Monday 30 September 2013

Thoughts of the Month

1. At the start of the month Tiger and his best friend saved someone who had hung himself. They literally saved his life. His fiancee came home and found him hanging so she ran out the front screaming for help. Tiger was in the front yard so he called out to his best friend and they went over there, got him down, took the rope from his neck and got him breathing again. 

I feel so sad for both of them, him for being in the mental state where he felt suicide was the only option and her for having to go through that. It makes me very grateful for the life that I have. 

2. More and more I believe that the FIFO lifestyle isn't worth the sacrifices that we make.

3. Living in the country is everything I hoped it would be and more. To my great relief Tiger loves it here too. I knew that I'd be happy because my family is here, but I was worried that he wouldn't like it. Thankfully he is very happy here.

4. One of the things I really love about living here is that people drop in for a visit. That never happened in Perth. It's lovely having company, I feel so much less isolated here than I did in the city.

5. I really don't miss living in the city.

6. I am obsessed with this song at the moment.

7. For the first time ever I had a coconut mocha. It was all sorts of awesome. 

8. I got a coffee machine this month and I'm totally in love with it. It's one of those fully automatic posh ones. I've wanted one for years but never been willing to part with $2500 to get one. This one came from Harvey Norman Seconds and only cost $700 (instead of $2300). That just shows how much of a profit they usually make.

9. Poor Chai had hand, foot and mouth disease this month. The poor little tacker was so miserable. When he started getting better I discovered that he's a typical male, full of complaints. I've realised that if all three men in my house get sick at the same time I'm going to have to move out.

10. I really feel like getting fit again. I used to be super fit, but the last few years I haven't done any exercise at all. I really enjoyed being fit, it's time to get back there again.

Wednesday 25 September 2013

Clarins HydraQuench Cream - Normal to Dry Skin

This is one of my all time favourite moisturisers so I'm amazed I haven't reviewed it before. I use the Normal to Dry Skin version in winter and the Oily Skin version in summer. 

The oily skin version is amazing in hot, humid weather. It moisturises really well whilst at the same time keeping my skin matte and shine free. 

In winter the Normal to Dry Skin version is my life saver. I get dry, flaky patches and tight feeling skin in winter, it also gets quite sensitive and lots of things sting and cause redness. Whenever my skin is feeling like that I dig out my HydraQuench and it fixes everything. Whilst this is very hydrating it is also quite light. It starts out feeling like a rich cream, but once I've rubbed it in it feels undetectable on my skin. It doesn't make my skin oily or greasy, it just makes it feel hydrated and comfortable. 

I've lost count of the number of pots I've gone through, it's one product that will always be in my collection. A 50ml pot costs $54.60 at Adore Beauty. With once daily use a pot usually lasts me three to four months.

Monday 23 September 2013

Soap & Glory Hair Supply

Image credit

It's no secret that I love Soap and Glory products because of their amazing scent. I got a travel size of their Hair Supply when I bought a christmas pack last year, used it for a while then forgot about it.

In all honesty as a hair treatment this is really crap. If anything it dried my hair out. However, it smells amazing and that's the only good thing about it. For that reason alone I'd consider repurchasing it as it made my hair smell lovely for days.

I can't find this on the Kit website at the moment, however it's available in their Soaper Heroes gift box if you really want to try it. On the UK website it appears to have been renamed Glad Hair Day Thick Conditioner.


Ingredients: aqua, stearamidopropyl dimethylamine, cetyl alcohol, polyquaternium-37, behentrimonium chloride, phenoxyethanol, amodimethicone, phenyl trimethicone, euphorbia cerifera wax, citric acid, parfum, methylparaben, ethylparaben, isopropyl alcohol, hexyl cinnamal, cetrimonium chloride, tetrasodium edta, linalook, limonene, benzyl salicylate, butylphenyl methylpropional, trideceth-10, alpha-isomethyl ionone, geraniol, citral, yellow 5, red 4.

