June 2015Life Love and Hiccups: June 2015
Life Love and HiccupsLife Love and HiccupsLife Love and HiccupsLife Love and Hiccups

Friday 26 June 2015

Gratitude Triumphs

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I'm not going to lie.... June has been doing it's best to live up to it's reputation as far as being a tough month in my books.

What, between kids and the husband being sick, working long days for the past 30 days straight, making over kid's bedrooms and a warehouse and having no weekends off... and then throw into the mix some asshole robbing us of all of our money (no we haven't yet got it back but we are still hopeful the bank will come through) it's no wonder my head is spinning from the vertigo from the extreme highs and the lows that have hit a little lower than expected.

But in hindsight, among all the chaos that June pegged at us, there were some extraordinary awesome days too.

The joy that came from seeing our son's reaction to his new bedroom (yes I promise I will get around to sharing it properly soon) and the fact that 21 days later his room is still spotless - MAJOR parenting win.

The love I felt from friends and family around my birthday, the exhilarating rush from seeing an empty shell being transformed into our dream business and the unwavering support from my beautiful hubby and kids as they have cooked and cleaned and helped to keep home life running smoothly whilst my attention has been elsewhere... they were all massive silver linings people.

Those silver linings... they are always there. Sometimes it just takes a little time to see them, but if you consciously make the effort to wipe away the dust just enough to reveal a little of the shine that is hidden beneath... well the payoff can be huge.

The change in your perspective and your mindset and how you view the wild ride you have endured is a priceless tonic as far as soothing your tired soul.

Finding the silver linings isn't hard.

You just need to take a little moment here and there to recognise the good things, the things that make you happy and then allow the gratitude you feel to wash away the rest of the dust and leave you to enjoy those silver linings that lay beneath.

The lovely Lila Wolff tagged me on instagram the other day to share ten things that make me happy.
I have to say Lila - the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

I hadn't looked at my instagram account for a few days and so when I found myself sitting on the couch this morning after school drop off -  wallowing in exhaustion and having a little sob about the past week's events, I logged on and saw the tag and it made me stop and really think about all the incredible things I have in my life and how blessedly easy it is to actually do the things that make me truly happy.

Within that moment the dust was wiped, the silver linings revealed and gratitude triumphed.

Thanks Lila. I SO needed that.

When I sat down to write my list of happy things, my mind was flooded and I thought of at least 40 things that make me happy. But in the spirit of sticking to the rules of the exercise, here are the top ten things that have the power to make me truly happy.



1. Nights at home with all three kids and Carl, where no one is distracted by electronics or arguing over ridiculous things, but just relaxed and laughing and enjoying each others company.

2. Dare I say it - cancelled plans. You know when you are having a really crazy week and you are booked to the eyeballs with commitments. Just one cancellation that gives you a few hours reprieve is like winning the lottery as far as I am concerned.

3. Our family pun wars - man they make me laugh. When we go all out to compete with each other for the best pun and our youngest who has no concept really of what a pun even is, throws in the most random statement but somehow manages to nail it on the head. The laughter that follows... there isn't anything in the world better than that kind of laughter.

4. Snuggling up in bed on a rainy night when you know that you do not have to get up by any certain time in the morning. Damn there is no better way to go to sleep.

5. Date night with my hubby. It is so rare we get to spend any time together alone so I just relish every minute of those dates.

6. Snuggling in bed with my boys and just chatting about what is going on in their life. We discuss friendships, love, worries and dreams and it is in those moments that I see what incredibly beautiful souls Carl and I have been blessed with.

7. Long lunches with my girlfriends. The type where you are in no hurry to leave and you can just sit back and enjoy some good food, a glass of wine and a shit load of belly laughs. Good for the soul that stuff.

8. Lying by the pool in Summer with a pile of magazines and a G&T. I really don't need to elaborate any further do I?

9. The Sun. Yep there is no denying I am a summer gal through and through and a good dose of sunshine just dissolves any lingering fogginess I may be feeling. Finding a warm sunny spot on a cold wintery day? Well that is just pure bliss.

10. Christmas Eve. I know its a little bit left field huh, but Christmas Eves are always spent with my Mum and Dad and my brother's family and the magic of Christmas and the anticipation the kids feel literally buzzes in the air around you. The kids all chatter excitedly, the champagne flows, everyone reminisces and just relaxes and truly appreciates and enjoys each others company. I love it.


