Jade to Black: Diary of a Fall girl

 

Many of us have borne witness to a toddler's blood- curdling screams on Hairwashing Day, their cries akin to those of an unfortunate victim in a slasher flick.  You'll notice how I referred to a simple, quick routine hairwash as some sort of ominous event. That's because a) it is, and b) most of us would rather donate a finger or toenail, than deal with a crying, screaming toddler who is losing their absolute sh*t at the mere possibility of water getting into their eyes, on a daily basis.  So in order to maintain the fragile emotional and mental state of both parent and child, many of us have reserved specific days to tackle the painstaking task of washing our kids' hair. Heaven forbid they get some sand or food into their locks on the days that don't line up with your hairwashing schedule. I'd sooner wash one specific piece of food- matted hair, than wash the whole head and deal with the fallout thereof, if I can help it. 😅😭 The twinnies are no exception to t...

 If you fine folk are anything like me, you've probably been led to the point of near- hysteria trying to decide what to serve your kids for meals, especially at breakfast time.  When kids reach about 1.5 years of age ( about the time they're able to handle different food textures without gagging), it becomes a bit easier to feed them from the same meals you're cooking the rest of the family, bar anything too spicy or dense. That's all fine and well for lunch and supper when one tends to prepare dishes or pots of food that can accommodate the varying tastes of a family, but things can get tricky when you're trying to prep a balanced breakfast for small kids of various ages (and tastes!). Personally, I try to steer clear of anything processed, sugar- filled or carb-heavy to start the day off, and I try to keep it light yet filling enough to sustain them for a few hours until snacktime. This is not to say I'm a healthy food nut on ANY level, but I am conscious of ...

  So I've decided to get the ol' blog up and running again.  Or rather, I seem to have gotten my life into some kind of order, which has allowed me more time to write, something I've thoroughly missed in the past 3 years, and a part of myself I've dearly missed expressing.  The past 3 years have been A LOT. Of course, it's  been alot for anybody who lives on Planet Earth. Some perspective on my experience, though- I started working again after being home with Adam for a year, and about a month in, I found out I was pregnant. With twins. (YIKES RIGHT)  Then a few weeks after, lockdown happened as the world was plunged head- first into the Covid-19 Pandemic. Having a high- risk pregnancy during a pandemic was kind of insane. It was all solo doctor visits and scans, constant Covid screenings, overzealous hand-sanitizing and compulsory mask-wearing (while already struggling for breath, due to 2x developing fetuses pushing down on my internal organs as they grew)....

In order to function at optimum Mom Level all day, breakfast (coffee and like a slice or 2 of whatever) is not only the most important meal of the day, it is the frikkin' life essence that sustains one with juuuust the right amount of energy to run after those Energizer bunnies (also known as toddlers) for a good amount of time. At least until lunch time. All hail the sacred coffee and toast!

' You're going to be SO bored. You'll want to go back to work within 2 months.' ' Don't you crave a purpose (a job) to get up to each day?' ' Everyone is so jealous you're going to get to stay home all day!' Those are just a few of the comments I received, when telling people I would be resigning to stay home with my son for a year while he's still little. Most reactions weren't super positive. I guess most people have their own perceptions or experiences that most times they will inevitably convey to you, whether it's just to forewarn you out of friendly concern, or whatever the reason may be. I officially became a stay-at-home-mum toward the end of last year. I can honestly say the responses to my decision were... mixed. In addition to earlier comments, was the concern whether I'd really  thought this through financially ( we, husband and I, had) and what I would do to pass the time. Because apparently, toddlers are e...

LOVE me some comfy shoes ❤ These moccasins are from @MRP, super cheap, super comfy. The nicest thing is that it can be worn SO many ways- with an ankle grazer chino like I have on, or with a jeans, a tights, even a dress/skirt with stockings in Winter, or without in Summer. #Flatshoesarelife!

