Sunday 28 February 2021

Thoughts of the week

1. So Kimye is over. How very sad for them and their family. It'd be so rough going through a divorce with the whole world watching.
 
2. Banana bread just out of the oven is one of life's greatest pleasures. It's the small things.
 
3. There is a new watermelon version of the Lanolips 101 ointment and I want it.
 
4. This week it was announced that Becca Cosmetics will be closing at the end of September. I don't think they'll be the last brand to close this year.
 
5. As I type this I'm sitting here listening to Chai verbally stimming. He's been at it for ten minutes so far. It makes me wonder what his life is going to be like as he gets older.

Friday 26 February 2021

FFS Friday - Rough

It's Friday! We made it! I think we all deserve a medal for making it through the week. I'm sure the weeks are longer and tougher than they used to be.
 
I've always found motherhood to be very isolating, I spend so much time alone. Mostly I'm okay with it, but sometimes it's rough. Since Chai's diagnosis I've felt even more alone. I have some lovely supportive friends both in real life and online, but I'd like to know more people in my situation.

Lately the universe has been sending me support and I couldn't be happier.
Last Friday we met a lovely lady at the supermarket whose son goes to school with my boys. Her son also has ASD and ADHD. The boys got on really well, we had a great chat and swapped phone numbers. Awesome.
 
That evening I connected with an old friend on Facebook who told me he's just been diagnosed with ASD and ADHD and both his sons have ASD. More support. Yay.
 
Saturday we went to a birthday party for Eljay. The mothers there were lovely and one has already said she'd love to catch up with the kids for a play date. Slowly but surely I'm building a network.
 
It's so important to have support, but finding it isn't that easy. I'm very lucky to have friends who'll listen to me whinge (I'm looking at you Karen, Emma, Lisa and Jo).
 
This year I'm going to put more effort in to making and maintaining friendships. I haven't done very well with this in the past but I'm determined to get better. 
 
This week I've been trying to find the support services that Chai needs. It's not very easy. Every single place locally has a waiting list that's at least 4 months. Some places wouldn't even put us on a waiting list. 
 
I love living in the country but not having access to necessary services is really rough. If we lived in the city I'd be able to easily access everything that Chai needs. It really makes me consider moving but I so don't want to live in the city again. 
Down here we have friends and family, there's lot of nature and life is pleasant. The city isn't like that. 
 
We'll be waiting 4 to 6 months to get him the speech therapy that he needs. I haven't heard back from his psych, if she won't see him then we'll be waiting around 6 months for a new psych. 
 
I also have to start looking into high schools, even though he's not going to high school until 2023. There are only two high schools with ASD programs. One of them will only take him if he doesn't have learning disabilities. He does. So there's only one option when it comes to high school. The paed told me that it's quite likely he'll regress as a teenager so will need even more support than he does now. That's something to look forward to. 
 
The poor boy has had a rough time at school the last few days. He's got a very strong sense of justice and is always sticking up for the underdog. It usually gets him in trouble. A few days ago one of his friends was slapped so Chai pushed the perpetrator away from his friend. That earned him a lunchtime detention. They call it something fancy. Whilst the idea behind it is good, making an ADHD child miss out on their play time is a recipe for disaster. 
 
This is how it works. After they've eaten their lunch they go in to a room with a teacher, talk through what happened and then discuss how they could have handled it better. It's a great way to teach them what's socially acceptable but it just doesn't work for Chai. 
 
Due to him being rude to the detention teacher he got another detention the day after and he has no idea why. 
In his mind he was just trying to explain himself, but in fact he was being very rude. I'm sure he was being rude because he does the same thing at home every single day, but he truly doesn't understand why it's rude.
 
This just shows how much he needs a speech pathologist. Thanks four to six month waiting list. 
 
Poor kid, I really feel for him. I spoke to his teacher and she made sure that he got the chance to get his energy out, but it still seems unfair that he's being given detention when he has no idea what he did wrong.
 
I suppose it's better for him to learn what's acceptable in a safe environment like school. Even though, it's still tough. My poor baby.
 
It's a long weekend here in WA. Tiger will be working the whole time though. I can't wait till this shut down is over. 
 
That's all I've got for today. Have a wonderful weekend beautiful people. 
 
