yummy mummy obsessions: pretty danglings
They say being pregnant can sometimes relegate one to looking like a Cinderella (no, not the part where she transforms into a gorgeous princess) and make you look all haggard with little regard for dressing up. I mean, when you’ve got so much going on inside of you, not to mention morning sickness, nausea amongst others, dolling up takes a back seat.
I’ve been blessed in this aspect that except for days when I feel totally down from being ill, I still take little joys in putting on the gloss, the mascara & the blush. Happy to say that I enjoy doing so, and it does lift my spirits up considering that I can’t fit into many of my pre-pregnancy clothes any longer and maternity-like clothes haven’t been all that exciting to wear.
Recently, I’ve been into the whole earrings phase. Not sure what triggered the interest since I’ve always had ultra-sensitive ears which meant that I couldn’t just wear anything I caught a fancy to (unless I wanted to suffer from a nasty infection for a few days). But lately, I’ve been on the look-out for pretty, girly ones – nickel free of course!
I chanced upon this pair at a really attractive steal yesterday and couldn’t take my mind off it since.
Needless to say, I ended up purchasing it and am looking forward to wearing them!
You can participate in this steal too by clicking here: http://reserve.refinery29.com/offer/244/melinda-maria
Fun Fact: Nicknamed ‘Hollywood’s Bling Queen’, Melina Maria carries a range of beautiful accessories – necklaces, stunning earrings, rings & bracelets which Emma Stone, Kate Beckinsale, Megan Fox, Emily Blunt, Vanessa Hudgens, Shenae Grimes, Elizabeth Olsen, Claire Danes, Emmy Rossum, Minka Kelly, Olivia Wilde, Madonna have been spotted wearing. :D
One Happy Day
Today was a very happy day.
1. 2.3 more days before I get to see my husband on Saturday morning. I’m happy & thankful for the invention of Skype nonetheless. We had a good 40 minutes video chat where he gave me a little tour of his room, bathroom, view of the city/beach etc. But yet I don’t feel as ‘alone’ because of baby chungkin’s existence. The little one has been really active of late – kicking and moving a lot more now during the time daddy’s not at home. I think he knows! Or maybe I talk too much and too loudly about it :x
2. My very very good best friend – the BR -…came over and spent an afternoon from her precious leave to help me pack the very messy walk-in closet; after the wonderful job which she helped with in creating cot space within the bedroom previously. Baby chungkin officially has wardrobe space – hanging & folding. Whee.
3. My Ralph Lauren parcel for b.chungkin arrived (shame on you, Vpost for your horrid delays) thanks to someone special in US who helped me post this out. The packaging was lovely, in RL style on doubt, and came complete with a little note & hangers for all the pretty clothing.
4. Spent the evening / dinner with BR and did some good ole’ catching up. I miss hanging out with her and I’m glad that we’re able to spend more time together these days…more to come when b.chungkin comes out when she gets into her fairy godmother duties.
5. We finally confirmed on a deal with a contractor, with another to be confirmed on Saturday. Changes, albeit minor, are finally on the way for mister house and will commence in Jan. I absolutely love changes, especially when it’s for the better. Change is good.
Just a few more Christmasy stuff to do, few more presents to wrap; and I’m all set for merry-making!
baby chungkin preg-o shopping bag weekends yay yay yay!
by natasha
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Taka sale attack! and adventures of the shopping monster…
I’ve never been much of a Takashimaya departmental store shopper due to the perception that things sold in there cost more than they should and would at other departmental stores. Perhaps it is the way the brand name has always been marketed, or the presence of many established luxury boutiques and labels available within the store; or that they do not have attractive sales/discounts as often as their competitors such as the likes Robinsons, Isetan and Metro.
Hence when I do spend at Takashimaya departmental store, it is usually food related (because they have an entire basement dedicated to sell a range of food inclusive of those with an exquisite packaging and price) and event related (they also tend to organize relatively good baby/christmas/lunar new year/mid-autumn festival fairs in a huge atrium where you can purchase everything ‘under one roof’).
