Mummy Diaries Archives - Page 15 of 19

If I were to go back to school, what would I want to master?

If I were to go back to school, I would love to learn everything on SOCIAL MEDIA. Learn the wonders it brings to my life and make me a savvy mom, and not one under the well.

Why social media? Without knowing much about it:

– your name would not have travelled far and wide.

– your blog and business name would be just confined to your friends and relatives and no one else.

– your information on the world’s happenings would not have been first hand.

– you would probably only get to see your long lost friend 50 years down the road (likely across the street from where you live), and he probably is the only lost friend found.

– you would not have known what events to bring your kids to on the weekends.

– you would not have known so many friends in the blogosphere, from facebook likes and twitter followers.

– you would never have known so many smart people, kind people and people who share the same interest with you. Of course, you would similarly have known many unkind anonymous ghosts.

This topic requires a master degree for sure. And if there is one in my country, I would have jumped at the opportunity to master this amazing course. Social media, indeed, is one that can reach out far and wide. Even Mr Obama won his white house residency through it. Because I did not master this degree, I am now struggling to understand how social media and its various platforms work to better my blog and its readership. Self-study is always not easy but it allows you to explore and keeps you learning. One day, facebook could be overtaken by Happier, who knows? And any idea what is Happier??

(This post is written for the Daily Prompt: Back to school challenge)

Read other great posts on this topic here:

A Pinch of Me – WP Weekly Writing Challenge

This is the very first time I am taking on a WordPress Weekly Writing Challenge.

This week’s challenge is stated below, to come out with an interesting recipe for sharing.

How does the old saying go — girls are “sugar and spice and everything nice,” and boys are “snips and snails and puppy dog tails”?

Aside from not knowing what a “snip” is, I don’t buy it; we’re much more complex than lollipops and unicorns and toy trucks and frogs. This week, we want a window into the complexity that is you. We want your best recipes.

I am never a good chef, but a passable cook. Nevertheless, I am going to share a pinch of me with you.

Recipe: A Cheesy Burnt Chop Mom

Ingredients:

1 pound of fatigue (increase to 2 pounds or more if this is insufficient)

5 tbps of stress for tasting (a necessary ingredient)

10 drops of sleep (yes, only 10 drops)

10g of ear shit (for ignoring screams, this is also the cheesy part of the recipe)

10 ltrs of steam (when kids quarrel)

a bottle of red colouring (when I see red over spilled koko crunch)

a slab of thick makeup (to cover panda eyes)

a bucket of tears (when I need to let out steam)

To decorate:

infinite cups of joy

10 minutes of continuous laughter

6 ozs of sweet nothings

5 dashes of creative juice

8 heaps of smiles

a pinch of forgetfulness

endless LOVE

Instructions:

Add all the ingredients above into a big rubber inflatable pool. Stir them continuously for 10 days without stopping. Tips: for best results, stir them fast when the decibel in the house reaches 100dB, and stir them as slow as possible when you can read while still stirring with a leg.

On the 10th day, decorate with the above list, with infinite joy, continuous laughter, sweet nothings, add in some creative juices, put on heaps of smiles, a pinch of forgetfulness (to forget anything that makes you unhappy) and lastly and most importantly, pour in endless LOVE.

I hope you enjoy my Cheesy Burnt Chop Mom recipe.

Other great recipes can be found here:

My baby’s 10th mth milestone

Baby YT is getting very mobile these days. When I woke up this morning, I found him sleeping in the living room, thoroughly enjoying the cool floor. Luckily I mopped the evening before.

He is no longer satisfied sitting in the high chair while everyone busied themselves.

He is no longer content in the playpen playing his toys alone. His brother and sister take turns gladly to squeeze inside to accompany him.

He no longer wants to lie down when I change his diapers. He just springs back up repeatedly when I push him gently to a lying position. He can sit up at his own will now.

At 10 months, he loves to:

– “fly” all around in his walker to wherever he wants to go, or follow me wherever I go, stopping only at the bathroom door

– go out of the house and cry when he sees me leaving the house or sees his favourite grandpa going home.

– watch “Charlie and the numbers” and “Tricky Tracks” on Baby TV.

– put one finger into his mouth, taking care the finger goes right to the side where his molars are still dormant.

