Day 1... did someone say rain?

Okay dear readers, the big day arrived - Day 1 of landscaping began. We started the day by deciding that we wouldn't stick around to greet the guys - which was lucky because when i called their mobiles from work to check everything was okay they hadn't even arrived at our house yet, so we would have been VERY late for work..... anyway here are the before shots taken this morning (just in case you haven't seen enough shots of our crappy backyard....





And this is what we were confronted with when we arrived home from work this afternoon!! I was stoked - it looked so cool - and reminded me of my childhood when I would have thought all my Christmases had come at once, running around the backyard in the mud, slipping and sliding down this huge hill of dirt...... alas, I am old and sensible now and had a baby in my arms, so I just stood and admired how much work they had done - in a very grown up way!! :)






And here I sit - listening to the rain BUCKET down... a week too early - we need this next week when the turf is laid *sigh*

That's downright un-neighbourly of you.......

Hi all,
Well, I've not blogged for ages dear readers and I know that this has left a hole in your lives.... so rest assured I am back - and with some good news. You may remember from earlier blogs that one of my 'to-do's' on my ever growing list of things to do in my life, was to landscape the backyard. You can refer to an earlier post here explaining the back breaking hours I put into sledge-hammering the concrete in our backyard. You will all be suitably feeling sorry for me when I point out that all of that labour was in vain. Apparently what took me days to achieve, the bobcat will be able to complete in about 2 minutes - if that. Still, all that work was back when we were going to do the landscaping ourselves. We have since come to our senses (and found not one but two credit card companies silly enough to lend us even more credit) and found ourselves a fantastic landscaper......(I would give him a free plug here but he insists he has too much work on as it is!!!) so wait for it ............ drumroll....
............
...........
the landscaping begins TOMORROW!!!! I am so darn excited. Seriously, it's not actually normal that one should be this excited about getting a new backyard, but so few things in my life are actually completed these days that I'm easily pleased. (Can you imagine the party that will be thrown should I ever complete my thesis???).

But the road thus far has not been easy. Those of you following my story will have already heard me complain about lack of finances (stick around, you'll be hearing that woe plenty more times in the coming months as we struggle to pay off credit cards at 18.5%!!!) and the trouble we had finding finance. Well once we had that sorted out, the next set of problems began.... access to our backyard. Down one side of our house, for those of you dear readers who have been here, you will remember is a sharp drop - the likes of which no bobcat is going to be able to navigate. The other side of the house - a carport. Not a great carport granted, but one that does the job in protecting our car from the elements and the hail that tends to hit Brisbane with alarming frequency during the stormy, summer months. And so the negotiations with neighbours begin.

I have wonderful neighbours on both sides of us (Hi Mel, I know you're reading this!!). After scoping out both properties, we decided one of them would have to be too damaged if we took a bobcat down the side of their house (I'd like to point out here that these neighbours were still trying to figure out how to help us out despite the fact that they are due to move to Canberra in about a week and are trying to rent their house - and still they were trying to help us out!! what friends!)... the property on the other side looked hopeful, but then we realised that there was not enough room between the fence and the hot water system.... so alas no luck there. Those neighbours were even willing to let us drive a bobcat over their vegie patch so that we could get a bobcat through.... again, how wonderfully neighbourly is that?
Finally, the bobcat operator suggested the people over the back - their yard feeds straight onto ours, no walls or anything to negotiate - in fact they don't even have a front fence AND their yard is currently pretty torn up because they are having a pool dug in. What infinitesimally small amount of damage that MAY have been done to their existing garden was going to be professionally fixed by my landscaper for free. That's right folks - re-landscaping your garden for free... no cost to you. So what was their response when I practically begged them for access to their yard?

NO.

That's right.

NO.

Well that's downright neighbourly of you folks thanks. Let me just go and rip my carport down so that we don't ruin your grass - oh that's right YOUR GRASS IS ALREADY RUINED BECAUSE YOU ARE GETTING AN INDOOR POOL DUG IN AND JUST HAD A FLIPPIN' BOBCAT RUN OVER YOUR GRASS NOT 4 WEEKS AGO!!!!!.... thanks for your help.

So after lamenting to our landscaper of our neighbourly woes, he gave up his Sunday today at no extra cost in our quote to help my darling husband and his two mates dismantle our carport (no mean feat as you'll note the jungle that had to be removed from the top of the roof!!).



