Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Confessions of a shopaholic

Having a go at digital scrapbooking:
I have taken Matty to the doctors 3 times in 6 days, just to be told that he has a virus and will get well soon. Today I was given an ointment for conjunctivitis though, which he developed today. Poor little mite. He has never been sick before, and has really been out of sorts. He still smiles and laughs occasionally, but he really is grumpy and very needing of mummy. So, I have been cuddling him a lot, and feeding him a lot, and being there for him, which cheers him up. I really enjoy looking after my family all day. It makes me feel very valued.

Today I took the kids to the shops after the doctor's. They were so well-behaved that I didn't realise that we'd been there for two hours! The length of our expedition was stated further with the total on my shopping docket. Oops! I really did think that Georgia needed more clothes, and that the size 2 Bonds sleepwear was necessary for this year, albeit way too big. And then there's all those scrapbooking things I needed, and gifts for children for next year! And then there's, well, chockie bickies which I like to enjoy with my hot chocolate at night! Hello big tum!

This brings me to another thing. Dora the Explorer. Georgie hasn't seen that much of the tv show, but she loves it nonetheless (ok - we have one of the dvds). She has the Dora jarmies and the Dora gumboots. She threw a packet of Dora undies into my trolley today. I have no restraint and spoil her rotten: "Oh, okay," I said with a sigh. Besides, they're cute. And she probably needs more undies anyway. But wait, that's not all. There's the Barbie slippers. I wanted Georgia to get some new slippers. Hers were a bit old and small. I thought some plain old slippers would do, but NO! They had to be Barbie ugg boots! It's not Georgia's fault though. It's all they had in her size. It's really hard to find plain stuff. It's also hard to find unisex clothes. So I have bought Matty some navy girls' pants. I have bought Georgia a fair amount of boy's t-shirts (they're cheaper too). I'm trying to buy generic unisex things where I can, but I do love the boyish clothes in blues with the trains on. And I love the pretty girl's clothes with butterflies.

I have been doing a little mini scrapbook of Matty's first year. I have really enjoyed it. I should have made it bigger; it was so hard choosing between all his cute photos. One thing I have discovered though is that he is simply the baby of my dreams and soon he will not be a baby but a little boy, and I can't wait! He and Georgia play so beautifully. He loves it when her friends are over - he tags along and gets such a kick out of being included! He's almost one now. In 3 weeks. I am having a family do for afternoon tea on the weekend, and a little kids' tea party on the day. I remember being slightly over myself this time last year, at 35 weeks pregnant. That is so many weeks isn't it! But wait - there's more! If I have 4 children, that'd mean I'd have been pregnant for three years of my life. Ok, that idea I just had about having 4 kids - that's gone now. Besides, I'd spend way too much money on their clothes. Jeepers.

It is hard being a working mum. It is hard because yur house suffers a lot of the time. You need to make the most of your time with your family, so housework goes by the wayside (well, mine does). I am behind in my washing. Then there's the kids - I just miss my children when we are apart. Is that normal? I feel like part of me is lost somewhere. I need them! Then there's the attitude at work. I am teaching part time, so I am not there much. I get a lot of: "Oh, you're only part time" crap. It makes my skin crawl. Firstly, dude, I already have an overtime job, where I am on call 24/7 and I am underpaid. Secondly, dude, this is the 21st century! What about women's rights? So when you say "oh, you only work part time," I'll say "Well, my paid job is actually a restful pastime at present, and I work full-time from home for free."

I'm nearly 30.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Well...


I have just finished designing my 30th birthday party invitation. I am very happy with it and I feel slightly clever. Why did I choose the seventies as a theme? I'm not really sure, except I was born in that era, obviously. I think the 70s were cool. I just love the music! Star wars came out, Led Zep was huge. I think that's pretty cool. I love the fashions of the 70s. Pretty cool. Did they even use that word back then? Cool? Now I've just got to tackle the menu. Any ideas of seventies foods?

This morning I vacuumed the house. Big deal, you may exclaim. I think it is a big deal, as it does not get done that often. When I was pregnant with Matthew, feeling very sick, I decided that I wanted to move house. TIP: if you are pregnant, don't make big decisions. Although I love this house, I don't think we had to move. For one, this house is huge, and takes a long time to clean! Secondly, moving house in the throes of morning sickness just sucks! It took me a long time to settle into this place. Luckily, I am well settled now. Anyway, the point is that I vacuumed the house and got some time to think. And it was good exercise. There's nothing like a good sweat - although I can think of more fun ways of doing it. For example, running.

I can't remember now what I thought about whilst vacuuming. The odd incredulous shudder as I came across an old jatz under a chair comes to mind. I was thinking about moving to Tasmania, and how much I will love the life. Oh yes, I was thinking that the house we build will be smaller than this one. I'll need four or five bedrooms and a few offices. Maybe just one living area though. The kitchen will be wood. My style: country classic. I was kidding myself that I won't need to clean in Tasmania because life will be so wonderful. But that was just silly! Monte reminds me that life will not be a bed of roses over there, so to speak. I'll have to get up early to milk Molly or Daisy or whatever we call the goat and/or cow. I'm beginning to wash my dishes by hand after each meal because I don't necessarily want the negative environmental impact of a dishwasher.

Enough of that. Matthew took a step yesterday! However, he can't actually be bothered walking because he can crawl so quickly. He is always standing up though, and until he realises he's not holding on, he's quite happy about it. Georgia is dressing up as a fairy princess (called Sophie) every morning - tiara and all. I am grateful that I have such a girly little girl. She's into Barbies and all that too. It reminds me of what I was like once. It's fun.

So, what do I hope to do when I am 30? Don't ask me that. I have a huge list. I'm thinking of taking on a Master's in Education, but I'm not really sure how long I will be teaching for. I'd like to have a few more children but not before Matthew stops feeding! I don't think I'll ever get him to stop. He's practically lifting up my shirt these days. I'd really like to start a business that uses my craft skills. That way I can work in a light, airy studio, with bowls of beads, pots of paints, folds of fabrics, reels of ribbons and piles of paper surrounding me. Ah... and children playing perfectly peacefully whilst I work, looking out large windows, feeling the morning sun soak my skin.

I feel like writing poetry. It's a good time in my monthly cycle. Don't talk to me in two weeks though!