Friday 30 August 2013

FFS Friday - Whinge, whinge, whinge

The weekend is here! Yay! Does everyone else feel like this week has been super long? I'm sure this weekend has taken two weeks to get here. 

A few weeks ago I carefully filled in the birth registration forms for Eljae. I checked them twice and got Tiger to check them before I sent everything off. When the birth certificate arrived the time of birth was wrong. FFS.

I phoned up BDM and they told me that I'd put the wrong time of birth down. FFS.

To fix it I either had to write a letter, provide a whole pile of paperwork and certified documents, or I could go into the office (which is in Perth). FFS.

Alternatively I could just leave the birth certificate with the wrong time of birth. FFS.

Being an ex investigator I couldn't deal with having the wrong time on the birth certificate, so I decided I'd go into the office next time we were in Perth. FFS.

Thankfully we went up to Perth last week. Not FFS.

We had two friends to see and a bit of running around to do. Whilst we were in civilisation we also hoped to do a little shopping. Not FFS.

For reasons known only to him, Chai was a total nightmare the whole time we were in Perth. FFS.

He whinged, whined and complained the whole weekend. FFS.

Usually if he gets upset I can talk to him about why he's upset and he'll tell me what I can do to make him feel better but that didn't work. FFS.

Bribery didn't work. FFS.

Taking him to play and burn off some energy didn't work. FFS.

Nothing worked. FFS. 

We tried everything and nothing stopped him whingeing, crying and complaining. FFS.

Instead of having a nice, relaxing weekend it was a total nightmare. FFS.

Saturday morning Tiger was going for a massage so Chai and I were going to look for a fathers day present for him whilst we were waiting. We explained this to Chai who totally lost it and wanted to go with Tiger. FFS.

To console him we went to the massage place with Tiger, said goodbye, explained to Chai that he wouldn't be very long (about as long as a few episodes of Timmy Time) and then left. Chai lost it again. FFS.

He got so upset he was hysterical and nothing I did calmed him down. FFS.

I told him we could sit downstairs and wait for Daddy, which we did for half an hour, during which he cried very loudly the entire time. FFS.

After half an hour I couldn't take it anymore so dragged him sobbing hysterically, to the shopping centre, put him in a trolley and went wandering around. Magically he stopped crying. Not FFS.

He'd sob every now and again but was not wailing constantly like he had been for the half hour previously. Not FFS.

The whole ordeal was made worse because I had Eljae attached to me in the baby carrier so I couldn't pick Chai up. FFS.

By some miracle Eljae slept through the whole thing. FFS.

That is the first time that I've totally been pushed to my limits by Chai. By the time Tiger got to us I had a huge headache, was holding back tears and was totally exhausted. FFS.

I even considered putting Chai in the car and leaving him there because I couldn't handle listening to him cry anymore. FFS.

That is pretty much how the whole weekend went. We spent the entire time listening to Chai cry, complain and carry on for no apparent reason and nothing we did or said helped. FFS.

By the time we got home Tiger and I were at our witts end and totally exhausted. FFS. 


At the start of this year we bought Tiger a tungsten wedding ring. We got tungsten because it's said to be unbreakable and Tiger is pretty rough with his jewellery. Tiger doesn't wear his ring when he's at home. 

As Tiger was reading through the junk mail he saw some West Coast Eagles products he wanted. He was showing them to me and telling me about them whilst Chai was listening. The gorgeous little man heard Daddy say he wanted some Eagles things so he went over and got the Eagles card that we'd given Chai for his birthday. Not FFS.

Tigers wedding ring was on top of the card and when it landed on the tiles it broke in half. FFS.

That is not what tungsten is supposed to do! FFS.

Due to the move we had no idea where the receipt was, so we rang the store we bought it from who thankfully had it on record. Not FFS.

We were able to arrange for a replacement to be ordered so now just have to wait for it to arrive. Not FFS.

Thanks for the great customer service Michael Hill Jewellers. Not FFS.

Yesterday Eljae had a Dr's appointment. As we were on the way to the appointment Eljae decided he needed a feed, so I fed him whilst I was waiting for the Dr and during the visit. FFS.

Tiger had to get some blood tests done so he went to see about them whilst I was with the Dr. Halfway through the appointment Tiger knocks on the door, brings Chai in and tells me he has to get his blood tests done so I need to look after Chai. FFS.

Eljae hadn't finished feeding so once the appointment was over I sat in the waiting room to feed him. Chai decided he wanted Daddy so went running off. FFS.

By the time I got up (with Eljae still attached to my boob) and got my bag, Chai had run out the door of the Dr's surgery. FFS.

