When everyone’s day at my stake

Noelle: I want mama….😔😔😔😔 (as she was about to go school with papa)

Instead of me saying to her ‘what happened?’

I looked at hubby

Me: 😒😒😒What did you do to her?

Hubby: 😑😑😑😑

– Noelle wants me to send her to school-

This started since last week. We actually talked to her and persuaded her enough yesterday night. She even agreed that papa will send her to school. She made a last minute u turn to her decision this morning.

Everyone’s day at my stake! 🙄 if I force her to go with hubby, she would probably cries and make myself worry. Papa will have a bad time dealing with this and maybe run late to work!

So, I agree to send her to school. Nikki is ever ready to go! And so we went! (Nikki in pyjamas while I just change my pants, grabbing Nikki’s breakfast along)

End result – Noelle left the car to school with a happy face and mama with a peace in mind. Papa didn’t have to be late for work – and luckily he did went off himself as he had last minute meeting to attend! Nikki gets to go for car ride. Norrah soothes herself to sleep as we drive home.

Guess I have an additional task and new routine on the weekday now!!

PPC braised pork, fish maw and shiitake mushroom

Inspired by the dish my mum cooked during cny, I cooked this using my pressure cooker.

Ingredients: Pork rib and/or pork belly (blanched), shiitake mushroom, fish maw, garlic, ginger, dried lala (as a replacement of dried oyster), carrot

Sauce: Sesame oil, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, corn flour, water

Under bake mode, heat up oil and then put in garlic and ginger. Stir a while before adding dried lala. Stir and then in pork, carrot, mushroom and fish maw. Next, add in sauce.

Change to steam mode. KPT+15. Immediate release pressure and off the pressure.

I left it there until I serve it about 6 hours.

I served with dried wantan mee!

From ZERO to ‘hero’

Just last week, she asked me ‘mama, why keep on wrong wrong wrong one?😔’

Then I told her because SHE herself doesn’t want us to correct her when she is WRONG! So, how do we help her to be ‘right’! I think that struck her!

And earlier this week, we started taking out the blackboard – for scribbling purpose and it turns to doing ‘spelling’ – using her schoolbooks and books that she reads! (Also since she started school, she has been reading more often – occasionally asked for new books that are kept in the cupboard! Child led – we don’t force her!)

Finally she GOT it! She can’t wait to show me in the car that she had all correct today!

She is in the right direction!

While she praises herself ‘clever’, I try reminding her ‘to keep up the good work by practice and reading’! And we are going to do the same for Bahasa – which she has more wrongs! 🤣

———

On other things

Noelle: Today Dau keep on want to sit with me and never say ‘dun wan friend’ me!

Mama: 🙄🙄🙄

Noelle: Today we ‘play’ family. Shanggu is baby because he is small size! I am sister. Ee Thong is brother. Dave is father and Dau is mother!

Mama: 😯😯😯

Noelle: Today’s Howard birthday with Spike cake. The daddy and mummy come to school also.

Mama: Wow, did you eat the cake?

Noelle: No. but it is so yummy!

Mama: You say you didn’t eat but it is yummy?! 🙄🙄🤔🤔

Today she is in top form good mood; even telling me that they ate small brown noodle and could tell me what she wants for dinner immediately!

6th month jab at Klinik Kesihatan

Day 4 CNY- kena cucuk tai bei!

Smaller crowd, new system again, we have been reassigned to another zone. For our zone, we were first baby! But still have to wait…Arrived there 7am and ended approximately 840am; just in time to get some groceries before heading home – and enjoy the rest of the last day off with the others!

Norrah weighs 7.6kg at 6m2d

(0.1kg lighter than Nikki at same age and 1kg heavier than Noelle)

At her usual kacau and blow bubbles mode – napped for 5 min before our turn!

Next visit in May 2018!

No.3 Exclusively breastfed for 6th month

Happy Chinese New Year!!

Here again, for the third time, mama has exclusively breastfed her baby for six months!

From a pathetic ‘bai guat’ at birth to now a ‘full blown’ Michelin 🤣

Two days to our six months of tandem nursing (with baby no2 who is today 25m19d) and mama’s breastfeeding journey of 5y1m19d!

From my experience, breastfeeding does get easier with my latter babies; and I do feel that I have more supply compared to the eldest.

Third baby is fully direct latch; similar to second baby!

No one is perfect

Just saying:

I have “sacrificed” my career for the kids, my sanity is at my kids’ hands, I don’t totally have my own time, when kids are sleeping/napping i am running around to cook or do housechores, i could only speak to my friends virtually (with some occasional visit and with presence of my kids), I try to do as much as possible to lighten my hubby’s burden.

I could simply say I have done my duty as a mama and wife.

But sorry, I really could not put my feet down to be a good daughter in law. No one in this world is perfect and so am I. This would be my second year missing reunion dinner with the in laws. It is not personal with my parents in law but I don’t want the 2 hours drama usually caused by the others affecting my 365 days. I don’t want my young kids to witness and pick up characters in the drama. As a mother of 3 girls, I want them to learn the importance of people (despite hierarchy/status) respecting them (respect is two ways). (I have actuaĺly gone through more than 10 years of reunion dinner with them even before marriage – nothing has changed and how many more 10 years I have)

I am happy enough that my hubby doesn’t force me to go through the ordeal. I will be staying home with my girls and he will attend alone. We will only visit PIL on CNY day 1. Actually my hubby even apologised that he can’t afford to bring us for a holiday during this CNY to avoid or getaway from the usual yearly routine which we talked about last year.

