Sunday 14 January 2024

Thoughts of the week

1. We're halfway through the school holidays. I'm ready to go back to work but not ready to go back to the school routine. I much prefer our relaxed holiday mornings and the mornings when I go to work and the boys stay home.
 
2. I'm becoming more and more invested in Taylor Swift's relationship. I think he's the one. They're so cute together.
 
3. I would like a dark green glitter eyeliner pencil.
 
4. Also, after watching Teresa Madelyne I really want to get some Glaminatrix eye shadows. If I could figure out which ones have cool toned shimmer (not gold) I would have bought some by now, but every time I look at the website I get confused so give up.
 
5. We're in the midst of a heatwave and I'm not here for it at all. In the meantime my friends in the US are in the middle of a cold snap and dealing with temperatures of -12 to -24. I can't even imagine what it'd be like to be that cold.

Friday 12 January 2024

FFS Friday - Oops

Hello beautiful people. How are you all? Happy new year!
 
I'd really like to be more consistent with my blogging this year, however I'm not going to feel bad or put any pressure on myself when I'm not consistent.
 
In all honesty I'm completely overwhelmed at the moment and I'm not sure when that feeling is going to go away. I don't think it'll be any time soon.
 
Chai's conditions are escalating as he approaches puberty. I'm pulling back on a lot of his therapies and trying to ease up on my responsibilities to give both of us more down time. 
At this stage I'm not sure how I'm going to ease up on my responsibilities but I'll give it my best shot. 
 
Trying to keep Chai calm and balanced is such a difficult job. Trying to make sure his challenges don't damage Eljay is extremely difficult. Trying to balance my time so I'm giving enough to both boys whilst also maintaining some level of sanity is near on impossible. 
 
Being the parent of a neurodiverse child is fraught with challenges that parents of neurotypical children don't even think about. Like clothing, routines, food, friendships.
It's the little things that I have to keep on my mind 24/7. 
 
This year is all about reducing demands. I'm going to pull back from as many commitments as I can and do everything I can to make life simpler for the kids and I. Less therapies, less demands, less meeting and appointments. Less of the stuff that causes stress. 
 
I have committed myself to more than I am capable of keeping up with. A few years ago those commitments were fun, now they feel like chores. I just don't have time for obligations that feel heavy. 
 
Let's hope I manage to swiftly extract myself from said obligations.
And whilst we're talking Swiftly, I've never been overly interested in Taylor Swift before, however I'm loving her new romance. I think he's the one. 

Have a wonderful weekend beautiful people. Never forget how awesome you are.

Sunday 31 December 2023

2023 Happenings

January
After seeing in the new year we were straight in bed. New Years Day was nice and quiet. 
We celebrated Poppy's 75 birthday.
That same day there was a fire in the bush behind our house. We went onto alert and chose to evacuate. Thankfully I was home alone. I packed up all our things, got Shelby and went to my bff's house. Luckily the emergency services got it put out really quickly so we were back home that night. 
Tiger had a week off so we went to Mandurah for a few days. It was nice to spend time with Mum and SD. We saw three of the giants they were amazing. We'll go back when it's cooler to see the other two.  
We discovered that the boys love the beach so spent a lot of time there.
T turned 40. We went to his surprise party, it was lots of fun. He had no idea!
There were some really hot days so went spent a bit of time at the beach which was glorious. 
Chai lost a tooth.
I went back to work on the 25th.
The last few days of the school holidays were spent at the beach and relaxing at home as it was quite hot. 

February
School went back on the first of the month.
Eljay started year 4 and Chai started high school. Despite their nerves (and ours), they both had a great day.
Tiger took the first three days of term off so that he could get Chai to and from school. 
I worked full time for the first two weeks of school, it was soooo busy but fun.
I'm working three days a week this term.
Chai lost another tooth!
There are still food and grocery shortages. It's funny the random things that were out of stock. Capsicum was one. Chai was out of stock for ages, then corn chips and then cheese. So random. You never know what you're going to find when you head to the supermarket.
Eljay went to a birthday party at a friend's house and stayed there on his own whilst I went home. He's slowly getting more confident.  
 
March
It's still quite warm. The nights and mornings are cooler which is nice.
Food shortages continue to be an issue. 
Great Grandma turned 105. We had a family zoom call with her. 
Chai turned 12! We all had the day off, it was lovely spending the day together. We met Poppy for breakfast and had pizza dinner at the beach. 
Nanna turned 72.
I worked full time for two week.s
Scrampy stayed with us for a few weeks whilst he was helping renovate Aunty and Uncle's house. It was nice having him here. 
It's still quite hot. The temperatures haven't been high but it's been really muggy.

April
School holidays!
Chai has now finished his first term of highschool. 
I went to the parent night and they said he's fitted in well and will have no problems finishing high school. 
We had nice weather for some of the school holidays which was great. It meant we could get out and do things. The first week was pretty wet but the rest of the holidays were lovely. 
The boys and I had gastro in the second week so it was a nice, quiet week. 
The weather is cooling down so we've had the fire on a little bit. 
The boys all went out wood chopping which they loved.
 
