Read

Waiting impatiently for those 3 books purchased from the inkspotshop on etsy. Especially Bhowani Junction, which talks about anglo indians.

Climber

Photos from our last holidays back home

Tantrums

Elya just had the worst tantrum today and in the shopping mall. I was sweating, puffing, reddening, trying to keep my calm and trying to hold her still while it seems all the passer bys were staring at us!

How do you deal with tantrums in public places?

At home its 'easy', I will let her cry/shout it out and she will eventually calm down and ask for a hug. She hardly ever had a big tantrum in a public place - whiny sometimes but not like the full blown one she had today.

Looking at it in her perspective, I should have known better! I stretched her day too long.

Anyway my baby is sleeping quietly now, but I know she will wake up in a bad mood. After so much crying that what happens most of the time!

How do other mothers deal with tantrums?

Toddler activities or how to occupy a 20 month old

I've always tried to install a routine for Elya but it is kind of hard. The baby does not nap!! Unless I drive for a few minutes in the car. I try my best to have her settle quietly with me on her bed, with a book - talking softly, stroking her hair, but she she knows the signal that I am going to make her sleep and will do everything in her power of little person she is not to sleep!!

She will jump, talk, sing, show me her dolls!

Here is a view of a typical day with Elya:

5.30 or 6 a.m - wakes up and cries for 'lait, lait' (milk) - I will do it or Stefan will do it and after this she will settle back to sleep.

8 - 8.30 a.m - wakes up for good, I'm already in the kitchen and she will come for cuddles - too cute for words

9 a.m - Breakfast, with or withoust success! depending on hunger

9.15 a.m - Shower (me too)

9.30 a.m - So we usually go out for toddler activities that start at 10, if not we play at home

12.30 p.m - Back from toddler playgroup

1 p.m - If she is not asleep from the car drive, give lunch

1.30 p.m - Change diaper

2 p.m - playtime or read time, painting depends

3 p.m - dvd time, which I try not to but do

4 p.m - outdoors, swim or play

5 p.m - if we swam, will take shower and have a snack - i'll start cooking dinner

6.30 p.m - father comes we all eat together

7.00 p.m - play together - not an ounce of sleepiness

8.00 p.m - pray together and try to get her in a calm mood

9.00 p.m - milk and she sleep or not - if not, we all sit in bed until she falls asleep.

I have been trying to put her earlier but to no avail, any experienced mothers can give me a tip out there??

Love this look
via desretoinspire

Should stay away from internet!

Really is it stress or excitement or both

Two recent web purchase:



This giant vintage Blessing alarm clock from Kaylovesvintage on Etsy

A beautiful scarf in mustard from the scarfshop

I should stop surfing, I mean it!

On how hard it is to keep a blog and a few news

I knew when I started my blog that I wouldn't be very regular, knowing my track record at keeping a personal diary. But it has even been harder with motherhood and my very demanding baby.

I so admire these mummy bloggers on the web, who seem to juggle with cooking fantastic food, decorating their house, crafting and having their own business. How I wish I could be all this but no ... the reality is that for Elya's first year in this world, I have been all attention and care to her.

Crafting has proved to be almost impossible, especially since I was breastfeeding on demand and I had a baby that would only nap, for 20 minutes. Everything that I started had to be stopped. And now with our very mobile little girl, I won't even think of jewellery making - with all the beads rolling around (yes, I am a messy crafter)

Cooking is ok, as I have found a solution - cooking quick easy meals in the mornings while Elya is playing or reading and reserving special meals for the weekend, when hubby is at home.

Decorating has been mainly arranging our furniture in a way that all of us can enjoy being together, my biggest pride being setting up Elya's room in a cosy and bright way, especially since there is no natural light in her room - that's the great minus point in our new house (pretty on the outside but badly designed in the inside)

Ok I'll stop taking excuses for non blogging, because while laziness hah and lack of time and procrastination have kept me away from my blog, I have been busy browsing the many inspiring blogs that are out there - with Elya on my lap, watching Barbapapa, Oui oui in a half opened window!

These blog have inspired me so much that I decided to take an interior designer course online. Now that Elya is more independant and will start nursery school soon, it gives me some time to take on something that I have always wished to do but did not dare beacuse of ... fear? not knowing really what job will await for me in Mauritius? Well not anymore, let's go for it!

So does this mean I will be even less blogging?