桃子 Momichan's Childhood Journal

Momi makes pizza !

2012-02-12T18:50:00.007+01:00

Here we are at home !

This morning we have decided as daddy is home free we have occasion of doing something togather so we want to have pizza this evening for dinner.

Just before midday we have gone out to our preferred coffee shop and we have bought half a kilo bread paste and now Momichan and her dad are in the kitchen to make a big pizza ^O^

I have chopped a couple of mozzarella cheese and taken tomato sauce out of the fridge, a special sauce not liquid like most one but a bit thick and with pieces of tomato inside.

Momi is happy to cook with daddy I have also a cute yellow cook apron for her like real chef (daddy wears one green) but I guess she is not really realizing what she is doing because she still have some lines of fever, we will make another pizza next week when she will be better anyway for the moment the result seems yummy enough and Momichan is quite proud of her result (I have helped her putting tomato sauce on her pizza and given her the slices of cheese) now we have to put in the oven and wait about 10 minutes.

The big pizza has been made by daddy, the small one by Momichan.

When we finallay sit at the table Momichan eats her creation and some of the big one, cheese has melted gorgeous and this tomato sauce is perfect, pizza has come wonderful and we all eat a lot, despite fever Momichan is hungry ^O^

The strange thing is that if we buy three pizzas we hardly can eat but now with just one and half more or less we are completely full ! HAHAHA

Giorgia b'day party

2012-02-12T18:15:00.002+01:00

Today Momichan has been invited to a classmate bday party and yesterday we have gone to take a present she is holding in her hands.
Momichan is not really fit today because she has had high fever since friday but she wanted so much to go to the party that I decided to take her with the car even if is not reall far from our house.
Once there we recognize a lot of school friends, she gives Giorgia her present and start to look around. A girl is making kids play, dance and amuse, the parents have organized a food buffet with many sweets and pop corn, sandwiches, fries, beverages and much more.
Little Momi is already tired after a few minutes and she would like to go home but the kids invite her to play so we stay a little more until bday cake time ^O^
There are a lot of people most of them I know personally, some other are school mates and other I never have seen, parents chat togather and kids play, some eat and some look around. The girl is now making special balloons: Momichan receives a flower, other a dog, some other a sword, cake is served, a big cake with Donald Duck and family all soft and creamy YUM YUM then Giorgia opens the presents, her mom has also prepared some little presents for every kid arrived, they contain some sweets and candies and for girls an hawaiian flower necklace (for male the toy was different but I did not ave occasion to see). In the foto you see Momichan eating a special "dummy candy" and wearing her flower necklace.
Momichan seems happy enough and we say goodbye and thanks, Giorgia and her sister (she has a bigger sister who in a few days will be 7 years old) give a kiss to Momi and we are already out in the cold dark evening, at home daddy is waiting us to make pizzaaaaaaaaaaa ! ^________^

princess bed ...

2012-02-11T16:40:00.002+01:00

As Momichan doesn't have a private room and she sleeps with us, I am trying to divide somehow her private corner fromt he rest of the room.

I started drawing some leaves on the wall, I want to transform them into a tree changing every season, in spring I will add some colured flowers but I'll make then sticky so that I can put them on the wall and take them away when season change.

While cleaning this morning I took out the drill to make a hole to fix a wooden bracket I use to hang a green mosquito net. The net makes a room in the room dividing her bed from the rest of the space, during the next summer mosquitos will run away and Momichan will sleep without being bitten ^___^

saturday family walk

2012-02-11T12:40:00.002+01:00

After breakfast and a little playing we are ready to go out for the usual week end walk with daddy and me, (we have needed asometime more because again for the cold during the night boiler has iced so I had to boil some water to make shower to eveybody).

Momichan wears her soft warm preferred pink feather jacket, she is always happy when we can go out togather with daddy and recently she miss him so much when he goes to work.
Temperature outside is very low, guess around -5° degrees so we have to dress properly ^O^
We go to our preferred coffee shop and after we take Momichan to the carousel.
Momi loves going coffee shop, ask for a glass bubble water and after pay our coffee, she asks us coins and she pays personally telling what we have taken, coffee, croissant or something else.
Tomorrow we have promised her we will go McDonalds so she will have her fries, baby carrots and nuggets in a happy meal with new sourprise.
On the carousel Momichan amuses riding a horse and waving "hello" to us everytime she passes in front of us. We just have two tickets and it is already time to go home preparing lunch so after Momican has finished we walk towards home and she starts helping us preparing the table and her dishes and looking dad boliling water and making the sauce for the ikea meatball pasta ^^

rice crispies breackfast

2012-02-11T11:10:00.003+01:00

Everyday is a new experience, today Momichan has started to make breakfast sitting in the kitchen with her juice and rice crispies !!! WOW

During the week we have no time and she just take a travel yogurt she drinks while I take her to kindergarden but during the week end I prefer her to sit at the table and eat something more also I personally do not have much time to make the same, I always have to make laundies or clean somewhere always in hurry and I usually take a big mug of Nescafè, this morning we did not have hot water because during the night temperature has lovered much so the boiler has iced.

I had to put a pan on the fire and warm some water to have the possibility of washing Momichan ! GOSH ! I hope temperature does not lower again, this is the second time this week and everytime happens when we have to go out quick ! HAHAHA

Momichan seems to love her chokolate rice crispies and told me next time she wants to try the mini honey donuts ^O^

carnevale: Zorro !

2012-02-11T11:00:00.000+01:00

Next week in Italy will be Carnevale so every shop is starting to sell chicchere and frittelle. We have been busy to search for a special dress for Momichan who the 18th will go to a special party where it is requested to be masquerade ^O^

Funny is it that when I was a kid my preferred costume was Zorro, I guess I used for two years, and Momichan too loves this character so we bought one she may use also for other 2 years (because is long enough), we found yeasterday in a special kid store whre they sell food, toys, strollers, nappies and everything you may need from baby to 6 years old kid.

Momichan today wanted to try it and amused to run everywhere in the house pretending to be Zorro, she is so sweet ^O^

slider !!!

2012-02-10T15:48:00.002+01:00

During the night we have had a lot of snow again, a soft white "blanket" is again covering everywhere around.
After having taken Momichan to kindergarden I come back home to take Sampei, we have to go shopping .... we need to buy Momichan something warm, we need to buy her special pasta, nappies for the night and a masque for Carnevale.

As soon as I come home Sampei is cleaning our car from snow and ice, we want also to stop at our preferred coffee shop to have a warm coffee and to buy bread.

On the streets a big truck is taking snow away to clean the streets (see foto) while another is throwing salt everywhere around.

Near our house we have a lot of shops, a big supermarket, a BimboStore shop in which you can find everything for kids from 0 to 6 years old including dresses, strollers, toys, food and much more. Just at the entrance I found a fantastic costume of Zorro with less than 10 euro ! it is composed by pants, shirt, masque, mantle and a red piece of cotton you put to the waist. Sword and hat we already have.

After having visited the shop we went into another to search for something warm for Momi, her two blue sweaters have gone small but we have found one lilac in colour, with tshirt, sweatshirt and pants, soft and warm and also .... a slider ! I thought that it is a cute idea to go to the park. As soon as it is 16.00 I get out to take Momichan from kindergarden and I take the "bob" as we call it, with me. As Momichan sees it starts to jump happily, she amuses so much, other kids from kindergarden reach us, some of them are friends of Momi and I invite them to jump on the "bob" and go around for the park.

After one hour it start to get cold so we decide to go home. Momichan is really tired, o much that once home after the usual shower she telles me she wants to go bed (it is just 19.00 PM and she has already slept in kindergarden one hour for the everyday nap), I take her her usual bottle as she is trembling so much, she covers with her soft blanket, takes her bottle and fall asleep in a few minutes ^O^

water colours

2012-02-08T16:10:00.002+01:00

Recently Momichan has discovered "acquarelli" and as I have finally organized a lighted confortable corner for her, we can use them and make wonderful images.

We take her Ikea paper roll, a plastic cup we fill with a little of water, her water colours and we sit at the the new "creative corner".

She loves bright colours and she makes a lot of images we then attach to the wall in the livingroom, now we have covered the entire wall with coloured images and we will have to put the new ones somewhere else.

Now Momichan is alble to draw people with simple faces and dresses but this time she just draw coloured spots on the paper (the sun I have made myself) with every colour of the box.

Sheis very satisfied of her "art attack" and smiles to me saying "mommy I give you as present this image I made all by myself" cuuuuuute !!! ^___^

a walk with daddy

2012-02-04T12:13:00.002+01:00

On saturday we usually take a walk alltogather and we go to our preferred coffee shop in the main plaza and sometimes (during this period) we take Momichan to the carousel.

It is one of the two morning daddy is home and Momichan is is not going school so they can stay togather.

This time I let Momichan wear a new coat, it is longer than the usual she wears everyday, it is for 4/5 year old kids and I have in her wardrobe since last year, I took it at a discount but last year it was too big, not it fits perfect and it is the right occasion to use for outside is really cold. Momichan seems taller and bigger with her new coat, not the lightest look of a baby now, GOSH ! she also wears her Kitty red sunglasses and snow gloves, she is really happy to take a walk with us it is one of the rare occasion we can stay alltogather.

a special dress ...

2012-02-04T11:23:00.003+01:00

A few days ago I went to my mum and while I was there she gave me something special to give Momichan: a couple of little dresses I was wearing when I was 3 years old !!!

She dubbed about Momichan wearing them but instead they are simply perfect, with a brown pants and a long light blue neck and sleeved shirt Momichan is so elegant, she said she loves wearing my things ^O^ well see the foto ? can you imagine this little brown dress is 40 years old ??? HAHAHA

I will not give away when Momi grows up, we will keep ^^

going to the park

2012-02-03T18:57:00.004+01:00

Today is sunny, cold but sunny, snow had iced a little but it is still soft to play.
As everyday at 4,00 o'clock going out to take Momichan from kindergarden but today we will do something new, I am bringing some of the toys we usually use at seaside to build sand castles but I guess they will turn perfect also for snow, we will build snow castles in the park !

There is a friend and his mum with us also with the same toys so they will not quarrel to play.

Park is strange covered by snow, seems an enchanted forest and we are the only people present there ^O^

The kids start to run everywhere, they amuse a lot, the sliders and balance are iced and covered by snow so they cannot use but they run everywhere imaging they are deers in a forest and each of them from time to time collect some snow to put in the plastic basket. Now they act as if they are searching a treasure somewhere and they have to discover details to arrive at the treasure, they look carefoully around, run here and there, collect something and put in the basket, go towards the trees, dig a little, then run again.... HAHAHA they are very busy !

It is already one our we are there and is a lot of fun but in the meantime Momichan has gone wet because she has fallen on the snow, we are all trembling so it is really time to go home and get warm. We say goodby and each of us start to go home, sun is slowly getting down and in less than half an hour it will be freezing ^O

tomato soup ...

2012-02-02T19:39:00.000+01:00

... "the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful ... " so it tells a famous song, and here is now the same, outside is snowing and temperature is very low but we are home in the hot and cozy kitchen eating a yummy tomato soup, or better, Momichan is having a tomato soup, I am drinking a mushroom soup.

Once she has discovered we have dried soup in a cupboard in the kitchen at which is enough to add hot water she has started to tell me she wants to try one, the tomato seemed the one she preferred most so here we are ^O^

It is so strange she asks me a soup, because she never has had the slightest will to eat or drink something different from her usual routine, but I'm happy about it, I told her that whenever she wants or when she feels cold she can have a hot soup and we have thousands of different tastes, chiken, tomato, mushrooms, meat, veggies ...

still snowing hard in Italy

2012-02-02T12:30:00.009+01:00

This morning as soon as we get up from bed, we realize is still snowing hard, flakes are giant and silent, we have to put snow gloves, thick pile berret, scarf and special snow boots and warm jacket, better if we had ski jacket ^O^

For the kids in general this is nothing particular except it represent a lot of fun in the morning going school.

For adults instead everything in Italy is starting to get difficult, trains are blocked, somewhere there is no light nor gas and weather forecast tells we will have snow until half of february ^O^

This seems really funny to me because it not really terrible less than 50 cm, in the north people are accustomed to snow and here is not the first time we have 35 cm, when Momichan was born we had also the same amount snow, seems in Italy people do not learn anything from a time to another what is really bad is just the cold, it is said we will reach - 15 °, everything will ice and there will be problems for many things.

I am lucky Momichan is not using stroller any more because is already difficult to move around and we have to walk in the middle of the street, kids are staying at home, as soon as they get out of kindergarden or school mum take them home, neither the time to amuse a little throwing snow balls around or build snowmen.

Momichan and I have the town entirely for us HAHA pity is that in this way nobody is visiting the carousel and not everytime we can go there, kids are at home, at the moment snow is more or less 35 cm and in the streets here even if salt is thrown ice is coming again making everything icy and slimy.

Right now a little sun is coming out but snow will come again increasing the level on the streets.
If you want to see other fotos of our town covered by a thick mantle of snow just click HERE the Picasa web album ^^

I would love to have a sledge to let Momi sit on and drag her around, she would amuse so much ^___^

snow !

2012-02-01T12:37:00.005+01:00

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow ^^

Walking around for our little town this is what we see this morning, everything seems different and for once you do not feel the heavy smoggy air but just cold air.

Fabio, the carousel man, was cleaning from snow the top of the carousel, I offered him a coffee for cold, he has to light up the warm inside to melt the snow around and throw salt around nothe to let ice grow.

While I was walking towqards the central plaza, I saw the townhall truck drivg around throwing salt on the street, also our caretaker when we got out of home to go school was opening some salt bags and throwing salt around, shoes were cracking and making funny sound walking along ^O^

let it snow !

2012-02-01T11:54:00.011+01:00

Finally we also have snow in Milan, I have waited it since X'Mas, Momichan wanted so much to play with snow and build something and now we have ! YEEEEE
It started yesterday around four o'clock and during the night snow has fallen down also a little more, this morning everything was covered by a thick cover and was still snowing when we got out to go kindergarden.

Everything seems enchanted, small flakes fall down and cover everything, the park seems a magic forest and all is quiet and silent, when you walk snow under your shoes makes a funny sound ^O^

We will have to make a snowman this afternoon as soon as Momichan gets out of kindergarden, she was so happy this morning and she jumped and played going to kindergarden listening to the sound of the snow under her boots happy to have thick snow gloves.

After I had left her at school I went around to make many fotographs to everything I saw and daddy reached me to have a coffee togather and a walk around, w went to our favourite coffee shop and also bought some bread: once home Sampei started to prepare lunch: rice with tartufo cream and mushrooms YUMMY YUMMY and the smell is fantastic ^^

a present for Momichan

2012-01-30T11:43:00.001+01:00

Momichan has been such a good child recently that we have decided to give her a present.

