Friday 31 July 2015

FFS Friday - Highway robbery

We're currently in the midst of an "everything is breaking" phase. FFS.

First up was the dishwasher. FFS.

They charge an $80 call out fee to come and look at the dishwasher. FFS.

We decided they could stick their $80 call out fee so took the dishwasher in ourselves. Tiger announced that he couldn't remove the dishwasher so I did it. FFS.

I'm so the male in this relationship. FFS.

There was one hose that I couldn't get out. FFS.

Tiger couldn't get it out either. FFS.

In the end, after much frustration and swearing from Tiger he used a drill to make the hole in the cabinet bigger and removed the hose. Not FFS.

A week without a dishwasher is a long time. FFS.

Of course, the dishwasher wasn't ready to be picked up until a few hours after Tiger had gone back to work. FFS.

That meant I had to get Dad to pick it up with his trailer. FFS.

Of course it rained all week so I had to wait for a clear day before he could pick it up. FFS.

My MIL being the kind person she is knew that Dad was going to help me pick up the dishwasher so took the trailer out first thing in the morning and didn't come home until late afternoon. Cow. FFS.

Thankfully I still managed to get my dishwasher back yesterday. FFS.

A few days after the dishwasher breaking the back door latch broke. FFS.

We have another back door so we didn't bother about it. Not FFS.

Next up was my car battery. I've been telling Tiger for three months now that I needed a new battery and he didn't believe me. FFS.

Unsurprisingly the battery died the day that Tiger was away getting his tax done and I was taking the kids to meet a friend. FFS.

We got that sorted then the next night the other back door latch broke. FFS.

That meant we could only get into the back yard by going out the laundry door and over the small fence. FFS.

It also meant that Bella couldn't get into the house. FFS

The door shop wanted a $110 call out fee just to come to our house. FFS.

Then they charge parts and labour on top of that! FFS.

Tiger fixed all three of the doors himself for $20. Not FFS.

As if that wasn't enough, the morning that Tiger was flying out the hot water system broke. FFS.

Their call out fee was $115! Highway robbery. FFS. 

One good thing is that all of this happened whilst Tiger was home. Not FFS.

Usually things like this happen when he's away, I'm so glad it didn't happen like that this time. Not FFS. 

Thursday 30 July 2015

Thoughts of the month

1. Someone in WA won $50 million this month. It was not me.

2. If it had of been me I would have changed this town for the better, I have several brilliant idea's, I just need money to make them a reality.

3. Kosmea is releasing a Rose lip balm at the end of August. I need it.

4. On Monday I had my first appointment with the naturopath to start my rejuvenation program. I'm so excited.

5. Things in the country are such a rip off. The companies know they have no opposition so they charge through the nose. It makes me so angry. We just got charged a $115 call out fee for someone to fix our hot water system. He was here for 20 minutes. 

6. I don't understand the whole Adam Goodes booing thing. Other players get boo'd (and did during that game), so why is it racist when he gets boo'd? I suspect they must be saying racist things and that's why the booing is racist?

7. I have no Ed Sheeran thoughts this month, how sad.

8. My baby is two in a few days. I'm so clucky, I'd love another baby.

9. I resisted the Pricline 40% off skincare sale, go me.

10. I have no more thoughts.

Tuesday 28 July 2015

Top Three Tuesday - squeeze tube lip balms

Choosing my three favourite squeeze tube lip balms was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Even now I'm still pondering if I should have included the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector and CO Bigelow Mentha Lip Tints. In the end I chose the three balms that I've been using the most over the last few months.

Lanolips - I've shown the Banana balm but it's any Lanolips balm. At the moment my favourites are Banana balm and the Peach 101 ointment. They're super hydrating and the 101 ointments can be used for all sorts of different things, so they're a great handbag staple.

