When the struggle almost breaks you

Something bad happened today. $200 got taken from my bank account which was my grocery money. I for obvious reasons start stressing that I have $100 to feed my family (1 adult, 4 children) for 10 days. $10 per day, $2 per person and 3 meals per day - I'm screwed!!

Not quite phew! Did groceries. I'm yet to do the fruit and veg store which will provide sweet potatoes, fruit and pumpkin.
Also I have $20 aside for bread and milk.
So for under $100 (just) I managed it.

Lunches consist of noodles and soups I already have.
Breakfasts are toast, cornflakes or weetbix which I have.

Meal plan is:
Monday - spaghetti bolognese
Tuesday - pasta bake
Wednesday - baked beans on toast
Thursday - pumpkin soup
Friday - curried sausages and rice
Saturday - spaghetti on toast
Sunday - pasta bake
Monday - pumpkin soup
Tuesday - curried sausages and sweet potato mash
Wednesday - spaghetti bolognese

It's not glamorous - far, far from it. It's not clean, not all of its healthy, but I'm not going to beat myself up on this. In a bad situation I have still managed to be able to put food in my children's bellies and as a mother that means I have done my job. Could it be better, absolutely! Am I proud? No way. Could it be worse? Hell yes, I could have no food for my kids and no money. Instead I spent my last $100 to put food on the table for them.
Hopefully I can get the money back but I don't want my hopes up.

Never give up, things somehow will always work out. This is proof.

An update on my life

It has been a little while since I last blogged and for that I apologise! So what has been happening? Well I have had a lot of mental health stuff going on, had my medications changed twice in as many weeks and have officially been diagnosed with bipolar and borderline personality disorder. Over the next few months my mental health workers and I are going to be working on my PTSD so I can accept new people into my life and repair the relationships with those currently in my life. I have joined a gym and have a personal trainer to start feeling good about myself and take advantage of all those fantastic benefits of exercise and endorphines. I am dedicated to starting to eat properly again. I have been stalking the 100 days of real food blog and want to do a similar challenge. I am joining Isagenix too to kick start my weight loss and new lifestyle. By cleansing and using the products I am hoping for increased energy, a general feeling of happiness and wellbeing from cleansing and freeing myself of toxins, support in cutting sugar, caffine and alcohol from my life. I will post more on my Isagenix journey once I have joined and can tell and show you the changes that I am certain I will acheive. But back to the real food challenge here is the challenge I will set for my family (this includes my ex as he has dinner here to spend time with the kids - something we are trialling) 181 days (6 months) - 2 adults - 4 children - 0 processed foods and on a budget! The budget shall be set at $600 per month. This is approx $1 per person, per meal. It doesn't sound like a lot does it? Especially since it doesn't include snacks either. I am determined to make this work and give my family a better, heathier life. I am not a nutritionalist at all so will be doing my best to balance all the nutrients so my children and myself (and I suppose the ex ;) ) aren't missing out on anything. I am working on the first fortnights meal plan and shopping list and will post that up as soon as I am done and have adapted recipes etc.

Self harm is not attention seeking

*****TRIGGER WARNING******
THIS BLOG POST DOES CONTAIN SELF HELP DISCUSSION AND IMAGES.



Something I heard recently has stuck in my head. Kept me awake. Made me cry. Made me angry and really i need to vent about it and it's coming in this post.

I was chatting recently with a very good friend about her brother in laws family, one obviously suffers from mental illness of some sort (I do not know the details but is often hospitalized from self harming) she said her boyfriend said to her "is that miss slitty?" That was the first thing that annoyed me the  as the conversation went on the boyfriend asks "so did she go across the street or up the road?" A question meaning which direction did she cut. The response was across the road. The boyfriend then said "so it's just attention seeking" she said pretty much.

Omg self harm is not about attention seeking (very, very, very rarely) 

This isn't attention seeking. Plus it has a drawing of my next tattoo ;) self harm isn't about people looking at you. I've never usually admitted.to my self harming let alone publicly displayed it, I always cover it so people can see, so do many others I know, if it were for attention wouldn't we be showing it off, flashing it around, wanting the sympathy?

