old "new"home ...

Finally after two month hard work, I have finished restyling our home, I wantedd to create something new inside the old house we lived before, one year ago but right now Momichan is biggerr and needs more things, so I realized that the first thing to do was to buy new furniture entirely white to create the illusion of more space (remeber I had sold quite everying when we moved to mum's house last year so I had to but new furniture in june when we moved again here). It is just a pity we do not have a room entirely for Momi but it will be the nex step in the future. The big work has been done, and believe me it has been a very very big work because I have hadd to do all by myself, Sampei could not help and I hadd to move the furniture with my car and hang it all alone, connect oven and fawcets, disassemble old furniture to take Ikea to have a voucher to buy new furniture, take home someway and assemble it. Momichan has stayed with granny just four afternoons, while I was working to reorganize home and thanks Gos everything has gone ok, she has eaten, amused and played and granny has been so helpful.

Now I just need to decorate a little, hanging new fotos and buying the doors for the furniture of the living room and the bathroom, decorating the corner inside the bedroom where Momi's bed is, (I was thinking at drawing a forest or something just to create the illusion of a romm inside the room and devide Momi's space from our), right now Momichan has her own spaces for clothes, toys, drawing, sleeping and everything she needs. WOW it has been a long long hard work, I still have back hache ! Anyway, this is the final result GEEE ^___^

This is our genkan, before and now, before there was a big light brown Magiker library cupboard, now I have put a big capacious Pax wardrobe, I choosed white colour because even if it is big, it gives the impression of more space. We needed space for feather jackets and overcoats, the items Momichan will need at kindergarden and a place for everybody to contain gloves, scarfs and berrets plus rucksacks and bags in general. Everything we need to go outside is now in the genkan and not more in our bedroom like before (from her birth till now Momi did not need much space, her dresses and few toys were inside my drawerchest)
Living room has the big white Besta library, also entirely white, with spaces for Momichan's toys and books, colouring albums and pelouches, tv set, our dvd, Sampei's recipes books and italian learning language books, my japanese learning language books and bento books and another tons of items. I changed the old yellow curtains with white ones with spotted coloured design. I do not love really white but now this colur gives our house the idea of light and is easy to change adding something green or red or whatever colour we want depending on our mood or season.

The kitchen is like before, I have changed just the towels and reorganized the spaces inside the furniture, added Momichan's foods and reserved for her an entire drawer for her dishes, tools and glasses. Soon I will give away her highchair and substitute with a green junior chair.

Bathroom has had many changes during two months and is still not really finished, I still have to decorate buying two doors for the hanging cupboards. Before we had just three shelves I had assembled when I was expecting Momichan (8th months) and now it was really time to reorganize.
I have added the changing table for Momi and a hanging cupboard for her towels and tissues, our big mirror cupboard with all our items, in this way we have more space and everything is kept clean and away from dust and is also easier to keep tidy. In september when Momichan will attend new kindergarden I will reserve the mornings to make cleanings so I will have all the time of the word ("we have all the time in the world" title from an Armstrong song we love so much) in the afternoon to relax, go supermarket and play with Momi ^___^

I have tried to modify also our bedroom even if I could not modify so much, the old wardrobe is always the same but now instead of containing overcoats, bike jackets and my clothes, is divided for three (thanks to the new wardrobe in the genkan) so that everyone of us has his own space for clothes: Momichan, my space and daddy's one (we have 6 doors, 100 cm x 260 cm) ! The two Malm drawerschests have been attached instead of being at the opposite sides of the room and Momichan's bed is now near the window instead of the door side, we also changed side of he bed, Sampei is now sleeping near the door and I have followed Momi near the window.

Stroller baby items instead of staying at the end of the bed, have been moved on the top of the wardrobe to create space to move so Momi can play also in this room, I have added two big baskets of pelouche she can take to play and for sleeping. Here also I have changed the curtains, reorganizing all house I found some textiles I used to make new curtains, red, white, green striped that matches perfectly with the red bed of Momi.

sayounara ^_^

house works ...

I am still putting in order our home, before Sampei comes home from Sardegna I have to organize everything. Right now home is nearly ok but the last thing I have to do is build a Ikea Pax in the entrance, should be like this one

The bathroom now has both cupboards, one for us and one entirely for Momichan, next month I will buy the doors and put on so everything will stay clean and away from dust and dirt. Momichan loves all I am doing to make our house nice and comfortable, she always want to help, she is so sweet.

sayounara

fridge ...

Momichan is able now to open the fridge and take some of the things she wants.

