I wish she would listen to me sometimes!!!  I ask her to open the door, and do you think she will do it?  Nope!  And we end up arguing for about 5 mins over it.

Don't get me wrong, she does everything else I ask, but just won't open the door, which can slow me down a lot, not to mention make me very cranky.

Most of the time, she is quiet and I forget she is there, but this not opening the door for me is really becoming a major problem.  Wish I could get a refund, but too late for that now I suppose.

Ooops, I forgot to mention, I'm talking about my newest addition to the household chores, my washing machine/dryer combo!  Bet I got ya there! lol.

For those who are sitting their scratching their heads, I got a new front load washing machine a while back, that also dries the clothes.  It took a while to get used to her and work out how to do things, but finally, I am the master and she is my servant.

The only thing I haven't mastered is how to get the door to unlock when the machine is finished!!!!  It states in the user manual that on the dry cycle, all you have to do is push the start/pause button and it will do it within a couple of minutes.  2 hours later.....

If you knew me in person you would laugh and say that I deserve her and her temperamental ways.  And I will admit I am rather temperamental myself, so I guess she and I are very well suited.

All my griping about my parents has paid off, at last! lol.  They are coming up to see us next Thursday for most of the day.  And so are my sisters!!!!!

Ok, so Ayla will be at school much of the time, but Les and I have decided that they can go with him to pick her up from school.  She will love that!!!!  Just as long as she doesn't want to show them every inch of the classroom.

I'm not going to tell the girls just yet, as it is a week away and anything could happen still, so for now, it's my little secret! lol.

The news was conveyed by text message, which I replied to with a blank message! lol.  I hit send instead of the alphabet lock key (my phone is weird)!!!!  In the end, I just rang mum back and talked to her.  I really do hope they do come up as they haven't even seen Aralia yet.

My last blog post I mentioned the flu was back in our house again (like we invited it in!).  Well, the very next day, it flattened me, and I mean flattened me!  Oh sure, I was still able to get out of bed and look after Puggle's as well as act some what like a person, but other than that, it flattened me!

I think i'm finally getting better, just got the post viral cough that won't go away which has caused problems of its own.  I have a dry irritation in my throat all the time which  causes a cough response all the time.  Coughing all the time causes further irritation to the throat.  That means losing my voice, blocked ears and often struggling to breathe because the cough response gets way out of hand.  Lots of fun!!!  Weeee!  Amusing for the girls, but not for me!

I stopped eating anything solid for a few days because I coughed worse after eating.  Trust me, I was starving all the time!  My diet became one of chilled water, ice cbes, up and go and anything cold and wet.

I got sick of that and Les got me some homeopathic remedy for my cough.  yuck!  It tastes just like proper cough medicine and contains mostly the same ingredients!!!!  I've been taking it though, just to feel as though I'm trying to do something to beat this cough.  Not sure if it has made any difference though.  Along with the syrup, Les got me some Hydralite sticks which are quite nice actually.  Apple and BlackCurrent is a fave with me!  they have helped a bit too.  Complete electolyte rebalancing and some soothing relief for my throat, just hurt the wallet a bit that's all.

For the last few days, I've felt like a yo-yo.  I feel good for a while, then crash.  Nap time, feel good for a while and crash.  hhhmmm, so could crash right now and sleep for 100 years.

Yesterday, I managed to start catching up on the laundry, and today, I'm right back on the floor (or couch).  yikes!  laundry is not doing itself and there is no room to move in the folding corner.  I certainly hope I feel upto attacking it again tomorrow.

I so want this cough to be gone so I can get a decent nights sleep.

Well, off to yo-yo my way around minti for a while.

Back in my teens, I suffered from anorexia.  Not the usual form, as mine was not a body image problem, but a coping mechanism for what I was going through.

I had moved out of home (more like forced) a few months before my 17th birthday, and was living in a refuge (there's an endless supply of nightmares).  I was trying to finish year 11 and 12 as well as trying to survive in a world that was completely against me.

Because I wanted to do as well as I could with my studies, as well as the fact that all my so-called friends had abandoned me (my new found freedom peeved them off, no rules, no parents etc)), caused me to forget to eat.  I could go days without having anything except for maybe some corial or juice.

By they time the problem was pointed out to me, I had lost  about 15 kgs, and I was really struggling to concentrate on the very things I was wanting to achieve.  Something had to be done, and fast.

The road to recovery was hard, especially when others made a big deal of me not eating (I'm a stubborn mule, I confess!)  My weight gain was slow, and I often went backwards.

