Issue 27, 2022

that's life

The magazine with heart

that's life2 min read
Welcome
For the last two days I’ve been working from Hobart, where my hubby Simon and I came down to see friends. We had a great weekend catching up, then we planned to do a few days work from our motel room. Alas, there was only one tiny table, which made i
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You!
My two cuties, Claudia, two, and Luka six, just out of the bath. Heidi Laugesen, Geilston Bay, Tas I entered my dear mum, Elaine, in this year’s that’s life! ‘Mum in a Million’ competition. Mum was beyond excited and wanted to say a huge thank yo
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Sweet Xander SAVED BY A MOTHER’S LOVE
Kirsty Carr, 26, Launceston, Tas Isn’t he cute?’ I said to my partner, Wesley, 33. ‘Yes, he sure is,’ Wes smiled. I was pregnant with our first child, a boy, and at 14 weeks, we were seeing him for the first time on a scan. But our excitement quick
that's life6 min read
MUM’S HORROR My Friend Plotted To STEALMYBABY
Angelique Robledo, 29 Running around the baby store, my new friend Kassandra, then 18, and I pointed our scanner guns at teddy bears, bottles and adorable onesies, setting up our baby shower gift registries. Aged 18, I was pregnant with my first ba
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Billbuster!
With winter here and energy bills on the rise, that’s life! wants to give you even more chances to win! The average yearly Australian electricity bill is $1645*, so we want to give three lucky readers $1645 each to pay their energy bills for a year.
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A Toast For Blue
Kimberley Oxley, 39, Melbourne, Vic As the big brown eyes stared up at me, my heart melted. Quivering in front of me, Blue – the beautiful greyhound with the broken leg – was enormous! I’m only fostering him, I told myself. As a social media direc
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Mum’s Treasures
Felicity, 52, Mt Gambier, SA* Mum was a hoarder all her life. Piles of stuff littered the lounge room. There was a thin track down the middle of the room so you could pick your way through. The kitchen was the same. You could barely find room to pr
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What We’re...
From sloths to heatwaves, dingoes to horoscopes, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant have looked into everything! SYSK is great if you’ve always wanted to know why Venice is sinking or how monster trucks work. It’s entertaining and I love that I learn someth
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Who’s a TALL BOY?
Meet Zeus, the pooch who is officially the world’s tallest dog. With a height of 104.6cm, and towering more than two metres when on his hind legs, he earned the title after he was measured by a vet. ‘Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted a Great D
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I Ran Over Myself
Morgan Barton, 35, Wodonga, Vic Girls, you’re going to be with your dad at home while Mummy stays with Nanny,’ I told my children, Torah, then eight, and Isla, six, in the car ride home from school. Their baby sister, Jemima, two, was in her car se
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Pets Are Pawsome!
$50 FOR EACH PHOTO USED My Burmese cat Chico is on guard duty – he likes to keep watch. I think he has turned into a meerkat! Colette Keystone, Mornington, Vic Mafuta has taken over the fruit basket as a good place to have his afternoon nap!
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The Beauty Of Birds
Rochelle Steven, 40, Perth, WA Ringing up another sale of $40 lipstick, I sighed deeply. Since leaving school, I’d worked in retail and built a successful career selling high-end cosmetics and jewellery but, aged 26, I’d hit a ceiling. This isn’t
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I’m A Proud Ice MERMAID
Cath Pendleton, 50 Submerging my body under the icy cold water, a sense of calm flooded through me. Some people love yoga to help them relax, but for me, ice swimming calmed my busy mind. It felt like a complete reset. As I got out of the freezing
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My Mum Has A Boyfriend
It sounds to me like your parents separated and just wanted to play happy families not to upset you and your brothers. I’d just leave it be. Fiona Gibbons I’d speak to your mum some more and then speak to your dad and siblings. Your dad probably k
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Dear That’s Life!
My mum is 64 and I was shocked to find out she has a boyfriend. I saw them together and asked her about it later, and she admitted it was true. In fact she said she’d been seeing him for around six years. Mum and Dad are still married although they l
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BRAIN Waves
To display your child’s art on the fridge, remove the magnetic strips from advertising leaflets and glue them to the paintings. Lyn Brown, Box Hill, Vic When I get a new appliance, I always stick a removable hook on it to help keep the cord tid
that's life1 min readRegional & Ethnic
Try A New Use For...
■ Use a rubber band to hold flowers in place as you arrange them. ■ Wrap one around a jar lid or a nail polish bottle for extra grip. ■ Seal the ends of open dried food packets, such as rice or pasta, with a band to keep them fresh. ■
that's life1 min readDiet & Nutrition
Cut Waste save Cash!
FREEZING COCONUT MILK It seems a waste to open a can of coconut milk when you don’t need to use it all! Rather than discard what’s leftover, freeze the coconut milk in ice-cube trays. Generally, a standard ice-cube tray well will hold about 1½ tblsps
that's life6 min readRegional & Ethnic
BUDGET Beaters
SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK: 35 MINS 1½ cups medium grain brown rice1 large bunch gai lan (400g), trimmed4 eggs, lightly beaten1 red onion, halved, sliced1 tblsp mild Thai seasoning2 tomatoes, cut into wedges1½ tblsps fish sauce2 tblsps sweet chilli sau
that's life3 min read
This Week We’re Loving...
SERVES 10-12 PREP AND COOK: 1 HOUR, 40 MINS ½ cup cocoa powder225g butter, softened1½ cups caster sugar3 eggs2 cups plain flour1 tsp baking powder1 tsp bicarbonate of soda⅔ cup milk290g packet Dark Choc MeltsVanilla ice-cream, to serve 1 tblsp ca
that's life4 min readCrime & Violence
