A Weekend By The Numbers

2.5 - hours spent bored on Friday night. Seriously, there was nothing on free-to-air tv ( and we dont have Foxtel ) that i was interested in, although Mick was quite happy watching " boy " programs on the new 7Mate channel. I thought i could start reading a new book ( and by new i mean one from own library that i havent read in a while... ) but i didnt want to seem like i was ignoring my sweetheart. So lie down on the couch next to him, shoved my feet on his lap and asked for a massage. It didnt work...

$169 - spent on this weeks groceries. A little more expensive than usual, bu that did include a new tin of formula, a 10 pack of AA batteries and sensitive skin shaving cream - all relatively pricey items we dont usually buy. And i managed to do the groceries in under 45 minutes because Mick decided the weather was that shitty i could go do the groceries on my own and he'd stay home with Flynn. See what i can do without the two male distractions in my life?

2 - movies watched. Yep, the crappy weather meant it was perfect for a movie day, so we chucked the spare mattress on the loungeroom floor and veged for the afternoon. We watched " Iron Man 2 " which i really enjoyed ( even though i fell asleep and had to catch up the half hr i missed later in the evening ) because, lets face it, i'm kind-of-not secretly a comic book movie fan; and " Shutter Island " which we both agreed was a great movie ( despite Mick falling asleep and me having to catch him up on the half hr he missed ). I'm not going to give away an details for those who havent seen it but its one of those head-trippy thrillers that has you questioning everyones motives and everyones truths... ooh, mysterious!

7 +3 - slices of bacon + eggs cooked for breakfast on Sunday morning. Ah, bacon and eggs on a Sunday... its not exactly a ritual around here but is rather kept for special occasions or just as a way to say " i appreciate you baby ! ".

1 - year anniversary. Of what ? Sunday was one year since Michael proposed to me...aww, romantical. Thats why i was making the bacon and eggs...it was both a special occasion and a appreciative thankyou breakfast.

5 - people that we had over for afternoon tea: my mum, dad, brother, SIL and almost-2 yr old neice. Despite my love of baking, i had no time up my sleeve to whip up a tasty treat, so we just grabbed a pack of lamingtons from Woolies. Everyone loves a lamington! Or a mint slice biscuit, as i found out when my neice only ate half of hers before it was time for to leave, and Flynn found the discarded half about 20 mins later when he woke up from his nap. Mmmm, chocolatey mess on the carpet....

750 - millilitres of cheap champas sparkling wine drunk by Michael and myself over a romantic candlelit dinner after Flynn had gone to sleep. He cooked dinner ( a yummy Indian Curry Chicken Rice ) and i made dessert ( Chocolate Mousse with mixed berries ) and we sat and chatted across the rarely used dining table and enjoyed our lovely meal without the interruptions of our ( gorgeous ) crazy baby. Then we retired to our boudoir for the evening....to snuggle. And sleep. What else would we be doing in their you perves ? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge...

Do We Really Need To Go THAT Overboard?

I think i have may have mentioned before but.... i'm getting married next year. November 5th, 2011 to be exact. So even though my wedding is still quite a ways away i'm already bookmarking wedding blogs, and searching Google images for pretty wedding hair and bitching about the other brides on " Four Weddings".  And yesterday i came across this article about a women who's wedding budget blew out so much that her wedding debt has now outlasted her marriage ( a shame on both accounts ). Which, though i have pondered it before, got me thinking - why the hell is there any need to spend sooooooooo much on a wedding which is, in reality, only one day of your life?

We've all heard of the crazy bridezillas who spend fifty, sixty, seventy thousand dollars on their "dream wedding ". Celebrities i can understand, but how on earth any normal person can justifty spending the equivalent of a house deposit on one day - hell, its only a few hours of the day! - is just beyond me. I'm sure there will be women out there saying " But i loved my day! And it was MY day, what i WANTED, so why shouldnt i spend that much ? " To that i say - fair point. Its your day, spend what you want it on it. But to me, i just cant see how a $5000 dress makes you any happier than a $500 dress, or how Swarovski crystal table centrepieces brings you any more real, lasting joy than a beautiful bunch of flowers. Sure the pretty things and the extra fine dining might give you momentary thrills, but a few months down the track, when your struggling to pay all your bills, is that really going to be worth it ? I wouldnt think so.

Mick and I have a budget of $10 000 ( very kindl, traditionally and generously supplied by my parents. Otherwise, we wouldnt be having a wedding because we gots very little money of our own ). We're hoping to squeeze at least part of the honeymoon cost in under that $10 000 and i cant see why we cant make that happen. We're simple people with simple tastes - though " simple " does not ( as some people seem to think ) equate to " tacky ". No - i like fine, pretty things as much as the next woman, i just refuse to spend exorbitant amounts of money for those fine pretty things. I've already bought my dress and i paid $400 for it, marked down from $1200. To me thats nothing to be ashamed of - its a beautiful dress, it looks gorgeous on me, and its savvy shopping! I'm not the kind of girl thats dreamed of her " big day " since she was 5, but my dress is a beautiful Grecian style and thats what i was looking for. It may have been on sale, it may have been " cheap " but i fail to see how spending a few thousand dollars more on a similar dress would make me any happier....

