antacid

so i have decided to do something for my heartburn
went to the chenist to get some relief
got the mylanta chewable tablets [$4.95 for 20]

hrmm.. i got to say im not impressed
it taste like powdery minty bi carb soda
its pretty gross
i wish i got the liquid form instead

but i must admit it does do the job
oh wells
beggers cant be choosers
ill just finish this packet before i get the liquid pack

xxoo

grumblings...

my mum just rang and things arent so good at home
i have a really sick dad
really sick

his sickness isnt really that bad, but my dad plays the victim and demands sympathy from everyone
yes we know he has slowly degenerated over the years and im sure its horrible feeling yourself decline slowly into a vegetable, but my poor mum is not coping well anymore
she has been his sole carer for 3-4 years now and he is slowly making my mum really sick herself

it makes me really angry listening to the stupid shit that happens at home
the 'silent treatment' he gives my mother
the hard time he puts her through
even though she does everything for him [literally wipes his ass and more]

unfortunately my dad is a really sick bitter person
he has not accepted his situation and is pretty much angry at everyone
for how he is today
he cannot find peace or comfort from family
he cannot find peace or comfort from religion

i cant wait until he moves on
because it would make life a lot more easier for everyone
but that is such a horrible thing to say as well

its hard to talk to him
because he doesnt want to talk
my dad just shuts up like a clam and wants everyone to read his mind
and do what he wants
seriously its like talking to a brick wall but worse
and the bad part is
when he does talk, he has a lot of difficulty talking
he can barely speak english [my preferred tongue]
and when he talks it is hard for him to pronounce his words [they slur]
it puts him into a coughing fit and effects his breathing

sigh.... what ever he has ... its horrible... really horrible.. it robs you of your life
but it takes it away from you so slowly and so painfully

my dad is the not the dad i know and remember when i was younger
which is the saddest part
dad was always a good guy, strict, tough but fair
i want to remember him always in the good days

not the bitter horrible person he is today that treats my mum like shit
god its depressing
its no wonder i dont like going home much
its too depressing and too much effort
but i guess as the good dutiful daughter i have to

i guess you cope and just do your best
what else?

xxoo

my dinner

this was my dinner tonight
a seafood basket from winthrop fish and chip store for $15

i've been craving for fish and chips for months now
but because hubby doesnt like fish and chips at all
this is something i rarely eat

and i waited till he left to go to jakarta before i could indulge
and indulge i did :) [grin]

chips were super crsipy and piping hot with the right amount of seasoning
the batter was crispy and crunch
and the seafood just yummy

its such a large portion, you could easily share it between 2-3 people
depending on how much you eat
however i didnt finish my meal but my naughty dogs polished it all off for me
while i went outside to collect the laundry
lil bastards

now im craving vanilla cupcakes :P
ill just have to make some and satisfy my craving

xxoo
clio

my lunch

this was my lunch today

i had some coriander and mint hanging around my fridge and i wanted to use them up before they went all crappy. so after hunting around the internet for mint and coriander recipes i came across this, a yoghurt, mint, coriander and cucumber yoghurt or otherwise known as a raita. Super easy to make and delicious with turkish bread, naan and other indian breads. Anyways my lunch ended up being a hodge podge of dips and stuff with turkish bread from the kebab shop in winthrop village. The turkish bread there is AMAZING!! its soooo fresh and made daily, my bread was still warm in my hand when i bought it at 12pm for lunch.

Anyways, onto my super simple recipe...

Raita yoghurt dip
1 lebanese cucumber
1 small bunch of coriander
1 small bunch of mint
200 ml of plain greek style yoghurt
salt, pepper and sugar to taste

1. grate the cucumber, and squeeze out as much water as you can from the shredded cucumber
2. finely chop the coriander
3 finely chop the mint
4. add cucumber, mint, coriander and yoghurt into a bowl, mix with a spoon, add salt, pepper and sugar to taste.

you can adjust the quantities of herbs to suit your taste buds as well, i like mine heavy with herbs, i love the flavours of mint and coriander - so im rather generous with them, if you arent so keen, start off bit by bit until its just right.

the other condiments i had in the small bowls were olive oil, sweet balsamic vinegar and homemade dukkah [got it as an xmas present from a student- super yummy!] it all goes well with fresh turkish bread. [i dont bother buying turkish bread from coles or woolies - its the same price as the kebab shop but no where near as fresh!]

enjoy!
xoxo

heartburn

i dont normally suffer from heartburn, but now that im mid going into my third trimester - all i can say is that heartburn is a bitch! it really makes it uncomfortable for me to lie down and im scared of throwing up. my stomach is all squished up (thanks bub) inside and all of my insides are pushed aside to make room for bub. its hard to find a comfy sleeping position that will stop the heartburn and take pressure off the tummy... sigh... as much as im enjoying the pregnancy, theres parts im not enjoying at all

small splurges

yay!!
my tax refund cheque came through and to celebrate i
bought myself a new candle :).
i LOVE LOVE LOVE burning candles,
especially when im trying to do housework [makes the house smell fresh]
or chillin' out and relaxing
while im working to put me in a happy mood
i also use it sometimes after cooking smelly, herbally stuff

My favourite fragrances are always light fresh and flowery.
they normally end up being gardenia, jasmine or frangipani
im just a sucker for those scents

