|
Local time
readers reading..
Linkage
Life in the Fat Lane
my calendar
Blogroll Me!
 |
i crap you not - they've made a kate spade barbie. now, i long ago outgrew my fascination with unrealistically proportioned plastic fantastics, but holy moly. i amost want one. here's her description:
KATE SPADE BARBIE DOLL. Barbie is dressed in a signature Kate Spade-style outfit that reflects Kate's personal style as well as the Kate Spade brand. Barbie is wearing a stylish, three-quarter length, three-button coat in a printed green, hot pink, light pink and white jacquard. Underneath the coat is an off-white knit top and apple green chantung pants. Barbie doll carries a basket purse with golden detail. The purse is representative of Kates newest handbag collection. She also carries an off-white canvas tote, trimmed with apple-Green "leather", that holds her beloved dog, Henry. Barbie doll wears many great accessories including an golden and turquoise-colored necklace and matching earrings, large round sunglasses and green high heel open-toe shoes.
i feel if i owned one they'd be forced to add MY description: "Barbie's owner is a late early thirties, overweight tired mother of one toddler. She's dressed in her usual uniform of bootleg jeans, comfortable top, which used to be fashionable about a year ago, wooly socks and tan birkenstock shoes which lend her an elfin, if not downright gnome-ish appearance. Barbie's owner carries a pacifier in her pocket constantly for those little life emergencies and gave up wearing jewelry because she couldn't be bothered about a year ago."
i am proud to report that mary catherine has wee'd in the toilet numerous times and over the last week she's worn big girl pants for the majority of the time while we've been home! i think we're definitely on our way to being fully trained! woohoo! who knew i'd ever be so excited about wee and poo?
this morning, she was on the potty - wee'ing away - and looked down to check out the action. her pacifier/dummy silently fell into the toilet. nice one. i think she comes by her grace honestly, you know...
a 8lb 9oz gift from heaven..
I'm pleased to tell you all that A's sister had a fabulous little girl in the wee hours of Saturday. So welcome baby Philippa Anne and congrats to Lou and Rob! Mary Catherine is pretty chuffed to have a cousin, although I'm not 100% that she 'gets it'..
My parents left this morning - we won't talk about it. I hate crying on my keyboard.
Earlier tonight, MC was in the living room and we were watching Shrek for the 903,403,456th time. She looked over at me and sighed a big dramatic sigh and announced, 'I must be tired.'
More later.. (you know, like tomorrow). Keep clicking those ads, tomorrow is the last day for the clicky campaign for Shelter. Tuesday starts the clicking for Comic Relief.
thursday..
the week with my parents has taken an icky turn - they've both caught the cold that everyone and their brother has had lately. i feel so horrible for them - nice to come for a much anticipated visit only to get knocked flat by illness. mc's at nursery today to give them some time to just lie around and be sick and rest.
sorry about the cryptic last post. not that i'll be enlightening you today, either. but as soon as i can - i promise i will. let's just say that i'm going to need to go shopping! anyone want to join me?
not much else to report, really.. i've been consumed with family stuff this week and am enjoying it. but i do feel quite out of touch, i suppose. good news to report is that miss mc did wear big girl pants for 4 hours yesterday and while she did have an accident in the middle of ikea, she let me know when she was about to go. i am starting to see the allure of the portable potty, not that i think we'll get one. but in the kitchen planning section i was very confused with what to do with her announcement and by the time i figured out what bathroom was closest and picked her up ready to run, she'd gone.
i think it's mommy who needs training as well as mary catherine, non? i must also tell you that she looks really, really cute in her mermaid pants! i'm such a dork!
remember back in december when i'd had some disappointing news? well a few minutes ago i got a call and this time it was very good news indeed. who here ordered a potential massive life change? more details as i'm able and comfortable...
we're up to $180 on the ad revenue, please keep clicking those two little ads!
