Maternity Clothes... and Post-Natal for that matter :)

Gosh, when I was pregnant with Mimi there were only 2 stores that sold maternity clothes: MotherCare and then H&M. Both didn't offer a wide selection, but at least H&M's stuff was wearable. MotherCare even to this day (4 years later) still has the worst maternity line!
I remember I had to order all my maternity clothes online. My favorite store was Motherhood. They offered both casual and work clothes. Plus, they have a fabulous Nursing Clothes line. I actually bought a couple of nursing tops from their store in NYC when I was there last summer.
As my family and I were walking through the Avenues this afternoon I realized how many maternity stores there are now. Even Motherhood will be opening up soon! Oh joy! I just hope they will be as well priced as they were in NYC. But that's far-fetched, isn't it?! I mean, anyone who has ever walked into an H&M (even the one on Fifth Avenue!) would tell you that it's much better priced in the States. As a friend pointed out the other day, they just might be pricing "$1 to KD1"! ie a piece that would cost $3 (which is actually KD1) in the States is priced at KD3 here. Ridiculous! But I guess the enormous spending power of the few has totally skewed the market and all retailers are taking advantage of that.

Breastpumps!

Oh what an alluring world it is when it comes to breast pumps!!! I own a Medela Pump in Style Advanced and I love it. But a friend just asked for my opinion since the Pump in Style is a bit pricey. They are considering the Medela Mini Electric Plus which my research revealed is not good for a working mom. However, an alternative might be the Swing though it's a single pump which is a bit of a disadvantage.
Honestly, I don't know what to say. On the one hand, price is a valid obstacle but on the other if we consider how pricey formula is (about 3KD per can... and 3 cans per month...so that's 108KD per year), a Pump in Style (currently priced at 117KD) will pay for itself within a year! But of course that's based on an 'exclusively breastfeeding' plan.

The cute things kids say...

"My ears are on!" -Mimi when her ears popped after being on a plane. (April 10, 2010)
"I'm raining!" -Mimi when she sneezed on me. (April 21, 2010)

Cooking while the kids sleep

With a 3 year-old, cooking has become a late night adventure! After putting the kids to bed and making sure they are fast asleep, I waltz into the kitchen and commence to make lunch for the next day (or two).
A couple of weeks ago I was up till the weary hours of the night making Moughrabieh (Semolina Balls with Chicken). So I decided that day that from now on I will do things in phases. So now I prepare the chicken one night and then the next night I whip the whole thing together!
Now my hubby and I were in the kitchen making Kafta. And I mean just rolling the meat and 'frying' it. (I have to give him credit, he's doing the whole thing... I just did the dishes...) Then tomorrow night we'll make the potatoes and cook the whole thing. :)
It does actually make things easier. Especially since Mimi will never give me more than a few minutes in the kitchen before she's standing between me and the stove! Oh and now with Oullie crawling it's become even harder to be in the kitchen on my own without both my kids gravitating towards me.
Well, on this note I will end today's blog and turn in for the night. Sweet dreams, all.

Inconsiderate people!!

When I came home today, I found someone parked in my spot! The driver didn't have the decency to leave a phone number in the wind shield nor indicate what apartment s/he is visiting. So I honked a couple of times to now avail then called our doorman. He rang all the apartments on the intercom but no one claimed the car! The thing that ticked me off was that the inconsiderate offender hadn't gone in all the way into the parking spot, so I couldn't even park behind the car without leaving half my car hanging out in the street. But I wasn't going to take another neighbor's parking spot. So with the help of the doorman I got as close as I can get to the idiot's car. Note that by that time my kids and I had spent 15 mins in the car and I was pleading with my daughter not to fall asleep because I couldn't possibly carry both kids up to the apartment.
As I was unloading the kids, I told the doorman that I will be putting them down for their naps now and so no one is to ring me to move my car. He understood completely.
Half an hour later my next door neighbor knocks on my door and with broken English asks me to move my car because her friend wants to leave! There was no apology for her friend taking my parking spot!! As I was locking the door on my napping kids, my neighbor tells me that her friend managed to get her car out of the parking. So in total ticked off attitude I told my neighbor that I still needed to fix my car because half of it is out on the street and that I have to leave my kids at home alone because of her inconsiderate friend!
Inno, seriously!!! Why couldn't this friend have parked in their parking spot rather than mine?! When my friends come over I always tell them where to park so they don't take someone else's spot. Or I tell them to park across the building if both my hubby and I are home. Does it take too many brain cells to be considerate towards ones' neighbors???

I'm back!!

It's been a whiiiiiile since I've blogged. Life has gotten in the way... ie the sleepless nights, teething and having to entertain a toddler and a baby! :) But I've enjoyed every minute. :)
I should actually change my blog name to "Highway Mom" since now I spend most of my time commuting on the highways here and encountering all sorts of people (if they can be called that... because I think they're more like animals) behind the stirring wheel! When we first moved to Kuwait, we could not drive because we had to wait for our residencies before we could apply for driving licenses. The driving test proved to be a silly and frustrating ordeal. My poor hubby who had been driving and parallel parking forever in the busy and tight streets of Beirut, failed the driving test here in Kuwait 3 times!! He actually came home every time with a story that would make your head spin. Like the time there was a lady who parked perpendicular instead of parallel to the sidewalk... and still passed! While my hubby failed because the guy supervising, who was sitting miles away, accused my poor hubby of hitting the pole as he was parallel parking.
So from now on I'll be sure to post on my highway encounters. And don't hesitate to share your stories too. :)

Uneventful Subway Rides

Yesterday was the first time I take the subway alone with my daughter. I contemplated not taking her stroller but then decided I wouldn't be able to carry her for long if she was walking and got tired. So, I opted to take the stroller. :) However, I didn't go at the usual time I go with my brother (morning rush hour). I left the apartment around 9:30. Which meant less people were on the commuting down to their jobs. So there was no adventure going downtown.

But I pulled a pretty bad stunt thinking it would be easier to get off at 125th street since they have escalators there. Well, it wasn't because that meant I had to walk 5 blocks uphill!

By the time I got half way to the daycare, I thought I was about to give birth! But I ventured on.. very very slowly. A trip that probably takes a normal person 5 mins, took me 20 mins! I got there eventually and dropped of my daughter. Then grabbed breakfast and headed to Columbia. The weather was perfect for sitting outside. So I sat on a bench by the library. Ten minutes into my meal, I was surrounded by 7-8 birds. I guess that's Columbia's version of AUB's cats!

So, back to my subway adventures... 

On our way back home, I decided to stick to the original plan and catch the 1 train at 116th. I boogied the stroller down the stairs one step at a time. My luck had it that no one was going down at that time. So I did it all on my own. However after I swiped us in and was standing at the top of the stairs that lead down to the platform, a young couple passes by me. Instead of taking the stairs I'm standing next to, they walk off to the other stairs. So, I just shrugged and started strolling down one step at a time. Half way thru, the train arrived! Knowing that I had to make a quick decision, I grabbed the stroller, lifted it and ran down the last 5-6 steps! I must've looked really funny with my belly almost smooching my daughter. But I weighed my options and decided this train looks slightly empty-ish and I wasn't going to take my chances with the next train.

So, that was my adventure, the couple who avoided me by taking another flight of stairs. How considerate!