Baby Lovin'

Welcome to another Blog This! challenge...and yes, i know its been ages since i've participated in one but i thought, seeing as i'm a member of the writing staff over there, it was about time i put my hat in the ring in a challenge again. ( If you're an Australian blogger, and you dont know what Blog This! is, please go click on this linky right here and check us out - and sign up! ). This fortnights challenge is a photographic post - the Blog This! team want has gotten bit clucky and we want to see babies or kids - whether the pic is of you, your kids or some random children you borrowed off the street....

Aww.... look at that chubbins right there....aint she cute? ( The correct answer is " yes " ). Yep, that chubby cheeked little muffin there is me, Baby Amy, when i was about 6 months old. And yes, I am sitting in a flower basket, because it was the 80's and thats what Pixie Foto thought was cutting edge back then. Please not the awesomeness of my fluffy hair, my toasty home-knitted cardigan and my great big baby smile. Apparently my mum had this picture taken and entered me in a baby competition - which i did not win. But come on, look at Baby Me? How could you not vote for cheeks like that?

Lovin' It, Sepia Style

Ooh, it seems like ages since i've done a Blog This! challenge ( even though i actually write for the blog...oops! ). So i thought this week seemed like as good a week as any to get back aboard the challenge train, and seeing is this week is a photo challenge it could be easier! Whats the brief?
Share your favourite sepia photo with the world.


Your photo can be of anything, just keep in sepia tones!

Thats one of the photos we had taken when Flynn was 3 months old ( almost, nearly, a year ago! ). Even though it turned out he was running a fever and THATS why he wouldnt stop crying, i like this picture, with his big brown eyes, his little squishy lips and his fat chubby hands. Sure, he looks sad, but it was essentially a good day and the first professional photos ( my friend is professional photography, and was just starting up her business - we were like her guinea pigs! ) we had taken of him. Oh Flynny - i cant believe you used to be that small!

And Update And Some News

Ah Tuesday - Operation Slimdown update day. Some weeks i cant wait for you to get around, some weeks i dread you turning up. This week ? I'm not really fussed either way. I'm thinking i may just do a fortnightly update when i do my weigh ins, because its seems a bit redundant to do an update on a week where i have no results to share. Its essentially going to be the same post over and over - either " i ate well, did my exercise " or " fell off the wagon this week! ". This past week has been a bit odd really - i ate well but i didnt get any exercise at all in because i was feeling so gross. Flynn had gotten croup and i spent three days with a small, sooky, sick baby attached to me, only wanting his mama.... and by the end of those three days i'd picked up the cold/flu portion of his illness. And i've been felling blah ever since. So Zumba was off the agenda and even though i felt up for my usual walks with my sister the constant rain ( as mentioned last post, down there ) wouldnt allow for it.  So there's the update.

The news ? Its only small but i wanted to share... that i am now part of the admin team over Blog This! I'll be doing a monthly " Blogs of Interest " post, which involves me choosing a theme for the week and finding 5ish blogs i think fit the theme and would be of interest to others. My first post will be Boxing Day ( Dec 26th ) but i'm not giving away my theme, so if your a Blog This! member watch out for it! And if your not a member - what are you waiting for?

Holiday! Celebrate!

So - i think its about time that i participate in another " Blog This! " challenge. I know, i know...its been a while. Anyhoodle, this weeks challenge is:
Holidays! This week's challenge is to share you favourite holiday photo with everyone! It doesn't matter how old it is, or how old you were, share it with us and tell us the story behind it!
A photo challenge hmm? I had to go a little ways back through the files for this one but here you go:

Thats me in front of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, back in 2007. I did a 19 day trip through SE Asia, taking in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand with a company called Geckos Adventures ( whom i totally recommend by the way. I did a trip in Peru with them too .)

SE Asia was awesome - i'd definately go back, given the chance - but the temples at the Angkor complex were one of the highlights. Besides being able to get my Lara Croft on ( Angelina Jolie filmed the first " Tomb Raider " film there ) i also got to marvel at what human beings were able to do WITHOUT technology. Its amazing that hundreds of years ago humans were able to build these huge, complex structures without the aid of cranes, backhoes, trucks etc etc. And that the buildings are a testament to their intense faith in their Gods is inspiring. I dont believe in God or, indeed, in organised religion ( its nice for other people, its just not for me ) yet i found comfort and inspiration in what man can do in the name of something they feel so strongly about.

So there was that - other highlights of the trup include:

* A guided motorcyle ride around the city of Hue, and out into the country to meet some of the locals

* A beautiful mud bath and Vietnamese massage

* Shopping at the markets in both Siem Reap and Bangkok

* Delicious, delicious food

* And all the friends i made!

*NOTE* - See how slim i look in that photo ( ignore my billowing hiking shorts )? I was about 63kgs in that photo - THATS where i'd like to be again someday soon!

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?

Goof Troop!

Time again for another challenge over at Blog This!. This week is a photographic challenge entitled " Goofing Around ":
Come on! We all do it! Show it, flaunt it!
So, in the spirit of all things goofy, here you go:

Thats my sister and i on our first annual Sisters Day - 2008 i believe. Yep, thats right, we invented our own holiday. We buy each other a present and spend the day together ( if we can ) to celebrate our sisterly type relationship. If you feel ripped off that you havent yet celebrated and you actually have a sister - Sisters Day is on June 15th every year. Go goof troop!

I'm A Quirky Turkey!

Its time again for another Blog This! challenge. This weeks challenge is asking:
Share with your readers three things you do every day without fail. Your little quirks.

Or focus on one. How did you come to do it/them?
Does anyone think it's funny or strange?
Do YOU love it or not?

You'd think that for someone who is self-proclaimed as " quirky " that this one should be easy for me. But the more i thought about it, the less i could come up with. Sure i have my quirks, but there isnt so much that i do religiously, obsessive-compulsively, day-to-day. The only thing that i do do every day - and if i dont do it, i feel out of sorts - is get on the internet, very first thing in the morning.

