Journal Entry: University!

 
It's been a long time coming, but I finally bit the bullet at the end of last year and applied for university. I'm studying a Nursing degree through Charles Darwin University (yes, in Darwin!), and then I will do a post-graduate degree in Midwifery. No, we won't be moving to Darwin any time soon though! 


I'm studying externally, which, while it does have it's drawbacks, was the perfect option for me. For starters, it's saving me around 2 hours of travel time a day. That's a huge time-saving right there. I can start studying as soon as the kids are at school, and I can finish studying and go straight into cooking dinner in the evenings - no waiting around for trains and buses or drive time. Studying externally means I have flexibility - no conforming to lecture and tutorial timetables, no contact hours. It also means I don't have to carry all those books to uni every day! The online learning environment takes some getting used to, but each unit has a learning guide and a weekly study plan which outlines your readings and tasks for that week. I also have a wide support network through the Learnline (that's the name of the online learning website) and unit discussion boards, my lecturers are all available to give help and advice and the CDU external nursing studies facebook page which has been a great help and given me a wealth of information.


Studying full time though, has meant an immense change for me. All of a sudden, I need to use time-management skills in a completely different way. I have to fit in 30 hours of study a week, as well fit in the things that I was already doing as a SAHM. I've just finished my first week and I am completely exhausted. I feel like I'm back to working 10 hour days. For most of this week I've felt like I got thrown in the deep end, completely bypassed the treading water stage and just went straight into drowning. I was in tears at one stage. But my wonderful husband, my dad and a few facebook friends (one of whom is in her 4th year doing this degree externally) put things into perspective and gave me some great advice.


We moved house right before uni started too. So uni started and I was STILL trying to organize the house the way I needed it to be. I do feel a little crazy :)


So, the next month or so is going to be difficult as I adjust to my new study schedule, and slowly change the way I run the house and the way we do things to accommodate the change in pace. For now, I am concentrating on getting into a study routine and being thorough - that is, checking each unit carefully to make sure I get all the information I need each week - I'd hate to miss an important assignment or something!

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

Our family has been very lucky to be able to send our children to a wonderful public Primary School. The school has a great community atmosphere, and the teachers are wonderful. At the end of last year, I wanted to do something different to the usual Christmas chocolates and card. My little girl was also in Family Day Care one day a week and I wanted to do something for her day care carer, who is absolutely awesome. I found this "Thank You For Helping Me Grow" idea here at Giggles Galore...

   
...and fell in love with it. I changed mine up a little though, to make it more Christmassy and more cost effective, since I had a total of ten to do (in each class there are one or two teachers and two or three teacher's assistants and I wanted to give one to the crossing attendant - she's there every single day, in the freezing rain in winter and the unbearable heat of our hot West Aussie summer making sure our kids are safe).  


So I went to my local Bunnings Warehouse and wandered through the plant section until I came across little pots of herbs in their nursery section for $1.99 each. I had originally been looking at colourful flowers, but herbs are useful. It can become a gift that keeps on giving. I decided leafy green herbs would look lovely, so I chose sweet basil, mint and coriander. I figured the teachers could swap them if they preferred. Then I went to Spotlight and bought a few fat quarters in some pretty red Christmas fabric (on clearance since it was so close to Christmas) some green ribbon and 2 sheets of coordinating scrapbook paper.

 I made up these little cards out of the scrapbook paper and taped a couple of bamboo skewers (since I had them on hand already) to the backs of each one.

I cut each fat quarter into four equal strips, wrapped them around the pots and held them in place with a rubber band, then tied the ribbon around it and pushed the cards into place.

My husband was impressed, I think. At least, he encouraged me to take photos of the process! And they were a big hit with the teachers :)

Coffee For Skin?

We have just returned from an amazing four month adventure. I will post some blogs on this road trip later. For now, I just wanted to share this. 

Coffee Grounds. 

 Yep. While working in a school in Arnhem Land, we were talking about the students possibly making skincare products and selling them to the community. I told my friend that I'd heard coffee was being used in skin care products now and was being hailed as a skin wonder. We decided to take home the coffee grounds from the coffee machine and try them out as a scrub. So I tried it, and it was fantastic. The coffee grounds made my skin smooth and soft and I didn't need to moisturize the next day. I'm not a coffee drinker though (and neither are any of my friends or family) so I don't have access to coffee grounds but I'm thinking about just buying a bag of coffee beans and dumping them into my Thermomix... It was the best body scrub I've ever used.

The Hospital Bag

I packed the labour bag, and I've just finished packing my hospital bag. I'm planning to take advantage of the break I'll get while I'm in hospital and hoping to stay as long as possible! I'm a weirdo, as much as I wanted to get home with the last two, I actually enjoyed the peace and quiet in hospital, and not having to worry about anything except myself and the baby. And pretty much, it's just an extended version of my labour bag...


