Techniques on Tuesday.

Well my latest craft is Knitting... and I kinda suck at it. But hey its fun.

http://www.ravelry.com/

is a great website for knitters and crocheters to meet and there are lots of free (and not free) patterns.

I have made me a hat:

Which started at 64 stitches cast on, and I somehow ended up with 108.... I also had to learn when doing "stocking stitch" (knit a row, purl a row) which side to knit on, and which side to purl on, so got some kind of funny looking stripes unintentionally. I then decreased too quickly and ended up with a "tail" which I have tucked back inside the hat. Overall I do like it, but as soon as I get a little better at knitting I will make me a new one.... IF I stick with it, so far I find it very relaxing.

My next project is a pair of "gauntlets" or fingerless gloves. I sort of am using a pattern but as I dont really understand "guage" yet I am making it up as I go along. First I cast on 70 stitches, and then after knitting about an inch realised that it was going to end up very loose on my hand so I decreased (fairly evenly, I hope) to 50 ish stitches and I guess it will have a cuff... sadly I have to attempt to turn this into a pair so must attempt to repeat my "made up" pattern for the other hand. I also somehow screwed up my stocking stitch again and have ended up with a funny line in the middle there... thats going to irritate me. But its all learning and we must start somewhere!

Hoping to next try my hand at a toy.... EEK!

xx The Ramblings of Another Mother

Motivational Monday

Interestingly, just sharing yesterday that I had lost my motivation seems to have scared it into coming back. Wish that worked everytime, but I know from experience it doesn't.

Today I have managed to stay on top of my work, despite a cold (COLD) morning I managed to get my kids to kindy (almost) on time, and have done Zumba too.

Now to not get smokes :-S

I have slightly failed there lately, and we bought several packets recently, and I tell you what, its hard to maintain the "Quitting" vibe in those circumstances. If they are there, I will smoke them, and to start with if they weren't there I didn't miss them, but now I am. I must resist temptation. I can get back to not missing them again if I stick to it. I hope.

Trouble is there were so many little things in my habit that felt good. Apart from the nicotine kick. It gave me several REAL breaks from my kids on a daily basis, I would not expose my children to the smoke, I went outside and shut the door. Pure silence. I read my book, or drew a house design (because I do that for fun)

Not smoking has meant I am not actually reading anymore. I miss it. I really miss reading. I am not drawing houses as much. I dont miss that quite so much. I miss my kiddie breaks.

I could (and really should) start reading at night before I go to sleep, but I usually take my computer to bed instead and play sims (AKA grown up barbie dolls) or watch something on demand etc. Believe me, sim's puts me to sleep like nothing else, and if I don't find some way to completely shut my brain off, I am up all night long. Sedatives don't help, they work for maybe two days, then I need two sedatives etc.

For a long time I used to record my day in a journal, plan tomorrow, and then read and fall asleep over my book, but I no longer do that, I want to, but I have somehow blocked myself from it. My computer, however is telling me that the cooling system is broken and to send it in for a service, so perhaps this is a good time to break that habit, but then when do I get to play sims??? *cries* I do love sims.

So this wasn't really very motivational, good processing for me, but I want to share something that motivates me on a Monday; so heres a website I use fairly often and is extremely helpful towards maintaining your house, I often do the mini-challanges on my lunch break and I love that they can send it all to your email, keeps you going. Miss a day here and there, and for about a year I ignored her completely but I am slowly getting back into her. Here she is:

http://www.flylady.net/

Thats my piece of motivation to share for this week :-)

xx The Ramblings of Another Mother

Working from home.

Yup, I have that "best of both worlds" scenario, I work from home, in my office in the living room. But is it really best of both worlds? Is it really all its cracked up to be?

One of the big BIG cons of working from home it there really is no such thing as a day off. There really isn't. You can't take sick days, there is no one to take over for you.

I tried to take a day off last Thursday, just me and the twins, I wasn't feeling all that flash. Well actually I felt like crap warmed up for dinner. I thought screw it, for ONCE in my life I am going to do nothing, and go nowhere, I am not going to talk to anyone, I am not even going to get dressed.

I don't remember the last time I did that.

BUT by 9:30 it was all over, I had an invoice to prepare, received calls for help from various people and had organised 2 meetings for the following week. All this in my pajamas. I dealt with these things, then sat down on the floor with the twins to sing and watch some wiggles. The phone rings again, and it's another client wanting to know when the quote I had mentioned would be ready, I had the preliminary numbers but hadn't actually prepared the quote, so I sat down and did that. Then I cleaned the kitchen. Then I fed the babies as it was lunchtime.

