I had 3 generous slices of homemade cheese cake today. I really should feel wrecked with guilt, but I'm in mourning! It's been 2 whole days since I've last been able to fully access Farmville and Cafe World. Facebook just doesn't feel as alluring to me without these 2 applications. Maybe it's time I make a break from Facebook and return back to the real world. (Cue in kids screaming and husband complaining of hunger)*Gasp* I need, need, NEED escapism. Oh wait..I still do have a way out! "Hello Blogger. Long time no see! Missed ya!"
Sarah has lost her first tooth! She got mad at me today as I had accidently thrown it away. Well, serves her right for putting it in a bowl in her room when I had specifically told her to put it in her jewellery box for safekeeping. It was her first tooth..it was so minuscule, you can't blame me for not noticing it. I did feel bad for her, but not bad enough to rummage through 2 days worth of trash (saving the trash for the cleaner tomorrow, gotta get my 130dirham worth! hehehe). She cried and was quite upset. She was looking forward to putting it underneath her pillow for the tooth fairy. Gosh, can't get rid of this guilty feeling. Perhaps another helping of cheese cake might do the trick. :P
Hana is a little typhoon. I think among my 3 children, she might be the messiest. Maybe because with her I am less uptight about keeping things neat and orderly in my quest to allow her the space to explore and discover. I can't believe how this little body could turn the entire house inside out in a split of a second. What is more amazing is that I have the patience to restrain myself from blowing the roof off from all the mess. Oh yeah...i had Facebook and FarmVille to distract me all this while. I have a feeling that things are gonna be different tomorrow. Uh oh..
Mika is thriving in school. He's changed so much since he entered school. He is however, still the annoying little sweetheart that everyone is so fond of. When he first started school, I was really worried at his inability to speak the english language well. Little would I know that now when I speak to him in Malay, he'll just stare at me stupefied like I've turned into some kind of strange alien. My boy doesn't understand Malay! It's important for a child to be able to speak his mother tongue...I'm constantly reminding myself to speak Malay so he would have a better grasp of his own language. Translating every single word I say to him isn't my most favourite thing to do as it is tedious and time consuming. After all, I have another 2 children to attend to.
I love my kids to bits...but I think I'll have that fourth slice of cake simply because I'm a mom of three so I deserve it! Sorry thighs...not! :P
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Happy 40th.
Shame on me. Shame on me for neglecting my blog. The truth is, I just have nothing to blog about these days. Well, I could just go on and on about my darling little Hana but that's the thing, I could gush all day long about her little accomplishments but I've done it before with Sarah and Mika. Writing about Hana's milestones just feels like groundhog day to me. Guess this could be one of the cons of being a 3xmom.
So what am I going to write about? I know...I'll write about my dear sweet hubby!!
Hubby had just celebrated his 40th a couple of days ago. Wow! The big four oh. Wonder how he feels? During our dating days when I was still a sweet young thang (I still am btw or more like I'd like to think that I still am...nvm what other says, IMO denial IS a good thing :P) I used to joke about how much older is than me. Hubby and I are 7 years apart and at 19, I used to say that when you're an old man of 40, I would be a hot 33 year old. When I said that, I had envisioned a 30 year old Madonna. I thought I'd be a smoking hot woman child!
Now, 14 years later, while Madonna still looks exactly the same; to describe me as hot is far fetched unless you're talking about my temper and the only thing childish about me are the 3 kids I gave birth to. Hubby too looks every inch his age, receding hair,pot-bellied and all; just as I had imagined him to be 14 years ago. What I hadn't expected was that he'd still be as adorable as I first met him. :))
Happy 40th baby. I love you more than I can ever say & more than you can ever know.
So what am I going to write about? I know...I'll write about my dear sweet hubby!!
Hubby had just celebrated his 40th a couple of days ago. Wow! The big four oh. Wonder how he feels? During our dating days when I was still a sweet young thang (I still am btw or more like I'd like to think that I still am...nvm what other says, IMO denial IS a good thing :P) I used to joke about how much older is than me. Hubby and I are 7 years apart and at 19, I used to say that when you're an old man of 40, I would be a hot 33 year old. When I said that, I had envisioned a 30 year old Madonna. I thought I'd be a smoking hot woman child!
