Meeningfully

With Mothers' Day is just around the corner, I am thinking about the subtle lessons my mum has taught me through the years.  Now that I am a mother myself, I am better able to appreciate the things my mum has done for me. A mum's love is indeed precious and irreplaceable.

#motherhood #noyelling #parenting Last Friday, we spent the morning , on a school excursion with J and his classmates at a popular indoor playground. And, I witnessed the worst type of bullying. Source

#motherhood #growingup #parenting #funnyfacts When I was much younger, I knew that even if I did not know where my career leads me to, I want to be a mother.

Many of you probably know that we did not have an easy time  trying to conceive our first child. J came to us via our first cycle of stimulated intrauterine insemination or SO-IUI as some people know it. This happened after we have tried a couple of ways to get pregnant to no avail, and we embarked on SO-IUI, We had very little expectations as we have heard of low success rates doing so. We were probably much better off doing IVF.

Before  kids, I dreamt of decorating the nursery with cute little animals, lots of stuffed toys , dreamy looking cot sheets and a fun play corner. Only problem was, there's no room to convert into a nursery. And, that is one of the reasons why I had the motivation to move out of our matrimonial home. Yes, I am superficial that way and I love all things pretty. But, the main reason for wanting a separate room for the boy was because I've always wanted him to be independent from as young as possible. Sure, I enjoy co-sleeping. And to be honest, I missed him when we took the decision to move him to his own room a few weeks back. I still do. While he sleeps in his own cot in our room and only finds his way onto our bed in the middle of the night, I get the jitters just knowing that he is not at a "turn-of-the-body" away. Here's what we did to prepare the  boy (and ourselves ) for the move: 1) We got ourselves a video baby monitor. We wanted t

Finally got down to the last installment of our Hong Kong trip. Better late than never, and with more pictures too! If you missed the first two parts, here they are: Part One Part Two Day 2: With the rain still pouring , we decided to just get out for a walk at Citygate Mall after breakfast.  J's paternal granny decided to stay in the hotel because of her aching feet. So we went ahead without her. Breakfast at the hotel, which we also tapao-ed for J's lunch. The buffet breakfast spread at Eaton Smart was quite scrumptious.  The young man insisting to hold onto the bar. Refusing to let go. He is definitely enjoying his ride on the MTR.  At about noon, we all went back to the hotel to look for J's granny, and searched the area for some dim sum. Visits to Hong Kong will never be complete without a nice leisurely meal of dim sum. We chanced upon what looked like a pretty established restaurant, Choi Fook, with two outlets just along Nathan Street. This one w

Source: http://www.kdbuggieboutique.com/2012/06/craft-room-decor-keep-calm-printable.html 9 months into my lifelong career as a mommy has certainly changed the way I view things. It isn't the easiest of jobs, much less glamourous, although some yummy mummy down the street with perfectly set hair and flawless complexion may beg to differ. Oh well.... only if! Keeping a full time job adds to the pressures of being that perfect mummy, or at least the mummy I want to be. One can expect the frustrations to sometimes reach a high, when in normal (non-mummy) circumstance would have found me spitting fire at anyone that came too close.  These days, the wonders of motherhood has somewhat changed the way I handle difficult situations. It does come with some daily rituals. Here's how i keep myself sane each day juggling work, boy (boys if you count the man), home, parents ( and the in-law) and not forgetting the hobby. And, these are  key to ensure I don't go home grumpy

The past two weeks was hectic. We welcomed Burger Boy's paternal AND maternal cousins with lots of helping out both sides. Work seems to be picking up instead of tapering off. Who says year end is a lull period!  And, i was rushing out Christmas orders for UrbanNook. Lots to do, but I would say extremely fulfilling. On that note, I am  joining Mummy J on her "Thankful Today" photo linky, albeit a little late. Better than never I guess. While we countdown to Christmas, it is always nice to count the little blessings in our lives...and I know I have many to be thankful for. So here's (some of) the pics: 1Dec - Beginning Today, my niece Baby I is born,  about a month early. So on this day, I am grateful that Baby I is healthy and well, and am looking forward to the endless playtime Burger boy will have with her. 2 Dec - Clean   My favourite sanitizer.... lavender smelling. Helps keeps the germs at bay! 3 Dec -Read My early attempts at i

