A Special Reward

A week ago, just after the last kid had left, JD would go out to check the letter box.  Among all the bills, supermarket catalogues, local newspapers he brought back in, we also found a hard A4 envelope.  I left it all on the kitchen table, didn’t think much about it until that night when I sat down to check all the mail.

Just as well I haven’t ripped the big A4 envelope apart in all four corners, because in there was a little surprise.

A surprise that came in a reward, a reward that made me realised “It has all  been worth it”.  An encouragement for myself that I must have done something right.  And I can proudly say now maybe I don’t suck so much in running my own family daycare and looking after 4-5 little children everyday by myself. 

It was a certificate to say I have been nominated in the category of “Childcare Worker of the Year”.  I was like a little school girl proudly showing off my certificate to my husband, the same kind of satisfaction we received as a kid when we were the student of the year or some sort, though I was never. 

But I was definitely doing the “punch in the air” move!

Then, I also realised, without the parents, I would not have received this special certificate.  So I have been fortunate to have parents of the children I look after to nominate me…. it was very nice and encouraging. 

So 10 months into this career change, it has been a great effort and I hope it stays that way. 

 

New Winter Wardrobe

I haven’t gone shopping, I mean shopping for new clothes, new shoes, everything for ME for a very long time.  At least 6-8 months I think.  It takes time to look, browse, trying out sizes, cuts, waiting in the queue for change rooms…and I can be real lazy when it comes to that. 

But I needed to because my 2 pairs of shoes I wear everyday have seen its better days, my winter wear is really a bit outdated and I want to look like a cool mama too!

Last weekend, with a very patient shopping companion, we began walking the mall, browsing, telling me what looked good, what not.  And he usually gives me his most honest opinion.

I tried on shoes, heels, flats, boots, high knee boots, ankle boots, stilleto boots…yes, I tried on many many pairs of shoes and boots.  

My shopping companion just sat next to me, smiling at himself in the mirror, pulling funny faces at me, picked out shoes for me to try, stand in the line to queue for me while I browsed, nod his head, shook his head, yawned…and after many many pairs of shoes, we settled for this!  Yes, my very first pair of winter boots!  I have never owned one before, but I am so into them now. 

But here’s a confession, I didn’t buy just one, but I bought 3 pairs of shoes that day! 

Then we went shopping for new winter jackets, jumpers, sweaters, cardigans…again he was patiently tagging along as I browsed.  When he got tired, he just sat on the lounge chair provided in the shops, stuffed himself silly with lollies provided…again he would try to pick, choose, and finally after many jackets, think, ponder, we settled for this new dark greyish black jacket. 

As we were walking out of the shop, we both stopped and saw a cute little knitted vest.  Oh, so 70s, but so cool looking.  Quickly, I thought of what I already have to wear underneath it, a denim mini skirt, tights, boots..yeh!  So we bought it too!  Because it was hugely marked down, bargain!

And I also bought 2 more basic tops because I desperately needed some long sleeve fitting tops to go under jackets, some short sleeve shirts, vest and more.  Again, he patiently stood next to me, asked if I wanted to try a pink, a green, a purple, a red…but I settled for a very light beige colour top.

Then I bought a dress, oh, I love this!  It is so soft, fits perfectly, looks good with boots or flats! 

By then, it was almost 3 hours since we last set foot in the shopping mall, I needed a break.  So we stopped for coffee, milkshake and donuts.

Also not forgetting I needed to reward my very patient shopping kaki (i.e. companion).

Yes, my shopping companion is my 4yo son!  So I bought him 2 little Transformers figurines to add onto his collection.  And I was quite surprise to learn that he knows all the names of the various Transformers characters, cool!

Yes, after 3 hours of walking the mall, I was gone, because I have not shopped like that for a very long time.  It was a long overdue retail therapy, and my 4yo shopping companion did not whinge once except when he was hungry, needed a snack or a toilet break.  Which all I happily and gladfully obliged.   

Now, I can’t wait to get into this colder weather with my new wardrobe, boots, scarf, beanie, and not forgetting tights!  Oh, if there’s one thing I love about winter fashion, it’s tights!  I love them! 

