Lord, I am tired....

In the Bible, the Lord said:


“Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest.”





Lord, the road is long, and I am tired.
Tired of :
- Having to explain time and again when I have done no wrong. My conscience is clear.
- People who tell half the story to create doubt in others.
- Having to fight unnecessary battles
- Having to tread this long, lonely road alone.

Grant me rest, Lord.

Lollipop! Lollipop!

You wouldn't believe it, but one lollipop can make 3 people happy.

Last sunday, when my family was having lunch at the basement of Raffles City, the waitress came and gave Little D a lollipop. I was not pleased, as I dont encourage my children to eat lollipops. Other candies - ok, but not lollipops, coz they stay too long in the mouth - I hate dental visits and their bills.

Half way during the meal, Little D asked me if she could have the lollipop. "NO" was the reply - "not until you finish your lunch". At another table, there was a little girl, aged about 2 who was fussing. Her parents tried to get her to sit down, but she refused. Then they told her to look at little D who was sitting and eating. Reluctantly, she sat. She had her eyes on our table and was waving to S and Little D, every few minutes.

After our lunch, I noticed that the little girl was starting to fuss again. I told Little D : "See that little girl. I think she is feeling sad. Would you like to make her happy by giving her this lollipop?"

Little D thought for a long time, but did nothing, except hold on tight to her precious lollipop. As we were leaving the restaurant, Little D ran up to the little girl and gave her the lollipop. We were surprised at her action. We thanked her for sharing, and she was really happy about the whole thing. At the end, the little girl was happy, Little D was happy, and the happiest person was ME!!

Caught the bug! Ah choo!

I think I have caught the bug. Nose twitching, fingers itching. Anxious, grumpy, impatient. Until I get to the computer, that is. I think I have got "blogovitis". Just noticed that I have done a whopping 25 posts (not counting this one) so far this month. It is almost one a day!! The most that I have done in a month since I started in January.

If hubby knows, he will be most upset. "Wasting time blogging?" - that's probably what he will say. "Hope you are not saying too much that would put our kids in any sort of danger. Dont divulge too much information about us!" He has read all those horror stories about people who pretend to be others to prey on the young and not so young.

Yes, He is paranoid about such things. But, once you have caught the virus, there is very little that you can do about it. The doctors always say: Just got to let it run its course until you recover. So, I guess, that's what I am doing! :D

Dressing in the Dark

Every morning, when my two older children wake up to get ready for school( around 6am) they do not like to turn on the lights. "My eyes hurt!" they say. So for as long as I can remember, they have been brushing their teeth and dressing in the dark.

This morning, N, came to my room and complained to hubby: "Mum gave me a school shirt that does not have a name tag on it!" Hubby, who was also dressing in the dark (he doesn't turn on the lights, coz he does not want to disturb me in my sleep), told him: "It must have fallen off when Kakak washed it. Just let mum know when you get home, and she will sew one on for you."

He later heard N grumbling that the maids must have ripped off his shirt pocket as well, as his shirt had no pocket.

As they were going down to breakfast, hubby noticed that N had his shirt on inside out. He had worn it, and even buttoned it all the way, the wrong way around!! (i.e. pocket and name tag all against his body instead of facing out!!). He didn't even notice it!! And he thought the maids ripped off his pocket and name tag whilst washing!

Myopia

Myopia is a public health problem in Singapore, where many are afflicted by it. Surveys conducted here have indicated that it affects about 25% of 7 year olds, 33% of 9 year olds, 50% of 12 year olds and more than 80% of 18 year old males in Singapore.

It has been found that the earlier the onset of myopia, the worse the final outcome will be. We have been trying to encourage our children to take part in active "eye health care", where we insist that they take eye breaks after every half an hour of computer time, as well the encourage them to just "get out" and play in the garden, cloud gaze, or admire the boats out at sea.

Recently, my daughter S, (11 years) was tested by the School health service and found to be myopic. At the last test (12 months ago) she still had perfect eyesight. I have been keeping my fingers crossed for my children to have perfect eyesight. You see, my hubby has perfect eyesight. I had perfect eyesight until age 24. As a result of too much computer work in the office then, my eyesight started deteriorating. Fortunately, I am not severly myopic. (So, my myopia was the result of an occupational hazard, but unfortunately I was not compensated for it!!)

