29

Turi enjoys the birthday balloons in his PJs (our new family uniform)

Sorry for dropping off the radar.  Minty has pneumonia.  I thought pneumonia was just one of those things like scurvy that parents use to threaten you into being more sensible, 'if you don't put your jacket on before you go out you'll catch pneumonia!'.  Apparently people actually do get it in 'real life' too.  She should be fine - just needs to have plenty of rest and antibiotics.

While I was gone I turned 29.  I spent the night of my birthday sleeping on the floor next to the toilet while my insides tried to find their way outside.  No I was not hung over.  Just another lovely side effect of the (swine/avian/rodent??) flu we've been fighting for the last three weeks.

29 is a funny age.  It's the last year before I turn officially 'old' and I feel like I should be making some kind of bucket list for my 20s.  Strangely though I can't think of anything to put on it.  I'm not sure whether that means I'm happy or just boring.  To be honest I feel pretty old already.

Just this morning I found myself listening to Alanis Morissett's Jagged Little Pill.  The album was released back when I was an awkward, angsty teen and at the time Alanis was the embodiment of cool.  Now I find the songs whiney rather than relatable and as a mother the whole album is a little scary.  It's like a musical warning that if I mess up my kids enough, when they're adults they'll write songs about how it's all my fault 'we'll love you just the way you are… if you're perfect', while they fling their greasy hair about, bum cigarettes, get into kabala and have an eating disorder.  Clearly I am mentally middle aged.

One thing I am going to try and do this year is take better care of myself.  I know it's a cliche but since having the kids I've put my health as a low priority.  For instance, in the morning I'm usually so busy making sure everyone else eats a balanced breakfast, that I end up scoffing a piece of toast and a coffee while I bundle everyone into the car.  From now on my body is a temple… so only come worshipping if you bring offerings of chocolate!  I jest… (sort of)