Nap time for babies. I cleaned the living room. Vacuumed. Then I got another call from head office wanting to know something about something else, back to the computer to find the answers to those questions. Ten minutes later I am sitting at my computer having just hung up the phone thinking "wasn't this meant to be a day off? I was gunna hang out with my kids for a bit." I WAS still in my pajamas.

But then, with the major health issues we have had this year, I have been able to simply take that time and deal with those things and catch up on work in the evening. Or on weekends. I can go to my daughters school assemblies and watch her sing in the choir. Not that shes in the choir but hey - I could.

I do at times envy people who go to work, come home, forget about it, then collect their paycheck. But then we can charge an awful lot to the business. By paying fringe benefit tax on our cars as both are at times used for the business, we can pay for EVERYTHING to do with them on the business. Then claim the GST. Thats helpful. Especially with the price of petrol these days.

A portion of our rent, power and phone is covered by the business, as the office is run from the home.

It all helps.

But I don't get a salary.

Another downfall of working from home is that you need horse blinkers. You cannot SEE the mess and go clean it up, you must zone out of "home" and into "work" You can't let yourself get sidetracked, as its very easy to then get no work done.

One of the ways I have gotten around this is by having a fairly tight schedule during my work hours. I have my lunchtime allotted and I take it, that's when I can go clean the kitchen if I want to. Or the kids rooms, but come 1pm I am back at my desk. I have to be. There is always more to do there!

I have also set myself time to plan my week, every Monday morning I spend ten minutes planning my work week, and writing various to-do lists. I have an upright magazine holder on my desk which has four files inside labeled MONDAY WEDNESDAY FRIDAY and NEXT WEEK. At that moment I take the next week file, supposedly (but not always) the others are empty, and anything else on my desk, and I go through it, trash what I don't need, assign the rest to either one of those days or next week. And away I go. It works well for me. As I go on if I think of something that needs doing I write it on a scrap of paper and put it into one of those files too.

My other tried and true is my dairy. It's my bible. I write EVERYTHING in it, including my morning and evening routines, I usually write these on a daily basis. My morning and evening routines are the same every day, but I find them much much easier to stick to if I have written them into my dairy. I don't know why. Its also a good place to record moments, triumphs and other things. Like my weigh-ins, milestones the kids have reached, etc. Sometimes if I am in the mood I will write out my day.

If its not in my diary it probably wont happen.

Which brings me to the holidays, I love listening to my friends when the holidays are coming up, and they are all looking forward to cruisey mornings and days, not being rushed. I hate holiday times, its WORSE for me at holiday times, because I have an extra child to arrange care for, and my motivation goes plummeting into a very very deep hole and then the string I am barely clinging to it with breaks. And it takes me until about a week after school starts again to get it back.

Life goes on and I go with it. There are real pros and cons to running your own business, its not all its cracked up to be, and basically for at least the first few years you end up slogging you guts out for very little return. But for us, it does work, it means I am exactly where I need to be, and available when my kids need me. The business I am running has the potential to turn into a big business, which may very well run itself with me watching over it in a few years.

Hopefully.

x The Ramblings of Another Mother

Friday Funday...

Hmmm something that makes me laugh....

This video always makes me laugh... Click here.

And this one:

The Mum Song... Click here.

I think every mother on the planet should watch this at least twice a year, WE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES!!!!!



I also laugh at my kids fighting.... I'm sorry, maybe that makes me really mean, but my gosh, if you saw these two fighting you would laugh too!!!

It usually goes like this: (this is my interpretation of the ANGHHHH noises they are actually making)

CheekyLala: My book.... my book. NOOOO! MYYYYY BOOOOOOK!!!!

CheekyLala runs into wall attempting to get away from BankyBoo

BankyBoo: NOOOOOOOO I AM GOING TO TAKE THAT BOOK AWAY FROM YOU COS ITS MINE!

BankyBoo runs into CheekyLala, CheekyLala screams and throws the book across the room, they race to the finish, and being the same size get there at the same time.

At this point I rescue the book from certain doom.

BankyBoo: HEEYYYYYYY

CheekyLala: Oh well, Look heres a teddy bear!

BankyBoo: MYYYYY TEDDDDYYYY BEAR!!!!!!!

Repeat above...

and on it goes!

Thats life with twins!

xx The Ramblings of Another Mother.

Blog Schedule...

Been reading about blog schedules... ways to ensure you are regularly blogging.... I am a little nervous about my ability to keep to one but here goes:

4 posts per week as follows:

Motivational Monday: A quote or idea that motivates me, a website or something that starts my week with intention.

