Friday 31 December 2021

2021 Happenings

Another year is over and what a year it's been.

January
We had a quiet bbq with friends for new years eve so started the new year bright and early as usual. 
January was filled with socialising with friends and family, swimming and enjoying the school holidays. 
A highlight was going to Hamelin Bay and feeding the manta rays. 
Chai was diagnosed with autism.

February
Tiger was promoted to supervisor.
The boys were due to go back to school on the 1st of February, but there was a case of community transmission of COVID so we went into a 5 day hard lockdown.
The boys returned to school on the 8th of February.
 
March
Chai turned 10! He's finally double digits!

April
School holidays! We've been staying pretty close to home this year. Covid has bought a lot of tourists and visitors to the area, so we tend to stay home and just enjoy lazy days. 

May
May was lovely and wet, just the way I like it. 

June
So many birthday parties. We had 3 in one weekend.

July 
School holidays were one of the wettest holidays we've had. It rained almost every day, we only had about three clear days.

August
Eljay turned 8!

September, October and November were rough so we're just going to pretend they didn't happen.

December
We celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.
Eljay received the Endeavour award at the school celebration night.
Chai found out that he'll be part of the school leadership team next year.
Chai lost a tooth!

Thursday 30 December 2021

Thoughts on new years resolutions

Now that this clusterf@ck of a year is almost over, I've been thinking of what changes I'd like to make for next year.
 
I thought about the resolutions I'd made in years past and realised that most of them were about taking things away, losing, reducing etc. I wonder if that's why they often don't work? Because we focus on what we'd like to reduce, instead of focusing on what we'd like to gain.
 
This year I'm going to do things differently. I'm not going to take anything away, I'm just going to add in more of the good. More things that bring me joy, more things that add value to my life. I figure that as I add in good there will be less time for things that aren't so joyful. 
 
Naturally there are things that I'd like to reduce, but I'm not going to focus on them. So, instead of having a goal of reducing spending on unnecessary purchases I'll focus on shopping more intentionally and mindfully. Focusing on the positive instead of what I want to reduce feels better. It feels like I'm doing something good, instead of the focus being on something I'm not doing, something I'm missing out on.  
 
With that being said, here are my goals for the new year. These are the things I'll be adding into my life:

Plant based meals
I have a fairly healthy diet, however I'd like to add in more veggies. I also want to find a few vegetarian meals that my family will eat.
 
Mindful purchasing
Often my purchasing decisions are not based on what I need, they're impulse buys or stress buys. I'm going to aim to be more mindful with what I purchase.
 
Decluttering
The clutter in our house is a constant source of annoyance for me so I'm going to devote more time to decluttering. Even if it's only five minutes a day it will make a difference.   

Rest
When the boys are at school and Tiger is at work I don't allow myself any down time. I treat it like it's my work day and I'm on the go the whole day. That's silly for two reasons. Firstly, even if I was at work I'd get a breaks and secondly, my job is 24/7. Unlike Tiger I don't clock off, I'm always Mum, always cooking, cleaning etc. The time that the boys are at school and Tiger's at work is the only chance I have for down time, so I'm going to take it. I'll spend at least 30 minutes every week day resting.
 
Move
Prior to the kids starting school I had a great exercise routine. I'd go to the gym three days a week and go walking or riding with the kids four days a week. Since they started school my routine has gone out the window and I've struggled to keep a consistent exercise routine. Instead of treating exercise as something that comes last I'm going to prioritise it, other things can wait.

Me
I've put myself last in so many ways for so many years. I'm not going to do that any more. My exercise routine is the perfect example. I put it aside for other things/people. I'm important. I run the family. If I'm not well it affects everyone. From now on I'll prioritise my needs. I'll look after me, get the massage, go to the dentist and do the other things I need to do to be the healthiest version of me. 

What good things will you be adding in this year?

Friday 17 December 2021

FFS Friday - School's Out!

