Well I can start off by saying that not once after my last blog did I step onto that damn treadmill! So frustrating. I miss my old routine and my old childcare. I never thought it would be so hard to create a new routine, but it seems to be a challenge for me. But there are reasons behind my laziness, I had to shop and prepare a BBQ roast for Marcus' work colleagues, then we had a play date and dinner invite from a Aussie family we have recently began to hang out with on Friday night and this went much later than I initially planned, the poor kids didn't get to bed until 11pm, then we were up and about again on Saturday to go to another Aussie families Australia Day BBQ which again we were the last to leave against all my well laid plans. It was a bit tricky for me that day, I didn't know anyone there, even the hosts who invited us were very unfamiliar to me and I find it very hard to include myself into conversations, especially with women. I spent most of the afternoon chasing the kids and making sure Lillie didn't get bullied by the older kids and taking care of Judd who decided that he didn't want to socialise with anyone that day. He didn't perk up until about 2 hours before the party finished and then he cried when it was time to go home, I had to bribe him with McDonald's to keep him happy. So another late night.
Today we tried to keep it simple but around dinner time we decided that we needed to head into town to the big IT center to buy a "number one copy" MP3 player, as Marcus broke my last one, and this place is also the main center to buy pirated DVDs and Cd's so of course I took a detour to that floor and stocked up on my supply of new movies. The first time I went there it was all very overwhelming and busy but now I know exactly which vendors to go to and what floors have the best stuff so I can get in and out and avoid the annoying tourists pretty quickly now.
This week I have to get the house clean and ready for our first visitor, grandma Ninny from Melbourne. We are very excited to have our first guest come and stay and especially the kids as they will love to see a familiar face from home. I have to spend this week also planning our day trips and weekend trips so we are all organised and we can show Ninny around with minimal confusion and fuss. I plan to be very organised this week. I want to get us to Dream World in Bangkok and a open range zoo in Sri Racha where apparently you can hire a tent and camp out and of course lots and lots of shopping.
Can't wait. We havn't done any tourist trips in quite a while.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Happy Australia Day!
Australia Day almost blew right past me this year, I am so disconnected with the world outside of my own little house and small group of friends. I don't even keep up to date with Thailand current affairs and news headlines, I am a bit ashamed of this. Access to the media isn't as in your face as it is back in Australia, all TV is cable or Pay TV there is no free to air so unless we tune into CNN everyday or watch the dead boring Australia Channel we don't catch much news at all. I do plan on asking my driver to pick me up the Bangkok Post each morning on his way back from taking Marcus into work, it is printed in English and even though most media in Thailand is strictly monitored it isn't as bad as it would be in lets say, China or Russia.
It should be quite important for me to stay up to date with what is happening in this country as we are foreigners and we don't speak the language and there has been a recent history of political unrest since the Red Shirt protests back in May. Not that we are worried or feel unsafe, on the contrary, we feel very safe and secure and welcome here in Thailand, it really is such a friendly country.
Back to Australia Day. Marcus decided to invite the Thai men he works with at General Motors over for a traditional roast Lamb BBQ to celebrate our favourite day of the year (aside from Christmas day of course). So I shopped about and found a nice boneless lamb that travelled all the way from New Zealand and I also picked up 2 kilos of pork neck to roast with it as we were advised that alot of practicing Buddhists will not eat any red meat, which is why the main meat eaten in Thailand is pork and chicken. So we combined a few roast vegetables and some steamed rice with the carved up meat and it went fairly well, they ate all of the meat and pumpkin but didn't touch the rice. About an hour or so after dinner one of the guys snuck off to pick up some Thai food for them all to eat on top of the lamb. If I had of put on a BBQ for my friends or family back home and then had them leave and buy their own food I would have been quite offended but being that it was their first time eating Lamb I didn't mind. However I did mind that while I was cleaning up after the party, the food they bought reeked of fish sauce and dripped all over my hands, legs and floor. YUCK.
I find it funny though as Thais don't particularly like lamb because of the smell and I don't particularly like Thai food because of the way it smells so we have a sort of catch 22.
It was really nice to have a taste of home, but it did make me a bit homesick to think of everyone we knew back in Melbourne having the usual get togethers and BBQ's to celebrate. We do however have a Australia Day party to go to this Saturday that some Aussies we know are throwing so it should be a nice day of meeting new people and eating some good food.