We have saw during Xmas time a new family of charachters, bears and bunnies with a lot of accessories best than Hello Kitty ones, the other day I have found in a superstored a box with a big three floor house of theese characters and I have decided to buy for Momichan.

The box says from 1 to 5 year old but infact it is really complicate to assemble, I have worked togather with Momichan 4 hours to assemble all and the result is the cute big house you see here in the foto, when you are not playng the two lateral wings close so that the house become compact, there are two floors with living room, kitchen, chimney, sleeping room and the terraces, every animal family has a complete floor to live inside ^^

Momichan loves it and we have already invented some stories, also Hello Kitty carachters have coem to live in and we organize dinners, school and many activities, it is funny to see Momichan inventing stories and making bears and bunnies talk to each other HAHA ^___^

(see fotos: first one is the house entirely open, here on te right is the house closed and compact).

big automn fire

2012-01-20T20:20:00.002+01:00

As every year at our local Centenario park, during theese days firemen organize a big fire to celebrate the season. Every kid from kindergarden is invited to see the fire, sing and dance in circle, so Momichan and I went to see. Originally the fire was made to burn the rest of the fields remains so as to celebrate the end of the crops and the renewal of a new season, the cinders of the fire were given to each farmer and kept in a satchel in the pockets for good luck.

We found all her class mates, fire was enormous and was all fenced so that nobody apart firemen could get nearer, they also vigilated to prevent every accident and it was also offered a snack with hot tea and croissant. Momichan was enchanted as most of the kids there, she liked so much also she loved to sing and see all her friends ^^

carousel

2012-01-20T14:44:00.001+01:00

The carousel has arrived again in town. As every year during this period Carousel arrives and stays until Carnevale for the joi of every kid. Momichan is fasinated by the carousel and always ask me to buy the tikets, this morning she knew it was arrived and told everybody inside kindergarden about her mom going to take the tickes, it was the first thing she asked me when I went to take her up at 16.00: "mommy do you have the tickets ?" HAHA

There are two brothers, the older has a little train and arrives during summer in june more or less, the smaller brother has a carousel and arrives in february, each of them stays for one months everytime . Now they know Momichan, she goes to both attractions since she was a baby and they always offer her some tickets free.

In this foto you see Momichan rding a horse and holding a tail in her hand, she has won a free ride by catching the tail to Winnie Pooh ^O^

Lulù Brum Brum

2012-01-15T16:16:00.006+01:00

Lulù is a new cartoon for the kids age 0-4 starting today in Italy.

It tells about Lulù a small turtle and her friends, two foxes, an owl, a rabbit, a nightingale, a badger, a hedgehog, living in the forest in their everyday life discovering something new every day like friendship, helping each other, discovering nature.

We saw alltogather the first episode and I find it really amusing and cute.
Timetable is not suitable for Momichan because at 14.00 she has to take nap and 20.45 PM she is eating dinner ... :( shall I wait for the nap till the toon is ended ? uhmm ...

Eventually once in while I can send her to bed 20 minutes later eventually if she is a good child during the day :)

mr freeze has arrived

2012-01-15T15:30:00.008+01:00

Mr Freeze has arrived in town :)

Temperature has been low theese days but not so much, this morning instead when we got out to take our usual morning walk we discovered this (look at the fotos), temperature during the night has gone down till -4° degrees and this morning everything was covered by a thick ice "coat" :)

Momichan was wearing her coat and soft thick sweat shirt and pants, her pile berret and gloves and jumped happily with us going to main plaza to reach our preferred coffee shop.
She stared every tree covered with white ice finding it so strange and curious, every group of trees today seem a magic enchanted forest and even the spider webs have a magic aspect all deserted and covered by ice they look like a spectral diamond jewel.

Weather is not good as it is not sunny at all and a humid fog is covering everything, cold is reaching you everywhere even if you are dressed thick and warm.

After the walk while Momichan and daddy were preparing food I went out again to take some fotos, I want to make four fotos one for every season of the same road, one for winter, one for spring, one for summer and one for automn and hang them in the living room to sho Momichan the changing of seasons, she said is a good idea and cannot wait the moment we will have all the four images hanging. I was also thinking at the colours, I will go to Ikea store to buy four different frames: green for spring, red for summer, yellow for automn, and navy blue for winter :)

lamp

2012-01-12T21:46:00.001+01:00

As it is already dark outside Momichan stays at home colouring her books. I have tried to make a hole in the ceiling to put a hook to hang a lamp but the ceiling is too hard so I gave Momichan a kid lamp and put it on the table we have in the livingroom (there is no light in the livingroom) so now she has a corner where to use her pencils and felt pens, she is so happy ^___^

yomino

2012-01-12T15:58:00.001+01:00

Recently in the supermarket we have found new product, a new creamy yogurt (strawberry, honey and banana) that we can take outside home. Fo Momichan and me is really comfortable because we are always in a hurry in the morning but in this way is just enough for us to take one Yomino outside the fridge and Momichan can have her breakfast easily while I take her kindergarden ^^
A cute sourprise for her is that in every box of Yomino she can find stickers of Smurfs, she likes so much ^O^
She loves strawberry and love honey, this morning I also bought banana, we will see if she likes tomorrow.

helmet

2012-01-06T17:16:00.002+01:00

Momichan loves wheels and as she discovered she has an helmet she got totally crazy :)

A friend has given me this helmet last year because he did not use and it is totally new but I have never had the occasion to use eather and now it starts to come small. To take Momichan on my Yamaha Majesty 250 I have to wait at least until she will be 4 year old and I will have to buy something like a special backpack to put Momi inside so that she cannot fall down :)

We will see, anyway I will have to buy also a new battery for the scooter and see if everything inside works ok not to risk it stops somewhere, also I will have to buy insurance, anyway it would be cute to take Momicha to school when she will attend first class, at least during the hot season :)

Epifania

2012-01-06T15:04:00.000+01:00

In Italy today Befana is coming to take the last sweets and presents to the kids. This morning Momichan has found in her sock some little colourful books, a Luon King cup and a Lindt chokolate bear ^___^

As it is a sunny day we have taken the occasion to eat ouside and we have gone to the near Ikea store (on friday food has a strong discount in the restaurant).

As everytime we take meatballs and fries (see foto on the left Momichan dish) and Momi has eaten everything like a good child :) at home she is terrrible during eating time and always takes so long time to finish her food but when we go eating outside, Ikea store or some other restaurant she is so happy she eats more or less in te same time as we do and eats all by herself while normally at home she wants me to give her food :O
Today daddy has to go work for a couple of hours to prepare for tomorrow, holidays have already finished :( but he will be back before dinner time.

The Ikea shrimp salad seems deliciuos, I take a foto so that I can make the same dish at home, it's colorful and yummy, good idea for a quick salad with the frozen shrimps we can buy at the swedish shop in the store :)

otanjoubi omedetou Ryuki-kun !

2012-01-06T12:17:00.003+01:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYUKI !!!

Today our nephew is 3 year old, this is the foto his father Kenj send to us by mail.

Guess the house is still the same we visited when we went to Japan for the marriage I recognize the space.

The cake with strawberries is so common in Japan but I guess Ryuki loves also chockolate, on the cake you can read "Ryuki 3 sai omedetou !" (happy 3 years old). Well, small kids grow, between Ryuki and Momichan there are just a couple of months, it would be great to go to Japan and meet them and let the kids play, also the little sister Riko now is 1 year, 7 months old, here she is ^O^

befana day :)

2012-01-06T09:46:00.002+01:00

zitti zitti presto a letto, la Befana è qui sul tetto,

sta guardando dal camino se già dormono i bambini

se la calza è già appesa, se la luce è ancora accesa !

quando scende è sola sola, svelti svelti, sotto le lenzuola !

li chiudete o no quegli occhi, se non fate i buoni,

niente dolci nè balocchi, solo cenere e carbone !

rainy walk

2012-01-02T11:33:00.002+01:00

Daddy is sleeping this morning so Momichan and I take a walk to our preferred coffee shop :)
As soon as we come down and get out of our building we discover it's raining ! We have to go up again to take the raincoat and Momichan's umbrella :) she loves rain and her umbrella :) luckily it doesn't rain so hard so we can easily take a walk (it is better for Momichan always to take a walk in the morning before eating time and in the afternoon before dinner time, she can take some fresh air and be hungry and a little relaxed for the meals and the nap time :)

capodanno 2012

2012-01-01T14:49:00.007+01:00

Today is the 1st of the year and we prepare the classuc menu: zampone and lenticchie, for Momichan Ikea meatballs and veggies :)
In the glass vase there are some mustard cherries, is a tipical ingredient we use with meat or zampone or cotechino.
Momichan has been really jouzu, she has eaten all by herself without complaining . As everyday after meal she has gone bed for her usual nap and as soon as she has fallen asleep, I light on tv to see what is on and I have a sourprise: there are many cartoons today !

The first one is about the Mermaid of which I already have the two dvd, but after a few seconds I understand this one I have never seen, this one is "The little Mermaid 3, Ariel beginning" a prequel made in 2008 regarding the two films already made, it tells about the beginning when the Mermaids were smaller and there was Ariel mum, the queen Atena.

The second film on tv is "Mulan 2", (the following of the first) film of 2004, I didn't even knew, this one tells about the wedding of Mulan and Li Sheng and the problems about two persons totally different from each other and the efforts to build a strong union.

I would like to search and buy both dvd for Momichan and me to add to our collection so that we can see whenever we want.
The third film we have watched alltogather, Momichan has awakened in th meantime, is "Elliot the invisible dragon" a really old film showed on tv in 1977, I remember my mum at the time had bought the book I read to my sister who was 5 while I was 9 year old, Elliot was her preferred charcter. It has been funny watching on tv with my daughter, a film of my childhood 34 years old ! :)

San Silvestro

2011-12-31T23:36:00.012+01:00

Instead of preparing another special dinner, this year we have thought to go out instead of staying home. Two days ago we have visited some restaurants in our olittle town to have an idea of the menu and the cost for the last of the year dinner. Many places have unaffordable high crazy prices even if the menus seems to be yummy and elegant. The local chines restaurant where we often go proposes an italian menu with just some little chinese things at a lower reasonable price so yesterday we have decided to make a reservation for us and for granny. Momichan is enthusiastic, she loves to go restaurant and she loves this restaurant, also she likes whenever there is granny with us so when we tell her she starts to jump everywhere inside home ! :) For the occasion she weares the new green stripe pullower (see foto) granny has given her as present for Christmas.

The menu includes champagne and panettone and also fireworks so it means we have to stay until midnight. After lunch today Momichan takes her usual nap but we let her sleep until late so that she will not be tired this evening, reservation in the restauurant is around 21.30 PM in this way it will be easier also for a small kid like Momichan to sit at the table for long time anyway I prepare her Hello Kitty rucksack (present from my sister for X'Mas) with some little story books, a colouring album and some coloured pencils.
Just after we have sit at the table and taken off the jackets, the waiter takes us water and the starts, a dish composed by a mix of smoked salmon sandwich, chinese potato rolls, a big shrimp and shells. I do not like the shells so I give to mum because she is fond of, she gives me the two chinese potato rolls because they are sweet and she doesn't like sweet potatoes. The first dishes are two: rice cooked with onions, smoked cheese and mushrooms, garganelli pasta with zucchini and shrimps. Rice is really good but garganelli pasta should have been better if just would have cooked with a little less salt.

The main course is also composed by two different choices one is fish and the other meat: seabass with herbs and veggies, shrimps cooked chinese style. The second dish is a choice of grilled meat, veal, chicken and lamb (very yummy I must say). Between one dish an the other is served some salad.
Little by little the restaurant is empting, the people who stay are the ones arrived after nine o'clock for the fireworks, families with small children little by little go away. In the middle of the ones who stay there are also our neighbours and a nother lady we often meet at our preferred coffee shop (she lives in the apartments just over the restaurant). At 11.30 we have finished eating, music is tuned up and the little chines kids sons and daughters of the owner of t erestaurant start to dance, Momichan join them and a waiter start to make baby dance with them, Momichan amuses a lot and she is really good in moving same way according to the music.

Other waiters take away the last dirty dishes and take champagne and special flute while some others outside take the fireworks and put on the ground ready to be lighted. On tv there is a program taking the countdown, there are singers and dancers and some telling jokes. On each table is taken fruits (mandarins), chokolates and peanuts.
Momichan dances while outside waiters are running to dispose other fireworks and the tv makes the final countdown: just three minutes and 2011 will be finished !!! Sampei opens the champaing bottle and purs it in the glasses, everybody counts down ... 6...5...4...3...2...1...0 ! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!
Outside the fireworks starts, Momichan is enchanted, everybody in the restaurant run to the windows to see better outside, some go outside, music goes on, panettone slices is taken to tables and everybody cheeres. After a little Sampei goes to pay and when the fireworks are finished we start to go home too, we still have some fireworks we had bought three weeks ago when we still thought to make dinner at home and Momichan wants to see.

Granny is still with us, we will take her home afterwards.
At home there is nobody around, we are in our courtyard lighting the fireworks and Momichan is happy and jumps. Sky is clear and we can see Orion and many stars and constellation. After a few minutes also our neighbours come home and take the lift to go up, the rest of the building is dark, maybe many families are already in bed, some others are still outside.
I finish the fireworks, while Momichan and I go up inside home, Sampei takes granny home, when he comes back Momichan is already with her pijama in her bed and holds her milk bottle in her tiny hands.

She has amused so much this evening, so many new enchanting things for her, HAPPY NEW YEAR Momichan :)

going Milano ...

2011-12-30T19:51:00.006+01:00

We had promised Momichan that during the X'Mas holidays we would have gone alltogather to Milan to see the big X'Mas Tree and visit a big book store to search some books for her, so this morning after breakfast we leave home for the Center. Every year in the center of Milan in front of the Dome, the local Townhall take and decorate a big pine tree everytime different, so we are curious to see how it is decorated this time.
It is a sunny day and temperature is quite hight for the period, Momichan has her coat and berret and is hot enough.
The Dome is so white and clean (see foto) and the Tree this year is covered by thousands white ribbons and small golden lights. Momichan is enthusiastic, we quite never go to the Center, we live just outside Milan and during the week we have no time, also we do not have the car because daddy uses it to go to work so it would result a llittle complicate to go alone just Momi and me taking busses and underground.
Momichan is crazy about the pigeons flying around and walking in front of the Dome, thousands of tourists are everywhere and I have to care to have Momichan always in my sight.
After having seen shops we stop at McDonalds for lunch, Momichan takes a Happy Meal with "plain" hamburger, fries, yogurt and gas water. (In Italy the word "plain" mean just hamburger without condiments nor salt). She is really good in eating all by herself and eating everything.
As promised after lunch we go to the book store: inside there are many and many kids book of every kind, Momichan starts to take one, then another, she is fascinated by the ones that make sounds or have "pop ups".
We find one of the books she likes, I had taken it from our local library in november, it is a book about Halloween that makes creepy funny sounds and lights.
It is now dark outside and we can see the X'Mas light everywhere, some palaces seem to be gold at the decoration lights, some other seem silver and the big X'Mas Tree is now all lighted and brilliant :) the city seems magic, somewhere there is music fillling the air, some little groups of american indians selling cd are playing some instruments, some other from Peru are doing the same somewhere else and the tipical X'Mas music is everywhere. For us is time to go home, Momichan has not have her usual nap today and is really tired, she has been really good all day long but now she needs to rest and for us once reached home, it will be time to prepare dinner so we direct to the underground to reach the car parked outside the center.