Rose and Co Rose Petal Salve - A rose scented balm had to make this list. Why aren't there more rose lip balms available? I'd buy them all! Rose Petal Salve is another multi purpose balm. It's very thick so makes a great winter lip balm.
Red Earth Lip Nectar - Red Earth was one of my favourite brands in the 90's so you can imagine my excitement when they made a return. Their products are just as good as they were in the 90's. I'm loving the Lip Nectar, it gives a beautiful wash of colour is very hydrating. If you're in the market for a tinted lip balm you need to give this one a try.

Saturday 25 July 2015

Saturday Skincare - Subtle Energies Facial Blend

I've been using Facial Blend for over a year now and it's true love. If I could only use one face oil for the rest of my life this would be it, it's that amazing.

I recently ran out so started using a different brand whilst waiting for my new bottle of Facial Blend to arrive, it was the worst five days of my life! Facial Blend is perfect in every way. It smells like a warm, calming cuddle. The texture is great, not too greasy and not too light. When I use Facial Blend my face feels comfortable all day, I don't get that uncomfortable tightness half way through the day and I also don't turn into a grease ball. In summer I use it in place of moisturiser and in winter I use it as a serum under moisturiser.

If I had to find a negative it's the price. At $34 for 10ml and $115 for 50ml it's not cheap, but it truly is worth every cent. I only need three or four drops to cover my face, neck and decolletage, so with twice daily use a 10ml bottle lasts me three months. That's pretty good value.  

Friday 24 July 2015

FFS Friday - Odd socks

So I've been thinking a lot about this one lately and I have to ask.

Why do we bother so much about wearing matching socks?

Really, what's the big deal? Who cares if socks match or not?

How often do people even see our socks? And couldn't non matching socks be a cool fashion statement?

I've spent a lot of time sorting socks recently, last week Chai used 14 pairs of socks. No idea how he managed that but he did. I think it's possibly caused by him throwing them all over the house/car etc instead of putting them in the wash. Or by him rejected several pairs of socks because they annoy him before he finally settles on an acceptable pair. 

A while ago the MIL gave me five pairs of identical grey socks. At the time I thought it was ridiculous but I've now realised it was genius. I don't have to worry about matching up pairs cause they're all the same. Brilliant!

I'm going to do an experiment. For the next four weeks I'm not going to wear matching socks and see what happens. I bet no-one will even notice.

Imagine all the time we'd save not having to pair up socks. I reckon it'd give me at least an extra hour a week. I can do a lot in an hour. 

I'm sure I'm onto something here.

Wednesday 22 July 2015

Winter Skin Saviours


Winter is well and truly here and the cold weather requires a change in skin care. We've had a few really cold days lately, I'm starting to understand why people wear ugg boots outside of the house. This winter my skin is really suffering, it's super dry and itchy. Thankfully I have a pile of great products that are helping to counteract the cold weather and get my skin feeling good again.

Lanolips Anti-Bacterial hand cream - About time we got something like this in Australia! I've been hoarding a Bath and Bodyworks antibacterial hand cream for ages, now I don't have to. No more dry hands from using antibacterial gel. This is a brilliant product, it's hydrating, non greasy and something I'll never be without.

Clarins HydraQuench Bi-Phase Serum - I know I talk about this all the time, but it really is wonderful for dry skinned people. It's a very light serum that packs a great hit of hydration.

Schwartzkopf BB hair beautifier - This whole BB trend is getting quite ridiculous, in my opinion BB's are for the face only. Despite the silly name, this is a leave in conditioner that works really well. It's similar to the Pantene leave in one (that I can't remember the name of). I apply a small amount (about the size of a 20c coin) every second day and it leaves my hair feeling soft and smooth. I have fine hair so find that a lot of leave in treatments make my hair limp and greasy, but I don't have that problem with this treatment.

Shower oil - For me one of the irony's about winter is that my skin is really dry but I rarely moisturise as I don't like my clothes sticking to me. That's where shower oil comes in. Any oil will do, when I've been desperate I've even used olive oil. I just rub it all over when I'm in the shower, pat dry and I'm done. Moisturised skin without having to stand around waiting for my moisturiser to dry before I get dressed. 

