My Public Secrets

Livin' la vida ocupada!

2012-01-31T23:05:00.003+01:00

Just a quick post!

Dane and I were out and about running errands today. And even though it was FREEZING cold, windy and cloudy, it didn’t stop us from going out. In fact, we had a wonderful day. We finished what we had planned to do, we met our friend and her daughter, Dane was able to play, we had a nice lunch, snacks afterwards, did some early spring wardrobe shopping and now we are finally home. It was a pretty long day and walking really kicked my butt off!(Laughing). And since I was a little fried, hubby had to endure ready-made pizza tonight, which was fine with him. (Thank goodness)

Anyway, I don’t know why, but every day is a crazy busy day for me. Honestly, I have no idea why there is something coming up every day. I wonder where all these things are coming from?

Anyway A.G.A.I.N, tomorrow is going to be very busy. A technician is coming to replace our dishwasher. ("Hallelujah" One week without it is a complete mess). Also, I am ecstatic that a friend of ours is coming to clean our small apartment. Yes, hubby and I agreed to hire a friend to help me out with the household chores. I’m kind of busy lately taking care of my very active baby. To be honest, taking care and dealing with lil’ D leaves me in a state of sheer mental and physical exhaustion every day. So thank you to my loving and understanding husband for figuring out that I seriously need some help.

So tomorrow is the first day, where I think, I can just seat back and relax. @happyfulltimewifeandmomma!

love and laughter!

D's 1st Birthday Party

2012-01-23T11:05:00.026+01:00

(Unedited)

Just a quick post about our son’s first birthday party.

Last Saturday, we had such a fantastic day celebrating our son's first Birthday party! It was a huge success, with lots of food, friends, family, and FUN! We did an Aviation theme. He became the pilot of the day, complete with his pilot costume. We had Asian + Mediterranean dishes served.

Pretty much, it was an awesome day! I am so happy to see how this party turns out. I put so much effort + love doing all the decorations, food, etc. and I'm glad that everybody like it. So thankful to have family + friends near by to help celebrate my little man's 1st birthday. Everything was exactly how I imagined a little kid birthday party to be. The activities were fun and kept the little ones entertained.

It was a fairly laid back party. And when the day was done, our hearts were fuller than our stomachs. Anyway, I'll let the pictures tell the story. (I'm kinda lazy to say more).

Now, fasten your seat belts and get ready for the photo overload!

Homemade cake to give you some happiness today.(Proudly made by me)

Dessert Table

Personalized birthday banner (It was snowing when D was born, so I made sure that this snow thing will be included in his p.b.b with a touch of airplane theme!(created by Vista Print Switzerland)

Dane's Photo banner

Welcome sign.. I love how it’s displayed on our door! I made this myself, cut out from heavy card stock and hot glued. So while I did end up burning my fingers with hot glue I think it turned out great!

Another party sign! My goal was to give a personal touch to all decorations.

Party favours!! Tons of sweet kiddie goodies inside.I created all of this myself. So, instead of buying ready made favour bags, I decided to make my own, using heavy paper and silk paper! I used my imagination to put all of this together. So, Oh yes, I'm on a roll being creative and I believe it is a hit. ☺.

Party hats.(Made by Spaceships and Laserbeams_Stephanie from Etsy)

Party people

My son's Birthday invitation (Made by Dimpleprints_Mike from Etsy)

Another party banner (Made by me)

Happy people just chillin'

My handsome boys

Mouthwatering banana cupcake! I made them all myself! Actually, the kids were in awe...maybe it was the sugar (: Sorry to all of the parents for the sugar rush I provided their kiddos!!

Cheesin'

Party utensils

In-flight entertainment

In-flight beverages

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy- Psalm 126:3

The end! The full pictures of my vision-come-to-life!

love and laughter!

Wordless Sunday Confessions

2012-01-15T21:08:00.005+01:00

Hello lovelies!

Today, I spent the whole day out with friends. First we went to church, then had lunch there. Afterwards we went to have an afternoon coffee at a coffee shop somewhere in Zurich and we ended the day enjoying dinner at our fellow sister's house. Now as usual, my tummy hurts and I feel like I can hardly walk anymore, you know why! (The piggy in me had taken over again)

Anyway, my confession for today was about the wonderful pain I had experienced this exact same day last year. Last year, at this very moment I was in terrible pain, holding tight onto my husband’s hand, fighting hard with the labour contractions.