So when my cousin and a friend told me to consider signing up for one of the Takashimaya members cards now that I was expecting, and how I could enjoy an additional 10% off discounted merchandise during baby fairs and members sale (their baby fairs though far & few between usually have lots of big ticket & heavy items available which you could purchase all under one roof inclusive of free delivery with purchases over $150) – I knew we had to sign up for it (considering this was coming from 2 people who were already mommies & whom I had similar purchasing patterns with). I figured that it would also be the start of many ‘baby’ cards (i.e.: Toys R Us, Mothercare membership cards etc.); now that baby chungkin was on the way = additional expenses – every little bit of savings helped.
This weekend was Takashimaya’s members sale from 1 – 4 Dec and boy was I in much of a delight. The model of breast pumps that I had been eyeing on was going at $699 before an additional 10% discount (that would bring it down to $629), as compared to what was usually being sold at retail stores ($899) and at the ongoing baby fair ($768) – inclusive of a 1 year local warranty – thanks to another friend/mom-to-be who had called me days earlier and shared with me her research on prices and reasons for getting one with a local warranty. I helped her purchase a set too :-)
Amongst other things purchased were also wet wipes, some infant clothes, bundles of stretch mark cream, other knick knacks and a lovely Christmas/early Birthday present from the Bo :) We were 2 very happy campers, and were pleased to know that we could redeem $180 worth of Takashimaya vouchers due to our recent spending. Nice!!!
Somehow shopping during this festive season made the entire exercise more joyous. I was practically on my feet for hours walking between malls – got myself some paraben-free cosmetics & new brushes from Sephora and some very affordable miscellaneous items from Daiso, gourmet & delicious smelling bread from Bread Society, shopped for even larger sized underwear (sad yet happy affair) et cetera.
I hear the next Takashimaya baby fair (the big scale one where other vendors will come in to sell their wares) will be held in Mar 2012; just weeks before baby chungkin greets the world in person. Till then, I’d just have to do my best to curb the shopping monster in me.
What can I say, shopping makes me a very happy person. They don’t call it ‘retail therapy’ for no reason! :)
Hope your weekend was just as fruitful.
’tis the season to be jolly
Happy December! I’m thrilled that we’re officially in the last month of the year!
We finally got our X’mas tree up during the week and thanks to the beanie in the belly, I was excused from doing most of the set up apart from tree selection & decorations!
Absolutely loving the smell of pine lingering in the house
This year, we decided to get a smaller tree because the Bo decided that since he was going to handle most of the carrying and disposing of tree alone, it made sense to go with one that was manageable.
And me thinks that when baby chungkin joins us for his first Christmas next year (I know, thinking way too far ahead), this size-of-a-tree will be a good enough background for the teeny weeny boy anyway.
I’ve always loved Christmas and all the merry-making it brings; along with the writing of greeting cards to relatives far and near, deciding the theme of our celebration parties, dressing up, buying of Christmas gifts (maybe not the wrapping since I suck at it), and just spreading good cheer around. And knowing that this year’s Christmas will be made extra special with the little one in the tummy to enjoy all the fun is icing on the (log) cake.
***
For the shopaholics, Dec. also means end-of-season sales! And after our yoga session today, me and ms.A decided to check out what Takashimaya’s card members sale (additional 10% off) had to offer. We spent a good 30 minutes at the baby section sussing out prices and offers (and to take notes for comparison at this weekend’s baby fair) followed by a good 60 minutes or more shopping thereafter for comfy shoes to pamper ourselves! Haha, loved that it wasn’t too packed when we first arrived though we starting seeing a bigger crowd in-store shortly after & more preggers strolling in to try on some shoes too!
I’ve never been a fan of flats (since I’m rather height challenged), but I guess when your husband at nags you enough to abandon any form of heels regardless (now that baby matters more than vanity) and then rewards you with one that fits you comfortably without needing to put on any band-aid due to unsightly blisters…it grows on you.
