Category: T25

Challenge Accepted Day 59/Day 17

Wow! Only one more day until my Rodan + Fields 60 day Redefine challenge is over! How has it been 60 days already? I have a really busy day tomorrow, but I shall definitely find the time to post those ‘after’ photos before I put any make up on. I also have to find the time to work out super early, because tomorrow is already looking like it’s going to be a shambles! With the Korean holiday, Hunter will be home all day and Maddy doesn’t have a piano lesson! Thank goodness we have met good people here who have offered to help out until our babysitter can get here. Craziness! 

And today, well today has been all about the deep cleaning for me. The yellow dust has come in and even though I awoke feeling worse than yesterday, I just didn’t want to put anyone in the family in more jeopardy by not getting rid of all the dust in the house. Both air purifiers are on their max setting now and my house is, for just a short time, dust free. The bathrooms are clean, the washing is done, the floors are vacuumed and mopped and I am exhausted. 


I even made my own version of bulgogi for dinner. I had the meat marinating from this morning in a concoction of Asian pear, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine, and a couple of other things and I thought it was wonderful, so did Ally, unfortunately no one else in the family appreciated it. Yes the baby corn doesn’t go in traditional bulgogi, nor do the ramen noodles, but we I am all about compromise if the children will eat it and baby corn and noodles are some of their favourites! I even threw in cashews just for a little something extra and it was lovely. I’ve got my lunch tomorrow sorted out. 


I had to take Ally to her music lesson today as the bus wasn’t running but it was fun. Whilst waiting, Maddy was able to practice on one of the many pianos and her teacher (there were no classes today but her teacher was still there for some reason) even let her play on the grand piano! She thought it was wonderful. And I am amazed at how far she has come in two short weeks. She seems to be beginning to read music and has a natural talent when it comes to actually playing. Her teacher just kept praising her today saying how amazing she was. Then Ally was in there having her guitar lesson and her teacher was also impressed. I guess they have my Dad’s musical ability. 


We picked up hubby, tried to find a phone deal that would work with Ally (a phone seems somewhat necessary here as the kids are off doing their independent things) yet were shocked at how there is no basic option. Everything has to be fancy. Our daughter doesn’t need an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy. She has a tablet and is very lucky to have that, there’s no need for anything else fancy, she just needs to be able to make and receive calls and text messages. Anyway, I haven’t had time to investigate it further, but there has to be a solution. We have an old iPhone 4 just sitting there but are not sure it is unlocked nor if the SIM cards here fit in it. Getting a working phone is just a lot of hassle and it shouldn’t be. 
Otherwise, I had cardio recovery this morning with the Insanity workout. That stretching is a killer! OMG! Those squats and lunges where the searing pain starts to blur your vision and its either stand up or fall arse over and never recover! I wanted to fall arse over, in fact, my body begged me to, but my mind didn’t want to play, so I stood up, relaxed for a few seconds and went back into it. Not fun! 
I’m am about to shower and do my second last Redefine regimen for this 60 day challenge. There is still a bit of all the products left over so I will use it in conjunction with the Reverse regimen until the products run out then continue just doing the Reverse Challenge for 60 days! I’m excited though. Just hoping this throat thing clears up for tomorrow night! Now hubby and the son seem to have it also. I can imagine us at the ball, that’s when my nose will decide to start running and my eyes will start watering and I’ll be coughing like someone with the Black Plague and my dress and hair will look wonderful but my makeup will have run because bodily fluids have enticed it to be anywhere but on my face! Hey, there’s a raccoon in a ball gown! Oh dear. This could literally be the worst night ever! Let’s keep the fingers crossed and hope that all my vitamin C and honey lemon tea, have worked their magic on me. Oh and hubby too. He’s the driver and there will be two of us in the car that have birthdays the next day! He’s already asked me to calm it down a notch on the way home. 😜 
I hope you have a wonderful day and/or night, wherever you are!
Please like my page on Facebook: Aussiemumsadventures 
Email me at: aussiemumsadventures@gmail.com
And if you are interested in Taking your own Rodan + Fields 60 day challenge, then let me know at the above mentioned email and we’ll get you sorted out with the right regimen for you. 

Challenge Accepted Day 53/Day 11

Well there’s never a dull day in South Korea and today reaffirms that for me. My plans were changed this morning due to my friend not feeling well, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from doing anything as A; we really needed some groceries and B; I just didn’t feel like staying at home. A day out with my son would be nice. Then he decided he desperately wanted to go to school today. Oh well, Mummy will have a day to herself. That’s just fine with me.

And that’s what I did. Had a day to myself. I dropped son and hubby off then planned to come home and work out before heading out for the day. On my way home, I got a call from the travel agent confirming she could get the hotel and hire car for Memorial Day weekend at Jeju Island. Our first real adventure here in South Korea is now confirmed for that weekend! So off I went to pay for that. Well boy did she keep me waiting! No one else would/could help me so I had to wait for her and it was close to an hour before I was seen, delaying all plans for the day. I was finally able to finish up the business and get home only to realize I no longer had time to workout this morning and would have to dress and get on my way. With no real plan in mind, I headed to the International Market outside of the Air Force base. Only knowing I wanted to go back to this little Thai restaurant I had tried once before, to ensure the food was as wonderful as it was the first time I went with my darling son. 


I was not disappointed. If you head to the US Air Force base main gate, in Songtan Station, about 8km south of Osan City, you will find one of the best Thai restaurants I have ever been to, outside of Bangkok! I do not say that lightly. I got ‘stuck’ in Thailand for 3 months a long time ago and the only time I ate anything other than Thai food (mainly from street vendors) I regretted it. The Thai people are some of the most incredibly gentle, lovely people, I have ever come across. Not only are they sweet and generous, but they can also claim some of the most amazing food I have ever tasted, as part of their cultural heritage! I kid you not, you will find something on a Thai menu you will love. And this restaurant is no exception. From the main gate, head into the main entrance of the marketplace, you will see a number of Thai restaurants around you and I cannot vouch for any of the others as I have not been, but this one, “Yummy Thai Restaurant” is on the second floor, above a coffee house on the left hand side as you head into the market, but not too far down. You enter some stairs that lead to a small alleyway. It continues on to some very clean public toilets and a carpark and the restaurant is on your right hand side. It is very small but inviting. It is not opulent, but it is clean and the window seats look straight out over the Main Street, making people watching easy. Juree is the owner, head chef, head waitress and possibly the only waitress but on top of all that, she is the epitome of all I remember about all the Thai people I have met. She is kind and sweet and lovely and she can cook incredible, authentic Thai food! I believe she came from Bangkok but I could be mistaken. She is definitely Thai and welcomed my Thai greetings and thank you’s. Now, I also have to tell you that my favourite Thai food is Tom Kha Gai and that is what I have had both times but I have heard other patrons exclaiming wondrous words about their food. This little restaurant is truly a hidden gem. But hopefully not for much longer as she deserves to have her cooking shared with many.


After enjoying my solo lunch, I made my way through the ‘Ville’ to look for a hairdressing salon. I haven’t had my hair cut since January and with our ball being just over a week away, it desperately needed a good cut! I wound my way through the streets of the ville and ended back in front of the main gates at a salon called Yi Beaty Salon. Where Ms Yi gave me a very simple haircut and took a good four inches off. I told her to just get rid of the dead hair, and so she did. My hair feels so light, and so much better. The curl has come back to it too. I didn’t have time for her to do anything else, but it was nice to be able to get a haircut when I needed it. From there, I went to the ‘fish’ place – see my previous blog a few weeks ago – and got my eyebrows waxed. Obviously threading (where one who specializes in this skill, uses cotton thread to interweave through the eyebrow hairs to pull them out in rapid succession) is not a popular thing here and that is definitely my preference when it comes to taking care of my eyebrows, but waxing will do. I’m not so sure about this woman though. She didn’t speak the entire time she did my brows (she was European too) then I thought, maybe she doesn’t speak English, but at the end I asked her about reading and she completely understood and told me that no one does it. I guess I just didn’t get warm and fuzzies from her. 
I had to get the groceries in a reasonable hurry and I also went and bought a clear shower curtain from the other end of the base, as we are doing a bake sale next week and the area my hubby works in has these beautiful table cloths that have been handmade (I think) and we want to use one to advertise ourselves but they need to be protected and how better to protect them without spending a fortune than to use a clear plastic shower curtain. I guess we’ll test it out and see how it goes. 
Then it was a mad panic to get home with every possible red light, filling of potholes, crazy Koreans, getting in my way! What would normally take 20-30 minutes, took a good 50 minutes and I didn’t want my daughter getting home without me there. I was literally less than 5km away and moving at 0! Everything in me was trying not to panic/worry because that’s what I do, I took deep breaths, tried to stay calm and think if I was 5 minutes late, it would be ok. But in my heart of hearts, I knew I wouldn’t be ok if I was 5 minutes late. It’s just me. But I didn’t completely stress out either. When I finally came close to the house and saw the bus coming from the other direction, I was finally able to relax. Yay, somehow, I made it, even after the arsehole truck cut me off at a red light! 


