Aren't we all super moms? We wake up at 6 every morning. Clean the house, get breakfast ready, bathe the kids, serve them breakfast, play with them, put them down for a nap, cook lunch, do laundry, serve lunch, clean up, wash up, take the kids with you to grocery shopping, play with them again, prepare dinner, clean up, read to the kids, put them to bed. And that's when we have OUR time. And then we sleep at 1am and wake up at 6am again and the cycle continues...
No, I am not complaining. As tiring as it is, I love being a mom. I love loving my children and I love being loved by them. But there are times when I feel like I am not doing enough for them. Like when I am doing laundry and they are playing with each other and I am thinking to myself that I could stop doing what I am doing and join them in their play. Or worst, when I take a short tv break, I feel really guilty. Why am I watching tv? I should be teaching them something, or play with them.
I have never left them to the care of anyone else just so that I can have a ME time. I know it is essential to have that. When I first had Auni, it was possible to do that. Now with 3 kids, it is almost impossible. Almost, but not entirely possible. Hats off to those women to manage to have a ME time to recharge. I have been spending too much time with my kids that if I leave them for awhile, I'll just be thinking about them all day long and won't enjoy myself.
Like when Auni goes to school, I miss her. When Ulfa and Nuha are asleep and I have already woken up, I miss carrying them and seeing their smiles. But I won't wake them up, no! I still have tons to do. Like blog...hehe...
Is there something wrong with me then for feeling this way. I feel like it is a sort of an attachment problem. Maybe I have grown too attached to my kids. I need to deal with this. Afterall, I'll be back to work next year. And honestly, that is something I am really not looking forward to.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
My Daughter's Blog
I know I promised a blog on tandem breastfeeding. Well, working on it, heh :)
Anyway, I would like to share with you my daughter's blog, where she shares her recipes and videos on baking and cooking. Do give her your support :)
Click here!
Anyway, I would like to share with you my daughter's blog, where she shares her recipes and videos on baking and cooking. Do give her your support :)
Click here!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
My Number THREE
I guess I have not been updating for quite some time. Reason being, I delivered my Number 3 in May. Thus the lack of post.
I delivered My 3rd Princess on Labour Day. What a day to go into labour :)
Here's my delivery story:
The day before Labour Day, I had just turned 38 weeks. I went to see my gynae for a check and I had to go through the CTG. From the CTG, they detected irregular contractions. My gynae checked my cervix and noted that I was 2cm dilated. Gynae asked whether I wanted to induce or wait. So I told her wait. She reminded me to quickly go to the hospital if my contractions gets stronger and more regular as my previous deliveries were all very quick (You can read my story for my 2nd delivery here).
So hubby and I went back home with the kids. Throughout the day, I was feeling minor contractions, irregular. Nothing painful. But I started timing myself. Experience has taught me that once the contractions get regular, and the period of contractions gets shorter, that means I'll be going into labour. Again, timing was irregular. But I continued to time myself. 5am in the morning of Labour Day, I noticed that my contractions were getting closer. However, I was not in pain still.
6.10 am: I called my aunt who lived nearby to help me fetch Auni and Ulfa.
6.15 am: Aunt came with my cousin and grandmother. They took my girls and their bags (I've pre-packed).
6.35 am: Hubby and I left for the hospital (KKH). Contractions were 2 mins apart. I could see hubby's jaw getting tight. I knew he was afraid that I might just deliver in the car. He was holding on to the steering wheel tight till his knuckles were all white. I told him not too worry as although the contractions were not far apart. It was not too painful and I can wait till we reach the hospital.
6.45 am: Still in the car. I was still timing my contractions. I noticed they were getting further apart. Like 4 mins apart.
7 am: Checked into the hospital. I told the nurse checking me in that my contractions went from 2mins to 4mins apart. She asked me how come I still looked so happy even though I was having contractions. I told her coz I was not in pain.
7.15am: They put me on a drip. Antibiotic drip for my GBS. The staff nurse confirmed that my contractions were 4 mins apart.