Friday 20 September 2013

FFS Friday - Toddler Wrangling

Image credit

Friday is here! For me that means nothing as I barely know what day it is. It does mean that we are closer to Tiger getting home and that's a very good thing. 

My Mum has been staying for the last two weeks to help out whilst Tiger is away. Not FFS.

I'm afraid that Toilet Germs are going to over run the house. FFS.


I'd forgotten that she likes to read in the toilet so failed to hide my magazines. FFS.

I only realised my error when I saw her taking my brand new magazine, that I hadn't even opened yet, into the toilet. FFS.



My brand new magazine ended up contaminated with Toilet Germs and had to be discarded. FFS.


Chai's behaviour has been rather challenging lately. FFS.


Monday he bit me. FFS.


As usual, he picked the most painful spot, my inner thigh. FFS.


He bit hard enough that he left a bruise. FFS.


It was also hard enough that I instinctively yelled and pushed him away. FFS.


When I was pushing him away my finger went in his eye and made it all red and weepy. FFS.


At the time I was in the middle of feeding Eljay. FFS.


And we were in Dome so plenty of people saw. FFS.


Parent of the year, here I come. FFS.


I can't use my computer when Chai is awake. FFS.


Everytime I sit down to blog, read emails, pay bills etc Chai decides that he wants a CudCul (cuddle). FFS.


He doesn't really, he just wants to sit on my knee so that he can play with the computer. FFS.

I am currently typing this in my bedroom. The computer is on the bed, I'm using two magazines as my mouse pad and I'm kneeling next to the bed. FFS.

It's not very comfortable. FFS.


Last week we changed our internet provider as Westnet couldn't give us ADSL2. I've been with Westnet for about ten years. FFS.


Changing means that I now have a different email address. FFS.


That was my mail email that I used for all my official business. FFS.


I have no idea who has that email address and what emails I will no longer receive. FFS.

Because we cancelled our internet, we also had to cancel Fetch TV. FFS.

I have recorded all Chai's shows on the Fetch TV box and now they're all gone. FFS.


Chai is doing his best to smother his new brother with love. FFS.

And when I say smother, I mean literally. FFS.


I can't leave Eljay unsupervised as he is at risk of being squashed by Chai. FFS.


I have to lock him in the theater room to sleep as its the the only room with a door that Chai can't open. FFS.


Chai has got to the age where he fights his mid day nap. FFS.


Frankly I can't be bothered fighting with him, so unless he falls asleep himself I don't bother trying to get him to have a nap. FFS.


Sunday he fell asleep cuddling me on the lounge. Not FFS.


The only problem was he didn't have a nappy on. FFS.


Ever tried to put a nappy on a sleeping child? It's bloody difficult, but I managed it, clever me. Not FFS.


Our new house has a pool. I didn't bother learning how to take care of the pool cause that's Tiger's job. The pool is now looking rather green. FFS.


Tiger isn't home for another seven days. FFS.


By that time the pool will probably be a teeming mess of fungus. FFS.


I went outside and had a look around but I couldn't even find the controls for the pool. FFS.


Suppose I should have learned how to take care of it. Oops. FFS.


That, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of my weekly whinge. Now that you've had a good laugh at my expense, head on over to Sarah's blog and see what everyone else is whingeing about.
Dear Baby G

Wednesday 18 September 2013

Dermalogica Multivitamin Thermafoliant

Image credit

Ages ago (and by ages I mean a few years ago, at least two) I won a huge pack of beauty products and this was amongst them. I already had a holy grail face scrub so put this one away and totally forgot about it until a few months ago when I used up all my face scrubs.

I quite like the idea of a warming scrub, especially in winter. In fact now that I've tried this I really want to try a warming face wash too, the idea is quite intriguing. 

I don't know how the whole warming thing works, but it does. As soon as I rub this on my face I feel a lovely warm sensation. I was worried that it might be irritating to my sensitive skin but it isn't, it feels very pleasant. The warming sensation doesn't last long, as soon as I stop scrubbing the sensation goes away. 

