Time flying by, but Im not all that lost…

I somehow have no idea how it got to November already. The year of 2014 is coming to an end and all my brain can think of is: “didn’t we just go into January 2014?”. Luckily for me, its not alot of “fog brain” compared to last year.
This is not going to be a “summing up of the year” kind of post. That comes way later. But I really just wanted to highlight that it really has flown by.

And along with it being November comes the most important month of the year. Well, to the twins at least. They will be turning 6 this month. Obviously the chatter in the house has been what they want for their birthday. Non stop. We’ve taken note of the occasional ramblings. 😉
And yes, I said 6. That’s a whole hand and one finger old. That is closer to 10. As you can tell, to grasp the concept is a little hard for me. It is again like the year, time has just flown by. My “little babies” are going to Grade 1 next year and that is just great. I will deal with that “mommy emotional issues” when I get there 😉 (I first gotta make it through the Christmas season in one piece)

I have also recently had some kind of epiphany to “re-do” the house. You know, paint, scrape and more paint, rearrange, de-clutter and the possibility of building on a new playroom/work room for the kids. Yes, I know, it seems daunting. But I am determined to make this happen. One way or another. There is so much to do, but each task will be taken one step at a time. Currently we are busy repainting the outside of the house.

I will be chronicling those trials and tribulations on my latest blog: A Little More Fluff I named it this purely because it is not based on the goings on of family and work etc. Its more décor, diy, vaping etc based. Its up and running currently so please pop on by and have a look. I also have another blog focused more on beauty, fashion, nails etc. etc. I Blog Beauty n Stuff has been up for a while. So if you haven’t gone round, it would be great if you could let me know your thoughts. And obviously I shall still be blogging on here, so don’t think this blog is going anywhere!

As always, thanks for stopping by lovelies

Not To Worry…I Think

I haven’t posted something in ages. It’s not like I have run out of things to say this time around. Actually I have plenty. I am just not 100 percent sure of how to format it so it makes sense. There are 101 thoughts in my head that needs to get organized and frankly my brain just does not comprehend at the moment. I am exhausted and I sometimes cannot stand on my own two feet.

Thoughts of every kind ranging from kids, to mom stuff, to work, food, music, books and just Oh My Word, where do I begin? Maybe it is just my own fault for just not putting these thoughts onto paper in order to get a decent post out onto my blog. Shame on me.

And even if I did end up starting a post, I leave it in drafts and then by the time I actually remember that I have something in drafts, it is just way to late since I don’t remember what it was I was talking about. Not even reading the unfinished post jogs my memory (of which I now realize has taken a brutal beating and sometimes I don’t remember doing things even as far back as 24hrs ago) as to what point I was trying to make at the time.

The point I am trying to make here, however, is that I have a lot to say and would love to have a post up every day, but as circumstances would have it I just cant. I feel sad because of this as I adore my little blog haven and I appreciate each and every reader that I do have. I can always say that I am going to make a concerted effort to do a post every day, but that would just be a lie. Work has totaled me and in the evenings the kids total me. Lame excuse, but it’s the God’s honest truth.

What I can say is that I will endeavor to post more. How much more? I honestly don’t know.

To you dear readers, please don’t give up on me. I am still here. 🙂

Potty Time??

Trying to have a conversation with a two year old is like having your nails pulled from your hand. Painful, but it won’t kill you. In my wisdom (not sure that it was wise really) I asked A when would he like to use the potty. Kinda testing the waters if you know what I mean. It went something along these lines:

 Me: “A, when are you going to use the potty? You are becoming a big boy now.”

A: “Potty time mommy.”

Me: “Aw, hun, do you want to try and sit on the potty?”

A: “Daddy go get controller mommy” (A enjoys watching A1 play on the Xbox. We found old controllers for the kids to use. They love pretending to play games. Don’t know why we didn’t figure this out earlier, but anyways..)

Me: “Ok, yes, but listen to mommy for a second. When are you going to sit on the potty?”

A: Blank stare ….. “No sit on potty”

Damnit! I try again.

Me: “But A you are becoming a big boy now and big boys use the potty”

A: Smiles “Daddy sit on toilet for 5 minutes” (have no clue where he gets that one from!)

Me: ????

Me: “Yes ok, Daddy sit on toilet for 5 minutes, but when is A going to sit on toilet?”

A: “Look at colours on blankie mommy, blue, green, orange…” (He wasn’t pointing to the colour in particular he was kinda just rambling the colours off to distract me! Then it occurred to me: HE IS TRYING TO DISTRACT ME SO I WONT ASK THE QUESTION AGAIN!!! WTF???)

