning that you can have in your life you probably won't even remember it. You have to be told about it or if you're one of the super lucky ones there'll be a video of it. (Yay).
 
Right now, there are kids starting their first day of school. That's a big new beginning and a huge change as well. Going into prep/foundation/reception is exciting, scary and emotional for both children and parents. Shout out to all the parents sending their little ones to school for the first day ever, be kind to yourselves today and congratulations on getting through this day.  
 
Starting a first job or a new job is one of those new beginnings that really get to you, you’ve got the job and you're not sure of yourself and everyone is telling you that you'll do fine, not to stress and enjoy the day. I mean you will be fine, and you'll probably stop stressing at some point when you get started and find your feet and when someone shows you where the toilet is.  
 
My point is there are so many new beginnings and these three I've mentioned can cause a whirlwind of emotions and change. We need to embrace the new beginnings and even the change too, because it’s a part of life and while each of us has our own journey we all share these experiences in life.  
 
Dive into the new beginnings and encourage others on their new beginnings journey  
 
Thank you for reading my friends  - Shan
 
 
 
This year is a new year to try new things, learn new things, and give things a go. I’m excited to see what comes around the corner it’s a struggle but the more you do the easier it becomes. I’m super excited to see what I can do with all my activities this year.

One of the activities I’m looking forward to this year is my work at Amstel Club and seeing how much I can grow from it. I would like to learn more about how to greet customers to their seats with a calm nature. 

I’m also looking forward to celebrating my 2 years of work with the Salvos who have been such a huge support on my journey. One of my favourite tasks at Salvos is serving customers at the register as this helps my communication skills. This year I would like to learn how to price Items a bit more at first with support from staff and then in the future do it independently. 

This year I’m super excited because it is nine days till Taylor Swift I have made loads of bracelets even for Cindy and her sister Mel, they will be able to hear it from where they are.

This week's joke is related to our topic, the joke is a fresh start is like a blank canvas- add some colour, some laughter, and make it your masterpiece. Thank you for reading this blog have a great week. - Scarlett
 
 
Hi friends my new beginnings is starting at Every1 café.  I feel very anxious.  I get very overwhelmed about starting at a new place as I am not very talkative so don’t ask me about it please. I know I will be fine, I have great support with Umbrella Support and at the cafe.
 
This year is going to be very busy as I have something on everyday.
My friend Jess showed me how to change my photo on TikTok, thank you Jess for helping me.  It is important to always work toward new things. – Beth
 
 
Hi I am Kiara, I’m new at blogging I would like to tell you bit more about me I live with my mum her name is Claire, my stepdad James, my little sister Kristin, my big sister Katie and my dog Froggy. I love movies and my favourite is Home Alone. I like playing with my dog and like doing puzzles.

This year is going to be good because I won’t be at home alone this make me happy that I have joined Umbrella Support group on Monday I have "Handmade" which is my craft group, Tuesday is cooking with Yumbrella, Wednesday bowling and Thursday Blogging with Just Write. I’m very excited that I get to do new things and that it is a new beginning for me thank you for reading my first blog. - Kiara
 
 
Hello fan club readers. Today’s blog is "New Beginnings" and throughout this year you will read about my garden and the success and how I have been so lucky to have zucchini and parsley growing which has over grown. I am waiting for my capsicum to appear. Unfortunately, my tomatoes looked great but the snails got them before I picked them.
 
I will also be talking about my work at Vinnies and how I am the boss and training people especially my friend Tildy.
 
And of course you will hear about my family and fiancé’ Robert and the things we get up too Enjoy reading about our New Beginnings - What are yours?
 
Have you got a garden? Do you love to keep busy?  - Love from Jess 
 
 
My dream job in the whole wide world is to be a pop singer and working for NASA in alien ufo research. My focus for this year is my art group “Handmade” and writing blogging group with Umbrella Support.
 
I am going to make my singing my real focus and recording music and my song writing, script writing and book writing. I really would like to focus on my dancing but I haven’t danced for years because of a knee injury but really want to overcome my fear of anything going wrong.   
 
I have made my decision that I am going to work around my knee issues. I am not going to let my knee stop me anymore. It has stopped me for far too long and has been a major cause of my unhappiness and my mental health but now I have made my decision to start dancing again it is going to make me so much happier.
 
My focus is not be scared to do things that might be challenging. My focus is to get through things that are a challenge.   My dancing used to be a big part of my life as well as my singing, script writing, book writing and my alien ufo research and I have started learning how to write songs.
 
I really would love my dancing to become a big part of my life again that would mean so much to me. When I perform at dinner with friends some people sing or do a dance and when I watch them dance I really feel a big part of me is missing and sometimes I feel very emotional because I really miss dancing.
 
My new focus is overcoming my fear of dancing and when I dance to take it really slowly and look at doing some private dance lessons.  I hope to learn new dancing techniques, and will get so much better. I have been dancing since I was  a very little girl and that is why I feel very strongly emotional about it because it is something that I have always loved so much and something I will never stop loving.

