Perpetual Child

It occurred to me today that in many ways I have not grown up. What I mean by this is that I have failed to adopt many of the behaviours that I used to associate with being a grown-up (woman) and I really can’t see that changing. Let me give you a few examples:

1. I don’t wear make-up.

Now, of course, this could be a very grown-up feminist thing for me to do – to consciously choose not to play into female beauty stereotypes, etc. However, I have to be honest and admit that this doesn’t play a huge role in the fact that I don’t wear make-up. The truth of the matter is that I just feel silly putting it on and, well, I’m really quite lazy about personal presentation (I rarely brush my hair, for example).

When I was in high school I use to wear a star-shaped sparkly sticker on my face and glitter around my eyes. I did it for fun. It made me happy. If make-up made me feel the same way I’d totally wear it, but the fact is that it doesn’t. Take away the glitter and it’s just boring.

I bought some make-up for my wedding (a lip-liner, an eye-liner and some mascara) and after I’d put it on I really didn’t look any different. What’s the point? (I totally should have worn glitter).

2. I don’t wear high heels. I don’t even own any.

Again, this could be a very grown-up feminist thing for me to do (see above), but again the truth is far more boring. I can’t see the point of high heels. They are uncomfortable and I am quite happy with my height (which is very short, for the record). I don’t feel the need to pretend that I am taller.

Of course, there is also the sad truth that I cannot walk in high heels. I tried one memorable Law Ball while I was an undergrad at Uni and the result was quite embarrassing. Added to this is the fact that I have enough trouble finding any shoes in Australia to fit my tiny size 5 feet that I have no reason to add to my burden by trying to find superfluous shoes.

I was informed by many a person that my wedding dress was the kind of dress that (apparently) had to be worn with high heels. My response? I wore sparkly green slippers. Yes I did. (I told you that I am a child).

3. I hate wine and beer. Honestly they both taste like crap to me (unless the wine has sparkles in it, then I like it – seeing a theme yet?).

I used to think that my taste buds would mature one day and I would enjoy the taste of these drinks, but this simply has not happened. I really can’t stand them. I think wine tastes like vinegar. Fortunately, P isn’t much of a drinker and I have realised that I really don’t care. Wine is bloody expensive and I am quite glad not to have something else to spend my money on.

4. I still laugh at toilet humour – every single time.

This makes it basically impossible for me to raise my daughter to behave appropriately. I have been forced to leave this for P because, well, I am a child.

5. I like to go to bed before 9pm.

For the past three years I have gone to bed with Lily. Rarely has this been much of a burden. I like to sleep and I like to get up early.

6. My emotions are extremely easily manipulated my media.

I cry during Kleenex commercials because the puppy is so soft. I cannot watch scary movies because I get too scared (and have nightmares). I sob inconsolably during sad movies and television programs. It is quite pathetic really.

The odd thing is that my mother has never really been a typical adult (woman) either. She has never worn make-up or high heels (though probably for more ideologically sound reasons than me) and she is impulsive and has a child-like enthusiasm for life that has always amused me. I used to introduce her to people as ‘my mother the teenager’. So I wonder why I thought that I would grow up to be more ‘mature’? Where did I get these crazy ideas from?

How about you? Are you surprised by the kind of adult you have become? Has your idea of ‘being an adult’ changed now that you are one?

The blog formerly known as...

Ah yes. So we decided to change our name and banner.

Clearly there are now more than two of us and so the old name and banner were getting a little unrepresentative...

For our new name we settled on in a garden... somewhere, because that is about as specific as we can get about where we want to end up in life. We'll probably update the URL and our labels at some point too, but that may take us a little while.

I hope that you are having a lovely weekend!

The Interview

A slightly different kind of meme is traveling around the blogosphere - instead of answering a series of general questions, you get interviewed by someone whose blog you read. So, here are my five questions from Half Pint Pixie:

1) You seem to be very well traveled (I especially love the Chinese signpost photos). Of all the places you've been to, where would you most like to live?

When I travel around Australia I often think that I would like to relocate to live in places that I visit - like Far North Queensland, or the South Coast or Tasmania - but sometimes when I visit fascinating places overseas I am actually struck by the fact that it would be really challenging to live there. Nepal, China, Manila and Johannesburg were all a bit like for me.


Some of the places that I would most like to live are probably the ones that I have been lucky enough to live in already - Laos (Vientiane), The US (Washington DC), and Canada (Vancouver & Fernie). However, I would also love to live in Paris or Tuscany (or Umbria), and I think that it would be great fun to live in Bangkok. It is such a vibrant city and I love Thai people. Phnom Penh would be fun too - although I certainly didn't think so the first time that I visited.

2) Like us, you are raising your daughter vegan. Have you encountered any opposition to this from doctors or family members?

Fortunately for us we haven't. Yet.

I am sure that as Lily grows up we will encounter opposition or issues, but so far we have been extremely lucky in the support that we have received.

3) Do you have a plan for NaBloPoMo or are you just going to wing it day by day?

I was planning to have a plan (if that makes any sense), but I think that I am just going to wing it. It is a bit like having a routine for Lily. I always intend to, but at the end of the day it just doesn't seem to work. Things just happen.

4) What has been the greatest change in your life since Lily's arrival?

Mmm that is a hard one. Everything in many ways, but less than it might have been. We weren't really going out in the evenings all that much before her arrival so not going out now isn't such a big deal. Also I was never much of a drinker of alcohol or anything so changing my diet for breastfeeding hasn't been very dramatic (although giving up onions, chili and garlic for the time being is a little challenging).

I guess there have really been three huge changes. First, having such a fascinating and delightful little person in our lives has been an absolute blessing (if I can say that without being overly cliched). Second, it has started to change my own identity in that I now think of myself as a mother and that has huge implications for the way that I view myself and the world around me. Finally, I really don't get any time to myself at the moment and haven't since she was born. Since we have adopted an attachment parenting style of raising Lily I am basically with her 24 hours a day and that has been a huge adjustment.

5) If you were sent into outer space with your family for one year what three foods would you bring (assume that they would stay fresh!)?

Only three! Bother.

I guess I would bring soy beans (and hopefully I could bring a soy milk maker and make tofu as well), tomatoes and buk choy. I would also add brown rice and mushrooms if I could sneak them in and then I think that I could survive OK.

Maybe while I was sneaking I might slip in some dark chocolate too, but that really wouldn't be necessary...
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Now it's your turn. If you want to be interviewed, leave me a comment including the words "Interview me." I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. If you don't have a valid email address on your blog, please provide one. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.