Although it's quite pricey, I really like this scrub. The particles are very small and round so they don't scratch and it gives my skin a really thorough exfoliation. Like the rest of the AGE Smart range this smells like berries.
 

A 75ml tube costs $71.50 from Dermalogica or you can purchase it from Adore Beauty for $60.78.

Ingredients: PEG-6, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium oxide, c20-40 pareth-10, salicylic acid, retinol lactic acid, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, hydrolyzed opuntia ficus indica flower extract, tocopherol, citric acid, camellia sinensis leaf extract, glycine soja seed extract, glycyrrhiza glabra root extract, bixa orellana seed oil, carthamus tinctorius seed oil, citrus medica limonum peel extract, olive oil, peg-7 esters, caprylic/capric triglyceride, cotronellol, eugenol, geraniol, linalool, limonene, helianthus annuus seed oil, rosa damascena flower oil, eugenia caryophyllus leaf oil, pelargonium graveolens oil, citrus medica limonum peel oil, aniba rosaeodora wood oil.

Tuesday 17 September 2013

What I wish someone had told me as a first time mum

Last night as I lay in bed snuggling with my beautiful baby, thinking about how much I enjoyed it, I started thinking about how different my experience with Eljay is compared to how it was with Chai. With Chai I grew to hate the nights, I got little to no sleep, was constantly exhausted and at my wits end trying to get him to sleep. In contrast, with Eljay he snuggles next to me, feeds when he needs to and then we both drift off to sleep together. 

Instead of telling me all the things I should and shouldn't do, I wish that someone had told me to trust my instincts and do what felt right for me and my baby. I wish that they'd told me to sleep him on his belly if that worked better for him, to share a bed with him if that helped us both sleep better and to enjoy the precious time that I had with my beautiful baby. Unfortunately no-one told me that, they all told me that I should leave him to cry, that he needed to learn to self settle and that if I didn't do these things I'd be creating a rod for my own back.

No matter how many times I was told to, I just couldn't leave my baby to self settle (aka cry himself to sleep). I'd hate to be left to cry myself to sleep and I couldn't do it to my baby. I would have loved for someone to tell me about gentle parenting and show me methods to gently teach Chai to self settle. I wish I'd know about Pinky McKay back then.

I look back to how I felt after I had Chai and realise how awful it was and how bad I felt. I was constantly exhausted and each day I just got more and more tired. I felt like I was in a fog of exhaustion that didn't lift until Chai was over one year old. As much as I loved being a Mum and thought Chai was amazing, I didn't enjoy him as much as I would have liked to. I hated the nights. I dreaded night time. I still don't like night time with Chai. At 2 1/2 years old he still doesn't sleep through the night. If I'd done things the way my Mummy instinct told me to, perhaps he would sleep through the night. Who knows?

To all of the beautiful Mums out there I give you this advice. Trust your instinct. Do what works for you and your baby. Ignore what everyone else says, you know what's right for you and your family. 

Monday 16 September 2013

Baviphat Office Lady BB Cream

I bought this when I was in Kuala Lumpar a few years ago, used it during summer but I found it too rich so put it away and forgot about it. Recently I was looking for products to put in my hospital bag when I rediscovered it and have been using it for a few months now.

According to Baviphat, Triple action BB cream contains EGF for resillience, while diminishing wrinkles, freckles and blemishes. Upon application your skin immediately becomes fresh and soft with luster. 

Soft with luster. Hehe, I love it. Sounds nice doesn't it? I have no idea what EGF is so really can't comment on that, but as for diminishing wrinkles, freckles and blemishes I haven't noticed any changes. 
As far as BB's go, this is more like a western BB than a traditional Asian one. It gives light coverage, enough to even out my skintone but it doesn't hide dark spots or redness. It's very hydrating and creamy so ideal for winter. This would not work for oily skin but is great for normal to dry skin. The pump applicator is a great idea, one pump dispenses exactly the right amount to cover my whole face.
From memory there is only one shade available so I don't think this would be suitable for people with darker skin tones.