Plus, I’ve been warned by mom & the Bo that all wedges/heels will have to take a backseat till baby chungkin can walk steadily on his own since I can get rather clumsy & trippy when it comes to any other form of shoes, flipflops inclusive. I’m some sort of a walking mishap especially in crowded places.
We left the shop extremely happy with our new purchases. Although I was almost undecided on an additional pair – in a very pretty dusty pink no less! But hoarding on to 5 pairs to try on till I made a decision made me feel like a bad person so when the salesperson asked if I could ‘release’ that pair to another customer because it was the last available size, I took it as a sign that it wasn’t meant to be :)
All in all a good day, I felt like the weekend had already started judging by the crowds and happy vibes that filled the air. There’s a baby fair happening this weekend which I’m looking forward to attend with some friends too, now that I don’t necessarily have to buy gender neutral colours and we’ve crossed the halfway mark.
Yay yay yay!
my impulsive maternity shopping purchases
I was on the way to meet a friend for maternity shopping & coffee this afternoon when she texted me that she had just spent near to $200 on a maternity skirt & dress and the sheer disbelief that the ‘premium’ that she paid for was actually for the silly elastic band to accommodate the belly instead of a zip; and not some designer label. Oh! the laments of preggy women!
We started our afternoon with some milkshake (friend was absolutely craving for OUAM due to my previous post :p) before we started our maternity shopping at Marina Square.
yummy milkshakes for a quick perk-me-up!
Now I stupidly wore a pair of skinny jeans, elastic waist no less which I had purchased at $29 from Uniqlo previously during my 6-7 week of pregnancy; which lasted me nicely till about some 3-4 weeks ago (because it got lost in the laundry for a while). And while rushing to get out of the house to meet friend on time today, I simply slipped it on standing up even if it felt a little snug (assuming that it would expand a little later on in the day as with all my other denims).
It was only till I sat down during my journey that I realized how the band was folding into my belly and baby chungkin was fidgeting around a lot! I was soon in discomfort and I could only imagine baby was probably feeling the same with all the crazy squirming. Ah, crap! Bad choice of clothes. Intuitively, I discreetly placed a finger beneath my top, between the elastic band and my belly just to create some room in between. My day hadn’t even started and here I was, all desperate to change into a more comfortable pair of bottoms.
“I need new pants, now!”, I yelped to my friend upon meeting her.
So when friend brought me to our first maternity store for the arvo, I frantically zoomed in on all the bottoms that were on display trying to find ANY pair of jeans/capri/berms. I did try on a pair of maternity jeans amidst all the other clothes which enthusiastic saleslady handed to me, except that it looked really funny with excess denim sticking out at the bottom and at the hips - yes I am that fussy even in desperate times.
I did end up purchasing 3 items – none of which were bottoms but very lovely looking tops and dresses – in the end for $235 (oh golly, that was practically my shopping budget!). And as I felt baby doing another flurry of kicks in the belly as we left the store, I knew that I really needed to get new pants pronto! The little one was definitely not liking being squashed.
2 shops later and at our last stop, I finally found some maternity jeans (skinny cut no less, hee hee) which caught my fancy. I tried it on, it fit like a glove, came in a nice shade of blue and needed zero alterations on the length (which meant that I could wear it immediately) – I was sold. And as I changed into my new pair of jeans, I could feel baby kicking less and well, probably settling back into his comfy position.
Total maternity shopping damage: $434 for 4 items for cheery tops & dresses and a pair of very comfy jeans.
That said, no regrets on the purchases since they weren’t in any particular prints or trends and can last me post-delivery, plus they double up as nursing wear as well.
And I’m so going to keep them aside for when baby chungkin #2 is in the oven (fingers crossed).
black friday
Being the avid online shopper that I am, I’m a sucker for all sorts of online sales, especially when discounts start from 50% and beyond such as the Black Friday & Cyber Monday events.
And now with baby chungkin on the way (whee! and we know which camp we belong to), these online sales are an absolutely attraction with too-cute-to-resist clothes at too-good-to-resist prices. Good to know that quality, comfort & style are also not compromised at affordable prices…considering how quickly bubs & tots grow out of ‘em clothes!