Dang I am feeling so much happier having just written that list and given that my so called sucky June was also filled with at least 7 of those 10 things above, well maybe June isn't looking so sucky after all.

Can you list 10 things that make you happy?

Take five minutes to do it now, and share them if you would oblige us, I promise this little exercise will turn on a light inside and leave you feeling all warmish and ahhh... happy!

Cheap therapy? You betcha!

Have a fabulous weekend you guys.

What ten things make you happy?



After this week we will be taking a little Weekend Rewind break over the next few weeks - you know school holidays and all that. But we will be back on 30/07/15

If you would like to be one of our weekend rewind guest hosties when we return then let me know in the comments below and we will be in touch.

This week's guest host is the absolutely divine Vicki from Boiled Eggs and Soldiers

I adore this woman. She is one of those bloggers that from the moment I first stumbled upon her blog, I just knew she was my kind of gal pal. She's funny, she's genuine and she makes a mean mandarin mojito - Vicki is the full package!




Link up your favourite post from the past week and then if you get a chance, pop around and say hello to some of the other lovely linkers. The Weekend Rewind blog hopping party starts every Friday night at 8pm and links will close on Sunday night at midnight. Link up here or over on Bron's blog (Maxabella Loves) or Kelly's (at A Life Less Frantic ). It does not matter where you link as your link will show up in all 4 places.


Wednesday 24 June 2015

Aren't We All At Least a Little Self Conscious?

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I'm just going to lay it out there - There are so many things about myself that make me feel self conscious.

My wonky legs, the fact that I am such a short ass but what I lack in height I literally make up for in my ass, the way that when I smile one of my front teeth slightly overlaps another and how about when I laugh and sometimes a snort comes out.

Oh we can't forget about my less than attractive feet, extraordinary long toes and my uncanny ability to trip over anything and everything that falls in my immediate and not so immediate path.

I hate getting up to dance... especially if I am stone cold sober... gah I shudder at the mere thought, and although I can play the guitar and the piano and I can kind of sing OK too, I would be mortified if I had to do it in front of more than a handful of friends, and even that would require a few G&Ts first.

How I manage to even make it out of the house carrying all of those insecurities... I do not know!

I admire people who appear so completely unselfconscious and who look from the outside like they do not give two hoots about how the world sees them.

Being totally unselfconscious would be such an incredible gift to have don't you think? IF there is such a thing.

We all have something that makes us self conscious.. don't we?

Or don't we?

Now if I was that Anthony Robbins dude (motivational extraordinaire), I would probably at this point stand in front of you and with an extravagant gesture and a booming voice declare that the whole big hands big penis thing is a total myth.

Wait.

No.

I mean if I suddenly became Anthony Robbins then of course it would be one of the first things I checked out early on because... you know... well he has big hands so ummm...

But that's not necessarily what I would be telling you. Nope more likely it would be something more along the lines of this (insert deep voice) "Life is found in the dance between your deepest desire and your greatest fear"... and then I would check the hand to penis ratio again to be sure.

The king of motivational speaking has really big hands... apparently, and yet I doubt he is self conscious of them.

But then I suppose why should he be self conscious of such a ridiculous detail... why should any of us be self conscious about any part of ourselves?

If our desires can enjoy a little dirty dancing with our fears, then why the hell don't we just join in?

In the interest of being brave and sharing amongst friends, as well as stopping those insecurities of ours from robbing us of our confidence through realising that most of us have a little wonky something, I'd love to know;

Is there any part of yourself that you are self conscious of?
Any talents you are holding back because you don't want to bring attention to yourself or something wonky?




Tuesday 23 June 2015

The One That Was Originally Titled 'F*CK YOU F*CKITY F*CK F*CKER!"

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Did I ever mention I am of Irish descent.... aye!

It probably goes a long way to explain the degree of superstition that courses through my brain and the reason my nose goes so red when I break my two drink rule and charter into 'ohyeahwhythefecknot' territory and down a third drink.. and the fourth.

To be sure to be sure.

My heritage is also how I explain away my weird habit of dealing with people who seriously wrong me - I write their name on a piece of paper and stick it in the freezer and leave karma to do it's work.

For real!

Actually, I have no idea if that little ritual has anything to do with my Irish background or not. I learnt it from my late Aunt who believed in all things spooky, was a dedicated fan of Phantom of The Opera and was adamant that this was an old Irish curse designed to right those who wrong you... or at the very least have karma bite them on the ass.

