Ever since Jen @ Conversion Diary mentioned how much she loves her Joovy Caboose Sit and Stand tandem pram, I have been keeping it in the back of mind. Two key features: it folds up flat, and in Jen’s experience it can hold three children.

Joovy prams are not widely available in Australia, and even less so here in remote Perth, so when I saw a used Joovy Caboose for sale on my local Gumtree website, it took several seconds to register what I was seeing. The ad had been up for a few days with over 300 views when I first laid eyes on it, so I didn’t have much hope when I contacted the seller. But I think I was the first person to contact her who wasn’t simply curious, and who actually knew what the Joovy could do and was ready to buy.

We took our pram testers to her house to see the pram in person. Without planning it, we had a backwards negotiation where I told her the highest price I would give her, and she told me the lowest price she was prepared to accept. We gave her something in between and she tried to return the amount we had given her over her minimum. It’s safe to say both parties were pleased with how the transaction ended and the amount paid.

When we got home from picking up our new pram, I took pictures of our beloved but only-capable-of-holding-two Phil and Teds double pram and posted an ad on Gumtree. The ever-popular Phil and Teds sold within 24 hours of the ad being posted and is now happily transporting a 2-year-old and a 6-week-old.

transporting three children: Michael sits in the front and Nikki stands on the back of the Joovy pram, while Vi rides on my back in a Manduca soft structured carrier

And that is the story of how between 9am Saturday morning and 2pm Sunday afternoon we exchanged our Phil & Teds pram with doubles kit for a Joovy Caboose Sit and Stand stroller.

My lovely friend Megan from Little Daily Escape gave me the Honest Scrap Award which entitles you, dear readers, to a list of ten true things about me. As I have written it, the list has sort of become a random jumble of things that are on my mind, but I am sure you will find some facts hidden in there as well.

1) My colleague Andy was a new believer back when we worked together. I so enjoyed working with him. Today his 18-month-old daughter Iona is going in for open heart surgery. Please pray for her right now and throughout the day as you think of this precious red-head!

2) There are many personality tests available, but the one I have found most memorable was one I took as part of a class in Cambridge. The test revealed that people with my unusual (and, frankly, unhelpful!) personality type love to receive invitations and dislike accepting them. Our professor collected the test results and had the class brainstorm possible jobs for people with each personality type. When he read mine out (anonymously), there was a surprised silence in the auditorium. Then a classmate quipped, “the Queen!” Sadly, the ideal role for my personality is already filled.

3) A good thing, then, that I’m outside the job market – at least until something suitable in a monarchy opens up. Just in case, I keep up with my colleagues and classmates via LinkedIn.

4) I dream of one day writing a book that is worth reading.

5) I’ve been breastfeeding every day for the past 1167 days. I know it’s not for everyone (I would never have dreamed that this would be me!) but I credit the forced breaks and breastfeeding hormones with helping me be a kinder, gentler mama than I would otherwise be. I believe God led me down this path because he knew I needed all the help I could get!

6) For a while I told people that my middle name was “Marshmallow“. Thankfully my parents aren’t as silly as I am.

7) I recently sold almost all my Ella’s House cloth nappies and am using the funds for some Sandman night nappies for Nikki and Michael. Nikki rarely wets her pants during the day, but her bed is wet almost every night. I would much rather wash diapers than sheets! And I would like to get Michael in cloth at night, too.

8) I decided to sell the cloth nappies now, during this moving time, because moving and cloth don’t go together well. Also, with two in diapers, I prefer the convenience of disposables during the day. I am debating now between AIO (all in one) cloth nappies or prefolds for Michael and Vi, because I do want to use cloth, but I need something simpler than the assembly that went with my Ella’s House nappies. Any thoughts??

9) Craigslist is big in the US, but Gumtree rules the roost here in Oz. I have been searching for a Like a Bike for Nikki, and I was thrilled when I found one for sale on Gumtree today. It’s brand new, an unwanted prize, and I’m getting a great discount. Hurrah!

10) I feel very blessed to have a precious handful of true friends, and Megan, you are certainly one of them! Thanks for nominating me for this award.

Maybe it’s the plethora of friends and family who have birthdays this month. Or perhaps it is something to do with the department stores here already putting up their holiday displays. Whatever it is, I have been thinking about gifts recently.

I love online shopping, and often I will start out looking for one thing, then get sidetracked as I notice another thing which would be perfect for so-and-so. Unfortunately so-and-so’s birthday is 8 months away!

