Everything you never wanted to know about me

Have you met Loz? In case you haven't, she is all kinds of awesome. I always love a good Ninja story, as two things will happen - I will read and nod my head as I think Loz and I are pretty similar, and I will laugh as she has a great sense of humor and isn't afraid to show it!

1. At school I was known as Curnz after an episode of The Simpsons. I still get called it by school friends, much to my disgust (and change of surname). 
2. I didn't enjoy being pregnant for 37 weeks. I think I managed to enjoy 3 weeks around 19 weeks, but it was all downhill from there. I thought I would love it, and tried to convince myself that I did, but on reflection, I didn't.
3. On a car trip longer than half an hour I must have something to eat. Doesn't matter what, an apple, chewing gum or something sweet, it must go into my mouth.
4. A lot of people don't like my boss in my office. I secretly think she is awesome and just don't speak up as I don't want them to not like me because of it.
5. My mum breastfed me until I was 3 and a half years old. I think that is weird and not something I would do.
6. I remember the most inane things, yet can't remember my own phone number most days. Knowing my mobile number would be handy, knowing what I wore on our first date 8 years ago is not.
7. My first word was 'puss', much to my mothers disgust.
8. I consumed more alcohol prior to turning 18 than I have since I turned 19 (and I am now 27).
9. I have a huge fear of anything happening to Eliza. The recent train accident has me running scared, and don't get me started on pools.
10. I wasn't qualified for my last job and they still gave it to me (without lying about my qualifications). I think they set their expectations too low, but am not complaining.

 I never really know who to tag for these kinds of things, so I am putting it out there that everyone does it and we all learn about each other. Or you could just pretend you didn't know these 10 facts about me and continue drinking your coffee. Either one.
Pin It

Pamper Day

I was meant to finish work at 34 weeks, however due to a severe lack of forward planning, I extended the date until I was 37 weeks. Lets just say that my replacement at work is going to be on a very steep learning curve in the next few months.

At Easter (when I was meant to finish work) I felt fine, I had plenty of energy. A week later I was stressed and exhausted. Which is how I came to make an appointment for a relaxing day in my last week of work: a hair cut and colour, and several hours at a day spa.

I have to say, it got me through the three weeks of work, especially on those days where I had customers yelling at me over their mistakes. In those moments, I just remembered my upcoming relaxing day and managed to push on.

Finally the day arrived, and although I didn't get the sleep in I so wanted (thanks mum, your stupid email problem was so worth getting up early for), I excitedly made my way to my hairdressers. My current hair dresser is a girl I went to school with, and I have to say she has has never steered me wrong in the last 12 years (well, except when she moved overseas, that was bad for my hair), and I trust her to do her thing without a lot of my input. Which was a good thing, as I may have nodded off at one point.

Two and a half hours later I walked out with new hair, and into my favourite restaurant for my favourite lunch: thin crust pizza with hot salami with sun-dried tomatoes, red capsicum slivers, baby spinach and shaved parmesan. Yum yum yum!

I was trying a new day spa, and found their one flaw - parking. Granted I knew this before hand, as they are on a busy street, but I wasn't smart enough to arrive in plenty of time to find a decent non-metered car park. Luckily it was a short waddle to their building from where I parked. I was nervous because I was now running late, and I hate being late.

As soon as I was in the door I felt calm and welcome, and not at all bad for running 5 minutes late. My therapist talked me through my massage, facial and pedicure and left me to fill out the paperwork and select my desired polish colour.

I don't remember much about my massage, other than I had a table with a cut out for my tummy which was weird to lay down on. Basically as soon as I layed down and my eye closed I was out like a light. The next thing I remember is being gently shaken awake by the therapist as I needed to roll over for my facial - where I promptly fell back asleep and had to be awoken at the end! I wish I woke up every day feeling so relaxed with pretty skin!

You will happy to know I did manage to stay awake long enough to have my pedicure where my tootsies were painted a very deep and beautiful shade of blue.

And then I left, walking on a cloud of air and feeling the best I have felt in weeks. It even made the following two days of work pleasant and manageable, even with the high level of stress I was under. And just to prove how well my work friends know me, as a leaving gift, they gave me a voucher for the very same day spa! I do love my workplace!!!


Pin It

A New Addition

WARNING - This post may distress some readers, especially if you are as scared of mice as I am.

