A Day In My Life

As the year ends ...

2011-12-30T10:52:00.000+08:00

Today shall be the last Friday of the year. It has been a really long and eventful year for me. So much has changed and so much has happened. But, for me, the good memories are to be shared, while I wipe out the nasty ones. The positive ones for me (in no particular order) are:

1) I celebrated one year in my new house.
2) Dylan was born, safe and healthy.
3) I had a good confinement lady.
4) All my family members are healthy and happy.
5) I achieved my Hollywood challenge trip for this year.
6) Ryan breezed through his entrance exam for Standard 1 and was accepted.
7) Ryan completed his kindergarten years.
8) I attended both Megan and Ryan's orientation days, signalling a new phase in both their (and my) life.
9) My help at home has been good to us.
10) The sales bargains (esp. books) has been awesome this year - we need this from the way the income and expenses has been behaving.
11) Dylan started teething, sitting, crawling and cruising ... with relatively little pain.
12) I had 3 months maternity leave, which gave me the opportunity to do the one thing that this year has so far been the best ...
13) I quit employment after 13 years in it!

I am sure there are plenty more but this is what I have at one sitting.

Here's to 2012!!

Dylan sits ... and crawls

2011-12-29T08:15:00.001+08:00

Dylan has progressed so much in the last month or so. At 8 months plus he went from crawling to sitting almost over night. And this boy has lots to look forward to especially when his two older siblings are so active.

Here he is seen under the Christmas tree where he finds it most amusing with the lights, colour and the many ornaments that he can pluck off the tree. His hands are really strong and he is able to prop himself up and is really very steady indeed!

Dylan has a very different way to sit - he is usually one sided ... I really love this pose. Apart from giving me so much pleasure to see him sit, he is also relatively safe ... cause he will not fall behind or by the side when he sits!

After kid number 3, I still never fail to be amazed by the way they develop and learn. They really demonstrate a strong will to persist and learn - I hope to be able to preserve this in them for as long as I can.

Till another development then ...

My baby leaves school

2011-11-24T23:00:00.000+08:00

It was just like yesterday when I sent Ryan to school for the very first time. I still remember all the guilt I had when I sent him at 3 years old. He was still a baby then, still nursing and still with diapers.

After 4 years there, today, we have to move on and close this chapter of his life as we embark on the next phase.

As always, I will pick him up on the first and last day of the year, today I did that too. In the car, I explained to the best I can for him to understand that the journey has been long and was filled with joy, laughter, tears and sometimes frustration. But I said that this part is now closed and we will move on to another school with good things to come.

I am not sure if he understands it fully, but he expressed some sadness as he said he wants to always remain where he is ... he loves the play concept very much!

Tomorrow marks a new journey for me as I will undergo orientation for Megan ... and I am sure it will be an eventful journey for all of us.

Ryan participates and wins!

2011-11-13T09:12:00.001+08:00

In this last week, Ryan has taken part in 2 quiz sessions and he won! Ok ok, some may say it is no big deal, but I am his mother, and I think it is a very big deal!

So last Tuesday, after we finished his music class, we hung around till about 7pm where the centre had a pretty Japanese girl come to perform and sell the features of their electone and piano. After some playing, she announced that there will be some questions and if the kids answered them correctly, they will get a small keyboard like pouch.

When she played that Korean song "Nobody Nobody But You", Ryan's hand shot up and answered the title of the song. He got a red pouch. Then he said "I want one for my sister". So when the next quiz came on the instruments that was played on the electone, his hand shot up again and he answered "Piano". This time he got a block pouch. He happily declared that he was going to get another one for Dylan.

Unfortunately, on his third attempt, the lady said that they have to give other kids a chance ... so Ryan's hopes were dashed. No matter, I still praised him for a good effort put in. The pouches were later filled with sweets from the centre and presented to the sister - both were delighted!

Yesterday, we participated in another one. It was the cast of Aladdin at MPH Mid Valley. They came to introduce themselves and later tell a story. After that the kids were asked questions.

The first question was answered wrongly and Ryan felt his ego hurt when kids laughed at him. Early start to teaching him it is ok to be wrong and laughed at so long as learn and move on.

The second one was answered quickly when asked who did Aladdin love, or something like that...I was too excited to remember the exact thing. For getting that right (and the effort put in), he won 2 tickets to watch Aladdin the musical at Sunway Lagoon. But hor, they are very clever, give you 2 tickets ... you still need to buy extra ones if you want to go as a family. Which makes me think now ... should I buy 2 more or should I just make do with 2 tickets? Meaning I will just bring Ryan to the musical since he won it ... Hmmm ...

But coming back, Ryan gave good tries to both and I am really proud that he did not need me to poke him into participating. He did that all by himself. Looking forward to the next ones ...

111111

2011-11-11T20:16:00.001+08:00

Isn't that a special date? I am out as I am posting this, gonna buy chocolate ice cream to celebrate with my brood later. Have a good night ahead!

Gymboree, here I come again!

2011-11-08T23:58:00.003+08:00

Today I decided to enroll Megan into Gymboree, after more than 10 months of deliberation. Yes, you can call me a terrible mum ...

When Ryan was 2 years old, we made a choice to enroll him because he was the only child then and he did not really have any exposure to other children. He was all alone, to my eyes and I figured then he needed to know that there are other little children in his world. So, that decision was easy.

This time round, with Megan, it was different. The reason for sending Ryan did not exist with Megan. She grew up with Ryan fussing and fighting with her, so she is very aware of other children. She also made friends with the kids in the park, so much for other children.

However, I was afraid that she may not really understand or share similar things with Ryan. Gymboree was really fun. If we did not send her, she would not know who is Gymbo the clown, she will not be enjoying some of the CDs we have bought for Ryan to jump and sing and spin. She won't also enjoy life under the big tent ...

So, today, the decision was made. We will send her for 12 short weeks and then she will be off to school. Hope she will enjoy herself and learn from the whole affair.

Morning before 7am

2011-11-05T07:12:00.001+08:00

Dylan woke up with a leaked diaper and fever. Vomited when I fed him medicine, so we all got to change. Then I fed Megan ... And she says "thank you so much mummy". All worth it, all before 7am too!

I am lost without my kids

2011-10-27T19:40:00.001+08:00

So today, my older 2 decided that they wanted to spend time with their grandma and off they went back to PD. Hmm ...

While I think it is healthy to have them going off once in a while to be with their grandparents, I cannot help but feel a little lost without them, like part of me is missing.

It is now 7pm, usually it will be the time they get back from the park, all sweaty and dirty and screaming for food ... but now, it is all quiet.

And so I feel terrible ... cause I have nobody to cook for!! The father said he is eating out tonight since he is gonna be late ... looks like I am going to be eating simple sandwich today.

Such is life ... when you have kids, you live so much for them that when they are away even for a few days, you feel lost. So in preparation for the days when they finally leave the nest, looks like I am gonna have to make lots of friends and indulge in many hobbies.

Argh!! Can't wait for Saturday to come!

Singing princess

2011-10-25T00:01:00.000+08:00

Megan is a very happy girl. She sings a lot and she dances a lot and she is not afraid to show it off.

And she seems to take on music and pitch singing well too, courtesy of Ryan's influence.

And sometimes she will burst out into a tune and sing some lyrics I cannot understand. When we ask her what song is that, she says - My Song!

And I am amazed that she can twirl around and not get dizzy too!

I am amazed by her everyday, my little princess.

Dylan got teeth!!

2011-10-24T11:58:00.000+08:00

... weel, at least he is growing some.

Yesterday while playing I stuck my finger into his mouth - something sharp is in there!!

No wonder he was all upset and cranky these few days. Poor boy probably felt it coming but could not understand it at all!

Hopefully it passes quickly so that he is not so uncomfortable for him.

My little baby - moving quickly now into another phase of life - whip out the toothbrush now!

Clucking at 6.5 months

2011-10-23T23:50:00.002+08:00

My little baby has quickly moved into a new phase - 6 months!

We had a little celebration on the day he turned 6 months - we gave him steamed pumpkin - yucks! So the next day, I gave him some organic cereals - loved it!

Dylan kept opening his mouth like a little bird and kept following the spoon! It was a proud moment in his life.

In the last few days, Dylan started clucking ... like a baby hen! And he was mighty proud of himself too! Clucking clucking all the way!!

Here's to the next milestone!

Morning Talk

2011-09-22T08:46:00.001+08:00

So my kid says "mummy, when I grow up, I want to be a doctor so I can take care of you when you are sick".

Melted my heart in the middle of rush hour. Have a good day folks!

Flipping and babbling

2011-09-19T00:28:00.001+08:00

That is my baby, precious Dylan. There has been many developments with him, although it is not so frequently updated by his lazy mum.

Since the first month, his neck was already very strong, really strong. He started to turn his head when he was barely a week old! So, when we put him on his tummy facing right, the next thing you know, he is already facing left! His older siblings did this when they were a month old!

Here he is seen at 5.5 months old, sitting in my car, waiting to be carried out to the babysitter. My mum said, chicks would have grown to be a full term chicken now and ready to be eaten! We humans seem to take a long while.

Dylan started to kick himself over when he was about 4 months. He also started teething about the same time. The teeth are no where out, but the flipping is happening.

In the last 2 weeks, he also started to babble more clearly, really. And it is almost like he is talking to you, cause he will look deeply into your eyes and smiles at you.

I am so looking forward to 6 months, time to get the plates out and a dip in the pool!

Infactuated with Pink

2011-09-15T22:06:00.001+08:00

I used to say that if I have a daughter, I will not put pink on her simply because I do not want the typical pink associated girl in her.

Sigh, wishful thinking that is.

When Megan was born, it started with little pink laces, then it became pink socks, then it became pink tops, then pink flowers ... and before I know it, she was all covered in pink.

And it is true, girls do look better in pink.

And now that she knows her colours, she will insist on things being in pink. And she is very insistent about it.

And while I do not mind it so much now, I do hope she grows out of it. Cos now it looks like she is in uniform - pink top, pink bottom, pink socks ... I have a pink panther at home ...

Conversation which made me laughed

2011-09-14T09:25:00.001+08:00

So last night I was making banana cake and the family gathered around the oven to see "Mummy's banana cake" cause it was te first time I made it.

And when Ryan was poking his daddy too much, the following conversation took place...

Daddy: You do that again and I will put your hand into the oven ah. Burn it ah.
Ryan: You want me to die ah? So you got only one son ah?
Daddy: No la, burn already will grow back one.
Ryan: What?! You think I am a starfish ah? Hand can grow back ah? You see? I got 1, 2, 3, 4 (referring to his limbs) - you think I am a special kind of starfish ah?

It was too funny to continue cos we all burst out laughing.

Kids, you just never know what they know and what they will say.

When night falls ...

2011-09-09T01:29:00.000+08:00

It gets very quiet and still. Sometimes it feels almost unreal, for just in the past hour or so, the house was filled with laughter and cries, screams and yells, hugs and kisses.

Oh yes, the house with 3 kids in it certainly is a lively one. Which is why when they finally hit the sack, I feel the sudden peace very relaxing, very soothing and usually will put me to sleep too.

And sometimes, at this hour, as I sit to read or plot charts, and I feel the air being too still, and I look forward to the kids making noise again.

And before long, the sun will be up, and the activities will resume, and then I will look forward to the night again.

Such is the circle of life.

Beaten and Broken

2011-07-18T21:35:00.001+08:00

Ever wondered how life sometimes present us with too much than you can bear?Too much that you feel beaten and broken.