In the past I would have bookmarked the item, then been unable to find that bookmark again in 8 months time. Or I would remember the item, but not its name and would spend useless hours Googling for “you know, the perfect thing for so-and-so” before throwing my hands up in despair and sending them… an e-mail.

Then there’s that other dilemma, when I’m asked what I want. Usually I can’t think of anything sensible off the top of my head.

Thankfully the clever people at Wishpot have come up with a simple, free solution to keep all this straight.

Sign up for a free Wishpot account, and download their button for your internet browser. Then, whenever you see something you might want to buy in the future, whether for yourself or someone else, click that button. Wishpot brings up a screen that saves the item to one of your lists. Easy!

Now if only I could remember the dates of my friends’ birthdays. If anyone can figure out how to get Wishpot to do that for me… well, you’re just that much more likely to receive a gift on or around your birthday! But then if you know me, you’ll know that’s still extremely unlikely!!!

As my theme for NaBloPoMo, I am reflecting on thirty things I’ve learned during the past two years living in Egypt.

To me, shopping is a science. My goal is to find the best possible item that will meet the current and future foreseeable need.

If the item will be around a while, I expect it to pass a number of rigorous tests:

• Does it do exactly what I want it to?
• Does it look good?
• Is it low-maintenance and easy to clean?
• Will it last as long as I need it to?
• Does anything about the item annoy me?
• If I am only seeing one option, is there a similar item from a competitor? Which of the competing items is better?

The internet makes it easy to see all the available options, view others’ recommendations based on real-life experiences with the item, and – once my top pick is selected – makes it easy to comparison shop to find the best price, taking shipping into account.

America is home to the savviest, most demanding and price sensitive consumers – and thus the very best shopping – on the planet. I am so glad that even though I do not live in the US at the moment, I can still shop there any time I want – online! Two items enable an overseas shopper to access the US market:

• US shipping address (required in most cases)

For a monthly fee, an overseas customer can acquire a US mail forwarding address from a company that will provide a US mailing address, accept your US mail on your behalf, repackage it, and then ship it onward to your overseas address. Fortunately, this has become a competitive market and the options are even better today than when I first started using mail forwarding services two years ago.

• US billing address (not as essential, but very helpful)

Many US websites will allow customers to use an overseas billing address, but some require a US address for both shipping and billing. If this is the case, you will need a US credit card with a US billing address. I have just kept my American credit cards (holding credit cards long term is also beneficial to credit rating scores). My impression is that the Patriot Act has made it difficult to open a new financial account in the US from overseas, in that case some mail forwarding companies offer a service whereby the forwarding company completes online purchases for you.

Happy shopping!!

Yea! My sister is feeling much better .

Last night before dropping off to sleep, Ben and I listened to and watched between three and five fireworks displays visible from our bedroom window. In England, unlike America, there are no laws restricting fireworks within city limits, and we fully enjoyed the show as Londoners exercised their freedom.

New things for Nikki in the new year… today for the first time she pointed to a picture of a cow and made a mooing sound! We asked her later on during a stroll through Kew Gardens with no cows in sight what sound a cow makes and she repeated her cute little moo.

Also, we have moved Nikki up to the next size in cloth diapers. At the end of 2007 we were having difficulty fastening her size small Ella’s House hemp nappies . Now she has graduated to the smallest setting on the large size. The small size is set aside and ready for her little brother!

In further birth / after-birth preparation, I have done quite a bit of online shopping since we’ve arrived in England, and I think I’m finally done!

Birth Pool
Birth Pool in a Box Eco Regular with Pattern
Extra large and comfy clothes for hospital transfer (if needed) and after the birth
Yoga trousers
Long-sleeved t-shirt
Cloth diaper covers in prints suitable for a boy, and also larger size wraps for Nikki
Nature Babies – aplix wrap
Tots Bots – Tots wrap – aplix fastening – with leg gussets
Baby carriers
Gauze Calin Bleu wrap in Chocolate
Mei Tai Baby adjustable carrier with
headrest
black straps
three interchangeable fabric panels
black floral brocade ,
stained glass dragonfly , and
cloisonne butterfly

Our temporary home in Kew is everything we had hoped for: comfortable, spacious, and convenient. I am excited about attempting a home birth here, and I am sure my midwives will be as well when they come to visit me for my second UK antenatal check.

