Busy as a bee

Excuse the lack of posts - at the moment, I'm a bit stressed out and somewhat busy so whenever I start writing,I have to stop before I finish whatever it is and end up not posting it until a few days have gone by. I am currently working on a post that will include details from Saturday up until the day when I will post it.

I might not be able to post as regularly as I have done in the past, but I still want to document every single day at the best of my abilities.  Not just for you lot, or for me, but for Morgan as well.


Until I get round to posting the aforementioned blog post, I'll leave you with this:

9th April 2012, in Valletta

You Are My Dream

At times, I feel as if all this is just a dream. In the evening, after changing Morgan's nappy and feeding her, I get some alone time. Everyone, including Morgan, will be asleep, so I can go to the dining room and grab a bite, or a coffee, and read or watch tv or chat with a friend or three.

This is when I disconnect from reality, and I temporarily feel as if Morgan never was. It is strange. I don't feel happy, or sad, whenever this happens. It just feels normal, in a way.

Then, I touch my abdomen and feel the numbness, or run my fingers over the scar. Or even still, I spot a baby spit stain on my shirt. All of a sudden, I'm pulled back to reality, and I feel relieved.

Life wouldn't be worth living without my Fairy. I know, I know. Cliché. I mean it though. The moment she was born, I was reborn.

In just under an hour, it will be Valentine's Day here. Last year, my V-day was good - I had someone in my life with whom there was something in the making. This year far exceeds it though! The something-in-the-making led to Morgan. Even though I'm not in a romantic relationship, so to speak, I have my One True Love right here. Morgan, my Light Bringer, is the one person I can love and know it will not be unrequited. She far exceeds the love one can find with a partner. She is perfection to me. And yes, I'm smitten by my spawn. I would give anything for her, and yet I know it won't be required. At least, not yet.

Before she was born, I had question marks as to whether I'd be willing to give me life for her or not, should it be required. I can now safe say that I would - in a heartbeat, if not sooner.

I see a red door and I want it painted..... Hmmm....

Shortly after I found out I was pregnant, I realised my flat - the one I loved and called home for the previous couple of years, was not appropriate for a family.  It was a Single Person's flat.


I lived on the second floor in an awesome corner-plot apartment with the nicest landlord ever.  I did have some noisy neighbours but waging musical wars on them usually did the trick. By musical wars, I mean pointing powerful speakers towards the front door and blasting music at them.  Good music with the appropriate message.

I needed to find a place that was closer to my family - within walking distance preferably.  I needed to be able to be closer so that it would not pose issues with babysitting arrangements - especially when I return back to work.  I also wanted us to be able to go by and visit without having it be an Epic Journey.


The place needed to be bigger - big enough for two and a half people to live in,  At that point, I was still under the impression things were fine with the ex, and that he'd be moving in.  I wanted it to be Our Home.  A place small enough to be able to keep in good order, but big enough to allow us a certain degree of privacy.  Living with a partner doesn't mean you have to be his/her shadow 24/7.

The new place also had to be on the Ground Floor preferably.  This way it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to go places alone with Creature and taking the pram/pushchair with us.  It would also mean less safety concerns.

After a couple of months searching for a new home, I finally found it.  The ideal house.

There was just one issue...

This, is the Pink Disney Princess nightmare.


Don't get me wrong, I like the furniture in it.  It's just that... well... I don't do pink.  Unless it is my hair we're talking about.  And I don't do Disney Princesses.

Seeing as it is still unknown whether Creature is a boy or a girl, I've pretty much left the room as it was for the time being.  Once s/he is born, I'll ask for permission to carry out some modifications.

I want to get rid of all the Disney Princesses crap - and if it turns out Creature is a girl, I'd like to hang up some tasteful Fairy pictures such as this, and this.  Cicely Mary Barker did some pretty awesome stuff!  I might leave the walls pink, we'll see. Though I'd prefer them to be a light lilac.  If, on the other hand, Creature is a boy, I'll probably go for mythical beasts - such as this, or this! Should Creature be a boy, I will definitely ask for permission to paint the walls - I really don't want my son to grow up in a pink room.  If I manage to, I'd wish to paint the ceiling a sky blue and have clouds there.  I've always dreamt of having a Sky ceiling.


One thing I really like in Nurseries are trees - there are quite a few cool examples online - such as this room, and this other one too!  I probably won't bother for the time being though - once I know whether we'll be extending our stay in this place by another year, I'll decide whether to go for it or not.

I'd love to hear your ideas and opinions! What would you have wanted your room to be like growing up? What have you opted to decorate your child[ren]'s room with? What are your plans for future kidlets?

Do your homework!

On a previous blog, I was discussing cleaning, sterilising and disinfecting stuff and various methods.  In that blog, I mentioned a specific product which is well known and recommended, and said that there must be something to it if it is so popular.

On this blog though, I'll be highlighting the importance of doing your homework even when popularity exists.  Things change - and new discoveries are made.  Companies change their formulas all the time, so it is important to check their more recent background stories to see what they have been up to.

Allow me to give you an example. 

Asbestos.