Our new driver started this week, it is nice to have my house back, even though I have to do all of the housework myself I prefer it, I feel like I have productive days now where as before I was listless, bored and irritable. It may seem small but as I said before, my job is a stay at home mum and housewife, if I don't have those jobs to do then what on earth am I going to do especially living in Thailand with minimal friends and zero hobbies.
So our driver is simply a driver, he takes Marcus to work everyday then comes back and drives me to drop off Judd at school then takes Lillie and I where ever we need to go for the day then he goes back to pick up Marcus again. But during the time when Lillie is asleep and I am staying in the house I send him off on stand by and give him a time to return. It works, he stays outside, he doesn't come in unless he needs to use the bathroom and he drives very well and I feel comfortable letting him drive my family around. So we will see how this works out, I mean ideally I would prefer to have 2 cars and not have anyone drive for me at all but it will be nice to have him drive us in the evenings on the weekends so we can both relax and have a beer and not have to worry about who has to stay sober to drive.
I also bought a treadmill last week, all with enthusiasm and good intentions and I have only been able to get on it once. I am disappointed in myself, I always find an excuse or give myself another job to do to fill up my time so I don't work out. I did like going to the gym by myself earlier in the month but then we had to fire our driver who also doubled as a nanny. Now I have no babysitter to watch over Lillie for me while I work out, so I am back to the same dilemma that nearly every mother has, NO TIME. But I am going to re arrange and prioritise my days to allow me to be a mum during the day and instead of my usual routine of working out in the morning I will now work out in the evenings after Lillie goes to be at 7pm.
A friend of mine did introduce me to a family day care center nearby but it is Thai owned and operated and I am just not 100% comfortable in taking Lillie to stay there, I mean its hard enough to leave kids in a new day care center back in Australia let alone having to leave them in care in a foreign country with people who don't speak the same language or have the same levels of safety and security that I expect.
I know I have to get my act together and start working out again because we have a wedding to go to in May in Phuket and I really really want to have lost at least 7 kilos by then. I guess the best start would be to stop drinking alcohol everyday like I have been lately, I have some bad habits I need to work on. No More Excuses!
It should be quite important for me to stay up to date with what is happening in this country as we are foreigners and we don't speak the language and there has been a recent history of political unrest since the Red Shirt protests back in May. Not that we are worried or feel unsafe, on the contrary, we feel very safe and secure and welcome here in Thailand, it really is such a friendly country.
Back to Australia Day. Marcus decided to invite the Thai men he works with at General Motors over for a traditional roast Lamb BBQ to celebrate our favourite day of the year (aside from Christmas day of course). So I shopped about and found a nice boneless lamb that travelled all the way from New Zealand and I also picked up 2 kilos of pork neck to roast with it as we were advised that alot of practicing Buddhists will not eat any red meat, which is why the main meat eaten in Thailand is pork and chicken. So we combined a few roast vegetables and some steamed rice with the carved up meat and it went fairly well, they ate all of the meat and pumpkin but didn't touch the rice. About an hour or so after dinner one of the guys snuck off to pick up some Thai food for them all to eat on top of the lamb. If I had of put on a BBQ for my friends or family back home and then had them leave and buy their own food I would have been quite offended but being that it was their first time eating Lamb I didn't mind. However I did mind that while I was cleaning up after the party, the food they bought reeked of fish sauce and dripped all over my hands, legs and floor. YUCK.
I find it funny though as Thais don't particularly like lamb because of the smell and I don't particularly like Thai food because of the way it smells so we have a sort of catch 22.
It was really nice to have a taste of home, but it did make me a bit homesick to think of everyone we knew back in Melbourne having the usual get togethers and BBQ's to celebrate. We do however have a Australia Day party to go to this Saturday that some Aussies we know are throwing so it should be a nice day of meeting new people and eating some good food.
Our new driver started this week, it is nice to have my house back, even though I have to do all of the housework myself I prefer it, I feel like I have productive days now where as before I was listless, bored and irritable. It may seem small but as I said before, my job is a stay at home mum and housewife, if I don't have those jobs to do then what on earth am I going to do especially living in Thailand with minimal friends and zero hobbies.
So our driver is simply a driver, he takes Marcus to work everyday then comes back and drives me to drop off Judd at school then takes Lillie and I where ever we need to go for the day then he goes back to pick up Marcus again. But during the time when Lillie is asleep and I am staying in the house I send him off on stand by and give him a time to return. It works, he stays outside, he doesn't come in unless he needs to use the bathroom and he drives very well and I feel comfortable letting him drive my family around. So we will see how this works out, I mean ideally I would prefer to have 2 cars and not have anyone drive for me at all but it will be nice to have him drive us in the evenings on the weekends so we can both relax and have a beer and not have to worry about who has to stay sober to drive.