Now I have to work out my first dance routine. Wish me lots of luck and I will let you know how I go and every dance routine I do I will keep you all up dated.

I hope you enjoyed my blog and my promise to you all, is to give you lots of updates. Take lots of care – Gipsy.
 
 
Last week’s topic was new beginnings and it's time for new beginnings. 2024 has just started and I'm very excited for new challenges and obstacles but I'm also happy because it’s my first year out of school and I'm back to work at Amstel on Friday's which it’s about learning new skills and different new things.
 
This year is going to be an extra busy year for me as I have different activities four days a week. You will be reading about my adventures throughout the year. It's going to be a good year. What are you looking forward to this year? -  Charlotte
 
 
This Year I started Umbrella Support, I closed a chapter of finishing Year 12 and Gre8 and I opened a new chapter in 2024. I am working  towards getting a job and Tom from Jobco that is helping me do that. I am also working towards saving  money to be able to do things I like. I would like to travel more with my family and of course my best friend and I are planning to go on a holiday to Queensland. I’m also trying to get my own place this year. Thank you for reading my first blog – Kathryn
 
 
This year I started with Umbrella support group, I closed a chapter of finishing year 12 and opened a new chapter in 2024. I am working towards getting a job and Tom from Jobco is helping me do that.  Trying to go away on holidays more in 2024, because I like go away, especially if travelling by car. It’s important to have new beginnings, and working towards new challenges. I am also working towards saving my money to be able to do things like go away and spend money on stuff. – Katie
​

It was a unanimous decision for this week’s blog that our talented writers agreed on a “Choose Your Own Adventure” Remember them? For those that are new readers this year, a choose your own adventure is just that! Our team love the freedom as we can “JUST WRITE” about anything they like! Oh the possibilities are endless…. Let’s GO!
 
How is everyone feeling today? If you’re not feeling yourself? Take a minute or two to take a deep breath and relax and start the day over with positivity feelings! 
Now that motivation is in our system, let’s get into today’s topic.

Let’s do something different with my topic, I’m going to talk about the many countries that I have been to in my life time so Let’s start off when I was very little and it’s my first time flying to a different country.

 At age 3 I went with my family and grandparents to Fiji and its surrounding islands, I have heard many stories how I was the star of the show with my blonde hair and blue eyes, everyone adored me but I was also a trouble maker, since I somehow had no fear of the water and was classed as a water baby I almost drowned in the big pool at the hotel, at least that’s what I’ve heard from my family members. I was always so calm while flying and really enjoyed the feeling, I still remember the old books about airplanes and traveling that family members gave me when I was young.

Age 9: Yaya surprised my family and I for Christmas with a big family trip around the north island of New Zealand, this trip took 3 weeks starting from boxing day in 2004 till mid-January, we went everywhere on the north island starting with Auckland for a few days of sightseeing, then moving to Rotorua where the volcanic sulfur smells really bad but had a lot of really awesome history and hot springs in the area as well as the rainforests and caves with glow worms that were among places we visited on this hilly trip. It was absolutely breathtaking, then we followed the road to the bay of islands on the tip of the north island and spent new years on a 12 hour bus trip around bay of island.

I think I got my travel bug from my Yaya which means grandma in Greek for information as she loves to explore and work on animal conservations around the world. 
I won't be able to write every trip but maybe next time for a choose your own adventure I’ll write a part 2 of my trips, how does that sound to everyone? - Holly
 
 
 
It’s another “choose your own adventure” week! My choice this week is the 
Australia Open Tennis, which is held in Melbourne each January.

The reason why I love watching tennis is I used to play competitive tennis and I loved every moment of it. I loved playing with my teammates. I’ve won many trophies and medals, and I always enjoyed making my opponent run as that is how you win points.

One of the rules is one player serves, and the other player tries to return the ball after it is served.  It can be a bit tricky, especially when a player does an ace. 

Some tennis players I love watching all year round, are Novak Djokovic, Alex deMinaur, Iga Swiatex, Coco Gauff, and Aryna Sabalenka. 

In tennis, you can even play in a wheelchair.  It would be a bit tricky but Dylan Alcott has played loads in his wheelchair.  He is amazing, and he’s a great disability advocate.

This week’s joke is related to tennis?
Why did the tennis player charge the net?
She ran out of cash.

Leave a comment if you love the jokes I would love to know. – Scarlett
 
 
 
It's a choose your own adventure kind of blog today.  
 
Hello Friends, 
 
Today I'm going to chat about kindness, but first a quote; 
“Be an example, show kindness to unkind people. Forgive people who don't deserve it. Love unconditionally. Your actions always reflect who you are.” - Unknown  
 
Obviously, I'm all about kindness. It takes less energy to be kind than it does to be unkind for me. I exist to bring kindness to this world; I will leave this world kinder than I when I joined it. Small acts of kindness can be all it takes to make someone's day better and brighter.  
 