Thankfully a lady saw him making a bolt for it so went after him for me and she was bringing him back through the doors when I got there. Not FFS.

Tiger came back in right then. When I told him what had happened he said that he'd had to leave Chai with me because when he was at the lab Chai had been asking for me. FFS.

Right, so in his mind leaving Chai with me whilst I was breastfeeding and unable to look after him was a totally reasonable idea. FFS.

That concludes my weekly whinge. I hope you all found it entertaining. If you have had any FFS moments, please post them below. If you'd like to see what others have to whinge about, head on over to Sarahs' blog

 
Dear Baby G

Wednesday 28 August 2013

Coco-Zen Chocolate Covered Coconut Lip Balm

It's been a while since I reviewed a lip balm, shame on me! I've been using lots of lovely balms lately so it's high time I started talking about them, especially considering they were the start of my love affair with make-up. 
Image credit

I've had my Coco-Zen lip balm for a while now, I bought it from Addicted 2 Lip Balm. I'm not sure where to buy it now that A2LB has closed down as  Coco-Zen don't ship to Australia, which is a real shame. Some of the products on their website sound amazing so it's probably a good thing they don't ship here.

Coco-Zen says: A moment on the lips, forever on the hips? Not with our Chocolate Lip Balms!
Give into to your chocolate craving without the guilt. Our chocolate lip balms are flavored with real organic and Fair Trade chocolate and sweetened with a touch of Stevia. While your nose and taste buds dance in chocolate ecstasy, your lips will bathe in moisturizing organic coconut creme and extra virgin olive oil. Scrub your lips with our chocolate edible lip scrub daily and then apply the lip balm for chocolatey, kissable lips.

If you are a chocolate lover you need to get your hands on one of these balms, they are heavenly. I bought the Chocolate Covered Coconut flavour which smells and tastes just like a Bounty. Yum! Aside from the beautiful flavour this is a very hydrating balm that leaves a light sheen on my lips. I can't really comment on how long this lasts as I lick most of it off as soon as I put it on because it tastes so good. 

Coco-Zen lip balms cost $4.50 (USD) for a 0.25oz slide tin. 

Ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, extra virgin coconut creme, beeswax, fair trade certified chocolate, vitamin e, castor oil, cocoa absolute, coconut flavour oil, stevia.

Friday 23 August 2013

FFS Friday - I'm back!

After an enforced break, I'm back! We finally got the internet back on yesterday, yay!

We've had no internet as we moved again last Wednesday. FFS.

As you can imagine, moving with a newborn and a two year old is a nightmare. FFS.

Add to that a sleep deprived, hormonal woman who's just given birth and you've got a recipe for disaster. FFS.

Thankfully my Mum and Sister (in law, but I've claimed her as my own), came over and did all of the packing and most of the unpacking for me. Not FFS.

Tiger wanted the PILs to come and help too, but I said no. FFS.

He mentioned it at least five times and I was so sick of him talking about it that I told him I was at a high risk of PND due to all the stress I've been under and that I could not cope with having the MIL around. FFS.

When that didn't shut him up I told him that he was welcome to get the PILs down and when I got PND it'd be his fault and he'd have to quit work and stay home to look after me and the kids, then we'd go broke cause we wouldn't have enough money to pay the mortgage. That shut him up. FFS.

But only temporarily. FFS.

The next day he thought he'd try a guilt trip and said "I feel really sorry for Dad, he just wants to be here helping us out but he can't because of mum." Unfortunately for Tiger my Mum is the Queen of emotional guilt/blackmail so I'm immune to it. I told him that my mental health is more important than anything else so he can quit trying to make me feel guilty about putting myself first for once. That really did shut him up. FFS.

A few days later Tiger wakes up to a message from BIL saying that he needed to call and have a serious chat with his parents. Tiger rang BIL who told him that the PILs were really upset and hurt because we didn't get them to help us move and he ranted on about how awful I am and how I stop him bonding with his nephews etc. FFS.

Tiger rang his parents who were not at all upset and didn't know what he was talking about. FFS.

Turns out BIL had totally misrepresented a conversation he'd had with FIL and decided to stir up trouble for nothing, as per usual. I really wish he'd get help and sort out his mental health issues. FFS.

As normal, he's now talking to Tiger as if nothing ever happened. FFS.

IMO the longer the family accept his behaviour and said "it's just the way he is", the worse he's going to get. He really does need help and them pretending that his behaviour is okay is not doing him any favours. FFS.  

We used to have all our insurance with HBF but thanks to them constantly stuffing up we now have no policies with them, or so I thought. FFS.

I phoned them a few days ago to get details of the only policy we had remaining with them. They sent me through details of a policy in Tigers name that we'd been told we didn't have. FFS.