See, I HAVE to check at least my email/Facebook/blog before ( i whilst ) i eat my breakfast, otherwise the whole day just feels off to me. This habit started when i was working as an au pair in the US - i had to be up and ready to start work at 8am, but because of the time difference between New Jersey and Australia, first thing in the morning was the best time to catch my family and friends online. So i'd get up just before 7am, shower, and then eat my breakfast in front of the computer, checking to see if i'd received any good emails, or if any of my loved ones were on MSN Messenger ( yes, Messenger. How old school of me ). I didnt have Facebook back in 2005, nor a blog, but i participated in forums on a site called Bolt ( which i dont think even exists anymore ) and on Hi5. I'd check all that type of stuff and then head to the kitchen to get breakfast for the boys, make school lunches for the older two, and send them on their way.

I found its been a tough habit to break, which is why its one of my quirks now. I give Flynn a breastfeed absolute first thing, but after that his happy to sit and play on his mat for 20 minutes or so while i jump on the net. If i cant get on the net - like my provider has screwed up again ( that means you, Telstra ) or im away from home and dont have web access - i just feel a little out of sorts. Anxious even, until i get a chance to peek into my inbox, or check on blog comments. Its not like i have anything majorly important to look forward to, not like the world would end if i didnt get my pre-breakfast internet fix, but then most quirks are like that. Trivial. I guess thats what makes them quirks....

Zumba? No - Zumbo!

Time again for another Blog This! challenge. This weeks challenge is:
If you can think of a situation where you'd love to be a fly on the wall?

- your funeral?
- your boss' office?
- your favourite designer's drawing board?
- set of your favourite movie?
- your heart-throb's bedroom?
- perhaps it's the prime-ministers office????
What would you like to see/hear/happen?

After much thought ( and not wanting to use one of the examples ) i've decided that i would want to be a fly on the wall in Adriano Zumbo's kitchen.

There are only two possible reasons that you wouldnt know who Adriano Zumbo is: a) you are one of those weird people who dont watch " Masterchef " or b) you are one of those weird people who aren't Australian ( joking, joking... ) and therefore can't watch " Masterchef ". In any case, Adriano there is a master patissiere and has been featured on the show a handful of times, presenting his dishes as a challenge to the contestants. He's done the croquembouche and 7 layer chocolate cake from last season, and this season he caught Peter out with his macaron tower and tripped Alvin up with the V8 cake. All of which, of course, i wish i could both make and eat.

A selection of Adriano's yummiest...

So - i wish i could be a fly on the wall of Adriano's kitchen so i could be witness to his creative genius. I would love to know how he comes up with all this incredible ideas and then see how he perfects them. How many times does he attempt a 7 layer chocolate cake before he finds the perfect combination? How does he decide that its 7 layers and not 6 ? What gave him the idea to try beetroot flavoured macarons, and then combine them with a raspberry flavour - and put them on a bloody styrofoam tower? I'd love to be there ( hidden away of course - i suppose flies arent really encouraged in a commercial kitchen... ) as he had a new idea, tested his flavours, come up with a recipe and officially created something new. And, seeing that i'm a fly and they taste with their feet, i could fly down and sample everything! Although it'd have to be a small taste of each - i'm thinking with a fly-sized body i could give myself a huge sugar hangover with all that yummy, sweet, Adriano Zumbo goodness......

When I Grow Up

So, welcome again to another Blog This! challenge. This week is a little special - challenge 52 is a retrospective of all the previous challenges. That is, you were allowed to go back through all the past challenges and choose which one you would like to participate in - maybe one you missed, or one you werent a member for, or one you already tried but wanted to do over. After a little thought i've gone with.... th every first challenge ever issued, which reads:
A ballerina? A vet? An astronaut? As a small child, what did you dream of becoming? Tell your story, on your own blog, in words, pictures or a combination. The choice is yours.

I remember being asked this very same question when i was in Year 6, and our answer was recorded in our annual school magazine. If i recall, my answer was - i want to be a paediatrician. Or an author. Two occupations that arent really related at all, and two professions i am not employed as now, as 26 year old. I cant say that i'm entirely disappointed, but the 11 year old me probably still wants to be an author ( just a little bit on the inside ).

I wanted to be a paediatrican because i wanted to be able to help people - children specifically. I was always a socially aware child and i'm sure on some level i though that if i could be a doctor i could probably save the world. However, once i hit Year 8 biology and we had to disect frogs and i refused because the blood and guts and grossness of it all made me want to throw up i realised that the perhaps a career in medecine wasnt for me after all.

The author part probably still rings true for me a little. I've always loved writing ( except in Year 12 when i had a horrible English teacher who nearly killed the passion for it... ) and, even now, writing in my blog is an important part of my life. Its my writing space and, even though its not a " creative " writing space, i still have this teeny, tiny, longing to sit down at some point just write a bit of prose. Maybe a kids book. Maybe a short story. One day soon i may just give it a shot. Who knows, you could all be privy to the first writings of the new J.K Rowling....

50 Films I've Seen. And Loved. And Would Totally Watch Again.

Yep - i think the title says it all. Todays posts is a very special Blog This! challenge - the brief this week reads:
50 Things...Take your pick, this one is open. 50 things I want you to know about me; 50 things I would do if I won lotto; 50 things I want to cook; 50 things I have photographed; 50 things I want for my birthday; 50 things I would like to tell my ex....
It's up to you, whatever you want to tell your readers.
So, in case the blog title wasnt quite literal enough for you, my " 50 things " is a list of 50 films i've seen and really loved and would watch again. Some of them are childhood favourites which i've already watched over and over; some are films i've watched and kind of liked, so i've bought them on dvd so i can re-watch them on rainy weekend afternoons; and some i've only seen once but would watch again given the chance. Here goes ( in no particular order ):