For Me:
3 changes of comfortable clothes
Sleep pants and loose, comfy tops, socks and extra underwear. I may need more changes of clothes but since we don't live far from the hospital if I need more I'll just ask Brook to bring some - I'm certain he'll be there at LEAST once a day!
Slippers and/or jandals (flip-flops, thongs, whatever they're called in your area)
Toiletries
Body wash and washer, shampoo and conditioner, facewash, toner and moisturizer.
Comb, hair spray, spare hair ties and bobby pins.
2 packs of maternity sanitary pads (I actually find that all-night pads with wings and extra length work better, since I'm sitting in bed most of the day), a few breast pads, just in case (although I probably won't need them at this early stage), paw paw ointment (toothbrush and toothpaste are in the labour bag).
Food 
Crackers, Kraft cheese packs, dried fruit and nuts, muesli bars, chocolate and juice.
Because I found I was often hungry in between snack/meal times, or I just didn't like the dinner or lunch that was on offer that day, or just because. Sometimes just knowing you have chocolate on hand is a comforting thought!
Cash for the tv.
A couple of favourite books (I am a voracious reader), 
A notebook and pen (or journal)
A sudoku puzzle book.
Comfortable going home outfit
I've got maternity jeans because I'm guaranteed to fit them and a loose blouse


For baby:
Extra nappies and wipes (the hospital only provides 18 nappies)
Baby lotion, cotton wool balls, cotton buds and baby wash
3 onesies, 2 pairs of socks, a hat and a couple of wraps (although the hospital does provide singlets and wraps)
A going home outfit
A dummy (because all my babies wanted dummies, so just in case).


Now, to keep cleaning and wait for the baby to arrive... and wait... and wait.. and wait...

The Labour Bag...

It's getting closer to Christmas, which means it's getting closer to my due date, so I started packing my bags. This time, I've decided to pack 2 bags to take to hospital with me. One is a small bag with things I might need during or immediately after the birth. The other is a larger one for my stay in hospital. My labours are very quick, so we don't really have that much time to get organized once I realize I'm in labour (Kembry was only 40 minutes!). The labour one stays next to the front door (I would leave it in the car, but the food would spoil in our hot West Aussie weather) so we can grab it on the run. The other one Brook can always come and back and get later if happen to forget it in our rush.


So, I've got a bag...


And inside it...

Snacks and juice.
I didn't have snacks and juice with me the last 2 times, and both times I'd missed the hopsital breakfast and was ravenously hungry. When I had Cory, mum and dad got to the hospital pretty quickly after he was born and arrived with a bag full of food (including the all important staple - for me anyway - chocolate). This way I won't have to wait for food to be brought to me.

I've got chocolate (of course - although I've already had to replace this twice), a pack of muesli bars, some dried apricots and almonds, crackers and plain biscuits. Enough for both hubby and I. Because if there isn't enough for both of us, I'll get snappy at him for eating my food hahaha.

Basic toiletries.
Body wash and washer, toothbrush and toothpaste (all those one-use samples I've collected will come in handy!), spare hair tie, 2 maternity pads (in case I'm in the birth suite for a little while afterward), a couple of breast pads. A comb and a spare hair tie. 

A change of clothes for after the birth .
Comfy black sleep pants and a loose t-shirt, socks and extra underwear.


And that's it. I don't use massage oils or anything like that, I find that because my labours are so quick and intense that my whole entire focus is just on my body, and I don't use anything else during labour. So all the stuff in the bag is really for immediately after the birth, while I'm in the birth suite waiting to be transferred to my room in the maternity ward.

Journal Entry: Busy Busy Busy...

I just realized it's been 3 weeks since I last wrote on my blog. I thought it had been about 3 days! That should tell you the state of my brain in this last month!

I finally stopped working, YAY! I finished 2 weeks ago, and it's amazing how much better I feel in both mind and body now that I'm not worrying about work. Having said that, the extra 30 hours a week I've supposedly gained are flying by... 


It's wedding season, so Hubby is incredibly busy at the moment, made slightly (only slightly) worse by the fact that I'm no longer able to be his assistant on the job. He's been up to his neck in weddings, phone calls, emails, client meetings, album design, print orders and invoices. I'm not the best administrative assistant either. 


While he has been doing that, I've been taking advantage of the 2 completely child-free days we have during the week (with Cory at school full time and Kem in day care 2 days a week) to spring clean and organize the house. I started with the laundry and the cleaning cupboard, then moved on to the kitchen and organized the pantry and the kitchen cupboards, then the kids bedroom and our bedroom. 


Now that everything is clean and tidy, I'm just trying to work out where to put the PILE of stuff that doesn't have anywhere to go. Our house is very small, and has almost NO storage at all. So finding convenient places to store things is a bit difficult... All the usual spaces like the space on top of the pantry and under the beds are already taken. I have several large bags full of fabric, scraps, patterns, notions and unfinished projects that need housing somewhere... preferably not the shed. Then there's 2 corners in our bedroom which are crowded with things... I'm sure they could go in the shed but hubby is not convinced.

There's still a lot to do, all the toys in the kids room need sorting out and there's a few bags to drop off at goodwill, their clothes all need sorting because I know they've grown out of half of what's in their drawers, and I don't know how on earth I'm going to get hubby to cull his wardrobe yet again (I shop a hundred times more than my husband, yet he still has ten times the amount of clothes and shoes that I do...). Our bedroom needs rearranging to make some room for the bassinet, the queen size bed and single bed in the kids room will have to go and be replaced with bunk beds... We're hunting around for "our" perfect pram (which is very different to "my" perfect pram), and a cot for later on after the baby has outgrown the bassinet.