Hand cream - Cold weather requires an intensively hydrating hand cream. Some of my favourites are Lanolips Rose, Neutrogena Norwegian Formula and L'Occitane Shea. The Neutrogena Norwegian formula is almost ointment like so best used at bedtime. It makes a great hand treatment too, I lather it on before I do the dishes, put on cotton gloves then dishwashing gloves and by the time the dishes are done my hands are lovely and soft. 

Subtle Energies Mogra Rejuvenating Gold moisturiser - Subtle Energies is one of my favourite brands, their products are beautiful. I'm on to my third bottle of Mogra Rejuvenating Gold moisturiser, it's my holy grail winter moisturiser. This is very hydrating so I don't think it'd work for oily skin, but for dry skin it's perfection.


Paw Paw ointment - I love the versatility of paw paw ointments, they can be used for so many different things. My current favourite is Natralus. It's all natural, smells good, comes in a convenient sized tube and is easy to find (you can buy it from the supermarket). 

Orofluido - If you told me a few years ago that a hair oil could replace my beloved leave in conditioner I wouldn't have believed you and yet now I can't imagine not using a hair oil. Orofluido is by far the best oil for my fine, fly away hair. It keeps it hydrated without weighing it down or making it greasy. Fine haired people, you need this in your life.

Weleda Iris Hydrating night cream - I always have great intentions to use face masks weekly but it rarely happens. Instead I use my Weleda Iris Hydrating night cream and it makes up for my laziness. This is a great, hydrating night cream. I put on a thick layer and wake up to plump, soft skin.

Lush Ultrabalm - Ultrabalm is one of those do everything balms, similar to paw paw just a little less greasy. I use it for a whole pile of different dry skin issues, from lips to cuticles and even on my hair (just melt a little bit between your palms and use it to tame fly aways).

Model Co cream cleanser - Cream cleanser is a must in winter. I'm currently using and liking the Model Co one, the Sukin version is pretty awesome too.

Clarins Lotus facial oil - When my skin is looking terrible and dull due to not enough sleep, I have a secret weapon. I smooth on some Lotus facial oil and put a thick layer of Clarins Beauty Flash Balm over the top. Leave it on overnight and when I wake up the next morning I look like I've had a decent nights sleep. Magic. Miraculous even.

Subtle Energies Facial Blend - If you haven't already tried this, stop reading and go buy it. It's hands down the best facial oil I've ever used. When I first started using oils I thought they were all fairly similar but I've since realised that they aren't. Facial Blend is perfect. It smells amazing, absorbs quickly doesn't leave my face feeling oily and keeps my face feeling good all day. 
I recently ran out of Facial Blend so started using another oil but it just didn't cut it. It made me look like a grease ball and halfway through the day my skin felt all dry and tight. 
I know it's pricy but Facial Blend lasts for ages and is worth every cent.

Red Earth Lip Nectar - On those days when my lips are dry but I want some colour to them, out comes my Red Earth Lip Nectar. It has the benefits of a balm with the added bonus of a pretty pink tint.

Lanolips 101 Ointment Peach - Lanolips Fruities have quickly become my favourite Lanolips products. Whilst I love them all, peach is my favourite and it rarely leaves my handbag. I use this as a lip balm, on dry spots, as a cuticle cream, on grazes that the boys have and I've even used it as an eyebrow tamer once. According to Lanolips it has 101 uses, I haven't got that far yet.

Badger Creamy Cocoa body moisturiser - This is a very rich, thick moisturiser that I tend to use as a spot treatment. It can be used all over but I find it a bit too fiddly for that as it needs to be warmed between my hands before application. It works really well as a treatment for dry patches and an overnight foot balm.

Tuesday 21 July 2015

Top Three Tuesday - Candles

Things have been a little quiet around here lately. We've all had winter colds and I've been struggling to find the time to blog. When I have had free time all I've wanted to do is sleep or curl up in bed. Last night inspiration struck and I came up with the idea of Top Three Tuesday. I always like reading about the products people love, it gives me new things to add to my ever growing wish list.