1. " The Never-ending Story " - loved Atreyu, i cry when Artex dies in the Swamps of Sadness and, as a child, i was totally scared of The Nothing. An 80's childhood classic.
2. "Annie " - Tomorrow! Tomorrow! yep, as a girl i sooooo wanted to be a redheaded, singing, dancing orphan...
3. " The Princess Bride " - Inigo Montoya rocks, and Buttercup and Wesley would probably make my Top 5 film couples list ( if i had one ). Ah, true love.
4. " Empire Records " - one of Liv Tyler and Rene Zellwegers early screen outings. Its set in a record store - coolest place to work EVER.
5. " Young Guns " - even though i was only around, maybe, 10 years at the time, i loved me a piece of Lou Diamond Phillips. Pity age caught up with him...
6. " Forrest Gump " - even though critics out there alwasy deride this as " schmaltzy ", i love it. It has all the best quotes, the coolest soundtrack and one of the most loveable characters of all time.
7. " The Little Mermaid " - one of my favourite childhood animations. Even now i still sing snatches of the songs to Flynn - and if i had a pet crab, i'd name it Sebastian.
8.  " Chocolat " - Johnny Depp. Juliet Binoche. France. Chocolate. And its based on one of my favourite books. Wait, did i say Johnny Depp?
9. " School of Rock " - its funny and sweet and crazy. Plus it stars an awesome rock'n'roll soundtrack and Jack Blacks awesome eyebrows. I aspire to those eyebrows and their crazy tricks, i really do.
10. " Dogma " - Kevin Smiths best. And Alanis Morrisette as a rockin' female God? If i were a believer, thats what i'd want...
11. " Almost Famous " - i went through a period of imagining myself as a young Rollingstone journalist. This movie was like my ultimate fantasy. It would be worth it for the whole " Tiny Dancer " sequence alone.
12. " Gladiator " - i saw this twice in cinemas, own it on video ( oh yea, on VIDEO ) and have watched it numerous times. The soundtrack is also rather stirring, especially the music played over Rusty's *SPOILER * dying scenes.
13. " The Crow " -  i do not have the time nor space to fully describe why i love this one. Its my all-time favourite movie and so far i've only discovered two other girls that have ever seen it ( shout out to you, Brea ).
14. " Pleasantville "- its the costuming and the gorgeous " black and white to colour " cinematography that gets me with this one. Also - Paul Walker is pretty.
15. " Dazed and Confused " - Slaters whole marijuana-fueled spiel on George Washington makes me laugh. So does Mathew McConaugheys moustache. Just keep l-i-v-i-n!
16. " Pans Labrynith " - quirky, and foreign, and spectacularly beautiful, both in imagery and in theme. Guillermo Del Toro is a genius.
17. " The Muppets Movie " -  The Muppets ? In a movie ? Who wouldnt love that?
18. " Transformers " - ok, yea the critics say it sucks. And yea, the plot ( or what there is of one ) has some might big holes. But its stuff blowing up, and Transformer robots, and awesome CGI - thats stuff is cool!
19. " Amelie " -  i've already written a whole post on this one. I heart this film. That is all.
20. " Reign Over Me " -  if you havent seen this one, go out and find it. I rate this as Adam Sandlers finest dramatic performance. Its totally heartbreaking though, so grab yourself some tissues.
21. " American Pie " - the quintessential high school comedy of my generation. Its kind of rude, yet has its tender moments. Sort of. Either way, that pie scene was hilarious!
22. " The Breakfast Club " -  and onto a quintessential high school film of the generation before me. It may have come out the year i was born but it just got to me. Judd Nelson was way cool - you know, for a bully.
23. " A Streetcar Named Desire " - A classic for many reasons. One of which is the scene where Marlon Brando is coming home from work in his white t-shirt. That man, in that scene ? Sex on legs my friends, sex on legs.
24. " 13 Going On 30 " - its all bubble-gummy and cutesy. But as far as chick flicks go, i love this. The sweet Jennifer Garner, the divine Mark Ruffalo and the " Thriller " dance. Sweet as.
25. " Shaun of the Dead " - i'm not big on horror films but horror film spoofs? Especially one as clever as this? Count me in! Which reminds me - i need to get myself a cricket bat in case of zombie attack...
26. " Moulin Rouge "  - i love me some Baz Luhrrman. And this movie is so pretty and sparkly and woo! Plus, i wana live in that elephant. You know, just without the whole being a prostitute.
27. " Benny and Joon " - sweet, and funny and romantic. Benny and Sam are so odd, but they're odd together, and thats all they need. Ooh, and did i mention Sam is played by Johnny Depp?
28. " Breakfast at Tiffany's " - Audrey Hepburn at her most glamorous. Love the dress, love the city, love the characters. Ooh, and love Tiffanys!
29. " Reservoir Dogs " - oh Quentin Tarantino, you loveable kook, you. Everyone has a colour-coded name, people get their ears cut off, and the soundtrack is groovy. Classic Tarantino...
30. " Cyrano De Bergerac " -  you know what? Gerard Depardieu in English ? Lame. Gerard Depardieu in French ( playing a classic French hero ) ? Funny. And at turns oddly grumpy and sweet. Also sweet? Vincent Perez. Yum....
31. " V for Vendetta " - awesome graphic novel adaption. Its politically motivated, sure, but stuff blows up and here are great fight sequences and Natalie Portman looks rather fetching with a bald head.
32. " Beauty and the Beast " -  another one of my Disney favourites. I want to sit down and watch this one with my neice - introduce her the beautiful songs and " beauty is on the inside " message.
33. " Love Actually " - i think this is my favourite chick flick. It's funny and smart and has such a wonderful cast. This is one of those films that, whenever its on tv, i'll watch it.
34. " Edward Scissorhands " - the most beautiful of Tim Burton's fractured fairytales. I watch this at least once a year and still come to the brink of tears at the end. Oh, and did i mention Johnny Depp ( even in all that makeup ) ?
35. " Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King " - of course i've seen them all, but this one is the most action-packed, and it asnwers all the questions ( except, whether Sam and Frodo ever got it on ). Also, Aragorn is at his most rugged in this one. Scrumptious.
36. " Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest " - and while we're on films that are part of a trilogy, here's my choice from the POTC series. Johnny and Orlanda at there most gorgeous, that crazy tentacle beard and that snotty Lord Cutler Beckett. Oh, and did i mention Johnny Depp?
37. " Saved! " -  a very clever little film. Proves that Maculay Culkin is funny ( when he isnt all strung out ), Mandy Moore can do more than sing, and that Jesus is the Devil. See what i did there? Trippy.....
38. " Say Anything " - John Cusack has aged so well. Go back to this 80's effort and he's freckly and kind of geeky but still totally cool. And sweet. Doesnt every girl want a boy to serenade her with a boombox outside her window?
39. " Mean Girls " - another clever chick flick ( thankyou Tina Fey ). It is also a reminder of what Lilo used to be .... you know, normal and talented.
40. " Hairspray " - this musical is all frizzy, and fabulous and it makes me happy. I think if i'd been around 13 years old when it came out i may have been in love with Zac Efron.
41. " The Lion King " - doesnt everyone love this film ? And doesnt everyone hate Scar? Yes, and yes. This is one i want to show to Flynn when he's older.
42. " Pride and Prejudice " - the Keira Knightley version. This is one of my favourite books of all time, and i just love this adaptation of it. I know i've said it before, but i totally want to be Elizabeth Bennett...
43. " The Dark Knight " - soooooo worth it for Heath Ledgers performance alone. Plus, Batman is my favourite superhero. Which reminds me, i really need to get my copy of this back from my brother...
44.  " Don Juan Demarco " -  a film that speaks to the romantic in us all. Sure, Marlon Brando is old and fat but he still rocks - and i have mentioned the ever delectable Johnny Depp?
45. " Somethings Gotta Give " - Jack Nicholson at his twinkly, lady-loving best. At least in this one he's loving a lady of appropriate age - the beautiful, funny Diane Keaton.
46. " The Truman Show " - i initially liked this because it was Jim Carrey without the rubbery goofiness. On second and third watches i loved it for what it said about society at the time ( the days BEFORE " Big Brother " ). Good afternoon, good evening and goodnight!
47. " Roman Holiday " - if " Breakfast at Tiffanys " is Audrey at her most glamourous, this is Audrey at her cutest. I love the whole look and feel of this film, and it makes me want to run away on a Roman adventure.
48. " Romeo and Juliet " - Baz and his brilliance again. This is manic and modern and hip and made Shakespear trendy. And that fish tank scene ? Awww....
49. " Rent " -  so many people hate this movie or, at the very least, think its a bad adaptation of the stage musical. Not me, i love it. This is the movie i watch when i need a pick me, despite the dying and disease and stuff. Its the music and the friendship and the love. It makes me happy.
50. " The Usual Suspects " - Keyser Soze? Spin out!