S, has had quite a bit of school work that required computer time recently, and I really believe that that is the cause of her deteriorating eyesight. There are times when I am not vigilant enough to enforce the "eye breaks" and she, who is usually quite diligent at keeping to such things, got carried away working on her work.

So, looks like she is now part of those statistics! So everyone, remember, 3 to 5 minutes of eye breaks after 30 minutes of near work, especially computer work. And we bloggers can really get carried away on the computer! Take care!

My wise old sage speaks:

Here are some random things that came out of my wise old sage's (little D) mouth this couple of days:

"Mummy, you know, the moon is like an egg. You break it and chocolate flows out."

"Grandma, you must go to school, if not you dont know how to sing new songs. I will bring you to class, and you dont cry, ok? I will sit outside and wait for you until your class ends."

"Kakak, you must not anyhow open the gate. People will come in, and Grandma will scold you!" - This was after my maid opened the gate for some strangers who came in and started taking photos of the front of my house and the front door, and dashed out immediately after!!

"Kor kor, you must finish your homework first before you watch TV, OK?"

"Jie Jie, go practise your piano. Your exams are coming".

"Grandma, if you dont go to school, how are you going to be clever? School is fun, you know?"

Now, you must all know what I sound like at home.

The Schmooze Award

I feel so honoured to be given The Schmooze Award by bookworm. This award:




is given to those who are deemed to be able :
To converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.

What did I do to deserve this? I only ramble, grumble, muse, complain, comment, etc. But somehow, my fellow blogger friends connected with it! So this award should actually be shared with all my other fellow bloggers for connecting with me! To you blogger friends - Thanks for being part of my blog, and helping me "win" this award.

(wah! totally unprepared for this kind of thank you speech, leh, no experince doing it previously - I am no academy award winner!)

Now, To share this joy of winning, I am passing this award on to:
motts
Hijack Queen
tigerfish

Dance Dance revolution

Have you heard of this? DDR for short. It is a "game" on Play Station. Apparently, in the US of A, the teens are quite a crazy over it. Many of them queue to pay to play it at the arcades. I have seen it in some of the video arcades here, but could be by a different name.

DDR works very much like a karaoke machine, but instead of singing, you have to move with your feet according to the steps indicated by the video. The video specifies which feet and where it is to go, front, back, left or/and right. And all this is done on a mat. You select your own music, as well as the level of difficulty (which goes from beginners, light, medium to heavy). And when you are in rythmn and make the right moves, this is all captured by the mat you are on, and marks are awarded accordingly. At the end, it tells you how you have faired.



My friends, visiting from New York City, bought it for their son as it was found to be quite "aerobic". Their son, C, who is over weight, does not have much opportunities and does not enjoy too much physical exercise. As he had undergone heart surgery previously (to close a hole in his heart), he has been told that he has to control his weight and diet. The doctors dont believe that he is able to lose much weight (genetics, I guess), so exercise is the only way for him.

DDR has proven to be a hit with C. He "works out" and enjoys himself at the same time. They brought this DDR to my place over the weekend and we had an enjoyable time trying to get into the groove. Even hubby, with two left feet, enjoyed it. As marks are awarded, we even competed!! This, I must say, added to the kids enjoyment!(You know how competitive kids are nowadays!!) And when you are having fun, time flies. Before we knew it, we had been at it for more than 4 hours!! All hot and sweaty, but thoroughly enjoyable. And, getting the exercise we need without having to worry about those pesky dengue mosquitoes lurking around outside waiting to feast on us, when we take our evening jog!

Now the problem is I have to go get one for ourselves when they return to New York. We have decided that we need to have an annual DDR event!! And I used to be totally against having a playstation at home.

Note - this is not a sponsored post

Not fair!

That is a phrase that you hear quite frequently at my home. Am I really so unfair to the kids, or are they just too petty? I would like to think the latter.

The kids love comparing and complaining about most things. Guess that's how spoilt they are. If I give one more fruits than the other, (usually because he had less vegetables at dinner - ie to compensate for the fiber) - Not fair! why do I have to eat more fruits than her? I want to have less. My response : You should be glad you have fruits to eat!!

