There's always a first in everything

Had a few firsts the last couple of months. Had my first chinese deep tissue massage and injury massage and I must say that though it hurt like mad on my injured spot, it worked wonders. I mentioned in a previous post that I had hurt myself one day while carrying my then 15 months old and pulled a cartilage in my back. And the body being so well made by God, was able to compensate the injured part and use the rest of the body to operate. However, it did hurt the rest of the back eventually and I had to get myself treated.

Physiotherapy with the electric pads didn't work. They made it worse. I went to my chiropractor and that helped to loosen the muscles somewhat. Decided to go for a deep tissue massage and the most available one was a chinese massager and I went in for 20 minutes. What a wonderful 20 minutes! They guy who rubbed my back really went into the spot. The body was fine after the massage wore off the day after. Didn't have to spend tons of money on physiotherapy!

We also had a first for my eldest as flower girl for my cousin's wedding. It was tough on the rehearsal night as she was very very clingy. And I really meant clingy. She wouldn't let me go and I had to literally drag her along the red carpet. We coaxed, we scolded, we threatened, we ignored and bribed. Nothing worked. Everybody said that it was ok. It's her first time and to just let her do it if she wants to.

On our part, my husband and I were angry that she just refused to walk. We had no problem with one of us walking in front of her to guide her, but she just wouldn't let go of my arms and legs. We have drilled her for the last two months on what was going to happen. I brought her to the church for two Sundays to get used to the surroundings and also went to great lengths to describe the morning to her.

However, she refused to do it. She came home saying she would practice at home and will do it on the wedding day. I don't know about you, but when it comes to important events like this, I'm not willing to take the chance that everything will run smoothly. But there was nothing that we could do with a koala. Wedding day came, we dressed her pretty and she walked! SHE WALKED! Had a quick run through with the other flower girl and she was OK! Praise the Lord! Everybody prayed. Really prayed. We didn't want to mess up someone else's happy day. I was so so proud of my daughter!

I did promise her a surprise though.

She picked her gifts and had a special afternoon tea as a reward.

I had my first car breakdown on the evening of the wedding rehearsal. Lost my way in the city while on my way to pick up my husband from work. Will blog more about this in another post.

We also had our first proper kiss from the youngest and her first steps! All at 15 months. Bought her a pair of shoes and she just walked. It's as though she relates shoes to walking. As soon as the shoes are off, she wouldn't take a step. So, she had her shoes on from morning till night and she just walked. Hardly any stumble, though not very steady initially. But she only took a week or so to figure out her gait.

Our first kisses from her came as a surprise. She used to give us wet, licking smooches, but somehow at 15 months, we get a real kiss with sounds too! Now she just loves giving kisses to people.

I'm sure my little one knows how to whistle. I've heard it. Not very loud, but still a whistle from the mouth. She only makes a single sound, but it is getting stronger. She doesn't know what she has done, and we try to cheer and clap everytime she whistles to try and get her to do it again. It hasn't been successful. Only the accidental wind blowing from her mouth. Wonder if this one will grow up musically inclined?

A year just flew by again. I'm sure this phrase will be repeated in the years to come, but this year has really passed by too quickly for me. My eldest is turning 5 and will be in Prep next year. We went for her Prep Orientation and she was happy with the teachers and friends. I felt lonely. Strange. She is growing up and is leaving me. There will be more separation as my children grow, but this first Prep Orientation really took me hard. My baby has grown up and is finally going to school. Half the battle of separation anxiety really lies with the parent. I had to let her go and know that she is safe. Her teachers are wonderful and I am assured that she will be given the opportunities to explore to her greatest potential.

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Finding me in a new hobby

Haven't been blogging for awhile. That seems to be the start of quite a few of my blog posts! I have been busy with a new hobby and also with my two children. So much has happened this last year it is quite a journey in my motherhood.

I picked up balloon twisting last November. Exactly a year ago and it has grew dramatically on me. Started with 25 long twisty balloons from ebay and went on to buying from a wholesaler in the USA. I'm not a business entity so the Australian wholesalers won't sell to me at wholesale price. And it's too expensive to buy from party shops.

So, the hobby went from single balloon designs to multiple balloons designs and the latest was a centrepiece for a friend's engagement party.

Even my husband and two daughters caught the balloon bug! Well, the husband isn't so keen on balloon twisting and sculpturing, but he's an active consultant in giving suggestions and improving my balloon bags and accessories. My eldest is able to twist a few designs on her own and my youngest, now at 18 months, knows how to operate a handheld ball pump (the balloon pumps are too stiff for her) and also to put a balloon onto the nozzle. She can't inflate a balloon yet. The coordination for that is still too much for her. But, they are all getting somewhere and I'm glad that it's being welcomed into the family.