What I Like About You!

Ok, not actually you , out there reading this. This is actually another Blog This! challenge post, which for this week reads: Select 10 things you love about your life and tell us why. It could be certain people, where you live, your local shop...include images if you like.

So, in know real particular order ( or, i should say, the order that these things sprung into my head. Read into that what you will .... ) -

1. My son - well duh, of course Flynn was going to be on my list. Even with crying, teething, pooing, not pooing, hair pulling and vomiting, the almost-6 months he's been in my life have been the bestest time ever.

2. My fiance - Michael brightens my world. We very rarely fight and the few times we have i've only loved him more the next day. He tells me my mummy tummy is beautiful, says he's proud of me, loves my cooking and encourages me to be a good wife and mother. I love him big lots!

3. My family - my people are good people. I'm really close to my immediate family - if any of them ever move away, i'm not really sure how i'd cope. Seriously, i see either my mum and dad, my little sister, or my brother and his family at least 4 times a week. When i need adult conversation during the day ( being home alone with a baby can make you a little mental ) my family are the first ones i turn to. And, having a best friend be someone you've had a falling out with and are still trying to get back on track with, my family are my best friends too.

4. The internet - it connects me to the world; it informs, educates and entertains me. Its my window to the world beyond my front door which, with a baby, i sometimes feel i'm not really a part of. I love you inter-web!

5. My slow cooker - best.invention.ever. Its so convenient to be able to put dinner on at lunchtime and not have to worry about it at the busy end of the day. Plus, succulent, moist, meat falling off the bone? Heaven...

6. Cooking in general - I've totally fallen in love with cooking in the last few months. I'd cooked before of course, but it had only ever been out of necessity. Now, i love the ritual of sitting down with recipe books and cooking magazines, planning the menu for the week, writing my shopping list, buying the produce and then cooking each meal. It fills me with some strange kind of satisfaction when i get a dish right, or when i get a compliment on it. I love compliments!

7. Naps - really simple: naps are refreshing, and there is nothing better in winter than being able to snuggle up with a blanket and go to sleep. If i'm tired enough, when Flynn sleeps, i sleep. Naps make my world a better, and much easier, place.

8. Pepsi Max - thirst quencher! I'm not a big drinker of alcohol: i know zero about wine, cant stomach beer, and only make myself a Midori and lemonade every blue moon. So when i need something sweet and fizzy, Pepsi Max is the go to. Apologies to my sisters boyfriend for sneaking cans from their fridge...

9. My father sense of humour -  this could technically come under " My Family " but my dads sense of humour deserves a spot all its own. He's the wittiest person i know and has a special brand of sarcasm and dryness that just tickles my funny bone. Couldnt live without it.

10. Ugg boots - dont look at me like that. Yes, they arent really fashionable, and no, i dont wear them down the street (much ). But they're comfy and warm and snuggly and those are the things that rock my world.

Pride ( In The Name Of Love )

Welcome to this weeks Blog This! challenge. On todays menu:
Tell us about a proud moment in life - of you, of someone else, when you made someone proud. Maybe you want to focus on an aspect of your life or someone you know that exudes pride?

Ok, yes, first of all - i totally stole the name of a U2 song for my post title. Second of all, the first person tha comes to mind when i think of the word " pride ", of who I am proud of, of who is proud of me....is my Dad.

Thats him - my dad. We've always been close, my dad and i, the kind of relationship where we can finish each others sentences, have inside jokes and generally just " get " each other. But in the past 8-ish years, since finishing high school and growing and maturing into adulthood, i've realised not only how much i love him but how proud i am of him as a person.

He's always done whats best for our family, regardless of whether or not it was good for him; he worked two jobs for years, existing on only a few hours sleep a night, to provide for us; when he could afford to cut back to only one job, the job he took on was physical labour. He was told by his doctor that this work would aggravate his back condition, to the point of paralysis if he let it get too far - but he continued to work regardless. For 10 years in fact, until he was told it was either a spinal fusion and rehab and cutting back on duties - or it was a wheelchair. He chose to take the surgery option and once he was back on his feet, he was back to work, doing the same job as before, because thats what he needed to do for his family. This persistance has paid off for him in the last two years - he was given a promotion which meant a better paid job with less manual work. 

His dedication to us knows no bounds. He came to most of our sporting games ( even though he admits to never liking netball ); he would let you practise your speech with him as your audience, so you werent so nervous when you had to give it in class; he listens, even now, to everybody's issues and doesnt expect anything in return but that you consider his advice; I'd never in my life seen him pick up a pen and paper to write a letter, but he did just that, and wrote me when i was living overseas; he's an amazing Poppy to his three grandkids, even though he tells them " stories " about how he used to be a doctor/cowboy/hatmaker ( and we kids know none of it is true ).