I phoned back to get information about the correct policy, only to be told they'd cancelled it and not bothered to let me know. FFS.


The policy in Tigers name that they sent me the details of has a story attached to it. 


When Tiger bought the car I insured it. A few months later his car was parked at a friends house and all 4 tyres were slashed. FFS.


We rang up to make an insurance claim and HBF told us we didn't have a policy with them. I was sure I'd insured with them but they swore that we didn't have a policy so I assumed my baby brain had been mistaken. FFS.


Tiger was furious with me for not insuring his car but he got over it and we bought new tyres. The ones that had been slashed were really expensive and we couldn't afford them so we put cheaper ones on but it still cost us $800. FFS.


The policy that HBF sent through to me showed that I had insured Tiger's car and we had been covered at the time his tyres were slashed, so we made a claim! Not FFS.


We also got a refund for the time we'd been paying double insurance thanks to them telling us we weren't insured. Not FFS.


I mentioned a few weeks ago that one of my strawberrynet orders had been lost. FFS.


They found it, it was at the post office, but as it'd been mislabeled the post office wouldn't release it to me as they thought there was another part to the package. FFS.


I told strawberrynet this and they said they'd contact Australia Post but they didn't. FFS.


The things I ordered are now out of stock so they refunded me. FFS.


They were By Terry products that I have wanted for ages. FFS.


And knowing that they are sitting at the post office but I can't have them is just awful! FFS.


Typically, Australia Post decided to give me my package (which I'd had sent to my old address), after we'd moved. FFS.


Thankfully I'd signed up for tracking notification so I sent Tiger to get my goodies. Not FFS.


Clearly I was very, very evil in a past life (or maybe I was an awful MIL), because the PILs are here again. FFS.


We see more of them now than we did when we were living an hour away from them. FFS.

Tiger thinks this is wonderful, I do not. FFS.


After everything that's been going on lately I just want everyone gone so that we can enjoy some peace and quiet alone in our new home. FFS.




Dear Baby G

Thursday 22 August 2013

Elias Jae is here!

Our beautiful baby boy Elias Jae arrived at 11.15pm on Friday the 2nd of August, exactly two weeks before my due date. He was 3.515 kg's and 51 cm long.

If you don't want to read the details of his birth, stop reading now!

I'd been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions all day Thursday and Friday. They were getting more intense and some of them were a little uncomfortable, but they didn't feel any different to the Braxton Hicks I'd been having for weeks so I didn't think anything of it. 6.30pm Friday evening as I was standing in the kitchen plating up dinner, my waters broke. It was just a trickle, but a trickle that didn't stop. As soon as I felt it I thought it was my waters breaking and by the time I got to the bathroom I knew it was my waters. 

I called out to Tiger, told him that my waters had broken and asked him to bring me some undies and a pad. Tiger immediately panicked and came racing into the toilet. When I went to the toilet my mucous plug came out. Whilst I was getting dressed and finding some clean pants, Tiger was racing from room to room in a panic not knowing what to do. I told him to calm down and call my Mum to come and look after Chai. After he'd done that I got him to call the hospital who told me to get my things together and come in. 

I had my bag packed and a list of things I needed to put in the bag so I got Tiger to eat his tea whilst I put the last few things in my bag. I then called my sister in law to let her know I was in labour just in case we needed her to come and get Chai (Mum lives an hour away). Due to the time, I got Chai's pj's and a nappy so that we could get him ready for bed whilst we were at the hospital and hopefully he'd fall asleep in the car on the way home. 

We got to the hospital and as we were walking in I was puffing and panting away due to the tightness in my stomach. I had a few contractions in the car on the way in, but nothing regular. I got to the labour ward and they put the monitors on me to see what was happening. Bub was happy and despite me having a few contractions whilst I was being monitored, they didn't show up on the monitor. 

The midwife didn't examine me as she didn't want to risk introducing bacteria so she got the Dr to come and see me. He looked at my stats, said that they'd see what happens and get things moving in the morning. He suggested that I go for a walk to see if that got things moving. The midwifes said I was hours away from delivering and probably wouldn't have bub until the morning, so I sent Tiger home with Mum to put Chai to bed. Despite what the midwife and Dr said, I was sure that bub wasn't far away. Tiger said he might try to get some sleep at home but I told him he needed to come straight back because my contractions were getting more intense and I didn't want him to miss the birth. 

I tried walking around a bit but I got a very heavy feeling and my contractions increased, so I lay down again to wait for Tiger to get back. I was pretty sure that the baby would be arriving sooner rather than later, despite nothing showing up on the monitors.