We did it! We survived a whole year of school! What a year it's been. I'm exhausted.
My boys have grown so much this year, both emotionally and in height. 
I am so looking forward to no schedule and some time at home with my family.
I hope you have all survived the end of school year and get a little bit of rest with your families.
 

Sunday 12 December 2021

Thoughts of the week

1. Four days until school holidays!
 
2. I still have Christmas shopping to do.
 
3. Bushfires have started here already. I hope it's not going to be a bad bushfire season.
 
4. Our finches are having more babies! The other ones are only six weeks old! Once the new babies are old enough we're going to take the nest away so they don't make any more babies.
 
5. I was quite disappointed with the christmas releases this year. They weren't as good as they usually are.

Saturday 11 December 2021

Saturday Stories

I've been noticing lately that we like to blame the messenger. A lot. It's just not right.
 
I'll give you an few examples. Both of these examples involve police, however it happens across the board not just with police.

I recently witnessed an event. 
The police were called out to do a welfare check on someone. They didn't handle it correctly, the person freaked out when they were touched, they all ended up on the ground and the person they were doing a welfare check on was placed under arrest for assaulting a police officer. (No one was injured).
If things had been handled correctly, this would have not have happened. Instead of helping, the actions of the police made the situation worse not better. 
Now, we could sit here and blame the officers involved, but the truth is that they were just acting to the best of their abilities. The blame goes on those higher up who allow things like this to happen. The blame lays with the police department for not having adequate policies and training. 
NSW has recently introduced a policy where all welfare and mental health checks are attended by two trained police officers and a mental health nurse. This should be the rule across the whole country.
 
There was recently a case where a police officer shot someone then faced murder charges for shooting the person. Imagine going to work every day and knowing that you could face criminal charges for doing your job. It wouldn't be nice.
Once again, the person they were dealing with had mental health issues. Where was the mental health support? It wasn't there, they just sent the police, things got out of hand and someone was killed. It's a tragedy for everyone involved.  
 
Nurses are another great example. If they give out the wrong medication or do something that harms a patient they're blamed. How about blaming the system that allows them to constantly be overworked and understaffed? How about blaming the system that allows them to do double shifts all week with less than an eight hour turn around time? 
 
Perhaps if we give proper support and training to people they wouldn't make mistakes. If something isn't done to rectify the broken systems we won't have enough police or medical staff and where will that leave us?
 

Friday 10 December 2021

FFS Friday - Zebra

One week until freedom! This time next week the kids will be on holidays and we'll be free. 
 
I said to a friend this week that I can't wait for the holidays. She told me I'm the only person she's heard say that, everyone else has told her they aren't looking forward to the holidays because looking after kids is stressful. How sad.
 
I can't wait for school to be over. We can have lazy days doing whatever we want to, it'll be wonderful. There will be times when it's not fun but that's life. 
 
We aren't going away these holidays, we're staying home and just enjoying each other's company. 
 
I'm so tired. This time of year is so crazy, it's exhausting. End of year wasn't like this when we were home schooling, it was just business as usual. End of year when your kids go to school is a totally different story. 

This is Eljay's first full year of school and Chai's first full year in four years. They've both thrived this year. At the end of year celebration night Eljay received an award for working hard and improving so much. Chai received a spot on the leadership team for next year. They were both so happy. 

This school has been amazing for us all. I'll be eternally grateful for everything they've done. Everyone at the school is kind, nurturing and brilliant with the kids. You can tell that they all really like children. You'd think that would be a given but it certainly wasn't the case at their first school. 

Poor Chai is exhausted and ready for the holidays. He's so tired.
 
It's suddenly got really hot here. Hot as in 38 degrees. Gross. The only good thing about 38 degree weather is that lindt balls get all soft and melt in your mouth when you eat them. Oh and iced coffee is good too. 
 
I do have more to say but my brain has melted so I can't remember anything I wanted to complain about. 
 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
 
 

Tuesday 30 November 2021

Just B Cos

There's a gorgeous new store in Bunbury and you all need to know about it. They sell a beautiful range of locally made skin and body care products. 
 