Being kind doesn't take much, a simple smile, a note left on the bus, a handmade bookmark left in a library book, a consensual hug for a friend, an extra pen in case someone forgets theirs or even saying hello to someone can be enough.  
 
Each act of kindness makes this world a better place, even if someone is being unkind,  you can “kill them with kindness” as they say. You don’t know what they are going through in their lives, and they may really need a little kindness. You never know, it might change their day and they may pass on the kindness to someone else.  
 
Even if someone has done you wrong or made you mad it's better to forgive and move on than hold on to anger as it will do more damage to you than it would to the other person. Feel any or all emotions you need to but always remember to let go and forgive. Don’t let it eat at you and always lead with kindness to yourself and to others. If we all role model kindness and acts of kindness the next generation will also lead with kindness and the world will become a kinder and more empathetic place for all.  
 
And that is my unofficial ted talk.
 
You are all absolutely loved, I believe in you all and have a great day my friends.  - Shan  
 
 
 Hello my fans,
 
Today’s blog is to choose your own topic. I would like to share with you something that is close to my heart which is some updates about my dad’s health. For those who don’t know my dad was diagnosed with throat cancer last year.  It has been a bumpy road for him. Since June and my dad went through chemo treatment. It was not easy for him but he is a fighter and then last December we received the good news that he was cancer free which I was over the moon about, to know he is going to be out of woods.
 
His scans show no more cancer. He still can’t eat solid food due to swelling in his throat and still needs lots of sleep to recover.  He goes to the doctor and speech therapists often. Have you or a family member been though a similar journey?
 
 I would like to thank everyone for your support love from Jess. 
 
 
 
This week I am going to tell you all about my favourite foods and why they are my favourite. Tacos are from Mexico did you know that? The Mexican people love their tacos. 
 
My favourite food is tacos because you can choose your own topping and make it however you want. Another one of my favourite foods is ravioli because I think it’s one of the best pasta types you can eat and I have it a lot at home.
 
I also love cookies and cream ice cream and another favourite of mine has to be my dad's homemade pizzas, I do help him make them and I put the toppings on the pizzas which are ham, salami, and cheese but my Dad puts them in the oven because I don't know yet how to use an oven by myself. 
 
What are your favourite toppings on a pizza? Alannah
 
 
 
Last week was choose your own adventure and I chose a horror movie called Megan.
 
I will start by saying that if you like horror movies then my opinion is this is a good movie to watch but not for the faint hearted.
 
What I like and dislike about the movie Megan:-
 
Now, I normally don't like to watch any horror movies but Megan is such a good one.  What I dislike about the movie in my opinion, it's a rip off of Chucky but that's only my opinion. 
 
So now I will start by talking about the actual movie.  Megan came out in 2022. It tells the story of a little robot girl who was created by Aunt Gemma. She works at a company which uses technology to create robots and Gemma brings home Megan and shows her little niece.  Her name is Cady.
 
Megan is a prototype robot-girl who was programmed  to help Gemma look after Cady because Cady's parents died in a car accident at the start of movie. Cady and Megan are good friends however Megan is very protective of Cady and kills anyone who tries to hurt her.  You can watch it on Netflix.
 
Have you seen Megan or what is your favourite movie? – Charlotte
 
 
This is a creative story about Jacinta, that I have made up on my own.
 
Jacinta is a little girl who has been abducted by Alien life. Since she was a little girl, and into adult hood, it is still going on today.
 
She strongly believes this is happing to her, she see's things in her sleep and when she is awake. She will zone out all the time and loses track of her time. When she closes her eyes, she will see these Aliens faces that has been with her since she was a child.
 
Her alien experiences have been very friendly and they have always looked after her.  They treat her like their own they love and care for her.
 
Aliens always communicate with their mind, telepathically, with her and aliens have shown her their world and inside and outside of their spaceship.
  
A lot of times she would see their body movement walking around at home and when she goes out and about, they really love to play with her 5 dogs because the Aliens really strongly love dogs. The Aliens make her laugh because the Aliens are really funny and can be really mischievous and the Aliens are very protective of her.
 
Sometimes she feels like it is in her head, she was chatting to someone and said that she is really being abducted by Alien life. She felt a real strong sense of relief because now she strongly knows she was right all the time and it was not in her head.
 
Now she can live with that real strong sense of relief and she feels so much more calm in her feelings and emotions. Knowing this isn’t all in her head has given a lot more confidence to Jacinta’s understanding of what is happening, is actually happening to her.
 
I hope you have really enjoyed my story blog. - Gipsy
 
 
 
Hi friends, today I want to talk about my holiday that happened last week. 
I went to Daylesford with my mum and my little sister.  We left on Friday and spent the weekend there.
 