Basically, I'm proud of him because of the kind of man he is. He loves with his whole heart, which means he doesnt forgive easily when he's hurt. If you hurt him too much ( though he wont admit that " hurt " is the right word ) he'll cross you off his Christmas card list forever. Yes that may be stubborn - but it also means he doesnt suffer fools easily, and that he knows the key to life is to be happy. If someone doesnt make you happy, you dont bother with them anymore, and you take that love you had and focus it on the people who mean most to you. He does everything that he does for his family, and we love him for it. Though i know he's taught me many a life lesson and showed me, through example, how to be a good parent, he claims it was us, his children, that taught him to be a good father.

Which ever way it happened, no matter where he picked up his skills, he is a good father and a good man. And thats enough for me.

Modern Manners

Its time again for another Blog This! challenge ( i've missed the last two or three... ). This week its:
C'mon. It's time to shout out your cause, your gripe, your mission. Get on your soapbox and talk about something that really matters to you. Something you think about but perhaps don't talk about. Start a conversation, be heard!

Ok, so those of you who read me fairly regularly know that i dont grandstand very often. I like to keep things fairly light and fluffy and only get really opinionated when something is really important to me, and to others. You know, things like:
a) breastfeeding
b) blood donation
c) leggings as pants.
Important stuff. Seeing as i've blogged about these things in the past and you should, by now, know where i stand on those issues ( breastfeeding, yes; blood donation, double yes; leggings as pants, hell no ) i thought i'd get my knickers in a twist about something new for this challenge. Or rather something old and, apparently, frequently going missing from our society - manners.

Thats right - manners. I dont want to sound old before my time, but it seems to me like manners have kind of fallen by the wayside these days. I dont just mean kids, or teenagers - i mean basic manners from everyone. My son may only be (almost ) 5 months old but i'm already saying to him " Ta Mum " when he takes something from my hand, because a simple " Ta " or " Thankyou " is about the easiest thing in the world to learn, and amongst the most courteous to use. Its pretty simple - you say " please " when your requesting something and " thankyou " when receiving it; " excuse me " when you need to verbally or physically interupt someone;don't point and dont stare, its rude; no talking on your mobile at the checkout or at dinner; and, my biggest bug bare, you hold the door open for others when you are simultaneously using a doorway.

It really gets up my nose when people forget these most simple of things. Like the guy at the supermarket this past weekend who pushed in front of Mick and I at the self serve checkout. Even when i said " um, excuse me, there is a line here ", he just looked at me and then went back to scanning his bread. Not even an insincere " Oh, sorry, didnt see you there ". That guy ? Douche.
Or the middle aged man who, despite seeing me coming with my pram, rushed through door to the carpark and went on his merry way, even though he could have ( and should have ) held the door open for me. I was taught that if you're coming up to a door way at the same time as someone else, you hold the door open for them - and i do just that, whether i'm pushing a pram or carrying my bub or am by myself, and whether the other person is a man or a woman. Its just basic manners.
Or the people who get a friendly " have a nice day " from the cashier and dont even offer a " Thanks! " in return.Is it so hard to give them a one word answer? Uh - nuh.

So, blog type people, please go out of your way today, and everyday, to use your manners. I know your parents taught them to you so hold those doors open, smile and say thankyou, and make your children say " please " instead of stamping there little feet. And if you come across someone who forgets to use their manners when dealing with you, smile ever so sweetly and wait until they're out of sight before you give them the finger. After all, its bad manners to flip the bird to someones face....

I'm Drowning!

Not literally of course - if i was, there would be no way i could get word to you guys via the interweb from underwater.

What i mean is i'm drowning in a sea of washing and its kind of annoying me ( although i can still make time to blog about it... ). Its annoying me because its there, and its annoying me because its making my house look untidy and i want to fold it and put it away.... but its like i cant. I keep looking at it and its frusturating me because i sooooooooo wanna be this SuperHousewife and i'm so motivated to do it - until it actually comes time to fold the damn clothes and then i'm all like " Flynn needs me " or " I need a nap " or " Hey, those cookies are calling my name ". I mean, its so bad - i'm all caught up with washing the clothes so its not like i have a mountain of dirty stuff lying around, its just that the overflowing baskets ( two and bit... ) of clean stuff is making a total brothel of my house. Seriously, when i get off this computer ( Lori, i have a problem.... ) i'm diving straight into the washing.

In other news, this time of the TMI variety - my son is still, ahem, " backed up ". Its been 16 days since he went naturally, without any " prompting " by a doctor, and the worry is starting to do my head in. Sometime he's in real pain and screams for 30 to 40 minutes at a time, and thats kind of stressful. We've tried: plain water, prune juice, pureed fruit, a teaspoon of paraffin oil, massage, warm baths and now we're on a steady diet of carrot/apple juice along with booby milks. And ...nothing. Not even a skiddy. Anyone got any other suggestions?

And finally - its voting time! Head over to Blog This! and vote for me in this weeks challenge!

Even Artichokes Have Hearts....

Time for this weeks Blog This! challenge. See the bold for details:
What film has inspired you, changed you or the way you think, maybe put you on a new path?

So - for those of you who dont know, i like to consider myself a film buff. I dont have as much time these days as i would like, just to be able to sit and take in a new film. I've kind of slipped a little - in the year 2005 i watched over 200 films that i'd never seen before, now that number might be closer to 20 a year. Poo to that. The point i'm trying to make though is that this challenge was going to be hard for me. I've seen so many films, and had so many touch me in some way, that it was going to be difficult to pick just one. I had a few come to mind : " Hotel Rwanda ", " American History X ", " El Diarios De Motocicleta ", " Benny and Joon ". The one i settled on, however was.... " le Fabuluex Destin D'Amelie Poulain ". Or, just simply ( in English ) - " Amelie ".

I just simply adore this film. I love everything about it - the colour, the music, the whimsy, the beautiful Audrey Tatou. But their are two reasons i chose this film: because it made me believe that no matter how odd or weird or different you think you are, there is someone out there who is right for you and who will love you for the crazy that you are.... and it made me want to say " yes " more often.

