Mummyfried

Not so long ago we had a houseguest. It was the first time we had an older adult stay with us in a long time. It felt like a combination of being gently assaulted, insulted and loved.  This concoction of confusion left us feeling ... weird. When the home invasion ended – we were thankful to have someone who cared, gave and spent time with us and also grateful.   Our Guest was to arrive at 14.00. The doorbell rang at 9.30 am.    Cleaning, meal plans and prep on a budget departed as quickly as the taxi that did the Guest drop off - as did my will and work schedule. The never-ending monologues to the TV – were an absolute treat of an experience. The lover's abandoned daughter, who was in a relationship with her half-brother, would not listen to our Guest; oh no…     The holding on to pee throughout the three back to back episodes caused a urinary tract infection – which as the only other adult in the household, meant that I had to hear about the pain of p...

I recently had surgery. My girlfriends banded together to give me a hand. The support was based on each friend's skill set. One cooked, the other ironed, one cleaned. Another picked up the kids from school - the highlight were the two without an allocated task. They dropped by, sat on my couch, and put their feet up. One closed her eyes and said 'Talk, I want to hear adult voices, opinions without the utterance of a child's voice.  The other talked and talked and talked. It was lovely hearing the rhythm of her voice, the questions, the self-answers, and the melody. We both sat and listened in blissful silence. Not offering an opinion, a thought - every now and then, just a giggle. The visit was short - but I was revived. An entertaining adult monologue, coloured with swearing, adult themes and questions. The power of the chosen sisterhood came together and made me feel grounded, bonded, and loved and they in turn were loved right back.  As I bask in the warmth of the glow o...

Many more moons have past since my, last blog. Blog upkeep is now akin to my remote working waist down appearance - zero upkeep. No apologies.  Parental controls, social media age restrictions, and, coming out of a global pandemic, while remaining fake calm about increasing prices and the pressures of the economy have been my distractions.  But there is something even scarier looming for me.  The recognition that my Gen Alpha babies who due to the above factors, were under wraps for two years, are now coming out ready to reach their full potential.  And I am scared.  I continue to stumble through this thing called parenthood - saddled with an exhausted mind and good intentions, my entry into the scary pre tween age - frightens me more than I can explain. It is not the tantrums or attitude OR the fact that this era brutally showcases just how out of it I am... it's the  cultural, social and educational challenges that my pre- tweens will experience that...

So I am a little late in posting this year. Thankfully - there are not many to shoot the poster! Am thrilled to say that for the first time in many many years, this new year started well. Fun, peaceful, fruitful, happy, and with my little cherubs - huggy and kissy. But the year isn't progressing the way it should be.   One word, we all know - COVID.   While many many poor souls have fallen victim to this awful virus and an enormous number of people have faced financial ruin, mental illness, trauma... without taking away from the absolute travesty we are all living - there is that other side of the coin, a little piece of sunshine... (well for me at least). This c-word awful pandemic has exacerbated my fear, stress, weight & financial wellbeing.  It has impacted my overall balance. I feel lost, vulnerable and frankly, fearful. But in my attempts to keep sane, below is a list of what I have celebrated during this dark, somber and frightening time. It has: Boug...

Trella in Greek means madness. My ankle biters, the air that I breathe this week have turned into the wicked stepsisters, and I am slowly going mad – and am feeling very under appreciated, hence the term Cindertrella. They are walking advertisements for contraception today. It is hot. I am working from home. It is a busy, busy, busy time, and they are being messy, messy, messy. Trella I say, Trella! In addition to their very, VERY bad behavior, I have been in the not so romantic throws of pre back to school panic clean up.  I asked the little dictators to review & cull unwanted toys, books and clothes and to put them into two piles.  One for those less fortunate and one for recycling. A nice decluttering exercise. Low and behold – and not to anyone’s surprise, my request has been ignored. I have had enough. I am constantly cleaning up, telling them how cute and lovable they are, try to keep them active, aware, stimulated at all times and in the process have let mys...

Below are key messages I would like to deliver to management... That's right, to Mummyfried (the boss of the boss:  my own alter ego)  the big boss upstairs, the vertically challenged bosses I gave birth to, the bosses at the paid place of employment:  To Mummyfried:  Stop the 60 -70 working week and dreams about really being a tall, blonde, athletically thin, dedicated houseproud yummy mummy and fabulous friend. It's not working. Take a stand. Get to it and sort it out. (Stop being a slave to the system, eating, and start exercising! the rest will follow). To the ankle-biter bosses: The days of empty threats are over. You fail to pick up, I promise to throw out!  My feet deserve a lego free walking path environment!  To the boss upstairs. Give me a break. Please? Like, a real one? A lottery ticket, a wealthy uncle who wants to hand it all over, a warm hug, and some hot chocolate? Please? Don't carry me leaving footprints in the sand, if I fail to act on th...

To the light of my life... I more than once said   ‘You breathe air into my lungs, offer me shade, and you quench my thirst’ The anecdotes and stories shared - only you understood With a glance, you just knew You knew Together we fought and won battles that no one could ever imagine We struggled and survived We were superheroes..you knew Slowly, very slowly it started to unravel Like a wicked spell cast, our glue became unstuck Unforgivable words, deeds, reactions.. you knew  It broke me, broke us, and everything we had I stopped taping it together As the bad snowballed  A warrior, a survivor, a protector was born Took over control, commandeered the crash landing We all survived..just We're alive... And living right The bad - like a circle with no beginning or end, grew Stretched and exploded  A smashed  mirror  –the pieces, so small, shattered, sprinkled everywhere Lost. F orever.  Gone... you knew Independent pieces, sharp,...