Buddha statues are the new black

Our garden

I don't know if I am just becoming more aware of my surroundings in my feast of the senses, or whether they have always been there but I have been noticing a plethora of Buddha statues around the streets. Just barely a hop, skip and a jump from our driveway are two MASSIVE Buddhas out the front of a house that slowly seems to be morphing into a Tibetan temple. I've also noticed a couple of others around the neighbourhood, and now hardly a day goes by when I don't yell out SPOTTO on  my happy trails after the morning school run.

The skip bin fully adding to the serenity ...

Anyway moving on.

It's Valentine's Day tomorrow and we are out at a concert in the evening. Aside from it being something HM has entirely instigated, it would appear that HM has chosen this time to instigate another first. This one involves The Surfer babysitting the little people for the first time. The Surfer is 15 now. He surfs BIG MASSIVE waves where SHARKS lurk. He has even surfed PIPELINE in Hawaii. He DRIVES the car when we go down south (only on the bush and private tracks with no other cars) but he has full control of the vehicle and we don't need to tell him how to drive. He lights the fire. He does all the heavy lifting around the house. He is a Man-Boy.

There is no real reason why he shouldn't be the best babysitter in the universe ... however, he is not at all happy when faced with being home alone. Not even during the day. And basically, this was the reaction we got from The Surfer:

He is especially not big on looking after Hammerhead and Barnstormer, who at the best of night times, aren't very cooperative at bedtime. So I have no idea how this is going to pan out.  HM is ADAMANT that he step up to the task. The Surfer has said in no uncertain terms he is not up for it EVER ... but HM has decided the time has come. In fact, he thinks the time came a couple of years ago.

But I just don't know ... it is also coinciding with the start of school and the tiredness that is going on with that from the littlies.

So while  I am ecstatic to be going on a rare night out with the beloved, I am sure I will the spend the night worrying about what is going on at home. Both kids have a full day of school the next day and The Surfer probably has a tonne of algebra homework that Hammerhead won't be able to help with. Barnstormer, at that time of night, can also be very non-compliant with authority of any description. Who am I kidding? She is just non-compliant fullstop.

We will see! I am hoping for a pleasant surprise.

Happy Valentine's day to all.

xx

The change over

Ok,
I am a little confused with the Google feedburner thingy and want to know if subscribers to insane-jane.com are still receiving notifications now that I have a shiny new domain name. If just ONE of you millions of superfabulous subscribers could just leave me a note below to let me know that you got an email about this EXCITING new post, that would be fabulous.

Sorry for the lack of posts. I am trying to wade my way through the murky swamp that is the staggered start to the kindy and pre-primary school years. I wish they would just start with full days already and be done with it. Kids these days; totally wrapped in cotton wool. I forgot to pick little Barnstormer up on her VERY FIRST DAY (got the time wrong by 30 mins) and DID SHE CARE? Not one bit.

She is even cross about the fact that she is only having half days. "WHEN DOES IT END?" she asks.


I leave you with this gem from HM: "If you are feeling sad about the kids going to school, we could try and have another baby and go back to square one!"

Why the name change?

This blog has been reincarnated as Triple Jane. I no longer want to be known as Insane Jane. I don't believe it is a positive name and even though I never thought I was actually insane, I now feel that I must use a more positive moniker on my new path.

So what exactly does Triple Jane mean?

It means my past, my present and my future. They are the three different Janes.

NO I have not completely lost it. I don't have multiple personality disorder. I have not overdone the new Buddhist thing (they are only focused on the PRESENT!). I just simply want to look at things more positively for now and the name had to go.

You see, earlier this month I had another "episode". What I hope will be the final episode in a long line of episodes. Enough for a 5-DVD boxed set.

I have now had an ephiphany. The epiphany to end all epiphanies. I won't waffle on about it here. At least not today. I will say that all is good. I am in a good place.

2013 is MY year.
xx

Z is for Zorro ... and Zen

So here we are in 2013 and it's nearly the end of January. Been so long since I blogged—lost my mojo towards the end of 2012 and still haven't really found it.

Still, I've been inspired by some new bloggers and some old favourites to get back into it. So here I am, fresh from possibly the worst January EVER and definitely my worst ever start to a new year, EVER.

Yes, dear friends, I spent New Year's Eve at Princess Margaret Hospital emergency department. Hammerhead severed an artery on some glass at OUR LOCAL BEACH. Some of you already know about this (some of you are SICK TO DEATH of reading/hearing about it) and some of you may even know that it triggered another depressive episode. It's always an event of some sort that brings it on. I am recovering well now and in fact, life is very good. I find I am much more quick to acknowledge the downward spiral these days, though I do wish that bastard black dog would just get run over and die.