So far, I’m absolutely pleased with what Carter’s, OshKosh and Pumpkin Patch have to offer – which should all arrive just before I embark on ‘nesting’ in Feb. :) Now…onto books, toys and maybe SSCs….mmm
source | ComGateway, Carter’s
Not-Penny’s Baby Shower
I’ve never attended a baby shower before (yes, the party one throws before baby’s big arrival, not the one month celebration that most Chinese here in SG celebrates), much less a virtual one so when Elphie announced that sweet Mo was throwing her one – I knew I wanted to be a part of it.
I don’t know Elphie nor Mo personally or as much as I would like to, but slightly over 6 months (& beyond) ago, I was in a dark place.
Bo & I had been trying for a family of our own for a while and when it didn’t work out despite our next step to visit gynaes, REs, go for various tests and still be told that ‘nothing was wrong’ and that we were ‘medically fertile’; we were at a loss. I always thought becoming a mom was going to be as natural as breathing (obviously I was naive) and when we were faced with one of life’s biggest curve balls, we were stumped.
Bo did his best at being the strong pillar of support a husband he could be whenever his optimism was crushed by my monthly affirmation, and each time I came out of the loo crying, I could see him fight back tears, consoling & hugging me that everything was going to be alright; that our time to become parents will eventually come. But a husband with a constantly stressed-laden workload strapped to his back can only do so much. And for all that he was going through at the workplace just so he could provide comfortably for the family and also allow me to take that cliche ‘relax & it will happen’ advice the doctors kept dishing to us when I finally decided to quit my job; I didn’t want to offload more emotional baggage to him.
And that’s when I found ‘support’ in the vast, virtual world of the Internet. I didn’t know of anyone who seemed to understand the turmoil I was going through (close friends who try to understand your position but ain’t in it doesn’t count). Or at least no one was sharing except my SIL (who was also been an incredible source of inspiration to me but was also miles away and had her hands full with a newborn).
I turned to Mr. Google and from one click (Stirrup Queens) to another, I was eventually led to Elphie’s blog. Her style of writing, humor, sarcasm and wit were too entertaining & hilarious yet relatable that I found myself being able to lighten up & laugh at our ttc situation a lot more. It was such a relief to know that I wasn’t alone. Even the husband enjoyed reading her posts occasionally and was glad that it helped me manage my monthly pessimism better.
I had just quit my job (to try that ‘relax and it will happen’ advice we paid the docs $75 for every visit) when Elphie announced that she was finally preggers! That entry definitely brought me a lot of encouragement (turns out she did the relax thingy for that particular month too). I also loved that she continued to be sensitive to her readers, most of whom were still trying and didn’t brag about it like some fertile idiot who just sneezed a bun into her oven. She didn’t stop becoming the Elphie that I grew to knew and was still in every way, real about her concerns, worries etc.
And that continued to help me keep myself and my worry wot in check when I finally graduated to the 1st trimester 3.5 months after her. :)
The post that I believed helped me get there in a strange little way (and I still chuckle about it till today) was when Elphie boldly declared that she had a really strong feeling that it (baby) would happen in the next month. For a while, I kept wondering what sort of a feeling that was. I mean, if there was a way of coming close to knowing when project baby might happen (well, hope is always a good thing right?), I wanted to know the signs. Like how we know a fever is usually followed after a flu?
And surreally enough, that ‘feeling’ did take place in end June (right after I dealt with the monthly disappointment) and I recalled Bo telling me that he wasn’t all optimistic for July (maybe because I was getting too overly optimistic) anyway. I did however have such a strong, good feeling that July was going to be THE month that I blogged anonymously (for fear of embarrassment and failure) elsewhere at the start of July that I had this nagging feeling that this cycle was going to the one. And that feeling didn’t disappoint. Still grateful till this day and will always be.
So Elphie, thank you for motivating me in so many ways to defeat my infertility doubts & monsters. Reading your journey to mommyhood has been nothing short of amazing (at least I know I’m normal to feel similar worries & concerns every step of the way).
