Return to being a SAHM

10 July 2016

Hi there,

Well a great deal has happened in my world which is why I have been absent.

To start with we are making slow progress with my daughters medical condition which is great. After years of trying different things we have finally found something that seems to be working for her and the family.
Now all we have to deal with is the tween tantrums and everything will be right with the world!!

There has been a big downturn in the industry my husband works in but things are looking up, it has been a big period of stress for us but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now while we have been dealing with stress at least he still has his job, there are many who did loose their jobs and have lost their houses.

Now you are probably wondering about the title of this post, you see we are in the process of me returning to be a SAHM. Now I can hear you all saying but it's not that hard to be a SAHM but I have to be able to transition back from a working mum, handing over my clients - finding a replacement to take my clients.
So for a few more weeks I a going to be a working Mum and then I will be home.  I am looking forward to getting home and getting on top of the housework, getting baking done, and possibly even some gardening done. Now for those who know me when I want to do some gardening is a big deal because to be honest I could even kill a plastic plant!!, so I am looking forward to being able to get that happening.
I might actually be able to get some of my craft projects finished as well, which would be great, and I will be able to take Patterson for a walk every day. He keeps looking at me saying I need to go for a walk, please take me!!

The first loaf of bread has been cut and to say it is light and fluffy would be somewhat wrong. You could shoot it out of a canon and it would put a whole in the side of a warship!!, I will get better and I am going to keep trying.
I will get better at it I just need to practice. I have been baking all day so I am going to sit and have a cup of tea before I have to clean up the dishes and start cooking dinner.

Toodles xxxx

GRRRRR

17 May 2016

Hi Friends

Ok so here goes, my DS hasn't been doing his homework and has been getting bad points at school for the last couple of weeks.  Now before I go on I know what is going to be said and yes I am responsible for making sure that he does his home work but you don't even see it then it becomes a issue.  I have resisted becoming the Mum who stands over her children and micromanaging them but I fear that I am going to have to do it now.  He can't afford not to pay attention in class ( he is Dyslexic so it is so much harder for him), not to do his reading and his spelling homework.  So as a result of this his electronic products have been taken off him and I am considering taking TV away until Friday night so that it can only be watched on the weekend.

This also makes me wonder why the hell the teacher didn't contact me and say something earlier, why did it take me going up and saying I am not happy about this for something to happen?
I get that teachers have a great deal on their plate and generally can't focus on just one student because there are 28 other kids in their class with 28 parents coming up and asking them to do something.  But if there is concern about a child isn't it common sense that you go I need to get to the bottom of this or speak to the parent.

So I have found some old Math books, found some spelling words and DS can do those for homework, we have worked to hard to get him up to a acceptable level and I am not going to have him slip back now.
Now I get that some people are going to say let him be, let him play, stop being such a hard-ass and that is fine that is your opinion and you are allowed to have it.  The reality is that you need to have a education to be able to get a job and support yourself because the world doesn't owe you a living.

Saturday

14 May 2016

Hi there,

Its Saturday and for most of you it has been a great day, now my day has been good but I could really smack my DH.

I will begin at the start so that you can understand why I want to smack the snot out of my hubby!!!..... as you know I have started a budget and meal planned for the fortnight.  Now on Wednesday I find out that my DH has invited friends around for dinner now I don't object to this what I object to is the fact that I have been left to cook it all and make sure that the house looks great.

Now to be fair to my DH he is at the Zoo - with Cubs and Joey Scouts.  But I have been at Netball all morning, I then went to get the vegetables and meat.  Now I went from the Veggie shop to the butchers and low and behold it was closed.  By this time DD is starting to whinge that she is hungry and me being the mother of the year that I am I told her to reach over and grab a packet of biscuits for lunch.

So then it is off to another shop to get meat, and other than being disappointed that the meat is all in shrink wrap ( not sure what the proper name is) but it is all bloody expensive.  Where the hell do they get off charging that much for roast meat, finally found some meanwhile the milk is sitting in the car and steam is starting to seep out of my ears.
Thank goodness I am not doing making desert because at the minute it would be a tub of ice cream plonked on the table and told to fend for yourself.

Ok so I am going to go and start getting things ready - better get the kitchen clean......I can't see the bench and the dishes haven't been done, so looking forward to getting a dishwasher and before you ask no there is not anyway possible that we can fit a dishwasher in the kitchen :(


xxxxxxxxxx

Lets Talk about Budgets

12 May 2016

Hi every body,

Yes I have been MIA for a bit, and there has been a couple of reasons why.  I have been trying to manage my DD's medical condition,work and be a Cub Scot leader at the same time as try and keep the house running and all of my other commitments.  So long story short I have gone back to working 4 days a week at work so that I can breathe and feel like I do have a bit of time to catch up on things. I am off today because I had to take DD to the Orthodontist - luckily we don't have to get braces , but he wants to see her again in 15 months to see if it is all still going well.

As you can see by the title of this post we are going to be talking money, now this is one topic I find hard to discuss due to the fact that I spend money like it is water, and that I was always told you never discuss Money, Politics and sport because it always ends up getting heated and somebody will end up in ED.

Our household finances have taken a beating with me going back to 4 days a week and with a down turn in the industry my DH works in.  So today I have decided that I am going to start a budget and I am not going to tell anybody else ( other than you, because I know you are not going to tell anyone......are you?).  I am going to take control of what gets spent and I want to see if I can save enough money to put a dent in the credit card.  I did consider going back to Tupperware and then it occurred to me that I gave it up because I didn't enjoy it and why would I go back to something I didn't enjoy.

So hence the budget, now I am going to start small and do things like keep receipts of when I go and do food shop, make a menu plan, go to the thrift store and see if I can replenish my wardrobe from there - it needs to be updated so badly but I have a problem spending the money on new clothes.
Also it will be a case of being strict on take-out, it is pathetic how much they charge for a meal at the take-out places and when you can make it yourself and have it taste much better and it be more healthy for you.
So my question is how do I budget for Fun stuff, and if it is on the spur of the moment without looking like a complete tight-ass?  The same goes for a spur of the minute dinner with friends?  Do I start putting money aside for a Emergency fund and what the hell do I do with all of the $1 & $2 coins because they make the purse heavy and they are so easy to spend.

