third child...yes or no?

Another week's gone by...time goes by too quickly. Starting mid year, my schedule will be doubly busy with more teaching assignments far from home . Though part of me dreads the thought of travelling and spending more time away from home, from my children, I will give thanks. One, because i know, while I'm working my children will be in good hands with my own mum. Second, because recently due to all sorts of unexpected events, my bank account has taken a sharp dip, and when I prayed about it, these job offers came. So I will give thanks. :)

Anyway .... other than that, while going through physio this week, the therapist mentioned the dreaded subject, the subject of the third child. Why is it, soooooooooooo many people are asking me to have a third child? My in laws bug me, my mum's friends bug me...almost everyone except my parents. phew, thank goodness they don't.

Do you know all my in laws have 3-4 children? do you know all my nieces and nephew in laws have also 3-4 children? On hubby's side, i'm the only one with 2.

This issue has been bugging my mind like crazy coz I'm not getting younger...and time is ticking.

Reasons why I should have no. 3 ...
1) everyone says I should try for a boy. (What is the probability of getting one????)
2) The older folks tell me when they hit 50's and 60's they look back and regretted not having more.
3) hubby wants one more
4) It might get quiet around when the children all go to school
5) perhaps out of 3, one might be willing to look after us when I am old? haha..

Reasons NOT to have no.3
1) Increased expenditure, less money to go round
2) Go through TERRIBLe pregnancy again with horrible morning sickness
3) All teaching jobs will be affected again
4) Go through the dreaded C-Section again. I hated it and the pain after!
5) Go through post partum depression again
6) Sleepless nights all over again
7) no freedom to do as I like still... meaning travel...and possibly studying again...

See...the reasons for NOT far outweighs the reasons to have. That's why I can't bring myself to it. But on the other hand....I'm beginning to coo at and admire other people's babies... I'm thinking, if I want one i have to have it now.... I just can't make up my mind.......... just can't. So I wish people would stop bugging me about this for a while.....

Anyway, after all that here's some humor found on http://www.engrish.com/ . Michi, I hope you won't mind these jokes? coz some taken from Japan. Just thought the translation of words here are funny. :) Have a good weekend everyone. :)

No thanks...err...but out of curiosity, is his urine sweet or sour?

this one makes me dizzy reading..

Perhaps this one parents should buy for daughter's boyfriends.

no thanks, i don't think slipping is good at all

ok, but how do I know if my refrigerator is anxious?

yeah...I won't.....can feed with other people's ?

More art work by JO

This is just continuation from the last post. As mentioned, Jo suddenly decided that she likes drawing. So she's been practicing doing lots of faces. Today her drawing has gotten more detailed. Check out the nose, and ears. :)

hands and legs still stem from the head. :) Her drawing now has eyebrows and ears!
These are her drawings of her Ah Kong (Grandpa) and Ah Ma (Grandma)
The little one herself with her art and telescope.
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Have a blessed weekend everyone

Art

day 2 physio. They added 2 pound weights to my exercises. The pain persists... but doctor already said it would take a few months of physio. I'm also to start regular swimming. With frequent thunderstorms and busy schedule...I don't know how I'm gonna fit that in...but will try.
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As for my kids... the crazy rainy weather which has not stopped since Jan has prevented us from going out for our regular walks in the evenings. This drives the children (and me) crazy especially if they are cooped up at home the whole day. However, they have been busy with art. I suppose, since I'm a musician and very much into art myself, my children have a natural inclination towards art and music too.

Well today, Jo took out her sketch pad and these are the pictures she drew today at age 2 years and half.

She says, this is mummy. That messy part in the middle is my tummy. and if you look carefully, she has drawn hands on the side, and two sticks for my legs. If only my legs were thin as sticks! haha....

This is her drawing of daddy.
And this her drawing of Nel. Again, a large messy tummy area, and two very curly hands on the side. haha... 2 sticks for the legs which stem from the head. haha...

THis is Nel's work of art. She's very into building blocks...and so is Jo.

Nel's drawing of turtle on the sea. She is passionate about animals, especially that of the ocean. Right now, she's into saving the whales. haha...

Nel's very colorful CHristmas tree.

Nel's half drawn house with colorful roof.
Random doodle from Nel...again more Christmas trees. (You can tell when her favourite time of the year is.)

