It's alive!!!

At the beginning of the year (about the time of the Brisbane floods - remember them?) I decided to go back to work.  It took me all of a week to decide that it wasn't for me.

For those who don't know me won't know that my husband and I own and run a fruit shop.  I worked there three days a week before having F2.  I also do all the books and payroll and general running around.  It's not so bad... just another day at the office.  Anyway!  Running a fruit shop is hard work, the hours are ridiculously long and it's tiring back-breaking work.  My husband arrives home every single day exhausted and eats, plays with the kids and goes to bed.  There are eleventy million men and women out there who do it - this isn't about me griping.

What it IS about is the fact I'm basically a single parent.  I'm sort of, kind of, nearly used to it.  But I don't have any back up.  If the kidlets get sick there's only me to take care of them (oh... I have PLENTY of family but they work and have lives obviously!)  So it would be very difficult to work, juggle the kids, do my work for the shop and keep sane.

I applied for a couple of jobs and then (I think I've mentioned this all before) it dawned on me that I wanted to run an online shop.  I DO NOT know where that came from.  I've never ever ever ever thought about doing it.  I don't really have a retail background.  However, I've got a Marketing background, I've been a Personal Assistant to some high up head honchos, I'm a wife, Mother, consumer and one hell of an opinionated so and so.

Why not?  With those credentials I'm basically qualified to do anything!

Drum roll please so I can get to the point.

THE SITE IS FINALLY LIVE!!!

My beautiful, sexy, amazing, very green and very sumptuous website is finally a reality.  There are exactly 287 baby clothes, baby shoes, baby wraps and baby blankets, baby books, cloth nappies, baby tights and shoes, baby amber necklaces, toys, bath products, pregnant belly stretchmark oil, herbal tea for breastfeeding and pregnancy, baby slings and carriers, nappy wallets, baby shower invitations, highchairs, nursery wall art, bibs and burpcloths, portable highchairs, a baby hammock, feeding bowls and utensils and so on and on and on.

I even have bowls and spoons made from corn!  Yes, corn!  It's amazing.  There is also an abundance of organic clothes and toys.  There's even a "pink" range of organic toys that funds will be donated to breast cancer research!

It is a sight to behold... a thing of wonder.  Excuse me if I blow my own trumpet a little too much, but I'm so so happy that it's finally a reality.  I've worked hard and I've neglected the kids, the housework and my husband to actually follow through on something this huge.

So, please visit the site.  Please provide some feedback.  There's a special little button in the bottom right just for that purpose alone!  I don't mind if its negative... how will I know if my amazing customers don't tell me???

And like I said on the "About Us" page... "Enjoy looking at all the beautiful and clever products we have for sale".  It doesn't cost anything to window-shop... plus, there are no annoying, pushy sales people following you around!

Go and have a peek - you know you want to!

http://www.littletreasures.net.au/

What's In a Name?

Congratulations to Victoria and David Beckham on the arrival of adorable Harper Seven.  Seven? Yep, Seven.  I don't generally pick on baby names because I think picking a baby name is very personal to the parents.  I could understand Apple (I think it's cute... for them), Zuma (pity about the latest Zumba craze... but they weren't to know) and even Monroe (what were you thinking with MOROCCAN you crazy twits!!!)

I do not understand the use of a number.  It just seems weird well... because... it's a number not a name.  That being said, I loooove the name Harper.  It's just my kind of name.  Unique enough without being weird.

When choosing the name of our first child, we had a thousand girls names and zero boys names.  Basically, the decision came down to the last name in the book.  My husband and I were waiting for a plane, while I read a novel he read a baby name book.  He wrote down every boy's name he found acceptable.  I think there were about six or seven (there's that number again!).  I then read the list.  It went something like this "No, no, no, hell no!, maybe, no way. YES!!!!"  That's how Zander was named.  It's not a terribly romantic story, but it's our story.

It did take me a while to call him Zander.  I don't know why.  It's a name I've loved since the good old Buffy the Vampire Slayer days (I was a major fan).  But every time I went to say it it got stuck in my throat like a fish bone.  That eventually changed and now he's definitely a Zander.

When I was pregnant with our second son it was just as difficult.  We knew we were having a boy, but that didn't make it easier to name him.  My husband had always wanted to name one of our sons Levi.  It just didn't gel with me, however, I understand that we're both parents to this child and he loved the name.  I was prepared to compromise (one time only offer!)   We agreed that we would call our son Levi Cash.

Luckily for me, a friend of my husband's told him to scrap Levi... Cash was a really cool name!  I love it when the universe steps in to help me!

You might think Cash is an odd name, but it was my paternal grandmother's maiden name.  The Cash's were pioneers of North West Brisbane and it was a name synomymous for me with hard work, courage and history.  I wanted to pass on a piece of our family's heritage to my child.