I also bought a treadmill last week, all with enthusiasm and good intentions and I have only been able to get on it once. I am disappointed in myself, I always find an excuse or give myself another job to do to fill up my time so I don't work out. I did like going to the gym by myself earlier in the month but then we had to fire our driver who also doubled as a nanny. Now I have no babysitter to watch over Lillie for me while I work out, so I am back to the same dilemma that nearly every mother has, NO TIME. But I am going to re arrange and prioritise my days to allow me to be a mum during the day and instead of my usual routine of working out in the morning I will now work out in the evenings after Lillie goes to be at 7pm.
A friend of mine did introduce me to a family day care center nearby but it is Thai owned and operated and I am just not 100% comfortable in taking Lillie to stay there, I mean its hard enough to leave kids in a new day care center back in Australia let alone having to leave them in care in a foreign country with people who don't speak the same language or have the same levels of safety and security that I expect.
I know I have to get my act together and start working out again because we have a wedding to go to in May in Phuket and I really really want to have lost at least 7 kilos by then. I guess the best start would be to stop drinking alcohol everyday like I have been lately, I have some bad habits I need to work on. No More Excuses!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
A Dog Named Lady
Well after all the drama we went through to find new homes for our poodles in Australia we have come full circle and have now taken on a friends dog as they are leaving the country on Saturday to return to New Zealand. We had planned to avoid getting a pet while we were going to be living in Thailand knowing how hard it will be to say goodbye to it when it comes time to return home, but Judd talked endlessly about our old dogs that is was making me feel homesick for them as well. So her name is Lady and she is a golden colour 'something' with a curly tail and strange golden eyes. She is smallish for a medium size dog and has a great temperament and lovely nature. She is a real 'lady'. Judd has taken to her straight away, he isn't so sure about all the licking she gives him but he loves talking to her, taking her for walks and playing outside with her. Which at the end of the day it is all about the kids and making this house we have here feel more like a 'home'. I am hoping Judd will stop talking about our Melbourne home and our old dogs and begin to feel like he really lives here. He always asks about when we are getting on the plane to go back home and it is hard when I have to answer the same question everyday. It took him 4 months to realise that we were in another country and to stop asking "mumma when are we going to Thailand?" when we were already here. Hard to explain to a 3 year old about the size of the earth and distance travelled and different countries and cultures but what I can do is make this house feel homey with comforting toys, pictures, home cooked food and now a dog.
I rather like having a pet to care for as well, it gives me something else to do. I did end up letting the driver/maid go, she was a terrible driver always complaining about being dizzy and having blurry vision and the other reason was I wanted to have my house back is that I wanted my 'job' back. I quit working to stay at home and be a 'stay at home mum' with all the duties that entails but then we moved to Thailand and we got a driver and a maid and a gardener and all of a sudden I am living like a queen with my feet up doing absolutely nothing. But in my experience doing nothing promotes doing more nothing and I was losing touch with the kids, Lillie was preferring the company of the nanny over me and I was more than anything really really bored.
So now I have paid her off and found a new driver who will be employed only as a driver, nothing else. He will drive Marcus to work then come back and take Judd to school and then take me and Lillie where ever it is we need to go for the day then pick Judd up and go pick Marcus up and then if we need to go out in the evenings he will drive us as well and if we decide to drink and stay late we have a designated driver. He will also work Saturdays which the previous driver didn't. It turns out we were paying our old driver more than double what the other drivers get from other expat companies, our new driver jumped at the chance to drive for us as his family who are my friends leaving for New Zealand on Saturday weren't going to be able to employ him anymore so it worked out well for us and for him.
I have been a passenger with him driving before and he seems very capable and I trust him, he also knows Pattaya very well. He knows where alot of stores and back streets are and if I need him he can translate for me if we go places where English is a problem.
But I also wont be having him hanging around the house either, he can wait up at the club house until I need him or he can go on standby if I know I wont be needing him for a few hours which then he can wander off to do his own thing just as long as he is back on time.