Day 1 Physiotherapy

Finally ... I started my physiotherapy today. The session lasted for an hour and a half. Some of it was painful, some of it was relaxing. The ice packs were nice. My shoulders have gotten so bad lately it's hard to wash my own hair or do things for the children without some pain. So I figured, time to get it fixed.

Jo sat down quietly and observed what they were doing. She's really good for a 2 1/2 year old. :) but at one point, when she saw them putting stuff on me, she panicked, and the poor little one started crying badly. So I told her to stand by my bed and hold my hand. She did that in between sobs. I'd to assure her that I was ok, and the physio was helping me and not hurting me. Let's hope the shoulders and back will get better with each session. I'm praying hard.

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Tonight as I put the children to bed Jo said "Mummy, I'm so happy to be with you."

As for Nel she said "Mum.....I wish I was a baby again...."

I asked her why she wished that... and she replied "When I was a baby, you hugged me while I closed my eyes and you used to tap my back till I fell asleep."

I recalled back to the days before Jo was born. Nel being the very affectionate person she is, would snuggle close to me, her hand always touching my shoulders to make sure I was right there beside her when she slept. but when Jo was born, we had to move Nel to a different room, coz Jo was a super wakey baby, waking up 5-6 times a night.

Anyway, so today, I snuggled close beside her, and she held my hand with one, and with the other, held my shoulders like she did when she was a baby. Then she said "sing me my favourite song mum, "May The Lord Bless you.."

So I sang..and she fell asleep, soundly like a baby. :)

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As for my weekly cooking/baking sessions with Junee...last friday, me and Junee attempted to make Onde Onde...and here are the pictures. Yup, they turned out delicous and are very easy to make . :)

The Paste - Glutinous flour, tapioca flour, juice from screwpine leaves

Fill each one with palm sugar and roll into balls making sure sugar is properly sealed inside.

boil, drain and roll in coconut

Bite into it and fill it "burst" in your mouth as the palm sugar melts in your mouth. yumm...

Personality

Minni, the mother of Bethany , sent me this linkto Nurture by Nature where you can take a quiz to determine a child's personality type. So I did the quiz on behalf of my kids, and here's the result for Nel's personality. I find it quite accurate!

The Joys and Challenges of Raising an INFP
INFPs are idealistic, committed, and deeply passionate, but tend to idealize relationships, and are easily hurt and tend to hold grudges. Spontaneous and highly original, they also tend to be quite disorganized and become overwhelmed by details.
How to Nurture INFPs
-encourage them to talk about their ideas;

-listen quietly and give them your undivided attention
-allow them to watch from the sidelines;

-give them plenty of time to play alone or day dream
-respect the intensity of their feelings;

- appeal to their desire for harmony in times of conflict
-speak softly and maintain eye and close physical contact

Enduring self-esteem for INFPs comes from knowing that their deep feelings are legitimate and that the people they care about love them regardless of the roller coaster of emotions they often ride.

.

.

Results for...Jo ....may not be as accurate...as certain things are not very clear yet...like if she's a thinker or feeler. Yes, she is imaginative, and intellectually curious. She's stubborn, strong willed. However, she doesn't appear emotionally aloof and superior. She's actually very affectionate and shows it clearly, :) ....except in new social environment. Gotta do this test again when she's older.

The Joys and Challenges of Raising an INTJ
INTJs are imaginative and intellectually curious but tend to also be stubborn and unwilling to back down. While they are logical, direct, and skeptical, they are usually intensely private, independent, and appear emotionally aloof and superior.
How to Nurture INTJs
-don’t push them into social situations;

-respect their hesitancy and follow their lead
-provide a constantly expanding source of intellectual stimulation
-expect an analytical thinking style, and don’t take their criticism personally
-be fair and consistent;

-offer the logical rational for your decisions
Enduring self-esteem for INTJs comes from being valued and respected for their unique perspective and their constantly increasing levels of competence.

Camel my little poodle

Day 4 Detox. Let's say I'm not going by the diet plan faithfully. However, I've been eating healthy. :) Cannot go without rice as directed. Addicted to rice. ahaha..

Conversation with Jo over breakfast today.

Jo: Mum, does Ivan obey his mummy? (Ivan is a friend from her toddler group)

Me: Well, I think so.

Jo: Jo obeys mummy. I am a good girl. (pause....and after a while she says)

Mum, .............I like being with you mum. (she says it with a smile.)