Tiger got back at 9.30pm and whilst I was still having contractions of greater intensity, they weren't regular. I was feeling quite irritable, Tiger was annoying me because he wasn't doing anything during my contractions, the fit ball irritated me because it squeaked when I used it, everything was irritating. I'm not sure what I was expecting Tiger to do, he was holding my hand and rubbing my back, but in my mind that wasn't enough, haha. My contractions were getting more intense but they still weren't regular. 

The midwife came in around 10pm, lay me on my right side and put the monitor on me to see what was happening. I was starting to have trouble breathing through the contractions, they were getting a lot stronger and I felt like I couldn't control my breathing due to the intensity. After a few minutes of laying on my side I needed to do a poo, but I couldn't whilst I was being monitored. My contractions were getting a lot stronger and by the time the midwife came back in I'd decided I wanted drugs NOW! When they finished monitoring me I told her I really needed to go to the loo. She examined me and as I was 6cm dilated she went to get the labour ward ready whilst I went to the loo. I was still really irritable and when she left the room I asked Tiger if she'd gone to get me drugs and he wasn't sure, so I told him I wanted drugs NOW! Then I went to the loo. Whilst I was on the loo I had two really intense contractions. I finished my business and was just getting up when I got a really strong contraction along with a feeling that the baby was coming. 

I told Tiger that I thought the baby was coming so he had a look and told me the baby wasn't coming, I just needed to do a poo. I didn't think he was right but gave an experimental push to see if it was a poo and I knew the baby was coming. I felt between my legs and could feel the pressure of the baby's head. I told Tiger the baby was coming and he again told me I needed to do a poo so I yelled at him to get a midwife NOW and pushed the buzzer for the nurse (Tiger said I nearly slammed it through the wall). Tiger raced out into the hall and yelled for a midwife. She came in took one look at me and pressed the emergency buzzer. 

My main concern was getting off the toilet cause I hadn't flushed it and I didn't want bub to end up in the loo. I managed to get off the loo. Tiger was behind me holding me up and I was leaning forward onto the midwife. They swapped places and she asked me if I could get to the bed but I couldn't move so she got me to move forward so that the baby didn't hit the toilet. Someone else must have come into the room because the midwife said "we have a ***". I don't know what word she used but I assume it meant "get in here as fast as you can because this lady is about to give birth in the toilet". There were four midwifes with me by that time and I somehow managed to get onto the bed. When I got onto the bed they asked me if I could lie down but I couldn't. I'm not sure if his head was out, I think it must have been because a midwife said "Oh no, the cord is around his neck, we'll just slip it off". A few seconds later they asked me to push, I gave one push and Elias came rushing out. 

As soon as he was out I ripped off my top, picked him up and lay down with my beautiful baby on my chest. I got to stay like that for ages, it would have been at least an hour. Tiger said that the first things I said were "Where's my baby? Give me my baby!" He was just beautiful, but I was a little concerned because his face, hands and feet were purple, but the midwife and Dr weren't concerned about it.

Fifteen minutes after bub had been born mum and Chai arrived at the hospital. Chai had woken up and wouldn't go back to sleep because he wanted Tiger or me. It worked out really nicely because it meant we were all together as a family for a few hours. Chai got to see and cuddle his new brother and then around 2am they all went home.

This was me in the morning 
And by the end of the day I was cuddling this little darling.
The whole thing felt really surreal, I couldn't believe it had all happened so quickly and I didn't understand how I had gone from 6cm dilated to fully dilated in a few minutes. The midwife said that because I'd had a full bowel, bub hadn't been able to move down enough for my cervix to open, so as soon as my bowel was empty, he moved down and I dilated. After the birth I had with Chai I am so glad that this was a quick, easy birth! 

Wednesday 21 August 2013

Lancome Advanced Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate

When this was first released a few years ago I received a heap of samples so tried it out for six weeks and was not impressed. It did absolutely nothing for my skin. As you can imagine, when I was sent the new formula to review for Beauty Heaven I was not expecting anything.

According to Lancome this will give smoother and more radiant skin within seven days. They claim that it reactivates the ten key signs of youth (fine lines, wrinkles, radiance, clarity, even skin tone, texture, resiliency, elasticity, firmness and sagginess). 
It has a self loading dropper which I really like, it meant I didn't have to pour the product out of the bottle and risk getting too much out. I'm not sure if my bottle was faulty though, because my dropper only filled up halfway. Half a dropper gave me enough serum to cover my whole face and I used another half on my neck and decolletage. 

