What a slacker

I must confess.... I have been VERY slack on the blogging front.

The JOMC household does things big in December, and I'm not talking about Christmas. 2 years ago, DD blessed us with her early arrival. And this year, we decide to sell and buy a house! Yep. In our infinite wisdom, we do it in December. And the new place settled on Friday the 13th.

I've missed blogging and the opportunities it presents to get things off my chest. It's also been hard because our laptop gave up the ghost and stopped working. Granted, we've had the new one about a month now, but I never knew DH's password to unlock it. Story of my life hahaha.

Since I last blogged in October so much has happened, not just the house stuff. My depression and anxiety has flared up. I have had a few bad attacks. It got to the point where I have had to start seeing a psychologist. Through my employer, I have access to 5 sessions paid for by them. And that has come in extremely handy. My attacks have reduced but I have been suffering other health problems where I have to have the dreaded cameras up and down next month. I've continued losing weight, and am now nearly 20kg lighter than when I started the year, and that is not through diet or exercise.

And November saw JOMC turn one. I missed my first year blog-iversary. It was something I really wanted to celebrate but life had other ideas.

I've also been mulling over the fact we're not having an actual birthday party for DD this year. We're going to celebrate as a family, but just don't see why she has to have a party every year. Is that ok? Does that make us bad parents? We are having a little Christmas celebration with my friends the night of her birthday and we will have my best friends little girl who is only a year older than DD. So it's not like she won't have someone to play with. I AM making cupcakes for daycare on Friday and supplying fruit for the child who isn't allowed sweets. That way she can celebrate with her daycare friends. We don't even know 90% of the other families.

Also, DH has been arguing about how much money we've spent on DD. I honestly don't think it's that much. She's getting two main presents for Christmas and one for her birthday. All up, probably just over $100 for ALL 3 items. He won't believe me that there are people who spend that on just one present and then buy more. I think he got a bit frightened by the stuff I put on layby during the toy sale which was farmed out to his sister. It was so I knew what DD was getting and also helps my sister-in-law as she has her own little guy to worry about this year.

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. I need to go and vacuum the floors and couch, and put a bra on, just in case someone decides they want to look through our current place.

Oh, and today, I'm linking up with Kirsty over at My Home Truths for I Must Confess

The Soundtrack of My Life

I must confess that this week's prompt from My Home Truths has really caught me. Kirsty wants us to confess the Soundtrack to our Lives.

Music has always played a huge role in my life. I'm not creative enough to be able to play an instrument, or sing all that well, but it's been a constant for me. 

We were only talking at work the other day about how a song has the ability to transport you to a time and a place in an instant. It can knock a decade off and all of a sudden, you're back to being that kid in high school. Which can sometimes be pretty awkward. 

I don't know if I can commit to Kirsty's recommended 10. I either have too many that don't mean that much, or not enough that mean everything.

But here goes and they're in no particular order.

I Go Back - Kenny Chesney - This song sums up how I feel.

Turn Back Time - Cher - It was playing when I was at daycare as a small child, and I loved it then. Also holds a special meaning when played at a friends service

Maggie May - Rod Stewart - No particular reason, I just love it. 

I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing - Aerosmith - I'm suddenly 13 again and starting what would end up being the biggest health battle in my life. 

Rollin' (Air Rad Vehicle) - Limp Bizkit - This signified my big rebellion and when I'm feeling a little kick arse I love to crank this if I can find the CD!

Flame Trees - Cold Chisel - Not sure what it is, but this cheers me up for some reason when I'm feeling a bit blue. Maybe it's singing it at the top of my lungs.

Volare (Nel Blu Di Pinto Di Blu) - Russell Watson - my first foray outside of "mainstream" music (well as mainstream as country music is!) It's also the first time I have tried to learn lyrics in a language other than English.

Bit of an odd mix there, I know - I try to listen to such a large variety, but I have to admit I don't listen to much of the new stuff these days. 

I'm off now. Probably to go pick up a coffee and crank a bit of Kansas. 

Standing up for yourself

I don't know what else to do. The last couple of weeks, we've had to sign a few incident reports at daycare. By we, I mean DH, because he has been doing the pickup in the afternoon. 

In each case, DD has been on the receiving end of something, whether it be a bite, scratch or similar. But I'm not understanding why she is putting up with this sort of thing.

By no means is she a complete angel. However, I have seen her give as good as she gets When she is pushed around. You see, on Saturday might we had a function where DD interacted with a girl of a similar age. This time girl was quite rough and tumble due to having two older brothers. When DD was playing with an old jukebox, this other child shoved her out of the way and DD pushed her back. Not seeing the other child do the first shove, I gently reminded DD to play nice. My mother in law pointed out what was happening, and five minutes later, the other child comes up to DD out of the blue and does it again, with DD responding the same.

So I don't understand why she isn't standing her ground at daycare. Don't get me wrong, I am happy she isn't the one instigating the events, but I just don't know why she seems to 'let' the other child do it. 

We've been told it is a personal space thing, but aged under 2, I don't know that the fully comprehend the concept. Personal space doesn't exist at home that's for sure!

l feel like we are going to be treading a fine line. I don't want her to be a bully, but she shouldn't have to be a victim. I want her to know that it is okay to stand up for herself and what she believes in. I don't want her to feel bullied or suppressed.

I am at a loss as to where to go from here. Do we just ride it out? Or what? 

Today sees my regular link up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

If This Ain't Love

I'm taking a very brave step this week and I am linking up with Kirsty at My Home Truths for I Must Confess..

The prompt given for this post was Young Love.

I've thought it through very hard, to share or not to share. If I was talking to you face to face, I'd most likely tell you the story, all while blushing with sheer embarrassment.

