Attack of the chair killing bottom

So today I had the dubious honor of being the person who finally broke our computer chair. The screws holding the seat to the legs have been coming out for months now, and the holes are now so big that the screws don't even have anything to grab onto really, so it was only a matter of time before someone came and sat on the chair wrong (I tend to sit on my feet so the weight is never distributed evenly) and the whole thing would just collapse.

The sad thing for me is it isn't even the first time I've broken a chair just by sitting down either. Years ago when I was living on my own I had some bar stools that sat at my kitchen counter never being sat on because I never went near the kitchen. One day my little sister Nat was over, and something impelled me to sit on this bar stool, but not three seconds after my backside made contact with the leather I found myself becoming suddenly shorter, and my whole house seemed to grow quite tall, until I was on the ground, snapped metal poles surrounding me, and my sister was on my couch in stitches. To this day I have not lived down my chair breaking efforts. The best part she says is the look on my face as the chair and I sank to the ground.

So I now have to go computer chair shopping on pay day which is still a week away. Now for anyone who loves interior design or jumps at the chance to buy new pieces of furniture for their house, an activity like this would mean days scouring websites trying to find a chair with the perfect design, in the perfect material, looking at things like arm rests, back heights, hydraulics, cup holders. But maybe because I have never been very good at looking at things with a decorators eye, or maybe because I just don't have the darn time, this means a trip to one of the scores of discount stores that line the streets where I live and grabbing the cheapest chair I can find.

Luckily for me, buying a new computer chair has been on the to do list for several months now (of course) so I have even managed to spend a little time testing out computer chairs whenever I visit said discount stores, making this trip even faster than I could have hoped. And who knows, maybe my brand new executive style black leather computer chair will have a positive effect on the way I work while I'm in front of the computer. Maybe I can make better decisions with more cushioning around my already ample behind. Maybe the correct back support will mean the difference between a good blog post and a great blog post. Or maybe it will just be one more thing I have to protect from Miss K. (She thinks the whole world is a trampoline at the moment. It could have something to do with the trampoline in my big sister's back yard, but I'm no expert.)

In the mean time I'm stuck using an old dining chair as my computer chair, and my butt is already screaming at me for more padding. So if this blog post is terrible, I blame the chair. In the hopes of inspiring myself to write better, I'm off to stare at pictures of chairs with more stuffing than this one.

Source

I feel better already. 

Christmas shopping time!!!

Yes I know it's only June, but this is my favourite time of the year because all the big chain stores around here start having their mid-year toy sales, usually with lay-by available until Christmas Eve. Today was a day I have been waiting for for about 2 weeks, as the catalogues finally arrived in my letterbox this morning, and I spent a good hour or so scouring them for present ideas. I know I have plenty of time to get ready for Christmas, but given I have 2 nieces and a nephew having a birthday between now and December 25th, and then Miss K's birthday in March, there is no time like the present to start getting ready. (I was going to say presents, but then I kicked myself for being so lame. You're welcome)

I have already marked out what presents myself and the jolly fat man in red will be giving Miss K this year, as well as her birthday present for next year, and my nephew's birthday and Christmas presents. Now all I have to do is find birthday and Christmas presents for both of my nieces and I'll be well on my way to being properly organised for all gift giving occasions for the next 8 months. I have even found a Christmas present for Miss K to give me in the Logo Board Game. I will admit I am absolutely mad for corporate logo based quizzes, and have downloaded absolutely every single logo quiz based app for my phone available. If I can't win this game every single time there will be temper tantrums.

The only fly in the ointment of my shopping plans is the fact that it means I actually have to go to the store during one of the biggest sales of the year. This wouldn't be a problem if every other person in a 30km radius hasn't had exactly the same idea as I have. I am not very good at handling large crowds, and tend to lose patience very quickly if I have to push my way through people just to get to the front door. I did consider doing an online lay-by, unfortunately the store I most wish to do my shopping through doesn't have everything I want available online, so I would still have to go to the store to do part of my shopping.

