Happy 3rd Birthday Skye!

Today my baby girl turns 3.




The first day we met seems like a lifetime ago and only yesterday all at once. Nothing seems to mess with your sense of time more than having babies.




I was so relieved to make it through the first year I didn't feel sad to be losing "my baby". As her 2nd birthday neared I was taken aback by how quickly she had become a toddler and wondered if I was capable of handling all the joy and frustrations of that stage.




But despite weeks of planning and prepping for her party last weekend, realising that having a 3rd birthday party meant that Skye was actually going to be turning 3 hadn't quite hit home until just now.

Being up to your ass in printables and zucchini slice will do that to you.

More on that later in the week.

I know Skye isn't going to be dramatically different today than she was yesterday, the growing up itself is gradual, but somehow officially reaching that milestone makes things feel different.




I am noticing what a big girl she is becoming and it excites and scares me seeing her grow. She settled into sleeping in a big bed like it was the most natural thing on earth. One night she was sleeping in a cot, the next she was in a new house in a new bed without so much as a question mark.




I knew that independent streak would start to work in my favour eventually.

Then there is the talking.

So. Much. Talking.

How is it even possible that someone so small has that many things to say?!? It doesn't always make sense and there are days when I tell her to stop talking simply for the chance to hear myself think, but the headaches are far outweighed by the convenience of her being able to express her wants and needs clearly. Even when those wants or needs are in direct opposition to my own.

There are days when Skye's testing of the boundaries completely overwhelm me. Particularly now I am so exhausted and lacking in any kind patience. But the more I get to understand her will, the more equipped I feel to guide her choices.

Right now Skye's whole world revolves around pussycats, unicorns and My Little Pony's.

There is no such thing as too much pink.

Any attempt to dress her in another colour is met with the matter-of-fact statement "that's not very cute".




I am learning to pick my battles and clashing prints and Minnie Mouse ears just aint one of them.

From the first week of Skye's life she showed signs of her independent, strong willed personality. It continues to blow me away that someone so little can have such a big personality, almost like she still has to grow into it. But I hope that self confidence stays with her as she gets older and she continues to bless us with her cheeky, sunny, loving ways as the milestones keep flying by.

Happy Birthday my beautiful Skye, I am so thankful you chose me to be your mummy x

Preparing for Baby Number 2

It's amazing how much a little experience can change the way you approach things and never is that more true than when you are preparing for the arrival of a new baby. I don't believe that I went overboard when preparing for Skye's arrival, but I would absolutely say that my priorities this time around are very different indeed.

While I was pregnant with Skye, I spent an excessive amount of time scrolling through post after post on Apartment Therapy searching for ideas for the perfect nursery. Probably the only thing that really kept me from going all out (aside from the money factor) was the fact that we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl. It meant that I had to restrain myself when looking at clothing, bedding, toys, wall decorations and all that other fun stuff that has nothing to do with actually having a baby, but was my biggest fixation the first time around.

Prior to Skye's birth I did not even own a single Wondersuit. 

They horrified me.  

I could not think of a more daggy, boring item to dress my gorgeous new baby in than a towelling all-in-one whose design had not changed since before I was born. Besides, Skye was a Summer baby, what the hell would I need a Wondersuit for?

The second day in hospital in arctic frost air conditioning quickly changed my mind and I discovered they had the added bonus of making a newborn far easier to hold, velcro like even. A safety feature that cannot be underestimated when you are a sleep deprived first time parent.

Seriously, Who Let That In The House?

It has been a journey of discovery packing up this house. The things you uncover from the depths of cupboards, things you don't recall ever acquiring and you sure as hell don't ever use. Worst of all, despite your total lack of interest or purpose for these items you are compelled to keep them on the off chance that someone will remember they gifted it to you all those years ago and be deeply offended that they found their way to the donation box, or better yet, the garbage truck. 

So instead I am going to out them on my blog and hope to hell they don't get the email update for today.