So if anybody has some tips please leave a comment because I need help getting this sorted, budgeting or even sticking to one hasn't gone well for me in the past.

Toodles XXXX

Thunderstorms and no hubby.

19 March 2016


Hey Folks,

Well it is Saturday and I was thinking that I would get to have a nice carefree Saturday........that sounds funnier written down then when I was saying it in my head!!!!!! My Saturday will consist of the following things - doing the mountain of washing ( will almost need a oxygen tank and some climbing boots to get over it), you see I stupidly thought that Tuesday would be my day off.  Yep I know I get the day off of work and I am still expected to do the stuff at home talk about being not bloody funny, so I did have the day off and well lets just say it went as well as a pair of new lead boots in a swimming pool - I digress so I have to do all of the washing today and yep today is the day we get a thunderstorm and it means I will be putting clothes in the dryer, why couldn't it rain on Tuesday after I had washed the car - they did forecast it, I swear the people that are in the Met department throw a dart at a board and say yep that is the weather for today and then piss themselves laughing as we all scramble to get stuff done and it doesn't rain.  In all fairness they did mange to get it right today and I did have a bit of fore warning - there were black clouds in the sky and I did hear thunder.

So this is what I have to achieve today - get the washing done, clean both bathrooms and toilets, pack the caravan up for our holiday, go and get the present for tomorrows party - Miss 10 is going to a birthday party, make sure the kids scout uniforms and mine are ready for the hike tomorrow, get the ironing done and the dusting.
So far I have managed to have a cup of coffee and look outside at the clouds, the rain and wish I had a maid so that I didn't have to do housework.

As I mentioned in the title Hubby is away and the worst part of that is this trip seems to be on a weekend when we have a shit load of stuff happening.  Last night was a school disco, busy as today and tomorrow and I have to deal with the kids on my own, yes I know they are my kids and I do love them to death but you know what they drive me bat crap crazy some days - I am sure they figure out how to push me so close to the edge without actually going over it.  It is all a ploy to get me to let them watch TV so that I get peace and I have to admit most of the time it works.
But today I am going to be strong and not weaken...............that is even funnier than a carefree Saturday, I think I might try doing stand up!!!!!!!!
So while he is away doing whatever it is that he does I am here doing battle with two kids, a thunderstorm, scout uniforms, birthday present and my addiction to coffee and chocolate - I have recently discovered the addiction to chocolate and from the research that I have done I have a feeling that I am well on my way to becoming a chocaholic, so I am going to leave you now so I can go and have another coffee, scale the mountain of washing that needs to be done an with this thought of the day - Chocolate shrinks your clothes.

Toodles XXX

WTF

15 March 2016

Hi there, you are probably wondering why I am typing this on a Tuesday morning well as I mentioned in the last post I am dropping down to 4 days at work and Tuesday is my day off YAY - I seem to have a full day of stuff to do.

Ok you are probably wondering about the title and trust me I mean WTF, so on Sunday the aircon shit itself and it was once again bloody hot and yesterday it was hotter than a snakes ass in a wagon rut -it was 40c and dropped to 226c last night.  To make matters worse we were getting a thunderstorm - we got a couple claps of thunder, a couple bits of lightning, and a few drops of rain.  So I text the landlord ( first time), the second time I rang them, then third time when hubby got home and had a look at the problem ( the aircon isn't working and it is hot it doesn't need any explanation) so we are chatting away and then the words are said - I know you work so I will have to come and let myself in with the repair man, now I am used to getting the what do you do all day speech when I was a SAHM but to get the you work and well it is a problem because you can't be there to do the job that I have to do speech is a little hard to take.  In Australia if you are a SAHM you seem to be a second class citizen, you don't work so there for you are not contributing to society in any way.

When did being a SAHM become some sort of disease rendering isolation, judgement and generally loss of respect?, I used to think it was in the 60's when women started burning bra's and hating men.  It then hit me it wasn't then - Germain Greer once said "I never said women could have it all ( and your a bloody fool to believe it if they can) I was saying they should have a choice, a choice to work or a choice to stay at home. Yes society has changed and yes women have a great many choices and we have a damn long way to go to get to the equal work equal pay, and the rate at which we are payed but as a person who has been on both sides of the fence when is being a SAHM or housewife going to become respected once again or has society slid to far down the rabbit hole of not offending, political correctness that if we dare have a opinion we are likely to be trolled, have death threats, and be shamed on social media or the world to see?.

This didn't start out to be a opinion about feminism - I do believe that women should be payed equally and have better representation, I do believe that women should be able to choose weather she wants to have the career or be a SAHM ( if funds permit), what I don't believe in is women bitching at other women because they are a working mum or a SAHM.  What I don't believe in is being made to feel like I am not a member of society because I chose to contribute by raising two children who are going to carry my legacy of being contributing members of society, I do believe women have a choice, a choice to be able to do what they want to , a choice to dream, a choice to decide who they love and a choice to be themselves.

Well I chose to be a a SAHM and I chose to go back to work, did I choose to miss out on my kids school events, sports days, not being able to spend time in class with them before the bell goes? In a way I did and that was my choice, would I choose to be a SAHM once again if I could hell yes, would I choose to make my opinion heard probably not but it is my choices in my life that shape my life and the lives of people around me.  So it comes down to this ladies, gentleman, the choices we make are going to affect lives but at the time of making those choices we are doing the best we can for us and the people who we are connected with, don't be afraid to make a choice and don't be afraid to dream big - if you don't reach for the stars then you will be too afraid to climb.  So with that being said my friends climb and make choices, if you choose to work while having children or stay at home remember you are doing the best you can right here right now.
I am now off to wake up the kids, have my second cup of coffee and enjoy my day off.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I am so sorry and living in planer decision hell

12 March 2016

Hi there,

I am so sorry that I have not posted in ages, life has become exhaustingly busy, it seems that I fall into bed at night barely able to keep my eyes open and then before I know it morning has arrived and I have to get up and start all over again.