Tech and us today

2011-06-19T00:31:00.002+08:00

Technology today has such a tremendous influence on our lives, it is absolutely amazing.

I have friends whose kids are below 5 and they already have an ipod for their favourite songs and ipad for their kiddie books. While I am happy that songs and books are part of the package, I still believe that it is too much, too soon. Whatever happen to flipping (and occasionally tearing) pages of books and CDs blasting for all in the family to sing along?

My kids are still relatively less exposed to all the fast moving tech. The most is Ryan having our iphones for limited time to play some (monitored) games and the TV. Internet is allowed for playhousedisney.com, and it is also monitored with limited time. He has learned that once the time is up, there is no further discussion on it.

Megan is sometimes on the iphone, but usually she will throw it away when it is not responding to the way she wants it. Her big tech thing is the TV which plays Barnie and Elmo for her.

I remember when I had to apply for jobs fresh out of university, I had to type and print and then buy stamps and envelopes to send it. Now, it is on the website. For example, peoplesearch.com and other sites where you can go check out what they want and how to apply for it.

I remember too when I was small, having a pen pall was a big thing and I used to write to a friend in the UK and would wait weeks for a reply. Now, finding old friends is so easy through Facebook. No more waiting for weeks and no more limitation of space.

Ah yes, the wonders of tech. I think it is very much like fire - when tech is your servant, it is really wonderful, but when tech becomes the master, we are doomed.

Have you ever wondered ...

2011-05-27T23:36:00.002+08:00

Some little girls used to grow up wondering when they will meet their Prince Charming and get whisked off to a happily ever after life in an awesome castle somewhere. But I don't think I grew up with this dream, I basically grew up wondering where I can find the next boy to whack and how I was going to be No. 1 in class.

Fast forward to some 10 years plus ago when I decided that my then boyfriend was the one I will spend my life with. And now, we have 3 kids.

And I have to admit, it is not always a bed of roses. Of course the good outweigh the bad times, but still sometimes I find myself wondering if it was all worth fighting for.

And sometimes, when I am up in the quiet of the night nursing, I wonder, if it was meant to be ...

Threatened!!

2011-05-23T00:12:00.003+08:00

So, we were talking over a late tea on Friday.

SL said that she has resorted to remove blogs which are inactive from her blog roll. And then she said to me "Your is about to be removed, so long never update".

So here I am, well past midnight, putting up a post so that SL will not remove me from her blog roll. Have mercy! I have kids to run after!!

Have a good week everyone!

Introducing Dylan

2011-04-26T18:51:00.001+08:00

It has been exactly a month since we had a new addition to the family.

Baby Dylan was born 3.705kg with healthy Apgar scores of 9 & 10. He is really a good eater and is very loud too! He is very similar to how Ryan was as a baby except that he drinks much longer and much more! Impatience is the only vice at the moment.

His older brother thinks he is cute and cannot resist giving him a peck each time he sees Dylan. Megan will always ask "Baby leh?" Dylan responds to Megan each time he hears her talk or cry. He will look out for her until she tries to pry his eyes or poke his face. He will cry when it gets too much.

Although he is our third, we are still learning to be better parents and a better family. Time really flies as I still remember the day I found out about him and it was just like it was yesterday.

Treasure time, live life. Happy one month old Dylan.

I am so sad

2011-04-25T14:08:00.002+08:00

Yesterday we were in the car heading towards KLCC for a late lunch from my MIL's place and the kids were a little cranky and tired.

While Ryan entertained himself on his dad's phone, the little girl said this ... "I am so sad ...".

Ok, I know some mothers will be frowning and worried, but I literally burst out laughing! Imagine a 2 year old feeling sad ... and we did not even scold her nor did anything drastic to her that will warrant her saying this.

But anyway, I discovered later that she was actually feeling tired and so, her "sadness". She napped for a while till we got to KLCC.

The things kids say will make any sitcom pale in comparison, haha.

Best ideas for raising kids ...

2011-04-07T19:18:00.003+08:00

I was going through some notes on success principles and came across the following:

According to Zig Ziglar, the best idea for raising kids is to "Love them unconditionally. Begin and end each day properly."

Isn't that well said? I must remember to end the day right with them. Too often we get so caught up with ourselves that we lose sight of what is important to us, too often we get so caught up with petty things that we lose sight of those little ones which holds us dear. Too often ..

And as Joseph Campbell says ... "To the whole world you might be just one person, but to one person you might just be the whole world."

Please God, help me have the strength to be the kind of mum my kids deserve and the kind you want me to be - kind, loving and patient.

My backdated post ...

2011-04-07T15:11:00.002+08:00

If you ask anybody, they will tell you that I am a really really laid back mum.

I was cleaning up my hotmail's inbox and noticed that I had a post in there which I wrote but never got to put it on the blog!! It was on Megan's Week 15 milestone and so, I finally put it up here, almost 2 years later. Sigh, I am a terrible mum.

And as I look back to more photos etc, I think there will be more backdated posts to come.

Meanwhile, I will blog about current events while backdating at the same time.

Have a good day!

I lost track of time

2011-04-04T17:49:00.002+08:00

...which is the only reason I can think of for not putting something here for so long.

Well, that is about to change. I will start updating for the next 3 weeks ... since I am stuck at home and all.

Till tomorrow then ...

Ryan's first day in school

2011-01-03T12:26:00.000+08:00

I still remember Ryan's first day in school. It was 3 years ago. I had felt very guilty then, having to send him to school at such young age. However, I am glad I did it cause he really benefited from it.

Today, it will be his first day of his last year in pre-school. It has been a great journey for him, and us. Last night, I wrapped his communications book and I am really touched by how far he has come and the many developments that has taken place.

This time next year, my baby will be in Standard One, oh, how time flies. I am so so proud of him, although there are challenging times which I am sure is normal.

Today, as in the past 3 years, I will be off from work and will be sending and picking him up - a tradition I hope my kids will treasure for many years to come.

I thank God each day for the chance he has given us to help in moulding this child. May He blesses him with many more happy and healthy times as he journeys through life.

Have a great day Ryan!

A brand new start

2011-01-03T00:16:00.002+08:00

2010 came and went past us all. Usually I hear people say how fast it has been, talking about where it went etc. Some years back, I have decided to take a different approach to it - I choose to think that it flew us by because we were healthy - Thank God.

There were many many incidents and occasions which happened in this year but the main things I am thankful for are:

1) My kids are healthy.
2) I am still married.
3) My parents and brother are healthy.
4) I chose a new path and am currently thankful I did it.
5) God gave us another chance to be better parents.
6) The share market has been progressing well.

As I reflect the year, I am looking forward to the following in 2011:

1) My kids being happy and healthy.
2) I continue to be married.
3) My parents and brother are healthy.
4) My chosen path becomes full bloom.
5) My newborn is happy to have come to us.
6) The share market continues to perform for us.

Hmm, seems to me there are only those few things I am concerned with. So long as the earth continues to spin, the air is breathable and the sun rises in the east each morning, I am happy to embrace each day, with its many challenges.

How about you?

I pulled out Ryan's tooth!

2010-12-19T08:03:00.004+08:00

Yes, I did! I know, I am a little crazy not to have brought him to a proper dentist, but hey, I did mine on my own too many, many years ago.

I remember my first 2 front teeth extraction was done by some nurse at the local hospital. And I was rewarded with a bar of chocolates for being so brave.

Yesterday morning, Ryan's tooth was already half way out, it will fall anytime. Rather than miss it, I took a piece of thread and tied it to his tooth. After a couple of attempts to tie the thread, it was a go. One small yank and he did not even realised that the tooth was out! He was laughing all he way, think he was feeling scared and excited at the same time.

I had bought some gauze a day before, anticipating that this will happen over the weekend. He used 2 pieces and then it was cleaned. Good boy.

We made a small box to put his tooth in for the tooth fairy ... and I think she came ; ) But he is not up yet, so I am not sure how he will react to the little coins left to him. Yes, I became the tooth fairy - it will be another 19 times for him, 19 times for Megan (since she already lost one tooth) and hopefully, 20 times for the little one. Motherhood has so much to offer, but the challenges are unbelievable too!

I am so proud of Ryan - he is all grown up! And he was rewarded with a Elmo Play Doh set and a dinner at his favourite "cup cake" restaurant - Delicious.

My princess today

2010-12-15T01:46:00.002+08:00

She is moving very quickly to her 2 year old mark now.I see her progress from a small tiny baby into an active, smiley, independent and strong willed girl.

She can take off and put on her shoes now, almost perfectly. She knows how to put them on the shoe rack and will take off her socks in the car or whenever she feels is irritating her.

She likes her cheese still and her pasta is usually eaten but will have bits of it stuck on her hair.She really adores food, no joke. And she is not afraid to try out new stuff.

She simply adores Ryan and will take after him, usually leaving me behind. And she gangs up with him too, against me.

She is also highly adaptable, sleeps easily and almost fuss free when sick.

She has now gotten some words together and can form phrases with her cute tongue sticking out when talking.

She recently also started to take on bears as her baby and carries one wherever she goes. It's quite cute really.

My princess Megan is a real joy to have around. May she have many more happy and healthy years ahead. I love you.

My hero is reaching another mile stone

2010-12-08T16:40:00.001+08:00

Last night while changing Ryan for bed, he came to me with a worried look.And showed me his tooth, it was the bottom left incisor. It was loose.And he was a little alarmed. My little hero is growing up fast and I cannot stop it. I can only embrace it with all the challenges and moments in store. He had heard about tooth fairies and the money in exchange of the tooth and we look forward to that together. I am more excited than he is!I love you my little hero, in both the good and challenging times, although I still have to scold you.

Before it all hits me ...

2010-12-04T07:40:00.001+08:00

There is a moment in the morning when I wake up and see my sleeping kids and am amazed at how much they have grown.I reflect and find myself wondering how they have made changes to my life.And then it hit me, they are not going to stay little for long, they will leave me one day and be on their own.And I resolve to be a great mum and be loving, and then one of them opens their eyes...and the day begins.Some days I cannot help but give in and marvel at them, others I cannot remember why I had them!! Before it all hits me, I say a little prayer - may they grow up happy and healthy, safe from harm and have the wisdom to live right. Thank you God.

Should we? Should we?

2010-11-06T16:31:00.002+08:00

Our family is growing, and with it means that we are looking for a bigger car to drive all of us around.

I had not planned for a change of car since I got mine some 3 years ago. I had originally thought that it would last us a good 10 years or something.

Obviously now, with the anticipated arrival of the little one, we would have to consider a bigger car which can accommodate the additional car seat.

My original thought was a Toyota Wish or a Mazda or even a Chevrolet, but my hubby decided that those were not big enough. No, no, he is not thinking of something like the Ford F-150! That would be quite a bit of a trouble for me if there was a need to go to an auto shop!

He was actually thinking of the Estima. While I quite like the idea, it would also mean that the monthly commitment is much much higher than now. And I heard that the maintenance is not cheap either. And I have not seen many workshops where they can check engine light easily!

Can you imagine if anything goes wrong and I am stuck with the kids? It would be like I am looking for a San Diego auto repair shop!! Err, scary!

But anyway, we are not in a hurry though, we are merely looking around to see where the best deals are so that we are prepared when the time comes and we really really need a car.

So, you guys have any ideas on what is a good 7-seater to consider? Low maintenance and reasonable prices are key to us.

