10 Things you REALLY didn't need to know about me



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I sort of feel like I have "made it" in the blogging world - I have had my first tag in a "10 Things" game.... So a big THANK YOU and shout out to the lovely Karen at Simply Said for tagging me  J

Except now I have to think about 10 whole things that you really don't need to know about me, AND that I would deem postable for the interwebs...

Hmmm, this isn't going to be easy... but here we go!

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10 Things you REALLY didn't need to know about me

1. I am not a neat and tidy person, but I am CLEAN person (at least I used to be before the arrival of the Little Monster!).
A pile of clothes laying on the floor? Couldn't care less.
Potential lurgies living on my kitchen surface? Quick hand me the bleach!!

2. I love Sudoku, the harder the better.
It is a major part of my bedtime routine! If I don't do at least one puzzle whilst waiting for the Sandman, then I can't sleep. And occasionally if I'm stuck on one when I drift off, I solve the puzzle in my sleep!

3. If I am hungry, I am cranky.
I will snarl at you if you so much as look at me funny when I'm hungry. And if you ask me to do anything that requires some vague exertion, make no mistake, I will bite your head off.
But just to clarify (and hopefully not scare you all off!), I do have to be completely ravenous; as in I-could-eat-my-own-arm hungry.

4. Ditto for being tired; as in about-to-fall-asleep-on-my-feet-tired.
Get that girl to bed!!

5. When it comes to all things technical or gadety, I am a wannabe Gen Y.
iPhone 4S? Want it. Social media? It practically controls me.  J
I haven't yet figured out how Google+ works... and honestly, I don't think I'll bother.

6. (sticking with the social media theme for one more go) I am addicted to some of the games on Facebook.
I will admit that Farmville was one of them for a while, but I have weaned myself off of that one, thankfully!!

7. Shoes are my weakness.
I can't walk in a heel bigger than 3cm, but I sure can lust after them... Prior to being a Mummy, one of my favourite thing to do was to hang out in various department stores trying on the tallest and most expensive pair of shoes (hellloooo Jimmy Choo!) and then teeter around on the carpet (I can't seem to walk on a normal floor surface in heels, what the heck is wrong with me!?); or stand in front of the full length mirror admiring how awesome stilettos made my legs look  J

8. I am a freestyle step addict!!
I was doing intermediate freestyle step classes three times a week whilst pregnant with the LM. I only stopped stepping at 37-weeks because I wanted to be "properly pregnant" - ie stuffing my face and lazing on the sofa - just for a little while

9. I love reading/printing off/collecting recipes, but I'm not a big fan of cooking; probably because I hate the washing up. (Which kind of contradicts 10...)
Occasionally I will go through a phase of cooking something new and exciting every night for a week (Husband thoroughly enjoys these rare moments!), but generally I stick to my handful of old faithfuls that don't really require much thought or effort.
That being said, on the rare occasions I have the time (and toddlers are a great time sapper!) I do enjoy creating a delicious meal that Husband and I will go back for seconds or even thirds of!

10. I. LOVE. FOOD.
If I could eat for 16 hours a day (and not get disgustingly fat!) I absolutely would!
My Stepdad says that watching me eat makes him hungry because I enjoy my food so much. I take that as a compliment.

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So there you have it. 10 things you now know about me, that you probably didn't need to know.
And you know what? As I got closer to the last one, I could suddenly think of lots more to add! I think I'll save those little tidbits for another post.

Now the game goes that you are supposed to tag five other blogs to keep the tag going, but all the blogs I follow have already done this.

So until I make some more bloggy friends, why don't you tell me 3 things that I didn't really need to know about you! J

A post where I completely contradict myself

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I've been feeling old these last few weeks... most likely because my birthday is just around the corner, and that usually triggers a bit of a funk.

Add to that the little voice inside my head that says OH NO YOU'RE NOT, everytime I laugh and tell people "I'm 29 again!"

It doesn't help that Husband always (ALWAYS) backs up this voice, AND then tells everyone exactly how old I am. Obviously he still needs some work.

It's not that I miss being young - although if I could be 27 again, I would do it in a heartbeat.
And if I could be 20 again, knowing what I know now....? Yeah, I'd probably give it a crack too; maybe being armed with some knowledge would give me a bit more self-confidence. Probably not J

I miss the freedom of youth; the spontaneity of dinners out, trips overseas, hangovers, sleep-ins and excess energy.

Hmmmm maybe I'm confusing youth with motherhood??
Maybe I am just missing the "me" that I was before I had a baby?
 
You know the most ridiculous part of this post? I don't want everything that comes with youth.

I love my life. I love being married, and I love being a mum   J

I don't want to be out clubbing until dawn, stumbling down the street in shoes I can't walk in unable to hear what my friend is saying because the music was so loud and my hearing is shot.
(Although I am very partial to a bit of a boogie, as long as I'm home by midnight  J)

I don't want to wake up at 3 in the afternoon, hungover as all hell, wasting what's left of the day.
(But a sleep in til 7.30am would be divine!)