Killer’s sick confession SIGNED WITH A SMILE
At first he thought it was a mannequin. But as the passer-by peered closer into the bush on the side of the road, he realised the white hands with pale pink nail polish were real. Quickly, he dialled emergency services. It was March 11, 1995, and inv
that's life1 min read
Get Creative With ... Bananas
SERVES 4 PREP AND COOK: 1 HOUR, 20 MINS 75g butter, softened⅔ cup caster sugar3 eggs, separated⅔ cup over-ripe mashed banana½ cup fresh passionfruit pulp 1 cup milk⅓ cup self-raising flourIcing sugar mixture and vanilla ice-cream, to serve 1 Grea
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I’m Paying Off My House With Crayons
Naomi Parsons, 40, Adelaide, SA With a moment of freedom, I was hoping to play with my little girl. ‘Arleena, are you awake?’ I whispered to my daughter, then four, who fell asleep on the couch after dinner. As a single parent paying off a mortgage,
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REUSE & RECYCLE!
Working for his parents’ fruit and veg business, Chris Dermody was often asked for cardboard boxes when customers were moving house. This gave Chris’ mum an idea. ‘Why don’t you try selling them online?’ she suggested. Chris was doubtful anyone would
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’Tis The Season To Start Planning
Please don’t hate me, but I’m about to talk about the ‘C’ word. I know we’re only just tipping into July, but before you know it we’ll be humming along to ‘Silent Night’ in the supermarket, while filling our trolleys with cartons of brandy custard an
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Simple Swap
My fiancé Shannon was working in Byron Bay, NSW, for two weeks so my son Xander and I decided to drive up for a long weekend. I planned to put our dogs, Buddy and Banjo, in a boarding kennel, but Banjo needs 12-hourly medication. The few kennels that
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3 Ways To… Get Stronger
Not just for body builders, dumbbells are a great way to maintain muscle mass as we get older. Start with light weights and work your way up as you get stronger. Check with your doctor or physio before starting any strength program if you have health
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ASK THE Doctor
Q Could I be depressed if I have absolutely nothing to be depressed about? I’m married to a lovely man, have two healthy adult children and we are lucky enough to be financially stable, but I seem to have lost my mojo. I am waking up very early in th
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Spotlight On Poor Circulation
Around one in five people experience poor circulation, causing symptoms such as numbness, slow healing of wounds and frequent leg cramps. Common causes include obesity, diabetes and heart conditions. One major cause is peripheral arterial disease,
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OUR GIRL HAS superpowers
Angelique Salisbury, 44, Brisbane, Qld She’s not hearing through her right ear,’ said the audiologist, Leah. My baby Alice, then three months, was having the routine hearing test performed on all newborns under Queensland’s ‘Healthy Hearing Progra
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Cytomegalovirus (cmv)
• Women who develop an active CMV infection during pregnancy can pass the virus to their babies. • It can cause hearing loss, sight issues or developmental delays. • Signs at birth can include low birth weight, jaundice, an enlarged liver and splee
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When Is The Right Time To Retire?
There’s a lot to consider when making the step to retire. When is the right time? Will I have enough money? Will a life of ‘just’ leisure be enough? Some people choose to ease into semi-retirement by going part-time or casual, or they take up other
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Best Buys Sizes XS-XL H&M Hm.com/au Under $50
Layer a vest over a long sleeve tee to keep warm without skimping on style. It’s worth investing in a good quality hat as it’ll last through several winters.
that's life1 min readFinance & Money Management
What Choices Do I Have If I Don’t Have Enough Money To Fund Retirement?
According to Jacqui Schofield, co-founder of Boomer Home Loans (boomer homeloans.com. au), too often people feel selling their beloved family home is their only option to be able to pay for expenses while retired. ‘What many people don’t consider is
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Beauty Buys New
Colgate has made teeth whitening all too easy with the new Optic White Pro Series range. The three-step routine includes a toothpaste, whitening pen, and an LED whitening device – and it’s supercharged with hydrogen peroxide to help give you your mos
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Blooming Colour
✔ Plant pot ✔ Yellow, pink and orange acrylic paint ✔ Paintbrush ✔ Baking paper sheet • ✔ Matte sealing spray 1 Using the yellow paint, brush a base coat on to the pot, covering all outside areas and the inside of the rim. Re-apply two coats for eve
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Life’s CHANCES
Penny put a $5 note on the table. ‘What’s this for?’ her mother asked. ‘You told Grandma you needed money so I got this out of my piggy bank.’ ‘Oh darling, that’s so sweet!’ Susie almost refused the money, but realising this was important to Penny,
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I Made Friends With A Ghost
Fiona Martin, 34, Preston, Vic My family had just moved house and, aged 10, I was to have my own bedroom for the first time. The small second bedroom was to be my sister’s. It was a bit dusty, like it had been empty for ages, and it was quite dark.
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THE Warm FUZZIES
When she posted a simple but powerful message to her social media account, Sara Cunningham was not expecting to touch the hearts of so many. Her message was, If you need a mum to attend your same sex wedding because your biological mum won’t, call me
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YOUR Stars
Things are about to do a complete 180 turn, Aries. The upshot is healthier relating, increased income and, well, just a better weekly routine all up. Don’t feel you have to explain your choices to anyone – it’s your life! LUCKY NUMBERS 40, 43, 45

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