There have been some big changes that have happened, first of all I have stopped being a Tupperware Consultant, I love the product and believe in it but I was finding it hard to to go out and do a party to the point where it was becoming a chore.
I have dropped down to 4 days a week at work, I found that I couldn't keep up with the housework and it was getting to the point of where I was cleaning all weekend and never got to do anything.
I have become a Cub Scout leader, this year I have decided that I am going to get out of my comfort zone and my first outing as a leader had me doing something with heights and it was not till I was halfway ( I was on a zip line) across that the though of what happens if this breaks entered my head and then before I new it the ride was over and I had Cubs coming towards me with big grins on their faces eager to do it again.
My hair is a different colour - it is redder than it normally is.  In fact it has started to fade a bit and blend in with my chocolate brown hair.

One of the things that has happened since I posted last was two rounds of forced redundancies at the company where my husband works, he still has a job but he is now doing the work of 7 people and is stressed out to the max. So I am taking on extra things to help him out - going to scout meetings, do scout work for him.

I am on the hunt for a new planner, I have a Kikki K at present, and I am finding that the binder rings get in the way.  Now I have had a Erin Condren before and have been looking at the Plum Paper Planner and the Lime life Planner.  From Lime life I also considered getting the inserts that you can get for planners that are ring bound, so I am a bit of a pickle because I don't know which one to get.  I had also considered buying a Plum Paper/Lime life/Erin Condren and cutting them down to size so that I can fit them into my Kikki K planner  then with that thought in mind I was why would I spend all of that money to get a beautiful planner and pull it apart.  I think it was Plum Paper that you can order it but not have it bound so that you could put it in to a Kikki K/Filofax if you so desired. Now I don't decorate my planner I use it to plan my weeks and so that I can make sure that I don't miss appointments.
 I take it to work with me so that if I get a personal call that means I have to make a appointment or am asked what I am doing I can have a look and give answer.
The thing I like the most about the planner I have at the minute is that it lays flat when you open ( the pages don't bunch up), it has sections for me to take notes at meetings and the fact that it is a really pretty blue and is padded.  What I don't like is the fact that I can't buy ( in Australia) different layouts, dividers or little bits to go with it unless you spend hours walking from store to store having surly shop assistants say we don't have that in but we can get it from tis store and we will ring you when it comes in.

So last week Miss 10 and Master 9 bring home a note saying they are having a school disco and they have to come dressed as something begining with P.  Master 9 said he wanted to go as a Punk thats cool we can cobble together a costume that does not require me to sew,hot glue what so ever.  Miss 10 decides she wants to go as Poison Ivy red wig and all.  Now I thought that i could make it and then reality set in.  I would have to try and find the following items : green dance shorts, green tights, green/black ballet flats ( that could be worn after the event so I was kinda going for black), a red wig, green lipstick, green glitter for the mask and also a mask, fake ivy ( I would have to cut the leaves off the garland).
Try as I might I could not change her mind - I would also like to point out that the week before Miss 10 came home and said that she needs a purple tutu,wand,shirt,wings for her assembly, so we went to a costume shop with the thought in mind that we could hire the costume as it would be much cheeper.  Well the costume shop didn't have a childs costume they only had Adult costumes - she looked like a right slapper in the hire costume and it was about then I started to loose my grip on reality and started to tell her that she can go in her PJ's ( it starts with P), and that it might even be better if I went and bought a costume.  So this morning we drove to spotlight got the wings, the tutu so that she could be atired correctly for her assembly when I snapped and told her that she is wearing that to the disco because she is going as a purple pixie.
Then it was off to Kmart to see if we could get a purple leotard ( it was at this point I started to swear under my breath, curse the person who decided on this theme - I have since found out that the original theme was going to be you tube stars, miss 10 watches mine-craft, cat and dog videos on you tube) so kmart does have a purple leotard unless you are under the age of 4, so we went and got a white singlet from the ladies section for her to wear.  We get home and she turns to me and says I think I might go in my PJ's to the disco, now before we go onto the fact that I was considering having a stiff drink and the fact that it was 11am.  So instead of having the drink I am here to announce that I quit....I quit being a adult, I am going back to being a child so from now on all arguments will be settled by me sticking my tongue out, I will be back after recess and if you smelt it you dealt it.

Heat Wave

7 Feb 2016


Hey Friends and how are you today?

Here in Western Australia - well Perth, we are in the middle of a heat wave and it is going to get hotter.  Yesterday was a mild 31c, today it is going to be 40 , Monday, Tuesday 42, Wednesday is going to be 40c, Thursday 39 Friday 36 and Saturday 31c.  So the aircon is on and we will be doing activities inside today, we will go to the beach but not till about 4pm when the sun has dropped a bit because it will be crowded and you would get fried out there today.  I don't understand why people take kids to the beach in the middle of the day when the sun is at its peak ( I have learnt that it doesn't get hotter we move closer to it), especially in a country that has the lovely label of being the skin cancer capital of the world.  Gone are the days of the buff bronzed Aussie, now it is a case of the buff bronzed out of a can Aussie.

Yes we have great beaches and I would love to be there right now - as the cold breeze from the aircon is drifting across my back , my coffee is sitting beside me, yep I can really see why I want to be at home instead of doing the sand shuffle - that is when the sand is so hot on your feet that you run with your knees up so that your feet don't burn or if you are are really talented you drop your towel and shuffle on that till you get to the spot you need to be.
 Then there is the putting up of the sun shade now this involves strategy because if you are at the beach for the day you are going to have to move it as the sun moves across the sky - trust me on this, I managed to forget this even though I sat under my umbrella all day I managed to get roooly burnt ( there are stages of being burnt and rooly is not one that you want), then there is the issue  of food and beverage consumption and how to keep the sand out of it, now if you plan on buying said food and drink you are going to need a pair of thongs ( flip flops) because you will not only have to do the hot sand shuffle  but you will more than likely have to do the White Line Streak - the white painted lines of the car parking bays in the parking lot that are on black bitumen don't get hot.

Now if you forgot your thongs when you got out of the car take a quick se to plan the quickest route to the car only using the white lines of the bays to get thongs to get to the food and drinks.  So now that is all done you can enjoy the rest of the day at the beach, don't forget the suncream, hat,rashie,sunnies, if you see a jelly fish don't touch it cause they hurt and I am sure you didn't bring vinegar and a tub of hot water to take the pain away.  Don't forget to apply your suncream every two hours cause otherwise you end up as red as the wine I drank last nigh - another reason why I am staying indoors on this hot day its close to the fridge and wine!! And before it is suggested I am in no way a lush,sop,wino, three glasses is my limit now with all of that being said I am going to go and have a cup of coffee and contemplate washing the dog - was going to take him for a run before I did it but it got to hot ( that is my excuse is and I am sticking to it!!!!!!)

