No it is not permissable to wear this in public...

Inspired by Tiffany, after I saw this on the weekend I had to create my list of fashion no-nos for men.

1. Thongs. Not the ones you wear on your feet. I don't care if you're Brad Pitt. No!
2. Combovers. This is never a good look. It is never justifiable. Even if you're the Pope.
3. Diamond ear studs. Sorry if that's you. But I just think it screams 'try-hard'.
4. Socks with sandals. Tiffany I'm with you on this one.
5. Bum bags. These are also called fanny packs by our US friends. Enough said.
6. Man bags. Beloved by the men of Europe. Behated by moi.
7. Cartoon character ties. This is not cute. It's naff, it's daggy, it's not on.
8. Shirts with loud sleeves. You know the kind. They were popular in the 90s to wear with a matching bow-tie under dinner suits. These belong in the bad taste bin.
9. Black socks with runners. That's trainers for those of you in the US. This doesn't even work under jeans. Try white socks gentlemen.
10. Spiky gelled hair. Okay if you're 13. Not if you're 31. Get a style makeover next time you go to the hairdresser! Spiky hair does not hide the fact that you're losing your hair. Get over it and get a number 2 buzz all over. Now that's hot!

Did I mention the Jolly Jumper?

Being ever so spoilt at Christmas, Romy was given a Jolly Jumper by her granddad. She just loves it. She loves it so much we have to limit the amount of time she spends in it, as, if it were up to Romily, she'd stay in it all day. So, we take her out after 10-15 minutes.

After initially not knowing how to make it 'go', she is now the master boinker and just loves going up and down very fast! We've now tied a balloon to a piece of string and then tied that onto the harness of the jumper. She's fascinated by the balloon, but has become very adept at grabbing the string and trying to - you guessed it - eat it.

Yep, she is just too cute :)

Oral fixation

Romily's latest 'thing' is to try to eat the 'linky rings' that hold toys onto the frame of her activity gym. She just loves them. Must love the tast of PVC.

It's funny to watch her now. When she was just a wee baby she used to lay there looking up at the lights blinking at her. Then she went through a phase where she had discovered her feet and used to kick the overheard arches so hard we thought they'd end up across the room. Now she's almost mobile she rolls over and tries to bite the arches, pull all the toys off and eat anything she can fit into her mouth. A couple of times I've thought she might actually manage to fit an entire ring into her mouth. That wouldn't be much fun trying to get it out! I think I'm going to have to upgrade the rings to a sturdier variety!

#1 use for overripe bananas

Ever wonder what to do with those two very brown overripe bananas sitting in your fruit bowl? Feel bad about throwing away fruit that started out perfectly good but you forgot/neglected to eat it? Here's the solution!

Jono's Banana Cake.

Oh my goodness this cake is gooooood! Here's one I made yesterday :)

Quilt pox diagnosed

I booked myself into a Beginners Patchwork class! It starts in May and runs for eight weeks. The lovely folk at Rosemont are running it and we'll make a sampler quilt (a section of which you can see here).

I'm really looking foward to it - I've been totally inspired by books and magazines, not to mention all of the amazing quilty blogs around the net. I'm thinking I'll choose a range of oriental/Japanese style fabrics for the blocks and maybe a black or dark green fabric for the borders and sashes. I bought a gorgeous Japanese-style card for my husband on Valentine's Day and I think I'll take my cue from that. It'll be great, because I can incorporate some applique hearts into the quilt, which will tie in with the heart cushion I'm making for Romily. This is good, as the quilt will be for her cot!

So, according to Sandra, I now officially have Quilt Pox! Ah well, I'm sure I can live with it :)

Not a baby anymore

Well I guess I have to face reality now - Romily's really not a baby anymore! I've been packing up her 0000, 000 and 00 clothes today. So sad. It seems like only moments ago that the newborn clothes were roomy on her tiny little body. Not any more! She's now comfortably fitting size 0 clothes. No more shopping in the baby stores. I now have to go the 'little girls' aisles!

Don't get me wrong - she's turning into a fabulous little girl - it's just that she was only a little baby for such a short time. Here's a baby photo (she was one day old) just because I can.

A bit of fun!

What was the hit song on the day you were born? Find out here.

Mine was "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep" by a band called Middle of the Road. Hmmm, not a blessing!

In full bloom

Another reason why lillies are sooo much better than roses - they last a full week! Here they are looking just glorious. Oh yes I am a lucky gal!

RU486 bill passed

Wow. The House of Representatives in the Australian Parliament passed the RU486 bill during the week. I can't believe that sense prevailed over emotion. It's such an emotive issue and on the whole our politicians were remarkably sensible in their debate. There were a few loose cannons who confirmed their status as not the sharpest knives in the drawer, but, on the whole, the majority of them acted like adults.

I cannot imagine how difficult a decision it would be to have an abortion, but if I had to have one, I would want all of the available options open to me. It was quite an amazing day for democracy Australian-style and for the women of Australia. Wow.

