Shopped Til We Dropped

Well, the end-of-year stocktake sales certainly was something we took advantage of. There were lots of interest free payment schemes for furnitures and electricals, that we were going gaga finding the right storage solution earlier this week. Anyway, we were able to purchase a huge wardrobe for the spare bedroom and a stylish cabinet for the dining room/kitchen all within a grand. And of course, we shopped for marked down clothes (plus size lingerie not included) as well for all three of us which we are so happy about. Thanks to Mr. Rudd. :)

Resolutions for the new year

This meme was cool! So, what do I need to focus on for 2009? Read on...

You Should Make 2 Resolutions



Get Fit
Eat Right

What Should You Resolve to Change Next Year?

And I wholeheartedly agree! :)

Belated greetings

Belated Merry Christmas everyone! I apologise for having neglected this blog. You know how it is here during the holidays, so many parties and yet nobody here to give you a hand. Goodness me, you can bet your bottom dollar that both of our kitchen sinks were filled to the brim with used pots and what-nots during Chrismas time. Yes, I was cooking up a storm because the parties we had to attend were all potluck. Even so, it was a good week for us, being with relatives and friends. But of course, it would have been even better if we had the chance to spend it in Manila. I guess, that'll have to wait for next year (God willing).

Toy Hunt: Meet Harry

Harry the Hippo is not actually a favorite (yet) of the little girl, but I figure, since he's the newest in the bunch (got him just a few days ago from Erin's godmother), he should be the one featured under the tree. He's really soft and cuddly, and small enough for the little girl to carry around wherever she pleases.

Bit of Advice

After that very long post, please allow me to post a short one this time. :)

I am sure everyone's in a rush these days to get to their Christmas shopping and parties. We ourselves will be having a hectic weekend to kick-start the most important week of this month. I just hope we will be safe in all our endeavours, and that we won't have to consult a Seattle injury lawyer for any reason. Just a bit of advice -- Have fun but party safe!

Me in Pictures

Thanks to Chris for this tag. It was a really fun meme to do! :)

Instructions:
The rules will start by using Google Images to search for your answers to the questions below. You must choose pictures from the first page from the results and post it as your answer.

1. My age on my next birthday



2. Place/places I Would Like To Travel



3. My Favorite Place



4. A Favorite Thing



5. My Favorite Food




6. My Favorite Color



7. The City Where I Reside Now



8. The City I Was Born



9. My College Major



10. Name of your First Lover

Can't find his name on Google as it's very unique. :P

11. A Bad Habit



12. A Hobby



13. My Wishlist



Phew! Glad that's done. :) I'm tagging Thea, Era, Jigi, and Mina.

Time of the month

I am back to getting my monthly visitor once again, as expected I go through these craving phases where I long for something salty and sweet at the same time. My quick fix for this are potato chips and chocolate. I know, they're not the healthiest of cravings but it's just only once a month. Besides, I've managed to shift to Dark Chocolate to make it less sinful. LOL. Let's just hope I don't go overboard with the chips so I don't have to take Fenterdren at all. *fingers crossed*

Getting Rid of Tsupee

Tsupee is Erin's pacifier or dummy as we call it here down under. It's helped us a lot in getting us some sleep when she was little to stop comfort-nursing from me at the unholiest of hours.

As she is approaching 2 years though, I am so keen on getting rid of our old friend. To date, I've managed to only give it to the little girl during sleep time, as the nurse has also advised us of this to help speed up her speech development. I tried taking it away from her a few nights ago, but she kept waking up several times through the night, which left us both sleepless. So I went back to give her Tsupee once again.

I did some research as usual and came up with tips from Babycenter on how to help your toddler give up on his/her pacifier.

What's the best way to get my toddler to give up his pacifier?
Ideally, your toddler will soon be ready to discard his binky on his own. His need to suck is continuing to diminish, and he can soon learn other ways to cope effectively.