He will also be helping us to put it back up when he's done AND is giving us some new roof sheeting as the stuff we tore down was pretty old and rusty. Now don't get me wrong, I know this guy is making a profit on the quote he gave us - and so he should, he's running a business. But nothing in the quote said that he had to help us out with our structural problems AND help us re-build a carport. No wonder the guy doesn't need any extra business, with customer service like that he must be in hot demand.....



The garage after 'the jungle' was removed.

So here's what it all looks like now - bare huh?



Now we just hope everything from here on goes smoothly.... and that the bobcat can fit through (we have measured it six times but the way our luck has been running who knows!!).

So hopefully by the time I get home tomorrow our backyard will no longer look like this!!!





here are the boys working hard - and after a hard day working, the boys deserved a beer - charlotte girl thought she would get one for them. he he he




Stay Tuned for Daily Updates (hopefully!)

I can fit.....I just have to hold my head right....

not content to just play quietly while I try and get my thesis written, charlotte has now taken to climbing in and around my computer desk to get my attention. I have a laptop so don't require the space where the computer case would normally go. Charlotte has decided it makes a neat cubby.....

MIA

just wanted dear readers, to alleviate any fears that I had come to some terrible end or encountered some unthinkable misfortune. I've just been lazy / tired / bored with blogging / busy.... take your pick. I shall return. Have no fear. And thank you Meegan for your concern :)

Australian's all let us rejoice........... or....... Bernard Fanning you're a legend!!

January 26th. Australia Day and Triple J's hottest 100 countdown (Bernard Fanning came in at #1 with "Wish you well"). No wonder every year we celebrate - two great occasions on one day!! So inevitably every year we have a BBQ. But this is never a planned event. Despite knowing that every year without fail these events WILL occur on the one day, we always leave our invites until about 24 hours before the event. I'm not sure why we do this - it invariably means we forget people (sorry if you didn't get an invite, maybe next year!!) and it always means that I spend the morning before running around like a headless chook (or chooken according to Henry) picking up meat and salads and rolls and green and yellow paper plates and a multitude of other things that we don't have just lying around waiting for 12 people to descend on us!! I am so unorganised. Anyway, so we hung out bbq-ing and drinking.


Here is Charlotte before everyone arrived, just kicking back, not being at all helpful with the preparations!!!


And here is another photo of the legendary Xmas present from Beck.....

Darling Charlotte had been up since 5am so when everyone left not long after 6pm I can't say I was sorry - as delightful a day as it had been..... I was exhausted!!! I believe I was asleep by 8.... how tragic.

My first Toesday

This one's for you Beck - I'm too beat to post anything else, but I came across this photo taken when Charlotte was 6 weeks old - not my feet I'd like to point out - I borrowed all toes from my husband and daughter!!








And here's a print of those luscious little toes on daddy's first father's day card...

A day to remember

Well it's been three years today since my mum passed away. I still miss her every day. This one day of all days though is usually a tough one for me so I took a sickie from work. Well, actually that's not entirely true - I told them exactly why I wasn't coming in today and then took the day off without pay - all above board and everything. I decided I was taking today to celebrate life with my daughter. I know that somehow Mum was watching over us.

as part of my 'celebrate life' day I decided not to get upset or stressed about anything. The day started out nicely with Charlotte taking a good nap from about 8.30 this morning. While she was asleep I packed up our things ready for a trip to the shops when she awoke. At 11am we headed for Brookside Shopping Centre where I purchased some pressies for Dave's upcoming birthday and this swanky little number.





It's only 4kgs.... and folds into a backpack as shown!! How cool is that? I love parenthood - so many more new toys to play with!

While I love our Steelcraft Terrain Deluxe pram, I also needed a light and easy to fold little number for those quick trips to the shop when you just don't want to lift a 12kg pram in and out of the car.

So shopping under control (though as per usual I forgot about 5 items that I will have to go back out for later .... how I would survive on a remote property where you have to travel 2 hours into town for groceries once a month I'll never know!!)

On our return it was lunchtime for charlotte and I decided to let her feed herself spaghetti (remember a day of not being stressed out or cranky). It was hilarious...





Where did that pesky piece of spaghetti go??



Oh there they all are!!


I'm still finding bits of pasta on the floor (though Sophie the Hoover dog has eaten most of it thank goodness...saves me mopping the floors!!!). As you can see, much of it ended up NOT in her mouth. But boy it must have felt good in her hands as I had to pry a piece out 20 minutes later..... she LOVED it.

