Monday, April 30, 2012

Olivia: 7.5 months



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Checking out Mama's bag.

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Looking soulful. What was she thinking?

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Up for some silly fun with Mama.

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Laughing at some silly noises and faces that Mama made.



Sunday, April 29, 2012

Shame the Baby Snatchers

We were at a birthday party a while ago when a distant relative tried repeatedly to grab Olivia from my arms.

The moment this relative arrived at the party, she couldn't stop remarking on Olivia's cuteness and asked to carry her. I tactfully declined every offer and request.

Fed up of my rejections, she reached out to grab Olivia from me. I was annoyed but didn't want to spoil the party or upset the hostess, so I cheerfully explained that my baby was about to nap and would cry if anyone take her from me.

An hour later, Olivia woke and was happily chewing her fingers and taking in her surroundings when the auntie appeared out of nowhere with some loud cheers and praises for my beautiful baby. The commotion did make Olivia coo and chuckle so much that she became the centre of nearly everyone's attention.

"Oh your baby is too cute! I MUST carry her!!"

With that, she reached out, attempting to pull Olivia from my arms.

I was stunned for a split second, but recovered quick enough to joke about her roughness and how that was not the way to handle a teeny baby.

She stood back. Smile. And came forward suddenly to slap Olivia's hand.

!@$@!%$!#$

I saw red.

My mother bear instincts surfaced. I was ready to chew her up.

She must have seen it in my face for she promptly joked that she was only teasing the baby for being naughty.

I stopped caring about the party mood for others and gave her a piece of my mind. Enough was said to embarrass her in front of everyone else.

For the rest of the evening, she didn't dare to come anywhere near us.



Saturday, April 28, 2012

Learning for Life (Part II)

It was only upon reflection recently that I realized how much my parenting style has altered over the years.

When I first posted this, I honestly felt I was doing it all right. Now, a few years later, when I am brutally honest with myself, all I can think of is 'uh-oh' and 'oh no'.

While I acknowledge that I am doing better in some aspects as I become a more experienced mum, I also recognize (with some disbelief) how I have slipped into an unexpected realm in other areas.

Having more parenting experience is certainly a factor that can bring about some change in my beliefs, behaviour and parenting style. But I can't deny that the bigger reason has to be the increased hecticness that comes with raising more kids. With every addition to the family, it also means the days are fuller with an even longer to-do list to handle. Needless to say, having less time to attend to each child on a daily basis has its repercussions. :<

I used to be so much more patient with my boys when they were little. Now, I have a hard time feeling calm and collect when they misbehave. But what bugs me is how throughout the week, I seem to be annoyed by their antics more than ever before. Why do I feel annoyed instead of seeing the problems and challenges they cause as teachable moments of right behaviour? I used to seize every such opportunity to inculcate values and teach them life lessons.

Is it really a case of them behaving worse than before, or am I the one who has taken on unrealistic expectations of appropriate behaviour as the boys grow older?

I can't even remember when was the last time I feel spontaneous enough to just get out to do something.

I know I am a good mum. And I know I work very hard to be a good mum. But I have my failings and I recognise them. Now I must amend my ways.



Splash


‘Strawberry’ in the pool. For her first dip today.

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@ 7.5 months

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Simply precious.



Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Bug in my Cuppa

Reading this at first appalled me.

But my very knowledgeable hubby pointed out something I didn't know.

So we have been eating shellac for the longest time. And shellac is a form of bug wax. Even buying organic apples doesn't mean I can avoid some form of bug wax.

It's tough being a vegetarian these days. Not that I am one to begin with.




Happy Pancake Day


One of those rare afternoons when I could take off with just Chip and leave the rest at home.

It had to be a treat for sure, and one that would be memorable to him for a long time. He decided only pancakes would do that day. Easy peasy. So Cedele we arrived.

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After we placed the order, he was just happy. Very, very happy.

For the next 15 photos that I took of him, there was only one expression - this eyes-closed-MEGA-smiley face.

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His choice.
My verdict: Never order again.
His verdict: Yum!

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Not a word from him for the next 20 min, until the plate was cleaned. He would have licked the chocolate sauce off the dish if I had allowed him.





Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Shhh....