My 5 year old hero

2010-10-29T00:53:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was Ryan's Sports Day and I had spent the entire day on my feet. I was really tired. By the evening, my legs were so sore that I could not feel them. Slumping on the sofa felt really good ... and I did just that.

The kids were in the TV room playing, while I was trying to catch a quick nap there, although the kids were noisy!

I had told the kids to leave me for 10 minutes because my legs were sore. And after 10 minutes, I will do their wizard hats for them. Now because they did not know how long is 10 minutes, I managed to get time exceeding this!

And I did get up after my so-call 10 minutes were up and were doing some artwork with them. Their daddy came back and sat himself right in front of the TV and started to dictate some work to me about his product photos.

My 5 year old hero spoke up for me and told his daddy "Dad, don't ask mum to do anything. Her legs are sore. She deserves a rest!"

Wow, when I heard this, I was so happy that despite scolding them the most, I think they ultimately still believes that the mum is the best!!

Megan's first movie

2010-10-26T00:40:00.001+08:00

Last weekend, we brought Megan for her first movie at the cinema - Sammy's Adventure. I have been meaning to bring her earlier, but there was not really a movie which I thought would appeal to her.

However, when this one came along, I was really excited that she could see the sea creatures that we have been introducing to her. Among the animals she knows are fish, turtle, dolphin, crab, octopus and all of these were in the movie!

She was able to sit for about an hour before she became restless and started to climb and walk around. At some point, I realised that she was actually squatting on the ground and not standing anymore, I had thought that she was tired.

But when I reached down to pick her up, I realised she was actually picking up popcorn from the floor and into her mouth!!! Arghhh!!! Thankfully, she did not develop any stomach infection after that.

Ryan went to this movie as well and could not wait for his sister to follow suit. He was enjoying his popcorn and sat through the whole movie.

Even her daddy could not pacify Megan after a while and thankfully the movie ended shortly. Overall it was quite a fun outing and I was so glad that Megan did not kick up a fuss about the dark and all.

Looks like another kid-appropriate movie is in the pipeline then.

I think gender dictates which toy section you go to

2010-10-20T16:49:00.000+08:00

Ever since Ryan was a small boy, our visit to the toy shop has always been to the normal baby/ toddler toy section and as he grows, we will be heading to the Lego/ PlayDoh and more recently, to the computer games section.

Megan, on the other hand, has no interest whatsoever in any of the above sections. The last time we went to Toys r Us, she headed straight to the dolls section and began to press and cuddle the dolls there.

Hmm ... isn't that curious? I never thought that the kids are so different at such a young age.

But for sure, I will not buy any Barbie dolls for Megan. I really think that that doll promotes unrealistic views about the fairer gender.

I am wondering now, in a month's time, if we go to the toy shop again, if this behaviour will reveal itself again ...

5 months on ...

2010-10-19T16:38:00.002+08:00

Time flew by really quickly when you are healthy and happy.

It has been more than 5 months since we shifted to the new house. Ryan is still asking if the house is still considered new. He can still remember the condo which we have stayed in for about 8 years.

Megan is oblivious to the whole thing. She cannot remember the condo and I don't think she cares. She just wants to be around us.

Me, I am feeling happy, although I can do with escalators in the house. I really can use it. But I shall not complain. I got what I wanted.

Hubby ... is adjusting well. He says it does not make sense to go out when the house is so cozy. I think he is secretly happy that we moved, despite earlier objections.

Contrary to what you may think ..

2010-10-19T15:06:00.000+08:00

I have not stopped blogging. I just have loads to do and the internet connection at home is limiting my time even more!!

Anyway, I have decided to resume putting down my thoughts and following what my kids are up to.

Plenty have happened and I will try to remember as much and put them down before they outgrow the stage and this poor old lady is left wondering where the time has gone!

For now, let's take a day at a time and hope you are having a ball of a time!

Ryan is in love ....

2010-06-02T23:16:00.000+08:00

Well, Ryan started to notice girls very early on, think round about when he was 3 years old and first started school.

And throughout the years, he has been having good friendships with girls and you can tell that he is rather fond of them. With the boys, they are his fight mates, really. When he talks about a boy, it is usually the one he fights with. The girls, well, he usually has nice things to say.

Last weekend, he had asked me to wrap a present for his class mate. I had asked "whatever for? and he said it was his gift to her ... and it was ball which I bought him, the kind which bounces and has a blinking light. All throughout the weekend he was very excited.

Yesterday, after getting up from bed, he immediately went to look for his present and proceeded to give it to his friend in school. And this morning, he told me that he loves her ... oops.

I met the little girl's mum in school and she said ... "My little girl says Ryan loves her but she wants to marry Christophe!"

We were both laughing hard about it. Isn't it cute? Kids, they really make your day. Of course, it is a different story if this happens in 10 years' time.

Megan runs

2010-06-01T11:14:00.000+08:00

I have been totally slacking these last few weeks cause I was so caught up with all the packing and unpacking and moving and shifting etc. that I have totally forgotten to document all the development that the kids are going through.

For starters, Megan started running beginning of May, right smack in the middle of all the chaos. She decided to amuse us with her legs stunt that I was utterly impressed with her.

She started with little steps, walking really fast and then it went on to almost skipping and then it went full on to really lifting her legs off the ground and running with little steps!

I know I am darn proud of her, but I also anticipate that mischief will follow her ... and it has, but that is another story all together.

I am 36

2010-05-09T06:22:00.002+08:00

To many females, age is not something to be revealed.

For me, I am proud to declare my age because to me, it means I have another year to enjoy my kids and my family. It also means I have another year to work on my future.

I think, ageing is great, although I can do with more stamina and less wrinkles!

Have a great birthday to me!

We are shifting house today

2010-05-02T07:23:00.002+08:00

Although the new place is not fit enough to be slept in yet, we are holding the prayers and move-in-house ceremony this morning.

I have a mix emotion in me - a little bit of sadness and happiness and excitement. I think generally, this is going to be a good move.

Will update with photos soon.

Megan today

2010-04-18T22:40:00.002+08:00

Megan is now past her 15th month and it has been a joy to have her around. Among her many amusing ways are:

1) She is a no care in the world girl. If she falls, she will pick herself right up and the world goes on for her. Sometimes, she will wail if it got too much, else she will move right along.

2) She can be wet from playing with water, messy after a meal or even sweaty from so much running, but none of these things will bother her ... seems like she can glide through the messiest of messy.

3) She has this habit of hanging out her right leg over her high chair and she will shake it while eating. Bad habit I know, but it is really funny, always makes me smile secretly.

4) She thoroughly enjoys her food. She is not afraid to eat with her hands, elbows, fingers etc. so long as the food gets into her mouth! And she slurps her noodles in and flashes you a big smile!

5) She is feisty. Fights with her brother and usually uses her nail and scratch you like a cat! Don't get near her when she is in this mood!

6) Last week, we went for a swim and she cannot wait to get out of her float and into the water. She literally jumped into the water without any float, arm floats etc. Gave her brother a real scare! Now, she has taken to arm floats and swims around with ease.

7) Brother's dog really likes her. Maybe because he can identify with a her. Puppy = toddler. And she is also into the pup, except when she is too near her too often. That is when she will turn around a slap him a bit.

8) She also babbles and attempts to talk a lot, a lot, a lot. I am soon going to have to tape her up!

Baby Megan is growing so well, she is now really a darling to be with. Looking forward to her growth tomorrow.

Lost my child in Ikea

2010-04-12T00:39:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, I was at Ikea with Auntie M with the kids. We figured, between the 2 of us, we can take care of the kids. I wanted to get some accessories for the wardrobes.

Somewhere in the middle, the kids were bored and Megan wanted her milk. I then carried her and Ryan was between Auntie M and I. Between Megan in my hands and trying to find my stuff, Ryan was getting a little restless and he wandered off. Before anyone start to scold me, understand that I will never leave him unattended. He was about within my ear shot because I heard him talking to me.

And then, at the blink of an eye, he was gone. I started to get anxious and then, I panic. He could not have wandered far and we tried in vain to look for him. I finally approached a Ikea personnel and said that I had lost my child.

She calmly phoned customer service. And then, it happened - my phone rang together with the announcement over the PA system "We have a Chinese boy aged 5 years named Ryan with a red Ben 10 shirt here". My heart almost stopped.

The man on the other side of the line told me "Miss, we have your son here".

Apparently he walked off when we were talking and then, after a few turns, he was lost and cried out for me. The Ikea personnel figured he was lost and so, led him to the customer service centre where he gave her my phone number, his name and age.

The lady said he was so clever when I collected him. My poor baby was all traumatized and he was silent for a good 30 minutes or so. I was beside myself and could not resist giving him a lecture. Auntie M came shortly and told him about bad people who cut limbs etc. of kids.

After all that, I must admit that I was proud that he could talk so calmly and could also remember my number in those times of panic.

I will now think more before taking them along with me to these types of places. I cannot imagine what would have happened if I could not find him.

Bless him. And thank goodness for the staff of Ikea. Thank you.

My baby calls me MA-MA

2010-04-06T06:53:00.003+08:00

Being a mother is one thing, but having hear your baby acknowledging it by calling you so is another thing altogether.

Megan is now close to 15 months old and she called me the first time, very clearly, last Friday night when I came home.

She flashed me her big smile and said "Ma-Ma". Sweetest thing ever. Made all the cries and pain tolerable now.

On Sunday afternoon, she heard her daddy come through the door while we were getting ready for our afternoon nap. She said "Da-dy". Her daddy did not hear it, but I did and I just want to hold on to that for a while before I let it out to him.

My baby, she finally acknowledges me.

How my kids delight me

2010-04-01T07:23:00.000+08:00

In one of those horrible tired days, my kids delight me in so many ways. Amongst them ...

RYAN: Mum, let's play hide and seek.
ME: No, of course not.
RYAN: Why?
ME: Cause I am too big and I have no where to hide.
RYAN: Aiya, you just hide somewhere lo, your stomach is so soft, people will think it is a pillow!
ME: *not sure I should cry or laugh*

But I should go to the gym more often!

In another, I was on the floor lazing around when Megan came to me grinning away and then proceeded to SIT on my tummy. Then, she decided it was more fun to bounce up and down on me!

Now, she is not exactly light and my tummy is not exactly toned, and so, the pain is truly felt! When I push her off, she comes right back at me, grinning. On top of that, she has discovered that it is more fun to poke my navel than hers!

Her ko-ko is of course finding this all amusing and is rolling off the bed laughing!

Me learning phonics

2010-03-31T06:49:00.002+08:00

For the life of me, I cannot remember learning any phonics in school. Most of my English is learnt through my reading habits. The foundation came from my mum who was adamant that I should learn my tenses and verbs and past/ present participles - I still don't know all this theory till today.

I usually just speak and write according to what seems right grammatically and if all else fails, there is always spell check!

So when Ryan came back one day and showed me a list of words I was supposed to practise with him - I was dumbfounded. It was a list of phonics which we had to practised on the sounds and the emphasis etc.

To him, it was almost easy since they converse this way - they actually have a ABC song sang to the phonics way. Can you believe that? And I had to struggle to say it out. Finally, I owned up and said that I will ask his teacher to go through with me before we learn together - I don't want to say the wrong thing and be laughed at, you know.

Yesterday, his teacher finally sat me down and went through with me. Imagine, he was running around while the teacher and I sat on the small little chairs and went through EACH word and then she told me to think of a begin sound and see how it linked up. Thank goodness the teacher is older than I, else it will be utterly embarrassing!

