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Rosemary and Melissa’s Quins come home!

Australian quintuplets come home

With quintuplets and a toddler to look after, sleep isn’t an option for these two Australian mums.

Rosemary Nolan and Melissa Keevers’ Brisbane home looks much like any other house in their suburban street. There’s a swing in the front yard, shoes outside the front door, and you can hear the giggles of their 21-month old toddler Lily drifting through the window. But inside it’s a different story. Five little bundles sleep peacefully as their birth mum, Mel, and her partner, Rosie, gaze proudly at them. This is no ordinary family.

It’s been five months since the Australian same-sex couple first showed off their quintuplets, who were born in January, to Woman’s Day. Conceived via a US sperm donor, they were still in hospital and each weighed less than 900g. Now Noah, Charlie, Eireann, Evie and Abby are at home, healthy and happy. And while their mums are busy, they’re coping well.

“It’s a piece of cake!” laughs Mel. “It’s just like it was when Lily first came home – only this time it’s multiplied by five!” adds Rosie, 22. “They feed every four hours, and by the time we’ve fed, burped and settled them, the whole routine takes about two-and-a-half hours. We each feed two at once, then whoever finishes first grabs the spare baby!

“Then they go to sleep and we clean up and put two loads of washing on. We have about 90 minutes to play with Lily and eat – then the whole thing starts all over again.”

The routine continues well in to the night too, with the quins waking at around 3am for a feed. “We both get up because otherwise it would take four hours to feed them all,” says Mel, 27. “Although, Rosie struggles to wake up – sometimes I feel like throwing a glass of cold water over her!”

Read more in this week’s Woman’s Day on sale May 30.

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Ricki Lee: I’ve lost 25 kilos and I feel amazing!

Ricki Lee: I've lost 25 kilos and I feel amazing!

The pop princess tells Woman’s Day how she went from plus-size poster girl to perfect 10.

After devoting 18 months to shedding a whopping 20kg, Ricki-Lee Coulter has spent the past six months working out to re-sculpt her curvaceous body – losing another 5kg in the process.

The perky pop star has gone from strength to strength – literally. The curves Ricki-Lee, was once so proud to flaunt for the camera have melted away to be replaced by muscle. And along the way, she also found love with her personal trainer, Richard Harrison.

“I feel amazing all the time now and it’s a nice feeling,” beams the former Australian Idol contestant at the Sydney premiere of Water For Elephants. Richard, 29, has helped Ricki-Lee, 25, achieve what a host of diets and even a brief stint as a weight-loss brand ambassador couldn’t – losing the weight and keeping it off.

He also helped her get over her failed marriage to James Babbington, whom she divorced in 2008, transforming not just her body, but her life and attitude. “In life, we all have ups and downs, but it is about being consistent,” explains Ricki-Lee, looking fabulous at the glittering premiere.

“If you want results in anything, you have to work hard at it over a long period. “I went from being a person who didn’t like exercise and hated running to someone who loves running. I was [naturally athletic], but I got to a point where it was hard. “Now I really love running – I’ll be outside and I’ll go, ‘Oh, I’ve been running for an hour and a half!'”

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Past The Shallows

Past The Shallows

Past The Shallows by Favel Parrett, Orion, $26.99

This is an extraordinary book, part psychological family drama, part mystery, part painful rite of passage, all engulfed in the wild isolation and natural richness of the Tasmanian coast.

Favel Parrett’s intimate knowledge and understanding of this rugged heel of the world seeps through every pore of her debut novel, especially her descriptions of the water, so vivid you can feel the chill and rush of the waves, the pull of the undertow and the ominous danger of the deep. Indeed, this sense of menace underpins the novel as the painful world of Harry and his brother Miles unfolds.

The two brothers live with their outwardly brutish father in an ill-kempt cottage on the south-east coast of Tasmania. Their mother has died in a mysterious car accident and their father, who becomes a nasty drunk, is consumed with an explosive combination of grief and anger fuelled by a cruel secret which is clearly destroying him.

While written in the third person, much of the story is filtered through the eyes of young Harry, who though vulnerable and scared — he is petrified of the water and cowers from his father — brings a captivating lightness to this tortured world.

Harry loves to collect things and his willing optimism in the face of a very dark existence wills us to follow him on his journey to be set free. Harry spends much of his time alone exploring, while brother Miles is forced to man his father’s boat abalone fishing. It’s a tough existence and the family is barely managing to make ends meet.

