Belated Birthday Post and Other Stuff

On Saturday the 16th, we packed the kids in the car and headed off to my mom's house for my birthday dinner - Sushi!!! I'd been craving sushi pretty much since discovering I was pregnant, since one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind as that second little line appeared in the pregnancy test window was, "Oh shit - no sushi for me for the next few months!"

The original idea was that my mom would make the sushi (or at least some of it) using smoked salmon, so that I would also be allowed to have some. But in the end, it she went with good ol' proper sushi. And a few pieces with some (cooked) beef strips for my sake. It was awesome and I had a great time and I stuffed myself with real, proper sushi and I didn't feel guilty even a little bit!

On Monday the 18th, I turned 30 years old and felt no different from 29 or any of the years before that, except that I didn't have any contractions or other signs of premature labour on my birthday on any of the other years. So the better part of my birthday was spent timing contractions which were becoming more intense and more regular as the day progressed until I finally decided it was time to pull my head out of the sand and face it: I should probably go and get it checked out.

So we packed the kids in the car and headed for my mom's again, so that she could take care of them if I should need to be admitted to hospital. But we never made it as far as the hospital. Maybe it was my own unease at the thought of birthing in a government facility or maybe it was the motion of the car and the longish drive from Midrand to Pretoria, but the contractions stopped shortly before we reached the hospital and I decided it would be a waste of time to rock up there with nothing going on. So we turned around and came home.

The contractions came and went for a few more days, but eventually stopped toward the next weekend and have settled to the normal Braxton Hicks since then, much to everyone's relief.

Eish. I'm sitting here now, kicking myself for not posting sooner, because I had a lot of stuff to say but just found it really difficult to muster the will to blog these last two weeks.

I guess it's the typical late pregnancy type stuff - tired, irritable, uncomfortable, restless....
On the plus side, I'm still pregnant and not having to deal with the complications and drama of having a prem baby plus three other kids to care for. And just because I've never done one of these before, here's what the bump looks like now:



In the meantime, I've been really bad about keeping up with my blog reading (much the same way I've been really bad about keeping up with the blogging) and generally reminding myself why it is that I generally don't do resolutions and shit.

Time seems to have started moving really fast again lately and it feels like there are a few things that are kind of getting away from me at the moment. I need to get on top of that shit before it becomes an overwhelming, unconfrontable mess! The school stuff is a big part of that - we've had a bit of a wobbly start to the year, with me not being as well prepared as I would have liked. There was also some talk of us working things out to get the kids back into mainstream schooling, but we eventually decided we'd stick out the homeschooling route.

I had a miniature shit fit about the whole thing over the weekend, which I think kind of helped me to just get rid of some of my frustration and we've worked out a more workable way of doing things.

Work has also been picking up slowly and steadily, with a few new prospects and ideas popping up. For the moment, it looks as though I'll be able to juggle things well enough, especially now that we have full time help at home again, courtesy of my awesome mom, who has offered to help pay for it until things are more stable over here. Thanks, ma!! I'm not so sure how it's all going to fit together once the new baby arrives, but then I think I'll deal with that when the time comes.

And speaking of the new baby, I'm still looking for an acceptable birthing option that I can afford. Ideally, I would still like to have a home birth, but I'm having a really hard time finding a midwife who is prepared to attend a home VBAC, even though I've already had two successful VBACs before. My second choice (second only because of the cost factor) is to go to the same ABU I went to when Jack was born and to enjoy a similar experience to that with this baby. But unless I can either find a supportive midwife or find the money for the ABU (which, according to my research, is the most affordable private healthcare option available to me) it's looking more and more like the only (responsible?) option available to me is to birth in a government hospital. And I'd really, really like to avoid that, not only because I lack confidence in the government health system in general but also because I cannot bring myself to believe that a hospital environment is in any way going to allow me to have a positive and natural birth. So, seriously, any suggestions are welcome.

And now it's very late and time for me to haul my heavy and tired arse up the stairs, to bed.

T Minus 3 Days....

To my birthday, that is. And I've been wondering how it's going to turn out.

I know we're going to have a good time at my mom's place tomorrow, because I've been craving sushi for ages now and she's really good at making it.
Beyond that, I haven't given it much thought until now because, being in January, birthdays are generally a bit of a non-event for me. No-one has any spare cash lying around in January, because everyone's so busy making up for the overindulgence of the holiday season. It also tends to be one of the longest months of the year to get through, since most people get paid early in December, which means they have to make their December money stretch a good 10 days further. Which means a lavish party with all the bells and whistles in January is virtually unheard of. Which is probably why I've secretly always wanted to have one.

