Eight Random Facts

Oops. If you happen to be reading this from 'Blogs Tea & Me' I have managed to stuff up setting the link. Well it does find me, but I messed up the titling. Never mind! I will know better for next time .... or not. I will get there eventually!

Anyway ... my random facts

Strange book habits Not only do I love to read. I especially love to re-read. The fact in the last two weeks I have read fourish new books rather then re-reading books I already have is quite strange. I still buy new books. Well usually new-to-me second hand books but it can take me a while to read them. I need to be in the "zone".

Book collections I collect early 20th Century girls' school stories. Probably not so odd if I was 50ish, but apparently very unusual for someone at 30. I have been collecting them since I was about 7, but have only gone public about it recently. In all fairness, no-one has really thought it was that odd, but everyone knows I love books. Anyone who has been surprised has been less surprised when I remind them I have a history degree.


(A pre-WWII Boy Scout book I was super excited to find)

I hate vegetables A lot. To the point where I sometimes pretend to eat them to set a good example to the girls. I do eat salad, but I just hate them cooked. I do eat cooked vegies sometimes, but not as often as I should. Example: Two of my daughters get super excited if I cook broccoli. Unintentional reverse psychology! I am also pretty fussy about other things. My 12 year old eats most things. My 10.5 year old is fairly fussy (but I make her eat things. So does her father). My 8 year old is a vegetarian. She eats pretty much all vegies and most other stuff but doesn't eat meat for ethical reasons. Her own decision when she was about 4.

Other food related habits I hate my food touching on my plate. Example: with a roast, my meat can't touch my potatoes and vegies and vice versa. I don't think this is that strange. My ex-husband disagrees. If they touch I don't eat them. I am mostly ok with foods that are supposed to be mixed.

Paranoia Apparently I come across as being super confident. This is apparently a good lie. I check with a million people over what to wear before I go places. I check on appropriate presents. I really struggle to make the first move to speak to people. I am constantly worried I have said or done something to upset someone. I just work on the assumption people don't like me. This does make it a pleasant surprise when they do!! I don't think I am this paranoid naturally. I think it is a learned behaviour in reaction to stuff that has happened. Or it could just be that I am egocentric. An overactive imagination also means I can only watch certain tv shows and movies on my own. It also means I am careful about what I read. The risk of nightmares for weeks is often not worth it! I also am constantly making up stuff in my head. I have always done this. One of these days I will write some of it down.


Shoes I would rather not wear shoes. In my ideal world I would be barefoot all the time. I always have painted toenails and I always wear a toe-ring. Since I do have to wear shoes most of the time I love high heels. Not that I wear them all the time, but I do love them. This is something which I appear to have discovered later then most people.



Hobbies It sort of worries me I don't really have any. I feel like I am the certain person who should have hobbies but I don't! I read and collect books, but I am not convinced this counts! I also knit teddies and sometimes do cross-stitch. This makes me feel boring, but I don't actually think I am.

Motherhood Most days I still don't really feel like I am a mum. Please don't tell the children this. I have a 12 year old so you think I would be used it by now. I adore my children and I always wanted kids and I always wanted them young, but I never thought I would find them as amusing as I do.

Phobia I have a phobia of dead things. A real phobia. To the point that if I have to set a mouse trap my wonderful daughter deals with it for me. Or my ex-husband will come around for a night and sorts it out. It isn't just like I dislike them, if I see something dead it totally freaks me out. I can't breathe and sometimes I can't move. I blame a cat I had when I was little that loved me just a little too much.

Wow! That was harder then I thought it would be. It is now really quite late here and I am sure I will think of hundreds of more interesting things I could have written about tomorrow! But never mind. It was fun! You should give it a go :)

Edit

At my last annual performance review my boss made the observation that I need to proof read more. So did my lecturer when she marked my last essay. If I am going to be perfectly fair, I have had this comment on a fairly (read as very) large percentage of my essays over my academic career. Mostly it is because I am rushing. Usually because (for uni at least) I have left it to the last minute. Partly it is just being slack. A good percentage is because I genuinely read fast and I find it hard to force myself to read slowly and properly edit.