The products are all made in the store. Entering the store is a sensory delight (if you're a fan of fragrance).
 
Fragrance is a huge thing for me, I love fragranced products, it makes my skin care routine so much more appealing when I'm using things that smell good. that's why I love Just B Cos so much, everything smells great.

 
I love everything I've tried so far. The perfumes are beautiful as is the face mist.
Picture above are Stop and Smell the Roses and Evolve perfumes and Stop and Smell the Roses face mist. The lady at the store told me that the face mist also works really well to heal rashes and irritated skin. 
 


These items are what I got for my birthday in June. Stop and Smell the Roses body oil and perfume plus a lip balm (of course).
 
If you're ever in Bunbury, stop and check out the store, you won't regret it (but your bank account might).
 

Sunday 28 November 2021

Thoughts of the week

1. I am so looking forward to the holidays.
 
2. Who shopped the Black Friday sales? I didn't.
 
3. My shopping mojo has gone, I haven't been tempted by anything lately.
 
4. If you haven't tried MAC Powderkiss lipsticks, get onto it. It's easily my favourite lipstick formula.
 
5. We have our kids school book list for next year already. I haven't even started my Christmas shopping, I'm not ready to think about next year.

Friday 26 November 2021

FFS Friday - Tired

Is anyone else totally exhausted? I am. I've resigned myself to being permanently exhausted.
 
I'm starting to think that Tiger might go back to fifo. He's not coping with working every day. I knew he wouldn't. Everyone who knows him knew he wouldn't. The longer time goes on, the worse he gets. 
 
He's not happy, which means the rest of us aren't happy either. It's tough to stay happy and positive when your partner is grumpy and angry most of the time. 
 
Tiger is one of those people who can't accept the way things are. He fights it. That seems pointless to me. If you can't change a situation then you need to accept it. Tiger doesn't agree. If there's a situation that he doesn't like, even if he can't change it he pushes back and gets all worked up about it. That seems foolish to me. Either change it or accept it. Simple. 
Not so simple if you're Tiger.
 
He's been working at home for just over a year now and he's still not used to it. I was hoping that he'd adjust but he hasn't. He's chosen not to adjust. I don't understand why he's so inflexible. Working at home means you don't get as much spare time, that's the way it is, so deal with it. Or if you're Tiger, don't deal with it, be miserable and make sure everyone else is miserable with you.
 
If he does go back to fifo it won't be like last time so I think it'll be okay. Homeschooling and fifo are not a good mix, but with the boys at school fifo wouldn't be as difficult. 
 
Chai won't like it but he'll adjust and Tiger being happy will make things better. Plus, if Tiger isn't always exhausted they'll get more quality time together which Chai will love.  

So that's where we're at. 

I haven't started Christmas shopping yet. I need to buy for the boys and my bff. I have no idea what to get my bff, suggestions welcome. 

Have a beautiful weekend.
 
  


 
 

Tuesday 23 November 2021

Bout The Pout Limited Edition Balms

I love buying from small Aussie businesses. There are so many talented people in Australia and they make some beautiful products. 
Bout The Pout is a brand I've purchased from a few times now. The owner Anna is lovely and her balms are amazing. If you like Crazy Rumors balms you'll love Bout The Pout. 
 
They have a great range of flavoured balms, tinted balms, lip scrubs and gorgeous hand made pouches in different sizes.  

How cute is the little packet of tic tacs! When I picked up my package I couldn't figure out why it was rattling. I thought it wasn't my lip balms, but it was the tic tacs, hahahaha.
 

At the moment there are three limited edition lip balm flavours available; gingerbread, fruit tingle and candy cane. They won't be around for long so get them whilst you can!
Whilst you're there, get a few of the pouches, they're really cute and would make great Christmas presents. 
 
If you haven't tried Bout The Pout lip balms yet, I'll tell you why I love them. 
The texture is perfect. It's creamy, hydrating, tastes good and lasts really well on my lips. It's easily my favourite lip balm texture of all time. 
If I could only use one lip balm for the rest of my life I'd choose Bout The Pout. It's that good. 
 