But if it is durians or peaches(or some other fruits they like) - Not fair, why does he get more than me??!! Hey, if you want more, just let me know, I will get you more.

Why does Jie Jie have more time on the computer than me? Because she has some school projects that need computer work!! But you did not see her checking her email when she was supposed to be doing her project! Hello! She was retrieving a document from her classmate to work on, dearie!

Why does N get to go to bed so late (9pm)? When I was his age, I had to go to bed at 8pm!! Sweetie, Papi wants to train him to go to bed later, so that when he has to go to the army, he will be used to the long hours.

How come Jie Jie can go to her friends house this weekend to play and I can't? Because she is much older and can take care of herself.

Why does little D get to play with her toys while eating dinner and I can't? She is still very young, dearie. She needs the toys to keep her from leaving the dinner table. You need to learn good table manners.

How come little D is getting a new bed? I want one too! She has outgrown her crib, and needs a bed now. Yours is still quite new (<3 years). But I like her new bed better! Can she take my old bed? No, that would not be fair to mei mei! (See,even I use the phrase too!)

And the comparisons go on and on. I always tell them to count their blessings that they have certain things and not why others have more.(Like that verse that goes: I complained I had no shoes until I saw a man with no feet....). I even told them, that I only first went on vacation to Japan when I was 20 years old, and they have all been there even before they turned 7, so why compare and complain.

Life is such. Like it or not, you can't have everything. Anything you have, there will always be someone with more. Accept it. Live with it. You are going to face more of it in Life.

Maybe if I stop answering them, they will stop comparing and complaining. Huh? What do you think?

Auntie and the Durian Man

Auntie is a moniker commonly used here to address women that are friends of your parents or your parents friends, or generally women older than oneself.

Here's the story:

My son,N and I were going to pick my duaghter, S from her music lesson, when this lady approached us. "Ai buay lew lian my? Chin pee" (Want to buy durians, very cheap.)

I politely declined as we had just had durians the day before from our regular supplier. While we were waiting for S's class to finish, N said: Mummy, can you buy durians? I want to eat. But I told him, that we could buy from our regular durian seller as the quality was guaranteed to be good.

After picking S, and when we were walking to the car, we noticed that the van selling the durians had moved to a spot very near to our car. N asked again: Can we try his durians? Please, mum, please?

I was about to say "ok, we will try some" when suddenly, the driver of the durian van came rushing towards me, saying: "Auntie, durians very cheap! Only $5! We got mountain cat, wild cat, sultan durians - all cheap cheap. Auntie, try la. Auntie, I promise you my durians very good one!"

What! A 50+ year old man calling me "auntie"!! I have many people complimenting me on my youthful looks and telling me I dont look a day over 35, and here was this old man calling me "auntie". Sorry, man, eh, uncle - you just lost my custom. I smiled and said "no, thank you", got into my car and drove away. I would rather buy from my regular supplier. He looks 40ish, and he calls me "sister".

Funny!

A friend of mine living in Australia sent me this joke.... and I thot I should share it.


A college professor was doing a study testing the senses of first year schoolchildren, using a bowl of fruit Polo's. He gave all the children the same kind of Polo, one at a time, and asked them to identify them by colour and flavour.





The children began to say:
"Red............cherry,"
"Yellow.........lemon,"
"Green..........lime,"
"Orange........orange."

Finally the professor gave them all honey Polos. After eating them for a few moments none of the children could identify the taste. "Well," he said "I'll give you all a clue. It's what your mother may sometimes call your father."
One little girl looked up in horror, spits hers out and yelled:

"Oh My God!!!! They're arse-holes!!"

And No, I dont call my hubby that!

My computer is playing punk with me again!

This computer is driving me up the wall. First, I have problems getting internet connection. Thot it was something wrong with my service provider. Then found out it was the fault of my wireless modem. Got it replaced and it worked fine. Now after barely 5 weeks, the D*@! thing is not working again. Do I have to fork out another $70 for another wireless modem?? No guarantee that it would solve my problem.

Now, I am reduced to working on my "dinosaur" laptop, which works when it wants, and goes on vacation at other times.

So, I will not be able to post as often as I would like, or even check my mail. Going to a cybercafe is not an option for me, coz I dont have much time with the kids. At least at home, I can do it whilst supervising the kids home work!