7.30am: Gynae came (Dr K T Tan). Cervix opened 5cm. Gynae told me that she'll only burst my waterbag when the antibiotic have all gone in. And I need 2 rounds just to be safe.
8am: Contractions became 7mins apart. What???!!! I was not so sure whether I was going to be delivering.
10am: Gynae burst my waterbag. Told me to let the staff nurse in the room know if I feel the baby pushing.
10.05am: Contractions immediately start to get stronger. Again, it was irregular.
10.20am: I requested to pee. I couldn't pee. The nurse suggested using a catheter. I refused. She told me that it will be very difficult for baby to come down if my bladder is full. In the end I relented. So she used the catheter. Hubby was shocked to see the amount of urine...hehe...apparently it was a lot. The nurse then checked my cervix. She said that the baby was already coming out. Strange! I didn't feel the baby pushing to come out, like my Number 1 and 2.
So gynae came.
10.29 am: After 4 pushes, the baby came out. I thought that this delivery was harder than my Number 2 coz I didn't feel the baby pushing. My gynae also commented that my contractions were very irregular all the way.
They cleaned the baby while gynae stitched me up. Then they put the baby on my chest to calm her down by letting her feel my warmth and listen to my heartbeat. After that I breastfed her. Thereafter, they took her to the nursery for all the necessary checks and vaccination and I was sent to the ward.
I notice that all 3 deliveries are different. Thank God all my labours were not difficult or long. In my next post, I'll update on Tandem Breastfeeding and Dealing with Three.
I delivered My 3rd Princess on Labour Day. What a day to go into labour :)
Here's my delivery story:
The day before Labour Day, I had just turned 38 weeks. I went to see my gynae for a check and I had to go through the CTG. From the CTG, they detected irregular contractions. My gynae checked my cervix and noted that I was 2cm dilated. Gynae asked whether I wanted to induce or wait. So I told her wait. She reminded me to quickly go to the hospital if my contractions gets stronger and more regular as my previous deliveries were all very quick (You can read my story for my 2nd delivery here).
So hubby and I went back home with the kids. Throughout the day, I was feeling minor contractions, irregular. Nothing painful. But I started timing myself. Experience has taught me that once the contractions get regular, and the period of contractions gets shorter, that means I'll be going into labour. Again, timing was irregular. But I continued to time myself. 5am in the morning of Labour Day, I noticed that my contractions were getting closer. However, I was not in pain still.
6.10 am: I called my aunt who lived nearby to help me fetch Auni and Ulfa.
6.15 am: Aunt came with my cousin and grandmother. They took my girls and their bags (I've pre-packed).
6.35 am: Hubby and I left for the hospital (KKH). Contractions were 2 mins apart. I could see hubby's jaw getting tight. I knew he was afraid that I might just deliver in the car. He was holding on to the steering wheel tight till his knuckles were all white. I told him not too worry as although the contractions were not far apart. It was not too painful and I can wait till we reach the hospital.
6.45 am: Still in the car. I was still timing my contractions. I noticed they were getting further apart. Like 4 mins apart.
7 am: Checked into the hospital. I told the nurse checking me in that my contractions went from 2mins to 4mins apart. She asked me how come I still looked so happy even though I was having contractions. I told her coz I was not in pain.
7.15am: They put me on a drip. Antibiotic drip for my GBS. The staff nurse confirmed that my contractions were 4 mins apart.
7.30am: Gynae came (Dr K T Tan). Cervix opened 5cm. Gynae told me that she'll only burst my waterbag when the antibiotic have all gone in. And I need 2 rounds just to be safe.
8am: Contractions became 7mins apart. What???!!! I was not so sure whether I was going to be delivering.
10am: Gynae burst my waterbag. Told me to let the staff nurse in the room know if I feel the baby pushing.
10.05am: Contractions immediately start to get stronger. Again, it was irregular.
10.20am: I requested to pee. I couldn't pee. The nurse suggested using a catheter. I refused. She told me that it will be very difficult for baby to come down if my bladder is full. In the end I relented. So she used the catheter. Hubby was shocked to see the amount of urine...hehe...apparently it was a lot. The nurse then checked my cervix. She said that the baby was already coming out. Strange! I didn't feel the baby pushing to come out, like my Number 1 and 2.
