Its Gone Missing

I think i've lost my blogging mojo. No scratch that - i know i have. Its between going back to work after the Christmas break, and starting a new business where i have to do paperwork of an evening after getting home from my other job, and a now 2 yr old who has discovered the Terrible Two's .... i'm stuffed by the end of the day and doing a blog post is the last priority.


Don't get me wrong - i still WANT to blog. I have every intention of posting and then my fingers hover over the keyboard and i find that i have nothing to write. You know except " I'm tired! " or " Cant someone else cook dinner for a change ? ". And i'm still reading all your blogs, alughing along with you, sharing your stresses, all the usual stuff. I just cant get anything to consistently onto MY page.

Maybe i need to go find myself one of those 30 day challenges, so i'm pretty much given a topic and forced to write everyday? I know when i did the Ralph Waldo Emerson challenge last year that it really renewed my passion for my blog. So - any suggestions? I dont want to do a photo challenge because the aim here is to get me writing again, so can anyone recommend a writing challenge to me? Or can anyone suggest a topic - something you want to aske me, or want hear my opinion on ( haha ) ?
Help me people!

Mama Makeover Time

So.... i've decided that 2012 is my year, gawd damn it! Seeing that there are many things coming together for me and my family, and that the wedding is well and truely over, I decided that it was time for a little makeover. Nothing too crazy, nothing too way out - just a bit of a shine and polish if you will. And what better time to do it than for my 28th birthday? So Saturday morning, the day before my birthday i went off to have my hair " did " - a new cut and a bit of colour is exactly what i needed to kick start my "new year, new me " campaign.

Lets take a look at the "before " me:

Oh yea - so NOT sexilicious! Plain dark brown hair, just past shoulder length, long enough that when i'm feeling lazy ( which is 99% of the time ) i can just chuck it up in a ponytail. Oh, and as you may have noticed, zero makeup. Au naturel bathroom mirror shot baby!

And, a few hours later, the " after " :

Better! A sleek bob which pretty much only needs a straightener run through it and, though you cant really tell in the bathroom light, its had a chilli red colour put through it. A bit of makeup - including lippie! - and i was ready to go out of for dinner with my boys. This is what i wore:

So the pic isn't all that awesome, so apologies for that. But there I am with my sleek new hair in one of my favourite simple dresses in navy blue ( $10 from SES! ) and my gorgeous cage heels courtesy of my generous Dad.

So - what do we think? Worth the money i forked out at the hairdressers or what?



Putting The " Pee " In " Potty "

It seems that every " Mummy " blogger worth her salt has done a post about toilet training in the past few weeks - and, as late to the party as i may be, i'm jumping on that bandwagon too. Or the Toilet Train, if you want to go that way.

Flynn turned 2 last month and Mick and I had already decided that particular milestone would signal the start of offical potty training. I know your supposed to wait for all the "signals " but if your child is showing some, but not others well... whats a Mama to do? We'd bought a potty back at 18 mths old at the advice of our child health nurse, just to get him used to the idea of what it was and what it was for. It sat next to our toilet, and Flynn would sit on it of a morning ( fully clothed ) to brush his teeth. Occasionally i'd ask him if he'd like to try sitting on it, maybe try doing a wee when Mummy was going to the toilet, but the answer was pretty much always a polite, but firm, " No Mum ".

But turning 2 was Flynns D-Day. I started sitting him on the potty once before lunch, once after his nap and then right before his bath for a few days to get him used to both the concept and how sitting on the potty actually felt. We had a poo on the potty on the 2nd day, and the one after that ( my son has an admittedly very regular schedule for those, so i think we fluked it ) and i thought " Oh man, this going to be a cinch! " And then... nothing. He didnt want to sit down when i asked him, and he'd just wait til his nappy was back on and then he'd go.

So i asked my parents advice - Mum said put him in undies. Tell him they're for big boys and it might have two effects: 1) he'll feel proud wearing them like a big kid and 2) when he does wet them he'll soon figure out it doesnt feel too good and want to go on the potty. So we've been trying it - on the days i dont work Flynn goes into undies as soon as we get up, and only wears a nappy for sleeps and when we go out. It had been two weeks of wet undies, one pair of soiled jocks ( strangely, he still managed to hold in those #2's until a nappy was on ) and lots of begging and pleading on both our behalfs. That is.... until yesterday.

Monday we had a successful poo in the potty. I clapped and i cheered and i told him how proud i was. We flushed it down the loo and waved goodbye to it. I told him that if he could do a big wee in the potty that there would be a pay off - a " special present " for learning how to be a big boy. I worked Tuesday so he was in nappies most of the day. But Wednesday afternoon, after an hr and half in undies without an accident before his nap, and a dry nappy when he woke up, i knew the time was right. We sat down together, me on the floor and him on the potty. We read " Olivia " twice. He begged to put a nappy on but i told him no, a wee was going to come, and he could do it in the potty. And then, just like that, we had action! I was so happy i almost cried. Ok, maybe i did a bit. But we had success, and then after a trip to Big W to buy the "special present " ( he chose a new truck... ) we had two more successful potty attempts that afternoon, and one this morning.