I have an irrational fear of mice. I don't like them, can't be near them, and will scream at the sight of a mouse. I am petrified of mice. On my list of fears it goes something happening to my baby, something happening to the husband, and then mice. So a mouse plague is a lovely thing for me. Which is why I have found the end of the drought to be rather distressing, it means that there is now a mouse plague. Ok, so the drought ending was good for the farmers, but really bad for me. It was alright in our household, I hadn't spied a mouse.


Until one lazy sunday when I laid down for a mid-morning nap I layed down and heard our cat running around like an idiot, so got back up. We the husband had put a few traps down (and hidden behind things so I didn't have to look at them), and I couldn't hear the cat meowing, so I figured she had seen a mouse and was chasing it. I wasn't prepared for what I saw when I got up: a mouse had been caught in a trap and she had dragged the trap and mouse to the middle of the lounge room and deposited it in the middle of the rug. I burst into tears and rang the husband (who was out cutting wood at the farm). Apparently he didn't find an already dead mouse a good enough reason to come back into town, so I was left to my own devices. It was lucky that I had clean clothes in hand, and a phone at the back of the house, as I wasn't going back into the lounge room. I rang a friend's husband to see if he could deal with the mouse, but unfortunately he wasn't home. I decided to have my shower, calm down a little and hash out a plan.


Whilst in the shower I decided on a genius plan of getting my bogan neighbour to deal with the mouse. So I got dressed, brushed my hair, and walked next door to ask him to deal with it. Let's just say he was very gracious and least stifled his hysterical laughter until after he had removed the mouse from my house and was walking back to his house.
So just when I am finally feeling safer in the house again, and had calmed down enough to be able to sit on the lounge, another two make an appearance (could have been the same mouse, but I doubt it, one looked fatter). I burst into tears and yelled at it to stay behind the bookcase where it has made a nest. It didn't listen to me, so I grabbed my laptop and phone and drove out to my mums house. 


I rang the husband on the way out, and told him about the mouse. He promised to deal with it when he got home, moving the bookcase and cleaning behind it. He also made the wise move of gooping around the fireplace with No More Gaps where we think the mice were getting in. 


Fingers crossed it works as let's just say that going back to work is looking mighty appealing compared to spending a day screaming at a mouse.
Pin It

30 Weeks

So, 30 weeks. I now look like this

Actually that is a lie, I look slightly bigger than that, and that photo was only taken on Saturday. I have an awesome waddle going thanks to some even more awesome public instability. I walk at the pace of an 80 year old lady. I was most upset last week when I was walking a few doors down the street for work and a little old lady with a walking stick overtook me! My obstetrician has sent me to see a physio for the remainder of my pregnancy, which will hopefully help. It's not only walking I have issues with, I struggle with lifting my feet high enough to put pants on, climb into the car or bed, and I get stuck in bed on a nightly basis. My poor husband has been woken many times to help me roll over in the last few weeks.

I was told somewhere along the way that I was an extremely high risk for Gestational Diabetes, however managed to pass the 2 hour test by the skin of my teeth. We're talking I passed by mere points. Either way, a pass is a pass in my world, and I was happy with that. My doctor will now monitor it in his rooms - just to be sure.

Baby is doing well, it now has it's head down into my pelvis, with its feet sticking into my ribs. We have started asking people to guess what the baby is - my physio has predicted girl, my mum still says boy, I still have no idea! Guess I will find out at some point between now and the next 11 weeks.

Pin It

Happy Band-day

So the 11th of August marked the anniversary of my banding. And to celebrate the occasion, I thought it would be awesome to lay on an operating table with the same surgeon, the same anaesthetist, at the same hospital.

Ok, so that wasn't how I was planning on celebrating the day. I planned on going to work and spending it like any other day, however I will do anything for a day off work, including having a slipped band and hiatus hernia. But enough on that, all was fixed and I am on the mend again.

So I thought we might take a trip down memory lane. This photo was when I went to see P!nk in concert in May 2009.

Ok, it's not the best photo, but you get the idea. Basically in this photo I weighed close to 120kg, was  a size 22, and incredibly uncomfortable in my own skin.

And here I am in June 2010 at the husbands graduation, weighing close to 80kg (it was the closest photo I could find to August), wearing a size 12-14 dress, feeling somewhat comfortable in my own skin. Granted I think the dress sizing was pretty screwy, as I have only just started wearing size 14 jeans.

