I know, I know, I already wrote a Christmas Wishlist, but Jess from Diary Of A SAHM tagged me from her’s recently and she is too gorgeous to refuse so I thought I would do a more realistic list of things that I think would make good stocking filler pressies. Most of these items are just basic things that probably aren’t considered ‘gifty’ but I do love getting little things that I can use every day just as much as the big ticket items (well, almost).
Like I said earlier, we decided to not have a big birthday bash for Skye this year, we thought it would be a bit much for her (and me) to have a big production when she would be just as happy with a few family members and a mountain of presents to tear through. I figure I have a lot of birthday parties ahead of me so I better pace myself now. Since the weather was so unkind and we woke to heavy rain I was glad we hadn’t arranged for 30-40 people to sardine themselves into our lounge room, we would have had to run something of that scale in shifts. That’s not to say that I didn’t get carried away with the catering anyway…
Skye turned 2 over the weekend and I had intended to do a birthday dedication post on Saturday but we were so busy with celebrations that I didn’t have the energy to write it. I didn’t want the occasion to go by unmentioned though so I am sharing a belated dedication today instead. This post is purely self-indulgent because I wanted to capture Skye as she is right in this moment. She changes and grows so quickly and just in the last week she seems so much ‘bigger’, so here is a snapshot of my little girl and what she loves right now.
Carbohydrates have been getting a pretty bad rap lately. It seems that whenever someone embarks on a weight loss mission the carbs are one of the first things that get cut. There are a whole range of fad diets such as the Zone Diet and the Atkins Diet that advocate the restriction of carbohydrates. I can understand the appeal, so many people appear to have great success in reaching their goals by using this approach, but I just don’t understand how it can be a long-term eating plan for anyone. Many nutritionists will tell you that cutting out any major food group will help you to lose weight in the short term, but it is not a feasible long term lifestyle change to cut something as vital as carbs out of your diet. Your body NEEDS this fuel to function.
Ever since we had Skye I have found getting Christmas gifts for some of our relatives so much easier. Generally Grandparents and Great Grandparents love anything that has a photo of a small child slapped on it and it’s far less weird now that I can use photo’s of my own child. The list of items you can personalise with a picture is amazing, so you are sure to find something that will suit. Last year I gave out personalised calendars and they were a big hit with everyone, this year I hope to do something similar and have also ordered some canvas prints for some of the relatives. The budget and scale of your personalised gifts is also flexible and here I am going to share some of my favourites.
Last week I talked about the amount of ‘gifted’ items we have cluttering up the house and how I struggled to get rid of these items despite them taking up space and remaining completely unused. With the holidays approaching and the likelihood of extra guests coming to stay I have felt the need to do a bit of a clean out and this week I am focussing on our built-ins. After a quick assessment of my clothes I was able to throw out a whole garbage bag of ugliness I was never going wear again and there is more to come, but I couldn’t resist the chance to share some of the pieces I pulled from the depths of my wardrobe.
Batman probably thinks he is pretty tough with his cool car and six-pack suit, but I doubt all his special powers and tricky gadgets would be any match for a feisty toddler. In fact, I am willing to bet just 1 afternoon with a 2 foot tyrant would be enough to send him running back to the bat-cave so Alfred can pour him a drink and run a nice hot bath. You see, as impressive (and often attractive) as a Superhero is, their powers are really limited to dealing with people with bad make-up and silly hair. Besides, when was the last time you were threatened with a ray-gun?
Fighting the clutter is a constant battle for many of us, no matter how regularly we do the big clean out, the ‘stuff’ just continues to creep in. The new stuff isn’t what I have trouble getting rid of though, it’s the older stuff that has been hanging around for years, not being used but can’t be disposed of because of the obligational attachment. Case in point is a dinner set that has been passed down to me. It has been sitting in the same box in the top of my wardrobe for the last 6 years, in fact this week was the first time I have even looked at it since I first received it. The whole set is in excellent condition but it is a brown floral 70’s nightmare and I quite simply can’t imagine myself ever using it.
You may recall I have had a few issues with my hairdresser. If it was only the irritating conversation that bothered me I would have put up with it for the sake of convenience since she is a 2 minute walk from my house, but I have never been thrilled with her performance in the cut and colour department either. I continued to go back there as my mop is a little scary to new hairdressers and I hoped that in time things would improve. Sadly in more than 12 months we were still having the same issues and I decided that it was time to move on. With great trepidation I consulted with Clever Baker Friend on the merits of her hairdresser (since her hair always looks fab) and decided that it couldn’t hurt to give them a try. Besides, worst case I could just wear my hair back until it was time to get it fixed and since I have been doing quite a lot of that lately anyway I figured I had nothing to lose.
Usually at this time of year I am so busy thinking about what gifts I am going to buy everyone else that when it comes time to offer my suggestions to other people I got totally blank and end up asking for something a bit random. This year though I have a quite lengthy and at times expensive wish list and since there is little chance I will see most of these items, I am just going to share with you while a dream – care to join me?
Digital SLR Camera – I have never had a decent camera so I take most of my photos on my iPhone which is fine for the odd tipsy looblogger shot, but for the blog and next year’s Project Life efforts, I think something a little more professional might be in order.