My freezer has only ever seen a few names in it over the years.

The superstitious me treads carefully and reserves this only for those who have really screwed us over - including people like the biatch who stole my families antique birdbath (that story has been somewhat exaggerated over the years to suit), an old boss of my husband's whose bad deeds are so gross I don't even want to think about them, and the woman who knocked my strawberries over and stole my self serve cash register at the grocery store and didn't even say sorry.

OK so I may have been having a bad day when I added strawberry lady to the freezer, and the fact that the paper with 'checkout thief / strawberry masochist' written on it got thrown out after it froze to a bag of prawn shells after Christmas.. well it was probably a good thing.

Yesterday I added another name to the freezer... only much like the strawberry checkout thief, I didn't actually know the correct name to write so instead I wrote;

 'the person who skimmed our key card and robbed our bank account of every last cent'.

Yep we were fleeced over the weekend.

Our bank account was cleaned out of everything but $6.05 and they probably would have taken that too if one of the many atms they used to rob us from had dispensed $5 notes and coins.

It makes me sick to the stomach to think that we live along side such assholes in this world. People who think that it is OK to rob, rape and assault (and steal family heirlooms like birdbaths).

Not that I am comparing having all your money or a bird bath stolen to being physically harmed but still... you know what I mean?

I was going to write about this last night, but it has taken me that extra 16 hours to calm down enough to actually write something semi intelligible rather than a whole lot of FUCKITY FUCK FUCK FUCK that was titled  FUCK YOU -  FUCKITY FUCK FUCK FUCKER!

I honestly don't think I have ever sworn as much as I have in the past 24 hours since this happened and never ever have I wanted so much to hunt someone down, tie them up and pluck every single hair from their body slowly and precisely with a pair of crooked tweezers.

Alas, their name is in the freezer now and I shall leave their fate in the hands of the law and the leprechauns and I have no doubt at all that Karma will smack them hard... and if luck is on my side, they will spend a lifetime suffering from Syphilis or something equally uncomfortable and hard to cure.

Have you ever been robbed or had your bank account cleaned out?
Did they get caught?
Got any rituals to deal with Assholes that I should know about?

Friday 19 June 2015

Would You Be Tempted To Snoop?

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When I was a teenager, my best friend and I kept a journal together. I guess you could call it a kind of old fashioned burn book where we would glue pictures and write 'stuff' about people and our crushes etc.

I would have died if that journal found it's way into anyone's hands, so much so that I remember burning it on bonfire night not long before my 18th birthday.

I have often wondered whether I would have been able to resist a good snoop if I were my mum and had stumbled across the journal. I mean... it would be kind of hard to resist don't you think?

Had my mum read something that could have hinted at some of the not so great decisions I may have been making, could she have convinced me to rethink them if she had asked me about it?

Or would I have just been super pissed off at the breach of privacy and never trusted her again?

I know one of my little boys keeps a diary... well its more of a scrapbook that he writes things in every now and then, things like "my brother is a poo head". He leaves it open on his desk - presumably for the poo head to read, but I don't think there is really anything that he is writing at the age of 8 that is worth snooping about.

I am going to confess though, I have been known to take a peak at my oldest son's phone every now and then and have a bit of a nosey through the photos and the messages too.

That being said, now he has turned 14, I am loathe to do it. Obviously he has a right to his privacy and truth be told I'm not sure I really want to know everything about my son... if you know what I mean.

It got me thinking though - should we know what is going on in our kid's private lives?

Should we be having a little snoop at their phones and or their journals when they are younger to keep tabs on them?

Would it help us to course correct if we see something going wrong with them before anything goes awry or is it a complete breach of trust?

My conscience says no, I shouldn't look... but then my mother heart says oh geez I don't really know... and so I am kind of torn.

What do you think?

Would you read your child's journal if you found it in their room?

What about their phone? Would you look through it?

No judging here - just curious to the different points of view.

Alright, let's get our party on for the Weekend Rewind and this weeks guest host is the fabulous Zoe from a Quirky Bird

Zoe's gorgeous personality shines through in her gorgeous blog and it was this statement on her about me page that sealed that deal for me; "I love shopping, which is hard when you’re on one income. Sooooo I’ve become slightly obsessed with bargain hunting, ebaying and thrifting clothes and home decor."

Yep she is a gal after my own heart.