Asbestos was an extremely popular material amongst manufacturers and builders in the late 19th century.  It was reckoned to be a miracle material because of its numerous features.  It was well love for its sound absorption qualities, average tensile strength, and its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage. It was used in such applications as electrical insulation for hotplate wiring and in building insulation. When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibres are often mixed with cement (resulting in fibre cement) or woven into fabric or mats.

Needless to say, it sounded like the perfect material to use in numerous scenarios. Until it emerged that the inhalation of asbestos fibres can cause serious illnesses, including malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma (a formerly rare cancer strongly associated with exposure to amphibole asbestos), and asbestosis (a type of pneumoconiosis). Long exposure to high concentrations of asbestos fibres is more likely to cause health problems.This is most common among the miners of asbestos, since they have the longest exposure to it. The European Union has banned all use of asbestos and extraction, manufacture and processing of asbestos products.

For more in-depth info,  you can clicky here.

Back on topic.

When it comes to baby & child products that have had a good reputation for a long time, we find Johnson's Baby.

Looks familiar?

I grew up with the Johnson's Shampoo commercial being aired on  Italian TV on a daily basis.  So much so, the song Loco-motion, by Kylie Minogue, was automatically associated with the product in my head.  

I grew up thinking "Great! I know I can rely on that brand."  Over the recent years though, I have come to do my utmost to avoid their products.  Why? Well, I strongly disagree with Animal Testing - and Johnson's is guilty of conducting animal testing.  Therefore, they do not have my support.  

Recently, their name has come up in the media.  Apparently, their products contain traces of formaldehyde.  Formaldehyde is carcinogenic.  Their PR people claim that it is only found in tiny traces - no more than what you would find in a pear, or an apple.  To me, that is no justification.  Especially seeing as they have a range of products free from the aforementioned chemicals - which of course is higher in price. Here is an article about it, and here is their formal Press Release.

The moral of the story is this - don't rely on word-of-mouth, and don't believe everything you see on TV or hear on the news.  Use your own brain - the information you require to make informed decisions is out there.  All you need to do is to take a few minutes to look it up.

Stop screwing up your child

Earlier today,  I was catching up with a fellow nerd friend of mine.  Just general chit-chat, really.  The topic of educational issues came up, and we were discussing Parental Imposed Handicaps.

Allow me to clarify what  I mean by that.

In a previous post, I mentioned Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder [FASD] which is a term that describes Foetal Alcoholic Syndrome, as well as a plethora of defects that a baby can be born with [including, but not limited to, physical deformities] due to foetal exposure the alcohol consumption.  Just to recap, for you lazy buggers who don't bother with clicking links, Foetal Alcoholic Syndrome pretty much means that your child will constantly behave as if they are drunk.  They will be facing learning difficulties [such as dyslexia and being slow learners], as well as social handicaps [such as being slow to catch on in social environments, slurred speech etc] and can be quite uncoordinated in their movements.  Think of how many IQ points you lose whenever you get drunk.  Now imagine living in that state for the rest of your life - without the buzz you get off alcohol.  Fun, eh?  Oh, and it also affects the child's facial features.

The issue with FASD is that it is the mother's fault and therefore can be very easily go undiagnosed - at least, officially.  Few mothers will admit to being the reason their child has disabilities which could have very well been avoided.  And most will get defensive should anyone make an attempt to bring their attention to the issue.  This means tat the child will not get the support s/he needs.



Another Parental Imposed Handicap that came up was a case of children being brought up in too much of a sheltered environment.  In this day and age, most children grow up way too quickly, so a certain measure of control over what they are, or aren't exposed to, is a good idea to have.  However, when it comes to being TOO sheltered, it pretty much can be a severe social handicap.  Imagine being a 15 year old boy, who cannot understand how an unmarried couple can make babies - or hose parents don't allow him to read the newspapers, or watch the news, to protect him from "the evils of the world.  Or being a 15 year old girl whose mum decides how your hair should be cut, what clothes you should wear, who still bathes you every night.  Yes, these parents do exist.  And I pity their children.


Parenting is a tough game to play, but there are a few guidelines one can keep in mind in order to equip their child with the necessary life skills.

Let your child be aware of what is going on around him/her.  Take responsibility for your actions, and make sure your child takes responsibility for his/her actions too.  Don't justify him/her with "S/he's just a child!" whenever they do something they know they shouldn't have.  Allow your child to learn from his/her own mistakes.  As much as it hurts to see your child get hurt, sometimes they need to earn their battle  scars to truly learn the lesson.   Learn when to step in, and when to take the back seat - a child has to learn how to fight his/her own battles, whilst knowing that they will still find your support should it be needed.  Don't limit yourself to destructive/constructive criticism only - a healthy mixture of  both is needed.  If your child does something wrongly, don't just scold or punish them - explain why it is wrong, and how to fix it as well as what to do to prevent repeating the same mistake in the future.  Make sure your child knows there are no stupid questions - this will encourage them not to be afraid to ask you stuff.

I could go on and on and on with tips on what to do and what not - but I won't.  What it all boils down to is this - Life is hard enough as it is - don't make it any harder unnecessarily.