So while I am sitting here drinking my coffee, I take pity on all of those who are at the beach trying to set up there shade while bouncing up and down because they forgot there thongs and their feet are starting to burn when the dreaded words come out of the mouths of  children - I forgot my floaties, only to realise you now how to do the hot sand shuffle and the white line streak back to the car.

Toodles XXXXXXX

Feeling Clucky

4 Feb 2016

Hey folks

How are you today?

Yes as you can guess by the title I am feeling somewhat broody, now I get like that every now and again and it passes when I add up how much it would cost just for the basics - cot, change table, pram.  Having a baby is not cheap, and I am not sure how we did it before.  Because my two are so close together how did we manage?  If I ever went down that path I would go cloth nappies at home and only use disposables at night and when we went out due to the convenience factor and all of the stuff you need to take with you when you go out, I like the fact that I don't need a massive bag when I go out, don't need 8 changes of clothes and the most important thing that I like -is the fact that I have a full nights sleep, that I can drink coffee, that I can drive myself wherever I want to go and the plus my hips, back, knees don't hurt and I don't have to get up 8 times a night to pee.

What I miss is the utter dependance now that might sound completely mental but my kids are getting older so they are able to do stuff without me having to be there, are able to think for themselves, they still like to cuddle up and get snuggly with me but it is different.
Babies are just so cute and they are like little dolls - I have the pictures to prove how badly I was dressed.  Also I kinda think that if ever there ever was a number 3 it would be a chance to do what I didn't do before and do it properly this time.  Yes I have raised my kids with manners, to wear clean clothes etc, what I am talking about is not read any of the books, be more prepared, more organised, exercise more so that having the baby is not so hard on me.  I suffered from PND and the Dr wanted to put me back into hospital to give me a rest being stubborn I said no because I didn't want people to know there was something wrong, so I will follow my own advice if I went down that path again - rest, self care and don't be afraid to ask for help.

Now with that all being said I am off to go and drink a cup of coffee while it is hot ( something you can't do with a baby), vacuum the floor, dust and then get on with my sewing - which is what you can do with a baby but not without stopping heaps!!!!

Mini Command Station

31 January 2016


Ok so I am on a mission to get organised and stay that way, so I have started working on my Family command station.  Now I have decided to do it on the side of the fridge - we are in a rental and I can't put things in the wall.
So I started with a calendar that has a spot for each member of the family and a command hook to stick it to the fridge so that we can see what is coming up and where everybody is.  Life is only going to get busier with the start of the new school year so I need to feel like I am on top of it all - in reality I'm not and will be a hot mess by the end of Feb!!!!!!
Ok so back to the command centre I also got a mesh caddy from office works so that pens, pencils and highlighters can be kept there, I al ready have items highlighted on the calendar and it is in a spot that can be seen by everybody - on the door as you open it, my first thought was to put it on the side but then it occured to me the only time you would see it was when you put stuff in the bin

2 Feb 2016

Hi friends sorry I have been absent for a few days, have been trying to get signed off fit for returning to work.  It is really hard because I can't return to work unless it is 5 days a week ( as stated in my contract), the Dr said three days a week with a couple of restrictions so I am back to the Drs to get signed off as fully fit, and it is getting me down because I want to work, I want to improve myself ( there is no incentive to go back and study as I need to be able to work and I can't do it at night) so it is really getting me down.
I keep thinking why do my hubby and I have to struggle - we have done it for 11 years, when is it our turn to be able to have a bit of money behind us and not have to scrimp and save only to get it wiped out.
I guess it happens to everybody, wanting a better life, when is it our turn to get ahead?, which makes me wonder how do those who are well off get there and keep their wealth?, what did they have to sacrifice to get there and are they happy?.  I was once told when money comes in the window loves go out the door which makes me wonder do I want that much money that it makes me miserable?.
How do people do it on one wage?  and on the one wage why does society look down on SAHM, that is the one thing I found that I was not appreciated ( by society) and was looked down on because I was a SAHM ( and now that I am working I am finding that I am slightly miserable, my house is a mess and I am feeling guilty all of the time).

Giving up on a dream

29 January 2016

Hi friends, You are probably wondering about the title of today's post and I am going to explain.  You see I have wanted to be a nurse for a long time, I wanted to be a combat nurse to be exact.  I never told anybody what I wanted to do because I never had the courage to do so, I always did what my parents told me to do and never said no.  If I was told to do hospitality - I did it, if I was told to get a job - I did it.
Hubby and I even drove to the city to find out about doing my nursing degree and by the time I had got half way home I had managed to talk myself out of it because we were living in a country town and it would mean me driving nearly a hour to get to Uni, so I drifted into childcare, becoming a Education Assistant, having Children.  All the while with the dream of being a Nurse was never to far away, then all of a sudden it was so close I was able to start getting small bits and pieces to help me get ready to study, hubby was re-located and I went to work in a field that pays the bills and is going to make life a bit easier.  Once again my dream was so close I could almost touch it then it was gone. Now I don't blame anybody but myself because I should have stood up and fought when I was younger and said this is what I want and I am going to do it.
So now at the age of nearly 40 - I am not quite there so I am going to hang onto my 30's for as long as I possibly can!!, I have accepted I am never going to achieve my dream and while I am sad, feel like I have let my kids and family down - I know I haven't because I have earned their respect for going out and getting a job I can't help but think it is a case of just another one of Kylie's wild schemes.

So  if I could go back and do it all over again what lessons could I tell a younger me?  that I should stand up and say that while you may want this I don't, not to please everybody because at some stage you are going to piss somebody off trying to keep everybody happy, and most of all stick to your guns it may be painful but it will work out in the end.