Me: “A, c’mon and tell mommy when do you want to use the potty?”

A: *takes dummy out of mouth and points to it* “Look at the butterflies mommy” (it’s actually lady bugs, but anyways..)

I give up…Like a total parenting fail on my part. I just don’t have the patience to deal with this part of their rite of passage to growing up.

So this morning I try and ask N would she like to use the potty. Her vocab not being as extensive as her brother all she said was “Pattah time?” and ran away laughing.

L is going to have to sort this one out. My psyche can’t take it. I’m not designed for this type of thing. Maybe she has more patience. After all she has raised 3 boys who are accomplished toilet goers. So why not just let her take over. Yeah, that’s what I’m going to do. Good plan!

Wait, what about weekends? *sigh*…….

For your entertainment (and because I am a sucker for punishment) here is a drawing about how I see this working out!

When Service Delivery Stinks

I don’t ask for much in this world (ok maybe sometimes I do, but that’s not the point I’m going to make here) but the one thing I would really like to receive, just once, it prompt service. I mean for heavens sake, I am paying taxes etc. so the least I could get is someone who can provide me with a service where I don’t end up acting like a complete bitch. Maybe it’s just that South Africa has a service delivery issue which has been going on for like forever and people just don’t care how customers are treated anymore. Is it really that bad? Really?
I reckon I should start at the beginning so I don’t sound completely nuts. I warn you, this is a long one. Grab a coffee or something and make yourself comfy.

 

Ok, so Thursday evening I get home to a power failure. Not just our house, but the whole neighborhood and half the town. Annoyed from a crap day already we proceeded to get candles out and sort out kids supper with the gas canister we have outside. It had already been off for close to two hours when I got home. Another hour and it popped on again. Relief! Not! It was on for two minutes and back off again. For like another hour! It eventually came on half an hour after the kids had finished with their supper.
I go towards the TV and notice or DSTV (Digital Satellite TV) decoder has a ‘be1’ on its display screen. It doesn’t work. Resetting it doesn’t work. Nothing bloody works. A1 then decides to check on the net to see if there is a remedy for this and he finds one. It’s supposed to work. It always works. Except for us. We tried 7 times. It did not work. Murphy, you bastard!

 

So we figure we are going to have to take it in. We do this Friday after work. They were “helpful”. When we told them of the problem all the service guy said was “oh shit”. You clearly know what this means right? He then proceeds to tell us what he is going to do. It happens to be the same thing we tried 7 times the night before. He gives us a look that says “yikes, you’re screwed”. We had to get a new one. LUCKILY it was not expensive in terms of replacing our damaged one. My blood pressure had already raised a level but I was still rational and calm.

 

We then decided that since we are in the vicinity and we are in desperate need of a new TV and wouldn’t be able to do it over the weekend that we would pop into three stores to scout if there was one that suited us (and would bloody last longer than the previous two we have gone through!).
We eventually settle on a well known furniture store as the price was reasonable and it looked really good. We were in there previously while scouting and the sales guy gave us his card. So naturally we go looking for him (to save time) to get this all settled. From here I must apologize as I will be using a couple of swear words. If you are sensitive to this, I advise you to stop reading.

 

So A1 asks that since they are on special are there any that are sealed in a box. Sales guy says “oh no sorry, we are out of stock in this store but we can organize it here and you are welcome to go and collect at one of our other branches”. I should have listened to the warning bells then already. I should’ve said “well, that’s it. We’re off”. But I didn’t. I didn’t listen to the slight pain above my eye as my blood pressure rose half a level. I just didn’t.
We then say there is no way we can go anywhere else now to go and collect, so he responds and says that they can arrange for delivery on a Saturday if that would suit us. My blood pressure dropped that half a level. We then say we want to pay on terms and he gets a look that says “ah right”. He responds by telling us that it would take a bit of time to fill out the necessary forms etc. I ask how long and he says no longer than about 10 minutes. I think that’s manageable and we go ahead.
We sit down and he gets the relevant documentation from us. He disappears to make the copies and this has already been 5 minutes. He comes back and I think “great we’re done”. We weren’t. He then whisks us off to one of the behind the counter service ladies and tells us to have a seat she will assist with the rest of the way. He then disappears again.
The lady behind the desk is facing her computer and peeling a naartjie (like an orange except smaller and softer and easier to eat than an orange). Sitting there, hasn’t said hello and is peeling and starts eating a fucking naartjie. Through chewing she mumbles something about the computer being slow and she will be with us in a second. It has now been over the supposed 10 minutes and my blood pressure has rocketed up 1 and a half levels.