Many have asked my why balloon twisting? To be honest, I can't quite remember. I was looking for something to do for myself. Was actually very close to enrolling into a massage course or Auslan course, but somehow found balloon twisting on youtube and thought that I could start off with a hobby instead. And people do make money out of it. Well, I wasn't quite thinking about money at that time, because I just wanted to learn something new that has got nothing to do with my children.

Selfish? Yes.

But as stay at home mothers, we have been spending time on our children, reading up books, attending seminars, networking with other parents, reading and singing children's books and songs that we forget about ourselves. It has come to a point where I am sick of picking up children's story books and CDs. I wanted to find myself back.

Don't get me wrong. I love my children. And all other children. But I need me too. I graduated with Dip in Mass Communication and BA in Journalism but am not doing any work in that field because my husband and I decided that we will spend time with our children. I worked from home as a family day care mum and did a Cert III in Children's Services so that our children can have a parent at home. I ran an online bookstore but it wasn't successful because I couldn't spend time promoting it. My husband worked hard in the office and sometimes at home too, to put food on the table and a roof over our heads.

I'm not boasting nor saying how great we are, but that's the truth of every stay at home parent. Qualified professionals who choose to stay at home. Be it the mum or the dad, the one who stays home to look after children ends up losing a huge part of themselves.

It is important to still have our own identity. So that we are not dependent on our children to live. One day they will leave home. They will go to school, move overseas/interstate, get married, have their own children. A parent's life shouldn't revolve around their children. They need to be themselves too.

And so, I picked up a hobby. Not for the children, but for myself. Also as a challenge to overcome my fear of balloons. I think I have succeeded. It has been fun and challenging. My children love the sculptures and so does my husband. My family members are my greatest fans, consultants and supporters. There are balloons everywhere in the house. I bring balloons in my bag everywhere I go and will make something for somebody at every chance.

It's wonderful to see a crying face light up with a balloon in his hands. It is wonderful to bring a smile to everyone's lives.

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The Mommy Test

Came across this on SuperKids.com

I'm glad I passed the test! :)


The Mommy Test 

I was out walking with my then 4 year old daughter. She picked up something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth. I asked her not to do that. Why?" ' Because it's been laying outside and is dirty and probably has germs."

At this point, she looked at me with total admiration and asked, "Wow! Howdo you know all this stuff?"

"Uh," I was thinking quickly, " . . . everyone knows this stuff. Um, it's on the Mommy test. You have to know it, or they don't let you be a Mommy." Oh."

We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes, but she was evidently pondering this new information. "I get it!" she beamed. "Then if you flunk, you have to be the Daddy." 


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I can do all things...

I pride myself for being independent, efficient and organised when being asked to do things.

People had also given me the same comments.

However, the last three weeks were just a mess. Absolute mess. I have never seen myself in such mess before.

What happened? I fell sick. It is bad enough to be sick. It is worse to have children to look after when you're sick.

When my children fall sick, I can still operate around them. However, God struck me with such illness that I had to admit that I am no superwoman.

It started with a sore throat, then a headache, then fever, cough and runny nose. The fever really brought me down. I lived on panadol for 4 days but the temperature wouldn't subside. By the 5th day, I had to call for help. It was mid-day and I realised that I didn't have the energy to cook. Thankfully for a churchmate who lived a street away who could cook dinner for us.

I thought that would be the only help I'll ask for. But no. By 5 pm, I wasn't moving at all. I sat in the middle of the kitchen and didn't have the energy to heat up dinner for my girls. So, another phone call was made to the pastor's wife who came straight away.

She heated up food in the microwave, put them on the table, fed the girls and read a story to my eldest. And she didn't have her dinner when she left at 7:30pm.

Throughout the week, I had to admit my inadequacy. Dinners were delivered, the house was in a mess and I just laid in bed.

Finally after a week of bed rest, I was feeling so much better. But, I had to carry my 15 month old and do a cough. Pulled a cartilage in the process of doing so. And that caused another week of immobility.

Had to call a friend to come in and help look after the girls that evening. Thank God she lives nearby and is familiar with the girls. We had takeaway dinner that night. I couldn't lift my arm. The whole of my left body was in pain.

Panadol and physio therapies were my only sanity. I'm still resting it out, but am getting better. I told my mummy friends that I felt like I just went through another caesarean with the amount of painkillers that I had swallowed.

My husband has had to get up in the middle of the night to pacify the little one. He never had to do that because we agreed that I'd have the children so that he could sleep through and have a good work day. But the last couple of weeks were so bad for me that he had to attend to the girls. We have grown a deeper appreciation for each other and through it all, deepened our love for each other.

It was tough to obey and submit to my husband's orders to lie down and rest. I knew that he was tired from work, but I also realised that if I had tried to do any more than what I should, we will see no end to this. Doing nothing was not my motto, but it had to be that way for the last two weeks.

Not only were there household chores to manage, there was church ministries to attend to. And through all these illnesses and injury, I now understand what Philippians 4:13 means when it says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Truly, without the God who gives me breath, strength and help from family and friends, I can do nothing. Had He not granted me the ability to keep going, I would have crumbled.

