The last 7 Days

I have never been so busy while on holiday from work. Before I became a mommy, my idea of a holiday is waking up late, lounging in my pajamas until the afternoon and watching daytime TV or just be online all day long. 

To say that having kids changes your life is an understatement. I am not complaining though. She is the best thing that ever happened to us and every thing that we do for her brings us joy.

Here are random photos of the last 7 days.

We had picnics. One was during lunch in a field just across our house and the one was on a top of the hill overlooking the city.

We went to the mall several times and each time, we had our  favorites, smoothies and sugar cinnamon pretzels.

In one mall, they have this new play area called Go Wild which is similar to Snakes and Ladders but so much better, clean and airy. She enjoyed it so much and made friends.

I enjoyed it as well as they have a special area for parents to wait. I just wish that they will provide WiFi in the future.

We went to the playground several times as well.

I was just glad that I did not have to take her to Nursery as she is on school holiday also. When the next school year starts in September, we will be a lot busier what with hubby and me back to work, the little girl back to school. All the school activities and extra curricular activities like her Ballet classes as she wants to continue going and other after school activities she might want to pursue and me being a stage mommy, I am going to support whatever she wants to do. With all these in mind, I got myself something handy aside from my iPhone. A fridge calendar, so I will see every morning during breakfast what is on for the day.

What about you stage mommies out there? What's been keeping you and your little ones busy?

Sights and Sounds (and taste) of London Olympics 2012

Just being in and around London was enough to give you the Olympic feel. We did not see any games ( we were to choosy and by the time we have decided, the tickets were gone on the screen) but we did go in to the Olympic park. Our tickets came through the post a week before the date which got us very excited. There was so much to see at the Olympic park which deserves a post of its own, when I get the chance.

There were Javelin trains dedicated to Olympic game ticket holders which only takes 7 minutes from St. Pancras to the Olympic Park in Stratford.

Each train passenger was given an ice lolly as part of the celebration of the sporting event. For a freebie, the ice lollies were delicious, complete with ice cream in the middle of it.

Once in central London, the atmosphere is wonderful and inexplicable that I felt so lucky to be there. 

And while we were walking along the Tower Bridge, it opened up to accommodate a much larger ship.

Once in the Olympic park, you can hear the screams and cheers coming from the Stadium. 

This vibrant city deserves all the accolades in the last few weeks from the opening ceremonies to the event itself and of course, to the wonderful closing ceremony which showcased brillliant British music.

And for you to feel the vibe as well, I leave you with this video.

The Angels Have Landed

I have been a fan since the very first time I slathered  Victoria's Secret body lotion on my skin.  It was such a shame that it took this long for the brand to reach English shores. Before now, I would rely on my friends who live in the U.S. to send some over. I am more than glad, if not ecstatic, that it is finally here.

The Flagship store, the first ever and one and only (so far) in England is located at Westfield Shopping Centre in Stratford, Central London. After our brief tour of the Olympic Park, I made sure we dropped by at the said shopping centre to get my stash of my favorite Glaced Pear. 

I love using scented body lotions rather than wearing perfume as the latter gives me a headache sometimes, being so strong to the nostrils. The nice thing about scented lotions is that the scent is so subtle, like when you just stepped out of the shower. But I'm not just talking about any scented lotions, I'm talking about Victoria's Secret scented lotion. You can never go wrong with it.

my stash

Let's Stop And Talk Awhile

The stage mommy is happy to announce that the comments section is finally working with the help of Disqus. My readers now have the option of logging in comments using their FaceBook, Twitter, Google + and Disqus accounts. 

I would love to hear from you.

London Olympics 2012: Right At Our Doorstep

The London Olympics opening ceremony, the two hour showcase of British history made me feel lucky to be able to call this place my second home. I have been living here for over 10 years but I only learned so many historical facts in the last 2 hours. Kudos to director David Boyle ( Slumdog Millionaire)

The inclusion of the NHS nurses made me feel luckier and more proud, being a an NHS nurse myself. I wonder why they did not include Florence Nightingale being the pioneer of nursing in the Crimean war when she was British as well.

They were more keen to include Mary Poppins.

I think the inclusion of James Bond with him and the queen jumping from the helicopter signalling the queen's arrival in the Olympic stadium was brilliant.

. We were not lucky enough to score tickets for the opening ceremony or any games for that matter but are more than lucky to score ticket to get into the Olympic park for a day during the Olympics. It will be good enough for me to be able to savour the Olympic vibe, something to write home about.

The London Olympics 2012 opening ceremony was a spectacular production, brilliant as the British would say. To quote Sebastian Coe, London Olympic Chairman, "I have never been more proud to be British"  even if I'm only British by passport and citizenship.


Images via the web

Daphne x Bench Home Scents

I have always loved home scents as long as I can remember.  Scented candles are always number one on my list with Glade and Yankee Candles being my favorites. They are fire risks though and over the years I have tried every alternative from plug-ins, potpourri, gels and oils but they seem to lose the scent in just a few days. With plug-ins, they can be very strong and give me headaches. It was just in the last year that I discovered diffusers and I found that the scent never fades even long after the bottle is empty. I have been using Ambi-Pur since then.

I got really excited when I found out that Daphne Osena Paez has collaborated with Bench to produce home scents in diffusers. I have been wanting to get hold of Daphne's products from her furniture line, jewelry to linens. It just so happens that my Tita was coming back to the UK and among the three, it's the diffusers that is the lightest and easiest to put in the luggage, not to mention the cheapest.LOL.

They come in three scents,  Homemade Lemon Tart, Acres of Lavender and Mint and Jasmine. I was a bit cynical and was wondering if it would be up to scratch with my Ambi-Pur. The first few minutes I was not convinced but after half an hour, the scent started permeating the whole dining area and everytime I pass by, I can readily smell it even up to the lounge area. I was happy and that was when I decided to open the rest.

Acres of Lavender in the master bedroom.

Mint and Jasmine in the toilet and bath.

Though still can't decide whether to place it on the sink or above the toilet.

And of course, Homemade Lemon Tart in the dining/lounge area.

I guess I will need to have some more sent over because I now want it in every nook and cranny of our house. In the guest bedroom, the stairs landing and the hallway. Not to forget the kitchen.

Daphne Home Scents, highly recommended by The Stage Mommy.

Available at all Bench stores.

The Little Girl's Room

The search for the Princess bed is still on but this time we have moved on from toddler beds to big girl's beds. We thought it would be a waste when she would only be able to use it by 4 or 5 years old, maybe 6 really but due to health and safety, manufacturers only recommend up to 4 years old which she will be in 4 months time.

I was thinking that a proper single bed would be too big for her, so we will be settling for a what they call a "shorty divan" which is only 175 cms of which the regular lenght would have been 190 cms. It would be a bit grown up bed for her but with some imagination and inspirations, I am sure we will achieve a little girl's bedroom soon. 

 Since her bedroom walls are already painted green, we are opting for a pink and green theme. Here are some inspirations from the web.

Below is more pink than green. I am gearing towards the top one.

I had her bedroom walls painted green because I wanted to stray away from pink. I felt like we have had enough of pink already but at the end of the day, here I am picking pink again. Little girls and pink, I think they will always go together.