mom and dad are here now and we're having a great visit. although my daughter has abandoned me and now is my mother's shadow. seriously, if something goes wrong, nana is her first port of call. the other morning she called to me from her cot in her room, 'mooooommy, i'm not haaaaaaaappy...' when andrew went and got her she immediately asked to see nana and grumpa. go figure.
but on the up side, i've read an entire book in two days and it's been fabulous!
we had katherine and her family around on sunday night for a gloriously american dinner. we feasted on all the good stuff from america that i miss (but now can only take in small doses!) like velveeta, hamburger helper, chips ahoy cookies, jello pudding and dream whip. it was tasty, oh so tasty. and katherine and jason's son toby is on of mary catherine's favourite friends. i've never seen her play with anyone the way she plays with him. no hitting, no fighting, no complaining. they share and talk the entire time. it's really cool to watch. i totally approve of katherine and jason for in-laws, for what it's worth!
more later.. back at work today and thursday. am so. not. in. the. mood. and i was late today and unfortunately, that fact was not overlooked. nice one.
good cause friday
More than 10 million West Africans farmers and their families will benefit hugely from a WTO ruling this week that US cotton dumping is illegal and must be stopped. A key player in the case told us that the actions of the Make Trade Fair campaign, its supporters and allies made a big contribution to achieving this result. Your campaigning does make a difference!
This is a major victory in the fight to make trade fair and we could start to see a domino effect of unfair trade rules falling away.
But all is not won. There are elements in the US and EU who will fight back to defend the multi-million dollar interests of big business in continuing this dumping. Please e-mail President Bush and ask him to implement the legally binding ruling, which will help West African farmers and their families work their way out of poverty.
click here to learn more..
did i mention?
we're getting a new car.. a fiat multipla. and while it's not 'sex on tires' it's certainly very useful with lots of room and storage for our needs.
unlike buying a car in the states, where you walk into a dealer on a whim and walk out shell shocked and with a new car three hours later - here, both times we've bought a car, we've had to order it. so our multipla will be with us in a mere 8-10 weeks. and that's assuming everything goes smoothly.
it totally isn't much fun that way.
i see the moon.
Last night, Andrew got Mary Catherine out of the car when we got home. She looked up into the sky and said, 'moon - it's night time!' We agreed with her and started to walk to the front door. She stood still for a moment and then held her hands up to the sky and jumped with her arms outstretched. After her second jump, she slowly shook her head and mumbled to herself, 'moon too high,' and sighed.
I wish I could make amazing things happen for her. I guess a lesson about gravity is just as important, but it made my heart ache a bit.
new artsy pics up here.
weirdnesday
Mary Catherine has gotten to the dreaded language phase of 'why'. 'Mary Catherine it's tidy up time,' I inform her. She replies, 'why?.' 'Because we need to tidy up so everything will be neat for tomorrow.' 'Why?' 'Well, sweetie, because that's what we do at the end of the day, we tidy up everything and then we go and get in a nice, warm bath. Doesn't that sound like so much fun?'
'why?'... see where this is going?
Here's the answer I eventually came up with, and it's one that my mother used on me, 'Because I'm the mommy and that's why.'
'why?'
On another note, my child is obsessed with 'limpick rainbows' that are currently all over London as the International Olympic Committee is in town to judge our fair city. She actually got upset the other night because she saw two large ones on the side of Stratford station and there weren't any more after that. Strained cries from the back seat 'limpick rainbows! I wanna limpick rainbows!' Then just mumbles for the next three minutes, 'No more limpick rainbows,' followed by very large sighs.
I totally hope London gets the 'Limpicks' because our area is right in the heart of where the action would be and the regeneration the Games would bring would a.) be really nice to see and b.) up the value of our house, I'm sure. If you're a Londoner, why not head over to London2012.com and Back the Bid?