At the moment there are three candle brands that I'm in love with. The Candle Shack, Tanda Modern and The Ariel Candle.


The Ariel Candle is a special one. It was created by Raylene after she had a daughter with Down Syndrome. Sales of the candle help raise money for the Down Syndrome Association and Lifestart Australia. The scent has a base note of patchouli, heart note of jasmine with fruity top notes of nectarine and black current, black raspberry and black cherries. 
This is a really unique, scent, it's fresh and spicy at the same time.
 
Tanda Modern candles are beautiful. They have wood wicks and an amazing scent throw, my whole house smells beautiful when I've been burning a Tanda Candle. Scents to try: Oakmoss and Amber, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Tahitian Lime and Coconut, Native Florals. Out of these my favourite is Native Florals. If you liked Glasshouse Leura you'll love Native Florals.

The Candle Shack is a local brand that I've been wanting to try for ages. Whenever I went to my sister in laws house it always smelled like roses. Every time I asked her where the lovely smell was coming from she told me it was her Bulgarian Rose candle. The scent on these candles is so strong that I don't even need to burn them, I just leave the jar open and my house smells wonderful. Scents to try: Lavender and Vanilla, Bulgarian Rose, Cookie Dough.
This photo is just to show how lovely the Ariel and Tanda Modern packaging is. 


Friday 17 July 2015

FFS Friday

We really aren't having much luck with Dr's lately. FFS.

The last few weeks have been rather stressful. FFS.

We saw the Dr a few weeks ago and he told us Eljay has huge tonsils and adenoids. FFS.

He said they're so bad that they could obstruct his breathing and cause sleep apnea. FFS.

He's had two lots of antibiotics and a course of steroids but they didn't come down. FFS.

Over the last three weeks Eljay has seen the Dr five times. FFS.

We were told that he only has a 1cm space in his throat so he had to be monitored constantly and had to sleep in the same room as us in case he stopped breathing. FFS.

Both Dr's who saw Eljay said he has the largest tonsils they've ever seen. FFS.

Eljay has never had problems with his tonsils before, he doesn't snore, doesn't have breathing difficulties and hasn't complained of a sore throat so I didn't have any concers, but the way the Dr's were speaking I got worried. FFS.

My instinct told me that he was fine and his tonsils were only big because he was sick, but I assumed that the Dr's knew what they were talking about. Silly me. FFS.

They made us an emergency appointment with an ENT who we saw yesterday. 

He looked at all Eljay's records and then asked me "so why are you here?" I told him I haven't had any concerns but the Dr's were telling me that Eljay needed his tonsils out.   

After examining him and asking me a few questions the ENT's exact words were "You haven't had any concerns because there is nothing to be concerned about, there is nothing wrong with him." FFS.

Just as I suspected, Eljay's tonsils are working exactly as they are supposed to. FFS.

They are large because he's not well and they are fighting an infection, which is what they do. FFS.

So we've had Eljay on steroids that he didn't need to take and we spent $182 on an ENT visit that wasn't necessary. FFS.

Added to that, we've had the worry that our baby might suddenly stop breathing. FFS.

Stupid Dr's. FFS. 

Next time I'll trust my instinct. FFS.

Thankfully our wonderful Dr has started working at another surgery so incidents like this will not happen again. FFS.

 

Friday 10 July 2015

FFS Friday - Sandwich

I'm pretty sure I've complained before about being in the middle of my brother and sister-in-law's separation issues. FFS.

I strongly believe that you choose drama, that if you have constant drama in your life it's because you allow it. Lately I'm starting to wonder if I'm wrong. FFS.

Having said that, I don't have drama, I'm just the meat in the sandwich between my brother and SIL. FFS.

My brother talks to me about what's going on with the separation because I'm his sister. He doesn't talk to Mum and only talks a little bit to Dad, so as far as I'm aware I'm one of the few people he can/does talk to about it. FFS.