 
 
  

Tuesday 23 February 2021

My MAC lipstick collection

Last week I was chatting with the gorgeous Lauren (aka the girl who loves cosmetics) about our favourite MAC lipsticks. Lauren has a gorgeous collection. Since we have similar colouring, I took some pictures of my collection to show her. I'm sure there are some of you who might also be interested, so here's my current collection.
 
I had to get rid of my beloved Bare Venus. After many years it's finally gone off. I've kept it so that I can get the shade duplicated as it's the only nude lipstick that doesn't make me look like a cadaver. 
 
 
Aren't they cute? The little shopping trolley is from the kids stationery section of Kmart. 


Front row: Pink Plaid, Chatterbox, Midimauve.
Middle row: Ripened, Brave, Lovelorn, Pure Nonchalance, Syrup.
Back row: Mehr, Please Me, Plumful, Creme Cup, Up The Amp, Fast Play.

 

Top to bottom: Pink Plaid, Chatterbox, Midimauve.


Top to bottom: Ripened, Brave, Lovelorn, Pure Nonchalance, Syrup.
 

Top to bottom: Mehr, Please Me, Plumful, Creme Cup, Up The Amp, Fast Play.
 
Out of the whole collection my favourites are Syrup, Ripened and Pure Nonchalance. They're all cool pinky lavender shades that look very natural on me. Syrup is one of the few lipsticks that I've used up and repurchased, this is my third tube.
 
The Powder Kiss formula is one of my all time favourite lipstick formulas. It's light, balmy and matte. Those three things don't sound like they go together, but MAC have performed some sort of magic.. If you like the Bobbi Brown Crushed formula then you'll love the Powder Kiss lipsticks.
I'd really like to get several more shades however the last thing I need is more lipstick and I'm trying to go cruelty free, so I'm staying strong.  

Have you tried the Powder Kiss lipsticks? What's your favourite lipstick formula?
 

Sunday 21 February 2021

Thoughts of the week

1. Facebook spat the dummy on Thursday. How childish. I wonder how long it'll be until they backtrack. Hopefully it won't be long until someone creates a decent alternative and we can all give FB the flick.
 
2. Tiger has been working six days per week for the last four weeks and I'm not here for it at all. He's got another four weeks until he's back to his normal hours. It's quite unlikely that I will survive this unscathed.
 
3. My motivation still has not returned. I have so much to do and no desire to do it.
 
4. Clinique have a new serum foundation that looks really interesting. I'm not going to buy it because I don't need any foundation, but if you try it please let me know what it's like.
 
5. MAC's Powder Kiss lipstick formulation is amazing. It would have to be one of my all time favourite lipstick formulas. It's up there with Shanghai Suzy and Bobbi Brown.

Friday 19 February 2021

FFS Friday - Coffee

Hello Friday you beautiful thing. I hope you've all had a good week. Victoria, you're out of lockdown! Yay!
 
Now that Chai has a diagnosis I've been researching the therapies he'll need and the supports available to him. You know what's struck me? Everything is about teaching him to fit in with society, but I haven't seen anything about teaching society to deal with him. 
 
It's all about making the neurodiverse person adapt to everyone else. Considering that there are a large number of neurodiverse people, why isn't there any education teaching people how to interact with those who are neurodiverse? Surely that'd be the right thing to do.
 
I haven't even been able to find anything to help me learn how to deal with him. I'm sure there's something out there, I just haven't discovered it yet. 
 
As a society we should be able to cope with all types of people. I'd like to know how to deal with someone who's neurodiverse, so why isn't there some way I can learn? It should be taught in schools so that our next generation see neurodiverse people as being the same as anyone else. 
 
I'm also being told how awful the NDIS is to deal with. Parents and therapists have told me it's a nightmare, it's constant, unnecessary paperwork. That seems counter productive. You've got vulnerable people so you make their lives more difficult. NDIS is supposed to make things easier not harder. 
Fingers crossed that isn't my experience, but I'll keep you all updated. 
 
Poor Chai's had a rough few weeks. He's been super excited to be back at school but all that emotion gets overwhelming, so there have been lots of meltdowns. They're tough for him, Eljay and I. We get through them as best we can. I'm hoping that things will ease up once he's had a bit more time to settle in.
 