I've now finished my bottle so feel like it's a good time to do a review. After seven days of twice daily use I noticed no difference in my skin at all. My fine lines were the same, my dark spots were unchanged and there were no other changes to my skin. I kept on using the serum not expecting anything, however after four weeks I noticed that my pores were looking smaller and my skin looked smoother. This surprised me as I don't believe that it's possible to shrink pores, however they definitely look smaller. 

After using the whole bottle, those are the only changes I've noticed in my skin tone. My fine lines, dark spots, elasticity and radiance are all unchanged. Having said that, I was pleased with the changes I did notice as it's the only product I've found that makes more pores look smaller, so for that reason alone I will consider purchasing this.

Advanced Genifique costs $55 for a 20ml bottle, $88 for a 30ml bottle, $125 for a 50ml bottle and $170 for a 75ml bottle.

Monday 19 August 2013

Long vs short hair care


For years I've had very long hair, nearly down to my waist. About six months ago I cut it to bra strap length then a few weeks ago I cut it to shoulder length. I haven't regretted this decision once, probably because I'd been sick of my hair for ages and I'd planned to chop it all off for ages. Plus, I didn't chop it really short (really short for me is shoulder length), straight away, I did a mid cut just in case I didn't like having shorter hair. 

I've realised that my hair care needs are now very different. Contrary to what you may think, long hair is much easier to look after than short hair.

Looking after long hair is easy. It only needs washing once a week and to style it I'd just put some oil on the ends, smoothing cream through the mid lengths and then tie it back. If I wanted to leave it down all I did was put it in a bun overnight and in the morning I'd wake up with wavy hair. Simple.

Short hair is a whole different ball game. It needs washing every second or third day, I can't just pull it back and I need to style it every day. I'm still working out what to use and how to use it but so far texturiser and beach spray are my best friends. One great thing about short hair is that it holds it's style. When I had long hair, if I straightened it or styled it, by the next morning I'd need to do it again (so I usually didn't bother). With short hair it holds the style much better so I just need to give it a tweak in the morning and it's good to go.

It's a common misconception that long hair is difficult to look after when really it isn't. Interestingly I've found that since my hair has been shorter it's gotten a lot thicker. My hairdresser said that this would happen, he had a great explanation that I can't remember, but it was something to do with long hair being heavy and getting weighed down so there isn't as much hair. 

For those of you with long hair, thinking about getting the chop, do it! After all, it's only hair, it'll grow back. For my next trick I'm planning on dying my hair red, but that is going to wait until after the baby gets here as I don't want to be breathing in chemicals whilst I'm pregnant and there are no Original and Mineral salons down here.

Wednesday 14 August 2013

Lafes Deodorants

With my last iHerb order I bought three Lafes deodorants to test out. I've only tried two of them so far, I will review the other one later when I've had a chance to try it. Whilst I'm pregnant and breastfeeding I prefer to use natural deodorants as I really don't like exposing the baby to chemicals. I'd actually prefer to use a natural deodorant all the time, it's just a matter of finding one that's effective.
The deodorant stick was a total fail. I usually love stick deodorants, however this one is so hard that I can't use it, it hurts my underarms when I try to put it on and it's not soft at all so I don't get any of the product under my arm. Fail. That went in the bin. I'm very glad this only cost me $4.51 (US)!

I got the fragrance Fresh which I was thinking would be a fresh, green scent, however it's more fresh woody, so rather masculine. I wouldn't get this scent again.

The second deodorant I got was the roll on version which I've been using for just over a month now and I really like it. I got this in Powder scent and unsurprisingly it smells exactly like powder. I find it to be gentle on my sensitive pitts and very effective. Granted, I'm using it through winter, however being pregnant I'm constantly hot and this does the trick. By the end of the day I can smell the deodorant, but I can't smell any body odour, so that makes it a winner. I'd be interested to see how this fares in summer. I paid $4.55 (US) which is a bargain!

Stick deodorant ingredients:
Roll on deodorant ingredients: aqua, potassium alum, hydroxyethylcellulose, guar gum, aloe vera extract, cinnamon oil, hemp oil, coriander seed oil, witch hazel extract, close bud essential oil, essential oil aromatic blend.

If you are planning on placing an iHerb order, code YUF175 will get you a discount on your first order.

Monday 12 August 2013

My Pregnancy Essentials

When I'm pregnant my whole routine changes. I can't wear perfumes, my skin gets dry and I prefer to use natural products where possible. I thought I'd write a list of the products that have gotten me happily through both of my pregnancies.

It's no secret how much I love Audra James products. Everything is custom made to suit my needs and it works! I didn't use any Audra products with my last pregnancy however for this pregnancy I've used the morning sickness and reflux blends (these are not on the menu, you just email Audra and she makes them for you), the Belly Oil and the Nipple Balm.