May
Eljay started the term with swimming lessons. 
He passed stage 5 and is now in stage 6.
Chai got a merit certificate for having attendance above 90% for term 1.
Chai hasn't been sleeping very well since school went back, it's been rough.
It's been cold and wet, just how I like it. 
Chai lost another tooth. 
Chai's anxiety kicked into overdrive, not fun.

June
It's winter!
Chai missed a bit of school due to his anxiety. 
Eljay run his cross country and came 2nd. 
He chose not to go to the interschool cross country.
Eljay's class ran the assembly, Eljay had three parts and was awesome.
Tiger had a few days off work because they're assholes.
I worked a lot and finally got myself back to the gym.

July 
After having problems for months, Tiger quit his job.
School holidays are here!
Poor Chai came down with that awful flu/gastro combination in the last week of term 2. He had the last four days off school and was sick for 10 days. It was horrible, it's the sickest he's ever been in his life. For the first three days he could barely stand up. 
The holidays were cold and wet which was okay because we didn't want to go far with Chai being sick. 
When Chai got better Eljay got a head cold. Thankfully it was only mild.
Just when we thought it was all over, two days before school went back Eljay got gastro.
Chai and Tiger were next, so they all spent the week recovering.
Thankfully Tiger was off work so he stayed with the boys when I went back to work. 
At the end of the month Tiger started his new job. 

August
Eljay turned 10! Double digits! We all had the day off so went out for breakfast (Poppy came too), then went shopping then spent the afternoon at home. It was a lovely day.
I worked five days a week for the whole term. It was fun but tiring.
We had an appointment with CAHMS but did not get help for Chai.
Tiger turned 50!
My hair is nearly down to my belly button. It's been years since I got it cut, so I got about 5cms cut off.

September
School holidays again. 
This felt like a very long term, probably because I was working so much. 
The weather started to warm up so during the holidays we went to the beach a few times.
We spent two days in Mandurah and saw the last two giants. They're amazing. It's a shame they aren't here permanently.

October
This month saw the end of the school holidays. 
I'm back to working three days per week.
We went to the Bull and Barrel festival to watch the burning of the bull. My bff came with us and treated us to a lovely picnic dinner. 
The warm weather is here. It arrived without warning.
Chai got a body board and the boys have been having a great time at the beach. 
Tiger and Uncle J did a two week shut-down.
We went back to CAMHS and got some help this time. Chai started medication. 
My hair is annoying me so I cut it to just below shoulder length. I want it shorter and easier to manage for summer. 
 
November 
Summer arrived with a vengeance. We went from low 20's to high 30's overnight and had a row of 8 days at 38 or higher.
The school year was slowly winding to a close. 
It was a quiet month filled with work and school. 
Chai was suspended for 2 1/2 days. I didn't find out the reasons until the day before he went back to school. He shouldn't have been suspended. If they want to suspend him next year I will not allow it until I get the full story.
So far we haven't noticed any changes from Chai's medication.
 
December 
At the start of the month we had Eljay's school celebration night. 
Eljay's performance was great.
I had to do a speech, it went well.
Eljay's teacher finished two weeks before the end of term as she need to have an operation. 
I cut my hair into a bob. I asked for it to be collarbone length but she cut it above my shoulders. I'm not mad about it. 
The school year ended. Chai has now completed his first year of high school!
I finished work the day after the boys finished school.
These school holidays will be different as we'll have Tiger home more which will be really nice. 
Christmas was a quiet affair, but nice.
New Years eve was spent with friends who have become family, the perfect way to see in the new year. 
 

Sunday 17 December 2023

Thoughts of the week

1. It's school holidays!
 
2. Clarabelletoks on Threads is one of my favourite accounts. She's so funny, even funnier are her replies to people. If you need a good laugh, check her out here.  
 
3. Poppy King has released another lipstick. She's recreating her Seven Deadly Sins range. First off the line is Indolence which is a gorgeous pinky, browny nude.
 
4. Just over a week until Christmas and I haven't finished my shopping.
 
5. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

Friday 15 December 2023

FFS Friday - Que?

Sometimes I think Tiger and I are on a totally different thought stream. Or maybe his brain has just left the building. 
Take this conversation for example:
 
Me: Do you know where our face washers are? I can't find them.
Tiger: What are you talking about?
Me: Our face washers. Do you know where they are?
Tiger: What?
Me: Face washers!
Tiger: Oh, you mean hand towels?
Me: No, face washers, the ones you use to wash your face.
Tiger: I don't use face washers.
Me: I didn't say you did, I'm asking if you know where they are, ours have gone missing.
Tiger: Why would I know where they are?
Me: Because you were the last one to put away the washing.
Tiger: I haven't seen them.
Me: Why was that so difficult?
 
Conversations like that happen all the time. I have no idea why. Maybe I'm speaking another language and I just don't realise. It's the only logical explanation. 
 
