Our snow adventure...

On the Queen's Birthday long weekend we decided to head up to Lake Mountain, near the town of Marysville that was ravaged by fires on Black Saturday in February 2009. And on a tangent, can I say that that area is hauntingly beautiful. The fire ravaged trees still stood and building works were going on everywhere, but there was something so heartwarming and beautiful about seeing this little town and its people keeping it going despite the enormous loss they suffered.

Now its fair to say that I am not a fan of the outdoors in general. I am often heard chanting, " I HATE nature". I don't enjoy the sun, or the cold, or dirt or bugs.... and snow.. well I hate the friggen stuff. BUT being a good mumma who knew at least 1 of her children would love it, I obliged, helped pack up the car and off we went. Now I have a very valid reason for my dislike of the snow, the last time I went, I slipped and sprained my ankle quite badly within about 10 minutes of stepping foot on the snow. So this time, I was going to be extra cautious. 

Kids all rugged up ready to go...pity about the face on Xave would be a good pic otherwise

Well was I wrong about 1 of the kids enjoying the snow, they both loved it. I honestly thought Stels would feel the cold of it and freak and spend the day clinging to me, but she was in heaven.

I made it out of the car park easily enough and spent a good 20 minutes wandering around near the toboggan run and was still alive. Adam suggested wandering over to another area where there appeared to be some more fresh snow that they could make a snowman with.. okay!?!?!?!

Well I made it over there too and was standing watching the kids loving it when...BANG!!! Down I went like a sack of potatoes. Freaking ankle.

As usual while I'm gasping in pain, begging Adam with my eyes to help me the fuck up, he is more interested in asking what happened. Well clearly darling, I'm on the ground in obvious pain...WTF do you think might have happened? What is it about asking me to talk when I'm in so much pain I can barely breathe?

Eventually Adam helped me up and perched me on a wet rock while he and the kids continued to play. Where I did at least get some great pics of the kids playing.

Some pictures from my wet rock

Experience with my life long shonky ankles tells me that what I should have done in that moment, was take off my shoe, elevate my foot and ice it. But the mumma bear in me, didn't want to ruin my kids day, so I left the shoe on, knowing as soon as it came off the ankle would swell making it impossible to get the shoe back on, sucked up the pain and spent the next 2 hours either limping around in the snow or sitting on cold wet rocks resting and watching Adam and the kids enjoy the snow. Why sitting on wet rocks I hear you ask and not in the warmth of the cafe sipping hot chocolate with marshmallows? Because there are NO FREAKING CHAIRS in the cafe at Lake Mountain.. WTF is that about?

Stella our little speed demon, was in her element on the toboggan, screaming when the run ended and carrying on all the way on the walk back up to the top... Adam claims that I hurt myself just to get out of dragging the kids up the hill time and time again... little does he know, injury or not, I was not going to dragging anyone up a freaking hill in the snow.

It was in the car on the way home that the pain really amped up to unbearable, I tried my best to elevate it, but it was impossible to get it as high as it needed to be, so we ended up stopping in Lilydale for Adam to go and buy me some pain killers.

Just a little bit swollen? Excuse the ugly toe nail polish.

The following day I headed off to the physio to have it strapped properly and checked over and he suggested an x-ray to rule out a fracture. The x-ray showed there wasn't a fracture, BUT it did show that I had a moderate heel spur.. which while not life threatening, it does explain a lot of the foot pain I often have, and means that I will need to reconsider my love of wearing thongs all the time... bugger

Operation 'proper shoes' here I come.

Oh and for those of you who have heard me refer to my 'hot' physio, he was busy when I needed my ankle looked at so I had to settle for a much younger, 'cute' physio instead. Seriously, is it a pre-requisite to the course, you have to be a bit of a looker?

What makes me happy...

Rah! Did I scare you? I know I have been AWOL for quite some time now, busy doing everything and nothing all at once.. but to get me back into the swing of things, I thought a quick blog about 10 things that make me happy might be the way to go....

Oh and a warning, there may be talk of sex and other girly things here, so consider yourself warned...

1. The way Stella's lips pout when she is telling someone off.... It makes me just want to kiss that adorable face of hers.

