wordless wednesday

sweet as sugar

crappy days

And no I am not talking on Greg's poop LOL.... Yesterday afternoon I got a 24 hr bug and spent the afternoon feeling miserable in bed with fever & tummy ache which also resulted in throwing up! That was disgusting as was looking forward to meeting the family for the baptism party of my newest cousin Jake!

However, I was in no condition to go and only started to get to my senses around 10pm when I finally also managed to go into a deep uninterrupted sleep till 530 am....that's when my puppy decided it was a good time to wake up and play!

Today, will stay home and take it easy as my stomach still a bit quesy......should be back to my normal self tomorrow!!

yoga

Its 1600 hrs here and got an hour of work left (I'm not having a break or whatever, I did all my work and can relax now!). I will be soon off for my yoga class, which has finally become regular- class wise -but still haven't started a home practice. The problem is that Greg wakes between 5 and 6 am so really I can't wake any earlier for a home practice and in the evening, when he goes to sleep, I prefer spending my time with my husband (or sleep) so that is a bit of a problem!

I am now hoping, to instill a yoga and baby session when I stop working LOL not sure if it will work but will try and if it doesn't I can practice when he naps!!

chicken couscous with spicy tomato sauce

I haven't posted any recipes for quite a while...here is what I tried today, which came nice and thought of sharing!

1/4 cup water
1 small chicken cube crumbled
1/4 cup couscous
15gr butter
1/2 small grated carrot
1/2 small grated zucchini
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander
4 chicken breast fillets
1 onion chopped
425gr tomato puree
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup extra water

bring water & stock to a boil stir in couscous and leave till water is absorbed. Stir in butter, zucchini, carrot & fresh coriander. Cut pocket in each fillet and spoon couscous in each pocket (secure with toothpicks). Cook chicken in a heated non stick pan till browned and cooked. Remove from pan and put now onion stir till soft than add the spices, tomato, wine & water. Simmer for 5 mins add chicken and simmer for a further 10 mins. I served this with mashed potato

nearly three months passed....

...since Dave took over the role of main care giver to Gregory. It wasn't easy for him to adjust and I am sure he is looking forward in a way to go back to work. However, I see how Greg responds to him and I know that these 3 months were worth it.




Dave could experience the difficulties that normally mummies go through every day and find ways to work them out. I am proud of him truly! He started him on solid food, cradled him when cranky, took him walks and forgot himself in these 3 months. He was like a robot caring for our little one, keeping up house and cooking. I might start a discussion here, but, I think this role is easier on us women than on men. Life at home ain't easy but I am glad to be taking over once more this role and not for anything wrong that hubby did, cos he didn't ,but I missed it. I enjoyed watching them forge a relationship of friendship but I couldn't help resenting his time with him. That he knows his routine and I am in the dark of it really.



If I were to do it again? oh yes I would still give my husband 3 months, but i'd have made sure that as soon as they are over I am home and not have to wait for another month before I actually am. And yet I learnt.... I know that I will cherish my boy more when at home, that a mum will remain the lifeline in the family and possibly its why in the Maltese families the mummy is the heart of the family which seems to sometimes break when mummy is not around anymore. There is a lot to learn from a child and I look forward for my new lessons :)

blank pages

Here I am sitting on the sofa with Greg sleeping near me. Its a holiday in Malta today, but the weather is overcast (probably will be nice and sunny later ) and my pup has a cold.

I have nothing really to write but thought I'd put it in writin g LOL I know its weird but well I dont want my few followers to feel like i abandoned them. Its just that at the moment I feel suspended in time.....waiting till I can wait no more.....for the time when my new life will start! ONly 1 month and 1 week left but till then I dont know if I will writing anything that makes sense or of interest.

I will be back though :) with a lot of interesting ancdots and parenting ideas etc etc :))

Random thoughts Sunday 20

Autumn seems to have started early in Malta for a change. I know however that the rain and cool weather will most probably last a week or so and than the sun will shine fiercer than before till at least November with only the evening to show that we changed seasons.

