Good week following the bad one

Ok maybe it was because it was my birthday but it was a better week for all of us.

We managed to make the Playgroup on monday this week and it was really good, a lot of really lovely and friendly women there with plenty of kids there for Nate to play with, even Josh got to have a little play. One of the women there told me about a group that meets at the Uniting church in Vicky Point that will look after your kids while you spend 2 hours doing a craft. I was there with bells on! Wednesday night we went to the local pub for dinner for my birthday. Got home and was inundated with phone calls from everyone. Raz threw a silly hissy fit at nothing but I refused to even discuss his issues till it wasn't my birthday anymore. Just told him he was a selfish shit for doing it on my birthday. All was worked out the next night however.

This weekend we went to the Eumundi Markets. I cut up a heap of salad sandwich stuff and we bought a loaf of bread at the local bakery and sat on a picnic blanket and made sangas, I think all we spent was for a loaf of bread and the tolls to and from (coz Raz's toll tag wasn't working :( ) Would have loved to have bought a million things there but the funds were short but we definitely have it earmarked for another visit when we have better cashflow. Took a quick drive to Noosa just to say that we went and had a toilet stop and then drove home.
Today we cranked up the music and cleaned house, got another half dozen boxes unpacked and 3 repacked. Raz found a 5 bedroom house in Thornlands on a 1000m2 block for $385k which is totally unheard of, we took a drive, couldn't see too much but it looked too good to be true. Pity we aren't ready to buy just yet. Thats why I don't want to look for houses until we have an unconditional contract in place on Torquay.

Anyway this week has been a lot better, no dark thoughts. I guess because I had places to be where people were expecting me and I had some adult company. Even friday at the Chemist was good, Belinda was there and we just lost 2 hours chatting away. I definitely have to call and make a time to catch up with her.

Have a full week planned this week too which is a relief. Monday Playgroup, Tuesday Nate's Docs appt, Wednesday is WW, Thursday is Daycare and Friday is Chemist Coffee morning

It was a Tough Week

Ok so this is a whinge but we can't be sweetness and light all of the time hey?

Started out on Monday, all ready to head off to a new playgroup in the hopes of finding some adult company and also to give Nathan some 'let off steam' time. Lately it has been hard for him cooped up in the house with nobody to 'visit' When we were in Torquay our weeks were so structured. Here I am yet to find any of that plus because we are paying rent and a mortgage at the same time most of Raz's pay is putting a roof over our head. Have learnt to shop at Bi Lo and Aldi and it has made a small impact on the food budget. Anyway had the kids all packed up in the car and I was quite excited at the prospect of meeting new mums too. Of course the car doesn't start. I was in such a rage. Sick and tired of the electrical problems the car has been plagued with, isolated because I didn't even know where to start and find an Auto Elec to fix the problem once again and also scared because the funds didn't allow for a new battery or hell even the battery charger was an unexpected amount.
The next 2 months are going to be really tight, we have rego on the car, need a roady on the car too to get it registered in QLD and also all the yearly insurances are due. Plus the $2500 a month we are spending on rent and mortgage the ass pucker factor is creeping up. Also flying to Melb for Nate's specialist appointment has cost another $500. Thankfully food and accomodation is covered!

Ok so with all the money stress, I have been less tolerant of Nathan and his usual 'almost 3' can do but get sidetracked attitude. He was accidentally rough, forgetful, clumsy but otherwise helpful and adorable but last week I had zero tolerance. All I felt like doing was yelling, screaming, even terrorising him to make him scared of me. At a couple pf points I wanted to just put him through a wall. Thankfully he listened to me and left the room when I asked him ever so quietly to leave mummy be for 5 minutes. It saved both of us a lot of tears.

I hate Cars

Just wanted to have my little Tanty in here, why is it that the car battery dies just when I most need to get out of the house? I'd just packed Nate and Josh into the car to go to a new playgroup because Nate is just driving me nuts with no activities to do during the week, try to start the bastard and all I get is that infernal ticking... SOOO not happy
It's all well and good having all these mod cons in the car (Car kit, GPS and DVD player) but somewhere in all the installation there is something draining the Battery, have already forked out for 2 new batteries since we got the car and that was less than 12 months ago. Now of course I am in a strange city with no idea where to take the damn thing to get it fixed once and for all!

Not HEPPY JEN !

Nothing in particular

Post about nothing, just wanting to add some pics that I got off the camera that I had forgotten I'd taken.








Josh is just growing up WAY too fast. I expect him to take off crawling any minute now.


Can't half tell these two are brothers hey? Check out that profile!












I can't wait till Nate grows out of this "Say Cheese" or more prominently SHEEEEZE.
Hopefully by then Josh will have learned to smile too!

Mothers Day, Mountains and Milkshakes

My Mothers day started really well. Josh woke and joined Nate Raz and I in bed for the ritual sunday morning tickle fight, I got up with them and got breakfast started, Raz has been wonderful but there was no way he would have handled breakfast on his own. Josh is far too needy at breakfast time. I have to make Josh a piece of vegemite toast to get him started or he just screams the place down), while I wait for the kettle to boil to make up the formula for Josh's weetbix I make Nate's toast and can usually make my toast too and a cup of tea if I am lucky. I got all that started for Raz and then left him to it while I went back to bed. About half an hour later eggs & bacon and kisses arrived for breakfast. I was left in peace to read my book and eat my breaky when another knock came at the door with Nate and Raz bearing gifts and cards. I got a wonderful Willow Tree piece to go with the other pieces I have. I just love every one of them and this is no exception. This afternoon after the boys had had their sleep we went into Mt Coot-tha ( http://www.brisbanelookout.com/index.html) for a milkshake.
Extremely greatful for the Navman coz there is no way we would have found it without it!

