I am often asked ‘what are your favourite  things?’ and believe it or not,  I do have a list.  They are the things that I can’t live without, my ‘I spy the best buy’ things, or in some cases the most useful thing I’ve found.

So I am going to share some of these over the next few months.  I am always trying out new products and services,  which is probably why I have been dubbed the Shopping Queen.  But over the years I definitely found some favourites and this is one that has made it onto my list.

So this is number one of my most favourite things.  It’s so great that I have it shipped out from the States every year because I just can’t be without it and it’s my WhoMi.

What is a WhoMi you ask, well it’s my diary, my everyday organiser which I just can’t be without.  Now for those of you that use an electronic daily organiser you may say, Andrea try stepping into the new millennium.    But I am a mum and I have to run and track the schedules of 3 others in my household,  as well as myself.     Whilst some of you don’t have the need to do all that, I do and it’s made so much easier by my WhoMi.

Why?  Well a Whomi is a colour-coded calendar to help woman manage their busy schedules.   WhoMi was invented by two mums who felt they needed something that could enable them in one glance,  to see business appointments, personal appointments and their childrens’ whereabouts.  Very handy for us busy Mums who often have to make decisions on the run and this gives me a small feeling of control that I know what everyone in the family is up to.

I order online from the States and it arrives here in under 10 days, which I think is very efficient.  This is my third year of ordering one off their website and I have had no problems at all.  So go to www.whomi.com or just click on the link here.

I just love my Whomi and can’t do without it, it really does make my life easier and every year I go and look at all the new diaries which come into store but nothing measures up to the Whomi.

Now it comes in two sizes and I have tried both.  I first bought the original but have now changed to the compact.  The compact fits easily into my handbag and isn’t heavy or bulky.  The original is quite a bit larger and I did find it harder to lug around.  There are various different covers you can buy for them so have a good look on the website before you buy.

"The calendar that lets mothers view their crazy schedules along side their crazy kids schedules."

Avaliable:  www.whomi.com                        Price:$25.00 US  (this price is dependant  on exchange rates when you convert to NZ dollars)

  Don’t think I have laughed out loud as much as I did when I heard the new MAMMA MIA cd which has been released along side the movie.  I guess I should have thought about it, really, shouldn’t I!  Really, I am just asking to be called stupid when I buy a cd with Pierce Brosnan and Meryl Streep singing ABBA in the hope that it will be good.  I don’t think good even gets there, but funny it certainly is.

He was James Bond and he was really good at that, no, actually great, he was one of my favourite James Bonds.   But him singing, no, he really shouldn’t.  To make matters worse I thought, because of the movie, I could cope with Meryl and the cast singing ABBA but the truth of the matter is I can’t.  When you are away from seeing them on the big screen and listening to them in the morning in the car, you really just have to laugh because they don’t even come close to measuring up to the real thing.

Even my husband laughed the other day and he doesn’t usually comment much on the music we listen too.  I think the words he used were "this was a big waste of money, wasn’t it. This is rubbish".

There are, to be fair, some better songs sung by other cast members, which don’t make you want to stick your fingers in your ears and go "la la la".  But Pierce really has ruined SOS for me and so has Meryl with Mamma Mia.

ABBA is an icon and should remain that way.   I grew up with them being a part of my childhood and I can still recite most of the lyrics to their popular songs.  So don’t mess with my memories, I want them to stay that way, good memories.

I guess its like watching Donny Osmond return to the spotlight, and him doing a heavy metal number.  It just isn’t right, don’t change our history, it’s part of who we are.

So save your pennies. Go see the movie by all means but when it comes to the music, go and buy the real thing and you then won’t be disappointed.

Avalaible at:all major CD stores                       Price:$29.95