I had something to celebrate it was my 19th birthday on Saturday. 
I had a massage on my birthday and my trip away with my mum and sister was a surprise.
 
I am excited to have started blogging every week with my friends.
I have learnt how to write a blog getting to choose the topic and spend quality time with friends.
 
I am also learning that people have different experiences, and we learn at different paces and sometimes I need a bit more help but that is ok.
 
Remember it is okay to make mistakes that is how we learn and to never give up and always keep trying the more practice the better you will get you will get better - Beth

Oh hey there and welcome back to “Just Write” This year our talented bloggers are back (with a few new faces) to once again inspire you with their stories and ideas. Just like this very first blog. We spent our first session brain storming and coming up with so many ideas about what we would like to write about this year and as a group decided we would start the year with a refresher on who we are and what we love to do. We hope you enjoy our first blog for 2024…

Introducing our incredible 2024 team…
 
Hi I’m Tyson but they call me TJ and I like to play the game fortnite. I am level almost 200 and I like going out to have fun with some of my friends. Of course I love watching scary movies and scary games and ifly looks so good. Some people are scared to fly but it’s fun. My Christmas was fun. I loved it so much and got new laptop. – TJ
 
 
Hi I’m Alannah and this is my first time at blogging. Let me introduce myself.
- I like to play Fortnite I’m at level 31.
- I talk to my friends on a FaceTime call.
- I talk to my best friend every day .
- I like to go shopping and spend money.
- I play with my nephew when he stays over at mine.
- I play with my neighbours kids all the time .
- I went to Bali with my neighbours, my mum, dad and brother , we went for 2 weeks.
- I like to go on holidays with my family.
- I like to listen to music on my phone.
- I like to play on my Xbox. 
- I like to cook desserts with my mum.
- I like to help my mum and dad with cooking dinner.
In the future I would like to be a childcare worker, because I love to play with kids. – Alannah
 
 
Good morning or afternoon or evening to all of our readers today, hope you’ve had all a lovely Christmas and new year break, we are back at blogging for 2024 and we are starting it off with a choose your own adventure, so I’m going to talk about what happened during Christmas and new year’s break.

My boyfriend came down for the holidays to stay with me for 2 weeks and we did so many fun things together (apart from the hot weather during the night) For his Christmas present I got him an encounter experience at Melbourne Zoo with the otters, It has been a while since he’s been to the zoo and he absolutely enjoyed it, In return for my Christmas gift he gave me a bunch of our favourite YouTube otter merchandise KOTSUMET featuring Kotaro and Hana the otters. 

His family also gave me a 3D puzzle of a dolphin, acrylic purple necklace and rainbow paddle pop candle and humidifier flavour.

We also went to do the second part of an escape room that we started over 2 years ago called deep space in Uykio which was challenging but fun, I highly recommend this escape room as it tells more of an immersive story than escape logic.

We even went to the hot springs down in Peninsula with a work friend and his girlfriend for a relaxing retreat, it was so busy that we had to wait till 3pm to step into the warm hot springs full of mineral water but it was so worth the price to relax and chill. – Holly
 
Hello my name Jessica but I like to go by Jess. How would I describe myself? I’m bubbly, supportive, outgoing, and helpful. My hobbies are tenpin bowling, I am a pound bowler. I bowl for the Nationals competition for Victoria. My other interests are cooking, you can find me cooking anything delicious.  Also I have my own garden that I take care of and proudly have tomatoes growing from seeds, I can’t wait to try it in a few days. I am a proud aunty. Stay tuned for more adventures about myself and my fiancé Robert as well as my nieces and nephews. 
Thanks for reading my blog, love you, Bubbly Jess.
 
 
Hi I’m Bethany and this is my first time at blogging. My friends and family like to call me Beth. My hobbies are, singing, horse riding and I’m very good at making people laugh. I’m very interested in learning some new things such as sign language and I would like to learn about star signs. People who know me describe me as kind, helpful, friendly and my smile is contagious. I hope to write more and know more about emotions and how to make my emotions valid and how to deal with them. I hope you enjoyed meeting me. – Bethany
 
 
2024 has just started and I would like to welcome back our old and new readers.
For those that don't me let me introduce myself and especially for the people that don’t know me, my name is Charlotte.

My likes and dislikes: 
I like seeing my friends at Umbrella Support and hanging out with my other friends as well.

What I dislike is dishonest friends.

My hobbies are cooking and painting.

I’m looking forward to challenges because I like to challenge myself. One challenge for this year is looking after myself with more self care.
What is something you might be looking forward to this year? Charlotte
 
 

Hi, my name is Scarlett 

I love doing a lot of activities that make me happy. Some of my hobbies are radio and hanging with friends, I also love to cook with my thermomix, footy, tennis, media, and photography. What sort of hobbies do you have? Imagine if we have some similar interests, please feel free to leave a comment on the blogging page.