Bout The Pout lip balms are natural, vegan and cost $8 each. 
 
Note: I purchased these products.

Friday 19 November 2021

FFS Friday - Dude

Happy Friday beautiful people. I hope you've all had a good week. 
Ours has been both good and bad. 
Don't turn a few bad moments into a bad week. Let them go and move forward. That's my motto at the moment.
My other motto is forget about the what if's and focus on what is. I like that one. I made it up. Maybe I should start writing inspirational quotes. Or not. Heh.
 
When I think about how I've been treated due to being female, I'm really glad that I had boy children. I purposely tried for boy children and am glad that I got them.
Having boy children brings a lot of responsibility and I really hope that I'm doing it right. 
 
I don't want them to be the type of men who treat women badly. I try to show them how unfairly women can be treated so that they can recognise it.
I've told them that women will only start being treated fairly when men tell other men that it's not acceptable.  
 
Lately the boys have been asking a lot of questions about why I do things that Daddy doesn't do. I've been answering them honestly. 
They asked if I'd go walking at night on my own. I told them it's not safe for me to do that because I'm female so if I was walking alone at night there's a risk I'd be hurt or killed by a man.
 
Next they asked why I lock the car doors when I'm driving and Daddy doesn't. I told them that there's not much of a risk that someone would open the car door and hurt Daddy, but there is a risk it'd happen to me, because I'm female. 
 
I asked them if any women have ever yelled at Daddy whilst we were at the park. None have. Then we talked about the men who've yelled at me whilst we're at the park. They pointed out that no women have ever yelled at me whilst we're at the park, it's only been men.
 
They're getting a pretty good understanding of how differently women are treated. 
I hope I'm doing enough. I just want them to be good, kind men. If they are then I've done a good job. 
 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Tuesday 16 November 2021

Gorgeous Christmas sets from Laneige

One thing I love about Christmas is the gift sets that come out. I prefer mini products as I'm too fickle to stick to the same products and like to swap up my routine. Plus, it's a great way to test out products before I buy the full size.
 

Side note: Has anyone else been underwhelmed by this years Christmas offerings? There doesn't seem to be the same variety that there usually is. 
 
I was eyeing off the Laneige gift sets at Sephora but didn't buy any of them because I don't need them and we don't have the spare money.
Then my lovely Karen sent me both the sets that I had my eye on!
 
If you are thinking about getting one of the sets, don't hesitate. The balms are all beautiful, especially Gingersnap and Peach Iced Tea. They're still available online at Sephora. 
Adore Beauty has the full sized versions if you want to buy them individually. 
 

Sunday 14 November 2021

Thoughts of the week

1. I'd just like you all to know that Chai has a mullet. I really don't like mullets but it's his hair so he gets to choose. 
Anyone who grew up in the 80's will know why mullets are awful, but as most parents are a lot younger than me, they didn't grow up in the 80's so don't share my hatred of mullets. 
Chai loves it and is so pleased with himself.
 
2. Eljay's zebra finches had babies! We now have two baby finches. They finally came out of the nest on Tuesday. They're so cute.
 
3. Is anyone else totally underwhelmed with all the Christmas sets this year?
 
4. Coffee is awesome.
 
5. I still haven't started my Christmas shopping.
 

 

Friday 12 November 2021

FFS Friday - Flaming Galah

Is anyone else totally over having to make tea every night? I am. I have lost all interest and just don't want to do it anymore. If I won lotto (highly unlikely as I don't buy lotto tickets), I'd buy our meals. It'd be so much nicer. 
There's a store here who make lovely, healthy meals, I'd get them every single night, it'd be awesome.
 
I've decided that I want a job. At the same time I've realised that working outside of the home is just not a realistic option for me at the moment. 
I could only work school hours, couldn't work school holidays or when the boys are sick.
I'd also have to regularly take time off for Chai's appointments. 
 
I was in a coffee shop at 8.45am this week, watching all the people with jobs come in to get their coffee and I was so envious. I really miss the days when I had a job. 
 