I have been enjoying doing my own house cleaning and laundry. It fills my days up. Plus I do it my way and I know that it is getting cleaned properly. I will still have a maid come to the house on Saturdays to do a big once over and clean the windows and bathrooms etc. But the day to day jobs I am happy to do, I feel more productive. I know that in 6 weeks I will complain again like I used to, but for now I feel like I am earning my keep again and I think Marcus can sense I am more happy and calmer than I have been. It is like a big nagging stress has been lifted off my shoulders and I now can do whatever I want around my own house without having to avoid someone else or have them watching me or have them interrupt me while I am trying to eat my lunch and watch some decent TV.
Now I know that our previous maid/driver was only being helpful and caring and kind but I am a private person and I have been doing things on my own, my own way for a long time now and I am just not the type or person who can share my little world with someone else. It is a bit disappointing as I now no longer have a babysitter and I cant go to the gym during the day, but I will just have to work something else out. Lillie prefers to come out with me anyway, I didn't like leaving her home but I used to think it was easier and alot faster if I just ducked out by myself, but then I would ask myself "why have you had children if you are just going to pay someone else to take care of them for you?"
So now I have plenty to do with my time and my friend who is leaving on Saturday was my shopping buddy, massage buddy and drinking buddy so I wont be hitting the town as much now that she is going. I will miss her and her family alot they have been a wonderful help to us to help us with settling in and they were so good to the kids but the only plus out of them leaving I can think of is that we got their lovely dog Lady and I might save some money as I wont be going shopping as much. But I will miss their friendship very much.
I rather like having a pet to care for as well, it gives me something else to do. I did end up letting the driver/maid go, she was a terrible driver always complaining about being dizzy and having blurry vision and the other reason was I wanted to have my house back is that I wanted my 'job' back. I quit working to stay at home and be a 'stay at home mum' with all the duties that entails but then we moved to Thailand and we got a driver and a maid and a gardener and all of a sudden I am living like a queen with my feet up doing absolutely nothing. But in my experience doing nothing promotes doing more nothing and I was losing touch with the kids, Lillie was preferring the company of the nanny over me and I was more than anything really really bored.
So now I have paid her off and found a new driver who will be employed only as a driver, nothing else. He will drive Marcus to work then come back and take Judd to school and then take me and Lillie where ever it is we need to go for the day then pick Judd up and go pick Marcus up and then if we need to go out in the evenings he will drive us as well and if we decide to drink and stay late we have a designated driver. He will also work Saturdays which the previous driver didn't. It turns out we were paying our old driver more than double what the other drivers get from other expat companies, our new driver jumped at the chance to drive for us as his family who are my friends leaving for New Zealand on Saturday weren't going to be able to employ him anymore so it worked out well for us and for him.
I have been a passenger with him driving before and he seems very capable and I trust him, he also knows Pattaya very well. He knows where alot of stores and back streets are and if I need him he can translate for me if we go places where English is a problem.
But I also wont be having him hanging around the house either, he can wait up at the club house until I need him or he can go on standby if I know I wont be needing him for a few hours which then he can wander off to do his own thing just as long as he is back on time.
I have been enjoying doing my own house cleaning and laundry. It fills my days up. Plus I do it my way and I know that it is getting cleaned properly. I will still have a maid come to the house on Saturdays to do a big once over and clean the windows and bathrooms etc. But the day to day jobs I am happy to do, I feel more productive. I know that in 6 weeks I will complain again like I used to, but for now I feel like I am earning my keep again and I think Marcus can sense I am more happy and calmer than I have been. It is like a big nagging stress has been lifted off my shoulders and I now can do whatever I want around my own house without having to avoid someone else or have them watching me or have them interrupt me while I am trying to eat my lunch and watch some decent TV.
Now I know that our previous maid/driver was only being helpful and caring and kind but I am a private person and I have been doing things on my own, my own way for a long time now and I am just not the type or person who can share my little world with someone else. It is a bit disappointing as I now no longer have a babysitter and I cant go to the gym during the day, but I will just have to work something else out. Lillie prefers to come out with me anyway, I didn't like leaving her home but I used to think it was easier and alot faster if I just ducked out by myself, but then I would ask myself "why have you had children if you are just going to pay someone else to take care of them for you?"
So now I have plenty to do with my time and my friend who is leaving on Saturday was my shopping buddy, massage buddy and drinking buddy so I wont be hitting the town as much now that she is going. I will miss her and her family alot they have been a wonderful help to us to help us with settling in and they were so good to the kids but the only plus out of them leaving I can think of is that we got their lovely dog Lady and I might save some money as I wont be going shopping as much. But I will miss their friendship very much.