Awwww....that was so wonderful to hear. It just brightened my day. :)

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Today we took Camel our adopted dog for grooming. his fur was just growing wild. If you read my earlier post on Camel, you'd know he was rescued from cruelty, and we adopted him. Well, here's the little fella after his hair cut. The best thing is the groomer knows Camel, coz it was he who rescued Camel. So he did it all for free! ANyway, Camel now looks Totally adorable! :)

Camel eyeing Nel's food

Sits still when on a leash

Camel posing

Camel is usually a VERY active dog! I had to censor this pic.

no x rated pic allowed on this family site. haha...

Camel jumping to get the treat

He can jump VERY high! I call him a pogo stick.

1st day De-Tox

There's a crazy fad going around now, and it's De-tox! yeah, it's something my friends, (which means 30 somethin's and older) are talking about and doing. I never thought I'd get to this stage, but (sigh) i finally have.

Anyways, i went to Cheryl's new pharmacy, called CHERYL PHARMACY yesterday... a Truly unique experience. It's like stepping into a cozy home with all sorts of interesting products which make you feel like you've gotta buy buy buy. Nothing like the boring medicine smelling pharmacy you find outside. You've gotta go there to know what I mean. ANyway, yes, so I bought bought bought...... am especially happy with the organic shampoo which has a lovely aroma and brings this cool, clean tingly feeling to my scalp. Also happy with the yogurt maker. :)

And yes, I was persuaded to buy Juvanex, a detox program. I think I need it for lotsa reasons....
So I started that today. Anyways, it says in the booklet, "to maximise the effect, try to follow eating suggestions inset." So I looked at the suggestions and it said "Day 1 and Day 2 - fruits every 2 hours." "Day 3 and 4 add vegetables to fruits."
I thought...that sounds easy, and went and bought a WHOLE lot of fruits.

So today, I started. Juvanex in the morning followed by fruits. ........ but err....... my stomach wanted more........ more......so I thought a bit of wheat bread won't hurt, and I had that. Then came lunch....... and I had more fruits...dragon fruit, pears and grapes. I drooled as i watched my children swallow their rice, vege, chicken and potatoes....... *drool Drool* and began to wonder if I'd survive this, just one day.

I've to disappoint you by admitting that when Jo couldn't finish her drumstick, I reasoned that food should not be wasted, so I helped her finish it. hahaha..... but ok, it was just 2-4 bites.

Then I decided to take my mind off food, go swim. So swim we went. and after the swim, I was totally LONGING for food, esp a bit of meat...not pork or beef, just some good fish. I love fish. I stole some cereal from my kids and went home and had more fruits.

so I decided to read the booklet again, and to my relief saw, "a small portion of brown rice with vege soup" is allowed. ahhhh.... that was a tremendous relief!! That concludes my first day of detox. I feel ok, not tired or grouchy as they said some might feel. However, I do feel a little hotter than usual, so I've got my air conditioning running at full force.

Let's hope I survive the second day without breaking too many rules. I suppose I want to follow it as closely as possible to get max results and also hopefully to loose some weight. I still need to get rid of that post pregnancy fat, which seems to have become "permanent deposit" around my waist line.

Anyway, one thing i learnt today, i probably can never be vegetarian. haha...

Baking again..

This week I decided it was time to take out the mixer and start baking again after a few months rest. The last time i baked was for Christmas, and i Was baking so much, I didn't wanna bake at all after that.

Well, as you all know, Nel's started kindergarten, and she has to take snacks to school everyday. Sometimes it's sandwiches, but she mostly prefers biscuits (cookies). So, I decided better make her some wholesome, healthy ones free of preservatives and low in sugar. :)

Well, I picked this Oatmeal COokie recipe from Martha Stewart's cook book. mOdified the recipe a little by cutting ammount of sugar by half. Usually I add raisins, but this time, I thought I'd make it a little more sinfully delicous. I replaced the raisins with really good bitter sweet dark chocolate. The result.......................... ahhhhh....absolutely delicious.

I gave a batch to Aunt Gladys. She's my mum's friend since the time I was about 7. Later she sms'ed me and the message goes "thanks....very delicious, all gone in 5 minutes!" Nel loves it, so I'm happy, coz it's nutritious. :)

Looks kinda sparce, but that's coz we had already eaten them, warm, fresh out the oven....before I took this shot.

yeah...oatmeal, wheatgerm and good good dark chocolate.

one batch of cookies here..