The red man

It's not like Romy doesn't have enough toys. She's six months old for goodness sakes! But, I just couldn't resist the red man!

Neither could she apparently!

Not so sweet

Our adventure with 'solid' food continues. Today we introduced sweet potato. Romily readily opened her mouth for the first spoonful, but when she realised it wasn't el blando rice cereal, she had the most surprised look on her face! Followed immediately by a complete rejection of what I'd just popped onto the back of her tongue!

Most of it came back out, but some of it made it down the plughole! All in all, with a bit of encouragement, she managed to eat 2-3 teaspoons. Not a bad effort! We'll try some more tomorrow lunchtime. I think we might add some stewed apple to the morning cereal as well.

I don't think this is allowed in my diet...

Yesterday was my lovely's birthday. His request for a cake? Chocolate Ripple. Hmmm, I suspect this is not actually allowed in the CSIRO diet!

I made it in two parts - so we could have the other half tonight! Yum yum!

Roses are red but lillies are better

Today is our second wedding anniversary! Yes, we were married on St Valentine's Day in 2004. This was not deliberate! Rather, the reception centre had one Saturday left in February and that was it. We had such a lovely, happy day. I can't believe it's two years ago, but on the other hand, it seems like a lot longer ago than two years!

My lovely came home last night with an armful of gorgeous lillies for me. I am a lucky girl to have found someone so wonderful to share my life with. He loves me for me and that's not something everyone's so lucky to experience. He is the love of my life.

Awww!

Too pretty to cut?

Well, I bit the bullet and bought some material, thread, batting and braid! We are away. Although looking at the gorgeous colours in the material I'm thinking it might be too pretty to cut!

I went with my gut feel for reds, pinks, cream theme. I'm planning on making a quilted top for a cushion cover. The cushion is going to be 40cm x 40cm, so the 'bits' won't be too fiddly. I'm doing my own pattern, no block, and will applique aheart in the middle. I bought some wool batting and some solid colour material for backing/back of cushion cover. The braid to go around the edge of the cushion cover is cream, and will go well with the pinks, reds and cream materials.

I was lucky to be able to browse Spotlight for quite a while on Sunday as my husband took care of Romily for a couple of hours to give me some time out of the house 'unencumbered'. It was lovely to be able to wander around without lugging buggalugs too!

It was quite hard to choose five materials for the quilt top. I unwrapped all of the pieces and played with them on the floor. This is what I came up with -->

I'm looking forward to having a play and seeing what I can create. I bought some new 'tools' too - a metal ruler for cutting against with my rotary cutter and some other odds and ends.

I also bought the latest edition of the Australian Quilter's Companion today. It came with a free DVD on how to make a quilt. Hmmm, maybe I should watch that before I start on my project!

Love a bit of culcha!

We had a lovely day today mooching around the National Multicultural Festival. There were performances, stalls and lots and lots of people. In fact, there were so many people there today I think the whole of Canberra's population turned out for it. It was a beautiful sunny day - but not too hot - so I don't blame EVERYONE for coming.

Romily saw more people at once than she'd ever seen before and smiled and laughed her whole way around the place. She isn't frightened by crowds any more apparently!

It was reassuring to see so many people enjoying themselves and soaking up the myriad cultures that mix together to create what's so wonderful about Australia. A far cry from the so-called race riots in Sydney late last year. Let's hope tolerance of 'the other' continues and we grow to understand that we are ALL Australian - not just those of anglo heritage.

Well it's a start

Today was a momentous occasion! Inspired by Sandra, Tonya, Duyvken and other quilty bloggers, I bought my first quilting tools - a cutting mat, rotary cutter and a square ruler.

I have a little project in mind - a cushion for Romily with a heart appliqued onto a patterned background, in reds and pinks. I haven't bought the material or other bits yet, but I plan to do this next week and get stuck into it. If it works out, I'll take on a bigger project. If not, well, we'll see...

Senate making sense

Well common sense has prevailed in the Senate. The ayes were 45 and the noes 28, so the Bill has passed our upper house. It now goes to the lower house where all commentators believe it will be a very tight vote. Our conservative Prime Minister has already announced he will vote against the Bill - but that's hardly a surprise.

The 7.30 Report last night had a very interesting piece on the senate vote. Almost all of the women in the chamber voted in favour of the Bill, while most of the men were against it. Again, it's probably not a great surprise that the vote is splitting along gender lines, but it is disappointing. What's more disappointing is that the House of Representatives is heavily populated by men. Let's hope some of them are of the more enlightened variety.

RU kidding?

Please skip this post if you are offended by my pro-choice stance...

I am finding it difficult to come to terms with the debate currently raging in Australia over the authorisation for use of the abortion drug RU486. Our supposedly venerable politicians are argy-bargying it out in parliament, trying to decide whether the non-qualified health minister or the eminently qualified Therapeutic Goods Administration should decide whether it's a drug that is fit for purpose for use in Australia.