I have talked before about my issue with acquiring ugly things before, sadly that dinner set is still with us, waiting patiently in a storage container for the time when it can taunt me with it's useless obligation once again. Since then however, I have discovered even uglier and even less useful items skulking around in my cupboards.

Now I know the question on everyone's lips since I posted it on Instagram before the  move is "What the hell is that wooden phallus on a plaque about?!?!" In case you missed it, I would be referring to this...

Do you really want me to caption this?

No Internet For You!

Tomorrow is the big day.

MOVING DAY.


It's going to be manic to say the least. What kind of dickhead books the removalist for 7am anyway? Oh, wait. That would be me...

Balls.

Did I mention that Mr Bond is working on Moving Day?

Double Balls.

Or maybe minus balls if we want to get technical.

Oh, and it's invoicing and pay run day today too.

Fark.

So today, in between overwhelmed meltdowns, I will be frantically packing the 80% of the house I have not been able to pack until now, thankfully with the help of my mum, who is going to suffer the full brunt of my delirious, random ramblings.

I must remember to send her some flowers once we get settled.

Anyway, the whole purpose of this post was to let you know that I have made the appropriate arrangements to have all of our utilities etc connected and most will have little to no downtime, with the exception of our Internet, which I was, until yesterday, blissfully unaware would not be available until at least next week.

How I am going to keep you all updated with the progress of our move now?!?

An exceptionally first world problem I know, but unsettling none the less.

It's probably a good thing though since I should have my full brain capacity back by then and you will be spared any more of my incoherent nonsense!

You know you are excited about my return, if only to find out what the hell this is.



On that note, have a great weekend and I will see you all when I am rebooted x

Goodbye Little Home

I've made my fair share of complaints about our home since starting this blog. The lack of space, the too close for comfort neighbours, and of course, my total disdain for my kitchen. But now that it is time for us to move on to bigger and better things I can't help but feel a little sentimental. There are a lot of wonderful memories in this home. 

Our first home. 

Before

After

I Can't Believe I Heart My Pregnant Body (We Heart It - I Heart My Body 2012)

A lot can change in 12 months. For last years I Heart My Body campaign, I was physically fit and learning to embrace my appearance for what it truly was - healthy, strong, beautiful. I wasn't sure if I would participate again this year, I saw some of the negative responses from people and I was saddened that some misunderstood the purpose of the campaign. It was a promotion and celebration of body love, yes, but it was also a chance to show each other what REAL women look like. 

Something that we just don't get the opportunity to see very often.

I decided to remove the post earlier this year because those few opinions were enough to make me feel vulnerable about having pictures of myself in my underwear 'out there'. 

I also felt that I had got what I needed out of it. I had shown real images of me after becoming a mother and what that looked like. I had made some small dent in the countless number of photoshopped and surgically enhanced images we have come to accept as normal and I had felt liberated by publishing the images when I ordinarily baulk  at the idea of wearing a bikini at the beach in front of my closest friends. Now, I regret taking the post down because it was an important reminder to me that what your mind perceives is not always an accurate reflection and most importantly, it's such a small part of who I am.

This year, I have a different focus. 

This year, I love my body for what it is capable of. 

We're Gonna Need A Bigger Bed

I have known this day would come but I was doing my best to ignore it while we were living in Limbo Land not knowing exactly where we might be living when Baby Bond arrived, well that has been my excuse anyway.

But the time has come, I can't avoid it any longer. 

Skye is going to need a Big Girl Bed.

Yes, at almost 3 years old, Skye is still sleeping in her cot. I never meant for her to stay there that long, but through a combination of lack of space, a desire to avoid too many changes too quickly and lets face it, laziness on my part because the cot keeps her trapped until I say she can get out, she is still in there.

Now that we have sold the house and will be moving into a rental property in a matter of weeks, I feel that now is as good a time as any for her to make the transition. That and the fact that there is another little person due to arrive in less than 2 months who is going to need somewhere to sleep! 

