Author: Veronica

  • A lack and an excess.

    If you’re here for the post with the controversy, you can find it here. Otherwise, move along.

    ***

    I ran out of Tramadol last night. I wasn’t prepared for how panicky that fact would make me. Before you start worrying that I’m addicted, no. I’m not. I’ve not needed to take a Tramadol for nearly a month now and that made me happy. The 20 I was given on prescription have lasted over 4 months. However, a badly dislocated collar bone that wouldn’t reduce, that then pulled out a few ribs and my shoulder left me curled up in a little ball and wishing that the drugs would take effect faster.

    Eventually of course they did and I was able to move. Today everything is back in place, leaving me with a mere lingering stiffness through my left shoulder.

    It wasn’t the first time and god knows it won’t be the last time. That is what worries me.

    I’m lucky, the painkillers I’ve been prescribed haven’t had any side effects for me. No stoned feeling (I’m on a ship! A ship I say, oh fuck, seasick) like panadeine fortes or complete lack of anything helpful like with over-the-counter medication. They just take the pain away, leaving me able to function.

    So to run out of them, knowing that it will be at least a month before I can see my EDSy doctor, it leaves me a little stressed. The same way running out of baby wipes, asthma medication or anti-nausea tablets does. I know that I’ll be okay in the event of a bad dislocation, hell, I’ll just cry a lot until it reduces, but that doesn’t help the panicky ‘oh fuck’ feeling that I’ve got.

    See, the dislocations, they aren’t rare. If I’ve not had a bad one for a week, I know one is coming, which then triggers the anxiety over it, which then triggers the panic attacks and then it’s a vicious cycle.

    Not fun.

    My period is due. Of course, I will now most likely be telling you that my period is due for another 2 weeks, seeing as how my body can never work out whether it wants to bleed every 29 days or every 42. Stupid fucking thing. I can tell you that I ovulated (how do you know? I can hear you screaming – well I went from okay-ish to nauseous and floppy-as-fuck in a day, always a clear sign that my progesterone is on the rise) and that my body is gearing up to drown me, but I couldn’t tell you exactly when that’s going to happen. My request would be sooner rather than later please.

    Of course, my period being due means that I am going to bend, flex and dislocate all over the place until I bleed enough to drown a small country, curl up and die from cramps and then come right again, only to start the whole process again.

    [As a side note: Yes, I am going to see my GP to discuss endometriosis and other assorted fun gynecological disorders. The pain and screaming of last cycle convinced me of that. She will also prescribe more tramadol, more anti-nausea tablets and other stuff. Luckily I can just get baby wipes from the supermarket without a prescription, so I don’t need to panic about those for too long. Thank GOD.]

    The floppiness always leaves me exhausted. It takes twice as much effort to walk and move, to pick the children up and change nappies. When I feel like this I spend a lot of time just laying on the floor with them, playing. Really it’s resting, but they think we’re playing and it’s easy, so we’re going to go with playing.

    So bleh. I’m sore and I’m exhausted. I’ve got a lack of pain meds and an excess of insomnia. Yay me.

    Heh.

  • 2010 Bloggies are now Open

    Alternate title: Whoring my blogs and the blogs I adore.

    The 2010 bloggies are open and I’m practically squeeing with excitement. Last year I was lucky enough (and proud enough, thrilled enough, over-excited enough) to be named a finalist in the Best New Zealand or Australian Blog, alongside Kelley (who totally should have been on my list) and Tiff. Of course, I didn’t win, but being a finalist = awesome.

    So this year, I am hoping to repeat that again, even if I might be hoping a little hard.

    Anyway. I wanted to share my nominations with you. I don’t read blogs in all of the categories, so I don’t have nominations for those.

    You can nominate up to 3 blogs in numerous categories, more categories than I mention here. If I haven’t mentioned a category, feel free to share your picks for nominations in the comments.

    Without further ado!

    Best Australian or New Zealand Blog:

    This one. Sleepless Nights. Because you love me, right?

    Mummytime – Brenda at Mummytime is awesomely funny.

    Miscellaneous Mum – Karen is an Author and she was one of the women who inspired me to start my own blog. So you can blame her.

    Best African Weblog:

    Tertia at So Close – I’ve been reading Tertia for a very long time now. She writes about life in South Africa.

    Jeanette Verster Photography – Biased? A little, but her photos are to die for.

    Best European Weblog:

    Benefit Scrounging Scum – Bendy Girl is funny and bendy and broken and she still makes time to make me feel better.