2. How soft the nape of Xavier's neck is, and that he still lets me kiss him there... there will come a time when he no longer giggles when I do this, so I'm going to do it while I can get away with it. Oh and his ear lobes, my son has the softest ear lobes, gets it from his daddy... whose ears I'm quite partial too also.

3. Giant Jaffas... need I say more?

4. Bags. Handbags, Nappy bags, shopping bags (the reusable ones not the plastic ones)... and in all honesty the thrill of the chase for the perfect bag is much more satisfying than the buying of said bag...

5. Morning sex. Again need I say more? As much as I HATE mornings, I am not a morning person at all, but a little bit of sleepy loving of a morning, on the rare occasion we are up before the kids.. bliss. One day, they will both sleep over somewhere (or sleep in) and we can have the best of both worlds again, a sleep in and morning sex.

6. When I know advice I have offered regarding breastfeeding, helps the person who asked.

7. Actually, breastfeeding as a whole. I love it, I love that Stella has grown up on mumma's milk, I love that its something only I can do for her, I love that she nods enthusiastically when asked before bed if she wants booby in the booby chair and I love her new trick of coming off the breast just to reach up to kiss me and stroke my face, before returning to her feed. And what I love most of all, is that I have come to realise that this breastfeeding relationship that Stella and I share has healed the wounds of not feeding Xavier for as long as I had hoped; and boy does it feel GREAT to be able to let go of that one.

8. That Adam supports me in my role as a mother. He isn't always perfect, neither am I, but his desire for me to be at home raising our children is matched only by my own desire to be here for them. Yes we go without some things others have, but whats more important is that our children don't go without us. Despite the fact that I often threaten to put them into daycare and go back to work, we both know I never would.

9. The last day of my period. This is the thing I hate most about being a girl. I love boobs, I don't mind the booty, but the periods... ARGH I hate them, so on that last day, when I know its so close to being over is awesome.

10. Where the universe has taken me. I'm not the person I thought I was going to be and I don't give a rats arse either. I'm doing things, seeing things, learning things I never imagined for myself. The universe has a plan for me, things that hurt at the time, happened to bring me closer to where I was supposed to be and while the pain was intense, I appreciate that I can now see it for what it was.

Half way there....

This past weekend the family and I headed off to the lovely town of Mansfield for the ABA training weekend. For those who don't know, I am training to become an Australian Breastfeeding Association Counsellor. I was stagnating on the course, being self paced makes it really really easy for me to slack off and get lots started and little finished... but the training weekend was GREAT. I completed 3 units (there are 14 all up to complete the certificate) so now have 7 completed all up. That means 4 more single units to go before I can begin the combined 3 counselling units. Hooray!

However, as Stella is still a booby baby, the whole family came along for the weekend. Stella happily goes all day without boobies, if they aren't there, so while I was busy studying, Adam went exploring the area with the kidlets. They had a great time and my kids look oh so amazingly cute all rugged up against the cold.

Xavier exploring

Stels looking super cute in a mumma made beanie

even bunny went for an explore


Adam assures he there was no serious off roading... hmmmm

I have a new love...

...and here it is...

My Little Squirt!

For those of you who don't know I use Baby BeeHinds Modern Cloth Nappies, mainly because I also sell them, and because they are the best.

I have been a cloth convert for a while now. Started using a different brand when Xave was about 6 months old and slowly over time built my stash. Once Stels came along, both kids were in cloth full time.

Like most people, I was concerned with the poo factor using MCN's but was assured that with either flushable liners or a little squirt it wasn't that bad. So I bought some liners and the squirt (not long after I started using cloth) with grand plans.

The liners got used and I harassed Adam until he connected up the squirt. He tried, bless him, but alas, one of the hoses was too short. Little Squirt caters for this and allows you to send it back and they will change length free of charge. So off I sent it for a longer hose. It arrived back and again Adam attempted to fit it (after a few weeks of nagging) to find that the thread on our toilet was worn and the squirt just wouldn't attach without leaking. GRRRRR!!!!!

Months passed and liners became my best friend. Xave had hideous and numerous poos daily, and being heavily pregnant with Stella, dealing with poo was not great. We returned on and off to disposables but the cloth was always there in some form.

I began to accept that perhaps my squirt was never going to be working, to the point that when I started selling BBH I would tell customers that while I had heard the squirt was good, I had lived for almost 2 years without it.

