The Little Mumma

Too Hot To Handle

There are a number of professions that are protected by an extreme weather clause. For instance, plumbers who work predominantly on roofs are sent home in extreme heat.

I would like to know at what point it becomes too hot to mother? What about a pregnant mother? When can she call time in accordance with occupational health and safety?

I feel like I am hovering near the threshold, friends.

The smallest tasks threaten to destroy me in the carrying out. And preparing an evening meal in our non-air-conditioned kitchen is proving the undoing of me, night after night. The dishes? Oh, forget it.

I am annoyed with my big, hot self. So annoyed. Sick of my inability to just get on with it.

I understand that consecutive hot days are hard on anyone, let alone the heavily pregnant. So why am I beating myself up?

It's crazy.

Tonight, I just want to sit down and watch crappy TV. And yet, I hover at the computer and berate myself for not penning something meaningful to share here on the blog.

The harder it is for me to move around and get stuff done, the more I panic about all the stuff I have to do.

It's boring and it's insane and you know what? I know that you're reading this and that you understand. That at some point, you have felt the weight of pressure bearing down along with the weight of exhaustion. The desire to just crash with the need to be in perpetual motion. Always moving forward, getting it done, making the most of the hours available to you. Contributing the most you can to the betterment of your little family.

Regardless of how much your mind tells you to SLOW DOWN.

Tomorrow promises much cooler weather. I will be fasting and being tested for Gestational Diabetes. Sometimes you just have to say, "Wow! My life is sexy!"

Right?

 

Wherefore Art Me?

Oh, my! I knew there was a reason I'd avoided summer pregnancies the first two times.  

Even with the air con running all day long, this heat is knocking me around. I feel all woozy - which is totally annoying because there is stuff to do. I need to nest, dammit! Instead, I am drinking endless glasses of water and resting on the couch.

That actually sounds awesome, doesn't it? But it's more inconvenient than anything.

Almost 29 weeks along now and I keep being seized by these moments of breathlessness. I am sure the excessive heat is contributing but it's hard not to feel like a chubby fool when pouring yourself a glass of Coke requires a short stint leaning against the kitchen bench in order to catch your breath. That's just silliness.

Here's the belly that's causing all the trouble...

 

 

And from my perspective...

So apologies for my absence but my goodness, this pregnancy/weather combo is trying to do me in, I swear.

We are all otherwise well and as though they sense that Mumma will lose her tiny mind if they fuck around too much, Luca and Zig are practising the art of being friends. That is some cute shit right there. 

Feeding Little Faces

So like I said in my post yesterday, I never do these reviews.

But the thing is, my kids annoy me.

They are grazers and what that ultimately means for me is I need to be constantly feeding them.

Trying to ignore them doesn't work. They will swing off the pantry doors, crying about being "soooo hungry" or bring me a box of cornflour and become hysterical when I refuse to open it.

Like I said, annoying.

In desperation, they have been fed stuff that I am not proud of.

But in my defense, was it really common knowledge that 'marshmallows' was not a major food group?

I am constantly printing out 'Healthy Snack Ideas!" recipes and then filing them away for a 'baking day' that never comes.

Shut up. I'm pregnant.

So anyway, when I stumble across a foodstuff that the kids like and that does NOT come in a cardboard box of 'happiness', I am overjoyed.

Enter, Bakers Delight and the Cheesymite Scroll.

Let's see what Zig had to say about them.

 

In some weird co-incidence, when the Cheesymites arrived for me to review, I had been baking. And so Luca, in a moment of adorable loyalty, has chosen to eat my blueberry muffin instead of the scroll. No matter. Two kids fed = two kids blissfully quiet for a time.

When I checked out their website, I noticed they also do a wholemeal version which is kind of cool because we're a brown bread household here.

If you wanna try the Cheesymites for yourself, Bakers Delight are giving them away free on Australia Day (Jan 26th). Just head instore to check it out.

I also have 4 vouchers to give away.

Admittedly, you won't be able to trade the voucher for your very own franchise but you will be able to score $5 worth of bready goodness which, as we teeter on the edge of global financial ruin (again), is better than a kick in the arse.

Leave a comment below with your go-to food when your kids hit the 'serious whinge' button to be in the running (here or my Facebook page).

NB/ The go-to food thing is more about me than the competition so seriously, pony up. I'm desperate.

