An Aussie taking on the Netherlands , one klompje at at time…
I really want to preface this post by saying – yes, I will be talking about my underpants.
However, I think what’s important to clarify is this : If you’re here because you did a hashtag search on underpants for reasons other than “I’m really that obsessed with one brand of underpants and I’ve been buying them for nearly 25 years and I’m gutted I can’t buy them here.”, this is your time to bow out of the post gracefully. Thanks for the click! 😉 Continue reading “The One About Underpants”
I bought a dress the other day. Hardly mind blowing, revolutionary stuff really, but bear with me. I’ve started working again, and occasionally I want to do stuff like frocking up and looking like a human, rather than something that crawled out of suburbia, got dragged through a couple of hedges on the way and lost an argument with a couple of sassy 4 year olds that morning. But enough about everyday life.
I bought a dress. I’m very proud of this fact. It was one of the first I’ve bought post babies, and I got excited about getting something new. It’s something I own that I didn’t buy on a clearance rack because hey, it’s just going to be puked/boogered/stained on anyway. I actually owned something NEW! Without STAINS! And I looked like a functioning member of society in it! Continue reading “The one about pockets.”
A couple of months back I made a huge deal about how you should stay tuned, my blog was coming back … and how this year was going to be AWESOME because I was 40 and everything was under control.
And then… Life happened.
My girls started school, I started working, and all of a sudden life was lost under a massive cloak of ‘OH MY GOD I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME FOR SLEEP LET ALONE A BLOG!’ … and so I kind of let things lapse.
Continue reading “The one about how a week turns into a month turns into … well, you get the idea”
Dear Albert Heijn,
We need to talk. I feel we’ve come to a point in our relationship of over 3 years where we can be honest with each other. You’ve been there through modified bedrest, premature deliveries and anxious parents of twins who are afraid to leave the house . You’ve come in snow, rain and heat with my crazy orders of 10,000 diapers and a bottle of milk. Most of the time you get my order right, and I get everything on my list – and I’ve forgiven you for the times that you’ve been out of stock on toilet paper and cucumbers, forcing me to leave the comfort and safety of my house for the real world.
Things have been good between us, haven’t they? You’ve had a loyal customer who loves your home deliveries and looks forward to the monthly delivery of all the stuff I can’t be bothered lifting or carrying home. I’ve had some good service and who can complain when you send around that good looking delivery driver who drops the load right in your kitchen and smiles at you as he asks you to put in your PIN …
I have to admit though, my attentions have been straying. Things are getting expensive, and I’ve been forced to look around at other options.
And then, today, I cheated on you.
I discovered someone else delivers to my door. They offered me free delivery on items that I actually purchase. They had good deals. It was all so tempting. Cautiously, I compared side by side on some of my regular products – and they were cheaper! I found myself clicking and building a shopping list and then … I ordered from someone else. But it doesn’t end there. I realised that I had already ordered from you the same day! What was I going to do if you met on my doorstep? I carefully scheduled a delivery time later in the day, and prayed that you wouldn’t meet.
You were late this morning. Nervously I paced the kitchen, hoping that you wouldn’t meet the new supermarket in my life. When you finally arrived, I paid quickly, ushered you out and then raced around, putting things away so there was no evidence for when the next driver arrived.
And then, the new blood came. On time. And he was so friendly, so nice, and so efficient, I began to fall into a trance. Everything was in my order.
Things used to be good between us. But now, you have competition. The cliche is “It’s not you, it’s me…”. I’m beginning to think maybe it is you …
As for next month, well, it depends on how things go. I’ll still pop down to you to get the occasional thing, but for deliveries, I’ve tasted a new world. And I liked it …
Sincerely,
Stephanie
Let me be the first to say – this is by no means dissing any of my existing friends, especially those who are close to me and have been by my side throughout everything. You are all wonderful, and I value you all.
3 years ago, I was struggling with the TTTS/TAPS diagnosis, endless doctors appointments, not knowing if my children would live or die. I was in a country where I barely spoke the language, with only my husband knowing the full extent of what was going on, and our parents to a lesser extent. A lot of my pain and hurt I hid from public view (this is part of who I am) and internalised. On top of that, being part of this mysterious 10% that got a condition that not many people understand, and not being able to find good, reliable and easy to understand information about – things were stressful. And it felt like I was alone. Very alone. 16,000 kilometres away from my family and friends, and very little emotional support. Continue reading “The one about finding people who get where you’ve been …”