Can you imagine next time he goes to primary school and I had to go back to his teacher to learn how to do maths and such? I think I had better go do some work books before he reaches there!

Power to charge

2010-03-15T08:01:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, we were in bed in the morning. The kids were lounging around and I was to get up to make some pancakes.

I asked Ryan to give me a big fat juicy kiss to charge me up so that pancakes are on the way. He came, gave me a big hug and a big fat juicy kiss.

His daddy asked for one too and this is what he said ...

"I only have enough energy to charge one battery only la"

*doink*

How many books did you read in 2009?

2010-03-14T00:06:00.003+08:00

I wonder if there is such a thing as addiction to buying books? If there is, I wonder if my behaviour qualifies. Every time I am near a book store, chances are I will go in and come out with a couple of hundreds worth of books, magazines, etc.

However, I must admit though, I usually read about 1 out of the stash that I bought at one time and the rest will sit on my shelves till I am ready to read them.

Last year, I read a total of 11 books, I had set my goal at 13 books. This year, I am going to stretch myself a little and will aim for 16 books. And it does not include my kids' books which I also read to them.

Among the books I read last year are:
How to make HOT cold calls
Positive Discipline for Pre schoolers
Twelve Pillars
Problogger
Secrets of A Millionaire Mind
Things I Want My Daughters To Know
Seven Years to Seven Figures
Dated Jekyll, Married Hyde
Confessions of a bad mother
Secrets of Happily Married Women
What to expect when you are expecting

I must say it is a pretty good list of parenting, fiction and business books there. And I think that is important to keep the interest alive.

I am currently reading several at one go - Psychology of selling, The art of closing the sale, Positive Discipline for 1-3 years, The toddler years and Think and grow rich.

So what are you reading now?

The story with Angel(s)

2010-03-09T00:55:00.002+08:00

So, this morning, before I send Ryan to school, I said my bye-bye to Megan and called her my little angel. And this is what Ryan has to say ...

RYAN: Don't call Megan little angel.
ME: Why?
RYAN: The Angel in my school is a very rude and naughty girl, so please don't call Megan, angel.
ME: But mummy has a friend called Auntie Angel and she is a nice lady.
RYAN: Yeah, but you have an auntie ya? This girl in school is not an auntie. She is not nice. So, don't call Megan an angel.
ME: Haha, I think Auntie Angel will think you are very cute.
RYAN: Yes, she will think I am a cute little Ryan.
ME: *laughing very hard*

How la like this? He is only 5 years old and already so witty. Wonder what it would be like when he grows a day older tomorrow.

Situations where my son stumps me ...

2010-03-05T01:15:00.001+08:00

I remember when I was a kid, I never had the last say. Mum was always right, mum always had the last word, no matter what.

So, when my son said the following things, I was a little stumped and frankly, I actually found it amusing.

SITUATION 1 - One of those busy mornings where I had to nudge him along.
ME: Mummy is sick, why do I still have to nag you? I cannot talk properly now.
RYAN: But you are still talking so much??
ME: *Blink, blink*

SITUATION 2 - I usually bathe Ryan first so that he can dress himself while I bathe Megan.
ME: Aiyo, I am done bathing you sister already, why are you still not dressed? What if you catch a cold?
RYAN: Because I am waiting for the moon to come down lor.
ME: *Blink, blink*

SITUATION 3 - I sometimes have problems getting Ryan to sleep at night.
Ryan: That is because you night time is my morning and your morning is my night time.
ME: *Blink, blink*

SITUATION 4 - Last week Ryan got sent to the Principal's office because he was fighting with another classmate. When he came back, his class teacher asked him what the principal said.
RYAN: I don't know what she said, she talked so much, so much, I cannot remember already.
His teacher shared this with her colleagues and they all had a good laugh.

SITUATION 5 - Ryan hates to cut his nails.

RYAN: Why you always ask me to cut my nails? Your nails are so long too. Why you don't cut it? Huh? Huh?

ME: *I finally cut my nails cause it was too much trouble, but it still stumped me*

I am sure he will continue to brighten my day in the coming weeks. For now, I am still thinking about whether I should continue to put on a stern face and laugh to myself or should I just burst out when he says these things. What say you?

I am one proud mummy!

2010-02-23T23:27:00.003+08:00

Today while I was sending Ryan to school, his gym teacher stopped me on my way out. What she told me for the next 5 minutes or so made me beam from ear to ear.

Her first comment was that Ryan is a very nice boy. He is very caring, gentle and makes way for the others in his class. Not only that, he is also nice to the others during his day care session. This coming from a teacher who sees him 3 times a week for gym and sometimes in the afternoon for day care. I'd like to think that it is sufficient a time for her to know him in the last 2+ years that he is in school.

When I think about all the time that Ryan has been with his sister, I do see him as a gentle soul. Of course, there are those times when he can be a terror. But I think one should expect to have some downs to compensate all the ups that you will get when you have kids.

Whatever it is, I am one proud mummy today!

Chinese New Year once again

2010-02-11T01:25:00.003+08:00

The year has flown by very quickly.

And while many may sigh, I choose to think it is because we are healthy and therefore, time moves quickly for us. And that is a good sign.

So many changes happened in the Year of the Ox - Megan came into the family, we bought a landed house for the growing kids, financials have been in place, I chose a new route for my destination and I an very happy with the way things worked out.

Sure, there were challenges and there were problems and tears. Throughout the year, laughter has managed to tame many unpleasant situations.

I have been unable to keep up with the many events that has been happening but I am thinking of blogging it over the next one week or so and back date it to the days when it happened. I know, I know, I am cheating, but really, I wish I had 34 hours a day you know.

For now, at this hour, I am attempting to clear some of my mails etc. ... it is really a daunting act.

And tomorrow, I have many many errands to run. Looking forward to it though.

Have a blast!

My baby turns 1

2010-01-10T12:15:00.000+08:00

On 9th January 2010, my baby turns into a toddler. She is 1 year old. And this is how she looks now.

We celebrated her birthday at home with my parents and brother. It was a simple family affair with home cook food and cupcakes to add. Ryan loved them so much, he ate like 2.5 of them! Megan, unfortunately, did not take the taste too well since her taste buds are still a little raw. She even spit out her red eggs!

The next day, we had a small party with family and close friends. While it was meant to start early and end early so that the kids are well rested, it turned out quite the opposite. Guests were so fashionably late that the kids were quite worn out.

However, pools like this always save the day. Megan is seen here to enjoy herself thoroughly.

We also had a small cake - all the favorite Disney characters - isn't it cute?

Auntie M brought vodka for mummy but ended up Megan was holding on to it. I wonder if it is due to my alchohol consumption when I was pregnant. Megan seems to be quite drawn to bottles and cans of drinks.

At the end of the day, we were all worn out. We had a great time despite the delay, rain and tiredness. It was a time for me to reflect on those moments leading up to her birth, leading to the day I received my little princess.

Megan - a name I had thought off for more than 5 years ago. A name I finally used a year ago when my little princess was born with all the perfect little features.

I am thankful for each day that I have her. Thankful for the joy she has brought us. Thankful for the tantrums and cries each day for it means she is healthy. And my little Ryan is so much into her that it could not be more perfect.

Happy birthday Megan, may you have a beautiful day.

First day at school 2010

2010-01-04T23:28:00.000+08:00

Today is first day of school for Ryan in his 5 year old class. What an exciting time!

We had tried to be early and aimed to be in school by 8.30am. However, we only left the house at 8.30am. Hubby had sent Megan to baby sitter while I took Ryan. Hubby was to have come straight from the baby sitter to Ryan's school.

We arrived at the school in good time and were waiting in the car for hubby to come. One thing that truly touched me on this day is that hubby came despite his busy schedule and all he had to do was to send Ryan up to his class, said a round of bye-bye and then leave. For a brief 5 minutes, hubby battled the morning traffic and busy schedule and turned up to bring his bag and hold his hands.

Isn't it good? I took the whole day and later went to fetch Ryan. He was truly delighted to see me, as I am to see him.

The teacher said that the whole day was good for Ryan and it was a bliss for everyone.

Ahhhh ... so big boy my Ryan is now ...

I am suddenly blank

2010-01-03T00:23:00.002+08:00

Must be the new year and the challenges I have formed in my mind, but I am suddenly blank, really blank, don't know what to write and don't know how long it will take to recover.

Have not been updating as regularly as I wanted to. My kids are growing by leaps and bounds, but I am blank.

Let's see how tomorrow.

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-01T00:53:00.000+08:00

Can't believe I forgot all about putting a post on this here!

Making my first dream board for 2010

2009-12-19T22:23:00.003+08:00

This is my dream board. And this is the first time that I am doing something like this. It details 5 broad areas of my life which I want to focus on in 2010.

From the top left, there is a financial challenge which I want to fulfil. Once it is achieved, I will get a chance to visit the country where the Maori dancers live. And so the hunt begins ...

In the top middle is a place where I hold dear - my family. The words clearly tell how I feel and the kitchen tells the story of where I believe a family is united after a day's, week's of hard work. And so they become my garden of inspiration ...

Towards the bottom left talks about social responsibility. I feel that this is a very important area for everyone especially us parents who inspire to leave the world a better place for our future generations. For this area, my 2 key focus is to be more environmentally friendly - recycle! and also to adopt a child a year. By the time I reach my retirement age, I would have 20 kids!

Bottom centre talks about eating healthy, delicious food and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. More trips to the gym, daily walks around the block in my new place. More spiritual awareness, maintaining balance and harmony in life.

I have allocated the entire right space to things that I want to have for my family and myself - good things. Things which I can have without having to sacrifice our retirement and education funds. Luxury is never an option ...

When I was putting this together, Ryan was busy trying to help and was curious about what I was doing. I told him that this is a dream board which will help realise our goals. His association was immediately with MONEY, hehe. Great start eh?

Here's to a great 2010!

I am not sure how I feel now ...

2009-12-15T22:35:00.002+08:00

Today Ryan went back with my mum to PD. And I cannot describe how I feel now. Strange. I thought I should feel relieved, because there was a lot of stress in the last 1 week. Ryan got sick, work was a little stressed, then Ryan went into a relapsed, then I was told by the eye doctor that he possibly needed glasses, hubby was edgy as well, men, then Megan got sick last night. Sigh, the whole week has been a non-stop drama.

When my mum said she wants the kids, I was like "Woo hoo!" Freedom for a week. I was to go back this Friday to fetch them back. At least a few nights on my own, to do my thing.

And then, today, we decided that Megan stays behind with us while Ryan goes home with my mum. I was told that as soon as we were out of sight, he started to cry all the way to PD. He had wanted my dad to turn around and he said he misses us and wants to come home. My heart broke.

What I thought would be a few funs nights now feels like something I do not need after all. I would much prefer that the nights that Ryan was around adding to the fun and flavour with Megan's constant laughter.

I will be going to fetch him this Friday with Megan. Can't wait to see him.

Megan walks @ 10+months

2009-12-09T01:11:00.000+08:00

My little baby first attempted her little steps some weeks back. She was not very stable and would be falling quite a bit. However, unlike Ryan, Megan is able to balance herself and usually eases herself to the ground instead of falling flat.

Because of this, Megan seldom had accidents while learning to walk. At most, she will sit down hard.