All of these products have been a godsend. The Belly Oil is lovely, dries quickly and has a very light, barely noticeable scent. The morning sickness blend kept me functioning and the reflux blend is nothing short of a miracle.  
I've only been using the Nipple Balm for about a week now, but for those of you who aren't aware, it's a good idea to start using a nipple balm towards the end of your pregnancy to make sure your nipples are ready for breastfeeding. I did it with Chai and whilst my nipples got sore they never got dry or cracked.

Burt's Bees Mumma Bee Belly Balm - This is my favourite belly balm. With Chai I used the Palmers belly butter which was really nice but it was very rich so I could only use it at night. I had to throw out the singlets I was sleeping in as they all stunk of oil by the end of my pregnancy. Burt's Bees Belly Balm is rich, but when I rub it between my hands it melts to an oil which absorbs quickly and doesn't leave my skin greasy. I've been using this day and night since I finished my Audra James Belly Oil.

Clarins HydraQuench Day Cream - For some reason my skin gets really dry when I'm pregnant and this is my go to moisturiser for dry skin. There are natural moisturisers that do just as good a job (I'm looking at you Weleda Skin Food), however this has SPF in it so it's my choice for daytime moisturiser. 

Soap and Glory Girligo - With my last pregnancy I used this as a perfume because I couldn't handle any of my other perfumes. 

Preggie Pop Drops - These are great for morning sickness. They don't alleviate it totally but they help a lot. 

Natural Scents deodorant - As I've said, I prefer to use natural products when I'm pregnant and that includes deodorant. As I get so hot when I'm pregnant I need something effective and yet gentle as I have very sensitive pitts. This one does the trick. It doesn't irritate my sensitive pitts and it lasts all day without me needing to reapply it. 

Peppermint lip balm - I don't normally use peppermint lip balms, however in the first trimester when I had all day sickness peppermint lip balms were a saviour. My favourites were Love and Toast Green Tea and Mint Lip Butter, The Body Shop Mint Lip Gloss and Hurraw Lip Balm.   

A'kin Lavender Body Wash - It wasn't until Audra told me that I became aware of lavender being used as a morning sickness treatment. I used my A'kin body wash in the mornings and it helped ease the morning queasiness. 

Leggings - I am a firm believer that leggings are not pants and I don't usually wear them, but during pregnancy they are the best. I have 2 pairs by Nine and Mine from Big W, they only cost $12 and are so comfortable. I wear them with dresses and long tops now that the weather has cooled down.

Friday 9 August 2013

FFS Friday - On the move

Our beautiful baby boy arrived on Friday night. Not FFS.

My waters broke just as I was plating up dinner, so I missed out on dinner. FFS.

He arrived very, very quickly, so quickly that I nearly had him in the toilet. FFS.

Sunday morning the BIL called. I didn't feel like talking to him but answered the phone because I thought he'd be calling to congratulate us on the new arrival. He wasn't. FFS.

He didn't ask how I was or say anything about the baby, he just started carrying on about a network marketing thing he wanted me to put on my blog. FFS.

I didn't like being in hospital so came home on Sunday morning. Not FFS.

The PIL's came down on Monday. FFS.

That was the last thing I needed. A new baby and the PIL's around. FFS.

As per usual, MIL was an absolute nightmare. FFS.

Tuesday they said that they were feeling 'unwanted'. FFS.

You have to be joking me. I'd just had a baby, my milk had come in so I was feeling hormonal and then they were complaining that I was making them feel unwanted. FFS.

Of course they were fucking unwanted. Who wants a house full of people when they've just bought a baby home! FFS.

Especially an annoying, meddling, can't keep her mouth shut mother in law. FFS.

They bought an electronic car for Chai. FFS.

And they gave it to him on Monday night, so of course he didn't want to go to bed, he wanted to play with his new car. FFS.

As I mentioned last week, the owners had until Sunday to find someone to buy our house before the bank took it. We've been waiting all week to hear if the house is getting repossessed or not. FFS.

Meanwhile, we've found somewhere else to live. We called our property manager and told her that we've found somewhere else to live and will be moving out. She said that she'd let the owner know. She got back to us and said that the owner is no longer willing to let us out of the lease and that she'll take us to court if we break the lease. FFS.

According to the owner, the offer to break the lease was a one time offer. She didn't bother telling us that, so we've spent the last month or so house hunting. FFS.

So now I have a newborn baby, a confused two year old, we're moving and we'll be facing legal action from the owner of our property. Great. FFS.


I will not let any of this stress me though, because it's a situation I can't change or control. 