We picked up Hunter, who had another great day at school but by the time he got the three steps from school to car, was completely exhausted and went into crazy preschool tired mode, where everything was an incredible drama, including the fact that I had brought Luna in the car with us and three of the boys at school were looking at her through the window. It only went down from there. Literally, three steps and the dynamics changed. But that’s how kids roll! Luckily he’s number three and I recognized all the signs. He’s still determined to go to school again tomorrow! In fact, this kid was so tired that at 7pm (we had almost finished dinner) he put his fork down and said, “can I please go to sleep!” Oh the pain of being three! 
When I was finally done with my day, including driving around trying to locate a dog groomer after doing an Internet search and finding most English speaking groomers have either stopped or are on maternity leave! Seriously, English speaking dog groomers could make a killing here! Anyway, randomly driving when I found one! Yay! I was stuck at a never-ending red light, so was even able to type the number in on my phone and make an appointment tomorrow! She so desperately needs it and I just cannot do it, don’t get me wrong, I’ve tried. I failed. Three hours of my time and I ended up just making her look like she was clean. Not cute and she’s the cutest dog, just clean! Grooming failure! I was sweaty, the house was covered in hypoallergenic dog hair, but dog hair nonetheless, the bathroom was a mess, the clippers were blunt, the dog was unhappy, I was unhappy. Three hours of both our lives gone with very little result! No, I’m good at lots of stuff but dog grooming is not one of them! So yay for appointment tomorrow. Unfortunately, the guy couldn’t give me a price, so let’s just hope it’s reasonable! Otherwise, I guess we’ll be driving around once again tomorrow looking for the original dog groomer I had been told about that obviously requires a treasure map with secret password to even locate them! 
Home. Children home from music lessons. Husband actually home reasonably early. Time to exercise. Didn’t want to! At all. It is really difficult to motivate yourself when your family is home and you want to hang out with them. It is so easy to come up with excuses but at the end of the day, the only person I’m doing this for, is me, so the excuses I give are to myself. That just doesn’t work if you look at the big picture. I’m letting myself down, no one else. I think that’s what a lot of people forget when they come up with excuses. They are only lying to themselves. My birthday is in nine days! Holy wow! There is no time for excuses, especially given how genetics have suddenly given up on me and age has taken over! The gala is in 8 days! My Rodan + Fields challenge comes to an end in 7 days! This is the big deal for me. I’ve worked hard for the majority of this challenge and I cannot give up now. So I didn’t. Thank god, it was cardio recovery, although some of those stretches are literally insane! Shaun T, I’m not sure what the hell you want from my thighs and buttocks, but they couldn’t play for the entire time today! Perhaps next time? 😜 I did my best! And there were only a couple of moves that I couldn’t continue to do for the crazy amount of time they were asking of me!
I made Alfredo pasta and Alfredo pizza for dinner for everyone and even Maddy had 4 (yes four) bowls of it! The pizza wasn’t that big so I had a small slice of it, as did Ally, and hubby ate the rest. But the pasta was a huge success. On top of that, I made myself a very nice, plain salad and finished off my Tom Kha Gai, that I had brought home. All in all, another great day, filled with mini adventures! 
I hope you are having a lovely day and/or night, no matter where in the world you might be. 
Please remember to like my page on Facebook: Aussiemumsadventures 

Please email me at Aussiemumsadventures@gmail.com

And let me know if you are interested in taking your own Rodan + Fields 60 day challenge. I love having your feedback and really appreciate you taking the time to read my crazy blogs! 

Challenge Accepted Day 51/Day 9

I awoke to another gorgeous day in South Korea. After getting everyone ready for school (except dear son as it’s Tuesday) and hubby returning from PT (physical training) and departing once again for work! I went upstairs and immediately did my Insanity workout: ‘Pure Cardio’! I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that one, but it went well and I did my best. 

 We were heading off to lunch at noon, so I thought I would attempt to get a quick jog/walk with Luna before showering. I wasn’t really sure how it would work with Hunter but initially, my thought was to leave him in a spot where I could see him at all times and do a quick loop around with the dog. It never happened. Our walk/jog with Luna was an absolute disaster. We got down to the beginning of the rice paddies when dear son fell over and scraped his knee. I don’t want to call my son out too much, but the kid is the worst when it comes to being hurt. He literally screams like a little boy and carries on to no end. The biggest drama king I have ever seen in my entire life! I’m not sure if this stems from his numerous hospital trips and emergency surgeries or what, but he is the most accident prone thing I have ever come across, and the sight of blood brings blood curdling screams all the way from the depths of his lungs to the vibrations of his lips. I am now positive that every single person in the Ville behind us as well as our Ville, know exactly who we are. When I attempted to put a bandaid on it after carrying him screaming at the top of his lungs for the long trip back whilst trying to ensure the dog didn’t pull us both over as she wasn’t quite ready to end her journey so quickly, he then proceeded to reach decibels unknown to mankind. I was fairly sure the Korean police were going to arrive at any minute to arrest me for attempting to murder my son. Every dog in the neighbourhood had their ears pricked trying to figure out what was communicating with them on an ultrasonic level never heard before! It was truly an epic moment of bandaid in hand and son screaming bloody murder and fighting me with every ounce of strength his body could find! He wouldn’t even let me get him dressed as he was afraid I’d have a secret bandaid stash hidden somewhere. I even put the bandaid on my arm to show him it wouldn’t hurt but he wasn’t having any of it. 
Thereafter it was a little more Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang to try to relax him before heading off to lunch. And lunch was fantastic! Sitting up on the third floor watching all that passed by, chatting with my friend that I felt like I had known forever, the afternoon rushed by. I greeted both girls as they got off their respective buses, even watched Maddy get off her school bus on to her piano bus, all was good. In fact, the afternoon was fabulous until my phone died at about 1715 (5:15pm). That was it! I was incommunicado with hubby therefore making me a rogue agent. Yes, sometimes even husbands and wives get their information mishmashed. Hubby couldn’t remember where my girlfriend lived and I had lost track of time, therefore meaning our communication got lost and he didn’t know where we were, I didn’t know what time it was, he was concerned, I was having a good time on a school night. Luckily, all ended up being ok. After retrieving a a lost blankie and tablet (yes, modern day version) all was good. 

