Recently there has been a spate of gruesome murders of innocent babies, toddlers and children. Sadly most of these children were murdered by someone known to them. In one of the most recent cases, a mother on the verge of divorce moves in with her boyfriend and child. The child is found dead with her body cut up into three sections and disposed off in various places. Sickening................. the suspect, the mum's boyfriend.

In another case, a young couple with two children, a toddler and a baby decide to move into a rented apartment. Prior to the move, the children were cared for by the girl's mum. Barely a week since bringing the children home, the toddler is dead. Abused...and hit in the face and various parts of the body. Suspects....parents.

My imagination goes wild, and I try to control myself from thinking how the child must have suffered.... I feel their pain. Why are people having children when they do not have the finances, patience and time to care for them? I think many couples are pressured to children because society expects one to have children after marriage. I mean, at every wedding dinner (here in this country), we always toast to longetivity and fruitfulness...and we tell the couple to quickly multiply.

But I think...having children is a BIG responsibility that requires much of ones time, energy and finances. Babies and toddlers can test ones patience to the max by their crying, tantrums, night wakings etc. I suppose these irresponsible, impatient parents try to subdue the child with beatings, torture and abuse. The child cries out more and more because of pain..and the parents become more abusive...often causing tremendous hurt, trauma and sometimes death to their children. It's sad.

I think...people should really think hard before procreating. They should be given some kinda warning or guideline before the decision to have a child...............

weaning

weaning is hard... hard for the baby, hard for me. but she's almost 2 years old..and so it's time. Plus i have to take some medication for my muscle spasm and doctor told me to come back in a month's time after weaning the baby.

For Baby J, nursing time is nutrition and most importantly being close to mummy. For me, nursing time is seeing the joy on the face of my little baby, listening to her little excited giggles and feeling her close to me. It's a special bond. that's why weaning is hard for her and me.

It's 5 days and 4 nights now, 4 nights of almost total sleeplessness because of her frequent wakings and cryings when I deny her the comfort of nursing. Most of the time after about an hour of crying, she'll say "ok..mum, no milk, ....Mum, *sob**sob* I want mummy, I want mummy." followed by a burst of crying. So I'd just carry her and rock her in my arms till she falls asleep again. Sometimes she falls asleep on my tummy...just to feel close to me. Hard....but we'll go through it together.

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As for N, ah, she's ok. Sometimes her usual rascal, sometimes an argumentative lawyer, sometimes a loving helpful little gal. SHe's decided that she wants to be a singer for now, and a fire fighter. Don't know where she gets these ideas.

Yesterday, she sang her sunday school song like this...

God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good like me.

well the actual lyrics are "He's so good TO me." hahaa... she knows that but she insists that she's a good girl n God is good just like her.

.....anyway here's some pictures from the animal shelter we visited recently...faces have been hidden...orders of hubby.

growing old...a question

Yesterday....while heading to the playground, N suddenly asked "Mum....who's going to look after me when I'm old?"

I replied " I'm not sure dear.... it's too far away to tell..."

"But mum....will you look after me when I'm old?" asked N again..

"dear....when you're old...I might not be around anymore.." I replied..quietly.

"Why won't you be around mum?" asked N with a frown..

"N....people don't live on the earth forever...there comes a time when we must leave the earth and go to meet God in heaven."

"but mum.........." said N, beginning to cry..."but mum, I will miss you too much then. Don't leave me...what will I do?"

"N,... when you're old, maybe you'll have your own children, and they'll look after you.

"Who will be my children mum?"

"I can't tell yet dear.... and then your time will come too when you too will leave the earth..."

"Will I see God too mum?" asked N, still sobbing quietly..

"Yes, N... "

"but I don't want you to grow old...I will miss you....."

"Don't worry N, that's still a long way to go. So who will look after me when I'm old N?"

N replied "Of course, I will look after you mum. When you're old, I'll hold your hands and help you up the stairs. just like how you help us now."

friends...I couldn't help but let a little tear roll of my eyes when I heard that. SUch genuine love flows from the hearts of little children.

As some of you know, Baby J is quite the TV Addict! I’ve been trying to get her to kick the habit, but it is tough, especially since she’s learnt how to operate the TV and VCD player and put in her favourite discs.

When she wakes up in the morning she usually asks “Mum, Nemo please?” If I say “no”, she’ll put her face really near to my face, hold my cheeks and ask “how about Dora mum? How about Barney mum? Please” and if I say “no”, she’ll just go and try to switch it on herself, at which point I usually intercept by carrying her downstairs. I usually hate this part, coz she'll use her new found tantrum techniques (screaming and kicking) to protest.