Martina bday party

2011-12-26T20:04:00.000+01:00

A few days ago Momichan and I were invited to a birthday party by a kindergarden girl, during which we received another invitation for today, Martina who is in the same class with Momichan is today 4 year old.

Martina and her parents come from Equador and live just two buildings near us, Martina is Momichan best friend.
The parents have thought to invite just a few kids at home at 16.00 PM and prepare themselves food.
Mommy has made a wonderful big cake decorated by fruits and bisquits (foto) and daddy has prepared sandwiches, fries, small fingers food, brioches and also some little presents for the kids coming (a whistle and a booklet for each kid coming).
For the occasion this morning we have gone supermarket for shopping (we needed milk for Momichan) and we searched some little present. We found a product of Hello Kitty (like Momichan, Martina is fond of this characther) with which Martina will be able to make designs of Kitty even if she doesn't know how to. The box says for 6 year old kids but Martina's mum told us is perfect for her daughter because she is already good to use, infact Martina was really happy about the present.

The party went on, Martina's daddy made baby dance with the kids and Momichan also danced with them, kids played with Martina's toys and adults were eting sandwiches.

At home Sampei and granny were waiting for us, so around 19.00 we decided to come back, for some reason Momichan was tired and sleepy and I had to prepare dinner.
We thanked Martina and her family for the invitation and the food and said goodbye.

X'Mas dinner

2011-12-25T21:37:00.003+01:00

After her usual nap Momichan awakes and reach us in the livingroom, we are watching cartoons and later we will dress up to go to my relatives.
Around 18.30 we all prepare for the evening, Momichan chooses herself what to wear: rose pants, a white shirt with Aristocats Minou and a coordinated rose pullover also with Aristocats Minou designed on she is so sweet, she says she feels so elegant :) Daddy wear a dark blue ensemble (trousers, gilet and jacket belonging to my dad he has inherited recently, Momi says he is very elegant too). I am inside bathroom to make up a little and as it is X'Mas I put on a little red lipstick (normally I never use make up) and Momichan tells me she likes so much when "I am colorful" :)
At 20.00 PM we reach my aunt house in the center of Milan, ouside is already dark and cold.
Auntie has already prepared the food so we sit to eat the starts.
Momichan loves ham and she eats some of the other foods too, tortellini made by the aunt herself, some roasted duck and veal with veggies. I guess my aunt is able to organize better than me because everytime we have to prepare a dinner od a lunch and we have hosts I am always running here and there trying to make everything perfect.
My two cousins play with Momi, adults talk about everything.
After dinner and talks is time to open the presents, aunts and family have a special present for Momi: the Winnie Pooh computer kids that will help her grow and learn many things, Momi starts to play immediately happy to have received it. More or less this year the presents are books, old vintage dvd and foods: we have received a basket with three different piece of cheese, olive oil, and rice, very much appreciated :)

X'Mas lunch

2011-12-25T16:23:00.000+01:00

After breakfast and the opening of the presents, while Momichan is playing and granny is dressing, Sampei and I start to prepare lunch.
The table is decorated and we are using the special X'Mas dishes and glasses.
I have prepared a special menu, we have salami, ham and russian salad for start, tortellini with speck and X'Mas ham with veggies.
For me it is important to show Momichan a special day with menu and presents and traditions we can repeat every year and this is the first time she realizes a little more what it is Christmas, she knows Santa Claus is coming to take presents, a special lunch will be done, there will be sweets all day long and cartoons to watch on tv, in the evening also today we will be invited to my aunt and oncle to have X'Mas dinner alltogather and Momichan knows Santa Claus has taken some other presents there to be opened with the relatives.

X'Mas morning

2011-12-25T11:24:00.003+01:00

HAPPY X'MAS EVERYBODY !!!

This morning around 9.00 AM Momichan got up and jumped in her granny's bed (we have bought a camp bed at Ikea store yesterday morning to host granny a couple of days and we are sleeping alltogather in the same room).

She was excited because of the rpesence of granny, she didn't even remember about the presents !

During the past night while she was sleeping I was working hard: I was cleaning around, preparing the small panettoni (see what I made) for breakfast, displaying all the presents under the x'mas tree, preparing brakfast table and organizing everything.

I got up and went bathroom to take shower first and dress so that I could start the day and organize breakfast, then I came back to take Momichan to shower and change. She went to see the presents and was astonished (most of the presents were belonging to her, there are just three packets for the three of us). In the meantime daddy and granny got up and reached me in the kitchen for breakfast, after which we all trasferred in the livingroom to open the presents. When all the presents were open daddy and granny started too go bathroom to wash and dress while Momichan played. While granny preferred to stay home, we went out to take a coffee at our preferred coffee shop, when we would be back home, we would start to prepare lunch.

Greta birthday party ...

2011-12-23T15:46:00.008+01:00

Kindergarden is already closed for holidays and is time of vacation. The first day begins with a birthday party. Momichan has been invited yesterday togather with other kindergarden kids so here we are today with a big present for the child going to the party location.

At the party there is a girl inventing games, making special make up to kids and showing how to do baby dance, Momichan after a few moments of shyness tells me she wants to be make uppped and she tells the girl to make a butterfly on her face (see foto).

The buffet of the party is yummy, salami and sandwich, pop corn, fries, candies, chokolates and the b'day cake. The funny thing is that adults amuse much more than kids HAHAHA at the start. After an our kids relax more and start to play and dance, Momichan too seems to amuse so much even if she doesn't eat anything, at home she gets crazy for salami but here she doesn't want to taste, she just drinks water, After another our another kid arrives at the party, she is a kindergarden mate of Momichan, same class, and she is also having birthday in a few days so she invites Momichan at her party at home the 26th december ! HAHAHA Momichan is funny, her agenda is so full of invitation to parties more than mine HAHAHA ! everybody loves her and appreciate her, my sweetie :-)

Around 18.30 kids and parents start to go home and we also. Once inside Momichan wants to take a bath while I prepare dinner, she is really tired after dancing, running and jumping but on tv is transmitted a couple of X'Mas cartoons: A Christmas Carol and The Beauty And The Beast so after having had her milk bottle, Momichan sits of the sofa with a blanket, dummie and pelouche cat to watch tv, well she is on vacation now and is X'mas time ^___^

X'mas show in kindergarden

2011-12-21T16:11:00.001+01:00

As every year (for Momichan is the first time at the new school) teachers organize a special show wit the kids for Christmas. During all december teachers and kids have learned how to do during the show, the final poetry they have to tell parents and also they have built and coloured the walls for the show and assembled a sourprise they will give each parent :)

Kid have been divided into groups depending what they have to do and what they have to wear.

This morning I have taken Momichan as any usual day at 9.00 AM except I had to make her wear a pijama under her coat, another group of kids will be wearing elegant clothes, some of them will be wear something to resemble Pinocchio, some others teddy bears and so on.

The parents will reach their kids at 14.00 PM to see the show and if someone wants to help it is requested to make a cake that will be sold at the small kindergarden X'Mas market organized for the occasion.

I have to go shopping at the supermarket to buy everything we need for X'Mas day and the day next and I want to make a chokolate cake for the kindergarden.

The money wich will be raised selling the cakes will help kindergarden to buy during the year, what kids need: paper, felt pens, coloured pencils, glue and something like this.

At 14.00 PM we reach kindergarden and after a few minutes the show start, Momichan is in the first group, kids with a pillow and their preferred pelouche, enter and lay on the floor pretending to sleep, after a few minutes they get out and another group enter to decorate the x'mas tree and so on, every group has something to do while a teacher tells a kind of story.

Every kid have been fantastic and they have amused a lot but the small kids have not taken the usual nap so every kid 3 year old is really tired, the other 4 and 5 year old not so much.

At the end of the show every kid returns to its class section, they have to give parents the little presents they have made by themselves and also they have to recite a kind of poetry wishing "happy X'Mas" (this is the one Momichan was telling me about all the month long :)

Momichan is so proud of her work (obviously every kid has been helped by a teacher to do the present), the result is a very cute decoration for X'Mas house, Momichan wants to carry herself. We are really emotioned by everything, everybody waves goodbye and "merry X'Mas" and we out on the way home.

home x'mas tree

2011-12-19T14:00:00.006+01:00

Finally we have our X'Mas Tree decorated. This year we bought a real tree from Ikea at the beginning of december but I guess it has not been a good idea, smell is so nice but hot inside house is really negative and from the start our small tree has lost needles and has dried, it doesn't have a nice aspect too because is too small so I guess next year I will buy a new one bigger I can just put away after Epifany.
Everytime I put some decoration, some of the needles come down and the tree seems quite nude even if I put so many, anyway Momichan likes it and we will put presents under it during the night of 24 so that Momichan will open her packets in the morning of 25. We have still to buy some little presents for us and my mum who will come at our house the X'Mas day to open presents and have lunch. During theese days in the morning after coming back from kindergarden, I also prepare a special coffee with cookies in the special x'mas mug, it's just my ordinary breakfast but in this way comes cute.

Momichan will go kindergarden until 22 so I am profiting of theese days to organize, X'Mas meals, last presents, sourprises and other small duties. Momichan in the meantime is having special days at kindergarden, today Santa Claus will visit the kids and bring presents, tomorrov kids will make a show, they have something to say and act, each of them and Momichan is enthusiastic about that. On wednesday they will organize special games and after there will be a X'Mas party with panettone.

special "presepe" ...

2011-12-19T11:24:00.001+01:00

This morning we went for breackfast at our preferred coffee shop and inside the cake fridge I noticed a special presepe.
It is made with a normal panettone, covered with chokolate and decorated with plastic statues and a big sugar star. The result is something curious but quite cute ^O^

Cirkus !!!

2011-12-17T21:14:00.014+01:00

As every year during this period, in our town comes the cirkus. Last year Momichan and I have gone but I did not have amused so much, artists were really appalling and also price of the ticket was really high for what we saw.
Yesterday coming out of kindergarden with Momichan I heard a friend speaking of the cirkus and telling about new shows and special discounted tickets she was selling to the other moms.

Price of the ticket today has a special price (just two coffee) so I decided to take Momichan thinking that if the show would have been horrible as last year, we would not have spent so much. The cirkus is the same of last year, Circo di Barcellona, but there are many new things. We notice the difference since the start when two big horses come inside starting to dance and walk in front of all kids.
Music is enchanting and Momo claps hands. At the end a clown come inside, this one is very funny and good, last year the show was really sad and artist really appalling, kids laugh a lot at this clown, me too.

After the clown act comes the girl with the hula hop, same as last year but this time she is more skilful and the music is better than last year. She starts to make a spanish dance, then she kicks away and skirt and start to make the hula hop turn, one, twoo, three, five, fifteen !!! ^O^ Then is he turn of another girl who, laying on a special thing is able to roll with the feet some objects without letting them fall. Also enchanting.

After a pause, the two artists who at the beginning have entered with the horses, come inside with another act: knives throw on a special platform which moves.... brrrrr ! (see foto). Momichan claps hand enthusiastic.

At this point there is a breck during wich the special tiger cage is assembled.

Tigers will enter in the cage from a special corridor and will arrive very near us, this time we are sitting in the first line just one meter behind the tigers !!! ^O^

Momichan cannot wait, she is enthusiastic and likes the tigers. Finally after a few minutes, the act start, tigers are announced and start to run inside: there are four tigers (one male and three females) and two lionesses.

Beasts are the same as last year but they have become bigger and very big now and powerful, their paws and theeths are enormous, two tigers are nervous and show teeth and roar ^O^ nonetheless they do what the lion tamer asks them. The two lionesses are more funny and friendly, the lion tamer jokes with them and embraces them, they roll one side and make the tamer scratch their bellies HAHAHA

At the end of the show we have to wait a while until the cage is disassembled, we profit to drink some water and eat some pop corn we have taken from home (buying inside the cirkus is not convenient so I had prepared a bag with some, drink yogurt for Momi, pop corn, candies and water bottle).After a while three camels come inside and start to run on the ring soon accompanied by three lama, a yak and a strange tibethan cow with long horn.
The ring is covered by a special wooden dust that makes the ground soft for the animals and clean for the artists, whenever the animals run, the dust fly around especially towards the people who, like us, sit in the first line, the smell is like a pine wood but the effect is that of making me sneeze a lot.
After the camels and the cows have gone out, the same clown as before comes back and start to make funny jokes with the director of the cirkus and with the public.

After a few minutes the same artist of the horse show come in the ring and start a western fantasy with guns, arch and an enormous jest (10 meters long). The girl has to hold some balloons that the guy has to explode shooting with the gun .... ^O^ then the same he will do with the arch. While he girl is starting a western dance, he starts to make the jest whirl. Theese two artist are really skilful and their show are fantastic, everyone is clapping hands and whistling happily.

After they are gone, a trapeze artist is now making his show twirling and balancing high in the air (no net behind him).

Momichan does not want to show but as she has not has the time for her usual nap she is a little tired and some moments seems to be fast asleep also if she claps hands, plays and jumps.

Now is the moment of the clowns playing instruments, kids laugh a lot. It is nearly 19.00 PM and the show is now ending. All the artists come on the ring to thank the public and after a while everybody start to get out of the big top.

Outside is really cold, I am freezing but Momichan is hot inside her special sack and feather jacket. We have to run home to make dinner and go home, she is really tired now and sleepy.
Well, this year cirkus have been amazing, it has been worth while coming to see, I'm happy ! YIPPI YA YEE !

electronic toys

2011-12-13T22:25:00.011+01:00

Momichan likes many different charachter, some of them comes from cartoons on tv and some other comes from books, Smurfs, Hello Kitty, Winnie Pooh, Peppa Pig, Pimpa, Barbapapa and she is developing a love for digital items that looks like the ones adult use, like for example our computer and our digicamera she wants to use everytime we go out.