As the story unfolds, Harry’s grandfather dies and when the family starts to go through Grandad’s possessions pieces of the past knit together and alarming secrets come to the fore. What were they all doing in the car on that fateful night and was someone else there, too?

Desperately lonely, Harry makes friends with a local dog, only to discover he belongs to George Fuller, the man everyone says is crazy and eats people. Soon George and Harry are friends, too, and at last our lad is receiving the sort of parental love and support we so desperately want him to have.

Yet what happens next is so heart-wrenching it has you fearful for Harry’s future as the pace kicks up a notch and hurtles to its tear-jerking denouement. Touching and quite beautiful, Favel Parrett is a fresh and vital new voice in Australian fiction.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debut novelist Favel Parrett, 36, always wanted to be a writer, but never thought it would be possible. She studied creative writing, invested in courses, and the result is Past The Shallows, which took her three years to write.

Born in Victoria, Favel moved to Hobart when she was eight. “The south coast of Tasmania had a huge influence on me when I was young. It is isolated and wild – a place I will never forget,” she says.

“The story grew out of my memories and feeling for that place,” she says. Inspiration for the book’s protagonist came from her own family. “

Although Harry is not totally based on my brother, the way I feel about my brother is there in the writing,” Favel says. “One of the worst things that could have happened to me when I was a child would have been losing my brother. We are very close.”

Favel currently lives in Melbourne with her partner, David, and two dogs, Dougal and Bear. She is working on a new book, set in Hobart, about a girl finding her way in a new town that seems ancient and cold, and full of ghosts.

JOIN THE AWW BOOK CLUB

In 30 words or less, tell us what is great about a book you are reading at the moment. The best critique will win The AWW Cooking School cookbook, valued at $74.95, and be printed in the July issue of The Weekly. Simply visit aww.com.au/bookclub, or email [email protected], or write to The Great Read, GPO Box 4178, Sydney, NSW 2001.

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Dannii and Kris deny split

Australia’s Got Talent judge Dannii Minogue and her model boyfriend Kris Smith have denied rumours their relationship is under strain and they are on the brink of splitting up.

“We are committed to our relationship and Ethan as always,” the couple said in a joint media release. The statement followed claims the couple have been feuding over the impact Dannii’s busy career is having on their family life. “Kris is not happy about Dannii’s heavy workload, and wants her to spend more time with him and baby Ethan, and has put his foot down,” an unnamed source told the UK’s News of the World. The pair also posted messages on Twitter that many people interpreted as signs their relationship was in trouble.

Dannii Minogue and Kris Smith

Dannii Minogue, Kris Smith and baby (Twitter)

A close-up of baby Ethan Edward Smith (Twitter)

Dannii and English model Kris have been dating since 2008

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Men will do the dishes-in 39 years

Men will do the dishes – in 39 years

The good news is that men will one day do as much housework as women. The bad news is that day is 39 years away.

An international study by academics at Oxford University in the UK found that, if men continue to pick up household chores at their current rate, they will be doing their fair share in 2050.

Researchers studied housework diaries of people from 16 countries, including Australia, over 40 years. The time women spent on chores dropped from 360 minutes a day in the early 1960s to 280 minutes in the early 2000s.

Men’s daily chores time rose from 90 minutes to 148 minutes in the same period.

One of the main barriers to shared housework was a perception that certain chores, such as cleaning, cooking and caring for children, were seen as women’s work, while repairs, car care and gardening were seen as men’s work.

One of the researchers, Oriel Sullivan, said the gap is closing slowly. “Even though women are still responsible for the major share of unpaid work, studies suggest that the gender gap in the time spent doing both paid and unpaid work is closing slowly.”

Your say: Is your partner willing to do “women’s work”’, or does he stick to the car and garden? Tell us more at [email protected]

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How to take control of your life

How to set and achieve your goals

Have you ever felt that you are just running from morning to night simply surviving? To be in charge of where life is leading you means being more productive, dealing more effectively with stress, having the ability to solve problems, handling change and developing a happy outlook.

It can be small things such as managing your money and taking control of your savings, or perhaps a fitness goal. Do you neglect your hobbies in favour of daily chores? Do you fill your downtime with mindless distractions such as too much TV?

Get some inspiration with these simple steps that can help you take charge of your life.