I’m very sure that both you & Mr. M will be incredible, awesome parents to baby girl and that she will grow up to be the wonderful daughter & woman that you wish for her to be.
And for baby Penny’s shower, here’s a little something which will be arriving in the mail real soon:
A baby einstein tunes box for those little hands to hold and take to anywhere, keep her entertained while you & Mr.M gets some quality time to hold hands, hug or just sip a cuppa coffee (p/s: I’ve checked, sound quality is fantastic and ain’t those annoying versions)
For your new addition this Christmas. I can already imagine how magical the celebration and merry-making is going to be with your little bundle of joy.
xoxo,
Natasha
Maternity Loot at the doorstep
Thanks to 50% sale at asos (apparently discounts are now at 70%. Urgh!), I’ve maternity outfits to last me from Xmas till CNY!
;)
Sale for share! and a rant in between
Let me kick off this post by just sharing some fab news which arrived in my inbox this morning.
ASOS is having a 50% mid-season sale!
What this means for my shopping kakis out there is… its time to start checking out those items that have been sitting in your wishlist basket and add more!
What this means for me (which is even better news) is that I can finally get started on my maternity shopping for the upcoming festive season in advanced! As a huge shopper of asos, this is probably one of the best sales I’ve ever come across!
I went straight to the maternity section
And the cherry on top has got to be free shipping worldwide, right to your doorstep. No more having to fight with crowds in the malls and lack of variety ;)
Speaking of crowds…I actually got pushed & shoved by 2 passengers on the train today while on the way home. I was peeved at their sheer inconsideration because I was showing a very obvious belly (I know this because 2 colleagues asked if I was expecting after seeing me in the dress) while standing up to make way for them & their silly bags/laptop carriers and they had the morality to actually push themselves against my belly that I was forced to get myself out of that space. Urgh. I’ve heard & witness people pretending to sleep so that they wouldn’t have to give up their seats and it wasn’t like I was demanding for one. But pushing & shoving a preggers? Oh come on! What has graciousness of society become?
So back to shopping. Managed to pick up more comfy slacks from Uniqlo (I really enjoy their affordable range…not to mention their free alteration service which only takes 1/2 an hour!) today after realizing that despite getting a belly band over the weekend, it still wasn’t as comfy as having elastic around a pregnant waist.
In work news, it’s my 2nd last week here (oh how time flies) and just when I’m getting used to a routine…I’m going to have to create another really soon. I just hope I won’t be sleeping as much as I crave for when I’m at work and do something more productive instead. Learning how to cook some proper western meal perhaps? Bake cookies? Festive parties planning…maybe?? Hmm, we’ll see.
Sole Searching
I’ve recently fallen in love with wearing flats (ballets or slip ons alike), thanks to re-wearing a pair that hubs bought me some time back…which has also led to my online shopping & researching now including soles as well.
Here’s some I’ve shortlisted at the moment – thanks to the recommendation of sis Helen, whose actually the ‘shoe guru’ in the house (she’s a huge fan of Hobbs & LK Bennett and owns many beautiful pairs of shoes, boots, heels, flats…)
The only contemplation I have is not being able to try them on physically first since some styles come in really narrow fits…
1. French Sole
2. Repetto
3. Hobbs
While I’m aware that Taka carries a limited range of Repetto (which I may make a trip just to get the sizing right before ordering), does anyone know who & where carries the other 2 brands?
[Source: French Sole, Repetto & Hobbs]
A handwritten note
Even though I’m quite the seasoned online shopper, it always amazes & tickles me when the items purchased come in a beautifully wrapped packaging.
Its like opening a Christmas present and wondering what lies inside, even if I might have a clue as to what it may be.
And over the weekend at mom’s, I received a package from Hampden Clothing (where therein lay some beautiful denims from Acne & Rogan).
p/s: tried it on immediately and it fit like a glove. Loved loved loved it, considering it was purchased at a steal :)
But what caught me by surprise was really, a nice handwritten postcard from the Hampden Girls which absolutely made my day.
As you can tell, I’m quite the sucker for snail handwritten mail over emails any day.