So, if January weren't January, here's what I would probably have liked to do and/or get for my birthday this year, being my 30th:

- A special getaway, whether it be for a week, a weekend or just a day. A hot air balloon picnic. Or a boat cruise with friends. Or a weekend away someplace luxurious and indulgent.
- A big shopping spree, on which I could buy whatever food, clothing or whatever that I would usually not buy because we don't really need it.
- A boob job or to have my teeth whitened. They turned yellow *after* I stopped smoking, believe it or not.
- Ugh. I actually don't know. I guess I'd just like to be able to invite all my friends to join us for that sushi dinner and to spend the evening in good company.

Wow.

I think, being pregnant, it's mostly about food for me at the moment. I'd really like to go on a great big grocery shop and to buy things like a great big leg of lamb or two. And all kinds of condiments and spices. And decadent dessert items.

And I have no doubt that some or all of the plans and ideas I'm working on will eventually land me in a position to do that sort of thing on a regular basis.

Right now, though, any of the following would be great:

- A set of decent rechargeable batteries for my camera, with charger. The ones that came with the camera are just crap. They take forever to charge and run out before I get a chance to use the camera anyway...
- Some perfume. I'm fond of Hypnose and Miracle So Magic! from Lancome, or of Estee Lauder's Pleasures. I also like me some Clinique Happy and... I dunno. Maybe it's time to go and have a look at what's out there again.
- Lindt Lindor balls. My Christmas stash is long gone.
- A babysitting voucher from a friend/family member/sibling for a couple of nights, to cash in when David and I need some time out.
- A contract from the local DVD rental store, for those rare nights when the kids are asleep early and we'd like to snuggle up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn or maybe some pizza....
- Chocolate. Lots and Lots and Lots of Chocolate. Woolies' chocolate coated jelly domes (the ones in the white packet that they put in the check-out line to tempt you). Peppermint Aero. Cadbury's Bourneville Dark. Those Woolies' ones in the red, velvety box, with things in them like strawberry & balsamic in dark chocolate. Toblerone. Those packets with the miniature Bar-Ones, Tex, Peppermint Crips, Rolo, etc.
- Nougat.
- Woolies' Triple Choc Dessert.

Seriously, it's all about food for me right now. Meringues, doughnuts, black forest cake, you name it.

Oh, and a coffee milkshake. Wimpy makes a damn good one. So does Cappucino's.

And now I'm going to have to stop before I drown myself in drool.

Today is a New Day

And I would like to thank all of you who stopped by yesterday for your messages of support and encouragement. You guys rock!

I got the call yesterday afternoon informing me that our insurance claim has been denied, which was just the cherry on top of a pretty low day for me. Our broker has said that they are not going to leave it at that and will see what can be done to fight it, so there's a small chance something might change. But I'm going to assume that this is the final outcome, so as to avoid any further disappointment.

Needless to say, we'll be cancelling that policy and taking our business elsewhere.

And that's all I have to say about that.

In other news, I am happy to report that, thanks to a deposit of some birthday cash from a good friend into my account yesterday afternoon, we are now able to cover our rent and have a bit left over with which to manage food and such items for the remainder of the month. To that friend - you know who you are - I cannot thank you enough!

This weekend, we'll be spending Saturday evening at my mom's place, where she will be hosting another sushi birthday dinner for me. (She'll be making mine using smoked salmon, so I won't be eating anything raw!)
I also understand that my mom has invited a friend of hers to this dinner and that he is interested in meeting me in order to discuss a business proposition, which is rather exciting! :)

So it seems things are looking a lot less bleak today than they were yesterday. Kind of makes me feel a bit silly for getting all hysterical about stuff. But then, sometimes you really just need to have a little crash so you can get it all out of your system. Then you can pick yourself up, splash some cold water on your face and get on with it again:

Fresh perspective - check!
Big girl panties - check!
Awesome bunch of supportive friends - check!

Let's rock n' roll!

Warning: *Emo Crap Alert*

Ok, I'm officially done pretending now. I'm depressed and worried out of my mind and it really doesn't help when it's all grey and gloomy outside like today.

So before you read any further, know that this is going to be a whining post - you've been warned.