    Everyday Stranger – Shannon is having a delurk day over at her blog. I’m not sure I’m a lurker anymore (more of a fangirl) but I did it anyway. She writes, amazingly.

    Best Canadian Weblog:

    As a side note, I would have totally nominated Whiskey in my Sippy Cup, but she’s been deported back to America (okay, not deported, but she’s not in Canada anymore. Sniff)

    Attack of the Redneck Mommy – I think she is the only Canadian blog I am reading at the moment. How slack is that? Dear Canada, please show me your good bloggers.

    Best Photography of a Weblog:

    Jeanette Verster Photography – Again. Because have you seen her photos?

    Three Ring Circus – Tiff wins awards for her photos. They are that good.

    Best Topical Weblog:

    Veronica Foale – My other blog, shamelessly linked here. I write about life, about grief, about everything really.

    Frogpondsrock – She is pretty eclectic too, but worth reading if you aren’t already.

    Fugly Horse of the Day – A one woman blog, highlighting the need for responsible (aka: high class) breeding in the horseworld. She posts about animal neglect, about horses, about rescues. Worth reading if you like horses, or even just animals.

    Most Humorous Weblog

    Buffoon Blog – I only recently found him, but anyone who can utter a manly squeal makes me crack up laughing.

    Blog of Becky: How not to live your life – If you don’t read her, you should.

    Magnetoboldtoo – It’s Kelley, we all know Kelley, right? No? Well, get on over there and read her. You won’t be disappointed.

    Best Writing of a Weblog:

    Veronica Foale – Again. Yes, today I’m shameless.

    Ordinary Art – The woman has a gift for words.

    Everyday Stranger – Again. Her writing is amazing. Read her, even if you don’t nominate her.

    ***

    I think that is all I have the effort/energy to link right now. There are a lot (A LOT) of categories and you are allowed to nominate yourself. Nominate your friends, your own blogs or your literary crushes. God knows that’s what I’m doing.

    Go forth and nominate! And feel free to leave your choice for nominations in the comments, I am positive I missed a blog or two or ten.

    Or twenty.

    Squeee!

  • Veronica’s list of 25 bloggers you should really be reading.

    I don’t do resolutions. I never have done and honestly, I forget/fail/ignore enough things as it is without adding resolutions into the mix.

    Instead, I present, Veronica’s list of 25 blogs that you should really be reading if you aren’t already.

    1) Veronica Foale: Yes, I know this is my other blog. I’m allowed to whore it out here.

    2) Julia {here be hippogriffs}: She has twin toddlers and a 7yo. Julia makes me laugh regularly and she can write about the most mundane bits of motherhood and leave me wanting more. Sometimes, I save her posts until I have time enough to savour reading them. She’s good.

    3) The Bloggess: Do I really need to say more? Surely everyone knows who she is. Her stream of consciousness reminds me of mine. I just can’t write mine or I really would go insane. Awesome. Enough said.

    4) JoBart: Previously known as BSouth’s 365, or Barbaras blog. She had a tough year in 2009, her son was diagnosed with a severe peanut allergy and now she has to carry an epipen everywhere. I thought learning to live gluten free was hard, but living nut free? So much harder. Barbara is one of those women I am proud to count as a friend.

    5) Magnetoboldtoo: Awesome. Australian. Enough said. Kelley had a shitty shitty 2009 too. A minor stroke, a torn achilles tendon and damn emos swarming all over her house. I hear that God smited her. Her son, Boo is autistic, just to throw into the mix.

    6) Anne Nahm: She has three children, regularly makes me laugh and recently posted photos of her nipple. I mean, what more could you want?

    7) Bad Mommy Moments: Need confirmation that you aren’t the only one fucking up your kids beyond repair? Look no further. I love her writing. (And she isn’t really fucking up her children. Not at all.)

    8.) Benefit Scrounging Scum: Bendy Girl also has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and it is thanks to her that I ended up diagnosed. Living with EDS in the UK and making us all laugh along the way. I’m glad I’m not the only one who vomits post-sex.

    9) Softthistle: Love Marylin. She recently started up softthistle after her husband left her, but was busily stalking her blog. She is another lady I would love to fly across the world to meet. She’s been a bad bad blogger lately. I blame her new boyfriend. She’s too busy snogging him to worry about the rest of us.