What i'm trying to get at is I personally am not going to feel the need to spend a small fortune on one day of my life. The wedding is, after all, only one day and what is going to matter to me more is the marriage ....all those days after the white dress and the flowers and the cake. I'm going to be grossly, vomit-worthy happy to be in my $500 dress, in a local park beside a pretty (albeit man made ) lake, exchanging vows and jewellry with the man i love. And i'm going to enjoy my reception afterward at a local " boutique beer " establishment, upstairs in its function room with its fairy lighted ceiling, eating gourmet " pub grub " and more than likely dancing to an IPod playlist. As long as the man i love, and the little man i love, and the rest of my people are there enjoying it with me, the dollars spent ( or not spend, in my case ) wont matter a dot....
What about you? If your married, did you have a budget do or a an extravaganza? If your not married - what do you think ?

Like ChickenMan.... We're Everywhere!

Who's we ( If you have to ask who ChickenMan is, clearly you didnt listen to the radio as a kid... )? We is us, the mentally ill. The one's who have depression, anxiety disorder, PND, schizophrenia, multiple personalities. We're everywhere and everyone, and i wanted to take this chance during National Mental Health Week to let the rest of you in on a secret - we're not crazy. Or dangerous. As Matchbox Twenty once put it " I'm not crazy, i'm just a little unwell ". Kudos to you Rob Thomas and band - that sums it up pretty damn well.

I've posted about it on here before a bazillion times but i'm not ashamed to say it again - i have previously suffered from clincial depression and social anxiety disorder. I say previously because i'm not in that dark place anymore, but i know and appreciate that there is always a chance i could succumb again at some stage. If i do it will be okay, because i know i'll have the strength to come through it again. I suffered for a long time, but with a lot of hardwork, great support, and an eventual break in those pyschological barriers, i've gotten better. I've achieved a few personal milestones that in my darkest times i though could only be found under a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Or, in other words, in a fantasy land that i just wasnt every going to get to. But here i am, living the dream, or at least parts of it.

So i'm living proof that mentally ill people are:
a) everyday people. The people you know, the people you meet on the street, the people who work at the mall.
b) not always going to be mentally ill. Just because they're living in the darkness or in a muddled foggy cloud, doesnt mean they wont ever find the sunshine again. Be patient. Be supportive. Be there.
c) not a scourge on society. I couldnt be a scourge if i tried!

I know some of you out there have current mental health issues that your fighting and to you i say - be strong. You CAN do it. In the spirit of Mental Health Week i'm sending you positive vibes and all my cyber love. To those of you are mentally fit and competent i say - congratulations! Oh, and could you please spare some good vibes and cyber love and send it out to everyone under a black cloud this week?

Operation Slimdown, Mach 2 - Week 3

Its Tuesday again ( funny that, we have one every week... ) which means today is the day i take stock of the weeks eating and exercise and see where i've ended up. To tell you the truth, i wasnt exactly looking forward to weighing myself in and taking my measurements this week - last week down at Tresillian was a bit of a write off, what with the hospital food and the rain and no access to my exercise dvds. I did manage to get out for a few walks with Flynn, but only around one city block - though i suppose thats better than nothing right ? I got myself back up on the bandwagon yesterday - Monday is the traditional day of starting stuff! - by going back to eating smaller portions. I didnt really get any exercise in ( Mick came home sick so i was a bit consumed with looking after the poor little fella... ) but its only 10:30am and i've already been for a walk. Jog. Sort of. What i mean is that i've been out and done a hybrid walk/jog - i didnt jog too far for too long ( it felt my lungs were going to burst out of my chest ! ) but i know with time and patience i can get back to jogging again. If i push myself. Which i will.

So - now to the juicy stuff! Where is my bootylicious body at this week?
Weight - 77.1kgs. I've lost 700g in two weeks: not exactly the result i was hoping for but after last week i'll take it.
Bust - 97.5cm. Thats down by 1.5cm - why is that my boobs are always the first to go?
Waist - 84cm, down 0.5cm
Hips - 102.5cm, also down 0.5cm
Bum - 108cm, no change.
Thigh - 66.5cm, down ( would you believe it? ) 0.5cm

So i guess i've shrunk just a teeny tiny fraction in the past fortnight - all except my bum. Damn you bubble butt! Good news is, it also looks like i'm shrinking in proportion - except for my boobs. Can i get my baby boobs back and just sacrifice everything else? Ah well - on to next week!

I Needs Some Good Ideas!

Hello there, and welcome to another ( and long overdue ) Blog This! challenge. Its not that i havent been regularly participating, but rather that the sites admin was going through a little bit of a change up and there were no challenges posted. However, challenges are back and this week:
Do you have a problem or is there something you're struggling with? Small or big, something that just won't go away? No matter where you look you can't find the solution?

This week's challenge is to share a struggle or problem you're currently facing and ask other Blog This members for advice and suggestions!