To help him along, you might try to anticipate times when your toddler will want his pacifier and provide a substitute. If he tends to suck on his pacifier when he's bored, plan ahead and offer him a more interesting activity. If you're waiting in line at the post office, for example, give him a book to page through or make funny faces at him instead of handing him his pacifier.

If your toddler tends to pop in his binky when he's feeling insecure or worried, help him put his emotions into words. Ask him questions to find out what's going on, and reassure him with hugs and kisses.

To curb your toddler's reliance on his pacifier, praise him when he manages to go without one. You might also limit his pacifier use to nighttime and naptime, telling him, "We're going to stop taking your pacifier with us to daycare and out on errands but keep it for private times."

When you're ready to phase it out completely, try using a calendar to keep track of pacifier-free days, and reward your toddler with a gold sticker or an extra half-hour of reading before bed. You could also promise your child a reward, such as a special outing or cookie-baking time, when he amasses a week's worth of stars.

Your child's dentist might also encourage and support your little one in his efforts to give up the pacifier. Some dentists even have a place for children to drop off their pacifiers and get a toy (or a toothbrush!) in return. And some parents have had success calling on the services of a "Binky Fairy," who takes away all the pacifiers during the night and leaves a present in their place!

Menu Dilemma

I am in the midst now of drawing up my menu for the different potluck parties we will be attending this holiday break. That's the thing here in Oz, since we don't have helpers to assist us in cooking, we do all the hard stuff from buying the ingredients to coming up with the finished product. For the party on Saturday, I'll be bringing Beef Caldereta and Fruit Salad. I am also going to cook for dinner on the 24th and lunch on the 25th. Menus for these are still not final as I am still contemplating on what to cook. I sure hope that I'll be able to come up with yummy dishes so much so that you would want to take some Leptovox! :)

Games for your bored 20-month-old toddler

The little girl gets bored easily now. Her toys still interest her, but only for a short while, which is probably why she gets her hands on our stuff as well. And that's not good because she might get hold of really important things that are not meant to be toddler's toys.

I have been searching for more educational toys in the shops, and have managed to bring home from the Early Learning Center. They're called cotton reels which kids can thread, sort and stack. I also used a similar toy when I was working with developmentally delayed kids in the past. It's good but not enough to hold Erin's attention, so I need to build up my repertoire some more! *sigh*

In my search though, I have found these activities at BabyCenter to stimulate your 20-month-old.

Mummy (or Daddy)'s helper

Even the most boring chores will fascinate your toddler. He will watch what you are doing carefully and will probably be very keen to 'help'. Nurture his desire to play his part in the household by letting him join in.

Skills developed: imagination, a sense of his place in the world
What you'll need: duster; small or lightweight broom

Find your little one a safe area to "dust". An empty coffee table is ideal; the shelf containing your most precious ornaments is not. Give him a duster and show him how to wipe the table clean. (Don't use any spray or polish which could contain irritants and other harmful chemicals.) Once the table is clean he could dust something else – a chair, a door or maybe some of his toys. Once he has had enough of that he can move onto some sweeping. He will probably be very happy pottering about sweeping the kitchen floor leaving you free to get on with something else.

Which hand?

Your toddler is old enough now to remember an object that is no longer there. Test this out with this simple guessing game.

Skills developed: understanding concepts
What you'll need: a small object such as a small plastic animal that will fit in the palm of your hand

Hide a small object in the palm of your hand. Hide your hands behind your back (swapping the object if necessary). Now bring both hands back out in front of you. Ask your toddler to guess which hand the object is in. Open the hand she chooses slowly to build the tension. Occasionally you can play a trick and quietly place the toy behind you so that it isn't in either hand. This will amaze her the first few times you do it but very quickly she will work out where the toy is and race around you to find it. Give her a turn at hiding the toy but don't expect her little hands to conceal it. Remember to express delight or dismay each time you get it right or wrong.