My Guardian Angel Saved Me $5,000

This time last week I was suffering from the beginnings of pneumonia, we were still awaiting confirmation of contracts exchanging on our house and Mr Bond's work ute was causing all kinds of grief with troublesome clutch issues. Definitely not a week I would want to feature in any highlights reel and certainly not a time I was giving Guardian Angel's much credit. 

Last Friday, at the end of said very long week we had all been out together talking to builders and tagging along while Mr Bond did a bit of quoting. On the way home Skye had fallen asleep (as usual) so we pulled into the driveway and left the car running in the hope she would stay that way. 

As I went to collect the mail, I heard Mr Bond close his car door and then the sound of offended crying coming from the back seat as Skye had been rudely woken from her slumber. I dashed back to her and sat the mail on the back of the ute while I got her out and settled her inside with "her shows". In the meantime, Mr Bond had dashed past me saying that he had to leave to get to his next appointment, jumped in the car and took off down the road. 

Pregnancy Glow My Arse

Up until now I haven't had it too bad as far as pregnancy ailments go. While I would say I had it much easier with Skye's pregnancy, my only real complaints would be the heartburn, sore back and excessive grunting everytime I get up.

I would liken my grace to that of an upside down turtle, but really it's to be expected given I am 31 weeks along.

That all changed quite dramatically last weekend when Skye was kind enough to share her cold with me by coughing directly into my mouth.

Lovely.

I knew it was inevitable that I would end up sick, but didn't expect to be coughing by that afternoon. I knew I was feeling rotten but if you hear someone in their third trimester complaining about feeling tired, sore and short of breath you aren't likely to take it too seriously.

I didn't take it too seriously either until I had a coughing fit so bad I managed to pull a muscle in my stomach.

Ouch, that's a real bastard every time I have to move now.

Deciding I needed to confirm this was just a standard cough combined with a slightly sooky pregnant lady, I made an appointment to see the doctor. I was more concerned about getting Skye checked since she had been complaining about her ears aching.

Once we saw the doctor he told me that Skye was fine and would be better on her own soon. Me, not so much. Turns out I have a chest infection so bad he is treating it as pneumonia.

Oops.

Any wonder I was feeling so shit.

Just so you get a really good understanding of how not glowing I am, here is how I looked right after I got home from the doctors.




For the record, I am wearing foundation and mascara.

Yikes!

The Simpsons Are Not The Ideal Parenting Tool

Remember the episode of The Simpson's where Reverend Lovejoy's daughter, Jessica, comes home, steals the Collection Plate money and leaves Bart to take the blame?

Image Credit

Ok, so if you're not an obsessive fan like me, this should still make sense.

And Just Like That, Our House Is Sold

Last week we accepted an offer on our house, the first and only offer we have received since putting our house on the market at the beginning of August. Not a bad result in our suburb where houses can and do sit for over 12 months before the right buyer comes along. We didn’t even try to get more money out of them, mostly because their offer was so close to our asking price we didn’t think it was necessary, but also because the whole thing just felt so ‘meant to be’ that I didn’t want to mess around.

Just when we had decided that we weren’t getting any interest and needed to reassess.

Why Is It So Depressing To Be A Mother?

It's pretty common in the blogosphere that a theme or trend on posts will emerge, sometimes the influences are seasonal like gift ideas before Christmas or Summer weight loss journey's. Sometimes it is due to a current event or major news story. Other times it relates to underlying issues within society, an indication that something is wrong.

Image Credit

Lately I have seen a great many posts relating to Depression. Stories of women struggling, feeling lost and overwhelmed by the task of motherhood. Everyday I see another post about a mother beginning a course of anti-depressants or seeking counselling to help them overcome these issues. Thank God we have these options available to us to allow these mothers the opportunity to enjoy their children without being clouded by these feelings. A right we all have as parents. 

But it does concern me. 

It concerns me that the need for these tools seems to be increasing. What is causing mothers to be so depressed? Has it always been this way and we are just a generation more comfortable with acknowledging things are not perfect, or is it simply harder to be a Stay At Home Parent now? From my perspective, I believe that part of the issue lies in the archaic attitude that being a Stay At Home Parent does not constitute work.