So I have some planning to do, I need to round up a tactical team who can surround me the whole way through the store to make sure no one gets in my way, perhaps a team of strong arms men, or goons for hire would be good. I have some research to do before the sale starts on Thursday. No time to lose my wonderful readers, I've got shopping to plan.

Designated driver

Just a quick update again, I wasn't going to blog tonight, but then my sister sent me a picture she took of Miss K this afternoon that I just have to share with you guys.

As today is shopping day Miss K and I spent our afternoon wandering the aisles of our local supermarket. Unlike most trips to the shops, Miss K was in a fabulous mood this afternoon and was more than happy to sit and watch the world go by. I didn't even need to pull out the lollipop I had packed to bribe her with if the screaming got too bad. Another difference today is my little sister met me at the supermarket so she could get a lift home, which probably helped keep Miss K cheerful as well. While I completed my shopping and checked out, my sister and Miss K went to the car to wait for me. Little did I know that when I got back to the car, this would be the sight that would be waiting for me.

Even though she can't see over the steering wheel, nor can she reach the pedals, I have every belief that she'd be a better driver than most of the people I come across on the roads these days.

And now for something completely different

Ok so my last post was pretty depressing, and left me feeling a bit low, so I just wanted to let you know that it's not all doom and gloom around here at the moment. The rest of my day was pretty good.

I feel like I am slowly winning the battle to get Miss K to eat more solids. Today I gave her a slice of toast with jam on it and SHE ATE THE WHOLE THING!!!!! Then at tea, she was given a bowl of tuna mornay, and she ATE ALMOST THE WHOLE THING!!!!!! There were lots of hugs and kisses for Miss K today as I was so happy that she is finally starting to realise that just because it has lumps in it, doesn't mean it's poison.

The next big battle we have on our hands is the weaning off the bottle. Dun dun DUN!!!!! (I love my caps lock tonight, it's making this so much fun to write!) I have tried introducing sippy cups to Miss K in the past, but it has never gone well. We went with a well known branded cup last time, with a large silicone spout that is close to a bottle teat, but much larger and more complicated. It's not supposed to leak, but tell that to the juice stains in the bottom of my nappy bag. >:( We also discovered very early on that Miss K would prefer to chew on the spout instead of drink from it, which is fun for her, but frustrating for me. So this time I am going to try a cup with a straw instead of a mouthpiece. Both my big sister and my sister in law opted for this choice when weaning their kids, and they seem to have made the transition a lot smoother than Miss K and I are so fingers crossed this is the way to go.

Ady also came for his visit this afternoon but things didn't go quite to plan. I had hoped that he would accompany Miss K and I for our fortnightly shopping, as we were out of everything except nappies and breakfast cereal, but Miss K decided instead that she would like to go to sleep for 2 hours instead, something she has not done in a long time. So instead of spending the afternoon playing with our daughter and showing Ady exactly what it takes to care for her physical needs on a daily basis, we spent the afternoon falling asleep on the couch from boredom. When Miss K finally did wake up at 5 o'clock, it was so close to her dinner time that we had to do a mad dash to the shops so that I had something to feed her when the worms started biting. And that's when the rain decided to fall. We decided that it was probably better not to drown our daughter in the 10 metre dash from the car to the supermarket, so Ady distracted Miss K in the car with a teething rusk, and I did the 10 metre dash, and the subsequent frenzied rush through the supermarket on my own. I didn't actually mind not having Miss K there to help me shop by pulling everything off the shelves that she could get her hands on. And I didn't miss the inevitable temper tantrum that always comes once she gets tired of driving the shopping trolley from the safety of her seat at the front, but knowing that she would be equally unhappy being strapped into the now unmoving car, and with Ady not completely used to dealing with her temper tantrums, I can safely say my mind wasn't completely focused on the shopping. As a result I got home and remembered the long list of things I had forgotten to buy like Miss K's juice, mum's ice cream, mum's margarine...

So tomorrow will be spent buying all the things I was meant to today but completely forgot about. And doing the laundry, and vacuuming the carpets, and trying to get Miss K to drink from a cup with a straw, and now I have a headache.

Excuse me while I curl up in a ball in the corner for now. See you tomorrow.