Apart for Gregory who upon consulting the doctor told me he is developing a cold and to give him calpol (which in America if not mistaken is found as Tynol? or something like that!) would you give it to him yourselves for 3 days even if he hasn't got fever? I don't like medicines much and wish to find alternatives and thoughts would be appreciated!!

Yesterday a did a list of things that need to be bought, things that need to be sorted etc and re worked out budget for when I am at home....since I enjoy doing such things and especially when the weather is changing I had fun. I will take a pic later of the bad weather haha which probably would have already turned into good weather but.....and post it along :)

Imagining

Imagining life in a few weeks time as a full time stay at home mum. Thinking of all the baking I hope to try and do, of all the new activities I can indulge in, of all the fun I'll have with Greg teaching him and loving him and caring for him...... All the things to do without a car...or hope to do.....

So many things, so many thoughts and hopes and ideas :) I'm buzzing with excitment and can't wait for these 7 weeks to go by and even though they will pass pretty quick I am just soooo jumpy!!

Gregory is crawling now :) I am happy to say that I was home when he started crawling and didn't loose on that. Yesterday he seems to have started blabbing and Maybe he will speak his first word while I am home or when I stop working :) No teeth so far *sigh* here they tell me the older he is the better....I don't know about that, what do you say?

I also hope and dream of having more time to blog again :) as with one thing and another I don't get time to write.

Soaps Part 2

My overdue follow up of the soaps review is finally coming to light! So sorry but really, promise, I will soon have time again to do more things here once I stop working in November...or well I hope so!!


Just to remind you all, a blog friend of mine, Karie, sent me a few soap samples and I wished to do a review for her even if this is normally not my sort of thing hehe. The company is called Sudzational Faith Love & Soap Co. and the soaps are sweet and cheap so perfect to use just for yourself or to give as a gift. I have now tried the following soaps which I liked and I hope you will

like to if you decide to try them!

This beauty soap here will leave you drunk....ok I am exagerating! but the Christmas in July, is a blend of spices and beer and is really great. It lathers up wonderfully and the smell although slightly masculine, is nice also for a woman. I loved it very much. I still have to convince hubby to use it but he doesn't quite like soaps...

As you can see here we have a lovely cocoa blend....and it is made of real cocoa ! It didn't lather much I think but the skin felt fresh and yummy after :) and frankly...you'd feel like eating it as real choc.

For my first half of the review please go to the following link. Or else go directly to Karie's website to see more soaps. Deliveries are made worldwide.

A day with nanna & nannu

Knowing we were going to the grandparents for the day Gregory woke up at 5 am very excited. Me, his mom felt the same excitment waking up at that hour! Anyhow, by 8.30 we were at my parents and after a few minutes there we made our way to the swings which are opposite their house.

here he is enjoying himself

and look at that smile!

After the swings we went for a short walk and here he is with his nanna Carmen

He loved the walk but half way through he prefered to stay on my mom than in the pushchair. We got home, and soon after my dad came home and we decided on an early lunch....my mom did baked rice which was super delicious and Gregory loved it! However, he prefered feeding himself and here he is 'eatin' near me.....

After he played with the rabbits .......

Here is a short video of his idea ..how to play with rabbits!

Watched the cats, while of course he tried to cature them and loved looking at the dog! WE than went to the fields and we played with rocks, soil, cups and also ate grapes.

Daddy than joined us for the rest of the afternoon. We helped grandpa to feed the animals, we played more with grandma, and in the end satisfied and tired went home and here he is 2 mins after I started driving home.

It finally happened!

This morning I gave in my notice. I practiced and imagined the scenario possibly a million times plus and as always it was completely different from what I thought. I feel sooo relieved now and happy but also a bit sad!

I've worked for this company 10 years and have to admit that I had a very good boss, the pay's good and generally speaking I was happy working here. At the same time, I felt the need for a change for quite sometime and never took it up. Than with the birth of my son, I thought that like many other mothers, I will go back normally to work after maternity.