List the important things

When we feel like we are working hard but not getting anywhere it could be because our priorities are not aligned with our values. To begin identifying your values, ask yourself these questions:

  1. What is important to me?

  2. Who is important to me?

  3. What do I need to do to feel good about myself?

Grab a sheet of paper and make a numbered list, one through to ten. Then, list the things in your life that are most important to you.

Once you do so, ask yourself if the way you currently spend your time, matches your list of important things. You’ll then have a better idea of what things you to spend more time on.

Set your goals

Travelling through life without goals is like travelling through an unknown city without a map. Goal-setting is one of the important steps in taking control of the direction of your life.

Start by thinking about this year, and writing down goals for your personal relationship, work, health and finances. If you can, list five goals in each category. You could add more categories if you like.

It’s important to set specific goals. Avoid words like “some”, “a little” or “more”. If you want to save $8000 by the end of the year, specify that amount. For instance, this year my goal is to lose 5kg. In order to achieve this goal, I have committed to 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training for five days a week.

Get a strategy

This is really closely related to the point above. To reach your goals, you need a plan of action. For each goal, break these goals down into smaller steps over weeks or days. Then, set a timeline of what you need to do to achieve the final outcome and how long it should take to do each thing.

For instance, to save $8000 in 12 months, you will need to save $153 a week. Then make a list of things you could do to achieve this goal. Maybe you could work overtime, or bring in your own lunch every day and forego after-work drinks on Friday.

Find out what motivates you

If you were granted a superpower to be able to do anything and not fail, what would you do? Perhaps there is something that you have always wanted to try, but fear has held you back.

In order to understand how to achieve greater success, you need to understand what exactly motivates you. Everyone is different in how they are motivated and how they are successful when trying to make a change. Find something that drives you to succeed.

Here is an exercise that can help you find out what you are passionate about:

  • Write down the types of activities you like to do and the types of activities, or hobbies, that make you feel good when you do them.

  • Next, write down your special skills and talents. Don’t be shy. Remember, this list is just for you.

  • Finally, write down what inspires you to do things well.

  • Here are a few ideas to keep motivated. You could write down your goal and place it somewhere that you will see it at least once a day. That way if you start to lose your way, you can refer back to your list and rebuild that enthusiasm.If you have a weight-loss goal, place your goal on the fridge. If your goal is to save some money, place your goal on a Post-it note on your credit card. Or, more extreme, put your credit card on ice, literally. All you need to do is fill a glass with water, pop in your credit card and put it in the freezer. This provides the extra motivation you need for those tough days.Start todayWhy wait? You are the one in control of your life. You need to be actively involved in the method of working on your goals, to guarantee you achieve them. Remember to keep your goals specific and simple. Have a plan and share your achievements with others. It’s easy, you can do it!Your say: What tips do you have to stick to your resolutions?

Here are a few ideas to keep motivated. You could write down your goal and place it somewhere that you will see it at least once a day. That way if you start to lose your way, you can refer back to your list and rebuild that enthusiasm.

If you have a weight-loss goal, place your goal on the fridge. If your goal is to save some money, place your goal on a Post-it note on your credit card. Or, more extreme, put your credit card on ice, literally. All you need to do is fill a glass with water, pop in your credit card and put it in the freezer. This provides the extra motivation you need for those tough days.

Start today

Why wait? You are the one in control of your life. You need to be actively involved in the method of working on your goals, to guarantee you achieve them. Remember to keep your goals specific and simple. Have a plan and share your achievements with others. It’s easy, you can do it!

Your say: What tips do you have to stick to your resolutions?

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Brad Pitt on playing dad: ‘I don’t bring my crap home’

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the Tree of Life Los Angeles premiere

He has played a number of roles during his 24 years as an actor, but Brad Pitt now takes only one role seriously: being a father to his six children.

In Pitt’s new movie The Tree of Life, which received the Palme D’or award for best film at the recent Cannes International Film Festival, he plays a strict, sometimes abusive father.

But this is far from the father role he plays in real life as he raises his six children with long-time partner Angelina Jolie, Us magazine reported.

“I certainly don’t raise my kids the same way [as my character does],” he said.

“I am painfully aware that my actions leave an indelible mark on them in these formidable years. So I make sure I don’t bring my crap home. I want to keep it free.”