I then decided that as much fun as we were having, I really needed to get some washing up done, but she just wanted to be entertained. Of course, her idea of entertainment while in the kitchen is to pull each and every can and bottle out of our recycling box. After taking her away from it three times I finally decided that an alternate plaything was called for. Enter the tupperware box.




Of course, we now have to wash all of the tupperware before we use it.... and it didn't take anywhere near long enough to empty out as I would have liked, but she seemed to have fun.

Twenty sleeps and counting

Today has been a little quieter, I've only managed to wash up, sterilise bottles and do a little bit on my Chapter Six, download some photos of Charlotte - and it's already 10am, I really have wasted a morning haven't I? Firstly let me draw your attention to a previous post on financial, swimming, and falling woes where photos are now availabe from the first swimming lesson. They aren't great photos, though Lorraine did try. But between the glass and a less than happy little girl, it wasn't really a great photo op. Please note the new pink swimmers Lib, though there will be better photos taken in the sandpit where you can actually see them!!!

Now for the real news - THERE ARE ONLY 20 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL THE GIRL WEEKEND FROM HEAVEN!! Yes folks, I am taking a break. I am leaving Brisbane sans child and heading for Sydney. Lib and I will then drive up to the Hunter Valley where we will partake of plenty of wine and good food while we enjoy an evening of Missy Higgins at A day on the green. I really can't wait.

A letter from Charlotte

Dear Auntie Libby,
Mummy got me all decked out in my togs today and took me down to the sandpit - with camera in hand she lined me up for a photo so that we could show you how adorable I look in your present ..... alas, despite having charged the batteries last night, she had put them back in the camera and then inadvertently (that's a big word for a little girl isn't it?) turned the camera on so that all the battery power ran out AGAIN!! Mummy is a bit tired lately and doing some silly things. Forgive her. She said we will try again tomorrow.

Love from Charlotte
xoxoxo

A Type-A start to the day

Hi all. It's 9.45am here. So far this morning I've:

1. done three loads of washing
2. mopped the floors in the kitchen and cleaned out the bins
3. given charlotte her breakfast, bottle and changed three nappies
4. folded two baskets of laundry and put them away
(okay, i left Dave's on the bed to put away himself - bad wife that I am)
5. tidied up the loungeroom
6. put Charli's toys away in their box
(she then promptly pulled them all out again - the lounge doesn't actually look any better!!)
7. had a shower
(this in itself is worth a mention because it doesn't always happen before noon!!)

I'm sure there's more but does that give you an idea? I should of course, now that she's sleeping, go and have a lie down, but seriously, once you've done all of that work, who is relaxed enough to sleep?? - in fact I'm hungry now from all the energy I've expended (actually I'm ALWAYS hungry but I'm going to use the working hard excuse anyway).

Anyway, there's more washing to do, a sickly husband to take to the GP, post office errands to run (some crap I bought off the internet for Dave's birthday is defective and must be returned), medicare to brave (oh lordy I hate that place), and I guess I should map out the next week's meals, do up a shopping list and brave the grocery store...... Libby, if you're out there... how many sleeps until the Hunter-Valley-divine relaxation-child free-wine drinking-missy higgins-filled weekend??? I need to know!!!

Still no teeth.....OUCH, oh hang on....

So while at the Child Health Nurse yesterday I was asked for the umpteenth time whether she had any teeth. Loud sigh from me, "no still no teeth", and shove my finger in her mouth as if to prove my point - and THERE IT WAS. Right where a first tooth should be, bottom front left tooth. hardly really a tooth at all though. So here is the photo of her first tooth .........



can you see it? No? Well that's because I haven't bloody seen it either...."Charlotte, just show mummy sweetie, open your mouth" At this point she clamped her little lips together and shook her head. Finally she obligingly opened her mouth and then proceeded to stick her tongue over her bottom lip so I couldn't see squat - thanks honey, that's very helpful. little monkey. she had a cheeky glint in her eye. I did finally manage to spy it - though the chances of me capturing it with the camera are slim to none - and it looks like nothing more than a tiny whitehead on her gum. It has the distinct feel however of a razor sharp puppy tooth so I won't be shoving my finger in there again any time soon.

Okay, I lie, I have since put my finger in her mouth about a trillion times since I discovered it yesterday. I'm hoping I'm not the only insane mother to do this - help me out girls.... girls?

Anyway, at least I can breathe a sigh of relief now, knowing that she won't still be gumming her food to death at the age of five - I was beginning to think she might!!

Financial, swimming and falling woes.