... and yes, that new mom is me. SInce I gave brith, people have been asking me lots of questions which we would normally ask any new mom. Questions from how was the labour, to how is baby doing ... to if I would have another one etc. So i thought why not answer them here, to let everyone in on how this motherhood thingy is treating me. Q: Do you miss being pregnant? A: Absolutely. If I have a choice, I would rather have Jonas in my tummy all the time. At least I can get to have him all to myself every minute and second of the day. I don't need to have people around wanting a piece of him. On a more serious note, while we were  financially & physically ready for a kid, and that it was definitely something we wanted, we realised we were not adequately prepared for what was to come. With baby here, it drains us mentally and emotionally as well.  But then, can we ever be fully prepared? I doubt so. I think we just have to learn along the way. So... at times when I feel Jonas

How time flies. It's been a month since Jonas came into our lives. It wasn't an easy one month, and there will definitely be more to come. To be absolutely honest, I am sorely missing the pre-Jonas days as having a little one really changes everything... and i mean EVERYTHING!!! Not only the amount and quality of sleep we get, to how we go about handling chores at home... and also the relationships we have with the grandparents. All of a sudden, writing strategy papers, working till late in the night, handling difficult agencies and stakeholders seem all too simple. First few days was a bliss. It was parenthood the way I have always envisaged it to be... simple to handle baby, abundant breastmilk, loving husband and supportive grandparents. What I didn't foresee was all these soon changed, and gradually took a toll on me. I insisted to do a lot of things myself, from exclusively looking after Jonas at night, to wanting to do my own and Jonas' laundry and making sure

I am 32 weeks pregnant. While most mummies are starting to write their birth plans....I prefer to write a "countdown to birth" plan . I am just being practical. :) I need to deal with the immediate future rather than what's going to happen in 2 months time. 1) Launder Beanie's clothes and washable diapers. Did I mention how I got nagged by MIL on one side, and Mum on the other to use nappies? And i mean the traditional ones where you need to fold dozens of these square pieces of cloths and fasten them with safety pins. Well, i don't have a dryer at home, so i have hating the thought of washing these nappies, and finding some place to hang them dry. I certainly don't want my house to look like a laundry outlet. Neither do I have the patience with the folding and pinning.  So, i started to do a bit of research on those modern diapers. Looked at pre-folds, one-size diapers etc. So many brands in the market but got a pretty good insight from www.mummyreviews.co

[Finally found some time to put my taiwan photos together.... ] Day 2: Jiufen > Wulai > Taichung (Feng Chia Night Market) I found Jiufen really rustic and is a place with a rich history, and loved the view from the top! Enjoyed the last time I was there with Hwa, and visiting Jiufen this time was like reminiscing my last trip :) Great view... Yummy treats at Jiufen. Jiufen, bustling with activity   After Jiufen, we proceeded to Wulai... another rustic old town, rather similiar to Jiufen... Finally ending the day @ Taichung's famous Fengjia Night Market. Did not take much pics as we were busy shopping & eating. :) , tho...just jad to upload the picture below of the Japanese inspired "Xiong Zhang Bao"...aka... Bear's Paw Bun... kekekeke!   Day 3: Sun Moon Lake > Kaoshiung View of Sun Moon Lake from Wenwu Temple. At the ferry jetty waiting for our Sun Moon Lake cruise... the guy on the right can really sing! Sounded so much like Wu Bai.