 

Sunday 10 December 2023

Thoughts of the week

1. One week to go until school holidays. I am equally anticipating and dreading them.
 
2. I have not yet done any christmas shopping.
 
3. I have no desire to do any christmas shopping.
 
4. I do have plenty of desire to shop for myself, but that's not going to happen.
 
5. Yesterday I chopped my hair off. It's now in a bob. Shorter than I asked for, but I like it. 

Friday 8 December 2023

FFS Friday - Ugly Kid Joe

Hello beautiful people. How are you all?
 
I've noticed something lately and it's been unsurprising and also disappointing. 
For years I drove a station wagon. Around three years ago I swapped to a small hatchback.
 
Since swapping I am subjected to road rage and bullying from other drivers weekly. This rarely happened when I drove the station wagon. 
I put it down to one of two things, neither of which are very nice. 
It's either people think they can bully someone or something smaller than them, or they're abusive because the car is more likely to have a female driver. Either way, it's not a nice thought.
 
There's one particular road where it happens so often that I avoid going that way whenever possible. 
 
People can be so ugly. Ugly on the outside and ugly on the inside. 
 
I don't see why they need to behave that way. There's so many unhappy, hurting people. 
 
I just ignore them, don't let them bully or push me around (both on and off the road) and go along my merry way.
 
That's all for today.
 
Have a great weekend beautiful people. 
 
 

Wednesday 6 December 2023

Kester Black Nail Polish

 
I am very late to the party as I've only just discovered how wonderful Kester Black nail polishes are. 
 
I am not a nail person. I rarely paint my nails as they chip within a day and I can't be bothered redoing them constantly. Knowing this, I have no idea how the Black Friday sales sucked me into buying a Kester Black nail polish. Actually that's incorrect, I do know how, I wanted to try their new lip balm so thought I'd throw in a nail polish whilst I was at it.
 
I purchased the shade Low Maintenance which is an opaque, shimmery white. They send a card with the order saying how to get the most out of your manicure. I threw it in the bin, ignored the instructions and hoped for the best. 
 
The best is certainly what I got. With no nail prep, no base coat, no top coat and only two layers of polish, I got seven days with no chips. I'm not joking, seven days wear! Who would have thought? I expected to get a day or two, not seven days!  

See how gorgeous and shimmery it is? My photo really doesn't do it justice.
As you can probably tell, I seriously neglect my hands, need to do something about that. My hands may be neglected but at least my nails look pretty! 
 
Kester Black nail polishes cost $28 each. They are cruelty free, vegan, carbon neutral and free from formaldehyde, toluene, DBP, camphor, formaldehyde resin, xylene, parabens, fragrances, phthalates, animal ingredients, ethyl tosylamide and triphenyl phosphate.
 
Have you tried Kester Black? What should I try next? I've got my eye on the skincare and lipsticks.  

Sunday 3 December 2023

Thoughts of the week

1. You know when you really want to talk but your brain has run out of words? That's me this week. My brain has left the building.
 
2. Who shopped the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales? I got two Holme Beauty primers, that's it. It's not cheap if you don't need it.
 
3. Two weeks until school holidays. I am looking forward to them and not looking forward to them at the same time.
 
4. I've got a few big house jobs that I plan to do on the holidays. I need to sort out the pantry, freezers and my wardrobe.
 
5. I'd also love to have a huge clean out but 90% of the crap in this house isn't mine and I refuse to clean up after anyone else, so that won't happen.

Friday 1 December 2023

FFS Friday - Of Mouse and Men

You know that saying "the best laid plans of mouse and men"? That was me this week. It's been months since I had some quiet time with the house to myself. I've either had kids home or Tiger home. This week I was really looking forward to two days of nice, quiet time at home. I'm an introvert so desperately need the quiet time to recuperate. Unsurprisingly it didn't happen. 
 
Monday Eljay got up and teold me he didn't think he could go to school because he had a sore belly and the runs. He then tolds me that he had it all day Sunday too but it didn't occur to him to let me know.
No worries, I figured Eljay is quiet so having him at home wouldn't be too bad. Halfway through the day I got a phone call from Chai telling me he wants to come home. I told him to get his teacher to call me. Half an hour later I got a phone call to say he's been suspended. WTF. FFS.
 
They suspended him for two and a half days. FFS.
 
There went my two peaceful days off. It also meant that I couldn't go to work when I was supposed to as Chai would be home. I called Mum to see if she could help but she couldn't, so I had to call work and tell them I couldn't come in because of Chai being suspended.
 
He was not allowed to go back to school until I attended a meeting with the school. I didn't have anyone to look after him so he had to come with me (despite not being allowed on school grounds whilst under suspension). 
 
Their reasons for suspending him were ridiculous and as it turns out, due to his diagnoses he was unable to do what they asked, not unwilling so should not have been suspended.
 
I sorted it all out but it was just another thing to add to the huge pile of things I have to deal with. I'd planned to go shop the Cyber Monday sales on Monday but missed out on that. I need new work clothes so thought the sales would have been the perfect time. I'll have to wait for the new year sales. 
 
There's always something isn't there? Something stopping life from running smoothly. It'd be nice if there was just a week or two where everything ran to plan and life was simple. I don't think it ever will be though.