It's not a great photo, but I'm wearing Office Lady BB Cream in the picture below. As you can see, it evens out my skintone however you can still see a few dark spots.

Friday 13 September 2013

FFS Friday - Too tired to think of a title

You may notice that this weeks post is a little late. FFS.

It's been one of those weeks. FFS.

Hubby went back to work on Tuesday. FFS.

He's been home for six weeks and it's been awesome. Not FFS.

I am not one of those people who doesn't like having their partner at home. I love having him home and given the choice I'd like to have him home all the time, especially now that we have two children.

Tuesday night was an absolute nightmare. FFS.

Chai still doesn't sleep through the night unless he sleeps with one of us, however Eljay is rather noisy at night, so I slept in the room next to Chai. Between 10.30pm and 12.30am he woke up four times. FFS.

The last time he woke up Eljay woke up and wanted a feed, so I was trying to feed Eljay whilst getting Chai back to sleep. FFS.

Needless to say it didn't work, so Chai sat there crying the whole time I was feeding Eljay. FFS.

I finally got Chai back to sleep, then Eljay decided to wake up every two hours. FFS.

Two of those times he also woke up Chai. FFS.

Wednesday morning I got out of the shower to find Chai on our front doorstep. FFS.

Not only had he unlocked and opened the front door, he'd also figured out how to unlock the security screen. FFS.

Thankfully Mum came to stay on Wednesday lunchtime. Not FFS.

She slept in Chai's room Wednesday night and the cheeky little monkey slept all night. FFS.

I have no idea how single parents cope with two children, I am finding it very difficult. FFS.

Eljay feeds every two or three hours and Chai wants constant attention. When Chai doesn't get attention he screams and starts throwing things. Fun. FFS.

Thursday I had an Avon lady coming over at 11am. I needed to do the food shopping but decided to do it after she'd visited. We all sat around waiting for her to arrive and at 11.51am, gave up and went out. FFS.

She sent me a message at 2pm saying that she'd been running late. FFS.

And now for the reason this post is late. We've switched internet providers as our old provider could only give us ADSL1 and it's very slow. It was due to be connected yesterday and before he left Tiger hooked up the new modem. This morning I couldn't get it working. FFS.

After much internal swearing, resetting the modem, checking the settings etc, I discovered that Tiger hadn't connected the modem to the phone line. FFS.

At least it was something simple! Not FFS.

That's my whinge for this week. I hope you have all had a great week. Feel free to share any FFS moments in the comments below. 

If you'd like to read more whinges, head over to Sarah's blog

Dear Baby G

Wednesday 11 September 2013

August Empties

By some miracle I managed to finish a few products this month. I also tossed out a few things that just don't work for me. I've decided it's time to get ruthless and get rid of things that I don't like instead of hanging on to them. I hang onto products because I don't want to waste them but they just sit there unused until they go off, so I may as well toss them.
Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub - This is a great scrub that I'll definitely be purchasing next time it goes on sale. My full review is here.


Weleda Baby Calendula Lotion - I know this is a baby product but I've been using it on myself and it's lovely. I use this in the mornings before I get dressed because it's hydrating yet light, so it sinks in quickly and I don't have that horrible feeling of my clothes sticking to me.

MooGoo Eczema and Psoriasis Balm - I use this on Chai and really like it to keep his skin from drying out. Chai is prone to rashes and dry skin. When his skin is really dry this is not hydrating enough, so I use my Audra James Eczema Oil, however once I've cleared the rashes this keeps his skin in good condition. It's quite a light lotion that absorbs quickly, doesn't sting and is fragrance free.


Lafes Roll On Deodorant -I quite like this, however I'm not sure how effective it'd be in summer. You can read my full review here.