    10) Callapippertree: Ali lives in South Australia. Her twitter updates on ‘The State Of The Pelvis‘ normally leave me gasping for air. I know exactly how she feels. I’m not sure if buying your pelvis flowers helps with the pain, but it doesn’t seem like it could hurt.

    11) Frogpondsrock: I’m obliged to include her, seeing as how the woman pushed me out of her body 21 years ago with no drugs. It’s my fault that she is blogging at all, so the least I can do is link her. Hehe. No really, she takes amazing photos and I know first hand that her recipes are delicious.

    12) Miscellaneous Adventures of an Aussie Mum: Karen is currently reading through an untold amount of submissions for her upcoming book Miscellaneous Voices: Australian Blog Writing 2009. I submitted some pieces to her, so sorry Karen, I’m contributing to your current busyness.

    13) Everyday Stranger: You all know I’ve got a minor (major) literary crush on Shannon. I’m always thrilled when I see she’s updated her blog.

    14) Flotsam: Alexa got a book deal midway through 2009 so her posting has been a little light lately. I hear her mother has been chastising her for that so I probably don’t need to.

    15) Mogantosh: I started reading Mogantosh after she left a comment here. She makes me laugh, lots.

    16) Hyphen Mama: Recently gluten free. I vote her most likely to kill her inlaws, probably sooner rather than later. Her inlaws have some serious issues. Serious ones. She still makes me smile.

    17) Ordinary Art: Beautiful words. Another literary crush.

    18) Ruhlman.com: More famous than anyone I normally link to. I requested his Charcuterie book for Christmas and it arrived the other day. It’s still at Mum’s house, it came in the post the other day. Beautiful food and beautiful photos.

    19) The Blog of Becky: How not to live your life: I found Becky recently and devoured her archives, giggling the whole time. She lives much too far away in California. She should really move to Tasmania.

    20) Three Ring Circus: I’ve been reading Tiff  for a long long time. Her writing is fantastic and she is mother to eight children. We won’t even mention her photography. I’m a little jealous.

    21) The Tensile Times: Achelois keeps claiming that she isn’t a writer, but I always look forwards to her posts. A lot. She also has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and it helps to be able to commiserate/laugh about it with someone else.

    22) Troutie: I found her when The Bloggess linked her. I’m rather thankful for that.

    23) Whoopee: Antonia has a daughter about the same age as Amy and another on the way. Her drawings are hilarious and so is her writing.

    24) The Buffoon Blog: I only found him recently, through Kristen, but I’m glad I have.

    25) Wanderlust: Kristen. She’s collecting flags you know. Yep, you should go check her out. I think she’s got a little bit of snowfever at the moment. Better than heatstroke I suppose.

    And lastly, and unnumbered because 25 sounds better than 26, there is Xbox4NappyRash: He’s expecting his first child in February, after a long haul trying to get his Irish Catholic wife pregnant. Really, he should have just been able to look at her sideways and have her ovaries tremble, but alas, it didn’t happen like that.

    Oh crap! I forgot Brenda at MummyTime. I’m fairly sure she won’t mind not having a number. Not that the numbers mean anything. Brenda was recently pointed out as one of Bloggers ‘Blogs of Note’. Incidentally, she got a lot of spam. Brenda and Trish are the only 2 blogspot blogs who have captchas that don’t make me want to stab something because I know they’re getting spammed.

  • Cheers!

    It’s almost the New Year and the heat here today has left me all exhausted.

    So instead of a recap of 2009 (summary: insert title of popular MOMMYblogger book here) I’m just going to say:

    Here is to 2010 not sucking as bad as 2009 (I maintain that Isaac was born before the Chinese New Year, so he’s more of a 2008 baby anyway).

    I wish you a year of safely birthed babies, positive pregnancy tests for those trying and periods on time for those not. I wish you a year of chocolate with zero calories, of cold alcohol, of well behaved children. I wish you a year of happiness and health. I wish you no grief, no tears, no sadness. I wish for you job promotions and holidays on time. Sunshine and sand and shade. Warmth and hot chocolates on cold days. Cool pools and air conditioning for warm ones.

    Thankyou, everyone for reading here.

    And BRING ON 2010 ALREADY!

  • Amy is a Tiger

    Amy is a tiger. GROWL!

    Look Mummy! I am a tiger.

    Sigh. So you are.

    GROWL!

    Oh dear.

    [she examines her arms and legs]

    I think I need some more stripes. On my arms. And legs.

    Oh no you don’t!

    I have stripes. On my face and tummy!

    Yes. Yes you do.