There is acute computer kid for 3-5 years old of the character Winnie Pooh, it speaks with the real voice of Pooh and gives the possibility to learn numbers, letters, hear music, logic games, improves memory and about 30 activities, it also has a "mouse" like the adults pc :-)
It is cute and nice to use at home on the sofa but I guess Momichan would call me every second saying "mommy can you help me ...?" I would like something she can use all by herself in fully authonomy, but I guess I am still a little confused about what type Momichan can use.

I have always said I do not like electronic toys but I do not intend theese kind of games, computer kids have many different levels and can easily be used for long time and not left in a corner and forgotten. I discovered that theese ones are really helpful, they teach a little english, numbers, letters, shapes and more so to help Momichan grow we have thought to give her as a X'Mas present something like this Barbapapa station or some of the other computer kids we saw at Toys Center.
More or less this kind of computer kids are all the same, it just changes the appearance, the colour and the number of application and games they contain depending on the age of the kid, from 20 to 45 application of logic, games, language and more. One of theese from Clementoni for example is really fantastic, is a little station not so big, something quite little and handy you can put

inside a rucksac and take out everywhere, inside a coffee shop, on the sofa at home or inside the car while you travel, it teaches the kid to write letters, learn alphabet and numbers and so much

more but the best thing is that if you want to change game you just need to change "cartridge" and you have new games and adventures. The negative aspect is that the cost seems to be very high, double than the other toys.

Speaking of digital cameras I discovered one quite cute decorated Hello Kitty. No idea about the price, the website Clementoni does not give even the slighest idea. It makes foto like normal cameras, has a memory card and a program that gives the possibility to personalize the images taken, I guess if Momichan would see, she would make me crazy until I buy :-) but we will have to think at this one as present for another moment maybe next future not now.

ciao ciao

S. Ambrogio

2011-12-07T15:39:00.000+01:00

The 7 th and 8th december in Italy is holiday. In the main plaza of our town the Townhall has organized a temporary ice skating place for all the period of X'Mas.
There is also a small wooden house lending ice skates and X'Mas music is filling the air.
The local coffee shops around the plaza are bulding special temporary zone to sell and serve hot chocolate and bisquits and there are also some little wooden houses transformed into small shops selling X'Mas decorations.
Momichan and I are going to eat at McDonalds, just to make something different than staying at home like everyday (daddy is still working also in the morning and will finish in a few days but in the meantime Momichan is home from kindergarden and we are just the two of us).

When we are back around 3.00 PM in the plaza there are some strange charachters: a snowman a raindeer and a Santa are going around offering kids some candies and asking if they want to take a foto with them, snowman is really cute but when I ask Momichan to make a foto togather she says she is frightened just to change idea later after the nap when it is already dark and too late to go out of home.

fiera dell'artigianato

2011-12-05T23:55:00.001+01:00

Every year in december the first week of the month, in Milan there is a special fair: fiera dell'artigianato where you can visit all the world jumping from foods to many other items tipical from each land presented. It is a special appintment before X'Mas that nobody wants to loose and is a way for Momichan to apprend something about many land she has not yet known.

The Fair is divided in stand subdivided into Europe, Asia, Africa, East, America, Messico, Italy (every region) Russia, Hungary, China, Thailand, .....every nation of the worls nearly ... you can walk around and buy whatever you want, from foods to bags, dresses, shoes, pullovers, Christmas decorations, chokolate, music cd, strange gadgets from Australia (boomerangs, last year we had bought the special sign we have attached to the car with a cangaroo and his baby and the indication telling "baby on board") lamps, alcoohlics, salami, ham, katana from Japan, maccha tea, .... every nation has its specialties.

This time just athe entrance, I have found in the French stand a supercute bag of Gaspard et Lisa, two french charchters so famous and wellknown in Japan of which I have some bento stuff. Momichan was so happy about fair, she was sitting on my shoulders shouting and clapping hands, astonished by everything she was seeing. She eated so much, first a big fruit salad (kiwi, strawberries and ananas) then she tasted every salami and chokolate she found ;-) we also bought her some special lollipop, then she eated quite and entire giant pretzel HAHAHA I never saw Momichan tasting so many things and being so curious, I guess because now she has grown up so much, we visit this fair every year in the first week of december and we always buy some souvenir, some food or some ruhm or dress accessories.

One of the special things we love is the French stand because of many patè and cheese, then we visit Germany because of Chapati Design where you can find special sweaters and coats like elph dresses, Spain because of hairy cow bags, Peru with his children coats all decorated and special berrets, Africa with his leather bags, purses, jewels, France with lavender perfumes and soaps, honey and chokolates and many other Nations.
There are places in which you can buy shells (foto) and many selling jewels made various materials: gold and silver but also, straw, shells, wool, bones leather, pearls ....

We have walked and curioused around until 22.00 PM and then we directed to our car to go home with our treasures: a little leather bracelet for Momichan made in Kenya, a ruhm bottle coming from Jamaica for me, some truffle sala mi for Sampei(the salami was aromatised by truffles and the smell was very strong YUM YUM we love it), a special strawberry pink sugar and a Hello Kitty bib with her name sewed on for Momichan, a special butter cake from Italia, a small dose of marmelade, a pair of tiny pearls earrings and a Chapati discounted sweater for me, (as Xmas present) and some bits of cheese and another italian butter cake for granny.

Momichan was tired but so excited she didn't want to go sleep even if once home was really late and till midnight sje pretendet to jump and dance around ! I made her shower and prepared pijama and milk bottle, (see Momichan wearing my new green elph sweater) and put her to bed, she finally fall asleep and we relaxed in front of tv eating our dinner.
I am really tired, walking all day long and running after Momichan is not really relaxing HAHAHA and also try to keep an eye on mummy and Sampei running everywhere so that if just I stopped to look at something in a few second I was lost and could not see them any more HAHAHA.

Goodnight everybody !

X'mas decorations

2011-12-02T14:17:00.005+01:00

Also if here in Italy things are not going really ok and people doesn't have much money to spend, the town

is slowly dressing up with Xmas decorations, trees and many lights coming from window displays and shops.

This morning the Townhall gave permission to hang in the main plaza the X'Mas lights which will be lighted from the 8th december until 6th january.
Inside the shops owners are changing the displays to arrange some cute ones, little houses, small X'Mas trees, snow and raindeers are appearing here and there and also the Townhall has organized a special ice skating place with a small wooden house which lends ice skates.
The coffee shops all around the plaza are organizing special snacks with panettone and hot chokolate with cream, the only thing that lacks is some X'Mas music ;-)

(photos have been made by Momichan all by herself).

kindergarden decorated ...

2011-12-01T13:49:00.001+01:00

Inside kindergarden this morning have appeared many Christmas decorations.

In the main entrance some "pixies" have installed a X'Mas tree and also a big presepe, (on the other side of the X'mas tree) inside the school, hanging from the ceiling many glittering decorations are falling down.

The "pixies" really are some of the kids parents (four people for each class) who have been asked to come to kindergarden to decorate to make a nice sourprise for the morning after to the kids, and we have told them "pixies" have decorated the school. Kids were very much impressed. Here is Momichan at the entrance and at the main gate at 16.15 when I go to pick her up and take home.

X'Mas Tree ...

2011-11-29T13:39:00.003+01:00

This year for X'Mas Tree we went to Ikea and bought one. Up till now I have not yet decorated it, I guess I will wait until 7/8 december.
The tree is really small and as you know at home real tree start to loose their needles so I wait a little before decorate it so as to leave it in peace and adapt to our house before covering it with tiny pelouche and red glitter balls ^^

Momichan will help and I hope pine tree will not loose to many needls or w will have a horrible X'Mas Tree this year ;-)

here I am ...

2011-11-28T13:44:00.000+01:00

dear Santa Claus ...

2011-11-25T14:18:00.005+01:00

Christmas time, time to write letters to Santa Claus and tell him what you want under the Tree.
On the web there are many ways to write letters and many websites but this I found I think is the cutest. In the website SANTAPOST you can order a special letter signed from Santa Claus that your kid can write for XMas.
There are many versions depending on what you want to spend, with special adhesives, stamps and personal name already written on the letter you have to fill in. (this one in the foto is just one of the examples on disposal).

Letter will arrive from Lapponia, Finland, the house of Santa Claus and he personally will sign every letter. GEEE ^___^

It can be a cute thig to keep and remeber for a small kid if between all expences of december you can spare 20 bucks or you decide to make a special gift ^^

Momi birthday party !

2011-11-20T23:25:00.018+01:00

This morning Momichan awakened early and jumped in our bed, she asked about her party and I reassured her that in the afternoon we would have gone to the kid park but before we would have gone to take te Xmas tree and after lunch she would have had at least one hour sleep.

It's 15.30 and we are at the Kid's Park waiting for all the kids to come to Momichan's party.
I must say I am a little nervous, I want everything is going ok for my little Momo and she is expecting everyone to come to her party.

At 16.00 the first kids arrive, Momichan arrives from the bottom of the room where she was playing and says "hallo" to her friend, then looks curiously at the packet the friend is giving to her, I tell Momi to take the present in the place we have reserved for the party, the parents and friends go to the locker room and they reach us immediately.

The place is funny and amusing so the kids start to jump around and climb over the sliders and in the castle.

Momichan loves the ball pool in the babies zone and she loves the tricycle and little house so she runs there followed by daddy who is curios about all this I have organized and has an incredulous face also thinking at his baby daughter who is growing so fast, more than he could imagine and who is playing happily with her school friends and saying "thanks" everytime a new invited kid arrives with a present and she runs to put it in the special present corner in the party space ^O^
Martina, Giorgia, Lorenzo, Peppe, Andrea are running everywhere enchanted and Momichan is enthusiast even if a little confused because this is a special party and she is just 3 years old, she is not accustomed to many friends all in the same place coming because she told them and taking her a present but she is enchanted and runs to play with her friend Martina on the Peter Pan Galeon.

From time to time three of the kids stop at the party corner while the other play to eat pop corn in peace :-) then they run again to play ^^

Finally around 18.00 the last of the kids arrives with little brother, mum and dad, he is confused and seems not to love so much noise and confusion and at the start he weeps a little.

We call every kid because is time for snack, Momichan helps to distribute food, we have nutella sanwiches, pop corn made just a few minutes ago and small croissants with ham and cheese.

After eating a little Momichan asks me if she can open her presents :-) obviously she can, so some of the kids help her taking the presents to a large space and open alltogather. Momichan is so curious to see what's inside the packets: Peppe has taken a cute violet sweatshirt, really cute indeed a very nice idea, Martina has taken a kawaii Snowhite glass foto frame, Camilla has a Smurf little book, perfect to read Momichan before going sleeping in the evening, Giorgia has taken a kawaii soft cloth doll, Robert has taken a soft Hello Kitty bathrobe and a pair of Hello Kitty home shoes, Lorenzo, Alice and Andrea have taken a special blackboard we can also use to learn to count numbers till 10 and make addictions and subtractions. It's time for the cake and to blow the candles so I tell the owner of the kids park to take it, she comes with a collegue to help and a camera to make a special foto.

All the kids are grouped togather around Momoko behind the table, she smiles and blows tha candle, the lady clicks three fotos, all the kids are really kawaii.

The cake is really tasty YUM YUM, while we are finishing it the kids already jump away to play. Now Robert amuses so much, he no longer weeps and runs and jumps as all the other kids, his brother Ale, 7 months old, amuses even more inside the babies area in the center on the big park and his mother is so happy, I guess he was not convinced her kids would amuse so much.

Sampei has to go to work, so he waves goodby and kisses her daughter and goes away, we stay a little more, the parents of Robert and Ale will take us home.

The other kids in the meantime slowly start to go home, Robert, Ale and Peppe are still playing with Momichan who seems not to have the slightest idea to leave :-) but soon is 19.00 PM and the park has to close so we hurry up, I dress Momi, we take all the presents and we are out in the night.

Momichan doesn't want to admit but she is really tired, today she has not slept much because she had gone to bed for nap at 14.00 and at 15.10 I has wakened up so we hurry home, she helps taking her presents to the car and soon we are home.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN MOMICHAN !!!

cake for the party

2011-11-20T12:46:00.000+01:00

Here is the cake we have bought for Momichan's party this afternoon, she said me she wanted some Smurfs and I found theese ones. Momichan love this cake ^^

Buying X'Mas Tree

2011-11-20T12:30:00.001+01:00

This morning we went Ikea store to buy the pine X'mas tree, Momichan cannot see the moment in which wee will decorate it togather with plush toys and small red glowing balls.
We enter Ikea store and go directly to pay it, we have also bought some earth, vase I already have at home.

Ouside Ikea there is a small red X'mas wooden house with all the trees and we choose one we think it will be suitable for our livingroom.

Tree is not enormous and enters easily inside our small car, it makes a nice smell inside ^^We have still one thing to do before coming house, we have to go to our preferred shop to retire the special b'day cake we will take to Arcobaleno delle Favole this afternoon for the party we are giving for Momichan with all her kindergarden friends ^^

day 4: happy birthday Momi !!!

2011-11-19T17:54:00.003+01:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMICHAN !!!

Today Momichan is 3 years old !

For Momichan this year, birthday has been the occasion to celebrate three times, friday inside kindergarden, today with the family and tomorrow at the kid park.
This morning while cake was baking inside the ovwn we went outside to our preferred shop, to take the food we needed for our little party and after to the balloon shop for a couple of special balloons I reserved yesterday (see foto).
Momichan is really happy for the balloons, she shows everybody and jumps happily everywhere we go.

After the shopping we have come home while daddy went to take granny with the car. In the meantime at home, Momichan and I were decorating house, preparing the table and disposing food in the living room, the balloons make a happy atmosphere and the kid music I tuned up do the rest, Momichan starts to jump and dance according with the songs and also singing some of then she is very jouzu. My special home b'day cake made with ikea baking items has come out strange but anyway Momichan says it is wonderful, maybe because I made it colorful.Granny arrives with two presents, one is coming from auntie, uncle and dog ... (she always sign every present with the three signatures including the dog) we put presents alltogather on the table and Momichan helped by daddy and granny, starts to open enchanted to have so many colorful packets. Granny has bought a special puzzle book, auntie have provided a supercute Hello Kitty purse bag, Momi loves it ! we have bought a patisserie Hello Kitty shop, a Smurf house and some marionette from Ikea. Momichan says she loves all her presents but the one she is most crazy about is the Kitty patisserie shop (see the foto).
The main dish is a rousted piece of meat with veggies but Momichan has her special dish with Ikea meatballs she asked for today.

We have to hurry because daddy has no day free today and he has to go work so we have to blow out candles and eat the cake. Daddy puts the light off and lights the candles, Momichan is all enchanted, we start to sing "Happy birthday song" and she blows up the candles ! Bravaaaaa !!! (yoku dekimashita Momichan !)