Baviphat Office Lady BB Cream - I bought this a few years ago when I was in KL, then promptly forgot about it. When we moved I rediscovered it and have been loving it. It's lighter than other Asian BB's but it still works really well. I've got a full review coming up soon.


MooGoo Fresh Cream Deodorant - This one is a toss. I don't like it at all, it's totally ineffective, even in winter. The MooGoo website says that it takes two weeks to be fully effective, I've been using it for four weeks and it doesn't work at all.
Pure Nutraceuticals Paw Paw Ointment -I'm something of a paw paw connoisseur, I've tried plenty of them and always have one in my handbag. This is up there with my favourites, it's all natural, has a pleasant smell and tastes pretty good too.

The Body Shop Chocomania Sugar Body Scrub - I am in love with the Chocomania range, it smells so good. I got this one as part of a gift pack that my bff gave me after I had Elias. I'm so tempted to buy another full sized tub, but I have two other scrubs to finish first.


Face of Australia Gentle Make-Up Remover - My holy grail make-up remover. I've lost count of how many bottles of this I've gone through.

Crazy Rumors Mocha Lip Balm - Crazy Rumors balms are one of my all time favourite balms. I always have a few of these floating around in my stash. Mocha is one of my favourite flavours, it's a lovely sweet coffee scent that tastes as good as it smells. You can read my full review here


Swisspers Spa Facial Cleansing Wipes with mango extract - I've mentioned these before, they are great wipes, nearly as good as my holy grail WotNot wipes.

Swisspers Cucumber Facial Cleansing Wipes - I don't like these as much as the Spa ones but they are still pretty good. 

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Intensity 2 - This is way too dark for me, it made me look like an orangutan, not a good look.


Make Me Smooth Pink Clouds Purity Parfum - This is a copy of Pink Sugar perfume. I really liked it, it is quite sweet but a lovely light perfume that I got a lot of compliments on.


Olay Regenerist Eye Cream - I have a review of this coming up soon, but in short, this is a nice eye cream. I didn't notice any difference in my fine lines, but it felt lovely to apply and kept my eyes hydrated during the freezing winter weather.

Monday 9 September 2013

Dear Chai

My beautiful boy. Today you are two and a half years old. I always hoped that I'd be lucky enough to be a mum and you made all my dreams come true. Having you has bought so much joy to my life. The last two and a half years have gone so fast and yet I feel like you've been with me forever. 

You are so big now, you are a little boy and not my baby (you'll always be my baby). You are so cute. I watch you and can't believe you are the little baby that grew in my belly. Every day you talk more and more, you're very good at getting your message across and telling me what you want.

You continue to amaze me with your intelligence, kindness and all round amazingness. You've been through a lot of changes lately and you've coped with them really well. You love being a big brother, you always want to hold Eljay and you run to comfort him when he cries.

You take everything in, even when you appear not to be listening you are and you remember what you've seen and heard. You only have to see something once to remember it. A little while ago Dad and I were talking. He was telling me that he wanted some Eagles things so you went to the shelf where his Eagles card is and bought it to him. Clever little man.  

Riding your bike, electric car and electric motorbike are you favourite things to do, you have boundless energy and are always running around exploring. You love cars and have lots of matchbox cars which you play with constantly. There is always a car with you, you won't go to sleep without a car in your hand, you hold tight to it whilst you are sleeping and usually wake up with it still clutched in your hand.

You are the light of my life and the sunshine in my day. Not a day goes past that I don't look at you and remember how lucky I am to have you in my life.  

Sunday 8 September 2013

Losing the baby weight

Operation Lose Baby Weight has commenced. It commenced on Saturday the 7th of September to be precise. I was looking at myself in the mirror and decided it's time to get back to my normal weight. Naturally, I have a plan. It's nothing complicated or expensive, it's very simple and easy to stick to.

With Chai I put on 30kg's. I lost 17kg's in the first three weeks then due to eating crap I put weight back on. After three months I decided I was sick of being overweight so I started losing weight and it took me six months to get back to my pre baby weight. From memory, when I decided to start losing the weight I had 20kg's to lose. 