 

We start the whole procedure. And I say procedure because it is a torturous one! Because of the new Credit Act that has been passed here you practically need to give your whole life story before you can get approval. And don’t think you can go and buy a surprise gift appliance or gadget for your spouse on credit because now your spouse has to be a co signer person on the documentation. Complete fuckover. Anyways, we carry on like this for the next 45 minutes!! By now my head is pounding, my stomach is churning like I am going to throw up right there and the pressure behind my eyes makes me want to gouge them out with a pencil. We sign enough forms that could have killed 50 trees and we are on our way.
But wait! As we stand another lady comes on the scene and says “Oh did they ask for a three month bank statement”. That is when I became completely fucking irrational. By now A1 would’ve had to stop me from climbing over the desk and bashing their heads in with the damn computer. She takes one look at me and says “oh not, but don’t worry that is our fault”. I respond and say as long as we get our TV tomorrow that is fine. She has a hesitant look and says that she will speak to manager and something will be arranged. I tell her that the sales guy needs to call me in the morning so I can speak to him (actually just rip him apart over the phone for his bullshitting from the second we walked in there). She said no problem she will pass on the message. I again should have listened to the alarms going off, but my head was pounding so bad I could barely here the alarms.

 

I walked out of there furious that we were misled about how long this would take (PS: sales guy had left to go home already) and I was sick and literally nauseated as my blood pressure was too high. I could’ve thrown up right there, but maintained some kind of decency. I recovered enough about two hours after we got home. I had calmed down and nausea and headache had subsided. Thankfully.

 

So this morning I see I had a missed call on my cell. A1 recognizes the number as being the store. I call back. The sales guy is busy with a customer and will call back. No problem. I get a call 10 minutes later from the lady who “assisted” us the day before and she then requests a three month bank statement. I saw red. I can’t even remember what I said to her but it wasn’t pretty. The one thing you must understand folks is that not once during our whole experience the day before was the issue of a bank statement mentioned. Except when we were done with the paperwork and then were told “not to worry it’s our fault”. I let her have it. I was told the TV would be delivered today and now you’re telling me no? Oh hell no. It does not work that way.

 

She promptly says she will find out when it will be delivered and call me back. Three hours goes by. I’m livid. I call back and find out the situation with the TV. She says it can only be next week. You know what I did then? I told her to cancel the contract. Cancel everything. I do not want your goods, I do not want your crap service and I do not want to deal with you ever again! Her response? “Oh ma’am, no. Let me get the manager to contact you”. I say to her that I am being serious and that even if the manager does call me I still want the contract cancelled. Ladies and gentleman, it is now 21h50 in the evening and I still have not received that call.

 

Tomorrow I go to war.

Time…You Are But A Complete Bitch

Strange how in two and a half years things can change so dramatically. It’s odd to think that it’s even possible. Last night A1 and I were looking at pics of the kids when they were just babies. Cute yes, but that is not what got us. There was a pic (rare) of us holding the kids. A1 says “Is it just me or do we look younger in that photo?” And that’s when it hit me. We were old. How was it possible to age at least 5 or more years in the space of two and a half years?  I thought about it and a couple of points came to mind:

• Two and a half years ago I had the energy of five people. Now I can barely spare energy for one.
• Two and a half years ago my head looked pretty decent. I now have enough grey hair to enter a retirement village.
• Two and half years ago I could still pass for a teenager. Now I look like what the dog threw up.
• Two and a half years ago I could still go out and have a good time, come back late and still get up and make it to work on time. I now barely go out and am really even too exhausted to think about it.
• Two and a half years ago I had ambition to be the best in my career field. I now am just thankful to have a job.
• Two and a half years ago I could look in the mirror and at least smile. I now look in the mirror and want to cry.
• Two and a half years ago I managed my time well. Now if I make it to a place 15 minutes late I consider it a WIN.
• Two and a half years ago I could easily tell you the date, time and what happened anytime anywhere. Now I’m lucky if I know what day of the week it is.
• Two and a half years ago it was easy enough to go out to a restaurant to eat. Now if there is money left over (which is very rare) we might go out to eat. If we can muster the energy.
• Two and a half years ago I was solid in my mental state. Now I doubt my mental state daily.

Those are probably not all, but I reckon one can probably come to the conclusion that two and a half years ago, we didn’t have kids.