Friday 31 May 2019

FFS Friday - Heh

Hi beautiful people. How are you? I hope you've had a lovely week. I'm sitting here with no idea what I want to complain about. 

For those who've been following along, I'm still on strike. I've decided it's a permanent thing. 

It's been very entertaining. Last week we ran out of toilet tissue. Tiger was shocked, his exact words to me were "How the hell did that happen?"
Really? It's pretty simple. 
My response was "Easy. Whoever got the last roll of toilet tissue out of the cupboard didn't bother to tell me it was the last roll and didn't bother to buy any more. That's how it happened."
How did he think it happened? Did he think that the toilet tissue magically regenerated every night? Funny thing is it would have been him who got the last roll out, I didn't and the kids don't replace the toilet rolls, so it must have been him.
 
A week ago I left the kids summer doonas on the floor. When they'd been there for five days Tiger asked what they were doing there so I told him I'd put their winter doonas on and left the summer ones on the floor cause that's what everyone else does. 
He picked them up, put the covers in the wash and put the doonas away. Heh. 

He also thanked me for washing his clothes. That's a first. My strike is working. 

Along with the members of my household realising how much I do, I also have more spare time because I'm not doing as much. I've had more time to read, it's been great. 
Yes, the house looks awful. Do I care? No. There's no point me caring about the state of the house when no-one else does. 

I've also stopped caring about possessions/toys that no-one else cares about. I'm going through the house and every time I see something that's broken or not being taken care of I throw it in the bin. So far no-one has realised. I've thrown out at least 50 things and no-one has missed them. Shows how much excess crap we have.

Going on strike has been the most entertaining and satisfying thing I've done in ages.
 
 

Tuesday 28 May 2019

Dry skin hydrators


Who else has pulled out their hydrating winter products? I got mine out a few weeks ago when the weather went from mid 20's to low teens overnight. Whilst it isn't that cold at the moment, my skin is acting like it's freezing.

I have my old favourites however this year I've added a few new products to the mix and I'm surprised at how lovely they are.

The Beauty Chef Beauty Fix
I purchased this intending to use it as a lip balm, however the pot is a little too large for me to carry around so I put it on my bathroom counter and forgot about it. One night I was looking for a night cream (why do I not have any night creams? I have plenty of day creams but no night creams) so took this out. I love that it can be used all over, so I happily slathered it all over my face, neck, chest and lips. It has a faint oat scent that makes me think of breakfast, haha. 

My skin absolutely loves Beauty Fix. I wake up with soft, smooth skin that feels lovely and looks fresh and glowy. The pot is small but a little goes a long way. I use a tiny amount, warm it between my hands and press gently onto my face. With once daily use I'd say the tub will last around six months, making it good value. 
I purchased my Beauty Fix for $25 from Nourished Life. 

Botani Olive Repair Cream Day/Night Moisturiser*
Olive Repair Cream was sent to me for review. I originally used it as a day cream but it doesn't work well under make-up as it needs time to absorb. I do my make-up straight after my skincare and don't have the time to stand around waiting for my skincare to absorb before I do my make-up. On the days when I do have time, it plays nicely under make-up.
I switched to using Olive Repair Cream at night and it's gorgeous. It's a very rich, hydrating cream that my skin soaks up. I apply a generous layer at night and wake up with smooth, hydrated skin. I'll definitely be repurchasing once my pot runs out. 
A 120g pot costs $48.95, however it's currently 40% off at Priceline and selling for $29.39.

MooGoo Natural Shea Sorbet
Shea Sorbet is another product that I purchased intending to use it as a lip balm, however I prefer it as an all over face cream.  
I tend to be lazy with my night time routine, I don't bother using serums or eye creams, I just want to use one product and be done with it. That's why I love multi purpose products. 
Shea Sorbet is the most hydrating of all these creams. It's intense hydration for very dry, cracked skin. 
When I have dry, flaky patches I use Shea Sorbet and they're gone in a few days. 
A light layer all over keeps very dry skin happy. 
This also makes a great heel balm, I apply a thick layer at night and my cracked heels are better within a few days.
I have the vanilla scent which was a limited edition, the regular scent is lime.
I purchashed my Shea Sorbet from the MooGoo website for $12.50 for a 50g tub.

