going park after a rainy morning :)

Here we are back home, Momichan and I are quite sad, it would have been better to stay Japan, she is sad because here there is no granny and no cusins neither all the cute things and placese we have seen (and moreover, no stickers we found in 100 Yen Stores HAHAHA).

This morning was raining hard and daddy had to go out quick because today at work he had some special catering to prepare. On monday daddy will prepare suitcase while Momichan will be back yochen (kindergarden) and after we will take daddy togather to his working place because he is leaving for entire summer for Sardinia as last year :(

Momo is no happy about and me too but anyway daddy will be seaside and will make many fotos to show us and will have many things to tell us, also we have change contract from 3 to Tim so that we have free calls between us and we will have the opportunity to speak to daddy whenever we will want :))

This morning after breackfast, Momichan and I went to the park, two novelties came to our eyes, attached to the tree near the balances is appeared a bat nest :))

The other novelty is that now we have again four balances, someone has hanged the fourth while we were on vacation :))

If time is good we will take a walk as soon as Momichan will wake up from her usual italian nap.

We noticed this morning train carousel is still here after all this time but will leave until next year, this evening so this afternoon Momichan will have last opportunity to go.

day 3: kindergarden party

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 1: preparing b'day

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 ...)

daddy is home ^^

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 ....

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 ^^

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 ^^

old "new"home ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

sayounara ^_^

Old house ....

After one year we come back in the old house.

After one year of no use, house is terribly dusty and dirty with bags, boxes and items everywhere on the floor so every morning after having taken Momichan to kindergarden I have to go to the old house to clean and organize everything. I do not have much time in the morning and I have to clean also after lunch when Momichan sleeps and sometimes if I need I also go in the night at nine o clock while Momichan is in her bed sleeping.

Since a few days we have again gas, hot and cold water, electricy and telephone connected so I can clean and have a shower before going kindergarden to take Momichan back home, granny-s home where we have lived up till now.

Every morning I take a bag with a fresh clean sweat shirt and pants to wear so that my dresses stay clean and ready to wear after the shower. I can also take a tiny breack and have a coffee, I took some from home and some tiny bottles of milk too, gas is perfectly working and I still have some pots and pans I can use to heat water ^^

As you see in the fotos after a week hard work house is clean again. Some of the rooms are lacking of furniture because it has been sold and also fridge, oven, microvawe are at granny-s house and will have to take back here.Since a week at granny-s house we do not have warm water because of something broken with the central heating so when Momichan and I come back home we have to come first there to the old house to have a shower, Momichan and the other kids now play in the garden of the kindergarden is fantastick because everyday the discover something new but when is time to go home they are terribly dirty so before put her to bed for the nap I have to clean her and let her wear clean dresses, this is the reason why every morning I also take a change for her I leave in the old house bathroom hanging to the wall ^^

Sometimes now that house is cleaner, Momichn comes with me, she plays around while I organize and she amuses a lot jumping on our old bed.

Gosh !!!

Gosh !

As you know we still do not have the kitchen but we are organizing for the necessary work to start in a couple of weeks, we have another problem since a couple of months: we do not have warm water so every morning and every evening we have to get down in my mum's kitchen to boil some water in a pot but finally next monday we will have a new water heater.

Since a few days we even do not have a dryer so we can make laundry but not dry so, I have to use a dryIng rack and pins ! You can see our tiny bathroom is literally full, we cannot even move inside !!! GOSH !!! Nearly every day is like that or even worse, Momichan in kindergarden gets many changes dirty and daddy every evening comes home with clothes to be washed because sweaten and full of food stains and obviously there's me with my clothes. GOSH !!!

Our New House ^^

Since a couple of days we are living in my mum's home ^^
Today we finished the moving and right now nearly everything is organized, we still have many things to take from the old house and also we do not have the kitchen even if we have our fridge and here the little space we have, starts to be like a real house even if it's only 35 meters for the moment (new wall to enlarge up to 45 meters will be build next january).
Even if we do not have space we have and will have two things important: two big windows with sight on the garden, park, water and green and the sound of birds, crickets, the tapping of the rain on the roof when it is bad weather and the wind moving the leaves of the trees.

Momichan seems relaxed now, she has been a veeery gooood child yesterday and today and she sleeps very quietly all night long without awakening three times as she was doing since ever in the old house ^^

Crazy Momichan

We are finally moving !!!!
Today I had to leave for half an hour Momichan with granny because I had to go home to take some other stuff, thought that in the meantime granny would give her lunch.

I arrive granny's home and hear Momichan screaming desperately so I run inside and ask mommy why she is so desperate, she answers Momichan is just nasty and that she has tried everything but Momichan has refused to eat or drink anything !!!
The rest of the day is not better, I have to organize inside wardrobe the things and dresses I have taken from home and Momichan does not want to leave me and screams with tears.