Daddy is going work, Momichan has to go sleeping for her usual nap, granny sits on the sofa reading some books I have and I start to reorganize and clean around.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMICHAN !

dinner

2011-11-18T20:38:00.003+01:00

Special dinner tonight for Momichan, a lot of veggies decorated by some carrot butterflies ^^
I cannot check at kindergarden if she is eating veggies or not and Momichan recently has a problem connected with veggies, she has to eat a lot
because she has problem going bathroom. The problem is she doesn't want to eat in the evening, everytime we have to stay sitting at the table nearly 40 minutes just to eat half of the dish and every thing she puts into mouth she sips a little water so inside belly she has more water than food !!!
Every day in the evening is a fight to make her eat something and I cannot leave it and say, "well you do not have hunger, you will eat tomorrow no problem" because we are giving Momi a special medicine she had to take for one month to help her but if doesn't eat the medicine doesn't work and as in kindergarden she doesn't eat veggies, every day without veggie is dangerous for her. Let see this evening if she will eat this dish.

day 3: kindergarden party

2011-11-18T18:13:00.007+01:00

In Italy there is the use of celebrate kids birthday inside kindergarden; Momichan had had a school party also last year when she was 2 years old, we had taken cakes and beverages to be given to her mates, this year will be the same also if her real bday will be on saturday, (kindergarden is from monday to friday) we will take some cakes for the kids.
It is important that the cakes are bought at supermarket, kindergarden and school in general do not accept any food taken from outside which does not have a wrapping with all the components written so that they are absolutely sure what they are giving to kids and in case there are some allergies they can read the ingredients on the packaging. We decided that a "crostata" and a "plumcake" would work so we bought two special crostata (see the foto) with peach and blackberries marmelade and two plumcake which easily kids will like (kids are 26). Kindergarden will provide beverages, cakes will be given to kids after lunch before going for the usual nap.

day 2: decorations

2011-11-18T12:36:00.006+01:00

Another step for Momichan birthday is to decorate the genkan wardrobe. I have attached some confettis to the doors of the wardrobe, some of them are little balloons, some are happy-birthday

Momichan amused so much in helping me to decorate house and her special corner in the bathroom, she loves blue so she gave me all the balloons and happy-bday in this colour, we decorated every corner, her ikea kitchen doorn, the wardrobe, the bathroom and also some books, she smiled and jumped happily and gave me a big kiss saying I was really a sweet mum because I had this idea ^O^

day 2: balloons

2011-11-17T12:20:00.003+01:00

This morning while Momichan is in kindergarden I went to reserve the balloons for saturday, one has a Smurf on it and is shaped heart, the other is big round and coloured with a "happy Birthday" on it. They will be illed with helium so that they will fly, Momichan will be happy about that.

1st,2nd,3rd Momo birthday

2011-11-16T15:54:00.004+01:00

This is Momichan during time, from her first birthday till today (last bday foto is just temporarily, will be changed with the real bday foto as soon as we will make)

Momichan is 3 years old

19 november 2011

Momichan is 2 years old
19 november 2010

Momichan is 1 year old
19 november 2009

ciao ciao

day 1: preparing b'day

2011-11-16T14:13:00.008+01:00

This morning after having taken Momichan to kindergarden, Sampei and I have gone shopping to prepare her birthdays ... well, she will celebrate three days:
friday 18th at kindergarden with her school mates so we had to visit a supermarket to buy a couple of cakes.
saturday 19th at home (effective b'day) granny will come to our house to celebrate her nephew, so we had to visit our preferred coffee shop to order some sweets and brioches, then we went to another big superstore to take the necessary food and decorating cake items for the lunch and last but less important, we went to a toy center to buy a present for Momichan.

Saturday we will have a big breakfast alltogather, we will dance and play, I will make a special make up to Momichan (she will tell me what she want to be designed on her face with the special pastels) we will give her the presents and after we will have lunch with the special cake I will bake and decorate myself.

Sunday 20th at Arcobaleno delle Favole Momichan will have her real party at the with all her friends, she will have their presents, will have a big cake decorated by a Smurf image (she told me she wanted a Smurf so I searched in internet and found a cute image with three Smurfs I think she will like) and I will have to prepare the little presents for each kid coming.

Once at home while Sampei was cooking lunch I was busy to wrap Momichan's present and compose the kid's sourprises for the party on sunday (see the foto below).

Here it is, before creating this little presents I have looked around and asked other mothers who had already celebrated birthdays of their kids in the same way and they have suggested me some ideas. Each of our small envelope contain a bubble bottle, a couple of discount tickets for McDonalds valuable till X'Mas and a dozen candies. Every kid will receive an enevlope after the party as a thanks for having come to celebrate Momichan.
On each enevlope there is a Mickey Mouse adhesive on which I wrote "thanks for having come to my party" signed "Momo".

Sampei was laughing seeing me arranging all that, he is not able to imagine and organize her daughter party but he bought her a big present we really hope she will like, is something decorated Hello Kitty, Momichan can play every day and amuse, I can also play with her. The only thing lacking for the party at home on saturady is a couple of balloons I will take home around 10.30 after having put inside oven the cake for baking, in the meantime Momichan will stay with daddy and granny, when I will come back with the balloons we will have a big breakfast and the opening of the presents ^O^
On friday night I will take her presents out of our wardrobe and put on the table of the living room, also I will decorate the genkan wardrobe with images she likes and "tanti auguri" written everywhere so that when Momichan will awake and come in the living room she will see everything ^^(follows day by day ...)

my dog ...

2011-11-13T17:19:00.002+01:00

We had a cat last year but when we moved in this house again he simply disappeared. Momichan has grown up with Felix and was sad about his loss, anyway we cannot have a pet now, I am too busy for that so Momichan plays with Ikea plush dogs, 8foto) and pretends they are real HAHA this one has his own dish with food and a little bed to have rest (well, bed is too little for this big dog) but Momi does not care ^___^

library

2011-11-09T14:40:00.005+01:00

This morning I went to the public library (yessss we do have a public library with a kid corner HAHAHA seems strange but we have) and took some books for Momichan.

One of theese is "Attenti alla casa stregata" related to the Halloween night, the other is a book of Richard Scarry. When i saw it I decided to take, it was my prefered book when I was little and somewhere inmum's house I still should have, we will have to search for it.

Richard Scarry was an american writer, he has written more than 300 books for kids but I guess the one everybody knows about is "The fantastic world of Richard Scarry" about a little town inhabited by various characters named Busytown (in Italy is called "Sgobbonia").

Recently his characters are on a popular tv cartoon on the air on Rai YoYo.

One of the most popular characters is Zigo Zago, a funny worm, he usually wears tyrolean hat and a shoe on the end of his tail. His best friend is Hucke Cat (in Italy Sandrino) who has a little sister called Sally. Zigo Zago drives and apple shaped car, Huckle Cat has a normal red car and Sally has a scooter.
The Cat father has a little supermarket and the kids love to solve the various misteries which happens inside their little town. They always solve them togather with Zigo Zago and most of the time with the two Pig brothers Pig Will and Pig Won't who always quarrel for everything, everyone wants to help solve cases but they are not intelligent as much as Huckle to understand and collect proofs so most of the times the make disasters :) Sally instead is very helpful to her brother and amuses so much togather with the worm Zigo Zago to discover what is going on in town.

(Hilda Hippo, Sally and Hucke Cat, Zigo Zago, Pig Will and Pig Won't)

Other characters are Sergeant Murphy (sergente Multa) a cocker spaniel motorcyclist policeman, Gorilla Banana, Hilda Hippo, mr Fixit, a fox who repares everything, mrs Honey, a bear teacher in the school, doctor Lion, Pig Will and Pig Won't, two pig brothers who drive a sausage car and are friends of Huckle Cat and Sally.

Leaves Day

2011-11-09T12:19:00.010+01:00

In our little town we have a small library and outside the library there is a big park where we take kids to play. Unfortunately the park would need some help to be cleaned in automn and cared for but the Cityhall does not pay much attention except when there is something really urgent to do.
During theese days the park would need someone to take leaves away from the ground because therre are too may and it start to become dangerous for kids because it is slimy and also not so nice to look at so we are triyn to organize a kind of Leaves Party for mums and kids, every mum will take a cake or bisquits or beverages.
I will organize a kind of tree safari with explanation of the trees of the park, history, how much they grow, the flowers they produce and something like that, and we will take leaves away. We can organize for kids something like a treasure game to seek for some some elements like a red leaf, a yellow one, a wooden stick, a stone, a pine cone or else.

This mornign while Momichan is inkindergarden, I have gone to the park and I have made many photos I have to elaborate and put togather to make a kind of booklet to give to children and tell them about the park. I was thinking to make a little book with pages with infos and one blank to use to glue on the real leaves found in the park (absolutely not taken from the trees but picked up from the ground.

Let see if someone from kindergarden mum group will help ^O^

Grancia CH

2011-11-07T21:54:00.002+01:00

Instead of taking Momichan to kindergarden, today we decide to make a travel to Grancia, Swiss. The reason why we want to go there is to take my b'day present Ikea Grancia every year prepares for its clients and this time present is a cute thermo mug for coffee, in Milan nobody has and I love to have this gadget I will use so much for my Nescafe everyday. So first of all we get inside Ikea and we take my special mug then as it is a little late, we go eating at the ikea restaurant, we all like the meatballs and fries.
The impression this restaurant gives is different from the italian one, even if more or less all ikea restaurants are the same but this one has two differences: first of all dishes are all personalized and also here you can find some new foods or matchings different from the ones you can taste at the store near our house, second, the place is absolutely clean (WOW !), noone is shouting like in italy, no confusion and also there is a big cupboard near the tables zone full of items for kids to use to eat: in the big drawers we find bibs, dishes, tools, glasses, every thing a kid might need to eat is put there in a big clean drawer, after the meal you simply take the trays in a corner and everything will be washed and put away.

In Milan we do not have bibs (everytime I forget is terrible to ask for one) and absolutely no dishes for kids ! theese dishes and tools are the same you can but in the store and which we already have since Momichan has born to eat her everyday meal at home, plastic, colured and easy to use for children. Momichan loves them because they make her happy, she loves colours.

Sampei today is free from work so we have plenty of time for the travel and to walk around the Ikea and the Mall.
Just in front Ikea store there is a big Mall with a big Coop supermarket where every time we go shopping for strange foods, there are many different stores inside the mall, selling shoes, dresses, toys and many other little shops and coffee corners where to find cute presents for every occasion. Some of the shops we already know because we have also in Milan like Yves Rocher and H&M but here they sell items we cannot find in Milan like for example H&M where we always go for a visit to see what cute we can find to dress Momichan.
After lunch we go supermarket, we want to buy some chokolate bars and see what new foods we can find there. Today my attraction goes to some ravioli can ... I have never saw something like this except on tv in the american movies, for me ravioli in a can is absolutely funny, no italian ever would eat ravioli like this, we love to buy fresh and cook at home in various ways with fresh products.
Apart from this I find some items and decorations for cakes (I take some for Momichan's bday cake), there are some yummy ham and cheese, yogurt tasting chestnut and honey, some strawberry ones yummier than the one we can find at our local supermarket. There is a big varity of frowen foods, something like I can find in Japan, many different meat and veggies and ice creams for kids with cute shapes and characters, some of them have sourprises inside.
In a small corner there are foods for chefs, some strnage blue Syrian salt and another pink salt coming from some arab place, many custard creams, herb mixtures and much more that makes this supermarket a real paradise for Sampei.

Inside tha Mall apart from the Coop, there are also some games like a little little horses and a Ferrari car Momichan is always happy to drive (see foto), is a classic, three years we go there and three times Momichan jumps inside and drives, we just need to put inside the car a small coin ^^

Going around we also see a strange cow for the publicty of some chokolate and Momichan amuses to play, she wants to sit on it and pretend to be an indian girl (indian feather crown has been bought at Ikea store after lunch), going with her own cow to make her eat, she walked away calling the cow "hey cow follow me, I'll take you to some goog grass for dinner" then she wanted to jump on the cow to drive her some part ... "hey cow go !" funny in this foto the false cow seems really to follow Momichan HAHAHA

Around 19.30 we decide is time to go home, Momichan has not slept all day long and surely will once she will be seated in her car seat. We want to realx a little on our sofa eating dinner and watch tv and also Momichan will have kindergarden tomorrow so we cannot arrive home too late. Luckily rain is not hard (it has gome and gone all day long) so just before 21.00 we are home. Momichan is asleep, I undress her and put her on a fresh pijama, give her a bottle milk and she goes on sleeping.
ciao ciao

Ikea food

2011-11-06T02:48:00.008+01:00

So many times we love to go Ikea store (less than 2 km from home) and get new ideas for the house. Momichan likes to play, we get free coffee and love to eat the Princess cake or the apple cake (the new apple cake is tastier than the old one, the Princess cake pink now not more green is always a good idea).
On fridays sometimes we go eating there for lunch time because meatballs cost less and Momi loves Ikea meatball and french fries. Cost is low and with less money than what we would spend at McDonalds we can eat all three of us. Pasta and many other foods are bio so we are happy Momo can have good food at a reasonable price and for a day we do not cook anithing at home, is not really like going at the restaurant but sometimes is a good idea. With the Ikea card we can have swedish coffee free and most of the times Momi can have her hot dog for snack after one hour playing just with 0,70 cents.

going supermarket ^O^

2011-11-05T12:45:00.000+01:00

Today is weekly shopping day, we have to go supermarket to buy some foods. Momichan is always happy to go superrmarket and she easily helps us to find things and tell me what she like to eat.

We have to buy veggies for her because she doesn't eat much and absolutely nothing in kindergarden.

again rainy day

2011-11-05T00:27:00.000+01:00

This morning is raining again but we have to get out so Momichan is wearing her new lilac raincoat and will have her kitty gummy boots and Pooh umbrella (she loves her tiny umbrella, makes her feel happy even if is rainy day) ^O^

We have to go supermarket with daddy because we need some veggies for Momichan lunches.

rainy day ...