Exercise in Pregnancy

During my pregnancy with Skye I ceased all forms of exercise with the exception of walking, as instructed by my then doctor, who was of the opinion that despite my existing level of fitness, I was to take part in nothing more than gentle walking in my "delicate condition". As it was my first pregnancy I was happy to follow her advice and did my utmost to ensure that I did nothing strenuous (well except for that one time when I simply had to move a sofa bed at about 37 weeks), but I did find it frustrating, especially as my doctor actually participated in many of the classes with me and was well aware of what I could handle.

At Boot Camp in between pregnancies

A Massive Impulse Purchase

When you think about impulse purchases its usually something small like a new shirt, or a cute vase or in my case going out to do the groceries and coming home with a new Dyson... 
but a block of land? Surely that's not considered a snap decision purchase, at least not normally.

But that's exactly what happened here about 4 weeks ago.

Husbands Need To Feel Loved Too

Mr Bond is still working away with various contracts, in fact, it's been well over 12 months now. To say it has been tough is an understatement, for me and Skye obviously, but perhaps even more so for Mr Bond. 

It can be easy to forget that this is no picnic for him either. Sure, I am looking after Skye and all the General Household Boringness by myself, not to mention that pleasant period of morning sickness and first trimester fatigue that almost drive me batty, but I have one clear advantage over Mr Bond in this situation: 

I am dealing with all of this in the comfort of our home.

The Baby Ceiling

I don't generally make a habit of responding to articles about how a mother chooses to parent her children, mostly because it's none of my business. But last night I read an article by Mia Freedman regarding Marissa Mayer's decision to return to work two weeks after having her baby and I felt compelled to say something (you can read the full article here). 


I wasn't offended or even bothered by the idea that Ms Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, believed that she would be able to simply pop out a child and then carry on with her career as if nothing happened, honestly how can you expect anyone to fathom the enormity of those early months before they have lived it?  I admit, I did scoff a little at the concept though, purely for the fact that even with a straight forward delivery, your body will have some considerable adjustments to make in that first two weeks. 

Let's Catch Up

It's been so long (over 2 months in fact) since my last post, I honestly don't know where to start. While I shared the most important news with you yesterday, there has been plenty of other things happening or waiting to happen at Casa de Bond that are worthy of a mention. For simplicity and attention span's sake, photo bullet points are probably best for this exercise so here is a brief list of what's you may have missed while I have been AWOL:

What's REALLY Kept Me From Blogging

I hope you can forgive my absence...

YES! There is a Baby Bond on the way!!! 


Due 17th December 2012.


Now that I am over the morning (24 hour) sickness and we have told all the appropriate IRL people, prepare to be bombarded with all manner of pregnancy and baby talk.


Cause, you know, I'm the only person to ever experience pregnancy and it's therefore my duty to bore you to tears with every detail impart my wisdom on you ;)


Making my grand return just in time to link up with Jess at Diary of a SAHM for #iBOT. 

Writers Block? No, Just Clingy Toddler.

So many posts, so little brain capacity. That's whats happening around here right now. I have roughly four half written posts waiting for me to make sense of them but every time I sit down to finish one my brain goes into sleep mode. 


So I give up and watch Real Housewives, or Jersey Shore (because that won't kill my brain cells).


The only thing that is really going through my head lately is Skye's voice, in various states of whine. 


The joys of a toddler going through a clingy phase.


She has had them before and no doubt will have them again. Generally they coincide with a new tooth and since she still has a couple of molars to come through, I suspect that is probably the cause. But my God, Skye seems to have found a whole new level of demanding this week after insisting that she shower with me while I tried to wash my hair. 


Not such a big deal except that she wanted me to hold her the whole time. 14kgs of slippery toddler and shampoo are not a good combination. 


Mr Bond is away for work again which means there is no one to share the load. Not that it would help anyway, Skye wouldn't even let Gran get her out of the car this week because 'mum do it'. 


