Living a SPIRITED life filled with wanderlust, emotions and everything in between

Tag: #PTABloggers

My hips don’t lie

Pregnancy, hips & pain

Nope, I am NOT Shakira but damn my hips don’t lie either…I think this pregnancy is taking it’s toll on my body. Granted I am 7 years older than what I was with my first pregnancy. With Dudie I had a fairly easy going pregnancy after the ALL day sickness and vomiting for 6 months. I did have swollen feet then and I definitely have it NOW again, just it feels worse this time. Dudie drained my body of calcium and I had super sensitive teeth. Now the resident alien is draining my body of calcium and magnesium and even my slow mag supplement is NOT enough to keep up. Did I mention that the resident alien has given me 5 months of ALL day sickness and vomiting. Oh I love my boys but OMG they take morning sickness to a whole other level.

This morning at 3.am, as I was re-positioning myself for the 5219th time as my hips are killing me and no amount of pillows are making it any better, I woke up with a sharp pain in my left calf. Instantly, my calf muscle went into a spasm and it felt as if my calf was sitting right under my left butt cheek. I grabbed Dude by the arm, and basically slapping him on the chest all whilst screaming “Help Me” in the process. (Dude said that he got such a fright cos he thought WTF – he is being attacked. I think he just got a preview of the imminent birth of the resident alien..)

He was awake in 2 seconds flat and said “what what”. I explained that my calf is in spasm so he proceeded to do a lift movement with my leg, if anyone walked into my room you would think I was busy with a body beat session. Somehow, the muscle started to relax and Dude of course just started snoring again.

Amidst all of the commotion, it took all of my might to restrain my pelvic floor muscles from relaxing because I needed to pee very badly. I hopped, yes I couldn’t step on that leg, to the bathroom and eventually got to empty my bladder, as one would do during a normal 3am pee break at #29weekspregnant.

I am pretty sure that I woke the entire neighbourhood this morning with my scream for help. As I sit here now, I can still feel how tender my muscle is. Let’s hope the slow mag kicks in quickly. My feet are swollen again, even though they are elevated…

It dawned on me that my mind might be young BUT my body is 7 years older with this pregnancy. Hope I can bounce back as quick as what I did with Dudie….

Spirited Mama

P.S. I have had this type of muscle spasm once before as young adolescent. I was asleep next to Mamma. The exact same experience only when I screamed for help, Mamma gave me a moerse slap on my thigh. I jumped out of bed so fast that my muscle just reset itself. Crisis averted thanks to Mamma’s unconventional ways…

Roundabouts

My life lately has felt like one big never ending roundabout. Somehow, I just felt out of sorts.

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But in all the events that have made me feel like I am stuck in a roundabout there has been some “memorable” moments too.

Does your life sometimes feel like a roundabout?

Yesterday I collect Dudie at school. I decide lets drive with ALL the windows open as there was a refreshing breeze. Well you had to drive slightly over the speed limit to enjoy that breeze. So we are homeward bound and Suddenly Dudie screams and I almost freaking stop in the middle of the road. Why did he scream as if someone was being murdered? Because the wind swept his school hat off his head and into the oncoming traffic.

Now, I have to calculate the risk of getting that school hat back, but that would mean I would have to run into oncoming traffic. Or I write off the hat and fork out another R130 for another school hat. School uniforms are crazy expensive. Why???

So I decide screw that let’s get that hat back. We make a u-turn at the next traffic light only to find the wind and traffic has now swept the hat back to the other side of the road. It’s 2pm traffic and people are crazy fast on this road. So we make a few u-turns because every time I get close to this hat it’s not in the spot where I last saw it. Also, I’m 28 weeks pregnant and need to take very calculated risks…so eventually I said screw this and park the bakkie on the island at the traffic light and jump out to pick up the hat. Hat recovered. Mom scores big time with the Dudie.

