Shopping and suffering for a good cause #openslather

I received my family tax benefit top up last week which made me very bloody happy. Due to us making sweet F-all this financial year it been a long time between shopping sprees. Took the kids to kindergym on Thursday morning, then chucked them in the car and whipped up the Mount to Big W, KMart and Target(you know all the good shops), which has led to my new favourite saying(not) "Oh my Gok". Who the feck is he anyway?! Needless to say we are all sporting new clothes and shoes, lots of them. 

We're the owner of a new $39 HP printer too, which came with ink cartridges. The old Lexmark is in the wheelie bin, who's ink was getting expensive and hard to find. I just thought feck it, for that price it was cheaper just to buy a new one, with ink!! Un.believ.able. 

Took the kids to maccas for an early lunch and a play before we hit the shops, probably a good move; they were bloody angels and I was so thankful we got through two shopping centres and Target without a melt down my them or me, so thankful. 

Friday was a pretty good day too. I took Izzy to playgroup at the kindy she's starting pre-entry at next term, I know, next term!! This will see her integrate with other kids that she will go on to primary school with. The other kindy playgroup I had been taking her to for the past couple of years mainly has kids that are going on to private primary school and I didn't want her to start state school not knowing anybody.

Izzy is usually pretty quiet at first with people she doesn't know well, but she jumped right in like she owned the joint and played and talked flat chat to other kids off the bat. It was funny and very reassuring to see. Summer loved it too. As we walked out the gate with her cupcake paper covered salada box she said, "I love that new kindy", I was a very proud and happy mum.

After, we grabbed some lunch from the bakery and headed to the playground, it was a beautiful day, in more ways than one. 

I laughed in amazement as I saw the drink bottle we had left there two weeks before; it was found and left on a bench. Summer cracked it straight away and didn't want to drink out of anything else, I looked for a tap and rinsed it out so she could have her cordial in it. She really was losing it and having her favourite drinking vessel made her happy straight away.

Sooky la la at the playground

This is her earlier in the week. She's put 15 pairs of Izzys
undies over her head and couldn't get them off. Funny kid!

It's Sunday night, and I'm about to hit the sack. Went out with some girls last night, didn't get too smashed, but only had about four hours sleep last night. I got home about half one and got to sleep about 2 after filling in the hubby with all the important details. Summer came in our bed about half two, nappy change and a drink she wriggled, poked me in the back and rolled around my head before falling asleep. 

Izzy woke up crying, a nightmare I think, may have been the tree trolls in Bridge to Terabithia, she watched that with Brett while I was downing my first wines at my girlfriends place. She came in bed with me and Summer, Brett was kicked out into her bed, to tell the truth he voluntary made himself scarce! I got up at seven and have been suffering ALL day, from tiredness mainly. It was suffering for a good cause, a good night out on my own, but it will be awhile before I do that again!

How has your week been?

The Easter bunny giveth, and the Easter bunny taketh away

{a post written on tuesday nite}

I am sitting here contemplating another wine or the shower I haven't had today. I think I will take my chances on getting one in the morning. 

The floor is still unswept, unmopped. It took three hours to get Summer to settle to sleep. I had plans. Check my emails, visit some blogs. Clean the floor. I have just folded and put away the washing that has been piled on my bed. It's now 11 pm and I should be in it, but I'm here, having that piece of me that everyone else has been taking bits of all day. 

Yesterday was a shit of a day. I was emotional, impatient, grumpy, not good company at all. 

Today hasn't been too bad really. A definite improvement.

Sunday was a good day. Nothing better than sharing the anticipation and joy with your kids on Easter morning.  I made flour footprints the night before and arranged the eggs out ready. Bit the end of the carrot  and left it laying next to the prints. Izzy was most excited and cautious at the same time, I had to reassure her that the bunny was now far away and not lurking behind the furniture, ready to pounce on her!

While the Easter Bunny bought chocolate, he took all the bottles on Sunday morning. No more milk bottles before bed for Izzy and no more cordial bottles for both of them during the day. I remember when Jake was the same age, the Easter Bunny took his milk bottles too.

Chocolate for breakfast!