And today, while typing this entry at this very moment. I can't help but smile. What a wonderful pain it was. Hubby and I were talking about it. We were so in love and happy while observing our little angel sleeping blissfully in his crib. Time is on a really fast track and we can’t believe that we are already turning one year old as parents tomorrow.

love and laughter!

Before 2011 closes, here's a recap of our 2011

2011-12-29T20:53:00.041+01:00

First off, I would like to thank my friend Myla for helping me out in redesigning my blog. She's been very helpful and has always been there for me when I have had a blog or other kind of tech issue. She's da bomb! I consider her my tech genius friend. And she's actually the one who introduced me to the world of blogging. So to all my followers (if there are any): If you’d like to make me smile this holiday season. I would really appreciate if you could thank her as well, because if not for her this blog would not exist.

Anyway, 2011 has flown by in the blink of an eye! I am sitting here and trying hard to recap the highlights of the past year as there have been so many fun and wonderful moments to remember.

JANUARY: The best moment of my life as a woman is when I gave birth to my adorable son. After almost 24 hours of labour. I finally met the cutest little angel on earth

FEBRUARY: After giving birth to our lil’ sweetheart. My husband took me out to celebrate our first date as parents and celebrate Valentine ’s Day at Radisson Blu Hotel, Zurich

MARCH: Another blissful date with a newly acquainted friend. Too bad I do not have any photos of them to share (Singaporean Restaurant)

APRIL: We went on our very first holiday as a family of three to Grand Hotel Quellenhof & Spa in Bad Ragaz. One of the best luxury resorts in Switzerland

MAY: My husband and I celebrated the most special event of my son’s life, his baptism. Along with family and friends, we celebrated the event with a church service conducted by my father in-law followed by a reception at the Marriot Hotel, Zurich

The same month, we also celebrated our marriage anniversary. Hubby gave me this cute love letter along with a bouquet of flowers and a nice treat to an Italian restaurant.

(JUNE: not sure) My son’s first L.O.N.G road trip to Luzern where we celebrated my very close friend’s birthday

JULY: Our son's first airplane ride, bound for Berlin, Germany (first ride if not counting his Paris trip when he was a four months old fetus still in my womb)

JULY: We had an amazing holiday in Berlin, Germany.

AUGUST: Dream come true. Mom came to visit us here in Switzerland.

SEPTEMBER: Another trip to Germany, but this time with my mom.

OCTOBER: Lots of kiddie parties for my son and date night with hubby. To name one, our sushi night out in Zurich..

NOVEMBER: Parties and vacation in Egypt

DECEMBER: Vacation in Egypt and some holiday parties

The same month: JIL Party

Homemade chocolate cupcake, made by me.

Looking back, It makes me realize how wonderful 2011 has been for us. I am so grateful for a lot of things. God is so good to me, to my husband, to my son and to my family and as well as being surrounded by lovely friends. I cant thank God enough for all the blessings we have received. I am so looking forward to another year of adventures! Happy New Year to all from my family to yours...xx

love and laughter!

Nat's 7th Birthday Party Recap

2011-12-17T00:20:00.027+01:00

Hi guys, here's another party that my lil' guy and I attended last Wednesday. As I have told you, my little darling has been pretty busy attending a lot of birthday parties and I loved going there too. I never thought that I would become a huge fan of kids' parties myself.

And I even managed to squeeze another cake into my busy schedule. I baked and decorated this cake myself. I don't know why, but this baking and cake decorating is growing on me lately. I am really enjoying it. It's nice to do something else other than taking care of house hold chores and baby sitting right? (laugh)

I love being productive and learning and learning and learning new stuff everyday...

Oh yes, I'm on a roll. Another homemade chocolate cake I baked and designed for the 7th birthday of my friend's son

Can you spot my little man? He is in front holding the broom stick.

love and laughter!

Isabel's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-11-20T20:17:00.010+01:00

I wasn't really planning to post this here on my blog, but since my mom was so curious about the whole event and since I myself am still ecstatic about the result of my home-made cake. I decided to post and shout it out to the world...

