Mephala

Make Your Home Safe For Everyone

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 17:50:56 GMT

When we first got the cats, we had to cat proof the house: no toxic plants, liquid cleaners they could drink, stove safety, etc. With a bun in the oven, one has to begin reading up about child safety and start acquiring baby proofing items. One of the most comprehensive product sites is KidSafe. They have all kinds of cool gadgets (and neat articles) to keep your kid (and hey, maybe even cat) out of mischief. The nice wooden safety gate can be used for kiddies and overexcitable puppies and the KidCo Toilet Lock just looks cute. Not that our cats drink from the loo. But keeping it down is... (more)

Today's Must-Reads

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:14:14 GMT

Cool strange fish from "monster" lake and how to tell if your baby loves you. :D

Gear Freak Mom Uncloseted

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 19:33:44 GMT

I have to admit. I am a gear freak. Point me to nifty gadgets and you'll see an idiot look on my face and a pool of drool at my feet. So it is with phones, computers, solar lighting, pet gear, and even baby gear. And where to browse and buy them, you ask? With the amount of advertising online, you need to find an objective collator of information. Wikipedia is one, penned by anonymous writers (no fame there, just contributors to the bigger picture). When it comes to shopping, there is ShopWiki which nicely crawls the web for shops. Now, half the time when I shop, I have to ask myself (and... (more)

Organic Living: Switching to Green Lighting

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:24:23 GMT

Not literally of course. But solar lighting. I'd bought some from the Animal Rescue Site but they didn't last very long. So I was thrilled to find one in Ikea for $19. It has three LEDs and serves as a booklight too! I wish I saw it before buying that crummy one from Borders last year. Since I am up half the night, this can save me tons of money and the environment too by using it as a computer light and a book light. Will try sewing under it too. It is really very bright! If you have an Ikea where you are, see if they carry it. It should be under the lighting department. It is nice to... (more)

Lovely Silver Things

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:27:21 GMT

Since I became a mother, I put away my lovely engagement ring, as well as other jewellery my hubby and my mom gave me. Aside from the obvious, primarily, diverting funds previously spent on frivolous adornments on myself to frivolous adornments for baby, as well as for his college fund, I want to teach my son that material things are not important, but social ties are. Still, I enjoy wearing things that mean something to me and these usually find me unexpectedly. Hence I love scouring the web for great finds. I found some lovely cloth dolls from Etsy and some lovely Silver Jewellery from... (more)

Colicky Baby

Sun, 25 May 2008 17:18:26 GMT

I am very fortunate Jack was never a colicky baby. I always held him and nursed him whenever he was fussy. That always calmed him down. Technically, colic is a term for an unexplained bout of crying. In the past, when a mother had a Fussy Baby, she would give him Natural Gripe Water to ease his Colic Distress. I remember, because I remember taking lots of it as a kid. There was a vague honey taste to it that appealed even after I had passed the baby stage. :) More recently, after Jack was born, I went and bought one bottle but they have changed their formula. It tastes different now. I... (more)

Melbourne Holiday in the Making

Sat, 17 May 2008 08:49:48 GMT

My friend Carol is planning to bring her whole family to Osaka this June holidays. Although we haven't planned anything (since hubby has taken no leave and Jack is still little) it is nice to ponder where we might go. We might however go to Melbourne some time this year to see Art and Janet with their new sweet Isabella and Minh and Keith with their little Sebastian. Everyone is having babies and since being a mother, I have been immensely enthused about seeing my friends' new babies. Our family and friends have offered us a room to stay should we wish to visit but it is always lovely to... (more)

A Well-Travelled Mom

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:03:50 GMT

I am appreciative that in my former life as a single carefree being, I travelled a lot. I've been to Yugoslavia, when it was still called that, London, Paris (although I didn't appreciate it then and spoke bad French to the boulangerie girl who got irritated with me), Italy, and Switzerland. Rome Hotels are usually fairly decently priced and in good condition. I vaguely recall the hotel we stayed in for US$60 a night and it was livable. But then again, this was 20 years ago so revise the rate for inflation. Hotels Paris? Forget it. For the same amount, we stayed in a dump with no heating... (more)

Cool Medical Togs

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:23:22 GMT

While I haven't watched Gray's Anatomy, I am an admirer of the two hot doctors on the show. They remind me of someone I know and love. :D Scrubs took a new meaning, if you know what I mean. Hence I was even more surprised that you can buy your own scrubs commercially though Scrubs and Beyond. You can buy dickies scrubs, cherokee medical scrubs, and even Katherine Heigl's new line of scrubs, which are only available at this online store. You can even see the lady modelling them herself (or at least some blonde model who looks like her). They look really smart. I think our hospital... (more)

The Mommy Life: Jack Goes Swimming

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:41:11 GMT