That was some weeks back. These few days, she has been steadier and is able to walk about 10+ feet before sitting down. I think her little legs are still a little shaky. But I am proud of her, and she is proud of herself too. She cannot stop beaming at herself.

So there, another milestone to little Megan ... she starts walking at 10+ months.

And today, it is her 11th month .... next month I will be having her 1 year old birthday party. Isn't it great?

My mentor passed on ...

2009-12-07T00:00:00.003+08:00

It is rare indeed for us to be able to find someone whom we can regard as a mentor. Someone who makes sense, someone who has been through it all, someone who has lived to tell the tale, someone who got through to you. For me, that someone was Jim Rohn.

I got to know about him through a friend. I was hooked from the time I heard him say "Thank you" to the thunderous applause he received while conducting one of his sales seminars. I have since been listening to his audio programs and have been reading his books.

And today, I learnt that he has passed on. He left to be in a better place yesterday, 5 December 2009. He has been suffering from Pulmonary Fibrosis for the past 18 months. However, knowing him, Jim would have fought until the last breath and would have continued to inspire and lead the life he has always been talking about.

Someone once said “when you are born you enter the world crying while everyone else is rejoicing and when you die hopefully you have lived such a life that everyone will be crying while you are rejoicing”. Jim Rohn lived such a life.

To me, I am grateful that Jim came to this world, grateful that I was introduced to him, grateful for his teachings, grateful for his ways. I will always remember one key thought he had which had touched me .... "Life is not designed to give you what you want. Life is designed to give you what you deserve. "

Well said dear Jim Rohn. May you rest in peace. You legend lives on.

Tender moments with my kids

2009-11-20T23:31:00.002+08:00

Both my kids are quite different in their own styles. One of it has to do with sleep.

When Ryan was a baby, he slept in the sarung and we would put him in and set the electronic timer in motion and voila! he will soon be in la-la land. However, we were always fearful about the times we would be away on holiday, how will we be dragging the sarung etc. around??

With Megan, we have conditioned her to sleep on the bed. Although she is on the sarung in nanny's house, at home, she goes on the bed.

Because they both have different bedtimes, Megan about 9-ish while Ryan is about 10-ish, the juggling has to be done right so that while I put Megan to sleep, Ryan is occupied with activities, toys, games etc. so that he does not feel left out.

Tonight was no different and he was on the NET playing with his Handy Manny game. I had gone to put Megan to sleep at 9.30pm and by 10.15pm, she was still nursing! Wow, I had not realised cause I drifted off to la-la land already. What woke me was Ryan's soft steps into the room, he wanted to tell me that the computer had stopped working and he wanted me to go have a look.

I gave him a hand gesture which said "Wait, I will come". He looked at me and then he walked out. Some minutes later, I could feel him next to me cause he got bored outside. This time, he gave me a smile. I gestured the same. After a long while, I could not hear him nor see him. Hmm, quite unusual.

When Megan finally drifted off, I went out to find Ryan playing quietly with his toys and he was telling me "Mummy, I want bread, I am so hungry." Wow, I felt so proud of him, cause I thought that he was actually quite matured considering he is only 4 years old.

Later we sat down for a light supper, fresh milk with biscuits and bread. He was happy all the way and finally went to sleep at 11pm. Barely 10 minutes and he already went off to a good night's rest.

While he was sleeping, I lay beside him watching him sleep and wondered where did all those nights go where I had to pacify him when he was sick, when he was agitated by his tooth growing, the nights when he would nurse and refused to be put down on the bed, the nights I lost my cool and the nights when he was still in my bed. Now, my little baby is growing to be on his own and insist that he sleeps with daddy cause he has his own mattress, he is insisting that he does things on his own simply because he is a "big boy". Sometimes he pushes me away saying that he does not need my help. While I am proud, I am also tearful, although they are tears of joy and pride.

When I sleep at night with Megan and I wake with her by my side, I cannot help but to wonder when she will also tell me that she does not need me, when she will finally graduate from mummy's bed to her own. Megan now takes comfort in knowing that I am around her when she fusses at night. She will soon one day be able to comfort herself quite well without me. I cannot wait for that to happen because it means she has grown really well, but to some extent I also dread that moment. Selfish me ya?

Sigh, these are tender moments in my life which I would protect and preserve for me to reflect and smile, one fine day in the future. What are some of your tender moments with your kids?

Goddess of Mercy

2009-11-18T14:00:00.001+08:00

When I was a little girl, my mum fed me with Bovril one time and I developed rashes on my arms. I do not know why parents then did not think about the doctor, but instead brought me to the temple. Apparently, I have "Kuan Yin bones", which means I cannot touch anything with beef in it. Not only that, I was "given" to Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) as her god daughter.

Fast forward till today, I was told that "giving" my kids to the Goddess of Mercy will mean that they will be well looked after and will be under her protection all the time. Now, which mother will not be happy with that?

After a visit to the temple, we found a auspicious date - 18th Nov 2009 - which was to be the date that my kids will be having Goddess of Mercy as their god mother.

The time was to be between 11am and 1pm. I took leave to be with them on this day. I was to prepare a set of clothes for both of them, bowls, chopsticks, rice, some kuih, flowers and fruits. After some prayers, my kids' clothes were imprinted with the seal.

It was a simple affair but was solemn. I am very particular about the safety of my kids and this is something I consider a necessity. I will have to bring them to the temple on the 3 birthdays of the Goddess of Mercy. When they are 18 years old, I will have to perform a simple ritual to thank the Goddess of Mercy and to "release" her of them.

Some will argue that this is not possible and may even be superstitious, but in my mind, I have peace and so, I do it.

Here's to Kuan Yin then, my kids' safety need your divine intervention, especially in the horrid world we live in today. May they be safe today and everyday.

Megan refuses to sleep!

2009-11-12T00:10:00.008+08:00

Now, this is not her fault.

Megan to date is still napping 3 times a day, each lasting about 30mins or so. Usually it is once in the morning, mid afternoon and early evening. By 9.30pm, she will be ready for bed.....that is if I am taking care of her.

When she is with the nanny, I suspect she is put to sleep whenever she gets irritable. So if I go fetch her at 8-ish, then she would already be napping. This is fine except that when she gets home, she refuses to sleep!

For a few days in a row now, we have gone to fetch her and she is already in her sarung. Hmph. Not very happy is how I am feeling now. The last 2 nights have seen her sleeping at about 11pm-12am. It is terrible for me because I would not be able to do most of the things I am wanting to.

I think I will tell nanny again tomorrow about this sleep pattern. Either that or I have to be back earlier. Really cannot wait till the day I no longer have to think about these alternatives.

What about you? Any experience like this? Did you confront the nanny?

Megan turns 10 months old

2009-11-10T00:21:00.002+08:00

My little baby is 10 months old today. And like any proud mother, I secretly think that she is above average in her development.

Below are things which she is supposed to be able to do.

1) She discovers new ways to play. I think it is more of a case that Megan is able to experiment more with her toys since she has Ryan to look up to. Also, there are more varieties for her to explore since Ryan was packed with toys.

2) Megan started creeping quite early on and is now super fast in getting from one chair to another. 2 days ago, she walked one step free hand. Yesterday, she took 2 baby steps free hand before she reached for the sofa.

3) Megan is supposedly mastered the art of gripping with thumb and forefinger. I think she did this earlier on too. She has also started to rip apart papers. I actually encourage this since by the time she out grows this phase, my books and mags are safe.

I practised this with Ryan and he used to tear up my Time mags. After this phase, he has not torn up a single book or mag of mine.

4) I do not think that Megan is particularly friendly towards people, especially people whom she has not seen before. But once she knows you, she will have no problems babbling non-stop, especially when she is in a talkative mood.

5) She has also recently taken on to pointing things. We started with lights and fan and now she is able to point to these things when we ask her. However, she does not perform this for strangers, so this will take some time.

6) Megan also takes on her porridge very well. Sometimes when she is hungry, she will display am impatient stance and will start to grab the plate before it is fed to her!

Wah, so fast ... 10 months has gone by. I still remember my arrival at the hospital where I went to perform the surgery to see my little Megan.

Looking forward to month 11 now ...

Belated entry - Our first outing to KLCC

2009-11-07T23:40:00.005+08:00

I cannot believe I actually did not blog about this!

When Megan was born, I was thinking about when I would be able to bring the two of them out to the mall or the park by myself. The reason is because I have this phobia about on how they would both behave and how they would both want different things at the same time.

However, September 26th 2009 marked the day I first ventured out to the big bad world with my 2 babies.

This was the state of the usually full car park in KLCC on a Saturday morning. I was a little concerned about having a screaming baby in the car while looking for a car park, so we all headed down really early.

This was our breakfast. Ryan is mad about his sugar donut and I love my Zest.

We later went to Isetan where Ryan went on his usual round of playing with the toys there. I have a rule on this - only see, no buy. Only when I think I want to, I will splurge on some toys for them, but I do not buy when they are around - bad bad bad.

We close the day with a ride on the amusement rides. This particular one is RM2 per ride and it can accomodate 3 kids. As you can see, my 2 are truly enjoying themselves. I was half afraid that Megan would fall off.

But I had to almost peel her hands off, she was holding on so tight!

A ride with the Paddington Bear. Ryan was holding on to little Megan with all his might. Clearly, he was just as afraid that she would fall off too.

All in all, it was a wonderful day. Short of one incident with Ryan almost having a melt down, the whole outing went really well. And I am happy to report that there have been several others since then. I will post when I finally have the photos up!

Transferring pain

2009-11-05T00:14:00.002+08:00

2 weeks ago, the baby sitter called and said that Ryan was having high fever and he vomited. I rushed home to bring him to the doctor's.

On the way, he was really quiet and he was also very hot from the fever. In the middle of the drive, he said that he was having stomach pain. I think he was in real pain since he was scrunching his face very badly.

I held his little hand while driving and asked him to squeeze me every time the pain came. He asked why. I replied that when he squeezed me, he will transfer his pain to me and so, it will relieved him.

When he heard this, he simply shook his head, his hair moving along and said he does not want to see me in pain. He refused to squeeze my hand despite him having the pain. All the while, he was sobbing saying that he is in pain and he does not want anyone else to feel the same and so, he was willing to endure it rather than to transfer it to me.

I was so touched that I wanted to sob too!!

When we got to the doctor's, he sat quietly despite having other kids there. This is not his usual self at all. I am thinking what pain and discomfort he must be feeling in order for him to behave in this manner. And to think that he was willing to endure this rather than to have it come to me! I feel like crying even as I am writing this!

My sweet baby, words cannot describe my love for him.

House under renovation

2009-11-02T07:02:00.000+08:00

I wanted to make a note here that our new house is undergoing renovation works. So exciting. Before we started, we had discussed about the plans and designs etc. However, as we go along, things seem to be changing on a daily basis as we encounter interesting changes.

People say that in order to see how strong your marriage is, one of the things to test is when you undergo renovation works. And it is true! Hubby and I have been at each other to impose our thoughts and ideals. Thankfully it has not gotten to the stage where we are strangling each other!

I guess in the end, it is ultimately the dream we have of our house. A place where we want to be in, a place to go to every night after a long day at work, a place where the kids will laugh and grow as well as the place where we will build and enhance our dreams, a place to call HOME.

It has been almost 2 weeks now ... can't wait for it to complete!

Megan crawls!

2009-11-01T23:04:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, Megan was on the floor as usual, playing.

And then suddenly, she started to put her hands forward and she was crawling!

