30 dic 2012

goals!



i was having breakfast this morning, in bed, as usually during these days... zoeti is still sick and we're preparing to have a family-members-only party for new year's eve...
i was thinking about 2013 and some goals that i want to reach during this year. it's hard for me to write them down because (and my friends already know it) i'm not so good with constancy and perseverance.

that's my list:

# read 1 book for month... i love reading but sometimes it's easier turn on the tv and watch some stupid program instead of reading... well, it's time to come back to the old good habits!

# find a new course to attend... i really enjoy my ceramic course but i' ve always wanted to do a cooking course or a sewing one...

# follow as much as i can the improvements of my little one using all the montessori's methods and keep reading in english to her every single night (i've just discovered that she knows the animals names in english!! i'm so proud of her!!)

# one of my favorite blog, a beautiful mess, wrote a post few days ago about a 365 project... well i've thought about it and ... why not?! my 365 project will be a photo of one member of my family every day. the 2013 will be a fabulos year and having more pictures to immortalize it will be fantastic! plus... i'm not taking pictures as i used to. i don't know if it's because i've changed the camera and i'm still not sure using it or what... but i loved taking pictures and i used to take the camera with me almost every day in the past. plus, according to the blog i mentioned, i could be useful for improve my photographic skills.

# cook something new every 2 weeks. i keep it realistic: i will have busy weeks and zoeti will be sick again maybe, so i can't say once a week.

# some months ago me and giulio have written a list of all the places near where we live that we haven't seen yet... well i have to admit that we have visited just one of them! in 2013 we have to do better: at least 10 places!!

ok, folks! that's my to-do list for the new year. what about you? if you have a blog and you've write about it, please link the post below... i will be happy to read about your plans!

27 dic 2012

merry christmas!







and so... the second christmas for zoeti has gone! last year she was too little to understand the magic of this holiday but this year was just perfect! on christmas eve we waited for her to go to bed and then we put all the christmas presents under the tree. the next morning we turned on the music (christmas songs - of course!) and we went to wake her... the face she made when she saw all the presents was ... unbelievable! she smiled and screamed and jumped while opening the present... her joy was (and still is) the best present for us.
what she loved most? so far the tricycle and the play kitchen, but i think she have not focused already ALL the presents santa brought to her!

i'm sorry i didn't take so many pictures but i was busy... living the moment!!

23 dic 2012

when you're stuck in the house...


 after this crazy week stuck in the house with an ill baby i can say that's one of the most difficult things to do! an 18-months-old is all about moving, playing, screaming... it's a concentration of life and keep her inside the house was (and still is) very hard! So... that's some tips for moms in my situation:

# books: fortunately zoeti loves books! we read them every day for one hour or more (a long time for her). i try to use the one with hundreds of pictures and ask her "what's this" "what's that", both in english and italian.

# toys: expecially this one (Ikea). she loves playing with it and that's absolutely the toy that she has that keeps her busy for longest! who said that beautiful toys are expensive?! that's just E 5,99!!













# look outside the window: in the beginning i felt sad keeping the baby near the window to see people outside or animals... but turned out that she loves it! expecially when there are dogs or cats. our neighbour has a cat and she spends hours looking if he's moving, or eating, or ...
now we can almost recognize a car or a motorbike from the sound, we know when children come back from school, we have fun looking at different shapes in the sky or we are surprised when a bird rests on our balcony.









# let's dance! zoeti loves music and when i really don't know what else we can do we just turn on the music and dance! it's good for keeping her busy and for my mood!

# tv: ok... i was one of that moms who believed that tv is not for kids... but... if you look the tv with your little one and choose programs suitable her age i think is ok! not only ok, but useful, for example when the kid has to do aerosol and doesn't want... or when you need 5 minutes to prepare the dinner (but always comment what's on the screen with your baby!)

Any other tips?! I'll be happy to hear some other idea from you!

18 dic 2012

and again...

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and here we are... again. zoeti is sick: cough, cold, fever... we had a couple of hard nights and some very hard days and  we are far from feeling ok! poor darling... she so tired to cough, she can't sleep but she want to, and she's eating almost nothing.
In all this chaos, even if i have the best husband in the world, write an interesting post about something is out of the question for some another couple of days... I hope she'll be fine for friday: there's her first christmas recital... she's a star! well... she's my little star since she was born!

13 dic 2012

dear Santa...



1. a robot... yes, kitchenaid is probably the best, but Santa... i'll be happy with any kind of robot, i'll promise!

2. how cute are these vintage alphabet cards!

3. my interest in montessori method  is still high, so this is  a book i need  to learn some new activities to do with  zoeti.

4. after seeing the result of my mouse-writing you'll agree with me that i need the wacom bamboo pen!!

5. a weekly planner!! I have a feeling this would be a year full of things to remember and i'm an old style girl: i love paper&pen!

yes, Santa, in my wishlist there's no clothes or shoes... it's not an error, it's just that... shopping with friends, or family, is too fun to give it up! i'm just waiting for sales!!

9 dic 2012

our first christmas weekend

chocolate for breakfast

look...it's snowing!

can i help with decorations?!




let's make cookies!

they're supposed to be gingerbread...

gnammy gnammy

As tradition, the 8th of december is our first christmas day: we decorate the house, listen to christmas music, play togheter and make cookies. last year zoeti was definetely too young to understand or enjoy christmas time, but this year she partecipated and ... helped in her way!
we love you so much little miss funny face!!

7 dic 2012

what about the second pregnancy?



it's not a secret for family and friends that we are thinking about having another baby... I'm only child so it will be strange and interesting seeing how things go between siblings! I've recently talked about it with a friend, expecting her third, and i've asked her what's the difference between the first and  the second time that you are pregnant. i know that every pregnancy is different, but i meant in your emotional approach and how people react. she said something that impressed me a lot - for the first one i recieved 10 good-luck-baby-shoes (it's a tradition here to give as a present to a mother-to-be a pair of baby shoes), while for the second they gave me 4, and for this pregnancy just one! like it were obvious that if all went well the first time you don't need lucky anymore, you know you can do it. also people's reaction were different: lots of presents and "let me see the baby" with the first born, even from not so close friends, a colder reaction with the second one. it's a pity for a mom, whose all her kids are equal, seeing so different reactions...

looking at zoeti now i can't help but wonder if i could give all the attention i gave to her until now even to another little one... you have to split it somehow and this make me feel guilty for the second one since now!!

do you have any experience about it? what's your opinion?

4 dic 2012

christmas shopping!


last saturday was crazy... we spent the day looking for christmas presents! we found out the perfect gift for all the little ones in our life and... of course... something special for zoeti! i think it's our first real gift for her! grannies and friends bought a lot of things since she was born and we took care of daily stuff such as clothes or small toys. But this Christmas is different: zoeti will understand the magic of decorating the house, santa's coming, presents to open in the morning with daddy and mommy... christmas is special with children and that's why we didn't get bored spending 4 hours in a toy shop (4 hours!!). we found a very nice shop full of wood and natural toys... no battery needed... the kind of toys that zoeti loves but that required more effort for a parent. if you have to built or draw or create something you have to teach how to do that to you kid: hardest but funniest!

I'm also searching a beautiful handmade advent calendar to copy for next year (yes... i know myself that's why i need a whole year to finish a project!). we bought one for this year but i prefer handmade. plus zoeti still doesn't know what waiting for something means (or what's christmas) so i have another year before using a real advent calendar (hopefully made by myself!).
That's some cute ideas i found out on web:



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what do you think? Did you make your own advent calendar this year?