I never, ever thought I could be this tired in my LIFE. I mean, I knew having a kid would totally change my life, and it has in soooo many positive ways. I do however miss the times of sleeping in whole days when I felt like doing so. As it goes, people always tell you to enjoy the days of uninterrupted sleep before babies, and while that is almost physically impossible in the last months of pregnancy due to the discomfort levels, I wish I'd somehow just forced myself to do so. It's not all bad though, baby boy slept well for the first few months of life, but then teething struck and that was it for long sleeping stretches on his behalf, thank you very much. It's no wonder the term  'Mombie aka Mom Zombie' became a thing. I am literally functioning on maybe 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night and glorious ❤coffee❤. And all the comfort food my mouth can handle at one time (not surprisingly, a whole hang of alot). Which means I've gained a substantial amou...

And suddenly...we're almost halfway through 2018. How?!? It's also been 9 months since my last post, someone could've had a baby in that ti-OHLOL. Time really DOES fly though, especially when my mind (as of March 2017) was completely occupied by all-things-baby, and then the actual learning to care for a human being once he arrived. You guys who have yet to spawn a child... the anxiety levels are off the MF CHARTS when prepping for a new human, something that can only truly be understood when one is in that position. If you are first-time pregnant rn, I freakin' empathise with you so hard! Besides the ol' 'feeling like crap/ tired AF' for most of the gestation period, much of the stress I personally experienced was due to worrying if we'd have enough time to sort out things like getting the cot, stroller, carseat, clothes, nursery etc., not to mention the EXTENSIVE cost of all that, plus OBGYN checkups and blood tests, and then the actual event,...

So, it's been a while. Lol. Feels like eons since I posted at the end of February but lemme tell you, ALOT has been going on since then. Biggest news of all being that I'm currently farming a little person inside my belly :))) Yep, we shall be welcoming a little hooman into the world in October and to say I am excited is... seriously downplaying it. It's been going well, bar the truckloads of food I consume and the ability to fall asleep at any given moment. I've been super quiet about it online though, besides my friends and family knowing. I haven't exactly ' announced' it on any social media platforms, except just recently posting a pic where it's kind of obvious to ignore my burgeoning stomach. I guess I've kind of not wanted to jinks good news after my previous experiences and I've learnt to share certain news with those who I know wish me well. I may sound like a superstitious fortune teller aunty right about now...but I've learned ...

I was about to begin with, 'I'm SOOOO sorry I haven't written in ages, zomg! Life has been crazy busy' etc. etc. And while this is true, aren't we all super busy, living out our manic lives day by day? So, I won't make any apologies for the absence, as I have firmly decided from the the very start, that I would never force myself to write just for the sake of writing and filling up space, but only when I felt super moved and inspired to. I reckon that's how we keep these things as fresh and (especially) as honest as can be, no? As the subject of this post states, I have some thoughts on how to dress one's age, especially in this age of  'image is everything' and society judging one solely on outward appearance. Believe you me, these are very important and helpful tips for those who may be confused about what is frowned upon and what is ok. Here goes: 6. Shirt made of wasps... I caaaaaan't xD So yes, as you can see, it's supe...

*Contains spoilers* Awww. What a nice, friendly-looking Xenomorph. Look, he's even smiling! Probably just wants someone to pet him and cuddle with him☺Seriously though, he looks really amped to murder you slowly. At least they've included a warning... as if running away will help. Fans of the Alien series can look forward to the next installment, Alien: Covenant, coming out on 19 May- a sequel to Prometheus released in 2012, which we assumed was a prequel to Alien. But it was more like a pre-prequel, and Covenant being the sequel to the prequel, could verily be the actual prequel to Alien. If this made your brain hurt, I don't blame you. Prometheus itself received mixed reviews, but I frikkin' loved it. I guess people thought it was a full-on prequel to Alien and that it would explain everything...where the Xenomorphs came from, how the eggs in the derelict ship ended up on LV 426, how they were created, WHAT THE HELL THAT GIANT HUMANOID IN THE PILOT SEAT WAS et...