Unfortunately that's not an option at the moment so I'll just have to think of something I can do at home.
 
Eljay has been sick this week. The perfect example of why I can't have a job. Last term there were only two days when I didn't have a sick child or an appointment during the day. 

This term has been better but I've still had lots of days where the boys have been home sick or I've had an appointment. 
I'm really not a good employment prospect. 
It's a shame because I'm a great employee. I am super efficient, get lots of work done, don't waste time and don't need supervision. Just tell me what to do then leave me alone. I'm also a really great manager. 
Maybe one day I'll have a job, but I can't see it happening in the near future. 

It's going to be even less likely once Chai is at high school. Then I'll need to figure out how to be in two places at the same time. There's no public transport and the boys will be going to schools that are about fifteen minutes away from each other. I'm not going to think about that until the end of next year. Maybe by then I'll be able to clone myself. That'd be nice. 

Imagine all the things I could get done if I had two clones. I'd get them both working whilst I caught up on the 10 plus years I've sleep I've missed. 

Hah.

Enough dreaming. 
 
Have a beautiful weekend lovely people.



Wednesday 10 November 2021

Weird Wednesday

Today I'm starting a new series called Stupid Saturday. Haha, just kidding, it's Weird Wednesday. I do quite like the sound of Stupid Saturday though, I do plenty of stupid things I could talk about. Maybe later. 
 
Today it's Weird Wednesday and I've got a really good one. If you follow me on Instagram you might have already seen this, but don't spoil it for everyone else.
 
Have you ever used a really gritty face scrub on your arm pits? No? Give it a go. I gave my pits a good scrub a few months ago when I was getting rashes and haven't looked back. It's now part of my weekly routine. 
 
Using a scrub on irritated skin sounds silly, but I've found that very gently exfoliating my allergy rashes helps them to clear up. 
 

I use a really gritty scrub, my favourite is the Acure Brightening Facial Scrub. It has lots of tiny exfoliating grains in it. 

The first week I scrubbed my pits every second day. By the end of the week my pits felt so different, they were soft, smooth and the rashes were gone. 
 
Now I exfoliate once a week and that's enough to keep my pits feeling smooth. 
 
Smooth pits aside, the reason I keep on scrubbing them is because my BO has reduced significantly! I was really surprised at thought I was imagining things, but I wasn't. 
 
I smell so much better now, I have a lot less body odour. 
 
Have you ever tried scrubbing your pits?
 

Sunday 7 November 2021

Thoughts of the week

1. Little Cleo has been found alive! I was not expecting that outcome. I really hope she and her family get the help and support that they're going to need so that they can heal from the ordeal they've been through.
 
2. Who's started their christmas shopping? I haven't. Need to get on to that!
 
3. This year has been a crazy busy blur. I can't believe it's November already.
 
4. We still don't have Juicy Tubes in Australia. Let's hope we get them next year.
 
5. I had a rose flavoured Juicy Tube and it was gorgeous. I've hunted for something similar for years and not found it. If you have a favourite rose scented gloss please let me know.

Saturday 6 November 2021

Fashion

Have you ever noticed that mens fashion doesn't change much? Their clothing is basically the same all the time.
 
Their clothes are practical, have pockets and are weather appropriate. 
 
Trying to buy practical, weather appropriate clothing for women is not as easy.
Our fashions change all the time. 
At the moment it's short jeans and cropped tops. 
It infuriates me how difficult it is to find clothes that are comfortable and warm.
 
Jeans all end above my ankles or they're skin tight. Jumpers are cropped and thin material. It's so stupid. 
To add insult to injury, women's clothes have less material, are poorer quality yet they cost more! How does that work?
 
Why do the people who make womens clothes assume that we don't want to be warm or comfortable? Having your ankles and midriff exposed is neither comfortable or warm. 
 
I regularly shop in the mens department. Their clothing is far superior. Plus, I like oversized jumpers and tshirts.  