Well, it's been a busy few days here readers. I'd like to say it's because I've been powering along on my thesis but all I've managed to do on that in the last week is find about 5 articles I need to read (I found them, printed them off and there they sit on my computer waiting to be read - I haven't even stapled them, how sad. And I call myself a Type A personality - ha).

Well, the banks gave us a big fat raspberry, and two credit card companies have laughed in our faces - seriously, where are all these dodgy credit companies whose only criteria is that you can stand upright and have an opposable thumb??? (this is not a rhetorical question people - all dodgy credit company referrals greatly accepted!).

Today we went swimming.



It was not a good experience. Gone are the days of my little muffin being social and chatty and smiley. Two days ago, that child left and in her place I seem to have a clingy, scared, shy little person who has learnt to grip onto mummy's waist with her toes at the slightest sign that she's going to be put down.... I'm trying to tell myself to love this stage where she desperately wants to be with me. I know that all too soon she'll barely cast me a backwards glance as she slams the front door behind her on her way to some cool party, the likes of which I as a nerdy mother will no doubt never have experienced. oh Charlotte, if only you could know of the many parties your mummy went to .... met your daddy at one actually ;) but I digress (again).

which brings me to the falling. this i have not managed to capture on camera. I could take a photo of the split second after a fall where she freezes and draws breathe for the scream which will ensue - or I could in fact take a photo of the sad little face as she calms down, complete with bottom lip out and tears down the cheeks. but of course, that doesn't seem an appropriate time to rush for the camera. yes, the falls are coming thick and fast. standing is the favourite pastime at the moment - unfortunately, with standing does not always come a great sense of balance and hence the multitude of bruises..... I won't post those, just my luck I'd have DOCS banging at my door (that's the dept of child services to those of you who don't know).... or is it community services?? either way....

So close!!!

Well I am THIS close (imagine thumb and forefinger a mere centimetre apart as I say that) to getting the backyard done - but alas the bank insists I am over-extended financially. In fact they were a little surprised that I could even support my current liabilities let alone consider borrowing more money - of course they fail to realise that I took out all of those loans while working full-time. Anyway, to take a step back, Dave and I finally admitted to ourselves that the backyard would best be tackled by a professional (i.e. someone who would actually finish it before Charlotte goes to school!!). And all in all his quote has come out only costing us $4000 more than it would have cost us to do ourselves - and it will be finished in less than 2 weeks he insists. I believe the weekends of blood, sweat and yelling at each other that we will avoid are well worth the money!! Now I just have to figure out how to convince the banks I can afford it!! Will keep you all updated!!

Add 1950's housewife to my list of roles...

So in the spirit of blogging gifts (and of course in my competitive nature I wanted to beat everyone else to it).... here is the gift from Beck ..... complete with matching silicone spatula (or meanie as my husband calls them).....Thank you Beck I love it.....and here it is in all it's glory being modelled as I bake a toffee chip cheesecake.... Mmmmmmm.





And Charlotte wanted me to blog her gift from Aunty Libby - but it will have to wait until tomorrow because Mummy hasn't taken a decent photo ..... I'm sure you'll all wait with bated breath.... :)

Christmas to New Years Eve.......The final days of 2005

Well, it's a little tragic that I should be catching you all up on the final week of 2005 when in fact it is now the second day of 2006 - what can I say? I've been busy.... what's new huh?

First let me begin by recounting all of the achievements of Christmas Day. Charli girl's first visit from Santa..... and didn't she just LOVE the wrapping paper!! Not that I'm surprised really - I always knew that Dave and I would have more fun with her gifts than she would - she is only 8 months old after all. But the biggest gift for me was probably the moment that she crawled over to me (proper little girl crawling, none of this Army-style commando crawling she seems hell bent on..) pulled herself up onto her knees holding onto the couch/my legs and then pushed her little feet under her and stood up - ALL ON HER OWN.... Dave and I clapped for joy (scaring the shit out of her I might add) and in that moment I realised that life would never be the same. Okay, I guess I should have realised that the day I gave birth to her but the standing on her own - wow, our house is so not ready for this!!

Then when we went to the in-laws for lunch (with her dressed in the most adorable outfit don't you think!!??)