If any of you have had some FFS moments this week, please let me know so that I feel better. 




Dear Baby G

Monday 5 August 2013

July Empties

Check me out! I've got so many empties this month, I'm very proud of myself!
Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser - I love this cleanser and already have another bottle on the go. It's a lovely, gentle cleanser and the pump applicator is great. You can read my full review here

Lancome Advanced Genifique - This is the updated formula and it's a lot better than the old version. After using this twice a day for four weeks my pores were noticeably smaller. I have a full review coming up soon. 

You, me and Everybody Bodhi Me Cream Cleanser - This was a total fail for me. It's supposed to be a gentle cleanser but it stung like crazy every time I used it. I used it as a shaving cream just to get rid of it. 

Audra James Belly Oil - Love, love, love. For all you pregnant ladies out there I can't recommend this enough. It has a very light scent, sinks in quickly and leaves my skin feeling hydrated all day. 


The Body Shop Chocomania Shower Cream - I was so sad when I finished this, it's a lovely gentle shower cream that smells exactly like chocolate and leaves my skin with a soft chocolate scent. This was originally limited edition but they bought it back and I'm hoping it's part of their regular range now because I want another bottle. 

L'Occitane Repairing Shampoo - I don't remember if I did or didn't like this and considering I finished it in the last few weeks, that tells me it wasn't great and it wasn't horrible. 

Boheme Conditioner - This wasn't remarkable but it smells lovely. Having said that, I wouldn't buy it, purely because there are other conditioners that I like more. 
Swisspers Spa Facial Cleansing Wipes - These are pink! Naturally that makes them even more awesome. I bought a whole pile of wipes when Priceline had a sale and these are winners. They are nearly as good as my holy grail WotNot wipes and I'll definitely buy them again.
Pacifica Lotus Garden Body Wash - If you can get your hands on this, buy it! It is a rich, creamy body wash, perfect for dry winter skin. The scent is a lovely blend of lotus blossom, green violet leaf, olibanum and pink pepper with citrus top notes. A definite repurchase. 

Clarins HydraQuen Cream - This is one of my all time favourite moisturisers, I don't understand why I haven't done a review of it before. It's super hydrating without any greasiness or oily residue. I use the normal to dry skin formula in winter and the oily skin version in summer. 

Biotherm Aquasource Non Stop - I'd be interested to use this in summer as it's a light, gel moisturiser with a fresh, green scent. I used it as a night cream and didn't mind it however I think it'd be better for summer use. 
 Ardell Clear Brow Gel - Nothing needs to be said about this. It's my holy grail brow gel.

Mustela Nursing Comfort Balm - Another product I don't have a lot to say about. It's nipple cream, what more is there to say. 

Olay Regenerist Eye Cream - A full review of this is coming up soon. It's a nice eye cream that kept my eye area well hydrated.
These are the products I used on Chai.

Nature's Care Baby Paw Paw Shampoo and Body Wash - I like to use combination products on Chai as it saves having to buy him a separate shampoo and body wash and his hair doesn't get that dirty. This is a nice product that I'd consider buying again, it lathers well, doesn't irritate Chai's skin and smells nice. 

Jack n' Jill Natural Toothpaste and Ankle Biters Toothpaste - Both of these are all natural which is great considering Chai eats more toothpaste than he brushes his teeth with and he never spits it out.
This pile are all tosses. The Owen's Chapped Lips balm is brand new and awful. It stinks like it's off (which it shouldn't be because it doesn't expire until July 2014) and it's so hard and tacky I can't use it. It was a total waste of $8.00.

Nars Orgasm I've had for years and never really liked. I tried to force myself to use it up but in the end I gave up.

Mecca Lip Delovely went in the bin because it's old and off. 

The Lafes Deodorant Stick was a total fail, which you can read all about in my Lafes post which is coming up soon.

Friday 2 August 2013

FFS Friday - Relief at last

Tiger is home now, it's such a huge relief! He came home a few days early, I was so pleased and now I feel like I can relax and enjoy the time before bub arrives. Not FFS.

As proof of how difficult I was finding things last week, I got the PIL's to come and stay for the weekend. FFS.

I know, I can't believe it either but I was desperate. FFS.

I was really struggling and I didn't want Chai to continue to suffer. The poor little man was so bored with me unable to do much with him and being so tired, he was getting upset because he wanted to go out and have fun and we couldn't. So I took drastic measures and asked the PILs to help. FFS.

It was lovely having them here. They kept Chai entertained and I got to rest, it was bliss. Not FFS. 

MIL was on her best behaviour and very pleasant to be around the whole time, until Tiger got home. Then she became unbearable. FFS.