I in the evening is the same, after meal I take her up in the bedroom to sleep, I had previously bathed her, changed nappy and put pijama, Momichan does not want to sleep even if she is tired and seems sleepy.

I get angry, also I have to put her bed again with the two removable bed sides (I had taken away one of the two because it seemed Momichan was big enough to climb up alone also in the previous camping bed she climbed out by herself so I thought it was better to help so that she could come out without danger but is doesn't work) because Momichan continuously gets out and is impossible to do anything I still have to eat and have to go go down laundry. She is so angry or desperate (we cannot understand really what she has) that she throughws up the dinner and the milk she had just sipped .... ! We have to do again shower and change completely !

I put her to bed again and she starts again to scream desperately !!!
I go down to eat and she goes on .... I go and take the fresh laundry and put another on to retire tomorrow morning, Momichan is still crying .... !!! GOSH !!! What the hell she has ????
Is it possible she is confused or worried because we are moving ? she still has so many of her things here, her dresses inside wardrobe and her toys, her favourite chair and little pelouche cat, but she seems not to carry, I make everything possible to make her feel home, and also we have been here thousands of times, she loves granny, so why she behaves like that ?

...................................................

It's one o clock in the morning, daddy is coming home now from work and Momichan finally has fallen asleep.
Tomorrow I will go to the doctor and tell everything hope she can give something to keep Momichan calm, tomorrow we have to go Ikea to take the minivan nand go home to carry away the furniture we need to take here, Momichan will have to stay with granny for much of the afternoon and I do not have any idea what she will do ....

new bathroom (follows)

Finally after five months waiting we have the new bathroom, furnished and perfectly working.

Plumber has finished his work but the wall is still to be repaired, there is a hole because of the tube for water taken to our future kitchen but the bricklayer will come only on monday morning. We have already have had possibility to use the new bathroom, everything is working perfectly and new bathtub is wonderful.

Today I went to Ikea to buy new accessories for the shower like the shower curtain, shower curtain rod and the rings to hang it.

In the corner right to the wc where I put the changing table, I want to hang a mobile and if I can also some little mirrors so that eventually Momichan will stay calm when I dress her ^^ In a few days we will hang four cabinets to organize towels, medicines, baby items and some other things, just the time to move and take the cabinets from the old home.

I also bought some flowers to display outside the window, I have a sunflower and a special lavender that has a special smell like lemon. I have also put order inside the sink closet, bought some plastic boxes to organize cleaning products, soaps recharges, towels and so on, the result is a happy coloured cabinet ^^

Momichan seems to love it, I imagine that when we will move all the furniture we need for bedroom, kitchen and is still confused about this new bathroom but she living room she will feel more "home" ^^

New Bathroom ...

Finally after many sacrifices we got permission to renew the bathroom of the upper floor of mum's house, this bathroom is more than 40 years old !

Today there were two men working inside, they took away the shower and put the new bathtub, bought on purpose for Momichan, tomorrow they will go on with the restyling changing wc, taking away bidet, creating connections for the washing mashine and the new kitchen ont the other side of the wall.
At the moment our old bathroom looks like this but in a few days we will put Ikea furniture and will decorate so that it will become very pretty and comfortable for little Momichan (she fears the shower and loves the bathtub), we cannot wait to see ^^
Momichan was staring at the works smiling at the bathtub, powder and pieces of wall were everywhere so I took her away to play ^^

Countdown ...

Finally countdown has started to begin the works for the new house and we have started to search the best prices for electricians, windows, furniture and others. We have to check when actually works can start and if we have all permissions, then we will have to coordinate the various technicians and hope they can do the job in short time.

The idea is to trasform the upper part of mum's house in a small apartment enlarging it including one of the two existing balconies transforming it from 35 to 45 square meters. The upper part now is composed by a small bathroom and two bedrooms my sista and I used when we ere living with parents.

House will be so small but lovely and precious like a jewel, we will have to buy from Ikea bathroom furniture, the kitchen, a cupboard for shoes and night table for the sleeping room. All pavements will be covered by moquette so that I will not have to wash every day and will spare a lot of time, there will be a sleeping room we will use for us and Momichan and after for Momichan alone when she will be bigger, a bathroom and a living room/kitchen/bedroom thanks to our sleeping sofa.

We have already contacted some friends who have made a project and have given us some prices and best of all, have accept to be paid long term in small rates, now we just have to wait until first week of march hoping works can start immediately, incase with a little bit of luck we will have possibilityto move with our old furiniture before middle april ... just cross fingers .... just cross fingers ....

Momi' s B' Day Countdown

Momi's birthday will be within 3 months and 29 days ^^