Now, 14 years later, while Madonna still looks exactly the same; to describe me as hot is far fetched unless you're talking about my temper and the only thing childish about me are the 3 kids I gave birth to. Hubby too looks every inch his age, receding hair,pot-bellied and all; just as I had imagined him to be 14 years ago. What I hadn't expected was that he'd still be as adorable as I first met him. :))
Happy 40th baby. I love you more than I can ever say & more than you can ever know.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The verdict is in...
The verdict is in...I'll be returning back to Malaysia for good sooner than we planned. After a lengthy discussion, hubby and I had come to the conclusion that it would be better for us to continue the children's education in Malaysia as we would be able to save more and financially boost our little nest egg. Going back would also be a good move in preserving our children's religion, ethnicity, culture and heritage.
Don't get me wrong, I love living in Abu Dhabi. The abundance of wealth, the scenery, the diversity of culture is intoxicating but like the saying goes, the grass always looks greener on the other side. Despite the high levels of crime and the grime and grittiness in my country, I'll still favor it best over any other country simply because it was where I was born. It's where I grew up and it had made me become who I am today. I love Malaysia and my loyalty will always and forever be for Malaysia.
The downside of the decision though is the fact that the children and I will be apart from dear hubby. He will remain here in Abu Dhabi while we are in Malaysia. Hubby says he can commute at least once a month and perhaps I could try visiting him as often as possible while leaving the two older children with my parents hence avoiding any disruption in their education. They will only be brought over to Abu Dhabi during the school holidays. I doubt they'll like that very much as they have grown to love Abu Dhabi more than Malaysia (which is more reasons to ship them back) .
However, we are torn between the choices of education that we plan to provide our children. The kids are currently following the British curriculum (which I favor very much). We can't decide whether to let them continue by enrolling them in an International School or start them with the Malaysian curriculum (which is forever changing much to my dislike) by enrolling them in a private institution. The advantage of educating them using the Malaysian curriculum would allow them more opportunity for entrance into local universities and local scholarships. The disadvantage, my kids aren't well versed in Bahasa Malaysia which would mean they'd do miserably for the entrance exams into a private school and would really have to struggle in their lessons as their comprehension of the language is really poor. Malaysian curriculum is also a little too academic and restricted for my taste and I don't want the children to feel overwhelmed and stifled by it. Worst of all, it may make them dislike learning. Currently, my children loves learning. They look forward to school and aren't to keen on school holidays.
On the other hand, the distance from my home to various International Schools is quite far and I don't see the sense in purchasing a house near a school when we have a perfectly good house that we are halfway through paying for. The reason for our move is to save money, so buying another house would defeat the purpose. Beside, space in International schools are very limited and I'm afraid that these schools aren't able to accommodate my children.
Aah...the things to think...I'm already having a migraine. Well, at least I have a few more years to thinks about those things so for the time being, I'll just enjoy my time in Abu Dhabi.
Don't get me wrong, I love living in Abu Dhabi. The abundance of wealth, the scenery, the diversity of culture is intoxicating but like the saying goes, the grass always looks greener on the other side. Despite the high levels of crime and the grime and grittiness in my country, I'll still favor it best over any other country simply because it was where I was born. It's where I grew up and it had made me become who I am today. I love Malaysia and my loyalty will always and forever be for Malaysia.
The downside of the decision though is the fact that the children and I will be apart from dear hubby. He will remain here in Abu Dhabi while we are in Malaysia. Hubby says he can commute at least once a month and perhaps I could try visiting him as often as possible while leaving the two older children with my parents hence avoiding any disruption in their education. They will only be brought over to Abu Dhabi during the school holidays. I doubt they'll like that very much as they have grown to love Abu Dhabi more than Malaysia (which is more reasons to ship them back) .