Sigh! Oi Computer! Please listen, and get to work! I have to blog!(I wish the computer has ears and is as obedient as my daughter S!)

So, till my computer gets its act together again, you will hear from me sporadically!

Things are getting expensive!

Yes, the GST has just been raised from 5 to 7%. Prices are expected to rise with this increase in GST. Also with the buoyant stock and property markets, people are out spending their windfalls, so retailers are increasing their prices to take advantage of everybody's spending power.

My favourite otah has gone up in price from 40 cents a stick to 50 cents a stick (an increase of 25%) and the wantan mee from my favourite die-die-must-try stall has increased in price from $2 to $3. That's a 50% increase!! Car park rates at a mall I frequent has gone up from $2.10 an hour to $2.20 an hour.(That's a 5% increase). Looks like everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to increase their prices, but their increases are more than the 2% increase in GST! I find it hard to believe that the government survey found only 61 out of 1300 hawkers that have increased their prices. For me it is two out of my 4 favourite stalls.

Even landlords are doing the same. I just got a letter from little D's school to say that they would be moving out from their current premises at the end of this year. (oh dear! now our commute to school is going to take more than the 2 minutes we now take!) Little D's school is operated out of a BIG house in our residential area. The landlords have been increasing the rents every two years since the pre-school moved in. Now they want to double the rental!! I guess they just want our pre-school out! From the grapevine, I heard that they want to demolish the current house and build a row of semi-ds in its place. With the current prices, they would make a fortune! At the way things are going, it looks like almost all pre-schools that are currently in good residential districts would have no choice but to move out (unless parents are willing to fork out substantially more for school fees - Blek!).

I wish the government would do something about this. I believe it is "foreign" money that is coming in and buying up most of the properties, hence driving the prices up. Prices of everything will spiral out of control. Something needs to be done. I dont want to pay too much more for school fees, or anything. As it is, everything is already so expensive!!

I know I am getting old...

I know I am getting old because:
Little D's teacher has to remind me about show and tell every week. If not for her sms, I would not remember to pack something for Little D.

This week when her sms came, I searched for a lion for little D to bring as it was "L" week. We could not find a lion (it's somewhere in the house), but we found a lunchbox with a picture of a lion on it. But Little D wasn't too happy with it. Then Grandma suggested lychees. Brilliant. Little D was all excited about bringing lychees to school as that would mean that she would get to eat it.




Off to school we went. When little D took out the Lion lunchbox which had the lychees in it, Teacher G looked at me and asked: What's that?
I said : Lychees in a lion lunchbox. Triple L, not bad ah?
Teacher G said: But this week is the letter "i".

Oh dear, my eyes have failed me. I have misread her message. Looks like the "old eyes" have really set in! Now I need to change the settings on my mobile phone for the message font to be LARGE.

My Little D is growing up!

Everytime Little D wears pyjamas that has buttons, she wants to undo them herself. Some days I just have no patience as we are rushing to get to school! So, this horrible mum, tends to give her PJs with no buttons, except on friday and saturday nites, ie when the next day is not a school day. Last night I forgot!

This morning, she asked to undo them again! As we were still early, I did not fuss, and let left her to her own devices. Hey presto! In less than 2 minutes, she had unbuttoned all the 4 buttons on her PJs with no help! Yippee! Her motor skills have improved, despite me not giving her much opportunities to practise them! She was so pleased with herself!!

I was at a major department store yesterday morning to get some eye-cream (must get rid of these panda looking eyes!) But the sales assistant for the product I wanted, had not reported for work (skiving , I think!). Another sales assistant came over to help. As I was helping her look for the eye cream that I wanted, my two girls, S and D were enjoying themselves with the samples that were lying around. When the eye cream I wanted was found,and I was all ready to pay, I realised my two girls were all made up!! Little D turned around to me and said: "Mummy, I look pretty!"

Little D had lipstick on her forehead, eyeshadow on her cheeks and chin! S had helped herself to the lip gloss, and used the eyeshadow as nail polish! What a sight! The sales assistant couldnt help but burst out laughing! She was kind enough to use the expensive cleanser to clean my girls up when I went to pay! Guess my girls dont have much opportunities to play make up at home as I am a very "tidak apa" person. The only make up I wear is lipstick!

