a Beer, a Whine and The Spirit

So you know how I broke my foot a few months ago? And how I was still recovering from gastro last week? Well, as they say, bad things come in threes, so I needed the trifecta.

Enter the V-Slicer for onions. Exit a chunk of my fingertip.

Posted by Renae at 6:50 PM Comments

We are all currently recovering from a bout of gastro that Chanbe may or may not have brought home from mothers group or day care. Oh, and we also shared it with the rellies we stayed with in Melbourne (sorry AA & Co!) before Chanbe and I flew to Brisbane on Tuesday. Oh, and now my Dad is feeling unwell. Did I mention we are up here for his retirement party on Saturday?

Yeah, I'm feeling pretty bad, and not in the "funny in the tummy" way. I've got the guilts, big time. I know that these sorts of illnesses happen a lot with kids, and we have been very lucky not to have had too many bugs go through the family (so to speak). It's the "passing the sickness on to others" that I'm feeling bad about. I know people understand but I hate being the one to pass it around.

Sorry everyone! Will a cute baby-cino photo help? Feel better soon!!

Posted by Renae at 7:51 PM Comments

I often find myself in a bit of a tizz. I feel overwhelmed by my tasks and can't get my head around what to prioritise. When this happens, I end up doing one, or all of the following:

- I sit around watching Chanbe play (which is a lovely way to pass the time)
- I flit about from room to room, and look at what has to be done but not actually do anything
- I eat chocolate or chocolate-related goodies
- I pick a fight with Hubs about how I do everything around the house, even though it isn't true, but you know, whatever
- I blog
- I play words with friends
- I watch the minutes pass by and get annoyed that I'm not one of those people who can just get in and get stuff done without complaining/procrastinating

And I know what needs to be done. I know what needs to change. We need a routine. We need structure. We need to do regular things on regular days at regular times so I can feel balanced and, for want of a (much) better phrase, "in control".

So what does a routine and structure look like for us? At the moment, Hubs doesn't really have regular hours and days that he is at the hospital, as he is in study time; Chanbe and I have mothers group (yes we still meet every week!) on a Thursday afternoon; I have decided on Tuesday and Friday mornings for Chanbe to be in care so I can go to the gym and do things around the house; I want to do some regular sewing and crafting; I want to take Chance for a walk and play in the park most afternoons (weather permitting) to get us both out of the house and to get my foot moving again; I want to go to our fruit and veg lady each Friday; I want us to go to Church each Sunday morning; I want regular "alone time" with Hubs.

That's not too much to ask, is it? The problem (read: my excuse) is that we have so many interruptions in the next 3 months that I don't see the point in initiating such a routine. But I know it will benefit us if I do. So, starting Wedneday week (we are away next week and the following weekend, back that Tuesday), I will try and get some sort of structure to our week happening. I may even make up a chart. Oooooh I do love a good chart!

Wish me luck!

Posted by Renae at 6:19 PM Comments

Here are a couple of videos to give you a giggle on your Friday afternoon.

First of all, introducing the one. The only. Chandini!

Posted by Renae at 3:25 PM Comments

Both of my boys recently had haircuts, and boy do they look dapper. Yes, dapper.

First, it was Chanbe's turn. My friend from mother's group is a (damn fine) hairdresser, and cuts all of the kids hair in our group which is very nice of her. Chanbe didn't think so, but he got through it a bit better than the first time. He had this gorgeous little curl at the back of his hair that I just couldn't part with, so we put in a little piggy tail and snipped it off for safe keeping!

Posted by Renae at 1:12 PM Comments

Today is Mothers Day (in Australia), and what a day it has been so far. Last year, I got very spoilt with a beautiful Kenwood mixer, and since that was my first mothers day, I figured things would be a bit more low-key this year. But then, I remembered who I'm married to...

I woke up to the sounds of our little man, who is the reason we celebrate mothers day in our house, and went in to bring him to our bed for some cuddles. He wasn't in a particularly cuddly mood, so Hubs got up with him around 6:45am (neither of us are morning people) while I turned over and promptly went back to sleep. At 9am I awoke to the smells of another delicious breakfast being cooked for me (Hubs actually cooks me breakfast at least once a week anyway!) and a hot cup of tea sitting on my bedside table.

I came out to the living area and was greeted with cuddles and presents!! What better way to start the day?!

Even though we are on a pretty tight budget at the moment, Hubs kind of ignored that for the greater good (my extreme excitement and happiness!) and surprised me with:

 

Posted by Renae at 12:54 PM Comments

Those 3 words used to conjure up images of gnashing teeth and serious screams (except when it was about me going to bed.) I've mentioned the trouble we had with Chanbe's sleeping habits before, and I just kept saying that if we had a routine, things would be better.

Enter broken foot.

When I was lying on the floor in KMart, after hearing an audible crack come from my foot as I fell, I just kept thinking "this is the worst thing that could possibly happen right now." But you know what? It turned out pretty darn well. Yes, I had to have a cast and a boot and/or be on crutches for the better part of 3 months, but this gave Chanbe a time to settle in to a house for more than a week or 2 at a time. And it has done wonders for his sleeping. More than I could ever have imagined.

Now when bed time comes around, one of us takes him to his cot, puts music on, lies him down and says "sleepy time" and, this is the best bit, WE JUST WALK OUT OF THE ROOM!!! No more patting to sleep, no more tears (most of the time anyway) and often, even if he doesn't go to sleep straight away, we can hear him talking to himself and amusing himself until he can't keep his eyes open. And get this. At night he'll sleep from 7pm (ish) til 6:30am (ish). Yes. We have one of those kids now! It is absolute bliss and it also means we can have dinner at a reasonable hour now.

So, as it turns out, breaking my foot was the best thing for our little guy. Let's hope I don't need to break anything else for toilet training...

Posted by Renae at 2:56 PM Comments

Posted by Renae at 1:18 PM Comments

Our internet finally got connected yesterday (woo hoo!) after almost 3 weeks of being off-line. Apart from our phones. And the Library. And Hubs' work. But it's different to just being able to sit anywhere in the house (hooray for wireless!) and surfing/blogging/paying bills/emailing to my heart's content. My neck didn't cause me too much grief and it was all better within about 5 days, thankfully. We are still unpacking but the end is nigh. These bookshelves that Hubs made really helped!!

Posted by Renae at 11:01 AM Comments