However, we are torn between the choices of education that we plan to provide our children. The kids are currently following the British curriculum (which I favor very much). We can't decide whether to let them continue by enrolling them in an International School or start them with the Malaysian curriculum (which is forever changing much to my dislike) by enrolling them in a private institution. The advantage of educating them using the Malaysian curriculum would allow them more opportunity for entrance into local universities and local scholarships. The disadvantage, my kids aren't well versed in Bahasa Malaysia which would mean they'd do miserably for the entrance exams into a private school and would really have to struggle in their lessons as their comprehension of the language is really poor. Malaysian curriculum is also a little too academic and restricted for my taste and I don't want the children to feel overwhelmed and stifled by it. Worst of all, it may make them dislike learning. Currently, my children loves learning. They look forward to school and aren't to keen on school holidays.
On the other hand, the distance from my home to various International Schools is quite far and I don't see the sense in purchasing a house near a school when we have a perfectly good house that we are halfway through paying for. The reason for our move is to save money, so buying another house would defeat the purpose. Beside, space in International schools are very limited and I'm afraid that these schools aren't able to accommodate my children.
Aah...the things to think...I'm already having a migraine. Well, at least I have a few more years to thinks about those things so for the time being, I'll just enjoy my time in Abu Dhabi.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
A new diet that works!
Eid has come and gone and what I thought would be a miserable occassion proved to be otherwise. Many friends and neighbours had dropped by to help us celebrate and despite missing my family, I felt that I had gained a new family here in my home away from home. All that hard work that I had put into this special ocassion really did pay off...well sort of..:P
A couple of days after the eid celebration, my body had retaliated and I fell very, very ill. I guess cooking a feast while doing housework and juggling 3 small children under the age of 7 had finally taken its toll. Worst of all, it was just my luck that it had to happen when hubby was away.
When our children fall ill, we mothers sometimes wish we would rather take the child's place and be sick instead of our children. Well, after my little episode, I will never, ever have that wish again. Mothers aren't designed to fall sick. If we are sick, we can't function. When we can't function...well, there goes the entire household.
I was too sick to care for the kids. I was feverish and shivering all over and being the drama queen that I am, I swear I thought I was going to die. Every time I closed my eyes and curled underneath the duvet, I could hear various doa being recited in my mind. My children had to scavage for their own food, emptying out the pantry and sinking their teeth into anything that looks edible. It took every single iota of my energy to whip them up a meal. I couldn't even monitor their bathing time and had no clue if they had even taken their baths at all. That was how ill I was. I wanted to ask for help but the very thought of picking up my handphone felt like a goliath task. Luckily (if you can call it lucky) the baby had caught the same bug so all she wanted was to sleep and suckle.
I was ill for four days. Four days of wasting away on my bed. Four days of child neglect. Four days without an appetite. Hubby camehome that night, took charge and brought me to the doctor the very next morning. The doctor confirmed my illness, put me on antibiotics and I was up and running a couple of days afterwards.
Overall, it was a horrible experience but on the bright side, I had discovered that I had lost some weight. Whoopee! I had finally found a diet that works even better than Atkins, its called Streptococcal Pharyngitis and it really does work. Maybe falling sick isn't so bad after all. Although it involves serious child neglect, I actually wouldn't mind having it again...as long as I lose weight in the process. I'm such a horrible mom. lol :P
A couple of days after the eid celebration, my body had retaliated and I fell very, very ill. I guess cooking a feast while doing housework and juggling 3 small children under the age of 7 had finally taken its toll. Worst of all, it was just my luck that it had to happen when hubby was away.
When our children fall ill, we mothers sometimes wish we would rather take the child's place and be sick instead of our children. Well, after my little episode, I will never, ever have that wish again. Mothers aren't designed to fall sick. If we are sick, we can't function. When we can't function...well, there goes the entire household.
I was too sick to care for the kids. I was feverish and shivering all over and being the drama queen that I am, I swear I thought I was going to die. Every time I closed my eyes and curled underneath the duvet, I could hear various doa being recited in my mind. My children had to scavage for their own food, emptying out the pantry and sinking their teeth into anything that looks edible. It took every single iota of my energy to whip them up a meal. I couldn't even monitor their bathing time and had no clue if they had even taken their baths at all. That was how ill I was. I wanted to ask for help but the very thought of picking up my handphone felt like a goliath task. Luckily (if you can call it lucky) the baby had caught the same bug so all she wanted was to sleep and suckle.