Downstairs we have a baby gate to prevent her from going up. Well, this little “rat” has found a way to escape and climb upstairs on her own! She's found a gap wide enough for her, between the railing and the stairs. She can squeeze through that hole in a really quick time after the numerous practices she's had!

I’d call her to come down and she’d just ignore all my calls. I’d hear the glass door of the TV cabinet open *clang…*, some buttons being pushed …. And sometimes the CD doesn’t work (coz they’ve been “abused” by her! J) and she’ll call out “It’s spoil mum, it’s spoil!”

Then I hear more clanging, buttons pushing…vcd’s being thrown about…and then music…at which point she’ll call out “it’s Dora, YAY! It’s working YAY!.” She usually says the YAY with both hands up in the air, followed by a little twist. Haha…

I climb upstairs…and as expected, she’d be sitted on the sofa, eyes GLUED to the TV, mouth wide opened….and some laughter here and there when she gets tickled, and if she feels like it, a little dance in front of the TV too.

So ok, today, I’ve resorted to putting all the CD’s HIGH up, and I have to find a way to cover the hole! . Baby J....you make mama work hard!! haha...

Avocados and pigs

Avocados are supposed to be really good for health due to the valuable nutrients it contains. If you wanna know more about the nutrients found in an avocado, you can look at it here. Recently my sis in law brought me 12 BIG avocados from Indonesia and I thought "oh me gosh" how am I gonna swallow all that!

Anyway, I decided to make some of it into milk shake which is what I usually do. Here's how I do it,

1/3 rd avocado to 2/3rds fresh chilled milk. Add a little sugar (if you're sweet-toothed) and blend all. Drink. If you want it a little more "yummier" but fattening, add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and blend it all together.

As for my Indonesian friends, they blend

avocado,milk and some milo/coca powder and sugar. Tastes good too.

Anyway, I tried all the above recipes, and my little ones refused them all! *sigh* so I decided to try something else. Here's what I tried....

3/4 cup triple chocolate ice cream

1/2 avocado

1/4 cup fresh milk

Blend all the above and let it freeze and harden.(serves 1)

SO i tried the above, and little N tried it and said "YUmmmmmmmmmmm!" so without her knowing it, she swallowed half an avocado. :)

As for my hound dog Baby J, who smells everything out, and has super sensitive taste buds....she tried 2 scoops and said "yukk" and decided to play with it instead of eating it. I guess, you just can't fool the little J.

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N: Mum, if I can look after a dog and a cat, a fish, a tortoise and a rabbit and a hamster well, do you know what I want next mum?

Me: what would you like? (Wondering what on earth could she ask for after all those animals named.)

N: I would like to have a pet pig!

Me: A What???

N: A Pig, not a guinea pig, but a real baby pig, just like in Scallop's Lap.

Me: Scallop what?

N: Scallop's Lap mum! (and brings out the VCD of Charlotte's Web to see.) hahahahaha.....

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N: Mum, is it true only adults can kiss on the lips?

Me: Yes dear.

(I find I have to teach my little girls these things from young...today's papers showed rape is up by 28%....scarry.....so I have to teach her what is appropriate behaviour and what is not as far as physical contact is concerned.)

Taking a break from stories about raising my children. The elder of my church, DR KOH ENG KIAT aged 83 years,was called home to be with the Lord on 29 June 2007.

What can I say? I know he is in a better place..yet I miss him. He has impacted my life and many many lives in tremendous ways. He and Elder Ang started the church in a small buidling by a railway (I think) and that church has grown and expanded to several churches, probably ammounting to about 7-9,000 people I think. They had 7 services held at the large auditorium, just for people to pay their last respects. Imagine the ammount of people he has touched. What a great man of God.

Despite the very large crowd that comes in Sunday after sunday..he is always there at the back, shaking hands of people, listening to them, praying for them. He always had time for people..... he always displayed such humility...such faith, such perseverance. Even as a teen, when people tend to overlook teens, he listened to them. I have certainly been blessed and touched by his leadership.

His passing away has somehow "shown" me that at the end of life...nothing much matters, except for the people you have touched. Just looking at the crowd that came in to pay their last respects, and to see tears streaming down their faces...showed me how he had done just that...touched the lives of people, imparted God's love...

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."2 Timothy 4:7