Then, I decided we'd bake some sausage buns. Junee helped me out on this one... I'm afraid the bread didn't turn out as tender as I'd like it. Fault of the recipe I think. ok, my fault too for experimenting way too much. I added Atta flour to see if it'd turn out well. Anyway, it makes really good breakfast rolls if eaten hot with cream cheese spread. slrrpppp........ i think I'll go get some now. see ya.

Picture taken before entering the oven. No pictures after that. Was too busy tasting.

Super Moth

COnversation with Nel today:

Nel: Mum, why can't my dolls and teddy bear talk like the ones in the story book and cartoons?

Me: coz, that's all imaginary, they're only in stories and on TV, they're not real.

Nel: Mum, is someone watching us on TV?

Me: Why do you ask that?

Nel: well, we watch people on TV all the time, so surely someone else must be watching us on TV.
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Conversation with Jo while reading a book on farm animals:

Jo: Look mum, baby cow likes to drink mummy's milk, and baby Goat likes to drink mummy goat's milk.
(Jo turns the page)
Jo: Look mum, baby chicks like to drink mummy chicken's milk.

Me: No, Jo, baby chicks don't take mummy chicken's milk. they eat grains. Look at this Jo, the mama chicken can lay eggs! lots of them.

(Jo looks....and after a moment says)

Jo: Jo cannot lay eggs. ....... but Jo can Eat Eggs!!! yummy. :)
(Jo turns the page to look at a picture of a lady milking the goat)
Jo: Mum, why is the lady.....why is she pulling the the..... the...... the....... the............ milk?

Me: She's milking the goat, when she pulls the milk comes out.

Jo: (thinking hard...) Mum, is it pain? Is it pain when the lady pulls it like that?
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Anyway, today we met a Super Moth! Actually this Super moth came by our house last night and hovered around the porch light.

This morning, while driving the kids to school, I looked in the rear view mirror to see Super Moth stuck to the back window! I told the girls "Look, the moth is stuck on the glass!" The girls got REALLY excited!!
After 10 mins of speeding down the highway, it WAS STILL THERE! "Wow," I said in a screechy high voice pretending to be the moth, "I wanna go school, I wanna go...wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee this is fun!! wooo hooooooooooo"

Then the moth started sliding slowly towards the edge of the car. I told the girls to say goodbye to it, but Super Moth decided to hang on!!!!!! and it DID!!! I dropped the girls, drove back another 20 minutes, and the moth was STILL there stuck fast on the back glass! Simply Amazing! So I grabbed my camera, and then proceeded to see if I could get it into a glass container. That's when Super MOth decided to say adios, and it flew off. I admit, I missed it when it left, for it sure created a super morning for us all. haha...

Dear Moth wherever you are, I hope you don't end up as bird's food.
now I must go google Moth to find out about it's amazing ability to stick on glass through wind, turns, bumps and brakes. It must be an adrenaline junkie!

Super Moth
Super Moth on edge of car, but hanging on tight.

Pretty aint' it?

Close up of its beautiful wings

here's a weird conversation with Jo which I had yesterday. In my younger cousin's terms, the conversation would be described as "Lame." haha....

Well, it all started coz I have a dog named Camel. My friends have asked if I was crazy to name my dog Camel coz it might confuse my kids. Plus, at one time I too had a cat named "Dog" and a rabbit named "Kitty."

So it was over teh tarik "pulled tea?" while waiting for Nel to finish ballet class...

Me: Jo, do you have a camel in your house?

Jo: Yes, camel is in my house.

Me: A Camel in your house???!!!!! (eyes opened wide in shock and horror....)

Jo: Yes, and it's in my kitchen.

Me: In our kitchen?????? Oh my gosh, how can that HUGE camel get in our kitchen??? A Camel is supposed to live in the desert or in the zoo....

Jo: My camel can run and fetch balls and it likes to lick me, like this! (sticking out her little tongue)

Me: A Camel that runs and fetches balls??? Jo????? How can a camel do that???? (and here I whipped out a paper from my handbag and began drawing a big picture of the real camel, and a picture of my tiny poodle named Camel.)
Me: So Jo, which Camel are you talking about? which camel do you have in your house?? the big one or the smalllll one?

