Self Portrait

Linking up today with Jess from Diary of a SAHM for IBOT.

Last week, Jess put a call out for people to help read and comment on the posts that link each week. I put my hand up, as this is the one linky that I regularly follow and although I don't comment on every post, I do read all the posts. By being part of Team IBOT, I will be able to comment on all the wonderful posts that are linked up each week.


Jess asked the 6 of us to answer a few questions about ourselves and also to post a photo. I neglected to send a photo as I am not very good at reading instructions, and Jess used my blog picture - which to be honest, I would have sent anyway.

This is the picture I use on my blog, for twitter and commenting etc. I think this is a representation of how I want the world to see me - doesn't she look relaxed and without a care in the world?! I used a cartoon, not for anonymity, but as I just don't have any photos of myself. I have been looking through our photos, and since Master Z was born, I am only in a handful of ones we have taken. I put on a huge amount of weight when I was pregnant and have only lost half of this. I think this has a lot to do with why I don't 'do' photos, but I realise I have missed so many opportunities to be in photos with my little boy and I think this has been quite selfish of me. I tend to be the photo takerer (so a word!) and shy away from being in group photos. I am one of those annoying people that 'untags' myself from photos on Facebook and I usually demand to veto any photos people take of me if I think I look really crap.

I have decided that this would change as of today. I won't hide behind a drawing and I am going to lay myself bare. What better way to get it all out there (don't worry, I mean figuratively) than to put it on my blog. I am including a few of the photos I have of myself from the last few years and once I press 'publish' I am going to have to get over my insecurities.

This is the photo I put on all my uni Master's degree unit home pages - mainly as you can't really see me and 'hey, check out Everest in the background' Pity its about 7 years old..........

This is the worst photo of me, but was taken at the happiest point of my life. He was born at 7.10am, and I had an hair appointment booked for 9.00am that day - he didn't have the decency to wait for me to get styled!

6 months after Master Z was born, at a wedding in New Zealand - not a great photo of either of us, but I like this photo as it shows my total love for that boy (chubby bubby :o))

The only photo of our family I could find. I am horrified at this and will start to change it.

The only photo we have of me by myself. In New Zealand - almost 2 years ago! I hate looking at it, but will have to get over it!

And finally, here is a photo of me, today, warts and all. No make up, minimal sleep and I haven't brushed my hair for a few days. I am going to change my twitter and blog photo to something that is my reality. This is the start of it for me and hopefully I can start to be in photos so that Master Z can know that I was actually there by his side each day.

What are you like at having your photo taken? Are you a shining light, or a wall flower?

Chantel x

How Embarrassment!

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This is a post that does talk about poo and wee - sorry. If you are easily grossed out, don't read on, but hey, I am an OT and a mother, nothing relating to poo and wee phases me anymore!

I thought I would share one of my most embarrassing moments. There have been so many, I am the ultimate klutz, foot in mouth kinda girl, and I work in an environment where I come into contact with all forms of bodily fluids - but this one is one of those that brings a smile to my face - hindsight is a wonderful thing, I was devastated at the time.


In 2005, we were living in Leeds, in the UK and embarked a trip of a life time. We went to Nepal and then Tibet and spent 3 weeks trekking up to Everest Base Camp. It was the most amazing experience and TBone proposed when we got there, so it was a pretty amazing trip all round.


There were about 16 of us on the trip - at that time, pre-Beijing Olympics, westerners could not go into Tibet unless on a guided tour. TBone and I were the youngest by a decade or so, but still managed to have a great time with our fellow travelers. Travelling in that environment, you have to get over yourself and your modesty pretty quickly, with gastro going through the group at a rapid pace, altitude sickness causing all sorts of vomiting, chest problems and hallucinations and if you are lucky enough to find a toilet - they are best described as a hole in the ground. 

Toilet at the Potala Palace - least this one didn't have crusty edges

Most of the time, we were in the middle of nowhere, and there wasn't much in the way of foliage, so if you needed to go to the toilet, you snuck off away from the group and tried to have as much privacy as possible. You are also encouraged to use as little non-biodegradable product when burying 'your business' to help the environment. We got very adept at 'shaking' dry - gross I know, but 'When in Rome'... A whole different post would go into other toileting issues in a country like that - Moon Cup anyone??!! 

On our final day in Tibet, we were in the bus from Base Camp to the Tibetan/ Nepalese border. We pulled over on the side of the road for a toilet break and dispersed from the bus like ants in different directions to try to find a little bit of privacy. I thought that after 3 weeks of extreme toileting that I had it all sussed. I went down a path that was quite steep, very secluded and out of view from the bus. I figured that if I faced uphill, the wee will go downhill - makes sense right??!!

So, I went about my business, singing to myself, cleaning the dust from under my finger nails as my quad muscles were given another hammering trying to maintain a squat on a slope. Suddenly, from the bushes to the side of me, I heard this booming "MooOOOoooo". I jumped so high, and promptly fell backwards onto my bum and back, right into the puddle I had so cleverly created. I looked to my right and was met with the stares of an older man, young boy and a cow. I was probably one of only a few westerners they would see that year and they saw a lot of me as my legs and bottom waggled in the air while I tried to get myself upright and pull up my trousers. I don't know who was more startled, and I was very quick to sort my self out and slink off back to the bus. 

Fortunately I was one of the last on the bus and we were sitting up the front, so I was able to move myself such that no-one else saw the very embarrassing wet patch all up my back and down the back of my trousers. TBone just rolled his eyes and shook his head when I told him - I think he was probably wondering what he had just committed the rest of his life to!

Ahh Tibet, how I love thee!  Namsto Lake 2005

What is your most embarrassing moment? Please tell me I am not the only one????

I am linking up to day with the ultimate Glam Queen Jess, at Diary of a Stay at Home Mum for I Blog on Tuesdays. Head on over to check out other fab reads.

Chantel x