I have noticed I am doing the same with my blogging and it is annoying me. If I am going to write for an open audience I want to do it properly. No rushing. I don't want to have to keep editing posts because something doesn't make sense or I have made a stupid typo .... now just to see how I go!

On an unrelated note, and just to show I am not just sitting around thinking about blogging all day, I bought what I think may be an awesome dress for a wedding today! And I would also like to publicly note my grumpiness about how quickly children grow up.

PS I am now very paranoid about this post ... lol ... probably not that surprising!

It is all about compromise ...

I constantly get the "I don't know how you do it" comments. Work, children, study etc and I am on my own, I guess it is not that surprising. The hard bit is knowing what to say. I don't want to whinge. I do happen to love my life even though it is insane, but to shrug and go it is easy is (a) not true; and (b) feels a little rude. Mostly I just laugh and say "not doing housework helps". Which is true(ish) and at least I can say it with a smile.

But it is about compromise. For example, I had an exam so minimal housework and no washing folded for two weeks. Partly because I fold clothes when I watch tv and I haven't watched any tv for what feels like ages. Partly because I have been too tired/stressed/busy to care. And admittedly partly because I don't really like housework, but this time I did have a legitimate excuse.


What can I say?! Life happens. Nothing in the laundry (that basket is from today).




The clothes are clean and I am sure foraging is good for the girls. Going back to basic instincts and all that. Compromises :) Now can everyone please keep their fingers crossed that I passed the exam!!! And I am off to watch tv and fold clothes :)

**NEWSFLASH**

I got my first real comment from a real person! Sorry Lela but you don't count :) I now feel like a proper blogger. Thank you Jeanette! You have made my day :)

*End of Newsflash*

NB. I still need to work on exclamation marks.

Coming out of the cupboard

This post is going to be very brief, because I am fully aware I am procrastinating (hello uni books! I can see you!) .... but ... I have (yet another) confession! I have been a secret blog watcher for ages now. It has only been the in the last few weeks I have been brave enough to publicly follow any of them. Tonight's achievement was I actually posted a comment on one! I am very proud of myself.

Part of the reason I haven't followed was I was scared someone would actually read my blog and realise how bad it is! I love to write. I really, really do. I get so much enjoyment out of updating my facebook status (just in case you haven't noticed in my previous posts), but I just haven't found the right writing style for my blog yet. I think I am almost there.

In fact, I dislike some of my earlier posts so much I almost deleted them but I decided not to. It didn't really seem to fit with the spirit of things. I also think I was trying to be a bit too deep and meaningful. Along with blog writing style I still need to really work out what I am writing about!

So if someone out there is reading this, please stick with me! I will get better I promise :) and to all those blogs out there I have been secretly following - thank you for sharing your stories!

And the week is over! Pretty much exactly as I am writing.

As I was still up studying (aka cramming. Yes I know I should have done more earlier and got a few good night's sleep before the exam, but you know how it is ....)