I know I said I wouldn't mention it, but you guys are so faaaaabulous I can't help it! We raised $51 yesterday alone! That brings the total to just over $100 for Charity. I'm really impressed and thrilled. Keep on clicking those two little ads! ->
dyn-o-mite, outta sight
yesterday we managed to DOUBLE the amount of ad money.. i bet your little clicking fingers are sore! we're up to $62 and that's just in a week. now i know that it's a new thing that you're helping me with, but please don't lose interest. i promise not to beg you to click if you just click twice a day when you stop by to read my site. so stop by, grab a skinny, wet, half-caf whateveryoufancy and click those two ads over there ->
this month the money is going to Shelter. next month, in honour of Red Nose Day, it'll be going to Comic Relief. okay - here's a promise. if in 11 days (the first 11 in march) we can raise $100 for Comic Relief, i'll take a photo of myself doing something unbearably silly. incentive for you, darlings, is that you get to decide what!
now on with today's post....
valentine's day was really fabulous. as you can see, from the photo below, andrew had flowers delivered to me at work. overpriced as they probably were, i really cherish the fact that he sent them. i know i joke about having him trained - but c'mon.. i so do!
i'm not even going to tell you how else we celebrated valentine's day... but lemme just tell you that it involved a chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream and a run to safeway at 945pm. i have to sing it from the rooftops - i am so in love.
do i have him trained?
or do i have him trained! yay - he did it!!
vday 05
ah - it's valentine's day. i know all the bitter people will just tell me that it's a made up holiday and only exists so that card companies and florists can cash in..... but you know what? who cares? why should we not enjoy a day to tell people that you love and care about them?
seriously! so happy valentine's day to each and every one of you. even the bitter people. i hope that you all have love and happiness in your life and that cupid shoots and arrow straight into your butt today.
ps - we're up to $38 on the Shelter google ad charity campaign. please keep on clicking and searching! to get the money from the searches, you need to google something from this page and then click one of the sponsored ads that come up at the top of your results.
no caps - it's friday, amy..
i was so wrapped up in myself yesterday, i totally forgot to sing it from the cyber rooftops - BUT - yesterday was my mom's 55th birthday. i'm sure you all know of her - she's often found lurking about in my (and a few others) comments laying down her particular opinions and motherly advice. so take a deep breath...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR NANA
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!
oh and no diabetic coma yet. thanks for being concerned, kate!
it's a good start!
The new google ads for charity have raised $3.23 so far this week. Now, I know it doesn't sound like much - but it's only been 2.5 days and we got that much for a mere SIX click throughs. So let's keep up the good work and if possible, increase those clicks! We've not made any dosh on the google search facility, FYI.
If you don't know what I'm talking about - have a look at the middle of the right column. 'Ads by Google' Every time you click on one of those ads we earn more money. This month, it's going to Shelter, a homeless charity. Trick is - we have to make $100 before they'll write the check. So please, if you don't mind, click those ads!
oy vey, what a morning..
This morning I felt a bit of a familiar tingle (I say tingle, I mean stinging, burning like fire really) in my nether regions.... so i stopped into the NHS walk in center in Soho to confirm a UTI.. (there I go again, alienating my male audience!) It's so nice that they open at 8am and it's very handy to have that resource close to my office. When the nurse practioner dipped my urine for validation of the infection, she noticed abnormal levels of glucose and ketones in my wee.
The levels were so high that she insisted I call my GP and be seen by her immediately. Seriously. She really scared me. So I rang the GP and indeed, was asked to come in as soon as possible. No waiting, see you in an hour, type thing. Worried, I schlepped back to my area of town and was sitting, waiting to be seen, an hour later. When the GP did the dip again, the levels did not come out as scary as before, but she was still concerned. I was sent to another health centre far far far away to have blood work done. As I was on foot and at the mercy of public transportation (my least favourite way to be, if I'm honest).. it took me forever to get there. I guess the perk is that I've had my exercise for the day and seen some bits of town I've never seen before. Not very pretty bits, actually. But I digress.
I have a very lukewarm feeling about the National Health Service. The times things have been serious with our family (diabetic pregnancy, burns, gall bladder surgery, dislocated elbows, etc) it has performed very well and I've felt at ease and mostly happy with our care. My feelings about the NHS get colder and colder the more I venture through the system with mild to medium type concerns. Today - it was left that if I was in danger of going into a coma, someone would call me tomorrow. Otherwise, wait for an appointment to come available with the diabetic clinic (I'm currently scheduled for one in May) and take one more pill a day.
