Oh why the procrastination!

I am a procrastinator, always have been but never really understood why. Im sure there must be a reason why some are and others aren't. Maybe it is upbringing, maybe personality. I find it a very annoying trait in me, but have been doing it as long as I remember, whether it was that homework due in two weeks and left to the last minute or an appointment which I really must make, but find everything else to do instead and put it off. I could say it was things I didnt like doing or new things that I may be fearful of, but even things I like doing I sometimes put off.

I think part of it is new things, as I have become an adult and settled into a secure routine, I find that more than often I am loathe to change my routine or comfort level, even though I know it is necessary or needed. My husband tries to push me along, but the more he pushes, the further my heels go in, like the pony who doesnt want to go.

But the problem with this is normally the things I am procrastinating about are in someone else's benefit, normally my children. And my procrastinating ends up biting me in the arse when I come to find that I can no longer do what needs to be done, because I have procrastinated too long. But why, I wish I knew, oh why the procrastination (huff)

Why we are never happy

Hi

Happy Monday to you all, who are nice enough to drop by for a read.

I was looking on Facebook at my friends status updates and it griped me a little. Now Im not the most positive person, far from it, most of the time I am a 'glass half empty' kinda girl for my sins. But there was one of my friends who, how do I put this without offending, she had two girls quite young, is single and has not worked in years, nuf said, think you get the idea. So she has just gone out and got herself a job, really good on her, she has been doing it a week or so, but now she is moaning because she has some reading to do on a sunday night before going to work the next morning (although she is in her training period). I had another friend some time ago, who moaned about having to work, period, this was a time when my husband was out of work, and desparately wanted to work and I couldnt help but be annoyed.

But why are we never happy with what we've got, not in a 'I can do more' way but just in a constant discontented way. It's like we like to be unhappy, to moan, to want something other than what we have, which is often what we started out wanting in the first place.

Waiting for the magic!

I have had this blog for just over a year, I started it as a kind of record of my life as an expat mum, an outlet, a diary, but in the last few months I have been putting a lot more effort into it, posting more and trying to learn about what makes blogging successful.  I started to use it also as a business tool, but decided I wanted to keep the two separate and so set up another one. As I started to join other sites and do other things, I have slowly seen my blog develop, but slowly. But it feels like it has become addictive, as I get more hits, more comments and trying to push it forward to develop. It's like Im waiting for something magic to happen, although Im not sure what that is, I have recently got a twitter account and have quickly gained some followers, which I am really pleased at, but sometimes I have to pull myself away from this computer because it feels like all I do, wait for the magic to happen.

So off I go, have a great weekend.

BTW, if you read my blog and like it, even a little, please follow me and make my hard work worth it, if you change your mind, you can always drop me and I will work harder to get you back.

Jumping fences

Hi

So yesterday evening, I went to take my trash out, here in Portugal you generally dont have your own wheelie bin like in england, where you just open the door and chuck it in the bin, you have a shared large bin, normally within 100m of your house. So I said to my 5yr old, where I was going and to let me in when I knock. So she said ok and carried on playing. I left the door open a touch but knew it would probably shut as it was breezy. As I was walking away towards the bin, I hear the door slam, and thought nothing of it. After dropping the trash, I turn around to see Sophie standing outside the door and my mind panics. I run towards her, desperately hoping the slam I heard was before she came out and the door was still open, but of course not. So here we are standing outside our house, with my 21 month old sleeping upstairs and no keys, ALL keys are inside the house. So I start thinking, all walls and windows are quite high, so would be difficult to get in, ah I can go through the garage, I'll just ask my neighbours to let us into the block and we can go through there (as we always leave our garage open, except today of course!). So then I think, kitchen, one of our kitchen windows doesnt close so I can put sophie through there, but it's full of glasses, so too risky she may cut herself if they get broken (dont really want to be going to the hospital as well). What are we going to do? In the end, I had to lift her up onto a 5ft wall (im only 5'3") which has a small ledge for her to climb over, try to get onto the bbq and jump or climb onto the floor. It was risky, in bare feet with little to stand on and little way for me to hold her if she fell, but she did it and I think she quite enjoyed it too. So next time, for god sake, take the key with you!

Social Media Revolution

Hi

Do you use social media, eg facebook, twitter etc, WHO DOESNT?  See this video, for why you should, especially for business, it is the way forward.  Amazing

http://youtu.be/omSKo1OW6CU

Horrifying

Hi All,

I read this article today and was horrified, what messed up world do we live in where we give our children botox and that they think they have wrinkles at EIGHT years old. It is outrageous and Im sorry but I think that constitutes abuse, just because a child wants something doesnt mean they should have it.  How is it even legal to give a child botox injections, surely there is an age limit on things like this, unless for medical purposes.  And how is this child going to view herself when she gets older, she's 8 with body issues already and obviously puts a great amount of importance on her looks.   Why cant we let our children be children!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8517825/Girl-taken-into-care-after-mother-injected-her-with-botox.html

Foreign Flavours

My oldest daughter, Sophie has spent half her life in England and half in portugal. She was 18 months old when she had her first king prawn. Now we are in portugal, and some of the food is very different. She loves olives, which is not too unusual, but she regularly eats all kinds of seafood, pigs ears etc. All she is willing to try most things. But the thing I am constantly amazed at is her love of snails, yes snails, escargot. It is very common this time of year to have snails, you see people along the side of the road picking them out of the grass. Now the idea completely grosses me out, to eat a common garden snail you see in the grass- no matter how well you cook it. But she happily tucks into these huge snails, which just look like a very nasty large snot to me, but she loves it. But then, she has no other impression of it, whereas to me, it is not right to eat a garden snail or any other.

I know it can be a delicacy in France, but how many people commonly eat these things.

Summer is coming

My weekend treat

This post makes me sound so sad. This weekend I had a special treat, I went out by myself with a couple of girlfriends, something I have not done in a long, long time. Not even since we moved to portugal. So it was a real treat for me to get out and be 'an adult' not just a mother and a wife. It felt strange though, and I was nervous, would I be interesting (these are people I've known for a while but never been out without our families), would I get too tired and want to go home (extremely sad)!!

But we hit a few bars, time went so fast and it was nice and relaxed. We came out of one bar and everything was closed, I was like 'what time is it?' and it was 1am!! oh my god but it was so nice to be out and doing something without husband or kids. Although, some more time spent with hubby without kids wouldnt go a miss, if only we could find a free babysitter!!

But I was a bit rough the next day, I dont do hangovers anymore!!

Must do it again soon.