I was showing them how she could stand on her own and then - as if on cue - and knowing that all eyes were upon her... rather than just standing there with her little knees locked in place, swaying back and forth as if she'd consumed one too many beers - she took four little steps and fell into my arms. The applause that ensued was deafening. She giggled as she realised that she was in fact the centre of attention (again) and hasn't taken a step since!! That's my girl - just waiting for the right audience before she performs again!! :)

Then Beck turned up from Sydney and we had a lovely couple of days doing what we usually do when she's here - sweet nothing!! We cruised the shopping centres, sat in airconditioning, sat in the wading pool and sandpit in the back yard - oh and drank.... let's not forget the drinking!! Presents galore abounded (but more on that in my next post.....

All in all a lovely Christmas, a wonderful visit from friends and then rounded off with a nice relaxing New Year in our backyard with all of our other friends that have no lives.... a last minute BBQ that ended for me at 11pm (I couldn't even be bothered seeing in the new year - hard to feel inspired when you know you're going to be roused out of bed at 4.30am by she who will remain nameless!!)....

Happy 2006 to you all!

Santa Claus is coming to town....

Well, last week did the obligatory trip to see santa and have a photo taken. Of course as any parent who is being honest with themselves will tell you, when your child is only 8 months old (or anything less than a year I think) then this trip is totally about you. THEY don't even know who Santa is besides being this big fat hairy guy in a really loud red suit - and he's probably sweaty and smelly to boot. after all, the poor guy is sitting in knee high black boots, wearing a full length suit and sporting facial hair that would rival a wooly mammoth - aircon or no aircon, he's gotta be dying in that thing!!

What's more, I spent forty minutes in line - FORTY MINUTES I tell you. Thankfully we had fun by amusing ourselves with the "catch me mum I'm falling backwards game"..... after forty minutes of this game - wherein charli girl would fling herself backwards, I would catch her, and she would giggle herself stupid - well you can imagine I was ready to leave charlotte in the pram to queue up herself - in the hopes that someone would snap a photo when she finally made it to the front of the queue. anyway, we finally made it there - see photo below.


I'd like to point out to Libby that I scored my photos for only $8. The trick was not to go to Myareyouahoplifter Santa where while I would only have had to wait 5 minutes due to his unpopularity, I would have had to take out a second mortgage on our property to pay for the photo. Of course there are other reasons not to go to Myareyouahoplifter as Michelle can attest to. After that debacle we now boycott the store.

Anyway - all in all very pleased with our first Santa experience - and she even smiled :)

Things I would tell my Mum this Christmas if she were here

Michelle you've inspired me. What a wonderful idea. Things I would tell my Mum if she were here this Christmas - oh my gosh, where do I begin?

Mum, meet your grand-daughter Charlotte. She is beautiful and I know you would love her very much.

I promise to instil in her all the wonder and amazement of Christmas that you instilled in me for all those years

I watch the DVD we made for you often. It still amazes me when I see you with me as a baby and my breathe catches in my throat for a moment as realisation dawns that I am now a Mum.

I keep in touch with my godparents often. They are my supports now that you are not here.

I miss you every day.

The nurses at Mt Olivet think you sent me a beautiful daughter.

One day I will finish this PhD. It will be dedicated to you - the strongest role model a girl could ever have.

Libby and I are once again as thick as thieves. We talk of you often. The physical distance between us does nothing to dampen our support of each other (though we could handle being able to have a wine together a little more often :)

Christmas has never been the same since you went away. I hope as Charlotte gets older I can re-capture some of that Christmas spirit.

I haven't spoken to Desley since you died - I hope you can understand why.

My friends are my family - I have some amazing friends. You would love them. They look out for me.

I hope that Scamp found you wherever you are. We miss him every day too. When Charlotte is being 'naughty' we think of Scamp. We're pretty sure she is Scamp re-incarnated ;)

I could write a book on things I would say to you this Christmas if you were here.

I love you.

The sands of time.....

Well it's been brought to my attention - yet again - that i've failed to post recently. I can't even claim to have been working on any of the multitude of projects that I have on at the moment - life has just been on top of me lately and haven't felt witty enough to post. So I'm going to post - but don't expect too much :)

Okay, so yesterday, due to life's weight on my shoulders, I decided it was time to buck up, get out of the house and do something carefree. So I bundled Charlotte up - she only slept for 40 minutes yesterday after being awake for 5 hours before lunch so she was ALIVE and kicking (aka overtired)... we jumped in the car and headed for the coast - my hopes being that she would drift off to sleep and I'd just take a leisurely drive through the sunshine coast hinterland. However, I made it as far as Mango Hill and she showed no signs of tiredness so I decided to drop in on my best friend's mum. She was most surprised to see us - having not seen us in about oh....7 months. She decided to join me on my trip to the coast but then we decided the coast was a big endeavour as it was already 1.30 in the afternoon. So we headed down the road to redcliffe instead and went to the lagoon - like a mini-southbank with sand and pools and shade sails - and the breeze coming off the bay was DIVINE!!! Here's a photo of my little one being amazed my a small frond of some sort from a pine tree. She studied this plant form for a good hour while Joy and i sat and chatted.... note to self - I should enjoy outings like this with a good book while she is still too young to run all over the place with me chasing her!!