I wasn't exactly filled with confidence. Oh - and for everyone who's going to say, 'well, at least your treatment and prescriptions are free of charge' ..... Yes, that's true. But I think there is some truth to the old saying that you get what you pay for. NHS - lovely on paper, blah in reality.
If I don't write for a while, it's because I slipped into a coma before someone could warn me 24 hours from now. Sheesh.
i give up.
i forgot to mention... my beef stew in the slow cooker that i made for last night's dinner. uh - it was WRETCHED. i just don't know what i did wrong. can i blame it on the cooker? the meat was chewey and semi-overdone yet the potatoes were hard and unforgiving... what the heck?
seriously - i'm packing that sucker away again and not going near it for a while. obviously it and i do NOT get along. it was very depressing. add to the gross stew (which was really more like soup) the fact that andrew harped and harped and harped about how terrible it was. i wanted to clock him.
so put that in your slow cooker and smoke it. grumble. grumble. grumble.
shocker
i've made the decision to go to mass at 1230 this afternoon.. it is ash wednesday after all. a day of fasting and abstinence. and as luck, of course, would have it - i'm totally hungry today! so a snack i shall have and then dinner tonight. not much and no meat. but worth it, i think.
it's the way i'm choosing to remind myself that this is the beginning of lent and that i need to get centered. i want to identify the things i've done wrong and wish i could change or do differently. sort of like a 40 day enforced new year's resolution. i've not decided what to give up yet - any suggestions? i was thinking chocolate, but now i'm debating cursing. i want it to be a sacrifice, but not something totally unrealistic. decisions... decisions. maybe i'll know more after mass today.
whoa! where'd that big bunch of religion talk come from?!
it's tuesday.. thought i'd shake it up.
take a look around.. i've spruced the joint up a bit! we're now broadcasting in three columns instead of two and hopefully it's managing to look the same in all browsers, unlike it used to do. like it? hate it? don't really care? feel free to give me some feedback. don't worry - my ego can take it. archive and about have the new look as well. other tabs are external links.
one major reason for the change is that i'm going to put some google ads down there on the lower right column. the more clicks they get, the more money will come my way. all that i collect will be given to charity.. most likely shelter, as i have major issues with homelessness. i'm also up for suggestions on the charity as well. i mean, after all, this is your site too - right?
so the new look is live.. ads coming soon and also search. the latter two powered by google who, i'd like to mention, i bought stock in yesterday for $205/share. i lost a bunch when it closed around $190. nice.
oh, if you need a gmail invite, i've got 46 just sitting there. email me (see new shiny button above) and i can make your wish come true.
pancake day
hey it's pancake day. are we having pancakes today? well not really. i drug out the slow cooker and am trying to be good and cook real, decent food for a change. we're having beef stew - well, that's what it's SUPPOSED to be. the last time i used the slow cooker to make pot roast it ended up not so nice. grey oily meat with half cooked vegetables. ick! so fingers crossed, please.
oh i have good news to report - if you didn't hear me singing from the rooftops last night and this morning. apparently my child responds well to bribery. we were in the bathroom and she saw the new kandoo flushable tushie wipes i bought for when the time comes that she's pooing in the toilet. she wanted one, i told her what they were for. she got on the toilet and wee'd! i let her choose a sticker to put on the lid of the toilet.
this morning, i asked her again if she'd like to go and mentioned the wipes and sticker. up on the loo and wee'd again! we'll see if it continues to work. i'll start passing the hat around soon to let you all contribute to the sticker fund!
goodbyes and whatnot
so my dear friend ade is moving back to america. i can't tell you how i've come to depend on her for so many things and words really can't describe how much i will miss her and her family.
