Let’s give it another go shall we?

​Happy New Year!

So here we are in 2017 and I have decided that maybe I should start with the blog again. For a whole minute I debated on starting a whole new blog, but no, my old faithful shall remain and shall continue to provide me the joy it always has. I feel at home here (no matter how long I have been away). So this is me, dusting off the cobwebs of A Little Less Fluff and letting in the fresh air. Of course, all the while attempting to write blog posts. 

Naturally the posts will be as they always have been: life, kids etc so I reckon a bit of an update is needed:

The twins are now a whole 8 years old and growing into some decent little humans if I do say so myself. Grade 3 will be hectic this year but they are tough and smart and will get through it. N is taking ballet twice a week and A is taking cricket once a week. In between the hectic homework and for the first time this year doing actual exams, its going to be interesting to say the least. I am trying to balance work and their growing schedules through this all important time for them. I know it becomes even more hectic as the years go by but I am managing to so far hold it together. ☺ 

Work has had its ups and downs but so far I have not wanted to retreat and run for the hills yet. I reckon I am doing OK. All be it that I am kind of scouting the market. Be that as it may, I still give my very best every day. Its hard at times when you’re permanently exhausted all the time, but I have made it through. 

Health wise things have been ok. 2016 had me in for yet another endometriosis related op. I hope 2017 has the foresight to just give me a damn break with that. Blessed that even though its early in the year, I have not had any probs since last op. I have a better grasp of life currently and feel a little more in control. Have to write things down to keep myself reminded of “to do’s” but if that’s what keeps me sane then so be it. It works for me. 

Right, I think we’re all caught up. That is the baseline update. Just to make sure you’re all with me. 😉 How have you all been? 

I will be back again soon. 

xxx

Its 2015…

And herewith is a breakdown of my 2014.

1) I discovered I was not just crazy
A monumental change in my life occurred in early 2014. I was diagnosed with a depressive disorder along with other minor issues. I was given validation that I wasnt just crazy and that thoughts and feelings and eventual body stress related illness was not just in my head. After being in denial so long (because me? depressed? NEEEVER), it was finally out there, and now I am on the road to recovery and a better outlook on life in general. I realised I have a husband and two kids. The dark cloud I was living under had finally given way to the light. It felt great to see clearly again.
Yes, some days are still hard, but I am managing better than I would have had I not been on medication. Its a slow progress, but one which is noticeable.

2) I got out of the hell hole
I think you all know that one of the catalysts which led to my eventual seeking of help was my job. In May 2014 I was successful in getting and starting another job in a new place. I am loving it. I now get to be closer to my kids and home and get to take them to school each morning. Its fantastic.

3) My kids are growing up
In 2014 my twins started Kindergarten (or Grade R as we call it here). In a matter of a month I noticed a complete change in them. My daughter started talking more (a lot more!) and my son also opened up a little more. They are growing so fast. Grade R was a huge success. In 2015 they move to Grade 1 (and yes, I shall cry once I see them in that uniform for the first time! Im not even ashamed to admit it). They will be in separate classes this year. I don’t mind. Its time they started to function individually as well. Its going to be an interesting year.

4) I almost didn’t become an aunt
My niece had a rough start to her life in 2014. At birth both her lungs collapsed (that’s a whole other story which I wont get into, but know that sometimes doctors are arseholes). Thank God for her pediatrician (who incidentally is also the twins pediatrician). He saved her life. You would never say that she went through that trauma 6 months on. I adore her. (I also claim she is my third child! lol)

5) I realised how fragile life really is
I will never forget the look in my cousin’s eyes at the loss of his son. Never.

6) I discovered vaping
And as a result I am cigarette free for 6 months already. Yay, me! I find I rather enjoy vaping. Such an awesome community of people too. Big thumbs up there.

7) Kids can get sick quickly
I have mentioned before about how germs picked up at school will still cause me to go completely insane and become mom to plastic bubble children. My daughter (as strangely the same in 2013), landed up in hospital for 4 days with a bacterial infection. It was a long four days. My child was sick. The sickest I’ve seen yet. Its heartbreaking. Its upsetting.
I’m trying not to be an over controlling germaphobe.

8) My house
I have been on a mission. I want to paint, and do shelving and declutter! Its slow, but it is actually going better than I thought it would. Granted, I started in the later part of 2014 with this mission, but I am carrying on with this into the New Year. I am trying to chronical some of that on my other blog. We’ll see how that goes.

2014 proved to be a challenging and yet successful year. It went quicker than I thought it would. I dont make resolutions for the New Year because I believe that if you want to do something you can start at any time you want to. The key is just to start. I wish you all a very prosperous New Year and may your dreams come true.
You can do it!!