 

Sunday 31 October 2021

Thoughts of the week

1. We've reached that time of the year where daylight savings kicks off in most states so WA is now three hours behind the majority of the country. I really don't understand daylight savings. If you want an extra hour of daylight get up an hour earlier, but don't inflict that on everyone who doesn't want it.
 
2. The boys are going trick or treating for the first time today and they're so excited. 
We've done the shopping centre trick and treating but not the door to door one (last years debacle doesn't count).
 
3. Little Cleo is still missing.
 
4. What a week it's been. This week started out really badly but got better towards the end.
 
5. We've had a really rough time this year, but it's not all bad. I'm trying to focus on the positive.

Wednesday 27 October 2021

New from Burt's Bees

Look what I found at Big W! Pumpkin Spice lip balm and a Squeezy Tinted Balm. There were four different colours in the tinted balm.
 
I had pumpkin spice years ago and loved it so was very excited to find it at Big W. I love that we're getting more of the limited edition Burt's Bees products now. 
 
The Squeezy tinted balm tastes like berries and is very opaque. It has a glossy finish and lasts around four hours before fading. Due to the opacity it's not a balm you can slap on without looking in the mirror.
 
Once I've tested this squeezy balm a little more I'll post a full review with swatches. 

Monday 25 October 2021

Love

With all the crap that's been going on in my family lately, I've noticed one thing.
Love. 
A lot of small actions that show love. 
Even when we don't agree, if we haven't spoken for a while, when the crap hits the fan everyone shows up.
No judgement, no recriminations, just showing up. 
 
Showing up is an act of love.  
 
As I look around me and count all the people who show up for me when I need them, I realise how lucky I am that I'm surrounded by a lot of love.

Sunday 24 October 2021

Thoughts of the week

1. I'm so tempted to buy one of the MAC Ruby's Crew lipsticks. They look so pretty.
 
2. The Bachelorette started this week. Are you watching it? I watched most of the first episode, got bored so went to bed and watched the rose ceremony on Instagram. As much as I want to watch the show, it seems really drawn out.
Maybe it's just because I don't watch tv?
 
3. What happened to little Cleo Smith? Someone must know. Kids don't just disappear. I can only imagine the pain her family must be going through.
 
4. The boys had their sports day this week. It was so much fun to watch. All the kids were such great sports.
 
5. There was a case in the news this week where a mother fed her disabled baby bleach as she was exhausted and needed a break. The baby survived and a few weeks later the mum confessed to the police. She's now in jail and banned from seeing her child for the rest of his life. She is also not allowed to see her daughter.
What a horrible world we live in where a mum has to go to lengths like that just to get a break. 

Saturday 23 October 2021

Lately

I mentioned previously that we've had a lot going on lately. 
I've said all I can about those issues for two reasons. The aren't my stories to tell and some of them are subject to legal proceedings. 
 
We breezed through 2020. Whilst it was a rough year for a lot of people it was a great year for us. Tiger came home, the boys started school and we were finally back together as a family. 
This year hasn't been so kind. It's been very challenging. 
I'm coping, but only just. I feel like I'm walking on a knife edge and it just takes the tiniest, stupid thing to push me off. 
When I fall off it takes so much effort to drag myself up out of the hole again. 
A tiny thing will sink me into a bad mood that I struggle to get out of. It can be the simplest, stupidest thing too. 
For instance. Everyone uses my towel. By everyone I mean Tiger and the boys. They use my towel and leave it dumped on the floor so I'm constantly having to get out a new towel. It really irritates me. A few weeks ago, late in the day I got out a clean towel so that it'd be ready for me to use in the morning. 
Just before bed I went into the bathroom and discovered that someone had used my clean towel. I got so angry, it was ridiculous.
I had a huge rant in my head about how no-one can even bother replacing my towel after they use it and still felt grumpy when I went to bed. Silly. So very, very silly. 
 
Our psych told me that mothers of autistic children have the same stress levels as combat soldiers and I feel that in my soul.   
 