Jo: (pointing to the poodle) This one of course! my camel has curly hair. But I like the Big Camel. I want! I want! I want! My daddy took me to the zoo to look at the camel and I gave him grass to eat. I want that big camel mum. Can you buy me one???? I want I want!

Me: staring at her and wondering why on earth does she want a camel. and ok...trying hard to control my laughter, coz I had to look very serious about this matter of having a camel in the house!

Anyway, the people sitting near us must've thought we were crazy, or my daughter was over imaginative talking about a camel that can run and catch balls and which lives in our kitchen. :)
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Camel

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BTW, it'z crazy how hormonal changes wreak havoc in our bodies. Couple that with certain geneticically related tendencies...it creates some miseries for a 30 somethin.
One is the ballooning body. most female in my family are pear shaped. Ok, so Jennifer Lopez is supposedly pear shape, but she's fit and trim and has extra padding on the top. Problem with this body is with a lack of exercise, that pear is gonna turn into a plump plum!!

hormonal changes.....arrghhh.....affects lustre on skin, thinning hair, temper changes, and for women, sooooo many many many changes as we age. SO many of my friends are going for laser skin treatment, slimming treatment, hair treatment...... boy the cost of living for a 30 somethin is REALLY high isn't it? I have yet to splurge on such treatments... but may consider a few in the near future haha...

weaning

Well, the election has come and gone...was my first time voting. thought, I had to do my part as a citizen of this country...
The results are out, and really, it's just mind blowing, the way the results have turned out. :) the people have spoken, the message is clear, and I just pray that things in this country will start to improve. HOpefully the opposition will carry out the things they've said. Otherwise, I suppose things will swing the other way again in 2013. Nuf bout that. http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/ (<<-- go here to read more about it.)
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Some updates on ze kids.

Jo's still strong headed as ever. I'm finally REALLY trying to wean her. The last few attempts were half hearted attempts...as I didn't want to loose that special bonding that comes with nursing. I've refused most of her requests for mummy's milk...and she kinda understands. Although she still begs for JUST one...and so I give in to just one.

There's mixed feelings in weaning.... first it's relieve that the sleepless nights will soon come to an end. Currently she wakes about twice a night instead of the usual 5-7 times. On the other hand...there is a tinge of sadness that she's no longer a baby...the baby that snuggles close to mama several times a day to be very close to mama. She loves to go off on her own to play now. However, the bonding which nursing brought about is still strong. Even when playing on her own, she returns every now and then to give me a hug, or say "I love you mum." :)
One drawback is, it is so VERY difficult to make her sleep nowadays. With nursing, that little girl is sedated in a very short time. Without nursing, it takes almost an hour to put this little monkey to sleep. She's very active.

Also, little Jo's imagination is very vivid and wild. The other day, I was about to just drop on the bed after a tiring day when she shouted "DON'T SIT!" I jumped up and asked "What????"
Jo replied "There's an ostrich on your bed, don't sit on it!"

oh well...blah blah blah. Nel's coping well in kindy. She loves it, and the teacher loves her. :) She's still struggling with the Chinese language.... but excels in all other subjects. ok, will end here....

or the kids will grow very wild soon without my supervision. :)

more 30 somethin thoughts

I woke very early this morning.....grudgingly, with creaky, squeaky sounds in every joint all over my aching body. It's been like that for a long time. the shoulder pain and the back pain is perennially there... Yeah, I've been recommended intensive physiotherapy by the doctor, but never got around to starting it.

Anyway, stepped into my bathroom to brush my teeth before starting my job for the morning which is driving my daughter and niece to kindy. I looked at the very large bathroom mirror which stretches from one end of the wall to the other. In the reflection I see the rising sun shining its very gentle and mellow rays through the shutters. The rising sun's ray is so kind as it casts a very beautiful glow on everything it touches, including me. It hides all the flaws which comes with age, and for a moment, I really look like I'm 18 all over again. *sigh* :) hahaha..

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ok, before you accuse me of being vain, admit it, if you've been mid 30's before...surely there have been moments when you noticed the changes in the body, and yearn for younger days. right? :) hmmm.....is this mid life crisis?
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on another note...have you ever gone to bed with a pair of undies which keeps getting stuck between the butt? it's horrible experience. No matter which side you roll, one side keeps getting stuck and you have to yank it out. It really causes imsomnia and sleeplessness. I'm gonna throw that one out today.