2011-11-04T14:55:00.006+01:00

Since yesterday in Milan is raining, sometimes hard, sometimes it stops, sometimes just lightly drops fall down. Momichan this morning didn't want to go kindergarden, she said she was too sleepy and asked me about staying at home and having a hot milk bottle. I prepared some milk for her and while she was turning back in the land of dreams I dedicated some time to the cleaning of our house. Around 11.00 AM raing stopped so I decided we could have a walk and visit the doctor, I had to ask for something for Momichan for her cough during the night, the doctor gave me some drops to give Momichan just before sleeeping this night and for the next 5 days. We had a coffee and Momi her gas water, she amuses so much in walking with her Kitty rain boots and her new Pooh umbrella, she smiled while walking towards home at lunch time, daddy was already cooking some lunch and a light veggies miso soup. Momichan did not eat much but she tasted both. After daddy has gone out for work at 14.00 PM I put Momichan to bed with her milk bottle, hope will sleep until five, then we will have to get out a little to get bread I reserved to our favourite place ^O^

sayounara ^^

present for Momichan

2011-11-03T15:08:00.002+01:00

This morning Sampei and I went to a toy store to search for a b'day present for Momichan. There is a big TOYS CENTER near us and has a ton of items. At the entrance now are displayed the Christmas decorations and after theese there is a ton of books ! dyno books, cartoon, cars, every imaginable book you can find ! there are plush toys, Lego blocks (Cars/Hello Kitty/Puffi/....) party decoration items, puzzles, candies.... is really a kid paradise, luckily Momichan was in kindergarden or she would have made us totally crazy HAHA even I and ampei get easily crazy there, we can find many interesting books also kitchen ones and many table games we can make alltogather ^^
I have bought a small plush Cars it was affordable and big enough to play at home, it is a soft Lighting McQueen, Momichan will get crazy and eventually she can even take it with her in her bed for sleeping time.

halloween party ^O^

2011-11-01T20:39:00.010+01:00

This afternoon at 15.30 PM Momichan and I had a Halloween party at the nearby Kid Park (the same where Momi will have her bday party).
Everyone who wanted, masked or not for a limited number of places could join the owners of the kid park for a big party organized for children. We had reserved a week ago so today we got out of house directed there.

Momichan had not slept too much for her usual nap time because there was not enough time before party so she was a little weepy at start but as soon as we arrived she seemed to relax a little and be happy.
Once inside we had to put on our shoes cover and special socks, we were given some tickets to use for games and snack bar and she runned away to play.

Room was not full as I thought but nonetheless children were many.
Two or three times she came towards me weeping for some reason and everytime I just could thing she was still a little tired because she had not slept much.
Around 17.00 PM speakers called for snack and every kid runned at the coffee corner to have his piece of pizza and beverage but not Momi, she didn't care about snack and continued playing in the small babies area (I ated her pizza) ^^
Momichan runned here and there, she liked paying with the small balls and to climb over the Pirates galeon.

It was organized a fishing game with images of monsters you had to fish to win a prize (she won a cd of kid music to dance at home), a baby dance and she amused so much jumping and clapping hands, a make up session, and she asked for a spider web on her face but the lady was not so good in make up art and the image did not came out so cute nonetheless Momichan was happy about it and patiently waited untill her face was all decorated. Kids before Momichan asked for vampire and ghosts and once finished runned away shouting and jumping directing to the sliders.

There was even a horror tunnel with skeletons, spiders and web inside and Momi runned inside and outside screaming with false terror and laughing like a crazy ^^
At 18.30 people started to go away, Momichan was a little tired and excited. I cleaned her face with a fresh tissue and put on her coat and berret, ouside was already dark and temeperature was about 13 degrees.

Momichan was sitting on my shoulders all the route back home and when we arrived it was nice to enter in a cozy place. I made her shower and changed her, then she jumped on the sofa to see cartoons. After a while I gave her her dinner and milk bottle. She fall asleep soon after in her bed hugging her ikea cat ^O^

halloween night !

2011-10-31T22:37:00.001+01:00

This morning Momichan and i have gone for a walk, this night will be Halloween so nothing strange we found a black cat mewling at us ^O^

Daddy is home today so later in the evening we will go around, there is an invitation in a big mall which is organizing many attractins for kids, special horror candies, balloon, make up for kids, caramellized appled, a magician who will make some strange things and much more, Momichan is already enthusiastic about the idea.
Last year she had her first Halloween party at home, just the tow of us so this year we can do something different, also she will have another party tomorrow afternoon in the same place she will have birthday, they are organizing something for kids and we have already reserved a place ^O^

As soon as we get at the superstore we direct to the place where we can have a special balloon: Momichan asks for one shaped pumpkin lantern (foto) with the tipical colours: orange, green and black. We have to wait a little but she is so happy to receive her special balloon lantern ! nearly every kid is walking around with a similar lantern, masked like a ghost or a skeleton. After that we are again waiting to have her face make up, she wants a web and a spider, after one hour waiting and thousands of kids with pumpkins, ghost, vampire, frankenstein, spiders, make up, is the turn of Momichan.

After a few minutes the lady has completed her make up and Momichan is really happy about the result, look yourself, so kawaii, the lady also puts some glitter on Momi's face and she shouts totally happy. I obviously make thousands of fotos because Momi is so cute, it is her first Hallowmake up and I want she will have a record in the future and remember about this special night.

There is something going on at the lower floor, the magician is doing some show so we direct there stopping a while to get spider web sugar and candies shaped like horrible eye globes. At the lower floor there is a cemetery and a Addams Family house, th magician is doing something we are not able to see, as you see is veeery crowdy and noise is terrible, music and shouts, laughs and screams covers every other noise and our ears are haching, also we are hungry and before getting here we had passed three McDonalds where Momichan wanted to have some fries so as it is already two hours we are walking around and is nearly 20 minutes to 10.00 PM we decide we have enough and we leave for McDonalds.

For Momichan I choose an happy meal and ... what a sourprise, there is Puffetta inside ! we already has two Puffy at home but Puffetta was already finished by the McDonalds near home so she is really happy to have this one and for happyness she eats everything in her box ! (three nuggets, french fries, a yogurt and her gas water WOW normally is hard to make Momichan eat nuggets or something different from fries ! GREAT !).

We arrive home at eleven thirty and Momichan is really tired, just enough I change her, wash her face, put cream on all over her body and make her wear a fresh pijama, give her milk bottle and she already in the dream land. Happy dreams Momichan, tomorrow you will have another party ^O^

rainbow stories kid park (follows)

2011-10-28T20:46:00.014+02:00

As I imagined Momichan amused so much, as soon as she entered inside she started to get crazy and tell me to do quick because she wanted to play.
At the entrance I was given special sockes to wear over shoes, I took Momichan in the locker room and put on her personal socks with gummy so she is not able to slide and fall on the floor.

The big room is nearly 600 square meters and is filled by attractions and sliders.Just enough the time to take coat away and put socks and she escaped towards the big Peter Pan galeon which has a slider inside and many items you have to climb over or crawl under, there is the treasure chest to jump on it and the little sauvetage canoe to escape from Captain Hook !

The pavement of the entire room is covered by a soft gummy cover painted like a sky with many soft white clouds, it all perfectly clean as nobody is allowed to go inside with shoes, every kid has to wear special socks and adults has to wear plastic shoes cover (like the ones used by doctors at the hospitals).
Just next to the galeon there is a kind of castle to climb over and follow some route, there is also a balance hanging down. and two sliders one of them covered falling down on a space filled with thousands of little coloured balls.
Next to this there is a big gummy slider of the Little Mermaid with a big octopus on it, Momichan followed to climb on it and slide down HAHA it is quite high but she was not frightened at all and amused so much, she likes to climb and then jump a little at the top before sliding down and as soon as she is down she runs to climb over again and again.
There is a coffee corner in the middle dominating every side of the giant park so that if you are tired, you can sit there sipping a coffee or eating an ice cream while the kid is playing and you can easily look at him.
In the middle of the big space there is a special zone reserved to kids from 0 to 4 year old (eventually for brothers of sisters of the kids having parties). Pavement is covered by another coloured thick gummy blue, yellow and red puzzle carpet, to protect babies from accident falls, there is a giant flower (one meter and a half large) they sit on, a little house, (there is another little house just behind out of the special babies zone), two jumping gummy horses, (one green and another blue), two little cars with door opening to climb inside, tricycles and a pool filled with balls inside which you can enter with a small slide.
Momichan liked to jump inside the pool and play with the balls throwing them everywere, then played with the cars pretending to come home in the evening from work and she entered the little house, (equipped with a small kitchen inside: sink and fawcett, dish drainer, cook top), she loves little cars and she likes the little house because she can play hide-and-seek inside.

After nearly three hours playing she was tired and told me she wanted to go home. We choosed dishes, glassees, towels (she wanted Snowhite) food (nutella milk breads and focaccia, popcorn, tea and gas water), the man gave us the inviting cards and once home I started to write the names of the kids one for each card and the details of the party (day and time) to distribute at kindergarden. Just after dinner Momichan fall asleep with her milk bottle still in her hands ^O^

rainbow stories kid park

2011-10-28T10:28:00.017+02:00

Today is the last day Momichan and kids are going to kindergarden until next wednesday. during Halloween and All Saints Day, schools and many offices will be closed, some stores, places and resorts in which parties will be organized will be open.

This afternoon, as soon as Momichan will be out of kindergarden at 16.00 PM, I will take her to a wonderful place (we can reach it easily because is just near home) in which she can play, and while she is playing I will ask all the infos I need to organize her the best birthday party ever ^O^

I discovered this place just by chance and really I think is much much better than the other we had choosed for her bday party, its name is ARCOBALENO DELLE FAVOLE. When I saw this one on the internet I thought this one would have been gorgeous so I canceled the reservation in the other place and today I will reserve party there, I already have gone yesterday to order a special b'day cake ! When I called the other day to have some infos, they told me, between al the other informations they gave me, they can make pop corn there so that it will be fresh (well ... hot salty, buttery and YUM YUM prepared at the very moment), in the other place pop corn would have been the one you can buy in enevlopes at the supermarket .... Momichan gets crazy for pop corn, when I told her about that she jumped up happily and said "yeee thankee mama, cuuuuuuute !"

We can also change beverages according to what we think is better (not coca cola or sprite for 3 years old kiddies but fruit juices, gas water, and fruit tea), games and attractions are 5 times more also there are more attractions for the kids who have fear to play with "gonfiabili" (the castle full of air on which you can jump on it and has a slider on the other side like the Aladdin castle you can see on the foto), there is a small house, kid scooters, a place in which kids can play ball, sliders, hide and seek corners, a big Pirates galeon with special games inside, and much more.
The walls of this kid park are all decorated like a magic forest (in the other place it was all white ...) and for the adults there is also a coffee corner, for the summer they also have a small swimmpool outside in their small garden.

It will be nice to go and play this summer when kindergarden will be closed, eventually organize a party for "happy finish school". The kid park works even as baby parking (if you need to do something but you cannot take your child with you).

It is a place you can organize parties and a place you can always go to play when you want to go outside and weather is not good but is too bad to stay home, and most of all is less than 10 minutes by feet from our house !!!
Today we will see, I will take Momichan and I will see if she likes the place but I guess she will get literally crazy, she had liked the other one which was really poor, she will love this one which is ten times better ^O^

halloween song

2011-10-28T10:15:00.004+02:00

zampe di rana

occhi di serpenti

quattro pipistrelli

e un ragno senza un dente

gira gira il pentolon

tira su il coperchio

fuoco fuoco notte e di

qui le streghe fan cosi

wave goodbye Marco Simoncelli !

2011-10-27T10:24:00.003+02:00

Cattolica 20 gennaio 1987, Sepang, (Malaysia) 23 ottobre 2011

As you probably know, a few days ago, the MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelly died in Sepang (Malaysia) in the next to last race of the year. This afternoon in Italy in Coriano, his town, there will be the funerals.
Momichan is a small kid but when I told her about Marco she wept, we have always followed MotoGP races on tv even if this year we lost many. Momichan waves goodbye to Marco dedicating this foto.

goodbye Marco ....

umbrella ...

2011-10-25T13:04:00.004+02:00

Today in Milan is raining hard. Like every morning Momichan and I are going to kindergarden luckily we live just 50 meters away from it ^O^

Theese two days Momichan is doing many efforts to stay at kindergarden because when I have to leave she always weeps and tells she wants to come home with me. As she liked the umbrella this morning I thought is time for her to have a personal umbrella of her size (every kid in her class already have) so I went shopping (I needed to buy nappies for the night) and found a cute little umbrella I hope she will like.
It is a Winnie Pooh umbrella, green and orange so cute and funny with happy images of Pooh, Piglet and Trigger, rainbows, bees, flowers :) it was so cute and price so low that I decided this was the right one for her. When at 16.00 o'clock I will go kindergarden to take her home I will bring the new little umbrella with me, hope Momichan will be happy about.
(GOSH it is still raining hard !!!!)

Caillou ...

2011-10-24T14:35:00.005+02:00

Recently a new cartoon channel entirely dedicated to little children has appeared on tv. There are many toons (Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, Thomas The Train, Krypto Super dog, Baby Looney Tunes, Carebears, Chloe's closet, The Land Before Time (which we have 6 VHS tales about "Littlefoot" the main dyno characther), and most of them are cute and teach children how is growing and the progress they can make, among all theese one of Momichan preferred one is Caillou. (Caillou officil store on line here).

Caillou is a 4 year old boy who delights in the small wonders of the world around him, he lives with mum, daddy and the little sister Rosie. Everything around him is an excuse to embark on exciting adventures, learn new things and have fun. Each episode is a slice of Caillou's life.
Most of the times if I am not busy with home duties I watch on tv with Momichan and if not she tells me every moment what Caillou is doing ^O^

mommy's bday

2011-10-23T13:14:00.001+02:00

As my birthday falls on wednesday and Sampei has sunday free we have organized for today.
After having finished preparing Momichan (she is dressed today with all the colours of chestnuts and automn and for the occasion she is wearing a soft hot white pants, weather is cold so I am sure she will stay well (as she also has a cold ...)

First of all we have to go to our preferred patisserie/coffe shop/bread shop to make breakfast (we always go there to have a coffee and a croissant) and buy the cake we have previously ordered two weeks ago, then we go to mum's house to take her up to go to the chinese restaurant here behind the plaza to have a pizza, Momichan loves pizza and also the chiken made in that restaurant ^O^

After coffee and croissant we take a little time to give mommy time enough to get dressed (she is veeeery loooong !), we give a look at my cake, there is a Strumpf on it HAHAHA, I asked for it on purpose because when I went to reserve a cake there was one with a Strumpf on it and I thought it could be nice so I said I wanted the same design on my cake, look ! HAHAHA ^O^ Momichan also loves Strumpf so I guess it was the best solution.

We always go to chinese restaurant whenever we want to celebrate something, it is near home and we can go by feet and most of all is cheap and makes chinese dishes and pizza fabulous. Momichan loves it and always wants grilled chiken and gyoza, today also she ated a large dish of chikes and veggies all by herself ^O^

After restaurant we returned to the coffee shop to take cake home (we had left there because we had to go restaurant), we had "bubbles" but no b'day candle HAHA. We had an enormous slice of cake each one and a present, a little book my mum gave me ^^

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEE,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEEEEE !
ciao ciao

thomas the train present

2011-10-19T12:50:00.002+02:00

Finally after thousands of mess I made the payment for Momichan present, she likes Thomas the Train so much so I bought her a little coin purse to put inside her change to buy her candies (everytime she is jouzu or make something right we give her a coin to put in her piggybank ^^

Now we only have to wait to see when arrives .... ^___^

2 years 11 months old !!!