Friday, January 14, 2011
A strange week
I have had a very strange week. It started off with my friend from New Zealand returning from her holiday and suddenly decided to pack up the family and leave Thailand permanently. Her mother is very sick and I am sure there are other underlying issues. As soon as I received her message I drove over there with some wine to find out what was happening and by then end of that afternoon I had found out she plans to leave by next weekend! So quick to pack up 3 years and a house FULL of people and stuff.
I also agreed to take on one of her dogs as she cannot take them home with her. New Zealand and Australia have very strict quarantine regulations and they flat out refuse to accept any animals from Thailand. So her name is Lady and she is golden in colour, smallish in size for a medium size dog, they raised her from a puppy so she is very lovable, good with kids and healthy. So our plan will be to take care of her while we are here and then hopefully find a new family for her before we leave. Marcus is not impressed but he isn't complaining too much, I think he misses having a dog around just as much as Judd and I do. Lillie will love it, whenever we visited their house she always fed Lady her snacks and chips.
I am a little sad too that they are leaving, I relied alot on them for friendship and advice as they have lived in Thailand for 3 years. My other New Zealand friends left just before Christmas so we are fast running out of drinking buddies. I have been spending some more time with my new friend from Australia and Judd loves playing with her kids so we wont be completely alone.
My other drama this week is the driver/hired help has had 2 days off even though she only came back to work last Thursday from 2 weeks of holidays, and what that means is that either I have to drive Marcus (with the kids) the 80min round trip twice a day plus get Judd to school on time and then squeeze in enough time for Lillie to have a nap and any shopping I may have to do before going to get Judd and then get Marcus again OR I end up like I am today with no car at all and Judd misses out on school because I couldn't stand the thought of sitting in the car for that long again. So my thoughts are that I will fire the driver and even though she is an all rounder and babysits and cleans a bit I have much more productive days with the kids and I even enjoy taking care of the household duties when she isn't here. I like my privacy and having someone in my home everyday is just becoming too much. Lillie sometimes prefers her over me, especially when I say NO to something she wants. We will get another driver who will ONLY drive and stay outside with the other drivers and I get my house back and I will do the cleaning myself (like I used to do 6 months ago back home) and maybe spend a small amount of money and have a maid come in once or twice a week, it would only cost me $30.
I am tired of listening to our drivers personal dramas and she has had well over 10 days off sick since we hired her 4 months ago. If only we could have a second car things would be so much easier but we cannot buy one and the company wont pay for one so we are stuck relying on other people to make sure our days run according to plan. I don't like relying on other people, if there is no driver then its up to me to up heave my day or he just doesn't get to work which is not an option. Some people think it must be lovely to have a driver and a maid, but having someone in your home all the time is too much when you are used to driving yourself everywhere, cleaning things your own special way and having private personal time in front of the TV without the maid chatting on her mobile in the dining area so I cant hear the TV. My problem is I just don't have the balls to sack her, she has become to personal by telling me about her children that live with her family up country and her boyfriends that treat her bad, blah blah blah, it makes it hard to sack someone who has nothing, BUT I gave her a final warning 4 weeks ago about having too many days off and today she didn't even bother to call, Marcus arrived at her apartment to pick her up and she opened the door saying she was too sick and she is not coming today. WHAT! Its like we are her employees sometimes.
So I really think that today is it, I will make the decision and do what I should have done 2 months ago.
I also had a huge bout of guilt too, I haven't been watching any news from Australia since we got the new cable TV and alot of people I talk to around the village have been asking me about home and how are the floods and do I have family affected by them and it wasn't until Wed night that we turned it over and realised how bad it really is. I immediately message my mum to ask about my aunty and cousins in Brisbane and my grandparents who are in Northern New South Wales. Luckily they are all dry and OK. But I felt so detached from it all and that night I didn't sleep well, remembering all the sadness from Black Saturday Fires and how many people lost their homes and their lives and worst of all their children. I couldn't imagine having to go through something like a bad flood or fire or any disaster really. So I apologise Australia for not paying attention, I promise to keep myself up to date.
On the upside of my week I am looking forward to having Lady come and live with us, wont be so lonely with her to cuddle.