2014…

So a New Year is upon us all and I am sure everybody is back in the swing of things. Work, kids back at school or perhaps first day of school and the usual chaos that ensues.
Before going back to work while on my vacation (all be it a short one)I tried to reflect on what 2013 has been like and lessons that I have learned throughout. The below are some of the major ones:

Kids will always be some kind of enigma. They are evolving constantly and as a parent, I have found at times that it is sometimes difficult to keep up. It could also be of course that I am a working mom, but nonetheless I find myself sometimes baffled by what comes out of their mouths. I am the first to admit that, yes, I at times do underestimate them in terms of their independence and perhaps I need to lay off the “molly coddling” as it were.
Lesson? Try and go with the flow (a little).

Kids are giant germ carriers. Really. Despite my best efforts, trips to the hospital emergency room were unavoidable in 2013. Also at God forsaken hours. *sigh* Lesson? Try to be less of a germaphobe and understand that kids will get sick. However personally, I draw the line when your kid is in hospital for 3 days. I had to restrain myself after that to not go into full sterile mode and put them both in plastic bubbles forever. *sigh* So, the internal battle continues.

The harder you work, the more people will take advantage of you. The lesson is that you can work hard and provide an excellent service, and just say no when necessary and valid. You are no one’s door mat and will not let the stress kill you. Mantra for 2014? “I will not stress over shit that is not within my control”. Yes, it’s a mantra, I don’t do resolutions. Whether or not this mantra stays throughout 2014 is debatable, but I shall give it a shot in order to avoid the stress and anxiety. Also, will look for another job.

Some health issues have popped up in 2013, but seems to be manageable. I hope. I have for a long time lived with endometriosis. Managed just fine with the help of my wonderful doctor. Things have progressed to a level which is different right now and that requires certain other treatment. But yes, manageable for now. Which I am happy about. Lesson? Don’t panic.

I recently took a look at my blog and found it to be somewhat on the side of just mom stuff and kid stuff and work stuff and… well anyway, you get the point. So look for big changes in 2014! New and interesting things are afoot. Granted it might take a while, but I am glad to still have you all around to experience it with.

xxx

I Made It To 2013

There was some debate in my mind as to whether 2013 would be a bright light in my eye or if it would continue to be a dark void that 2012 had been. Funny enough, the light isnt bright, but its on, and that’s enough for me right now.

I’m back at work and in the swing of things and, ok its not wonderful, but I am at least peremanently employed now. Needless to say, I have been trolling (is that the word?) for other jobs. This one is probably going to send me to the mental ward. I’m being serious. Don’t judge.

On the kids side, they are back at their play school/educare. Its wonderful and they are flourishing. They enjoy it thoroughly and it gives them an outlet for their excess engergy.

This is going to be a very short post, but know that this blog is and will still continue! I’m determined not to be overwhelmed this year.

Have a wonderful 2013 folks!

A New Year, With Some Kind Of New Outlook…

So the working week has finally begun after a well-deserved (and I don’t think I am tooting my own horn here) break.

This is my first post for 2012 as I took a break from blogging as well. I felt I needed to come back refreshed and attempt to have a positive outlook for the year ahead. The slog that was 2011 is behind me and I am trying to get things better all around.

The Festive Season had its fair share of drama that makes me cringe when I think about it.

We went to the in-laws for Christmas day lunch and the kids and family had a wonderful time. Only for A1, myself and A to be struck by food poisoning 24hrs later.

Note: ok, so maybe it was anywhere between 8 – 10 hrs later. And yes it was food poisoning. Some name that is long and complicated to spell and that activates within 8 – 10 hrs of ingesting said infected food (I googled clearly). Was. Not. Amused. The debilitating cramps sucked.

Luckily A had the mild version so wasn’t as sick. N didn’t have it because she is a fussy eater. I had a medium case and A1 had it worse out of all of us. It took the rest of the bloody week for the crap feeling and cramps to subside. Like literally a day before we were to spend New Year’s day lunch at the in-laws.  We survived.

After all of this we finally got to get a bit of a vacation at the coast. Ok, so we live at the coast, but we went to another area of the coast for our holiday. It was hot weather all around. The kids had a blast. We were sunburnt and exhausted. But the kids had fun. We suffered through a terrible tantrum at the mall. But the kids had fun. We didn’t get to do half of what we wanted to do. But the kids had fun. Did I mention we were exhausted? But the bloody kids had fun!

And so this brings me back to where I started. Yes, the work week has begun and so far so good (except for not being able to log into my pc for the first part of the morning. Amazingly I have remained somewhat calm). I am attempting to keep a positive outlook on this and not be as hell bent to put myself into the hospital suffering from a stroke. I will take things at a pace where I will do what I am capable of in the time I have allocated. I will also not be walked all over and will not shut up when I see that things are bordering on bloody ridiculous. Enough is enough and I will NOT be a doormat.