Lanolips Allover Everywhere Multi-Cream 
When I travel Allover is the only moisturiser I pack because it can be used as a face, hand and body cream.  
Whilst it's quite rich, it absorbs quickly so works well under make-up and makes a great primer. 
At night apply a thick layer as if it's a face mask. Allover works equally well as a lip balm and eye cream, it truly is an all purpose product. 
Out of all the creams this is the lightest one, however it's still very hydrating and layers well, so if I need more moisture I just add an extra layer. 
Allover costs $18.95 for an 85ml tube. I purchased mine from Mecca Cosmetica.

*Note - The Botani Olive Repair Cream was gifted

Sunday 26 May 2019

Thoughts of the week

1. I got the new Frank Body hair scrub and hair mask on Friday. I've used them both once and first impressions are good. I'll post a full review once I've tried them for around a month.

2. Clarins have released a Joli Rouge Lacquer lipstick that looks really interesting.

3. After spending two days in the city I've finally got to the point where I can say I'm glad we don't live there anymore. It's been six years now and whilst I miss the convenience of the city, I don't miss much else.

4. We've made some minor changes to our living and dining rooms this week and it's made such a huge difference. The house looks so much better. I'm going to get started on our picture wall in the next few weeks. It's nice when the house starts to look less like a disaster and more like a home.

5. I have no idea how I'm going to survive the next four weeks. Send help.

Friday 24 May 2019

FFS Friday - Instinct

Next Tuesday Tiger is going to work and not coming back until July. Yes, you read that right, July. He's going to be away for four to six weeks. I have no idea how I'm going to survive. Have I mentioned that FIFO sucks?

This has been a tough week. We had a disagreement with our new psych and he's refused to see Chai again, so once again I'm on the hunt for someone to help us.

Getting help is so very difficult. I can only imagine how awful it must be for people with mental illness who are trying to find help. 

I'm wondering if my expectations are too high. I want someone who will help without judgement, who follows through with what they said they'd do and someone who doesn't want us to medicate as a first option. You wouldn't think it'd be so difficult to find that person but it is.

The last psych that we had was so inconsistent, I found it really frustrating. 

That aside, I'm not here to rant about that today. I'm here to talk about trusting your instincts. Here's the thing, I wasn't sure about the latest psych from our first visit, however I reserved judgement and we went to three visits. Overall it cost us over $1,000 because he's in Perth and for two of the appointments we had to stay there overnight.

If I'd trusted my instincts I wouldn't have seen him again after the first visit so it would have only cost us $251.

The trouble is we spend our whole childhood being taught not to trust our instincts. We're told to eat when we aren't hungry and forced to do things that aren't right for us. We're made to go to school (which is all about conforming without question), hug relatives, be polite to our elders, wear clothes that aren't comfortable, say sorry when we don't mean it etc. All of those things teach us not to trust ourselves and our instincts. 

When you think about it, that's really unhealthy. We instinctively know what's right and wrong for us and yet we deny that knowledge and do what's right or what we've been taught we should do even if that isn't the right or healthy thing for us. 

Even silly things like answering the door or the phone when you don't want to. How many of you answer the phone or the door when you don't feel like it? 
I don't. Even if the person at the front door knows I'm home, if I don't want to see anyone I don't answer the door. Simple. Yet that's something we're made to feel guilty about. Why? Why should we feel guilty about doing what's right for us? 

I'm working on trusting my instincts more and doing what's right for me and my family. Years of conditioning to not trust myself makes it a challenge, but I'm getting there slowly. 

Do you trust your instincts?

Tuesday 21 May 2019

A mini Mecca Maxima haul

We went to Perth this week and I got to visit Mecca Maxima. Being in the country I do most of my shopping online so love it when I can get to a store and see things before I buy them.

I didn't buy much as there's nothing that I need, but I did pick up two things I've wanted for a while now.


I love my Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum products and really wanted to try the Coco Cabana fragrance. One sniff and I was sold, it smells amazing. I wish they'd release a lip balm in this scent, it'd be heavenly. 

The set I purchased contains a fragrance spray, body cream and hand cream. I love to use the fragrance spray in my hair, the scent lasts for days and I get a lovely whiff whenever I flick my hair around (which I do a lot because it smells so good).

The other thing I purchased was a mini Lipstick Queen Medieval. I had to throw out my full sized one as it ancient and I really missed it. This mini version is great, I might actually finish it before it gets too old. If only all lipsticks were available as a mini.

 

Sunday 19 May 2019

Thoughts of the week

1. I keep on being contacted on Instagram and via email from bikini and fitness companies asking me to be a brand ambassador. Seriously. Have they even looked at my Instagram feed or my blog? Clearly not.