I randomly mentioned to a friends husband who is a plumber that the thread on my loo was gone and was it fixable, he said it was and offered to come and fix it for me soon. He called a few days later to say he was close and if I was home he would drop in. He not only fixed my loo but connected up the little squirt for me. Hooray! Finally it was working. I waited for madame (Xave was day toilet trained by this point, yep that's how long it had been) to do one of her grossest poos. And you will never guess, the girl who poos at every single nappy change, went 2 only wet nappies before poo arrived the next day...

I was so excited that I was going to get to use my new toy... and you know what... ITS FREAKING AWESOME!!!! I love it, I love the plumber who finally got it working for me. I don't know how I did 2 years of cloth without it...

Now when I'm working I tell people that while they don't need a little squirt, if they can stretch the budget to get one they will never regret it....

Perfume..

Let's just get this clear from the outset. I'm not a girly girl. I don't even own makeup, let alone wear it. For me, making an effort with my appearance means trying to ensure there is no food from the kids on my top or pants and perhaps if I'm feeling really organised I will slap on some lip gloss. If I'm going all out, I will try and visit the hairdresser and have her wash and blow wave my hair and if its something really really special I go running to my baby sister, who is a makeup artist, and get her to do something with me.

The funny part is that whenever I do go to the full hog effort of baby sis making me up, Adam always just looks at me like he has no clue who this woman is. Poor boy is so used to plain old me that made up me just freaks him out a little.

But I digress... this post is about the one slightly girly thing I do. I wear perfume every single day.

This has not always been the case mind you. Its a fairly recent event. I would wear perfume for special occasions, but that was all. Then I had babies and well, something felt wrong about wearing perfume when a little person was all nuzzled in. I'm not exactly sure when it began, but I know there was a day when I realised I had all these lovely perfumes just sitting around not being used. I was saving them for a 'special occasion'. With 2 kids, this occasion was not going to come before the perfume started smelling funky... so I made a decision, bugger it, I was going to enjoy my perfume and wear it each and every day. So I do!

Its the one thing I do just for me. It makes me feel nice to smell nice, and there is nothing like someone else noticing just how good you smell.

Therefore I felt it was appropriate to dedicate a post to my favourite perfumes...

Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker is one of my regular 'day' perfumes. I originally bought it after smelling it on my mum. I love how perfume smells different on different people once it mixes with their natural body oils. On my mum, lovely smells like new babies. Like talc powder, and soft downy heads and that deliciousness that is just new baby smell. unfortunately, it doesn't smell quite the same on me. But it smells good enough and I do love it.

This is Intimately Beckham. No I am no a Beckham fan, I received this as a gift, and at first I was a bit, urgh, Beckham. But its a lovely light fragrance, perfect for 'days' and I do alternate it with lovely for my day use. I probably wouldn't have bought it for myself, not because of the smell, but rather because of the name of it. But regardless, I'm glad I received it as a gift as it has grown on me and I rather like it.

This is the Bvlgeri Omnia I received for my birthday. Its very very different to what I would normally wear. My first instinct was to turn my nose up at it, but after the Beckham experience I'm willing to give it a go. Just because its different, doesn't mean that its necessarily bad. I cant see me wearing it as a 'day' fragrance, it feels too heavy, but I will start wearing it soon and see if it grows on me. Stay tuned for an update.

This Dior Hypnotic Poison is my ABSOLUTE favourite. I love most of the poison range, but find the original poison just too heavy for me. But the hypnotic smells amazing, both off and on me. Hooray! Its my 'special going out' perfume. I feel its a bit much for every day with the kids, but for going out I cant help myself. It makes me feel grown up and a little bit sexy. (my day perfumes make me feel pretty) Never have I worn it out and not had a compliment on it. Its that good. Plus Jenni told me when she sniffed me that I had the best smelling boobs she had ever sniffed and that is saying something...lol

And this, this is what I want next. So pay attention any husbands of mine looking for gift ideas. I had a sniff recently when we were pricing my new bottle of hypnotic poison, and this is just lovely. It would make a delicious day perfume to add to my range.

