Monday, August 30, 2010

Spring has sprung!

well it will be tomorrow so I thought it was a good chance to come and look back on August and see how I went with my goals.....

Work...... Well the transition has been CONSIDERABLY harder than I thought it would be and to be honest, I'm really not feeling the love. The standards and practices of the ward leave alot to be desired. I've also managed to get on the wrong side of one of the senior staff already so I'm pretty sure it's all downhill from there. I was asked to give meds to a patient through a tube feed but when I asked for a new syringe since the old one was crusty and disgusting I was told "it doesn't matter, he's leaving tomorrow, just use that one because they are so expensive". ARGH!! So many things that I've seen there go completely against my core values and what I see as being good quality nursing care. 32 shifts to go and then I'm out of there!! Bring on November 11!!

Housework.... I promise, other than doing this mornings brekky dishes this is the true representation of my house. I'm proud of myself for really keeping on top of things over the month. It makes me feel so much less cluttered in the mind as well as feeling happier and more in control of my physical surroundings.
This is my new kitchen island bench that my wonderful neighbour built for me which I am currently in love with! So much space now!! Plus it breaks up the kitchen area from being one big area into a clearly defined space. Love it and for the bargain price of $150 I couldn't be happier! The stain came out exactly as I was hoping and it matches the new bookshelf and TV unit really well. The house is certainly coming together and it feels great!!

Knitting.... I cast on and cast off this neckwarmer made from Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran yarn which I was lucky enough to recieve in a swap on Ravelry. This yarn is super yummy and while I'm happy with my neckwarmer I think it needs to be re-blocked a little wider. I'm also heading to spotties in the next few days for buttons. What do you think??



Reading.... I was able to finish the power of one and I have to say I was somewhat underwhelmed. It wasn't as good as I had remembered it to be but I still enjoyed the writing style. This month I'm delving into the world of self-help with "Road testing Happiness" - I started reading it last night and so far I'm picking up a few things and have found myself nodding at quite a few parts of it!! I'm also going to read "The Time Travelers Wife" which I picked up at the oppy for the grand sum of one dollar the other day. I've heard good things about it so hopefully it will live up to it's expectations!!

Blog... Well the post count is up and I've enjoyed writing. I'm also starting a personal journal which is giving me another writing outlet. I feel somewhat lighter letting go of my head and getting it down onto paper.
Friends..... I've been spending a fair amount of time with the above-mentioned new neighbours and it has been lovely to share time with a family who has similar values and principles as mine, as an added bonus the kids get along swimmingly and have been bike riding/scooting/playing together quite a bit.
Menu planning..... let's just tide that one over to next month shall we.......








Monday, August 16, 2010

This is exactly what I was talking about

My day goes something like this....

Woken up by children fighting - crap
Settle them and go back to sleep - yay
Wake up and get them out the door - okay
Zoo trip - awesome
Pick mr up from school and hear about his day - okay
Wait over an hour to see the paed - crappy crappy crap
Talk to the paed while trying to ignore the children who appear to be trying to kill each other - crap
Get told he needs more meds and that I'm not meeting some of his needs - CRAPPY
Come home to find that the osso bucco I put in the slow cooker for dinner is inedible since I also cooked the plasticy things that are under the meat in the supermarket - CRAP
Find that we don't have enough cash for take away - SHIT
Fight with Izaak about homework - SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT

I'm tired, frustrated and sick of the ups and downs. And I think I'm drinking too much ;-( Argh!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Rollercoaster Riding

Sometimes life here feels like such a rollercoaster - we go from the highest of highs to some quite low points. I think this weekend has been a really good example of that - from yesterday morning where the house was cleaned to within an inch of it's life, the kids were happily playing together and I even did some baking!! - to tonight where I'm feeling pretty darn crap. Tummy doesn't feel right, children are cranky and fighting with each other, head feels cloudy and the house is less, alot less, than perfect. Yuck. Yuckity, yuckity, yuck. So I did what I do and abandoned the book and tucked myself up on the couch and watched telly.

I flicked between dancing with the stars (because I'm a sucker for the costumes - give me a sequin and I'm yours!!) and the offspring premier. I happened to be on DWTS when the elimination bit came on. David Wirrpunda eliminated himself and it was such a lovely example of true sportsmanship and grace that I've seen in a long time. He was scoring well below the other couples and really didn't seem to be in the same skill level and so decided to step aside for the sake of the remaining contestants. What a brave and couragous decision. They had footage of him going to a remote college for Indigenous students as well which I thought was really lovely - to see someone so involved and passionate about their community and the younger generations. I was impressed!

Anyone else watch offspring? Thoughts?


Sometimes life feels like such a roller coaster - the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in just hours.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Staying on track


It's now half way through August so I wanted to post about how well (or otherwise) my goals are going....

reading - I'm about two-thirds through my book and am thoroughly enjoying it. I must admit that it somehow seemed different (better?) in my memories but I am still reading every night and snatching moments here and there to get through a page or two. I know that I'm better when I'm focused and goal setting and this has been proven yet again over the past fortnight. I'm watching less TV in the evenings, going to bed earlier and sleeping better - all of which I am contributing (at least partly) to my reading. I'm wondering what I'll move onto next? Suggestions??