2.The Tati vs James Charles drama has been fascinating to watch. It shows how fickle we are and how quickly we'll turn on people.

3. I've pulled out the winter doona's, put the flanelette sheets on and had the fire on every day this week. Winter is glorious.

4. Now that winter is here I've realised I need new boots. My last ones are very dead. Please send recs for warm, flat boots my way.

5. I also need new uggies. How anyone survives winter without uggies is beyond me.

Friday 17 May 2019

FFS Friday - Situational Awareness

Regular readers will be aware of a few posts recently where I talk about various confrontations I've had with different men. It occurred to me that I should explain the thought process I go through before making the decision on whether it's safe to confront someone. I certainly don't recommend going around yelling at people if it's not safe. I only react to these situations if it's safe to do so. 

I learned this technique years ago, it's something I do automatically without thinking about it. Explaining it will probably make me sound totally paranoid but here goes. 

Always be aware of what's around you. So, for instance, if we go to the park I make sure I know who else is there. Are there any potential dangers, how many exits are there, what's the quickest way to get to our car, can I leave the carpark once I'm in the car?

On the day that man yelled at me at the park after other kids hurt his unsupervised child I knew it was safe to yell back at him for the following reasons: 
There were three other men close by, two of whom were watching what was happening. 
He couldn't get to me before I could get us all to the car. To get to me he would have had to walk around the playground as he was too big to fit between the poles. If he'd started coming towards us the kids and I would have squeezed between the poles and ran to our car.  
I can fight and he looked unfit so he would have been slower than me. 
He bought a child with him to confront me, therefore he wasn't brave so unlikely to try to physically harm me or the children.

If we'd been alone at the park with no-one else around, I might not have yelled at him as it wouldn't have been as safe.  

Being aware of your surroundings is very important and could mean the difference between being safe or being harmed.

A few weeks ago we were at the park and there was a man sitting on a bench staring at us. Initially it didn't bother me as there were two other cars there. The guy who was staring at us got into his car and moved it so that it was facing us, then sat in his car staring at us. 

I memorised his number plate and when both the other cars left we headed for our car as it was no longer safe to be at the park.
He'd parked in a way that he could easily block my exit which would have meant I was stuck in the car with no access to the road. 

There was no-one else around so if anything had happened there wouldn't have been any witnesses. His car was parked between the playground and our car so I got out my keys and my phone. I told the boys to get straight into the car and lock their doors. When we were going to the car I openly stared at the man so that he knew I was aware of him and so that he couldn't sneak up on us. 

I kept our car locked until we got to it, locked the doors as soon as we were inside and took off as quickly as possible. He didn't follow us.

Perhaps it was all innocent, but I didn't feel safe so I removed us from that situation. 

That's what situational awareness is all about. Being aware of your surroundings, knowing what risk factors there are and making sure you can get you and your loved ones out safely.

Tuesday 14 May 2019

The Lip Oil Series: Physicians Formula Argan Wear Lip Oil Duo

Welcome to the fourth post in the Lip Oil Series. You can see my previous posts here, here and here.

Today I'm talking about the Physcians Formula Argan Wear Lip Oil Duo. I'm not sure if these are available in Australia, I haven't seen them here and purchased mine from iHerb. 


These are only sold as a duo which I think is silly because despite being different colours they both apply clear.  Physicians Formula say the pink shade provides a hint of colour but that's incorrect.

Both oils have a light coconut fragrance and flavour. The texture is glossy, hydrating and comfortable to wear. They work wonderfully over lipstick or lip liner and last around an hour before I need to reapply. When the oil has worn off my lips feel comfortable and soft.

I find this formula quite hydrating, I love the way it feels on my lips and the tube is really cute. It's not slick and oily like some lip oils, it lasts well on my lips and feels like a non sticky gloss.


Given the chance I'd happily repurchase, they're a lovely addition to my lip oil collection.

Ingredients: castor seed oil, octyldodecanol, dilinoleic acid/propanediol copolymer, ethylcellulose, argan kernel oil, flavour, sunflower seed oil, menthyl ethylamido oxalate, tocopheryl acetate, shea butter, phenoxyethanol.

Sunday 12 May 2019

Thoughts of the week

1. Happy Mothers Day to all the beautiful Mums out there. We wouldn't be here without you xxx

2. If any of you are looking for a weighted blanket, head to Spotlight. They're currently selling queen sized Koo Elite weighted blanks for $56.