So gynae came.
10.29 am: After 4 pushes, the baby came out. I thought that this delivery was harder than my Number 2 coz I didn't feel the baby pushing. My gynae also commented that my contractions were very irregular all the way.
They cleaned the baby while gynae stitched me up. Then they put the baby on my chest to calm her down by letting her feel my warmth and listen to my heartbeat. After that I breastfed her. Thereafter, they took her to the nursery for all the necessary checks and vaccination and I was sent to the ward.
I notice that all 3 deliveries are different. Thank God all my labours were not difficult or long. In my next post, I'll update on Tandem Breastfeeding and Dealing with Three.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Baking Molten Lava Cake
We were sitting at home on Saturday wondering what to do. We did not go out as I was not feeling too well. As the girls were having their afternoon nap, hubby and I were searching through YouTube. We were hungry and thinking about food and what to cook. Hubby got the idea to search for Molten Lava Cake. So we watched a video on how to make it and was surprised at how easy it was to make it. So when the girls woke up, we went to Giant Hypermarket to get the ingredients.
When we told our eldest daughter what we were going to make, she got pretty excited. She is very interested in cooking, baking and everything else. So I gave her a shopping list and she helped pick out the ingredients we needed. Once home, I enlisted eldest daughter's help to put the chocolate and butter into a bowl. Then I melted the butter and chocolate over the stove. This I had to do myself as dear daughters are too young to be handling fire.
After the chocolate had melted, I left it to cool for awhile.
I got the other ingredients ready so that my daughter would only need to put them in the bowl and stir.
Auni adding the egg.
Next the sugar.
Ulfa saw what we were doing and wanted to join in the fun. So she helped put in the flour while Auni stirred.
Ulfa then got her turn to stir. After that, we put the batter into aluminium cups (coz we couldn't get any ramekins) and baked them.
They came out just right and we topped it with vanilla ice cream and voila.
The girls enjoyed it and another Saturday well spent!
Here's the video where we got the recipe from.
Happy baking!
When we told our eldest daughter what we were going to make, she got pretty excited. She is very interested in cooking, baking and everything else. So I gave her a shopping list and she helped pick out the ingredients we needed. Once home, I enlisted eldest daughter's help to put the chocolate and butter into a bowl. Then I melted the butter and chocolate over the stove. This I had to do myself as dear daughters are too young to be handling fire.
After the chocolate had melted, I left it to cool for awhile.
I got the other ingredients ready so that my daughter would only need to put them in the bowl and stir.
Auni adding the egg.
Next the sugar.
Ulfa saw what we were doing and wanted to join in the fun. So she helped put in the flour while Auni stirred.
Ulfa then got her turn to stir. After that, we put the batter into aluminium cups (coz we couldn't get any ramekins) and baked them.
They came out just right and we topped it with vanilla ice cream and voila.
The girls enjoyed it and another Saturday well spent!
Here's the video where we got the recipe from.
Happy baking!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
On Being Down With Stomach Flu
My dear Ulfa is down with stomach flu. She woke up at 3am in the morning on Saturday and suddenly vomitted all over the bed. Thereafter, the vomitting continued. Took her to see the paediatrician at 9am in the morning. Pd prescribed Hydralyte, anti-vomitting med and smecta. By late afternoon, the vomitting stopped but the diarrhoea started.
I hate it when children fall sick. You feel so helpless coz there is nothing much you can do to take away the pain. Today she seems better though I can see that her appetite has not returned fully. She seems a lot smaller than usual due to the weight loss from vomitting and diarrhoea.
My dear sweetheart, Mummy really hopes that you'll recover soon. I hope that the bug will not spread to your elder sister. Indeed, this period of time is a trying period for us all. I just want to see you recover and be healthy again.
I hate it when children fall sick. You feel so helpless coz there is nothing much you can do to take away the pain. Today she seems better though I can see that her appetite has not returned fully. She seems a lot smaller than usual due to the weight loss from vomitting and diarrhoea.