So now as I approach 40 ( is this a midlife crisis happening early???) I am going to focus on the future and not look back with regret because A: It will cause my hair to go grey B: You can't change time - you can only move forward never go back and C: I have a hubby,two amazing children that I need to look after, love.  With that I need to be the best Mum,wife,housewife and employee I can be - it has taken a back injury to realise that I am not the centre of the world, and while I will always want to help people,look after them I need to look after my family first

Ok so I have started on getting the whole family organised and getting everything written on a calendar so that we know where we all are.  The slight problem with that is the thing I am using it to stick to the fridge isn't sticking.  I did try and find a magnetic one which would have been sooo much easier than what I bought - just a thought I do have some magnets that you can use for crafting wonder if that will work?
I am going to go and find out.....wish me luck

xxxxxxxx

MIA

28 January 2016

Yes I have been MIA for a couple of days, and I am sorry.  Hubby had a 4 day weekend due to Australia Day so I haven't had a chance to get to the computer.  So lets do a quick wrap up of whats happened before we dive knee deep into whats happening now.

Ok so we have had Australia Day and well we did nothing, stayed around the house and just chilled out it was great because there is this big expectation that something needs to be done for the day and well in all honesty there is such a big build up and then there generally is disappointment because it doesn't turn out how you want it. It was good to be still because we had a heap to get over ,me hurting myself, the worry of family being evacuated from their homes and not knowing if it was going to be burnt to the ground, Christmas and New Year. I can't help but think the universe is trying to tell me something and as soon as I figure it out I will let you know because  it would be nice to know these things!!!!  The one thing I have figured out is that I need to be in a job where I can work from home so that I can get my house lovely and tidy,organised and cook decent meals for the family.If that is what the universe is telling me than I need it to send me a clear sign of what to do because we just can't go down to one wage.

Oh and you are not going to believe what I did, after years of resisting I have signed up to become a scout leader.  Yep now I am finding this  funny because I am the lady who doesn't go camping unless I have a hot shower and a flushing toilet, I am not big into the outdoors and well I couldn't cook on a fire without setting myself on fire!!!, don't like creepy crawlies and I am not a big fan of snakes and spiders ( which are found a great deal in nature).  So I can hear you say so why the hell did you sign up for this?, well I want to spend time with the kiddos,like working with kids and this will take me well and truly out of my comfort zone plus I might make a few friends on the way and having friends is not a bad thing.

So while I have been off I have done some reading, I read a book called Lakesia Laskie - Charli's Story ( bought it on Amazon for $5 and I have spoken about it in a previous post) and I was very surprised because A: I have never read fantasy before and B: I could not put it down, every time I did to go and do something I would be back reading this.  Now I have become obsessed with this book so not only have I read it close on a double figure - close to 10 but not quite 15 but I am hanging out for the second book...I assume there is a second book, how do I find out if there is going to be a second book?, am I able to contact the author directly or is that just a wee bit stalkerish?  I need to know, I have to have the second book because I want to find out to the characters- one of them dies and I want to know if her death is going to be avenged - yes I realise what I did I gave a spoiler I didn't mean to.

I am on the hunt for a new handbag and I do have certain expectations of said bag and they are : it has to not have any dividing sections in the bag, has to have pockets that I can put my keys, phone in, need to be able to get to my wallet easily - I plan on changing that as well, it needs to be able to be big enough to carry all of this stuff but not to big because I am a small person and it will look stupid, I need to be able to access my glasses case with ease - I wear glasses so I am constantly swapping between sunnies and normal glasses, plus I need to be able to carry my little emergency kit in it.  Now with all of that in mind and being that I have seen the bag before ( that would be ideal) and have seen bags similar you think I would be able to find the bag..........but no.  It seems that designers change the design all of the time which is making my life very frustrating
So when I do find the perfect bag I will do a photo shoot plus might even do a video so you see how I keep it organised.

Toodles XXXX

Aussie Pride

22/11/2016

So I was reading the paper ( it was on-line so it still counts) and I came across a article where Ryan Reynolds disses Australia.  Yes I get that it i was supposed to be funny and especially as he tried so hard to get the Aussie accent down.  And yet as I watched it not only did I  A: get annoyed that another American has tried to do the accent and failed and sound pathetic but B: that a yank poked fun at a country who has stood shoulder to shoulder with America on many issues.
Now I don't normally get political because I think most politicians couldn't lie straight in bed and if they ever grew a spine and made a decision for themselves and actually acted on it the world would be a much better place.  Anyway I do digress, back to getting on my soapbox about jumped up actors who try the Aussie accent and look stupid, the thing that I find offensive most of all is the fact that he said Australia Day isn't a real thing, now to all Australians this is the day  no matter if we be overseas serving in combat, living in different countries or still on Aussie soil we remember how far we have come as a nation, how far we have come as people and how much we have contributed to the world.

For a country that was settled as a penal colony I am proud to say I am Australian, we have sent off from our shores the following great people: Kylie, INIXS, Dame Edna, Dame Joan Sutherland, Cate Blanchett, Geofforey Rush, Eric Bana, Liam and Chris Hemsworth, Portia De Rossi, Keith Urban, Sia, Nicole Kidman,Errol Flynn, Ian Thorpe, Mark Webber, Pat Cash,  Daniel Riccardo, Samantha Stosur, Evonne Gollagong- Crawley, Margaret Court, Curtis Stone, Dan Churchill  We have blessed the world with QUANTAS - which just happens to be the safest airline in the world, we invented the black box recorder that is now in every aircraft in the world ( and it is generally red not black), the ultrasound machine was invented here, the cochlear ear implant was invented here, Dr Fiona Wood invented spray on skin ( and she lives in Perth) , the electronic pacemaker was invented here ( 1926 in Sydney) and the most important of all The Winged Keel that took the Americas Cup in 1983 - the first time it has been taken out of America in 132 years.

