Category: Life

It’s bedtime.

However, I still have one child sitting at my feet eating steamed carrots and the other child, well she is laying in bed, screeching her demands. It’s a good thing she doesn’t have any hostages in there, as the situation is escalating.

I NEEEEED an APPPLE!

No. You don’t. It’s bedtime.

I walk away again, before the next demand comes.

MUMMMEEEE! I lost my DRINK!

Back down the hallway I go, to point out to her that her drink is still next to her pillow.

But I need cordial and water!

Not for bedtime. For bedtime you get water.

OOOOOOH.

And the meltdown begins. Again.

I can hear her now, demands silenced in the face of my No. Go to sleep. attitude, playing with the toys. It’s meant to be bedtime, but Amy is Three! and Three! doesn’t cave to the demands of sleep and how your body is tired. Not tonight.

Isaac is crawling around, a late nap in the car has stuffed his bedtime up. As much as he enjoys playing, for him, it’s suicide hour and I’m not sure if my legs will survive anymore biting. We won’t talk about my nipples.

I chase him around the lounge room, trying to change his bum. The little bugger is getting faster and he giggles as I pin him down. Until he realises that I am putting a nappy back on him and then he fights me, like I’m trying to murder him.

Stop that! You need a nappy on.

AIEIEIEIIEEEE.

He twists and turns and it’s like wrestling an octopus.

An octopus that someone has covered in oil.

He’s faster, but I’m bigger and stronger and I confuse him with kisses for the 10 seconds it takes to get the nappy done up.

Exhausted, I let him run away to play.

It’s almost his bedtime, and today, almost mine as well.

I love my children, so very much. But my favourite part of the day? That comes when they’re both tucked up in bed, asleep and I can breathe again, without any short and loud people throwing themselves at my front in a huff.

I like the evenings.

I started this blog in August 2007, when Amy was almost 1. I was lonely, living in the middle of nowhere, with no adult conversation.

I am positive that blogging saved my sanity, more than once.

This little space, it’s been my safe haven. My place to hide, a dumping ground, somewhere to write out my thoughts and stresses, deal with them and move on.

When I started, I had no readers, except my mother. For months, no one was reading here, until I participated in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month). I picked up a few readers over the course of that month (Hi Marylin!) and slowly, my readership grew.

Blogging is fluid. I’ve gained readers and I’ve lost readers and 2 years later, aside from my regular commenters, I have no idea who reads here anymore. I’ve got less time to comment now, although I’ve probably got more blogs in my reader. Nowadays I tweet as much as I blog and I enjoy every second of it, even if the social media moguls are sure that I’m ‘doing it wrong.’

It’s funny, I still check my Feedburner numbers most nights to see how many subscribers I have (in the scheme of things, not very many) and I will check my stats and referrals to see where people are coming from, at least once a day. Some things never change, and my obsession with stats is one of them.

I think, after all this time that things are starting to fall into place for me.

I’m a little late I know, but today is Delurk Your Lurkers day and I would LOVE to know who is reading here and a little more about them.

Who is your favourite blogger (while I’ll be thrilled if you say me, I know that it’s not true across the board, so be honest) and who was your first blog read?

My first reads were Lotus when she was still on Myspace (Gasp! I know!). Once I’d moved away from Myspace and convinced her to come too (aren’t you glad I did?) I found MiscMum and promptly lurked all over her blog roll.

And 2 years later, here we are.

Apparently we’re weaning. A nursing strike since early this morning and a complete breast refusal seem to have been the nail in the coffin and he just doesn’t want to feed. At all.

It’s hot at the moment and normally, that sparks a day of near constant feeding. Not today though. Today, he hasn’t wanted a bar of me, except to wrap around my head and yell ‘AH AH AH’ as he pulls my hair.

I’m finding it hard not to feel like it’s me he rejecting, rather than the breastfeeding. I knew that night weaning was on the cards sooner rather than later, and was planning on doing that sometime in the next few weeks.

He’s beaten me to it though.

Sigh.

I breastfed Amy until she was nineteen months old and somewhere, in the back of my mind, that’s how I thought it would go with Isaac.

I would say that I don’t mind and that he is almost 12 months old (a week until his first birthday) and that it is all fine.

I’d be lying though, because I do mind.

Even if I can see the benefits to weaning.

It’s hard. I can’t force him to feed.

And with how bitey he’s been lately I’m not sure I want to anymore.

Anyway. However it goes, I’m taking the chance to nightwean now, while it’s being presented to me.

It could be my impending period (#4 since they returned) changing the taste of my milk. I expressed a little into my hand and it does taste salty rather than sweet. Natural weaning process? Maybe.

I’m rambling now. It’s hot and we are doing CIO. As much as he doesn’t want to feed (complete refusal), he also doesn’t know how to fall asleep without boobs.

Sigh.

SIGH.

</end ramble>

***Update: A 2am screaming session + engorged painful breasts – meant I caved and fed him and he caved and fed. Not sure where that leaves us now, except for me, awake at 2am and finishing up expressing a breast. I think I’ll keep up with the weaning anyway, just slightly slower than I had originally planned. Weaning over the course of a fortnight, for my comfort.

***

The nominations for the 2010 bloggies are still open for a little while longer. I would love love love if you could nominate this blog (https://somedaywewillsleep.com) for Best Australian and possibly my other blog for Best Writing or Best Kept Secret (http://veronicafoale.com).

Please?

Pretty please?

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!

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.