I never did get back to the latisse thing did I? If you’re not aware of latisse, it’s this eye solution that was originally designed to lower pressure deep within the eye, often referred to as intraocular pressure. When doing tests on patients, it was also found that these eye drops assist in the growth of eyelashes. Now I don’t have particularly short eyelashes, but they could always be a little longer and lusher. When we were waiting for our tour in Belize City, Belize, there happened to be a pharmacy right there, advertising all sorts of stuff to the American tourists from the boat including ‘latisse’ or Bimatoprost Opthalmic Solution 0.03%. It was cheap, like US$15 I think. I had a friend who had enquired about it Stateside (in the USA) and I’m sure it was a couple of hundred dollars. So I bought some, then promptly forgot about it until the other day when I rediscovered it. Now, it didn’t come with the lash brushes that Latisse comes with, but I’m currently using cotton buds (cotton swabs, Q tips) and throwing them away once I’m done to ensure no contamination. I am also being very careful not to let any excess fluid touch my skin or my eyes (as it can cause pigmentation) but I thought, why not? We’ll see how that works. I’m not going to track the results of that, I’ll give you intermittent updates though on how it’s going. Early days right now, so no change whatsoever. 
I did my night time redefine regimen, followed by the latisse thing, then it was time to finish this blog and fall into bed. I hope you have an amazing night and/or day, no matter where in the world you are!
Remember to find me on FaceBook: Aussiemumsadventures and if you want to email me: aussiemumsadventures@gmail.com

We were heading off to lunch at noon, so I thought I would attempt to get a quick jog/walk with Luna before showering. I wasn’t really sure how it would work with Hunter but initially, my thought was to leave him in a spot where I could see him at all times and do a quick loop around with the dog. It never happened. Our walk/jog with Luna was an absolute disaster. We got down to the beginning of the rice paddies when dear son fell over and scraped his knee. I don’t want to call my son out too much, but the kid is the worst when it comes to being hurt. He literally screams like a little boy and carries on to no end. The biggest drama king I have ever seen in my entire life! I’m not sure if this stems from his numerous hospital trips and emergency surgeries or what, but he is the most accident prone thing I have ever come across, and the sight of blood brings blood curdling screams all the way from the depths of his lungs to the vibrations of his lips. I am now positive that every single person in the Ville behind us as well as our Ville, know exactly who we are. When I attempted to put a bandaid on it after carrying him screaming at the top of his lungs for the long trip back whilst trying to ensure the dog didn’t pull us both over as she wasn’t quite ready to end her journey so quickly, he then proceeded to reach decibels unknown to mankind. I was fairly sure the Korean police were going to arrive at any minute to arrest me for attempting to murder my son. Every dog in the neighbourhood had their ears pricked trying to figure out what was communicating with them on an ultrasonic level never heard before! It was truly an epic moment of bandaid in hand and son screaming bloody murder and fighting me with every ounce of strength his body could find! He wouldn’t even let me get him dressed as he was afraid I’d have a secret bandaid stash hidden somewhere. I even put the bandaid on my arm to show him it wouldn’t hurt but he wasn’t having any of it. 

Thereafter it was a little more Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang to try to relax him before heading off to lunch. And lunch was fantastic! Sitting up on the third floor watching all that passed by, chatting with my friend that I felt like I had known forever, the afternoon rushed by. I greeted both girls as they got off their respective buses, even watched Maddy get off her school bus on to her piano bus, all was good. In fact the afternoon was fabulous until my I awoke to another gorgeous day in South Korea. After getting everyone ready for school (except dear son as its Tuesday) and hubby returning from PT (physical training) and departing once again for work! I went upstairs and immediately did my Insanity workout: ‘Pure Cardio’! I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that one, but it went well and I did my best. We were heading off to lunch at noon, so I thought I would attempt to get a quick jog/walk with Luna before showering. I wasn’t really sure how it would work with Hunter but initially, my thought was to leave him in a spot where I could see him at all times and do a quick loop around with the dog. It never happened. Our walk/jog with Luna was an absolute disaster. We got down to the beginning of the rice paddies when dear son fell over and scraped his knee. I don’t want to call my son out too much, but the kid is the worst when it comes to being hurt. He literally screams like a little boy and carries on to no end. The biggest drama king I have ever seen in my entire life! I’m not sure if this stems from his numerous hospital trips and emergency surgeries or what, but he is the most accident prone thing I have ever come across, and the sight of blood brings blood curdling screams all the way from the depths of his lungs to the vibrations of his lips. I am now positive that every single person in the Ville behind us as well as our Ville, know exactly who we are. When I attempted to put a bandaid on it after carrying him screaming at the top of his lungs for the long trip back whilst trying to ensure the dog didn’t pull us both over as she wasn’t quite ready to end her journey so quickly, he then proceeded to reach decibels unknown to mankind. I was fairly sure the Korean police were going to arrive at any minute to arrest me for attempting to murder my son. Every dog in the neighbourhood had their ears pricked trying to figure out what was communicating with them on an ultrasonic level never heard before! It was truly an epic moment of bandaid in hand and son screaming bloody murder and fighting me with every ounce of strength his body could find! He wouldn’t even let me get him dressed as he was afraid I’d have a secret bandaid stash hidden somewhere. I even put the bandaid on my arm to show him it wouldn’t hurt but he wasn’t having any of it. 
Thereafter it was a little more Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang to try to relax him before heading off to lunch. And lunch was fantastic! Sitting up on the third floor watching all that passed by, chatting with my friend that I felt like I had known forever, the afternoon rushed by. I greeted both girls as they got off their respective buses, even watched Maddy get off her school bus on to her piano bus, all was good. In fact the afternoon was fabulous until my phone died at about 1715 (5:15pm). That was it! I was incommunicado with hubby therefore making me a rogue agent. Yes, sometimes even husbands and wives get their information mishmashed. Hubby couldn’t remember where my girlfriend lived and I had lost track of time, therefore meaning our communication got lost and he didn’t know where we were, I didn’t know what time it was, he was concerned, I was having a good time on a school night. Luckily, all ended up being ok. After retrieving a a lost blankie and tablet (yes, modern day version) all was good. 
I never did get back to the latisse thing did I? If you’re not aware of latisse, it’s this eye solution that was originally designed to lower pressure deep within the eye, often referred to as intraocular pressure. When doing tests on patients, it was also found that these eye drops assist in the growth of eyelashes. Now I don’t have particularly short eyelashes, but they could always be a little longer and lusher. When we were waiting for our tour in Belize City, Belize, there happened to be a pharmacy right there, advertising all sorts of stuff to the American tourists from the boat including ‘latisse’ or Bimatoprost Opthalmic Solution 0.03%. It was cheap, like US$15 I think. I had a friend who had enquired about it Stateside (in the USA) and I’m sure it was a couple of hundred dollars. So I bought some, then promptly forgot about it until the other day when I rediscovered it. Now, it didn’t come with the lash brushes that Latisse comes with, but I’m currently using cotton buds (cotton swabs, Q tips) and throwing them away once I’m done to ensure no contamination. I am also being very careful not to let any excess fluid touch my skin or my eyes (as it can cause pigmentation) but I thought, why not? We’ll see how that works. I’m not going to track the results of that, I’ll give you intermittent updates though on how it’s going. Early days right now, so no change whatsoever. 
I did my night time redefine regimen, followed by the latisse thing, then it was time to finish this blog and fall into bed. I hope you have an amazing night and/or day, no matter where in the world you are! (😂🕹📟🎥📽📹📼🕹bl ,Suberin ft vihghbfirths it s two