You can find more age-appropriate activities for your little one here.

Nothing much

Oh boy, the shopping madness at the malls is getting worse. I mean, for a minute yesterday, I thought I was back in the Philippines with so many people doing their Christmas shopping. And I thought we were in recession!

Well, that's a good sign, as we are helping our country's economy by spending on gifts and what-nots for the holidays. Let's hope there'll be more cash left when it's over for the massive sales on Boxing Day, which I am certainly not going to miss.

As for other plans, the blinds are not yet in, and we've not yet heard from friends about any holiday trips so I guess, we're not going out of town (or checking in at any las vegas hotel) this month at all. Bummer! Maybe next year, we will be luckier.

Chicken Soup for the Soul

You Are Chicken Noodle Soup

You are a traditional and conservative person. You value the past, and change frightens you. You are very loyal, especially to your family. You prefer a low-key life, with lots of time spent at home. You like soup because it's easy, quick, and cheap. You tend to have a favorite soup you stick to. Why change a good thing?

What Kind of Soup Are You?

The weather's been wacky all weekend. Pretty cold and windy. These times, you just want to be in the comforts of your home, with a hot bowl of soup! But shopping duties await... And no, I am not complaining. LOL.

Quick Update

Forgive me for the long drought of posts here. The little girl has kept us on our toes recently because she developed a fever just as the weekend was about to start. Then, soon as we were sighing with relief, she developed some rashes on her arms and legs last Monday. The GP says it's viral so we just have to wait it out, until the darn bug decides to go away for good. TTFN.

Christmas Decor

Well, this certainly is no Christmas toy, but it is a decoration. That's the star on top of our tree. I bought it among all the other stars because it was made of capiz and was proudly Philippine-made. :)

A Bit of Shopping

Last weekend, I was able to buy some stuff for the kiddos, and was glad that Myer had a one-day 20% off on all their toys. And yesterday, I did some speed online shopping at Old Navy for the kiddies based in the US, as they were having 20% off plus free shipping deals. I couldn't let that pass me by and had to grab the opportunity in this time of recession. I am so glad I came across such a bargain, and we truly did save a lot! Now it's on to other stuff like golf balls for the adults, or what nots. I hope I get a great deal again in the stores.

A Bit of Organising

I didn't realise that we had so much pictures on our computers that we haven't printed on paper yet. There's nothing like having a hard copy of these pictures and holding them in your hands while you go back down memory lane. It's much like with books. E-books are cool but I still prefer having a real one to hold on to.

Anyway, the reason why we have not been able to get those pictures printed was the inconvenience of having to upload them on a machine in the mall and wait for hours to get it done. Recently, I've discovered those online developing websites, and you just upload your pics on their website, and they will deliver the photos to you for a reasonable price. I was able to do 2 sets already, as the first set turned out real good (meaning I got good quality photos). And in the process, I have managed to eradicate all pending photo development jobs without even having to leave the house. :)

Still Scouting

Hubby and I are still very much interested in getting away for the summer. It is officially summer here in Oz, and travelling to a new and different place would certainly be something great.

We've never really travelled all that much as a family, because Erin used to be very fussy, and we just are not willing to go through all that trouble. But now that she's almost two, I reckon she's got more energy than the two of us combined to last a not so long road trip.

If we had the moolah, we'd definitely book at Hotel Paris, or might even get a room at a bed and breakfast bordeaux. Gosh, that trip to France and booking at Hotel paris sure sounds dreamy! But for now, we'll just have to go local. Someday, Europe will be on our itinerary! Yes, someday! :)

Deceptive Genius!

I bought a copy of Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious last Christmas but have never really tried out the recipes for myself yet. Maybe it is because the little girl isn't really very picky with the things she eats, so for now, there is no need for us to be deceptive with the food we serve her. But, if you do have a kiddo who's been a challenge to feed, you might want to check out the e-book version that a fellow N@Wie shared in our group. Click here to download.