Sleepless Nights

Author: Veronica

  • The baby chatters angrily and my anxiety worsens

    A moment ago Evelyn was chattering at me angrily like an upset chipmunk, while she practised her yoga moves. I’m not saying she was wrong to be grumpy with me – after all, I did take her to the doctor and let him stick needles in her thighs, but it was for her own good, so you know.

    I spend all my time trying to write things and rescuing Evelyn from whatever nook she has gotten herself caught in. One moment she’s exploring behind the couch and can’t find her way out, the next moment she’s stuck under her sister’s bed. When I put her back down, she absconds as fast as she can, making a break for freedom. Amy and Isaac have taken to filling the hallway with obstacles in the hope that she won’t make it down to their bedrooms and destroy their peace. I can’t say I’m particularly helpful, because jeez, just play with her, she loves you.

    The walkway to my kitchen is filled with nappy boxes that I have to step over every time I leave the living room – a state of affairs that will continue until we replace our baby gate with one that actually works.

    It’s utter chaos and I am loving it.

    I watch the determination on Evelyn’s face as Amy sits down on the floor to watch TV and Evelyn commando crawls over to her, before flumping into her sister’s lap. It’s brilliant and exhausting and completely hectic.

    I wouldn’t change a moment.

    My anxiety is getting worse and I am starting to suspect that my nausea every time I have to get into the car is actually anxiety driven, rather than motion sickness. I’m not sure that I can do anything about this, short of adding more drugs. I’m already on Cymbalta, which seems to manage the PND quite nicely, but I’m also getting less and less likely to leave my house unless I have no choice. It’s awkward and unpleasant, but frankly, I just want to hang around at home, pottering in the kitchen and garden, writing things and playing with the children. That’s not wrong.

    Maybe I’m lazy, rather than anxious.

    Every day I walk to the end of our road without even a modicum of anxiety, to get Amy off the school bus. I look forward to the walk and wonder if I should do it more often, getting me out of the house without exactly pushing me out of my comfort zone. Then I wonder if being pushed out of my comfort zone is what I need.

    I don’t know, Internet.

    Now if you’ll excuse me, Evelyn is trapped between the couch and the wall and I need to go rescue her.

  • Neil Gaiman reblogged my breasts. Life, complete.

    I wrote an article at The Shake about beauty, and the power of Amanda Palmer’s tweets today. In order to properly illustrate my point and not look like a hypocrite, I took a photo of myself with the words “Photoshop This” written on my chest.

    Amanda Palmer then used my photo in her collage, which was then reblogged by Neil Gaiman.

    And there is is. Internet fame achieved. My breasts on Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman’s tumblrs.

    screenshot neil gaiman tumblr my boobs

    The geek in me is suitably thrilled. The feminist is just pleased that the message about body acceptance is getting out there. Love your body. It’s the only one you’ve got and you can’t make it different by hating it.

  • Today I am Cat Shaming

    cat shaming 021

    Text: I steal tea from my owner’s mug. Not Sorry.

    cat shaming 016

    Text: I climbed into bed with the baby and purred so loudly I woke her up.

    cat shaming 045

    Text: I was nearly dead when Veronica found me. I repaid her by vomiting on the carpet. Lots. I have a sensitive stomach.

    cat shaming 042

    Text: I got scared by the dog and ran up my owner’s leg. There was blood.

    cat shaming 033

    Text: I run around the house pretending to be an ELEPHANT. No shame!

    cat shaming 024

    Text: I like to pretend to nurse from the dog. She reminds me of my mum. (Even if she smells weird.)

  • Cadbury Chocolate Giveaway

    I’m fortunate enough to get to work with Cadbury on a regular basis, so when they unveiled their new range of chocolate featuring whole nuts, I eagerly accepted a gift pack in the mail. AND IT WAS AWESOME. I prefer the whole nuts. I think they taste better.

    Yay, chocolate.

    Cadbury

    Because Cadbury like to spread their message and we all like chocolate, I have 5 Cadbury gift packs to giveaway, including 2 x each new block of chocolate, in both plain and nut varieties. Pretty sure that is eight blocks of chocolate in each gift pack.

    To enter, leave a comment below letting me know what your favourite way to eat chocolate is.

    —

    The fine print:

    Entry is open to Australian postal addresses only. One entry per household – I will be checking IP addresses. Winners will be picked using random.org. Competition closes June 9th 8pm AEST.

    —

    WINNERS:

    winners

    Jenny, Chloe, Terese, Lightening and Anna, I will be in touch shortly.

  • Tyre Safety is important. Really. #sponsored

    This article is sponsored by Tyreright.

    Tyre right logo

    We bought a new car recently. Well, okay, not new. It’s old, and the interior needs upholstery shampoo, but it’s a bigger car and I can easily fit three children and the grocery shopping inside it. My children aren’t all stuck together, elbows and knees attacking each other. Although Amy has been known to poke Isaac in the back of the head, so maybe it’s not all sunshine and roses.

    I hate car shopping. Hate. In fact, I hate pretty much everything to do with cars. This time, instead of going with Nathan and wandering around pretending to care, I sent him with his brother and told him that whatever he chose was fine with me. Feminism: It’s the art of getting to choose which things I don’t want to have anything to do with.

    He found a car, I told him it was great and we moved on. Yay, us.

    But you see, the problem with buying a second hand car is that car yards will scrimp on some things when they’re looking to resell. Things like tyres. (See what I did there? Bringing the entire article around to my point? I AM AWESOME)

    Tyreright offered me a free set of tyres, in exchange for a review of their services. And I said Hell Yeah, because having to pay for tyres comes under my God I Hate Cars And All Their Expenses banner, which includes everything, pretty much.

    Tyreright are all about safety in tyres. They’re all about keeping us safe, which I got first hand knowledge of when they refused to fit the set of tyres I’d purchased online, because they were the wrong type. No, it wasn’t my fault – the car dealership we bought from had fitted the wrong tyres and I’d then bought the same kind ASSUMING that other people know what they’re doing. Other people are idiots.

    My husband took the car in for the tyres and I stayed at home with sick children. Frankly, he got the better end of that deal. The guys in the Hobart store were professional and polite as they explained to Nathan about wrong size tyres and come back tomorrow and we’ll have the right kind of tyres for you. Because SAFETY.

    The next day, Nathan took the car back into the city, while I stayed home (yet again) with three sick children. Tyreright fitted the tyres that I’m told are of very good quality, and did the wheel alignment thing that is important and Nathan got to drink coffee and sit in a park alone. Not that I’m bitter or anything.

    Frankly, it was all much easier than the last time I had to buy brand new tyres. From buying online (AWESOME), to the fitting, it was relatively stress free and I liked it so much I’ll do it again next time when I don’t have a freebie code. Yep, it was that good. Prices seem stock standard – but they’re tyres. You’re not exactly going bargain hunting, are you?

    Tyreright will do all your tyre related car things for you, making sure that the rubber holding your car up is actually going to continue working in the manner it is supposed to. I’d say that’s pretty important.