On a more peaceful note, I am looking forward to Hammerhead being able to swim in his beloved ocean, because just between you, me and the Super Mario brothers, I was OVER.IT.BIG.TIME. Hammerhead being in plaster was like being put in a padded cell for a month with two crazed monkeys. He couldn't do anything: no bike, no pool, no bath, no shower, no running, no jumping and so on and it pretty much spelt out the same for Barnstormer, who was also suffering from a lack of attention. It was just story books and well, ok, the odd bit of telly and also the odd trip to the cinema—love their air conditioning.

Even the Super Marios were out—very hard for a 5 year old to steer with one hand (and of course it was his good hand that was injured so had to spoon feed and brush teeth as well). Plus we had to make several trips back and forth to the wonderful people at PMH. My heartfelt thanks goes out to all of the fantastic doctors, nurses and staff at that amazing place.

Hammerhead's Z scar.

And you know what? Hammerhead NEVER EVER complained. Not once. He even learned some new way to wash his hands. I am so proud of my little boy. My little Zorro man.

So I became inspired with the whole Z thing and have found Zen. Yep, I have gone Buddhist. I am only just starting but I've been reading a truly enlightening book called The Complete Guide to Buddhism for Mothers by the wonderful Sarah Napthali. My only regret with this is that I wish someone had put me onto it when Hammerhead had just been born.

Anyway, I am now all Zen and at one with the universe. I'm even thinking of going on a retreat—initially because I saw this as an opportunity for a cheap holiday from the daily grind of household chores, mess, noise, school lunches and never ending questions, but now because I am MINDFUL of being a calm mother.

I've always liked Buddhas (in the physical sense) but had never really taken the time to learn about Buddhist teachings apart from the odd foray into transcendental meditation (with my hippie friend Moonbeam) when I was about 18 and some sporadic all-or-nothing yoga attempts over the years.

I never could meditate because I was too stupid to work out how to clear my mind. I also believed back then that NO-ONE could change how I think. Idiot. Perhaps this session below might have worked ...

And now many moons later, we have several Buddhas in our garden and house, and I don't even think I can count all of the travel pics I have of me standing in front of Buddha. So it just seems natural to me now, as an extremely non-calm and non-peaceful mother, to become more immersed in this way of thinking. Being mindful of everything and focusing on the present. There isn't even a word in the Tibetan language that translates into GUILT. Nice one.

 How has 2013 been for you?

Light at the end of the tunnel

There is the teeniest, tiniest flicker of light at the end of the longest, darkest, most claustrophobic tunnel ever. I am FINALLY getting to the end of the workload for the year.

I promise to write posts of a more profound nature in the coming months. Looking back so far I think this blog is just a melting pot of whinging and general first world nonsense. There are far more important goings on in the world. However, it has helped me to move on with a few things. I don't really know why. But I keep reading that others say the same. I guess putting things out there in the blogosphere brings clarity.

I am, unfortunately, still having a LOT of trouble with the memory. Not so much that I can't remember things, more that I am just VAGUE AS. I can't seem to remember to stay focused on the task at hand. Simple tasks that I have been doing perfectly for 43 years are simply going awry in a bad way. I have just recovered from an INSANE 48 hours. This is what happened:

1. Friday: Put lamb roast in oven to cook for an hour. Check on roast one hour later, realise I have set oven to GRILL and not fan force. Dinner one hour late that night.
2. Saturday morning: Drive off from petrol station leaving petrol cap on boot of car. Lost petrol cap forever.
3. Saturday afternoon: Put colour in hair to hide 50 shades of grey—something I do quite regularly. After 45 minutes I rinse and hair still very grey. Go to apply the conditioner included in the pack and discover it is not actually conditioner but the COLOUR mixture in a very similar container. Had put conditioner in hair for 45 minutes. IDIOT. And even then could not put the colour in because it has to be mixed with the special solution stuff that I had already mixed with the "conditioner".

NOT SO Nice and Easy

I'd like to think that all mums and 40 somethings in general are going vague at this time of the year. Am I right?

Oh and today, one of my very good friends sent her daughter over with some toys they no longer use to give to our peeps.  One of the toys was a loud, noisy plastic sword with flashing lights and a neverending series of loud beeps. Far, far worse than a Zhu Zhu pet. Hammerhead was absolutely delighted, never having been the recipient of such an offensive toy weapon. I couldn't bare to confiscate the toy so early in the peace. HM {irate} vacated the premises within 60 seconds while I sat and endured this horrid noise for a few hours, firing off a THANK YOU text to my friend, who assures me the batteries will die any minute. I now have The Surfer on a special mission in the shed (deep down in the dark recesses of the back yard jungle) attempting to use up the batteries as fast as possible.

If you would like a picture of this you can now follow me on Instagram at @msinsanejane

OK, it's back to the books. Hope you're all having a great weekend. xx