Anyway, I stayed up until 1am the other night designing Isabel’s 3rd Birthday cake, and I have to say, despite the terrible headache I still have from going to bed so late and the difficulty of doing this, the effort was totally worth it. I love the outcome! It feels great to be productive and learn something new every day. Designing this cake has really given me a productive outlet for my creative side.

Here's my first fondant attempt. Still not perfect but it was a hit. Everybody loved it.

In the end, I did a little bit of touch up with the decorations.

There she is, the very beautiful lil' Isabel.

Me and the celebrant. (I am flat out exhausted)

Hubby made it to the party!!!

Obviously, my lil'man is having a good time playing with the big kiddos.

More photos on FB, unfortunately, it is exclusive to the celebrant family as per their request. Besides I am not in most of the pictures because I acted as photographer. But I did take tons of photos of my boys...

love and laughter!
k

Wordless Sunday Confessions

2011-11-13T20:21:00.005+01:00

A friend of mine asked me what kind of lipstick I am wearing. And I thought I would share since I have been asked this same question many times.

Honestly, I am not into lipstick. Though I am a huge fan of lip gloss. I have been using Labello glamourous gloss for some time. It has a very natural color with a little touch of pink.

On occasions where I really need to use lipstick, I like to use L'Oreal Colour Riche 862 Nude. It's also very natural. I am not really into colorful shades. I like to look as natural as possible.

Thanks so much for stopping by everyone, have a great week. :)

love and laughter!

Trick AND Treat

2011-11-03T23:29:00.002+01:00

Our Prince! My bad. His honey bee custume won't fit him anymore, so I decided to print him this Prince Hat. Just so he can experience his first Halloween in style. As you can see, it was not all smiles. But isn't it cute?

Just a quick post about our Halloween. Sorry, I am so lame and overly late. I just thought of sharing our different kind of Trick AND~~(or)~~ Treat story.

Trick: A few days ago, I told hubby to bring our Christmas tree up already, so I can start decorating. (Please don’t laugh at me) I saw a Christmas tree the other day in the mall, so I am not the first one. And as always he refused, because for him, it’s still insanely early. So I came up with a treat on a Holloween day.

Treat: I called my husband and said that I had baked his Grandmother’s Schokolade-Schnitten. (I know he loves those) and in exchange he had to bring our Christmas tree and decors up from the Keller (basement). If I had just said that I might bake, for sure he would not do it. But since I said I had baked them already he knew I was serious. So that trick and treat worked great. LOL (Don't get us wrong. My husband and I are SO used to tricking each other and its just for fun)

live, love and laugh!

Busy mama

2011-11-02T23:26:00.014+01:00

I can’t believe it’s November already! Can you believe that? Where has the time gone? I hate it, don’t yah?

This month is a pretty jam-packed month for me. As you may know, we are leaving for a sweet long vacation at the end of this month and won’t be back till Christmas just in time to attend the JIL Party. So it means that I have to finish all the things that are on my “To do list” before we leave. Let me give you a glimpse of a very hectic full time mama schedule.

First thing, I have to prepare for thanksgiving. My husband and I have been doing this for the past two years and we intend to continue doing it. Thanksgiving may not be a well-known occasion in Switzerland, but not in our house. There are just so many things to be thankful for, so why not celebrate it right?

Secondly, my son may still be a baby, but that doesn’t excuse him from getting a lot of birthday invitations. And since I am NOT bad in baking cakes, I volunteered myself to bake a cake for them. (Wish me luck guys! I am a bit nervous about it though, especially not in a big party). I will be baking two big cakes. And cakes and decorating are time consuming you know.

Thirdly, since we are leaving at the end of the month and won’t be back till second week of Dec, it means that I have to start buying groceries already for the holidays. I don’t want to go crazy unpacking, wrapping gifts and shopping when I arrive back from a sweet holiday. Especially when I only have a few days till’ the party.

Fourthly, I have to prepare Christmas decors before we leave. I know that there is only a few days left before Christmas, when we will be back from holiday, but I still want to come home and feel the Christmas spirit in our house. I think it feels good to come home and be surrounded by Christmassy things? Besides, Christmas happens only once a year, so why not enjoy it.

Fifthly, “the packing” Since we will be away for quite a while. I have to make sure that I have packed all the important things my son as well as I myself may need. Never mind hubby because he does his own thing by himself. Packing is a bit stressful in my opinion.

