Thursday, February 26, 2009

Doodles

26 feb 09

I used to do so much with Ellie. I feel guilty that Caitlin gets much less time. So Caitlin finally gets her mummy-drawing time on huge A1 paper.*



Button Hairclips

Ellie now likes to accessorise. She used to hate having anything in her hair. We were browsing through Craft magazine and came across some homemade hairclips, so we decided to make these. Ellie chose the buttons and I sewed them on.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Where the good shopping is

When I do my weekly grocery shopping in my neighbourhood mall, I hurry past the shops and go straight to the task. With the remaining time I have in between dropping Ellie off and picking her up again I dart through a few shops in the mall usually picking up (again) things we need. Books for the kids, craft stuff, vitamins; things which really don’t count as shopping.

Well, since last sunday the neighbourhood mall as become my latest shopping haunt. When I say shopping I mean clothes shopping. I never would have imagined getting anything from the shops I’d whizzed past and barely glanced at in a hurry to get my errands done. After all, this was the neighbourhood mall- not Orchard Road.

My eyes were opened last Sunday, when our family met for dinner at this same mall. My cousin, rarely in these parts and arriving early for dinner, decided to do some window shopping. When we met for dinner she had bought two designer dresses at great bargains from a boutique I’d never even noticed before.

So today, when we arrive at the mall with Ellie fast asleep, and my mom in tow to manage Caitlin, I make a beeline for the tiny hole-in-the-wall boutique with a stock of designer labels with labels either snipped off or missing. One hour later, after lots of trying on I immerge with a pair of Paul Smith Jeans (which I had to buy because they made my legs look so skinny) and a little black dress (which Audrey Hepburn could have worn). I head to another little shop across the aisle, and my mom with Caitlin in one arm, is holding up a Diane Von Furstenburg jersey dress. Of course I couldn’t resist.

Friday, February 20, 2009

More about Potty

Ellie is officially potty trained. She’s gone to school without diapers and did not have any accidents. Hooray! I think she is one of the last of her friends to be potty trained. We have been encouraging it for so long-star charts, an expensive potty which became some sort of boat for Ellie’s collection of toys much to KM’s annoyance, a selection of underwear. KM’s prized potty has finally been put to good use. Caitlin too is trying to be part of this whole shee shee business by checking the potty and dipping her hands into it (urgghh!).

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Look who's baking


I said something in an earlier post about cooking and sewing and getting all domesticated once women leave their jobs. I never had a fondness for cooking but now I find myself baking and cooking and planning the family meals. Pictures to prove it. KM and I made his birthday cake together. From scratch. It is hard to believe that all that went into the cake was a bit of flour, sugar, eggs and pure vanilla. Banana cream filling and chocolate ganache icing. Lots of love and hard work.*

Friday, February 13, 2009

Falling asleep and going potty

Ellie has been sleeping earlier now that I put both girls to bed together. Both are usually in bed by about 9:45pm. In theory, I now have a little bit more time at night to do my own thing. In reality I find myself falling asleep with them only to awake at around 11:30pm with little left of the night.

It has been a tiring one week. KM has been ill and been in isolated from the rest of the family; confined to the study and its just been non-stop looking after the girls with the helper. So at the end of the day I am simply exahausted. Yesterday KM had his first meal with the family after one week of gourmet tray-meals. (Did I mention that I have discovered a new found love for cooking? Surprise surprise.) Am really looking forward to having him back in the fold.My theory is that if you stay at home long enough, you will likely end up doing all these 1950s domestic things- cooking, baking, sewing. Don’t really know if that is a good or bad thing. Now that I have finally resigned from my architecture job (yes, I finally) am have to start figuring what I really want to do with the rest of my life.

And updates. Ellie is almost potty trained. She’s moved on from insisting on wearing diapers and having accidents sans diapers. Now it is “private” potty time. “I need some private time.” We are not allowed to look when she runs down the corridor to the potty. And today for the record it was four times with no accidents.

Everyone loves a box


The best toy a child could possibly have is a box. There are just so many possibilities. Turn the box over and it becomes a boat. Cut some holes out of the box, open the flaps and it becomes a house with a post box and windows. Turn it the other way round and it becomes a trampoline. I am always on a look out for a good box to turn into something or just have the girls do what ever they want with it. I’ve got part of the neighbours fridge box in the study and our new plasma TV box in the corrridor. Along with a couple of new IKEA boxes (which I’ve turned into a house and a kitchen). Ellie loved her house so much she even fell asleep in it. *

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Peek a boo!

Sometimes, Ellie and Caitlin decide to be best friends. These are moments you live for.*

11 feb peek a boo