Yay!! I was mighty proud of her and started to clap and cheer. And she was also very proud of herself, she was grinning all the way.

Another mile stone accomplished. Isn't it great? Kids are just lovely.

How I bruised my right eye socket

2009-10-28T00:21:00.002+08:00

Megan has this brilliant way of making me wear out easily - by insisting that she sleeps on my chest, when she feels like it.

Thing is that, she does not go to sleep quietly, she will actually plopped herself on my chest and then she will look up and then plop herself on me again, and again, and again, till she sleeps.

Tonight, this sweet action turned slightly awry, instead of plopping herself on my chest, she landed on my right eye socket. And I am sure her little head ached, cause she was screaming for a while.

I am sure my eye will feel pain tomorrow. This is the second time that it had happened on my same eye ... and the first time that it did happened, I had no idea how till I felt pain some days later!

Have you had any part of your body bruised while taking care of your kids?

Megan's porridge

2009-10-27T00:03:00.000+08:00

We started Megan with her porridge some 3 weeks back. This was as a follow-up to her diet of baby's first cereals.

When I first started Ryan with porridge, we had used Marmite. I was also a little gung ho and started him on a lot of ingredients. I then had problems trying to determine which food group was giving him his eczema.

With Megan, I went slow and introduced one food group at a time. While it was a little nerve wrecking, it was also better. To date, Megan has eaten tomatoes, potatoes, gei zhi, quinoa, carrots, pumpkin, french beans, cauliflower, taufu, some bread and also fruits. So far, so good.

Megan is also a dear, taking all this well and willingly. The only thing is that, she has been protesting in having her teeth cleaned. She would scream each time I stick my fingers into her mouth. Sigh, how can I tell her that it is no pain and that in the long run, mummy can save money by her having clean teeth leh?

What about you? What was your experience in preparing porridge for your babies like? Mine has been filled with adventures ; )

Setting goals with Ryan

2009-10-25T23:26:00.002+08:00

We have heard this before. In order to succeed, we must plan and set out goals. And this needs to be cultivated into a habit.

Jim Rohn was playing my car again when I was sending Ryan to school last week. And when this topic on setting goals came on, I asked Ryan what his goals are. True to his nature, a line of interesting conversation took place.

RYAN: What is goals?
ME: It means something you want, something you want to achieve.
RYAN: What is achieve?
ME: Something you want to do. Something you want to get.
RYAN: Oh, ok. Let's start with car. I want a car, I want a train, I want a truck, I want a crane, I want a bus, I want a lorry.
ME: Wow, let me write it down.
RYAN: Let's talk about animals. I also want a monkey, I want a chick, I want a tiger, I want a snake, I want a duck.
ME: Why would you want a snake?
RYAN: I like.

Later that night, we were preparing for bed and Ryan said "Mum, let's talk about my goals. Let's talk about food."

And to him, "goals" was "gold" to him cause he was going on and on about having goals which can be used to buy him books and enables him to go to school.

Hmm, not a bad start huh to getting my 4 year old started on setting goals. I shall write his next set of goals too in order to see how it will change over time.

For now, I am happy that he is linking "goals" to "gold". Should be easy to make him see the link as he gets older.

What about you? Do you set goals for yourself? Do you set goals for your children?

Megan bumps her head again!

2009-10-25T00:30:00.002+08:00

My little girl has a knack for hurting herself.

She will literally crawl off the bed, couch or any other higher ground. And although she does not fall over when she is sitting, she has this way of "sliding" off balance a little while she is trying to reach for something and then WHAM! she hits her head.

Or sometimes when she is trying to stand and her force was too strong, she will sit herself down real hard and then WHAM! falls backward again!

And then there are the times where she will fall on her toys or her brother's toys etc.

Just a coupld of days ago, I was in the kitchen washing the dishes after dinner. I left both of them playing with toys in the living room. Half way, I heard Megan screaming. She had fallen off the couch! Apparently Ryan carried her up the couch and then she attempted to come down by crawling off it!

She got herself a brand new bruise with a bump on her forehead. Thankfully she was easily consoled. 2 days down the road, she has developed a dark bruise, but did not appear to be bothering her much. When I asked what happened, Ryan merely shrugged!

Is it just him or is this a typical boy trait?

Learning about other cultures in school

2009-10-24T23:24:00.004+08:00

Although Deepavali was celebrated over a week ago, Ryan's school only had the affair yesterday. He was looking forward to it with much excitement although he does not really understand what it was.

When he came back home, he was telling me all about how they ate on the floor and he also ate with his hands. I actually was wondering if he actually got anything into his mouth seeing that this is not something which we do at home.

Nevertheless, he finds it interesting and I am sure some exchange of culture has taken place.

Ryan's school is indeed good in this sense. For every major festival, the school ensures that the children will celebrate it with food, customs and for those who have, costumes.

I honestly cannot remember if we did this in school. I only remembered having Children's Day and that was the day we looked forward to bringing our own food and that was also the day I get to eat all that junk without my mum giving me a hard time.

And then I find out Ryan also eats junk (some, at least) on his festival celebration days. Sigh.

Having said that though, I think it is great to have this exposure so early in school. Certainly helps in building 1 Malaysia, well, at least until the day our politicians spoil all of it!

Looking forward to Christmas now ...

Smart alec conversations with Ryan

2009-10-22T00:05:00.002+08:00

Lately, Ryan has been building his vocabulary really quickly. And he is also getting more and more expressive when he talks. And this is of course both a joy as well as a hair tearing experience.

Some examples are ...

One morning, Ryan was really slow in finishing his breakfast in the car, so I did what every mother would do - threaten.
ME: If you do not finish your bread by the time we reach the school, I will pack everything and let you eat in front of Mrs. M (his school principal, and he is afraid of her)
RYAN: Aiyo, mummy, I don't like you always say Mrs. M, Mrs. M, Mrs. M la. I really don't like to hear it.
ME: *blink*

While in the lift one night from nanny's
RYAN: Mum, what is 1-3?
ME: Thirteen (13)
RYAN: What is 2-0?
ME: Twenty (20)
RYAN: What about 3-4?
ME: Thirty four (34)
RYAN: Wow, mum, you sure know a lot of numbers!
ME: *beam* *beam*

Plenty more to come - I lost track of all the things he said ... let me try to remember them first. Motherhood has taken a toll on my memory.

I just realised today ...

2009-10-11T23:26:00.002+08:00

...that Megan has now officially spent more time outside of me than inside of me.

Oh how fast 9 months has been! Sometimes it is kind of scary when time flies by so quickly. But I also think that it is because we are healthy and therefore, time passes by.

And now, we are in the last quarter of the year, time to quickly re-check our 2009 new year resolutions and then start thinking about 2010's ones.

I think I am rambling on here ... I am not even sure what my initial thoughts were on this post. Sunday's syndrome I think.

Also, did you notice I changed my background to this blog? Pretty huh?

Have a good week ahead!

Megan turns 9 months old today!

2009-10-09T23:44:00.002+08:00

Time flies really fast. Megan turns 9 months old today and she is fast progressing in terms of physical movements as well as mental absorption.

Accordingly, these are some of the things she can do now:

1) Increase in her pace of activities, from getting around the house to playing with toys, her rate of exploration is speeding up. Sometimes, I feel like I cannot keep up.

2) Megan is also supposedly to demonstrate a better memory for past events and an increased ability to solve simple problems.

Now, I am not sure if it is better memory, but I do know that she thinks repeatedly pulling my hair is funny because she always laughs mischievously every time I say "OUCH!" And her big brother is always pushing her to do it on me ... and she does! And then they both laugh out loud!

3) Megan is more cuddly and affectionate than before. But I am not sure if this is because of the female factor though. I do not remember Ryan being so cuddly. Megan would actually put her head on my chest and just stay there.

4) Megan is now creeping quite quickly now. She goes after anything that moves and will try to grab it. Usually she gets it and then she will look at us for claps. Just now she was so excited about the little chick that she bumped her head on the floor ... she was bleeding in the mouth, think her teeth cut her.

5) Megan also likes to stand. She can now stand on her own for a while longer. She usually finds something to help her lift herself and then, she will be darn proud of herself and will continuosly grin.

6) Babbling is also getting more and more apparent. However, she also screams quite a bit, especially if you take her things away.

7) To date has sampled the following food - porridge, pumpkin, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, water melon, oranges, dragon fruits and apples. This is on top of her cereals.

8) Did I mention that her direction on the walker is almost 99% on the dot?

Think that is about it for her 9 month development. Looking for the next month as usual.

My 4 year old knows spelling and additions!

2009-10-06T00:23:00.002+08:00

To date, Ryan knows how to spell the following:

1) O-N-E
2) T-W-O
3) T-H-R-E-E
4) F-O-U-R
5) F-I-V-E
6) S-I-X
7) S-E-V-E-N
8) His name

He learnt how to spell the numbers as a result of being with my mum for 3 days when I was in Redang. Apparently, my mum taught him this in between all the chaos you would expect when taking care of a pre-schooler and a baby. Now, how is it that I could not do this??

And that is not the only great development he has, I found out recently that he was also able to perform additions, although it is limited to the number of fingers on each hand he has. Pretty cool for a year old huh?

If you ask him what is 4 + 1? He will show 4 fingers on one hand and another 1 finger on the other hand and proceed to count all of them to obtain the answer.

I think I was in Primary 1 before I could do this ... kids nowadays really can do wonders, makes me more stressed than ever to keep up with them!

Mooncake Festival celebration & my little girls sits!

2009-10-05T00:43:00.003+08:00

This post was meant to be posted on 2nd October 2009 - it was the moon cake festival ... and it was also the day I saw Megan sitting on her own from the creeping position.

Unlike Ryan, Megan would actually push herself up to a Cleopetra position before she pushes herself up with one hand while supporting herself with the other. When she was able to sit fully, I clapped and cheered her and she was so proud of herself that she was smiling from ear to ear.

We also discovered that she was able to stand unsupported for quite a while. And you can see how happy she is with her progress as she cannot stop grinning. Both Ryan and myself were cheering and clapping her on and you can see the sheer joy on her face.

And the wonder of it all was that she was able to sit without any incident, did not fall nor slip. I am so proud of her and I am also grinning from ear to ear. In the midst of all the excitement, I forgot to capture a photo of it. Darn!

Megan's first holiday away from home

2009-09-30T16:14:00.006+08:00

September 19th, 2009 is the day my little princess went on her first holiday. We went to Bukit Tinggi for the night. The whole family went including my parents and brother. I was a little stressed since I was not sure how she will react to the trip ... specifically if she will be able to sleep just as well.

Here she is seen sleeping just before we left for Bukit Tinggi. Doesn't she look absolutely adorable? Thankfully, both the kids behaved well throughout the trip. The drive was good except that I felt a little dizzy going up those bends.

Cheeky Ryan seen here when we went to walk at the French street. There was a fair going on and there was a booth where you can use a long fishing rod to fish some ducks out. The numbers on the ducks tells you the size of the prizes.

Ryan's first attempt gave him a "2". It was a medium sized tiger. However, he was not happy since he had wanted a dolphin. He stood around the booth and pouted till the man manning the booth said "Aiya, here you go la." and handed him the dolphin he had wanted. Ryan was delirious!

Megan, the dolphin and Ryan seen here on the mattress the next morning after a blissful night. Ryan was kind enough to let Megan touch and feel the dolphin after holding on to it the whole night. Ryan brought his new set of colour pencils and pens to draw and colour.

