A Stay At Home Mum never clocks off

Your hair is plastered across your face, toddler hanging off your leg and  your teenager is yelling at you for making them get off Facebook.

 

You look though the kitchen window and see your husbands car pull up in the drive. He steps out of the car.

It's like a halo surrounds him, angels are singing.... you are finally going to get a break!

            Ouch!!!!!!

That is reality hitting you in the face

This is what really happened:

• He walks in the door, letting the dog barge in complete with dirty paws

• Kicks off his shoes  and smelly socks and flops of the couch, remote in hand and begins to complain about how tired  and hungry he is.  

You sigh to yourself. Sleep-ins, relaxation and quiet moments of reflection   are about as real as magical cleaning fairies and um... flying pigs.

Want some time to yourself?  Huh? What’s that? Oh Never mind….

Without giving your man a good kick up the bum (or having a nervous breakdown) here are some ways to help you lighten the load. Just remember NOT to share them with hubby should you ever go back to work. You will have a little bit of joy inside you watching him struggle when HE thought you had it easy. He he he

Use his income $$$ to get your home as low maintenance and as organised as possible.

This means:-

HOME

• Pavers/Concrete/Potplants
• Less to weed, water or mow.
• Carpet (if no pets that drop a mountain of hair) or floorboards/tiles for easy vaccuming of the presents from your 4 legged cousin ITS.

CLEANING

• Storage tubs/ toy nets. The easy way to throw everything in and put it in a cupboard. Clutter? What clutter?
• -Minimal horizontal surfaces means less dumping stations for others. Get rid of excess furniture, shelving and ornaments. Keep things only that have either beauty, value or serve a purpose in your home.
• Frames on walls rather than on surfaces etc.  Yay to  Less dusting!
• Fandangle vacuum cleaner so you don’t need to go over the same spot again and again and ….well again.
• Get that dishwasher you have always been wanting. Massive time saver
• Depending on the age of the child, a baby carrier. I personally love the Ergobaby. Whack it on your back with bubba in and off you go! Vaccuming, shopping, mowing…. Ok probably not mowing I’m fairly sure grass isn’t on their list of vital nutrients.
• Also make the time on the weekend  to do a really big cleanout( or maybe a school day so the kids don’t realise you threw out half their toys and clothes.

WASHING

• Choosing and buying clothes for the family that require minimal ironing
• Make it clear clothes washing happens once a week only and that it won’t be washed if it doesn't make it to the basket on its own accord (might have to be a bit flexible with the kids)

MISCELLANEOUS STUFF

• Key Hooks with a shelf for the wallets, glasses etc right near the door ( some “everything has a home” training may be required)
• Ensure family has enough clothes to get them through a week without you washing
• Organiser tray for mail in, mail out, bills to pay, for filing
• Whiteboard and corkboard for children’s school notices, must remembers and well something to doodle on while you are hold to Telstra for an hour
• Calendar for all those doctors appointments, excursions etc
• Cash tin for last minute canteen lunches, bus money or casual day gold coin donations ( or donations to the stressed out mum foundation)
• Get yourself some nice walking shoes. (Well if you can’t fit in the gym 3x a week you might as well have some nice shoes to run your errands in to burn those calories)

FOOD/COOKING

• Invest in a slow cooker and get your google on, finding recipes that you can pop in the cooker and walk away- yep all the way to the nail salon!
• Cook in bulk once a week and freeze so you can have a few re-heat nights. If you pull it out an hour or two before hubby gets home he will be none the wiser. Think lasagne, curry, bolognaise, apricot chicken, casseroles. You can also makes cakes/slices and freeze in cut portions for kids lunchboxes.
• Get your login for Coles and Woolworths and order your groceries online and pick them up or have them delivered to your door for roughly an extra $9.00

MUM’S TAXI

• Try car pooling with other mums for the soccer matches  or school pick ups
• 
• Get the kids involved in  cleaning the car for pocket money ( or maybe if they would like to eat for the next 5-10 years)
• Fill up the car every time you see fuel cheap – the money you save can be spent on … well you. After all you deserve it supermum!

BILL PAYING

• Use internet banking and make full use of direct debiting. Even if you direct debit a chunk of money to your power bill each month you may have nothing left to dash to the post office to pay in the quarter.
• Most private health claims can be done online as can Centrelink queries

RUBBISH

• Get scented bin liners. That way if you haven’t had a chance to empty it yet at least hubby won’t be alerted by the bad smell
•  If you have a fireplace, stuff all your paperwork/tissues in it.  You’ll have your fire almost set to warm up the house and you won’t have to empty the bin as often. WINNING!