I take the ‘risk’ of one day my hubby leaving me because i can’t fulfill his duty of being filial. But having said that, there will be no regret as my marriage vows is to him and our offsprings – plus i have done what i ought to do.

I am not asking mummies here to follow what I do; but I certainly want to give HUGS to every mummy that need to go through the CNY eve and days reluctantly. Maybe….maybe…one day things will be different.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Final giveaways before we bid goodbye to the year of chicken

It all started with me wanting to giveaway my college books and teaching our kids about ‘giving’. We are into the mid of the second month of the year and continuing the effort! Not that we have so much/many good stuff to give but they are still useable and we don’t need them! Plus I am such a hoarder! 🤣 It also gives me a lot of comfort that I am not different in the sense not only me mind having used goods! They are many people who think alike me! ‘Can use don’t waste!’

There are some other things in mind to giveaway but this shall continue after the CNY break. Also something to get me ‘busier’ and getting out of the usual routine – let me get happier and motivated by giving! 😁😁

These past week giveaways are

– wrongly bought light bulb that has been kept in store room for sometime

– fish shaped glass plates (pretty but not practical for me)

– leftover DOM

– cooler gels which I used to travel breastmilk and food around

– aloe vera plant (growing too wildly)

– postpartum belt which I only used during Noelle’s confinement period

– one pair cot bumper (because we only need one pair)

Noelle’s first sports day!

She did marching, singing the National and school anthems. She was chosen to do the welcome dance. She played two games and she won a gold medal. Papa ganged with her for two games and they won both rounds!

All in all, she had fun and we had fun watching her having fun!

#ourbuffalobaby

Reserve for days when she doesn’t want to go school – while mama could teach her at home, there are more things that she can learn from school. <video>

Mama definitely won’t be able to teach her this pompom dance. And the team work plus coordination.

We are so proud of her! 😁😁😁😁

Ear infection again?

Play die me….

….since midnight. Nikki and Norrah taking turns to wake up for nursing. Then Noelle screaming in pain. Initially thought her tooth ache, but after giving her ice water, she realized is her ear drums again (but the left side this time). I gave her ibuprofen to soothe her. She slept back and woke again later to go to loo. Then she wanted mama to hug and Nikki wanted mama also- switched bed again!Ding dong I think I woke up more than 10 times yesterday.

She was ready to go school. But before hubby going off with her, she suddenly says she wants mama plus showing signs that her ear drum is pain again (at one point she even scared me off when she says she can’t hear me). I told her I will send her to paed at 9 am and drop her off to school if she is ok. Then I hurriedly shower myself and Nikki (Norrah was showered already). Noelle suddenly says she want to poo😰. She pooed while I get ready whatever we needed including snacks in car. After that we left for the paed. The paed only arrived at 930,examined her – lungs clear, no fever, no sore throat but only normal runny nose. He wanted to look at the left ear drum but was blocked by ear wax. He thought of digging it out (in the pic) but the ear wax was stuck onto the ear drums. Noelle screamed out and then cried on the point the paed stopped digging. He diagnosed it as ear infection and prescribed antibiotic. I fed Noelle the medication there itself as she still wanted to go school.

She did continue her baby/pity cry as we walked to the car. I calmed her by patting her back and hugging her. Nikki acted maturely by helping me carry the bottle of medication. It was still jam as we drove to her school. Noelle made a fuss that I forgotten to pass her a hanky. She wanted me to drive home to pick a hanky before driving her to school!😒it was a clear no and if I were to drive home then she won’t be going school today. I even suggested to her to take Norrah’s bib! 🙄She continued fussing around and I suddenly remembered that I did pack a hanky in her extra set of clothes to school. Thank God I did! So I dropped her to school where she looks very normal. I also informed the teacher about her ear drum pain! (Hubby actually called up the principal that Noelle will be entering school later than usual)

After this round of recovery, guess we need to bring her see a proper ear specialist!

Be your kids’ buddies

Kids suicide cases nowadays scared me! Really! I even told my hubby few days ago!

The important message here is to be buddies with your kids –

“Talk to your kids about why they need to come to you if something is wrong. I talk to our kids about all of this, and they know that I would do anything to help them. I say it daily… “If you are ever feeling sad or left out about something and it becomes too big for you to handle easily, come to me.” <full article>

I can actually sense something not too right whenever Noelle says ‘I Duno’ when she previously could have said something else or gave me an affirmation ‘no or yes’! It happened last week – I manage to pursued her to tell me by saying ‘I trust you with taking care of Norrah and I hope you trust mama too!’ Soon, she just told me ‘what happened’ (not exposing what it is about because it is a ‘secret’ for us). But I am glad she trusted me (for now)…

And sometime ago some mummies relate to me how her kid was being accused by an adult; her instinct says trust her kid before blaming the kid – just because an (elderly) adult is telling her something else! That has inspired me to put faith in my girls! Always let the kids to give their explanation. This gives them faith in us! Respect the kid as much we want to be respected!

Our activity continues despite her going to school – loomband bracelet

Video <here>