Actually I think 'mum do it', would have to be the sentence of the week.


Skye, can you put your shorts on? 'Mum do it.'


Mr Bond tries to get Skye out of her cot in the morning 'Mum do it.'


Skye, can you take your socks off? 'Mum do it.'


Skye, who's turn is it to take you to bed? 'Mum do it.'


Mr Bond tries to assist by running the bath 'Mum do it.'


I know I am good, but I am positive other people are just as capable of these menial tasks as I am. 


It's starting to impact on my ability to retain anything for more than two minutes. Real conversations with adults see me drifting off mid-sentence, asking the same question over and over, or just forgetting what I was about to say because Skye requires me to pick her up.


I don't generally like to indulge her too much during these clingy phases, but I just don't have the mental capacity to think long term about my actions. I didn't even realise I was already wearing the pair of earrings I just spent half an hour searching for this morning so I doubt I am capable of proactive parenting.


Sigh.


Here's hoping the teeth come through soon and I can stop writing rubbish posts like this!

Babycino's, Fluffy Slippers and Car Strollers - The Essentials Of Car Servicing

This week it was time to get the car serviced. Oh the joy. When you live hundreds of miles (ok, like 20 minutes) from everything, it's just not practical to drop the car off and then try to get back home only to have to try and get back to pick the car up a matter of hours later. Plus, public transport is pretty much non-existent on the Central Coast of NSW, so our best option is to make a day of it at the nearby Westfield Shopping Centre. 


This time I thought I had it all planned out. After too many occasions where I thought I would be nice and tell them I had no particular time I needed the car back thus spending roughly 7 hours pacing up and down the same 5 stores waiting for my magic phone call, I had told them that I required the car back at lunchtime. We would go to the shops for a couple of hours and pick up a couple of things, then head home in time for a nap.


Perfect.


Never going to happen.

Honey, It's Just Not That Simple: A Case Study In Shoe Shopping

Why is it that when daddy has to take over for the day, things go off without a hitch? It's not that I want Skye to be a difficult screaming little monster when Mr Bond is in charge, lets face it, I want him to enjoy his daddy-daughter time (if only so they have more of it). But returning home to a peaceful house where everything has been just fine is a little unnerving. It makes all those tough days I complain about look like a total crock and I can't help feeling a bit useless. But I discovered that something even more disheartening than daddy and daughter having a nice day at home together is when they decide to go out and do something like shoe shopping successfully - now that's going too far!


While Clever Baker Friend and I were preparing Cake Pops for her Market Day the other week, we had handed over all child wrangling duties to Mr Bond and Running Man so that we could get through rolling eleventy billion pops in one day. To minimise the chaos, I left Mr Bond and Skye at home and headed over the Clever Baker's house to get on with the job. 


The morning had gone pretty well, and we were making good progress, but the kids were starting to get a little restless. Running Man had been perusing the papers in the living room when he announced that he was going to take both Mini Bakers with him to the nearest Myer because they were having a shoe sale. 

Happiness Is... Bathtime Grafitti

Who You Gonna Call? Mouse-Busters

There's is a mouse in our house. Actually there is a couple. I don't know for sure where they are getting in, or why they are coming in to start with, I just know they are freaking me out and I would very much like it if they would just bugger off already. 


Meet my Chief Mouse Hunter, Bundy.

Awesomely Great Grandparents

Last weekend we had a visit from Mr Bond's Grandparents, Skye's Great Grandparents (obviously). To me that is a pretty big deal especially considering that Grandad requires a constant assisted oxygen supply and they are both in their late 80s, not to mention the fact that they live six hours away! That trip is a mission for most people and honestly it does take it out of them, but they love coming over to see everyone so much just try and talk them out of it.


Their visits are all the more special for me as my own Grandparents had passed away by the time I was 13 and ever since Mr Bond and I have been a couple, they have always treated me like part of their family. It has helped to fill a void I did not even realise was there.