Link up your favourite post from the past week and then if you get a chance, pop around and say hello to some of the other lovely linkers. The Weekend Rewind blog hopping party starts every Friday night at 8pm and links will close on Sunday night at midnight. Link up here or over on Bron's blog (Maxabella Loves) or Kelly's (at A Life Less Frantic ). It does not matter where you link as your link will show up in all 4 places.

Have a brilliant weekend you guys and stay warm.


Wednesday 17 June 2015

Surviving The Weekend Sports... In WINTER!

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It’s cold wet and muddy out there and yet every week they line up eyeing off the opposition, ready to brave the weather, risking frostbite on fingers as they fight the elements - all in the name of glory... and that’s just us parents. 

Brought to you by Nuffnang and Jemena

“Sign them up to play Soccer and Rugby” they said.

“It will be fun” they said.

Funny how no one really mentioned the part where we parents are expected to face gale force winds as we try to remain on our feet on the sidelines. Standing in knee deep puddles of sludge, wiping sleet from our eyes and pushing our frozen vocal chords to the limits as we roar our encouragement to our kids out on the field.

Alright, so I might be exaggerating a little, but there is no denying winter sports can be just as tough on us parents as it is on our kids.

Tougher even.

I mean… at least the little rug rats are staying warm as they run around chasing balls, whilst we are totally relying on the hot thermoses of coffee we are desperately clutching to keep the blood circulating to our fingers tips whilst we stand on the sidelines and cheer our kids on.

It always rains at the games.

Have you ever noticed how you wake to a bright shining sun and yet by the time you arrive at the fields the sky has clouded over and the heavens have opened to welcome you with a down pouring of torrential rain?

It’s practically a given.

I have to confess that I am one of those people who wake on a Saturday and Sunday morning and before I even open one eye to peer at the sky outside of our bedroom window, I say a little prayer…

“Please let there be a text message saying sport has been cancelled today so I can go back to sleep”.

OK so maybe I don’t say it every weekend. Just the ones where the games are super early and it is cold and windy and rainy… which is practically every weekend that sport is on, but hey – who’s counting?

I’m pretty sure I am not the only parent that does this… right?

And then, have you ever noticed that if by chance you happen to score a day where it is not raining, you arrive at the fields in your freshly cleaned car and your beautiful little sport loving sprocket and his team mates find like the one and only patch of mud on the grounds and they manage to slide in it over, and over again, until their jerseys are black, their shoes are cemented and only the whites of their eyes remain clean as they peer out of the mud on their faces like little tribal warriors?

And all that takes place in the warm up session before the game even begins.

And then the icing on the cake comes when you remember “lucky me, it’s our turn to wash the jerseys.”

Have you also noticed that when you finally make it through everyone’s games, you arrive home and for the first time since last week’s game the kids actually fight over who gets to shower or bath first? 

If only they were that enthusiastic to get clean every other night of the week.

You are cold and often wet to the bone and yet you put the filthy jerseys on to soak and you tag team the kids in the bath before you finally get a chance to jump in the shower and warm up for yourself.

I have a whole new appreciation for my parents, because (insert granny voice here) back in my day, we had this tiny electric hot water system that never provided enough hot water for all of us to shower after a cold day at weekend sports.

If I remember correctly you had approximately 2.18 minutes to get clean and wash your hair in the shower before the hot water ran out mid shampoo, and more often than not you would lose track of time which would result in a whole lotta cursing and banging on the bathroom door from your mum or dad, who were also cold and wet and desperate for a hot shower.

I am so glad times have changed and now as a parent myself, I am lucky enough to have an instantaneous Natural Gas hot water heater because getting out kids to shower in under 2 minutes would be like asking a teenager to give up their iPhone… it’s just never gonna happen.

A Natural Gas hot water system ensures you have instant and continuous hot water when you need it. 

There are a wide range of systems readily available which means that there’s a hot water solution to suit every family and enough hot water for everyone to enjoy a post game shower.

With Natural Gas you are not bound by peak and off peak periods, so you can use your hot water and your gas appliances whenever you want, without having to worry about paying more at certain times of the day.

OK so you are finally home from the game, the kids and you are showered and the muddy jerseys are soaking – you deserve to reward yourself with a steaming cup of hot chockie.

I like to make our hot chocolate the old fashioned way by warming the milk on the gas stove top. The gas heats the milk to perfect temperature very quickly so you can be drinking your hot chockie in no time at all.

If you want a totally decadent hot chocolate and you aren’t afraid of a few calories between friends, then I promise myhot chockie recipe won’t disappoint.

