The 'To Do' List...

I'm a planner.

I love lists and calendars and diaries and reminders and pin boards - it has absolutely no effect on my ability to be on time or even be somewhere on the correct day, but I love to feel like I have everything written down and a time line to apply in the forseeable future.

The trouble is, I'm also very impatient. I hate waiting around - I hate waiting to go out somewhere. I always wait to get ready at the last minute so when I'm finished we head straight out the door and we're on our way. Sure, it means I'm always forgetting something, but I don't like butterflies of excitement in my stomach for too long.

Pregnancy, while it's an amazing thing and we have been wanting this second baby for so long, manages to capture everything I dislike about time and planning.

I have to wait 9 whole months to meet this new person. And not knowing its gender means I can't plan as I had hoped to.

It's killing me. I won't deny that I cried a little bit after our scan last week - having to walk away without the magic answer to my burning question was bitterly disappointing. And I only had the luxury of focusing on that one point because everything else with our Jelly Bean is perfect. 10 fingers, 10 toes and a button nose just like its big sister.

Perhaps it's the universe telling me to take a 'chill pill' and stop being so uptight about it all. That having spent the weekend playing memories over and over in my mind, as I drag out the tubs of baby clothes from Miss 3, would have made no difference to my life today. I would still be here at work doing what I'm doing, whether I knew what we're having, or not.

The only thing different would have been this post.

The kicks I'm feeling make me smile, but serve to remind me of everything that we need to do before Jelly Bean arrives. Although I must confess the line between 'need to do' and 'could do but it's not absolutely necessary' is gone blurred, but this is where my love of lists comes in!

In no particular order, I present:

The To Do List

• Conclude the gender debate and ask the Obstetrician to check at our appointment in July!
• Don't get upset if we still can't tell what we're having, just accept that this child will be as stubborn as you are.
• Replace front decking
• Install new gutters
• Pressure clean all decking and oil before the wet season returns
• Finalise Miss 3's enrollment for school (because enrollments for 2014 are already filling fast at the school we've chosen!)
• Replace wall to create 3rd bedroom/study
• Decide on theme for baby's room
• Paint baby's room
• Find wardrobe/chest of drawers for baby's room
• Bring cot and change table upstairs from the store room and re-assemble
• Buy new cot mattress
• Sort through baby clothes from Miss 3 OR buy boys baby clothes
• Wash baby clothes, fold and put away
• Organise bedding for cot
• Finalise lay-by of new pram, capsule, rocker and Miss 3's booster seat
• Make final payment to obstetrician (Sept)
• Finalise tax return for 2011-12 year
• Decide re: maternity leave options from work
• Decide re: maternity options from the Government (i.e. baby bonus or maternity leave scheme?)
• Complete pre-admission paperwork and return it to the hospital
• Finalise meal plan for The Man and Miss 3 while I'm in hospital
• Cook and freeze meals for The Man and Miss 3 for my own peace of mind...

These are the things that linger on my mind the most - the smaller things I'll probably make another list for and fit them in as I go along. Because that's how I roll.

The Man says I'm too uptight about it all, and I know he's right. I doesn't mean I'll change, but I completely understand where he's coming from.

Especially when I'm busy having a panic attack over the fact that our child won't have a room and I'll have to strap it to the fan blades because I'm convinced The Man will be building the new wall on my due date. Conveniently overlooking the fact that the cot could go in our room if necessary - but I'm overly dramatic when it comes to being in a flap.

It's part of my charm.

I'd like to believe I'm not the only obsessive-compulsive, list making, perfectionist, nut-bag in this world. Please share your unhinged moments and we can all read over them with a cup of tea while breathing a sigh of relief that we're not alone...

Fresh Horses Brigade: Bloggers

It's week 3. WEEK 3! The last time I felt this surprised over time passing was in the sleep-deprived haze of new parenthood.

"She's 3 weeks old. 3 WEEKS OLD! And its been that long since I slept 2 minutes together... [insert hysterical sobbing]"

Thankfully I don't feel that way about this.

So this week Eden is asking us "...Tell me why we do it? Who are your favourites...? Who resonates with you?..."

I'm not entirely sure why I blog. As an outlet when family drive me completely INSANE and if I don't get it out on a blog then I'll be serving them arsenic in their coffee? A modern way of keeping a diary? To try and not feel alone on those shite days where mothering feels anything but wonderful?

It's for all of those reasons, and more. And not all of them I can put into words.

In terms of a tribe - well, I'm a mummy blogger and other mummy's journeys appeal to me, usually because we all agree we need something to do whilst our children are watching TV.