I was ill for four days. Four days of wasting away on my bed. Four days of child neglect. Four days without an appetite. Hubby camehome that night, took charge and brought me to the doctor the very next morning. The doctor confirmed my illness, put me on antibiotics and I was up and running a couple of days afterwards.
Overall, it was a horrible experience but on the bright side, I had discovered that I had lost some weight. Whoopee! I had finally found a diet that works even better than Atkins, its called Streptococcal Pharyngitis and it really does work. Maybe falling sick isn't so bad after all. Although it involves serious child neglect, I actually wouldn't mind having it again...as long as I lose weight in the process. I'm such a horrible mom. lol :P
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Eid Mubarak '09
How time flies. It's been 3 month since my last post and not only have I not lost any weight, I think I've acquired a few more pounds (I'm so delusional...more like several kilos actually lol) to my ever expanding torso. Well, I'm not really complaining. I have faith in myself, I know I'll shed off the weight when I'm truly ready and determined to do so. I've done it a few times in the past so why should this be any different right? Nothing like being truly optimistic.
So I went back to KL for the summer and you know the saying be careful what you wish for? Well, what I envisioned of an exciting summer didn't quite materialize. Sure, it was superb to get back in touch with my family and friends but the kids were sick most of the time due to the terrible weather and flu pandemic that was hitting the country. The people that mattered to me back home were also quite busy carrying on with their lives and between that and caring for my sick children, I wasn't quite able to hang out and have fun. I was also missing my dear, dear hubby terribly.
So now I'm back in Abu Dhabi and its the fasting month. I came here exactly a year ago during ramadhan '08 and now here I am again in Abu Dhabi for ramadhan '09. Eid is just a day away and this will be my second year in the row celebrating Eid al-Fitr without my family. Last year wasn't so bad as I was occupied with settling myself and the kids here but this year, it's a bit harder. I miss my mom. I miss my sister. I miss my whole clan. What I wouldn't give to be able to be there with them.
I'm on the floor of my kitchen right now cooking 4kg of beef rendang for the big celebration. I had to get a head start as there is no way could I single handedly prepare all the dishes the night before the big celebration. I've invited some friends and neighbours over for the festivities. I want this eid to be special and I'm doing it all for the sake of my children. Eid is about family and relationship, and I want them to experience the magic of Eid. I just hope I'm doing it right. :)
Happy Eid Mubarak all. Lets forgive, forget and be merry! Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf Zahir Batin. :D
So I went back to KL for the summer and you know the saying be careful what you wish for? Well, what I envisioned of an exciting summer didn't quite materialize. Sure, it was superb to get back in touch with my family and friends but the kids were sick most of the time due to the terrible weather and flu pandemic that was hitting the country. The people that mattered to me back home were also quite busy carrying on with their lives and between that and caring for my sick children, I wasn't quite able to hang out and have fun. I was also missing my dear, dear hubby terribly.
So now I'm back in Abu Dhabi and its the fasting month. I came here exactly a year ago during ramadhan '08 and now here I am again in Abu Dhabi for ramadhan '09. Eid is just a day away and this will be my second year in the row celebrating Eid al-Fitr without my family. Last year wasn't so bad as I was occupied with settling myself and the kids here but this year, it's a bit harder. I miss my mom. I miss my sister. I miss my whole clan. What I wouldn't give to be able to be there with them.
I'm on the floor of my kitchen right now cooking 4kg of beef rendang for the big celebration. I had to get a head start as there is no way could I single handedly prepare all the dishes the night before the big celebration. I've invited some friends and neighbours over for the festivities. I want this eid to be special and I'm doing it all for the sake of my children. Eid is about family and relationship, and I want them to experience the magic of Eid. I just hope I'm doing it right. :)
Happy Eid Mubarak all. Lets forgive, forget and be merry! Selamat Hari Raya. Maaf Zahir Batin. :D
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
My Weight Loss Journey
I had celebrated my 32nd birthday. Took care of the laundry the whole day, went out for dinner and later did my grocery shopping. How wild was that? I'm such a party animal even I amaze myself *roll eyes*.