The fishes at the Japanese Garden is really big. I was half afraid that Ryan will fall into the water and would be gobbled by the fishes!

Hubby went to pluck some leaves for my boy to feed the deers. Good that he was not afraid of them. However, the deers did not look very well kept. Pity.

Ryan feeding a little bunny here. All the bunnies looked like they could do with a bigger place. However, Ryan enjoyed himself tremendously.

And where was Megan? Asleep in her daddy's arms most of the time. Poor daddy had to suffer from backache from all the weight!

All in all, it was a good trip. For sure we shall repeat this some day. We were thinking of getting the kids to an island trip soon. Any ideas which island would be good?

Megan stands!

2009-09-26T22:36:00.003+08:00

Monday was a public holiday and I was at home with the kids. While I was busy with some chores, I had put Megan in her crib. And when I put her down, she was sitting nicely.

And then suddenly, she was standing!! Yay!! She was so happy with herself that she too started clapping and then thud! She had landed on the mattress!

Up again she tried and so, she repeated her feat till she was all tired. I am sure she was just as proud of herself as I am with her.

My dear little Megan, all standing proud now : )

13 years together

2009-09-17T23:46:00.002+08:00

13 years ago, on 17th September 1996, hubby and I got together as a couple and embrace life's journey. What a time it had been!

Many laughter, many tears and for most part of it, it was pretty cool.

We have our ups and downs and we also have a lot of silent moments in between. However, I think it is safe to say that it has been very eventful - we got 2 kids didn't we?!

As opposed to when we first started to go out and all, the celebration we had today was a simple dinner (without the kids) and then we headed home for the kids. Before, we used to take long walks and midnight conversations. Now, the hubby is asleep with the kids. How things have changed. Although I sometimes miss the way we used to celebrate, I am not complaining about the current state.

Hubby said this to me just now over dinner when I proposed we go somewhere after makan "Nothing is now more important than going home to the kids" ... wow, what a change from "Let's go somewhere nice for dinner and then we can catch a movie and then supper and then we can go for coffee/ tea and talk".

Nice change though huh?

Spoiling my kids with toys

2009-09-17T00:37:00.002+08:00

When Ryan was a baby, I remember I used to go into a toy shop every week, sometimes everyday to look at toys. I was in the mode where I thought every second my kid was without toys, it meant that he was not going to be stimulated enough and that he was going to have brain damage etc.

Being in that mode meant that I was constantly buying toys and I would not settle for anything less than Fisher-Price. My hubby thought I had bought shares in them!

Today, I found myself at the toy section again, and I found myself once more fascinated with the toys they had on the shelves. After 30 minutes or so, I ended up with 2 toys for my kids.

This is the Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Cookie Shape Surprise toys which teaches kids about shapes and rewarding them with music when the right shape goes in. Although I bought it for Megan, it was more for Ryan to help teach her. I figured, that would be great to help them help each other. Too ideal? This is the Playskool Busy Chase n Crawl Duckies. Megan is creeping now and I figured this would be great for her to chase around. I love the way the duckies keep rotating each time it rolls.

And I am feeling a little addictive to my kids' expression when I gave them the toys. I think I might just go back to the toys section again soon. ; )

090909 - My baby turns 8 months old

2009-09-09T23:51:00.002+08:00

My sweet Megan today turns 8 months old. Seen here, she is about a week short of that and already she has the strong character which I hope one day will help her go through the different phases in life.

Usually, she will be seen with a big smile on her face and it will usually melt your heart.

And recently, she has added 2 more teeth to her collection - look at the size of those teeth! Ouch!

A look at her development to date:

1) Apparently she is showing signs of independence.
~ Hmm, yes, she is able to play by herself for a while. She is also able to lie on the bed a while in the morning after she wakes up and I am not around. But I do not think she is able to self-soothe herself though. If at all, she gets even more worked up each time she does not get her way.

2) Apparently, she will develop some attachment to inanimate objects e.g. pillow, blanket, soft toy but to date, it is still not showing yet.

3) Able to/ develop the curiosity to self-feed.
~ For sure she does this, weeks ago! She is able to cupped her hand to take the cup in her hands, able to hold the spoon and stick it into her mouth. I bought her some organic finger food. She has learnt to bite off it now.

4) Separation anxiety is taking place now. Last week, at my mum 's house, I could barely put her down as the wails will bring the wall come tumbling down! All she wanted was to be in my arms. And then when she saw Auntie Wati, she started to sob too! But so far, she did not cry when I leave her with the nanny.

5) Megan is also able to hold 2 objects, one in each hand. And I have started to teach her to bang against each other so that she will understand consequences of her action.

6) If you take something from her while she is playing with it - expects wails of protest!

7) She understands that if she does something and we give her positive (or negative) reaction, she will expect similar reaction when she repeats them again.

8) And she has started creeping!! But she is a little on the havoc side. Unlike Ryan, Megan will literally creep off the bed edge!! Really have to be careful with this one.

9) Megan has a super straight back when she sits. Again, unlike Ryan who keeps falling backwards, Megan is able to sit properly for a longer period of time. If at all she falls, it is likely to be forward rather than backwards.

10) These last couple of days, Megan started to attempt to stand while supporting herself.

There, 8 whole months, looking forward to her next month.

Our weekend outing

2009-09-09T08:00:00.000+08:00

Ever since the flu bug came along, our visits to the malls have been decreasing by the weeks.

And so, in order to expand my kids' energy, I have decided to bring them out to the park as well as to the hill near our house.

I must say that it is way better than being stuck in the malls with so many other people, not to mention the damaging effects on my wallet.

Ryan seen here in front of a pile of sand. We were kicking balls when this caught his eye and he decided this was way better to play with then the very colourful ball. I decided to turn a blind eye on the potential manifestation of bacteria there.

Megan seen here in her stroller. I think she is a little agitated seeing her brother having so much fun. I suspect she will learn to walk faster than her brother!

Last weekend, we also went to the park to cycle and run a bit. Helps me burn some calories too.

Looking forward to this week's outing.

My online store@ www.busybeemum.com

2009-09-04T01:52:00.004+08:00

Yay!! On 1st September 2009, I opened my online store at http://www.busybeemum.com!

I have been considering my own shop/ store for the longest time and I always have constraints in my ventures. Be it time or capital and it has always held me back. However, with the power of the web, I figured this seems to be quite a logical route to take and try out.

Further more, I am very motivated by Penny and her online store. Since my kids are my life now, I figured something to do with them would blend in very well. And so, I decided on offering kids' clothes, from newborn to about 5 years old.

Since the thought got stuck to my head, I have been spending quite a bit of time sourcing on products as well as deciding the terms and the layout of the website. Thinking of the brands to carry and who my target is has also taken some time.

While I would not say that I have nailed it down to a T, I have gotten some basics in place. And so, my Busy Bee Mum Online Store was launched. I am still figuring out things on the way and I am still trying to source for products, so frequent visits to the site will bring you pleasant surprise!

Come visit then!

Talking about death with my 4 year old

2009-09-02T00:01:00.000+08:00

Sometime last week, we were having our nightly prayer session with Ryan when he was about to sleep. I was suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that he has grown up so much over the last 4 years. so I said to him "Mummy thinks you are growing up too fast, I miss you so much already"

Ryan then looked at me and the following took place:

Ryan: Why mummy? Why did you say you miss me? Are you going to die?
Me: No, no, I just think that you are growing really well and that I miss you very much.
Ryan: But why do you say you miss me? Are you going to die tomorrow?
Me: No, not so soon. It will be quite a while more to go.
Ryan: But you will still die?
Me: Yes dear, one day, I will die eventually.
Ryan: But why must die?
Me: Well, that is God's design.
Ryan: Why does God want you to die?
Me: Well, everyone has to go one day.
Ryan: But I don't want that. Will I see you again?
Me: Yes dear, we will see each other in another life.
Ryan: But that is such a long time!
Me: I know dear, but it is ok.

And so the conversation went on for about 2-3 minutes. As the minutes passed by, his tears were getting more and more and closer and closer together.

My heart was going out to him as he struggles to understand why we will die one day and why God designs it in such a way. I guess death is something which we all know will happen but we never really talk about it. My 4 year old however, till today, still wonders why we cannot live on and on and on and is still asking me about it whenever he can.

You have any suggestions on how to tackle this?

My 4 year old tells me a bedtime story

2009-08-31T22:32:00.002+08:00

We have been having bedtime reading and story telling for a while now. Although not everyday, we still make it a point to have it at least 4-5 times a week.

Tonight, Ryan insisted that he tells us a story. He was holding up a piece of paper which he says is his story. The story goes like this.

One day, there was a bad witch. And this bad witch turned Mickey Mouse into a bad monster. Mickey then turned his friends - Goofy, Donald, Minnie and Pluto - into bottles and squashed them.

And then, came a good witch who came to rescue Mickey and turned him back into a good mouse. And then the good witch went to step on the bad witch and then she smacked her and then he cut her.

And all Mickey's friends became perfect again and they live happily ever after, ever and ever.

I think his version was longer with a few more details added on. But I am very impressed that he was able to tell this story with the logical flow and appropriate words.

I don't think I was able to do this when I was 4 years old. Isn't it amazing? Kids today are so very different from our time. Did you have a bedtime story when you were young? Did you tell one?

52 years of independence

2009-08-31T01:23:00.002+08:00

Tonight I came back from my parents' house with the kids so that I can catch the Merdeka's fireworks at midnight.

But you know what? I was bitterly disappointed.

I am not sure if it is because of the virus or it is because of the puasa month. But whatever it is, this is the last Merdeka we shall be spending in our current place. I am not sure if we will be seeing any in our new place.

I had kept Ryan up so that he can see it too. Sigh, no such luck and so, he went to bed after seeing some small fireworks up for display at Genting.

And I am not disappointed for not seeing the display, I am just disappointed because Ryan did not get to see it. Arghh.

Lunch time talk

2009-08-27T00:18:00.005+08:00

Today I had lunch with a group of ex-colleagues at KLCC. It has been quite a while since I last saw them. PP is married, HL is back in Malaysia after an overseas stint and GY has just got herself a job near my office. We were all from the same unit in my previous company.

The conversation started rather easily with courteous "how-are-you, I-am-fine-thank-you". As we ordered and progressed during lunch, the conversation took a turn I had never imagined. The topic was on DOGS!!

HL and I were very stunned at how the conversation took a change as PP and GY continued on and on about how they take care of their dogs. The one thing which made me laugh quite a lot is that both their dogs live in an apartment, in the toilet. Key difference is that PP's dog not only get the fan, air purifier, the dog also gets a radio playing all day long! GY's dog does not have the radio but has the grand things a dog should have.

And then there was the question about toilet training the dogs and led them to look at me asking how I toiler trained my son. Er, probably not the best person to know. Then PP said she is looking for a trainer to toilet train her dog so that it will eat, sleep and s*** at a certain time. After laughing, we asked if she does her business at a set time too ... she said "Yes ah!" *Doink*

Not only that, PP is also reading books on how to handle tantrums, tempers and stubbornness, much like how I would be reading on Ryan. The funny thing is that these dogs training books are still behind time. They believe that if your dog shows stubbornness, you should be more stubborn so that he does not over power you. Hmm ... the kids' books have since revolutionised from then.

GY's dog on the other hand does not have loneliness issues since her mum will be visiting often during the day. But she is adamant about having the dog toilet trained and her thinking is that "...yes, when the dog is 5 months old, have to train before it gets out of hand!" Hmmm .... my boy is 4 years old and still wearing his diapers at night. What does that say about me??