3. The royal baby is here! How sweet.

4. Both of these men are awesome! The man who kept him safe and the old man who decided to go for a joyride.

5. Victoria's Secret have an Australian website now! How did I not know this?

Friday 10 May 2019

FFS Friday - Confused

We spend a lot of time at the park. At least two hours a day usually closer to four.

There are a few new families who've moved in so there's been lots of kids around for the boys to play with. Most of them are boys so it's been great. 

However, there are some truly awful kids there. It makes me wonder what happens in their homes. They're always at the park alone, never with a parent and they're there for hours.

One boy is 9 years old. Every second word he says is see you next Tuesday. FFS.

He's got the foulest mouth I've ever heard, worse than any adults I know. This kid clearly has problems which is sad. His behaviour is so bad that the boys don't want to go to the park in case he's there. 

Last Saturday Mum took the kids to the park and he abused her. 

The situation has been escalating over the last week and it came to a head on Monday afternoon when he punched Chai in the face. He claims they were play fighting.

I spoke to the kids, couldn't get much sense out of any of them so we left the park. The horror child and his siblings followed us. When they followed us into our street I started to get concerned so asked where they were going. HC (horror child) said that they were going home then spent the rest of the walk abusing me. 

By this time I'd had enough of him and I'd also figured out where he lived. I wasn't planning on doing anything about it until the kids had all calmed down. 

Chai was very upset so did the clever thing and instead of going home went straight to our friends house. The poor guy opened the door to Chai yelling out that we needed help and that there was trouble. 

We told him what had happened, the boys went inside and we went around to speak to the boys parents. 

Thankfully they were good. We had a discussion about the kids behaviour, agreed on some rules and hopefully nothing will happen again. If it does I'm hoping we can sort it out between us.

HC's Mum said that he's been having problems with two other kids at the park. Here's what I don't understand. He's always at the park on his own, never with a parent. If your kid is having issues with other kids at the park, why aren't you there? If you think your child is being bullied, why would you let it continue? Surely you'd try to stop the bullying and keep them safe?

Our job as parents is to protect our children, raise them as best we can and try to turn them into decent adults. We must advocate for them, fight for them when they can't fight for themselves and talk for them when they are unable to. 

We don't leave them to deal with bullies all alone!

Tuesday 7 May 2019

Cracked Lip Heros

The last few weeks I've had awful cracked lips, they've been so painful. It got me thinking about the different lip balms that I use.

I have everyday lip balms, dry lip balm, flaking lip balms and cracked lip balms.

Today I'll show you the balms I pull out when my lips are cracked and sore.





I have two trusty balms that I've been using for years and a new one that I discovered a few weeks ago.

Carmex
Carmex was the first lip balm I found that healed my cracked lips. When I was younger I had permanently cracked lips, I'd wake up every morning with blood on my teeth from my lips bleeding. I tried every lip balm available at the chemist and nothing worked. In desperation I asked the pharmacist for something that would help and he sold me Carmex. Back then Carmex was kept behind the counter (not sure why). 
I took it home, put it on and I've never looked back. The relief was instant and within a day my cracked lips had started to heal. It was the first time in years that I had healthy lips. 
Since that day I've always had several pots of Carmex around the house. It's a balm that I'll never be without.  

Upon application Carmex feels soothing and cooling. Within a day my lips are no longer sore and after a few days the cracks are healed. When my lips are in this condition I'll apply balm every half an hour to make sure that they always have a good coating of balm on them. 

I've used the click sticks and squeeze tubes but don't find them to be quite as effective as the original potted balm. I'll use them when I'm out and about just for convenience but my preference is always the balm pot.

Burt's Bees Beeswax
I didn't think I'd find anything that could equal my beloved Carmex until I discovered Burt's Bees. 

There is little difference in the two of them, they're both excellent. I find Carmex slightly more healing, so use Carmex exclusively the first day that my lips are cracked then I alternate between Carmex and Burt's Bees from the second day. I love the convenience of the tube and that it doesn't contain petrolatum.

Burt's Bees is matte, so ideal for wearing under lipstick. It makes a great primer, out of all the lip primers I've tried this is my favourite and also the cheapest.


Blistex Medicated Relief
This is new to me. I picked it up a few weeks ago because I wanted something small to fit in my jacket pocket. I wasn't sure it'd help because it contains sunscreen, but it's turned out to be a great balm.