That's all I have to complain about this week. I can't think straight at the moment, there was a storm last night, which woke Chai up and he couldn't get back to sleep for hours, so I've been awake since 2.15am. Send me all the coffee.
 
Have a wonderful weekend beauties. 
 

Tuesday 16 February 2021

Kosas Sport Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant


What a ridiculous name for a deodorant. I suppose they're trying to make it sound like skin care. Who wants a serum for their arm pits? I certainly don't. Kosas claim that this will brighten my arm pits, another thing I'm not interested in. Really, how often do you stand around with your arm above your head so your pits are visible? It's not something I do.
 
Here's a few more of their ridiculous claims about the Chemistry Deodorant:
The gentle exfoliating properties from shikmic, mandelic and lactic acids fade the discolouration that occurs in the underarms, leaving them brighter and firmer. Plus, the formula is bound by hyaluronic acid to ensure that your skin is hydrated and plumped when applying.
 
I can happily tell you that those claims are ridiculous. My pits are not brighter, firmer, hydrated or plumped. 
 
Kosas' ridiculous marketing really annoys me, it's almost enough to put me off the brand. I don't know anyone who wants brighter, firmer, hydrated and plump arm pits. Maybe some people do, who knows?
 
Stupid claims aside, this is a really lovely deodorant. It's bi-carb free so doesn't irritate my sensitive pits and keeps me odour free through my ultimate test, a sweaty gym session. 
 
I really like that the tube has a roller ball applicator, that's one of my bug bears with natural deodorants, I don't like having to dip my finger in and rub it under my arm. The roller ball is a much better option. 
 
The tube is soft so I can squeeze it to get more product out. I have the Serene Clean scent, which is very light and fresh, I can barely smell the fragrance.
 
At $24 it's on the higher end price wise, but the tube lasts months so I think it's worth it. 
  
I purchased my Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant from Mecca.

Sunday 14 February 2021

Thoughts of the week

1. Poor Victoria are back in lockdown. I really hope that it's only five days. My thoughts are with you all.
 
2. I've been following the gorilla glue girl saga on Instagram. The poor girl. I'm glad she finally got it sorted, it must have been so traumatic.
 
3. If you have $312 to spare you can get a vibrating rose quartz face roller. Heh. Check it out here.
 
4. Pink has released a song with her daughter Willow and I'm here for it.
 
5. Today the boys and I are making Valentine's Day surprises for Tiger (he's working today). We're going to make him something sweet (I'll let the boys choose) and a card.

Friday 12 February 2021

FFS Friday - Really?

Hello beautiful people. How are you all? Did you have a good week?
This was my babies first week back at school. 
They've both had a bit of trouble settling in. Eljay is fine once he's there but struggles saying goodbye to me. He has two teachers and they're both lovely and nurturing so that's good. 
Chai has loved school but he struggles with his interpersonal relationship, he takes things way too seriously and gets upset over very minor issues. 
Wednesday he came home from school super upset. He managed to hold it together until he got in the car, then he let loose and yell cried the whole way home. It took me 1 1/2 hours to get him to stop crying and he was upset the rest of the evening. I felt like I deserved a medal after getting through that. 
 
Mrs B, how are you? I trust you are well. I have some Tiger stories for you. I swear he's either getting stranger in his old age or I'm getting less tolerant. Probably both. 
 
He's always been a fan of stupid questions but the last few weeks he's really ramped up his efforts. He's asking me really, really dumb, lazy questions. 
Here's a few examples:
Standing in the kitchen, from where he can see the pool "How's the pool looking?" to which I replied "Take a look."
Really, did he expect me to look at the pool and then tell him what it looked like when he could have just moved his head a little bit and seen for himself?
 
When I'm sitting in the lounge, still in my pj's and not having gone outside;
Tiger: What's it like outside?
Me: Do I look like a weatherman?

At the dinner table, looking at the meal I've placed in front of him "Are we having curry tonight?" to which I replied "No, I made it for the dog, can you give it to her please."

What's with that? What's the point of asking such stupid questions? Maybe he's just getting lazy as he gets older? He knows I'm not going to give a proper answer when he asks me something dumb, so why bother? Maybe he just likes the sound of his voice? I don't know. At least it gives me a chance to perfect my witty replies, I'm getting really good. 

Have a great weekend beautiful people.