Remember to find me on FaceBook: Aussiemumsadventures and if you want to email me: aussiemumsadventures@gmail.com
phone died at about 1715 (5:15pm). That was it! I was incommunicado with hubby, therefore making me a rogue agent. Yes, sometimes even husbands and wives get their information mishmashed. Hubby couldn’t remember where my girlfriend lived and I had lost track of time, therefore meaning our communication got lost and he didn’t know where we were, food for thought, know we gavevhotevubedI awoke to another gorgeous day in South Korea. After getting everyone ready for school (except dear son as its Tuesday) and hubby returning from PT (physical training) and departing once again for work! I went upstairs and immediately did my Insanity workout: ‘Pure Cardio’! I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that one, but it went well and I did my best. We were heading off to lunch at noon, so I thought I would attempt to get a quick jog/walk with Luna before showering. I wasn’t really sure how it would work with Hunter but initially, my thought was to leave him in a spot where I could see him at all times and do a quick loop around with the dog. It never happened. Our walk/jog with Luna was an absolute disaster. We got down to the beginning of the rice paddies when dear son fell over and scraped his knee. I don’t want to call my son out too much, but the kid is the worst when it comes to being hurt. He literally screams like a little boy and carries on to no end. The biggest drama king I have ever seen in my entire life! I’m not sure if this stems from his numerous hospital trips and emergency surgeries or what, but he is the most accident prone thing I have ever come across, and the sight of blood brings blood curdling screams all the way from the depths of his lungs to the vibrations of his lips. I am now positive that every single person in the Ville behind us as well as our Ville, know exactly who we are. When I attempted to put a bandaid on it after carrying him screaming at the top of his lungs for the long trip back whilst trying to ensure the dog didn’t pull us both over as she wasn’t quite ready to end her journey so quickly, he then proceeded to reach decibels unknown to mankind. I was fairly sure the Korean police were going to arrive at any minute to arrest me for attempting to murder my son. Every dog in the neighbourhood had their ears pricked trying to figure out what was communicating with them on an ultrasonic level never heard before! It was truly an epic moment of bandaid in hand and son screaming bloody murder and fighting me with every ounce of strength his body could find! He wouldn’t even let me get him dressed as he was afraid I’d have a secret bandaid stash hidden somewhere. I even put the bandaid on my arm to show him it wouldn’t hurt but he wasn’t having any of it. 
Thereafter it was a little more Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang to try to relax him before heading off to lunch. And lunch was fantastic! Sitting up on the third floor watching all that passed by, chatting with my friend that I felt like I had known forever, the afternoon rushed by. I greeted both girls as they got off their respective buses, even watched Maddy get off her school bus on to her piano bus, all was good. In fact the afternoon was fabulous until my phone died at about 1715 (5:15pm). That was it! I was incommunicado with hubby therefore making me a rogue agent. Yes, sometimes even husbands and wives get their information mishmashed. Hubby couldn’t remember where my girlfriend lived and I had lost track of time, therefore meaning our communication got lost and he didn’t know where we were, I didn’t know what time it was, he was concerned, I was having a good time on a school night. Luckily, all ended up being ok. After retrieving a a lost blankie and tablet (yes, modern day version) all was good. 
I never did get back to the latisse thing did I? If you’re not aware of latisse, it’s this eye solution that was originally designed to lower pressure deep within the eye, often referred to as intraocular pressure. When doing tests on patients, it was also found that these eye drops assist in the growth of eyelashes. Now I don’t have particularly short eyelashes, but they could always be a little longer and lusher. When we were waiting for our tour in Belize City, Belize, there happened to be a pharmacy right there, advertising all sorts of stuff to the American tourists from the boat including ‘latisse’ or Bimatoprost Opthalmic Solution 0.03%. It was cheap, like US$15 I think. I had a friend who had enquired about it Stateside (in the USA) and I’m sure it was a couple of hundred dollars. So I bought some, then promptly forgot about it until the other day when I rediscovered it. Now, it didn’t come with the lash brushes that Latisse comes with, but I’m currently using cotton buds (cotton swabs, Q tips) and throwing them away once I’m done to ensure no contamination. I am also being very careful not to let any excess fluid touch my skin or my eyes (as it can cause pigmentation) but I thought, why not? We’ll see how that works. I’m not going to track the results of that, I’ll give you intermittent updates though on how it’s going. Early days right now, so no change whatsoever. 
I did my night time redefine regimen, followed by the latisse thing, then it was time to finish this blog and fall into bed. I hope you have an amazing night and/or day, no matter where in the world you are!
Remember to find me on FaceBook: Aussiemumsadventures and if you want to email me: aussiemumsadventures@gmail.com

Edge and. Power for Luce, one wmunst. Ask uwo round mind😊I didn’t know what time it was, he was concerned, I was having a good time on a school night. Luckily, all ended up being ok. After retrieving a lost blankie and tablet (yes, modern day version) all was good. And no regrets from me, other than a lost plate at the end of the night when I forgot what was in my basket and plonked it on the stairs, smashing it beyond further redemption. Bugger! Fgibfirvgiug , Good night!

Challenge Accepted Day 50/Day 8

The weather is warming up in South Korea, meaning after a day inside yesterday when we should have been out and about playing, I needed to get outside today! We dropped dear son at school and I then dropped hubby off at work. I had to exchange some money in order to deposit ₩ into my bank account so they could take the school fees out today. It’s a public school but we, as foreigners, have to pay. I think I had mentioned this in a previous blog. No one could give me an exact amount but from my understanding it’s a little more than what I was told the other day but cheaper than I originally thought and works out to about US$220 for 2 months + milk. Yes, milk is a separate charge & all the kids drink milk so if your child doesn’t drink it, then they will immediately be segregated. Hunter is already segregated enough with the language barrier so he doesn’t need anything further. Either way, even with the milk, it is amazingly cheap and apparently this school is one of the best schools. It’s special somehow, I think it could possibly equate to a charter school? I’m not sure though, Judy (our realtor) tried to explain it to me as best she could and she just kept saying, “this is a very good school!”
It was as I was walking to the bank that hubby called and reminded me he had volunteered to read to Maddy’s class and would need to be picked up (again, the one car issue) and dropped off. He did however send the memo up last Friday so here’s hoping we can get that sorted out sooner rather than later. So my errand running came to a quick end so I could get home, grab the book he wanted to read and try to get a quick workout in. I didn’t have time to join Shawn T, so opted instead to use the beautiful weather to go for a quick run with Luna. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. She being her usual exuberant self, and me, well I just enjoyed getting out and about again. On the way back to the house though I did notice Hunter’s two school friends out playing in their yard (not at school) so I was a tad concerned at how his day would have gone given their absence. I didn’t have time to talk to them at that point though their Mom later told me she had taken one of them to the dentist and it just worked out that both of them stayed at home together. 
There was no time for a shower after the run, so I opted to sit in the car and wait for hubby to finish reading at Maddy’s school and use the opportunity to begin writing my blog. This lovely elderly couple came out of the school, I assumed he was a veteran as he was carrying a book (it’s the day for active duty and retired soldiers to read to the elementary school kids) and they walked up and got into the car beside me and I couldn’t help but hear their conversation. They opened the doors to their car and it was quite warm and the lady suggested they should have left the windows down, the gentleman then said, “But my darling, the great thing is you can wind your window down as we drive if you like.” She smiled at him and continued talking about Chicago having the best bulgogi she’s ever had. Bulgogi is a traditional Korean barbecue beef dish and I’m not really sure what she was talking about when she said Chicago as he then told her, “If that’s where you want to eat, then that’s where we’ll go! Whatever makes you happy my darling.” 
To my ears, it was like a lifetime of togetherness that still had the sparkle. I’m a romantic at heart you know. Hubby ruined the moment when he came back and talked about how the guy before him was an elderly gentleman who read poetry and the kids were going to sleep on him! I don’t care, the romance gets even better with the fact that he chose poetry (although maybe not the best choice for 2nd graders) Yes, the day was about military kids but sometimes it’s more about a teaching moment; Even if only one child there appreciated it, then that’s one child who shall grow to appreciate poetry and I think everyone would have appreciated seeing this couple together and knowing they were sharing a lifetime of love. 
Right, after that it was time to drop hubby back at work then attempt to get some travel set up for us. It didn’t happen unfortunately. We are trying to find somewhere great to go for June/July timeframe. I want to see so many places here but it adds up very quickly when there’s 5 of you. The other thing we have to decide on is do we actually take the kids on a tour of a country or do we all just go and hang out at a resort and just enjoy some sights close by? Hubby is opting for the latter because it’s so expensive and he doesn’t want to run the risk of all of us being miserable because the children are at breaking point on a tour we’ve paid a small fortune for. I understand! I’ve seen them at breaking point. Not only would it ruin it for us but for everyone else on the tour also. We’d get blacklisted and have posters put up of our family warning people to never travel within the vicinity of us! Who would have thought planning a family holiday (aka vacation) would be so stressful! To all you single people, or people who don’t have any little people running about, enjoy your freedom! Seriously! Once they’re here, they don’t go back! Instead they suck you dry; of food, of clothing, of shoes (that’s a new one for us that’s beginning to really add up) of almost anything out there you take for granted! Gone! But, I digress…. They’re wonderful little buggers when they’re not milking you of everything! 😜 Back to the holiday, I’ve just put some more feelers out on Facebook and tomorrow I’m having lunch with a friend and very much looking forward to discussing all of her travels in the region and picking her brain for the final opinions about their most recent trip to Vietnam. 
After I left the travel office with more frustration and confusion than when I arrived, it was time to get a couple of things and be home in time to get Maddy off her bus and into the van to go to her first piano lesson. It was exciting and weird all at the same time. She really enjoyed it though and is very much looking forward to going back everyday. (Yay! At least I picked a winner for right now!) I said hello and goodbye to her then went to get Hunter from school and amazingly, he had another fabulous day, even without the girls there! It was great. Hubby called me on my way there and said he’d gotten the memo back and could I swing by and get it, that way I could drop it off where I needed to and get the ball rolling on the second car thing. Excited I was. I shouldn’t have been. As with everything in the military or any Government agency or any bureaucracy for that matter, there’s always one more thing you need, and yes there was! So, another day. 
It was time to meet both daughters coming in from their respective buses so we raced home once more and collected them up in the car (Hunter was sound asleep in the back and I didn’t want him to wake up super cranky). Then it was finally time to do my Insanity workout. Did I struggle! It was hard. It felt like I hadn’t done anything in weeks not literally just two days. I’m not sure if that was from the big night on Saturday or just my welcome back intro to Insanity all over again, or what, but it was tough. My phone rang and it was a welcome reprieve from the hell my body was going through, but I finished. After all of my lazying and eating yesterday, I had to!
My skin does feel lovely tonight. I used the AMP MD on it, followed by the ‘liquid velvet’ and it really does feel amazing! I can see results. Hopefully you’ll be able to also. I have less than two weeks, in fact 10 days, for the Rodan and Fields Challenge remaining. Where did that time go? It’s been fun though and my skin is definitely glowing from the special attention I’ve paid it. 
Well, I hope you have an amazing day and/or night, wherever in the world you may be! Remember to like my Facebook page: Aussiemumsadventures and email me at aussiemumsadventures@gmail.com. Please share my blog if you enjoy it 😊