We are weighing up car rental versus public transport and taxis. Since we haven’t rented a car yet, we decided to try shopping online for our groceries , which were delivered this evening for what I felt was a very reasonable £2.50. We mainly bought basic non-perishables like countertop cleaner, stain remover, paper towels, laundry detergent, Sudacrem and chamomile tea. Ben and I are also planning some massive cooking in order to have lots of meals frozen for when the baby arrives, and I think online shopping will be incredibly useful for recipes since I can just type in search terms rather than running from aisle to aisle in the store. For specialised whole foods or just fresh organic produce, Oliver’s Whole Foods is just a few minutes walk away.

With groceries sorted, Nikki is settling in happily. On our first night here, she recognised the crib provided at the apartment, even though it is very different from her usual crib. She pointed to her new bed when she was ready to sleep and has had no trouble settling or sleeping in her new room. We are also pleased that the dining table is sturdy enough to handle Nikki’s trusty Inglesina Fast Table Chair , allowing her to continue to join Ben and I at the table. I leave you with a picture of our lovely dining companion.

This is our last Egyptian weekend for a while, and we decided to make the most of it!

Friday morning we took our friend Lita and her daughter Reese to church. Then we went over to Mike and Ute’s house and Ute showered me with warm clothes for Nikki – some of them hand-knitted by her mother, but too small now for little Roxanne. After that a late lunch at Cielo Lindo , a new smoke-free restaurant in Maadi, complete with play house, slide, and seesaw for the little ones. The gathering was in honour of Margarita’s 2nd birthday and it was nice to catch up with friends both our and Nikki’s age.

This morning began with an outdoor breakfast starting at 9am and lasting until the peach cobbler and chocolate cake were devoured at 1:30pm. American bacon, Turkish sausage, corned beef hash, scrambled eggs, roasted tomatoes, hash browns, toast, and mushrooms. It was all cooked to perfection on the grill and in dutch ovens over coals. We were recreating the desert camp cookout experience in George and Despina’s back garden – except we had comfortable chairs and a playground for the children.

In addition to cooking, Mike took some photos of Ben lowering Nikki so she could touch the grass, then lifting her up high to start all over again. Nikki is wearing a sweater knitted by Ute’s mom.

After the breakfast feast we made our way to the Boulak fabric market for some blackout material to hang in Nikki’s bedroom. I had been to the fabric market twice, first with a tour group and second with my friend Ramona – both times I was chatting in the car and didn’t really notice how we got there. Fortunately with a Cairo map and Ben’s magnificent driving skills, we found the market and secured a parking place. Once there, we pressed through crowds of people examining and haggling over fabric. Frequent hellos for our daughter, yells of ‘mister,’ ‘madam,’ ‘what your country?’ shrill whistles from the food vendors, and the hubbub of so many people jostling in such narrow alleys completed the experience. I negotiated for the blackout material, as well as a tiny pair of mittens for our son, a few silk scarves, and a car cover. Walking back to the car, I asked Ben what he thought of the fabric market. He replied, ‘it’s a fun place, once you’ve parked!’

Somewhere about six months into this second pregnancy, I have realised that I have a completely different list of helpful items this time around.

things that make my life easier

• big purple ball – multipurpose Swiss ball good for rocking, as a portable footstool, and for Nikki entertainment
• Spanx maternity – like a bra for my bump, comfortably supports my lower back as well
• wedge cushion – fit-for-purpose pillow supports my bump perfectly as I sleep
• Claire’s homecooked toddler meals – we had our inaugural week’s worth of food delivered last week. Nikki enjoys the flavours and she’s getting a great variety of fruit and veg in these little meals. Mix her regular protein-packed rice cereal in where appropriate, and I know she’s getting what she needs to grow.

food that makes my life happier

• Cinnabon delivery – for about 2USD/cinnamon roll, hot and fresh delivered to my door – I have recently been eating about three a week and justify it because aside from sugar inherent in Bran Flakes and whole wheat bread, this is my only sugary treat
• Lucille’s – I am all about comfort foods this pregnancy – and that definitely includes a cheeseburger with a side of chili
• Rayeb – local equivalent of low-fat buttermilk . Plain milk here is fine on or in things, but all by itself the flavour just isn’t what I grew up with, so recently I have been drinking at least half a litre of this very yummy buttermilk each day.

Related post:

   Favourite Pregnancy Things

Congratulations to Laura and Zach Wiedlocher on the birth of their firstborn son, Cedric, weighing in at 10 lb 9 oz and 22.5 inches. Mother and baby are doing well, and the proud papa is beaming!