Managing Day Care / Life Balance With Toddlers

This year we started sending Skye to Day Care two days a week rather than just one. I wasn't really sure if it was necessary, and I did feel a bit guilty about it, but late last year she seemed to enjoy going an extra day when there was a vacancy and I figured it was better to take the spot while it was available with the option of dropping it if it was too much, rather than trying to get her an extra day when there were no vacancies. 


I won't lie, the idea of having two days to myself was pretty appealing too. At the time when the spot was offered, Mr Bond was still working away and it was getting close to Christmas so staying on top of everything was getting overwhelming.

Pump It - Louder!

No, this is not another post about my neighbours, the pump I am referring to is that of the pumping iron variety, as in a Pump class. I attended my first in about 3 years this week and let me tell you, I felt every damn minute of my hiatus. Even more so in the days following. What on earth possessed me to even go to a Pump class after such a long time? Simple, I felt like a change, well, that and I had a seminar to go to later in the week that interfered with my normal program. After all, it's just one class, piece of cake, right? Who knows, I might even enjoy it.

Buns of Crazy Image Credit

To Market To Market To Sell A Cake Pop

Last week I got to play Baker's Assistant to Clever Baker Friend as she prepped for a local Market Night. She had about 4 billion Cake Pops to make and not quite enough time (or hands) to do the job solo, so I stepped in as Sous Chef. I also got to help out on the night selling the pops which meant that I got to see roughly 500 kids (and some overly excited adults) practically wet themselves at the site of all the brightly coloured treats we were offering.


It was the first time in a very long time Clever Baker Friend and I got to spend a bit of girl time together without the kids (thanks Mr Bond and Running Man!) and even though we had a lot to get through, it was still a pretty fun way to spend the week, I mean, who doesn't love being surrounded by chocolate and sprinkles?!?

Oh Give Me Land, Lots of Land... Or Some Ear Plugs

As the house hunting continues and our wish list seems to grow longer by the day it is starting to seem like we will never manage to find the 'ideal home'. One of our deal breakers that is currently creating a problem with many potential new homes is our need for a large yard with side access and a oversized shed for all of Mr Bond's Man Cave paraphernalia. Blocks here are pretty small and houses tend to take up most of the block. Low maintenance, but a little too claustrophobic for my liking. 

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Exercise Isn't Always Good For You

Yep, I never thought I would say it, but it's true, sometimes exercising is NOT what your body needs. And I love to work out! Given the choice, I would work out 3 times a week, I enjoy being able to de-stress and be involved in an activity with other adults who share my passion and most of the time I am successful. Lately, things have been so busy, helping Clever Baker Friend with her market stall and getting the house ready for valuation, not to mention all the usual "there's a toddler in the house" jazz that happens. Often I feel too drained or uninspired to want to go the gym, but once I am there, I love it and come out feeling all the better for going. If anything, I have MORE energy after thrashing out an hour on the Spin bikes, or kicking the bejeezers out of the bags. But not this week. This week I knew what I really needed to do was just slow down, to take the pressure off, and stop pushing. 

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All My Friends Are Going To DPCON12

If you're not a blogger, you probably aren't aware that the Digital Parents Conference 2012 (DPCON12) is on this Friday, and it's a really big deal! All my blogging besties are going and I am totally bummed that I can't be a little spoon to one of them and help shield Jess from Diary of a SAHM from all the unwelcome hugs that will be thrust upon her. Not to mention how awesome it would be to have a weekend in Melbourne and do all fun grown up things like shopping and cool restaurants and cocktail parties. 


Oh, and I'm sure the actual conference would be good too. Look! I could have even had one of these pretty flashy buttons on my blog!

If only Beer Wench friend had outed me a bit earlier I may have had time to convince Mr Bond that me spending a whole weekend in Melbourne hanging out with a bunch of people he has never even heard about while he stays at home with Skye is such a great idea he would insist that I book my flights ASAP. 


Or something.