My sister-in-law talks to me about it for the same reasons, I'm one of the few people she can/does talk to about it. FFS.

I've told them both that I don't want to be in the middle, that I'm not impartial and not a good one to talk to, but they both need someone to talk to and I'm it. FFS.

I find it so difficult. FFS.

One will tell me about something that the other person doesn't know about, then the other person will start talking about the same issue and I can't/won't tell them what I know. In keeping the confidence of one I feel like I'm lying to the other one. FFS.

I'm as transparent as I possibly can be, I'll tell them both what I've told the other person and don't discuss something without checking that it's okay, but it's such a difficult situation. FFS.

A few times I've nearly put my foot in it and had to quickly back pedal. FFS.

I did that this week, I mentioned something to my SIL that my brother had been talking to me about for ages and I thought he'd said it to her, but he hadn't. FFS.

Thankfully I managed to cover myself by saying I'd made an assumption. FFS.

If either of them had someone else to talk to I'd refuse to discuss it but neither of them do, so I'm stuck. FFS.

I could refuse to discuss it but then where would that leave them both?
I'm trying to look out for them, make sure they aren't letting emotion cloud the situation and remind them that they need to consider the welfare of their children instead of getting caught up in being angry with one another. FFS.

I do not like it at all. FFS.

I'm sure it will continue for a while but I'll be glad when the main things are sorted so there isn't as much to discuss. FFS.

That's it for me this week. Now it's your turn. Whinge away. Or tell me something funny or awesome or anything you like. 

Wednesday 8 July 2015

June Empties

Sometimes when I'm writing my empties post I sit here staring at the screen trying to figure out what to write about a product. They are usually the products that do the job but aren't outstanding in a good or bad way. So I decided I'll be listing them and not writing a mini review other than to mention that the do the job. I'm sure this will save me hours spent staring at the computer screen!

Coconut Revolution Cleansing Gel - This is one of those products I was talking about above. It does the job. Surprisingly it didn't smell like coconut.

Biyani Organics Frankinsence and Jasmine Hydrating Face Cream - I loved this. It smells beautiful and is hydrating without being greasy.

Sudocream - Whilst I primarily used this as a nappy rash cream for Eljay, it also works really well on pimples and irritated skin.

Biyani Organics Rosehip and Raspberry Serum - Another Biyani Organics product that I loved. This has just the right texture for a serum, not too oily and not too dry. It absorbs quickly and kept my skin feeling soft and hydrated.

Subtle Energies Facial Blend - This is one of my holy grail face serums because it smells amazing. I've already started on another bottle.

Palmer's Gentle Exfoliating Facial Scrub - Did the trick.

Clinique Take the Day Off -I'd definitely consider buying this next time they have a gwp. It gently and easily removed my eye make-up and didn't irritate even when my eyes were having their hayfever dummy spit.

Sisley Intense Anti-Aging Hydration - I got one use out of this which wasn't enough to form an opinion. 

Shiseido Bio Peformance Advanced Super Revitalising Cream - This is very rich and smells like an old fashioned, luxurious product. I liked it a lot.

Crabtree and Evelyn Honey Lip Salve - This is lip balm perfection, so naturally it's been discontinued and I can't find it anywhere.
Crop Double Sided Facial Wipes - I'm not really sold on the exfoliating face wipes thing, so I just use the smooth side, which is nice. They're large wipes so I can easily clean my whole face and they were reasonably priced too. 

MMS Make My Hair Smell Delish - MMS doesn't exist anymore. This is a hair perfume that I loved the smell of but never used, so in the end I used it as an air freshener.

Milk Face Cleanser - I've used this cleanser before. It smells like the Australian bush (that's a good thing), easily removes my make-up and is gentle on my skin. It's not a favourite but I will buy it again.

Swisspers Facial Cleansing Wipes -I'd forgotten how great the Swisspers wipes are until I started using them again. They're the perfect size, the fabric (tissue?) is really thick and they don't irritate. Winning.
Sanctuary Spa Hot Sugar Scrub - One of my holy grail scrubs. I've mentioned it enough times that I won't bother talking about it again. You can read my full review here.