Note to self: Crying at the girls' school is on the list of things I have been banned from doing as a parent. * I am much, much better at tipping when I listen to the girls! Although it does concern me a little how good Reanna and Erin are. We will not be doing a family footy tipping competition any time soon! * Judging from the number of text messages I have received this morning, I think Reanna is worried I am going to miss her - or forget about her. * Today I am thankful for cold and flu tablets, a quiet day at work, back-up plans and text messages. * I am still Thankful for cold and flu tablets, a quiet day at work, back-up plans and text messages ... but now I am also thankful for Penny for starting a new Thankful group and for realising there was a bug in my drink before I started drinking it! * I ♥ rainbows, cushions, on-line shopping, super patient friends, my bed, creating happy childhood memories, my stripy purple witch socks, boots, wishing on stars, my bug mug and M&Ms. * This morning's wake-up greeting: "Mummy, will Reanna be on her morning walk now?". * The not-being-able-to-string-a-sentence-together effect may have an impact on numerous parts of my life. * Today I am Thankful for a job I love, the ability to be happy, microwaves, mobile phones, Daddy-dinners, friends who cook for me and long over due visits. * Argh! Enrolled for next semester. Still not exactly sure how I am going to work this one. * Curiouser and curiouser. * I am a little annoyed at Justin Beiber for tainting the phrase "never say never". * I am pretty sure if you catch a cold from a man that it makes it a man-cold. The whinging seems to be catching too. * Some things are nice ways to wake up, no matter what time of day or night. Some things are not nice ways to wake up, no matter what time of day or night. Some things it depends on the time. * I am hoping Reanna is having a fantabulous birthday even though she is spending it so, so far away from me! It is hard to believe this time 12 years ago I spent the day in labour ... today I am spending the day curled up in bed being sick and feeling sorry for myself. For some reason it just all feels a little ironic. * Aimee quote of the week: "It's Reanna's birthday today. This means we can get icecream without her!!!". * Today I am Thankful for cold and flu tablets, wonderful teachers, my beautiful daughters, clean drinking water, my couch and mobile phones. * There is nothing like long, drawn-out methods of torture. * I either just made a very, very good decision or a very, very bad one. * Reanna home from camp. Exhausted, but very happy!! She had a wonderful time and says thank you to everyone who sent her birthday messages. Currently she on the phone to someone she just spent a whole week with! It doesn't take long for things to return to normal :) * Apparently early mornings on weekends are all Aimee's fault. * ‎*sings* Freo, way to go (then mumbles the rest) * The girls' highlights of the day: icecream, a phone call from Daddy and the train ride home. Erin did also point out going to the football is fun regardless. My highlight: Erin in the second saying "I am not tipping Fremantle next week" in a "I am not angry, I am just very disappointed in you tone". Lesson of the day: How to be a gracious loser. And supporting your team regardless of the performance! * Fabulous 24 hours or so! So much fun, but now so very much tiredness. * Just to prove me wrong .... we all slept for 10.5 hours last night and Aimee was the last one awake this morning. * I think that I am going to spend all day (between studying obviously) facebook stalking Lela and liking all the pages she likes. Just a feeling I am getting based on the last hour ....... * Exam time (definition) when you realise you have somehow managed to not learn anything in the last three months. Although,in my case, I did learn that spies in the UK have their own union, the Ombudsman is a person and that the back of the chairs in the lecture theatre are really, really hard. * Today I am Thankful for getting a good night's sleep, a (comparatively) free and accessible education, Chef Reanna, post it notes, computers, cold and flu tablets, open book exams, children who can entertain themselves and the ability to multitask. * I am excited my next pyjama day will be for dvd watching and lounging on the couch purposes not for study purposes. * Changing my profile picture because Aimee was a little insulted that I had a picture of me and Reanna up rather then a picture of me and her. Diva baby much? * I probably should be Thankful that Boris is keeping me company while I am up studying, but funnily enough I am not! :oP

I am very much loving my picture of the week this week!



That is my darling baby asleep in a costume (made out of a box) at the end of a party. One of the things I will blog more about later!

I am sure I have said this before, but I update my status a lot! And sadly I am deliberately doing it less now I know I am uploading them here. It makes me smile though, and allegedly other people enjoy reading them. I can't see myself stopping any time soon ;)

PS So excited! Despite the time it says on the blog, I pushed the publish button at exactly midnight according to my computer clock. This wasn't actually deliberate but it made me happy. You know what they say .... small things amuse small minds :)

So much to say!

I haven't forgotten about this blog! I have so much to say. It has been Reanna's birthday. So I have to blog a post on her. I actually got halfway through this and then something went wrong. I don't know what, my computer skills are not that good. We have had some other fun stuff on too that I would like to share.

However a cold most of last week drained any spare energy and I have my exam next on Tuesday so I know doing a decent post is really just procrastinating and I am trying very, very hard not do to that. Only one exam this semester though! So, as of Tuesday evening I am on holidays from uni at least :)

Stay tuned for the promised posts. But here is a photo to keep you wondering .... (and to remind to what I was planning to write about).



Argh! My picture is sideways. I will fix this later when I work out how. For the minute it can stay as it is while I get back to the books.

PS Haha. I didn't look at the blog before I wrote this! I had forgotten I had done a whingy post about exams and being sick! Oops. I didn't mean to repeat myself! That said ... I am not going to change it ;)