Oh Nanny, dont be bossy!!

There has been alot of talk over the past few years regarding the Australian government turning our states/country into Nanny states.

Smoking is being vilified.
Calls have been made to make smacking children illegal.
Pets are under scrutiny.
Money is under scrutiny.
In general our lives are being shaped before our eyes by people who do not live them!

I have my own beliefs on things that the government seem fit to tax/take away/make illegal
But beyond that all when do we say enough is enough??

Last week I saw on the news that businesses have started turning away people with visible tattoo's.
We have known for years that many employers turn their nose up at alternative body modifications.
Childrens food advertising is being looked down upon.
And just today I saw a news article about a little girl being called obese because a computer says so.
Gay and Lesbians cannot get married...still..

Now while there may be great reasons for all of above to be shunned, why do people other than ourselves get to make those decisions?

So while KRudd and Princess Julia are battling it out to see who will win the million dollar ticket, I have a few of my own rants to state!

I don't care if you smoke, I will move away.
I don't agree with making smacking illegal.
Pets...keep your pets in your yard!
Money - I want more of...but who doesn't?

While I do not personally have any visible tattoos, my partner does and if he can work in a high end department store, that sells items that cost more than my weekly shopping bill. Then why can't people walk into a bogan pub with a bit of art on their arms?

Employers turning people away for jobs on the basis of a bit of body mod shits me. Seriously? Unless there is risk of contamination, how will a body piercing affect someone's ability to be a great employee? I know, I know, there's the whole "but its offensive" crap. Once again as I always state, look away!! I don't avoid a store or business because I find someones nose to be too huge, or that their eyebrows resemble agro.

Children's food advertising. While I don't like that these companies advertise their fat ladden menu's in my children's viewing times, I know where the off switch is. I know how to say no and encourage my kids to eat healthy tummy filling foods. I also know what moderation is!

Why do we use a body mass index to determine whether we are healthy or not? We all know it does not measure muscle. I have been dealing with a son, that I am terrified of slipping into an eating disorder the past few weeks. He isn't even chubby, but school and the like have been filling his brain with all sorts of ideas on what is and isn't healthy. Their has been no mention of moderation, just what is and isn't bad. How do you expect a 7 year old to understand that? Telling a 7 year old child not to eat ANYTHING rather than getting fat scares the hell out of me.

And the good old Gay marriage issue. It's well known that I am Pro gay marriage. But aside from that why do we allow religion (for non religious types) to dictate peoples lives?
Like The Daddy Man says - Everyone has a right to be miserable.

Can't we as a nation...be different to the rest of the world and be accepting?
Accept people for who they are. If you arent hurting anyone/anything. Can we not just play nice?

I know...world peace and all that crap.

Maybe life is just high school without classes everyday!!

Beware this post may contain germs!

The day before yesterday I started taking some women's multivitamins.

Let me just state that shit is GOLD..I haven't had so much energy in years.

As you all know I have been on a weight loss journey and although I am proud to say I have just hit the 24kg loss mark, I'd be lying if I said my energy levels wernt affected.

I'm tired and grumpy and anxious...ALL the time.

So yes the cenovis women's multi are rocking my socks.

For the past 2 day's I have been feeling fantastic.

And then I woke up this morning....I made lunches and dressed kids, yelled a bit and then promptly went back to bed. I never go back to bed!

I slept for another 2 hours and woke up to The Daddy Man asking if I was okay.

Thankfully today was one of his days off this week.

 I feel so crap because I now have a chest infection.

My lungs are tight, I can't stop sneezing and coughing and I just want to sleep.

Standing isn't easy because I am dizzy as hell, all the time.

I find being sick highly frustrating. While I know it will pass in a matter of days, I am not used to the side affects.

Messy floors, kids without clothes on, kids with each others clothes on, a kitchen full of dirty dishes and a line full of dry, but now soaked because it rained, clothing.

The Daddy Man relies on me to keep order. He knows where things are by asking. He knows when to hang washing because he's told.

Me being sick has made him feel a tad lost.

I cannot stress how thankful I am to him for showering and dressing and feeding the kidlets. And of course for doing paracetamol and water runs to me in bed. He's also let me sleep most of the day....Love Love Love him!!

I rarely get sick, I'm the boss. A simple sniffle can't take me down!!

I am not one to post hideous photos of myself, but tonight I want to show you what being really sick does to this mummy

Wiggle,cough,Wiggle...YEAH

 I'm sexy and I know it;)

Pet Collectors

Our family is completed by three beautiful girls named Gemma, Coco and Jessie. They are naughty, mischievous and sometimes highly frustrating. They are 2 dogs and 1 cat.

Over the years I have stood in my fair share of poop. Cat poop, dog poop and children poop.

Over the years some of my belongings have been destroyed. By our dogs, cat and children.

Over the years food has been stolen, shoes lost, toys ruined. By our dogs, cat and children.

Over the years I have gotten angry at members of our family for being too loud. 