Gaia Bath and Body Wash - It's not often that I use soap/body wash on the boys, but if I do it's usually Gaia as it's natural, super gentle and it doesn't irritate their skin. It also works well as a shampoo.

Subtle Energies Revive Body and Hand Wash - I'm yet to meet a Subtle Energies product that I don't like. Revive Body and Hand Wash is a gentle, beautiful smelling product. I used it as a hand wash and it didn't dry out my skin at all. The smell lingers for a while after I use it which is lovely. You can read my full review here.

Audra James shower gel - If you haven't tried any Audra products yet, what are you waiting for? Audra made this for me to use on my pitts as an anti bacterial stink stopper. I need to get another bottle before summer.
L'oreal Casting Creme Gloss conditioner - I love this little conditioner, it makes my hair so soft. Pity it only comes with my hair dye. At least it's big enough that I get three uses out of it.

Rimmel ScandalEyes mascara and Artdeco mascara - These were both nice, every day mascaras. There was nothing terrible and nothing amazing about either of them.


These are all tosses, mostly because they'd expired. I've already replaced the Lanolips and Crazy Rumors balms.

The Little Green Soothing Balm gets a special mention. I bought it two months ago and it's gone off already which is ridiculous. I kept it in a cool environment, it wasn't exposed to heat or light (other than bedroom light) and it lasted two months. Crap. It wasn't cheap either, that little stick cost me $20. Needless to say I won't be buying Little Green products again.

Monday 6 July 2015

Project Life Detox - Update and Eyeliner Destash

I mentioned before that my Project Life Detox has gone off the rails. It's still off the rails. Try as I might it's just not happening.
I've realised that in order to detox my life I need to detox myself first, so in a few weeks time I'm starting the Rejuvenate Program. I'm really excited about it and can see it benefiting the whole family. I probably know most things that Caroline is going to tell me, but I need someone to kick start me. I can't expect to detox my life when I haven't detoxed myself first. I need to feel refreshed and calm in order to transform my household. 

When I first looked at the program I thought it was expensive, but after considering it I think it's very reasonably priced. Plus, what value do I put on my health? I'm worth it. It's going to be really nice to put myself first and do something just for me. I haven't done that since before I had Chai and it's way overdue.


Yesterday I was looking for a lilac lip liner. Turns out I don't own one. Can anyone recommend one to me?

Since I couldn't find a lilac lip liner did an eyeliner destash. I have a ridiculous amount of eyeliners (75) and yet I only use one of them. Yes, that's right, I wear the same eyeliner every day. I went through them all and tossed out 26 straight away then I grouped them all into colours and tossed out anther 16. I tried three on and tossed them as well, leaving me with a total of 45 liners tossed.
Cull round one. These ones all went because they were old, smelled funny, were duplicates or were too hard/scratchy etc.
Round 2. Most of these went because they were duplicates, a few of them were really hard.
Just a couple of swatches.
The winners! I've since got rid of three in this photo.

The liners that survived the cull are sitting in a bag ready for me to go through. I'm going to use each of them and any that I'm not happy with will be tossed. Each liner I kept is a unique colour, other than the dark green, the two I kept are nearly identical but I didn't know which one I liked best so I kept them both. I'll test them out and whichever one applies the nicest gets to stay.

Whilst I was on a roll I tossed a whole pile of stickers and bits and pieces I had been planning to use whilst doing craft with the kids. They were sitting in a tool box and the boys would regularly get everything out and throw it all over the floor. When they did that yesterday I had enough so the whole lot got tossed. I also threw out a few old plastic plates for good measure.

Next on my hit list is eye shadow. I'm not sure when I'll get to it, but I plan on being ruthless. I was eyeing them off yesterday when I was getting my eye liners out, so I'm sure the poor shadows know what's coming. 