This time I only have 10 kg's to lose so I'm hoping I'll get back to my pre baby weight a lot quicker. I'm not expecting dramatic weight loss in a short period, I'm expecting gradual, health weight loss. With Chai I lost 500 to 700 grams every week and I'm hoping for the same loss this time.

Here's my plan:

1. Drink more water. For the last few days I've been monitoring my water intake and I've realised that I'm not even drinking a litre a day. Granted, I do have a glass of juice and a chai latte most days, but even with that, I'm not drinking nearly enough. I am going to make sure I drink two litres of water a day, especially considering I'm breastfeeding. 

2. Stop eating lollies and chocolate. I have a sweet tooth and when I'm tired I eat chocolate or lollies to give me energy. This is going to stop. I'll still eat chocolate, but I'll limit myself to one square of Pana or Lindt chocolate a day and only if I really feel like something sweet. 

3. Eat less. I'm going to reduce my portion sizes and eat less than I have been, I know my meal sizes have been too big. I'm also going to stop eating when I'm no longer hungry, instead of finishing everything on my plate.


4. Eat only when I'm hungry. I'll often find myself eating because I'm bored, because something looks good or because Chai hasn't finished his meal and I don't want the food to go to waste. From now on I'm going to eat because I'm hungry, not because it's meal time or because I don't want the food to go to waste. 

5. Eat more fresh fruit and veggies. When I'm tired I get lazy and I'll eat pre packaged meals. I get the healthy ones, but they really don't compare to fresh food. To make this easier I'm going to wash and chop up all my veggies, divide them up into meal sized portions and put them in plastic bags. That way when I need something to eat I can just pull out a bag of veggies, put it in the steamer and it'll be ready in 15 minutes. 

A few other things I'll be doing to make things easier are:
  • Cooking a large meal and freezing it so that I can just defrost and reheat it when I need something. 
  • Make and freeze little quiches and sausage rolls. These are perfect for snacks and great for Chai to eat too.
  • Eat a bigger breakfast. When I'm breastfeeding I get quite hungry. I've never been a breakfast person so I find I'm hungry an hour after having breakfast. To stop this I'm going to start having oats with Chia, LSA, yoghurt and fruit in it. That will keep me full for longer and stop me snacking.   
I'm going to allow myself one treat a week. When I was losing the weight with Chai my treat was a hot chocolate with two marshmallows and a whole row of chocolate. I'm not sure what my treat will be this time, it'll depend on what I feel like.

Whilst I'd like to say that I'll exercise, in all reality I probably won't. I'd love to go walking a few times a week, but with Chai refusing to go in the pram, walk or ride his bike exercising is a little difficult. I do get out and about with Chai, we go to the park, kick the ball around, play chasey etc so that will have to be my exercise. 

Do you have any tips to help me lose my baby weight? If you do, please let me know in the comments below.

Friday 6 September 2013

FFS Friday - See Saw

A few weeks ago the PILs came to stay. FFS.

I didn't think their bed had been made so I asked Tiger and he said that it had. I knew this needed further clarification so I questioned him further and found out that he hadn't checked but that it 'looks made'. FFS.

I figured that if it wasn't made the PILs would tell us. Silly me. FFS.

The next day I was walking past their room and I noticed that not only did the bed have no sheets on it, there were also no pillow slips. They hadn't bothered to say anything and had just slept on the bare mattress with a blanket over the top of them. FFS.

I mentioned this to Tiger who then asked FIL why they hadn't told us the bed wasn't made to which FIL replied "I didn't notice". FFS.

How the hell can you not notice you are sleeping on an unmade bed? FFS.

Upon investigation I discovered that this was a lie as they had placed hand towels over the pillows, so they had clearly noticed the bed wasn't made. FFS.

We were supposed to go down south last weekend. I was really looking forward to it. Thursday Chai got sick. FFS.