Whilst this all sounds negative, it's the small things that are getting me through. Tiny, little things. Waiting for a package (even if it's just an order of supplements), using a fresh towel, a nice room spray, ten minutes sitting down drinking my coffee. Those little moments bring me so much joy, they're what's sustaining me at the moment. 
 
Whilst I'm waiting for the storm to pass I'm doing my best to dance in the rain. 

Friday 22 October 2021

FFS Friday - Literally

Hello beautiful people. I'm still here, still breathing and still hanging on to a tiny shred of sanity. 
 
Some days (not very often), I feel sorry for Tiger. There's a good chance that living with me is affecting his sanity. 
 
I am a firm believer in speaking directly and saying what you mean. Tiger speaks in a roundabout manner and doesn't say what he means, which I find really annoying. It also causes him issues and he has no idea. 
 
For example:
 
Tiger: Would you like to pick up S on the way?
Me: No.
Tiger: Oh, okay, we'll just meet him there then.
 
The problem here is he asked the wrong question. He asked if I wanted to pick up his mate. I didn't. If he'd asked if I would pick up his mate the answer would have been yes. 
 
Last night he wanted to take my car to the supermarket. Instead of asking if he could take my car, this is what he said:
Tiger: Do you want me to take your car to the supermarket?
Me: No.
Tiger: Hahaha, guess I'm taking my car then.
 
If he'd asked if he could take my car, the answer would have been yes. Wrong question buddy.
 
Other times we'll ask him a question and get a totally different answer. 
Such as:
Me: What are you making for tea tonight?
Tiger: I was thinking of going to the supermarket.
Me: That's nice. What are you making for tea tonight?
 
When he's not doing that he'll ask things in a totally confusing way. 
Tiger: There's a towel in my gym bag.
He then looks at me with an expectant expression.
Me: That's nice.  
Tiger: Well can you get it for me?
Me: I can.
I still don't get it for him. He's asked if I can get it. Yes, I'm perfectly capable of getting it, but he still hasn't asked me to get it for him. I know that he wants me to get the towel, I'm just waiting to see if he'll figure out that he hasn't asked me.
Tiger: Will you get it for me now please?
Me: Sure. 
 
It seems like such a silly way to communicate. If you want something, ask for it. The boys find him really confusing because he gets annoyed when they don't do what he's asked, but he hasn't asked them properly. He'll ask them if they'd like to do something for him, they say no then he gets annoyed that they're not doing what he wanted them to. He can't see that the problem is his communication.  
 
He seems to be getting worse as he gets older. I'm sure I'm getting old and cranky too, hahaha.
 
Have a lovely weekend.

Wednesday 20 October 2021

Hauls

I mentioned earlier that I've done a bit of shopping lately, now it's time to show you what I purchased.

Glasshouse Tahaa is one of my favourite candle scents. It's such a beautiful fragrance. I have the hand cream and have been hoping for years that they'd make a perfume, they finally did! I purchased the small size for $29.95. It smells exactly like the candle, so if you like the candle you'll like the fragrance.

 
Next up are two in shower moisturisers for my parched winter skin. 
The Soap and Glory one is a miss, it provides no hydration at all so I'm just using it as a body wash. 
 
The Frank Body is a winner. It's hydrating and exactly what I needed.
 
 
We all know I'm a sucker for lip balms, so when Rare Beauty came to Sephora I purchased the Stay Vulnerable lip balm. I also purchased my first ever Huda Beauty product, the matte lipstick in Pay Day. 
 
I love both of these products. The Rare Beauty balm is creamy, hydrating and the colour is gorgeous. 
 
The Huda Beauty lipstick is long lasting and non drying, it's one of the most comfortable matte lipsticks I own. 
 


Last up is the al.ive Body Natural Lip Balm. This is okay but it's not love. I'd like it to be a little thicker so that it lasts longer. For people who like their lip balms light this would be a winner, but I like balms that are thick so last longer. 

What have you hauled lately?