My dear sweetheart, Mummy really hopes that you'll recover soon. I hope that the bug will not spread to your elder sister. Indeed, this period of time is a trying period for us all. I just want to see you recover and be healthy again.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Infidelity - What about the kids?
Recently, a friend's marriage was on the rocks. After 10 years of marriage and 2 kids, the husband cheated on her. Had an affair with a girl in her twenties. The affair had gone on for 2 years before the wife found out.
Like any other woman, my friend was devastated. And so I thought she would do the most logical thing to do - dump the scum. But she surprised us all by choosing to forgive him and working things out. Of course you might say that she's doing it for the kids. But is it really so? How do you work things out with your life partner when something as big as cheating takes place, especially when you already have kids together?
I do not blame my friend if she really wants to work things out with her husband because she does not want a divorce to affect the children. BUT, this guy had the cheek to say that he now finds their children more of a hindrance to the relationship with the wife. Well, the thing about kids is that, once you have them, you have them for life! How could you, as a father, choose to chuck your children aside after you discover taking care of them is not as easy as you thought it would be?! I bet it is just an excuse you use so that you can leave your wife with the children because you rather spend time with your twenty-year-old fling.
People often say that affairs of the heart are difficult to understand. You can never choose who to fall in love with or fall out of love with. But when there are kids involved, how do you know what to do or what not to do? Is my friend being fair to her kids by asking her husband to stay with her in the marriage? Will he be able to accept the kids as they are and not find them a hindrance to the relationship he is trying to salvage with the wife?
A divorce can affect a child negatively. At the same time, if the relationship is not working out, kids are smart enough to notice that. I guess if a divorce really needs to take place, then you should talk it out openly with the kids. Let them know that even though mummy and daddy do not feel the same way about each other, mummy and daddy will still love you guys as much. Of course, the mummy and daddy need to work things out and try as much as they can to be civil to one another for the sake of the children.
I know it is easier said than done. I wouldn't know what to do either if such a thing should befall me *touch wood*. But I really hope that whatever my friend and her husband does, they are doing it for their kids.
Like any other woman, my friend was devastated. And so I thought she would do the most logical thing to do - dump the scum. But she surprised us all by choosing to forgive him and working things out. Of course you might say that she's doing it for the kids. But is it really so? How do you work things out with your life partner when something as big as cheating takes place, especially when you already have kids together?
I do not blame my friend if she really wants to work things out with her husband because she does not want a divorce to affect the children. BUT, this guy had the cheek to say that he now finds their children more of a hindrance to the relationship with the wife. Well, the thing about kids is that, once you have them, you have them for life! How could you, as a father, choose to chuck your children aside after you discover taking care of them is not as easy as you thought it would be?! I bet it is just an excuse you use so that you can leave your wife with the children because you rather spend time with your twenty-year-old fling.
People often say that affairs of the heart are difficult to understand. You can never choose who to fall in love with or fall out of love with. But when there are kids involved, how do you know what to do or what not to do? Is my friend being fair to her kids by asking her husband to stay with her in the marriage? Will he be able to accept the kids as they are and not find them a hindrance to the relationship he is trying to salvage with the wife?
A divorce can affect a child negatively. At the same time, if the relationship is not working out, kids are smart enough to notice that. I guess if a divorce really needs to take place, then you should talk it out openly with the kids. Let them know that even though mummy and daddy do not feel the same way about each other, mummy and daddy will still love you guys as much. Of course, the mummy and daddy need to work things out and try as much as they can to be civil to one another for the sake of the children.
I know it is easier said than done. I wouldn't know what to do either if such a thing should befall me *touch wood*. But I really hope that whatever my friend and her husband does, they are doing it for their kids.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Our virgin trip to Fidgets @Turf City
I took the girls to Fidgets on the 2nd day of Chinese New Year. Fidgets is located at Turf City.
Adults and children below 1 year old enter FREE
Under 2 years - $8
2 to 10 years old - $15
Fidgets Is open every day from 9am to 6pm and stayed open on Chinese New Year too!