I can be heard on Disability Matters and I am on the Buzzz once a month at 6 pm on Thursday nights. I love to play with my giant dog Lucy who is a great dane she can be very cheeky, and loves to go to Bunnings. 
 
I’m getting excited and counting down the days to the Taylor Swift concert. I have made loads of bracelets with words about Taylor and her songs. I can’t wait to sing all the songs and party all night at her concert.  This year I'm celebrating 2 years of work with the Salvos I love working with the team each week.

I know how much you guys loved the blogs last year so this year I'm going to include a joke each week. This week's joke relates to my favourite singer Taylor Swift. Why Did Taylor Swift join the Basketball Team? Because she’s got a great record.

Have a great week see you next week Scarlett
 
 
Hi Friends!  
 
Welcome dear friends to blogging 2024, for our new readers or just a refresher for our seasoned blog readers, my name Shannon but I prefer to be called Shan, I’m still learning how to human, but I feel like that's the vibe for all of us. The basics about me are that I am 30, female and live in Australia. Sounds a bit like a dating profile, I better be clear that I'm not looking for anyone as I'm pretty happy being a single fish in my own pond.  
 
 I love to write and really love our blogging group Just Write. Words are very powerful, and one piece of writing could be used to make someone smile, help them keep going and maybe even change a life.  
 
I love all things Delta Goodrem and have done since I was 8 back in 2001. I’m a very big believer in being a kind human, always choose kindness and if you can’t say anything nice don't say anything at all. Rainbows are my favourite and I always get excited when I see one. They make me happy, and they are truly beautiful. I believe in and love unicorns. I respect everyone's opinion, but unicorns are real and that's just what I'm going with. Team Unicorn Always!  
 
 I love The Lion King, it's my all-time favourite movie and obviously this means I love Disney as well. My second favourite Disney movie is Lilo and Stitch. I really love that little blue alien so much. I love my Frank Green drink bottle and coffee cup. I think they are great.  
 
I’m a big collector of Lego sets, coins, books and fidgets. I love learning new things and fun fact I taught myself to sew scrunchies through YouTube and I also taught myself how to use a lawn mower through YouTube. So, I guess I also love YouTube. I watch a lot of “how to” videos on YouTube basically anything that will teach me something useful for me.  
 
I can’t finish this blog without talking about my beautiful American Staffie Chopper and my slightly moody but also beautiful Scaley Breasted Lorikeet Katut (she is also sometimes called Rachel). They are my animal loves, my four legged and two-legged family members and my entertainment.  

Until next time have a wonderful day friends  - Your friend Shan.  


Hi I am Gipsy, I have lots of interests such as singing, song writing, recording my own songs, script writing, dancing, modelling, acting, book writing, UFO alien research, podcasting, art craft and shopping.
 
My New Year resolutions for 2024 are working on my goals, ambitions and they are:
 
1 Budgeting saving money.
2 Working on my book and script.
3 Working on my singing and song writing.
4 Media.
5 UFO alien research.
5 Dancing, Modelling, Acting. 
6 Being more confident in the kitchen and with cooking.
7 Losing weight, eating healthier and looking after my health.
8 Being more patient. 
9 Being more positive. 
10 Believing in myself.
11 Working on my self-esteem and being the best person I can be. 
12 Being happy with myself. 
13 Podcasting.
14 Mental health anxiety strategies.
15 Learning new things and achieving new things.
16 Standing up for what believe in.
17 Working on meditation, concentrating on meditating more regularly every day. 
18 Reading my angel cards every day. 
19 Learning how to use my apple laptop better.
20 Concentrating on my spirituality. 
 
I hope you enjoy following my blogs throughout the year , I have lot to tell.
Take Care Gipsy

Hello!! 
 
All great things must come to an end, but don't worry!  It's only for the Christmas and New Year break! Our bloggers today have absolutely smashed it.. once again, and you'll read below all the amazing accomplishments they have had for the year 2023 – Krystle Umbrella Support Worker.
 
This week is the last week for blogging so let’s end it off with a bang!
I’m going to be talking about my achievements I’ve made this year while coming along to the Umbrella Support blogging group every Thursday.
I started on 27th of July with not knowing anyone and being my usual shy self, I tend to be like this when coming to new programs and experiences. I think this program has made me more confident and encouraged me to do the things I want and be the person I choose to be.
I was very nervous about telling people here about my tarot reading as I thought they would hate it and not like the topic I enjoy, but it turned out everybody wants to hear my readings from my tarot cards. It has even inspired Cindy to buy a new home. It’s crazy to think how this can help so many people and it gives me the biggest warm feeling knowing that I give people hope and excitement whenever I do these readings. I was to start my own business helping people though the art of Oracle readings.
This group has inspired me to follow my dreams and to not give up.   Everyone is watching and congratulating you on your hard efforts, even when you feel like you’re not accomplishing anything, you are making an impact with these stories and blogs. And that makes me feel awesome. – Holly
 
