Tasmiya

I am so excited!

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008 | Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Everybody Loves Good Neighbours

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 | Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Maybe we weren’t the only ones to discover a huge jump in water consumption and in a strange way it’s comforting to know that others are as worried about is as we are.

Overheard at my place:

Neighbour 1: Incoherent mumble

Neighbour 2: It’s supposed to be FOUR MINUTES. That’s it. END OF STORY!

Neighbour 1:  mumbles again

Neighbour 2: You’re banging on about EIGHT MINUTES BUT IT ISN’T EIGHT MINUTES. IT’S FOUR MINUTES! TURN THE TIMER OVER AND IT’S FOUR MINUTES!

Neighbour 1: more mumbling

Neighbour 2: YOU WENT IN THE SHOWER FIRST THIS MORNING AND 15 MINUTES LATER YOU COME OUT! FIFTEEN ****ING MINUTES

(pause)

.

.

.

.

.

.

THAT’S THREE AND A HALF ****ING SHOWERS RIGHT THERE!

————————

I love that pause at the end as she is calculating the number of showers he is taking.

I hope they settle this domestic dispute in a hurry and he uses that timer for the showers. The shame of having such water wasters IN OUR OWN NEIGHBOURHOOD.

*ahem*

SCANDALOUS.

Sense of Humour

Friday, July 11th, 2008 | Conversations, Humour | 4 Comments

Husband makes me laugh. It’s one of the million things I simply adore about him. Say mashaAllah!

Uncontrollably/until my stomach hurts/wee came out/giggling like a little girl.

Husband (who is also doing this diet along with me): My stomach is growling so much, everyone at work will think I’m farting at them.

Tasmiya: Oh?

Husband: I’ll just tell them, “Not ‘at’….’WITH’..”

Water Water EVERYWHERE

Friday, July 11th, 2008 | Australiana, Domestic Bliss, Life and stuff | 9 Comments

I am very sad indeed today. We received our council rates notice and along with that, we have a water fact sheet telling us how much water we have been using and how it compares to last period.

I feel like bawling!

Somehow we have increased our water consumption 75%!

Now for those of you not in Australia, most of this country is desert. Along with that the El-Nino effect has made sure we haven’t got a steady rainfall for a very long time. The dams in my city are down to 39% so water restrictions apply. This government both state and local have really done wonders here (though they could do a bit more) The restriction involves a ban on watering gardens with sprinklers & hoses and minimal hosing with buckets at certain times of the day. Pool covers are mandatory and it is recommended we only take 4 minute showers. The state government are giving rebates for people purchasing water saving washing machines and there are some concessions for the installation of rainwater tanks.

I called the council office nearly crying (I held it together very well) wondering how on earth we could be using so much water. Poor Annette at the Brisbane City Council was very concerned. Not so much about my water consumption but by the fact that I was on the point of sobbing about it. It didn’t help me much (or it could very well have  helped me a great deal who is to know?) that I am suffering from a horrible laryngitis and cold so my voice sounds like it’s breaking pretty much all the time.

Annette was very helpful.

“Oooh 75% now that’s a BIG increase isn’t it, dear?”

“YES! I know and I don’t know HOW that could have happened” *voice breaks* *sniffles*

“Have you perhaps installed a pool?”

“A pool? No we haven’t. Is that how much water we’ve wasted? POOL SIZE?” *sniffle*”I can’t imagine how we could have used so much water. I am so upset about this.” *voice breaks*” I mean we bought a dishwasher and I thought those were supposed to HELP with the water stuff and oh I don’t know the children have longer showers but I didn’t think they were THAT long what am I going to do I am so sorry.” *voice cracks*

“Do you mind if I just put you on hold for a minute so I can check on my screen here if there is anything I can do..white van perhaps, dear?”

Turns out I will need to check my meter for leaks. I must turn off all water in the house, check the meter reading. Check it again in an hour (without turning any taps on obvs) and compare the readings. Ok. That’s easy enough. So if the meter reading hasn’t changed then it means there is a CONSUMPTION problem. If the reading has changed, there is a leak somewhere and we need to call a Magnum PPI - plumbing private investigator.

I have done this - meter reading has not changed which means we are actually USING WAY TOO MUCH WATER. This is tragic, really. We’ve been pretty lax lately to be honest but I had no idea how lax we were until I sat down and thought about it:

1. The boys get more than 4 minute showers - we lost the timer thingy and even when we found it we haven’t been using it as strictly as we once were.

2. I am showering once a day compared to my usual once a week.

.

.

.

.

.

I kid!

.

.

.

.

.

Really

3. Dishwasher - now I thought that dishwashers were meant to be water savers but if you are RINSING the plates under running water like we do before putting them in to be washed, you aren’t really saving much water at all. We need to wipe them down with a sponge.

4. I don’t think I am doing more clothes washing than normal but I will have to be a bit more strict and not wash things that really only need folding and putting away.

It’s going to be a pretty vigilant Tasmiya this next quarter.

WATCH OUT.

Cravings

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 | Life and stuff, Rant | 14 Comments

No, not the pregnant kind. Just the usual run of the mill sugar cravings. I gots them.

And since you are reading this blog and that of course automatically means you want to know everything about me I shall tell you why I have the sugar cravings: › Continue reading

Protected: The Silver Lining

Monday, July 7th, 2008 | Breastfeeding and Weaning, Parenting | Enter your password to view comments

Saturday!

Saturday, July 5th, 2008 | Life and stuff | 4 Comments

I am blogging on a Saturday because my life is so boring

Did you read that properly, people?

Saturday.

I am blogging.

Which means I am at home.

Which means I am not at work! I hope they are managing well without me. HAHAHAHAH! I am not at work!!! THE ASIAN/SCARF/MUSLIM/DARK vet is not working!

Ahhh life is good.

My cousin has given birth to a baby girl mashaAllah. Huge baby. No name as yet (what is with that - you had NINE months of planning! Study harder next time instead of pulling a one-nighter and hoping for the best! Just kidding - my sister went for about a month without a name)

We are off to buy my 4 year old a new bike, with training wheels although he is keen on learning to ride the proper way. 2 year old is nearly as tall as 4 year old and I think he will need the same size bike. I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve been asked if the younger two are twins. One is just petite, like his mum and the other is a huge lump of lard like his dad.

So off we go. To the toy store. Wish us luck.

Book club

Friday, July 4th, 2008 | Life and stuff, Parenting | 10 Comments

I take BACK my WOOHOO and replace it with “OH MY GOD!”

The boys have decided to wage war against each other at every opportunity and for no reason at all. I am HERE boys. I am HERE watching you annoy each other, lash out and then hit each other.  No shame! Just get along for goodness sake. For all you know in 15 years time you may be on different sides of the planet and be missing each other terribly.

I have just finished reading The Kite Runner. Please do not read this book - you will start the first chapter bawling and each subsequent chapter you will cry more. I could not speak to husband when I read the final page as mucus was streaming out of my red nose and tears were dripping onto the book - I was sobbing LIKE A BABY. So after gym last night (I am going twice a day - how is that for insanity?), I cried some more and could not speak to husband. At bedtime I sobbed again. And all he asked me was, “So, is it a happy ending?” ( I will not answer as I am not a party pooper and would hate to spoil it for you all.)

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

THE BUTLER DID IT.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

HA!

So now I need a light, funny tale as I could not possibly read through another tearjerker. He is a marvelous storyteller by the way.  Any ideas on a book a little less emotionally exhausting?