A Moment.

Turn.
The noise fills the room like static.
Not the blaring overpowering kind.
The nice steady soothing background noise kind.
Steam rises.
The windows fog up.
The steam is heavy and thick in your chest.
Clothes are peeled off.
Dropped to the floor in a jumble.
If these walls could talk.
Tepidly slinking in with a shock.
Pleasure slowly rises as the warmth sinks in right to the bone.
Eyes close.
Today is over.
Tomorrow has just begun.

You will have to excuse my silence this week. We have had a busy week which I usually would have pre written posts for but things popped up unexpected and so I didn't have much time to be online to read or write. I hope things to be back to normal next week.

Social Media

Blogging.
Twitter.
Facebook.
Google.
Whatever the heck else you can busy yourself on.

Image from here

Did I really just spend 4 hours sitting here in front of the computer and it feels like only 5 minutes ago I sat down for a "quick break"?

Is there such thing an Internet Addiction?

Mr Black is often on to me about the amount of time I spent online. If i'm not sitting with the computer within arms reach my phone is in my hand.
But is there something wrong with that?
Am I living my life through the internet?
No.
Are my kids still getting my attention and time?
Yes. Actually i'm really good at giving them that.
My house is clean. Warm meals are cooked. Why does it matter if I have one finger always in the online world?

Does this make me a closet addict?
I can see that I constantly have access to online, I never denied that, but what I don't see is why it's a problem.
My kids don't complain.
I can walk away, and often do have times where I leave my phone and computer together in another room and just soak up moments with my kids.

Mr Black thinks it's a big problem. He is not an "online" person. He struggles to find google, let alone check his emails, and can't even log onto his Facebook without my assistance. It's true, I swear. I know I am baffled too.
He is forever on my case to turn the computer off, to turn my phone off, and I don't see why it is a problem.

I'm a multi-tasker. Always have to be doing at least 6 things at the one time.
When Greenie was only a few days old and feeding what felt like non stop I would sit online whilst watching TV, knitting and feeding him, as well as looking after Bluey, the toddler.
Is it just that mothering gene, that we are always doing more than one thing at a time?

I cannot do one thing at a time. It suddenly becomes really mundane and boring, and I more times than not screw up what i'm doing if i'm not multi-tasking.

Are you a multi-tasker? Maybe you're a net addict like me? Does your spouse bug you about how much time you spend online? And if they do, what do you say to them?

Cream that makes you SCREAM (with joy)!

This post is a part of the Product Talk by Nuffnang.

When I was a child my sister and I used to spend the school holidays at my grandparents.
I used to remember loving my grandmothers bathroom. The smells of all the "old people's stuff". They were soft smells. Comforting smells.
I especially loved when she would allow us a small squirt of her moisturising lotion. It was always cool at first but had such a warm smell to it. The white cream always reminded me of the colour yellow as I rubbed it into my skin.
I remember as I grew older teaching my European Grandmother the name of that cream. Vaseline. She always pronounced it "Vah-seh-lehn-eh". Looking back I quite prefer her pronunciation now.



Did you know that the average human body has 2.7 kilograms of skin? Or 2 square metres. It is the bodies biggest organ.
I don't know about you but I see an awful lot of skin on me. The biggest part of me "on show" and I want to look after it and have it looking at its best.


Australia has one of the harshest climates in the world, and only 40% of Australians are moisturising regularly. Moisturising can act as a preventative measure to premature ageing, which can cause skin to wrinkle, sag, crack, dry out and dullness.

Moisturisers can be expensive. Especially for the good stuff that is unscented so it doesn't irritate sensitive skin. We all have sensitive skin here, with Mr Black, Bluey and Greenie all suffering from eczema. Bluey's eczema seems to be seasonal, only flaring up in the colder months. Greenie's eczema seems to be an all year round thing, and I cannot recall a time where he hasn't had a patch or several on his body. That's with the help of harsh cortisone and steroid creams.


I was very excited when I was contacted by Nuffnang to review Vaseline's Dry Skin Conditioning Lotion. We are up for anything to help ease our skin woes!

Not only does Vaseline bring warm memories of my childhood, it is enriched with loads of goodies for to help nourish and hydrate your skin like vitamins A, E and B5, and it is affordable. Something that is very important when you're on a budget.