 
There are so many things I have achieved this year.  
I love seeing my friends from Umbrella Support in the morning and I say good morning to them. This makes me happy and we are all doing something nice for Christmas. Krystle and I have something for you all but you all have to wait and see until our Christmas lunch on Monday. I have been working so hard this year Amstel it is my first paid job.  I hang out with Cody a lot this year we have so much fun together at bowling and sometimes playing fortnight video game online.
On Wednesdays I have been cooking with Jessy and sometimes with Krystle.  On Friday I go hangout with Krystle cooking, clean the house my room and pick up dog poo. On Thursday we do blogging.
I’m proud of myself for reaching for some of my goals. Merry Christmas to you all and Happy New Year – TJ
 
 
Hello, welcome to this blog! Today we chat about our year in review. 
This year has been a massive year with loads of changes and exciting events coming up.
 
This year I started my own podcast with RadioVoice it’s called "Your Story with Scarlett" where I chat to loads of different people who have a story.
 
I continue to be a regular voice on the Disability Matters radio show once a month and I'm happy to say I got closer to the mic!   That was something I was working on at the start of the year. You can listen to Disability Matters on the Buzzz 6pm every Thursday night. www.thebuzzz.com.au
 
Another great achievement for the year of mine is my work with Amstel Club. Every week, me and my friends learn something new from watering the plants to serving customers. I love working as part of the team and communicating with my team mates each week.
 
This year I started at Every 1 Cafe, a learning cafe where I have learnt hospitality skills each week. I’m proud to say I learnt money skills, serving skills during this program and I learnt how to carry coffee as I have always wanted to learn. I've learnt that I can make sure customers are happy and comfortable and I am very polite.
 
This year I started at “Just Write” which is blogging.  I have enjoyed it so much.  It has helped with my spelling and literacy skills each week and my spelling is improving. I've learnt what a blog is and it’s been a lot of fun learning with the Umbrella Group.
 
As you can see there are lots of things I'm proud of.
 
Thank you to the whole Umbrella team for being amazing. 
 
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone. Stay Safe
 - Scarlett
 
 
My year in Review and My time at blogging. 
Looking back we started blogging in July, I was nervous and not sure what to expect, but I knew who was in the group so that helped. They were my friends from Umbrella, we all bonded straight away and maybe it was the donuts Cindy provided. We discuss topics and chose ours and off we went.
It was tough to get started, brain fog hit in a big way, and ideas were hard to put down.  Slowly we got writing and suddenly we were finished, and our 1st blog was ready to publish. We were not sure if anyone would read it or even like it, what a shock we got the following week. Everyone loved it and we have regular readers.
Over the weeks and months my confidence has grown, my writing and spelling have improved. I still get writers block but there is always someone to help me and it’s not so scary as we discuss and decide what this week’s topic is each week.
I am so PROUD of myself and all that I have achieved through blogging.
My biggest achievement was reading one of my blogs to everyone at Dinner with Friends and it made Delia cry. Last week I read another blog and it made my good friend Britt cry and she loved it, it was called Friendships.
I have lots of support from my family and friends. If I can do it, anyone can do it, you just need to get started and have wonderful people supporting you.
Thanks for being on my blogging journey. See you next year.
Merry Christmas love Jess xo
 
 
Blogging for 2023 has come to an end... 
Hello Friends, 
We have come to the end of blogging for 2023, and our blogging group has done so much in such a short amount of time. We should all be so proud of ourselves. I'm excited for 2024, not just the blogging part but ALL of it. Our blog will be awesome though so stay tuned friends.  
 
This year has been one heck of a roller-coaster ride, but you can't have flowers without a little rain, right? There has been a lot of sunshine moments for me this year and I will take them with me into 2024. Blogging has definitely been one of the sunshine moments for me.  
 
The best part of blogging for me, was the writing. I have had a great time playing with words, sharing my mind with you all and jumping right into the experience. Yes, I have had a few writing blocks and some not-so-great writing days, but I got through them and ended up with a great end result.  
 
I have really loved being in a team-writing environment, bouncing around ideas, sharing experiences, our wins and picking each other's brains for ideas and inspiration. All of us are learning something new, stepping (or jumping) out of our comfort zones and helping each other to be our best selves. So, to our blogging group, each of you are amazing and I thank you for being here.  
 
Each Thursday we talk about our wins for the week, sometimes it's easy to come up with a win and other days I come up blank. I am proud of my many wins for this year, work, blogging, handmade and the standout win here is GETTING ON A PLANE... I had never done that before, and I did it twice in one week.  
 
You know what is also a win? 
 