Sports Day

Last Friday was Sports Day at Little D's school. She woke up bright and early and all eager for the day's events.

The children had loads of fun playing a series of games, where they competed by age groups. The Parents event was a tug-of-war. Alas, my muscles were not considered big enough, so I ended up cheering the kids, teachers and other parents.



Little D going thru' the hoops




Balancing the bean bag




My little energizer bunny hopping


Everyone was a winner, there were no losers. All the children took part in all the events, and were given a rossette at the end of the games. Thank you Lord for blessing the children with fine weather on that day.





Little D with her rossette






All the tired champions

I am rich!!! or am I ??

For the past 3 days I have won 3 lotteries, one for 2 million pounds, another for 1 million pounds, and the last for 1.5 million pounds.!! (All these happened after I made public my email address on my blog). Now I dont even have to save for my kids, I will be able to give them each a GCB (good class bungalow - in Singapore - ie bigger than 15000 sq feet in prime district, despite the rocketing prices)and a great big fat bank account.

Has my luck suddenly changed? or is it too good to be true? I think poor hubby still has to be slave to his job to bring bacon home for the table.

These are probably part of those scams we read about. I wonder why they dont get sued, esp since they use the names of big companies (one of them used the famous coke name!)If you have not won yet, below is a sample email which I received from one of them.

Guess it is back to the Singapore Sweep and Toto for me to strike it rich!

------------



THE UK NATIONAL LOTTERY
uksweepstakelotto Award Team
Ref: MSC990/678

Dear Lucky Winner,

The prestigious uksweepstakelotto has set out and sucessfully
organised, a Sweepstakes marking the New Yearly anniversary and our effort to
promote uksweepstakelotto we rolled out over £600, 000000.00 (Six Million
Great Britain Pounds) for every Draws running from January to December
2007. Participants for the draws were randomly selected and drawn from
a wide range of web hosts which we enjoy their patronage .

The selection was made through a computer draw system attaching
personalised email addresses to ticket numbers. uksweepstakelotto are now the
largest Internet lottery companies and in an effort to make sure that
Google Search engine remains the most widely used program, Google and
Aol ran an e-mail beta test for uksweepstakelotto for an electronic
draw for random email users online

Your email address as indicated was drawn and attached to ticket number
0098876 with serial numbers MSC099876 and drew the lucky numbers
9-21-17-39-23-13(20) which subsequently won you £1, 500,000.00 (One Million
Five Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds) as one of the (4)
jackpot winners in this draw.

You have therefore won the entire winning sum of £1,500,000.00 (One
Million Five Hundred Thousand Great Britain Pounds) The draws registered
as Draw number one was conducted in Brockley, London United Kingdom on
the 10th of July 2007. These Draws are commemorative and as such
special.

Please be informed by this winning notification,to file your claims,you
are to make contact with your designated agent who shall by duty guide
you through the process to facilitate the release of your prize. To
file for your claim Please Contact your fiduciary agent as directed
below:

Barr. Scott Smith.
Uksweepstakelotto Promotion Award Team.
Email:claims_depart01@yahoo.co.uk

Phone: +44-702-407-2592
+44-702-407-4158
+44-702-401-3330
+44-701-114-7850

Our special thanks and gratitude to uksweepstakelotto Team and its
associates.We wish you the best of luck .Thank you for being part of our
promotional award program and commemorative yearly Anniversary Draws.

Sincerely,
Mrs.Rose Wood.
Head Customercare Service
uksweepstakelotto Promotion Team

NB:Any claim not made before Seven (7) working days from date of
notification indicate that the winner has voluntarily forfeited his/her
winnings.

Save for the kids?

Are you the saving or the spending sort? Do you plan to leave a bundle of cash or assets for your children?

I am a saver. What did you expect? An accountant by training, sure super scrooge with cash, right? Count every cent? Check out the banks that give the best interest rates? They dont call us bean counters for nothing!

No. I save for myself. My hubby believes in saving for the kids. Sometimes I dont think that is absolutely necessary. No need to leave each of them a house and a big fat saving account. Saving for the kids will make them too comfortable. We were raised in middle income families during the time when we only got treats when it was a special occassion. But now, the kids get these treats every week, for some even every day. That comes with affluence, I guess. As a result, they are not "hungry" at all. They dont know what it is like not to have something. They dont feel the need to strive and work hard for something they want. They dont know how to count their blessings. Everything is given to them on a silver platter. They become spoilt. They refuse to share. They demand for material possessions. (Good thing they are not into branded goods....yet!)

