I tried to be Type-B but it just wasn't working for me....

So dear readers, as you all know, I've been trying to just 'take it easier' in life since August 2008 when a health scare .... well scared me. I've changed jobs - working as a counselling psychologist two days a week, and trying to just 'chill' a little in the parenting department. But last night that all went up in flames when I decided to become a tupperware consultant :) I can't help it - I love tupperware (and yes I do realise how Type-A that is in itself lol). And I don't know anyone who sells it, plus I love people, socialising AND parties... so it just seemed logical don't you see? I've booked to do four demonstrations in the next 16 days so I'm just chilling out haha..... Book a demonstration with me NOW lol it'll be fun.

A Life Update

Well hello dear readers. 'tis been awhile. Again, not due to lack of content but rather lack of motivation to get to the computer and write it all down. I think I've mentioned before that if they could hurry up and invent a mind to computer recorder I would blog a lot more often. Then at 3am while I was narrating a blog entry in my head (yes I do actually do that...how sad is that) - it would be automatically blogging to my site. How cool would that be!!??

And so begins a life update:

My Health

Is doing quite well thank you. I can't wait to see the specialist in a few weeks to get my meds reviewed though - there've been a few blackouts of late when I've stood up too suddenly and I've fainted momentarily because my blood pressure must just drop... of course, they may not change my medication at all....after all, keeping my BP low is the point I think. Anyway, I'm braving work one day a week as of the first of December (always good to return to work during the silly season don't you think??) so we'll see how that goes.

My Princesses

I never feel like I can do justice to this section of my blog. So much happens during the day with them both that it's hard to capture their hilarity, their drama, their ability to stun me with their personalities..... so some snippets.

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(note well: we've been quite aware of charli's fascination with death and dying lately - a stage I'm told - but all the more because of my cardiac arrest.... )

So Dave and I are sitting in her room playing trains. She lays two of the wooden people on the floor and says "they died". Dave and I look at each other in horror. Maybe they are just sleeping charli? "No they died-ed". Then she looks sad, hangs her head and pouts her lips. "What's up Charli?"
"I'm just so sad that they died"
"Charli, it's okay - they didn't really die, let's not play this game ok?"
Charli looks up with a big grin on her face:
"It's okay mummy, I'm not sad, I'm just pretending - they're not really dead you know, they're just toys".
Blimey.....I can't keep up with her.

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Me: Zie, don't bite Charli - it's very naughty!
Zie: No
Me: Zie, that's it, you need to move away from Charli please, you're being very naughty
Zie: Runs across the room, slaps me in the face or sometimes bites me if she's in the mood and then runs from the room into her room and sits in time out before I can even put her there. (sigh) - love how she gets one last naughty moment in before punishing herself.

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Charli on one of our many house-hunting trips of late. Walks in the door at a house - walks up to the agent and says "My name is Charlotte, I hope you're having a good day, we're going to buy this house ok?"..... every real estate agents' dream sale.

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I promise I'm going to do more of these snippet blogs. there's a 1000 more tales on a daily basis. I'll be more diligent I promise...

The House Hunting

Let's see if I can condense this.

• We've been househunting a lot
• It hasn't been easy because even though I have all this time on my hands, I can't drive so I can't be doing any of it during the week - which means every Saturday we get to cart the kids around and listen to them whinge and whine the whole time. It's lots of fun
• We found a house they were listing as Gigantor!! It's ugly but it's huge. Here's a couple of pics:

It's on nearly 1200 square metres of sloping to flat land, there's odd structural issues like a pole in the centre of the lounge room (because it used to be the garage), there's shag pile carpets which HAVE to go and it's tiled floors instead of my preferred wood. There's no flow effect out to the entertaining areas and all in all it's a brick piece of lego that desperately needs to be prettied up. But having looked at a few houses now (to say the least), we've discovered if you buy a pretty house, then you're paying for someone else's hard work and the chances are it's either a) too expensive, b) too small or c) on a small lot which we've decided we don't want. *sigh*

• We offered 34K less than their asking price - a rude offer yes but one that sat well with us given what we wanted to do with the place. And the Brisbane market is falling so.....
• they said 'no' and didn't counter-offer
• we offered 9K more and said that was our limit (and meant it)
• They came back with an offer 12K more than that. I said no our offer was X and that's all we can offer. Goodbye
• Felt emotionally drained as yet another house passed us by but refused to wallow. This house hunting thing is a big game and there's no point getting stressed about it (or giving yourself a cardiac arrest ;)
• Yesterday (after a tiresome Hi-5 concert!!), we went to see another house at the same price as we were offering on the above house - prettier, all renovated, pool, same size block, good high fences to contain the children BUT we just didn't like it. Might have been prettier but it was smaller and still had lots of little structural things that you knew were going to cost money to re-do. AND there was moisture in the garage wall..... and above the garage on the lawn sat the pool..... we were suspicious!!
• Driving home we decided that for the extra 12K we may as well bow to the wishes of the vendors who own the home above and just buy it. It always helps to see comparably priced houses on the market so we planned to call on the way home and bow to their new asking price.
• The phone was in the back of the car and i couldn't reach it so planned to call when we got home.
• The phone rang and went thorugh to message bank.
• Turns out that it was the estate agent :)
• We called back (not mentioning that we were about to call him!!)
• He asked if there was any way that we could increase our offer (now if we hadn't just decided to call him, him calling would have PISSED ME OFF because I thought I'd made it quite clear we weren't going to offer more)
• But of course we offered 5K more because hell, we'd just been about to pick up the phone and offer 12K more but he didn't know that!!
• And as of 3 minutes ago (while I was blogging!!) our offer was accepted!!
  