But if none of these work- I suggest:

•  Becoming a REALLY bad cook. If your food is inedible he might just get up off his bum and cook something himself.
• Let the kids scream through his favourite TV show and pretend you are in a coma, maybe he will put them to bed
• Cry. Lots of big drippy tears. Men hate that and will look for a way to get away from it. Maybe even go do the dishes???
• Hide his Jack Daniels and then use as a reward for good behaviour. You might have to hide the keys too so he cant drive off to get more...

Deep breaths and good luck...

FAST BEAUTY FIXES THAT ARE LIVING IN YOUR CUPBOARD!

Does your medicine cabinet bulge with all the different potions and lotions, treatments and fancy pants make up products? 

Mine did. Then I found some brilliant products that didn’t break the bank and most of them are in my pantry or fridge!

Below are a list of fast beauty fixes that you can use at home last minute minus that super expensive avocado.Let’s face it, if you’re going to use the fruit you might as well  buy the expensive lotions with the price of tropical fruit this time of the year!

CINNAMON

-Make a face mask with equal parts of cinnamon, nutmeg and honey. Powerful ingredients to draw gunk out of the skin and the nutmeg provides a great exfoliate while the honey moisturizers. Just make sure you take it off your face gently with a warm washcloth. Use approx. once a week

BI CARB

- Fix a greasy scalp get some bi carb and sprinkle in your hair. It soaks up and the grease and gets rid of any odour. Kind of like dry shampoo!

-Short term deodorant. Keeping a box of bi carb in your car can be incredibly useful. Not only will it help reduce odour in the car but its there when you need a bit of a freshen up! Dust lightly under arms

LEMON JUICE

-Get  rid of tan lines, especially on the hands, elbows and knees. Soak a cotton ball in fresh lemon juice and apply to the area you want to make less orange and the lemon juice will bleach it back saving you from a tanning disaster.

-Want to lighten your hair but don’t want the harsh chemicals? Well if you already have blondish hair, you can. Lemon Juice is nature’s bleach. Squeeze some lemons in to a bowl pour it in to a trigger spray and spray on dry hair.  Stand out in the sun for about ½ hour or longer depending on what result you want. Now it isn’t as obvious as bleach but it does brighten your locks right up!

VASELINE

-make teeth shiny

-Use to prevent chafing by applying to the area that can become aggravated,

 -lip balm or even to

-smooth over those unruly eyebrows.

-mix it in with eyeshadow you can also create a liquid eyeshadow and help it bind better to the eyelid. Only mix a bit as you use it not the whole lot at once as it could go off or breed bacteria.

SORBELENE

-Moisturiser

-Make up remover

-After sun balm to prevent peeling

-Soap alternative

OLIVE OIL

-Treat feet by cleansing/ exfoliating first (can be done with cinnamon mask) smother feet in olive oil and wrap in glad wrap, pop on some socks are leave overnight. Nice soft tooties in the morning!

-Treatment dry hair by leaving in overnight on the ends of the hair. Make sure you use HOT water to rinse out properly.

-Skin moisturiser

-use it before a shower to prevent skin from getting dried out from the water

-Mix up some soft brown sugar with olive oil to make a great body exfoliant

BABY SOAP

-Helpful in getting rid of acne on an oily face. Wash face on a daily basis and use minimal moisturiser

-Bleeding nails can be stopped by putting a chunk of soap on the affected area. Same goes for shaving cuts

TEA TREE OIL

-Antiseptic for cuts and helps them heal

-Spot treatment for pimples

-Anti fungal to treat athletes foot

-Add to bath to help deal with body odour

- Use on scalp to help dread dandruff

- Relieve insect bites

HAIRSPRAY

-Help stop runs in stockings

-Fix hair in place

-Spray over foundation to make it set (this is entirely optional please consider the fumes)

-Help nail polish set

SANDPAPER

-Use fine sandpaper to file callouses off your feet

-Rub the soles of new sandals to get grip on them

So next time you had a beauty drama...... just look in the cupboard.

Get paid as a Virtual sex worker-Is it for me?

Get paid as a Virtual sex worker-Is it for me?

A hot topic of last year was hearing about everyday women getting paid as either phone sex workers or virtual sex workers. Some were doing the job to make ends meet, while others had completely replaced their income!

Lots of arguments come to mind.

Is it cheating?

Is it safe?

How do they protect their children from  exposure?

Others arguing that it’s just a modern take on prostitution.

Well I’m intrigued, so I’m off to find out more.

Scrolling through the various pages after typing in a few key words, most of the content that comes up is well…pornographic.

I decided to go on to youtube and type in “make money as virtual sex worker.” BOOM Pay day

Up comes a video with a young American girl.No make up or bad hair extensions, just your average  girl, who begins to talk about the opportunity of working for the company as a “redlight girl.”

I must admit, her delivery is interesting. She refers to virtual sex as an “entertaining gaming experience with no real nudity”

Below the poster of the video has written a brief outline.