Back after being away for a week to Taiwan, on what was a most awaited holiday, I cannot be sure i have rested and am ready for work. In fact, i found the trip exhausting, so much so, the 2 days that I've been back,  I found myself constantly wanting to sleep. No. it is not the having to travel all over taiwan that's making me tired. In fact, the traveling has made me fall in love with the country. Every part of taiwan have their own unique flavour, own unique foods and cuisine.  If I had the luxury of time, I would definitely want to spend a bit more time at each part of Taiwan especially Hualien, Chih Peng, Tai Chung and Kao Shiung. Interestingly, I have discovered something(s) about myself and the people around me....and it is probably all these thinking that sucked away some of my energy.  More importantly, I think it is the constant need to ensure both mothers are happy during the trip that made me even more weary. This is the fourth annual obligation trip we took with

Merry Christmas everyone! I know i have been pretty quiet both on FB and here for the past few weeks...been trying to make some changes, and adjusting to them. When i made the decision to move from Aviva to my current job, i have in some way made my christmas wish(es). I want to change the way i live my life .... i want to be able to spend more time @ home, doing the things i love. So far, the past few weeks seem quite promising , so let's see how i go from here. Other than changing jobs, we've got a new member in the family. Mum has let go of Vespa's passing, and opened her heart to accepting a new dog. We adopted and welcomed Mickey , the mini maltese to our home. I've also made baby steps to re-visit my plans for UrbanNook. I have put my maiden business in cold storage for about 9 months now. It is about time squeeze some time out of my daily schedule to fulfill my dreams. SO.. here's doing a little advertisement... there will be new stock coming in in Ja

Yup… i am back from my short vacation … and back at work… not a very happy place in recent times. In brief, i would say it was a good break… and in fact the best of the  4 official “annual obligation” trips we have had so far. Well… many friends and  people who know us frown at the thought of bringing both their parents and in-laws out on a holiday @ the same time. We on the other hand have in fact done this 4 times. Frankly…it was not easy… and every trip would have someone… or in fact more than one person getting upset over trival stuff. You may then ask… why even bother to do this year after year? I don’t have the answer really. Is it an obligation that bites us? Or maybe it is the guilt of not spending enough time with our mothers. I believe it is a bit of both… with the latter taking dominance. Anyway… here’s some high&low-lights of the trip… 1. Great scenery, fresh air and plenty of time away from home. The week leading up to the trip was quite difficult for me

Off to happy place for a week… Hopefully by the time i am back… i can feel a tad happier… Kimchi-land…. HERE I COME!

all it takes is for two people to be less assuming, less demanding, more accommodating, less antagonistic…. and all will be well. With these constant misunderstandings, now she thinks you don’t care about her, and she thinks you are a selfish jerk…. It is no wonder you can never be compared to the other…. and watever you do can never be matched-up. This is what makes my blood boil! Sometimes…. all you need to do is just say it. Say what you feel rather than keep quiet all the time…or antagonize her. Time to stand up for what’s right….

Dad had a nasty fall from a 2 m high ladder last weekend. Old and less nimble… means his reflexes were also slower. This resulted in a fractured limb , arm and near amputated finger. As much as I always tell myself that my parents are strong… and it will be a long time before we need to start thinking about eldercare etc… this freak accident was a wake up call for me. I had to accept that dad and mum are no longer able to fully care for themselves. They have in recent years become more dependent than i can remember. Dad has to be wheelchair bound for at least 6 weeks. Everything happened so suddenly that we had to scramble to decide what’s the best care for him. We did consider putting him into a community hospital, till he is able to come home. While i used to shake my head at other people’s decision to do so in the past… i realised it is often inevitable. Mum’s too weak and frail to fully look after him, and bro and I need to work. Well… of coz I did not make that decision just y

Mum is someone who has been someone who has a great influence in my life. While i wud not say we have the best mother daughter relationship in this world… i have always had a lot of respect for her…. for who she is, and the values she holds. She made me the independent person I am today… and sometimes aloof you may say. But… every little step I take when I was growing up… i always stopped to think about what my mother would say… if she approved of what i did…. and will I make her upset etc. Nowadays… as she starts to age…. her emotions often gets the better of her… she worries that we will one day move on in our lives and forget all about her. She gets sad just staying @ home all alone. What I want to say to her is…. even though she will probably never get to read my blog is…. Mum… I love you heaps. You made me the person I am that I sometimes dun know how to show my love for you. It gets me down when you feel down. We will always be here for you every step of the way like you ha