You guessed it, the dogs, cat and children 

Last December we lost a beloved member of our family, our youngest cat Skiddy ran outside the house onto the road and was promptly hit by a van. I was hysterical as she ran off after being hit and we didn't find her for 2 weeks.

I imagined her slowly dying, alone, without me. I sobbed my frikken heart out.

Although my pets aren't my children -  nothing compares to my children, I do find myself loving them in a similar way. They look up to us, rely on us, give us unconditional love and sometimes make us down right cranky.

We love our pets, they are apart of our home and our hearts.

Our oldest pet is Gemma, she is a Pekingese x shitzu that we paid an astronomical price for 6 years ago. She is cranky and nervous. She is our guard dog even though she stands less than 1 foot tall. She looks like an ewok and has been known to find any space under a fence and run like the wind. She hates walks in the park but happily sits in the bottom of the pram.

Our second oldest pet is Coco. We found her wandering the streets skinny as a stick meowing with her brother. I took them in without hesitation. Although her brother ended up leaving us we kept Coco without a second thought She is cranky and quite anti social unless she smells chicken or needs a feed. But sometimes we get lovely little snuggles.  We estimate she was around 14 weeks when we found her which makes her about 5 years old.

Our youngest pet is Jessie. Jess is a Staffy X Daschund (yes you read that right). She is a bit of an odd looking dog. She is orange and long but with staffy legs and head. She is very sooky and loves The Daddy Man to pieces. She is loyal and friendly. We received Jessie after an acquaintance needed to find her a home. Little did we know it was because she was a runner.

These 3 girls bring at least one smile to my face every day. If I am ever sad or alone I know they have my back!

 

What saddens me is a trend I have noticed becoming more and more popular.

People giving away pets because they are naughty or destructive. People surrendering animals to shelters because they can't cope or just can no longer be bothered....that's not what gets my gripe so much. I understand that sometimes circumstances change or you can no longer look after the pet.

However...and this is what really shits me. Pet collecting...or going through pets more often than they are bloody knickers.

A year ago a lady my cousin knows well got rid of her dog, she was digging and chewing and being a right naughty pup. But instead of training and seeking some sort of guidance the dog was surrendered to the RSPCA.

 Within a month this lady bought 2 gorgeous purebred puppies. Obviously they grew up and started chewing and digging and jumping fences. A month ago they were both surrendered to the RSPCA!!!

 But wait theres more...today she posted a photo on face book. Her new puppy. The same breed as the last, fresh out of the puppy mill. I will be counting down the days till this little pumpkin receives the same fate.

Another woman I know through my sister. Has 8 cats and 4 dogs. Anytime a kitten or puppy is advertised she jumps on it with glee. None of her animals are desexed so they breed often. As soon as one of the dogs or cats get out of hand off they go to the RSPCA. After which she collects a new animal to add to her menagerie.

How is this acceptable?? To me a pet is for life. As I said before I understand circumstances change, people can no longer cope or realise a pet doesn't suit their lifestyle. But why bother getting another one?

Why encourage the animal to love you, feed it daily, bathe it, snuggle it. Only to then pass it on to an organisation that barely float.

The RSPCA have enough trouble re homing animals. Alot are euthanized because they can't cope with the sheer volume of abandoned pets.

Before buying/receiving an animal, I believe you should understand the gravity of what you are taking on.

Would you dump your child because it misbehaved??

I guess when I started this little blog of mine I needed a ME area. Somewhere to vent and get everything off my mind. I love tips and tricks so I figured I could incorporate a bit of that too.

Some days I feel like my head is one swirling brightly coloured tornado. I have so much to spill and love that this little place is where I can do that. Expressing myself in a healthy way has always been quite the feat for me. If I have a problem it just comes out, If i'm feeling blue that also escapes my mouth quickly. If things are going well I am quiet...I don't shout to the world how great I am feeling.

Thats kind of sad really, I express my shittyness so fast but hold back on my happiness.

So what does one do when her blog is working? What do I do when my therapy is actually making me feel pretty damn great?

I lose momentum. Blog posts havent been coming easy over the last fortnight. I have hit a bit of a writers brick wall and sort of stopped trying. Sure I have typed out post's but rarely hit publish.

I'd hate for my little therapy blog to sit here with no attention. It's helped me sooo much and I really do adore it.

So I am making this month my mission to blog about the enjoyable parts of my life.

Back in early january I compiled a list of all the things I wanted to achieve this year.

Have you ever had the amazing feeling that comes when life is falling into place??

It is fantastic and you feel on top of the world. Confidence rises, anxiety drops and your sense of self worth is something you are proud of.

My first goal was to lose weight I am currently 18kgs lighter than I was in november - WIN

I joined the 1millionkilochallenge and the first week in have lost a kilo.

Second up was to be more organised. 

Although it is a learning process I am doing pretty well. The boys havent been late for school, homework hasnt been forgotten and decluttering has been ongoing.

One of my goals was to take more photos - I have failed miserably so far but there are still 10 months of the year left.