Mood: I absolutely love that this Prisma effect makes me look like Frida K.  How amazing she was. I have to admit though, I don't have an actual unibrow but feel I could totally pull it off, were I ever moved to start the trend :p Soooo, I woke up today feeling not so great (as displayed by my sombre expression above). Yeah, most of us despise the Monday morning back to work feels, but we eventually drag ourselves out of bed and get on with it, feeling (hopefully) better as the day progresses. Today was not one of those days. I'd been unable to sleep much during the night because this specific day would have been the due date of the baby girl I lost to miscarriage on 1 August 2016. Marc and I named her Elle. I was 14 weeks pregnant, so just past the first trimester mark and into the second, when the chance of pregnancy complications decrease tremendously. So it all came as very unexpected when the fateful moment arrived.  I won't go into too much det...

Shoes, man??  Such a lovely, shiny word that conjures up fuzzy, fluffy, warm, happy feelings inside us all☺ I think the thing about it (besides there being hundreds of styles to suit every possible need and desire), is that no matter how much weight one may pick up, your shoe size will remain more or less the same. Unlike with clothing, you won't have to face the dreaded fitting-room (kill me please) with the unforgiving mirrors and fluorescent lighting that no dimple can escape- silently mocking you for having to take one or two sizes up this time. Because McDonalds. Shoes are everything though❤ And although we love them, men and women alike, shoe shopping is definitely more of a woman's thing. Most guys I know would order their desired pair online for the rest of their lives if possible and many even prefer their partners to do the shopping for them ( Ohey Marc ☺). Women can spend hours at a mall just fitting and flitting along from store to store, not even necessaril...

I don't need to go into detail about the endless woe females face, to tame the mane. It's something most of us (males included) are aware can be a...complicated, sensitive affair.  Billions are made annually to provide women with hair care products and services to cater to their every hair desire, be it styling, colour, texture, extensions etc. Now anybody can have literally any hairstyle they want, given they have the cash to pay for it, of course. Ain't nothing for free, especially not when it comes to women's hair and beauty. It's like, the opposite of free. (i.e. It's KAK expensive.) I've had a long, arduous journey with the harriets the good Lord above blessed me with. And I don't mean to sound ungrateful for what I have...but DANG NAMMIT... has it been tough to manage at times. See, I have naturally curly hair-  masses of it- which grows at the frikkin' speed of light. People have complimented me on my hair for as long as my memory goes back ...

Please look at this specimen of a rainbow cake above. This makes me well and truly happy. Only thing is, I've been contemplating getting back into the healthy eating vibe since the Festive season has ended. (Note 'contemplating' and not very much actual healthy eating has occurred) I have been drinking lots of water though...that's something right? :p  Anyhow, back to the cake. I work for Ackermans which is one of the biggest value retailers in SA. It's been a pretty awesome learning experience for me since joining back in 2015, as I had never worked in a retail environment, and had no idea how 'on it' one had to be in this industry. And here I thought online marketing, events and publishing was cutthroat and deadline driven. Lol. Anyhow, the department I work in is the Ladieswear buying division and we recently reached the milestone of '1 million ladies t-shirts sold'. This is quite an achievement as you can imagine, and the Buying Dire...

Good Lord, I love them so much 🙁 Yes, I decided to watch TFA when I got home from work. The day Harrison Ford is called to the Great Millenium Falcon in the sky will be a sad day indeed. 2016 already had the gall to claim Peter Mayhew. Lets not even get started on Carrie Fisher. Can they just speed up R&D on cryogenic stasis technology??

' Having taken her first steps into a larger world in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Rey continues her epic journey with Finn, Poe and Luke Skywalker in the next chapter of the saga.'- www.imdb.com As a Star Wars nut, I am absolutely LOVING the offerings we've been given since Dec 2015 with The Force Awakens and then ❤Rogue One❤ in Dec 2016 (Absolute LOVE).  After the desert period of Episodes I-III, it's been a delightful journey seeing the franchise come close (not entirely returned) to it's glory days of Episodes IV-VI...the iconic space opera that just, you know, shaped 3 generations of people existing on Earth right now. So in 11 months, we can look forward to the next episode in the franchise (EXCITTTEDDDD). The title already has people buzzing and theories being flung around. The plot description itself (the opener of this post) doesn't really give much away, being a very summarised version. I myself have had some chats this morning with my bu...