Tuesday 19 October 2021

My Favourite Lipsticks - MAC Not Humble Just Bragging

 
If you are looking for the perfect cool toned, mlbb lipstick, look no further. I've found it for you! Actually my friend Karen found it for us. How awesome is the name! 
Not Humble Just Bragging is a cool toned medium pinky lavender. MAC describe it as a pearly lavender, which is acurate. It has a gorgeous luminescence to it, not glitter, just a gorgeous shine. 

 
Not Humble Just Bragging is in the Lustreglass formula which means it's hydrating and balm like, very comfortable to wear. I often wear my Lustreglass lipsticks in place of lip balm. The wear time is around three hours which isn't bad for a sheer lipstick. 


Below are some of my other favourite lipsticks which I'll be posting about soon.

 
Lipsticks from top to bottom:
Huda Beauty Matte Lipstick in Payday.
MAC Lustreglass in Syrup.
Bite Beauty Power Move Soft Matte lipstick in Pluot.
MAC Lustreglass lipstick in Not Humble Just Bragging.
MAC Powder Kiss in Ripened.

Tuesday 7 September 2021

Drama Llama

TW:Suicide.
 
Years ago I had a friend who loved drama, she thrived on it. She'd complain that she didn't like drama yet she was always in the thick of it, creating and stirring up drama.
I really don't like drama. I stay as far away from it as possible. Lately, it hasn't been possible.
 
In my family I'm the fixer. I'm the one everyone turns to when something has gone wrong. I have no idea why I have this role, but I assume it's because I stay calm in a crisis. Lately we've had crisis after crisis and I am so over it, I just want everything to stop and life to go back to normal, uneventful days.
 
It all started four weeks ago. I got sick and the boys got a virus. I was just getting better when I got the boy's virus. Tiger got it too.
 
Whilst we were all sick, Tiger chopped the top of his finger off. As we were all sick, the boys were home when it happened. Eljay took it in his stride but Chai went straight into panic mode, convinced Tiger was going to die. 
 
Tiger did not die, but we did spend 5 hours in the emergency department. They didn't numb his finger properly so when they started stitching it up he could feel it. When he told the Dr he could feel it the Dr didn't believe him and started to put another stitch in! (The stitches were through his finger nail so would have been extra painful) He only stopped when I got up and loudly said "He can feel it! Look at him, he's pale and sweating, he's in pain! He can feel it!"
They numbed it properly after that.  

When we all recovered from the virus, I got in my car to take the boys to school, turned the key and nothing. My battery was dead. Thankfully that was easy enough to sort out.

The next week my nephews had a fight and the youngest broke his hand, so I spent another five hours in the emergency department.
 
As if that wasn't fun enough, last week decided to really turn up the dial. Two of my male family members had an altercation. One ended up seriously injured in hospital and the other went on the run as the police were after him. 
 
That made the third week in a row that I spent time in the emergency department. The family member who was on the run was located, arrested and released on bail. 
The next day he tried to take his life. Thankfully he was unsuccessful.
 
We'd managed to keep the boys in the dark about the fight, they just knew there had been a fight, but unfortunately when I was on the phone to emergency services about the suicide attempt we were in the car so the boys heard everything.
 
Chai just isn't coping. His anxiety is sky high and he's really struggling. We've talked through it and he understands what happened and why, but he's still really anxious. We have a psych appointment next week so he'll be able to talk things through with someone who knows what they're doing.
 
This week we're mopping up the mess and I'm desperately hoping that this is the end of all the drama. I have a feeling it's not.
 
You know what else I've remembered? I really don't like talking on the phone. Phones are for texting not for phone calls. In the last week I've spend more time talking on the phone than I normally would in two months. I do not like it at all. 
 
I've always known they were amazing, but I have such a huge appreciation for our Police Service. They truly are wonderful people. Through this whole ordeal they have been so kind, considerate, empathetic and helpful. We really are lucky to have such a great group of people protecting us. 
 
In an attempt to cope with everything that's been going on I've done a bit of stress shopping, I'll share those hauls over the next few weeks when things quieten down and my brain starts functioning again. 
 
I hope all you beautiful people are doing okay.