Sunday 5 July 2015

A small triumph

A while ago I wrote about the parenting decision I have most trouble sticking to. You can read about it here. At that time it was a daily struggle not to smack Chai.

A few weeks ago I realised that I don't remember the last time I wanted to smack him. I've been letting that sink in for a while and am so, so pleased. I thought it might be a temporary thing but I've realised that even though the last few weeks/months have been tough I haven't once thought about smacking Chai.

He's been upset so doing all sorts of frustrating things recently, hitting, yelling etc and not once did I think of smacking him. Yes! I won't say that I'm totally cured and that I'll never want to smack him again, but I will say that I have won this round.

It was seven months ago I wrote my post, I certainly wasn't expecting to be writing a post like this so soon, I expected to battle with it for at least  a year. Maybe it'll come up again, no doubt it will, but right now, in this moment, I have broken the cycle and I am so very very proud.

Friday 3 July 2015

FFS Friday - Shattered

Let's just talk about Saturday. It was a shamozzle of a day. FFS.

Is that how you spell shamozzle? Anyone know? I don't. FFS.

Our day started at 5am when Eljay woke up screaming. FFS.

Nothing I did would calm him down. FFS.

He didn't want a feed, he didn't want a cuddle, he didn't want me to rub his back or pat his bottom. He didn't want me to leave him alone, he didn't want me to touch him, he didn't want pain killer etc. I tried everything but he wouldn't stop crying. FFS.

Tiger came racing in and yelled at me. FFS.

Sofaking helpful. FFS.

Eventually we got Eljay calmed down but by that time we were all wide awake. FFS.

Poor Eljay was clearly sick, he had a fever, pink spots on his cheeks and he kept on saying his ear was sore. FFS.

I mentioned in last weeks post that I thought the Dr had misdiagnosed Chai. FFS.

He was no better on Saturday so we took both boys to the Dr. Two sick children is not fun. FFS.

The Dr was booked out but fitted us in so we had to go straight down. I was still in bed (holding a sleeping/feeding Ejlay) and Tiger had only just finished giving everyone breakfast (the PIL's were down), so we threw on our clothes and high tailed it to the Dr's surgery. I pulled up out the front, we raced in and were told we were in the wrong surgery. FFS.

We raced back out into the cold with our two sick boys and got ourselves to the right surgery. Not FFS.

Unsurprisingly the Dr confirmed that Chai doesn't have croup, he has bronchitis, just as I thought. FFS/Not FFS.

Since there's been a whooping cough outbreak he decided to test him for that just to be sure. 

Poor Eljay has an ear infection and the Dr also noticed that he has very large (not inflamed) tonsils. FFS.

This could cause sleep apnea, snoring and restless sleep. The Dr wanted him to have a face xray and he'll probably have to be checked out by an ENT. FFS.

I was at the Dr's reception when I noticed that one of the tests had the wrong name on it, so had to wait for the form to be reprinted. FFS.

The Dr wanted both the tests done that day. FFS.

Since neither Tiger or I had showered, we raced home, had a shower, got Eljay dressed (we'd taken him to the Dr in pj's and dressing gown) and headed back out. FFS.

When we told MIL what was going on she said that rather than take Eljay to an ENT we should pray about it. FFS.

Like that'd help. FFS.

Chai's test went fine, he was very brave. Not FFS.

Then we went for Eljay's xray. It did not go well. FFS.

He wouldn't stay still for me so Tiger had to hold him. FFS.

They couldn't get a very clear shot because he wouldn't stay still. Hopefully it'll be clear enough for a diagnosis. FFS.

By that time it was 12pm and I was starving as I hadn't eaten. FFS.

We stopped at the bakery for food and then headed home. We were debating which chemist to go to, the one on the way home or the one in our suburb. We decided to use the one in our suburb as it's a small, independent chemist and we like to shop locally where we can. 

I went in leaving Tiger in the car with the boys who were happily eating their bakery goods. Not FFS.

I was in the chemist for 30 minutes. FFS.