Tecniques on Tuesday: Basically I have started a Craft Circle, a group of women that get together and do various crafts together, teach each other what they know and so on, so I figure thats a good day for me to post about something crafty too.

Thoughts on Thursday: A day where I share an opinion I have, any tips I use etc etc... or just blurt out all my thoughts and feelings into the computer for all to see!!!

Friday Funday: I will try and make these posts amusing, or share something fun for the weekend.

What do you all think??? Sound interesting? I will also post at any other time I feel like it, but these posts will occur every week from now on.

So to start, Thoughts on Thursday.

This week I have been thinking about a local high school that is placing Ipads on their stationary list for next year. I think this is ridiculous. I feel sorry for anyone with more than one kid at that school. I feel sorry for anyone with ANY kids at that High School. And I feel glad that I had never intended on sending my kids to that high school.

I mean, and Ipad? Are you effing serious? "its just like all the kids need a calculator" WHAT??? ARE YOU SERIOUS??????????

A scientific calculator is about 30 bucks and I am sure several families struggle to even provide that for their kids, on top of the uniform, the other stationary let alone a bloody IPAD??????

Its approximately $700-$1300 dollars apparently.

But cost aside, how many kids will now be secretly messaging each other through their Ipads during class? Much less detectable than note passing and even texting since they will already be "working" on their Ipads... are they going to somehow ban that? I would love to know how. And internet access, how many boys will be sitting in the back of the class watch porn or similar on their bloody Ipad.... christ cant you put music and movies on these things? Lets watch a movie instead of do any work. How much more disruptive to class will this really be?

I get the whole idea that this will supposedly cut down on paper and books etc. But does it have to be compulsory? Why can't they release a book list and say "if you wish your student may have an Ipad instead" how many solo mums and lesser income families will be simply unable to afford this, and doesnt that open up lines for FURTHER bullying??? Do we want out kids to be teased cos their family cant afford the ipad? FAAAARRRRK this makes me seethe.

I wonder how many students this school will have next year. I wonder how many families will simply send their kids to a different school. I think I would be very very tempted.

I worry that this will in fact become the norm through high schools across New Zealand, and in 8 years, we will have 3 children attending high school, and will we be expected to provide them all with an Ipad. And kids, being kids, will probably not respect these extremely expensive items and we may have to replace them on a annual or bi-annual basis??? I have no idea how we are expected to pay for 3 ipads on a regular basis. I would actually like us to purchase a house soon.... mortgage payments are a wee bit more than rent, then add all the other costs of being the home owner and now I am adding massive extra schooling costs? I am not sure we will be able to afford that. And to be quite honest I really do not want to have to afford it, I can think of many other things I would rather spend that money on. Like a bloody university education for my kids!!!

What a ridiculous idea.

xx The Ramblings of Another Mother

Internet Trolling.

Looking for cool ideas for the bedrooms, and a few for the house elsewhere too!

What a cool couch for a rumpus!!! 

Spruce up furniture with old bits of wallpaper.

 I have found this as an embroidery pattern, soon to be created and put onto my wall.

How cute are these??? Not sure if I will do this one, but it IS really neat...

Some knarley thoughts on the master bedroom, which will be my project once I am done with the kids rooms.... it will be a seaside/beach theme... just in case you didn't click.










I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!!

This idea of taking tons of standard sized print photos and making them into a heart shape on the wall. And so easy to update!!!! Brilliant.

<<< This is going into the twins room 

But more like this ^^^^

So easy, and really cool!

I want to do SOMETHING along these lines for the twins room, a mural type thing, 

as soon as I work out how to make it removable as this is still a rental home we live in.

And lastly: http://destitutedesigner.blogspot.com/
This blog has a lot of fabulous ideas for really easy storage and some cool decor things. Quite sad that the last post was in February. Hopefully she comes back soon because I have *YOINK* stolen several of her ideas. Particularly look at the post called "For Josh".

A letter to my children

Dear Rockchick, Cheekylala and Bankyboo,


I have to get up by 7 am at the latest every day, often after getting up to at least one of you sometime during the night. I tidy the house and neatly put away all the toys to have my efforts immediately wasted without a thank you, or even a second glance. I no longer go to the toilet in silence, as you walk in and have a look down there to see whats happening. I listen to inane nonsense all day, and screeching. I break up violent arguments and I often have a headache by bedtime. I deal with multiple smells, messes and sickness. And I love every minute of it. Even when I hate it.


I love waking up in the morning to Morning mummy! And I love kissing you goodnight. I love listening to your storys, and your new words, and I love listening to your laughter. I love being your mother.