I want my kids to appreciate what they are given, and not expect it to be given to them. I want them to work hard for what they want. As such, I told hubby, dont tell them we have saved for them. Let them work for what they want. At the end of the day, if we leave them anything, it is a bonus to them. I dont want them to expect us to leave them anything! (Now they think I am the wicked stepmother.) I want them to learn that there are some things in life that they just cant have. You have to accept it, like it or not. Even when I can afford it for them, there are things I would rather not give them, just to let them have a taste of what it is like to not have something that they want or need. They just have to learn. Mine is the school of hard knocks.

So even though I save, I told hubby that we should say it is saved for us - not them. And no, I am not a scrooge, in fact sometimes I think I spend too much..on whatelse....things for the kids!

Relief at last!

Yes, today's weather brought me some relief from the dreaded heat. It was a bit overcast when I woke,and then about mid-morning it rained. Yippee! In the afternoon, it was cool. I wish this cloudy weather would stay.

What a fish!

Hubby was telling Little D our plans last Saturday.

He said: Papi (Spanish for Daddy) has to go to my friends house later. You can come along if you like. You can see some big fishes in his pond. (turning to me he says: You wont believe it but EL's fish cost a hundred grand each!)

S, overhearing says: Who would believe that a little fish swimming in a bowl costs a hundred thousand dollars!



Hubby: His fish dont swim in a bowl, they swim in a pond that is as big as the swimming pool in Aunty N's house!

S: What?!!

Hubby: Yes, and it is even air-conditioned!! (temperature controlled, la)

S: Papi! I want to be his fish!!


Me, too! I have not seen this guy's fishes, but I understand that they were hand carried to Singapore on the plane (before all these 100ml restrictions!!), and cost what I pay for my car. Guess it pays to be a fish of the CEO of a public listed company.

Tagged - "four, four, four, four" meme

I have been tagged by motts.

It's a four, four, four, four meme, so here goes:

Four jobs I have had in my life:
Audit Manager (to my clients)
Chauffeur (to my kids)
Baby sitter (to my kids)
Slave (to my ex-bosses)

Four places I have lived:
New York, USA
Perth, Australia
My 3rd aunt’s home (I was fostered out as a child as my mum could not cope with 3 kids)
Singapore


Four Countries I have been to on vacation:
London, UK
Bahamas
Tokyo, Japan
New Zealand

Four of my favourite foods:
Crabs (cooked any way)
Prawns (cooked every style)
Foie Gras (preferably pan fried)
Laksa (both lemak and asam)
(now you know why my cholesterol levels are high)

Four places I would rather be right now:
On the beach in the Bahamas
On the beach in the Caribbean
On the beach in Palm Beach, Florida
On a massage table at a spa


Four friends to tag:
eastcoastlife
jonzz
tigerfish
mumsgather

Crime in the area

I dont know if the crime rate in Singapore has gone up but recently there has been quite a lot of press about break-ins. In fact, my Brother-in-laws home (which is barely a few meters from my home) got broken into 3 weeks ago.

The burglars originally tried to break into his neighbours house (by sawing on their window grills!!), but their neighbours daughter heard some noises, and turned the lights on. (Not sure what happened to their noisy barking dogs that morning ...probably drugged by the robbers, I guess). That was about 3.30am. They must have "chabot" when the lights came on, and climbed into B-i-ls place. Unfortunately, B-i-l's home is empty, as they now live in Oz. The robbers broke into a few cupboards, and got away with some jewelry. They did not take all, tho', we dont know why. There were still some jewels left in the same drawers that they stole from. We think it could be because my mil who wakes at 4.30am each morning could have gotten up, and turned on her lights, which may have frightened the robbers away, considering the proximity of our homes.

The policemen investigating informed us that there were quite a number of break-ins in the area. The robbers seem terribly gung-ho to me. They dont seem to do it on the quiet anymore (sawing of grills at 3am?), they dont care if there are people in the house (as the case of the recent pasir ris robbery),and they are sometimes even armed!!