For us, it has aided in our eczema battles.
Many creams just flare up Greenie's eczema, his skin is that sensitive. 2 weeks ago we even had welts appear when we moisturised him with a cream he has used since birth.
After the first few days Bluey's eczema had completely disappeared and Greenie's more milder patches had gone. I skeptically thought, ok, so you got rid of a little dry skin. That's nothing.
By the end of the first week, using it twice a day, morning and night, Greenie now has a patch of eczema under his arm, and a scratched up patch on his ankle (which is basically scabs because he keeps scratching it at night).
I am floored.
We have several cortisone and steroid creams, that have refused to budge Greenies eczema this month, and some simple moisturiser comes along and whisks it away?
It's cheaper AND not some harshly medicated cream. How is this possible?

The bonus to this cream is that it's so easily available.
I'm a one stop shop kinda gal. I have young kids and the last thing I want it to have to drag them around in several different stores just to get our necessities. You can get Vaseline products from most of your supermarkets; Woolies, Coles, Franklins. As well as major department stores; BigW, Target, Kmart. That makes the product super easy to get a hold of.

So that gets the big 3 from me, it's affordable, it's easily available, and it works.
What more could you want?

Whispered Secrets

Image from here

I close my eyes as I whisper to the wind.
It catches my words and quickly blows them away.
I imagine them tumbling in a spiral.
Wishing that it brought relief.
That the burden was lightened.

It isn't.

After a moment I suck in a long breath of that cool air.
Wondering if I'm sucking in another's words.
Would I be taking in some of their burden? Their pain?
Or maybe it's words of happiness, of hope that I have sucked in.

I turn away.
The burden isn't lighter
But the hope...
It's stronger.

Speak Up

It wasn't easy.
A bunch of words that poured out of me one afternoon. The day after a night out.
A night where I stepped completely out of my comfort zone. I knew no one. No one knew me.
Words I was not strong enough to put up on my own blog.
I dared not put up on here.
In hindsight I would not have let anyone read. But sometimes you have to do what your mind is telling you not to. Sometimes you have to take the risk.
So I sent them off to a very dear bloggy friend who was kind enough to let me borrow her platform.

I am so grateful to the response. The encouragement. The one's who understood. The one's who didn't but enjoyed the chance to learn. To walk in my shoes for a moment.
I have read each comment with astonishment. With a smile.
Thank you.

Thank you.

Why We Use Hazel Wood

I know many mothers are becoming more and more aware of the benefits of Baltic Amber - A fossilised tree resin that is a natural aid in pain relief, strengthening of the immune system, restoring energy, and a whole lot more which you can read more about here.

What is still fairly underrated is Hazel Wood.
I first got turned in the direction of Hazel Wood by a friend of mine who's son suffers from severe eczema and lots of food allergies and intolerances.
Mr Black has eczema, which he passed on to Bluey. We were hoping Greenie would get my skin, as he certainly had the same whiter than white colour (Mr Black and Bluey have a gorgeous golden hint to their skin), but no such luck. Greenie got the worst of it. It took several months of doctor visits for us to rule out psoriasis, our GP still isn't sure it's not a form of dermatitis, but my mummy gut instinct says it's eczema, which is another possibility. They're all so similar we can treat them fairly the same luckily.
It first hit when Greenie was around the 6 month old mark.

I wanted to avoid using the cortisone and steroid creams as much as possible. Obviously we use them when it's really needed, but I am not a fan of using it daily or multiple times a day, especially as the worst of it seemed to be concentrated in the genital area no matter how frequently I changed his nappy or how much "nappy free" time we gave him (which is why I credit his toilet training starting so bloody early, much to my horror!), our use of goats milk soap, and no change in washing powder.
The creams weren't working though. Not like they did with Bluey which we were lucky if we used them twice a year on him.
So I thought why not a Hazel Wood Necklace? Can't hurt!

We chose to get a Baltic Amber/Hazel Wood combo.

Hazel Wood works by absorbing the body's acid, thus soothing irritated skin, helping with psoriasis, acne, diaper rash and eczema. That's not all! It also helps with constipation, headaches, canker sores and apparently dental cavities. Get this, it also claims to help with reflux.
We only got it for the skin problems, but I can say we never had constipation problems with him...or headaches that i'm aware of?