I hear so many times that girls are easy to name, it's the boys that are difficult.  My one piece of advice is to offer up any name.  I never thought my hubby would like the name Zander... but how wrong I was!

If you're having trouble coming up with the perfect name why not visit http://www.babynames.com.au/ to help ease the pressure.  It's a fantastic site and it gives some tips on picking a name that you might not have thought up.  Like, do the initials spell anything out of the ordinary.  You definitely don't want Felicity Ursula King getting picked on at school!

You Ate What?!?

If you talk to the parents of older children, they’ll happily tell you that during pregnancy they ate whatever they wanted.  Blue cheese, soft cheese, cold rice, seafood, soft serve ice cream etc etc etc.  Everything we’re now told to steer clear of.

That’s now akin to listening to stories of my parents’ generation smoking and drinking during pregnancy.  In fact, I believe some doctors may have even prescribed smoking to pregnant women to keep the baby’s size small!

Will the fact we gobbled supplements like lollies be horrific to my son’s generation?  Maybe the future of pregnant women will be vegan diets!

I would have gladly eaten Brie like a Red Delicious Apple if I could, but I did what was suggested and steered clear of a LONG list of foods.  I actually quit smoking early on in my first pregnancy and have never taken it up again (yay!).  I wasn’t perfect... I cracked and ate some Brie before my third trimester, even a raw egg or two (hey... I lived in Seoul for my first pregnancy and my favourite food – BiBimBap – had a raw egg cracked on top.  Heaven!)

It’s especially hard in the first few months.  You don’t look pregnant, you don’t feel pregnant, and you can still do 95% of what you did before.  Hey... it’s just a few cells floating around in there!  Why CAN’T I have some sushi?

Remember this... it’s not the food it’s the bacteria.  Salmonella can cause miscarriage... Listeriosis can cause infection sometimes taking up to six weeks to occur.  If the bacteria are transmitted to the baby it can cause miscarriage, infection, or stillbirth.

I don’t know if the rate of miscarriages and stillbirths has dropped in the last 10 to 20 years (I’m sure I could find some stats if I wanted, but I’m lazy) but I know I was happy to leave out deli meats and steer clear of the soft cheeses for just 9 months (almost).  I’d rather have a happy, healthy bub than a sushi platter any day.

Here’s a few hints and tips from Kidspot to help you have a safe and healthy pregnancy:

• Ensure that cold food is kept below 5 Celsius and hot food kept above 60 Celsius before serving. This will help stop the growth of bacteria that can cause food poisoning.
• Make sure raw and cooked foods are kept separate. Never use the same utensils, such as knives, plates and chopping boards, for both.
• Never defrost frozen food by leaving it at room temperature all day. Defrost overnight in the fridge, or use a microwave.
• Use cooked food within 12 hours.
• Wash hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water, then dry them, before and after handling food.

Bacteria types:

Listeria

Listeria can cause listeriosis - a very serious infection. Symptoms can take up to six weeks to occur. If the bacteria is transmitted to your newborn baby, it can cause miscarriage, infection, or stillbirth. Hygienic storage and handling of food is critical.

Salmonella

This can cause headache, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, diarrohea and vomiting. In some cases, it may also cause miscarriage.

Toxoplamosis

A parasitic infection carried by cats (link to pets and pregnancy) and also found in raw or undercooked meats. It can lead to brain damage or blindness in your unborn child.  Avoid changing the cat litter and any foods or drinks that contain raw egg. When gardening, ensure you wear gloves to protect yourself from coming into contact with cat poo.

Foods to avoid:

• All types of sprouts, such as alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts, onion sprouts, sunflower sprouts, radish sprouts, snowpea sprouts, mungbeans and soybeans (raw or cooked) are also best avoided.
• Cold, smoked and raw seafood, especially oysters
• Pre-cooked diced chicken, the type you buy at delicatessans and sandwich shops
• Pate
• Ham and other manufactured meats
• Self-service salad bars or packages salads, such as coleslaw and pasta salad.
• Soft cheese, such as brie, camembert, fetta, cottage and ricotta.
• Soft-serve ice-cream and thick-shakes
• Liver. Although liver is a rich source of iron, it also contains high levels of vitamin A - something which, in excess, can be harmful to a developing baby. Liver should only be consumed in small amounts during pregnancy (a maximum of 50g per week).

Mercury in fish

Fish is a great food for pregnancy and breastfeeding mothers but be careful which fish you choose. While some fish contain Omega 3 fatty acid - important for the development of the central nervous system in babies, before and after they are born - other fish may contain mercury levels that can affect the development of your baby's nervous system, leading to delayed speech and movement.

Studies have shown that the foetus is most at risk from mercury levels in fish during the third and fourth months of gestation.

Women who are already pregnant, or planning to become pregnant within the next six months, should avoid fish with high levels of mercury, such as shark, swordfish, orange roughy, gemfish, ling, southern bluefin tuna and barramundi.

If in doubt always seek professional advice from your GP.