I'm starting to get very worried about how things will go when I have a newborn. FFS.

I don't want Chai to suffer so I think I'm just going to have to soldier on, tired or not. I'm going to enroll him in a few different activities and on days that I'm struggling hopefully Dad or one of my other family members will be able to take him so that he doesn't miss out. 

Over the years I've made about 30 orders with Strawberrynet and never had any problems. My orders have always arrived within 5 to 7 working days. At the start of July I placed an order with them for some By Terry products that I really wanted. Of course, that was the order that went missing. FFS.

Last week I started a new career as a thief. FFS.

To my great surprise, it's really easy and I'm very good at it. FFS.

I went to Priceline to get some more brow gel and eye make-up remover. I'd managed to wangle Chai into a trolley so that he was confined and couldn't wreck the store. Clever. Not FFS.

We were walking past the vitamins when he started screaming blue murder because he'd seen something he wanted. FFS.

Upon investigation it was Lightening MacQueen multivitamins. FFS.

Bloody brilliant idea, so I got them for him then continued on to get my brow gel. I put the brow gel in the front section of the trolley, totally forgot I needed eye make-up remover and went to the checkout to pay. I paid for the multivitamins and left the shop. As I was wandering around about 10 minutes later I spotted the brow gel sitting in the front of the trolley and realised I hadn't paid for it. FFS.

So I made the long treck back to Priceline and paid for my brow gel. FFS.

I'm surprised it was so easy to steal something, but despite this I have no intention of doing it again! FFS.

When I went back and paid for the brow gel the checkout lady looked at me like she thought I was crazy. FFS.

As I said last week, Chai is now refusing to sleep during the day. FFS.


This means that by 5pm he is tired and whingey. It's not fun. I now understand what people mean when they talk about the witching hour. FFS.


I've been having really graphic dreams this pregnancy but it hasn't really worried me because they haven't been bad dreams. Except for Sunday night. FFS.


I dreamed I was at the hospital and I could see the whole outline of the baby in my belly, then it came bursting out the top of my belly and the hospital staff wouldn't give me the baby because they said it was dead when it wasn't. I insisted that they give me the baby because I could see it's eyelids fluttering and as soon as I held the bub on my chest it was okay. FFS.


The same night Chai woke up at 3am wanting a bottle. FFS.


I refused to give it to him (I offered him water which he didn't want) so he threw a screaming tantrum. FFS.


As I was trying to get him back to sleep MIL came crashing into the room and loudly called out to see if I was there. FFS.


Where the hell did she think I'd be? FFS.


The next morning she said that she thought I might have been asleep. FFS.


Considering Chai and I sleep in the same bed, how she thought I could sleep through that racket is beyond me. FFS.

If there is no offer on our house by Sunday then the bank is going to take it, which means we will be given 30 days to move out. FFS.

Considering the estate agency is making no effort at all to sell the property, it's highly unlikely that it will sell. FFS.

They called Thursday and wanted to show someone through so we said that they could come over that afternoon. They rang us back and said that the person couldn't make it and didn't ask to for them to come through another time. FFS.

They haven't asked to show anyone else or have any home opens so I'm not sure how they imagine that they'll sell the house. If I was the owners I'd be pretty annoyed with the estate agency! FFS. 

Really, if your house was about to get repossessed wouldn't you be telling the estate agent to do everything they could to sell the property? FFS.

If the owners and selling agent hadn't treated us so badly we would have put an offer in, however they way they behaved made us not want to buy the house. Very silly of them. FFS. 

As I've mentioned, to my great relief Tiger came home on Monday. Not FFS.

Monday night he woke me up at 1.30am to complain that I was snoring. FFS.

As if there is anything I can do about it! FFS.

I'm having enough trouble sleeping as it is without him waking me up to whinge about something I can't change! FFS. 

He knows that I snore at the end of my pregnancy and he also knows that there is nothing I can do about it, so why he though waking me up to complain was a good idea I don't know. FFS.

If I hadn't been so exhausted he would have sustained physical damage, lucky for him I was too tired to bother. FFS.

Chai rarely has tantrums however every now and again he likes to have a big scream. I don't discourage this as I think it's healthy to express your emotions, so I tell him it's okay to yell if he's feeling frustrated. A few days ago he decided to have a full on, throw yourself on the floor screaming tantrum. FFS.

I left him to it and when he'd finished and gotten up I asked him if he felt better, to which he sweetly replied "Yes mum mum" and then continued playing like nothing had happened. Cheeky little monkey. FFS.

Now that you've had a good laugh at my expense, head over to Sarah's blog and laugh at the misfortune of everyone else :) 

Dear Baby G