I have come to realise over the years I am rather smell sensitive. Smells are what bring back memories for me and evoke emotions. For example, I cannot stand the smell of Joop on men. My ex wore it and every time I smell it, I have an overwhelming urge to slap the person wearing it. Cool Water reminds me of teenage boys, because that's what all the cool boys wore when I was a teenager. And embarrassingly so, nothing gets me going quite like the smell of dirty car oil/grease hands and brutt33. There is just something so masculine about a man all greasy and brutty.

Adam isn't really that into aftershave, so he doesn't have a smell as such and I haven't invested enough time sniffing around for something for him to wear that really floats my boat. Guess he just has natural man stink that does it for me.

Las Vegas Party...

I'm a bit late in posting this, but well, better late than never, right?

Late April we were invited to my cousin and his girlfriends 40th birthday party. It has a Vegas theme and we were asked to come in costume. My family were going to be at the party, and Adam's parents were overseas, so our babysitters were either OS or going to the party themselves. Because of this, and his dislike of most social settings, Adam stayed at home with the kids and I went alone.

My own personal criteria for my costume was that I wanted something comfortable and something that would cover as much of me as possible. I certainly had no intentions of frightening others with exposing my body to anyone. So this is what I came up with...

For those who cant tell, I am black jack.

The cards are made from foam so that they would bend if I needed to move arms or sit down, then covered with some white fabric I got from the bargain bin at Spotlight. I then used some super cool iron on transfer stuff to put on the letters and clubs. The rainbow material on the back is just hot glue gunned down with a sequin edge, just to tidy things up a bit. It really is amazing what you can do with some fabric, scissors and a hot glue gun. No Sewing at all.

The birthday boy (my cousin, Shane) was dressed as Elvis and the birthday girl (Jo) was a knocked up bride... fitting seeing as she is due to give birth to their first baby in less than a month. We, well, I was so certain they were planning a surprise wedding, and after talking to others at the party, I wasn't the only one. But we were wrong. Regardless it was a great night.

My cousin Shane and my brother Aden

Jo, the birthday girl... can barely see that bump behind the flowers.

Aden & Emma (also with bump)

Bliss @ Endota..

On Saturday I cashed in a gift voucher I received for my 30th birthday last year from Laura and Emma, for Endota day spa in Mornington. I used it for a head and toe treatment. I'm not a huge fan of the typical back massage, probably because I am always so stressed and tense that I don't find it relaxing, it just hurts, and I figure if I'm going to be all sore after a massage, I may as well get my hot physio to do it. But I love nothing more that a good foot rub and seeing as Adam hates feet and will never ever touch my feet, even if I beg, I'm happy to pay for someone else to touch them. Also having my hair washed is my favourite part of the hairdresser experience so I figured a full scalp treatment would be good too. Let me say, good is an understatement. It was pure BLISS!!!!

Firstly I was instructed to strip off to my knickers and lay on the table and cover myself. She did say that if I didn't feel comfortable I could leave my bra on but she would be working around my shoulders and my bra could get in the way. I stifled a little giggle at the thought of me, a very public breast feeder being shy about not wearing and bra. I was more uncomfortable at the thought of laying on the table in the paper g-string she gave me to pop on....

Well paper g on and laying on the table with nothing but a towel for coverage, I was a little concerned that I didn't really feel very covered at all and not sure I was going to be able to relax while feeling so exposed. It was lovely to lay down onto a warm wheat bag under my shoulders but it wasn't enough to make me feel at ease.

The therapist came back in, after knocking gently of course, and put another wheat bag over my belly button and suddenly pulled up a divine thick brown blanket that had been under me the whole time and wrapped me up in a cocoon of my very own. Naturally all I could think of was the very hungry caterpillar, wondering if I looked anything like a big caterpillar cocoon. She also put a smaller eye wheat bag over my eyes to help me switch off and relax.

She started on my feet, soaking them first, them washing and exfoliating them. Then she covered them in a mud mask and wrapped them in plastic bags then some warm fluffy socks. She left them this way while she did a full facial, with a mud mask left on while she did the scalp massage. It was so relaxing, but despite this it still took me ages to get my brain to slow down and stop thinking about the kids. After she had finished with my top end, she went back to my feet, washed the mud off and gave each foot and calf a lovely massage.

The hour and a half went way too fast, but it was so lovely to just stop for a moment and breathe. I fear I may have even dozed off during the foot massage, I did hear a small snort come out of me, so guessing I was pretty close.

Definitely something I could do again and would recommend to others too.