But alas, it is not to be, so instead I will be stalking Twitter for updates on what everyone is learning from the seminars and waiting patiently for my promised drunken FaceTime call from Maccas - did you know their smoothies make killer cocktails when spiked with Bacardi??? Last time I snuck booze into a Macca's container it was a bit of bourbon in a large Coke. See? Just another example of all the grown up stuff I will be missing!


Maybe if I start planning now I might just be able to make it next year.


To those lucky enough to be attending, I hope you have a great time and please, please, please share some photos on Twitter so I can at least pretend I was there!!!

Happiness Is… A Tub Filled With Water?

 

 

 

Why Won't You Go To Bed???

Bedtimes are a real struggle here at the moment. Nothing seems to work, warm baths, dimmed light, keeping the house quiet, but no matter what I try, I am met with resistance and bedtime is becoming later and later each day. Of course, late bedtimes mean grumpy mornings and very long days of crankiness and constant eating. 


But despite my best efforts,  it seems I simply cannot go to bed at a reasonable hour, and I am exhausted!

Things That Go Splash In The Night

Mr Bond has a rather unfortunate after-party trick that he brings out more often than anyone would like. After a big night out, he is likely to need to get up and use the toilet. Nothing out of the ordinary there, but apparently too much beer plays havoc with his internal GPS, which means that more often than not, he does not arrive at his intended destination. Instead, he makes use of outdoor pot plants, built-in wardrobes and on one particular occasion, our kitchen bin (which has since been replaced). The worst scenario is when this happens at someone else's (carpeted) house. After almost 12 years I have come to expect this and have developed a plan of attack to reduce the likelihood of awkward apologies the next morning. Sometimes though, my best laid plans fall short and when that happens I have to resort to vigilant surveillance. 


Like last weekend. 

The Top 10 Symptoms of 'Toddler'

Recently I have been struck down with a condition referred to in medical journals as Tiny Tornadoistis, but it is most commonly known as 'Toddler'. Symptoms may be mild or extreme depending on each individual case and can last for months or even years. There is no known cure for 'Toddler', but the condition will usually resolve itself in time. If you suspect that you, or someone you know is suffering from 'Toddler' here is a quick reference guide for the top 10 symptoms to look out for.

What do you mean you don't like my outfit?

Failures Of An IT Graduate

Some of you may have seen on Facebook last week that I was having issues with my old laptop. Actually my 'old' laptop was only purchased in December 2010 at considerable expense, so I was not at all happy when the hard drive decided it didn't want to play anymore. Fortunately I was able to back everything up onto an external hard drive or there would have been some serious problems. It was my now fault really, I had only said the week before that I was planning on upgrading to a Mac at the end of the year but wanted to  wait until we were a bit more financially prepared, especially since we would need to change over all the accounting software etc as well as the initial purchase price. I should have known if I said it out loud I was screwed and sure enough, last Sunday morning I got the Blue Screen of Death and decisions needed to be made.

Very Tempting Image Credit

An Unexpectedly Wonderful Weekend

Yes I am back this week after a far longer than planned hiatus (more on that later) and while a lot of things have been happening around here I thought the best place to start would be with a wrap up from the weekend.

Mr Bond and I attended a 30th birthday party on the weekend, the theme was your favourite sporting attire. Now, to be clear on this, the last themed party we attended with this group of people saw an array of involved and rather expensive costumes - we were in fact the only people in attendance that did not arrive in costume, so we wanted to make sure that we were not left out this time. 

After plenty of time on Google and a trip to a nearby party shop we were all set with our costumes. I was rather perplexed by the fact that mine did not come with pants, but after making some additions to the ensemble, I was ready to go.

Turns out we may have overestimated the dress code. On arrival we saw a sea of football jersey’s, a few cricketer’s and a couple of ladies dressed in op shop bowlers dresses. 

Then there was the four of us.

I can’t really do the outfits justice in words, I think the photo’s speak for themselves...