I had decided that it is time to start getting rid of the kilos on my birthday. First day in, had a platter of buffalo wings and indulged myself in this simply amazing chocolate brownies. It had chocolate fudge oozing out of it. Heaven to my taste buds, hell to my thighs. Okay, not a good start but to my defense, it was my birthday!
Second day, made a pot of delicious ayam masak lemak cili api with rice. Couldn't resist a second helping for both lunch and dinner. Treated myself to some chocolates afterwards. Gosh, don't I have any will power whatsoever? I put myself to shame...
So now it's my third day. so far I've only had a piece of wholemeal bread (with a spoonful of nutella but that doesn't count since it balances out the wholemeal! And it was just one measly piece of bread!) and a glass of low fat milk. I'm doing the whole count my calories intake thing. Thinking of exercising as well but heck, its still early and I've got the rest of the day to do it. (Must remind myself to join Procrastinators Ananimous). So far so good...will see how thing goes. I'm making chilli crab and steamed mussels for lunch (please, please god. Provide me the will power to resist) Must resist. Must resist. Must resist. Aaaargh! The temptation!
Thinking about lunch has caused me to start salivating for no apparent reason. Noooooo! It's mind over matter. I think I'll head to bed now, gotta sleep it off. Bye!
I had decided that it is time to start getting rid of the kilos on my birthday. First day in, had a platter of buffalo wings and indulged myself in this simply amazing chocolate brownies. It had chocolate fudge oozing out of it. Heaven to my taste buds, hell to my thighs. Okay, not a good start but to my defense, it was my birthday!
Second day, made a pot of delicious ayam masak lemak cili api with rice. Couldn't resist a second helping for both lunch and dinner. Treated myself to some chocolates afterwards. Gosh, don't I have any will power whatsoever? I put myself to shame...
So now it's my third day. so far I've only had a piece of wholemeal bread (with a spoonful of nutella but that doesn't count since it balances out the wholemeal! And it was just one measly piece of bread!) and a glass of low fat milk. I'm doing the whole count my calories intake thing. Thinking of exercising as well but heck, its still early and I've got the rest of the day to do it. (Must remind myself to join Procrastinators Ananimous). So far so good...will see how thing goes. I'm making chilli crab and steamed mussels for lunch (please, please god. Provide me the will power to resist) Must resist. Must resist. Must resist. Aaaargh! The temptation!
Thinking about lunch has caused me to start salivating for no apparent reason. Noooooo! It's mind over matter. I think I'll head to bed now, gotta sleep it off. Bye!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
KL, here I come...
The summer holidays is approaching and boy am I looking forward to it! We'll be returning to Kuala Lumpur for 2 whole months and I've already planned out my day to day itinerary in my head. However, the fact that I'll be without a maid when I return this time around is a bit daunting. My little sister has hijacked my trustworthy maid off my hands and I don't know how I'll cope with 3 kids back home. Here it is easier as I am not mobile. But in KL, its a whole different ball park.
I've decided to enroll Mika in a play school there to prepare him for school come September. Unlike Sarah, Mika has never gone to school before this (Kinder Music doesn't count because I was present for his lessons) and I worry how he'll cope. He is still such a little baby and the school he will be going to is a very big school. I worry that he will be overwhelmed.
