Friday 25 June 2010

Gift Etiquette

I love to buy and give gifts.  I get a lot of joy out of choosing just the right thing for the right person.  At our house we have a present cupboard because I like to be organised and I like to shop.  When I'm out and about and I see that perfect item either with someone in mind or for just in case I snap it up and into the present cupboard it goes.


This week I have suffered a case of mortal embarrassment.  I sent a gift to dear friends for the arrival of their baby boy.  Now these are great friends and the arrival of their son is a big occasion because like us they travelled a windy path to get here.  Knowing that like us they love books I decided two of our favourite books along with a cute mamas and papas bear would be a great choice ( I try to stay away from clothes for babies because I like to give them something that might become a treasured item for years to come - not get grown out of in 2 months).


So off I trot to the present cupboard and select the books that have been in waiting 'Ten little fingers and ten little toes' Mem Fox and 'Rumble in the Jungle' Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz.  I wrote lovely messages in them for baby and sent them off.  Today I find out that somehow I have written in and sent Noah's copy of 'Ten Little Fingers...' already featuring a message to Noah from his dad.


Not really a huge deal but now I'm wondering if they think I re-gifted a book of ours - which we absolutely did not.  


I am a re-gifter I have to admit, but not in a bad way - I just find that sometimes we get double ups of kids toys and books so I add them to the present cupboard.  It's not a tight ass thing it's just practical.  I would still never give someone a gift that I hadn't given a lot of thought to.  


Tell me people do you love buying presents?? Are you a re-gifter?? Have you ever been caught out??


*** I think maybe I'll start doing some kids book reviews because oh my we love books in this house and we have hundreds.  These Giles Andreae books are amazing - Giraffes can't Dance, Commotion in the Ocean, Farmyard Hullabaloo - check back next week and we'll have a chat about books

Thursday 10 June 2010

Water


In Australia and even more so in Western Australia where I live we are blessed to be surrounded by beautiful beaches.  We certainly have some water shortage problems and as I type this it hasn't rained for over a week but we still don't have the water restrictions other states are facing. Millions of people around the world don't even have clean drinking water but we are blessed by such wealth that we buy it in bottles at a higher price per litre than petrol.

My husband is an environmental scientist and did his PhD on the health of the Swan River.  In his day to day work he mainly focuses on environmental issues relating to water.

I'm a water baby, so is Noah we all are.  We spend almost every summer day at the beach, we are regulars at our local pool, we take family baths in our huge tub.

Once I even asked the Doctor if I should be worried about Noah because he was consuming about 2 litres of water a day - his appetite for water is insatiable (he would even drink pool and bath water).  The Doc assured me he was fine and I went on my way happy to have a child that is so healthy - he still only drinks water and lots of it.

This past weekend I had friends for dinner and was forced to confess that when it comes to washing my dishes I'm a water waster.  I'm not proud of it but I wash under running water.  I can't bear the thought of my dishes being washed in water full of dirt from other dishes - weird I know.  I'm very economical in all other senses when it comes to water.  I don't take long showers, I'd prefer to water the garden very infrequently - just enough to keep it alive (Rob overrules me on that) and I never wash my car - OK that may be laziness but it still saves water.

Water - what does it mean to you and your family??

Tuesday 8 June 2010


We have had the most beautiful long weekend.  The winter weather in Perth is amaaaahzing at the moment - not great for the empty dams but oh so wonderful for a little family of three to seek adventure.

We started with a trip to the pool Friday afternoon as Daddy De Roach made an early exit from the working week.  Noah loves the pool and he is so confident.   He wears those little orange arm floaties and with those he thinks he can do anything.  He runs and jumps and kicks and laughs.

After swimming we headed to order a pizza and choose a movie to watch.  Noah loved the video store and was very quickly finding the kids movies (they put them on the bottom shelf like the chocolate to tempt kids and torture parents).  We rented Toy Story 2 (Noah adores his Mr Potato head toy) and settled in for our very first family movie night.  It was so cosy all cuddled on the couch with the doona and Rob and I truly realised what a big boy our baby has become.  He watched every minute barely taking his eyes off the screen, he ate pizza like a pro and then marveled at 4 little maltesers in his very own mini packet.  Every time Mr Potato Head came on the screen he shouted 'tato' with such delight. (Sorry no photos - I hate those grainy indoor/nighttime photos).

(Unfortunately all the excitement meant that Noah woke twice during the night and even decided 2.30 - 4.30am was play time)

Saturday was a much needed day of relaxation and catching up on sleep.  I even managed an afternoon nap and time cuddled up in bed with a book - Bliss.

Sunday we went in search of a new cafe to breakfast at and were delighted to discover Deli Chicchi in Mount Claremont.  It had wonderful food and lots of books and gourmet bits to browse and buy.  Noah had the most adorable babycino which came in a little ice cream cone - too cute.

I wanted to surprise my boys and take them to the Model Train and Lego exhibition but Rob managed to get it out of me in the morning but was very keen none-the-less.  It was lots of fun and Noah was beyond thrilled.  He skipped and hopped and squealed with excitement the entire time.

Sunday afternoon was spent relaxing and preparing yummy food for a dinner party.  I googled for recipes and ended up making a yummy Pumpkin, Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni with Chilli Tomato Sauce - it was a hit so I'll share the recipe later in the week.

Our adorable and quirky friends arrived in fancy dress (just for a laugh) and set the tone for a really fun night. We have come up with a formula to get the best of both worlds now that we all have kids.  They came at about 4.30pm and the kids played for a couple of hours then we fed and bathed all the kids and put them to bed. OK I may have made that sound easier than it was but we were seated for a grown up dinner with all the kids asleep by 8pm so not bad at all.  It's so nice to have that fun family part of the evening but then move in to the dining room with candles and wine and enjoy a kid free evening without needing any babysitters.

Monday was another day of socialising.  We visited our friends Rach & Glenn with  4 month old Taylor for morning tea then as they live in South Perth we popped in ever so quickly to try and catch a glimpse of the baby giraffe (9 days old).  We were lucky enough to see him/her in the distance laying down but look forward to a better look next week.  We didn't have time to look at any other animals but Noah did have his first ride on the Carousel and loved it.

Then we finished off with a very relaxed late afternoon picnic in the park with Jac & Ben & Finn (husband's sister her husband and 16 month son), Gem & Mike with Leuca & River (husband's 'cousin' her husband and two daughters - 3 and a half and 5 months).  Finn had started walking this weekend so he was showing that off and the kids just ran amok having such good healthy outdoor fun.

Today is back to work, back to normal, back to the fertility clinic for blood tests.  So good to break from reality for 3 days and just have FUN.

IVF # 5 Here we come


WE are not pregnant.  It's as simple as that.  IVF round 4 has failed and we are back on the hormone merry-go-round already.  WE have decided we will implant two beautiful embryos this time around to give ourselves a better chance of conceiving.  Please cross everything for us we are running out of hope, money and patience.

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