His skin never healed up 100%. That's with the use of the Hazel Wood and the prescription creams, as well as trying to use organic cotton clothing on him as much as possible, and unscented/eczema friendly soaps and moisturisers.
I have a feeling his allergies may play a part in this greater than we realise.
His skin did get better. Like I said never 100% but the rash paled and cleared up so it wasn't as widely spread over his body.

As an experiment I took Greenie's necklace off a couple weeks ago.
The first couple of days I noticed no difference. A couple of days later still I noticed him scratching (something he never did before), but I put that down to coincidence. 8 days after I took the necklace off his arms and legs broke out in the rash, before then his problem area's were his underarms and the lower part of his tummy, which the occasional flare up on his thighs where his nappy line/undie line would rub.  12 days after I took the necklace off he has red patches turning up on his neck and splotches on his back.
I have continued to use paw paw ointment, and other "natural" remedies during this time. I've used his cortisone creams 5 times in the 14 days, but we have never used them every day (I still try to use it as sparingly as possible).

Hazel Wood makes me happy.

We put it back on tonight, and I won't use the cortisone creams for the next week to see if it will help to heal on it's own. Although it did when we got our first one.

For those who are interested into looking into it more, we purchase our Hazel Wood from Inspired by Finn. I have purchased from another place but I found their quality to be lacking in comparison (and they were more expensive).

This is not a sponsored post. I was asked on Twitter recently about Hazel Wood, and I used to have a blog post on it, that I couldn't find so I decided to write up a fresh one. Especially now we have been using it longer. I would highly recommend it to those of you who are eczema sufferers or who have children who suffer. 

Step into a night out with me.

Today I'm guest posting something very personal over on Good Golly Miss Holly.





Please go and check it out. Don't forget to follow her and comment!

HollyHomemaker is a wonderful blogger, mother of 2 gorgeous children the bug and the boy,  studying to become a baby catcher, and beer wench by night.
With a tag line like "you've read the best, now read the inappropriate..." that really says it all. She is a mixed bag and writes about it all.
Sorta like the crack in maccas coke, only better.

Letters

Something happened recently.
Going through dusty old box after dusty old box sent over from my parents. I pulled out things from barbie dolls, to half melted candles and even all our old Dr Seuss books growing up (which I have re-brought most for my kids. Could have saved myself HEAPS).
I got to the bottom of the last box and I find another box.
What's in this? I ask myself.
I pull it out curiously. It's crinkled around the edges from being moved about and opened often.
As I pull back the lid a million different pieces of paper, different colours, some folded into origami shapes,  the ink bled from others as a drink was spilt, or perhaps tears were shed. Letters. Notes. Love and friendship poured out of this box and I felt homesick.

Image from We Heart It

I'd like to say I sat there all afternoon pouring over these letters. I didn't. I read a couple.
Most made me laugh. Various reasons. Some made me smile and yearn for that person again. Others made my wonder Why did I keep this? For the most part, there were good thoughts. Good feelings.

I honestly thought I threw all of these out during my first pregnancy.
I am eternally glad I held onto them.
I am determined to seek some of these people out. To reminisce. To laugh. To be around people who so deeply got me without me having to tell them everything. We were just instinctual. Linked. We could be blindfolded and gagged and still be able to communicate, to sense one another.

Many times I have looked back and spoken about "growing up". Becoming a bigger, more universally aware person. Having changed.
These letters made me realise that there are parts of me I still carry. That I am proud to carry. That I can never shake my past, and while it may not be all good, well even the bad stuff is important.
And you know what else it's made me even more sure of?

That just because you have children doesn't change a thing.
I already knew this. I felt it when I became pregnant in 2005 and I was treated like the plague by most of the people in my life then. I would cry in frustration "Can't they see i'm still me!? I haven't changed. I'm still the person they knew. I just have a kid now which creates a whole new part of me!"
Mr Black never understood it. I guess men don't go through it as much as women. Nothing physical changes for them. Everything does for us. Suddenly you're The girl who got knocked up right after high school.

I am going to slowly go through each and every letter this week.
Some i'd like to share with their authors. Laugh together. Reminisce together. Rekindle a friendship.

Have you ever rekindled an old friendship? 
Maybe you have kept friendships from your youth through to now? 
Do you think you've grown up and changed for the better? Maybe not for the better? Or do you happily embrace parts of you that have carried onto you adult life? 