Blistex Medicated Relief has the soothing feel that the other two balms have with a light texture that  works really well under other lip products. 
It needs to be applied lightly as it leaves a white cast when I use a heavy hand. 
I don't find this to be as soothing as Carmex, however it's great for when I'm out of the house due to the small size and slant tipped applicator. 

What are your cracked lip saviours? Do you use different balms for different lip issues?

Sunday 5 May 2019

Thoughts of the week

1. Olio E Osso balm sticks are available at Mecca! I've been wanting to try them for ages.

2. They also have the tinted Dr Lipp balms.

3. Whilst we're talking of Mecca, there are so many great mothers day sets, I would like one of each please.

4. It seems I'm the only person in the world who hasn't watched Game of Thrones. I read the books years ago, however have had no desire to watch the series. Maybe I should.

5. Frank Bod have a new hair care range that will be released soon. It includes a hair scrub which I'll definitely be buying!

Friday 3 May 2019

FFS Friday - I'm still on strike

I'm still on strike. 
It's actually working! And it's quite fun too. 
I never realised how satisfying being messy can be.
Last night I took off my clothes and left them on the floor. Didn't pick them up, didn't put them in the wash, just left them on the floor. It was great! I reckon I saved myself about a minute, which means I got to bed earlier and possibly got one minutes more sleep. So worth it. 

Random thought - Why isn't there a sarcasm font?

Anyhow, the strike has been a little successful. Last week I used the last toilet roll in our ensuite. I checked the basket and it was empty, so I left the empty toilet roll where it was and planted myself on the couch.

Next time Tiger needed to use the toilet I sat there waiting to see what would happen. You'll never guess what happened! He went and got plenty of toilet rolls, filled up the basket and put a new roll on the toilet roll holder without saying a word to me. Victory!

Last time I didn't fill up the basket and Tiger found it empty his exact words to me where "Did you realise you've got no more toilet rolls in the bathroom?"
Being the kind, patient, restrained person I am, I didn't take his head off, I simply replied "You mean WE have no toilet rolls. You use the toilet too. Yes, I did realise, I just didn't bother getting any more."

It really bugs me when Tiger talks about helping me around the house. He's not helping me, I am not the house slave, it is not my responsibility to keep the house tidy. 
After me growling at him every time he says he's helping me, he's now stopped. 
Everyone who lives in the house has a responsibility to maintain it. Everyone needs to keep it clean and tidy. Leaving the whole burden to one person isn't reasonable.

Plus, I refuse to raise men who don't know how to take care of themselves and expect a female to do it. My boys will be fully house trained when they are entrusted to the care of their chosen partner. 

Enough about the strike. It's time for episode 5,968,724 of crap that only happens when Tiger is away.

Firstly, I got a cold the day before he left. What's with that? For someone who never gets sick, I've been sick a lot lately. I had a cold last month too. 

Now for the funny part. The lock on our bedroom door has been a bit dodgy the last few days, it gets stuck and won't unlock, so I haven't been using it. 

Wednesday night it occurred to me that I need to let the boys know not to use the lock, because they automatically turn the lock when they want to leave the bedroom. They were asleep so I told myself I would tell them in the morning.

Thursday morning we got up and I was in the bathroom when Eljay says "Mummy, I can't get out the door". FFS.

Sure enough, he'd locked the door, the lock got stuck and we couldn't get out of the bedroom. FFS.

I spent five minutes wriggling with the lock to no avail. 
We were stuck. 
Undeterred I set about finding another way to get us out. I didn't have any oil I could spray onto the lock, nor did I have anything that I could use as a screwdriver to take the handle off.

The windows were all locked so we couldn't get out of them. 
I did consider sending one of the kids through the air-conditioning vent but quickly discarded that idea. 

We were stuck.

By this time it'd been about fifteen minutes. Chai realised what was happening and went straight into a panic attack. FFS.

So now I had a panicking child, no coffee and we were stuck in the bedroom. My neighbour and Dad both have keys so I knew we'd get out eventually. I messaged my neighbour to see if she was awake. She was.

Just as I was about to ask her to come rescue us, Chai had one last go at the door and it opened! Yay!

I calmed Chai down and we started our day. Fun times.  

The door lock is now well oiled and the boys have strict instructions not to lock the door.


Mrs B, if that offer of adoption still stands, I gratefully accept. I must warn you, I'm quite short tempered and very worn out though.