In memory of darling little Arya (22 July 2013 - 22 December 2013)

For one mother in the world, her very worst nightmare has come true. Her arms are empty and her  heart is heavy because her darling little girl was taken much, much, much, too early from her bosom. When MiniMr was born, a friend said to me that from that day forward, my heart was walking outside of my body. So I'm left wondering how this sweet little girl's mother is expected to carry on without her heart?? No mother should ever have to bury a child. Ever. But burying a child that has barely lived seems that much more tragic. Why? Why? Why? I feel so sick with sorrow for her family. There are no words or actions or anything at all that will ease their pain now. Only time. Time. The only thing that can't be hurried, or bought, or taken. Time. The only healer. I'm in utter awe of every single parent that has ever lost a child and is still here to tell the tale. I'm humbled. I'm heartbroken. I'm not sure I'd survive. I pray that I never have to find out.

Rest easy little Arya.
You will never be forgotten.

If only I could I would....FIJI!

I love travelling and have done a fair bit in my time but not nearly enough to satiate my wanderlust! There is still sooooo much that I'd love to see and do and just hope that I'm blessed with enough years to do it all in. As I used to work for LUXURY Holidays & Corporate Travel magazine, I got a bit of a taste for the truely sublime and breathtaking.  But now that I'm otherwise occupied with a pint sized little dynamo (yes, let's blame him for the lack of travel!), I thought I'd treat myself with a regular post called 'If only I could I would...' of where I'd be galavanting if money, time and all other restrictions fell away. 

This week, I'd be on a flight to Fiji with family in tow. I'm feeling like a wee lie on the beach, or around the pool with a (virgin) cocktail is EXACTLY what I need. The plane would be dropping me off at Dolphin Island... actually, no, the plane would drop me off at Fiji International and from there I'd transfer by float plane or helicopter.... I'm not really fussy! And this is what would be waiting for us...

Love Wednesday...

Rather late than never... and its Wednesday somewhere in the world!  

This week, I got a contribution little readers! Oh, yes, we're seriously on our way to hitting the big time now! Thanks Mz Bex for flagging Stickygram - an awesome site that promises to bring your Instagram photos to life by allowing you to get them printed onto iPhones, iPad covers or magnets... I mean, is there a better way for the world to see how amazingly talented you are behind a camera?? And, hello, FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE. Boom. I'm sold.


On the fabulousness of the world wide web, wouldn't it be cool if there was an app with ideas on how to amuse your almost five month old. Hold up.. there is one! Welcome Knoala! The website claims to 'Raise happier kids'... now I'm not sure about that but it sure keeps them happier if they are entertained! Basically, after you've registered, you load all your kid's deets in and where you're based (that's so that they don't give you summery stuff and its -13 degrees outside) and it will suggest activities. Its totally genius I tell you as I often feel like MiniMr and I have rehashed the same songs, funny faces and toys over and over again. Check it out, a total must have for anyone that often has ankle biters on their hands. And just as an aside, the video on their home page makes me a bit teary eyed. Stupid mommy hormones!

Its summer in this part of the world, so along with glorious days comes not so glorious FLIES!!!! Now, I know we're meant to love all of God's creatures alike but I am so NOT a fan. And since we've got MiniMr, my usual line of defence in the aerosol can is not an option. So I purchased a Bug Zapper. And here's the thing... it really works. Not as easy as a quick spray since you have to hunt them down, zap them, and then locate their stunned little bodies to dispose of. And the smaller ones are HARD to catch. But still, sooooo much better than having six of the little fockers swarming around me while breastfeeding. And it works for pretty much everything with tiny wings.

Why oh why oh WHY did we not have uber cute linen like this when I was growing up?? I had a crocheted bed cover and I just know - JUST KNOW - that I would've been happier and had a whole bunch less hang-ups if only I'd had this princess duvet to go to bed with at night. Oh well, I'll indulge my childhood fantasies through my wee boy... I'm sure he won't mind a princess duvet!!! (There is in fact a rather fabulous astronaut one for boys!)

And just because its Christmas, and I just know there are some of you that will be furiously wrapping pressies at 11.10pm on Christmas Eve... only to realise that you forgot the tags. Well fear not as now you can MAKE YOUR OWN. Check it out here. Okay, maybe not really ideal at almost midnight but still cute!

And last but not least, I bet you've been wondering ALL week what's caught my eye on Etsy. Well, wonder no more because here are my little bits of deliciousness...

I'm not sure what's with all my winter picks since its SWELTERING in Auckland at the moment, but how adords are these little baby boots! All together now...'Cuuuuttttteeeeee!"

And I just know there is someone out there that's freezing and ABSOLUTELY requires these little beauties. There are also mo' ones, heart ones, dog ones, even Christmas ones... basically something for everyone. 