2 years later, I attended an ag college (who were not aware of my diet issues) where I requested a white meat diet only (no lamb, beef, or pork).  No questions were ever asked so no-one knew why i had that diet.  Because of what I had done to my body, I had found that any meat that was too rich or high in fat (like lamb, beef, pork) would actually upset my stomach so cutting them out of my diet meant that I didn't end up feeling as though I had pins poking through me.

I continued to eat healthily while there, and when I returned to my home town (I miss you Canberra!) I did my best to continue my good habits.  Alas, it seems that i wasn't as in control as I thought I was, and my weight was still way too low.  I was threatened with a court ordered stint in hospital (by my own doctor, not my family), which was enough for me to wake up to the fact I had gotten lazy again.

It took months to regain my weight, which yo-yo'd a lot, but I got there.  The only problem was, people around me would make a big deal of me not eating enough or skipping 1 meal altogether.  The more they pushed, the more peeved I'd become and the less I ate (stubborn mule?  You betcha!)  I used to walk away and eat in private.

It was about 8 years ago that i was finally told I was doing great and that I didn't need the intensive help anymore, which I didn't as I was finally in control and feeling great.  That was just after Les and I got our act together (1 regret, I didn't meet him sooner) and since that point on, I've been a healthy weight (hahaha, I went upto 60kg in 1 year!!!!) ever since.

When I got pregnant with Ayla, I got very sick and lost all my weight again, but put it back on within a few months of the morning sickness easing ( 3trips to hospital and about 20 canular sticks later!!!!).  Not only put it back on, but nearly broke the scales when I reached 78kg! lol.  Loved being pregnant (and always do!).

Our 5th baby came into the world about 14 weeks ago, and I've had problems with my diet again.  Oh, nothing serious, just whatever I eat goes straight to her!!!!!  Cheeky monkey, loves her mummy juice way too much, and it is draining my reserves.

Withoutt weighing myself (which would give better accuracy) I know I have lost way too much weight.  Clothes that were snug before I got pregnant are now falling off me, and the ones that barely stayed up, well, let's just say if i'm not careful, the neighbours get more than they bargained for.  I can't eat a lot at once, and have some issues with eating when the girls are around (vultures!!), so getting enough energy from my food is hard.  the rule at the moment is if I want it, I have it!!!!  No matter how unhealthy it might be, it is important that I keep my fat and calorie intake up.

Having the flu again means i'm not hungry, so I've been raiding the UP and Go (sanitarium liquid breakfast) like it is going out of fashion.  it might seem an expensive thing to do, but gee, it is sooooo yummy and good for me! 

Yeah, 8 years on and I still need a kick up the bum, which Les gives on occassion (and we argue and i hide lol), but at least I am doing better than I was back in the tough days.  I think I have many people now that would join in the bum kicking if I'm not careful (no wonder it hurts to sit down for long!!!!)

I think I've sufficiently bored you all to sleep now, so I'll let you leave.  Don't forget to clean up the drool off your keyboard and wipe the corner of your mouth before facing the real world again.

Ah yes, our lives are full of free entertainment, and often, we don't even have to go out for it either.

We live on a super busy road (for a country town), so are always laughing at the naughty drivers when they get pulled over for various traffic infringements (some have been so funny, I've nearly peed myself laughing!!!!).

Across the road from us is a High School, which is also a never ending supply of entertainment.  Usually it is the fights.  These fights are over things like who got the lowest mark in Maths!!!!  How funny is that?  Students vying to be the lowest graded student in their class!  Weird to be sure.

Today, the entertainment is coming from a grass fire on the oval.  The fire peoples have been there since it began at about 9:30 this morning, and the real amusement comes from the fact the principal is running around like a headless chook!!!!!  OMG!  He's supposed to be in charge of the whole school, and yet he is the only person panicking!!!!!! rofl.

Yeah, my life is pretty sad, but living the high and fast paced life holds no interest to me.  i prefer to sit back and let the entertainment find me.

Not long after Aralia was born, my Mum sent me an email saying that she and Dad were going upto Cairns for a week or so and then hoping to come to spend a weekend with us not long after.

Well, that was supposed to happen at the end of September or during October.  it is now November, and they have not come up or even bothered to let me know what is happening.

I only get to see them once a year, if I'm lucky.  They don't bother to reply to emails, so I've stopped sending them and it is too hard to PICK UP THE PHONE!!!!!  I feel they have disowned me.