As a result, I am paranoid about safety. I no longer leave my bedroom door unlocked when we sleep. The kids no longer sleep in their own room. They have now migrated to my bedroom, and are all on mattresses on my bedroom floor!! Not sure how long this is going to go on for, but the kids are enjoying it!!

This heat!!

This sweltering heat is driving me nuts!! I go to bed with both the fan and the air-con on at the same time. I shower 3 or more times a day. I crave an ice-cold coke all the time. How to cut down on global warming?? I need the air-con on all day. Seems like a catch 22 situation. This weather is a torture! I feel like just buying a ticket to Aussie land for the cool, cold winter.

Tag - SAHM vs FTWM

I have been tagged by nomadic-mom.


.~~~Instructions~~~
Here’s how it works:
1. So easy peasy, if you were given a choice, would you be a SAHM or FTWM? Just provide 3 darn good reasons.
2. Include your post link to the list below and
Finally,3. Tag another three mommies


When I first started being a SAHM, I really wanted to go back to work. The kids were very young then. N was 6 months and S was 4. I had no time for myself. Cooped up with the kids all day. I yearned for my financial independence, mental stimulation, and time with my friends. However, with time, I have accepted and am begining to enjoy being a SAHM more and more, tho' there are times when I do think of going back to work. So which do I prefer if I had a choice now?

SAHM of course! why?
1. I am around to guide my children (morally and educationally), and I believe I will see the rewards in time to come.

2. I am around for all their milestones. Most of these I missed for my 1st child.

3. I dont want to be part of all those office politics. I hate it, and when I was leaving, I saw some of the true colours of those whom I previously respected, and I know it is the same everywhere.

Also having been out of the industry for so long (7 years), I dont think I am in a position to go back to my previous position in a professional services firm, as there has been too many changes, and I have not kept fully abreast with these changes. To do so would mean I have to take a step down, and I dont think I can accept that. To my kids, I think I am worth much more than what my bosses can pay me. And the joy of watching my children grow and learn is enough for me.

Well, all done! Sorry but i will not be tagging anyone as most of the mums have done it already.

Little D the Lady Terror

Little D hit another classmate in school on Tuesday. This has been happening too often for my liking .... it happens at least once a week . I have tried talking to her, and have to constantly remind her not to hit or scratch her friends.

M-i-l decided to have a word with little D on the matter this week. This is what transpired between them:

M-i-l: D, did you hit V in school today?
Little D: Yes, I hit him and he cried.
M-i-l: You mustn't hit your friends, you know. it is very painful for them.
Little D: Ok grandma.
M-i-l: Their mummies will feel very sad to hear that you hit them, you know.
Little D: But Grandma, he shouted at me. I am a lady. He should not shout at ladies.

M-i-l could not help but burst out laughing!!

If you have any suggestions on what I can do to help stop her from hurting others, please share. My other 2 kids used to be victims. They never hurt anyone. I am not sure if Little D is doing it because when she was younger, she used to be a victim of her cousin - hit, scratched and bitten - now she is dishing out what she got!

My deal with S

This is for the records so that I do not forget it.

Hubby bought me a *bling*, and when S saw it, she wanted it. You see, everytime I have a child, hubby will buys me something, sort of "payment" for 9 months of discomfort!). Since I had little D, I had not found something I really wanted which was to be hers. Recently I saw something I really liked and got it. S has a ring, N has a string of cultured pearls. So when S saw this piece of jewellery that was meant for D, she really drooled (must really be growing up to know how to want such things, I guess).

I told her that if she gives me 3 A stars for her PSLE exams next year (the kiasu mother trying to bribe the child to do well!), I will get her one just like mine, but in a smaller version. Instead, she counter-offered - no quarrelling or fighting with her brother for a year. I said that was not enough for me,so I then added a few extra clauses. I have been having trouble getting her to eat and drink (i think the stress of school work affects her - she is a very self motivated child that can and will do her work at the expense of other things, food included - she just forgets to eat when she has work to do!!)So I said that she had to eat well,and drink at least 1 litre of water each day (there are some days where she gets by only on 2 small glasses... i dont know how, but she says she doesnt feel thirsty at all!).

