Friday 31 January 2020

FFS Friday - Don't matter

I was talking to a beautiful girl last week and our conversation got me thinking.
She was telling me that she wants to lose 5kgs before she goes on holiday because she'll be in a bikini.

I'm currently 13kgs over the weight that I used to be when I was younger. If I had to set a goal weight to get back to, a while ago it would have been that weight. Now, I'm not so fussed.

Here's what I said to the beautiful girl I was talking to.

Whenever you feel bad about your body go to a gym or the beach. Look around and you'll see all sorts of people of all different sizes. You'll see big people, small people, tall people, short people, round people, long people etc.

Now look what they're doing. If they're at the gym, they're working out. If they're at the beach, they're enjoying themselves. 

How many of them are looking around and thinking critical things about how everyone else looks? Probably none. But just for a minute imagine that they are. Imagine that a random person is sitting there thinking about how awful you look. Do you know them? Will you ever see them again? Is their opinion relevant to you and your life?

So, wear what you want, enjoy your life and stop worrying about how you look because those people who matter don't mind and those people who mind don't matter. 

That's my Ted talk for the day.

I could have been having surgery today. Who's over hearing about my ankle? I'm over it too, so let's not talk about it.

Whilst he was home Tiger decided to take Chai off his medication. It's going okay, but things always do when Tiger is home. The test will be when he's gone back to work. What's the bet it'll all fall apart and I'll be left to deal with the mess as usual?

Have a beautiful weekend everyone. 

January round up

Well what a start to the year it's been. This year I'll be posting monthly round ups so that at the end of the year I can look back on what we've done throughout the year. 

We've had a good month.

We got to see live pole vaulting for the first time and loved it. Can't wait to watch it again next year.

For home schooling we're learning about the climates in Australia and different cultures around the world.

I got my first Gucci lipstick, it's beautiful and I want more.

We're now one month closer to Tiger finishing FIFO. It doesn't seem real. He's been FIFO for seven years now. I barely remember what it's like to have him home. It's going to be an interesting transition for us all.

The boys finally got good quality bikes and have been having a great time riding them.

We spent quite a lot of time time with cousins which was lovely.

On the long weekend we had friends over and spent the whole time lazing around the house with them. It's the first time we've had non family visitors.

Eljay is loving back scratches at the moment. He'll lay there happily for as long as I'm willing to scratch his back.

Chai's a bundle of energy still. He's off his medication and seems to be doing okay so far.

I'm waiting for ankle surgery. I've had enough and just want it fixed so I can get back to my normal, active life.

I hope you've all had a great start to the year. 
 

Sunday 26 January 2020

Thoughts of the week

1. I wasn't surprised when I watched Prince Harry say that it was his decision to step back from the monarchy. The press are quick to blame Meghan but it's clear that Harry has never liked the media (who can blame him!)

2. There's a new addition to Bobbi Browns Crushed lip collection, an oil infused gloss. I'm tempted. Very tempted.

3. Whilst we're talking of lip products, I got the Tatcha Kissu Lip Mask. I need to test it more, but so far it's not as amazing as all the hype suggests.

4. It's my brothers birthday today. We haven't spoken for over two years now. It's a long story, but basically he's unwilling to take responsibility for his choices and blames everyone else.
I have no intention of speaking to him again. 
Just remember, some words you can't take back. Things you say can permanently affect your relationship with people. 
Sadly, people often realise this when the words have been spoken and it's too late.

5. Have a great long weekend!

Friday 24 January 2020

FFS Friday - No joke

I was supposed to be having surgery today.
I'm not.
It was delayed until next Friday.
After I thought about it I realised that next Friday won't work, so now I'm not having surgery until the middle of February. FFS. 

I am so over waiting.
They tried to fit me in today to align with Tigers swing but a lady refused to swap dates.
I want to think awful things about her refusing to swap. Her surgery isn't urgent and she could have waited another week.
I can't think horrible things about her though because I understand wanting to get the surgery over and done with. I understand not wanting to be in pain any more.
Even though my situation is more urgent than hers, I can totally understand her refusal to swap.
Her surgery is elective, unlike mine, however I'm sure to her it's just as urgent as my surgery.

Tiger is casual so doesn't have any leave. He can't take holidays. I have to be off my feet for ten days.
I don't want to ask Mum to come down. She probably would, however looking after the boys is really tough and I don't want to put her through that again.

By the time I have my surgery it'll be almost five months since I injured myself. Five months of constant pain and broken sleep. I'm ready for that to be over.