Not only did he get a very nasty cough he also got an eye infection and had pussy mucous coming out of his eyes. FFS.

We didn't get to go away. FFS.

I tried as hard as I could to keep him away from Eljay, but it was nearly impossible and on Sunday he started getting all blocked up. FFS.

We took Chai to the Dr on Friday because his eyes were looking really bad. We couldn't get into our Dr so went to the after hours Dr at another surgery. They gave us eye drops that we were supposed to put in his eyes four times a day. As if it's possible to get a 2 1/2 year old to stay still long enough to put drops in his eyes. FFS.

Wednesday we had to take him to our Dr to get ointment as it was impossible to put drops in his eyes. FFS.

He told us that not only had we been given the wrong diagnosis regarding Chai's eyes, it was ridiculous to expect us to put drops in his eyes. He also told us that the after hours Dr surgery has a bad reputation. FFS.

The only positive is that they bulk bill for children so it didn't cost us anything. Not FFS.

With both boys being sick it suddenly occurred to me that I am the only female in a house full of males. FFS.

I further realised that I have many, many years of man flu to deal with. FFS.

Having a ravenous beast (aka newborn) I spend a lot of time sitting down feeding at the moment. Someone has taught Chai about having a seesaw ride on my foot so every time I cross my legs he wants a seesaw. FFS.

Not being able to cross my legs makes breastfeeding rather difficult as I cross my legs to raise bub up to boob height. FFS.

If you are wondering why I don't use a pillow, I do, but everytime, without fail, Chai steals it and throws it out of reach. FFS.

If I find out who taught Chai about seesaws I will break both their knees! FFS.

Our new house was built by people with older children so the kitchen is not very child proof. FFS.

Most of it I can deal with, however the microwave has become a problem. The problem is that Chai can reach it and start it. FFS.

So whenever something is cold he decides it needs heating up. FFS.

Lately strawberries have been too cold, so I'm often finding fried strawberries in the microwave. FFS.

If it's not strawberries it's his toy cars. FFS.

I now have to leave the microwave switched off. FFS.

I haven't had a poo story for a while, has anyone missed them?

Somehow I'd managed to forget about all the poo explosions that newborns have. FFS.

Wednesday night, actually, to be more accurate it was 2am Thursday morning, Eljay did a huge poo. FFS.

I changed his nappy, wrapped him up again and he promptly did another huge poo. FFS.

I unwrapped him, took the nappy off and was just putting another nappy on when he did another huge poo. FFS.

It was a projectile poo that spurted out all over me, all over the bed and all over Eljay. FFS.

So there I was at 2am taking off the doona cover, cleaning the bed, totally changing Eljay and cleaning up myself. What fun. FFS.

After that it took me ages to get him back to sleep. I finally got him back to sleep and was just falling asleep again (at 6am), when Chai came running in to say good morning. FFS.

Needless to say that put an end to any hopes I had of getting some sleep. FFS.

Now that you've had a good laugh at my weekly woes, head on over to Sarah's blog and see what's befallen everyone else this week. 
Dear Baby G

Wednesday 4 September 2013

August Favourites

My favourites for this month are a little different than normal thanks to having a newborn. I've included some of the products that have got me through the first few tiring weeks. 

Botani Olive Skin Serum - My skin has been so dry and rough during this pregnancy and it hasn't improved since bub arrived, if anything it's gotten worse. I had a lot of dry, flaky patches so in desperation I dug out my Olive Skin Serum. The first night I put six drops all over my face and woke up with skin that looked and felt a lot better. After three days use my dry spots are all gone and my skin is feeling soft and comfortable again.

Aerin Rose Lip Conditioner - I've wanted something from the Aerin line for ages so when it showed up on strawberrynet I didn't hesitate. Naturally I chose the Lip Treatment, and I purchased it without reading any reviews. I'm glad I didn't read the reviews because the ones I read were all negative and I happen to love this lip treatment. It's thick, hydrating and smells like roses, what more could I ask for?

