The Baby Shower Chronicles: Part 2

6pm, and I am alone.  It has been a long day, but an enjoyable one indeed.  Out of the friends I had invited, only 2 managed to make it - some had other plans,others had to work,others still were poorly or hungover.  Quality over quantity is the way to go though! So, it was just myself, my elder sis,my mum, my future sis-in-law, and a couple of friends.

My sis went through  the trouble of making - yes, making, not buying - a Nappy Cake [with her boyfriend's assistance - so a big thank you goes to him too!], and his sister did an awesome job at making the cake!  She also did orgasmic cake lollipops which everyone loved.  Having less people attend meant more cake for us all. YAY!

Courtesy of Little Mama's Cakes

Once everyone arrived, we all chilled in the living room, talking and having generic banter whilst making sure our stomachs were appeased.  At one point.one of my friends decided we should play a game and see if we can guess my circumference by means of a string cut at the appropriate length. Not having string at hand,we used wool instead. It turned out that I overestimated myself and cut a piece that was way longer! My mother, on the other hand,got extremely close to guessing the correct measurement. I guess she had enough training over the years, whats with buying clothes for me without my being there.

The game was followed by another guessing game- this time, to try and figure out Cartoons Theme songs ranging from the 80s up until today. Needless to say, I did well where the 80s were involved but sucked at modern day cartoons.

Even more banter was had, during which we were discussing names and how inconsiderate it is for parents to go for certain names which provoke bullying.

This is the playlist I created for the occasion:


All in all, it was good fun! When we cut the cake open, a surprise awaited us!

RAINBOW! I love rainbows! The Amazing Amanda [the mastermind behind Little Mama's Cakes] actually baked each coloured layer separately. Truly, she is one of those women that all other women secretly hate for her talent, and yet can't help but commissioning her to cater for their special occasions because her cakes are so scrumptious.

Cake was had with even more banter, this time, discussing the hawtness that is Edward Norton, and the success Thor had with the generic female population the moment his shirt came off.  Robert Downey Jr was also drooled over,obviously!  Yes - we were discussing the up and coming Avengers Movie. That will be one occasion I'll have to get someone to babysit Creature for.

Not my cup of tea, but anyway.

Eventually, it was getting late for everyone, and I was exhausted.  Everyone helped with tidying up, the cake was split in generous portions for people to take home with them, and we all parted ways.

Good times!

The Baby Shower Chronicles: Part 1

After managing to sleep about 4hours - split up in hourly doses - I woke up not knowing what  the day was about to bring along.  Everything is being taken care of by my elder sister. 

Not knowing if she had been out the night before, I decided to allow a more humane hour to come by before I call her to ask what time she was coming over.  In the meanwhile, I started tidying up a bit -being a hoarder means My Tidy is Another Person's Nuclear Explosion Site.

Eventually, I got hold of her and she said she'd be over shortly,but might have to split her journey in two to get everything over at my place.  With a raised  eyebrow, I asked "How much stuff did you get?!" to which, being my sister, she replied cryptically "Ah. You'll see."

Puzzled, but having resigned myself to facing my fate anyway, I shrugged and hung up to start working on a playlist for the day. After about half an hour, she arrived brandishing what to me looks like the Epitome of Cake.

Honestly - this must be one of the coolest, most awesome cakes ever! I shall include pictures later, so as not to spoil the fun for whoever is going to show up.

Cake delivered, she departed again, leaving me to my getting ready and tidying up - speaking of which- I'd better run off for now!

Toodles!

Think of the children!!

I have been pondering this subject for a while... I've already clarified why embarrassing photos are taken... What I cannot figure out though, is why children are encouraged to make complete and utter fools of themselves on video, only to have it uploaded on Youtube.

A lot of the internet sensation children happen to be of the overly obese variety too - which to me is quite concerning.  Not only are the parents of the children in question willing to have the world take the piss out of their child - with the possibility of that episode coming back to haunt them later on in life... but they are also willing to ignore their child's apparent health issues.

Yes, chubby children can be cute.  Cute only lasts until their weight becomes a cause for bullying, as well as bringing along health problems.  Those worthy of the title 'Mum' and 'Dad' will have done their best to safeguard the health of their child whilst in utero.  Why should it be any different once they pop out?

A brief article I received by e-mail yesterday also made me think that maybe, not enough people invest the time to ensure their children are being encouraged to be healthy when under someone else's supervision.  You'll know how much thought I have been giving to Childcare once I return back to work if you have been following this blog.  It is not possible for me to understand how anyone can do any less when it comes to choosing who to trust with their child's well-being, and where to 'dump' the child whilst they [i.e. parent[s]s] are unavailable.

As a Nerd myself, I value the academic aspect of  pre-school facilities.  I cannot deny though, that unstructured play is vital as well.  Running around, playing pretend, making up stories and games - all of this is a staple in childhood.  Or rather, was, back in "my days".  I would want my child to know the joys of imagination and creativity - not just to act like a trained monkey.

By allowing your child to potentially get hurt - within reason - you're also teaching them coping mechanisms and giving them the chance to earn their Battle Scars.  When I was younger, my legs were always full of bruises and my knees were constantly scabby and scraped.  I recall a few occasions when such injuries were incurred, and to be honest, they are memories I treasure.

Bottom line is this: Allow children to be children.  Take care of their health, and don't throw obstacles in their way that might leave long-term damaging side-effects.  It is uncalled for and to me, pure evil.