Sometimes I think ahhh one day you will all move out... then I think, but then all my kids will have moved out.... which makes me sad.


Sometimes I think FECK OFF!!! and then I think, please feel free to bring me anything, anytime, I am your mother, I want you to feel safe with me.


Sometimes I think not now! Then I think yes now... always now. Just in 5 minutes?


Sometimes I think, DONT PLAY WITH THOSE!!! I just put them away!!! But I know that I have made it possible for you to re-discover those toys, I have given you a safe and clean environment to explore, and heck, PLAY WITH THE TOYS! That way you will not bug me!!! 


But just now... I am extremely sick of opening the Mr and Mrs potato head butts and reconnecting their butt flaps.... if you do not stop bringing them to me every 25 seconds i am going to run the fricken things over with my car!!! 


But then I love knowing that you are discovering something new, I may not know what, but something is being figured out and that is very special.


Cheekylala: I love the game your playing coming to say goodbye to each of us in turn and kissing us. I love how you love to try and find the meaning or answer of things. 


Bankyboo: I love watching you walk a little more every day, I love the way you mummy everything in the house, and I love your laughter. I love the way you count, and I love the way you stand up for your corner. 


Rockchick: I love your inquisitiveness, and your conversation. I love your snuggles and I love how you encourage me, the way I encourage you. I love how you are naturally nice, and do not join in when someone is being laughed at.


Love from mummy.


xx The Ramblings of Another Mother

Bedrooms and dishwashers.

Been a big few days. I have had to make peace with the fact that we are going to remain in this house. This house that has been good but not quite perfect for almost 2 years. We have given up on a new "perfect" rental in favour of being able to save more towards a house of our very own.

So in honour of our new decision we decided we are going to make our house into our home, and to start off we bought a dishwasher (of course we asked our landlords if that was ok). Its been working two days now and its fantastic. I ADORE my new dishwasher. ADORE IT!

Next my dearest Hubby Fisherman has decided to make over the kitchen. Being the hub of any home, ours has never quite worked, its long and not precisely placed, so when your working in it you feel a little scattered. Just putting the dishwasher in has helped a lot, as we had to move a cupboard and the new placement has closed in the space very well. But Fisherman has decided to paint it too, and we are probably going to replace the handles on the drawers and cupboards too.

Looking forward to things looking fresh and new.

As you may have guessed we are looking to live in this house for quite some time into the future.

Which brings me to the kids rooms. First of all, the twins had the smaller room, and Rockchick had the larger. Very very soon our little girls are going to move from cots into single beds and there is absolutely no way that we will comfortably get two single beds into their room. There was no choice but to swap them over.

First things first. I had to ask Rockchick if that was ok. Now that might sound a little risky but if you know this kid, it is not, she is the most generous little thing you ever met, the conversation went something like this:

Mum: (Rockchick)? Can I ask you about something rather important?
Rockchick: Sure mum.
Mum: You know you have a bog room, and your little sisters have a small one?
Rockchick: Yeah, ok mum, you should swap them over.

I kid you not. I went on to explain that it was only because she only had one of her and there were two of the twins and it was basically a furniture thing.

Rockchick: I know, mum, my sisters need my room more. Its ok you know.

*sob* what a little sweetheart, she breaks my heart.

I wanted to do something really nice for her in exchange, so I asked her if there was any kind of room she might like, to which she promptly replied "Hannah Montana."

Ok.... Hannah Monatana. I know NOTHING about Hannah Montana. Apart from the fact that her real name is Miley Cyrus, and her daddy sang a song many years ago that made a lot of money.

Enter internet research. On the way, I thought, yes, Rockchick may not have had a "proper" bedroom since she was 4 and we gave her a princess room for her birthday, but the twins have NEVER had a bedroom. They have had a place to sleep with a couple of cots in and a dresser.

What to do.... think think and then, I see a butterfly garden theme bedroom. Perfect.

So Rockchick is having a Hannah Montana bedroom, and BankyBoo and CheekyLala are are getting a Butterfly Garden room, for as cheap as possible. I will have to get my craft groove back on and start coming up with ideas. Its really quite fun planning. Here are a few of the ideas I have had so far:

Rockchicks Hannah Montanna room:

A Hannah Montana Bedspread, pillow and throw rug.
A new dresser with a mirror.
A hanging window suncatcher made out of old cd's with pictures on the back.
A disco ball
Some canvas's with Hannah Montana Pictures on.
She will also need a new shelf.
Her name on the door, (already there) updated, letters painted and awesomed up Hannah Montana style.