What peeves me off the most is that I'll get an email out of the blue saying how worried they are about us as they haven't heard from us in a while.  If they bothered to read their inbox from time to time, they might have seen there were probably 100+ from me alone!  And I'm the problem here?

I guess Les and I and the girls will be the only ones there when we get married, if we ever do at all because my mum refuses to get me a certified copy of my citizenship certificate which I need to prove I am an Australian citizen.   And if Les and I do get married without them there, I've got to put up with Mum complaining about how they couldn't (more like wouldn't) be there.  I don't think it is even worth it to tell you the truth.

It sucks not having any real world friends.  You guys are great, so that seems to balance things out, but when I read about other members doing this and that with family and friends, I do kind of feel a bit jealous.

Family suck!  And don't get me started on my birth mother either.  Let's just say, I'm getting ready to change my email address and not give the new one to any members of my family!

I love feeding my baby.  She is the only one out of 5 that has really taken to breastfeeding and actually helped me to keep the success going.  Very little in the way of dramas and I'm not stressed this time as Les is home much of the time.

Breastfeeding is the perfect excuse to put my feet up and just relax.  Bubs is pretty much able to control her own feed, so I then am free to play with her or the other girls.  It is really nice and I look forward to it, unlike the other 4 where I cringed at the thought of being stuck on the couch for hours each day while the older ones ran amok and stressed me out.  Ah yes, back in the days when Les worked full time.

Aside from bubs picking up some rather annoying habits, like biting, digging her nails in and tickling me, it is a wonderful experience.  I have little in the way of soreness as I was well prepared with nipple care creams and nursing pads, so even less stress.

There is just one thing though.  Something that hasn't happened for the last few weeks, but did again this morning.  Bubs is a greedy bub and I kind of let her have too long on the second side before taking her off (she'd chew away all day if I let her) and burping her.

Can you see what's coming now?  Yep, I wore THE WHOLE LOT.  I reckon there had to be at least 300mls worth!!!!!  This time round, I had to have a shower as she got it through my hair, the couch needed cleaning as well as a pillow and bubs had to have a full change too.

It gets worse.  We had both only been dressed for like 2 minutes!!!!!!!!

I have noticed patterns of when this occurs, and they'll make you laugh.  During the day, it is only ever after having the left side and only after I get dressed into clean clothes.

At night, it is only when I am in my pj's, snuggled in bed with her for a midnight feed, and again she's had the left side.  Interesting that the left side is the one that causes this, but it is the primary producer! lol.

How would you feel if your baby did this to you, and no, she doesn't have a reflux problem at all, just a greedy girl?  It is so frustrating and funny too, as it comes from nowhere!

Ah, but the look on her face is priceless.  Her smiles are never bigger than when sharing her brekky with her mum.

'Thanks for the mammories mum, they were yum!  Here, I'll share it around so you can all have a taste for yourself'.

Anyone for a cappuccino?  Pre sweetened and pre frothed milk on the house! 

Our 4 youngest kids are all overdue for their needles, something we have been trying to fix for about 6 months now but every time we get ready to go, something happens to stop us.

The plan for last Monday was that they would all get done.  Les and I discussed it on Sunday night, and said let's just get them all done at once.

Kids had other ideas.  Monday arrived, and guess what?  The flu had snuck in, meaning no needles for the girls.  We were supposed to go today, but 2 are still sick and we were up most of the night with miss 2.  Zombie parents are we today?  You betcha!

And Kellz, I haven't forgotten your pineapple jam cravings either!!!  The above plan was also supposed to include going on the hunt for you, but my kids are the worst at letting me keep plans!!!!

Les has suggested though, that you look in the tinned fruit and jam sections of your local supermarket, as he believes it is the most likely place to find any, though I wanted to hunt down some local produce and get you the more gourmet stuff!

Plan now hun, I will find it when I can leave the quarantine zone again!!!!

Now for the words that we have banned in our house, due to the fact every time we use them, all hell breaks loose!

Sleep/nap/rest:  hhhmmmm, we want it, the girls don't let us!!!!  4 hours a night is what Les gets, though I get more (nursing mother and all).

Quiet:  We want it, but when we do find it, our ears are still ringing.  I think the next time this word will be allowed in our home is once they have all moved out!!!!

Food/eating/drinks:  Every meal time, bubs demands her own feed, even if she has just had one!!!! Oh, and if I try and sneak a snack with the girls around, they have to have one too, so I go without just to keep my sanity!

Yes folks, parenting is driving us up the wall, though I think we are almost back to the floor and ready to start that cycle again!