I also agreed to take on one of her dogs as she cannot take them home with her. New Zealand and Australia have very strict quarantine regulations and they flat out refuse to accept any animals from Thailand. So her name is Lady and she is golden in colour, smallish in size for a medium size dog, they raised her from a puppy so she is very lovable, good with kids and healthy. So our plan will be to take care of her while we are here and then hopefully find a new family for her before we leave. Marcus is not impressed but he isn't complaining too much, I think he misses having a dog around just as much as Judd and I do. Lillie will love it, whenever we visited their house she always fed Lady her snacks and chips.
I am a little sad too that they are leaving, I relied alot on them for friendship and advice as they have lived in Thailand for 3 years. My other New Zealand friends left just before Christmas so we are fast running out of drinking buddies. I have been spending some more time with my new friend from Australia and Judd loves playing with her kids so we wont be completely alone.
My other drama this week is the driver/hired help has had 2 days off even though she only came back to work last Thursday from 2 weeks of holidays, and what that means is that either I have to drive Marcus (with the kids) the 80min round trip twice a day plus get Judd to school on time and then squeeze in enough time for Lillie to have a nap and any shopping I may have to do before going to get Judd and then get Marcus again OR I end up like I am today with no car at all and Judd misses out on school because I couldn't stand the thought of sitting in the car for that long again. So my thoughts are that I will fire the driver and even though she is an all rounder and babysits and cleans a bit I have much more productive days with the kids and I even enjoy taking care of the household duties when she isn't here. I like my privacy and having someone in my home everyday is just becoming too much. Lillie sometimes prefers her over me, especially when I say NO to something she wants. We will get another driver who will ONLY drive and stay outside with the other drivers and I get my house back and I will do the cleaning myself (like I used to do 6 months ago back home) and maybe spend a small amount of money and have a maid come in once or twice a week, it would only cost me $30.
I am tired of listening to our drivers personal dramas and she has had well over 10 days off sick since we hired her 4 months ago. If only we could have a second car things would be so much easier but we cannot buy one and the company wont pay for one so we are stuck relying on other people to make sure our days run according to plan. I don't like relying on other people, if there is no driver then its up to me to up heave my day or he just doesn't get to work which is not an option. Some people think it must be lovely to have a driver and a maid, but having someone in your home all the time is too much when you are used to driving yourself everywhere, cleaning things your own special way and having private personal time in front of the TV without the maid chatting on her mobile in the dining area so I cant hear the TV. My problem is I just don't have the balls to sack her, she has become to personal by telling me about her children that live with her family up country and her boyfriends that treat her bad, blah blah blah, it makes it hard to sack someone who has nothing, BUT I gave her a final warning 4 weeks ago about having too many days off and today she didn't even bother to call, Marcus arrived at her apartment to pick her up and she opened the door saying she was too sick and she is not coming today. WHAT! Its like we are her employees sometimes.
So I really think that today is it, I will make the decision and do what I should have done 2 months ago.
I also had a huge bout of guilt too, I haven't been watching any news from Australia since we got the new cable TV and alot of people I talk to around the village have been asking me about home and how are the floods and do I have family affected by them and it wasn't until Wed night that we turned it over and realised how bad it really is. I immediately message my mum to ask about my aunty and cousins in Brisbane and my grandparents who are in Northern New South Wales. Luckily they are all dry and OK. But I felt so detached from it all and that night I didn't sleep well, remembering all the sadness from Black Saturday Fires and how many people lost their homes and their lives and worst of all their children. I couldn't imagine having to go through something like a bad flood or fire or any disaster really. So I apologise Australia for not paying attention, I promise to keep myself up to date.
On the upside of my week I am looking forward to having Lady come and live with us, wont be so lonely with her to cuddle.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Yoga, it is harder than it looks.
I took my very first Yoga class today, OUCH! I was refered to a gym by a friend and I am so glad I made the effort to go, just doing simple exercises this week has really improved my mood and energy. Taking the Yoga class today was my first step in my new years resolution for self improvement. It was hard work, I never realised how much it would make me sweat. The lovely Thai instructor was very helpful and kind and didn't make me feel uncomfortable when I got the moves wrong or fell over when I lost my balance. It is tricky this Yoga stuff but I love how it stretches out my body, I used to go to the gym alot (more before I had children as the same old story goes) and I always made sure I completed all of the stretches to help prevent my body cramping the next day and I have tried to maintain my flexibility these past few years and I think I held up pretty good and I am proud of what I achieved today. I am just taking baby steps.