And if you are wondering where my husband and Chloe were?  The father n daugther were home having a long siesta and the mother n son snuck went out for retail therapy!  Hee!

 

New Look. Feel Good.

Just over 2 weeks ago, I decided to get a new look.

My hairstyle that is.  I have been living with a long straight hair for more than 2 years now.  I am getting really bored with it, but I am not ready to part with the long hair yet.  I prefer long hair, it is much easier for me to manage.  So I decided to perm my hair.  Not the full head of hair, half of it, but with big natural curls.

I like the new curls.  It isn’t overkilled.  I like it.   It looks more feminine, as my sister puts it.

I also love the fun with the new hairstyle:

- My kids looked at me wide eyed when I came back from the hairdresser.  Chloe kept touching my hair wondering what I did to it.  JD was very curious and kept asking what the hairdresser did to make hair looked curly.  It got everyone really excited for a while!

- My babysitter was shocked to see me with the new hairstyle when I came home, and she almost killed me for giving up my long straight hair.  Because she has always wanted her hair straight.

The best was…

- My beloved husband could not recognise me.  And that’s with me standing right in front of him at the train station and he was still on his mobile phone asking me “Hon, where are you?”.  I thought he would have recognised me with me pushing a bright red pram with the 2 monkeys hanging out of it.  No, he still stood there for quite a while until I tapped him on his shoulder.  Ah, what fun I had.

 

Humanity

This week I really begin to question the existence of basic humanity in some people’s lives.  A few incidents have happened this week…

1.  My brand new 2 weeks old car was involved in an accident while parked.  I have left my car at The Bullcreek Shopping Centre while I went into Woolworths to get my groceries.  Being a new and bigger car, I was a bit more vigilant in parking away from crowded places or near the shopping trolleys. 2 hours later, I came out to see my car DAMAGED - hit at the rear doors, paint scratched off, and dented across 2 panels.

My initial feeling was shock and then regrets.  Regreted that this has happened again.  The person that did it has fled, did not leave me a note, but the bill for me to pay.  The car is insured, which means my policy will cover for the repair, but I still have an excess of $350 to pay. 

Yes, the car can always be fixed, no one was hurt, and the kids weren’t with me that day.But what was wrong - The offender has lost the basic courtesy to leave me a note or at least to say apologise.  The truth is if the person has owned up, and if he/she has no money to pay, more than likely I would let them go.

2.  I was going into a shop without an automatic sliding doors.  With one hand pushing the pram, using my back to keep the door open while waiting for JD to go through, few other people have walked through the door without even saying”Thanks!”.  I actually opened the door for my child, not for them, hey, a thank you would be nice.  Or perhaps helping to hold the door opened seeing I have my hands full.

3.  Another note about supermarkets, I think there is a serious problem of having more and more young teenagers working.  Most of the time, they are just too lazy to even greet the customers, while making little or no eye contacts with the cusomers, monotonously scanning the items, while having us, the customers packing the groceries.  The only time they make a conversation is - “It comes to a total of $89.50!”.  No thanks after receiving the cash either.  While the check out persons should have been trained, I think big supermarket giants like Woolworths should also do something about it!

4.  My sister recently got ill after flying in and out of Singapore for work.  She asked to fly home early from the US.  Upon arrival, she went straight to see her doctor and got a 3 days medical leave.  Her lady boss, upon hearing that, did not show one sign of empathy but instead asked her to head back to the office on that same day she was given the MC for some work discussion.What happened to the boss in that situation?  Has she lost that basic sense of humanity, kindness, thoughtfulness?  Has she become so caught up with herself that she has lost the basic humanity?  I think what happened to my sis was just appalling.  Once again, that’s just self-centred and pure selfishness.

And how about in the news this week when a 79 years old grandmother was bashed in her home by some idiots for a mere $5?  Then the 33 yo father that was bashed to death by a group of people for being at the wrong place, at the wrong time.Sometimes I see, I hear so much that it is just shattering. 