WE ARE NOW THE PROUD OWNERS (subject to building and pest and finance!) of GIGANTOR!!! (and don't think I won't be getting a sign for that house that says that!! LOL

Full stop. The end.

Well sorry Beck, but I just had to steal your title - it seems so fitting at this point. Today I left my job. I had my farewell lunch, pocketed my Ella Bache gift voucher (thanks guys ;)) and I got in my car and came home. Granted I had celebratory drinks with a friend planned but those plans went a little pear-shaped so I came home instead. of course on the way I stopped and bought many dollars worth of new skin care, make up, and tanning lotions and hair colours.... all in the name of retail therapy you understand (despite being happy to leave my current job I still felt a little lost nonetheless) - and when I told the lady chemist that I'd just left my job - she threw in heaps more make up for free (or perhaps because I'd just spent enough money to pay the rent on their premises for another month, who knows).

Nonetheless, my days at Company X are over. Four and half years of my life with quite frankly, not as much to show for it as I would have hoped - however, many wonderful and beautiful friendships were forged, and isn't that - at the end of the day - much more important than getting published in international journals? I think I need to remind myself of that a little more. Remind myself that it's just a job and that while it needs to be rewarding so that I have the motivation to turn up each day - my life when I die should not be measured by the number of publications I received in high impact journals. I want to be remembered for the friendships I forged, for my generous spirit (which I feel has been sadly lacking lately as I've allowed myself to become bogged down in the drudgery of life), for my laughter and my ability to make friends feel good about themselves. I want to be remembered for being a mum who knows how to laugh rather than screech at her kids for getting water on the floor. I want to be remembered as a loving wife and not one who has forgotten how to laugh off the things that really don't matter. For this reason and many more, I'm excited about my move to leave Company X. It is time for a fresh start. While the decision to leave was not my own (my contract was not to be renewed but I'm not going to dwell on that un-pleasantness), the decision to resign immediately rather than wait until I had no job to go to, the decision to leave with a smile on my face and take up a new position elsewhere - these were my decisions and ones that I'm glad that I made.

So despite my blogging drought I hope to blog a little more lately. My darling Mackenzie is growing so fast and Charlotte is, as ever, a little personable being filled with questions and answers. Next blog will be devoted to them - the angels in my life for whom I am constantly grateful, and who deserve a mummy who is happy with herself. New Year's Resolution (made early because why wait until January when a fresh start is happening right now): to live life to the fullest, enjoy family and friends, and learn to laugh off those things (and people) in life that are just not worth giving yourself an ulcer about.

A lot to answer for....

My PhD examiner who never returned my PhD report that is. Why? I just lost out to another candidate for a postdoctoral position that I really really really wanted. Why? Because this other candidate had their PhD already and yours truly does not. Otherwise I was an exceptional candidate for the job, 'very employable', good experience, fantastic project management skills... blah blah blah. It was actually hard to hear all the positive praise but then still be told I was unsuccessful. Oh well, what's the Zen response to all of this? Perhaps it is best that Dave and I are not both starting new jobs at the same time........ as he was successful in securing a new role that starts next Thursday - yay for hubby.

Why today was a good day.

1. I went to work on my own - without the girls - solo..... to discuss some handover issues with the person who has been doing my job.

2. Mackenzie's first time without me went exceptionally well, she drank from a cup, she fed from a spoon, she slept well. the only downside? I discovered just how much milk I'm going to have to milk from myself to keep her fed for one entire work day. Lord!!!

3. On my return home, both girls have fallen fast asleep allowing me to get on with writing a job application for a postdoctoral position I want to apply for (oh and to update my blog ;)

4. Super A-mart called to let me know that our couch - which was an expected 3-6 weeks away - can be delivered tomorrow. I'm not going to tell Dave this, I'm going to let it be a surprise for when he gets home. Of course, if he reads this it won't be a surprise but I think he bored of my blog weeks ago......

5. And last but not least, while doing handover we decided to go to lunch (after my phone call to my mother-in-law confirmed that all was well with the small people) - and I got to eat a steak, on my own, solo - without a baby at my boob or a toddler poking her fingers in my food to check whether or not it was hot. And I drank a glass of red wine. Steak and wine and no kids. I swear it doesn't get better than this. Having kids has made me - if nothing else - appreciate the small things in life - you know, like being able to pee without a running commentary from a 2-year old ;)