A few weeks ago when I brought lunch to M on his tennis day, he invited a classmate R to sit with us. I have met R a few times and paid special attention to him because I know M considers him as one of his good friends.

After a few minutes of casual chatting about school work and his hobbies, I sat back and just observed the boys communicate. Throughout lunch, the boys joked and laughed and every now and again, I injected some humour of my own which I soon realized they really appreciated. 

Then out of the blue, R looked at me with a hint of envy (at least I thought that was what I saw) in his eyes and told me his parents aren't such loving people (in his exact words). All they do is quarrel and shout at each other all day long. 

They don't kiss me or tell me 'I love you' . They are always arguing about something. They don't talk to me in this sweet, sweet way (he was referring to the way I talked to M). 

In that instant, I felt awful for him. I tried to console him with suggestions such as how some adults may just banter or talk loudly when they are in disagreement. He wasn't the least bit convinced. 

The incident is a good reminder that we should always be mindful of our conduct at home, especially in the presence (and within earshot) of our little ones. 

I was tempted enough to quiz my boys days after of their impression of their folks' relationship. 

According to them, their parents rarely quarrel (of course we did, but we were usually discreet) and are quite loving towards each other.   



Tuesday, April 10, 2012

The Thick-Skinned Species

In many ways, I am just like my mum.

She will never expect any free meals from anyone, not even from us. She often comes to my house after lunch or will bring her own lunch and even pack us some. When relatives insist on buying her lunch, even if it is just a $3 meal, she would be thinking of what to buy to pay back in between mouthfuls of the meal. She gets so embarrassed when given a treat, any treat, that she goes out of the way to avoid the person during mealtimes in future, so the other party doesn't feel obliged to pay for her.

She will never hint to anyone, even her own siblings or children, that she likes a certain delicacy very much, hoping that the latter will get the hint and buy it for her.

She will never point at the jewellery that I am wearing or the bag I am carrying (or at anyone else's for that matter) and tell me how much she likes to have the same thing and doesn't mind if I give it to her, or suggest outright that I buy her a new one!

She will never take anything from my house without asking me first. Even if it is just a plastic bag or a plastic container. In fact, she will never even imagine going to anyone's house and take anything from them. Not openly and definitely not sneakily hide as much as possible in another bag so as to give away to another household.

She will never go to someone's house unannounced or uninvited. Or hint that she likes to visit your house, villa or be driven to your house in Penang. And when she is in your house as a guest, she will never enter your kitchen or bedroom without you to check it out. 

My mum may have grown up poor and lived frugally all her life, but she certainly has her backbone and an admirable sense of pride. She doesn't expect to consume more than what she can afford herself and is never the greedy type who takes as much free stuff as she can, even when she doesn't need them.

Basically, she doesn't like to take advantage of others and doesn't want others to take advantage of her either.

In all these aspects, I am just like my mum and I am very proud of it.

The only difference is, I display my displeasure at such ugliness and hesitate less to name and shame, especially when the behaviour repeats in front of me and/or affects me directly. Such as when someone tries to take advantage of me or my family.

So imagine my disgust to meet people with all-of-the-above and more. I pray hard that even if my kids were to grow up earning little, that they will never, in my living days, ever be one of these thick-skinned people who know no shame.



Monday, April 9, 2012

Driller Bot

My 7-year-old's version of this Decepticon, which is a giant Cybertronian tapeworm.

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Close-up 1
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Close-up 2
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Close-up 3
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Drawn on 1st March.
I don't know how many hours he spent on it, but it certainly impresses me.
Hmm.... this also goes to show how much leisure time my kid has on hand. :>




Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Rewards

"I like to reiterate my thanks for teaching me how to fish. Now I am getting the hang of planning lapbooks for my kids as well as recycling what Amos has done for his brother. Now I understand, albeit a fraction of the fruit of labour that you have put in for your kids and others. It's time consuming but very rewarding. With my third child's arrival, it really helps a lot to teach myself and save costs. Amos benefitted most from your courses. Olivia is blessed to have an even more experienced mom to love and teach. "

- Amos' mum (Amos attended three terms of the Bright Minds Lapbookers class, two of which were parent-accompanied)

This came through via SMS earlier this week. 

Not only did the SMS bring me smiles and happiness, it brought immense satisfaction. Nothing makes me happier than to know that parents appreciate the Bright Minds Lapbookers programme and is now able to apply what they have learnt with their other children. 


Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Nearly 7 Months and Counting

The day Olivia turned 6 months, I was all smiles for pretty much the entire day. 

Just the thought that I have managed to breastfeed her exclusively for 6 months was enough to make me want to run out and celebrate in a big way. 

Yay! YAY! YAY!! 

And while I am at it, let me put this down too.... 

No bottles. 
Not even a drop of formula! 
No pacifier. 
No mastitis. 

YAY!!!! 

This may not mean much to many mothers who breastfed for much longer time, but to me, it is a BIG deal. 

Whenever I think of my motherhood journey so far since the birth of my first-born, one of the very few things that I regret is not being able to breastfeed my boys for longer than I did. 

Health and nutrition reasons aside, to be able to breastfeed my child is more like a milestone that I want to reach, as a mother. I want to be able to tell myself proudly that I have given my very best effort, to provide my kids with the best. It is, in my mind, one of my ways of loving them.

When Olivia was born, I didn't even dare to consider if I would make it past 3 months, though I really hope I could. I just knew I didn't want to express exclusively like I did for the boys. If I had to this time, I would regretfully but certainly give up within weeks.

Olivia is nearly 7 months old. And I am still nursing her and enjoying every bit of the experience. :>
 
I consider every extra day from now on a much cherished bonus. *.*

And I must thank (in no particular order) Su-San, Leng Leng, Karen L and the hubby! Without you, I would not have made it this far. 





Monday, April 2, 2012

Chip's Insects



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Copied them from a book on Insects. Just two of the whole bunch he did in March.



Birth Order and Time

I have been reading to Olivia since she turned 3 months, but it wasn't as frequent as I like. There will be times when I read 3 books a day for a few consecutive days, followed by periods of only 3 books in the entire week. 

Whenever I think about it, I can't help but feel guilty. 

Marcus used to be read to throughout the day, everyday and had a consistent bedtime routine. Of course, I had all the time in the world to focus on my only child then. 

There was also no blog to write and I wasn't reading any either. I certainly didn't feel the urge to stay connected with the world, especially not through the cyberspace. Some weeks, I didn't even turn on the laptop or check my emails for days. 

So the focus of the day was on 'entertaining' my only child.

When #2 came along, time had to be split between the boys but I soon learnt to manage that. Still, I wasted little time online, though there was a period when I was a little addicted to online communities and forums. 

Fast forward to now, things are so different. 
 
While I don't want to beat myself over it, knowing fully well that I always do my best in the limited time I have and things just can't be the same when I now have 3 kids to look after. 

But it doesn't mean I am going to accept it as it is. 

I learnt from a recent chat with friends that some stay-home mums spend more than 10 hours a day online, maintaining their blogs, Facebook and Twitter accounts. Which makes me curious of the time they have left to spend with their kids.

Though I don't waste time on online forums and hardly log in to Facebook (which I shun on purpose), I do spend time blogging and reading selected blogs. I'm always attracted to blogs that inspire me to do better in the many roles that I play and personal success stories that motivate me to do more with my life get my attention too. There is always so much to learn from others. 

Call me old-fashioned, but I don't feel the need to jump on the bandwagon and be active on Facebook and twit one-liners just to stay connected with friends and acquaintances. Just like how I never get the appeal of an e-book. Nothing can quite replace the satisfaction I get from flipping the page of a real book after reading it. 

While I don't spend hours online daily, I do turn on my laptop at least once on most days and it is a source of temptation that distracts me from more fulfilling activities.

Since I have been able to resist the temptations of iPhone and iPad (nope, they have never appealed to me even though the husband has offered a few new sets), I'm sure I can also do better at limiting my time online. 

Perhaps it's time to unplug and be unconnected with the world for a few days each week.

I am a firm believer that I can only speak of spending quality time with my kids when I have sufficient quantity to spend with them. 




Sunday, April 1, 2012

More P.V.Z.

Since I don't allow him to play the Plants vs. Zombies during weekdays, Chip's free time is spent making music, creating comic series and planning PVZ games with Lego. Just like those days when he was obsessed with Gesundheit.

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I love the child-like innocence exhibited freely in his drawings. He's 5.5 years now. Not going to last that much longer anymore.

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