Challenge Accepted Days 48/49 and 6/7

Here it is, Sunday night and yes, I failed yesterday and did not write my blog. It was a big day. Where do I start? With a yard sale first thing in the morning, I guess. And what a terrible failure it was. The weather was supposed to be ok, but it wasn’t. In fact it was a chilly 10C with aa cool breeze and overcast skies. Not the most inviting yard sale weather. I advertised and asked other members in our ‘Ville’ to participate, even offering our space to anyone in apartments. One lady took me up on the offer and braved the weather with me and it was nice getting to know her and I had someone to chat to as hubby and the girls went and did a SHARP (Sexual Harassment and Rape Prevention Program) run together that ended up being a colour run and had a lot of fun doing it. Had I known it was on prior to the night before a planned yard sale, I would have gone and done it with them, though with no stroller, not sure how we would have gone with Hunter. 
Back to the yard sale: what a dismal failure. I ended up making $20 and ₩1000 (less than $1). The only good thing to come from it (other than meeting another neighbour) was that I ended up donating lots of crap at the end of the day and we have a tad more room in the house too. I’ve still kept some stuff that I’m going to try to sell on consignment at the thrift store, so we’ll see. There may still be hope yet, but I’m not counting on it. We finally called it a day at about 2, and packed everything up. Hubby and I cleaned the house as it was a bit of a disgrace. This place (South Korea) has dirt and dust like I’ve never seen before and even though we have our ‘robbie’ roomba, the couch and many other places all need to be vacuumed on a regular basis too. We knew we were going out last night too and we didn’t want the babysitter to come in to a terrible pigsty either. After doing some tidying up and making spaghetti for the kids for dinner, I then went over to see my other neighbour who had a lot of drama going on in the morning as well. Her mother isn’t well and got very sick during the night (they had come to stay for 3 months) and her parents had decided during the night to completely change their travel plans and leave yesterday morning very suddenly. She was devastated and was concerned about her kids being devastated when they realized their grandparents weren’t coming back. When I got over there, she was opening her second bottle of wine (& no, I don’t think she’s a big drinker as she was quite tipsy) anyway, I joined her for a late afternoon beverage and I think she needed someone to just talk to, so that’s what we did. We sat outside and talked. Finally, I realized I needed to get home and shower and get ready for our evening plans. 

What a fun night we had. The four of us caught a taxi and went in to a little South African restaurant that has a great reputation with many Americans. It was fun and the food was good, so I understand why it so well liked. I introduced myself to one of the owners and may have mentioned that I was an Aussie. South Africans and Australians have a friendly rivalry going on, just like we do with the Kiwis (New Zealanders) and the Poms (Brits), so it made for some fun throughout the night when he came over to our table and goaded me a little. There were some other South Africans in there as well so they joined in on the fun at times too. Anyway, conversation flowed between the four of us and it was a great night. Everyone else got beers samplers but not me, no, I drank far too many Moscow mules (well a South African version of them) and by the end of the night, this girl was drunk. Yes, drunk. The taxi ride home is a bit fuzzy and the kids made fun of me this morning as they were still awake when we got home, so unfortunately, there was no blog written, I asked my husband to write a statement for me but he didn’t know where to go and kept asking me what he needed to do but I wouldn’t give him further explanation apparently, so here we are, me writing both Saturday’s and Sunday’s blogs all in one.

What about today? Well, today has truly been a blow out! I haven’t moved far from the couch to be quite honest with you. What I will say is that my husband went to legendary status this morning. I normally do most of the cooking. I’m good at it. Hubby doesn’t do very much and claims he’s not so good at it but this morning he proved himself wrong. He even gave us each a menu choice to select from! I chose an omelet with a side of bacon, the kids all chose pancakes with bacon and for himself, he made scrambled eggs with bacon! All by himself. I did see him getting a little stressed at times and both girls went in to ask him if he needed help and were a little scared as they had never seen Daddy quite like that 😉 but he did it! And it was very, very good! 


We moved to the couch and watched The Green Lantern thereafter and the movies continued from there. I finally let the girls watch the two of The Hunger Games movies. And other than having to pause it to answer a lot of questions and explaining to them that this was showing a really nasty side of the human characteristics and it was not real, we all really enjoyed it. The girls discussed it as they showered tonight too, with Madison throwing ideas about in her head and saying how unfair it was that they were all put in that position and showing a maturity well beyond her 7 years. 

And that was our day. There was no exercise this weekend, there was no Shawn T, there was nowhere near enough water, the skincare treatment wasn’t up to par either. Basically, my entire weekend was a bust. Though there were lots of good moments thrown in! Now it’s time to finish the night with ‘Antman’ before going to bed and feeling well-rested tomorrow! 

Have a great day or night, wherever you are! Luckily, tomorrow is another day

Challenge Accepted Day 47/Day 5

Oh, where to start? So, being a military family, making friends happens fast and strong. You meet someone and it’s a matter of, is this person my sort of people? If yes, then firm friends happen, if no, then you both move on. There is a middle ground, but the older you get the shorter that middle ground. There’s no time for it. So today I just said goodbye to someone I only met a few short months ago, that was my sort of people. She was the first person I met in the ‘ville’ and she immediately made me feel welcome. She has a son Maddy’s age and a daughter between Maddy and Hunter and they all played really well together. They’ve done their time in South Korea and are happily leaving, but I’m a little sad to see her go as she truly was the first welcoming face after moving into our new home and I genuinely liked her. But alas, this is the life we lead, constantly saying hello and goodbye. So Leigh-Ann, I say farewell and wish you wonderful things in your future endeavours, it’s a small world, so until we meet again…
The day has been good. I drove hubby to work so I could have the car, I came home worked out doing ‘Pure Cardi….O M G! It was good, but there was no rest, like wow, things in my body were screaming in pain that I didn’t even know where to locate! But it was good and I felt great afterwards. I didn’t look great mind you:

  
 I showered, doing my morning regimen of Rodan + Fields Redefine (Did I mention I’ve ordered the Reverse regimen as my next 60 day challenge?) It’ll be good though to clean up some sun damage. Speaking of damage, I forgot to mention last night that after the dentist I walked around and found the dermatologist and went in and asked if they could do a quick consult, the dermatologist said yes and had a look at the lump on my face and said she would do laser treatments on it as that was the only thing she could think of that might work (she did ask history and what not too, so I was actually quite impressed). Anyway, I’m going to get laser treatment from her but without thinking, I made an appointment for May 6 at noon, that I’m going to have to reschedule, because that’s the night of the gala! That just won’t work. I’m not sure how laser treatment does work but I can’t imagine everything is all good on the same day, considering she did tell me she would need to inject a local anesthetic there before the treatment. What I was shocked at also was the price; ₩70,000 for the first laser treatment and half for the second and subsequent. I remember years ago talking to a guy in San Antonio who wanted $500 to do a laser treatment on that same lump. $70 sounds much better to me and this is with a local, whereas he said he wouldn’t give me anything and I would have to buy numbing cream! Obviously, I didn’t do it. I shall need to do a little further research obviously, but I wanted to make the appointment whilst there and research it at home, now I shall have to return there next week and reschedule the appointment anyway (I’m not sure anyone’s English is good enough for us to do a phone conversation & my Korean certainly wouldn’t get us anywhere) so I’ll have plenty of time to research laser treatments on the face. 
Back to today, after the shower and morning regimen, I gathered up the children (the girls both had the day off school as there were parent/teacher conferences going on) and we went and had lunch with Daddy. I had a savoury crepe filled with chicken, pesto, mozzarella, onion and tomato and it was delicious. I love the little crepe place that is on both the Army and Air Force bases. We dropped hubby off and headed over to the high school for the conference for Ally and boy was it worth going. At first to be honest, I was a little skeptical as I had never seen a conference quite like this before. It was in the gym and all teachers were lined up in alphabetical order in a great big U shape around the gym. Some of the teachers obviously teach a lot of classes as one in particular (Ally’s Science teacher) didn’t even recognize her and asked what class she was in then went through a massive folder and pulled out his report on her. The fact that the man had ensured he had reports on every child was impressive nonetheless, but he was a bit like a surgeon, you know what I mean, there’s Doctors then there’s surgeons, one, in most cases has a bedside manner, the other, i.e. Surgeons, does not. He didn’t. But he seemed to know what he was teaching and Ally knew where he was coming from, so that is all that concerned me. Her next teacher knew who she was and praised her, though she said he was pretty mean most of the time and didn’t understand kids at all. It was her next three teachers that were really amazing. All of them praised her incredibly, I mean really praised her. One of her teachers told me she should be in a gifted program and that he was doing everything he could to ensure that she was getting the stimulation she needed as far as her education went. She and 4 other students are in a small reading group that meets every week and reads at an advanced level and discusses both their reading and higher level thoughts/ideas/anything and everything they should be discussing given all of their advanced levels. It made me so proud to know that Someone else recognized something in Ally that was so special. She’s very intelligent (just like my father) sometimes lacks some common sense though (just like her mother) but basically is a well-rounded kid with loads of potential. Her report card was astounding! Even the Science teacher remembered she had moved here in January and he was surprised at how quickly she had caught on to the weather assignments, given she has never done anything to do with the weather before. Basically, all three kids have done us proud since moving here, Maddy’s report card was phenomenal as well and her reading level is where it is expected to be at the end of her school year (we still have a term to go) whereas, only last year, she was really struggling with her reading. She received nothing but praise from her teacher as well. Then there’s Hunter, who has just been amazing with his schooling here and who wants to go full-time at a local Korean school. Mummy proud moment! We celebrated with ice cream! 

Tonight has been spent preparing for the yard sale tomorrow, including refreshing a Barbie house hubby and I made a while back that we need to sell. I’ve invited a few of the neighbours (who live in apartments) to join us in our yard if they want to and for others to set up their own yard sales so we can make it a community event. We shall see how it goes. If we can walk away from it with some extra money in our pockets and all our crap gone, then I’ll be happy! Off to do my nighttime regimen (ooh and latisse – shall talk a little more about that tomorrow) and to get some beauty sleep before my 0600 (6am) rising to prepare for the yard sale. 
Have a wonderful day or night wherever you are! 

Challenge Accepted Day 45/Day 3

What a funny, interesting, weird, challenging, yet satisfying day. It started off with dropping little man off at school and once again he was very excited. He wants to go all day every day. We are thinking on that one…. But the exuberance with which he runs into his classroom is wonderful. And his teacher absolutely adores him, this morning she actually came out of the school building to greet us at the front door and give Hunter a big hug! It was a relief to see. There is obviously a huge language barrier but one knows one’s children and when they are genuinely happy and the happiness I saw in both of them instantly reassured me we had made the right decision in sending him here. So I said goodbye and drove hubby to work. He had a few minutes to spare and after not getting home until 0200 this morning, I think he needed a tiny reprieve before going into the office this morning. By the way, I forgot to mention that I was awoken at 0530 this morning with, “Oh, Shit!” I asked what was wrong but could smell it before he had to tell me, our lovely puppy dog had obviously eaten something that didn’t agree with her yesterday and had gotten diarrhea during the night – somewhere between 0200 & 0530 more precisely- and had shat all over the bathroom floor, with the majority being on the bathmat! Hubby had then proceeded to step in it because he doesn’t turn the light on so he doesn’t disturb me. His exclamations certainly woke me up and he wasn’t very happy. Nor was I to be honest. The overwhelming stench permeating from our bathroom brought tears to my eyes and bile to my throat. Meanwhile Luna just looked at me like, ‘I couldn’t help it but I’m so sorry, especially after yesterday!’ Hubby cleaned up his foot and I told him to leave the rest to me. Yes, once again the champion wife! 😜 Really, the only way is up when your day starts like that!
  
Going back to the few minutes to spare, hubby showed me a few of the new things going up on the base and it was really cool to see where things are going to be, unfortunately, I don’t think we’ll be here for most of it, it will be amazing though once completed. I dropped him off at work and headed into the local ‘Ville’ to meet with the music teacher. Yes, I wanted my kids to get into music, Ally was taking guitar lessons in Colorado and has a guitar and I wanted Madison to start doing piano as she seems to have a knack with it, so I finally got there to see what the studio looked like. So here’s the deal in South Korea, most places will supply transport of some sort to the kids for extracurricular activities because they know we are limited to one car. I had seen the music bus parked and had talked with the teacher a couple of times about getting the girls in but I wasn’t sure on prices and wanted to check out the studio myself before allowing my kids to go there. Today I was very happily surprised. Madison will start piano and go 5 days per week for 1 hour and will be picked up from our little ville and returned afterwards, there are a number of students who already go so this will work out perfectly and she is so excited. All of this at a cost of ₩140,000 per month! That’s less than US$140.00! This is a group lesson, yes, so she will be sharing her hour with 4 other kids, but even so, that’s perfect for Madison right now as her attention would waiver if she was intently taught piano for 1 hour. They have a great setup too, with 7 grand pianos in there! Ally will go to guitar lessons 4 times per month, each lesson for one hour, but her lessons are one on one. They will also come and pick her up and return her. All of this for ₩120,000 p/month (less than US$120). We were paying $50 for 30 minute lessons before! All of this and now I have spoken to a number of people around here who all have their kids in lessons there and are very impressed at the caliber of the lessons. We are all excited to begin this new musical journey!
From there, I went and met with Judy, the most amazing real estate agent/realtor, I have ever come across (sorry Jodith but this is different). All agents here go above and beyond, they are your go-to when you pay bills, if you have any issues with your house, if you want something done in the neighbourhood, basically, for all your basic housing needs. Judy has gone well beyond that! Yesterday she came and helped me read through all the paperwork that I had gotten from the school, some of which Google translate lost in its translation. There were questionnaires to fill out, things that needed to be done and I just wasn’t getting a full description from my app. Judy filled out the answers in Korean, she went through everything with me and called the school directly to ask questions. She then spoke with Hunter’s teacher numerous times to figure out kindergarten pricing, the cost of milk (apparently food is provided but you have to pay for milk separately and all Koreans drink their milk at lunchtime so he would be a bit of an outcast if he didn’t, luckily he loves milk), whether or not I could go on this field trip on Friday, all sorts of stuff. She then called me to say I have to open a Korean bank account in order for them to take the money out for his tuition fee and milk as they are no longer accepting cash. So after the music school, I headed off to meet Judy at the bank. 
What an interesting process. It’s very similar to opening an account in most other countries (by the way, I have realized I now have bank accounts in England, Bahrain, USA, Australia and now South Korea, what a shame none of them have money in them). The teller at first really didn’t know what to do as normally a foreigner is a US/Korean national, I am neither. Then when I didn’t have an income here, she was a little taken aback too. Finally she understood that this was for schooling fees and after making me sign lots of international forms for taxation purposes, actually ripped them up because she realized I didn’t need to worry about any of them. I had to enter my pin what seemed like a ridiculous number of times and I asked Judy if I was even going to be able to use an ATM because if it was all in Korean, there would be lots of problems. Luckily, there’s a foreign language button on there, so I’m good to go. I must say though, I was very impressed at the uniforms of all the tellers, very flashy indeed with a built in necklace and all:

  
From there I decided to venture into the local city. I had wanted to see a dermatologist and Judy (the woman is a lifesaver) called her friend and found a great one for me, even the bank teller said they were the best (I guess lots of people visit the dermatologist here). Anyway, I have this weird little lump above my right eyebrow but in the center of my face. It has been there for years and it annoys the crap out of me. I don’t know how I got it, I don’t know why it’s there, all I know is given the dedication I have had over the past 44 days to my face, I have become very aware of it and I want it gone. I have been massaging it intensely with my R+F products and it has gone down a tiny bit but it’s still there, so I thought I would go and just get the opinion of a dermatologist. She called and set it up for me to go in for a free consult this afternoon, but OMG! What a kerfuffle! Do you think I could find that bloody place? No! I drove around and around and around. I couldn’t find anything and I spent forever on the GPS trying to find the dentist (because this place was sort of in proximity to the dentist) in the favorites list but couldn’t (hubby later told me its in a folder all its own and he’ll show me how to access it next time we’re in the car). Anyway, after doing my exploratory drive around town and heading down a road where there were no other cars and the streets were a bit weird looking and a different colour, I thought I had better call it a day and try again some other time. I tried to just drive down streets that looked familiar and had entered one thing on my waze app and another thing on the car GPS, so they were both yelling at me to go in different directions and I was ignoring both of them with a vengeance! I ended up driving down this country road and thinking, ok, now I’ve gone too far, when both of them started telling me to turn around, do a U-turn, anything, just stop going straight ahead! So I finally listened and headed back, it was only on my actual drive home that I realized I had been in the fields that run parallel to the main road for a little while. Oh well. The things you do when given car freedom and no little people to worry about in the back! 
The rest of the day was uneventful. I spoke to my sister for a long time on FaceTime after having spoken to the other one last night. The kids played with some friends who are leaving to go back to the States in a couple of days; one of the challenges of living this life, you are always saying goodbye to people. I finally realized at 1700 (5pm) that I hadn’t done Insanity yet today, so quickly got my butt into gear and started doing it. What a workout! It felt good though, yes even the walking push ups! My legs are burning as I sit here and write this though, so we shall see how everything feels tomorrow! Hubby actually came home at a decent hour finally, and was exhausted. Dinner was a hodgepodge for everyone, though I did cook up a chicken breast and have a gigantic balsamic chicken salad that I love. And now, I am laying in bed, finishing this blog with a fresh face after using my Redefine regimen and sleep beckoning. I have avoided Benadryl all week and have been living on 4-5hours a night myself and hopefully tonight will be a good, sleep-filled one. 
Thank you for all the feedback on your dogs and suggestions on what to use. I have seen the shock collar in action now and to be honest, I have always thought they were cruel devices that shouldn’t be used on animals, but seeing them, I don’t think they are. I will feel the shock collar myself before I put it on Luna to make sure I know exactly what happens when I press a button. But here’s the thing, she’s a smart dog, I haven’t given her the training she needed and now she is a little bit out of control and I need to get her in line with us. I need to make walking a fun, controlled thing, not something where she pulls me along. I want to be able to enjoy running with her and I can only do that after she has tired herself out a little. So, this is the solution I have come up with for now. My hubby was very surprised when I told him I had ordered one, given my strong opinion about them, but I’d never really seen one in person and had taken my opinion from the movies. I know there are people out there who disagree with them. I just need a good training device that will work with my dog and work fast. And my neighbour has been able to train a golden retriever puppy very quickly using hers. And she never looks like she is in pain, she just stops the bad behaviour immediately and wags her tail. I’m all about that!
Ok, well have a wonderful day and or night, wherever you are! Thanks for reading and please feel free to comment and to share my blog. Don’t forget to like my Facebook page: aussiemumsadventures and email me directly at aussiemumsadventures@gmail.com. And remember, you will never be younger than you are right now, so enjoy it! 

Challenge Accepted Day 44/Day 2

The shock collar is ordered! My heart is racing with both adrenalin and a little bit of anger thrown in. My bloody dog, that I love incredibly has finally pushed me beyond the limits. And other people’s dogs have instigated it. What am I talking about? So I leave the house this afternoon ready to go and pick Ally up from the bus with Luna as I no longer take her on my morning or afternoon walks with Maddy because too many people let their dogs off leash and I am not ok with it. Especially when your dog can be aggressive. There are too many kids and too much action. Your dog should always be on a leash unless it is completely non-aggressive and completely trained. My dog is completely non-aggressive but she’s not well trained. In fact, she’s a little shit. So, today, this lovely golden retriever that is obsessed with Luna as it is, is off his leash as we walk out of the house and his owner (before knowing we were coming around the corner) throws a ball in our direction (right down the middle of the street mind you). Well the dog isn’t interested in the ball anymore once he sees Luna and he comes pounding down to us and jumps all over Luna, well she jumps all over back at him because she is not trained and she loves everyone and she’s a little so and so, and next thing you know she has twisted off her collar and is running full pelt away from me with this other dog, I am running down the street getting crankier and crankier by the second because I know my dog isn’t going to listen and she completely surprised me by getting loose. Eventually, she came back, the street was full of people, I very loudly said every dog should be on a leash and walked back to the house. Luna is now grounded and I am furiously typing away because I am still cranky. I know we don’t have a park, I know that lady and her husband both walk their dog, and their dog doesn’t listen either, it is a busy street and dogs get hit by cars and my dog is one giant ball of craziness and now she is getting a shock collar. Done. The issues I’ve had with dogs since we’ve moved here is ridiculous! What happens to Americans when they move overseas with their dogs? Why would you feel the need to just let your dog run through the neighbourhood as a free for all? I guess I wouldn’t be so cranky had we not had, not one, but two, run-ins with the other lady and her dog. For some reason she just thinks her dog can run around free, her dog started growling at Luna and getting ready to attack whilst there were kids around. I’ve been attacked by a dog, I freak out at dogs growlIng and getting ready to fight. The only thing that saved my wrist was my metal watch that this dog who attacked me many years ago, broke when he tried to bite me. He still drew blood but he came away with my watch in his mouth rather than my wrist. I have a real fear of aggressive dogs. I just don’t like dogs running around free when there are kids the dog doesn’t know also running around. Dogs are animals, if a kid does something to a dog, the dog is going to bite them, as it should, because that’s the only instinct the dog has. And kids can be animals too. Owners should always be aware of their dogs and their dogs’ needs. Just as parents should always be aware of their kids and their kids’ needs. Sometimes we can’t do it, like today, but most of the time, we can. Right, rant over. And here I am doing something I never thought I would do, in fact, I was downright offended when a friend suggested to me I should get one for Luna, but she is right. I’ve done everything to try to train this dog and she is not listening and I will not have her doing that again, so shock collar it is.   
So that’s how my afternoon started, but my morning started with saying au revoir to my girls then coming back and starting on ‘Plyometric Cardio Circuit’ and seriously going OMG! I thought I was doing ok, I remember why I love T 25! That reason; because it’s 25 minutes plus a 3 minute cool down. This; holy wow! This is intense! I forgot how intense it was! I couldn’t even complete the third drill, I think that’s what he called it when you do the basket ball drills, the level one drill, the ski (?) drills and the up/down drills (where you’re down in plank and you bring your feet up together and have to jump up). Anyway, by the time round three came around, I was done! I managed to do the cool down exercises, but man, I was both shocked at how many exercises there were and shocked at how tired/exhausted I was! It was intense to say the least. Tomorrow, I have a big day again. I have to go and see the school, because today my Korean American realtor/real estate agent, came over and read through all the paperwork and is trying to get some questions answered on our behalf. We don’t think Hunter’s should go on the field trip on Friday. Just because the bus drivers here are well beyond crazy, in fact, they are the craziest! 2 hours on a bus to Seoul, by himself, with a crazy bus driver? No, it’s not going to work out. I know he’s not actually really by himself but he’s three and with lots of people who don’t speak the same language and it’s his first week of kindergarten, no, it’s just not going to work out at all. 
After all the drama of the dogs, I was finally able to take a few minutes and get my painting finished. Not sure if I want a tree in the right hand corner or if I like it as simplistic as it is. Either way, I like it. I’ve given you two different perspectives of it depending upon the light you view it under and honestly, neither of them really show the colors as I see them. Anyway, I would love to know what you think. Here’s the other version:

  
As far as Rodan and Fields, my skin is feeling great, I’ve just ordered the Reverse regimen to do as my next challenge. Unfortunately the MACRO E has sold out and is gone. As are all accessories right now, but they promise to bring more back (accessories of course), yes please. I’m looking forward to revealing to you all just how wonderful my skin looks and how great it feels. Right now though, hubby is at work, it’s nearly midnight, and I am off to catch some beauty sleep. For the last four days I’ve cut out the Benadryl (Kim you will be happy) and used either meditation or melatonin, both of which have meant about 4 hours of sleep per night. Of course hubby is out on this night and tonight’s the night it all catches up with me. So good night, may you find happiness in the smallest things no matter where you are! 