Whilst I know delaying is the logical thing to do, mentally I'm not on board with it. Tiger said that he'd take a week off (unpaid) and we'd find the money somewhere but the last thing we need is money stress. 
At the moment my logical brain is fighting with my emotional brain and I'm trying not to be upset. 

Last night Tiger made a joke about my ankle. I gave him a deadpan look and told him I've lost all sense of humour and there's nothing funny about my ankle. 
So that's where we are. 

But, on a positive note it means a few good things can happen. We have friends coming down this weekend. We'd told them we'd need to reschedule but when my surgery was cancelled it meant that they can come down.
It also means that I'll finally get to meet my friend Rosie. We've been friends online for around 20 years but never met. She's in my area for a little while and thanks to not having surgery I'll be able to meet her. 
So all up it's not too bad, just don't make jokes about my ankle.

Sunday 19 January 2020

Thoughts of the week

1. Mecca have finally got the much hyped Tatcha Kissu lip mask. It doesn't stay in stock long, so if you see it, grab it.

2. Last weekend we watched pole vaulting live and it was amazing. I didn't realise that it'd be so fun to watch. Even Chai loved it and most things can't keep his attention for more than a few minutes. 

3. If things go quiet around here it's because of my ankle op. I have to lay with my leg raised for 10 days. At least I think I do, I may have misheard my surgeon. If I do have to laze around for ten days, I'll see you in a few weeks.

4. You know how I said on Friday that my dictatorship was sort of working? It's not. FFS.

5. Whilst we're talking about kids, why is black paper so difficult to find? Black cardboard isn't a problem but black paper is so rare. Strangely we often need it for our home schooling lessons. I can get it in a huge pack with other colours, but I can't buy it alone.

Friday 17 January 2020

FFS Friday - Dictator

Happy Friday beautiful people. Or Saturday if you're reading this on the weekend. Or Thursday if you're in the USA. Or happy whatever day it is.

So.
I've introduced a dictatorship in our house. I am over the boys being assholes. I've tried being nice, I've tried peaceful parenting, I've tried explaining things to them, I've tried modelling good behaviour, I've tried ignoring the negative and praising the positive, I've tried all the things the various psychologists have told me to, I've tried 123 magic, I've tried so many other things. They didn't work.
Last week I reached my limit so now we're living with a dictatorship. It's not the way I want to parent but until the kids learn how not to be assholes it's how we'll be living.

I sat the boys down and told them that if they keep on misbehaving they'll be going to school as I will no longer tolerate their bad behaviour.
We now have rules:
  • No fighting. If they fight they lose privileges for the day.
  • No screen time until they've done their learning.
  • If they have a bad attitude or don't do the learning I need them to, no privileges.
  • Bad language results in the loss of privileges.
  • Any toys or clothes that they leave on the floor go in the bin at the end of the day.
  • Every time they say something negative they have to say three positive things.
  • Any rudeness or disrespect will result in the loss of privileges.
This isn't the way I want to be but I have no choice. Chai says that I'm mean now. I've told him that I have to parent this way due to their behaviour (and let's be honest, it's Chai's behaviour, Eljay is usually well behaved).

So far it's going okay. I am slightly less stressed. Their behaviour is getting a little better. I have to remind them at least 20 times a day that they'll lose privileges but I'm hoping that eventually they'll remember without me constantly reminding them. It's slow progress but at least it's progress.
Funnily enough, I've tried restricting privileges in the past and it made no difference, maybe it's the threat of school or their ages that's making it work now. It could also be that Chai's more able to regulate himself as he's on medication. Who knows? I certainly don't. 

In other news, I saw the surgeon yesterday. Finally, after three months I have answers.
I completely tore my atfl, partially tore my cfl, damaged my deltoid ligament and injured a tendon. FFS. 
How I managed that whilst walking in a straight line on a flat surface I'll never know. 
I'm having surgery next week, I'll be in a cast for ten days, a moon boot for five weeks then a brace for four to five months. Fun.
But, on the positive side, at least I'll be getting better and every day I'll be a little better and in less pain. 
I look forward to getting back to normal and not being in constant pain.

 Have a beautiful weekend!

Tuesday 14 January 2020

Shampoo With A Purpose



This is it. I have found my holy grail zero waste shampoo and conditioner. 

I've been wanting to find a plastic free shampoo and conditioner but been unsure where to start. I tried the Lush bars, they were okay. I tried Ethique but didn't like them. Then I was sent two Shampoo With A Purpose bars. They work as shampoo and conditioner. Products that are shampoo and conditioner in one always make me suspicious, in the past these products just haven't worked for me.

The first time I used my Shampoo With A Purpose bar it didn't feel like it was putting enough product on my hair. I've now learned that the first wash I don't get much lather, I think this might be because it's soaking up the oil. The second wash I get plenty of lather. 