Sixthly, I have quite a few birthday and Christmas gifts to wrap. I have to do this now so that I can hand them out on time. And since I am a proud member of the GET IT DONE Mummy Club. It's a must to always be ahead with vim and vigor.

Seventhly, Christmas and New Year parties to attend. Last year we were at my friend’s house along with many other friends. As usual, I am in charge of the Goodies. And since Christmas is a busy time, I don’t want to join other mommies who are in a rush to do the last minute shopping. So I am now preparing and thinking of what to bring to the party, putting everything aside and making sure it is ready.

Eighthly, preparing for my son’s first birthday party. I know that it is only in January, but with the vacation and then Christmas holidays I don’t think I have enough time to prepare for it. You all know how birthday preparations takes time, right? Even if it’s a very simple celebration at home, I still have to do the invitations and decoration right. So I am now squeezing it on my to do list, so that I will not fall badly if things didn’t work on the themes, invitations etc. etc…Besides, I will be alone doing this. Hubby is working and traveling, so I don’t want to stress him out. He has been a good help in giving me his opinion, ideas and objections (sometimes) and that is such a good help already.

So there, I said it guys. Do you think I can do this? I hope I’ll manage to do everything right before we leave. Take note, I have a well-mannered, but very curious, and delightful distracting baby. Wish me luck.

live, love and laugh!

Baby Food

2011-10-16T22:41:00.000+02:00

I went grocery shopping the other day and I am so glad that I have found the right ingredients that I needed to bake cookies for my son. All ingredients were organic, wheat free, gluten free, dairy free and sugar free.

As you know my adorable son is allergic to many kinds of foods here on earth, that is why I can't used the normal ingredients you found on grocery shelves. And since it is so impossible to find real good and quality cookies for a baby like mine, I have no choice but to bake my own instead.

Here's a few suitable items that I came across in a "Reformhaus" the other day.

And if you live in Zurich, Switzerland, and are looking for a Reformhaus, this list may be useful:

Amavita Apotheke und Drogerie Stadelhofen Galenicare AG
Bahnhof Stadelhofen Down-Town
8001 Zürich
Telefon +41 (0)44 252 21 44
+41 (0)44 252 02 71

Amavita Apotheke Bahnhof
Bahnhofstrasse 5
8820 Wädenswil
Telefon +41 (0)58 851 33 06
Fax +41 (0)58 851 35 06

Amavita Apotheke Central
Zugerstrasse 2
8820 Wädenswil
Telefon +41 (0)58 851 33 07
Fax +41 (0)58 851 35 07

Amavita Apotheke Chur
Bahnhof Passage
Bahnhofplatz 3
7000 Chur
Telefon +41 (0)58 851 32 44
Fax +41 (0)58 851 34 44

Amavita Apotheke Enge
Tessinerplatz 1
8002 Zürich

Have fun baking everyone!!!

love and laughter!

====== ✈ Vacation

2011-10-11T00:05:00.011+02:00

Yey! I am so ecstatic that our upcoming vacation in Nov was confirmed, and this time, we will be staying for 15 happy days in a beach resort. Isn't it A.W.E.S.O.M.E? Whew! I can NOT wait... Remember the time where I used to hate hubby's job? Well, this time I love his job for allowing him to be with us exclusively!

And this vacation will be totally different from our last holiday (Berlin, Germany) where we spent most of our time sightseeing. This holiday is sort of like Bad Ragaz Resort. Where we spent the entire time relaxing by the pool, spa etc. (Now I wonder how I am going to wear two piece without showing off that dang pregnancy stretch marks! Wheew--Pressure!) Will mention the name on Facebook. For now, let me give you a clue...

Do you have any clue already? Have a lovely week folks!!!
(Photos of the hotel)

love and laughter!

5 Things You Should Know About The "New Facebook"

2011-10-05T22:54:00.003+02:00

Did you get a little freaked out when your Facebook profile completely changed overnight? Yeah, me too. Not to worry. Modernmom did a little research to help us parse out the updates that were made and how they will affect us.

The basics haven’t changed: we can still Facebook stalk, find out when your friends are having birthdays and view pictures. It's the way all that information is presented that underwent a big-time makeover. And if you were concerned about the rumors that Facebook might soon be charging money for some basic services, don’t be. It seems as if those were just rumors (for now).