I just want to the energy, and to live with the freedom of choice once, maybe twice a month. To go out with Husband to see our friends and not have to worry about who is going to do the morning shift with the Little Monster.

I don't want to be young, but do I want to be more youthful.

And thankfully, that is something I can change!

Do you miss being young or youthful? Is there any age you would do over again or avoid at all cost?

How time flies when you're looking a photos

It's been a while since I was here - sorry 'bout that.

No excuses. Well actually a few excuses, mostly work is really ramping up for me at the moment, so I can't blog at work (can you believe the unfairness of it all!), and I hate being on the computer when I get home from work.

So I thought I would make the most of the time whilst the Little Monster was down for his nap, and come write a witty and insightful post on my long weekend.

But I kept looking at the blank screen.

No words were coming, so I thought I'd hit Facebook up for some "inspiraton". And then I got caught up with Facebook, and seeing what my friends are up to.

Then I realised that I haven't added any photos of the Little Monster since APRIL.... that's awful!! Considering how fast toddlers change, it has been FIVE MONTHS since I showed my friends any new pictures of my son. How slack!

So after downloading/filing all the photos appropriately, I have spent the last 40-minutes reliving the Little Monster's April to September in photos.

He is gorgeous and I love him.

I can hear the Little Monster stirring now, so I won't get the photos up today - but they're ready to go next time I find a spare 45-minutes at home.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend... and a fantastic long weekend if you were in NSW!

Regrets? I've had a few

*~*~* Sorry for the lack of images - I couldn't find anything that felt like it matched the words *~*~*

The other day I was talking to my mum about regrets, and how I have only one regret.

Of course there are all those "morning after" regrets; the extra shot I should never have asked for, the boy I did or didn't kiss, the one night stand that became a relationship* ...

Not to mention the shopping regrets; the jeans that I never lost weight for, that dress that was a little on the "slutty" side, the $250 shoes I only wore once...

But in the grand scheme of things, these are all very minor. And not really regrets, more living life, making mistakes and hopefully learning from them.

My one regret is that I didn't study French after my GCSE's.

Rightly or wrongly, I blame this on my teacher at the time. She used the double whammy approach of teaching with sarcasm and reverse psychology... which some people can cope with, they take on a "I'll show you" attitude and get great results.

But not me - if you tell me often enough that I'm too stupid, I'll believe you.

So all the "You'll never pass your exams" and "Don't even bother trying to do A-level French, you'll never be able to do it" comments, they hit home.
Every. Single. Time.

But I passed my exams. What's more I got an A+, thank you very much.

So I guess I did show her.

Yet I just couldn't find the belief in myself that I could be sucessful at a higher level. I had spent two years listening to this woman tell the class (me) that we were idiots and didn't have the aptitude for languages.

So despite the fact that she was obviously so very wrong, and I absolutely had the brain for languages, I pushed French to the side and tried my hand at something else - something that I well and truly failed in.
Hey, why fail at all unless you are going to do it in spectacular style?!

After talking to my Mum about this regret, she turned and looked at me and said, "Do you realise just how lucky you are?"

Ummmm, apparently not Mum.... in what way?

"You have the ability and opportunity to change that - it no longer has to be a regret for you. So many people have such big regrets that they can never change..."

I sat still for a moment to let that sink in... It didn't take long for the enormity of her words to hit me.

Not only can I fix my regret and study French again, but I have been lucky enough to have (so far!) lived my life making big decisions that I have been happy with.

And for an indesicive and procrastinating person with low self-belief.... I think that's pretty damn awesome.

Do you have any regrets? Do you have the ability to change them?

* to be fair, I didn't actually regret that one, at the time or even now. It just sounded good when I wrote it...

Heartache

Shortly after pressing "publish" on my last post, I was given some devastating news; a very dear friend of mine had given birth to a stillborn.

At the same time as I was bemoaning the (very insignificant) fact that I was struggling to find balance in my life, my friend was struggling to understand the very heartbreaking situation that she suddenly found herself in.

So I'm taking it all back.

I am so blessed. My life is as balanced as it needs to be.

I came home from work this afternoon and held my son close. I wept at the unfairness of life.

I sobbed at the sadness of a life lost; a baby, a life that hadn't even officially begun.

I cried for all the firsts that won't be experienced, for the hopes and dreams that have been so cruelly crushed.

My heart and soul aches for my beautiful friend and her husband.
I cannot even begin to imagine the pain that they are feeling.

Whatever you believe in; if is the Universe, angels or prayers... Please send light, love and strength to two wonderful people whose world has been tragically turned upside down today.

Thank you
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