See, Amelie is this gorgeous little Parisian women, who has a quirky father, works in a cute little cafe with an strange assortment of oddball characters and likes to pretend things in her head. She sends a garden gnome on a round the world trip, likes creme brulee and, like most women, she dreams about love. I related to her even though we had only half those things in common ( pretending, dreaming and cream brulee ). I liked that she was cute and quirky and kind of lived inside her own head a bit. I liked that she had a wicked sense of humour. And i liked that, when she had the opportunity, she took the bull by the horns and went after that perfect love she had been dreaming about. And she got it and all was right with the world. Amelie found Nino, and all because she was brave enough to say " yes " to life.

And what happened when I was brave enough to say " yes " to the opportunities that came my way, and stopped being so afraid of where " yes " may take me? I met a gorgeous man who is now my fiance and i have a beautiful baby boy. And all is right with the world.....

From One Befuddled Brain To Another

Blog This! challenge time again:
This week we'd like all of blog this members to seek out another. One you've never visited, one you don't follow. One you admire, find interest in. Write about it on your blog and 'review' it, gush about it, or re-post one of their articles with your commentary. Be nice! Leave a comment and a link for them to know you've done so.

So i read this weeks challenge with interest - go out and find myself some new blogs to read huh ? Search the members list and discover great new blogs to read and love and comment on ? Yea, ok, i can do that. Piece of cake i thought. But, to be honest with you, it wasnt all that easy. I thought i would just click on five random blogs ( scroll down the page with my eyes shut and click on which ever link the cursor rested on ... ) and i would have a hard time choosing the best of them to write my post about. But i tried that and i didnt fall under the spell of any of that first five. I tried it again - i didnt melt for any of the second five either. Its not to say that those 10 blogs that i perused were " bad " - just that the blog subject or the writing style didnt jump out and grab me. I'm a bit fussy with my blog reading i think - your style of writing really has to read well, really needs to jump out at me, other wise i'm gonna be bored. I'm a self confessed Yoga Nazi, so maybe i'm a Blog Nazi too, i dont know. What i'm saying is there is a whole bunch of good Blog This!-ers out there, some of them just dont necessarily speak to me. However, after much blog surfing, i stumbled upon ...

Brea's Befuddled Brain.

No, i did not trip over and ACTUAL brain, thats the name of Brea's blog. What is funny is that when i saw the picture of Brea on her blog i thought she looked familiar... and then i realised she was a follower of MY blog and i'd never had a look at hers. Bad, bad, blog manners Amy! What is also funny is that the most recent post when i first went to her blog ( i have been back subsequently ) was regarding the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 and she'd actually written a little introduction/welcome to her blog .... which made my job so much easier! And i like the way the lady writes - seems she shares my slightly sarcastic, kinda kooky sense of humour - which makes me wanna stick around on her blog. Hell, i even pressed the follow button and contributed to her goal of achieving 100 followers by her next birthday. Ambitious.Witness this passage, direct from Brea's post:
There's been a Party happening right under my nose for the past week and I've stubbornly resisted attending.

It's not because I'm shy or anything, nothing as glamorous as that. Truthfully? It's because I can't be bothered shaving my legs.
Also:
* We both have pierced belly buttons and tattoos
* We're both mumma's
* She just recently dyed her hair a burgundy/red colour and i'm tossing up doing the same
* She's uses the word " befuddled " which, frankly, i think is waaaaay under-used.
* She said ( above ) that she didnt attend the Ultimate Blog Party 2010 because " I can't be bothered shaving my legs ". Tongue in cheek of course because the Blog Party was an online event, but it made me cack because i'm one of these chickies that will wear long pants on a warm day because i couldnt be arsed getting the razor out ( like today, for example ).

And so, by taking part in this weeks challenge, i've reached out and virtually shook hands with Brea. Maybe you could too - pop over and do her a favour, press her Follow button and help her reach her goal!

You Want Freaky?

Time again for another Blog This! challenge. This week i have to:
Tell your readers about a weird co-incidence, freaky story or a six-or-less degrees of separation moment! I'm going to cheat a little on this one by re-posting a story i have told before. So if you've been reading my blog for a while now you needn't bother reading this time. If you have no idea what i'm talking about, then brace yourself - this one is an epic!!

For those of you who are not up on your geography or world heritage sites, that is Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca city built into the Andes mountains. You may recognise it from Lonely PLanet guidebooks, National Geographic calendars or any of the 1001 travel shows being broadcast around the globe. It is, undeniably, a popular tourist destination - and the best way to get there ? On foot. Yes - foot: a four day trek through the Andes, starting at an outpost known as KM88 and finishing at Machu Picchu ( hopefully at either sunrise or sunset, if you time it right ... ). So that's we're i'll start my story - on the Inca Trail, on the 2nd day of the trek.

I'm not going to lie - the Inca Trail is no easy slog. Its not like i was some kind of ultra-fit, athletic superwoman . I was a slightly-larger-than-I-am-now trekking novice who'd never done anything at altitude before. But it promised to be the adventure of a lifetime, and who was i to turn that down ( even if it did feel like my lungs were going to explode ) ? Just making it into camp on the first day - accompanied by my all-male encouragement troupe, 3 guys i'd only known a few days before who insisted that singing " Eye of the Tiger " would motivate us up the mountain - was a Godsend. Day two promised to be harder. By mid mornng we would be ( slowly, painfully ) making our way to Warminwayusca, or Dead Womans Pass. This pass is 4500m above sea level and, as the highest point on the trek, is considered the toughest part of the journey. With the whole group having reached the summit, we stopped for a snack and a photo opportunity. It was from here that everything went downhill- both literally and figuratively.

My boys, after the trek - i believe they had moved onto Spice Girls songs by then

When our guide said it was time to pack ourselves up and get on the move, i tired sitting up but i felt all lightheaded and lethargic - it was like all the energy had been completely drained out of my body. I took a minute and tired to gather myself together but, when i looked a little wobbly on my feet, my guide and one of the other guys volunteered to walk at the back with me. Within a half an our, not only was i wobbly on my feet but i could barely seem to lift my arms - rather than walking with my walking sick, i was dragging it behind me in the dirt. My trekking buddy, Lachlan, said he'd carry my pack for me and my guide Jugo supported me on one side. I'd been drinking water and we'd only just eaten, so i should have all the energy in the world, but within another half hour, my vision had gone blurry and i was now being supported on both sides. I wasnt so much as walking, as being slowly dragged up the mountain side by an ex-Army recruit and a small Incan man. Mind you, all the guides are trained in first aid and a nurse in our group mentioned she thought i might be dehydrated or could possibly have altitude sickness.