So its no surprise i found the following candle in a peter alexander pj shop
it has about 80 hrs burn time and $38 for a rather large jar
this would probably last me 6-9 months
its a little on the $$ side, but this is one splurge i love the most

i love my candles [just ask hubby!]

my new candle!
cant wait to use it :0)

xxoo
clio

i love pay day!!!

i love LOVE LOVE pay day

i just wish i hadn't spent so much money yesterday

i wonder when the tax refund cheque is going to come through

xo

one step forward, two steps back

damn!
why is it when i think im ahead and i have been sooo darn good money wise and all,
i get giddy, stupid and weak

and end up in the same freaking mess i started out with?

when will i learn and grow up?! why does my husband tempt me so? evil.....

luckily it wasnt a very expensive mistake, but a mistake none the less

xoxo

btw

baby is moving heaps!
[ill be 28 weeks on friday! insane or what?! moving into the final trimester]
keeps bumping, kicking and moving about inside which can be a real distraction
clothes keep getting tighter and tighter - plus they dont look so good anymore

i just wanna wear normal stuff and be comfortable [sigh]

Another assignment

helooo
i have another RE assignment to do, and this time i'm actually doing it straight away!!!
OMG!!! i know, is this really ME? the procratinator? well i suffered heaps and heaps doing the last assignment and i have definitely learnt by lessons.

DO THOSE DAMN THINGS WHILE ITS STILL FREAKING FRESH IN YOUR MIND.

right now im just writing everything down to do with the assignment. i dont really care if its all gobble -dee-gook right now, im just putting it all down while its rolling around the noggin relatively fresh.

ill prolly come back to it a little later and read some of the prescribed texts so i can do referencing and stuff. i think it sounds like a plan. i even used my recess time to go to the catholic library to get more books out - insane!? is this really ME?!

well if i dont get these RE assignments done, i have ALOT of explaining to do to my principal and my contract states i have to do them, and there is a time frame i have to do them by.... scary....

i think ill do this everytime i have an RE assignment to do, day 1, start the assignment and put as much crap down as possible. day 2 same thing, add referencing and other crap a bit later [but not too much later] where you forget stuff.

anyways as a reward im looking for a nappy/diaper bag.... so confused... i [for once in my life] dont know which handbag to get?! im sooo out of my depth here? i just know i need a big one to fit in all my crap and lots of compartments must be good for the nappies, bottles and random junk, but im not really liking whats out there in the nappy/diaper bag world. they all look blah!

hrmmm... shall continue looking .... hopefully ill see something i like :D

we have a weevil problem

we have pantry moths or weevils in our pantry
and i think its a bad infestation :(

anyways, mother in law and i agreed that the pantry needed cleaning out and we needed to fix the weevil problem.
- my solution to the problem, clean out the pantry, take all the food and crap out, soap, wipe down and throw out infected foods.
- mil solution, take all the food and crap out, clean pantry and spray it down with mortein!!!! then put food and stuff back in [yeh right!!!]

basicaly i told her 'NO' - we are not going to spray our pantry with mortein then put our food back there [seriously - are you crazy?!! she thinks its completely harmless] then again my mil sprays her indonesian servant's hair with mortein when they first arrive in their indo house, this is to get rid of lice, bugs and other 'shit' that live in the poor girls hair.

anyways 2.5 hrs later and after many tense conversations - the job is done.
we have a SHIT LOAD of opened packaged foods that arent sealed properly and probably attract the bugs.
[ i blame mil - i think she blames me, since i live here most of the time - she prolly thinks im a grot]
anyways a CRAP LOAD of food stuffs get thrown out [mostly MILS] she aint happy
well ... i told her she better start sealing her food properly after she opens it [not impressed with me]

too bad i dont care... im not the one with the bad habit of buying herbs and stuff, using it once, then put it away unsealed, forget about it, then buys another packet, use it once and put it away unsealed again!
this happens sooo many times i have a habit of throwing crap out when she leaves.

seriously you should see my fridge before and after she leaves - oh wells that's another days worth of ranting and raving

xxoo

shopping the basics

26 weeks into my pregnancy and i have bought very little maternity clothes.
i was hoping to not 'grow' too big and hope my current wardrobe would be enough to carry me through the 40 weeks.
it was not meant to be, i had no idea how uncomfortable normal clothes were and how it all cut into the tummy in the worst place. Because im on such a tight budget, i have resisted buying too much maternity clothes because its expensive and honestly - quite daggy [have you tried to find really nice, flattering, skinny maternity jeans under $40 - impossible!]

anyways, after many many many days of rotating the same old stuff - i decided to add to my maternity collection - first a simple straight stretchy black skirt with a lot of give and elastic $15.00 at kmart

bargain!!

i also bought a pair of black harem pants with lots of stretch for $15 at kmart.
Only thing about wearing harem pants when you're pregnant -- all those pleats and baggy bits? - hah! they aint baggy anymore!! but definitely comfortable.

along with these 2 items, the only other maternity clothes i have bought are 2 black maternity leggings [i wear them religiously] and 1 stretchy brown skirt from salvation army [$8 bargain!!]

For tops im just wearing whatever fits and looks decent :D
luckily i've been buying baggy-ish tops in the last couple of years - so they are very forgiving and seem to go well with my bump.

i havent taken a lot of photos of myself while im pregnant
i guess because i feel so self conscious
but i better do it - because i dont know if i will ever do it again?!

xoxo
clio