Harassed Mom

Just a few things I think you all need to know today!

• It is blog challenge day on F2F today! Alson on F2F is an interview with Shingai from Kuna Clothing – she has some very cute girls clothes. Check it out!
• Journey2Joy has a photo shoot up for grabs – go enter! And then tell all your friends about it!
• I went to Leigh-annes product launch on Saturday. She is launching her very own range of body products and let me tell you they are looking and smelling DIVINE! There will be a post on F2F about it soon
• I woke up at 4h00 this morning to start studying. It was much fun. It is so very dark now at 4h00.
• I am having my cortisone injection tomorrow – am a little nervous about it all.
• I am organising a spa day for the Joburg ladies – please let me know if you want to join in and I will mail you!

• The orthopaedic surgeon called me yesterday afternoon – all the scans are clear. I am going to get a cortisone injection and anti inflammatories for 6 weeks for the pain. So I am very happy about that. He said the pain was caused by me over doing it – which I am not sure what exactly he meant. I haven’t done more than I normally do?
• Most days I still feel overwhelmed by how loved I am.
• Thank you for the support yesterday on my little drama queen emo post. I can’t blog about it unfortunately but all is well with me, the kids and David
• I was most upset last night that there was no Greys Anatomy. It is what motivates me for the rest of the week.
• Woolworths have not had the plain rice cakes in stock so my mom bought a packet of their organic ones – I am convinced they are cardboard painted to look like puffed rice!
• Kiara read her first book last week and since then has read it about 25 million times. I know it off by heart. I am super proud of her since we had a rocky start.
• Am I the only one who enjoys the Action channel? I really do love me a bit of action.
• It is bonus month next month and to say I am excited is an understatement. My poor daughter is so desperate for clothes.
• I have rediscovered green tea with mint now that I have started studying again – it is so yummy!

Kiara used to fall asleep on her own.

Then sometime toward the end of last year a few things happened – David arrived and so did her dad. My little girl child doesn’t cope well with change. So I started lying with her. I knew it wasn’t the right thing but I suppose subconsciously I did feel guilty about all the changes. So I lie with her each night for 5-10 minutes as she falls asleep.

A few nights ago I realised she will actually fall asleep on her own without too much fuss but I am not ready to give it up. I realised this when I found myself lying long after she had fallen asleep and I had no desire to go anywhere.

Every night I get to watch this little being fall asleep. I get to listen as her breathing changes and she heads off to dream land. I get to remember the beauty that is my daughter. I forget the fighting and the tension and problems and I remember her laugh, her spirit.

I know I can’t do it forever – she won’t let me. But for tonight (and maybe tomorrow too) I will lie with her. Not because she needs it but because I need it.

Bitter are the tears of a child: Sweeten them.
Deep are the thoughts of a child: Quiet them.
Sharp is the grief of a child: Take it from him.
Soft is the heart of a child: Do not harden it.
Pamela Glenconner

I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle.  I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.  ~Mother Teresa

This morning we all went for a walk through the Faerie Glen Nature Reserve

It was a lovely easy walk through the reserve. There isn’t much wildlife apart from a variety of rats, mice and shrews but there is a lot of bird life.

The longest trail is just over 4 km and the shortest is 2.6km so they can all be done in a morning/afternoon.

Today has been anything but ordinary.

I have been up and down between my office, the hospital, my office, a merchant and my office since 6h30 this morning. Has been exhausting.

The scan has been done and I survived It was very tiring though. The actually scan too 30 minutes and I had to lie still for all that time while this huge machine went around and around at different speeds.  Had I know what was involved I would have taken the day off. But anyway its done now!

The spa yesterday was lovely. Only issue I had was the amount of nakedness. Had I been with my mom or a friend or David I wouldn’t have minded but I really don’t need to be seeing my colleagues paper g-string clad bottom and they don’t need to be seeing mine. But it was a lovely relaxing day non-the-less.

Everyone here has some or other soccer shirt on – must say it is rather festive

I got a call today with an awesome opportunity for J2J. I am very excited about it. Have to say thank you to Dr Janine for her recommendation.

I am so very glad its the weekend. It has been a crazy busy week and all I have planned is Leigh-anns product launch which I am very excited about!