Sometimes I see the youths on the street, vandalising, swearing, damaging public properties, and I wonder what will happen to them one day?  I would be shattered as a parent if those were my children.   A lot of them have lost the respect for themselves, for the elderlies, for their parents, peers…and subsequently many go on in their lives not having that sense of respect for one another.

I look at my children everyday, sometimes really hope that I am bringing them up with the right values, and that would always be part of them.  That they would never waver in any situations, but to always be respectful of one another, to be kind, to be sorry for their wrong doings, to respect and love their elders, their peers and that they never lose that basic sense of humanity in them. 

I hope they grow and walk in the right directions, and always stand firm on the teachings and values they have been brought up with.

 

A Very Long Overdue Date

Yesterday was the first time in 2 years we had a day to ourselves, with no kids in tow, for a day anyway. Somehow we just kept pushing it back and back. There’s always something that came in the way, like the husband’s career change, the excessive workload that came with the job, timing not right, starting out a new business, a new baby, a growing 3.5 yo that requires lots of time and patience, me juggling working full time with a kid, pregnancy …. and the list can go on and on.

I guess, things are just starting to settle down now.

My husband took a day off, and we spent the whole day together by ourselves. We dropped the kids off at daycare bright and early by 8am! We went for breakfast, had coffee, read the paper, chatted, enjoying the company of one another. There was no worrying about the 3.5yo getting bored, not having to worry about feeding the baby, we were free.

To not have that freedom for so long was just exhilarating!

We went shopping, stocked up on a few things for the upcoming birthdays and xmas. We walked, we chatted again! It was good to talk uninterruptedly. Good, quality conversation.

We drove to places, we jumped in and out of the car not having to worry about buckling the little ones into their car seats. We chatted non-stop in the car. Not worrying about one saying “Excuse me, can I talk now?” or the younger one fussing over a toy that was dropped onto the floor. My hubby drove, I sat back, relax.

We walked holding hands, and my shoulder felt lighter all of a sudden. I didn’t have to carry my bag stock with nappies, wipes, spare clothes, bibs, water, hats and what nots! I could carry my little handbag with just a purse, a phone and a set of keys! In fact I could not worry about bringing a handbag at all!

We ate. We lunched. Big time at the Oyster Bar. We sat in the warm winter sun, enjoying the view of a bright winter day in Perth! Maybe I ate a bit too much, but heck, this kind of quality time does not come around too often. Pic from top to bottom: We share entrees: Oysters Kilpatrick, Chilli Squid Salad and our Mains: Scoth Fillet Steak and my NZ Grouper!

4pm came! It was time to pick up the kids. It was a good day. A long overdue date.

 

IKEA’s Beauty

The beauty about IKEA is you can always find some smart invention for a very little price.

This is our latest favorite gadget!

It doesn’t get any better than that, and it works on apples, pears, potatoes…I love it!

 

On this stormy night…

Once in a while I really enjoy this kind of night.

Both kids are fast alseep by 7pm. JD fell asleep whilst having his dinner and Chloe is usually tucked in bed by 7pm.

At 8.30pm, I switched on the TV and saw that Grey’s Anatomy was on. This is rare for me. And my husband had to remind me, “Sit down, watch your show, the kids are sleeping!” Truth is I quite often forget to sit down and have a bit of time to myself.

Later on, he came out of his office mumbling something about seeing a movie. I thought he was suggesting us leaving both kids at home while we catch a movie on this stormy night, heehee! That would be an idea since they are both sleeping, hahaha!

Then I did the same to him “Go, both kids are sleeping, I will be fine!”

The thing is my husband dearly loves his kids. He was hesitating about going tonight because he was afraid JD getting upset if he finds out daddy has gone to movie without him.

The father n son do lots of stuff together. JD misses his daddy when he is at work. JD would ask to speak to his daddy at work at least once a day. During the day, when JD hears a car driving past that sounds likes his dad’s, he will jump up, rush to the door shouting “Is daddy, is dady!” I feel sorry for him when I have to keep telling him that daddy is still at work.

Every weekend, regardless of the weather, the father and son will pitch a tent in the backyard,
camping! They call it the “Boys night out“. And my husband can’t wait for the day when Chloe joins them in the tent.