Not My Finest Parenting Moment

Discipline has been a big issue in our house lately. Skye is making full use of her terrible two status and ensuring that even the simplest of instructions are met with resistance. Needing to change her nappy, or put a shirt on, or get in the car usually results in Skye running and hiding in the tiniest space she can find. Swipes to my face in protest are common when I try to speak to her about her behaviour and at times she will flat out ignore me as if I am not even in the same room. Nothing out of the ordinary for her age, but exhausting none the less.

 

The Honeymoon Is Over–TV In The Bedroom

I have long held the belief that having a TV in the bedroom signals the end of romance in a marriage. Since we are the masters of all thing romantic in this house (ahem) I have stuck by this belief for almost 12 years. When Mr Bond and I were both working long hours the only time we really had together through the week was spent watching TV together. Sure we didn’t always want to watch the same thing, but at the time we only had free-to-air channels, so options were limited and for me it was more important to at least be able to sit in the same room together, even if there was little conversation. Fortunately, Mr Bond had never seemed overly keen about the idea of a TV in the bedroom either.

I could probably put up with it if it looked like this Image Credit

 

OK So We Agree We Aren’t Going To Buy Another House? Cool, I’ll Make The Offer Tomorrow…

I have a great habit of saying something only to completely backflip on it in a matter of days. It drives me and Mr Bond crazy, but sometimes you just have to be open to seeing an opportunity when it presents itself. A few months ago we had been looking at houses and found something that looked ideal, but of course once I got to view the property for myself it was clear that my dream home was nothing more than a blatant use of Photoshop. After the initial disappointment we decided that the timing was not great for us to move anyway and this was just the Universe’s way of telling us to wait for something better to come along. Since then I have been keeping an eye on the properties coming up for sale in our area and there really hadn’t been anything suitable for our needs that was also suitable for our budget. The good thing about this was that it gave us time to get a really clear understanding of what we needed in a new family home.

Image Via We Heart It

Happiness Is… A Dog On The Lounge

 

Tag I’m It!

Milina over at Little Red Vikings has tagged me in the latest bloggy tag game and asked me to answer the same questions she responded to here. I like joining in on these ones because the questions are usually a good combination of intriguing and random so you get to find out a little bit more about the person behind the blog, in one easy-to-read post. So to keep things nice and simple I’m just going to jump right in and get on with the questions.

Describe yourself in seven words

Impatient, happy, tired, shopaholic, fit, fun, procrastinator

What keeps you up at night?

• All of the things I meant to do today, or forgot to today and won’t get a chance to do tomorrow.
• Where I am going to put Skye’s ever growing toy collection.
• Why am I still awake? I have to be up again in xxx hours, I should be asleep!!!
• Should we put an offer in on that house?
• The latest half written blog post that just struck me as I was getting into bed.

Thank You, For Loving Me At My Worst

Mr Bond does cop a pretty bad rap here at times (mostly deserved) and I often take him for granted, occasionally even being ungrateful for all that he does because I am too busy making fun or seeing faults. Just last week I was complaining about the fact that he had been coming home early (right after I had put Skye down for her nap) and interrupting my Me-Time that I had planned on using to write blog posts and catch up on some general computer faffing. The audacity of him wanting to be in his own home and spend time with his wife. This week I was reminded what a wonderful husband he really is.

Image via We Heart It

 

Proud Mummy Moments– My Sweet Natured Girl

Real life has been getting in the way of Eat Play Bond recently and this meant that I missed my chance to link up with Diary of a SAHM’s iBOT this week. Luckily for me Jess has decided to do another linky this week which is giving all of the adoring and proud mummies out there a chance to brag about their gifted and special offspring and celebrate the proud moments of other mummies too. Kind of like a big virtual high five to all of us for raising such wonderful children. You can check all of the posts out here.

I have a lot of proud mummy moments, like when I realised that Skye can identify an obscure animal in a book, or that she can sing the ABC song, or drink out of a big girl cup. But the things that make me proudest are when I see another aspect of her personality developing and how she is becoming a little person in her own right.

Happiness Is… A DIY Cubby House