It makes me so angry when people dismiss mental illness.  It is not a joke, it is serious.

Do I enjoy these scars? No. Am I proud of them? No. Do I cover them every chance I can? Yes. 

It is not about the attention not at all. I'm so angry I am going around in circles. 

Just please before you judge somebody for anything have step back. There could be a lot more to this persons story than you know. 

I am a survivor not a victim

I always thought until very recently I was a victim of domestic violence. I learnt not long ago I am not a victim, I am a survivor and since that light bulb moment I have felt stronger and ready to start moving on.

The things I experienced with my ex (my 9 year olds father) I would not wish upon anybody. Although I said earlier than I am ready to move on I have been having a lot flashbacks lately,8 years later. Being out of the relationship doesn't always make you free. I have lived in fear for so long and that is about to change. I have nothing to fear now.

My ex went as far as to attempt to kill my daughter and I, at this point I was too scared to tell police what really happened and he got numerous other domestic violence related charges and I wish now I hadn't have downplayed what he did. Do you know why I did it? It was out of fear, shame, embarrassment even guilt, guilt that I stayed that long to the point I could have lost my daughter.

One thing that really annoys me when it comes to domestic violence is how naive people can be. I heard so many times "why don't you just leave?" Or most commonly because I never really spoke up when I was in the relationship "why didn't you just leave?" When somebody controls you so much and you fear them that much you can't, you can't eat without being told you're allowed, can't listen to music if they don't want you to, shower when you're told. How are you meant to leave? The abuser knows this, control is their main weapon. I was not allowed anywhere by myself and if I was he had people follow me. 

As I said before domestic violence has long lasting effects on the person on the receiving ends. I may not have physical scars but I do have bones that were broken that get sore at night or in the cold, I do have a lump on my nose from where it was broken, I do have the lasting memories. Remembering being pulled aside at a neighbour's house to ask about the bruises around my neck, excuse after excuse to housing about another wall or door I "fell through" 

In my current relationship I am very defensive for example if my husband can't find his keys I instantly jump on the defense "I didn't touch them, it wasn't me" 

It is my time to stand back up. It is my time to be strong, be happy, live the life I deserve.

Domestic violence hasn't only effected me, my daughter has some long lasting effects too including severe anxiety and social disorders. 

The above picture is a tattoo I will be getting in the near future, the purple ribbon is the domestic violence awareness ribbon and I love butterflies. Thinking back now if it wasn't for a good friend of mine who is as good as a sister to me for calling the police one night when my ex was in a rage and police intercepting the car I really believe I would have died that night. 

I have to go do the school pick up now but may write more on this tonight.

Nothing is left just a hollow shell

Yesterday I turned 16 weeks pregnant.
It should be happy, we (well I) have been busy picking out baby furniture and prams, we have discussed names, bought outfits all that stuff you do when planning for a baby.

This was a 15 week picture, I didn't take a 16 week one, bump was progressing very well, we had the heartbeat checked with a doppler a few days ago and all was amazing.



That has all come crashing down and exploded in a big firey mess. 2 days ago I started bleeding and went to go get checked out because there was quite a lot of blood and it was bright red and had started to follow up with cramping. Waited around at the hospital for ages before being seen and they confirmed it, our baby no longer had a heartbeat.

Thankfully I have been able to come home and try pass the baby naturally rather than  a D&C.
This is my 11th miscarriage, yes 11th. I have been thrown off parenting forums before as the admin team didn't seem to believe somebody can miscarry so often but when you have a condition called Asherman's Syndrome it makes this a reality/nightmare for me, so please before judging somebody take a second to think and even talk to them because I was never allowed to give my side.

Now I am left feeling empty, more empty than usual. Normally when we miscarry I think it's ok we will get pregnant again and hope like crazy again, except this time I promised my husband was the last time I would put myself through this, there is no more chances. No more babies.

I can't type about this anymore at the moment, it hurts too much.