2011-10-19T10:41:00.001+02:00

HAPPY MONTH DAY MOMICHAN !

Momichan is now 2 years 11 months old, WOW ! she is going to kindergarden and amuses so much, she likes sleeping at school and playing, likes to eat lunch there.

This morning teachers have organized a treasure game in the kindergarden garden, they have hidden many chestnuts everywhere and kid has to find, Momichan has found many. During theese days they will cook and give children to eat ^^

halloween recipies

2011-10-16T17:23:00.006+02:00

(ARTICLE ONLY IN ITALIAN FOR HALLOWEEN)

Se volete organizzare una piccola festa per i vostri bambini vi basta poco, qualche decorazione con piatti di carta a tema (Lidl vi può aiutare costano poco), ragnetti di plastica, qualche scheletro di cartone (in caqrtoleria si trovano a poco, candele (poste in alto però cosi che i bimbi non possano fare danni e farle cadere accidentalmente) e naturalmente un piccolo menù a tema, Per quello eccovi alcune ricette facili facili:

BISCOTTI DI RAGNO

- 20 biscotti tipo ringo o comunque tondi

- fili di liquerizia nera o anche colorata (Ikea la vende gialla e rosa)

- piccole caramelline rosse per fare gli occhi

PREPARAZIONE
Tagliate 8 piccoli fili di circa 5 cm e infilateli nel ripieno del biscotto 4 per lato e poi con della crema meglio se colorata di nero, applicate gli occhietti.

TORTA DEL UOMO LUPO

- 300 gr di zucca

- 3 patate medie

- 1 cipolla

- 3 uova

- brodo

- latte

- pan carrè

- pan grattato e noce moscata

- olio di oliva

- salvia e rosmarino se volete

PREPARAZIONE

Tagliate la cipolla e fatela rosolare in olio di oliva. tagliate patate e zucca e fatela insaporire in padella con le erbe e la cipolla fino a che non sono bel cotte, poi frullatele e schiacciatele cosi da farne una purea. Fate ammollare il pan carreè nel latte, sbattete le uova, unite tutti gli ingredienti e poi prendete uno stampo per plum cake e versateci il tutto.

Infornate a 150 gradi per 40 minuti e poi servite a fette.

DITA MOZZATE

- wurstel

- ketchup

- mandorle

PREPARAZIONE

Bollite i wurstel tagliati ametà per qualche secondo in acqua leggermente salata e poi infilate una mandorla intera a modo di unghia per ogni salsicciotto, servite su un piatto con del ketchup e il gioco è fatto.

FRULLATO VAMPIRICO

- sciroppo di lamponi

- gelato alla vaniglia

- colorante alimentare rosso

PREPARAZIONE

Miscelate tutti gli ingredienti assieme ottenendo una composizione cremosa. Tenete in frigo fino al momento di servire. Potete variare il colore usando mirtilli e colorante viola o carote e pesche con colorante arancione, la base va bene sempre di gelato alla vaniglia.

UOVA DI PIPISTRELLO

- uova sode (una per ciascun commensale)

- maionese

- burro

- verdura verde (broccoli o spinaci)

- colorante verde alimentare

- pepe e sale

PREPARAZIONE
Fate le uova sode poi sbucciatele e tagliatele a metà, levate i tuorli e metteteli a parte. Bollite le verdure e fatene una purea da mischiare ai tuorli, salate e pepate, aggiungete il colorante in modo da avere una bella crema verde e riempiteci le uova. Servite su un piatto con fioccheti di maionese.

RISOTTO ALLA ZUCCA STREGATO

- 400 gr di riso (dose per 6 persone)

- 400 gr di polpa di zucca

- burro

- sale e pepe

- cipolla

- brodo

PREPARAZIONE

Fate bollire la zucca e ottenetene una purea. In una padella fate insaporire con la cipolla il riso e poi aggiungtete il brodo e cuocete fino a cottura. Quando è quasi pronto aggiungete la zucca e amalgamate il tutto. Se volete renderlo più cremoso aggiungete del parmigiano a chi piace.

Servite ben caldo.

JACK O'LANTERN

Alla cena non può mancare una torta a tema, procuratevi uno stampo in silicone a forma di Jack O'Lantern e usate per fare più in fretta uno dei preparati Cameo apri e inforna, perfetto ad esempio quello agli agrumi, con l'aggiunta di colorante arancio avrà il colore perfetto oppure potrete decorare la torta con marzapane colorato e fare i dettagli della faccia di zucca ^^

halloween for Momichan

2011-10-16T16:38:00.008+02:00

This year seems we will have a dry Halloween (last year was raining hard) so we are trying to organize a walk around "trick or treat" sampoo.
I will wear my Darth Fener costume and for Momichan I will prepare a dark mantle with cap and will search for some white make up to paint her face like a gohst, she will hold a big plastic pumpkin (I have since many years) to put inside candies and treats, I already have washed well.I will provide my mum with candies and cookies and some other treat so tht we can ring the bell and go inside to take some, Momichan will amuse so much ^^
As father will work, I will organize some special dinner, I already know in advance tomorrow Lidl will sell same creepy hamburger same of last year, some fries, ketcup and also there will be some sweets, this time Lidl will also sell some boxes with the necessary ingredients to prepare ghostly cupcakes, doesn't even cost so much so I will buy tomorrow before risking not to find any more in a couple of days ! dishes and glasses I already have, and special lantern in shape of pumpkin and bat, plus I can use my special bento side dish containers to put inside creepy candies.
We also have music and the gohstly books of stories I bought last year, I can read some scary stories eating pop corn on the sofa and also we have colouring album with special Halloween themes, somewhere I have some stickers, Momichan loves stickers, she can help decorating everywhere !
Momichan will laugh so much, I really hope we can organize also with her friend so two kids will have double amusement.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN LITTLE MOMICHAN !

an unforgettable b'day

2011-10-15T14:12:00.002+02:00

Momichan is growing fast and we are thinking to organize for her a special party for her 3rd birthday in november.
I found a place in which kids can play and amuse so much, party can be easily organized and they give everything we need starting from the bday cake with candles, personal invite cards, food and more, I guess Momichan will get crazy about that expecially now she has discovered "gonfiabili" (you see in the foto) and likes them so much, also she can have her friends and many presents. The place is near our house and I guess is the best idea possibile in a period in which weather is really cold and possibilities for little kid are limited and the cost is low so I guess we will choose this option.

In the afternoon we have gone to make a reservation for sunday 20 at 15.00 PM, it was the best solution possible because on sunday Sampei will be free so he can stay with us and celebrate his daughter ^o^ Momichan in the meanwhile was jumping up and down the sliders and was really crazy for the idea of having a party there, she will have everything Nemo style, dishes, decorations and also the cake will have a design of Nemo charachter on it, I just have to preare 10 mini bags with candies and a little sourprise for every kid invited ^^
OTANJOUBI OMEDETOU MOMICHAN !
sayounara

AAAAHHHHH !!!!

2011-10-11T14:05:00.003+02:00

This late morning at 12.13 Momichan's teacher call me at home to tell Momichan has fallen down with face from the slider but I have not to worry because she has been very good, wound is nothing serius, they have quickly treated and she is so enthusiastic about the idea of eating in the kindergarden (this is the first day she also stops for lunch), so teacher says is of no use to send Momichan home before time.

When at 13.15 after lunch we go kindergarden to collect Momichan she runs happily into my arms and shows excited her face .... well look yourself ...

She tells me she had fallen down and she has hurt, luckily this morning I have bought her some candies I know she likes so much so while I hug her and kiss her I tell her about the candies and she shouts enthusiastically ^^

Sweetie baby, is so bad to see her face like that and it hurts everytime we have to wash face or make shower but it will be soon be gone ^___^

eating time in kindergarden

2011-10-11T10:39:00.006+02:00

(image taken from the net)

Today is the first day Momichan will eat inside kindergarden, I am curious about what they will have. Every kid has a bag which contains towel, bib and cup taken from home, everyone has to use his own items and put inside the bag after use.
Next week Momichan will have full time and will also stay for sleeping time until 16.15 PM, and as Sampei will have for a while to work also in the morning I will be alone for lunch ! I will have a lot of free time now ^___^

black carrots !!!

2011-10-10T15:59:00.008+02:00

Since a few days at the local supermarket is sold a strange carrot, his colour is deep violet !!! The price is the same as normal carrots and flavour also is the same, exactly same carrot except for the colour. I bought some the other day to make a violet soup for Momichan and decorated with violet stars, she smiled happily at the strange meal and eated everything WOW !
The most odd thing however is what I read about theese carrots: it is not a special variety or something genetically modified, theese dark violet carrots are completely natural, the genetically modified are the "normal" range ones we eat everyday !!! :-O

In 1720 the Netherlands had a ruling family in the country called Orange so they thought it would have been a good idea to change the carrot coulour in their honour and so they did. The only difference between the two carrots is that the orange one contains betacarotene and can help to give us the cute golden brown colour we love so much in the summer, the violet ones instead contain some antioxidation to fight the passing of time.

ciao ciao

Varallo Pombia Zoo Park

2011-10-07T21:01:00.000+02:00

Yesterday Sampei had a day free from work as every week, Momichan is still having half day in kindergarden so we thought it would have been nice to go somewhere alltogather. The idea was to go searching for chestnuts but really I did not have any idea where to go so we sourprisingly found a cute zoo park absolutely special: you can do safary inside with your car in the middle of animals like lions, gyraffs, rynos and more !!!

(all photos between the animals have been taken with the car windows tightly closed expecially coming near two enormous rynos !)

This Safari Park is 40 km from home and is full of animals. You can enter in a special zone with your car and you will see gyraffs (first foto, we also had to wait to go on because of them has stopped just in front of our car and did not want to move), rynos (there were two and luckily they were calm because if ever they want to make a mess it is sufficient they push the car to make car roll wheels up!), zebras, lama, deers, camels, oryx, ostrich, pelicans and more.

After the normal beasts, the second space is dedicated (and divided from the rest) to lions. Two big panels before entering the zone, remember the visitors to keep car windows closed and in case of real danger to honk three times and someone of the park will come in aid. You come near a gate and it opens, then it closes behind you and another in front opens to let you in. What you see is something special, there were two lions and two females, relaxing and taking sun in the air.

The two big males and a female were on the right, left side on a rock and looking at you there was the second female. Momichan was excited and moved behind the car seat to better see the beasts, noone of us ever had seen them so near, we could hardly breathe !
Once we got out of the special danger zone the rest of the park was normal: a cute little acquarium with many fishes swimming in their pools, a reptile house with many poisonous cobras and a big crocodile, a farm with buffalos, owls, eagles, pony, a Jurassic zone in which you could walk and hear the sounds of the big TRex killing his "lunch", eating it and after walk towards you, you could hear him breathe, stop and then wal to search something, it was really terrorising HAHAHA
As it was friday and it was a little windy the park was nearly empty but we could go everywhere quietly without being quick and Momichan also went on all the attractions and carousels.

It was really a cold afternoon but we had a very nice day, we also had time to stop and take a coffe at the local coffee shop while Momichan played in a tipical african hut.
sayounara ^^

Toys Center, dream world ...

2011-10-05T16:46:00.006+02:00

Just a couple of kilometers from home we have a large variety of shops, supermarkets, toy stores, dresses, cars, nearly everything we can imagine but the most "dangerous" of all is the ToysCenter a giant store full of everything a kid mind could imagine !

The items that most attract children are the little houses for which you need either a terrace or a small garden (and we have none of the two) and electric cars and bikes (for which also you need space or at least a free corner in your child room (Momichan does not have a private bedroom yet).

Everytime we go there Momichan gets crazy nand start jumping here and there, I would doo the same too, when I was a kid i do not remember anything like that, you can find books, Lego blocks, little houses and toys you can use outside, puzzles, small tricycles, depend on the age of the kid, your mood, what you want to do, your money disponibility or the space you have at home. One of the items I would get crazy if I were as little as Momochan is a small bike, Valentino Rossi's GP Ducati.

It is covered by many adhesifs, the engine roar seems real, every particular is similar to the real bike, even tyres are made of real gummy and not normal plastic, the bike has also the battery charger and goes 7km/hour.

The only negative thing is the price: 349,00 Euro !!! GOSH !!! I really do not imagine which child will have bot not Momochan :-(

Guess sooner or later we will buy something like that, every kid at the park has an electric car or bike but costing lkess, something like half of this price but we will need also space to put after use, eventually when we will have a bedroom for Momichan, she is growing and needs more space, she can obviously not go on sleeping in our room and also someday she will go school, the house we live now inside is not really suitable for three people, same has happened at the family which i bought this house, they changed house and bought a new a new one when their baby was around three year old and now they have a garden, for us it will be sufficient to have a house more or less like this but with a bedroom more so Momichan will have her space and all her toys will stay in her room and not in the living room so we also will hav e more space for our items ^^

Mmm .... gues kids nowadays have more thing they can imagine to use, How can you explain to a small kid you cannot buy him/her a toy because cost too much/you do not have space at home/she/he will eventually be fed up quick about it ? the only things I had were a doll, Lego blocks, books, Barbie and a bicicle. The only thing that has remained the same are cartoons on tv HAHAHA same programmes of when I was small ! HAHAHA

Kindergarden (upper level)

2011-10-04T23:50:00.001+02:00

Today Momichan will be introduced to the new kindergarden, she will attend this first day from 10.00 to 11.30 AM, I will stay with her the first 15 minutes then I will come back home to come again at eleven thirty to take her back.

Momichan now is going at a new class kindergarden, she will be 3 years old in a few months so she is no more at micro kindergarden and new pre school is now near home.

We are living now again in the old house so we are able to get down, cross the common garden and go out from the main gate just in front of the new kindergarden, I can take a coffee every morning and Momichan has the time at home to drink her milk and yogurt before we go out, going "new school" takes us just 5 minutes by feet, is great that we do not need to take the car or the bus, kindergarden is just in front where we live now so we can spare much money every month ^^

This first week Momichan will attend class from 10.00 to 11.30 AM, next week she will attend from 9.00 to 13.15 PM and she will have lunch there, the third week she will go from 9.00 to 16.00 PM, nshe will have lunch and nap soon after. I hope everything will be ok, I am not really satisfied with this new kindergarden, not at all but she will find all her friends, some of the one attended micro kindergarden and some she has know this summer at the park, also she knows home is really near and mummy also ^^.

In the foto you can see Momichan dressed with her new apron before we go out.