I've been telling myself for the past several months that things are going to get better, because we've been cutting costs like crazy and I've had a little bit of work from Dubai and I've got all these ideas brewing.
But the truth is we're fucked right now.
Yesterday, I got paid for the Dubai work I did in December. At the time I submitted my invoice, the exchange rate was such that I should have gotten paid enough to cover our rent plus a couple of hundred Rand left over to buy basics like bread and milk for the remainder of the month.
But because they took their time processing the payment, I not only don't have anything left after paying rent, but actually don't have enough to cover the rent in full. And this when rent is now already a week late. And this is not the first time.

I worry about this because, even though we did manage to catch up our outstanding rent before and have managed to keep paying it on time for the past several months, our lease agreement expires at the end of March, just a couple of weeks after the new baby is born. And if the landlord decides not to renew our lease, we're screwed.

I was so hoping that this year would get off to a good start. So that all the pep talks I've been giving myself of late might start to pay off and I could hold onto some semblance of calm.

Meanwhile, we wait on tenterhooks to hear what the insurance company is going to decide to do with our claim. A payout would mean that we can survive for the remainder of the month, pay the hospital and midwife's fees for the new baby's birth and make it through next month without falling all over ourselves in panic. Or, at the very least, would make up for the various things that were stolen from us.

I understand that we've just had the December holidays and all that. But we were burgled just 3 days short of 2 months ago,on the 16th of November, and our claim was submitted within a day or two of the burglary. It was that dickhead assessor guy who only decided to rock up for his inspection 3 weeks later, and then sat around with his finger up his arse for almost another 3 weeks before having one of his colleagues send our broker another form to ask us to complete, while he went on holiday.
I thought he was a bit of an ass when he came to our house and reacted so poorly to my having a bit of gas, but this is reaching levels of unprofessional that I simply don't feel can be justified, no matter how loudly I farted in his presence.

Further down the spiral, David's credit card in Dubai, which we were getting closer and closer to paying off and getting rid of has now been handed over to the legal department, since the magazine he's been writing a series of articles for stopped paying him for his work a good 6 months ago. Those magazine articles were not only our means of paying off that credit card debt (which, thanks to late and non-payment fees has once again grown to a significant sum), but were also a much needed source of back-up income, especially in light of the sporadic nature of my own income of late. So now it's highly unlikely we'll actually see any of David's pay from that quarter, since it will most likely all be swallowed up by the credit card arrears.

And as we get deeper and deeper into financial shit, there are fewer and fewer resources for me with which to try and generate any additional income, as the need for buying things like food becomes more pressing and the funds with which to do so continue to run out...

So yes, I'm shitting my pants just the tiniest bit.

Generally, these circumstances are the result of that retrenchment I keep carrying on about, followed by the 3 or 4 months during which David wasn't paid his salary due to imprudent spending and lack of financial planning on the part of one of the company directors at his previous job. The chances that that money is ever going to be recovered are virtually zero, of course, so there's pretty much no point in trying, especially when we simply can't afford to waste any of our already very limited resources.

In fact, there's really no point in sitting here and trying to figure out whose fault it is or who we should be going after. The long and the short of it is that we are more or less fucked at this point. And right now, I'm just too overwhelmed with worry to be able to think of a solution. And that worries me more than anything else. The fact that I can't see how we're going to make it work out.

So I'm going to go and have myself a nice long bath now. And a cry, because I really just need to blow off a bit of charge. And then I'll get up and see if there's any other angle I can approach things from.

31 Weeks Today

And not in labour yet. Yay!!

Actually, things seem to have calmed down significantly over the last couple of days and it's looking more and more like we're going to make it all the way to term.

We have now reached the point where prenatal visits occur every two weeks, as opposed to four and, apart from the fact that we have yet to figure out how we're going to pay the hospital and midwife, and the little guy not being quite mature enough, I think we're more or less ready.

Thanks to friends and family, we have most of the very basics sorted for the little guy. So far, we've been given a cot, a stroller and two car seats, which is pretty much the big ticket items taken care of. Jack can now sit in the donated stroller when we go for walks and his old car seat, which is part of a pram/car seat combo and which I can no longer pretend he has not outgrown, can now be scrubbed clean and put away for when little bro arrives.

I've also received a baby carrier, a bath seat (something I never had for any of my other babies!) and a whole bag of baby clothes, most of which has barely been used. So baby will be warm, have somewhere to sleep and, thanks to the wonder of boobs, will be fed.