To get up to speed on the changes, check out these 5 things you need to know about the new Facebook:

1. The Ticker Launched
Facebook has been experimenting with a few concepts similar to this, but they finally rolled out what they’re calling "the ticker." It’s a box in the top right hand portion of your News Feed page that shows you what is happening with your friends in real time. You can click on it to get the details and chime in, all without losing your place on the News Feed homepage. Click anywhere else on the page to make it go away.

2. The News Feed has Changed
In the past, the News Feed has had the option to display top stories from friends - but the algorithim is decides on its own which friends you care about the most, based on your Facebook interaction with them. It also didn’t show you any stories you may have missed while you weren’t on Facebook. Now, if you haven’t been on Facebook for a while, you’ll see the photos and statuses you missed while you were away, marked with a blue corner. If you have been on Facebook recently, you’ll see the most recent stories. You'll also notice that the photos on your News Feed and profile are larger and more aesthetically pleasing.

3. Improved Friends Lists
Similar to circles on Google Plus, Facebook has added lists that let you classify your friends, so you can separate out news. The default lists are: Work, School, Family, and City. This way, you can see photos and statuses from only your college friends, and so on. The feature is designed to make it easy to see what you want. These “Smart Lists” as Facebook is calling them, will automatically update and manage themselves based on information you and your friends have provided. In addition, Facebook is rolling out Close Friends and Acquaintances Lists. You can add your best friends to the former and your business colleagues to the latter. (Don't worry - with the default settings, they can't see which of those two lists they're on.) You’ll see more of the Close Friends and less of the Acquaintances updates in your News Feed.

How do you manage the lists? When you add someone as a friend or confirm a friendship request, you can assign them to a list, or add them to a list from their profile page. To remove, you can go into the "Close Friends" choice on the left hand menu on the home page, and simply take them off. If you don’t want to use lists, you don’t have to- they’re optional.

4. A New Way to Share Your Life: The Timeline

We could write a book on all the changes that the new Timeline feature is bringing (but you wouldn’t have time to read it, and we definitely don’t have time to write it!), so here are the basics. The Timeline works by showing you all your recent content.

As you go further back in time, it will start summarizing your content. The further back in time you go, the more summarized it gets. You can personalize by adding a cover (Timeline is much more visually appealing with its large photos), apps and stories. You can sign up for Timeline (and watch a quick video about it) now.

5. The Subscribe Button
You can now choose what you see on your News Feed with the subscribe button. Maybe you’re sick of hearing about every meal your aunt eats, but you’d like to hear when she’s coming for a visit. Well, you can do that! Facebook has given you three options. In their words, your options are to see:

- All updates: Everything your friend posts
- Most updates: The amount you'd normally see
- Important updates only: Just highlights, like a new job or move

In addition, you can subscribe to people you aren’t friends with, like celebs, journalists or political figures.

You can also get your own subscribers. To let people subscribe, go to the subscriptions page and click allow subscribers. When you set a new status update, select “Public” from the dropdown menu (it’s right under where you type) and people outside of your friends will also be able to see your update.

That's All Folks

love and laughter!

A -Z about me

2011-09-22T21:09:00.008+02:00

This has been going around the blogosphere lately (Mandy—one of the blogs that I love. And her girl friends) and I thought it would be fun for me to participate. :)

A. Age: 29
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate: Ironing and cleaning the bathroom
D. Dogs: None, but I'd like to have a bulldog someday.
E. Essential start to your day: Wake up, goodbye kiss from hubby leaving for work and a cup of Bambu organic instant coffee
F. Funny name: My husband called me kleiner tiger and mommy-tung today in return to how I call him papi-tung and our son patu-ting.
G. Gold or Silver: Gold
H. Height: 5′2! Though I wish I was at least 5'4 taller
I. Instruments you play: I used to play Xylophone in high school for the school
J. Job title: Full time momma.
K. Kids: One adorable son.
L. Live: Switzerland!
M. Makes your day: Lately whenever my son finishes his healthy and everyday freshly made meal I cook for him, that makes my day. :D
N. Nicknames: Lams, Mielle, and Lira
O. Overnight hospital stays: When I gave birth to my most awaited son and when he received one week of allergy therapy at the hospital
P. Pet peeves: When someone says they will do this and that etc....but then never get around to actually doing it! Drawing type of person!
Q. Quote from a movie: Don’t worry, you’re totally gonna get over it in about three seconds.—Dr. Keats (50 first dates- favorite movie ever!)
R. Right or left handed: Right handed
S. Sports: Scuba diving (my all time fav.) and swimming.
T. Time you wake up: No definite time, depending on my son's wake up call
U. Underwear: Yes I wear that —— lol
V. Vegetable you hate: Can't think of any. I guess none! Love all of them.
W. What makes you run late: *wink* I'd like to blame my baby... but, to be honest. It's me, usually distracted by reading many good articles on the net.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth
Y. Yummy food that you make: Beef steak, chicken curry & chinese vegetable mix ( I'm saying this on behalf of my husband & friends comments)
Z. Zoo animal: Panda Bears. They are cute!

