#2623 Indian Summer

I lay on the couch, eyes closed, with the faint sounds of Oscar nominees being called out from the nearby TV.

I was trying to do the good thing and sleep, because baby boy was asleep. Trying to switch off from the outside world, when every bone in my body argued it didn’t want to, I’m not a day sleeper.

But at this stage of my life, I HAVE to.

And then the winner for Best Actress… “Michelle Yeoh.”

I nodded to myself, pretending I wasn’t listening, knowing full well she was a big contender leading into the awards. I know this because when you sit on the couch and breastfeed for so long and so often, you hear a lot of various news, both factual, worldly and celebrity.

I felt the beginnings of light sleep start to tickle my senses, but so too did the winner’s words, as they crept into my sleep space.

“…And ladies, don’t let anyone tell you that you are past your prime.”

To loud cheering applause, and a sleepy SmikG who had to smile in appreciation and agreeableness.

If anyone knows about the Indian Summer, it’s me. 🙌❤

#2612 Miffed about MAFS

Here’s the thing.

You absolutely must do what you can to get by in this sleep-deprived, tear-filled, breast-leaking post-partum period.

And it’s taken me 10 years to say it, but now, incredibly, I will…

I’m getting a little bit addicted to MAFS. 🤦‍♀️🤣

That’s Married At First Sight to the rest of you, who perhaps like me, have never watched the show due to life busy-ness, not your taste, or in my case ‘are-you-f%$*ing-kidding-me’-itis.

I spend so much of my days on the couch, feeding baby boy, that it comes to reason I’d catch an ep here… or a repeat ep there.

(They play it like, several times a week, it’s hard to miss. 🤔)

I’ve gotten so into certain relationships in recent days, that I caught the midday repeat ep today to catch up on WHAT HAPPENED AT THE DINNER PARTY?

(A lot. A lot happened).

And I actually googled “who did Claire kiss?” just so I could get the low-down on earlier gossip.

Yep. It’s happened.

Oh no. 🤦‍♀️🤣

#2603 Time for TV

Because baby boy is still so young, he and I aren’t heading out much.

At all.

And coupled with breastfeeding, you can be sure I’m spending a lot of time on the couch, in front of the TV.

I’ve caught up on my backlog of recorded Bold and Beautiful eps.

We rewatched Coming to America on Netflix over several days.

Also, this Amy Winehouse doco I recorded in ’21… smashed that out.

There was an Insight episode on ‘holding a grudge’ that I taped sometime last year – I’ve started that too.

I’ve heard a lot about The White Lotus TV show… so I’ve given that a go and started ep 1.

And for my mental health, we recommenced some comedy viewing tonight… some Sebastian Maniscalco stand-up.

I may be lacking in the sleep department, but I’ll be up-to-date with what’s on the digital box. 🤷‍♀️

#2511 1 hour

I’m now properly sick.

Of course I am. EVERYTHING has caught up to me.

Cold air. Hot air. Cold air. Hot air.

Cold air. Walking in gusts of wind after the car broke down yesterday. My nasal passages and head searing and pulsating in pain.

Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold.

Jobs in, jobs out.

To-dos, to-dos, to-dos.

Money in, money OUT.

Responsibilities IN… responsibilities IN.

More to-dos.

Hot. Cold. Hot. Cold.

Stress in, stress in!

Also, pregnant, and needing a f*&#ing break.

This afternoon, my body had enough. My head was going to explode. After all today I woke feeling worse than any other day. Still had to go into the cold to see baby girl off for school (Hubbie took her) then later on went outside to see the tow truck take away our car, but of course this was EXACTLY when blistering arctic winds came and decided to pelt down around me.

Right at that moment.

So of course I’m sick. I reached a point of no return this afternoon, and I lay on the couch.

One hour. First pain, then relaxation. Hubbie came home early. Started dinner. I lay there. The house warm. The wind still whipping and howling the bricks outside.

I lay there for about an hour.

Even in pain, you can sometimes find bliss. 🙏

#2441 Netflix arvo

Some days you gotta lower the bar.

I finished work, made a cuppa and joined baby girl on the couch.

She’d been home from school, unwell for the day, and I used the opportunity to just chill with her.

I needed it too.

I program surfed through Netflix. We stopped on the 90s movie Casper, and I convinced her she’d like it, that Casper’s a friendly ghost, and that the movie is more funny than scary.

She agreed. This was a big deal, because baby girl is scared of anything remotely scary on screen, and it doesn’t even have to be scary.

She freaked out when Robin Williams was practicing with different masks in Mrs Doubtfire.

She ran out of the room when Leo had a coughing fit in Catch Me If You Can.

When Marty McFly is on the hoverboard at the end of Back to the Future II, and trying to steal the Sports Almanac off Biff’s car, she got scared because Biff spotted him hovering and started slamming his car into the sides of the tunnel he was driving through.

She can’t watch Frozen 2 again because Ana gets chased by monster thingies in the end. 🤦‍♀️

I think you get my drift.

So it was a major improvement for her that we watched a good third of the movie this afternoon, with Casper’s annoying, sometimes scary and definitely ghost uncles popping up everywhere.

And I enjoyed doing nothing too 😊

Now? Her courage has grown, and she’s watching Ghostbusters… the 2016 version.

Huh. Impressive. 🤔👏👻👻

#2413 Lovely moments

Today it was really good to have a chill day, after days and days on end of go go go.