there are so many times during my working week where things happen that i know only she would really understand. a fellow expat, there are things i can say to her that i don't have to translate into 'english'. she knows the joy of velveeta and mccormick meatloaf seasoning packets. she gets me when i go and on about things that are different and quirky here, like the obsession with hot beverages and funny sayings.
she was my first expat american friend here and i hold her dear in my heart. so bon voyage my friend. safe journey home.
i gotta get a tissue.
pictures from the going away party and random weekend snaps here. (including really cute ones of mary catherine and her sleepover with lottie!)
it is 6:09am, everyone is sleeping. why i am i awake?!
and on a parting note..
if you were one of the zillions of people who chimed in on last week's PMS topic. this is for you! thanks jodi!
gear.
so you know how you surf the web to entertain yourself? being a nerd, i do it all the time. actually - i'd do it more, but i like to sleep too much. anyway. if you just sort of let go and glide from site to site to site, you can find some really cool stuff.
   
today's internet window shopping adventure took me in the direction of baby/child shopping sites. here are but a few. babygeared, pacifier, and modern seed. man oh man there's a lot there that i could totally go berserk on, given the chance and a high limit credit card...
mamas gone braggin' again
seriously - how can you look at this picture and not get a toothache? i bought this small playhouse for mary catherine for christmas. then, like a good mother - i totally forgot i'd bought it. so we hauled it out when i remembered in late january. uh - merry christmas!
she loves it - calls it her house and spends a lot of time trying to convince the cat to join her. as you can tell from the photo, the cat wasn't keen but daddy volunteered to shoehorn himself in for a photo session.
more new pics on flickr - enjoy. click here.
update
andrew's just called. apparently we're not going to continue with potty training because my daughter spent the entire day asking for her nappy. bless. i'm totally fine with it - but a little stumped. she seems into it at home. wonder if she has performance anxiety? suddenly it's not so important to be a member of the potty club. but hey - you can't rush progress! and now we don't have to worry about doing so much laundry!
oh look - it's wednesday.
i wish i had something terribly fantastic to tell you, friend. but alas, i do not. however, i will endeavour to entertain you with odd tales of my child and other random bits.
today i was given an ipod sock. a colleague of mine didn't really fancy his grey one, so i offered to take it off his hands. yes, it's grey and yes it's a bit blander than the other festive socks in the packet. but oh how cozy my ipod is now! i love it. i'd take a photo, but i forgot my camera today.
speaking of said camera, i've started keeping it with me as much as possible. i am totally digging keeping a keen eye out for quirky life details. you should try it. send me the results when you do.
mary catherine started potty training (or learning, for a more gentle description) at nursery yesterday. since i'm not the one who deals with nursery on a daily basis, i can not give you mega-detail on this life event. but i can tell you that she came home with three pairs of soggy trousers and four likeminded pairs of big girl pants. but those came with a note that said they'd keep on trying. so i assume things are going to plan.
she also thinks she's a boy like her friend charlie. apparently he's a big boy and so is our mary catherine. i dare you to tell her differently!
you talking to me?
THIS is what happens when your child has too much sugar and crap to eat, loads of stimulation and no nap. Look how pink her cheeks are - total sugar rush. I think the cadbury's mini-roll was to blame... not the usual raisins and healthy stuff i try and pass off as treats!
loads of new photos on flickr. have a look and leave some comments there so i can feel popular. please.
husbands
seriously .. i love him. BUT. well, i'll just say that hopefully he's learned never to stand between me and my blog ever, ever again. i don't care if the whosiewhatsit directory blah de blah thingy changed. i just want to see what i'm writing! i'm in a total snit.
must go find diet coke to calm down.
if things look weird on my site.. or if you actually noticed that for a large part of today my site was completely MISSING. well - the mister has been playing around with the domains. my url actually just points to a part of his old site which he's decided to do something with. so - he sorta screwed up today.
on the up side, he's going to start a photoblog to feature his photography. this is an endeavour that i am really excited about. feel free to watch, point and giggle. or ooh and ahh as you see fit. www.atlasdigital.com
|
|
posted by 