How about you guys? Come share with me your A-Z of yourself and link it up.

love and laughter!

Milestone

2011-09-15T23:35:00.006+02:00

my sweet lil' fluffybutt will be 8 months old tomorrow

I hate that my son is growing up so quickly. I know that I have said this many times, but I feel I need to mention it again, so bear with me. I know that other mothers out there understand how a first time mom feels.

My son is growing really fast and he is a very active and strong baby boy. I love him to death and he makes me and my husband happy every single day.

We love you lil' D...Mommy and Daddy love you so very much! From the moment we found out that you were coming, we were so unbelievably overjoyed and excited. We counted every day that went by waiting and waiting until the day we finally got to meet you. It seemed like forever because we were so anxious. Now, the days seem to blur into months. We try so hard to hold onto every precious second and forever ingrain in our memories every special moment from that very first time we got to hear your voice to your first tooth. You melt our hearts every single day! You, sweet child, are exactly what we wanted and hoped for and so much more.

love and laughter!

The meeting

2011-09-02T09:41:00.022+02:00

Yesterday mum and I headed to St.Gallen to spend some time with David's family. It was a great day filled with amazing food, great weather, good company and lots of laughs. It was their first time to meet my mom, and I was extremely happy that they have finally met.

After the welcoming, we all enjoyed the divine Austrian cuisine my mother in-law prepared for us. And take note, it was all dairy free, gluten free, and wheat free goodies. GoshIloveit! So after eating, I could hardly move anymore. (there-I said it)!

Anyway, I'm a bit busy paired with a lazy mood so I'll let the pictures tell the story...

A lovely picture of everybody after lunch

Mommy helping little D walk. I was very proud to say that our little 7 month old darling is already walking. He was extremely confident in stepping his foot on the floor.

Obviously, my parents-in-law were captivated by our little darling's charm

Oh, here's my surprise and advance birthday gift from my in-laws

And a little something for their grandson

A welcome gift for my mum

Then we all decided to go into town to take a walk and check out the cute shops and St.Gallen's must see tourist spots.

Mum and mommy enjoying the peaceful surroundings of the cathedral

Mum and lil' D around St.Gallen's famous historic library.

After the tour, we went to Reformhaus to buy some organic, dairy free, gluten free, caffeine free and wheat free groceries. As you all know, my baby boy suffers from wide-ranging allergies which is why the Lincke household is on a strict diet.

We ended the day at Starbucks to grab some drinks. And I was delighted to find out that Starbucks offers dairy free, gluten free, caffeine free frappuccino, canyoubelievethat? Isn't amazing? And Ohh..If there is one thing I've learned about this trip...

then it is to bring an extra shirt and pants for myself in case of unexpected events like this

Have a great weekend everyone!

Feel free to share your stories on how your parents and parents-in-law met.

love and laughter!

Teething

2011-08-19T11:36:00.003+02:00

My baby began teething a few days ago, but the experience has not been too bad so far. From all of the stories I have heard about a baby’s temperament while they are teething I was expecting much worse. But my baby did pretty well. He never fusses like other babies. All he wanted was to be carried, be cuddled and be fed all day.

Feeding all day is better than having an all-day crying baby isn’t? He also developed a low-grade fever that briefly went up to a high fever (38.6 to 40 degrees C) and he still remained behaved but would not let go of my breast(laugh). Those teething rings, teething biscuits, pain relievers such as ibuprofen, teething gels etc. so far have not proved necessary.