I have been doing alot more home cooking this week and strangely enough I have been enjoying it. Now I don't have alot of utensils in my kitchen and I refuse to buy more than the basics as I already have a fully equipped kitchen back home but some basic ingredients, like frozen vegetables, pasta, herbs and tinned tomatoes and a saucepan and fry pan seem to be all I need to put together some simple and tasty meals that all of us can eat. Lillie has been great too, all of a sudden she has stopped eating her baby food and now eats exactly the same as we do, it is so much easier now and she seems so much more happier to be included with everyone else. Judd's eating has improved alot too, since he has been attending school he now seems to be more open to tasting new food and eating some vegetables. He has a healthy appetite and since he refuses to even taste chocolate, lollies or ice cream I don't have to worry about him eating too much junk food (apart from potato chips).
The simple pleasure of having a glass of white wine and cooking a yummy, yet simple meal is something I gave up when we moved here, I thought it would be easier to just shut down the kitchen and eat take away because Thai food, when you buy from the right places, is very very cheap. Actually cheaper than it is to buy groceries from the supermarket. Especially imported ingredients like pasta sauces and dried herbs are very pricey, so at first it seemed only logical to eat out every night. But then it got painful because I don't have a car between 4pm and 6pm and that is the time I would have to go out and order our dinners so we were eating very late and the kids would be over tired and over hungry and it was always ending in tears. So now I have been cooking a bit more our afternoons aren't as crazy and we are back on schedule for a normal dinner time, bath time, bottle time and then bed time.
It sometimes amazes me how much my kids thrive on their routines, they have both been on the same routine since they were tiny babies and the smallest changes to these can really throw them off balance. I mean one day here and there is Ok and manageable but when we tried to change it regularly my stress levels and the kids behaviour just got out of control. So we are all much happier now we are back on track.
I have been doing alot more home cooking this week and strangely enough I have been enjoying it. Now I don't have alot of utensils in my kitchen and I refuse to buy more than the basics as I already have a fully equipped kitchen back home but some basic ingredients, like frozen vegetables, pasta, herbs and tinned tomatoes and a saucepan and fry pan seem to be all I need to put together some simple and tasty meals that all of us can eat. Lillie has been great too, all of a sudden she has stopped eating her baby food and now eats exactly the same as we do, it is so much easier now and she seems so much more happier to be included with everyone else. Judd's eating has improved alot too, since he has been attending school he now seems to be more open to tasting new food and eating some vegetables. He has a healthy appetite and since he refuses to even taste chocolate, lollies or ice cream I don't have to worry about him eating too much junk food (apart from potato chips).
The simple pleasure of having a glass of white wine and cooking a yummy, yet simple meal is something I gave up when we moved here, I thought it would be easier to just shut down the kitchen and eat take away because Thai food, when you buy from the right places, is very very cheap. Actually cheaper than it is to buy groceries from the supermarket. Especially imported ingredients like pasta sauces and dried herbs are very pricey, so at first it seemed only logical to eat out every night. But then it got painful because I don't have a car between 4pm and 6pm and that is the time I would have to go out and order our dinners so we were eating very late and the kids would be over tired and over hungry and it was always ending in tears. So now I have been cooking a bit more our afternoons aren't as crazy and we are back on schedule for a normal dinner time, bath time, bottle time and then bed time.
It sometimes amazes me how much my kids thrive on their routines, they have both been on the same routine since they were tiny babies and the smallest changes to these can really throw them off balance. I mean one day here and there is Ok and manageable but when we tried to change it regularly my stress levels and the kids behaviour just got out of control. So we are all much happier now we are back on track.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Hello 2011
What a New Years weekend we had. Initially I wanted to book us a weekend at an island called Koh Chang, about 2 hours from Pattaya but being that I left it so late everything affordable was booked out. So we decided to just hang out at home and take small day trips which turned out to be the most relaxing thing to do. Our first couple of days were just spent hanging out at home and by the pool not doing much at all. New Years Eve we made a last minute decision to go to the local restaurant we like and they happened to have a all you can eat buffet and a pig on the spit and of course some Karaoke and a couple of Go Go girls. It was a simple night that started off well but then the DJ changed the music and it got very lame and boring very quick. Thankfully a couple we knew arrived and we had someone to talk to. The kids enjoyed themselves though, running around and dancing. There was a man selling huge cylinders of fireworks and one of the owners of the pub bought one and headed across the street into the trees and set it off at about 9.30. It was so loud, I have never been that close up to fireworks before so it was quite a sight. Lillie ran off screaming as she was scared of all the noises but once she saw the sparks in the sky above us she wanted more. I went to go to the bathroom later that night and there was a soi dog (street dog) hiding in the ladies cubicle, it refused to move, blink or anything. It was a bit scary going pee pee next to such a big dog,he was missing hair everywhere and his ears were badly bitten and you never know if these dogs are friendly or if they are rabid. This poor guy was just looking for somewhere to hide from all the fireworks that were being set off all over the city every 5 minutes. No one waits until midnight around here, they have a few scotches and start letting them off. Actually they have been letting them off every night for the last week.