In the morning when she wakes up she goes in the kitchen, takes her stool and open the fridge, takes the milk and the tiny bottles of drinking yogurt, she chooses herself between banana, berries, apricot and strawberry depending on her mood ^^

She loves to look inside thye fridge expecially the lower part where I keep the veggies, she sees tomatoes, carrots, onions and more and laughs everytime. While I am preparing her milk bottle she plays with the coloured magnets of Mickey Mouse attached to the fridge door ^^

Livigno

250 km from Milan there is a valley high in the mountains called Livigno.

It is a special place not only for skiing in the winter and going in the summer to walk around, it is a special place in Italy in which you can buy a lot of goods at a special price without tax including gasoline. You can simply understand how many people go there during all the year long.

In winter no matter how much snow you can find in other places, in Livigno there are always at least one meters half and you can ski on a soft icy mantle shining in the sun every day during the cold season. In summer the valley is covered by a green grass mantle and many field mountain flowers, cows are grazing everywhere producing super tasty milk (and chocolate ...), you can walk everywhere and also take a horse if you want to go around.

On the road to go there there are many apple cultivations and you can buy apples and fresh apple juice during entire september, apples are yellowish/reddish, small but incredibly tasty and are absolutely fantastic to make apple pie ;-P

Everytime we go there we buy chockolate bars, stock cubes, the tipical pasta pizzoccheri, bresaola, sometimes some perfume items. You can find dresses, foods, alcohol, watches, cameras, computers, radios, every kind of item you can imagine without tax. There is a maximum you can take away, around 350 euro, mpore than that you will pay tax if you are stopped at customs and discovered ... many people buy many items and hide in their cars hoping nobody will stop and find and most of the times it works ^___^

But the cutest thing is that, thinking at now when in Milan is 38 degress and so humid, in Livigno is fresh, so incredibly fresh that at 5.00 or 6.00 PM you need to wear a feather jacket and kids like Momichan need a berret that covers ears to protect from chilly air ^____^

Normally we wake up at 9.00 AM and after having prepared we leave arriving in Livigno just after lunch (we have lunch in some McDonald's or supermarket coffe shops or other), we walk around till 5.00 PM and after we have a break with something to eat (salami, ham...) and a coffee or aperitivo, then we walk around for another 40 minutes more or less and about 6.30 PM we start to leave. We always have dinner at a restaurant called Rosendarten, and arrive home more or less around midnight.

Genova Aquarium

Momichan loves dolphins so I decided to take her for a day at Genova Aquarium. We have already visited it many times but we never have had the occasion to see dolphins so I hope this time to be lucky ^^

Before leaving this morning I have filled Momichan's bag with some of her things: two complete change for dresses, nappies, her favourite cat plush, a blanket if she wants to take a nap, her milk bottle. I have also taken our car fridge with some ice inside and: ham, strawberry, water, one hard boiled egg, raspberries for Momichan, pears, two sandwiches, a small coca cola bottle for me.

The first thing we visit is the biosfera, a giant transparent bubble with plants and birds inside. There are some tropical plants, some beautiful birds and turtles. Momichan is impressed by the banana flower and by some red birds. Inside the bubble is very humid but anyway is fresh while outside is about 38 degress !

After the biosfera we are happy to get into the acquarium to start to see the fishes: inside is so icy and we are really pleased ! The first thing we see are sharks and dolphins ... YEEEEEEEEE ! there are two females jumping and swimming inside the pool, Momichan is enthusiastic and she wants to make fotos, this one has been made by Momichan herself not by me ! ^___^

The little Magellano Penguins are all on the rocks, no one swimms but since the 23 june there is a new baby one: a little penguin has been given birth !

After sharks, dolphins, lamatini, seals, penguins and variuos tropical fishes (between them also the ones of the film Nemo), is time to take a break at the coffe shop and have a look at the souvenir shop. (virtual tour of the Acquarium) Momichan falls in love with a plush shaped Nemo and another one shaped dolphin ... Oh poor me she wants both of them !!! After shopping we go on, there is a big pool with tropical fishes, a giant turtle and giant Napoleon fish, lobsters, manta rays (you can touch them and often they produce in a funny show for the tourists swimming with their nose out of water, today also) colibri forest, jelly fish and much more.

Is nearly seven and Momichan starts to be tired, she has not slept during the short trip to Genova (140 km frm Milan) and is time to go home. A short break near the car to eat some fruits and water, temperature is still high and we are completely sweaten, luckily inside the car we have air conditioned ! Momichan sits behind in her car seat and starts playing with her Nemo and looking outside while I start to driving home.

At 21.00 we are home at last, a shower, a quick dinner for Momi and she is ready to go bed with her milk bottle. Have nice dreams Momichan, hope you have amused today ^___^

Goodnight ...

small artist ...