Here’s how I have dealt with my son’s mean "toothies":

I gave him a lukewarm bath before putting him to sleep (to make sure he will have a blissful sleep)

A nonstop cool, wet washcloth compress - this helps get his fever down fast, especially when it is high (Which means I didn’t sleep, because I alternated the washcloth compresses to lower his temperature).

I gave him lots of water to drink and fed him nonstop. That also helped cool down his fever and keept him well hydrated and soothed.

Last but not least, I gave him a camomille suppository for babies (natural & healthier) when his fever jumped up to 40 C, just to help him relax and sleep better. No other strong medication, because I don’t want his body to get dependent on medicines.

And that’s all. The next day he was back to his old self. The happy go lucky, boisterous baby boy who was running around in every corner of our house. Such a relief!

love and laughter!

Favicon

2011-07-30T21:42:00.019+02:00

My theme

Hi there, just updated my favicon, check it out! I used my son's playing mat as my inspirational theme.

P.S. Favicon (short for Web site icon, URL icon, or bookmark icon,) is a file containing one or more small icons, associated with a particular Web site or Web page.

love and laughter!

Cancelled Date

2011-07-22T23:52:00.004+02:00

Three weeks ago, my husband invited me out on a date. He wanted to watch the "Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon” in 3D and we planned to do it this coming sunday 24th July. Everything was arranged including my mother-in-laws schedule who happily agreed to watch little D. Unfortunately, today I don’t know why, but I changed my mind. I’m kind of hesitant to leave my baby. I am still not ready to leave him or be away from him even for only a few hours. Just thinking about it makes me crazy already, so what more when it is actually happening.

Hay! I wonder if any of you have experienced this. And if so, what did you do? I hope I will soon be able to overcome this fear of leaving my baby alone with somebody else even if just for a short time.

love and laughter!

Berlin, Germany 2011

2011-07-15T14:10:00.004+02:00

We just came back from a fantastic getaway in Berlin, capital of Germany. David, Dane and I had a wonderful time. Stress free! The hotel had the most amazing service, it was definitely a five star. We were so impressed. The staff made us feel like we were the only vacationers on the property. On the other hand, I've been beyond shocked and pleasantly surprised at how well my baby boy co-operated and slept on this vacation. I literally thought it was going to be T.O.R.T.U.R.E. but I was wrong. He was so calm and enjoyed sightseeing so much. Really amazing. He rode on the airplane for the very first time. He was so wonderful the entire trip. He is definitely loving the traveling. He played for a while, then slept on both plane rides, he just hung out. Also this trip has been nothing but good eats.

love and laughter!

I heart these photos!!!

2011-06-29T22:18:00.013+02:00

So in love instantaneously with this little man who has changed me to my core.

We are ready for our Berlin trip in July. It is going to mean a lot of walking...

Here's how my sweet little 5 month old angel makes "Lambing" with me. Those hands wrapped around my arms melt my heart.

In Starbucks. Dane chasing my frappuccino coffee! I L.O.V.E his facial expression. He is so nakakagigil!!!

Sweet pea all bundled up and sleeping so peacefully. The one in the left photo cracks me up!!!

I was lying in bed reading a book when I caught my son taking a sneak peek at me....Such a joy!

love and laughter!

Happy Father's Day Sweetheart

2011-06-20T17:21:00.008+02:00

He has blown me away with the natural fathering instinct he has.

I have to say, my parenting partner is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. Despite the long and sometimes tiring days at work, David comes home and is ready to be completely hands-on and in full-blown daddy duty.

Dane over a week old!

love and laughter!

Wordless Monday

2011-06-13T18:26:00.007+02:00

Weekend is my day off from taking care of our little bundle of joy. Here's a picture of my husband enjoying weekend baby duty while soaking our son in the tub.

love and laughter!

Dane's christening

2011-05-31T15:14:00.037+02:00

A thank you with flowers that I received from my husband the following day. Expressing his appreciation for the fantastic job I had done with our son's christening.

This post was intended for Sunday, the 29th, but was put on hold until today, due to my incredibly busy schedule. Whew!

First off, let me say thank you to all our family and friends who have joined us to celebrate the most important event of our son’s life. We couldn't have been more blessed to have them there. It was such an amazing and successful event.