It was gloomy and rainy out, so we just sat on the couch for a while doing nothing and watching TV.

BLISS.

Then my cousin visited with her two kids, including her sweet little baby… a sweet little baby in our household. Awww. 😍😉

And I just kissed my 8 year-old girl for the last time as I put her to sleep… tomorrow she’s 9.

Wow. 🥰🥰🥰🥰

#2370 Tears of laughter

I was chilling on the couch when baby girl brought me a couple of pictures.

One that she had drawn, and one that her Dad had drawn.

Hers was a park picture. It said “Candy land” on the bottom, with tree-like structures along a grassy landscape.

Hubbie’s picture… well it also had a grand tree in the middle. A small pond beside it. At the bottom of the picture, a… dog?

And then next to the dog, a HUGE mound of poo! With a smiley face, no less.

The laughter started slow. It was a few giggles, then I kept going over the details… the skrimpy looking dog from which nothing that big could come out… the phallic looking nose on the dog! The HUGE poo, and the poo smells emanating from it with squiggly lines.

Soon, I was roaring with laughter, and baby girl joined in. It was a really good laugh, and it kept gping. It wasn’t like ha ha ha, I’m done. It was ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, etc, etc etc. 😆😆 Honestly, I needed it.

A few minutes later baby girl was helping take some chocs and lollies back to the kitchen, since we’d just had a coffee break. She was juggling picking up a few containers, plus her mug, plus a chocolate no one had eaten, and it took her a few goes but she got it, literally balancing it all under her chin so it wouldn’t fall… but as she collected it there and started to walk, she let out a big, cackly laugh.

OMG. It did it again. I was throwing my head back in laughter. I kept thinking this girl is gonna drop the whole thing! You know when someone laughing sets you off, and then the thought of them doing something silly (i.e. dropping all their stuff) makes you laugh even more?

Well I was literally dying there on the couch, and baby girl came back, actually successful with her items having not dropped, collapsed on the couch next to me and proceeded to laugh her head off with me.

I HAD TEARS. I actually laughed so hard, when I stopped for breath I nearly actually sobbed from the laughter, it was such a cathartic release, oh my God.

Ahh. There’s nothing like a good laugh, and even better when it’s with a loved one. 💖💖

We kept setting each other off for the next little while, and we loved it. 😁😁😆😆

#2365 Couch lie down

I am so boring today.

But I actually had a late afternoon lie down on the couch as fatigue washed over me. I covered myself with the throw, the heater was on, and bless, baby girl even turned off the TV and left the room so I could be in peace.

Oh. 🙏🙏 Praise.

#2363 Stuff to look towards

Things are so quiet at the moment. Usually the days fly by.

But lately, they are just dragging.

I’m feeling Winter more. I’m more tired. Some days I lack all motivation and just wanna curl up on the couch, but then baby girl comes along and makes sure it’s her Netflix shows we’re watching and not mine. 😆

But I am looking forwards. We have some great fun times ahead. You know when you hear of one thing, then another, then another… then you go hey, we have a birthday to plan soon! And on and on.

Slowly our social calendar is getting filled, very slowly, weeks, to many months in advance.

I can’t wait. It gives us something wonderful to look forward to. It gives us happiness and hope at the prospect of future social happiness and good times.

And looking forward to something is truly the passion, the petrol that fuels us. It is vital to life.

Thank God to looking forwards. 🙏

#2295 The one with the hot husband

What else can one do on a day when it is –

a) grey, wet and miserable out

b) a day on which you’ve worked

c) when your only free time is after 3pm and even then it’s nearing the end of the day of possibilities?

Well, there is a sliver of happiness that usually comes about 3pm at our house, and that is called COFFEE TIME. 😉☕

And when you pair that with a little bit of Netflix before tackling, let’s say a sink full of dishes, and smashing out a workout, suddenly the day seems that much brighter, grey clouds and all. 🌤️😁

I snuggled into the couch even more with my coffee when I saw the next Friends episode on baby girl’s list (yes we both have lists, but I am in front, up to season 10 at the moment) was, ‘The One with the Rumour.’

Otherwise known as, the one with the hot husband.

You MUST know what I’m talking about!

This is a great episode. It’s the one where Jennifer Aniston’s real-life husband cameoed on the show, as a former friend of Ross’s who together with him had formed a ‘I hate Rachel club’ in high school – yes, Brad Pitt’s character Will, hates Rachel in the show.

I chuckled and giggled throughout, whereas most of the jokes probably went over baby girl’s head, which frankly at times I’m glad they do. I explained to her it was a funny episode because Rachel’s real-life husband at the time was in it, so when his character Will said “I hate Rachel” to Ross and glared at Rachel across the room, she gasped and looked at me like, ‘how can her husband say that?’

This is why I think she struggles with watching anything remotely scary. She still can’t separate fact from fiction, and that’s fine. As much as I tell her that animated pictures are man-made, or that actors like those in Friends are just acting, in her mind it is all just another world, and I think kids live a bit like that… in a fantasy, make-believe land, that is possibly real.

Whatever our reasons for sitting on the couch this afternoon (time out, mummy-daughter bonding, escape from the cold weather) I revelled in the moment and enjoyed the adult jokes, while she enjoyed Joey putting on maternity pants to finish off the Thanksgiving turkey. 😆