Kiwi :)

2 years ago I became a mum. Not a human mum but a 'cat' mum. I have never been solely responsible for anything. A plant yes, but that plant died so not worth mentioning. And 'myself' yes, but that goes without saying. Never a pet of any sort. We had pets growing up but mum and dad always took care of them. Just before Christmas, 2 years ago I became a 'cat' mum.

I thought I was getting a fish tank right up until I opened the box. My better half had to basically LIE to me so he could surprise me. I heard him talking on the phone and he mentioned the word 'calico'. A-ha! I knew it! I asked him about it 'so I'm getting a cat right? I heard you say the word Calico' He took a second (I guess to come up with this brilliant lie). He replied 'well um ... actually ... um I was speaking with the ... um ... owner of a fish tank shop. The shop is called Calico. And ... um well ok I'll tell you. You're getting a fish tank for Christmas! Surprise!'

Surprise? What the hell? We had talked about getting a fish but I figured we would get one together. I had to admit 'Calico' was a brilliant name for a fish tank shop. 'Awesome!' I replied through gritted teeth. 'Do I get a fish too?' 'Yep!' he exclaimed. 'I'm picking up the fish tank tomorrow. And you'll get the fish next week. Special order. It's a fish that eats other fish.'

I'm surprised I didn't catch on then. Nodding my head I started thinking about fish names. Jaws? Nemo? Shark? ... nothing felt right. When I had suspected that I might be getting a cat I had already named him/her 'Kiwi' so I thought oh well let's call the fish/piranha 'Kiwi.'

The next day I had a doctors appointment and right after I raced home because I knew I could open my present once I got home. Not sure why I didn't think it was strange that my better half was letting me open up my present before Christmas but because I have very little patience I didn't question it. As I pulled in, I called him on my phone. 'Hey, you need help carrying the fish tank?' 'Nope all good,' he replied. I was very excited walking into our apartment. I looked around. No present. 'Can I open my present? Where is it?' I asked. 'It's in the bedroom,' he replied smiling. I get overly-excited about a lot of things in life, especially Christmas presents. I marched into our bedroom excited to see this fish tank that would house my very first pet. A giant box sat on our bed.

My better half hadn't bothered to wrap it or set it up! I walked up and pulled back the box flap. That was when I let out a bloodcurdling scream. That was not a fish tank. The most terrified, most adorable, most tiny kitten was sitting in that box. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at my better half. This terrified/adorable/tiny kitten was all mine. I reached in and lifted out this kitten. And IMMEDIATELY it started purring.

'Boy or Girl?' I asked. 'She's a Calico. All Calico's are girls,' he replied. I laughed. 'Oh really? Calico? Like that store where you were getting the fish tank?' And with that I became a cat mum.

'Kiwi', is the most naughtiest/loving cat in the world. She is definitely a 'people' cat. She is full of life, full of mischief and likes to argue. In fact while I've been writing this, she's been put in 'time out' twice, water sprayed once and I've been playing fetch with her the whole time. But I wouldn't have it any other way. She teaches me patience, reminds me that a nap will sometimes work wonders and that you don't ALWAYS have to obey the rules.

"... and You're Done!"

Something incredibly awesome happened this Christmas. I didn't win the lotto, didn't run a marathon and I definitely didn't learn how to make my cat behave. Nope this is even better ... I discovered ... Amazon!

Of course I didn't discover Amazon before anybody else. Come to find out a lot of people actually use Amazon but they don't talk about it much. It's like shop cheating! No walking, no crowds, no trying to find a parking space, no getting ripped-off, no lugging bags back to the car, no lugging bags into the house ... SHOP CHEATING! Not only do you not move from your laptop, but you actually get better deals. Like a whole lot better deals. It all started mid-November. I don't know what gave me the idea to go to the website. But as soon as the homepage for Amazon.com loaded I was hooked. So hooked that an entire afternoon was devoted to 'window' shopping through all the goodies Amazon.com had to offer. I couldn't wait to show my (semi-skeptical) better half. He grudgingly decided to take a look but as soon as he did he was hooked instantly as well. 'Type in this item' he said and we both watched in amazement as our previous gift ideas evaporated into thin air. I don't know why it took me so long to try Amazon.com. I've been on Facebook since March 25th 2007. I am on Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter etc and I pay my bills online.

I like to think of myself as technology-savvy, but there are some things I wont stop. Christmas Cards for example. And I have a ritual EVERY SINGLE Christmas that I send out Christmas Cards to friends and family around the world and I always send them out December 1st without fail!

And I've bought on-line before so 'shopping on-line' isn't a new thing for me. However as much as I do NOT enjoy the crowds, the finding a parking space, THE GETTING RIPPED OFF, nor the lugging of bags to the car AND into the house, I do enjoy making the effort to shop around to get the perfect gift ... and also 'physical' shopping is a great way to spend a weekday with a friend! Maybe now I can just shop* (go to an actual store, not cheat shopping) for myself from now on?? And I think that's why it's taken me so long to try Amazon.com. When you buy online there's no effort. Also you don't get to touch the item. You weigh up options only based on price or a tiny photo. You press a key on a keyboard and ta-da 'shopping finished'. Which is why I will always send out Christmas Cards. I want people to receive something that I actually wrote in, addressed to them and put a stamp on. I don't feel as guilty shopping online when I actually have to make an effort with my Christmas Cards. So even though Amazon.com had to make me re-evaluate my shopping morals, with immense excitement I am happy to say all of my Christmas shopping is complete! Now back to the Christmas Cards ....