Coming back at 11.30

I believed I coluld stay 10 minutes with Momichan but really I had to leave her pretty soon, teacher told us where to leave her bags and things and after I said "ciao" gave her a kiss and went away. Momichan seemed a little sad but when I came back at 11.35 she was already waiting for us and she was really happy, she told me she had played and designed with felt pens and she had mused so much !!! WOW In her class there are some of the kids she already knows and some of them she met this summer at the park, kids are not really all of the same age, they are from 3 to 5 but the class seems well composed anyway. We will see tomorrow, Momi likes her apron and feels really good ^^

Thomas The Train

2011-10-02T15:11:00.001+02:00

Il Trenino Thomas è una serie inglese scritta del reverendo Awdry inventate per il figlio quando aveva il morbillo. Narra le avventure di un gruppo di treni e altri mezzi antropomorfizzati che abitano nell'isola di Sodor. I trenini sono otto: Thomas, Percy, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Toby, Emily.

Momichan adora il cartone e lo segue con molta attenzione e va matta per la sigla che sta imparando e canticchia da sola di tanto in tanto:

THOMAS THE TRAIN SONG

veloci vanno e fan ciuf ciuf, ma che allegra ferrovia

sono rossi verdi o blu, ma che allegra compagnia

chi in stazine fischia e va, chi il legname porterà,

puntuali i treni che corrono su e giù.

Thomas ! che combinaguai

James ! lui non si ferma mai

Gordon ! romba e brontola

Emily ! lungo il mare va

Henry ! sorride sbuffa e va

Edward ! come luccica

Toby ! fischia e dice ciao

Percy ! haq il cuore tenero

Veloci vanno e fan ciuf ciuf, ma che allegra ferrovia

sono rossi verdi o blu, ma che allegra compagnia

chi in stazione fischia ve, chi il legname porterà,

puntuali i treni che corrono su e giù.

italian or japanese ?

2011-10-02T00:53:00.004+02:00

Momichan has a strange face, she has a little nose and large green eyes, everytime I look at her I try to imagine into what girl she will turn, sometimes she is really similar to me when I was 9 month old, same face shape, same hair colour and similar nose but the eyes are something really different, not alike noone in our family. I always ask myself what would have said her grandpa if he ever would have been the occasion to meet her, I guess he would have loved her so much ^___^

ciaoooooooo

apron

2011-10-02T00:10:00.003+02:00

Hello everybody, Momichan will start kindergarden tuesday so yesterday we bought two apron. It has been really not simple, every place we visited either did not have, or had finished, or had some but too dear in price ! GOSH !
Finally we visited last shop near home which was closed before the start of our shopping and I finally found two aprons, they are Disney original but the cost is half the one in the other shops and the design is cute. I really was searching just a nrmal white apron but in this case the only one I found at a reasonable price was this one, Momichan tried it and said satisfied she felted cute and she wanted this, she was so cute with the apron, so sweet (I will take a foto soon), I looked at her and thought she has really grown up so much, she will go preschool now and soon she will be bigger enough to go real school ! OOOOOOHHHHHH !!!

ciao ciao

kindergarden shopping ...

2011-09-29T16:19:00.005+02:00

Next tuesday Momochan will start kindergarden so as he daddy theese two days is home relaxing, we have to go for some shopping.

Children have been divided by colour instead of sections, there is light blue, orange, green, red and yellow, Momochan is the orange class so we need to go Ikea to buy three little orange towels, we have to meet with a friend at 18.00 who will give us three orange bags and two orange collars and we have to buy two white apron.

Once home and before tuesday I will have to iron on every item some iron-on patches which Momochan will easily recognize and also I will have to write down her name on everything with a special pen. The character Momo has chosen is Lighting McQueen ^^

One of the bags will contain a pillow for the sleeping time after lunch, second bag will contain some complete dress changes (three) and the third will contain cup, towel and three bibs.
ciao ciao

daddy's b'day !

2011-09-27T14:03:00.005+02:00

Daddy is having birthday the 27 but as he is not free from work we celebrate today !
As every celebration or bday we have ordered the special cake to our preferred bar and this morning we had gone alltogather Momichan, Sampei and me to have breakfast and take the cake, a strawberry cream cake with a special writing on it "auguri papà" ^O^
We have invited granny and Sampei is cooking a special meal. Momichan is all excited, for the occasion she has taken out our three special caps cake shaped and we all wear them singing "happy birthday to you" including granny ^^

Momichan has her own plate with special meal prepared by daddy and she eats all. Granny has taken as a present a bottle of champagne that we all drink eating the cake ^^

ciao ciao

Natural Sciences Museum

2011-09-23T21:46:00.010+02:00

Sampei today is free home so we decide to take Momochan to the Natural Sciences Museum to see animals, dynosaurs and stones. In Milan now there is a strange parade: the indian elephant parade made to raise money to save this animal and for this reason all corners of the city are invaded by funny and coloured elephants that you can buy if you want in a small shape at Rinascente (a great store for perfumes, dresses, kitchen item and more in the center of the city). Here is Momi near a red butterflied elephant.After the fotos with the elephants we get inside the museum to see animals.

One of the first thing you can see at the ground floor are stones, stalagmitis and calcitis, then at the second and third floor you can admire animals inside diorama of their habitat and many other animals inside glass displays, butterflies, insects, shells, fishes and a tons of other animals of any kind. Momichan is enchanted by all of this and loves the triceratops in the first hall, she touches the bones of the other dyno skeletons and asks if they eated veggies or meat, looks around carefoully everything and runs everywhere telling us "hey mummy look, a monkey, a bear, a tiger ..." !

Also coming inside in a room and looking up there is a giant skeleton of a whale and Momi is very much impressed.

There are so many things to see there that one hour is not enough and when you get down to exit there is a shop selling animal books and plastic reproductions of dynos, elephants, tigers and all you can see inside the museum plus puzzles and tshirts and all you can imagine, also there are many glass displays with fishes of every kind inside and Momi makes her own fotographs HEHE

After museum we got a walk towards the center and see shops. Time for dinner comes quick, daddy wants to eat there and go to the cinema, Momichan wants to see the Smurfs, the new film in Milan, for me is everything ok, Momichan is really a good kid inside cinema, she follows the story without making mess and she amuses so much.

We take some sandwiches and we enter inside cinema. The film is really enchanting and when we get out we buy Momichan a small smurf: Puffetta. She is happy but so tired, we direct to the car and in a few moments while daddy is driving home she fall asleep in her car seat ^^

The Smurfs (film 2011)

2011-09-23T19:45:00.001+02:00

When the nasty magician Gargamella follows the Smurfs forcing them outside their village, from their magic world they fall into our in the middle of Central Park ! They have to find a way to come back home before Gargamella catches them. At 19.45 Momichan and us were inside the cinema watching the movie in 3D, Momichan stayed calm and interested all the time and amused very much also if there was no breack between first and second half of the film. We bought her the small plastic characther of Puffetta and she smiled happily at the idea to take home one of the charachters ^^
ciao ciao

hair cut

2011-09-22T16:05:00.002+02:00

Momichan needs again an hair cut, she tells me she needs because her hair are too long and keep too much hot ! HAHAHA

Last week we has reserved for today at 16.00 so before daddy leaves for work we ask him to leave us money to go hair dresser in the afternoon.

Momichan is happy because she cannot wait anymore to have her hair cut, she likes to appear beautiful and recently she also want me to put on her lips my brilliant transparent gloss, she says it is full of stars because it gleams HAHAHA

At 16.00 o'clock I wake her up and we go down, hairdresser is just at the ground floor of our building and is waiting for us (we live in a big building and just in front in the same space there are some little shops, a coffee, hairdresser and more).

The owner herself makes Momochan seat on a chair and starts to cut her hair, Momichan is excited but carefoul, she doesn't dare to move not to be cut somewhere.

After the cut she admires herself in the mirror but asks if she can have her hair washed because she sais, in this way hair are more fresh ! HAHAHA The hairdresser asks Momochan is she likes her hair now and she says "thanks for my haircut, now I'm so beautiful" HAHAHA what ba funny baby I have !

ciao ciao

junior chair ...

2011-09-16T00:30:00.007+02:00

So much time ago I bought the highchair for Momichan, a white one, light but very stable with tray so that baby Momichan could play and learn how to use spoons and dishes, fork and cup. The blue penguin cup togather with the bubble blue dish were the first items I bought for Momichan for eating time and is one of the older she has, the plastic green bib in the photo has been bought short afterwards and has become very useful in time, she is using it still now and she has one also in red, it is part of a set composed by cup with lid, plate, spoon and bib.

Many other eating sets have been bought after to be changed every meal and stimulate Momi to recognize colours and shapes but I guess the black penguin cup with his blue berret is her preferred. Time has passed by and baby Momichan has turned into a small kid, highchair has become too small and unconfortable to seat inside so this morning we have gone to Ikea store and bought a junior chair, Momichan chosed tis one in a brilliant green colour, she loves it ! Once home she has wanted to dcorate it with adhesifs of Tinkerbell and now she loves to climb on it every time is eating time, she comes into the kitchen, opens her drawer, takes out her dishes, tools and cups and prepares her things on the table then climb up her chair and laughs so much, she is so sweet really, she also likes to take her puzzles with her and display on the table and play while I finish preparing her food ^^

sayounara ^^

Livigno ^___^

2011-09-12T23:42:00.007+02:00

This morning we are living for Livigno, daddy is free from work and so we have opportunity to go. We have taken our small fridge and filled with sandwiches and water, Momi has her rucksack with books and toys and a giant bag with two changes, milk bottle and more. She is so excited to go somewhere with both parents and she sings a song in japanese for the occasion.

Before arriving in Livigno, in the city of Chiuro Sondrio there is a pit stop we have to do: there is a special store selling apples apple vinegar and apple juice, everywhere here all around there are cultivations of apples, small and red or bigger and yellow, perfect to eat as they are or transform into the best apple pie ever depending on the tipe of fruit. We always stop there to buy 5 or more kilos of apples and 6 bottles of fresh apple juice, just pure apple juice with nothing more inside. This juice can be used pure or added to make some tasty drinks or fruits salads.

We stop eating the sandwiches and soon after we reach the mountains, temperature is lower here, instead of 28 degreed of Milan here is 15 ! WOW

Arrived in Livigno first thing we do is fill the gasoline tank of the car, here fuel cost less. Momichan looks outside the window and shouts happily because is full of horses eating grass in the fields all around the city, just a few kilometers before she had seen black and white cows doing the same thing around the mountains beside the street.

There is something we have to do quick, Momichan has dirtied every change of sweaters I had taken for her so we need to find a kid store and buy her a pair of sweater pants, she only wears tshirt, sweater and nappy.

After having found a Benetton store and a cute pair of pants for a discounted low price we direct to our preferred coffe shop near the supermarket where we always buy chokolate and we sit to take a coffee and a piece of cake YUM YUM. Inside this place is so cute, the coffee shop side is lighted by enormous windows, everything is made of wood, on the top there are straw stuffed animals (foxes, squirrels and deers) and tables are made of wooden trunks (see foto) and some of the walls are made of stones, the effect is a cozy place in which have a pit stop to eat or drink something and look ouside ^___^
After shopping just outside (chokolate bars, bresaola, some cheese....) is time to go dinner. The restaurant Rosengarden is one hour away from Livigno. Momichan is really hungry, she eats an entire cotoletta with fries and tastes some of bresaola and deer salami we have ordered.

Outside now temperature is just 9 degrees but Momichan has her new feather jacket, once in the car she soon fall asleep, we have still to drive for long time, we will be home late in the night and Momi needs to sleep. Good night sweetie ^___^

daddy is home ^^

2011-09-06T15:47:00.003+02:00

Luckily rain has stopped, Sampei has called from the restaurant in Milan, he has arrived but has to work in the evening, we can go take him up so we can eat togather, go supermarket (we need milk for Momichan), relax and have a nap ....

Momichan is so happy, she has also a present for daddy, an envelope contains a fish recipees book, a spiral notebook to write down his personal recipees and a image deisgned by Momi for daddy ^___^ As soon as we get restaurant and she sees daddy she gives him his present "daddy, for you" !

Daddy is dark skinned, after two months he is tanned, and ... oh ... a little round ;-P one or two kilos more HAHAHA he is happy to see us but so tired so we get into the car immediately, put his sacs and things inside the car and drive away, well he drives, me for once in two months time is sitting beside relaxing a little ;-) Momichan in her car seat behibd daddy is singing in japanese a song she has learned for this day and she is really jouzu ^^

Daddy says "onaka suita" (I'm hungry), my stomach is also making strange noises, is lunch time so we decide to go to the chinese restaurant near our home, Momi is enthusiastic because she loves chinese pasta and chiken the way they cook and she really eats a lot, an entire portion !!!

A quick jump to the supermarket, we have to make some shopping, milk and some veggies, yogurt and more. Once home I organize everything and put away the variuous items, prepare the milk bottle for Momi while daddy is making a shower.

Our big bed with soft blankets is inviting, Momi wants to sleep with daddy so both of them jump on the bed, I put on them a soft plaid and tey both fall asleep ^^

sayounara ^___^

rain ....

2011-09-06T10:52:00.002+02:00

Momichan's daddy is coming, he is togather with his collegues, somewhere driving along the highway between Livorno and Milano, we cannot reach him because he has the cell phone off. Here has started to rain hard, what a horrible morning ! I wanted to take a walk to relax a little while waiting news but now it is impossible to get out ! GOSH !!!

daddy is coming back ^^

2011-09-05T13:57:00.005+02:00

From the passed 28th june much time has gone, finally Momichan's daddy is coming back home, probably we will go to take him up at the restaurant in Milan tomorrow evening ^^

He and his mates will leave from Porto Cervo maybe tomorrow morning, take the ferry boat to Genova and after drive on with the car until Milano city. A big truck will follow in a few days with all the rest of the restaurant items and most of the suitcases of the guys (there is no space enough in the car for everybody's properties).

Guess Momichan will be excited to see her daddy after two entire months but we have had our good time and we have amused visiting many places and done many things, civic aquarium in Milan, seaside at oncle house, plastic swimmpool, bubble sword, acquarium in Genova, new park, also she has grown up so much and is able now to open the fridge and take what she needs, she is able to sing in japanese her favourite Totoro songs, follow an entire story in her books and much more. Will her daddy still recognize her ? HAHAHA ! ;-P

This is a sashimi dish Sampei has prepared, he has also learned many things, how to improve his cooking way and how to prepare and serve at his best dishes like this one ^^

starfish and crab bento

2011-09-03T18:16:00.001+02:00

Starfish and crab bento, inserito originariamente da luckysundae.

Another delicious bento prepared by Luckysundae ^___^
I love this bento, I will make something similar for Momichan even if not a real bento because is of use at home but I will make some decorations on her evening meal ^^