I don't want Sarah to be stuck in front of the TV the whole day either which is why hubby and I have decided to enroll her again in a few enrichment classes. So when I'm in KL, on top of caring for the 3 kids on my own, I'll need to do the whole soccer mom bit as well. I really can't imagine how I'll cope especially with little Hana in tow. But then I keep telling myself, if I aspire to become a super mom, then I'll have to at least try and put myself for the test and juggle it all. This will really put my capabilities to the test. What the heck, I'm up for the challenge! My life has been pretty mundane all this while, so what's a little chaos right? Hehe..:P
One of the challenge is deciding on a school for Mika. I've got my eyes on the Early Learning Program at Kizsports but distance may be a problem. I refuse to get up 3 hours earlier just to get the kids ready to drive them all the way there only to find my self rushing back to pick him up a little over an hour later. I'm looking at the kindies within the neighbourhood but I worry about what the school is like as I want something more similar to the school that Mika will be attending in September in order to ensure a more smoother transition for him. I seriously need to put more thought into this.
On top of her maths class, Sarah has requested for me to find her a speech and drama class. I found one in TTDI, but they haven't replied to my inquiry so I'm yet to decide. Kizsports offers the program so perhaps I could enroll her there and if Mika is there, then it'll be better for me. I could also enroll Hana in their babysigns program. Gosh if all the 3 kids are there, I'll end up hanging out at One Utama every single day. Don't get me wrong, I adore One U, but I'm just afraid I'll end up bankrupt! My will power is close to none. All those nice, clean, bright shops are pretty enticing. :P
So then I'm brought back to the issue of becoming maid-less. The timing of the classes would obviously differ, so while I'm in class with Hana for instance, I'll still need someone to keep an eye on the other two. Aaargh. I could take my ex-maid (now my sister's maid) but that would mean adding another screaming infant on top of my out of control brood. Uh-uh. That's a sure path on the route towards insanity and this wannabe super mom ain't so keen on going there.
Aaargh! Decisions..decisions. I really can't decide. I guess for now, I'll just settle for what I do best. Procrastinate and leave the decision making for tomorrow. :P
I've decided to enroll Mika in a play school there to prepare him for school come September. Unlike Sarah, Mika has never gone to school before this (Kinder Music doesn't count because I was present for his lessons) and I worry how he'll cope. He is still such a little baby and the school he will be going to is a very big school. I worry that he will be overwhelmed.
I don't want Sarah to be stuck in front of the TV the whole day either which is why hubby and I have decided to enroll her again in a few enrichment classes. So when I'm in KL, on top of caring for the 3 kids on my own, I'll need to do the whole soccer mom bit as well. I really can't imagine how I'll cope especially with little Hana in tow. But then I keep telling myself, if I aspire to become a super mom, then I'll have to at least try and put myself for the test and juggle it all. This will really put my capabilities to the test. What the heck, I'm up for the challenge! My life has been pretty mundane all this while, so what's a little chaos right? Hehe..:P
One of the challenge is deciding on a school for Mika. I've got my eyes on the Early Learning Program at Kizsports but distance may be a problem. I refuse to get up 3 hours earlier just to get the kids ready to drive them all the way there only to find my self rushing back to pick him up a little over an hour later. I'm looking at the kindies within the neighbourhood but I worry about what the school is like as I want something more similar to the school that Mika will be attending in September in order to ensure a more smoother transition for him. I seriously need to put more thought into this.
On top of her maths class, Sarah has requested for me to find her a speech and drama class. I found one in TTDI, but they haven't replied to my inquiry so I'm yet to decide. Kizsports offers the program so perhaps I could enroll her there and if Mika is there, then it'll be better for me. I could also enroll Hana in their babysigns program. Gosh if all the 3 kids are there, I'll end up hanging out at One Utama every single day. Don't get me wrong, I adore One U, but I'm just afraid I'll end up bankrupt! My will power is close to none. All those nice, clean, bright shops are pretty enticing. :P
So then I'm brought back to the issue of becoming maid-less. The timing of the classes would obviously differ, so while I'm in class with Hana for instance, I'll still need someone to keep an eye on the other two. Aaargh. I could take my ex-maid (now my sister's maid) but that would mean adding another screaming infant on top of my out of control brood. Uh-uh. That's a sure path on the route towards insanity and this wannabe super mom ain't so keen on going there.
Aaargh! Decisions..decisions. I really can't decide. I guess for now, I'll just settle for what I do best. Procrastinate and leave the decision making for tomorrow. :P
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