Tuesday 9 February 2021

January Empties

It's empties time! I always like seeing what products people use up and whether they liked the product. 

Sunscreen!
 
We go through a lot of sunscreen in summer. 
Sun Bum is one of the few sunscreens that don't irritate Eljay's face so I stock up when it's on sale. 

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer is a long time favourite. Hubby uses it at work, he likes that it doesn't clog his pores. 

Ombra Daily Defence was my daily body sunscreen. I can't use it on my face as it irritates my eyes but it's great on my chest and arms. 

La Roche-Posay Anthelios is my go to face sunscreen as it doesn't irritate my eyes. I've gone through so many tubes and will always repurchase. 


Alpha Keri Body Butter was quite a nice moisturiser. It did nothing to change the skin on my legs, because they're normal and don't need to change.It's quite rich so was great for my dry legs. 

Ren Moroccan Rose Otto Body Lotion doesn't smell as good as I was expecting. It's a very light moisturiser so good for the mornings when I don't have time to wait around for my moisturiser to dry before I get dressed. 

Bondi Sands Hand Wash is really lovely. I like the pump tube, it smells great and wasn't drying. I'll happily purchase again. 

Kristen Ess Signature Shampoo gets so much hype and I have no idea why. It's a watery, ineffective mess. I used half the tube just trying to get enough product to clean my hair. I won't repurchase. 
 
Hask Argan Repairing Shampoo was nice, it did the job. I'd buy it again if it was on special.
 
Frank Body Stimulating Scalp Scrub I'd definitely repurchase. It feels tingly on my scalp due to the eucalyptus and made my hair feel very fresh and clean. It's not a must have product but it's nice to use.  
 

Thankyou Hand and Surface Sanitiser is one of our favourite hand sanitisers. It doesn't sting our dermatitis patches, smells nice and is regularly on sale.

Dr Bronner's Peppermint Organic Hand Sanitizer is another great sanitiser but not as easy to get hold of. I can't use the peppermint scent any more as it reminds me of the days after I had my ankle surgery and I don't want to remember those days. Post surgery when I was still on crutches I had this next to the toilet so I could cleanse my hands before I picked up the crutches. I didn't want to get toilet germs on them by touching them before I'd washed my hands, so I'd sanitise my hands first then get to the basin and wash them.

Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser was really pleasant to use, I'd happily purchase it again. I used it as a first cleanse, it's great at removing makeup and didn't irritate my eyes.

Botani Olive Soothing Cream Cleanser is just lovely. You can't go wrong with Botani products, they're beautiful. I've gone through so many of this cream cleanser and will continue to do so. 

Sulwhasoo Concentrated Ginseng Revitalising Cream was nice, it did the job. 

Saturday Skin rub-a-dub Refining Peel Gel really didn't work for my skin type. It's meant to be used on dry skin but that's way too harsh for me so I used it on wet skin. It really doesn't work on wet skin. I think this would be great for people who don't have sensitive skin.

The Body Shop Indian Night Jasmine perfume is gorgeous. I like the little handbag sized bottles. I need to pick up a few more scents in this size. 

I didn't think I was a fancy toothpaste person but after using Marvis I've changed my mind. I really like fancy toothpaste. 

Tocca Florence and Viva La Juicy were both pleasant but not scents that I'd rush out to buy.


These are all tosses, mainly due to age. 

I've had the YSL gloss, Mecca balms and Sunday Riley blush for over 7 years so they had to go. 

The MCo Makeup Remover Balm is a sticky mess and horrible to use. 

Oral B Satin Floss was awful, bits of it kept on getting stuck in between my teeth.

Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask is way too harsh for my sensitive skin.

Sunday 7 February 2021

Thoughts of the week

1. Lockdown is over! I'm glad it was only five days, we were very lucky.
 
2. I've been trying to solve the Rubiks cube. It's so frustrating. I got really close and only had one layer to go, then I stuffed it up and was almost back to the start again. Soooooo annoying! I persisted and finally solved the whole cube! 
(Eljay mucked it up again the next day but that's okay).
 
3. The boys go back to school tomorrow. Chai can't wait. Eljay doesn't want to go.
 
4. I had big plans to start decluttering the house but lost my motivation during lockdown. If any of you find my motivation can you please send it back, I really need it.
 