As if one roundabout isn’t enough…

Fast forward until Dude walks in the door looking all glum…why because he can’t find his wallet ANYWHERE. He called a friend at work to please check if it’s not there. Said friend is at the gym and will only be able to check in about 30 minutes or so. Oh and we live in Pretoria but he works in Johannesburg, so it’s not just quick drive back to work to check.

Now, I am writing exams on Friday and Dude and Dudie were supposed to collect the youngest dog, who got spayed cos we can’t deal with a newborn and puppies in 2017, but now he doesn’t have a single bank card or drivers license. So I say let’s move now cos I don’t want to be stuck in traffic and you know I need to study. With pregnant belly and all off we go.

Side note, I’m not sure if Dude gets a kick out of driving each and every vehicle we have until the reserve light comes on. I can’t comprehend this. Why? When we always have to be somewhere quickly we must first stop for petrol or diesel…..I digress

I stop for diesel. Then off to collect the dog at our trusted Vet, who is now closing his practice and immigrating. We have been with him for about 13 years. Where am I going to find such a great vet again. (On Wednesday evening After being discharged from hospital we quickly drop our dog at the vet. Receptionist is freaking out cos I had a weird look on my face as the resident alien just kicked my ribs and because I still wearing my hospital id band. She thought I was going into labour.) I settle the bill and we get the dog. Homeward bound.

On route Dude’s friend calls to say that he found his wallet and will keep it safe til the morning. As we get into the house, we (Dude) says there is enough leftovers for supper. I go try to study. I emerge from the room every now and then for some snacks or a drink. Then I announce I’m having a muffin and yoghurt for supper you guys need to sort yourselves out. The Dudie goes and checks the kitchen and very unamused announces, “Uh where’s the supper?”. Whilst checking the microwave and oven😂. Dudie settled on cream cheese and salticrax. Dude settled on fish.

I go back to study, Dudie brings two of his favorite stuffed toys to help me. Then asks “Are you like doing sums? Or those words that you can see or touch uhm like nouns or is it the ones that hold  a place?” I figured he was referring to pronouns. This kid thinks I am clever but he forgets that I too attended school once upon a time, or back in the olden days like he calls it.

I asked Dudie if he wanted to help put some oil on my growing tummy but oh boy, this kid used about 1/3 Of the bottle on my tummy. If you dropped me into a deep fryer you could fry up 1 kilogram of calamari for the amount of oil on my tummy.

So even though I feel like I’m in a bit of a roundabout, I still have so many memorable moments with my spirited family. They keep me grounded. And they sure keep me entertained.

Happy Friday.

Spirited Mama

P.S. I think my exam went way better than anticipated this morning. Granted I didn’t get much sleep but I am taking a siesta right after I post this.

#freethenipple

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Do you know about Free the Nipple

@freethenipple Have you seen this? Are you aware of it? What do you make of it?

I wrote a post about Empowering Women, you can read it here, and it just so happens to be based on my opinions and thought about gender equality or rather gender inequality. This past Sunday, @carteblanchetv did a segment on the #FreetheNipple by founder Lina Esco. Here is a snippet of what Free the Nipple is about, just click here.

Even though we claim that we live in a society where we preach gender equality, are we really seeing women and men as equals? Lina Esco even made a movie about the campaign.

Out of sheer curiosity, let’s do a poll:

Spirited Mama

P.S. This also brings me back to a question that surfaces ALL the time – What is SO wrong with women breastfeeding in public? If you are hungry, you get something to eat. You eat in public don’t you? So why can a mother not feed her hungry child in public?

Admitted…

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I know, I know, “life is what happens when you making other plans…John Lennon”.

Admitted to hospital

I find it rather ironic that I am in hospital and my bag and the resident alien’s bag is no where near being packed. I can already hear Mamma telling me that as soon as I get home I’d better pack my bag as well as the resident alien’s bag.

Side note: Somewhere in my 8th month of pregnancy with Dudie, I was admitted to hospital. No bags packed. Nothing. As soon as I got home, Mamma made me pack our bags just in case.

Well currently I am #27weeks pregnant and was admitted yesterday. I can hear Mamma tell me to pack our bags already.