Pitt, 47, who says he loves the “chaos of a big family” recently spoke out about how he and Jolie, 35, handle raising six children.

“I want to keep them able to explore that innocence as long as possible and find out what’s really interesting to them. I just don’t want to encumber them in any way.”

The Tree of Life, which is set in the 1950s, is based around three boys. The story follows the life of the eldest son Jack who looks back on his loss of innocence in his family . Pitt says it was difficult playing such a strict character with young actors.

“We had to be careful, because they are young boys, and you don’t want to scar them in the process,” he said.

“So it was explained to them ahead of time who I was playing and they knew it was coming and they knew when it was coming.

“And in between [takes], we made sure we had a lot of time like everyday life, throwing the ball around and riding bikes, and I think everyone got through it unscathed.”

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Obamas give Kate and William six laptops as wedding gift

Obamas give Kate and William six laptops as wedding gift

Prince William and Catherine meet US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle

US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were not invited to the royal wedding, but that didn’t stop them from purchasing a gift for the couple.

The Obamas met the new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace yesterday, and revealed their present: six Apple MacBook computers they were donating to one of the royal couple’s favourite charities, PeacePlayers International.

In pictures: William and Catherine meet the Obamas

PeacePlayers is a charity based in Belfast, Ireland, that uses basketball to improve the lives of children in war-torn regions around the world. It was one of the 26 charities chosen by William and Catherine to benefit from their marriage through donations.

Their decision to ask for charitable donations in lieu of traditional wedding gifts raised an estimated $1.5 million, including $25,000 from the Australian government.

The president and first lady stayed at Buckingham Palace last night as part of their short tour of the UK and Ireland.

They met several members of the royal family on the trip, including William, Catherine, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

The Obamas also came bearing gifts for Queen Elizabeth, presenting the monarch with a collection of rare photographs of her parents — King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother — on their visit to the US in 1939.

Related: Catherine’s frock sparks fashion frenzy

They gave horse enthusiast Philip some custom-made carriage driving equipment and a set of horseshoes from a retired US champion carriage horse. Nature-lover Charles was also given a personalised gift — a selection of plants and seeds from the White House gardens and honey from the White House beehive.

In return, the royal family gave Barack copies of letters written to and from several US presidents to Queen Victoria. They also gave Michelle an antique brooch.

Your say: What would you give Prince William and Catherine if you were asked to buy them a wedding present?

Video: Obamas arrive in the UK

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Prince William and Catherine meet the Obamas

bake,barbecue,marinade

Newlyweds Prince William and Catherine were back to work yesterday, greeting US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle at a reception at Buckingham Palace.

The new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed a ten-minute conversation with the President and First Lady.

Catherine, who showed off her tan in a nude bandage dress, couldn’t stop giggling as she chatted to Michelle and seemed happy and relaxed.

The Obamas also met Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla and British Prime Minister David Cameron on their brief UK visit.

Prince William and Catherine meet Barack and Michelle Obama

Catherine and Michelle chat

The Duchess of Cambridge and the First Lady share a laugh

Prince Charles and Barack Obama

Obama shares a joke with Queen Elizabeth

Barack Obama plays table tennis with British Prime Minister David Cameron

Barack and David play a tough shot

Queen Elizabeth, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Prince Philip dressed for dinner

Obama laughs during the queen’s speech

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Maria Shriver wants her kids to forgive Arnie

Getty

As the details Arnold Schwarzenegger’s affair continue to emerge, his estranged wife Maria Shriver wants one thing — for their four children to forgive their father.

An unnamed source close to the family told Us magazine the pair were not holding a grudge for the sake of their children Katherine, 21, Christina, 19, Patrick, 17, and Christopher, 13.

“As hurt as she may be, she will encourage them to forgive their father,” the unnamed source said.

Schwarzenegger confessed in a statement to the media last week that he fathered a love child with former employee, housekeeper Mildred Baena. He is said to have told his wife in January 2011 after he left office as the governor of California.

The unnamed source says it is Shriver’s “faith and her focus on family” that is getting her through.

“Both Arnold and Maria want to make sure they are being good parents above everything,” the source said.

“This family’s motto is to stick together, so they will figure out a way to do that [at] some level.”

Another unnamed source told the magazine that Shriver, who has made a guest appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s final show, has a lot of support.

“She will be okay because she has so many who love her and support her,” the second source said.

“She is putting one foot in front of the other.”

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