Now that's a SURPRISE! & the Art of Gifting Tips..

Recently, I ve been reading the bits and pieces happenings in blog of Blinkmummy, who happens to be hubby's colleague/ friend..

And well, check out the Blinkymummy's Christmas surprise, now that is what I call a real surprise, well executed too.. and very well captured, kinda like a spontaneous movie.. I like very muchz.. since i am a great fan of surprises.. well hubby can take many leaves outta that.. since hubby kinda often has the concept, but sometimes not very well executed la.. (think he is gonna complain about me soon).. either that or i a bit too smart - kinda always been able guess what he has planned..

I have always been more of the IDEAS person when it comes to gifting, but I am a tad lazy about execution.

So here is to share some of my ideas for gifts to mums/ mums to be.. if you have a girlfriend who is pregnant, or have just delivered a baby, or if your wife is expecting, try out the following ideas, i think these are things that will make the pregnancy more tolerable, more enjoyable and for those who have just delivered, brighten up their postpartum days/ blues..

People always ask what should we get the baby, but come'on, its the mum who has to go through the 9 mths of pregnancy, its the mum who has to go through labour, and then the post labour tedium and stress of looking after the baby; the baby really just sleeps and drinks and enjoys this new world, so who deserves better attention?! So give your girlfriend/ wife a break with the following - seriously....

***Pre-natal/ Post-natal massage sessions - indulgence, pampering and lessen any mum's worry about that horrific weight gain..

***Facial sessions - same idea as above

***Face Masks, Eye Masks - to prepare or to overcome the stress that comes with parenting, the sleepless nights of breastfeeding

*** Pregnancy or Parenting Books by the Gurus - to kill time, both during the pregnancy and post pregnancy, while waiting to feed the baby..

*** Any good books - to occupy the mind with something else, aside from all the usual baby stuff which can be somewhat of an overkill really...

*** Anti cellulite lotion, creams, ya you know those stuff - pampering stuff so that the mom does not forget that she first has to take care of herself before she is adequate to take care of the baby.

As for surprises for your babies / kids, here are some ideas that you may want to try out...

- Send new year, birthday and christmas cards to your babies, when they are old enough, you will have fun opening them and reading the messages

- Make videos of your pregnancy progress with you and hubby, and record the messages of how much you love them.. the love at this stage is the "purest" - untainted by the fatigue of post birth or the daily tedium of dirty diapers or breastfeeding.. years later, you can review the videos together and more importantly when kids are naughty or tiring, these serve as reminders of how much you really love them - from the very beginning!

- Write letters to your babies/ kids, paint a picture for them, basically any forms of expression of your feelings towards them as a momento for years to come .. something that has strong sentimental value and will stay in the family, e.g. for us, believe it or not, our furniture are kinda selected with the aim of passing them on to the kids in mind.. yeah!

OK, so much of my secret recipes for now.. for the rest, I will have to kill you or charge you if i tell you, since I have not made up my mind yet, well, these will have to do..

The principle of gifting - make it a point to be different and make sure it is surprising, thrilling, enticing and exciting.. basically the gesture needs to produce the effects of a caffeine/ liquor/ banned substance high to have the greatest impact... Good luck!