Dear Hubby,
I've not written a card for you in a long time, perhaps for as long as we have been married. Got you a Christmas-Wedding Anniversary gift to start off the new year with -- nothing spectacular, just something smart to wear for the new year.
Christmas is a time when people count their blessings. For me, my greatest blessing is to have married you, and now we have 2 more little blessings in our lives -- Xin Xin and Teng Teng. Having the 3 of you makes my life complete. I don't ask for anything else.
Merry Christmas, and a merry lifetime ahead.
Love,
Mummy
Monday, December 24, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Having an Extra Pair of Hands
Recently, I have got a helper a home.
This helper is commonly known as a "maid" locally, but I personally find this name a little degrading and less respectful, so I prefer to call her a helper.
Anyway, she is housed at my place for a period of 10 days 9 nights because my friends, who are her employers, have gone overseas for a holiday and hence needed to "tompang" her somewhere.
Her name is Eh Ka Paw Mu from Myanmmar, 24 years old. A young and sweet lady. Quite pretty in fact. She cooks well and is quite efficient in doing the housework. Since I have help, I have asked her to do all the things that I have been wanting to do but did not have time or energy to do. I made her clean the windows (gosh, those dreaded windows which are so dirty and difficult to clean and I had long given up cleaning them since god-knows-when), take down all the curtains and wash them and hang them back (I have a washing machine and dryer ok, so please don't think that I torture her), wash the toys (I used to wash them BEFORE Eston was born) and pack and clean the storeroom. I did this with her, coz I needed to decide which things to throw and keep. Eventually I threw half the stuff in the storeroom, afterwhich I was very, very pleased.
She did all these on top of the daily mopping, cooking, washing of dishes, and occasional laundry and toilet washing. She also re-packed my kitchen (the cupboards and drawers were in a mess eversince my mum came - she's good at stuffing things everywhere but not in a systematic way) and cleaned up whatever she could clean.
I realised that I feel happier during this period, because my house is CLEAN.
This is my NORMAL standard. In the PAST.
And I have just realised how much I have lowered my cleanliness standard eversince I have had kids.
Snapshots of myself on all fours scrubbing the toilet floor with a 8-month pregnated belly at 11pm suddenly whizz through my mind. That was before Estelle was born.
After she was born, I still try my best to upkeep the cleanliness (I wash her toys periodically, okay!) but have let go of some things like windows.
After Eston was born, I struggled very badly. It came to a point when I was going mad. I couldn't cope.
We got a part-timer who comes on Saturdays for 4 hours to do big items like washing the 2 toilets, vacuuming, mopping and ironing. We pay her $10 per hour. She is not very thorough but I just keep her because she desperately needs the money. I just close one eye and live with it.
I like the idea that all the housework can be taken off my shoulders, but will not contemplate getting a full-time helper at the moment. Prefer to have our own privacy and save on this cost. I will make do with a part-timer, but I do hope that the part-timer can be as good as Mu. Perhaps I might ask my friends if we could arrange for Mu to be our part-timer. Let her earn the extra cash. Why not, right?
Tomorrow I will be sending her back to my friends. It had been a good arrangement.
:-)
This helper is commonly known as a "maid" locally, but I personally find this name a little degrading and less respectful, so I prefer to call her a helper.
Anyway, she is housed at my place for a period of 10 days 9 nights because my friends, who are her employers, have gone overseas for a holiday and hence needed to "tompang" her somewhere.
Her name is Eh Ka Paw Mu from Myanmmar, 24 years old. A young and sweet lady. Quite pretty in fact. She cooks well and is quite efficient in doing the housework. Since I have help, I have asked her to do all the things that I have been wanting to do but did not have time or energy to do. I made her clean the windows (gosh, those dreaded windows which are so dirty and difficult to clean and I had long given up cleaning them since god-knows-when), take down all the curtains and wash them and hang them back (I have a washing machine and dryer ok, so please don't think that I torture her), wash the toys (I used to wash them BEFORE Eston was born) and pack and clean the storeroom. I did this with her, coz I needed to decide which things to throw and keep. Eventually I threw half the stuff in the storeroom, afterwhich I was very, very pleased.
She did all these on top of the daily mopping, cooking, washing of dishes, and occasional laundry and toilet washing. She also re-packed my kitchen (the cupboards and drawers were in a mess eversince my mum came - she's good at stuffing things everywhere but not in a systematic way) and cleaned up whatever she could clean.
I realised that I feel happier during this period, because my house is CLEAN.
This is my NORMAL standard. In the PAST.
And I have just realised how much I have lowered my cleanliness standard eversince I have had kids.
Snapshots of myself on all fours scrubbing the toilet floor with a 8-month pregnated belly at 11pm suddenly whizz through my mind. That was before Estelle was born.
After she was born, I still try my best to upkeep the cleanliness (I wash her toys periodically, okay!) but have let go of some things like windows.
After Eston was born, I struggled very badly. It came to a point when I was going mad. I couldn't cope.
We got a part-timer who comes on Saturdays for 4 hours to do big items like washing the 2 toilets, vacuuming, mopping and ironing. We pay her $10 per hour. She is not very thorough but I just keep her because she desperately needs the money. I just close one eye and live with it.
I like the idea that all the housework can be taken off my shoulders, but will not contemplate getting a full-time helper at the moment. Prefer to have our own privacy and save on this cost. I will make do with a part-timer, but I do hope that the part-timer can be as good as Mu. Perhaps I might ask my friends if we could arrange for Mu to be our part-timer. Let her earn the extra cash. Why not, right?
Tomorrow I will be sending her back to my friends. It had been a good arrangement.