We almost made it to see in the New Year but Lillie had finally had enough and lost it so we headed home at about 11.30pm. Once I put her down to bed I could hear everybody seeing in the New Year outside and I went out the front of the house with Marcus and Judd and we were literally surrounded by fireworks. They were in front, next to and behind our village. We needn't of worried about making it into town to see the show, it was right in our backyard.
The next couple of days was spent hanging out at home or down at the beach in Sattahip. We love it down there, so relaxing. Marcus even fell asleep in the sun, if I hadn't of woken him he would have been burnt to a crisp. That afternoon a new friend of mine text and invited us for a beer at their local. What a find! It is the cutest little bar and restaurant right on the sand, it only seats about 20 people but it makes the best pizzas and they have Aussie pies and sausage rolls. An Aussie called Tony owns it, he has been in Thailand for 24 years! The kids had so much fun playing on the sand while we sat up top and had a few cold beers. We will definitely be going back there. He also hires 2 man catamarans and paddle boards, the ones where you stand up and balance on the surf board and paddle with a big long paddle. I am definitely going to try it, it looks easy but I have been told it is quite hard.
Our last day of the weekend was kind of stressful. We realised we had alot of overdue bills and our rent from out tenants in Melbourne was 3 weeks behind and being that it is a long weekend in Melbourne as well I couldn't get any information from anybody until today. Thankfully it is all sorted and paid now but we could have cut the tension in our house last night with a knife.
This place is funny, some days are pleasant and peaceful and everyone gets along and others we are irritable and grumpy (well I am anyway). Maybe I am expecting too much out of Thailand, maybe I am expecting this place to fix all of my little problems and make me Zen when really it is up to me to fix regardless of what country I am living in. I am looking forward to this new year to be one of self discovery, new adventures small and big and learning new ways to calm my mind and my spirit and not to be so quick to bite. As those who know me well, especially my husband, I have really really sharp teeth.
We almost made it to see in the New Year but Lillie had finally had enough and lost it so we headed home at about 11.30pm. Once I put her down to bed I could hear everybody seeing in the New Year outside and I went out the front of the house with Marcus and Judd and we were literally surrounded by fireworks. They were in front, next to and behind our village. We needn't of worried about making it into town to see the show, it was right in our backyard.
The next couple of days was spent hanging out at home or down at the beach in Sattahip. We love it down there, so relaxing. Marcus even fell asleep in the sun, if I hadn't of woken him he would have been burnt to a crisp. That afternoon a new friend of mine text and invited us for a beer at their local. What a find! It is the cutest little bar and restaurant right on the sand, it only seats about 20 people but it makes the best pizzas and they have Aussie pies and sausage rolls. An Aussie called Tony owns it, he has been in Thailand for 24 years! The kids had so much fun playing on the sand while we sat up top and had a few cold beers. We will definitely be going back there. He also hires 2 man catamarans and paddle boards, the ones where you stand up and balance on the surf board and paddle with a big long paddle. I am definitely going to try it, it looks easy but I have been told it is quite hard.
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| The kids learning to dance with the Go Go Girls |
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| Play time in the sand at Saekaew Beach |
Our last day of the weekend was kind of stressful. We realised we had alot of overdue bills and our rent from out tenants in Melbourne was 3 weeks behind and being that it is a long weekend in Melbourne as well I couldn't get any information from anybody until today. Thankfully it is all sorted and paid now but we could have cut the tension in our house last night with a knife.
This place is funny, some days are pleasant and peaceful and everyone gets along and others we are irritable and grumpy (well I am anyway). Maybe I am expecting too much out of Thailand, maybe I am expecting this place to fix all of my little problems and make me Zen when really it is up to me to fix regardless of what country I am living in. I am looking forward to this new year to be one of self discovery, new adventures small and big and learning new ways to calm my mind and my spirit and not to be so quick to bite. As those who know me well, especially my husband, I have really really sharp teeth.
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