And somewhere in there my cousin and my two sister-in-laws all had their babies. So I was busy making baby booties and burp cloths. Right now I'm also working on a pile of projects... they are all unfinished and they're all for Christmas so unfortunately, I can't post any of them until the New Year.

And of course, only 5 more weeks until our new baby arrives, and I just can't wait to see the joy on my husband's face when he holds his brand new baby for the first time!

Things To Make and Eat

I love food. LOVE LOVE LOVE! I am not a diet girl, nor am I a low-fat girl. And I was never a weight-watching girl until after I had kids, when suddenly, my body needed help from me to stay in shape. And then I started exercising rather than give up my favourite foods! I'm not much of a cook though, so this is incredibly ambitious for my culinary skills!


So here's some of the yummiest things I want to try...


Healthy Fruit Roll Ups
Carrot Bread
Easy Brownies (I've made these and they're a favourite. They're so simple, and the best thing is they use cocoa instead of chocolate... which saves me all the trouble of trying not to eat the chocolate before it goes into a recipe!)
Pie In A Jar

Chocolate Mint Brownies
Treacle Tart
5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

 The Holy Cow! Cake
Pizzookies

 Gingerbread Men (would you believe I have NEVER made gingerbread men? EVER?)
Cherry Ripe Mud Cake

White Chocolate Cheesecake (my cousin actually made us one of these with her Thermomix - it had an Oreo base and was sooo yummy with her home-made (Thermomix-made) raspberry sauce! Since I probably won't be able to convince my hubby to buy me a Thermomix in this lifetime, I found a simple recipe to try instead. And yes, I will be replacing the plain crust with an oreo one!

Peanut Butter Cups
Baklava - one of my favourite treats! 

Strawberry Shortcake

Chocolate Mousse Cake (I haven't posted a link to this, because I want to try my Aunty Gail's recipe. It was a must at Christmas, birthdays or any family gathering we could use as an excuse to eat it!) If she lets me :) I will post it here on my blog... when I get around to making it!

Hmmm.... and almost everything I've posted is some kind of dessert....

Things To Make and Do List

As I have mentioned before, I am such a blog stalker. I just can't get over the fun, inspired projects and ideas other people come up with and then generously share with the rest of the internet world! Especially since I'm not very original AT ALL. I'm excellent at copying things and adapting other people's ideas, but I've kinda given up on being original, because everything I've thought up on my own, I've then seen later on, on someone else's blog. 

But here, is a BIG fat list of all the projects that I intend to try... sooner or later! Actually, it's not that big. This isn't all of it! And, because I'm such a blog addict, I'll constantly be adding things to my to-do-list!

Make a Nativity

Toy Car Caddy

Car Play Mat

90 Minute Kids Shirt

Superhero Capes

Adorable Little Girls' Purse

Upcycled Scarf

Cute Handbag

Monster Art Totes

Capelet

Eyeball T-Shirts
Adaptable Nappy Bag

Interchangeable Jandals (Flip Flops)

Pinwheel Skirt

Sweater Boots

Make My Own Bras

I Spy Book

I want to use some of the ideas here at New Dress A Day to make myself some summer dresses! Fun!
Gathered Flower Handbag
These awesome Winter Beanies for the kids
How cool is this playroom! My kids don't have a playroom, but I think it would be cool to put some interactive things on their walls instead of just plain paint and pictures.

A "Miss" version of Felt Mr Potato Head 
Felt Flash Cards 
Table Tent 
Gorgeous Baby Blankets 
Mail Sorter to adapt a little to use as a paperwork organizer in Brook's office 
Mermaid Costume 
Fairy Play Set  
Hemp Vases 
Most of the Wearable Tutorials over at Schwin&Schwin 


And this list of ideas that has been on my to-do list forever, but isn't necessarily online - or the vision in my head isn't anyway, so I may post some tutorials for some of these when I eventually get round to making them!

Hanging Nativity Frame

Advent Calendar

Christmas Stockings

Re-cover the couches

Table Runner for the piano

Bedspread for our bed

More cushions

A bassinet set

Cushion Cover and Library Bag for Kembry

Stacking shelves for the pantry

Hat Organizer

Hanging Door Organizer

Boxers for the kids

A Mermaid Costume for Kembry

Aprons for kids and I

Basketball clothes for Cumoram

Scrap T-Shirt

A Gumnut Wreath
Dollhouse Restoration x2
Bookshelf re-do
Re-paint the kids drawers
Finish (or re-fashion) the hundred-and-one UFP's (Unfinished projects) I have stashed away... or at least slowly work my through them... and try not to add anything else to the list!
Plant a vege garden and build raised garden beds
Make a head board for our bed
One year, I am going to do a Halloween Party. Halloween isn't a big deal here in Aus (compared to the US - although the shops pretend it is), but it looks like so much fun!
A portable, cardboard dollshouse (a la Better Homes and Gardens)