My father-in-law who is a pastor did a marvellous job in welcoming our son into God's family. Such a beautiful ceremony. Plus, a bonus performance from my brother-in-law. What more could I ask for? We all enjoyed the service, and later we headed straight to Marriot Hotel to celebrate and party. I have to say that it was a blast! Everybody enjoyed themselves and had fun. I could see it in their sparkling eyes and tell from their laughter. Such a joy!

I have to admit that organizing a special event like this was quite challenging and exciting. I went through a lot just to get everything done on time. It took me two months to prepare for this event, It was tough and a lot of hard work. Just imagine I had called tons of hotels, restaurants and catering services just to find a good venue for us. Not to mention the table arrangement, flowers, balloons, foods, wine, kid’s stuff, church schedule, invitations and favours etc that I had to deal with.

Anyway, I have to say that it was all worth it and we are so thankful that it turned out fantastic. We are happy that the guests were happy and enjoyed themselves. My son may not remember it, but I will make sure that someday I will show him the documented videos and photos we have taken during this special day.

love and laughter!

Congratulations Papi

2011-05-24T22:13:00.014+02:00

Papi and little D

Please excuse my excitement, I just can’t really help it. I wanted to congratulate my husband for being so good at putting our little darling to sleep. He has been getting really good over time, and I am so happy about that. It means less work for me, not that I don’t want to put little D to sleep, but I just really think that it is also good for my husband to not miss the experience of how good it can feel to put his son to sleep. Smelling that heavenly baby breath straight to his face, and that feeling of achievement, oh so precious.

When little D was newly born, they spent less time together because our son was sleeping all the time. But when lil’ D turned one month, Big D started waking up 30 minutes early in order to spent some quality time with him. Now that lil’ Dane is four months old, hubby spends even more time with him and he has been doing everything for him as soon as he arrives home. I am so happy about it. Congratulations Papi. You are doing such a great job and I admit that you are such an awesome father. I am so loving it.

love and laughter!

Things I love and hate

2011-05-23T21:54:00.010+02:00

I love staring at my son's face when he’s asleep. I see an angel in him. So adorable!

Just a few random thoughts.

Things I love

I love my family. Of course!
I love coffee. It brightens my day!
I love flowers. Especially yellow ones!
I love my girlfriends. They’re so sweet and loving
I love sleeping, because I’m always sleep deprived.
I love chilling on vacation with my family, it’s heavenly fun
I love my son’s smile, it is so cute and sweet
I love taking photos, and look at them over and over again.
I love shopping. I’m sure every woman does?
I love cappuccino ice cream. It’s like an energy booster
I love Saturdays and Sundays, because hubby is home.
I love Mozart songs. They are so relaxing
I love Dane’s pacifier. The best partner in putting lil’D to sleep
I love Dane’s poop. Too precious! It came from me—from my milk.
I love Yoga, makes me relax and feel sexy
I love Dane’s rocker chair; it helps me when I’m busy.
I love my ballerina shoes. What a very helpful partner at all times. Never gives me pain.
And last but not the least. . .
I love my life. Simple, sweet and beautiful

Things I hate

I hate smokers, as they contaminate the air we all breathe!
I hate whiners and people who make a BIG deal out of petty things
I hate the price of hot designer stilettos. It’s unbelievable!
I hate fake, rude and flaky people. Grrrhh! They ruin my day.
I hate that my baby is growing up too fast. I miss his newborn days.
I hate it when I burn my banana cake. Especially when my coffee is ready
I hate winter. Too cold and I’m lazy to use many clothes to make sure my ass won’t freeze
I hate rain. It makes me feel lazy.
I hate it when I cannot speak Deutsch especially when buying something and I don’t know the name
I hate Dane’s cradle cap and A.E. They torture me so much.
I hate finding strands of my hair everywhere. Even on hubby’s toothbrush
I hate horror movies. They stay in my mind for months
I hate liars. You know the people who lie about everything in their life to fatten up their ego
I hate it when hubby is out of town. Makes me feel lonely
I hate dieting. Because I love to eat so much
I hate waking up early. I like to stay in bed and cuddle my baby and husband.
I hate ironing. I prepare most other household chores.
I hate going to children’s hospital. It breaks my heart to see many sick children

love and laughter!