Guess what I will be doing when I get home. I need to get a hospital bag🤔🙄

And over the weekend Dude was saying that we still have loads of time before the baby arrives. Really? I think we all got a wake up call. We need to be prepared…

I am in private room in hospital. I am actually grateful because I think I need the solitude right now.

Spirited Mama

P.S. There is still so much that needs to be done. I am not quite ready yet….

Empowering women? Are we really ready?

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This was a random picture my Dude sent to me. Roughly translated “Once upon a time there was a woman that wasn’t full of shit. But that was a very long time ago… and it was only that one day“. Unfortunately, he caught me on a day where I felt I needed to reinforce my independence and I then replied with this

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Roughly translated “Once upon a time, men used to hunt and make fires and didn’t get involved/butt in“.

Are we really empowering women?

So the phrase “empowering women” has been on my mind for a long time. Are we, as a society, really ready to empower women? Are we giving it our best shot? Or are we doing it half heartedly because someone said we must?

More and more women are doing what was once considered “the man’s job” in previous times. Does it look like more and more men are OK with women moving into “their” domain? I am all for being a liberal independent woman. My Dude sometimes gets upset because he wants to do something for me but I am not helpless. I can do some things for myself, thank you very much. It doesn’t make me any less of a woman and it surely doesn’t make him any less of a man, well that is my opinion.

I am me. I am strong. And I am strong willed, sometimes just stubborn. I will do what I need to do for myself. Because I can. And because I like my independence.

Do women deserve to be empowered?

Some women actually do a much better job, in different domains, than a man would do. Yet somehow women are still not seen as equals to their male counterparts. Has society indoctrinated us so badly that we only see women as being barefeet, pregnant and standing behind a stove? From personal experience, it was typical of some of my working environments, the males felt threatened by women in top positions. Are men really still intimidated by their woman’s paycheck? Is it really SO bad if she brings home the bacon?

Why do people frown upon a SAHM, stay at home mom? If you can afford it, why not? If that is what you want to do. No one will raise your kid(s) the way YOU want to. What about stay at home Dads? Has society accepted it? These dads are so few and far in between. Why is it that men are some of the biggest critics of stay at home dads? Does it really take away your manliness? Balancing family and a career is tough. In my opinion, something has got to give. Whether it is time spent with family or chasing that dream JOB. The aim is finding YOUR balance, your ZEN. What works for you and your family might not be ideal for mine.

Whatever happened to having an equal partnership with your spouse? Co-existing in unison, peace and harmony. And hopefully surrounded by love… Spirited Mama

Spirited Mama

P.S. I suspect that the USA wasn’t quite ready for such a liberal move as having a female president. Were they scared? Who knows why America got TRUMPED.

Paint me like a….

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So yesterday the Dude gets home and is now ready to paint the resident alien’s, aka new baby’s, room. Granted we bought paint a few weeks ago. We even have new paint for our bedroom. Baby room Plascon Double velvet – a soft powdery blue, our room Dulux Colours of the World – Soulful Kenya.

Dude starts painting whilst I’m starting dinner. Something nudges me to go check if the stuff is covered in the room. I get there….and I say as calm as possible uhm what are you doing?”

Granted when I have “that” calm voice you should run because that is when I actually want to use some profanity but I digress and keep calm. Ironically, Dude chose the paint for the baby room. I had a general idea of the color but he chose the final product.

What did he do? He painted the baby room with our paint, the Soulful Kenya colour. Thankfully it was only half of the one wall.

I walked away and laughed it off as I continued in the kitchen.

He did fix it. And now the resident alien’s room is looking very nice. He also started painting our room. I would say with touch ups and finishes here and there we should have two newly painted rooms before the end of this week.

I am excited because frankly a fresh coat of paint is like a whole new room all together. Now to get some decor for the baby room.

Yes, you may laugh out loud. I told you before these things really happen in Spiritville. I do not make these things up.

Spirited Mama

P.S. So the USA got TRUMPED! I am gobsmacked.

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