As well as being flat out busy the didn't have the medicine we needed for Chai. FFS.

They kindly called the other chemists for us and you can guess which one had the medicine we needed. Yep, the one on the way home. FFS.

By that time we'd all had enough and it was way past Eljay's nap time so we headed home and I put Eljay to sleep. 

I made myself a coffee and as I was putting the lid on the travel mug I tipped it over and spilled it everywhere. FFS.

I cleaned up the mess then headed out to get Chai's medicine. FFS.

There weren't many customers at the chemist so I expected to be out of there pretty quickly. Silly me. FFS.

I was there for 45 minutes. FFS.

I'd seen two customers arrive after me, lodge their prescriptions, receive their prescriptions and leave when the pharmacy assistant asked me for my address as the computer wouldn't let her process my script. FFS.

I assumed it wouldn't be much longer but three more customers lodged and received their prescriptions before I finally got mine and could go home. FFS.

By the time I got home I was starving and totally exhausted. FFS.

To make matters worse, the night before I shattered the screen on my new phone. FFS.

Fun times.

Wednesday 1 July 2015

Products I regret buying

It's been a while since I posted about the products I regret buying. I'm usually pretty careful with what I buy now, I do my research prior to purchasing so I don't get many duds. Most of the products shown in this post were impulse buys, there's a lesson in that!

boe Professional Pout Perfect Lip Cream - This looks so pretty, I love the colour, but the product is disappointing. It's a very thin, unsubstantial formula and it's really grainy. Being a lip cream I expected a thicker, creamy formula, not something that feels light and grainy. The colour payoff isn't great, half an hour after application it has disappeared and my lips are bare. 

Youngblood lipstick - I'm so, so upset about my Youngblood lipstick. I've tried a few Youngblood products and really liked them, so I had high hopes for the lipstick but the first time I used it, it snapped off at the base. I put it back together but it snapped off again. If it was a cheap lipstick I wouldn't have minded, but when I pay $35 for a lipstick I expect much better quality. 

Kmart Toffee and Apple lip balms - I don't know why I'm even bothering to write about these. When I pay $2 for something I really shouldn't be surprised that it's crap. Even the boys refused to use these balms.  


Gerard Cosmetics lipstick and lipgloss - These get so much hype, people are constantly raving about how amazing they are and I have no idea why. I've since discovered that prior to them sending out products for review, Gerard Cosmetics make the blogger/youtuber etc agree to post a positive review. And people agree to it! How unethical! It does explain all the rave reviews.
These products are no better than drugstore products, in fact Rimmel and Maybelline are better quality.
The lipstick has cheap plastic packaging that feels flimsy and breaks easily. The lipstick itself is okay but nothing amazing. As for the gloss, it's meh. It does the job but it's nothing to write home about.

Avon Ultra Colour Lip Crayon - It's no secret I'm obsessed with chunky lip crayons, I need to try them all. This one I wish I hadn't bothered with. It doesn't mention it or show in any of the swatches, but this is a glitter bomb. All I can feel when I wear this is gritty glitter particles on my lips.

Rimmel Velvet Matte nail polish - These had so much potential but they are a big fail for me. When used on my fingers I don't even get a full day before they chip and on my toes, where nail polish usually remains unchipped for at least a week, I get two days. That's pretty woeful.

W7 Super Pout - This is very similar to the boe lip cream. It's gritty, really thin and just unpleasant.

Savy by DB Nourishing lip liner - There is nothing nourishing about this lip liner. It's extremely hard, drags across my lips and barely leaves any colour. I've tried sharpening it and warming it up but it made no difference.

OXX Lip Crayon - Another cheapie and another dud. The colour payoff just isn't there. It takes about five layers to even see a slight hint of colour.

Manicare Artiste contour brush - I've been using Manicare eye shadow brushes for years without any problems so I wasn't expecting the face brushes to be any different. They are. This brush really irritates my sensitive skin. I used it twice and both times I got itchy red welts on my face.


What products have disappointed you recently?