To my great delight, this is a gorgeous, effective product. At the moment I'm using the dry or damaged version, which has sandalwood, lilly pilly and almond to help moisturise.  

It cleans and conditions my hair without leaving it feeling greasy or heavy. I've can go longer between washes and I no longer need to use a leave in conditioner. 

Last week I switched back to a regular shampoo and conditioner and hated it. My hair felt dry and greasy at the same time. I washed it the next day with Shampoo With A Purpose and will never stray again. 

All the bars can also be used on the body as a body wash, so they'd be perfect for travel.

Shampoo With A Purpose bars come in four different versions: The OG, Dry or Damaged, Volume and Colour Treated. Each bar costs $15 and is available from the Shampoo With A Purpose website.

Note: These products were provided to me for review.

Sunday 12 January 2020

Thoughts of the week

1. David Jones now stock Gucci lipsticks!

2. Thursday I find out whether I'm having ankle surgery. I can't wait. Patience is not one of my best skills, I hate not knowing what's going to happen.

3. So Harry and Meghan have decided to step down from their roles are senior royals. Can't say I blame them. The way the media has treated Meghan is enough to give her serious mental health issues. Good on them for doing what's right for them and their family.

4. I've introduced a dictatorship in our house. I'm over the boys being monsters so now we have a strict dictatorship. Chai tells me that I'm mean now. I told him if he behaves himself I won't be mean. 
I love the idea of peaceful parenting but it just doesn't work with Chai. Eljay copies what Chai does, so the dictatorship is necessary.

5. I'm on the hunt for a small palette with cool toned, matte shades of lilac, purple, blue and green. If you have any suggestions please send them my way.

Friday 10 January 2020

FFS Friday - Yelling

People really confuse me. I know I think differently to most people, no matter how hard I try I just don't understand most peoples motivation. Things that seem logical to me just aren't logical to other people. 
This week was a perfect example.

I bumped in to a school mum friend. Over the past three years she's been telling me how her son struggles at school and asking how home schooling is going for us. The last year was particularly difficult for her son, they had numerous meetings with the school principal about how her son was struggling, sought professional help etc and nothing helped. 

She was telling me that he's miserable, he hates school, he's put on weight and she struggles to get him to school every day because he hates it so much. He's 6. She's at her wits end and doesn't know how to help him. They've tried everything and still he's miserable.

I suggested to her that she try home schooling him. 

Here is the part that I just don't understand. This was her response:
"But what about me? He'd be with me all the time, how would I get away from him?"

Now, I totally understand the need for time out and her concerns about it, but isn't her son more important? Childhood is such a short period of time, surely you'd do everything you could to make sure your child had a happy and healthy childhood?

What I'm really confused about is when people won't change something that isn't working. If it's in your power to change it, why wouldn't you? If your child is miserable at school, you take them out of school. Simple. 

Obviously it isn't always that easy, but for this particular lady it would be. She doesn't work and doesn't need to work, she has a strong support network, her children are regularly looked after by other people so she'd be able to get the time out that she needed. I just don't understand. 

There are many things in life that we can't change or control, so why not change and control the things that we can? Especially if they are things that could affect the long term mental health of our children?

You know what else I don't understand? The large companies making a big fuss about donating to the fire/wildlife rescue etc. They get a tax deduction on the donations and the amounts a lot of them have donated aren't even a days profit. I've had so many emails this week from large companies saying that they've donated. Are they doing it to help or for publicity? 
Either way every cent helps, but it really seems like a publicity stunt.

Funnily enough, I haven't received one email from a small business who's donated. Now if I got an email from them, that is something to get excited about, because what they're donating is a huge thing well worth praising and celebrating. 


Tuesday 7 January 2020

December Empties

I've been sitting here trying to decide what to blog about. It seems quite frivolous considering our country is burning with no relief in sight.
After pondering this for a few days I realised that trivial things are quite important during a crisis because they help us keep our minds off negative thoughts and give a welcome distraction.
Having said that, for those who are in the heart of it they have no power/phone coverage/water so the last thing they'll be thinking about is blogs/Instagram etc.
However, for those of us who aren't in the thick of it and who can't do anything to help, we need distraction.
Today, my contribution to that distraction is my December empties.



Origins Calm To Your Senses
Calm To Your Senses was one of my all time favourite scents. It's a beautiful mix of vanilla and lavender. I so wish they hadn't discontinued it. I'd love to find a perfume with the same scent but so far I've been unsuccessful. If you have any recommendations please let me know. 

