Thanks again, girls - good timing...my mobile phone was run over on my way back from Monbulk! I was feeling pretty crappy until I realised that it still rings and answers and there's half a photo of Oscar on the front mini-screen...so data is probably salvageable! Still, it's making for a crap day.
Oscar is on me and I don't think he'll like it if I try to palm him off to the bed or buggy - he'll sleep in the buggy for MIL or my dad, but now that he has me, I don't think anything else will do. Oh, well.
I'm going to email my tutor (who will have to run it by the co-ordinator, so not much hope there) to see if I could possibly be allowed to either hand in my assignment after my last exam or have my exam in December. I'm pushing my luck with that, but even if they don't let me, I"m thankful that this is a 2nd year unit and not a 3rd year like my other subject (exam two weeks away), because the 3rd year units' marks are the ones that are looked at more than the other years, when it comes to applying for postgrad courses. It's not the end of the world. Right now, with Oscar feeling the way he is, I can wear the failing of this unit, quite frankly. I don't even care anymore that other people can do it with more kids at home, cos it's all relative, and I'm not coping with it very well, I've discovered. If ALL I had was Oscar and study, it would be one thing (although two very big things!), but I"ve also got my other committments that are pretty important on my 'life spectrum' scale (CFA, ABA and my riding club). Plus, I already have an honours degree, so Oscar can grow up knowing I was smart at some stage LOL!
Forgot to answer you, Nic - Tupp is going really well, considering I was not supposed to start till November! I have a few parties lined up, so they should help with accomodation in Ireland, as well as car hire. I've even been able to buy a couple of extra things for my kit for the season that I will be keeping for myself - the fix'n'mix bowl and the spatula! My mum still has her bright yellpw FNM bowl from the 80's and I really wanted one of my own (as she definitely still uses hers, so stealing it would have me riddled with guilt!). I'm really loving it and realising that it's dead easy, fun and profitable. It's the perfect job to have when you've got a family, huh? Now to convince my friends so that I can get a recruit!
My mum's an odd one. As fraught as our relationship gets, she can have moments of gold. She has a pair of boots that she used to wear when we'd go to the city, or out on excursions that were super comfy and could be walked in for hours. We aren't the same shoe size and she said that if I could find somehting like them, she'd get them for me for Christmas. So, I found something really similar, ordered them, and she's going to pay for them. They will be dead handy for going to Ireland and walking around London, and they'll be my first choice when I take Oscar out to the zoo, city, aquarium, circus...whatever! I just dont' have any shoes that are properly lined and comfortable for a lot of walking. My cheap Kmart Grosby's are comfy, but the leather and lining is cheap Indian stuff and will let water in at a moment's notice. Anyway, that and the new bikini I ordered are keeping my spirits up...the little things!
Bath - I second Mel's comment about 'only' being a SAHM. I know what work it requires to be one, because I see it all slipping away from me as I try to focus on other things! I've decided that I can't be a SAHM and a student at the same time (well, not at the pace I was attempting), because they are both too involved to get the proper amount of attention. DP was dusting and clearing stuff of the weekend and saying how much he had done and that I wasn't helping. I said "no, I'm not helping, because I can't". What I have thought since is that it takes a once-off attempt by him to clean the loungeroom and kitchen (yeah, so he shouldn't kid himself, he hasn't progressed to the bedrooms, bathroom or study yet!) for him to realise how much work it involves, yet when I don't do it and keep on top of it, he doesn't acknowledge how labour-intensive it is! Not only that, he refuses to see that when it's just me and Oscar, Oscar wants my attention. When it's him and Oscar, he can get stuff done because Oscar doesn't consider him to be nearly the cuddle opportunity as he does me. So, the "how come I could cook the dinner with Oscar around and you can't?" line just doesn't wash with me anymore. I won't vent anymore, he was very nice to me on the phone today - especially when I told him that I'm probably going to have to let go of one unit this semester (he was just recovering from being told I was dropping to one per semester for next year). So, if I fail, that's fees for that unit and I have to do it again another time. Today, I DON'T CARE.
Enough of my whinging. Today I got my cousin's wedding invite in the post, so it feels a lot more real now! I'm actually going to be back in Ireland, with my 'two favourite allies' (as I like to call them when we're going on a trip somewhere, as per the Chillies song...three when Odin was the only dog we had and he'd come camping). It will be COLD, but that's ok.
Tali - thanks for the tip! I had heard that beach swimming wasn't done, and I had heard of a resort where you can swim right near your hut on the water and that's about it. I'd still like to go there, though. Maybe even have an impromptu civil service there?? Dunno. Getting married in Ireland is too bloody hard, with paperwork and all this advance notice...it's all a bit non-spontaneous, which is fine for younger couples with no kids, cos you want to be sure you want to do it and all that planning takes staying power, but when you've bypassed a step or two (moving in and having kids before getting married), the 'making sure you're sure' doesn't really apply. I think we both want to surprise ourselves just a little, whilst still thinking enough to do it somewhere nice and off-the-cuff. DP has vetoed Byron Bay...dont' know why, but he panned it last week!
Mel - how confronting to have to imagine Chelsea in a uniform! Nooooooooo!
Better get some lunch, then off to the doctors with my sickly child.