Summer is still having me before bedtime. God knows how long I will keep that up for, she's almost 17 months! I fed Jake for 3 months and Izzy for 11. Maybe it's me who isn't ready to give it up. I was so ready with the other two. I think I could have stuck with it longer with Jakey, but Izzys biting was becoming unbearable and I'd had enough. 

It was about time the bottle left the building. All of Izzys friends (as far as I knew) hadn't had bottles for a long time. I had no problem giving her drinks in them during the day, and a milk one at bedtime. But I was conscience about letting her have them in front of other people, in public. I don't think it is very popular in this day and age, and I was wary of what people thought or judged of me. Most kids go straight onto a sippy cup before they can walk and talk. I'm not one for reading all the latest kid moulding wrangling books or taking advice from well meaning child health nurses, so I probably missed the memo about getting rid of the bottle at an early age.

The bottle had worked for me, it worked for us. But it was time that Izzy, at almost three and a half learned to live without it. This meant getting rid of them all together, so Summer has to get used to not having one either. It has worked out easier than I thought it was going to be. Although Isabel did sneak in a cheeky and quiet "I want it in a bottle", when I gave her her warm milk in a sippy cup, she didn't kick up a stink, and went off to sleep well. The next battle will be to successfully get her toilet trained at night. No nappies. Getting rid of her night time bottle is the first step towards dry nights, I hope!

Linking at Jacana

Hot rocks and fears

I received a voucher from my sister in laws for my 40th last year. A hundred bucks to spend at the local beauty/nails/massage joint. I had been there before, to get my nails done for my wedding, and a couple of years later, a pedi with the works, which was AWESOME, a gift from my former boss. You can see I don't go there much. I'm booked in for a hot rock massage today, never had one. I am going to love it, I know I am. But I can't help but over think it.

My sister in law Marg is looking after the girls while I lay for an hour, in peace. No kids. No worries. I am still anxious though. What if I cry out of pure relief and release all of my emotion? Emotion that has been building up, I have felt it, in my shoulders. The pressures of everyday, of constant mothering.

What if I fall asleep? A snore, a spit dribble. Horror! I do too much thinking. I need not to worry, I need to just turn up, lay down and soak it up. Or is that suck it up. Suck it up sister, enjoy yourself, let yourself have some time on your own. Let other people look after your kids, take your time, don't rush back. Don't over think, don't feel like a nuisance for having some timeout. Enjoy, relax, breathe. It's gonna be OK.

img cred

Expressing and high time for a hair do

So I sit here finally, after putting kids to bed, cleaning up toys, sweeping, mopping and expressing milk. I haven't showered yet, and am just starting my me time for the night. Its 10 pm.

I have just wasted spent the last hour with a hand pump attached to my boobs for almost half a cup of milk. I hate it.  It's the most frustrating, dissappointing and emotion prevoking job I have ever had to undertake as a mother. All for a trip to the hairdresser. Gives me the shits. It's not 'til Wednesday so I have another day of mental torture trying again. 

The last time I went was a year ago, right before I left work, when I was pregnant with Summer. So it is high time I get my time in the chair, a free coffee and some trashy mag reading.

I was there for nearly three hours, so I'm not sure how long it will take this time. My sister in law is kindly looking after both the girls, she's offered to look after them for most of the day, so I can have a day to myself. Sounds good hey! It would probably be a good idea, if I could convince myself that is OK to have some time out and not feel guilty that I am impeding on her time and that it is not an inconvenience for her to spend time with her nieces. That I am allowed to forget I have kids for hours and enjoy it, without feeling I have to rush to pick them up or feel like a nuisance for asking her to look after them.

I am very much looking forward to getting my hair done. Ever get to the stage when you could take a pair of scissors to your own hair because your so sick of it? The thought has crossed my mind the past week!!! So stay tuned for a new photo on my 'about me' page, of my new do.

I make a list every year around tax time, a wish list. I kind of plan of what I will use the money for, a hair cut and colour was on the list as well as a pasta machine. I haven't bought the pasta machine yet, I'd forgotten it was on the list in the back of my diary, until I just looked. I've been to busy hitting the shops for new clothes...and shoes ;P I have a shocking habit of going into shops looking for me and ending up walking out with stuff for the kids.

I am also bad at promising myself, after a trip to the hairdresser, to go back in two months and maintain, I never do.