But he just rang, and I told him to enjoy the movie, have his mega size popcorn, drive carefully when he comes home later.

I will continue with my blogging, reading, drinking green tea, checking on the 2 kids once in a while…

 

6 weird things about me

I was tagged by Irene a while ago, and I have to list down 6 weird things about myself.

These are the rules: Each player of this game starts out by giving 6 weird things about themselves. People who get tagged need to write in a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rules clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. After you do that, leave them each a comment letting them know you tagged them and to read your blog!

1. I love bittergourd (苦瓜 ). I hated it when I was a kid. But later on, I discovered a yummy way of cooking it through my late father in law! My FIL and I used to share a passion for this dish. He had a little patch of bittergourd plantation at the back of his house, once in a while he would pick some from his vegie patch, stew it over the stove with some fermented black bean sauce and chicken. Oh, it was so delicious that both of us would sit at the table eating it happily with bowls and bowls of rice. No one else in the family enjoy this dish except for me and my FIL. I still cook it for myself once in a while and I still remember those wonderful moments we shared!

2. I don’t like seeing water stains around the kitchen. This habit drives my husband crazy. I would insist on wiping the kitchen bench top, sink area dry when I see spots of water. And I do the same at the office kitchen, my mum’s house in Batu Pahat when I do go back, my MIL’s house when I go over, friend’s place. It’s crazy.

3. I must make sure the house is tidy before I leave. I dislike coming back to a house that is untidy. So I would make sure the pillows on the sofa are rightly positioned, toys are kept away, newspapers neatly stacked, no dirty dishes left on the kitchen table, shoes neatly aligned…it’s another strange habit of mine. I just like the feeling of a house that’s neat and cosy when I return. And I also do the same before going to bed each night, so that I don’t wake up to a messy house

4. But I can’t always keep my wardrobe neat. I could keep the rest of the house neat and tidy. But I struggle a lot with my wardrobe. It only starts to get better a year ago when I put in new storage.

5. Cooking and baking is my stress relief. Baking particularly relief my stress. When I was pregnant with both kids, and when I find myself worrying about something, I would start browsing through my cook book, and starts BAKING. And to help me ease my labour contractions at home the few hours before going to the hospital, I baked for 2 hours in the kitchen while breathing and rocking my pelvis through each contraction. And the midwives got some nice fresh cookies as a “Thank You” gift. That only happened with the first labour, the 2nd labour happened too quick for me to even think of baking!

6. I can’t sit through a movie without falling asleep and this only applies if I am watching a movie on DVD. My husband would always get some DVDs out for me, but most of the time I would fall asleep on the couch watching them. And it’s not because the movie is crap, it’s me being too comfortable on the couch!

As for tagging someone. This is my first time doing it and I can only think of 5 … Well, no obligations at all, just do if you wish to. Have fun!

Kelly of Qianyi’s World - Hee hee, becoz you haven’t been tagged for this one
Crazy mommy - to take her mind off the glucose test
Cat Aunty - becoz she is one cool cat aunty that provides refuge for the cats
Diary of an Eternal Sunshine to Be - so she can relax by thinking of something else other than work
2 be fair - Got to be fair I guess, plus she keeps picking on her niece’s botak head

 

Mooncake

It was moon festival yesterday, and we bought some mooncakes from the Asian grocery shop. This year they have lots of different flavours, the traditional lotus seed, red bean paste, and those with 5 nuts and seeds. But they also have some new ones such as the durian and green tea flavour.

Being a bit more conservative in my taste, I opted for the lotus seed and also one of the green tea flavour.

It was yummy.

But the green tea one is a bit too green for my liking, actually it tasted a bit too sweet and a bit like pandan flavour.

I didn’t have any good shots of the kids playing with the lantern coz it was way too windy last night.

 

A year older

Friday was my birthday! My wonderful parents sent me this beautiful bunch of flowers, I was moved to tears! Felt so loved, so touched! Thank u mom and dad!

It was a quiet event, plus the fact my husband has almost forgotten, we had Japanese at night, and the restaurant forgotten my order…

We came home, to blow candles, and JD was more interested in wanting to eat the cake…