Yes so we have turned getting rid of the PM into a national pastime, we have the worlds deadliest animals, we eat meat pies and sausage rolls, we love our sport, we call redheads bluey, call tall people shorty, shorten every name we can, give everything a nickname, spend winter watching footy, spend the summer watching the cricket, yeah we have a barbie ( not the doll it is a BBQ and no we don't have a shrimp on it they are called prawns and a shrimp is a short person) we spend Christmas in the middle of Summer under the aircon ( air conditioner), we have boxing day- when the Sydney to Hobart yacht race starts and the boxing day cricket test match starts when those who don't watch cricket head to the beach.
Myself I live in a state that would fit the UK 10 times over, is bigger than Texas, California ,Nevada , Montana, New Mexico,Nevada and Arizona all together. Western Australia is the biggest state in Australia, we have the biggest mineral deposits ( in Australia), amazing beaches, Albany was the first place settled in Western Australia the last piece of Australia that most of the troops that left for Gallipoli saw the first place to hold a Dawn Service, Perth is the most isolated city in the world.  Now with all of this one cannot but feel proud, and what makes us better than any country in the world - is the fact that no overseas actor has managed to ever do a passable Aussie accent without looking like a fool.
So Aussies everywhere stand up and be proud - AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE

Cooking

20 January 2016

Well I am on my second week of no work and I am enjoying it but I also want to get moving.  I realise that I can't do a great deal but I still want to be able to do some cooking, get some more washing done.  I know that I am going to make some soup for dinner, and may even be able to make something for desert.  I kinda have the theory that if I can get the house looking good, nice food on the table then maybe Hubby will say that I don't need to go back to work and that I can stay at home.
I have a feeling for that I am going to be wishing on a miracle but they have happened before so there is no reason why they can't happen for me right?

So Master 9 has been asking all day if he can go next door and play, so me being the wonderful mother I am in a soothing voice said " no you can't"..........yeah like that has ever happened, it kinda went like this " Mum can I go next door and play" "No", Mum can I go next door and play?, No, Mum can I go next door and play "NO", now this went on for about 3 hours at various time increments until he was yelling from one room and I was yelling back.  Then Miss 10 was doing something strange - I have still to work out what the sound was and I was yelling at her to stop it, then started the fighting so I bellowed from the other room to stop it.  Now all the while I was doing this the TV was going, the kids were helping themselves to cake, and soft drink.
It wasn't until I had cut up the soup ( yes I took photo's and they will be included),put it in the slow cooker and sat down to write this that I realised the front, back door and most of the windows in the house were open.
So my neighbours must think they live next to a banshee, I am mortified to think that I had been bellowing at the kids with the doors open, if  I had been doing it with them closed it would have been slightly less mortifying.  

This year I was supposed to be transforming myself to the perfect housewife and mother - who doesn't raise her voice, has a wonderfull meal put together at the end of the day, clothes are all washed, ironed and put away.  Well we are nearly at the end of January and so far all I have managed to do is kinda have a slap up meal ready, kinda have the clothes washed and put away.  The ironing board is out with the iron on it - so it has made progress, and there is a basket of ironing sitting on it but little ironing has been achieved.
Now I do have to say that in all fairness I have injured my back so doing a lot of the housework - ok so all of the house work and cooking has fallen on my husbands shoulders, and I am trying my best to help out but I have kinda sucked at it.
So now that I am starting to feel better ( the meds have kicked in ), I am able to get stuff done - until tomorrow when I wake up sore and can't do a damn thing.  If that does happen I do actually have a heap of stuff to do, like continue knitting Miss 10's scarf and stitching ( by hand) all of the scout badges on hubby's camp blanket - yes I did say by hand and when you see how many there are you will think that I am somewhat CRAZY ( and yes I am, just a little bit) especially when you see how many there are to sew on and the fact that I said I would do it by hand.
Now I sewed on 2 badges on my son's shirt and I did feel a great sense of achievement as I only swore three times as I stabbed myself with the needle, stitched crooked and had to start again, got a knot in the cotton, and my personal fav pulled the needle up it got tangled so I spent 5 minutes trying to untangle it with out trying to stab myself and swear loudly and frequently at the stupid needle, the stupid cotton, the stupid badge and me being stupid enough to say yes in the first place.

Ok as I mentioned I have mad some soup, you see we have had a week of cold weather so I figured that it would be a good idea to have something that is really warming.Now this is the slow cooker I use, there is a story with this one.  Long story short I got my old one out to cook in it and discovered that it had a crack in the bottom ( to be fair I had had it since I was 18) so it is bucketing down with rain and I had to race to the shop to get a new one and of course it was on a day where I had the kids with me and hubby wasn't home.

Now I cook my vegies and soup mix before I add the water.  So in here I have 2 carrots, 1 turnip, 1 parsnip, 1 onion ( I told a lie and said it doesn't have onion because Master 9 hates onion), 2 potatoes, 4 rashers of bacon, some soup mix - I am not sure how much cause I just tipped it in till I thought it looked enough and a couple of stock cubes.Now I boiled the kettle before I tipped it in, it is something I have always done ( I am sure there is a reason but I can't remember), and I stirred it before I took this in the vain hope that it would look good but the vegies sunk by the time I took the photo.

Now we are going to be having Jamie Oliver's Thai chicken breasts with a garden salad after this, now I can't drink but I will also present hubby with a cold beer....cause Thai flavours mix well with beer and well I think he deserves a bit of pampering since he has been doing a great job of looking after me.

Toodles XXXXX

Help

17 January 2016

Hi Friends, As you all know I have hurt my back so you think Miss 10 and Master 9 would help me out.  To a certain extent they have been but case in point this morning I needed to peg out some washing, because lets face it if I don't do it well it isn't going to get done.  So while Hubby and Master 9 were at Bunnings I asked Miss 10 to unload the machine and carry it out to the washing line, well then it started that she has only just got up, and she started having a tanti and carrying on.  So here I am out the back pegging out washing thinking this is typical, unless I am doing it, it just will not get done.
I have another load to peg out soon and thank goodness Hubby is home because he will help me, I am trying to do stuff so that I heal faster but it may have the opposite effect, I hope that I don't do more damage by moving around and doing things.

As you all know I am on a mission to get organised more and have the house more tidy this year, well I am proud to say I am not any closer to that goal than I was 6 months ago.  I guess not being able to do a great deal hasn't helped, it is now getting to the point where I am getting angry at myself for being so stupid and hurting myself also that I am getting nowhere fast.  This is where I would normally call on a friend/Mum to come and help......but being that I am stubborn I will not ask for help.
So as soon as I am better it will be full steam ahead and getting this house organised, tidy all of the time and getting my children to help out because I can't do it all and work.