Simple Questions.

I recently added my blog to Bron's Blog-alogue. You should too!

If there is a blogger after my heart it's Maxabella.

I spent today struggling with a post. I have a few drafts, but they didn't seem fitting, or right. I had all but resigned myself to the fact that today I just wasn't updating my blog. It would wait for tomorrow. Hopefully with a good nights sleep and a fresh frame of mind in the morning.

Then tonight she posts this brilliant post about the thoughts in her head before she falls asleep. Namely interviewing herself.
My insomnia is no secret. It's more than the kids keeping me up. I struggle to fall asleep. To get to that dreamland. So when I go to bed, no matter the time, I have a long wait where thoughts busily rush through my head. Interviewing myself isn't so rare.

Ms Maxabella posed some questions on her blog, one's she answered for herself, and now I am going to bore entertain you with my answers.

My earliest memory is... I remember faint pieces of moving house before my sister was born. I was about 18months. I remember the steep driveway. I remember pushing my block cart with my toys in it back UP the hill to the house. After that my mind is blank until memories of pre-school. I still remember the teachers names and most of the kids (either their name or face). 

My school report usually said... "Miss Pink is a very bright and intelligent student. She could do better if she applied herself more instead of distracting her peers." ....I was apparently some "social queen" without actually being part of the limelight. 

My first relationship... Is best forgotten. Actually so was the third, fourth, sixth and eighth. 2 of those "inbetweeners" were extremely short lived, and the other...well I don't regret it. 

I don't like talking about... things that make me angry. Namely my inlaws. Or dickheads. But then I'd take dickheads over my inlaws. 

My most treasured possession is... I have this little stuffed animal the size of your hand. For 3 years it went EVERYWHERE with me. Even to school. I even slept with it in my hand for those 3 years. I never EVER left it. Once Bluey was born I sat it aside on a shelf. 

My father always told me... that drawing was all about picturing objects as smaller shapes and adapting those shapes. I cannot draw for shit. Even stick people are a challenge. Obviously the lesson didn't sink in.

In the movie of my life, I'd be played by... since high school I have been told frequently that I remind people about the girl with played "Cindy" from "Scary Movie"...I am not that ditzy. At least I hope not!

I wish I had... to not worry so much about the future. To be able to enjoy the present a little more.

I wish I hadn't... decided so quickly that I didn't want to go to uni. I should have gone. I should have sat for my UAI in high school instead of thinking that i'd deal with that problem later.

My most humiliating moment was... I have quite a few. I fall over often. I've ran into more walls/doors/door frames than I can count. I have been caught talking to myself in public. I have scarred my beautician for life, and not to mention all those embarrassing questions kids only come out with when you're in public. Honestly? I get more embarrassed at all my social screw ups. I have a chronic case of foot in mouth disease. 

My guiltiest pleasure is... I don't feel guilty...I'm not that naughty ;)

My last meal would be... chinese. But the really good stuff from my local shop. Mmmmm.

What about you? Let me know your answers.

Snakes, Snails and Puppy Dogs Tails.

Siblings.
Could there be a closer bond? Even when they're hating eat other they're loving one another.
My two are no exception.
This week has brought the start of dobbing.
"Mum...Bluey hit me"
"I did not Mum!"
"I know, I saw. Greenie, Bluey did not hit you. Don't lie to me. If he is upsetting you use your words and tell him to stop it."
*Greenie whilst waggling a finger at Bluey* "NOOO!"

Sigh.

But would I change it? Not at all. It is endearing to see Bluey "mothering" his younger brother. It is also heart warming to see Greenie mimicking Bluey's every move.
They watch one another from the corners of their eyes and are completely wrapped up in what the other is up to.

I asked Bluey to write me 3 sentances about something good that happened this week. He wrote: 'We went to the library and got to do craft after storytime.'
'I got to play Mario Cart with Mum.'
'I got to spend time with Greenie and play with him all week.'

The last one made it all worth it. The fights I break up, the millionth "share" for the day, and the nights where I get up for the tenth time to tell them to stop giggling and go to sleep.

A bond no one will ever break.

I am linking up for Maxabella's wonderful Grateful Saturdays. Even if you don't post head on over and read some of the wonderful posts. They never fail to put a smile on my face. 

