I’m pretty far behind real-time now, as life seems to be getting more and more mental with the New Year, rather than slowing down!  How do you deal with juggling everything in your life?  I need tips!

As my crazy weeks go, this one was particularly action-packed!  I was exhausted just writing about it, let alone living it!😬

Monday:

I was out and about on school visits in the morning, which is actually my favourite part of the job.  I generally find kids far more exciting and inspiring to talk to than adults if I’m honest!😬

Decided to drive straight to the second school from the first one and realised when I got there that I had left my booklets for that one in the office!🙄Still conducted the meeting, but said I would pop by later with the paperwork. Was close to home after that one so decided to go home for lunch.

I had just walked through the door when there was a knock and I had a delivery: a fertility foods cookbook which I had ordered 6 weeks previously when we were still optimistic…didn’t ’t quite know how to feel about it now!😐

How to feel about this arriving?!🤔

In the evening, I tried to do online training for the upcoming election work I had been offered. It took forever and I had to do the whole thing twice as I had been assigned two roles. I tried to skip some but it wasn’t having a bar of it! Up until midnight again!😴

Tuesday:

Was up at the crack of dawn sorting out my electoral training online, still didn’t get through it all and had to get to my physical training, so dropped Mia at my friend Deb’s and drove to the electoral office.

There was so much to learn, but I think it’s one of those things that will be easier the more you actually do it. I hope!🤞

One of the guys let me operate his station for a bit and it all went well. There is a barcode scanner which makes the job much easier. Kind of like a supermarket rather than an electoral office! I’ve been asked to work Thursday, which is my birthday, and really wanted to say no, but sensibly thought of the money!🤑 Boo to being sensible!👎🏻  Anyway, dashed home to finish my online training, then picked Mia up.

Did an hour of French Tutoring and then drove out to Highfields for Mia’s Ballet dress rehearsal which was being filmed.  I had my little group of girls to keep an eye on and they were fairly good…except Mia crawled around on the floor playing “babies” apparently and made her pale pink tights sludge coloured!🙄. Borrowed a spare pair from another lovely Mum and threatened Mia with her life to stay upright!😬We had a panicked moment when we thought we had lost a few girls but they had just gone to get changed into a different costume!😅

My group of “angels” lined up and ready to go, featuring Mia with different coloured legs!🙄

Got home fairly late, had a takeaway and went to bed!😴

Wednesday:

Today was a day of freebies!  Well, sort of…

First up I went to Kmart for the opening of their wishing tree fundraiser.  I wouldn’t normally have spent my lunch break dashing to that, except Mia had entered a colouring competition which she was desperate to win and the rules stipulated that you had to be present at the draw.  She also never forgets about things like this, so had reminded me that morning!  She didn’t win.☹️  However, I noticed that there were hardly any parents there, so decided to be a pushy Mum and go and ask the employee in charge of it.  She said that if that category’s prize wasn’t claimed, it was mine!  So stood around for a little while eating free cake with the mayor and co. and watching the carol singers, but felt a bit awkward, so had a little browse and got Mia a unicorn lunch bag for school last year, some Christmas plates, cups and labels and basically spent $50 I never intended spending!🙈  So ultimately you win, Kmart!  You win!  I did get the colouring competition goody bag though and told Mia she was “highly commended” so as not to completely lie!😬The contents were worth approximately $10 so was technically $40 down!

I still hadn’t had lunch, so dashed to Grand Central to claim my free birthday boost. $32 down! But then I was lured into Smiggle to purchase an advent calendar for Mia which was another $40 but soooo cool!  From freebie lunch to a pricey one in approximately 30 minutes!🤑

The bank-breaking advent calendar!🤑

At work, all of my appointments for the afternoon cancelled but it was okay because the girls in the office did a little pre-birthday celebration where I had more chocolate cake and got given a lovely new bag.  I then spent the rest of the afternoon dashing to the loo with a dodgy tummy – maybe the cake and smoothie diet doesn’t agree with me?!😬I tried to rectify the situation with a glass of wine once the students had gone, then saw the time and had to mad dash across town because it was Mia’s kindy graduation!😳

Picked her up, sped home, changed us both into evening wear, did hair and makeup, jumped in the car and started driving. Then realised Ian was wearing board shorts, flip flops and a cap! We’re going to a graduation, not the beach!🙄

They gave out packs of tissues on the way in, which was a great idea for the weepy Mums (and possibly Dads!) The kids all wore caps and gowns and looked ridiculously cute!  They had asked all the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up and I whispered to Ian “She’ll say ballerina.” because that’s what she always answers to that question. Well here came another example of ‘you never know what’s going to come out of their mouth’ because when Mia went up on stage to get her portfolio they said “Mia wants to be a librarian when she grows up!” What the actual?! So random!  Nothing against librarians whatsoever, but I cannot imagine Mia being quiet enough to work in a library for a start!🙊

The irony of Mr T holding up “Yay!” when he is the least enthusiastic person I know!🙊 At least he took his cap off for the picture!🙄

Thursday:

My birthday! Got up crazily early, dropped Mia at my friend Dani’s and went to work at the election office!
It was all going really smoothly until some nutter, who wasn’t on the electoral roll, started kicking off…because he wasn’t on the electoral roll and started shouting that we would have to pay for his taxi that was running while he came to vote! Sorry mate, you’re not on the electoral roll! Did I mention that he wasn’t on the electoral roll?!  There’s nothing like being yelled at by a loony on your birthday!😐

Happy Birthday to me!  Working at the pre-poll!