:-)
Friday, December 07, 2007
Genting Nightmare
We courageously took both our kiddos up to Genting for a holiday. We took my parents along, thinking that with their help (they are the daytime caregivers anyway, so kids are ok with them) we would be able to manage pretty comfortably and have some fun. Moreover, wanted to give my parents a "year end bonus" as they really come over faithfully, rain or shine, sick or not sick, to take care of my kids. They deserve a little treat.
We had overestimated our abilities, underestimated the kids' capabilities, and misestimated the possibilities.
Let's not count the packing part. Packing for this trip was already a logistics nightmare. Packing for ourselves was easy. Some clothes and toiletries. Finish. Packing for them? Day clothes, pyjamas, socks, bips, toiletries, diapers (how many... got to count), milk feed (how many feed, also must count), containers, hot water flask, shoes, food, toys, etc, etc. The list is endless.
Let's talk about the trip. The first thing that went wrong was that Estelle had developed fever on our journey there. She probably could not take the long journey. We gave her paracetemol (we had brought it) and a monitored her temperature (nrought a thermometer). Things didn't improve. In fact, her fever shot up to 39 degrees celcius and we had no choice but to send her to the doctor (there was a clinic there) Cost us RM140 (which thankfully can be claimed), but the experience there was the one that traumatised her. Doc had to insert the medicine in her backside which sent her wailing and screaming loud enough to rock the whole Genting. One of the medication tasted awful, so she took one dose and then refused to take subsequent doses. We had to force the fever medicine down (she usually takes her medicine willingly through the use of a spoon) which made it very unpleasant for everyone. So she went on throwing tantrums and giving everyone hell.
Her fever subsided and we could take her on the indoor rides. But we decided to skip the outdoor rides. Which was really a shame.
Eston had some running nose but he was generally ok. The NOT OK part was, he simply stuck to me like superglue! He refused to sleep with my parents, and I have to be within his sight! Within sight nevermind, must carry all the time! I super cannot take it. All the time he wants to be latched. Like I'm some kind of cow!
So, the 2 monsters took turns to cry and cling on to the both if us until we became super exhausted.
The good part ---- prob the small win of RM68 at the casino. We won RM168 at the jackpot but lost RM100 at one of the table games. Was an experience la.
And, I managed to buy a pair of pretty heels.
That's about it. The rest was simply a NIGHTMARE.
Will never do this ever again.
Check out the naughty kids!
We had overestimated our abilities, underestimated the kids' capabilities, and misestimated the possibilities.
Let's not count the packing part. Packing for this trip was already a logistics nightmare. Packing for ourselves was easy. Some clothes and toiletries. Finish. Packing for them? Day clothes, pyjamas, socks, bips, toiletries, diapers (how many... got to count), milk feed (how many feed, also must count), containers, hot water flask, shoes, food, toys, etc, etc. The list is endless.
Let's talk about the trip. The first thing that went wrong was that Estelle had developed fever on our journey there. She probably could not take the long journey. We gave her paracetemol (we had brought it) and a monitored her temperature (nrought a thermometer). Things didn't improve. In fact, her fever shot up to 39 degrees celcius and we had no choice but to send her to the doctor (there was a clinic there) Cost us RM140 (which thankfully can be claimed), but the experience there was the one that traumatised her. Doc had to insert the medicine in her backside which sent her wailing and screaming loud enough to rock the whole Genting. One of the medication tasted awful, so she took one dose and then refused to take subsequent doses. We had to force the fever medicine down (she usually takes her medicine willingly through the use of a spoon) which made it very unpleasant for everyone. So she went on throwing tantrums and giving everyone hell.
Her fever subsided and we could take her on the indoor rides. But we decided to skip the outdoor rides. Which was really a shame.
Eston had some running nose but he was generally ok. The NOT OK part was, he simply stuck to me like superglue! He refused to sleep with my parents, and I have to be within his sight! Within sight nevermind, must carry all the time! I super cannot take it. All the time he wants to be latched. Like I'm some kind of cow!
So, the 2 monsters took turns to cry and cling on to the both if us until we became super exhausted.
The good part ---- prob the small win of RM68 at the casino. We won RM168 at the jackpot but lost RM100 at one of the table games. Was an experience la.
And, I managed to buy a pair of pretty heels.
That's about it. The rest was simply a NIGHTMARE.
Will never do this ever again.
Check out the naughty kids!
Dip in the Pool
I threw Estelle into the pool when she was 4 months old.
Eston experienced his first dip on 4 Nov 2007. A quick calculation -- Almost 6 months old.
Sigh. Mummy is so unfair.
Sorry, boy. Mummy did not forget. In fact, Mummy had your swimming gear prepared long ago when you were only 3 months old. But, Mummy got busy and did not manage to arrange a swimming outing. The logistics arrangement to take the 2 of you out on a swimming trip --- GOSH --- *roll eyes*
Anyway, we did it. Eston had his first dip at the swimming pool at Raffles Town Club. I had to ask my parents along so that I have extra hands to help out, esp in the bathing part. Haiyo. Super cham.
Anyway here's Eston in his handsome gear:
And of course Estelle who was already having fun in the water:
Eston experienced his first dip on 4 Nov 2007. A quick calculation -- Almost 6 months old.
Sigh. Mummy is so unfair.
Sorry, boy. Mummy did not forget. In fact, Mummy had your swimming gear prepared long ago when you were only 3 months old. But, Mummy got busy and did not manage to arrange a swimming outing. The logistics arrangement to take the 2 of you out on a swimming trip --- GOSH --- *roll eyes*
Anyway, we did it. Eston had his first dip at the swimming pool at Raffles Town Club. I had to ask my parents along so that I have extra hands to help out, esp in the bathing part. Haiyo. Super cham.
Anyway here's Eston in his handsome gear:
And of course Estelle who was already having fun in the water:
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