Then there's this awesome shop that sells teething paraphernalia. A little bit cute, a little bit quirky, a whole bunch of 'Add to cart please'!

And that's that for another week. 

Um, I don't think there will be a 'Love Wednesday' next week since its likely I'll be comatose from stuffing my face. And the week after is New Year... but then its all systems go! 

Santa's in da house....

Ho, ho, ho. I frecken love Christmas! Love, love, love it! I think its because I'm slightly obsessed with creating traditions and Christmas gives you a truck load of opportunity to do just that. And of course, Christmas is one of the most exciting times if you have a baby... I can now create some awesome Christmas traditions for our family! In reality though, what's likely to happen is that I'll get totally overwhelmed and do nothing. But right this minute... THERE IS SUCH PROMISE!!!!

I can't say that I've started the way I mean to proceed with all this family tradition stuff. I failed miserably at getting Xmas cards out this year - as I have for like, well, the last 10 years or so. I used to make all my own Xmas cards. For real. And then suddenly, I didn't. So this year, MiniMr's first, would have been a GREAT time to get started on that again and send out a homemade card with him on the front dressed all cute and stuff, like a Christmas log or something. Oh, I thought about it. I thought about it heaps. But I NEVER DID A THING!!! For once in my life though, it wasn't plain laziness - babies keep you busy, man!!

I'm on some great mommy sites on Facebook - shout out to all the mamas that are reading this :) - a lot of which are American and man oh man... they do traditions like nobodies business. I've had card envy, tree envy, Santa envy. In fact,  I've had Thanksgiving envy, Halloween envy, you name it envy... I've had it. They just do this stuff so well. Their Santas at EPIC, and the family photos just rocking. It makes me WANNA BE AMERICAN!!!

But back to my reality and the real world, I'm now trying to get some Salt Dough ornaments made (as you all know from a previous post, I'm yet to use the plaster of paris kit I bought to immortalise MiniMr's feet and hands!!!). I must, I must, I must. Its not that hard for goodness sake. And the tree. That was a major 'Should we start getting a real one or just stick to the old trusty artificial tree that has served us so well for the last 10 years or so??'. Lordy, that dilemma bounced around in my head for WEEKS while I talked to people about it and all the pros and cons. Eventually, I just pulled out the frecken tree and put it up. Not like MiniMr is going to know any different at the mo and it might be nice to change to the real thing when he's old enough to be asked his opinion. And then there was the Santa photo...Do I take him to the flashest place in Auckland to do one, and wait a million hours in the queue with screaming kids and disgruntled parents? Or do I just take him to the local shopping mall because again.... ITS NOT LIKE HE KNOWS WHAT'S HAPPENING. Anyway, his father told me that we're not fancy people (although I secretly fancy myself just that) and off we went to the local mall. Well, SANTA NEEDS TO GET A NEW JOB!!!! I'm not sure who looked more somber in the photo - MiniMr or Santa, who was evidently rather over it and already thinking about the cold beer waiting at home. I even had to ask for MiniMr's gift... from the photographer!!! I WANT AN EPIC AMERICAN SANTA!!!!

Anyhoo... on the bright side, the photo is done, the advent calendar was bought (MiniMr had a wee chew on the corner and then moved on) and he's got a Christmas Eve outfit and Christmas Day outfit so its not all a complete fail. And, there'll be another Christmas around in a mere 365 days. Ooooh, and then I'm going to do it all.... homemade cards with a corny family photo on the front, a Christmas book for every night, a homemade advent calendar with teeny tiny gifts, Xmas pj's for the whole month, Salt Dough ornaments for all and sundry, maybe the tree will even be real. Ooooh, and... and... and....   

Here are some great Christmas Tradition ideas that I loved and thought I'd share with you:

-Homemade Christmas Advent calendar, with small and personal gifts
-The Christmas stocking, with one gift that stays consistent, eg socks, or an orange, or a bar of white chocolate.
-Christmas book Collection, either in a basket under the tree, or individually gift wrapped so that every night is a surprise as to what book will be read. Start buying a book a year and your collection will be rather meaty in no time.
-The Christmas Bake-off, where the whole family gets together and bakes awesome treats for neighbours, teachers, co-workers and such as gifts.
-The Christmas lights tour, every town has one street that is awesome... make it a tradition to drive along it as a family. Or, why not become that street! 
-Christmas Eve = one gift to unwrap before bed. With cocoa. And Christmas songs. Love.
-The Tree Trimming, where everyone mucks in and gets that tree put up. Again, cocoa and carols a MUST! 
-The Big Christmas Clean up, an awesome way to get de-cluttering (you know the saying - one in, one out). Plus, by donating good and in working condition stuff to charities etc, you'll also be paying it forward 'cause you know that other saying, 'One man's trash is another man's treasure!' 
-Christmas PJ's, either a few sets that are worn every night on the lead up to the big day, or a special pair that only gets worn on Christmas Eve. Extra points for the families that wear matching. 
-Special Christmas Decoration, where every year  you either allow your child to chose their own decoration, or you choose one for them, and it gets presented to them at the Tree Trimming. Or, here's an even better one... DIY it!! 