5. Last week I had plans of hwat I wanted to do when the boys were back at school, then lockdown changed them all. Now I have no idea what I want to do. I suppose I'll start doing the NDIS forms and find a Speech Therapist for Chai. That's going to be fun. 

Friday 5 February 2021

FFS Friday - Lockdown

Hello Friday!
Well this week hasn't gone to plan. Instead of the boys being back at school and me being a week into my huge house declutter we've been on strict lockdown. 
 
What fun that's been!
 
We found out early Sunday afternoon that we'd be entering lockdown at 6pm Sunday evening through to Friday 6pm. 
This meant that school holidays were extended for a week. 
Chai was extremely upset and had a meltdown that lasted for half an hour then was angry for the next three hours.
 
Eljay was thrilled, he didn't want to go back so having an extra week off was great news for him. 
 
Me, well I was happy and concerned. Happy not to be back into the school morning rush, concerned at how I was going to keep Chai happy whilst confined to the house for a week.
 
Tiger still went to work so it was me and the boys at home. What a long week it's been. Chai had lots of meltdowns, I felt like having meltdowns too. 
I envy the families who breeze through lockdowns, we don't.  

We went out riding every day and kept as busy as possible. The boys had way too much screen time, but that's just the way it is and I don't feel bad about it. As John Lennon said "Whatever gets you through the night."

As always, we survived. What other option was there?
I wonder if people realise that? When you're going through a rough time, it might feel like (or be) the worst thing ever, but you survive. You get through it, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour and day by day. 
You get through it because there's no other option. 
 
Wednesday evening I got the draft report for Chai. It was very confronting and not at all what I expected. He has ASD and a few other conditions that it affect him a lot more than I realised. I'm really worried about how it will affect him long term, but this report gives me the information that I need to get the appropriate support. 
It's all new and I'm still trying to get my head around it. Once I get the official report I'll be able to start the wheels turning and get him the help that he needs. 
 
I feel like taking the report to all the people who said there was nothing wrong and shoving it in their faces. The teacher who said he was just naughty and asked me if I disciplined him at home. The psych who told me it was up to me to heal my family. The psych who told me that parents who don't medicate their children are non compliant. The paed who told me that he didn't have ASD because he offered him a chewie. My cousin who thinks he just needs a good belting. I could go on.
They can all take a flying leap into the nearest dung pile.  
 
I'm not even going to tell those people about his diagnosis, they don't deserve to know. 
 
I don't know what to do about telling people. At the moment I'm letting Chai tell the people that he wants to. He's telling everyone. He happily announces it to everyone we see.
 
I'm not sure if it's something I'm going to tell people. It's not a secret but I also don't think that everyone needs to know. I'm worried that he'll be judged if people know. 
The diagnosis hasn't changed him, he's still my beautiful little boy. I want people to see that and not see the diagnosis.
Plus, medical conditions aren't something that I tell people so why should it be any different with Chai? I don't tell everyone I meet that I'm an asthmatic or that I have Crohn's. It's not a secret but at the same time it's not something that I announce to everyone I meet.
 
In the end these are just a few more hurdles that we need to get over and that's exactly what we'll do. 
 
Fingers crossed we're out of lockdown at 6pm today!
 

Tuesday 2 February 2021

To tone or not to tone?


 
When I was a kid my mum sold Con Stan (now know as Nutrimetics). Due to that I had a skin care routine from when I was in primary school. 
Back then skin care routines were cleanse, tone and moisturise.
 
After following that plan for years, eventually I gave up the toner, didn't notice any difference to my fresh, 20 something skin and haven't used toner since.
 
Fast forward to now, I'm in my 40's and up until a few months ago I thought toner was a waste of time. 

Late last year, after sorting out my skin care stash, I had one bottle of toner that I'd received as a gwp, so rather than toss it I started using it. 
My skin loves it! How bizarre is that! Since I started using toner again my skin is noticeably softer. I'm amazed.

I've been using the Clarins Toning Lotion with Chamomile. It's alcohol free and designed for normal to dry skin. I pat some on using one of my Blossy Lou reusable pads then put my skincare over the top. 
 
The last few weeks I've been lazy about toning and my skin is feeling worse.
If you're like me and haven't used toner for years, give one a go!

Do you use a toner? Which one is your favourite?