I still have a little way to go, I want to lose another 10 to 15kgs, to get me into what my doctor considers a healthy weight range (I personally want to lose another 10kg just because that was always my goal, to lose 50kg).

Despite having been sick recently, and having to have my band removed due to my hernia, I don't regret my choice for a moment. The band has changed my life in so many ways. I never imagined I would have lost 40kg in a year, I thought I would maybe lose 15kg, 20 if I was super dooper lucky. I never knew that losing weight would rid my body of the lactose and oil intolerance's that I had. I never ever thought I would wear skirts and knee high boots in public, especially to work. The confidence boost I received from losing weight is huge!

And just so we are clear, I made it clear to my surgeon that I will not be repeating this tradition for my second anniversary next year. It was a one time only event!
Pin It

Dare to Bare

Yeah, ok, its a crappy shot. I remembered to pack my camera, but forgot to bring the cables to connect to the computer! Doh!!! So I have pulled out a photo from our trip to Paynesville. I will come back with a better shot in a weeks time. Someone remind me of it though ;)

My good friend Telle from FatMumSlim alerted me to a trend a few days back about bloggers going without makeup and posting it on their blogs. I admit, when I post photos of myself on here a lot of effort has gone into the selection process. Normally I like to have "some" makeup on, brushed hair, and nice clothes. And I avoid photos with my chins on show, I try to find a flattering photo, even if it means I have to wear a scarf in summer!

So ladies and gents, here is my contribution. Are you willing to bare your true self?

Pin It

26 by 26 - Update

1. Renovate the kitchen
2. Start a herb garden
3. Go to a weekly exercise class majority of weeks
4. Learn to take photos in manual properly
5. Lose 20kg
6. Convince Brian we need new scanpan saucepans
7. Buy a new mac
8. Use my mobile less
9. Laugh more
10. Spend more time with my friends
11. Finish my diploma
12. Be on my way to getting pregnant
13. Read more, watch less
14. Visit C in Tassie
15. Buy new designer sunnies
16. Learn to cook a new dish a month
17. Stop being a hormonal bitch to the husband (I kinda like being a hormonal bitch. It works for me! LOL )
18. Have a fashionable new wardrobe
19. Finally take my mum to a high tea
20. Get to know my neice and nephew
21. Find a new hobby
22. Save more
23. Donate more to charity
24. Start a HR course
25. Donate blood
26. Go away with husband for some 'us' time.

Pin It

26 by 26

1. Renovate the kitchen
2. Start a herb garden
3. Go to a weekly exercise class majority of weeks
4. Learn to take photos in manual properly
5. Lose 20kg
6. Convince Brian we need new scanpan saucepans
7. Buy a new mac
8. Use my mobile less
9. Laugh more
10. Spend more time with my friends
11. Finish my diploma
12. Be on my way to getting pregnant
13. Read more, watch less
14. Visit C in Tassie
15. Buy new designer sunnies
16. Learn to cook a new dish a month
17. Stop being a hormonal bitch to the husband
18. Have a fashionable new wardrobe
19. Finally take my mum to a high tea
20. Get to know my neice and nephew
21. Find a new hobby
22. Save more
23. Donate more to charity
24. Start a HR course
25. Donate blood
26. Go away with husband for some 'us' time. Pin It

25 by 25

well on the eve of my 25th birthday, i thought I better fill this in. Clearly I sucked

1. Drink more water - at least 1.5Ltr a day
2. Cut back on my sugar intake
3. Loose 10 kilos
4. Find a job that keeps me entertained all day
5. Save for our new kitchen
6. Let go of the past
7. Go somewhere neither Brian or I have been
8. Donate blood
9. Pay off my credit card
10. Take my mum to a High Tea for her birthday...we have been saying we will do it for 10 years now
11. Do something interesting locally one weekend a month with Brian
12. Save more
13. Ride the Southern Star - they shut it down about a week after i posted about it
14. Have a dinner with my friends just to catch up
15. Walk our dog 3 times a week
16. Stick to a budget
17. Tell those I love that I do love them
18. Cut back on my internet time
19. Go to Tassie for a weekend Pin It

Blog This: 15 Things About Me

Blog ThisChallenge: Tell us fifteen facinating, far fetched, frightening, funny or frivilous facts about yourself. Those bits of trivia that are floating around in your life.