If you would like more information on how Natural Gas can deliver you hot water or a warm cosy home at the press of a button or a turn of the tap – check out The Natural Gas website here or find out how to apply for a Gas Connection at your home here.

Do you or your kids play winter sport?

Do you have any post game rituals?



Tuesday 16 June 2015

Careful... Because When Your Back Is Turned...

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I have a real issue with fake people.

I'm not talking about the beautifully modified chiseled cheekbone d cups.. nuh uh, to them I say "good on you" because if I was brave enough I would totally be lining up to get my jelly belly tucked, have my lips plumped up a little and my boobs returned to where they are supposed to be.

Nope,  I am referring to those people who smile at you sweetly, court you and engage you in some seemingly heartfelt one on one conversation and then slice you into eeny meeny bite size pieces as soon as your back is turned.

The thing about these type of people is that they are SO transparent. The whole world can see through their show and yet they have themselves are convinced that they are clever enough to pull it off without anyone noticing.

Um duh!

You're not fooling anyone.

I have been burned by the fakeys in the past, used and discarded when I have served my purposed.

Just the other day I had a friend who was left completely shell shocked after she found out that a 'good' friend was not really such a good friend after all.

She was used and abused and left high and dry after she discovered that her 'friend' was not being so friendly behind her back.

'The Plastics' as termed by the movie Mean Girls usually have something about them that attracts others to them.

Their seemingly perfect charm can be like a light to a moth, a warm sun on a cold day and when they turn their attention on you - you feel wonderful and special... and then BOOM, they turn it off as fast as they turned it on and leave you whip lashed and wondering what the hell just happened.

They generally get away with it, because those who are happily still basking in their warm glow tend to protect them fiercely and the others who are a wise up to their antics, want nothing more to do with them.

You find these type of fakeys pretty much anywhere - at school, at Mother's group, in your social circles, at work and even online. They come in all manner of disguises but they all have one thing in common... they stink of insincerity and at the first whiff of ingenuity you should RUN and don't look back.

I have no idea why some people feel the need to wear two faces.

Maybe it's their own insecurity that breeds a need to mask their true selves.

Maybe they are just genuinely self centred and can't see past their own egos or perhaps they simply know no better and no one has ever called them out on it.

I'll keep trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but sure as hell I will also be keeping a wide berth from the fakeys.

Have you ever fallen victim to a fakey?
How's your radar, can you sniff a fakey out from a crowd?


Monday 15 June 2015

You Asked & The Expert Answered

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***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***
Congratulations to Sonya and Brooke

For those of you whom asked, and those of you who have ever wondered; here are the answers to some very important questions you had around healthy toileting habits in kids including how often both adults and children should do a number two!

Brought to you by Nuffnang and MOVICOL

A couple of weeks ago we officially went there and we talked about all things poo related.

I know right?!

Ewwww... kinda.

Whilst toilet talk isn’t usually something I like to spend a lot of time partaking in (especially not at the dinner table thanks kids), it is something that is very important to talk about with our kids.

In fact, in can be crucial to our kid’s health given that research from MOVICOL has shown that almost eight in ten Aussie kids hold on rather than going to the toilet at school, because they feel uncomfortable using the toilets with their school mates around.

It is for that reason alone, my son ended up a very sick little boy in hospital.

As part of the MOVICOL ‘Take Five for Better Health’ campaign (encouraging healthy toilet habits amongst kids), the gang at MOVICOL asked for our help in opening up the lines of communication around our kid’s toileting habits and encouraged you guys to ask any questions you may have with the promise that Dr Nitin Gupta- a Paediatric Gastroenterologist would personally answer them.

You asked some really good questions, and I myself have been waiting for the answers… so thank you, for getting the conversation going!

For those of you who asked, and those of you who have wondered; here are the answers to some very important questions you had around healthy toileting habits in kids.


Q: When is the ideal time to start toilet training your child?
A: Each child is different, but on average around 2 years-2 ½ years of age is the average starting age.  The child needs to demonstrate ‘readiness’ such as walking/sitting/pulling clothes on and off, as well as language skills to understand and vocalise the need for toilet.

Q: There is so much talk out there about 'gut health', good bacteria, raw foods and how it affects so many things in the body. Is going to the bathroom connected with gut health too?
A:  No direct link that has been shown between bathroom cleanliness or bathroom habits and gut health.