While I am out of action I am working on knitting a scarf for Miss 10, now I know that is the middle of Summer in Australia but if I don't get it done now then she will never get it.  After I have finished hers it will be onto Master 9.
I also need to get the quilts finished then start on learning how to Crochet so that I can start on blankets for babies in hospitals and foster care.  I am thinking that I should probably get some wool that is black and navy blue and start knitting scarves for troops overseas.  I don't care if they are Australian or not, or if they keep it, I just want to feel like I am making a difference in this world in some small way.  I may even enlist the help of my neighbour, as she is good at knitting and sewing. I did say in a post a few weeks ago that I was going to be turning the clock back on some of the things I was going to be doing and well this is one of those things.  For Christmas this year I am going to be doing more homemade gifts because they are treasured more than something that is bought from a store.

Ok it is time to go, as I am starting to get sore bye xxxxxxxxx

4 -6 weeks

13 January 2016

Hey there, well I may as well dive right in, as you all know I have hurt my back ( even the Physio said I had done a good job on it) and it is going to take 4-6 weeks to recover properly.  In that time I need to be doing something to occupy myself, make a bit of money and so forth.  To be honest I am a total loss of what to do.

While I have been sitting with my feet up ( not literally)I have been reading this book that I bought on my kindle it is called Lakesia Laskie - Charlis Story, by a person called V.C. Rose  found it on Amazon.
 I could not put it down and being that it is not the genre I would normally read - it is fantasy,  and for me that is up there with reading sci-fi.  I usually get 4 pages in and just give up, well I couldn't put it down and when I did I would pick it up 5 minutes later, my fav character would have to be Thomas, I know it is gonna sound strange but if it ever got made into a movie  I could see Kellan Lutz playing him something about those big muscles and the sense of security they bring yes I do have a bit of a fan crush on him  needles to say I could also see Vin Diesel playing a role - that deep voice ...... oh be still my beating heart, needles to say I  am hanging out for the next book to be published.
Now I am going to venture into the realms of slightly scary - I wonder if V.C. Rose is the authors real name or a pen name?  I found them on Facebook and have become a friend - yes I am now officially a stalker, but there are no clues on there as to the gender, so I guess we will never know which kinda makes me want to get the next book and see if there are any clues - you can generally tell by who they thank at the start.  My intrigue with this author has gone to the point of trying to find if there has been another book published and I can't find any, - as you can see the time on my hands could be spent better than becoming a stalker!!!!!

Ok so I am going to go and read about Charli and Christine again - I would tell you who Christine is but that is going to spoil the story, you will just have to read it for yourself!!  Let me know what you think of the story.

bye xxx

Planners

12 January 2016


Hello my friends, Well after having been able to do nothing for the last couple of days and watching a great deal of you tube clips I stumbled into the planner section.  Well I have slid that far down the rabbit hole I don't know if I will ever be able to get out.
Now I have had Erin Condren planners, I currently have a Kikki K planner and I am thinking that I might buy a Limelife planner because I want to see what they do that no other planner company does, now I hear you saying it is just a planner and I get that I truly do because you know what I used to be like that as well, I don't decorate my planner like I have seen on you tube because once it is decorated you can't write in it.  So when I doe get a Limelife planner - yes I do intend on buying one I will do a video and post it on here, a comparison of limelife to kikki k, it is more to satisfy my curiosity more than anything.

As you know I have injured my back, so that has forced me to examine my working life, I am more aware that the role I am in currently involves me doing some lifting and some repetative movements so now I am thinking that I may need to change what I do.  The problem is that it cost a lot to re-train, their is no incentive to further yourself by the time I drop many hours at work, study part time ( it is 2 1/2 days a week),
I would love to further myself so that I could bring home a better wage, might have to talk to hubby about it and see what he says, I just don't want to be stuck in the same role without being able to advance.

Pain and strong meds.

11/1/2016

Hi everybody how are you?,  As you can see by the title of this post I have hurt myself and I have to say that I did a pretty good job of it.  I was cleaning yesterday and lifted one section of the modular lounge so that it could be cleaned under, and well the pain was pretty well straight away.  So I got a heat pack, took some Panadol and well that didn't touch it.  I couldn't bend and was walking like a old person.  So I was shuffling around, getting waited on - I am sure hubby thought I was stretching the truth on how much it hurt.  I think he kinda figured out that I was in pain when he had to help me get out of bed this morning, so I have a bulging disk in my lower back, I am going to need physio and I am strong meds to help deal with the pain.  If it hasn't settled down in a week I have to go back to the Drs and then it id off to get a CT scan and more meds, so I am off work for a week and when I go back I have to be on light duties.

So I am not sure how long I am going to be able to continue sitting and doing this post for - I feel my eyes closing as it is and it is 3:40 in the afternoon

Sunday clean up

10 January 2016

Ok so today is get the house cleaned up and start putting routines for the kids in place,  I will get a menu plan written up so that when hubby and I get home we can don't have to wonder what we are going to cook for dinner, I am also going to be doing a heap of baking so that there are plenty of snacks to eat.  I figure if I can make Sunday baking day then when the kids go back to school they are going to have plenty of things to go in lunch boxes and they will never be able to complain that I don't do any baking for them, it comes with the added bonus of me being able to control their preservative,sugar intake.  Miss 10 starts to itch if she has to much sugar and to much processed snacks, I have yet to narrow down what food does it too her but I do know when I am baking it doesn't happen.

It is a great deal cooler today so hopefully that will give the firefighters battling a huge blaze down south some relief and get control of it.  It has burnt down 120 houses and has sadly taken two lives.  The town town that has been wiped off the face of the earth they are saying that they are not going to have power or water for three months.  The town where my in-laws are, the power company has been binging down generators so that they have some power.  Service stations are dry so they have no petrol and food is in short supply, it is still nobody in or out, they have sent some fire fighters from another state to come and give relief to the ones that have been going nonstop since Wednesday.  While they are battling that blaze another one has broken out on the south coast and there are fire fighters down there - that one was a lightning strike, there were two that were caused by lightning on Thursday that are under control now - lightning strike, so the emergency services here are stretched kinda thin.  The main thing they are concerned with is flare ups and ember strikes, the embers are flying so far ahead of the fire that they just get some sort of control then there is another fire front.

Devestation

8 January 2016

Hey folks, you are probably wondering about the title of this post, since Wednesday there has been a big fire down where my in-laws live and well yesterday it went through the town - they are safe than goodness an there has been no loss of human life just livestock and that in itself is heart breaking.