And check out these colours - looks like we're holidaying in Hawaii....



not that anyone who has been to Redcliffe would ever mistake it for Hawaii - but it was lovely nonetheless....

My greatest fear is that there is No PMS, and this is just my personality.

it's been one of those days dear reader. i want another baby. i can't cope with the one I've got. dave isn't putting the cranberry sauce on his turkey sandwich right. he looks at me with what I'm sure is meant to convey love and I screech "why are you looking at me that way". I whine because there's nothing on TV tonight, go down and painstakingly select two DVDs from the video store (notice I still call it a video store despite the fact that I haven't borrowed a video in god knows how long)... only to get home and declare that I don't want to watch either of them and flounce off to the bedroom to read a book. It's days like this I wonder how it is that Dave hasn't cleared out our savings account and run off with some blonde bimbo who would never dare to question why it is that his clothes are still on the freakin' floor when I've asked him to pick them up 64 times..... then again, I've seen the balance of our savings account and I suspect that he hasn't eloped with the floozy because he knows they wouldn't make it as far as Ipswich before the money ran out - and let's face it, no-one wants to get stuck in Ipswich........

an 'alarming' exercise routine!!

a post ago I referred to one of my current mini-projects being a physical activity research project in which I'm a guinea pig... allow me to explain.

as a researcher myself, I'm quite sympathetic to the need to recruit participants to help collect data, so when i was approached to help out with a physical activity project I didn't hesitate. the object being to record your physical activity (or any activities, physical or otherwise) every hour of your waking day. Let me re-iterate that: EVERY FLIPPING HOUR OF EVERY WAKING MOMENT OF EVERY DAY FOR ONE WEEK.....Now, one might think that this sounds onerous - and one would be right. However, clearly my altruism clouded my ability to comprehend that when i signed up for the cause.

So last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, this alarm went off once during the day - to let us practice entering what physical activity (or otherwise) we'd been doing during the previous hour. There's a menu and in the first one you choose a broad category such as transport or the one that I most use house duties and/or childcare.... then it prompts you to get more specific (childcare or house duties or lawn/gardening duties)... and so on until you've got a nice specific task. Most of mine have been "sitting on my arse playing with a small child while singing nursery rhymes" - well not quite but you get my drift. I especially like the fact that you can enter in 'sexual activity' at which point it prompts you to report on whether it was 'passive, light' 'moderate, average' or 'heavy, vigorous, active'... now if one reports 'average' are you then commenting on the quality of said activity or merely the fact that you weren't putting a whole lot of effort in at the time. Who knows. Of course, if I do happen to have sex during the next seven days - which is the lifespan of this project - I'll either be a) lying and not recording it or b) making sure I have sex OUTSIDE of the allotted hours.... the alternative was actually to just record that I had 'vigorous sex' every hour - that'd give 'em something to think about now wouldn't it??

Anyway, so after completing 3 days of practice, things were going well. I was even 'informed' by the PDA on Sunday night that 'tomorrow is your first day' - it sounded quite excited.... so I was too. At 6am the following morning the alarm beeped and I inputed that I had been playing with a baby and eating during the last hour. 7am came and I inputted again... and so on and so forth. By 2pm, I was changing poo-ey nappy, the phone was ringing, charlotte was squirming and crying, the dog was whining for her dinner and .... you guessed it .... the bloody PDA alarm went off!!! I nearly flushed the bloody thing down the toilet.... and it's just gone downhill from there. How does one report on activity when within one hour I may (SIMULTANEOUSLY I might add), fold laundry while playing with charlotte, eati a snack, dress charlotte, put on my make-up and pack the nappy bag so we can get out of the house.....

I am now up to day three of the project and have another four days to go. there will be no sex - I'm too exhausted from reporting my physical activity to actually DO any....aaaaaaaaaaaaargh, there it goes again.....and here I am, sitting on my arse again being sedentary.... all this project has done for me is to point out what a lazy sod I am!! :) oh well, at least charlotte likes my singing...