So here is to a super and productive if not zen 2012 folks!

Outlook…

As the year rapidly approaches an end I figured I would do one last post for 2011.

You might wonder if I have any New Year’s resolutions. The honest truth? I don’t. I never have. I just don’t think it’s necessary. I think that the resolution that one makes is either going to be broken, forgotten or just not cared about. I also think that over time I have become more of a day to day kind of person.

Its just easier to live on a day to day basis. At least for the time being. My brain can’t cope with thinking ahead. I seem to cope better at the moment just dealing with the here and now. Its doable. And if anything is doable I’m all for it.

So as we all look towards the year 2012 (of which I can only think of how I am going to survive New Year’s day lunch), I do sincerely hope that all your hopes and dreams (whatever they may be and even if they are a long list of resolutions) comes to fruition.

xxx 🙂

That Time Of Year Already?

As Christmas approaches and everyone gears up for the holidays, I take time to reflect on how bloody fast this year has gone.

I look at the progression of life as we gear towards a New Year and can only wonder if it will go a little less hectic and a lot more smoothly.

My kids:

The one thing that I do know is that they are really growing up to be little adults.

A has a vocab range of a 5 year old and sometimes I think he has a really old soul. He has full blown conversations with you that will blow your mind. It is really like you are talking to a child who has gone to school already. It is at times also rather freaky. We have taken extra care not to talk about certain things as he has the ability to retain info more than the average three year old. The only thing that brings me out of this line of thinking every now and then is that he has the ability (read: annoying ability) to whine and just sometimes be a complete 1 year old. Although I have just put it down to (for my own sanity actually) him being just over tired sometimes.

N is truly improving in her speech and now babbles non stop. It is a mixture of words and baby lingo at some ear bleeding high pitch. She is rarely quiet these days and has the ability (read: mind numbing) to throw tantrums to the likes which you have never seen. She is “fashion conscious” to a degree. For example: she will not wear long pj pants with a short pj top. It is either short or long. Done deal. Also if she doesn’t like the shoes you put on with her outfit it is outright war. Same goes for if she doesn’t want to put on a particular item of clothing.

Potty training is proving to be a challenge. Although A will put on underwear and maybe get it right every now and then the majority of the time he wets himself. Granted he is responsive to the potty idea and underwear. N on the other hand point blank refuses to go near a potty. Point blank refuses to put on underwear. It gets to a point that she throws a complete meltdown even when A has on underwear.

Side note: Which brings me back to her “fashion conscious” issue. She sometimes throws a fit when she doesn’t approve of what her brother is wearing. I have been trying to instill in her that A can wear whatever (read: whatever I put on for him) he wants. It has nothing to do with her. The battle continues with this however. I am convinced (read: my paranoid side) that my daughter has an OCD issue? I am not sure how you tell this with 3 year olds but I reckon I should investigate it maybe.

The battle rages on in an effort to get the twins out of nappies. It is proving to be a little harder than I imagined. I reckon A will progress well into the potty mode. He is receptive and sometimes asks for underpants. N is treating it like it is the portal to hell. Will not even look in its direction and if you show her panties she freaks like nothing you have ever seen. Will have to figure out how to work this out. Nappies are just bloody expensive damnit!

Work:

I was so excited to finally get back in to the working world after taking the time away (read: couldn’t find a suitable helper) to be with my kids. I have enjoyed that period of time and will always be thankful for it. I am not however that type of person. I need to work. It is engrained in me and when they were old enough (and we found someone suitable) I went back into the job market again.

What I failed (or maybe forgot) to realize at the time is the amount of absolute bullshit that goes on in the working world. Naturally since I am so “lucky” these days, I happened to find a job in the most F*cked up place in the whole entire world. Ok, so maybe I am exaggerating, but seriously, the stuff that goes on here and the processes just kill me. I will be scouting around next year for possible other job opportunities.

Life:

It seems that 2011 has been the “let every damn appliance and vehicle f*ck out and leave you with nothing” type of year. It is ridiculous!

We have to date:

Replaced the TV

Replaced the Fridge

Replace the bottom element of the oven

Replaced the microwave

Sent the car in to fixed like a bajillion times (of which the latest happened only yesterday!)

Washing machine was doing some stupid crap but it seems to be ok now (just F off Murphy!)

A1’s laptop had to go in for repairs

Financially it TOTALLY sucks. I am not even sure what else to say on this topic because it just sucks.

And so…

Here I sit and patiently waiting until the 21^st December to go on leave for the Christmas holidays. I am exhausted and cannot wait. It has been a long tiring, trying and all around ok year.

I will probably post maybe over my break, but just in case I get lost in life again, here’s wishing all of you and your families a blessed festive season and a wonderful new year!