She agreed!! After she agreed, she realised what she got herself into and said: "Oh Dear! Next year is a leap year, so I have to not quarrel with N for one extra day!....and if I dont succeed in that, boy! I have to study very hard to make sure I get my 3 A Stars!" She also wanted me to promise her that I did not tell N about our deal or she was sure that he would try to sabotage her efforts. So I agreed. Since Monday, she has been counting down. 3 days has passed with no incidents with her brother...must say that is quite an achievement, and she has been eating and drinking really well. No nagging needed from me at all! So this time next year, we will know if she manages to "earn" her own *bling*.

My Mother-in-law

Mother-in-laws have a reputation of being nasty to daughter/son-in-laws. Just look at all those jokes about m-i-ls and you will know what I mean. And I think this comes about because of different upbringing and different expectations.

I was talking to an acquaintance "Hw" yesterday. She made the comment that she is amazed at my relationship with my m-i-l and she commented that we were just like friends.

I told her that is because my m-i-l is "one hell of a woman". You can't find another like her. So helpful and giving. Knows when to back off, and when to intervene. Hw paid me the compliment that it takes 2 hands to clap, and I also played an important part in that fantastic relationship. Thanks Hw, ... I dont know. Sometimes I think I could be a better d-i-l for all that m-i-l has done for me.

M-i-l is quite amazing.... Her typical day is like this. She wakes up at 4.30am. She will then shower, prepare breakfast. Cut fruits for everyone (so that we can have it for breakfast if we like), makes fresh juice for everyone. Then she goes for her morning walk (All these even before our maids wakes up!). When she returns, she will shower (again!) and then have her breakfast. She will then accompany me and Little D to school. After that, it is off to the supermart for some groceries or the wet market for our supplies. When we get home, she will prepare lunch for the kids (mine and her daughters) and ourselves (and the maids too!) M-i-l and I will then have our lunch,and then we are off to pick little D from school. She will then help shower, feed and put Little D to nap whilst I am off to fetch S and N from school. She is with Little D for the whole afternoon until evening whilst I supervise S & N's homework or ferry them to classes.

In the evening, she will feed little D her dinner, and then shower her (again) whilst hubby, S, N & I have our dinner. Then I will take over looking after Little D. She will wait for F-i-l to get home (usually after 7pm) and have dinner with him. After dinner, she will have her shower, and then she will come play with little D whilst we watch TV.

At 9pm, when Little D goes to bed, m-i-l will then go read the newspapers, sew, do her own things until it is her bedtime, usually after 11pm. She is really amazing! Never tiring,and never complains. Even when we tell her that Little D needs to do certain things by herself or that we can watch little D, she will still be around to keep an eye. (Yes! I am a little spoilt by her).

Weekends are hers alone. I make sure I take little D with me everywhere, out of the house, so that m-i-l will be able to do her own things. Every school vacation, she will travel to Australia, to cook and take care of her other grandchild living there.

M-i-l is also a very good seamstress. All those beautiful dresses and shirts that she makes for the kids are the envy of parents that we know. She even makes party dresses and fancy dress costumes for the kids.

We frequently go shopping (dresses, jewellers and the bookshop) together. Even when she is ill, she puts us all 1st! She times her visits to her doctors to when we will not need her help, usually during the vacation or weekends.

Isn't she amazing? And, best of all, am I not blessed? Hw commented that we both get along like a house on fire, and another friend calls my m-i-l my partner in crime.
This is for you M-i-L .... so that the kids will remember what you have done for us all these years!! Thanks!

Essentials for me to grow....

I was reading the newspapers this morning when I decided to take a look at my horoscope (not that I believe it ...just do it for the fun of it). It said:

Plants need air, water and sunlight to grow. What are three essential items that your mind, body and spirit need to do the same? Think about it, and then figure out ways to incorporate it into your life on a regular basis.

Sounds like pretty good advice to me. So I gave it some thought. What are my essentials? Let’s see, I came up with the following:
• Friends and fellowship
• Prayer
• Sleep / Rest
• Exercise
• Shopping
• Massage
• Books
• Food (preferably good and sinful!)

Wow! That’s more than three that I deem essential. So I have decided to choose 3 which I feel the need to try to incorporate into my life and they are:

Friends, prayer and Sleep

Why? Because they don’t feature enough in my current life!! What’s yours?