Basically, all that remains is somewhere to poop. In addition to paying for the birth itself, my plan is to somehow also finance the purchase of the Mother Nature or Eco Nappy system, which, although amounting to a larger initial spend, adds up to a hell of a lot less than what one ends up spending on disposable nappies over the average 2 to 3-year period. Not to mention the vastly reduced environmental impact one is responsible for when using washable as opposed to disposable nappies...

As with each of our babies thus far, this little guy will spend the first year or so of his life sleeping in our room and, in order to ensure that his arrival in this prime spot doesn't cause too much upset for Jack, we recently moved Jack into his big brother's room. He doesn't seem at all fussed about having been moved out of our room and is still sleeping through most nights, only waking up if he needs to be changed or gets thirsty. Unless there are external factors that come into play. Which is where the trouble begins.

Michael takes a looooong time to settle and go to sleep at night. And he's not very quiet about it. And he likes to have the light on until he's asleep. We've long since gotten Jack used to settling himself to sleep with the lights switched off, so there's a bit of an issue here. The combination of Michael's noise and the light being switched on has turned Jack into a bit of a light sleeper and, since our house only has 3 bedrooms, our options are limited.

We could move Jack back into our room, but then what do we do when the new baby arrives and wakes up for feeds every couple of hours? And if we keep Jack in our room just until the new baby comes, is he going to accept then that he's not being "replaced"?
We could move Jack into Megan's room, but I'm not sure that's going to be much better than having him share with Michael.
So the only remaining option is to move Megan and Michael into the same room, which we can divide with screens or something, and then to have Jack in a room on his own.

I'm sure we'll figure something out as we go - we always do. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying these last few weeks before sleep deprivation becomes the order of the day once again...

Bucket List

So I'm turning 30 in about 10 days' time. And as we all know, 30 is one of the big birthdays in a woman's life. I'm not entirely sure why, except that ever since it dawned on me toward the latter half of last year that it was very nearly upon me, I've had the vaguest idea that it means that I can now officially be called "old".

Thinking about it, I kind of get the feeling that I should have some idea by now as to what exactly I want I want to do with my life. I don't.

When I was younger, I had visions of travelling the world, working my way from one destination to the next, with no more than a backpack containing a couple pairs of jeans, some tops, a few changes of underwear and one or two other essential items, to tie me down. That plan was pretty much laid to rest when Megan made her unplanned appearance in my life and there was pretty much no looking back from there.

Still, it is what it is and, as far as motherhood is concerned, my only regrets have to do with my own anger issues and lack of self-control when it comes to my temper.

I may not know where I'm going or what I want out of life yet. And I haven't really given much thought to what I'd put on my Bucket List. But I figure it can't hurt to start thinking about it.

Of course, there are the obligatory travel items:

* I'd like to see New York and Las Vegas before I die, as well as the Florida Keys, the Rocky mountains, Disney World and Universal Studios.
* I wouldn't mind a re-do of Paris, which I saw very little of and didn't enjoy when I went there on a business trip a couple of years ago, since I had the bosses breathing down my neck the whole time we were there.
* David and I have got to do a romantic tour of Italy someday (Would be an excellent place to make up for the honeymoon we never had!)
* A catamaran cruise to somewhere with palm trees and white beaches, with lots of fruity cocktails and fresh seafood in the bargain.
* I once bought a one-way train ticket to Cape Town but only made it as far as Stellenbosch. I'd like to complete that journey one day.

Then there's the couple stuff:

* We've talked about a vow renewal a few times now, since our wedding was very small and we weren't able to invite all of the people we would have liked to share it with. I also think it's a fitting way in which to celebrate and reaffirm our continued existing commitment to one another.
* A honeymoon. Whether it be in Europe, South Africa, wherever, really - I don't care as long as it includes all of the romance, rose petals, candles, bubble baths, champagne and all that stuff you pretty much never get to do again afterwards.

For personal enrichment:

* I'd really like to complete my degree, preferably within the next two to three years.
* To study every single one of the books, lectures and congresses we've bought on the subject of life, the mind and human evaluation, behaviour and livingness.
* To establish and run a successful business of my own.
* To write a book and get it published. Any kind of book, fiction, non-fiction, a semi-autobiographical novel, whatever.
* To amass a significant amount of wealth. Ideally I'd become stinking rich overnight either by winning a ridiculous amount of money in a lottery or some such thing, or inheriting it from an obscenely wealthy, long lost relative ;P, but I'd also be happy to make myself stinking rich with a well run, ethical and supremely successful business venture of my very own making...