Of course those against abortion are making a case against the drug's safety, while those who are not siding with the so-called 'pro-lifers' are being painted as killers. The emotive language being used by interest groups is quite disgraceful, as is the sending of images of foetuses to the parliamentary committee.

This is not a question over whether abortion is legal or not. That debate has been had. This is a question of whether women should be able to use the method best suited to their situation to abort their unwanted foetus. Looking down at Romily sleeping peacefully in her cot, I can't understand how anyone could abort their baby - but that's because I have a little angel of my own. If my life circumstances had been very different, I may have chosen another option.

I think women should have all the available options at their disposal. Deciding to have an abortion is difficult enough, without having to fight to do it in the most straightforward and safe way possible. People need to think about the needs and wants of the mother, as well as those of the unborn child.

In this very secular society, the religious views of politicians and interest groups should not be dictating what options are open to me and to all the other women of Australia.

Please don't cry

Darling Romy, please don't be sad. It breaks my heart when you are crying out and whimpering in your sleep. What could be wrong? What in your life could give you nightmares? You're only six months old! No, wait, could it be:
1. memories of your six-month vaccinations
2. remembering me accidentally snipping off the very tip of your thumb when clipping your nails
3. reliving being wedged up against your playgym when you rolled over into it
4. dreaming that you've got your leg stuck out between the cot slats again?

Poor Romy. Life is very tough when you're half a year old.

It's playtime

I took Romy to her first playgroup today. A bunch of lovely ladies (and one man) and their gorgeous 18 month old bubs meet every week for a chat and play. I'd never been to one before and they were all lovely. I even had a mutual friend in common with one of them.

We went to storytime at the National Museum of Australia - the kids were cute, but the storyteller was struggling to hold their attention as she didn't have many props! We moved on after a couple of stories and went to have coffee. Romily took it all in and was quite fascinated watching the other littlies run around!

After playgroup, we rushed home to squeeze in a nap before going to Gymbaroo. Aside from being a little tired from not enough sleep in the morning, Romily seemed to really enjoy it. There was a baby swing that she was particularly fond of. I enjoyed showing her new things too and will look forward to going for the next nine weeks. We can go on Mondays, which I think we'll do, as playgroup and Gymbaroo in one day is a bit much for Romily - and for me!

Mmmm yum rice cereal...

It's sad but exciting at the same time. Our little girl is not a baby anymore and is growing up - we started her on her first 'solids' on the weekend: El blando rice cereal mixed with a little breast milk - hmmm, that doesn't sound very appetising to me. (Heaven knows why they call that slop 'solid'!)

It went surprisingly well! I was lead to believe that there would be food everywhere, but no! She ate most of it up and only a little was squeezed back out between her lips when attempting to get the food over the back of her tongue! I think the mess starts when they try to feed themselves!

By day two I got a little overexcited and I think I gave her a bit much. She was opening her mouth wide for me, so I kept shovelling it in (in very small amounts). But I read later you should only give them 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, and I probably gave her 3 or 4 teaspoons! We paid for it later - she had terrible trouble getting off to sleep that night and then didn't poo for a whole day. Whoops.

However, she now seems to be right, with her body sorting itself out and me giving her a little less! If all continues well, we'll try some sweet potato next week.

Water baby

We took Romily for her first swim. She was fantastic! We have a pool in our complex and it was lovely and warm after a long hot spell. We've been following the Laurie Lawrence learn to swim program and conditioning Romy to the water.

She was so comfortable that we were even able to submerge her completely under the water and she was great - she didn't swallow any and looked completely unpeturbed when we brought her up out of the water. She even managed a smile when we were lifting her up and down in and out of the water making big splashes. Let's hope we have a water baby on our hands!

Sydney visit

Romy and I had a wonderful day yesterday, catching up with some of the mums and bubs from my online mothers' group.

We flew up to Sydney in the morning and Romily was wonderful on the flight. I fed her on ascent and descent to make sure her ears were equalising and she wasn't disturbed at all - not even by the landing! We took the pram and checked it through, and I just carried her around the airport in our Baby Bjorn carrier. It worked quite well, although I did look a bit like a packhorse carrying the nappy bag on my back as well!

The group meet was at Sydney Olympic Park, which brought back some memories - I was part of the Australian Defence Force task force that supported the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Of course it wasn't as hot during the Games as it was yesterday. It was somewhere around 37 degrees in the shade! Luckily there was a lovely shady spot near where we were meeting and I found my friends there with their babies.

We had a lovely time catching up and it was so nice to meet these women I've been online chatting to for more than a year now. And to meet their babies! So many happy, well-fed babies was wonderful to see.

Romy and I caught the train(s) back to the airport in time for our return flight and we were back in Canberra and home in next to no time - and it was hot, hot, hot in Canberra too - 38 degrees when we got off the plane. Poor Romy was so hot. I just kept feeding her to keep her fluid intake up. She only managed a couple of catnaps on the trains, so was pretty tired by the time we got home, but she wasn't too feral and settled herself to sleep after not too much carrying on!

I was very pleased that she travelled so well - we might even manage a trip further afield one of these days!