YOU, the readers, returning each week to read and committing 10-20 minutes of your time to reading our blogs. Knowing this makes all our hard work worth it and I find it encouraging to know that there are people who enjoy reading our blogs. I love receiving and reading the feedback so keep it coming! 
So until next time my friends, looking forward to seeing you in 2024 
Your Friend, 
Shan 
 
 
I have achieved so much this year with Umbrella Support and in my own life.
Let me tell you about this year and my biggest achievements.
This year I started working at Amstel 12 months ago and it is my first paid job.
How did I feel starting my first ever job at Amstel? I felt very anxious and excited to meet my team. The past 12 months our team and I not only learned team building skills but also how to work together through Amstel Academy and Every1Cafe. My dream is to be a Chef and this year I have learned so much about hospitality.


I graduated from school last Thursday and last Friday was my last day at school. I'm excited that I don't have school anymore and I'm looking forward to the future
and starting a new chapter of my life. I can't wait for next year. This year is officially over for me lol. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
- Charlotte
 
 
Have any of you ever be compared to between fictional characters or Celebrities before?

I have been compared to both Prince Charming and Simon Phillip Cowell. A Fun fact for you in Celtic, is the meaning of my last name "Born Handsome" and I am a reverse name version of Simon Cowell. I am Phillip Simon.
 
31st of December is the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024 it’s the year of massive changes in many lives including mine. Many of these changes for me include an extra day of work (Wednesday and now Thursday), I hope to do my certificate 3 hours in hospitality, and finally getting into Supported independent Living. - Phillip
 
 
My achievements for this year with Umbrella and with my own life.
This year I have started blogging with Umbrella Support and our group is called Just Write.  So far I have really loved it and it has also helped me in learning lots of new skills such as learning how to use my laptop computer, improving my writing , thinking, reading and has given me lots more confidence.
 
My experience with Umbrella Support has always been positive and I have learnt so much. 
I used to do Umbrella Support “Hand Made” group and next year I am returning to the group and I am looking forward to so very much.
 
Umbrella Support has taught me to remain positive and see the positive things life, feel good about myself, and look after my health. Umbrella Support are very supportive, kind, caring and understanding.
 
I also do podcasting that I love very much and I do a radio show once a month called Disability Matters that I really love doing and I would really like to thank Daz for his support.
 
Umbrella Support has given me the most amazing opportunities and I am so very blessed. Umbrella Support are totally amazing they are the best.
Umbrella support has made me the happiest.
 
I love all the Umbrella Support staff and they have been wonderful to me.
I would like to thank all the Umbrella staff for their support. 
I hope you enjoyed reading - Gipsy
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C H R I S T M A S
 
“It’s the most wonderful time of the year”… (Are you singing with me)?
Whether we like it or dislike it, we really don’t have much choice! It’s everywhere we look right now. The shopping centres are decorated, the carols are playing and the shoppers are hustling! Personally, I’m a huge fan. I love the hype, I love the weather, I love the thought of having a break and I love the time to catch up with family and friends, but that’s just me! Let’s see what our team of creative writers have to share about this festive time of the year… Cindy.
 
 
Hello! Welcome to our blog today where I will be chatting about Christmas films. 
Christmas can be a stressful time for some. I find it a stressful time as it's my birthday around this time too. Before I start writing about Christmas movies I thought I might include some jokes since some people like my Halloween Jokes from the Halloween Blog I have done. 

Why did the Christmas turkey form a band?  Because it had drumsticks. As you can see I love telling jokes as they make me feel happy. One of my favourite movies is The Grinch. This movie is about a person who does not like celebrating Christmas and he steals Christmas presents from people's houses. I don’t want to give too much away in case you have not seen this movie. 

Home Alone is a huge favourite of mine. There are 6 Home Alone movies and they are great movies in my opinion. The movie is about Kevin who is accidentally left at home by himself it's such a funny movie to watch with family or friends. Home Alone can be found on Disney Plus if you haven’t seen it.

Elf is also a great movie. It is about a boy named Buddy who sneaks into Santa’s Sack when he delivers Christmas presents to Buddy’s family house. He ends up helping the Elves at the North Pole, he leaves the North Pole on a mission to find his father and make him have Christmas Joy.

Do you have a favourite Christmas Movie? There are so many to choose from. 
Is there a special memory that always reminds you of Christmas?

My advice if you are stressing about Christmas is to just breathe as it will be okay. Remember it is the thought that counts not the cost. 

Let's finish with another joke. 

What did Santa say at the start of the race?  Ready set Ho Ho Ho – Scarlett
 
 
 
It’s that time of the year to sing and spread joy all around, it’s December and Christmas is soon upon us, time to get gifts and organise your family trips. This year however my family and I are not going anywhere as were inviting all of our family members for Christmas lunch, this year we are doing Disney themed again as it was popular last year.

My brother and I are going to be cooking up some delicious treats for example, homemade gingerbread and Mickey Mouse reindeers. My grandma is bringing the traditional truffle and pavlova and my sister and her partner are bringing the prawns, you can’t have Christmas without prawns, well at least in Australia.