So, mine isnt exactly a huge problem, and its not exactly a struggle ( i've already blogged the whole sleep issue thing to death, and Operation Slimdown is its own kettle of fish ) but here' what i want to put to you guys: my gorgeous Flynn is now 9 and half months old, which means his first birthday is slowly creeping up on me, and no doubt time will fly in the lead up to Christmas. I'm already starting to think about his first birthday party which i'd love to be a small, simple, fun affair for everyone involved. Bearing in mind the majority of guests will be adults and family ( i'm going to invite a few of his little friends from mothers group though ) i'm thinking a barbecue at Grandma and Poppys place is the best way to go. However, their is still the matter of the most important part ( for me ) of the whole shebang -
What in the hell crap am i going to make for his first birthday cake?!?
I want something thats going to be cute and look good in photos, so we can look back and say " Look at that cool cake Mummy made you when you turned one! ". I have a few ideas - maybe i could do a caterpillar, cutting five "rounds " from some larger cakes and spell out his name on the body using Smarties; maybe i could make a puppy dog face because he really likes his " Woof Woof! " book; Maybe i could just make something yummy and stick Elmo's face on it. But thats all i got people - i needs some suggestions!
Things to bear in mind - he's turning one; his birthday is December 27th so he's pretty much a Christmas baby; he's good with motor skills and Sesame Street seems to be his favourite tv show.

So go to it ladies and (possible ) gents - do you have any suggestions for a cute 1st birthday cake?

We're Back!

Why hello there loyal reader types! Flynn and I are finally back from Tresillian and, i got to admit, i'm feeling pretty good. I thought i might feel a little apprehensive coming home, away from the nurses and the encouraging words of other mums, but i'm feeling confident that we're going to have our whole new routine downpat in no time at all. Granted, Flynn didnt have an afternoon nap this afternoon but, after a 6 hour car trip home, you cant blame him for feeling a little muddled. So what did we learn at this "sleep school "?

* Nothing is miraculously fixed overnight - at Flynns age, it can take up to 6 weeks for a new routine to be learned and settled into comfortably ( not the usual 2 suggested by most literature i've read ).
* Consistency is key. This one i already knew but found hard to stick to, especially when i was trying to get him to sleep when i was home alone.
* Watch the clock. It may feel like they've been screaming " for ages " and that they've been in bed long enough. In reality, its probably only been about 10 minutes.
* Bub should be having, at the very least, a 1 hr nap. If he wakes before that ( say, after 45 minutes ) i need to leave him in his cot ( going back in to check and calm ) for another FULL SLEEP CYCLE. Which is another 45 minutes....sometimes it takes that long for a baby to fall back to sleep.
* Dont stand and pat your baby until he falls asleep - be hands on to calm him down, but once he's calm, leave the room. Patting til he's asleep might help him drift off, but it doesnt teach him to drift off ON HIS OWN.
* No matter how hard they cry and how much it hurts, they will stop sometimes. Eventually. Really, i promise.
* Also, the whole " baby cant self settle " thing is just bad habit, not bad mothering. Phew - so i can stop torturing myself over that one.

Honestly? I think it was a definate help going down there. Yes, they (generally ) use a controlled crying technique but i was ok with that because i'd tried everything else and nothing had worked. Plus, its not a horrible, parental abandonment type of controlled crying - its reading tired signs and listening to the cry and going back in at short intervals to calm bub down and reassure him he's tired and needs to go to sleep. Its the same kind of thing i was trying to do at home, i just needed a bit of guidance. I'm grateful to the nurses for sharing their knowledge with me, for answering my stupid questions, and for calming ME down when i cracked and burst into tears on the first day.

I'm actually looking forward to the challenge of implementing and sticking with the new routine ( which is only slightly tweaked from our old one ) and seeing how long it takes to be entirely successful. With no afternoon nap its only taken Flynn 10 minutes to fall asleep for the night so thats a good start!

Operation Slimdown, Mach 2 - Week 2

So, we're into week 2 of OS:M2 and, truth be told, i dont really have much to tell you. In fact, this is kind of a non-update. Its not that i havent been trying because i really, really i have, i promise. Its just that i'm down here with Flynn at Tresillian and i dont have a mesauring tape or scales, so i cant get any results to share.

I will say however that i did exercise 6 out of the 7 days since the start of OS:M2. Good for me! I went for a half hour walk 4 days, did a " Fat Blasting Yoga " dvd one day ( and yes, Denise Austin, i DID feel the burn... ), my usual hr long Zumba class on Wednesday night and am being cheeky enough to count a vigorous bout of " horizontal exercise " as an official exercise session. I've felt better for it i think, even though that yoga dvd reminded me of muscles i 'd forgotten i even had.

I cut back on portion sizes, as evidenced by the fact we had leftovers everyday, and i managed to drink at least a litre of water everyday, sometimes a little more. To be honest, i dont actually feel as though i've lost any weight, and i cant notice my clothes fitting any differently, so perhaps its a good thing that i cant get any measurements done today! The last two days have been bit of a bust diet wise ( travelling plus hospital food do not a health diet make ) and its been raining almost the entire time we've been here in Penrith so i havent been able to go out for the walks i'd hoped to take.

No matter, I'll call the rest of this week a write off and perserve next week. Fingers crossed i have some kind of loss to report next Tuesday!