Palmolive Lime and Mint Foaming Hand Wash -  I'm a sucker for foaming hand washes purely for the novelty value of them. This one is a favourite because it smells so good, isn't drying and leaves my hands softly scented.

Bach Rescue Remedy Pastilles - These are great for stressful times, so I've been going through them like crazy lately.

Ophelia's Apothecary Lip Balm - I'm getting a little obsessed with this lip balm, it's the only thing that's been keeping my dry lips comfortable.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Happy Mama Spray - This was an iHerb purchase that I've been using like mad lately. It's an all round spray that is supposed to help with morning sickness, the baby blues and for calming down tough toddler moments. I didn't find it all helpful for morning sickness but it does seem to help when I'm feeling stressed and hormonal.

First Years Nursing Pads - Nursing pads are a necessity for me when I'm breastfeeding. These ones are my favourite because they are infused with lanolin so help to keep my nipples soft. Brilliant idea!

Yu-Be Moisturising Skin Cream -This is one of those cult products that is supposed to do everything. It used to be available at Mecca Cosmetica for a crazy price, however I bought mine for around $15 from Target, threw it in a drawer and forgot about it. I pulled it out again when I was looking for an all round balm to leave on my bedside table. It contains camphor so has a rather strong smell and for that reason I don't particularly like to use it on my lips, however having said that it does work as a lip balm, hand cream and all round moisturiser.

Travel Mugs - The one thing I say to all new mums is "buy some travel mugs". When you are constantly holding a baby the last thing you want is to drop a hot drink on it. My solution is to have all my drinks in a travel mug, that way I'm not constantly drinking cold tea.

Monday 2 September 2013

Thoughts of the month

I'm a bit late posting my August thoughts, but in my defense August has been a whirlwind of giving birth, moving and adjusting to life as a family of four. By some miracle I managed to string a few thoughts together although I can't promise they will be very coherent.

1. Motherhood is a lot easier the second time around. I'm sure having an easy, 45 minute labour helped, but I feel so much better this time than I did after I had Chai. The one thing I remember after I had Chai is how awful I felt and I felt that way for at least 12 months after I had him. This time I feel pretty good, which is a huge relief. It's entirely possible this will change when Tiger goes back to work.

2. Companies who don't respond to their customers on social media really irk me. Why bother being on social media if you aren't going to reply to your consumers. Case in point; Chapstick have recently released a Lipkit trio of balms that I really want to buy. They aren't on the Chapstick website so twice on Instagram I've asked Chapstick if they can give me a list of stockists. They haven't bothered to respond to me. 

3. I thought that after I had this bub I'd be content and not want any more babies but already I'm thinking I'd like another one or two. Oops. I blame post pregnancy hormones. My Dr encourages me and thinks it's a great idea. Tiger does not.

4. Getting take-away food home delivered down here is very expensive. To have something delivered less than 5kms costs $10. What a joke. 

5. After renting for four months it's a huge relief to be living in our own home. I don't have to be constantly worried about Chai getting dirty marks on the walls, damaging the blinds, chipping the paint etc. Prior to having Chai renting didn't worry me because it's easy not to damage things, but children change that!

6. For anyone who's interested, you can get the Chapstick Lipkits at Chemist Warehouse. 

7. Country people are so much friendlier than city people. They are also a lot more patient and willing to help. There is a lot less road rage too.

8. After living in the city for fifteen years I'm not used to people being so nice and friendly. I'm having to make a conscious effort to remember to be nice and friendly myself as I'm so accustomed to city people who don't have time to be nice.   

9. I've come to realise that I miss having a job. As much as I love being a full time mum, it was really nice getting dressed up and going to work. I enjoyed my job and the people I worked with. I miss dressing nicely and having the social interaction with my workmates. I know I'll have another job someday, but it won't be for a while yet. 

10. When we were in Perth we didn't even bother driving past our old house even though we were right there. It's made me realise how many bad memories were attached to that house and how ready we were to leave.