Momichan loves to make pictures with her new coloured pencils, she has a tripod which works for paper, chalks and felt pens and now in the new space she has, she felles free to paint everytime she wants ^^

livingroom

Finally after so long time we have again our livingroom tidy and perfect.

While Momichan is sleeping I can clean around and take away the old horrid curtains we already had for many years. Now livingroom seems really new, nothing like before, doesn't seem my house either HAHAHA

Momichan has now her corner so clean and comfortable and also we can finally open the window so that we can have some fresh air, in the evening here while watching tv is really suffocating !

bottles

During the night Momichan still wants her bottle filled with milk ! well she will have to give away but in the meantime to keep them tidy I am using a fishes acquarium box in which I drop some cleaner to keep bottles sterilized. Is much better than the stupid electric sterilizer I had from Chicco when she was small, if I knew I would have bought before ^^

washing teeth

Since a few weeks wee finally have bathroom in order so Momichan can now easily take her stool and reach the sink to wash her teeth ^^

She also likes to wash her hands with soap, put cream on her face and body, look herself in the mirror, she is so funny and now she also has a special new necklace I bought for her at the seaside last week end (foto).

ciao ciao

hello kitty food !

I had read about limited hello kitty corn flakes and I had also written to Sanrio to know if it was possible to have or buy somewhere but seemed impossible, this morning we were at the supermarket and we found ! also they were selling hello kitty salad, non something special but anyway it was the cheaper salad in the shop, the same type of salad I always buy at home but not in a hello kitty envelope so here it is.

I have to look better around because there also may be hello kitty fruit juice, I know seems stupid but Momichan loves hello kitty and can be a good idea to make her eat some foods that normally she vould discard and the juice bottle I can always give a wash and reuse filled with another juice ^^

ciao ciao

Seaside week end

Here we are seaside ^^

We arrived yesterday, it was not time to go on the beach so we walked along the sea and we went to take icecream and see the shops. We ated at the local restaurant and Momichan though she has not slept a little all day long, behaved fantastically and eated also a little.

She fall asleep afterwards ;-P

The first foto is what we see from the balcony of the oncle houses, we sleep in a sofa in the living room and we can hear the sea all the time, is somehow relaxing.

This morning we went supermarket, we also found some funny products like the Hello Kitty corn flakes that are impossible to find in Milan and a Hello Kitty saladd mix. After we went on the beach, Momichan was enchanted by the sea, she weared her wings and made "cick ciak" shouting happily ^^

Now she is taking her usual nap and after we will see what we will do because in the meantime sun has gone away.

ciao ciao

We have arrived seaside this afternoon and as it is too late to go on the shore we take a walk around. While granny, aunt and oncle go to church as every saturday, Momichan and I rent a bike to go around. There is a fantastic street only for bikes, rollers and people who want to run just looking the beach and the sea, running all along the sea for many kilometers, from Arma di Taggia to Sanremo and more passing under the houses (uncle included).

The smells are fantastic, plants, water, wind, flowers, a mixture of "holiday" fresh and sweet perfumes, dried herbs and more gives to our small bike trip a special "something".

At 7.40 PM we arrive back where we have rented the bike, granny and oncles are already waiting to go dinner. I must say Momichan is really fantastic and even more if you think she has not take her usual nap today because of the travel, new place and excitement.

She doesn't eat so much, just a plate of pasta cooked with special herbs (which for her is not common but she eats it) and some appetizers. We have filets of fish with mushrooms, potatoes and olives, really tasty but maybe too strange for Momi ^^

ciao ciao

The "passeggiata" connects Bussana to Arma di Taggia and SanRemo, walking along the sea line.

Every evening all people reunites here to chat, look at the sea, eventually fireworks if on programme, sit and look around, decide where to go dinner ^^

We too have to pass from here to go to the center where are restaurants and shops. Momichan is excited, we have arrived just a few hours ago and this is really a beautiful place, is full of people, air is smelling of thousands of good perfumes and is hot.

Here she is again in the center, with a big strawberry ice cream.

ciao ciao

seaside trip !

Well, Momichan and I have already been on vacation but it has rained nearly all the weektime and we ave not amused so much. My oncle has a house in Sanremo and has invited us for a long weekend in august when we want so I thought it could be a good idea to let Momichan play on the sand and togather to have the occasion to bath in the sea, sand, clear water, hot weather.

Umm .... guess momichan woul amuse so much this time, there would be granny, oncle and aunt and another oncle of mine, shore is just in front of the house, supermarket is near and after dinner we can take a walk to get an ice cream and breath fresh air before sleep, could be relaxing ^___^