What traditions do you have?? I'd love to hear them. 

Wonder-weeking wonder...

We're wonder-weeking in this house at the moment.... and its completely FASCINATING!!! You may have noticed that I'm a real information hoarder, I love it and research things up to me eyeballs. When I'm interested in something, I've got to have the books. And now the apps. Only problem is finding the time to get through it all. 

At the moment, I have the following next to my bed, all of which at some point or another have been dragged to the lounge, the kitchen, the computer room, and dare I admit, the toilet! as I grab pockets of time to fill my boots with reading.... 

-Blogging for dummies: Not yet opened
-Mom blogging for dummies: Not yet opened
-The baby-led weaning recipe book: on page 15
-The baby-led weaning cook book: Not yet opened
-Baby-lead weaning: Almost onto chapter 6 (of 8 chapters)

-Your self confident baby: More than half way there

-What to expect: The first year: currently on pg 322 of The Fifth month (I've just covered 'Starting the Cup)
-The Wonder Weeks: I've just finished Chapter 6 on Wonder Week 19: The World of Events

But its Wonder-weeking that I'm on at the moment as MiniMr will be 21 weeks on Saturday so he's right in the midst of Wonder Week 19, which can run for anything from one to six weeks. 

Anyhoo, I noticed last week that he's feeding really badly, mostly in the day (how can 2 minutes on the boob possibly be enough??) and that he's pulling his ears again (how many visits to the Dr for potential ear infections can this mommy make??), and that his settling for sleep has got, well, very unsettled. He also reached for both Mr and I on Saturday at different times when he was being held by people he wasn't familiar with, he's become rather demanding of mommy's time, and he adores the 'little boy that lives in the bathroom' aka his reflection in the mirror. And I'm sure he knows who I'm talking about when I mention daddy... he's eyes light up and he becomes super animated. But, I'd been so busy with general day to day stuff like washing, cooking and baby looking after that I hadn't had chance to read where he was at in this 'leap' even though I knew it was on the radar... at the very same time as the notorious '4 month sleep regression'. BTW - a lot of the above I was blaming on teething.... which I understand will get blamed on for everything from now until 3 years old! 

Well, last night, I pulled the wee pink book out and lo and behold... all the very things I'd noticed - and sometimes been worrying about e.g. feeding!! - was all there in black as white as signs that he's experiencing 'The World of events'. And this my friends, is why I love information. I was utterly fascinated by how on track his development was. Not from a 'Wow, he's so clever, watch him go!' perspective (although, if I'm honest, I have those moments too) but from a 'Wow! How about someone has studied this and ALL babies will be going through a range of this at the moment!'. Just frecken FASCINATING!!!! So after this 'leap', our wee little man will really be his own person for the first and no longer think that he's an extension of me or his dad. He'll explore his surroundings with renewed gusto and I'll no longer be his only toy. Basically, he's a man looking for action!  

And the thing I'm most looking forward to from this leap.... when he responds to 'Leo' for the first time. 

PS For all new moms, do yourself a favour and grab a copy of 'The Wonder Weeks' by Hetty van de Rijt and Frans Plooij. You won't regret it.    

Love Wednesday FAIL...

Sheesh, we were almost there team, so very, very close... but it just didn't happen. Bright side though is that I'll post a meaty 'Love Wednesday' next week! 

I thought though since I LOVED this, it would be a good stand in. Go and grab the tissues, click play and be ready for your feel good juices to crank up! It's Christmasssssss time! 

 

Once upon a time...

...I had all the opportunity in the world to enjoy a leisurely cup of tea on the couch with some biscotti and a magazine. Now its at the top of the stairs waiting for a teething babe to settle, with maybe a quick flick through the first few pages of a mag that's two months old, a few of sips of a partially warm cup of tea, and biscotti that would be considered breakfast. 

Once upon a time....

I never left the house without making the bed first. Now its a good day if I can get back in to it without getting tangled up in anything other than bedding.

Once upon a time...

I would never have worn something that wasn't ironed. Now, if it smells clean and looks clean, we're good to go.

Once upon a time.... 

I got ready for the day in my bedroom. Now its mostly in the hallway, spare room, or laundry, using whatever mirror I can find that's not fogged up.  

Once upon a time....

My dishes never piled up. Okay, that's a lie, they always did and its likely they always will! 

But once upon a time, I did not have this rolling around in the bed with me first thing in the morning, giggling with me at noon and snuggling at night .... so it seems like a reasonable trade I thought.

  

 

Over to you mamas... what has changed for you?