Competition closes Sunday 29th January at midnight (EST) and is open to Australian residents only. Winners will be randomly drawn and then announced...you know, some time after that...... Let's lock in Tuesday 31st.

 

2012

Resolutions, anyone?

I know. I'm totally late to the party but I'm pregnant and can't be expected to get to things in a timely fashion.

Naturally, when I am 28 weeks pregnant, dying in this heat and just generally feeling exhausted, I start to think What am I doing with my life? Am I happy with the direction it's taking? And what about my blog and my writing? Am I maximising the opportunities there?

Well, in terms of my life's direction, the trajectory is fairly clear at this point and leads straight to a delivery suite. After that, endless nappy changes, sleepless nights and tears of joy/frustration/gratitude/exhaustion.

I think 2012 is kind of sewn up in terms of 'Wonder what this year has in store for me?'

And the blog? Well, I neverstop thinking about that. If you've ever started a blog, you'll know. You think in 'blog' all the time. I find myself writing blogs in my sleep and in the morning, wrack my brains trying to remember what genius I came up with at 3am. It's kind of like when you first join Facebook and you start thinking in clever status updates. It can't be healthy.

But I do seriously wonder about The Little Mumma and the ways I can keep my current (beloved!) readers and attract new ones.

I read other blogs and I notice many of them aim to be helpful, to offer advice, parenting tips, that kind of thing. Readers go there to learn. I thought about that for a second and then I almost died laughing. Because I? Can not help you. Seriously, I am as lost in this wilderness as you are! I have no business telling you anything about anything. That much I know.

But I thought maybe from time to time I could ask someone more knowledgeable than me (a long, looooong list of people) to weigh in on something that I am having trouble with and maybe, it might help you if you're going through something similar.

Also, something I meant to do last year, something I even told you I was going to do last year, is share the stories ofwomen/mums I have found to be an inspiration. I proposed to call it Mummaviews and among those I sought to interview was a mum with a 'heart baby,' another whose child is on the autism spectrum, a woman who picked up her entire life (including a newborn baby) and moved overseas and one powerhouse of a lady who took a body ravaged by three caesaerean sections and worked it into the best shape of her life.

Their stories are amazing and I thought you might be interested to hear them, too.

You might notice many 'mummy' blogs run lots of giveaways. Bloggers are often courted by PR companies to help promote their products. In general, I avoid these because it doesn't feel authentic to what I'm doing here on The Little Mumma. I can't imagine you want to win dishwashing liquid and I certainly don't want to review it for you. The giveaways I have run have been products that I have loved from businesses I have approached personally. This blog is about my writing. That you come here for that makes my heart sing and so when I can offer you something in return, like a little giveaway, then I love doing that. But I don't want this blog to be a vehicle for companies to flog their goods.

In saying that, I have two little giveaways coming up that are out of the ordinary for me. It's unlikely I'll do anything like them again but in any case, you could win stuff so keep an eye out in the next few days.

What else? I'm just going to keep writing. I'm going to tell you stuff that would make a sailor blush, I'm going to show you photos of my kids because they are so damn cute it's idiotic and I'm going to go absolutely insane when my baby daughter arrives and take you along on that amazing ride with me.

Oh, and I fully expect to vlog soon. Yes, live action Angie. Can you handle it?

Thank you for sticking with me and if there happens to be something I don't do here that you think would be cool, let me know.

And a thousand blessings to you and yours in 2012.

Ziggy Pop

 

 

 

This is my little one. My Zig.

He is all set to become the middle child in April but I hope he never feels like it. How does the stereotype go? Neither the oldest or the baby. Just....in the middle. Nothing special.

Ha! Not likely.

From the moment he arrived, we have felt the presence of the Zigmeister. A force, a whirlwind.

An absolute individual.

And now? With the impending birth of his little sister, he is and will always be our youngest son, our baby boy. Even though he has never much wanted to play that role.

I wish I could tell you all that he is. All that he means to us.

I wish my words could do any kind of justice to the brilliant light this kid shines on our lives.

But you should know that he loves helicopters and apple 'jooce' and his big 'bubba', Luca.

He sings loudly, loves to draw on tables (not paper) and will gently remind you if things aren't going his way (ha!).

He is fiercely independent - "I do it! Zizzee do it!"

And overwhelmingly loving - "I ya you, Mumma. Tiss? Tuddle?"

He won't be my baby for much longer and though that may suit him just fine, I am finding it bittersweet.