I'm also a working mummy with the applicable 'working mother's guilt' attached comfortably to my back as a hunch. And anyone will tell you that it's nice to know you're not the only hunchback out there.

And so, to my top 5!

1. Tam from Madomi. Her blog, sadly, is no more because some chump(s) made her feel bad and so she closed it down. Tam is bright, creative and one hell of a writer. Her girls are our god-daughters, and since they moved away to QLD without me, her blog was the next best way to see what was happening, short of following them and moving in next door. We could chat all day long, but the photo's she posts helps us feel like we still live in the same state. You can totally stalk her on Twitter. I suggest you do - our god-daughters are DIVINE!

2. Kelle from Enjoying The Small Things. I got a link to Kelle's blog at work, because someone had read her post on the birth of her second daughter, Nella. Kelle is honest, open and the way she is with her 2 girls makes me want to be a better Mum and take more photos. She's the Mum I always dreamed I'd be when I was 10. It's a shame reality had to come in and burst the bubble with all its 'you have to pay the bills because you need electricity, water and a home when you have a baby' talk. Pfft.

3. Holly at Good Golly Miss Holly! Not only do we share the same birthday, her blog makes me laugh out loud. She is my blogger kindred spirit in a way (not that she knows that...don't tell her, okay? It might get weird...) because sometimes the things she writes are the same thoughts travelling through my head. She makes me feel a little less crazy, every day.

4. Ali at Hyperbole and a Half. All I can say is if you read, make sure you're wearing a reliable adult nappy. ESPECIALLY if you've had a baby. Kegel exercises won't help you here.

5. Eden at Edenland. Just because.

There's really so many more, which is obvious because my reader is always full of updates from so many different people and I love reading ideas, thoughts and realities from all walks of life.
You never know what difference your words are making to someone in that moment they read them - it could just be the message they were looking for.

And, maybe, that's the whole point.

Pulling it together...

Right.

So, first of all, apologies for yesterday's 'freak out'.  I have to say, it did help to get it all out, so thanks for tolerating my unhinged moment.

Today is a vast improvement, and to tell you why I would like to present:

TOP 10 WAYS TO GET MY SHIT TOGETHER AFTER A CRAP-TACULAR DAY

1. Have a friend read my post and send a text message that get's me through the rest of the day in one piece. T, I love you.
2. Call my Mum and cry about emotionally scarring my husband via email and then proceed to sob.
3. Go home after work and find my husband not only hasn't left me and taken our child away, but is quite sympathetic to the situation and is even cleaning up the frat party mess of the weekend in an attempt to preserve my limited sanity.
4. Hugs. Lots of hugs.
5. Have comfort food for dinner in the shape of pasta. And then have more pasta. With carbonara sauce. Screw the calories.
6. Hog the television and not care for a single second that the entire family is being made to watch the Lifestyle/ Home channels.
7. Get to work the next day, alive, and have the breakfast of champions:
   
   

   

   Brekky of Champions - anyone who says chocolate doesn't make everything better is a liar!!

8. Decide to clean out the remaining items from my diesel-wrecked purse (don't ask) and discover a Dymocks voucher from Xmas.
9. Go online, ignore work, and spend said Dymocks voucher on books - specifically The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette and Notorious Royal Marriages - JOY!
10. Continue the spending theme and decide to buy a new Inner-B Mum Agenda in Turquoise and an Inner-B Yearly Family Planner. Being (or pretending to be) organised calms the raging river of mess within.

So there you go - this is exactly what has gotten me through the last 24 hours, and I am now about to go out and buy what I need for dinner (another comfort food, happiness meal: schnitzel with mashed potato, carrots and green beans. YUM!), something for lunch and most importantly...

A TRIP TO THE CHEMIST!

I'll see ya'll on the flip side...literally!

My Favourites

I thought I might introduce you all to some favourites I have happening at the moment. With all the destruction happening in our country right now, I kind of feel the need to do a warm, fuzzy post of nothingness.

Much like Maxabella reminds us to be grateful - today I'm reminding you all of your favourite things by showing you mine.

So, we begin with my newest blogging pal - without whom this blog of wonder wouldn't really be...

This is Polly. Not to be confused with my red Kitchen Aid who is Poppy.

The Guru chooses not to acknowledge it when I give appliances, and other inanimate objects, names. But he still enjoys those awful Transformers movies. Hmpf.

Polly is wonderful and I have to say, whenever I go to do some work on the computer, the cover makes me smile and I enjoy working just that little bit more.