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Face and Body
Regular readers will be heartily sick of seeing this in my empties. It's one of our favourite sunscreens. It doesn't irritate our sensitive skin, absorbs quickly, works well under make-up and is regularly half price. I have about five back-up tubes. 

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil
I love a good shower oil, they're great for winter and lazy days when I can't be bothered using body lotion. Almond Shower Oil is lovely. It doesn't have a horrible marzipan scent, it's light and leaves my skin feeling hydrated without a greasy film.  

Daily Naturals Moisture Intense Shampoo
I really liked this shampoo and would happily repurchase, however I've switched to a zero waste shampoo bar. If I hadn't, this would be my new shampoo, it's reasonably priced, non-stripping and didn't weigh down my fine hair. 

Clarins One Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser
I don't know how but I seem to have a whole pile of these floating around. I haven't received a Clarins GWP for ages so I don't know where they come from. 
This is one of those meh cleansers. It's okay but it's not great. I use it up and am glad to see the back of it. I don't understand why they'd make a product like this, it's too gritty to be a cleanser and not gritty enough to be a scrub. Silly.  

Invisible Zinc Sheer Defence Facial Moisturiser
Thankfully I can still use my Invisible Zinc without any eye irritation. It's a thicker formula which is great for my dry skin. I like that it's hydrating without being greasy, so it doesn't make my skin feel all heavy and clogged up at the end of the day. 

Nivea Body Lotion
Good old Nivea. They can always be relied on for decent, cheap products. I purchased this little pot in a set with three scented lotions and one unscented. They smelled nice and were pleasant to use.

Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Moisturiser
I got about four uses out of this, so not really enough to form and opinion. It seemed nice, didn't irritate my skin and hydrated well.

L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Shower Gel
This smells amazing! If I wasn't switching to bar soap it would be a definite repurchase. 

Replica Whispers In the Library Perfume
Oh how I love this gorgeous perfume. I don't usually like woody oriental perfumes but this isn't heavy at all, it's just beautiful. One day I'll purchase it, when I've made my way through my current perfume collection. 

Avene SPF 50 Sunscreen
I loved this sunscreen, however my sensitive eyes didn't. It's very light, absorbs quickly, isn't greasy and works well under make-up. As my eyes hated it I used it on my neck and chest. I'll probably pick up a tube next time it's on sale. 

Tribe Skincare Hydrate Me Night Moisturiser
If I didn't have dry skin I'd probably love this, however I need more hydration. I used this as a day cream, it's nice and non irritating but just doesn't provide enough hydration.

LaRoche-Posay Anthelios XL Sunscreen
Regular readers will be totally over seeing this sunscreen too. It's the only facial sunscreen I can use at the moment. If you have sensitive eyes, get your hands on this one, it's specially formulated for those of us with eyes that hate sunscreen. 

Tribe Skincare Fruit Tingle Shower Gel
I know people with KP love this, however I don't have KP so to me it's just a regular shower gel. It smells good and doesn't irritate but it's nothing special. 


Fresh One Drop Wonder
I've been wanting to try this for a while however the sample only gave two uses. It seemed like a bit of a nothing product, I couldn't even feel it on my lips so I won't be purchasing a full size tube. 

Bondi Sands SPF 30 Coconut Beach Sunscreen Lotion
This was lovely. I used it as a daily body sunscreen. It's light, smells nice and doesn't make my skin feel greasy. I'd prefer if it was SPF50. 
I'll definitely be purchasing a full sized tube. 

Verso Hand Serum
I've never used a hand serum. I suppose they're a good idea. There were two applications in this sachet, so I have no idea if it was any good. 

Buly Huile Antique Body Oil
OMG this smells amazing. It's a dry body oil so absorbs quickly and smells like heaven. Mecca don't stock it any more and I think it was quite expensive, so it's not something I'll be purchasing. 




These products were either passed to a better home or tossed out. 

The Soap and Glory and Too Faced products are ancient, I had them when we moved from Perth seven years ago. They've all been well used so I wasn't upset about tossing them.

I had a reaction to the Glam Glow and Omorovicza masks. I've used them both before but my skin is super sensitive at the moment and they both only had one use in them so I tossed them out. 

Monday 6 January 2020

Australia is burning

I'm pretty sure everyone knows that Australia is burning. We've been burning for months now with no end in sight. It's terrifying. 

We've donated what we can.

Today I want to talk about donations and the feedback small businesses are receiving on Instagram. 

There have been a lot of small, home based businesses posting that they will donate a percentage of profits and others saying that they'll donate if you comment on their posts. 

In my opinion the ones who will donate with a comment are trying to increase their Instagram engagement/followers etc. It feels dodgy to me, but if that's their way of helping then good on them. 