friends - well there have been numerous lunches and a dinner date over the past fortnight with various friends and I am very much looking forward to lunching on Tuesday with twitchy fingers who I haven't caught up with for quite a while now. We are heading to Dobinsons cafe in Civic who have the most amazing lemon & white chocolate cheesecakes - yummy!! I've also had my new neighbours over for dinner which was lovely - I think Charley is really loving having another little girl so close by - the two of them giggle away at each other playing mums & bubs, dollies etc

blogging - 'nuff said really. Post count this month is significantly up on past months and I am enjoying writing and getting things out of my head and onto paper. I'm wondering, fellow bloggers, do you write posts and then not publish them? are some things just too sacred to get out there publically?

knitting - I've cast on yet another clappy - this time in bamboo and a scarf rather than stole. I want something quite summery for when the weather warms up and I love this pattern so much. This will be my fourth and each of these has been different and wonderful in it's own way so I have hope. So far I'm up to the straight sections so I'd say about a third of the way in.

work - let's not go there

housework - success!! the house is definitely looking quite different to what it did a month ago. We had the big clean and since then I've also made some cosmetic changes to teh place - bought & installed some might fittings, curtains and some new furniture. I'm enjoying the house more and more - seeing it now as a santuary where I can relax and just chill out. I'm giving the kids more and more jobs around the house which they are at times relishing in and at others resisting.
menu planning - uummmm...... let's stay away from that topic too!!
Considering there's two weeks left of the month I'm feeling pretty happy with myself. I'm on track. I like the feeling of being on track.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Bloggers Book Club

I love to read. Really I enjoy finding a good book and getting transported into a completely different life/place/family etc. Unfortunately for the past three years or so my reading list and time have been completely dominated by textbooks and after I finished uni I sort of lost the desire to read and revelled in quite a bit of TV time. During lunch last week with Bron we were both talking about how much we love to read and how easy it is to get caught up in the washing, crafting, housework, kidlets (for me!) etc. So I decided to ammend my August goals to include some reading time each night and Bron and I came up with the idea of a little bloggy thingie (aka Bloggers Book Club) where we could post what we are up to in the reading department each month.

So we'd love you to join us - post about what you are reading, what you want to read, what you have read and whether it was good, bad or indifferent or just if you've read a review that you think we'd like to hear about. Clever Bron is thinking about a button and a link list so we can follow along with everyone. I'm excited to see/hear about what others are reading!!So.... This month I am reading The Power of One

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Food & Friends - the perfect blend

Today I met a wonderful friend for lunch at a local Turkish restaurant and it was delish! Service was good, waiters cranky as always but the conversation was easy, food was lovely and the bill was very reasonable. We wandered around the shops and contemplated dinner settings, books, fashion and shoes before going our separate ways. Then completed coincidentally I ran into another friend (while buying something naughty for dinner!) which led to wine, chocolate lava cakes and wonderful conversation.

And now as I sit here contemplating the meaning of life (haha haha) I feel so incredibly blessed to have such great friends around me. There have been a few parenting decisions lately that I have posted on facebook as well where I have had a wonderful response from people I know in real life and from my cyber friends too. I just feel so lucky that I have people around me who genuinely care about my family and myself. Just like my last post I guess, it's all about perspective.

So far I'm meeting the goals - I see you roll your eyes and look at the calendar - yes it's only four days into the month but I'm all for celebrating achievements, big or small!! I'm catching up with friends, the washing is up to date and I'm blogging more often. I'm planning (in cahoots with others) an amendment to the August goals but will post more on that later.

Cheerio

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

More public ousting

So it seemed to work with the house so I've decided I'm going to publicise my goals for August. I've fallen by the wayside when it comes to goalsetting in the past few months so I figure if I put it down on paper (or the web!!) then I'm more likely to stick to it since others can see (and keep me on track!!) with what I say I'm going to do.

So, in August I am going to....
.... be kind to myself with the change of work areas - things are going to be very different and in the first few days there is going to be alot for me to take in and to learn so I'm just going to take it slow and steady and not to expect too much of myself
.... cast on and FINISH a knitting project. No idea what it's going to be - large? (doubtful!) for me? or the kids? or someone else entirely? accessory? homewares?
.... keep on top of the housework - trying not to let things get on top of me again
.... blog more diligently - I like writing. I like sharing what's happening in my life and what is going on with the smalls
.... make more of an effort to keep in contact with friends - I miss them ;-(
.... menu plan for at least two of the four weeks of the month
.... related to the above - try out some new recipes and not stick to the same old, same old.

I think that'll do me for now!!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Perspective


It's really all about perspective isn't it?

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Humiliation = motivation?

Thank you for the lovely comments, both here on the blog and in real life about my 'before' pictures. I feel strangely proud about posting them on here - I'm not too proud, too unrealistic or too unreal to show the 'real' me and my 'real' house. If they did nothing other than make other people feel less guilty about the state of their own homes then it was a good thing. It did much more than that though. A good dose of public 'outing' (for want of a better word!) does amazing things for the motivation so this morning I donned my oldest, daggiest trackies, cranked up the tunes and set to work. It really is amazing how quickly things come together in such a small space and now I'm sitting here writing this I am amazed at how just a few hours can transform my home. I'm also amazed at how much my clean, organised home can change how I feel - somehow more calm, less chaotic, more organised. I like it! Now just to keep it that way....





I had to post this - do you have odd socks? how do you cope with them? Clearly I need strategies since you are looking at the 47 odd socks that have accumulated at my house. I have sorted and made pairs where I can but Charlotte particularly is known for wearing odd sock pairs. I think it's a complete waste of time, money and resources to throw one-off socks out but I would like it if she had more matching pairs. All suggestions greatly appreciated!!!