What are you all up to?

• I am spending the morning here today. I cant wait. I love this sort of thing. To be pampered and forced to relax for 3 hours shall be a little piece of heaven.
• My son woke up this morning in a mood that can only be described as thunderous. The reason – he ate all the boxes of smarties I had bought for their treat day and was mad with me when I said he won’t get a treat this week as a result. But bear in mind that this happened yesterday afternoon – clearly he slept on it and did not like the consequences.
• Kiara has been promised a bird. By my mother. It has caused great trauma. I learnt a while ago not to promise Kiara things – it does not work as a form of discipline (my mom has said if she learns her words and sleeps with the light off she gets the bird). All that happens is she throws a tantrum each time you say “remember no words no bird” (or whatever else you promised) and I think my mom said it about 60 000 times yesterday. MUCH FUN!
• I have started studying. I write my first exam on the 7 May. It sounds far away but its not. I have lots of work to get through.
• In case you are new and haven’t gone through yesterdays post I will tell you quickly that tomorrow I am being injected with RADIO ACTIVE GAMMA RAYS!
• I am missing Sally. She set off into the wilderness with her kids and her significant other a few days ago with their destination Cape Town but I have not heard a word from her.
• My shrink forced me into the realisation that my mother parented me in exactly the way I am trying not to parent Kiara and this is why she does what she does with her. Its like re-living my childhood all over again.
• I wrapped up all of the gifts the kids and I chose for Nhin – there is alot of pretty pink stuff So exciting.
• If you are looking for new blogs to follow then you have to read the Reluctant Mom. She is hysterical!
• Also in case you missed my million posts,tweets, emails and FB updates – we have started a new little venture. It is here. Go check it out and tell me I am fantastic!
• I don’t check my stats but David is a numbers boy so I needed to add J2J to Google Analytics and while there I checked my stats quickly. F2F has increased 82% but this site has decreased 1.8%. That made me happy and sad. Happy that F2F is doing so well but sad because HarassedMom is my first blog and is very special to me I don’t want people to stop coming here. So I promise to post more exciting stuff..maybe…tomorrow :-p
• I miss Ansie also. And our saturday afternoons in the garden!

This afternoon I went to the orthopaedic surgeon and the short version is he found where the pain is – its not actually in the hip bone as I thought – but non-the-less it is a big step in the right direction.

He sent me for blood tests to check my acid levels and 2 other things (I switched off at blood tests – I HATE them) as the acidity can cause chronic pain. And has booked for a radio-isotope bone scan . What they do here is inject me radionuclide – which are basically gamma rays. Then I walk around for 2 hours and go back and they carry on. GAMMA RAYS PEOPLE! Radio active shit will be injected into my body!!!!!!!

I thought I could fear nothing more than surgery – I was wrong!

Apparently this test will be able to tell him more about where the bone activity is and I just read now is used to detect cancer! Am now going to go and eat everything that isn’t tied down and may then have a little cry – just for in case!

THIS is why I have avoided going to the specialist for as long as I have! HAPPY FREAKING DAYS!

At least tomorrow I get the day off to spend at a spa – so at least when they shoot me up with fucking gamma rays I will be relaxed!

Today is a very exciting day for us.

We have launched our new very cool website called Journey2Joy.

It is something we have been working on for a few weeks now and finally feel we are ready to go live with it.

Please pop over and have a look and then tell all your family, friends, strangers on the street about us. Join our Facebook Fan Page and follow us on twitter!

Thank you to Tanya for designer our stunning logo and business cards (see we even have our own business cards – so proper) and to Andre for helping with the set up of the website. And of course a huge thank you to David for his constant support, encouragement and patience the last few weeks – love you lots!

I want a new pair of shoes.

I feel excited.

I am not looking forward to therapy tonight. 

I see a mug that is screaming for coffee.

I have done a lot today.

I dream of my own home 

I smell a whole lot. It is lunch time here.

I hope tomorrow goes well.

I think I might make some more coffee.

I do wish my bank balance didn’t always look so sad.

I hear lots of people talking on the phone.

I crave sweets and briyani.

I love you.

I missed the national anthem earlier today.

I wonder if it’s going to work.

I know you love me.