Challenge Accepted Day 43 & Day 1….

My son went to a Korean kindergarten today. And he loved it. I have been worrying about it all weekend too. He has never really gone to kindergarten, even when I used to volunteer and he went into the childcare, it was hit and miss. It was only once a week, but sometimes he would cry for the first hour or even longer. It took about 3 months before he was finally okay to stay there without crying. He wouldn’t even stay with friends, my friend Trine was really the only person he would stay with for any period of time. We had talked about him starting school often over the last week. Yesterday, I even asked him if he was going to cry when Mummy said goodbye and he very proudly told me that no, he wouldn’t. Well, he told the truth. Not only did that kid not cry, he had a big smile on his face and was very excited. He had his little backpack with his blankie and his Spider-Man toy and he was ready to face the world and all its challenges. He kissed hubby and I goodbye and went into his classroom, ready to socialize with his classmates. The two German/American girls with whom he is friends, weren’t even there yet, but he was still excited to go in and see what this school thing was all about. I must confess that his bravery and eagerness did bring a tear to my eye, but don’t tell anyone will you! Hubby was quick to point me to the car in case he changed his mind and regretted his decision to face today with such courageous jubilance. But he didn’t. He walked into that classroom and immediately joined a group of young Korean boys and girls and happily played with them. 
For me, well I dropped hubby off at work and came home to a quiet house. I have to admit there were times I went to talk to Hunter throughout the day. A helicopter flew right over the car and I almost pointed it out (as I always do) until I realized he wasn’t there with me. It wasn’t like this with the girls and not because I don’t love them as much as I love him or anything to do with boy vs girl, it comes down to the fact that he is my last. There will be no more babies, and he is growing up. A day that makes you realize that things are changing, I’m getting older. There will be no more pitter patter of little feet in my house until the grandchildren days. Whoa! Grandchildren! Holy wow! Can’t even go there at this point in time, but I’m understanding my own feelings about why I was a little taken aback this morning at my own emotional response. Anyway, I got home and took some more ‘before’ photos, because today I started Insanity! Yes, my T25 voyage officially came to an end for now, although, my friend is going to send me her T25 DVDs (she doesn’t use them anymore and quite by chance offered them out to any takers on FB – I, of course, put my hand up big time). So Insanity it is! Here’s the original before photos with the photos I took today in the black pants which will now become my new before photos. 

  
  
I couldn’t really notice much of a difference in the first two front photos but I do see a difference in my butt from 5 weeks of T25! I did the fit test too, the one that you do at the beginning of the Insanity challenge, and did much better than I thought I would, surprising myself. I’m going to leave the results here so you can help me track my progress. 
  

Ok, enough Insanity talk and prep, there it is. You’ll just have to stick with me for another 60 days to see the results and then we can maybe go back to a T25 challenge and then who knows where? 😜
I decided to make hubby and I lunch and took it to him in his office, aren’t I the sweetest wife ever? 😂 yes, I crack me up too! But it was good and sweet, I even put it in a picnic basket. We didn’t have long unfortunately, but that was ok because I had things to do anyway. They have this paperwork that we have to have ready in case we need to evacuate (you know, like if someone just north of us might be a bit loopy and do something he threatens to do all the time). Anyway, it is actually serious business. We have to have everything in a ready to go packet so in a worst case scenario, we can be ready to go at the drop of a hat. Even the pets have to have their own paperwork, so my job today was to gather together final pieces for that. I picked up some groceries, and ran a couple of other errands before heading home. The first pick up was at the bus stop for Maddy, then we drove to the school to pick Hunter up. We got there a little early and the doors were open (with a teacher standing there) and we watched Hunter playing in his class, looking so happy still. Until……. He and another little girl were running to get something in this game they were playing and neither of them looked up and ended up banging heads. Tears were shed from both. Luckily it was on Hunter’s other side and not his already bruised eye. Finally his teacher saw me at the door and brought him over, then proceeded to tell me all about his day and an upcoming field trip, in Korean. I vowed then to use Google translate for every conversation. Thank god for modern technology! Because then she handed me all this paperwork that looked something like this:

  
Yes, I have at least 30 pages of Korean paperwork to fill out and read. So, I used Google translate for the first 10 pages and was able to understand most of it and fill it out, by the time I got done with that though, I was exhausted! It takes a lot to concentrate on this sort of stuff. With Latin based languages I can at least look at the root word and go from there but Korean may as well be alien writing to me. I am not only impressed but filled with admiration at those who can speak and read both Latin based languages and Asian languages! So, I did the next best thing and invited my realtor over for lunch and asked her if she would help me read through this. She said yes! So tomorrow, hopefully she can help me fill all of this out. One of them is a permission slip to go to Seoul on a field trip and I’m all about that but they would travel by bus (I think) and bus drivers her are the craziest of everyone! If my son’s going to be on one of those crazy buses, then I’m going to be there with him! Haven’t got a full plan yet like what I’ll do with Maddy in the afternoon, but one step at a time. 

Tonight, well, tonight has been quiet. The kids ate and were about to go to bed when hubby got home (he got a ride from his colleague) so we put them to bed and sat and had dinner together watching two of our favourite shows that we watch together; ‘The Good Wife’ & ‘Madam Secretary’. We are very diverse in our viewing preferences enjoying comedies to superheroes and everything in between; ‘Modern Family’ & ‘Blackish’ to ‘The Goldbergs’, to ‘Supergirl’, ‘Agent Carter’, ‘The Flash’, ‘Shield’, are all regulars on our tv and soon we’re hoping to borrow the entire Game of Thrones collection, so we can get into that. Anyway, it’s been interesting. Tomorrow I get to do the full Insanity thing! Tonight, I shall do the Rodan and Fields Redefine night regimen and follow it with the ACUTE Care, I only have a few of those left, so should be seeing a decease in the wrinkles (I am already). So I shall say adieu. For now. Have a wonderful day and or night wherever you may be and give those little babies a big kiss and enjoy their pitter patter, even for a moment.

Challenge Accepted Day 42

Tonight I’m feeling very somber, I don’t want to get you down, so I’m just going to keep today’s blog short and simple. This has been a very sad last week. First a friend in a horrific motorcycle accident and possibly paralyzed, then a friend fighting a losing battle with cancer, now my friend’s father has passed away. To say this last week has been sad is to put it very lightly. 
We did very little today. Everyone was worn out from so many things going on, I wasn’t in the mood to explore or seek out new destinations, hubby was still recovering from his enormous week, the kids were starting to realize they were going back to school tomorrow and we had a house to sort out to enable our new IKEA purchases were going to fit in. The day, although seemingly nice, was extremely windy and quite cool. A good day to stay in. Hubby built all of my pieces and wow! I am so happy with everything. In fact, we have even decided to keep the island from Costco as a good little liquor cabinet thing. It just works. 

  
The kids and hubby watched another Harry Potter movie, and I painted. I am confirming my Insanity start tomorrow and I will take before pics for that new challenge. I also have less than 20 days on the Rodan and Fields challenge and my skin is feeling wonderful. I’m really sorry to my T25 supporters that I am unable to finish the challenge. Tomorrow will show if the has been any change in at least the alpha portion of the challenge and we’ll see where ‘Insanity’ gets me. 3.5 weeks before my birthday too!! 
Well, I’ll finish it off with a photo of my current painting. It’s nowhere near finished, but I’m happy with it so far.

  
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If you too are interested in taking the Rodan + Fields 60 day challenge: http://www.slongmorescott.myrandf.com