In another verse, God's strength is seen in our weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Not that I'll be boasting about how wonderful it was to be sick and immobile, but that God has provided and made my days smooth. He has supplied abundantly for us in food and in help. He has supplied energy when I felt like the world was crashing in.

I can do all things? No. Only through the one and only God who strengthens me. Sphere: Related Content

What is in a name?

How long does it take for you to name your children? Took us the whole pregnancy and a few more days after birth. Actually, maybe even before pregnancy. When we decided that we'll try for another baby, we started throwing out names once in awhile to seek each other's opinions.

We always come up with both boys' and girls' names. Just in case. It's fun to run through names and check out each other's responses. I think it's very stressful to be dealing with children and names at the same time.

For both our children we have names ready for the hospital. A few of them, in fact. I'm glad we both are parents who need to see their children first before naming them, because I am this kind of person. If my husband wasn't, I'd be living in frustration and doubt throughout the pregnancy wondering if the name fits my child.

There's been quite a lot of news about celebrity baby names and to be honest, I sympathise with the children. Why do celebrities' children have to have odd names?

Was it last year that a Chinese couple wanted to name their child @. Then another couple wanting to name their child Facebook?

It really took us a good 6 months to come up with a list of names and then narrowing it down to final three. For both girls. The first one was easy as we already had names in mind. The second one was trickier as our favourite girls' name was taken.

Some have asked why it took us so long to decide upon a name. I always respond with this : A name is for life. It has to be fitting, meaningful, and the child proud to be called by. They will be using their given name the rest of their lives. Why make it difficult for them?

We are all called by God to be His children. He knows us by our names, our characters, our thoughts and deeds. God has put in a lot of thought into the making of a baby that will one day grow into an adult. Then, shouldn't we, as stewards of God, should put in a bit more thought into our children's names?

A friend inboxed me recently asking how I gave my girls their Chinese names. One of the suggestions I gave to her is to pray about it. Not trying to boast of how holy I am, which I can tell you I am far from! But that if God had given us this kicking little life to be brought up, I'm sure He has in mind a name for him/her. For both my girls, God has placed circumstances in our way to guide us in naming our children. He cares for all our needs, every little thing. If God can give names to people in the Bible, He sure can do it today.

The next time you're pregnant and is stuck for names, pray. God will provide.
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Learning to read

Ever since Miss 4 went to childcare, she's had a lot more exposure and opportunities to sing, read, write and learn about the English language.

Over the last 1.5 yrs, her English vocabulary has increased by leaps and bounds, which led me to believe that it is not necessary to teach my children English as they can pick it up very quickly when with peers.

Maybe this one is just a high-achiever, but she has a very good memory for learning new things. And when it comes to languages, she just needs to hear it a few times, practice it and it's perfect. Teaching her to read her Chinese characters were easy too. As Chinese characters stem from drawings in the early days, I draw out words and that helped her to remember the meaning and the word.

She now has a word count of over 80 Chinese characters, much less than her asian counterparts, but it's not important to me. She enjoys learning new words and will not hesitate to ask how to read a new word and its meaning.

I have not been teaching her English and all her English words and recognition came from childcare. They are learning some phonics and she comes back asking how to sound a letter. I took the opportunity to teach her the sounds of the letter in both English and Mandarin. Surprisingly, it does not confuse her. It would have confused me as an adult, but I suppose children have no pre-conception of languages and just take in whatever is taught to them.

So, Miss 4 is progressing well in her language skills, both reading and speaking. I've not pushed her to write in Chinese, so she really can't write. Probably time to put in more effort on my part.

And now with Korean and Japanese dramas going crazy around the house, she has picked up quite a few phrases and enjoying it. Who knows, we might have a linguist in the future! Sphere: Related Content

New addition to the family

It's been over a year since my last blog post and the main changes would be having a baby added to the family.

I've quite forgotten what it's like to have sleepless nights until Miss H was born. This one is different from the first which I very quickly found out.

She refuses to drink cow's milk.
She refuses to take the teat.
She is fully breast-fed.
She grows faster than I can change her wardrobe.
She stood up before she could turn herself or crawl.
She climbed steps before she could walk.

There are so many differences that I feel like I'm learning to be a mum all over again. All the experiences from the first child just flew out the window.

However, there's one thing in common between the two girls. They are both miss independents. They know what they want and will persist till they get it.

This reminds me of two parables in the Bible in the book of Luke. One is the persistent widow who asked the judge to right a wrong and the other is of a man who knocked on his friend's door to ask for food. Both eventually received what they asked for because of their persistence.

I see the same persistence in my children. They will keep on at it till I give it to them. It'll have to be something that is suitable for their age. If only, as an adult, I have the same persistence as they do, in praying and seeking God! There is plenty to learn from the simple faith of our children! Sphere: Related Content