“You can just type and use your avatar if you'd like, voice-chat and webcam are completely optional. If you do offer webcam shows it will be the real you, not your avatar. You can choose from different hair colors, styles, body shapes, etc. You won't be able to customize every little detail, but enough to make yourself look unique.”

Well sounds ok so far. I know that I would NEVER be one to do webcam shows, I’d leave that one to the professionals who want to have all other career prospects crash and burn.

Uni students take note: If you want a respected career eg doctor, lawyer  or even a famous actor etc DO NOT go putting your face on webcam on  a website like this. With today’s technology you can pretty much guarantee that one day it is going to bite you in the backside.

Ok well besides that I am almost sold. I’m not looking to go back in to the real workforce. I love being a mum, want to be a mum of more but we are going to need to some more cash to make that happen so I tell hubby about the potential plan and…. He laughs.

I ask if he thinks it’s cheating.

“No I don’t think so. It’s not real, it’s a source of income and your identity is protected. I think cheating is more about the intent than anything else. We talk about everything anyway.”

Ah where did I find such a catch? I click on the website link for more information.

I read through the content. Here it is in a nutshell.

·        

•  Newbies can expect to earn $10 an hour with text chat and avatar only or with voice chat and/ or webcam $20 an hour

•  Experienced or those that become popular $20+ an hour or with a webcam up to $40 an hour

• None of your personal information can be seen by the customer and is used only for registering

• Your cost to work from the website is $20 a month which pays the running costs of website-no commissions are taken by the site

• You have to download the software to use which will take time so if you have slow internet be prepared to wait.

• You can design your own avatar

Well in conclusion $10 a hour isn’t much, minimal wage but getting up to $20 could be worthwhile. I’m putting this one on the back burner for a bit and see if it appeals in another month or two…

Want to check it out for yourself?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8wW2RpBoYs

http://www.virtualsexwork.com/

7 cheap and versatile foods you should have at home

Do you find that once you have bought your meat a couple of veggies and your milk for the next week that you have probably gone over budget?  here are my top 7 foods to have in the cupboard to get you through your last couple of days before your next pay check that  are still good for you.

Beans/Lentils/Barley

Great as a meat alternative and packed with protein to fill you up and fibre to keep you regular this little bitty things can pack a punch when you need to save money on your groceries. Use them in casseroles, soups, lasagna  pies, the list is endless! Compare it to say a kilo of mince which is around $8-10 you can pick these up dry in the same amount for about $3

Potato

Mashed, fried, baked or steamed, the potato is incredibly versatile. While if you are trying to eat healthy you would generally stay away from frying it but to make it tasty you don’t just have to have it on its own either. Combine some of it with sweet potato to mix up your mash, use it to top a meat/lentil pie instead of pastry, or bake and fill with salad for an quick easy dinner.

Chicken drumsticks

Once you take the skin off these they can be pretty healthy. Chicken thigh usually contains more zinc than the breast which is important for good health. If you have a slow cooker even better as you can  use these for just about anything! You can buy them in bulk cheaply so its worth dividing them up and freezing them to use as you need. Try different spice rubs and marinades. Having a stock of spices and herbs will make it cheaper for you in the long run than buying sauces.

 Rice

When we think of rice it is usually to accompany another dish such as a curry or stir fry but you can create other dishes with rice too! Think italian mozzarella and rice balls, chicken fried rice and  risotto. Hardly boring now is it? For an even healthier option, choose brown rice.

Eggs

This is one of the most amazing products of nature in my opinion. Eggs can be used in baking cakes, soufflés, quiche, omelette, by itself in a variety of methods, pavlova and other fancy desserts. It contains omega 3 and  protein, making it a great source of nutrition.

Frozen veg mix

Fresh fruit and veg are often expensive to buy and often by the time you get to them they are growing limbs or fur in the crisper of your fridge. If you are one of many who do not get enough vegetables in your diet, excuses are no longer an option. Buying frozen veg is a really cheap and a great nutritional option. Veggies are frozen from the moment they are picked locking in all the good stuff. Being pre chopped for you also means less preparation ( and excuses) because you can literally drop them in the pot with everything else and cook. Try to buy frozen veg such as spinach, broccoli, peas and beans. The darker the green in a vegetable the more nutritional goodness it has for your body! To get extra veg add to stir fry, soup, curry or casseroles

Greek/Natural Yoghurt

Use as an  healthy alternative to cream in cooking or desserts. Contains protein and healthy bacteria for the body. Can also eat on its own as a snack, mixed with fruit, on top of your cereal. It also helps take heat out of dishes such as hot curries ( often combined with cucumber in indian cooking) and can having a small amount can assist in easing the symptoms of heart burn and indigestion.