We decided to check the place out since we've heard much about it but have not been to the place before. I would say that the place is a little out of the way especially for those without their own transport. We were wondering how on earth we were going to find the place since Turf City is a big area. Thankfully there were Fidgets signboard displayed to lead us to the indoor playground.
Upon reaching Fidgets, we notice that majority of those there were expats and their children. When we went to the counter, we had to sign a form. We were also given a card to hold on to. You make purchases using the card. At the end of the day when you are leaving the place, the card will be scanned and it will give you the total bill that you need to pay (entrance fee plus any food or drinks purchased from the shops within Fidgets). By the way, you have to bring your own socks to enter Fidgets.
As soon as you enter, you see the rest and relax area with cafes right in front of you. On the right, it is the smaller children's play area. On the left is the bigger children play area. I took my smaller girl to the toddler play area. I thought that it was good that they indicate the age group that a particular play area caters to. However, as there was no one monitoring whether the rule was being adhered go, a lot of older kids also end up playing in the toddler's area. So parents of younger children will still need to monitor their toddler to make sure that they don't get trampled by the older ones.
Hubby took my elder girl to the older kids' play area. The area is much bigger. What I like about it is that it has like an obstacle course for the kids to go through as they play there.
There is also a rest area for parents and kids to chill and have a bite. There is a tv monitor showing surveillance of the play area.
Overall, my girls enjoyed it there. My take is that Fidgets is smaller than Explorer Kid at Downtown East. There are things that they can improve on like having a staff to monitor that kids play in the area designated for their age group (if not, might as well remove the sign and let anyone play anywhere they like). They should also have a locker for parents to store their belongings. More surveillance cameras needed if kids are going to be left playing on their own as I saw two kids strangling each other (with their parents nowhere in sight!) and I had to tell them to get off each other. The price is affordable and ultimately, you can relax while your kids enjoy!
You can check out Fidgets at http://www.fidgets.com
Adults and children below 1 year old enter FREE
Under 2 years - $8
2 to 10 years old - $15
Fidgets Is open every day from 9am to 6pm and stayed open on Chinese New Year too!
We decided to check the place out since we've heard much about it but have not been to the place before. I would say that the place is a little out of the way especially for those without their own transport. We were wondering how on earth we were going to find the place since Turf City is a big area. Thankfully there were Fidgets signboard displayed to lead us to the indoor playground.
Upon reaching Fidgets, we notice that majority of those there were expats and their children. When we went to the counter, we had to sign a form. We were also given a card to hold on to. You make purchases using the card. At the end of the day when you are leaving the place, the card will be scanned and it will give you the total bill that you need to pay (entrance fee plus any food or drinks purchased from the shops within Fidgets). By the way, you have to bring your own socks to enter Fidgets.
As soon as you enter, you see the rest and relax area with cafes right in front of you. On the right, it is the smaller children's play area. On the left is the bigger children play area. I took my smaller girl to the toddler play area. I thought that it was good that they indicate the age group that a particular play area caters to. However, as there was no one monitoring whether the rule was being adhered go, a lot of older kids also end up playing in the toddler's area. So parents of younger children will still need to monitor their toddler to make sure that they don't get trampled by the older ones.
Hubby took my elder girl to the older kids' play area. The area is much bigger. What I like about it is that it has like an obstacle course for the kids to go through as they play there.
There is also a rest area for parents and kids to chill and have a bite. There is a tv monitor showing surveillance of the play area.
Overall, my girls enjoyed it there. My take is that Fidgets is smaller than Explorer Kid at Downtown East. There are things that they can improve on like having a staff to monitor that kids play in the area designated for their age group (if not, might as well remove the sign and let anyone play anywhere they like). They should also have a locker for parents to store their belongings. More surveillance cameras needed if kids are going to be left playing on their own as I saw two kids strangling each other (with their parents nowhere in sight!) and I had to tell them to get off each other. The price is affordable and ultimately, you can relax while your kids enjoy!
You can check out Fidgets at http://www.fidgets.com
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