Q: My question is, how do we best encourage children to go to the toilet when they are at school/day care/kindy? Or should we just encourage our kids to go at home more regularly to compensate?
A:  Talking and understanding with children about if anything stops them going in that situation – ie: smell, scared, lighting, noise, dirtiness or just not enough time.  Positive re-enforcement that is age appropriate is best.  Bowel habits vary from day to day, so relying on home only may not work for most kids who then end up holding on at school.

Q: Is there a known link between anxiety and constipation (or even IBS) and has there been any research done as to why is this so? Is this anything we can do to prevent symptoms getting out of hand from a diet point of view?
A: There is a link between mood and anxiety disorders and constipation ‘disorders’ and IBS rather than a ‘normal’ level of constipation which all people get from time to time.  Research has happened and continues to study these links.  Diet is part of the solution and has to be a balanced approach.

Q: What is the ideal age that boys should be toilet trained? Is there a difference for boys and girls? How is it best to deal with family members that make comments on how you have decided to toilet train your children?

A:  No difference between boys and girls, they have to be ready (question 1).  Family members, friends, neighbours and the general public will always contribute to child rearing in their viewpoints, I suggest that you listen but take a consistent approach whatever that may be in the family home.

A: Yes, bowels habits vary day to day because of diet, exercise, ‘body clock’, illnesses and the routines of the day. It  may be worth considering keeping a record of daily movements with the MOVICOL Stool diary.

Q: Many people stop children from drinking water in the evenings to help prevent bedwetting. Is this detrimental to good bowel health, particularly as some bedwetting can actually be caused by constipation?
A:  Children do not need a prescribed amount of water but generally drink enough so that they are not getting thirsty; evening water drinks do not necessarily fix bedwetting  for most children as this is a developmental milestone as well for children with huge variation in achieving this. 

Q: My son is 4 and has been wee toilet trained for a year now. He was successfully doing poos on the toilet for a few weeks but since then he has refused to do 99.9% of his poos on the toilet. He holds all day so he never has an accident but soon as he gets home he'll put on a night nappy and do a poo. I was wondering if you had any tips on encouraging him to use the toilet before he starts school in January 2016?
A:  Star charts with immediate rewards initially for sitting only on the toilet and then more rewards for actually pooing in the toilet; with spreading the frequency of rewards further apart.  These rewards can be ‘cheap’ and can be time with mum and dad doing his favourite thing or can take forms of toys etc.  He should be part of putting stars on and choosing the stickers. 

Q: How often should we, and by we I mean both adults and children, actually do a poo or number two?
A: Roughly 3 times a day to once every 3 days – some strain is normal but NO PAIN OR DIFFICULTY. 



MOVICOL products are used to relive constipation and treat chronic constipation and the gentle MOVICOL Junior range focuses on pediatric patients from 2 years of age.

Healthy toilet and bowel habits are crucial to help maintain healthy and regular bowel movements in children and holding on can have serious health implications, including constipation.

The MOVICOL brand is based on a natural mode of action that works in harmony with the body. MOVICOL’s gentle action allows comfortable and effective relief from constipation

MOVICOL is available from all pharmacies without prescription. It is usually at the front of the shop so you can select it yourself, but if you don’t see it, ask the pharmacist as they sometimes stock MOVICOL behind the counter.

If you require ongoing treatment, your doctor can write a prescription for MOVICOL, which may entitle you to a PBS reimbursed price at the pharmacy if you are an eligible patient.

If you have any concerns for your child’s health, please see your doctor.

For more info have a watch of these videos including one from Kristy who shares her son Shane's story about the impact constipation and bowel habits had on him so that other parents can learn what to look for and good toileting behaviours.





Now I have two more of the MOVICOL prize packs valued at $200 up for grabs. All you need to do to answer is tell me how you would encourage your child to take 5 minutes to do their business? Rewards charts? Bribes? I’d love to know what works or what you think might work for you.


Please note the image of the prize pack is an example of what products may look like. 
This isn't an exact replica.

These packs include everything parents need to help develop healthy bowel habits including a toilet step, a five minute  timer, fruit basket, toy snake and children’s magazine subscription… you know to keep them entertained on the toilet and all that. 

This competition is open now and closes Saturday 20 June 2015

The competition is open to Australian residents only. Please view T&C’s here.

How would you encourage your child to take 5 minutes to do their business?
Rewards charts? Bribes?
Were there any surprises in the above answers for you?