– explore the base of anything, even finding great interest in the wheels of his new walker cum wagon, often toppling it over.

– eat his favourite Gerber graduate puffs

At 10 months, he still wakes up for night feed or simply cries out loudly for some reasons that we fail to understand. We just have to be patient, and gradually getting used to. Now I no longer dare to let him fall asleep on his own while I close the door and leave the room. As he is so mobile, I am constantly afraid that he may crawl out of his floor mattress and explore behind the door. The older kids may open the door suddenly and forcefully, not knowing he is there and he may be hurt badly. Thus, I have to check on him very often if I were to leave the room or I simply accompany him till I see him close his eyes.

YT is feeding on 4 times formula milk and 2 main meals a day. I am officially off breastfeeding and have no reasons to eat as much as I like now. Breastfeeding used to be a great excuse for me to indulge in many high calories food, but not now. I will put on weight quickly if I am not careful.

Many people say that a breastfed child will not fall sick in the first year of age. But it doesn’t seem to work for all my 3 children. YT fell sick 2 times within this year, the first was a cold at 7 mths, and the second was a virus that causes high fever for 4 days at 10 mths. Poor boy, all of us gave him extra tender loving care and he is back to his old happy self now.

The little boy is experiencing stranger anxiety at full force. He is not comfortable with a roomful of well-meant uncles and aunties cooing over him. He takes time to warm up and will bury his head into my chest if he is overwhelmed. And I am enjoying the kind of trust he places on me, and loving the fact that I am needed and able to protect him.

YT is outgrowing many of his clothes now. He is now 9.82kg when he was having high fever. I choose to believe he is already 10kg at his healthy state. There is a myth that says babies should not wear shoes before his first birthday. Well, because of this, many baby gift shoes have been outgrown before he even has a chance to wear. I will be shopping around for his first pair of shoes very soon.

In 2 mths time, he is going to reach his 1 year old milestone. I am very excited by it and yet want to plan a cosy party for him (just like his brother’s 6 year old party). A party that he will not get overwhelmed. After all, he is the star of the party, he “calls” the shot.

I love you babe!

My baby’s 9th month achievements

YT is 9 and a half months old now. He is a cute little baby and we always look at him and say “You are the cutest baby in the world!” He loves to clap and never fails to win strangers’ smile.

At 9 mths old, he can crawl finally! He wasn’t too successful with crawling before this month. I was a little worried that he may miss the crawling milestone all together. I always believe that crawling will stimulate the brain as it needs some intelligence and working of the brain to work out the arms and legs coordination to make crawling happens.

He can sit up without help, though not all the time, but improving! In fact, he is starting to discover standing from a sitting position with the help of my arms.

He is now much wary of strangers as stranger anxiety sinks in. He will hold on to me tight and turn his head away whenever someone unfamiliar approaches him too fast. Then he will peep at that person again and again turning his head repeatedly. He is very clingy to me too. When I walk out of the room, he cries immediately. If I walk past him without carrying him, he cries too. When I returned home from work, he opens up his arms wide, waves them in his signature wave and literally flies in his walker to the door for me to pick him up and hug him. At such moments, all tiredness dissipates in the air.

He is eating well with 2 meals and about 4 milk feeds a day. For weekdays, he eats brown rice cereal and fish porridge. On weekends, I give him pureed sweet potato with avocado or sweet potato with steam apples. For his milk feed, he drinks 180ml each time. My breastmilk is dwindling ever since I recovered from my fatigue. Stress really cut down milk supply drastically. Kel says 9 months of breastfeeding should be very sufficient and I have done my part to give YT the best milk already. Now, he only latches on twice a day. I know I will miss the breastfeeding and so will he. Well, I will just document here to remember this.

My baby still wakes up in the middle of the night. Some parenting advice suggest that the baby misses the mummy’s presence in the day and compensates at night by waking up for milk feeds and cuddles. I don’t really mind and just let him be. It feels good to be needed.

YT’s favourite toys are toys that can be chewed on (sounds like a dog). He chews on anything that is within reach. This must be a baby’s way of exploring new things. He chews on toys, chews on books, chews on his favourite bolster. He likes to turn an object upside down and explore at all angles too.