 I brought something special for this year’s festive drinks, it’s called Potion Floss and they have a few  sparkly colours to choose from, Snow globe, Love potion, and Liquid gold. The snow globe looks like iridescent snowflakes while love potion looks like a potion out of Harry Potter, and I guess you can tell what liquid gold looks like.

Every year after boxing day I either go up to see my boyfriend's family, or he comes down to stay with me, so he will be staying with me for a few weeks, who knows we might stay in Melbourne for a couple days - Holly
 
 
It's that time of year my friends... 
 
Hello festive friends, 
Ah Christmas, don’t you just love this this time of year?  
 
I know that there are going to be people saying yes, no or maybe to their computer screens right now, possibly out loud (that’s right I see you) and I just want you to know that there is no right or wrong answer. This is a safe place for all answers and know that all people with different ideas to bring to the table are welcome. There is no hate here.  
 
I don’t know if I like Christmas or not, but I do know that I seem to notice a lot more people being a cotton headed ninny muggins and showing unkind behavior. So here I am sending out a reminder to be empathetic towards our fellow humans and kill them with kindness. (not literally or you might find yourself in a bit of trouble).
 
Role modeling is important also, we need to role model kindness and empathy for others to follow our example. Just treat others like you would want to be treated, with dignity, kindness and respect. Especially people who are working in retail, hospitality and anywhere really. They don’t deserve to be treated badly for any reason and they will go home and tell their loved ones about you and is that how you want to be remembered?  
 
Whether it be in person, online, on the phone or in a letter/card always choose kindness. This time of year can be a lot but you just need to take a moment and say “what would I want if it was me?” You also need to be kind to yourself and remember that you are loved and deserve love, kindness, respect and dignity. 
 
 JUST. BE. KIND. 
Merry Christmas, Happy December or whatever you celebrate  
Be safe my friends  - Shan 
 
 
 
Christmas Day with Jess 
 
Hello friends, come on a journey with me to my house on how we spend Christmas Day. We get together with the family and my fiancé Robert joins us on that day. Everyone brings food to share. I supply the nibbles. We have different meat dishes and salads.
 
My most favourite part of the day is watching my nephews and nieces faces when they open up their presents. I love seeing what I get given, but it’s the intention that counts.  Having someone to think of you warms my heart.
 
Merry Christmas everyone and happy new year to you all.
 
Interesting facts about big man in red…
 
Where did Santa Claus come from? The Dutch are responsible with transporting the legend of St. Nicholas to New Amsterdam (now New York City), along with the custom of giving gifts and sweets to children on his feast day, which is December 6.
 
How old is Santa?  My research says he is currently 1752 years old.
Jess C
 
 
The history of Christmas and the true meaning of Christmas.

I know many of you think that spending time with family and opening presents is the meaning of Christmas, but if you have any faith based religion you may realise the first word “Christ”, is in Christmas. 

The true story of Christmas is the birth of Jesus.  Christmas truely begun if you have any faith based religion in your family you may know the true story. What I am telling you about Christmas, to me, is not just spending time with family or opening presents for me it’s more around were my religion.  Church is very important to me.


I know that there are many miracles happen at this time of year.  The best example is, I was born two days after Christmas as I am my parents little miracle.

Did you know that Santa has a darker side, and legend has it that his name was Krampus and that he would abduct naughty children. It is a good way to make sure kids behave themselves.  
 
I most look forward to Christmas and the two Christmas’ I get to enjoy every year.  With my family and my extended family.  – Phillip

Christmas is a Christian celebration and tradition that I was brought up with all my life. Christmas has a real special meaning to me.  I am a Christian even though I don’t go to church at the moment but in the future I hope to start going back to church. There is a church in Seaford that I have a strong connection to, it is called Fire. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus. 
 
My most favourite part is the Christmas Tree, the decorations, lights and putting the Christmas tree lights and Christmas decorations up.  I love decorating the Christmas Tree and seeing all the Christmas presents and Christmas cards.  
I love seeing my dogs lie down by the Christmas tree. 
 
I also really love all the Christmas Carols and Christmas movies but my most favourite Christmas movies are Santa Claus and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. 
 
I also really love spending time with my Dad and I really love going to Christmas parties.  Spending time with all my friends means the world to me and I really love when the weather is hot on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  I love waking up on Christmas morning and opening up presents. I love having a bacon and eggs with fried mushrooms and grilled tomatoes, Christmas lunch and Christmas dinner with Christmas plum pudding and Christmas Chocolate pudding and Christmas cake, short breads and lots of yummy food.
 
I really really love Christmas and I look forward to it every single year.
My favourite decorations are the Angel, Star Snow Flake, Swan, Fairy, Sea Horse Dolphin, Dove, Butterfly, Bell, Reindeer, Owl, and Elf.
I hope you all enjoyed reading my blog - Gipsy
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