I know this isnt all over - its gonna be a while yet before i can say Flynn is day trained, and even longer before we have nights covered, but i'm just happy that after almost a month of frusturation for everybody that we've had that maiden success. I'd love to have him out of nappies during the day by winter and thankfully i have both his daycare " Mum " and my parents on board, so he can be nappy free most places he is during the day. I'd love any suggestions, tips or tricks you fellow mamas might have on how to help him along aswell. So - how did your kids go? Any potty training secrets you should be letting me in on?

Mrs Ranty Pants

It may not be Monday but i've got my ranty-pants on today. Why? Because one of my colleagues is annoying me so much i'm trying desperately to control the urge to punch him in the head. Violent? Yea, maybe. A means to an end? Yep.

For the next two weeks i am working in my department by myself. Rather than this fill me with dread at being run entirely off my feet, i'm more worried about running out of things to do and spending my days fighting off boredom. You see, with our optometrist on leave, so are his patients - which leaves me with only paperwork and filing to catch up on. Not the most exciting of prospects, and the likely situation is that i will have finished playing catch ups this afternoon and be left with 4 more shifts and not very much to do.

So, knowing this, at 9am this morning, this particular colleague is over in my department, poking around, putting deliveries away. Ordinarily I might appreciate a bit of help, but in this circumstance he was being kind of unhelpful.

No worries though, it was only one thing. I thanked him and asked him to leave anything else for me to do. " Oh, dont you want me to come over here and give you a hand cleaning it out? " Umm... no, thanks, i can do it myself. It wont take that long. " Oh, but dont you need me to do some of your filing ? " Umm.... no thanks, i'm here by myself with no patients remember? " Yea, but how about i do some phone calls for you ? " Umm... seriously, no. I can do it by myself. ( Now get out of my department ).

So sure, that sounds pretty petty. And it is - but when its a person who is very rarely doing his own work, at his own desk, poking around your department playing 20 questions, its gets a bit much. As does his attitude to his own work when its there to be done - seeing that he was busy chit-chatting to someone ( and i mean chit-chatting, having a catch up, not actually doing business with them ) i answered his phone. I couldnt help with the callers query ( you know, seeing as its not my department ) and when i cleared my throat, did the whole " Umm, excuse me - this lady needs blahedy blah " you know what he says ? " I dont know. Cant help her " and turns back to his friend. How. Effing. Rude. Rude to me and rude to the caller. I had to jump back on the phone and tactfully explain that he wasnt sure of the answer and transfer her elsewhere.

When he finally finished his chat and his friend had left.... well copped an evil eye and a mouthful from me about how rude he was. I'm telling ya - he carries on like this for the rest of the fortnight he'll be headed for an early grave....

Hello Up There!

Dear God/Universe/Who Or Whatever Is In Control Of These Things,

What the hell is up with the weather lately?

By lunchtime today the temperature here in DubVegas was only 18 decrees Celsius. 18 freaking degrees, in the middle of summer! That is just beyond ridiculous.... that has to be at least 15 degrees cooler than normal summer temperatures. We had to turn the heating/cooling system off in the office because 3 of us had goosebumps and i was pretty sure if my fingertips got much colder they might have dropped off!

So what the crap is going on Mother Nature? You need to get your act together and give me some reasonable summer temperatures so that i can wear summer dresses, and swim, and get out in the sunshine while i still can. We're taking Flynn to the beach in Februray and it will be his first time seeing the ocean. If its too cold for him to swim i will be one very unhappy camper!

Yours Truely,
Amy ( a January born water baby. Who loves summer and HATES the cold! )

Something To Talk About - " Choose 5 " Link Up

So Melissa from " The Things I'd Tell You " has decided that she'd like to start a weekly link up, wherein she'll post a subject/theme/idea dn if you feel inspired you can get on board and write your on post. Which is what i'm doing this week because this weeks topic is hot. Or should i say hawt?
In a fantasy world, forget about spouses and loves, if you could fall in love with {or be best friends with, I don't think it should all be about who you'd shag , so lets have some from both categories } a movie or tv character, name 5 you would choose. Not the actors but the movie characters. You have to tell us why.
So here goes:

1. Noah from " The Notebook " - yes i know its a stereotypically mushy chick-flick adored by women everywhere. But Noah is pretty much the most romantic male lead ever ( to the point where women weep - hell, they SOB - at how sweet he is... ) and the fact that he's played by the divine Ryan Gosling doesnt hurt either.