These past 2 months have been fine since hubby took over as caregiver. But, next month he has to return back to work and our little puppy has to be split 3 days a week at my mother in law and 2 days a week at my aunt. We have been doing kinda trial runs so they get used to Gregory and he to them and things have been going really smooth, but, I feel that its me and Dave who should do the upbringing and no one else and so the decision was taken for me to stop working. Giving in my notice was very hard, as I already said 10 years is not exactly a short time and my boss was always accommodating in any requests. So after working myself into a state of utter nervousness, the opportunity arose and told him. He was obviously shocked and I felt so bad I started to cry....however, he's been understanding, accepted my notice with good grace (not without trying first to get me to change minds or go part time etc) and so officially my last working day is 7th November....can't wait!

Yoga under the setting sun

First of all thank you for reading my ranting yesterday and all the encouraging comments! I have to say, that after playing a while with my son and doing yoga I was back in shape and forgot all about tourism issues! and now I wish to share a most wonderful experience I had yesterday evening.



This to your right is called ghajn tuffieha bay; in Summer it is not so green of course, however, the beauty of it can still be seen and felt. Yesterday, my yoga instructor, held a lesson on this wonderful beach at sunset. We were I guess around 20 people there ranging from an 8 year old to over 50 year olds. We had an easy class and yet the sheer joy of being outdoors with other people doing yoga was an amazing experience.

A cool breeze carressed my body and the dappled rays of the setting sun lit up the bay and gave us that bit of warmth. the playful waves hit the beach and lulled me into a peaceful, serene being. I literally felt the tension of the day falling off my body and relaxing me. I was doing bridge pose and saw the sky dotted with white clouds and it felt amazing. I was doing fish pose and saw the hill at the back of the beach, majestic with the first star just poking on the horizon and felt empowered by its beauty. We than sat and just watched the last few seconds of the dying day....a red nearly transperent sun, a sky filled with colours of blue, orange and red and the sea calm reflecting the sun's rays. In that moment of stillness I forgot everything else that was surrounding me, forgot the people all around, didn't hear the shouts, laughs and conversations of the other sunbathers....it was just me the sunset, the breeze, a twittering bird and the waves. After deep relaxation, we watched the sky, still blue looking infinite and felt myself lost in its vastness. In the end we formed a circle, held each others' hands and left our energies to flow and mix, to thank mother earth for what was given to us for free everyday. My heart felt lighter, my body felt straighter, my face bore a smile that lit possibly the skies. I thanked my teacher, said byes to fellow yoginis I knew and went back to my family who came to enjoy the beach. Fed my son and myself and just a few minutes later left to go back home, coz Gregory wished to sleep. On our way we finally saw the full moon and felt happy that i lived in this world with all its ups and down.

Namaste!

petty tourists

****Disclaimer: if you are British I am sorry if you read this and feel offended! however, these are my thoughts and this is my blog so I am free to write as I please! Do not take it personally however, I have had sooo many such scenarios as petty as this that nowadays British for me means trouble with a big T and petty with a big P and moneygrabbers with a big M.*******

Are you a petty tourist? is there something in the genes of the British tourists who come to Malta who get sooo petty? (no offense to any of you British reading my blog BUT I find so many of your brethren that are ooooo I just can't believe my ears at times).

