Real World Problems

I had a very hectic Christmas. We always do.

We got up and rushed to my parents’ place where we spent a couple of hours and ate Christmas Lunch. Christmas lunch was late, so we couldn’t stay for dessert as we had to rush off to my in-laws place for Christmas afternoon and then Christmas dinner was spent with 50 or so members of our extended family at Christmas Dinner at Nan and Pa’s place.

This has been Mr Hat’s and my Christmas for years, but this year, we had a 3 month old to drag along with us.

IT.WAS.AWFUL!

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Missy Moo did not sleep for longer than half an hour at a time, and she only did that three or four times from 7am to 8:30pm so she was a little cranky.

And our family was a little cranky with us too. You see, by the time we got to dear old Nan and Pa’s place, Missy Moo, Mr Hat and I had had enough! We decided we weren’t playing that game that everybody loves to play with babies, you know the one, pass the baby around to EVERYBODY! Don’t forget to poke her and really get in her face, she loves that!

Someone tried to pry my daughter from my arms, someone tried to use guilt to have a hold, someone tried to compare my baby to another baby who was always allowed to be passed around to everybody, we were huffed at, there was even a ‘storm off’!

Merry Christmas guys!

Mr Hat decided that next Christmas, we weren’t leaving the house.

He must have been drunk on Christmas Cheer because the silly man actually announced this to his family!

And then the guilt trips started.

There was talk of it not being fair to our daughter, talk of older relatives not being around for much longer so the necessity of spending Christmas with them next year, there was even mention of the beautiful Miss B who will be spending Christmas with the family next year as she has missed the last 3 so because she has been living overseas.

I’m considering moving overseas if it means that I can avoid the Christmas politics next year!

I was in a ca-coon made up of ba-humbug and grumbles since Christmas. I locked myself and my daughter away in an attempt to recover from the patience I’d lost and the cranky hat I was wearing and then I remembered something…

I’m so very lucky that these are my complaints!

Yes this situation sucks is less than desirable, but realistically, what are my complaints?

I have a large family who want to spend time with my family.

Yep, that’s terrible! Sucks to be me!

After all, there are so many people with real world problems like poverty, AIDS, homelessness and people that have no family at all.

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So I am emerging from my ca-coon a beautiful butterfly with rose coloured googly eyes wearing my grateful pants that there are so many people that love me, my husband and my daughter and with a new years resolution to try to have more patience with people.

How did you spend your Christmas?

How do you juggle visiting all of the relatives that want to see you and your family?

Don't Judge Me But I Have Cleaning Ladies

There, I said it!

Yes, I know, I’m a stay at home mum so I probably don’t need cleaning ladies but

a) They do such a lovely job

b) It doesn't cost much money

c) They are really lovely ladies

d) They leave my house smelling beautiful

and e) Did I mention they are really lovely ladies?

I went to a job interview today. They asked me how I knew the lovely lady who had recommended me for the job. I told her she was a friend of one of my cleaning ladies.

Um, Big Mistake!

The look I received from the three people interviewing me said it all. I read the thoughts in their heads… here’s what they were saying…

Tall Skinny Male Interviewer: “But what else do you have to do all day?”

Female One: “Princess”

Female Two: “Lazy”

I could have explained that my husband hired these cleaning ladies for me when I was suffering from a pregnancy that included throwing up everything I ate, and seeing as I barely had enough energy to travel over an hour to work each day, work my butt off for eight or nine hours (minus the time I spent with my head in the bin or toilet, whichever was closest) and then travel home, the housework was being neglected. And I like a clean home.

My husband did work very hard at maintaining the housework, and the cooking, because I couldn’t be around food cooking, but he does work sixty plus hour weeks and he was busy holding my hair back and getting me glasses of water when he was home.

So the housework was being neglected and I hated that! But I was so sick! I mentioned that, right? The last time I suffered from mourning morning sickness was three days before I gave birth.

After Missy Moo arrived, we’d already fallen in love with our lovely cleaning ladies, and to be honest, I don’t like vacuuming and mopping floors (who does???)  so we decided to continue their service.

And I think it may have cost me a job.

So I came home from my interview, a little deflated. But as soon as I walked through the door of my sparkling clean home, I felt a whole lot better!

There will be plenty more jobs out there, but there will only ever be two ladies that clean my home, and neither of them will be me!


**UPDATE** I was offered the job today! Came as a bit of a surprise but I accepted... Once again I am a pharmacy chicky! Can't wait to use my discount on baby stuff!


If anyone reading this is in the Lower Blue Mountains and is after FABULOUS cleaning ladies, call James Home Services! Judy and Deanne are two of the most lovely and genuine ladies! And they do a fantastic job! Oh, and this is NOT a sponsored post! Simply my own opinion!


Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!


Lots of love


Aly

Breaking-up is never easy

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I am a monogamous person.

I don’t cheat, I don’t two-time, I don’t even flirt with anyone other than my betrothed, that’s how loyal I am. When I commit, it's a REALLY BIG DEAL. I never enter into relationships lightly.

This is why breaking-up has never been easy for me. I have been known to stay in a failing relationship because I just can’t bring myself to end it…

This week, I made a decision to end one of the most important relationships in my life.

I think I should also let you know that we only reunited a year ago, after my one and only left me to travel overseas FOR YEARS! I was heart broken, and after a series of one-off dates, I found another person I could connect with, someone else who completely understood me and fulfilled my needs. And then my first love returned, and like lovesick puppies, we got back together.

I think I am going to take the easy way out in this break-up because I am a massive chicken sometimes and just cease communication. To be honest, if I don’t initiate the calls and the visits, we have no contact. I’m always the one making time to fit in with her schedule, never the other way around.

I learnt a few things from my last relationship, like how my hair looks better when I have blonde AND caramel foils, and what shampoo and conditioner to use to keep my blonde hair looking fresh and vibrant instead of harsh and brassy.

You see, I’m a little protective of my hair… being the daughter of a hairdresser, my mother always stressed on me the need to take excellent care of my hair and how important a good hairdresser is.

So you can understand my dismay when my hairdresser, the one whom I had idealised and missed while away, returned, only to want to revert me back the way I was. But I have grown, my hair is longer and my knowledge of professional products has increased. I’m not the same naive little girl anymore.

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I gave her every opportunity to adapt to my new style, but she’s convinced her ways are better, and after giving them a chance, I am not.

I only wish I could run back to my last hairdresser, albeit with my tail between my knees, but it seems she has up and left the salon she was working at, never to be heard of again!

There is a little light on the horizon… there is hairdresser that I have been hearing rave reviews about for years, my cousin and four of my girlfriends use him, and I’ve seen his work… it’s good.

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So in 5 weeks time, when I’m due to sit in a chair looking like an idiot with a head full of foils be revamped, I’ll make an appointment and pray that it is love at first foil, cut and dry. Because seriously, I don’t have the energy for all of this emotional turmoil right now!

Have you ever had to end a professional relationship and dreaded it?

How have you ‘broken-up’?

Have you ever been the one being dumped?