2. Wesley/The Dread Pirate Roberts from " The Princess Bride " - Wesley gets the nod because a) " The Princess Bride " was one of my favourite movies as a young girl; b) the film was probably my first taste of romance and; c) he's romantic AND he's a pirate. Oh, and he can sword fight, and rock climb, and outwit a Sicilian, all with a flip of his perfect hair, a wink and a grin. As you wish...

3. Mr Darcy from various incarnations of " Pride and Prejudice " - seriously, how was there any doub that i WOULDN'T pick Mr Darcy? I havent seen the Colin Firth version ( i know, i know ) so i'll go with Mathew McFadyen played opposite Keira Knightleys Elizabeth ( i seriously have a girl crush on Keira KNightly, but thats a whole other post ). Perhaps not as physically gorgeous but there is something about that stand-offish , repressed passion that really draws me in.

4. Roux from " Chocolat " - i have two words for you: Johnny. Depp. Do i need to explain further? OK - how bout a movie set in France, in a chocolaterie, where Johnny plays a handsome gypsy who knows how to play guitar and fix things? I want to replace Juliette Binoche, take him out on that barge and jump his beautiful gypsy bones...

5. Hyde from " That 70's Show " - this one is purely because Hyde is bad boy 70's super fly, and i want to run my hands through his white-boy afro. ( oh, and over his bum in those tight 70's style jeans. Yea, i think i'd like me a piece of that ...)

Taking Care Of Business

So the first week of running our new business has been .... interesting. There have been a few tanties thrown, a bit of crying, one " i cant do this! " and a whole lot of phone calls for help.


Its not that anything is overly hard, as such - its just that for me, EVERYTHING is new, and though Mick may be an old hand at the physical aspect of running the business, he's never had to do it all by himself. Which means ( as i expected ) that this week has been a little tricky for each of us. Like i said, Mick has been running around town doing all the physical stuff on his own ( though i did give him a hand on Wednesday morning, not that i did it very successfully ) and i have been doing the "paperwork " of an evening when he gets home.

He apologised to me last night because it seems, to him, "so hard ". But its not hard, just time consuming - all i am doing at the moment is basic MYOB data entry, its just that i dont know delivery prices for thngs yet, or the correct address for every customer, or what the hell half the stuff we deliver some days even is! So i have to keep referring back to the notes the precious owners generously made for me, or calling someone who might have a better idea. Plus, i have to set customers up in the system as we sell to them, so i have to do that before i can register a sale. Suffice to say ( without going into further very boring detail ) all that takes a while.

But its all good. Mick seems to be stressing a bit, but i'm keeping my head up and knowing that this is only the first week - check back with us at the end of the first month and we'll be much more comfortable. Plus, as time-consuming as it may be to learn now, getting a handle on how our business is run, and then being able to run it the way that works for us will benefit our family for years to come. We need to forget the first week jitters and concentrate on how good it will be in a year, or 5 years or 10. Onwards and upwards i say!

Let Them Eat Cake

So between the chaos of Christmas and New Years, in our house there is Flynns birthday. Oh yea, poor boy had the misfortune of being born in that no-mans land week between parties, which means he pretty much gets all his presents in one big go and is devoid of the pleasure of unwrapping for the rest of the year.
However, though the presents might be the important part to him ( even just turning 2 he already knows the excitement of " ooh - presents!! " ), the important part of the day for me as mama is the cake.

Or, should i say cakes - this year Flynn daycare " mum " ( he goes to family daycare, and i dont like just calling her a "carer " or babysitter... ) asked if they could have a little birthday bash for him on the last of care for the year ( Dec 23rd ) so i had the pleasure of making two lots of birthday cakey goodness this year. And i say pleasure because although i did stress a bit about how they would turn out, i actually enjoyed thinking of a cute idea and then making and decorating the cakes

I decided for daycare it would be nicer to do cupcakes, that way each little kid on their own piece, all the same size, no arguments. But i didnt want them to plain old cupcakes, i wanted some kind of theme, something Flynn would like. So i thought a bit and came up with " ooh- Sesame Street! The boy loves Sesame Street! " So for daycare Flynn got these:

Can you tell that theyre supposed to be Cookie Monster? Vanilla cupcakes with blue coconut icing, mini marshmallows for eyes and mini choc-chip cookies jammed in where his mouth would be ( because what else would Cookie Monster have hanging out his face ? )
And for the official day i had to do a proper birthday cake. One that caused me a bit of anxiety as to how to make it. One like this:

ELLLLLLLLLLLLLMOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! This was the stressful one - how do i make the eyes? How do i make the nose? What shape should his mouth be? In the end i went with the semi-circle mouth carved into the cake, eyes made of chocolate biscuits, the nose from a Monte Carlo and everything iced the appropriate colour. I need not have stressed though - Flynn was amazed by the whole Elmo cake but he didnt actually eat any! ( he was too busy playing... )

So how do you think i went? And are you a home-made or a store-bought kind of person?