Monday, November 5, 2012

Things I've Learnt This Week

Here I am, plummeting headfirst towards fifty and I'm still learning. This week's been particularly educational and I'd like to share what I've learnt with you.

1. You'll never have your best runs when you've only had four hours sleep. No, there's not a newborn in our house (thank goodness) and I'm not having my previous 2am anxiety attacks (again, thank goodness). I just haven't been sleeping well and unfortunately I can't even blame Iven's snoring.

I had a shocker on Friday night. It was a mere three and a half hours before I had to get up and run. I didn't run very well - surprise, surprise! And that's after my awe-inspiring run on Thursday. That really did my head in for Sunday's run. I hummed and hawed about doing it and in the end lay in bed till it was quite late. Then I had breakfast - a sure sign that I've decided not to run. But that voice in my head tends to nag at me until I've done what I'd planned (and sometimes it can say really mean words) and I ended up heading out. My intention was to do a route I could cut short if I was feeling the blahs. It was after 9am, I had a full stomach and it was hot and humid and I was virtually setting myself up for failure BUT I had a really good run. I think that the 9 hours sleep I'd had the night before was the deciding factor.

I had another bad night's sleep last night. A whopping four hours! Today's speed session was not fun!

2. Giving up thirty minutes of your favourite TV program to help your son look for his nipple rings is never wasted time. I bet you weren't expecting that one! Yes, Josh has nipple piercings. Actually he only had one until a couple of weeks ago when he decided that the pierced nipple looked bigger than the other and he needed to balance them out. I think he was worried that he might end up with a huge-nipple-induced scoliosis. A new piercing needs pretty sparkly jewellery and his couldn't be found anywhere so I lent my super-power of finding the unfindable (all mothers have this super-power). Unfortunately we didn't find them. But we spent some quality time together. And the other day when I couldn't get my earring in, Josh came to my rescue.

3. Dogs have an uncanny ability to sniff out dickheads. I'm sorry about the language but after quite some time pondering a suitable synonym, I gave up. Toby was barking in the back yard today. Not hysterical barking, just the odd bark which said he was a unsettled. When I looked out the window I saw a workman in the back neighbour's yard. He took exception to Toby telling him that he wasn't welcome in our yard, yelled at him then took a swing at him with his shovel. I called Toby in and then 'had words' with the Neanderthal who doesn't understand that a bark is a lot different to barking  with hackles up and teeth bared. He told me that Toby had barked all day at him the other day - which was funny because I was at home working under the house and Toby was with me and we didn't hear a thing (actually I heard a bit of snoring from Toby who was asleep on the floor.) He'd barked once or twice at him earlier in the day but had lost interest. I suggested that next time he might like to pat Toby to befriend him rather than threaten him with a shovel. I don't know what he was afraid of - Toby wouldn't hurt a fly! And if it was the noise that was bothering him, tough! We had to listen to his dreadful taste in music and we didn't threaten his radio with a shovel.

Toby might not hurt a fly but beetles are another thing all together.

4. If you try to teach a dog to bring an egg up from the chicken's pen you might end up with a lot of eggshell and a dog that now has a taste for raw eggs. Yes, Josh tried it and now Toby is a little egg-obsessed.

5. The cupcakes on Pinterest are evil and addictive. That's to make not to eat. I leave the eating up to my boys. I may have over-done it a little on the weekend. There's over 2 dozen cupcakes in my kitchen after a couple of days of eating.



Snickers Cupcakes with a snickers and caramel filling and caramel butter cream.

Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes. 

That's the total of my 'learnings' for the week. Has anyone else learnt something interesting that they'd like to share?

19 comments:

  1. Loved the 'nipple induced scoliosis' phrase! You have such a way with words, Char. Love Auntie

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  2. I think we continue learning no matter how old we are (and not that I'm saying 50 is old.... HELL NO! Given that I'm 44 I need reassurance!)

    Some crappy stuff there, but do you know what I'll most remember.... what you don't eat your cupcakes! I can't have anything I'm capable of eating about cos I'll eat it. So your ability to make these amazing looking things and NOT be tempted to scoff them down is AMAZING!

    Deb

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  3. Poor Toby!

    I've learned that my humble opinion about activated almonds can create an uproar :( who knew I could be so tactless and insensitive

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  4. Dear Toby - please bite that pathetic knuckle-dragger the next time you see him. Really dude, a shovel for a defenseless dog? Someone needs to beat your ass with a shovel!

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  5. No 2 was a crack up!!

    No 3 just makes me mad. I agree with my hubby, someone needs to take a shovel to that a-hole! Who does that?

    Sorry you are having trouble sleeeping. I've dealt with sleeping issues for yours. I'm not a very good sleeper at all. Hopefully you are having sweet dreams soon!

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  6. I've learned it's really hard when the work load eases up to take it easy, after having been really busy so long...

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  7. Fun post! And boy am I glad I don't live at your house: those cupcakes are to die for!

    I agree that we keep learning things no matter what age we are but if I have to say what I've learned recently I couldn't give you an answer. I'm sure there's something, I just can't think of it.

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  8. Interesting week for sure! I learned this week that I actually do know how to get the pool in absolutely perfect condition.

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  9. Oh boy! This was such a funny post. Spending time with your son is time well spent! My boys are still little but I know someday (before I know it) I'll have a house full of teens too.

    Lack of sleep is the number one factor for a bad run for me. Gotta get sleep. I am behind on it right now but maybe taking this week off to recover will help me catch up!

    As far as cupcakes go- those look AMAZING! And I'm sure they taste even better!

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  10. haha! dont' worry about the language...i'm quite fond of the term "dickhead"... :)

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  11. First of all, I just learned that people in Australia say "learnt' - love it! I think, like your cool word "manky" that you shared on your blog, I'm going to also add "learnt" (I'm becoming quite cosmopolitan now, aren't I?).

    As for the dog-hate next working next door, a quick fix is an 8 hour run of ABBA on a continuous loop playing loudly from YOUR backyard :)

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    1. Great idea. I've also added Denis Leary's A**hole sporadically to the mix so he can hear exactly what I think of him. If only he knew that he was now globally hated.

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  12. How are your boys not hugely overweight!
    LOL at the radio/shovel image. Love the ABBA comment above. Go for it.

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  13. Sorry that you're not sleeping well... That always sucks.
    As for that useless waste of space swinging his shovel at Toby... *Grrr* There are so many things I want to say but won't!
    As for Pinterest... It's lucky I have a job to go to and cupcakes to bake otherwise I could stay on there all day! My Cupcakes/Baking Board is at 100 and growing rapidly!! We should be Pinterest buddies! I am under 'pinthrdonetht' :) Those cupcakes look amazing!

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  14. Found you back ;-)

    Those cupcakes ... I could not resist them my boys would not be able to eat them fast enough I'd be chasing them down even if they did heehee
    Hope you get that sleeping thing sorted - I can't do bad nights sleep!

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  15. Valuable lessons, no doubt! Number 2 is my favorite.

    I stay off Pinterest b/c I am sure I would never leave.

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  16. Those strawberries & cream cupcakes are so cute! And delicious, I'm sure.

    Oh boy, I wonder what our Miles would do with an egg... I don't think I'd like to find out!

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