Dyson Vacuume Cleaner – Yeah I know, a vacumme is a bit of a rubbish gift to ask for, but I am so over my old cheap nasty and have my sights set on one of these baby’s.
A Trip to The Day Spa – Mr Bond actually gave me a pamper package for a Day Spa last year and it was fabulous! It was one of those fancy one’s where you put all your gear in a locker and change into a robe and slippers. I highly recommend it and would love to go back again first chance I get.
iPad – Ignoring the fact that I spend my day’s with access to a perfectly good laptop and I have an iPhone for those times when I am forced to share, I still want one, all the cool kids have one so why can’t I???
Rose The One perfume – Oh how I love perfume! I tend to go for musky floral scents and this one would suit my collection perfectly.
So what are you asking Santa for this year? What do you think your chances of him delivering are?
As the title suggests I have a bit of an obsession with glossy lifestyle magazines. I can keep my habit under control for most of the year but come Christmas time I simply cannot say no. The colourful front covers draw me in with promises of bumper gift guides, cheap and chic gifts to make and bake, festive flair tips and how I can decorate like the experts. I want to dive into the pages of these publications and immerse myself in all the shiny freshly painted fabulousness. As I pour over the stockists lists and curse why so many of the stores are rather inconveniently located in Melbourne, I store the images in the ‘one day’ file in my head.
With all the talk lately about #looblogging, 30 day sex challenges and body love, it is only natural that conversation turns to the matter of personal grooming, or lack thereof in some instances. For the sake of privacy, I will keep my sources under wraps, but what I can tell you is that following a rather enlightening conversation I discovered there was a pretty wide range of ideas when it comes to lady garden maintenance. Some have given up all hope of keeping things controlled while another is so anti overgrowth she gets her husband in on the action (for purely quality control purposes of course).
I guess it’s no different to people’s preference for styling the hair on their head. Some people like a mullet, some a full afro, some are skinheads and some still cling to the Mohawk, hoping one day it will be cool again. There is a general consensus though that sideburns are seriously uncool both on the face, or sprouting from your bikini. Rats tails of any kind should be banned entirely.
Summer is my favourite season, why wouldn’t it be? The sun shines, the days are long, the beautiful scent of jasmine lingers in the air and somehow, beer just tastes so much better on a hot day. But no sooner does the weather start to heat up and I suddenly remember that there are a few things about summer that I am less than crazy about.
This week I was suppose to go back to work, full time work, after 2 years of Maternity Leave. Thankfully I had the courage to stop procrastinating and tell them of my intentions to not return, then, once a simple email confirming this in writing was sent, I was officially out of the workforce. No thanks for coming, no sorry to see you go, no good luck, nothing. I guess after 2 years they don’t really notice I am not there so why would they say anything? If anything they were probably expecting it. I am happy in my decision, I doubt I would get much satisfaction out of the job now, and it would only take me about a week to remember all the little things that use to drive me crazy. Like, you know, all the work stuff. Although I am a little annoyed that I won’t get the Christmas Hamper this year and will have to buy my own ham!
Linking up this week with My Little Drummer Boys for Wordless Wednesday. Some fantastic photos being shared this week, check them out!
With Christmas less than 7 weeks away I thought it was probably about time I unveiled the full extent of my Christmas nerdiness by sharing my Christmas Gift Budget Planner. I have always fancied myself a bit of a Mrs Claus or at the very least, Santa’s super organised PA. Of all the things I love about Christmas, my favourite thing is knowing I nailed choosing a present for someone, even better if I have done so under budget. Budget has always been a bit of a problem for me, often I think of the perfect gift for someone only to find it is more than I had planned on spending, but because it is just what I was after, I get it anyway. I hate having to feel tight when it comes to presents but by the time you have gone even $5-$10 over on each person, it can be a big blow to the bank balance. I also try to avoid buying the same type of present for people each year (unless they request something) so tracking the gifts each year ensures I don’t buy my sister-in-law yet another cook book!
A few weeks ago we had an administration fail at our house which resulted in Mr Bond’s work ute being driven 3 hours up and down the coast for 3 weeks without insurance. It was pretty scary to think of how badly we could have been caught out, I knew it was because our current paperwork systems were not practical and things were getting missed. Something had to be done. Previously my ‘system’ was essentially that I collected and opened all the mail, placed it on the desk in the office, closed the door and promptly forgot I even had mail. Clearly not a long term solution.
With Skye’s 2nd birthday only a matter of weeks away we are deciding what kind of celebrations we want to have. The only thing is, does anyone really care when you turn 2? With all the fuss and fanfare that is a 1st birthday party I wonder whether it is actually necessary to do that again and who will really benefit from it if we do? Lets face it, the 1st birthday party is more of a pat on the back to the parents for surviving the first year, Skye wouldn’t have known that all those people were there for her, or what turning 1 even meant. There was only 2 people there that were even close to her age group so its not like she spent the afternoon running around the backyard and bouncing around on a jumping castle, she wasn’t even walking yet! I don’t think her experience 1 year on will be all that different.
