2010 March | picklebums.com

March 31, 2010 | Filed in: Burning Questions,Pickle-me-kate

photo by kaibara87 via flickr.

Due to pregnancy induced tiredness I am going to bed a lot earlier these days, going to bed and watching TV, that is. I never used to watch much TV, I’d spend most of my evenings here in front of the computer screen. That was probably a good thing. If nothing else it saved me from ridiculous TV advertising.

The number of ads these days for anti-bacterial this and keep-your-children-safe that is driving me insane!

When did we all become such germaphobes?

My eyes just about roll out of my head as I listen to some well dressed, never a hair out of place, TV mother telling me that if I don’t wash my children’s hands with this hand sanitiser after they touch absolutely everything then I will be sent straight to Bad Mother Prison. That’s if they let me into Bad Mother Prison – they’d probably quarantine me in a bubble when they discover that I actually touch door handles in public places.

I must be covered in germs.
Nasty, insidious, evil, killer bacteria and germs.

My house is surely full of the little buggers since I don’t use anti-bacterial disposable wipes or spray the air with something that ‘deodorises and disinfects’. Don’t come to my house because you will surely die of all the diseases that are festering here.

Sure… I get that using anti-bacterial hand wash is possibly a good thing if you, or your children happen to be immuno-suppressed. I happily squirted that chilly gel on my hands before I entered the NICU to see my baby girls and before I went to visit my father-in-law after his heart transplant.

I’m also all for keeping a certain level of cleanliness, even more so if there is a little nasty running rampant through our house. I don’t let my children suck on the door handle of the public toilet or eat food off the floor in the food court. But what happened to common sense and a good amount of hot water and soap?

I’m not frightened of coming into contact with a few germs. I have plenty of them living quite happily in and on my body right now, doing me no harm whatsoever. I’m also not paranoid about coming into contact with a few everyday diseases. I take the regular precautions to avoid this, but my immune system works fine, and the odd bug here or there isn’t going to kill me, in fact, call me crazy, but it might actually do me some good.

All these ridiculous ’99.8% bacteria free’ products and their associated advertising are just feeding on people’s paranoia and fear to make money. These crazily perfect-looking mothers with their hand wipes and their subconscious little messages that ‘bacteria free’ = clean = good mother….. it really makes my blood boil (hey maybe that will kill all the germs living on me?)!

I guess I just need to turn off the TV and read a book!

share the love

More »

People are often confused by this concept. Even those who know we have twins, somehow can’t wrap their heads around the numbers. Sometimes even I forget… but then I am 28 weeks pregnant with our fourth child – so I claim insanity whenever it suits me.

So third time round, what have I learnt about pregnancy?

1. The term ‘morning sickness’ was coined by a male who expected every pregnant woman to just suck it up and be over it by lunch time.

2. The same man invented the myth that ‘all day sickness’ would magically disappear at 12 weeks.

3. You can survive on frozen coke with a liquid iron supplement for weeks on end if you have to.

4. My babies all like to live under my rib cage, where they shove and kick and try to separate my ribs a little more each day.

5. Demonstrating skipping at school won’t make me have the baby, but it may make me wet my pants.

6. Despite my belly getting huger every second, I still can’t keep my pants up!

7. Third time round I am kind of blasé about counting – I only know how many weeks pregnant I am now because I felt stupid not knowing when so many people asked me!

8. Ice water, ice water and more ice water…. Don’t ask me why, it just makes me feel better.

9. In another week I’ll be more pregnant that I was when I had the girls and still miles away from when I had Muski…. That is such a strange place to be.

10. First, second or third time round, with one in there or two, it is still totally bizarre and really cool to feel the creature in my belly doing somersaults!

share the love

More »

The girls have been keen on the idea of sleeping on the floor in the lounge room for a long long time. (Don’t ask me why, I have no idea!) So when I suggested that perhaps, to celebrate the start of the holidays, we could hire a few DVDs and have a sleep out, they were well pleased. Add to the excitement, some junk food for dinner, ice cream for dessert and a very bestest, beloved, friend to join them and they were in heaven!

I must say it was a really lovely night for everyone, even me!

Listening to Zoe and ‘Tannah-banana’ chatting quietly at 11:30pm while Izzy snored next to them was just lovely. I know it was late… but the fact that these three girls are still so close and still adore each other’s company despite some major changes in their lives this year brings, me such joy.

Once they went to sleep all three slept like logs till 7:30 the next morning. I snuck in to see if everyone was ok at about 5am (since I was up to pee anyway – ah the joys of pregnancy). I found Zoe sleeping entirely on the floor next to her bed, Izzy curled up side ways across her bed where her pillow should have been and Tan laying perfectly in the centre of her bed, nice and neatly, but with her head to one side, resting on the soles of Izzy’s feet.

Ah friends…. it’s ace to have friends.

share the love