Our budget was high on the list. Bills are paid, kids are fed and money stress isnt a constant.

More family days out have been a little hard. It rained for 3 weeks straight with flooding and all the nasties. Yesterday arvo we did have a family picnic at the park after school.

Study...oh study! Yesterday I was accepted into my chosen course. I begin in about 2 weeks. I have a few years before realising my dream of becoming a primary teacher but I'm optimistic!

Managing my mental health is going okay. Some days are harder than others but realising my dreams is taking alot of the sting out of life.

I really feel happy. Within myself I am finally content.

But onwards and upwards I still have alot of progress to do. My licence isnt going to produce itself.

How are your goals for 2012 going? Do you feel elation when your dreams come true?

School days

Now that my big boys are back at school I am feeling at ease with our complete routines. I love routine and with so many kids it is needed to maintain some sense of order within our home.

I am feeling really proud and gooey right now. You see last year my boys hated school. Mornings were a constant battle to raise them from their graves, getting them dressed, and fed and at school ON TIME.
They whinged and complained and just hated it.

They must have had a little turn around over the holidays. We are into week 2 and they haven't complained once. They rise and put on their uniforms, assist with lunches and off they go 15 minutes early!

Homework used to be a huge battle. If they even remembered to bring it home or not feed it to the dog (literally) then they would whinge and carry on like pork chops about doing it. They despised reading their sight words and books. It made me quite down, I believe education is our future. I want my children to strive and be the best they can be.

This year in week 2 I am so shocked at the amazing change. They get home with limited arguing. After school punch ups are a thing of the past and homework is their first priority.
Tman is a left handed boy and has had a bit of trouble with his handwriting. As he hasn't received homework just yet I have been doing my own in order for him to practice correcting his flaws. Spacing and neatness have been an issue but we are working on it and I really am optimistic. He has a new found enthusiasm when it comes to learning. I am a proud mummy.

The boys haven't ruined one lunch box, school bag or pair of shoes so far and I am hoping that continues. They haven't forgotten their drink bottles at all either!!

Around the dinner table this week we discussed what the boys get up to in their lunch hours. They told us they play together at the library. I had flashbacks to my primary school days - Kids with no friends hung out in the library. After a slight panic attack I asked them why they didn't get out and play. Jman loves his Lego which I found out the library is filled with. Tman was worried about him and decided to "look after" him for a few days as he was limited to what he could do in prep. Tman introduced Jman to all his buddies and for the past 2 days Jman and a few of his year one mates have been joining Tman and his year 2 mates in games of "secret spies".

"Secret spies" when explained to me is about a group of year 2 boys spying on year 2 girls to make sure the girls aren't getting any romantic ideas about the boys. Cute right?

I feel much more relieved knowing Jman has settled into year one with guidance from his big brother. As much as they are like chalk and cheese sometimes they always look out for one another.

As the boys have the same teachers as last year I am also relieved to be able to trust the teachers curriculum. To know my boys are getting the very best when it comes to their grade keeps me smiling.

I am so glad they have finally settled in well and am really looking forward to what this school year brings.

How have your kids settled in back to school? Does anyone have any tips on help with left handed children when it comes to handwriting?

How to - Shopping with Hubby

How to go shopping with your Hubby, without going to jail.

Step 1. Make sure you give him hourly notice leading up to leaving time.

Step 2. Plan your journey and ignore his comments of "winging it"

Step 3. Take plenty of water and nibbles so he doesn't spend a fortune on food.

Step 4. Ignore the "outfit" he chooses to wear or better yet lay his clothing out for him

Step 5. If driving pray to the gods that you will find a park quickly to avoid road rage embarrassment. If walking/public transport make sure you have your mp3 to drone him out.

Step 6. Steer clear of donut shops and bakeries.

Step 7. DO NOT assume he will help wrangle the children, he is like a bigger child, you will need to wrangle him.

Step 8. Do not give in to sooking,begging, pleading and tantrums. Hold your ground on buying new PlayStation games, he has enough.

Step 9. Avoid getting into arguments. Hold your ground but smile and nod at outrageous statements regarding your budget.

Step 10. Do not allow him to push the trolley, shoppers are vicious and he will be eaten alive.

Step 11. Make sure seats are around, men like to sit down.

Step 12. Try and avoid serious bra and undie buying, you will get a headache from all his jokes.

Step 13. Expect to be in and out of change rooms especially for the easily indesicive hubbies.
Step 14. Avoid the lolly,chip,soft drink,ice cream and beauty sections.

Step 15. Do not expect him to know where the parents room is. Remind him that tiny toilets are for tiny bums.

Step 16. Lower expectations when it comes to an enjoyable shopping spree.

If all else fails - Leave him at home!

We decided on a trip to one of the bigger shopping centres in our area today. I came home sun burnt, far more stressed than when taking all 5 kids and my head is throbbing.

Wine and panadol will be my diet for the evening

How does your partner/hubby go with shopping? Is he great or does he cope poorly?