Our friend Keith is visiting, along with several others who work with him. One of the ladies, Ramona, speaks Arabic very well and loves to shop. So I borrowed her for an afternoon to help me bargain for some heavy fabric to cover my outdoor furniture and protect it from sun, dust, and (very occasional) rain. We went to the Boulak fabric market, part of the Wekalat Al-Balah in downtown Cairo.

Shopping at an outdoor market is always exciting, and this was no exception. Ramona and I forged ahead into the alleyways crowded with fabric of every description. Nikki was in her pouch , on my front, so I could keep an eye on her, and, more importantly, on everyone else who would talk to her and poke and kiss her. At one point two men on two separate mopeds roared past, spotting us and yelling in English ‘welcome for Egypt!’

Ramona and I browsed through headscarves, frilly dresses, and, yes, outdoor material. After a while Nikki’s evening meal time came and I had to stop frequently to feed her. Hearing her cry, a man invited me into his galabeya stall, pulled up a stool, covered it with a plastic bag for cleanliness, and invited me to sit with my back to the street. While Nikki fed, I examined the merchandise up close and after a while Ramona joined me. She pointed out that the two shopkeepers had pulled mannequins in front of their shop and now stood in addition to the mannequins with their faces to the street, backs to me, and arms crossed, standing guard lest anyone try to observe Nikki nursing.

At last we got down to negotiating for some chocolate brown plastic-backed cotton material to cover my outdoor furniture. Thanks to Ramona’s savvy bargaining, I paid just 11 Egyptian Pounds ($1.93 US Dollars) per metre for 34 metres of the fabric. It was a better price than either she or I expected. A fabric trader who worked for the shop asked me if I had a sister he could marry. I dashed his hopes by telling him that my sister is already married. But he recovered quickly and asked if there was any other relative or friend who would like a husband. I told him that my friends in America are already married. Still he persisted, and then asked if Nikki might marry him. Decidedly not. Fortunately a man came then to carry my material to the car and we were rescued from further عَرض بالزَّواج (proposals).

women’s Bible study

Today I took part in the women’s cell group Ute invited me to join five weeks ago. I bumped into her at the bazaar on Friday, and she very kindly said that my place had been reserved. Of the three things I have been invited to for that time slot, 10-12 on Mondays, this is the one that tugs most on my heart. I was delighted to go along this morning.

Despina’s villa is a twenty minute walk from my place. The air was cool and refreshing and traffic was light and meandering rather than thick and fast. I thought as I approached my destination that I should count how many taxis I have to turn down on a twenty minute walk, with a firm shake of the head or a ‘la’ (Arabic for ‘no’) to the more persistent who slow way down or even stop in the middle of the street rather than simply beeping their horn as they drive by.

We are studying Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul . The first hour was spent in warm up and ice breaker exercises. Then we broke for coffee and really got into discussion of the book during the second hour. I was able to keep Nikki entertained on my lap during the first hour. When we broke for snacks, Nikki did as well. She then slept for 15 minutes and woke up crying at having missed some of the action. So the rest of the time I walked with her, alternating shoulders, as I listened and took part in the discussion.

All this child care was a bit stressful with an audience. But fortunately these very caring women went out of their way to encourage and assure me that they are not at all disturbed by my baby or her needs. All are mothers except the youngest, who is a Mennonite training to be a teacher and working with a Cairo orphanage for a year.

shopping

I mentioned pursuits, plural. Barbara took me carpet shopping on Sunday. The place she took me is a government-run outlet for machine woven carpets of all shapes and sizes. Everything from traditional to modern to novelty to enormous carpet portraits of President Mubarak . We started out upstairs, where the slightly flawed ‘seconds’ are stacked. We looked for a time, then leaned over the railing to get someone to help us flip through the stacks. That’s when Barbara and I saw it – though she was the first to mention it and therefore is credited with the discovery:

Here is Nikki on the rug, wearing the gorgeous cardigan Audrey crocheted for her:

We then found a matching rectangle rug, and Barbara helped me strike a deal with the salesman. She proceeded to acquire the perfect carpet for her sewing room and we made off with our bounty. She told me I can call her up any time and say, ‘Barbara, what are we doing today?’ I’m so blessed because I have been hoping to build relationships with godly women who have a bit more life and child-rearing experience than I do. Between the Bible study and Barbara, my cup overflows.