His sister and brother play with him everyday. They simply love playing with him. This is great joy to me. Each time I encounter some depressing incidents at work, I will always think of my baby’s smile and my children’s laughter. It always soothes me and I feel much better after that. My children are truly my life!

I look forward to YT’s next milestone and look forward to every evening. Will update again on his next milestone!

Managing the Forgetfulness Monster

It’s long been known that women become forgetful once they have been through pregnancy. I have been through thrice. Will that make me 3 times more forgetful?

9 months after delivery, I have much problem remembering things. Below are some frustrating examples:

I can’t remember where I’ve kept things the day before.
I can be in the middle of a conversation and stop short of remembering what I want to say.
I can’t remember what I am searching for after filtering out my emails by a certain name.
I can be concentrating on doing a task, and forget about it when I return from a conversation with a peer.
I’ll walk into a room and forget what I want to find

This makes me rather frustrated with myself. I feel less competent. I wonder if I am suffering from some health problems. Has this something to do with my earlier stress state? Am I still suffering from too much fatigue? Have I allow excessive stress to creep in again and my brain is protesting while I am still oblivious to the warning signs?

A good friend told me that I probably have too much worries at the back of my mind with such thoughts working unconsciously. Kel said I have too much nitty gritty details on my mind such that my memory card is more than full. Now, I am worried because it is affecting much of my daily life.

I need to find some ways to manage this forgetfulness:

1. Jotting down

At work, I jot down information fast and furious before I turn my head and that information vanished in the air. It really literally happens that way now. On my way home, when I sort out some home and weekend schedule, I will jot down notes in my Galaxy calendar, or in Evernote.

2. Eating well

I am eating a balanced diet but I think I need more brain foods. A search on the internet shows up the following brain foods that boost memory and I was heading to the supermarket to get some of these before I even finished reading up:

Salmon, sardines and herring – rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are essential for brain function
Blueberries, pomegranate drink – high anti-oxidant properties that prevent the brain from the damage of free radicals. These foods can delay dementia and age-related conditions.
Avocadoes – high levels of monosaturated fats that boost the heart and blood flow to the brain for healthy brain function.
Nuts and seeds – high in vitamin E with benefits that correspond with less cognitive decline as you grow older.
Whole-grains like oatmeal, wholemeal bread, etc – promotes cardiovascular health which promotes blood flow to all organs including the brain of course. Healthy blood flow to the brain promotes healthy brain function which includes boosting memory.
Beans – stabilize glucose (blood sugar) levels. The brain is dependent on glucose for fuel.

3. Upkeep my blog

Perhaps I’ll forget much of my kids growing up years. I may forget the joy, the laughter, the challenges, the tears. I want to re-read all my blogs when I grow old and when dementia sinks in. Hopefully I’ll still remember I have a blog and its URL.

4. Sleeping well

I know I will not be sleeping well with the kind of schedule in our house around the baby. But I will have to work towards an earlier sleep time. I will have to spend earlier quality evening time with all the kids without being disturbed over dirty floors and unwashed dishes. That means I need to bring their nights out earlier to 1030pm from the current 11+pm which is rather late for young children. Then, I will be able to go to bed before 11pm which allows me to sleep for a continuous 4-6 hours before the baby wakes up for night feed. This should get better as the baby grows up.

5. Take things slow

I am an impatient person and one who wish to do everything perfectly in the fastest time possible. I need to change that to lessen my load on my body and brain. It has taken me years to learn to slow down and sadly I have not been successful in it. It’s all about mindset change and a determination to slow my pace. Maybe I should think along the line of aging faster if I continue a fast pace life. Hey! Maybe that’ll help!

This forgetfulness has led me to understand my 85 years old grandma more as we can see her dementia sets in day by day. I don’t mind repeating things to her and every time she sees me with the baby, it’s as if she sees him for the first time and there she’ll ask me again how many children I have now. She cannot control dementia and it’s important that we understand this and be patient with her.

It’s no fun forgetting things. While we can still control things and before old age renders us helpless, we should take good care of ourselves, have a good lifestyle, eat well, sleep well and maintain a happy and positive mind, hopefully to delay aging and its related inconveniences.

Do you have bouts of forgetful boos boos to share?