I visited there when I was first in Brisbane in 2000, it was heaps busier than when I was last there and there was a group of roudy Brazilians having a good time taking photos etc. Nate had fun being king of the castle and he loved his pink milkshake. Headed home about 5pm in time for Fish and Chips and a long overdue bath. Nathan rang both Nonna and Grandma and it was cute hearing him wish them a Happy Mothers day and listening to him explain to them that he had a milkshake on a big Big BIG Mountain.





This time last year we went to the Melbourne Zoo and I stewed the whole time that Raz had put in no effort whatsoever to make my day special but today instead of expecting the worst I told him what I would like and he surprised me which is all I ever wanted and it cost less than $50 for the entire day. How special is that?

Undies Drawer Logic

Had an epiphany while I was cleaning out my undies drawer.
AS I was sorting the undies I wear every day and the optimistic undies that I know I will never wear no matter how pretty they are I realized that this downsizing of the house should in theory help us financially. I am of the opinion that the less stuff I have to try and keep tidy and clean the more control I will have over the shit left. My pantry is the perfect example, I could feed a village of Ethiopians for a year on the crap I have in my pantry. I have to change my thinking that when I see a bare-ish pantry doesn’t mean I go out and buy tins of ingredients and packets of that. A simple menu plan with the contents of the freezer should mean that I can go shopping once a fortnight or once a week, and just have to pick up fresh fruit and milk and bread during the week instead of taking a half assed shopping list every 2 days and then coming home with a trolley full of impulse items we “Need” to have.

Hmmm will have to work on this theory and I just know I’m right, I am sure I read it in Flylady somewhere…. That reminds me I had better bring Flylady off no mail, I need the discipline right now…

Ciao

Things I've Learnt about Brisbane

The cockroaches are bigger than mice here no matter how clean or empty the house is...

The flies are fewer but they are impervious to anything but a fly swat.

Indicating to turn when driving is optional... it is also ok to drive 70kms on the freeway in the right hand lane

My mum came online tonight after being away for a week at her sisters place. I have missed her so much, I love being able to chat to my mum online and send pictures and stuff. She is like a best friend and she is always there, I really missed her while I was offline and then I had to wait nearly a week for her to come home. There is talk of mum and dad flying back with me when we go back in June. I would LOVE it if I had an extra couple of hands on the plane plus it would mean I would be with mum on her very first plane flight and the kids might keep her distracted from being scared.
Ok its late and I was up at sparrowfart.

Just thought I would add a couple of pics, Nate found a swimmer nappy in amongst Josh's stuff and was playing pirates with it on his head. You can't help but laugh really...
Josh is just getting the hang of this solids caper, but even after 2 weetbix he sooks until we share our toast so now he gets his own piece. He gets so grubby now though!





Ok so thats really enough now

Exhaustion, Boxes and sore feet but smiling babies make it all worthwhile

I have been cruising past the computer all day in the hopes that someone would entertain me and save me from the mountain of boxes I am yet to unpack. Josh is doing really well, he is practicing his get up and go motions, I don't think it will be long before he is mobile. I just hope that I have this place semi unpacked before that happens or I might lose him amongst the paper and boxes. I am hoping to be able to get the car into the garage sometime in the next week.

I am off to the local chemist tomorrow to join in on a coffee morning, I had asked at the daycare centre about what passes for MCHN up here, she told me that there wasn't anything and that I just take the kids to the local chemist to be weighed and that they have a nurse on staff to answer any questions.
I have been feeling isolated this past week and have really struggled, I want to get the house organised so I can start to get out and around to meet more people. So anyway I called into the chemist today and met the midwife they have there and explained that I had moved and I didn't know where to start looking for some help.
She was so lovely, she weighed Josh and measured him, checked him over and filled me in on what I needed to do and she invited me for a coffee morning tomorrow morning. I think I might go if only to get out of this place for a little while. Retail therapy gets expensive and I am just looking for any excuse to get out to buy bread or milk etc just to get out of the house, anything to sit down somewhere and not look at boxes.
I am yet to find the box with my WW books in it, I am hanging out to get back to WW. I reckon with my absentminded lack of food and all the exercise I am getting I am hoping I have lost weight.

I promise tomorrow I will post something positive and nice. This blog was started just to chronicle the kids but all it has been has a whinge for me.

That's enough for now

Finally here and Online!

Ok so we have been here for about 10 days, we arrived in Brisbane on Sunday about 5pm. We collected the keys for the new house on the monday and moved right in. We bought some blow up beds and our wonderful Landlord lent us a bar fridge and some sheets etc. The furniture arrived FINALLY on Sunday night at 6pm just as the pizza had arrived. 5 hours later the truck was unloaded and we got to sit down and have dinner. I will recap more later but for now I am just thankful for having my net connection restored. I have felt really isolated from my family and friends. It has all been very exciting but without having anyone online to chat to about it I have really felt homesick. Glad to be back online. Not that I will have much time for being on the net, the house looks like a bomb hit it. The house is a lot smaller than I expected and I am having a hard time fitting all our crap in. Both rubbish bins are full and I have SO much more to go in it.

Anyway that is more than enough for now there is so much I need to do online.