1. Despite my name being April, I was not born in April, in fact July. I got the name after my mum, grandma, and great grandma (all on the one side) all being born in April.
2. By the age of 18 I had lived in 30 different houses, an been to 9 different schools.
3. My husband and I dated for 2 months before splitting up because I thought he was a dickhead. I didnt see him for 2 years, and obviously changed my opinion on him ;)
4. I classify breakfast cereal as a meal for any time of day, even dinner
5. I love chocolate. it gives me terrible heartburn. But I still eat it.
6. I thrive on trashy novels, the trashier the better
7. I am a nerd.
8. I have a freckle in a secret spot
9. I would love to be an interior designer. I love it
10. I secretly also love renovating. But shhhhh
11. I would love to go on a world tour one day. So many sights to see, so little time
12. I often forget that my grandfather has passed away, and think that I should go visit him
13. I feel like a failure most days.
14. I love my little niece, but it kills me to see her some days
15. I love blogging, but often think I bore you all to tears.

So there you go. Now you know me, well least part of me Pin It

Getting to know me

Belinda at Journey to a Mini B tagged me in her getting to know you challenge.

Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention & add one more question of your own and then tag eight other people

- * - *- * - *

What is your current obsession?
Currently I have an obsession with vacuuming. Mainly the new carpet in our bedroom. I vacuum once a day :S Otherwise, on a good note, I am obsessed with reading the blogs I follow! Love your work guys

What are you wearing today?
I am rocking the sexy world today, wearing from the bottom up: purple Uggs, Blue Adidas trackpants, a white long sleeved shirt, a yellow t-shirt, and a blue Puma jumper. Like I said, sexy!

What’s for dinner?
Today when in Aldi I saw hamsteaks, and decided to have them for dinner with mashed potato (at husbands request) and steamed veggies. Was quite nice actually

What’s the last thing you bought?
groceries at Aldi this morning, including Chocolate Hobnobs, which I was super excited about!

What are you listening to right now?
We have the tv on currently, and am watching MasterChef. Oh how I want to go to Hong Kong

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Today I am willing to kill for a ticket to HongKong, as it looks amazing. And I want

Which language do you want to learn?
I would love to learn Spanish. My boss is learning Spanish, and it sounds so interesting. Of the languages I have learnt, I would love to be able to speak fluent French

What do you love most about where you currently live?
I love the diversity. There are huge cities, and remote areas. It has something for everyone really! I love being able to see the diversity of the land in the space of time it takes me to travel from Melbourne to home (3 hours)


What is your favourite colour?
Currently yellow, so much so I brought yellow runners!

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?
currently it is my black hooded winter coat. So warm and versatile

Describe your personal style?
I dont subscribe to one particular style, unless comfort is a style. I do tend to dress more classic than modern though

If you had $300 now, what would you spend it on?
I would put it towards those sunglasses I so badly want!

What are you going to do after this?
Have a shower and do the dishes before bed

What are your favourite films?
Pretty Woman
Beaches
Bridget Jones
The Devil Wears Prada

Do you collect anything?
not really, I am too much of a minimalist to collect stuff

What makes you follow a blog?
I tend to follow blogs if i read something I like, be it in depth, humor or an insight to other peoples lives

Do you like to comment on blogs or just lurk?
I tend to lurk unless I can really add to the conversation

What’s one thing you dream of doing?
Having children with my lovely husband

What is your biggest regret?
I dont really believe in regrets, as they shape who we are now, but i do wish i hadnt spent so much money and saved more (for those sunglasses ;) )

What is your favourite thing to do on a rainy day?
Lay in bed and read a good book...which is what I did today, minus the rain! I will happily substitute the bed for a wood heater with chocolate.

Do you have a tattoo?
No, I am not a fan of them.

What are you favourite books?
ummm, as much as I read, I cant think of anything right now!

Are you left handed, right handed, ambidextrous, or a little of both?
I do everything with my right hand

- * - *- * - *

Stepford Dreams
Kahlee Rose
Fat Mum Slim
Kir @ Life of Kir
Confussion Soup
Tanto Amore
Love, Bubs and Life on our Little Farm
You Are Nearly There Joanna

Pin It