For kicks:

* To go skydiving at least once.
* To learn to ride a motorbike and do a tour of South Africa on it.
* To visit Dubai at least one more time and, while I'm there, to go to Zaatar w Zeit and have a Chicken & Cheese wrap, with a Mountain Dew to wash it down.
* To go to Nobu in Cape Town and have the Black Cod.

Okay, so maybe I have given it some thought. And apparently I'm actually quite shallow. Oh, well....

I'm sure I'll think of more things to add as time goes on, or as I cross some of these off my list. But that's it for now.

What do you think I should include on my list?

10 Things I (Totally Don't) Hate About You

Well I guess it's time to start actually implementing some of those resolutions I made for this year, one of which was to blog more often...

And thanks to Laura at Female2Female, I now actually have something to post!

I'm doing my 10 Things post on my hubby, because that's just where I seem to be these days. So here goes - to David:

1. I love that you are you, consistently, reliably, every single day.
2. I love that you are such a fantastic dad to our kids.
3. I love your seemingly endless capacity for forgiveness.
4. I love that you seek out the best in everyone you encounter and then actively encourage it.
5. I love the way you seem to be able to fix just about anything that gets broken.
6. I love that you would rather show me your love in practical ways that make my life easier than by showering me with unimportant little things.
7. I love that you make me feel desirable even now, when I'm hugely pregnant and feeling utterly unattractive.
8. I love that you encourage and support me in everything I attempt and that you never say "I told you so" when something doesn't work out.
9. I love the way you have taught me over the years that real love is not a constantly burning, all-consuming thing, but nourishes the spirit and uplifts the being - and not always in the ways one would prefer... ;P
10. I love that after 8 years and against some pretty scary odds, it is still you that I wake up next to every morning.

And I think that's about as mushy as it's ever going to get on this blog.

Aaaaaand Happy New Year!

There have been a good few posts on various people's blogs (Wenchy, Laura, pinkhairgirl and others...) looking back on 2009.
I was planning on doing mine sometime yesterday, but then procrastinating seemed like a better idea and I didn't get round to it. And now I'm almost hesitant to look back on what was possibly one of my least favourite years in my existence thus far.

Only, I can't really say that, because 2009 was filled with Jack and with discovering my maternal side, the gentler me hidden deep underneath the layers of hard exterior. And with that discovery came the realization that I am not the world's worst mother and that Megan and Michael have not somehow been deprived of maternal love all these years. But maybe I do need to lighten up a bit.

So here's my backward glance at 2009:

1.What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
- Breastfed an infant for 7 and a half months, then fell pregnant again.
- Opened my own bank account in South Africa. The ones I had before we moved to Dubai a few years ago had been opened for me by my mother when I was little.
- Got burgled and claimed from my insurance company.
- Enrolled my kids in a private school, then took them out again and started homeschooling.
- Started working for myself, from home.
- Temporarily went back to a "real" job for four months. For a short part of this time, I was the primary breadwinner in the family as the company David was working for was unable to pay him his salary.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I generally don't do resolutions. Sometimes there are a few things I remind myself I would like to do or achieve. This year, I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea to make a few firm resolutions:
- Be more productive
- Be less quick to anger
- Do what it takes to really get my own business up and running
- Become debt free
- Blog more
- Get more organised with the homeschooling and get the kids engaged and invested in their own education.
- Get a decent form of contraception in place. (Seriously, I'm thrilled about the upcoming arrival of our fourth child but I really, really don't want to have any more!)
- Make enough money to be able to do some of the wonderful things I've been wanting to do with our home for years but never seem to have the money for.
- Make more of an effort at looking after myself.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No-one I'm especially well acquainted with, but I was thrilled for Louisa, who gave birth to baby Nicola just a few days ago...
I'm due to give birth to my fourth child and third son in March 2010.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
- The self-discipline to stick to things and see them through.
- The resources to establish a viable, expandable and ultimately successful business in which I can combine my skills and interests in order to attain
- financial freedom.