After reading Kirsty's confession this morning, apart from one or two things, I felt like I was reading something I had written about my own teenage years.
I was never really a "girly" girl. But nor was I a tomboy - I was stuck in that weird in between - not really anything special. Oh, I was a bit of a geek - I loved studying Economics (and I'm kicking myself 11 years later that I never went to uni to study it further) and was (and to a degree, still am) totally obsessed with Stargate. 

I used to sing this to myself a LOT at high school....

When a boy, who also liked Stargate, asked me out on Valentine's Day in Grade 12, I was so shocked and at the same time stoked, that someone had an interest in me. We broke up almost a year later. It wasn't pretty. I'm ashamed at my behaviour but my heart was shattered. I haven't spoken to him since. If I see a member of his family, I smile politely but never stop. 

About 8 months after we broke up, I heard on the grapevine that he had "come out" and I struggled a lot with this news. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad he could finally admit his true feelings, but there was also a (very big) part of me that couldn't deal with it. My heart shattered again, after me finally putting it back together. I remember going out to the pub with my friends, and crying, asking them what was wrong with me. Was I that ugly, fat, uncaring, useless, that I had to be used as a cover story? What did I *do* to make him gay? Usually that last question was after my last drink for the night. 

Did I love him? I think I did. Was I ever really in love with him? Looking back, I don't think I was. We ruined a really good friendship. And I didn't fight for it in the end. Sometimes I think about sending him a Facebook message to see how he's doing, but then I stop myself. 

I was that scared by the whole experience, that I was VERY wary of starting a new relationship with anyone, lest he turn out to be gay too. So for two years, I flirted, and danced with guys at my favourite pub, but never went any further than that. Oh, there was one guy who did the old boob grab, but it was New Year's Eve. I finally got back on the scene and was introduced to a lovely guy through a work colleague who was dating one of his good mates. It took him four years to propose and five years in total to marry me. 

Sometimes we fight, and get cranky with each other, but hey, we bounce back each time and we have a gorgeous little girl. We make very good looking babies! How do I know that I am in love with my husband? There are days I want to throttle him, until I realise I can never live without him.

My young love experience wasn't great, but I managed to stick it out until Mr Right finally arrived!

Spring? That's a little metal thing, right?

September....

When I think about September, I think footy finals. Longer days. A bit more sunlight. The weather warming up a tad from the frosty weather in July and August.

What I don't think about is summer temperatures and the risk of summer storms.

For the past week, we've been having temperatures up in the mid-30's.

That's our summer weather. Days of 35 and 36 degrees are normally reserved for Christmas Day onwards. 

Not September.

I feel like my little weather bubble has been shattered.

Today is the first day where we have the predicted risk of a storm.

I love a good storm, the rain that comes with it. But I hate the wind and lightning. Normally though, there's a little deflector in our town and the storm comes threateningly close, and then disappears.

But we need the rain. August was completely dry. There's so much shit getting around in our town that we need the rain to give us a good clean out. 

There's not much point to today's post. Just what I wanted to say if I actually got to have a conversation today with someone over the age of 18. 

But because it's Tuesday, I'm linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.

Hit me with your weather stories.

The Not So Domestic Goddess

I have a problem.

I will admit it freely.

I hate housework.

I really, honestly despise the stuff. 

But I still do it, even though it is a struggle. Although, with DD, it is becoming increasing difficult because she hates the vacuum cleaner when it is turned on, wants to ride it when it's turned off and crawls under the ironing board and wobbles it while I'm trying to iron.

And now, facing a return to work for a third full day per week, it's only going to get harder. 

I know I could be doing some more housework now, but DD is napping, and I've been a good wifey and ironed hubby some work shirts for later in the week, when he goes back. He's got some time off for uni and only needs to wear casual stuff so there's no great drama there.

I purposely bought items that don't require ironing for myself. Wash 'em and hang 'em and they are fine!

But no matter what household chores I do, cyclone DD comes along and straight after the cleaning rag has been put away, or the vacuum cleaner has been unplugged, she will destroy a snack, or a magazine. 

This kid shreds paper worse than a cat!

I'd prefer to spend my time watching cartoons with her, reading a book with her, or even running around the backyard like maniacs. 

If it didn't cost so much, I'd hire a cleaning lady.

Yep. 

I'm that lazy and not so domestic!

But I'm still a goddess. Don't you forget it.

Today I'm linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT. Happy Tuesday everyone!

Inspiration from the strangest place

A light hearted post for that terrible day of the week....


That ever elusive muse of mine has popped up at the most awkward and inconsiderate of times lately.

Mainly while I'm at work, and in my job, there is definitely NO room for blogging. The best I can do is type a quick memo/note into my phone - a subject rather than a post - and hope that the urge is still there.

Now that I'm back at work, I have been engaging in the real world. I know what is happening outside of the worlds of Peppa Pig and Giggle and Hoot. And it's all thanks to having breaks and access to the news.

You see, in my household, we have over 100 episodes of Peppa Pig. We watch them on a regular basis. And if the television is on and DD is around, it's on ABC4Kids. Because really, who needs their kids who are far to young to understand seeing the horrific footage that's been on lately from around the world?

So I've been trawling through news articles. Devouring them. Hating the crap that goes on, and loving the left of field stories.

That's why when I found the article about the University of Washington actually working out mind control I instantly wanted to go grab my tin foil hat. You know, like in the movie Signs? Because seriously, who is really going to want someone else controlling their actions through mind control? The article says you'd have to be a willing participant, but really???

It's things like that story which have made my return to work a little easier to deal with. It's the adult contact, and it's the stimulation to different parts of my brain that Peppa just cannot get anywhere near. This is what I mean...

Now there's almost 30 seconds that you won't get back again. 

But really, my muse has been hiding in news stories about day to day life all along. Whodathunkit?