Back to School Blues

Yet another holidays over and back to school. The house is chaos with the end of our renovation, which is proving to run to form with the costs growing and growing. So there is the cost of the actual building work, which was hardly anything, now we have the painting, the new floor, new furniture and of course we need something to cover the windows, plus it makes the rest of the house look tatty.

We spent Wednesday, Anzac Day in shopping hell for families and all, with a trip to IKEA. I knew it was a bad day to go, but had underestimated the lure of IKEA on a wet day, the number of families out for the day and the chaos of it all.

I think we actually escaped quite lightly in that we had no major rows and managed to see stuff we were interested in.

I am also amazed by the length of time it takes to cash a bank cheque. From Friday when I had settlement on my house to Friday to clear! What a racket. Yes, I know there are all sorts of excuses but it is ridiculous in this day and age and the fact that it didn't even reach my account till Tuesday is incredible.

No wonder life dribbles away.

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Surfers Paradise - Kids Paradise

A quick trip to Surfers Paradise to visit a few "other worlds" - in this case Movie World and Seaworld. My daughter has come of age in terms of wanting to do all the action rides, I had to send her on her own for some of the more gut wrenching ones.

However, the highlight for me, apart from the High Tea at Palazzo Versace was Arran's animal Adventure at Seaworld with the Dolphins. Check out the video.





Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Work, workmen & school holidays

So it really is a life with a ladder that can be a bit scarey and challenging and sometimes not always vertical.

The career direction is morphing again, this time to things that are incredibly close to the things that I have always wanted to do. Dreaming and thinking about the future seems to be a good way to go.

Life has been a bit crazy with school holidays and workmen. Our over bureaucratic process to close in our verandah is slowly drawing to completion with the builders turning up, but hey I wish I had known what day they were coming back - so I could have booked my holiday to be away at this time.

Things are coming together in terms of financial planning, why is it so hard to find a decent financial planner? Well, I am happy with my choice now, heres to a sound economic future. That ties in nicely with the launch of our financial website Women & Wealth, lets hope that we get started soon.


Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Easter Show

So its Easter again, and where did the thought of Easter presents come from?

I am still grappling with the fact that the Easter Bunny needs to visit and slightly bemused by the pure commercialisation of it all with the number of "egg hunts" taking place on Good Friday. As I have been strictly informed by the religious friends it is sacrilege to have chocolate on Good Friday.

Also cannot believe the guts of my little girl on the rides at the Easter show. I was screaming my head off, as she made me go on a stomach turning ride. Luckily I didn't have to do the vertical drop with her! So she was going faster and faster and could hardly hold on - but she enjoyed it!

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au

Cutting losses

So finally I have exchanged contracts on my house in Kiama.

That was an exercise in sentiment over good sense. Buying bricks and mortar for a long term investment, when really I would have been better off with shares, as by the time someone pointed out the figures to me, I needed to double the property value in 7 years just to make a decent return, not to mention all that money I was piling into the property for legal, maintenance etc.

So I reckon there needs to be a reality check framework somewhere, that is easy to access that tells you what sort of return you really need to be making money. Yes I realise there are all sorts of ratios and calculators, but until someone sat me down and showed me the proof, well it really is heart over common sense.

Joanne Kee
www.ceressolutions.com.au