The town 10 minutes down the road has been wiped off the face of the earth and it is still going.
The town where my family is well nobody in and nobody out except essential services, they have no power, little food and little water.  The town 20 minutes down the road has been evacuated and so have all of the little communities on the way.  Here in the city we have had a thunderstorm with lightning heat and winds so we to have had spot fires breaking out because of the lightning strikes and it is going to get worse.

To put it in perspective the fire that is raging has gobbled up 55,000 acres of land with no sign of slowing and the destruction in its path is horrendous - it melted the steel of a bridge located
( the road on it has collapsed) at the back of my in-laws place, they took a arial of the smoke cloud and the only way I can describe it is like a h-bomb that is glowing.
The worst part of this is there is nothing I can do to help any of my family members, as a person who can get very emotional very easy I am numb and can't cry.
So tonight wherever you are please hug your kids/husband/significant other, extra before they go to bed, give a extra kiss.Tell them you love them and thank god you are alive. xxxxxx

Organisation, what is that???

6 January 2016

Ok so it is the 6 of Jan and I have not even made a start on the resolutions that I made before new year even rolled around instead I am looking at books on getting organised, being the ultimate housewife and how to entertain in style.  Now the problem with that is the fact that A: How do I start getting more organised, B:How do I become the ultimate housewife and work at the same time and C: How do I entertain in style when I have no room to do it in?  I start the year with great intentions and the best of expectations and it all falls in a hole because - the kids don't help out, I am tired, and I just can't keep up.  

If I wanted to do all of these things I would need to quit my job and well I don't really want to do that and I will explain why.  I put into a job search engine Housewife ( I wanted to see how much we would be payed if we ever got payed), and well it came back with the following answers 1- please check your spelling as we can't match your search and the best yet 2- is that a real job.  Now that felt like a real slap in the face considering what a housewife does every day, and the fact that society doesn't consider being a housewife important is another thing that made me feel like I had to go out to work.  

So now I feel guilty because I am not at home looking after the house and the family missing out on school assemblies, not able to see my kids get certificates and help out in class.  I also feel guilty when I am sick or when the kids are sick because I have to take time off which means that the other people in my team have to pick up the slack from my absence.

A heap of the books that I have been looking at can be put on my kindle, because the books I have in the bookshelf I have read that many times that I read them to quickly now and I am just getting them out because there is nothing to watch on TV.  My knitting is progressing and well I am kinda proud of myself for continuing with it - I tend to put it down and give up on it.

My quilts are progressing at a snails pace - it has been to hot to have them on my knee doing, the heat is coming again tomorrow is going to be 39 and humid, the same on Friday which probably explains why everybody is so tired and we have had power outages!!!

I was asked today what my passion is, and where it comes from and to be honest I don't have a answer and I couldn't answer them.  Is that a bad thing?, how do I develop a passion?, I used to have a passion but well that has lost its appeal so I guess that is something I could look at doing/finding - where do I find the passion, because I haven't seen any in the supermarket and in any of the stores I visit.

Maybe it is time to do a bit of inner reflection and really think about why I am doing the job I am and if that is helping me get to my goal and even if that is where I want to end up.  It is the same as being asked if you believe in whicherver faith you believe in because you were bought up that way or if it is something you truly believe in it.

Buying, building or renting

5 January 2016

Hello my friends it has been a few days since I have done a post so I have a few days to fill in so here goes and they are work, beach,  4x4 driving, getting bogged getting sunburnt - the sunburn was completely by accident.
We try to pack as much into the weekend as possible because I am at work ( hubby is home) and the kids are going off to their grand parents on the weekend for their last two weeks of school holidays I can't believe the end of holidays has come around so quickly.

Ok the title, I figured it has peaked your interest so I will explain, we are fortunate to be in the situation where we have a big decision to make.  Do we build a house, buy established - a older house and do it up or keep renting.  We have never been in this situation before and well we have been going back and forward on the issue and still no closer to making a decision.  One day we decide to rent, the next we decide to buy an do up, then it is build because it is all new and you don't need to do anything to it. I am finding the whole thing exhausting and stressful and would love to just hand over the decision to hubby and be done with it but then I think if I do that then I have no right to say I don't like it when I never had a vote - not sure what would happen if we came to a impasse - it would be interesting!!!!
I do like older houses but I also like new houses and some of their design features, but I like the character a old house has.  I don't really like renting because I am not allowed to do anything, we have to think really carefully because miss 10 only has 2 years of primary school left, master 9 has 3 years and then they are off to high school.
With a new house you can have heaps of storage built in and can be organised right from the get go.........hmmm I am seeing the benefits of building a new house as to buying a established house.

I will keep you all updated on what happens, and if we build there will be all of the annoying stage photos - I know they are not interesting but I will be to excited not to show it off. Hmm looks like I am going to be spending a bit of time on pintrest figuring out how to get rooms organised, storage systems in place and of course the big question can I get new furniture?, might have to bribe hubby on that one........how much pizza and beer do you think I would need ?

Lazy Day

1/1/2016

Wow that is going to take some getting used to we are in 2016, I can bet when it comes to writing  that I will still put down 2015 until at least February  then it will click that is just 2016.
Well true to form I was in bed early, and didn't get to see any fireworks - not that Perth has any, our big one is Australia Day, and to be honest I really couldn't be bothered going out as I had been at work and was tired.

Today we had a lazy day and I loved every bit of it, I read a book, looked at quilt covers on-line - I have a thing for quilt covers and I have yet to find one that I really do like.  I know what I want and what colour I want it just seems that none of the stores stock it.  I am really picky about what I put on the bed because you spend a great deal of time in your bed and I want it be a place of relaxation and welcoming.
I am working with two colours through the house brown and red, yes there may be splashes of colour in that range but they are the main two - except the kids rooms and well I have yet to start on them.
I was also looking at how I can use the space we have better, it just doesn't seem to flow and it is starting to bug me because the house always looks untidy and I need it to be tidy and organised.  I am far from a person who is organised and tidy and as you all know that is my mission this year to become more organised and tidy.

Ok so I must go as I have a big day tomorrow - we are going out with some friends from work, will chat to you late xx