And so we stopped. Jugo radioed ahead for one of the porters to come back with some blankets and he sat me down on a very comfy rock on the side of the trail. He gave me me water and put me on an oxygen tank for 20 minutes. He also made me inhale some foul smelling yuck, which apprently alleviates the symptoms of altitude sickness. All of that and - nada. I could barely breath, by this time could barely see, and felt like both my arms and legs were being weighed down by concrete. To be quite honest, i wuld have been perfectly happy to curl up on that there rock and die. Obviously, leaving me to die on a barren hillside isnt wasnt exactly part of Jugo's job description so... they carried me. Yes, you read that right - Jugo, Lachlan and Alejandro, the young guide who came back with the blankets, carried me. On their backs, They tied me on with the blankets, just like Peruvian women do with their babies.Hell, they even ran! Lachlan was a big guy, but Jugo and Alejandro were typically short, small, Incan men, and they ran with my whole 60kg/150lb of weight on their backs. I was slipping in and out of conscious - the only thing i do clealy remember is catching up to the rest of our group and Jugo telling them they had to get me immediately to camp.

Which is where i woke up. I woke up with Jugo leaning over me, stroking my head, telling me i was going to be okay, not to worry, he was sending someone into see me. Yep, no worries - zzzzzzzzz. Next thing i know there is a " Hola, senorita ? Hola ? " at the opening to my tent and in comes this really old guy. Here comes the cool part - he props my head up and starts muttering, kind of chanting, in the local Incan language. I was already almost completely out of it, too far gone to make any objection to what he was doing anyway. So the old guy keeps up the muttering and then he lights up something a bowl until it starts smoking. Once he had his smoke going, he blew it all over me: directly into my face, over the top of my head, down the front of my shirt, everywhere. He rubbed whatever he'd crushed up in his bowl over my face and arms, finished up with his chanting, said " Buenos noches, senorita ", and disappeared. Two of my female trekking companions them came in and helped me put on more clothing layers and then - blackness. I passed out or fell asleep for a while and then rested very fitfully ( i;d say slept, but i dont think i really did ) for the rest of the night.

Morning comes and .... i feel awesome. I wake up feeling great, go out and eat breakfast with everyone - albeit while copping some very strange looks from my trek buddies. Everyone wants to know how i feel and Jugo takes me aside to make sure i'm feeling okay. And that was it, we set off for the day. No-one rally talks much about the day before, except to say that i looked terrible, all limp like a rag doll and one of our older members thought i might have been dead. No-one bothers to tell me what may or may not have been wrong with me, but it didnt really matter because i was doing fine. It wasnt until our first snack break that anyone decided to let me in on what went on the previous night. So, take a deep breath people, here it comes : I WAS POSSESSED. Don't re-red that to see if it makes more sense, it wont. Apparently, whilst i had been laid up in my tent, delirious, Jugo had taken everyone else aside and told them what was going to happen, because he didnt want them to think i was being taken advantage of or anything. He, and the other porters - all Peruvian indian men - thought i had been taken over by a mountain spirit, spirits that the Incan people believed kept guard over their trail. The elderly gentleman, who turned out to be one of our porters, was also a kind of Incan medecine man, was going to go in an perform some kind of exorcism ritual, and expel whatever spirit it was that had taken me over.

And there you have it - when all the scientific medecines didnt work, when i only continued to get worse, it was decided that i must have been possessed and only pagan magic could save me. And you know what ? It did. The oxygen, the foul smelling inhalant, the water and pills, none of that worked but the chanting and the smoke blowing had me feeling as fresh as a daisy. Not only did i not struggle with the rest of the trek, but i was the second person to make it to the gateway to Machu Pichhu. It was like i'd been suddenly blessed or something. When we had finished our tek and met back up in town with our other tour guide, Jonathon, he told me in full what had gone on. He said he had only heard of two other women in 15 years of leading tours who had got so sick, so suddenly, and in the same spot on the trek ( straight after Dead Womans Pass ), and the same smoke blowing, chanting, praying-whatever worked on them too. You can believe what you want but, having lived the experience and being of a hippie-dippie spiritual mind anyway, i'm like 95% sure something otherworldly happened to me up there.
Either way, it sure beats the hell out of most peoples vacation stories....

How I Became A Yoga Nazi

Welcome to another Blog This! challenge. This time around the challenge goes something like this:


Tell your readers a tale. About something you learned. Be it driving, scuba-diving or maybe another language... riding a bike, learning to read, learning to cook a special meal - make it interesting or funny or shocking!

When I moved to the USA to take up a year long job as a nanny ( to three gorgeous boys – M, T and H ) I’d really thrown myself in at the deep end – my first time travelling overseas, going to the opposite side of the world from all my family and friends, to live with people I’d never met before. I figured if I was completely overhauling my entire life, why not my body aswell? And so, after 7 or 8 weeks of living in the US, I became brave enough to go to my first ever yoga class.

I’d always wanted to try yoga, but I’d never been brave enough before. I’d always thought I was too fat ( I wasn’t ), too unco-ordinated ( I wasn’t ) and too embarrassed ( I wasn’t ) to give it a go. But living in a town where you know hardly anybody has its advantages – it means hardly anyone knows YOU, and that gives you a certain amount of anonymity. So I thought “ Hell, if I mess up too badly or do something too embarrassing, I just wont go back!! “ But I got there, and I stole a spot at the back of the class, and I followed along as best as I could…. And I didn’t stuff up, I didn’t do anything embarrassing, and I loved it! And I’ve loved it ever since.

My first yoga teacher, Cindy, was a tiny, blonde, whirlwind of energy but when it came to yoga she was patient and calm and encouraging. She’d come through class and if you weren’t aligned properly she’d ask if she could help you with your pose. Through this way of teaching I became pretty good at yoga ( if I do say so myself ) – and very obsessed with proper alignment. Cindy would push or prod you in the right direction and eventually I learned when my body wasn’t doing something right and corrected myself. When I came back to Australia the obsession continued and I asked my new yoga teachers to tell me when I wasn’t lined up correctly in a pose.