As for businesses who are donating a percentage of their profit, I think that's a great idea. I've seen some comments from consumers and businesses saying that they're encouraging people to buy, but I don't see it that way. If you need the product and were going to buy it anyway, why not buy it now and help the bush fire effort?

Whilst it's easy to say that people should just donate the money they would have spent on the products, that's not always possible. Not everyone has disposable income that they can donate, lots of people have to budget. If they'd budgeted for new clothes/skincare etc, buying it from a brand who are donating their profits is a great idea.  

Also, the small business owners may not have spare funds to donate, however donating their profits is a way for them to help. When you think about it, for a small, home based business, donating a day or weeks profit is huge.

In a situation like this we all want to help and a large majority of us feel helpless. Every little bit helps.

It's easy to see the negative in every situation, but when people are trying to help, let's support them. 

Sunday 5 January 2020

Thoughts of the week

1. Finally, after three months I know what's wrong with my ankle. Not only did I completely tear my ATFL, I also partially tore my CFL, damaged my deltoid ligament and a tendon. Clever me.

2. Australia is burning. It's so disturbing. Bendigo Bank along with The Salvation Army are running and appeal and 100% of proceeds will be distributed to the communities in need. If you'd like to donate click here.

3. We're thinking about getting a water filter for our shower. My skin has been really dry and rashy lately. If I don't use any cream on it I have rashes all over. The only thing I can put it down to is the water.

4. Tiger is going back to work a day early this swing and it's giving me the urge to shop. I know that sounds crazy, but when Tiger is away I don't get to do anything for myself, so having packages arrive gives me things to look forward to.

5. I'm really struggling to think about anything other than the bush fires at the moment. I've had to stop myself reading the news about it because it gets all consuming. I want to go out and buy smoke proof face masks, air filters etc. The thought of being stuck near the bush fires with the worst air quality in the world terrifies me. I'm so grateful that we aren't near the fires, but I feel so awful for the people who are. 

Friday 3 January 2020

FFS Friday - Rambling

Hello and welcome to the first FFS Friday for the new year. It's 2020! I hope you've all had a lovely start to the new year. I was in bed at 9pm on New Year's Eve and I'm not sad about it at all.
I'm sitting here listening to the boys fight and trying to think about what I have to complain about.

There really isn't much. We live a very blessed life. It's not perfect but the good outweighs the bad and that's something I'm eternally grateful for.
Sure, I complain every week, but over all life is good.
For me FFS Friday posts are therapeutic. I write then forget about it. I need to get things out and once I do I can forget about them.
I like the idea of journaling but that takes time that I just don't have, I can't talk to a friend (because the kids are always with me), so blogging is my outlet. 

In August this year I will have been blogging for 13 years. Who would have know when I started this blog that I'd still be at it 13 years later. 

It's a shame that blogs are taking a back seat to other forms of social media. I love reading blogs and seeing what people are up to. Hopefully blogging will become more popular again soon. 

I understand why people stop blogging, it takes a lot of time and effort, especially beauty blogging because taking and editing photos is time consuming.

Enough of my ramblings. I hope you all have a lovely weekend. I'll be back with my whinging next week. No doubt it'll be something about my ankle. I get my MRI results this morning so I'll finally know what's wrong. 

Thursday 2 January 2020

New Year Plans

For a while now I've been pondering what I'll do this year regarding a project pan. I try to do them every year and whilst they've had mixed success, I have managed to drastically reduce the size of my collection. It's been a long term work in progress. 

I'm happy with the amount of make-up and skincare I own. Whilst I still have more than most, I like to have choices and I'm comfortable with what I currently have. 
I'll continue to use up my drawer of skincare samples, I really have no idea how I've managed to collect so many.
The one part of my collection that still needs a considerable down size is my lip stash. 

With that in mind, this year I'm going to concentrate on reducing the number of lip products I own. Rather than do a specific project pan I'm just going to try to use up as many lip products I can in the year. 

I'd like to set myself a number target however I have no idea what a realistic amount is so instead of trying to come up with something I'm just going to finish or cull as many products as I can.  

As for a no buy or low buy, I'm only going to include lip products and it'll be two out one in. I find low buys more manageable than no buys. There's always something new that I want to try and as make-up is one of the few things that I do just for me I'm not going to take that away.  

Whilst avoiding excess is great, life is for enjoying so I don't see why I should take away something that brings me so much joy. 

Wednesday 1 January 2020

Happy New Year

Happy new year beauties. 
I hope 2020 brings you a year full of joy, happiness, fun times, love, adventure and 
whatever else your heart desires.