Next is a piece of jewelry that I have had glued to me since it arrived...

This is my Vintage Pearl necklace. And I love it because I feel like I have a piece of my family with me no matter where I am.

At the moment the Toddler enjoys coming up to me and giving me snuggles, which then leads to her playing with my necklace. She always seems fascinated by the pearl. And I thought it was just child-like curiosity. Until she put the pearl in her mouth one day and then announced 'lollie yukky Mummy'.

Lollies. I should have known.

And speaking of favourite's and lollies - here is my favourite little girl last night parading around at the Guru's parents...

Nappy? You mean a BEANIE mummy!

I know I would look silly like this...but somehow she pulls it off

And this is how the nappy-beanie looks from behind.

Actually Mummy, it's a shirt. Let me show you...

 Yeah - she put the beanie on me. And no, there is no photographic evidence. I screened all electronic devices before we went home, and no has has anything on me. Hah.

Speaking of things on me - I did one of my favourite things this morning. I ignored the clock and spent the morning with my Toddler playing. I was late for work, she was late for day care and I forgot a bunch of stuff. But I didn't care for a minute. Because she went to day care with a smile that she got some time with Mummy.

 This was brought in to me while I was attempting to get dressed...

And it was the discussed how she would like stickers applied to herself, and me, and where she would like them.

I was adorned with an attractive green sticker, which in the world of kitchen design stickers is also a corner pantry. Brilliant - I actually want one of those...just a bit bigger.

Notice my big girl studying the Coles catalogue on the floor? Yeah - she's already reading catalogues at a 4th grade shopaholic level. I'm so proud.

So there you have it. Completely pointless and of no moral or sensible value. But it made me smile and I hope it did the same for you.

Heck, it even made me forget that I'm another year older very soon. Feel free to guess just how old - there's a poll on the top right hand side of my blog. Go on, don't be frightened.

So, the main message to take away today? Go out and remember your favourites, and then tell me what they are, I'd love to know.

My Top Ten: Food

Oh Emily - you couldn't have picked a better topic if you tried - you just know my weak spot, don't you??

So, this week we're looking at food. Are you sure I can only choose 10??

1. Pasta with a homemade sauce of cream, bacon, mushrooms, capsicum, garlic, salt and pepper. If you're feeling really spesh - add a spash of a nice white wine...

2. Lamb Kebab...you know, it's a wrap with lamb and lettuce, tomato, tabouli, garlic sauce etc on it. The Guru calls it something else...when I say kebab he thinks of meat on a stick.

3. Vanilla Cheesecake. I LOVE a good cheesecake...I could eat one all on my own if I tried hard enough - I'm sure of it.

4. Fajitas - the Guru makes a bloody AWESOME batch of fajitas...he makes up the marinade the night before and let's the meat 'soak' overnight in the fridge with the veggies. I don't know what he does but it's just magic.

5. Homemade pizzas. So yummy and I can have what I like on a pizza without having to worry about whinging :-) Better for you, too, I guess...

6. Eggs Benedict - If we go out somewhere for breakfast this is what I have - sometimes with salmon and other times just with some ham. It's my indulgence - the sauce has enough calories for me not to eat for the rest of the month, but I just don't care.

7. Chip Butty - this is an English tradition passed down to me from my Mum and my Nanna (and celebrated by English people everywhere). There's nothing like a soft bread roll, a light licking of butter and some hot chips piled on for a tasty treat. I've created my Modern Chip Butty which is a Chia bread roll, Philadelphia cream cheese and a smattering of Red Rock Deli Honey Soy Chicken chips. Mmmmmmm....

8. Garlic prawns with Jasmine or Basmati rice.

9. Homemade sausage rolls. I make mine with good quality lamb mince, sun-dried tomatoes (diced finely), feta cheese (diced finley or just crumbled), chives (diced finely) and/or spanish onion, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap in puff pastry and bake in the oven. Serve warm. Yum, yum, yum!

10. Watermelon. The Toddler, the Guru and I sit outside on the grass with half a watermelon, 3 spoons and we dig in. It's how we bond over yummy food...

So there you have it - the top ten foods I could think of at the moment. There are many, many more that I love and I could go on for days but this will do for now :-)

This post is linked to My Top Ten, hosted by Miss Fickle

My Top Ten: Movies

Another entry for Emily at Miss Fickle wanting to get to know us better :)

I love movies - and I have many that I watch repeatedly, and quote every line and I drive the Guru INSANE when I do this.