Generation-I

Do you think it's ok to snoop on your children's stuff online?

A good question.
As much as I would love to respect my children's privacy, if I had a feeling or reason to believe they were hiding something that could be dangerous, I would snoop. No questions asked.

Right now, I have a very close relationship with my kids. We talk pretty openly, and I do believe in parenting by example and with honesty. Sometimes I am told too much so.

I am aware that as my children get older this will, inevitably change though. Teenagers. This phase scares the ba-jeebus out of me.

We all know parents snoop, at some time or another. Growing up we didn't have the Internet, and I wasn't allowed a mobile phone until after my 18th birthday. They were fair enough rules, even if I did sneak a mobile around from the age of 16. The introduction to such technology saturated lifestyle; smart phones, Internet left right and centre, video games, more violence on the TV and in movies and special effects making it look more and more "life like", well it's just another battle to fight with teenagers. It's just another way that they are exposed to things that we, as parents would rather them not have to see or know about.

For me the answer is I will delay this stuff for as long as possible. When it is brought up and asked for I will approach it honestly with my children. I will compromise with them. Mr Black and myself feel like 16 is the earliest our kids will need mobile phones or to join social networks.
This is where I become more and more aware that our decision isn't the only one to take into account. It's no use saying to our kids "You cannot have these things until you are 16" when their friends are starting all of this at 6. Yes there are children in Bluey's class who own and bring mobile phones to school. I completely disagree with this before High School at the earliest. Why would a child in Primary School need a mobile phone??

I also remember what it is like to be a teenage kid. How clever you are at coming up with new stories and lies because you know your parents want to think the best about you, and well, you use that against them.
I know as a teenager everything your parents have ever advised or told you to do goes right out the window. You want to disobey them, it's almost involuntary.

So as a parent what are our super secret special tools? 
And if someone tells me to just trust in everything I've taught them and the person I've raised them to be, I may just slap you! 

How Do You Know He's Cheating?

Flowers.
I hate flowers.
Do NOT ever buy me motherfarking flowers.

It's a true fact, I never receive flowers.
No, not i've never, I never. I have in the past, obviously.
So many people comment on Mr Black's obvious lack of attentiveness because he never gets me flowers. There's a good reason. If he brought me flowers I think there might be a mini WWIV (or whatever the hell we're up to. Have we had WWIII yet?)

You see the only time i've ever received flowers in the past has been from ex boyfriends when they've cheated. True fact. I would get flowers, usually something so-so-ish, I always wondered why they seemed to be nice but a bit poxy, well I now know why. Are you really going to pick out the most expensive bunch on someone you just cheated on? No. At least I wouldn't.

Two times i've received flowers. Both times within a week i've found out that I was cheated on. Therefore flowers = bad omen.
Instead of explaining all this to people who come in and assume i've got myself a dodgy man, I simply say "I don't want them."

Besides i'd much rather food.

Have you ever been told something's wrong, or had someone push a topic with you you'd rather not discuss? How do you handle it? 

Whore Magnet

Edenland brought up a wonderful point the other day in a post of hers. (BTW you NEED to go and support this cause, do it right now, it's ok i'll wait till you get back. Done? Good.)

"How hot does a guy look when he's holding a child?"

I have to agree, there is something about a man being attentive to children that has women everywhere swooning.
Yep, even me.

So why when i'm out with my kids, being attentive to them, does it send men recoiling?
Why is that?
Wouldn't men rather see women who are good nurturer's?
You'd think that would be something they would be instantly drawn to?

Many a time since bearing children to guys overlook me quickly.
Oh lady with a kid, move on.
In contrast many a time when out and about with Mr Black and the kids do women, of all ages come up to Mr Black, only when a child is in his arms or he is playing or tending to them, and they....flirt with him. Regardless of whether I am standing right there or not.
The chest goes out, the smile is on. the arm touches, the batting of eyelashes, and the giggles over something that is not even remotely funny.

Yes, I see you, do you not think that the kid there might mean he is taken?

One time it was so bad I had to comment with gagging noises.
He always claims that I am "just imagining things" but i'm not. I'm a girl, I know the tricks. I'm seeing them.

What is it that sends girls ga-ga, and men running for the hills?
I guess just another one of those life mysteries.