7. What date(s) from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
18 January - the very last of my 20's birthdays and one of my best ever; My mom made sushi and I had a bunch of my closest friends round to dinner.
17 March - I arranged a special birthday dinner for David with our best friends. He loved it.
31 October - We celebrated Halloween and Jack's first birthday at the same time.
16 November - We woke up and came downstairs to the realization that we'd been burgled while we slept.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Sadly, I can't think of anything worthwhile I've achieved in the last year. Hopefully this year will make up for that.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not having the discipline and follow-through to make a major success of anything.
Not continuing studying toward my degree as I had planned.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had a premature labour scare, brought on by a serious bladder & kidney infection. Otherwise, no.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A tumble dryer

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
- David's - he's been loving, supportive and encouraging despite the difficult times and my own inclination to procrastinate until it's too late.
- Megan & Michael have also been fantastic older siblings to Jack, helping me fetch and carry things up and down the stairs (especially now that I'm getting bigger and heavier as we approach the end of this current pregnancy!) and adapting almost seamlessly to a number of moves and changes in and around our home throughout the year.
- Jack has been the easiest baby in the world, ever, and has brought so much happiness into our family, it's just unbelievable.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
My own, mostly. I have a long way to go in terms of learning to manage my anger. I'm getting there, though.

14. Where did most of your money go?
School fees, rent, car payments and the BlackBerry contract I am so glad to finally be rid of! There hasn't really been money for any luxuries this year.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The many business ideas I've had in the course of the past 12 months.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Greenday - 21 Guns
Lady Gaga - Pokerface

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
Happier or sadder? Not sure. I may just be too hormonal to be able to answer that accurately right now.
Thinner or fatter? FATTER!!
Richer or poorer? Poorer. :(

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Working on establishing my own business(es).
Playing with the kids.
Spending time outside with Jack. He adores being out in the fresh air.
Enjoying the moment.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Wasting time online, instead of putting it to good use.
Being angry.
Getting burgled.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
With family, eating a lot.

21. How will you be spending New Year?
Quietly, at home with David and the kids.

22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Almost every single day, always with the same awesome guy. :)

23. How many one-night stands?
None.

24. What was your favourite TV programme?
Prison Break. I <3 Michael Scofield.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Meh. Too much else to worry about right now.

26. What was the best book you read?
Self Analysis by L.Ron Hubbard.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I was very disappointed when I finally saw the movie and they'd changed the ending. #Hollywoodfail

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Radio Midrand. They play the coolest stuff - most of it old favourites you haven't heard in years!

28. What did you want and get?
My mom made sushi for my birthday, and David bought me a proper wedding band, because my original wedding ring looks like an engagement ring on its own.
My own bank account.
An ADSL internet connection.
A new phone to replace the BlackBerry, with a much more affordable contract.

29. What did you want and not get?
To win the lottery (any lottery, besides the pretend ones that spam your email inbox every day).
A dishwasher.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
District 9
Sunshine Cleaning

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
My mom made sushi and I had a bunch of friends round to dinner. I turned 29. It was one of my best birthdays yet. I got spoiled with Lindt Lindor balls, a Parlotones CD/Dvd set, a wedding band, a hot stone massage voucher and a set of pretty red boxes to pack stuff in.

32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Having had the energy and grit to make something of any one of the many awesome ideas I've cooked up over the years and finding the means to make it happen.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Postpartum comfort to pregnant again... I don't really want to talk about it.

34. What kept you sane?
The knowledge that even though it has more or less ruined us financially, no longer being a corporate slave has made me a better person to live with. And that, when I'm not pregnant anymore, I'm going to have the energy to get off my arse and do all of the things I've been planning and dreaming and hoping for...

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hmmmm... Honestly? I can't say. But I had lots of naughty dreams about Michael Scofield! ;)

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Meh. Fuckin' politicians - they're all as bad as each other, without exception.
And Barack is a member of the Old Boys' Club, just like the rest of them. Fuckin' drug-pushing, money-grabbing, chaos-mongering sons of bitches!

37. Who did you miss?
My friend Priscilla
My friend Robyn, who has just moved back to SA from Dubai!
My brother, whom I rarely get to see.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
I've met a whole bunch of interesting new people via my blog and twitter - it's been great!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
No amount of money is worth my sanity. But being poor is also really not for me. I'm going to have to work my arse off and really go after what I want.

40. Quote that sums up your year.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

I look forward to doing a review of the decade at the end of 2010. Here's hoping it's a year full of new adventures, successes, lessons and love for everyone.