Now I notice when others in class aren’t aligned right in their poses. I want to walk over and push them and pull them or whisper in their ear “ Pelvis forward, shoulders up, back and down “ – but that would be rude. ( I also want to walk up and bitch-slap the women who talk and giggle to each other through the class but that would be very un-Yogi of me… ). I’ve even considered taking Yoga teacher training but that got thrown on the backburner when I fell pregnant. Its still something I’d love to do down the line though. So, if you're ever in Dub-Vegas taking a yoga class and a small brunette with glasses glares at you from the back right hand corner of the room – that’s me, the Yoga Nazi. I may want to push, pull, prod or punch you, but its only for your own good…..

A View, Askew.....

Time for another Blog This! challenge, this time with a twist - this one is a photo challenge instead of a written task. What kind of photo you ask? The challenge reads:
Take a photo and/or share a photo of your favourite view. Is it from your bed, a holiday a local lookout? Why do you love it?

In the spirit of this challenge i thought of places i've been and photos i've taken previously. Dont get me wrong, i live in a lovely little duplex in a nice little neighbourhood, but the view is nothing to boast of. This, however, is something to write home about:

Pretty huh? Wouldnt you love to wake up to that everyday? Sadly, probably not. Despite what it may look like that is not some castle somewhere in Europe - that, my friends, is the church at Port Arthur, Tasmania, as seen from the window of the Governors office. I chose to use this photo because I really love it and it reminds me of a great trip, despite being taken at a place that has witnessed such horror and tragedy. Port Arthur has such a hard, sad, melancholy aura to it yet it managed to be a place of physical beauty - a contradiction i hope i captured in this photo, and this of the church:

Tough rock used to make a place of prayer and serenity; a gorgeous blue sky prisoners would have only been able to see from the windows of a desolate prison cell.....

An ( Almost ) Day In The Life....

Time again for another Blog This! challenge:
Do you have a day of the week that is your favourite or you dread? Take us through the day or your week- what happens, what makes it pleasant/challenging - Do a mini-diary of your day - let your readers know what your life is REALLY like. Take photos if you wish...:

I want to preface the bulk of this post by saying that I’m a new mum to an 11 week old baby boy – I haven’t had a “ typical “ day in almost 3 months, ok? That being said, routines are starting to develop and patterns are slowly starting to emerge so in the spirit of the challenge I have come up with what I hope will soon be a “ normal “ day….


7:30am – woken up by baby sounds. Not crying, not grizzling – then what is it ? Its giggling. Find my son awake in his cot laughing his guts out at the mobile above his bed. Alternate between thinking he is insanely cute and just plain insane.
7:40am – Time for a feed: booby juice for the baby and peanut butter on toast for me. Remember to take the pill ( no more babies just yet thanks! ) and multivitamins.
8 – 8:30am – playtime. Pop Flynn down on his playmate and watch him kick the crap out of the musical frog and the rattle. He doesn’t really open his hands to reach for things yet but boy can my child kick! Follow kicking with tummy time ( which is getting better ) and general goo-goo-gaa-gaa-ing ( as opposed to Lady Gaga-ing, which is not suitable for babies ). Send Mick off to work with a kiss and a quick bum-squeeze.
8:45 – 9:15am – steal time for a quick shower and a check of email and Facebook. Of course, nothing important or special , just the usual chain emails or spam from my Grandma. Seriously, she sends me the worst emails…
9:20am – more booby juice for Flynn. He’s a hungry boy in the mornings.
9:40am – get Flynn dressed for the day. This sounds simple but sometimes its hard trying to pick the cutest outfit for the days events. If we’re staying home he needs a cute snoozing outfit; if we’re going out shopping, he needs an outfit that will make old women stop me and say “ Aww, what a cute baby! “; and if we’re going to mothers group he needs an outfit that will impress all the girl babies.
10am – 11:30am – head out of the house on some kind of excursion ( usually ). On this particular made up day we’re going out to the shops to get ingredients for dinner ( which I’ve very inconveniently left off the shopping list when we did our groceries ) and then stopping in at Grandma and Poppy’s for a visit.
11:45am – 2pm – Feeding time again. Watch “ The Ellen Degeneres Show “ followed by “ The View “. Flynn may fit in a little half hour nap somewhere here, which allows me time to eat some lunch and go to the toilet.
2pm – 3pm – change the channel so we can watch “ Ready.Steady.Cook! “ Ponder what ingredients I’d have in my gourmet bag and which chef I would most like to cook with. Give Flynn another round of milk and put him down for a good nap this time – none of this 30 min napping, I’m talking at least an hour this time.
3pm – 5pm – get a bit of alone time, which I use to catch up on at least one of the following: blog reading; blog posting; folding of washing; bathroom cleaning; baking; or stealing a nap for myself. Watch “ Martha “ and delight in how easy she makes everything look… but then remember I have neither the skill nor the time to make Twice Baked Red Wine Veal Blahedy Blah. Listen intently for baby cries.
5pm – hear those cries. Scoop my son up out of his cot and settle in for another feed. Get excited because Mick will be home soon which means both someone to share the load with and to have some adult time with. Not that kind of adult time ( too early for that! ) – more like adult conversation instead of gurgling.
5:30 – 7pm – kiss Mick hello when he comes in. Chat about our day while we both make faces to entertain Flynn. Flynn doesn’t take his eyes off Daddy, which means I can sneak out into the kitchen to cook some dinner. Try and watch “ Neighbours “ inbetween chopping, stirring or turning. End up missing the most important part.
7 – 9pm – Dinnertime: some type of fabulous gourmet meal ( read: attempted gourmet meal ) for Mick and I, yet another round of milk for Flynn. He’ll have two feeds in this time and be fed, changed, wrapped, cuddled and put to sleep by 9pm.
9 – 10pm – “ alone “ time for Mick and I. We’ll watch the end of a tv show and then get ready for bed, where we will either snuggle down and have a bit of a chat, enjoy some “ sexy “ time ( without having a huge baby bump in the way! ) or curl up together and go straight to sleep. Sometimes, on energetic days, we do all three.
Around 4:40am – wake up to little grizzles coming from Flynn’s room. Night feed which, thankfully, doesn’t take too long because my boobs are fit to burst and the milk flows pretty fast. Burp and change the bubba boy and wrap him back up. Straight back into his bed, and straight back into mine. Start pushing out the zzz’s as quickly as possible, otherwise its going to get to 7:30am when it starts all over again…