The Twins Butterfly Garden room:

A new set of shelves with painted pictures or decals on of flowers and butterflys.
A set of four painted and decorated canvas's
A floor mat.
A new dresser with decals of butterflys on.
A large "flock" of paper butterflys climbing the wall (somewhere)
A cardboard mural with a "picket" fence, a garden, and (what else) butterflys.
Lamps
And (reusing something we already had) a set of fairy lights that are flowers.

Think I can manage this on a serious budget??? I do. Watch this space.

OH and the beginning here:

The existing fairy lights, in place and gorgeous.

Rockchicks new Hannah Montanna Bed :-)

xx The Ramblings of Another Mother.

Interesting.

Reading about low calorie foods that fill you up, as I am attempting to lose 15 kg by xmas (at which point I will put the lot back on, in a day... mmmm ham and champagne breakfast!!) so I have joined this website: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ and I am now only allowed 1540 calories a day. This is brand new to me, I have NEVER counted calories in my life before. In fact I have never dieted before. But then I have also never been 76 Kgs before either. At least that I know of.... apart from when I was pregnant when I think I weighed more than an elephant.

Anyways, so sticking to this is proving VERY difficult. I am a snacker, a grazer and I eat a lot while I sit at my desk working. Since quitting smoking I am also eating breakfast, and thought it was not too bad really, till I added the calories and found out it was over 300!!! THREE HUNDRED thats pretty much a good 3rd of my calorie quota for the day :-S No.

So I have made several little changes, such as only 1 sugar in my coffees now, and halving the amount of butter I put on my toast, and thats helped, but with exercise I still seem to be coming in at just under my calorie quota (any exercise I do apparently earns me more calories I can eat, and to me thats not REALLY the point.)

And I'm hungry. Well no I'm not exactly hungry, but I want to EAT its so odd, its like theres a little switch going off in my brain saying "Now that you are thinking about your calorie intake, you must eat!" its proving a very difficult battle. I am not happy at all.

So now I am on a mission to find low calorie meals that are filling. I refuse to never have foods I love, I believe in allowing a little of what we love, but I want to CHANGE what I eat so that it fits better with my new "healthy me" routine.

AND WINE!!!! (both WHINE and WINE!!!!) I love and adore wine, its my sanity, and now I no longer smoke its one of my only sanitys, and one glass of my fave wine is like 400 calories??? THATS NOT FAIR MAN!!! I am very grumpy that wine has so many calories :-S

Once I have lost my 15 kg I am pretty happy to stop counting calories and just maintain my exercise routines to maintain my weight, but until then I am battling myself and struggling to find alternatives. The few I have found that appeal to me are:

Popcorn
A can of fruit (thats quite a good one, lots of food, eff all calories)
Healthy muffins, with lots of fibre in.

I have to stop eating biscuits *cry* I love biscuits.

At least I don't bake mountains of yummy things that tempt me, I used to, and somehow I was a skinny wee thing. How did I do that??? Oh yeah, I had one child, and the food all got packed for lunches and I didnt really get to eat that much.

So I came across this website too:

http://www.breakfast-eaters.org.nz/

which has a bunch of good ideas for breakfast, one of which is a baked potato. I'm sorry, I cannot cope with that at all, a baked potato for BREAKFAST????

That is not a breakfast food.... it makes me feel quite anxious at the thought of eating a baked potato for breakfast.

Another of the ideas in there is to wrap a banana in a piece of bread for breakfast on the run. Ew. Not my taste.

So anyway Thursday weigh in. Day of truth, has my half-hearted effort to count calories and my whole hearted effort to do lots of exercise paid off? Stay tuned.

xx The Ramblings of Another Mother

Right Now I am:

Watching my computer screen wishing it was a tv screen... no idea why.

Feeling ready for bed, and very cold. I need to get me a little heater for my office. I am also feeling guilty cos I am ten minutes late going back to work.

Beginning a new craft circle with a group of friends (tomorrow)

Missing warmth.

Accepting that I am not perfect. Even though I try to be.

Talking to no one. I am alone, my brain is cleverly holding a conversation with me though.

Loving that I have managed most of what I intended to achieve by now in the day. Although if I don't get back to it shortly I will get behind.

Thinking about going back to work as soon as I finish this post.

Relieved that I have tap dancing tonight, this will save my sanity, as I have not done any other exercise since Friday and I am getting twitchy.

Appreciating My hubby for accepting me in my worst and best moments. 

Ready to go to sleep. Even though I had a fairly solid sleep (and even overslept this morning)

Amazed that my feet haven't frozen off.



Source: http://stitchy-mama.blogspot.com/2011/07/right-now-i-am.html