Could you survive in Oprah's studio?

 Oprah Winfrey's has recently re-built parts of her talk show studio with Godiva Chocolate Bars. Yum Yum. How long could you stay in there without eating up the set? It could take me weeks in all sincerity with over 10,000 bites to take. According to Toronto life the set consisted of a grandfather clock, table, books, chess set, fireplace and a vase of flowers (all made of chocolate) and was created with 7,000 Godiva bars and 2,400 truffles over the course of 1,400 hours. There was also a chocolate chandelier made from 1,500 pieces of chocolate.

Racism? I never use that word or should I?

 As I work outside home part-time and my 16 month old is finding home too restrictive, I decided to find a child minder. This was my preferred choice as I thought she may feel lost in a nursery surrounded by so many kids so suddenly.

She has always been at home with me. I stayed home with her for 11 months, then my Mum for about a month, then with my In-laws, who came from abroad to see her for the first time, for 4 months.

So, I educated myself on how to get one. I called the council got a list of registered child minders, checked OFSTED reports and chose one with an outstanding report.

Alas! It started off nicely but after two weeks she calls one evening and says " I don't think you trust me". After 30 minutes of trying to convince her on the phone, she sends a text 1 hour later saying "I still don't think it's working."

Did I hide a camera in the bag? Check on 16 month old every five minutes by text? Did I do a 'Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew' during my lunch break and get caught eavesdropping at the door? Did I do worse? No. No. No. I rest my case.

Miss you Linea Nigra, Miss you pre-preggo tummy

While dressing up today, I discovered my Linea Nigra had disappeared, you know the dark line that runs from under the chest to below the navel in mostly dark skinned pregnant women. I had been a bit concerned it was still there especially since DD is now well over 1 year old.

Well, I now kind of miss it as it's been with me now for over a year and had become a part of me. Yes, I was sad to see it had disappeared now leaving me with my pot post-preggo belly. So, recently I've been reading on how to get rid of it and found the most helpful tips in the Parenting magazine.

I really like the one that says to avoid foods that bloat like broccoli and contain lots of salt which can cause water retention. The 'do' bit which I'd like to try is to eat more water-rich fruits and vegetables, like oranges, tomatoes, asparagus, and celery, which act as gentle, natural diuretics. I'm not sure about celery and asparagus though ;( Any ideas on how to become a celery eating Captain Vegetable (a la Sesame Street) ?

Eggstreme? Easter chocolates on supermarket shelves

I posted an article link on Twitter regarding supermarkets like Tesco who are already stocking Easter Eggs and have had very interesting responses. Certain feel it's ok but more people feel it's wrong especially so soon after Christmas. However, according to a report by The Telegraph, Tesco is only stocking them in response to consumer demand.

Realistically, we wouldn't expect them to be folding their arms at this time of year as concerns Easter, yet in a way I believe they could be a bit more strategic, maybe stocking them in mid-January. At least, Easter is celebrated at the same time everywhere. Who are these consumers stocking eggs that are not half-priced on New Year's Day? In defence, Tesco noted though that they would be launching their own Easter range nearer the season.

It's easy to criticise Tesco but how about all the Fashion stores who have launched their Spring collection? We are not even sure it wont snow in Spring. I think Tesco's timing is wrong but they are certainly not alone in this Early Bird competition. I have already started designing Mother's Day wrappers and plan to upload our designs before the month's end. It's all about planning ahead for me I cant speak on behalf of others.

Posh's Savoury Chocolate Cravings

I've just read about Posh asking David to pick her up five bags of salted chocolate caramels after dining at Gordon Ramsay's. The Daily Mirror says she can't get enough of the Salty chocolate balls. It's interesting that she would eat these but gets into a panic thinking of eating turkey and trimmings. I figure she must have her calorie requirements worked out perfectly. If I had people waiting on me hand and foot as well as on my family members I'd probably be thinking of my calories. In which case, savoury chocolate balls might fit the bill. However, as I never know from day to day what sort of dive I'm going to have to make so that DD doesn't land in the Casualty ward or how many different meals I will have to cook her so she can at least have something in her tummy, I stick with the sort of calories turkey and trimmings give. And as I am face to face with chocolate everyday, I don't get to send the Husband for some, I simply unwrap one for the extra calories I always need. Oh for the Posh life! Thankful for the personalised chocolates life!

Meilleurs Voeux

I've just been reading about the various uses of the above phrase which basically means best wishes. This is one of the many ways to say Merry Xmas or Happy New Year. You could sign a card by writing:

Meilleurs Voeux pour l'annee 2010, Suzie

Or say Je vous souhaite mes meilleurs voeux pour l'annee 2010.

Personally, I would say Joyeux Noel which means Merry Xmas or Bonne Annee - Happy New Year.

Other ways in which the phrase can be used are in letters to close the correspondence, so one could say:

Veuillez accepter mes meilleurs voeux or as a get well message Meilleurs voeux de prompt retablissement. 


How have you wished others Merry Xmas or Happy New Year using a different expression this year? Please share it with us.

Why wont she just eat?!

Im quite exhausted tonight and DD is sitting happily on the floor playing with a DVD case. Im here wondering why she's so happy as she hasnt eaten as she normally would all day. She's wasted so much food. Did I hear you say welcome to Motherhood?

She has probably eaten enough but as usual Im worried. I hope she'll sleep well and not wake up hungry as Im off to work at 8 am. Plus, DH has a very important meeting tomorrow so we cant afford for her to wake at night hungry.

I've been working hard today on a complimentary line to our chocolates launching early next year. There has been a lot of calculations to do and thinking of adequate funding.

DD is watching Franny's feet on Playhouse Disney sucking happily from her cup of water. Wish me luck!