A week as the monster

The monster is what I now call myself during my depressive states. I have become a monster. I don't even recognise myself anymore.
Yesterday morning I smashed a window in a rage, I didn't mean to break it but I kicked something in the lounge room and it hit the window.
I self harmed for the first time in a long time last night and now everything that touches my arm makes it burn.

I don't even know what has made me like this, everyday I am yelling, putting down those I love, being down right mean to them, degrading them. I am everything I always avoided, everything I ran away from. I am abusive to my family and I want it to stop now.

I cannot keep doing it to them, I do not want my children to end up as screwed up as I am, I want to fix me so I don't break them.

I already get professional help and currently not medicated, we are working towards that with the people I see at the psychiatric hospital. I need ways of stopping myself in that moment, how do I do that when I don't see the moment until it's too late, until I am too angry to stop and it just keeps coming and coming.

I don't even get a little ticked off these days I go from fine to an absolute rage in a second, I don't see it coming and I don't know how to stop it.
I have tried walks, going out for a while when I am angry if hubby is home to watch the kids and it doesn't work for me. I am thinking of doing yoga and meditation.

All I know right now is I hate who I have become, I am an empty shell, I do not recognise myself anymore, I do not want to be this person/thing I have become. I want to be happy, I want to love my kids, I want my kids to love me, I want to laugh, I want to be able to hug my family without feeling sick and repulsed, I want to feel warm and fuzzy again, I want to smile - a real smile not a forced one, I want to laugh so hard I cry, so much it hurts your chest. I want to feel light again not heavy.
I will be me again, I will!

Save Breastfeeding Mama Talk

I admin on a facebook page called Breastfeeding Mama Talk. It was originally started as just a page to help and support breastfeeding mothers as in many communities it is still something that is very much looked down upon and many don't know where to turn for support.
Kristy Kemp the owner is no stranger to the struggle that comes along with running such a support page and the guidelines of social media.



Now Breastfeeding Mama Talk has 344,933 likers! We support and help hundreds of women per day. Breastfeeding Mama Talk has also now expanded due to having so many followers.

A private group for those who want community support and advice without those on their facebook friends list seeing (unless of course they are in the group too)

A picture page to share all those adoreable breastfeeding photos

The lions den for all your uncensored, controversial chit chat

Mama Talk Uncensored a private version of the lions den for all the banned topics within our regular groups such as abortion, circumcision etc

The adoption triangle is a group for those who were adopted, have adopted a child or have adopted out their own child

 Are you trying to conceive? There is a group for those to chat about pregnancy tests, cervical mucus and ovulation

Let's talk sex! For the women who are 18+ who like a bit of adult conversation

A private group to share your picture can also be found here at picture shares if you prefer not to use the public page

Teen moms or moms to be have a special place to chat about life as a teen mom or a former teen mom

Do you like playing  games such as how old am I? or the who does my baby look like? This group is for you mama games

We even have a place for daddies to be involved too mommies and daddies united

Mamas in the kitchen is a great place to show of your latest creation or to get inspiration or meal planning tips

My favourite group that BFMT has to offer, a special place for those who have lost a baby or child at any stage of life and any gestation, a warm and gentle community parents of angels

For the blended family - Step families

Our special heroes is a group dedicated to those of us who has a child living with a disability or illness

See BFMT supports A LOT of families in many different ways, so why would a group of almost 40,000 women get shut down? Our regular breastfeeding mama talk in private group was shut down by facebook with no warning or explanation, may admins locked out of their accounts. We have had to set up a new group which can be found here breastfeeding mama talk privately

It is unfair that a group so large and supporting so many women just disappear overnight, members were not told where it went, many thought they had been kicked out by admin which certainly is not the case.
People have taken this time to make up false allegations against breastfeeding mama talk. Thankfully many people are supporting bfmt and are rallying together to get our voices heard by facebook and reinstate our group.



If you would love to get behind breastfeeding mothers and the support they get from our LC's, breastfeeding counsellors, nurses and experienced admin please hastage save bfmt on facebook! #savebfmt
40,000 women should not be punished and left without a safe place to get advice. Yes there are many other support groups out there but for a great deal of women in the group they needed to build up a trust relationship first before delving into the concerns they had about the shape of their nipples etc.