Case in point: Today, 4th September 2009, this woman calls wanting to speak to her rep, since her rep isn't in the office I ask if I can help and she starts ranting about how much money she paid for this holiday and doesn't have a sunny balcony....I go ermmm what is exactly the problem madam?---reply ---I paid so much and I don't have a sunny balcony and I told them we want a sunny balcony...wtf??? my partner is blind (so he won't see the sun no need of a sunny balcony! sorry but she pissed right off) and he can't go out (put it another way, you don't want to lug him around otherwise he can..he's blind not wheelchair bound!) and as he spends most of the day in the room needs a sunny balcony. The hotel DID offer a room that can provide such BUT its a superior room so there is a supplement which said madam doesn't want to pay! I try speaking to the hotel but they won't budge and I don't blame them at the end of the day they are there to make money not be a charity(even if I do believe that once in a blue moon they can make an exception!!) I decide to try the manager for more luck but he is not available and this person insists that we are messing her around! she asks to move hotel which i tell her ok but there will still be money to pay...how much she goes...I don't know depends on the hotel etc..she than goes on to tell me that she wants to remain in the same resort and asks for a particular hotel WHICH we can't use as got an exclusivity with another operator! I tell her so and the area she wants hotels are full...gasp she doesn't believe me!! She carries on that she could have booked a different hotel better than this and cheaper with someone else (than why didn't you do so????- it ain't true that is why!!!) So I suggest, she pays the supplement and carry on with her holiday enjoying it and I will try and speak to the hotel again tomorrow and if no luck on Monday. her reply? my holiday is ruined I have to wait 3 more days!! why don't you pay the supplement? coz I bloody don't want to give him the money and I want the money of my sunbeds cos there is no sun and are useless****Sigh*** quite a big one.

So there is this said woman for 2 weeks in Malta and her holiday is COMPLETELY ruined cos she expects a sunny balcony and since the hotel didn' t want to give said room for free well.....now my mind wonders if its just me who is strange or if these people are somehow off their rocker. I mean you don't travel with a blind person and leave him alone in a room for 2 weeks. I mean if the sunny balcony is so importnat you make sure the people booking your holiday know this and makes sure that it is possible to have it guaranteed or else told that it is not the case. I mean if there is a cheaper hotel which you know is better you book that not the other. I mean what the freakin are you playing at? oh yes I know the game of make a big problem out of nothing make sure nothing can be done to help out go back home and get your money back....i'll be damned but I will write such a report that if they give her the money back anyway I will...don't know what .....just saying that these people are disgusting!

Gregory

DSC00017
Originally uploaded by equidae1

Whenever I'm home I can't help feeling happy and grateful! Gregory is such a character...he enjoys playing in bed right before going to sleep and right after waking up. His smiles simply fill the house and his naughty look when he is attempting something new is a reckoning! When you see him smiling to something his dad does or laughing out loud it fills my heart to the brim.
He truly seems like a puppy, crawling all over us, finding things to haul himself upright, playing with everything and nothing...

I guess I can say I'm in love! Can't wait to finally have him again for myself all day long. I know it will be difficult and tiring and sometimes frustrating.... however, I am sure that its the best thing a mum can do!

wordless wednesday

Originally found all over the country, it used to show how far the next village was. When the British took over the island they changed them as per the pic above. Unfortunately, a lot have also been dismantled over the time and very few are left of this precious heritage.

Bengal tiger in Mosta warehouse...OUTRAGEOUS

A Bengal tiger, one of the world's endangered species, was yesterday discovered cavorting in an air-conditioned room on the roof of a warehouse in Mosta, sources said.
The three-month-old cub, a golden tabby, which is said to have cost its owner some €23,000, was being well cared for, fed chickens so it gets its daily requirement of lean protein and had a sizeable pen to roam in.
The discovery was made after a raid by members of the Animal Welfare Department, the police's Administrative Law Enforcement and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's Environment Protection Department.

Please go on the following link Bengal tiger in Mosta warehouse for the full story!

This is the most outrageous story I heard this year in Malta!! I hope the authorities will be VERY professional and within a week the tiger is sent back to Bengal where it can be reinstated in the wild hopefully. They say they will check how it came in and if it has the necesary paperwork...maybe I am being stupid or something, BUT if this guy has the paperwork showing that it came legally (i.e. home or zoo bred) couldn't he show it to them straight away this paperwork? and if such is the case was there the need for the tiger to be brought in not by the usual means and through the animal immigration?

The Bengal Tiger is a VERY rare species protected by CITES as an extremely endangered species and if the authorities do let this guy keep that tiger, I can say that the Maltese authorities will have gone completely and disgustingly low and should simply resign from their post! However, now I vented my feelings, I hope that they actually do the right thing so for now no more mud slinging till the verdict is out....