Dashed to Dani’s to get Mia and then home in time for tutoring again! The guy I tutor on a Thursday also goes to Pilates with my friend Petrina, as I referred him to her – nothing like sharing friend’s businesses to help each other out! (Hint hint! Share my blog!🙊). Well, the little minx had only told him that it was my birthday and he had dashed to get me a card! How sweet?!😊 Then as he was leaving, the florist turned up and the day was suddenly looking up!🤗

Took Mia to her last dance lesson of the term and then home to actually open cards and presents! Yay! NOW it was my birthday!🥂 Ian surprised me by saying he had booked Thai on High for dinner! Whoop! I don’t know what he has done with grumpy husband, but happy to embrace it!🎉 He also got me a new Fitbit Charge 2, but then moaned about how much it cost, so GH is still there, not to worry!😉

Having fun at Thai on High, before Mia became an overtired icicle!

Dinner was yummy! Mia moaned about being freezing in the air con and started throwing a bit of a tantrum, so we went home and Ian put her to bed! “Overtired!” Cheers to my birthday!🥂

Friday:

Playgroup: I had just published my blog about getting the crap news about the IVF drugs not working and one of the Mums at Playgroup was really sweet and came up and gave me a big hug and said she was sorry to hear the news! Unfortunately, I was caught unawares so was not ready for the pure emotion which came gushing out!😭Whoops! Then my lovely friend, Cass, arrived with a beautiful bunch of flowers (with a voucher for a free massage at Adorabella beauty!) so now I had hurtled over the edge without a crash mat!😭😭😭The poor people signing in must have wondered why there was a soggy mess in front of them but hey ho! Blessed to have such beautiful, caring friends!💕

The music and movement leader didn’t arrive so we had to ad lib! Chucked Rowan into a tiger costume and put Taylor Swift on and the kids bloody loved it! Impromptu dance party!💃🕺🏻Who needs to plan anyway?!🤪

Rowan tiger busting some moves!🕺🏻

Dashed straight from Playgroup to a staff meeting at work. Note to self: never take Mia to a staff meeting again! It was a lunch meeting so they had ordered in. Little fingers kept stealing the chips; little fingers kept touching the CEO’s earrings mid-speech and then little fingers tipped a glass of water all over the meeting table!🤬🤯😳🙈Everyone was polite about it but there was a #neverbringyourkidtoameetingagain sorta tension!😬

Went to Smarty’s and got my hair put in a cutesy updo braid style for my birthday night out with the girlies!💕

Hair styled! (Plus obligatory 5 year old photo bomb!)💃🏼

Then went to Cheree’s at Stella Beauty as my beautiful friend, Bec, had paid for me to get my makeup done as a present! She also popped a bottle of Moët for me which I took home to finish!🍾Feeling the love!😍

Make up done!  I think I was going for sultry by not smiling, but I’ve probably ended up more serial killer!😬

My friend Petrina came over for pre-drinks and Mia was in charge of champagne glitter, sent by my beautiful friend Sara from the U.K. You sprinkle it into your glass and it gives your champagne a pink glittery sheen!🥂

Went for dinner at Kajoku and it was so yummy! Had a great meal with lovely friends and had booked karaoke but nobody (except me!) seemed quite drunk enough so I didn’t really want to give a solo performance!🤣

Yay for cake!🎂

All the lightweights (love you all really, but you were!😝) bailed after dinner and the terrific/terrible trio of me, Petrina and Cheree carried on! We went to The Office and Cheree got us into the Chelsea Bar, which is meant to be a Speakeasy kind of setup but seemed to be full of students! Well, I can’t remember much from then on to be honest! I remember bright red cocktails!🙈😬 Vague recollection of making the taxi/uber pull over…🤢

The fact that I didn’t remember this photo and found it on my phone the next morning probably says it all…🙈

Saturday:

I woke up with my dress on, a full face of makeup and my hair still intact!😬Still drunk!

Messaged Petrina and she had got up and taught an 8am Pilates class!😲(and aced it! – her words!☺️). She confirmed that we had pulled the Uber over but I wasn’t sick…just spat a bit and did some heavy breathing!🙈😝Then she opened the door and pushed me in where I evidently just crashed onto the bed and stayed all night!

I half pulled myself together to take Mia to her swimming lesson, so had showered and taken my makeup off, but my hair was still in the same style as I couldn’t face the pain of brushing it yet!😣

I sat well away from anyone else in case I had the odour of “Eau de Booze!”😳 It was so hot and sweaty in there, it must have been seeping out of my pores!😬

I got home and hibernated for the rest of the day. I had to rest up as tomorrow was…

Sunday:

Mia’s Dance concert!

Had to be up and ready to go early! Stopped and grabbed a McDonald’s drive-thru breakfast as wardrobe, hair and makeup took longer than expected!

It was much calmer than dress rehearsal and all the girls did such a great job! Very proud!😊

With my jazz candy cane!❤️

Decided since Mia was already in a Christmas outfit, we would stop via Grand Central to get her Santa pics done!
In just our luck, Santa was taking a break when we arrived, so had to do a few laps and got so many weird looks from Mums, as if I was that Mum who goes one step too far when dressing their child for a Santa photo!🙊
Explained a few times that we were coming straight from a dance show, but then gave up and let them think that I was that Mum, because realistically I would never be quite that organised or dedicated, so I might as well embrace the false praise!😜

Miss Mia meets Santa! 🎅

Absolutely exhausted and one week to go until the school holidays! Nearly there!..