And then there is the issue of bathing them. GY says that she bathes her dog herself. Being the hair ball it is, after bathing would mean it has gone out of shape! PP's dog on the other hand is sent to the salon - RM20 each time, which is more expensive than my car's bath!

By the time lunch ended, we were laughing non-stop. At one point, they were talking about getting dog's sanitary pads .... and disposable diapers. I am very amused at how things have changed over the years since we have knows each other.

I had kids, someone has gone to Singapore to work and gained a whole lot of experience, someone else swore by the train and now drives to work, someone else has matured into the motherly kind to have dogs and all to care and love for.

And oh ya, the dogs took such a centre stage that nobody was paying much attention to my little girl's photos!!

And before I forget, PP said to ask if anybody out there knows of dog trainers who can help train her dog to eat, sleep and s*** at a certain time. Leave a comment if you do ok?

You think my boy is a kaki ampu?

2009-08-26T08:16:00.002+08:00

This happened yesterday morning as we were rushing (again!) out the door.

Me: Hullo, please go drink your milk.
(I was cooking Ryan's lunch for him to bring to daycare, a little stressed out since we were late)
Ryan: Wow mum, are you cooking for me?
Me: Yes, I am dear
Ryan: Mum, you are such a good cook-er.

And then as we were trying to get everyone out with their clothes and shoes on ...

Me: Now, if you do not wear your shoes, I am going to leave you behind here.
(Ryan was still busy playing with his sister)
Ryan: My two princess, you are my big princess, she is my small princess. My 2 princess!

And then some days back as I was preparing for work, I came out looking all frizzy haired and my son says this to me "Wow mum, you look so pretty today!"

Doink or not?

Good things come despite the heart ache

2009-08-25T01:01:00.001+08:00

Some weeks ago, my little Ryan encountered a very unpleasant situation at the baby sitter's. You can read it here. Although at that time I was very sad, I am actually glad that it happened. I'll tell you why.

2 days after that episode, the baby sitter's husband (who was obviously still annoyed with me for pointing out that he cannot smack my son) came up to me and said that he will give me till the end of the month to find another sitter since he has already gotten another baby to look after. Imagine my anger at him doing this to me. Long story short, I later found out that it was all him and my sitter was quite embarrassed about it.

Anyway, that outburst from him triggered a chain of events which ultimately worked out better for Ryan.

Firstly, we have gotten Ryan to be in day care at the school. He gets to enjoy himself with his friends and have fun activities all afternoon. One good thing is that he has no TV. And instead of sleeping for 2 hours during the day, he only naps for 45 minutes, which is a good thing since he does not need much persuasion at night to sleep.

Secondly, it made me realise what a wonderful school and its teachers Ryan has. They were very supportive of me and the principal was really a dear. Because of this, Megan will start there earlier, which means my little girl will be well taken care of.

And then there is this Auntie M who was introduced by a dear friend of mine. She ferries Ryan from the school to the sitter's daily. Apparently, she is quite a dear lady from what I hear from Ryan.

And Megan gets the sitter's undivided care since she does not need to run after Ryan so much. I am sure temper flares are not as much at the baby sitter's too since it is just the baby and no pre-schooler who has a mind of his own!

Looking back, I am kind of glad Ryan got smacked and I caught it. Else, these good things will not be happening so soon. What is more, we will also be getting a maid when we shift to the new place. Again, this would not have been if the baby sitter's husband did not get all wacky on me.

My babies are sick

2009-08-17T08:25:00.001+08:00

This nasty habit of falling sick has to really stop.

2 weeks ago, Ryan came down with a cough and flu. Thankfully there was no fever and so that nasty virus was ruled out. However, his cough came with vomit as he was trying to take out the phlegm that was compounding itself in his throat.

Ryan missed 2 days of school. By the third day, he was looking forward to school. Good.

And because my kids are so affectionate, Ryan was still kissing and kissing Megan when he was sick despite us telling him not to. So guess what? Megan fell sick too!

My poor baby girl started with the flu and then progressed to cough. We tried to pry Ryan away from Megan, but guess what? It is too tough!!! In the end, I left them be. I did not want to hurt Ryan's feelings and made him feel like he was responsible for his sister's illness. I prayed that my milk would be able to make her feel better.

However, a week on the medication and yet, her flu and cough is not gone yet. Ryan, meanwhile, has been getting better by the day. Arggh.

My poor baby Megan has been coughing her lungs out and have been having mucus running really badly but thankfully, she does not fuss much else mummy will be in a panic zone!

I hope with the new round of medication, Megan will recover faster. Ryan is ok now but has the occasional sneeze. Sigh, I really cannot stand my babies getting sick. I am ready to be the one who is sick on their behalf and spare them of all these discomfort.

Here's hoping that tomorrow will be a good recovery day!

I am determined to spread the word on breastfeeding!

2009-08-16T22:42:00.003+08:00

Today's The Star carried an article about mummies who could not breast feed and how society has viewed them and the agony of it all.

As I was reading this article, I felt a sense of regret for mummies who want to breast feed but could not for whatever reasons. Over the years, most of the mummies I know who could not feed successfully was because they were not properly informed, or they lacked support.

And in these instances, they could have been avoided if only someone was there to offer support and guidance. Some mummies tell me they are convinced that they do not have milk because their breasts are small, their mothers could not do it too, their kids reject them, the nipples are sore, they are too tired, the baby is not full, the baby is always waking up to feed, their babies are nursing too long etc.

I always feel sad when I hear this. I really wish there was a way to reach these mothers to share with them the experience and the knowledge. I think that for mummies who tried and failed, you should always remember that you are great mothers anyhow.

I feel blessed that I am able to give my babies the best and I intend to help spread the word on this God sent nutrition to as many mothers as I can. One of the ways I know which can help prepare us in advance is to attend talks on breastfeeding. I attended one sometime back which was conducted by Gina. You can read about it here. Although I consider myself an experienced breast feeding mum, I still learnt a thing or two from this course. It is really worth it, please check it out. I think the next one is running early next month, sign up now!

What does a mouse eat?

2009-08-11T23:33:00.001+08:00

Ryan asked me the above this morning when we were getting to school. In my mind, I was thinking about the ugly, smelly rodents and so I said "The mouse eats rubbish."

Ryan said this to me ... "No, the mouse's food is cheese. They eat rat cheese. You know why the cheese has holes? So that the mouse can get inside to eat it."

Wow, now, why didn't I think about it??

Megan is 7 months old

2009-08-10T23:50:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, Megan turned 7 months.

And accordingly, these are the things she would be able to do now:

1) Sit unaided. Megan is doing more of this now than before. She is able to balance herself so that even if she falls, she actually just slides sideways rather than full on backwards. However, she cannot sit for long, most about 5 minutes or less.

2) Use her hands to reach, grasp, bang, shake and poke. Yup, already doing this since last month. Boy, can she make those noise!

3) Busy practicing her ablility to handle objects. She does not show any preference to her hands, uses both quite easily. Able to hold on to things very well. Can also pull at hair very strongly! Ouch!

4) She also has developed another insight into the nature of objects. When she drops a toy from her walker, she will follow the object and look down to see where it is. She will also be able to verbalise herself and make known that she has dropped something and would like us to help pick it up.

5) Another sign of increased understanding is her ability to go back to an activity after being briefly interrupted. This is a sure thing since she is constantly interrupted by Ryan.

6) Peek-a-boo is a top favorite at this age; another indication that Megan is learning that objects which disappear from sight are not necessarily gone forever.

So there, isn't it quick? Megan is 7 months already. And she is looking more and more like a pretty little girl now.

What should I do now?

2009-08-05T01:22:00.002+08:00

I am very upset now and I am at a lost.

Just now I went to pick Ryan and Megan and found Ryan sobbing. He told me that the nanny's hubby smacked him. When probed, he showed me his thigh and true enough, he had a hand print on his thigh!

OMG! I nearly fainted. I gave birth to this little guy and I have never done this to him. I was half thinking if I should scream and lash out, but then I thought, I still needed them tomorrow for my kids. I chose instead to firmly ask why and what has caused all this to happen.

Apparently Ryan was mad about not being able to drink his Vitagen and he had started to throw things around and he nearly hit Megan will one of his flying objects. I am not denying that Ryan has a temper nor am I denying that he needs some discipline, but to be smacked so hard? I think not.

His daddy and I discussed about it and thought that perhaps it is better to send Ryan to the day care in the school and have the nanny's husband come pick him at 6pm so that the time spent at nanny's is minimal. But I also thought about how little time Megan and Ryan would have.

I am really at a lost now. I am afraid that this may repeat and then, I would really lose my cool with the nanny's husband. I am thinking if I should get a maid, but then the horror stories are too much to bear.

What should I do? What should I do? Any ideas?

I am deaf

2009-08-03T00:38:00.002+08:00

Some days ago, I was scolding Ryan for something and I must have been nagging or something because he was obviously not listening to me.

After I asked if he has heard anything I said, he said this to me ... "No mum, I am deaf!"

My mum would have said I spoilt him too much to allow him to say this to me. But I think he is super cute!

Feeling emotional

2009-08-03T00:31:00.002+08:00

I just finished nursing Megan and as I held her in my arms walking her back to the bed, I was suddenly flooded with a wave of emotions.

I desperately wanted to hold on to her and not let her go, I wanted to hold her close so that I do not have to deal with the fact that she is growing up fast. I whispered into her ears "You will be the best girl ever when you grow up. I want you to know that I will love you and protect you for years and years to come. And I hope to be able to shield you from all the pain and hurt and disappointment you may face. I love you so much my darling."

And then I felt that I was crying. I wonder why I suddenly was so overwhelmed. I am usually not like this at all. I guess, being a mother has really changed me, and I am loving it.

Sleep well my babies.

Hoarding milk powder

2009-07-30T07:04:00.003+08:00

This post is inspiried by Kiasu Mom.

Fortunately for me, I pumped till Ryan was 2 years old. And so, I started to buy milk powder only from then. And since I bought it till now, I think the price has increased by 50%! Thanl goodness for the power of the breasts!

Whenver I go buy any of the Enfa series, I am told that this is the milk powder which increases its price fastest and yet, still has the most number of people buying it. And whenver I am told of a possible increase in prices, I will hoard and hoard the milk. I know, I am contributing to the inflations but then ...

The only reason I buy it is because it is from Mead Johnson and now I am beginning to think if the manufacturer is really so important.

Many years ago, I read some where that mothers are a funny kind. Whenever they pick up a can of milk powder, it must contain the most ingredients and that will be the can of choice. And it does not really matter WHAT those ingredients are nor how much is in it. But it must be the longest.

What about you? How do you choose your kid's milk powder?

Ideas coming to me

2009-07-26T11:55:00.002+08:00

I have this peculiar way of having ideas when I least expect it, especially ideas on what to blog or some other money making ideas.

I am not sure about you, but my ideas usually come when I am driving (and therefore have no hands to write them down) or when I am bathing (and therefore would have to expose myself if I decide to grab a pen) or when I am about to sleep (and therefore would mean I have to get up, find my pen and paper in half darkness and then finding myself wide awake after writing them down).

So, when I finally do sit down like this to write, my mind is blank and hence I am writing this. I actually did have a brilliant idea just now while I was bathing ... now I cannot remember it.

Don't you just hate it? What about you? When do your ideas usually come?