But I don't care.

So, to my top ten!

1. The Lord of The Rings Trilogy. When I first saw these movies I decided that when I die I want to go live with the elves. Sigh.

2. My Sister's Keeper. Good for those days when I need a good cry and want to have an excuse ready.

3. Gone in 60 Seconds. I love the bit where they groove to 'Low Rider' before they go on a heist.

4. Roman Holiday. Audrey Hepburn is just gorgeous and I love all her movies, but this one is just so cute.

5. Avatar. Just thought it was cool.

6. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. This is a family tradition for me - I have to watch it at least eight million times with my Mum before Christmas Eve. The bit where Chevy Chase lubes the steel plate with oil and then slides down the hill is freakin' HILARIOUS! And it never ceases to make me laugh. I will watch this movie at Christmas every year until I die.

7. Elizabeth. Cate Blanchet does a great job and I love historical movies! Elizabeth: The Golden Age is included in this :-)

8. Marie Antoinette. Kirsten Dunst is great, and again, I love historical movies and I think this does a good job at showing the other side of the coin - that maybe she wasn't a self involved immature queen who said 'Let them eat cake', she was just a lost and lonely child thrown into a situation that would have bewildered the best of us.

9. The Young Victoria. Another great historical movie and Emily Blunt plays it well. And Rupert Friend as Prince Albert is just awesome. I think their love story is just beautiful. Yeah - the Guru gets bored of these VERY quickly.

10. The Other Boleyn Girl. It's cool - and Eric Bana makes a yum King Henry VIII - despite the whole wife executing fetish he's got going on.

So there you have it - get you movie groove on and tell the world what makes your screen light up!

This post is linked to My Top Ten, hosted by Miss Fickle

My Top Ten: Albums

Miss Fickle wants to know more about us...so I'm joining in and this week it's all about music.

So, my top 10 albums (in no particular order, other than it's the order that they popped into my head and I could remember what they're called...)

1. Matchbox 20 - Mad Season

2. U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind

3. Muse - Black Holes & Revelations

4. Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

5. The Script - The Script

6. Powderfinger - Sunsets (I'm trying to think of more but all I can smell is my new shampoo and conditioner...it smells like coconut milk...and I keep slipping back to the beaches in Hawaii...sigh...)

7. Live - The Distance To Here

8. Romeo + Juliet Soundtrack (1996)

9. John Lennon - Double Fantasy (but really only for 2 songs: Woman and Watching the Wheels. So maybe this doesn't count?)

10. The Chillout Sessions (various artists)

So there you have it, the music that's usually traveling around the house at one time or another. And this isn't everything...actually, if you discount John Lennon then #9 would actually be...

9. Eskimo Joe - Black Fingernails Red Wine

Yeah, that's a better representation of me.

So, get your playlists out and tell the world what makes you want to rock out!!

This is a part of Miss Fickle's Top Ten Linky List

There's nothin' like a fine gentleman...

Righto! It seems that Melbourne Mumma and The Muffin Monster Bubbalug Blog have introduced something totally magnificent.

A chance to swoon and daydream of men...very hot men...

Top 5 Hotties according to me!

I begin my presentation today with Exhibit A:

Thank you Twilight Fan Club!

Oh, there's nothing like a Vampiric Southern Gentleman to sweep you off your feet, carry you away and ravage you....sigh...and the best thing is, he is of an age that I can drool over him and not feel dirty and inappropriate *coughTaylorLautnercough*

Exhibit B:

Cheers Google!

Of course, if a Southern gentleman isn't available, an English gentleman will do just as well. Oh Mr Darcy...

Presenting Exhibit C:

Because who needs a gentleman when you can have this sex on legs in your room dressed as the hottest pirate ever!?

Exhibit D:

Only Johnathan could make the idea of King Henry VIII hot...but who could say no to those eyes...you snooze, you lose!

And finally, Exhibit E:

Oh Craig Parker...you played an Elf in Lord of the Rings (Haldir) and played a Lord in Legend of the Seeker. Long hair never appealed to me, on a guy, until I spied you...with your bow and arrow ready to slaughter some Orcs to help claim back Middle Earth. You are just so truly yummy...

So there you have them, people, my top 5 hotties. They're not in any particular order...if any of them came to the front door I'd be hard pressed to stop myself from ripping off their clothing (much to the Guru's disgust).

So tell me, do you agree? Why or why not? And for the hell of it, start your own top 5 hottie list and join the rest of us in assisting the sea levels rise across the world by melting some more snow caps.

Enjoy!!