Monthly Archives

July 2011

motherhood

This just in: Chivalry is very much alive

This will be quick, I just needed to write this down. It’s going to part of a series I’m putting together so that when the kids start clawing each others’ eyes out the next round, I’ll read this to them while they cry tears of joy and group hug the life out of each other. I’m calling it the make-up kit (as in make up from a fight, not eyeliner).

All this while, we’ve been teaching Tru that his most important responsibility as the big brother was to look out for his sister and protect her, among others like not sit on her or use her as a trampoline. Even though Kirsten didn’t seem like the sort who needed protecting, we’ve always told Tru that he’s bigger and manlier, therefore equipped to perform his big brotherly duties.

It’s a hard lesson for him because he’s the sensitive soul who’s often overshadowed by his warrior princess sister. Up to this point, Kirsten has proven to be completely fearless. She’s unfazed by (imaginary) giant octopuses or scary-looking uncles and she’ll even offer to protect her brother. Thing is, while I’m sure that she’s got the zest to put up a good fight, she’s small enough to be overpowered rather swiftly.

During a difficult nap session yesterday, I had to physically restrain baby girl to prevent her from climbing everywhere. It basically involves me holding her down in a minute-long strangle hug which was firm enough to prevent motion but not tight to the point of asphyxiation. She yelled like a banshee but her efforts to escape were futile.

6 seconds in, Tru turned to me and said “Mommy, stop, don’t strap mei mei. You strap Truett, then Truett will hug mommy and sleep.”

I couldn’t be more proud.

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My chi is now much higher. Or lower. Whichever one is better.

I didn’t think I’d be the sort but turns out, I love redecorating. Seeing how much time I spend at home, it’s nice to give the place a little makeover every now and then. Plus there’s that whole Barney Stinson philosophy of how New Is Always Better. With which I wholeheartedly concur.

Once in a while, I’ll make the husband move the furniture around just for kicks. He says the cabinet looks exactly the same 5 inches to the left but the man obviously knows nothing about fengshui. Which is admittedly more than I do, but I make up for it by throwing in random words like chi and earth energy.

And it irritates him the most when I make him shift everything back to its original spot because the new layout looks terrible.

Last week, I had a bit of fun redecorating the kids’ room with new wall decals. Alma from Pinnacle Wall Arts sent over a whole bunch of premium quality wall stickers called wallcandy arts. They were so pretty that baby girl was all “I like this one and this one and this one and this one…”

We had a hard time picking out the ones we wanted to put up but we finally settled on Forest Friends for Kirsten and Race Me for Tru. It took me almost a full hour to get the stickers just right but so worth it because the end result was gorgeous.

It’s like the forest animals are having a party around the row of pictures (which I’m supposed to replace with pictures of my kids – I’m still choosing which ones to put up). And the race cars were placed above Tru’s fire engine bed for thematic unity.

It’s a brilliant concept – high quality removable wall stickers that can be repositioned as many times as I wanted without losing its stickiness. I could create a new scene and story with the wall stickers and it was totally hassle free. Just peel and re-paste.

The husband is happy too because me moving stickers around whenever I get bitten by the redecorating bug means less furniture moving for him.

The stickers are also pretty hardy. The kids had a great time peeling them off, scrunching them into little balls and asking me to put them back again. Kirsten pasted an acorn on her nose and went around saying “see I’m a qui-wel, so pretty.” I think she meant squirrel but yes princess, SO PRETTY.

Ok, giveaway time! Pinnacle Wall Arts will be giving away a set of My Sunshine and Sweet Dream Fairies to 2 readers. Just leave a comment below on which part of your home you love best. Contest closes on midnight, Sunday 31 July and 2 winners will be selected randomly.

Also, go check out their lovely range of wall stickers, wall decals and wall murals. You’ll get a 15% discount by keying in the code motherinc upon checkout. This code has no limit or no expiry date so shop away!

UPDATED: Congrats to Shan (comment 24) for winning My Sunshine and pm_babe (comment 14)  for winning Sweet Dream Fairies! I’ll be contacting you for delivery details shortly. Enjoy your new wall decals!

After removing all the non-entries, there were 59 entries for the contest.

Thanks for sharing the favorite corners of your home, I loved reading every single one.

a spot of singapore, how i pretend to be a cool mum, i embarrass myself sometimes, stuff best described as not safe for parents

My lunch date with Dr Tony Tan

Last week was a bit of a whirlwind. There was the SG Blog Awards on Saturday and the day before that, I was invited to attend a lunch with Dr Tony Tan. And I’m not referring to my general practitioner who happens to share the same name as The Dr Tony Tan.

Apparently, I was there because I wrote this piece on the General Elections that went viral and almost 5,000 people liked it on Facebook. They said that according to several sources, I was some sort of a trailblazer in the online world in Singapore. So not making that up.

From the invite, the purpose of the lunch was to discuss how digital channels are transforming discourse and opinions locally and internationally. I had to read it many times because I have no idea what many of those words meant and the only transforming I’m good at has to do with Optimus Prime and his gang of Autobots. But then I couldn’t pass up a chance to get up close with The Dr Tony Tan, so I turned to my good friends, Google and Wikipedia for help.

I figured there’d be lots of important people there and I could sneak in behind to blend in with the wallpaper but when I reached, I was brought to a room with a round table and 12 chairs. 12 chairs. Plus, there wasn’t even wallpaper for me to do the blending with. Or there was, but I couldn’t be sure because I had a mild panic attack and things got a little fuzzy by then. It was a good thing I arrived 15 minutes early so I had plenty of time to sneak off to the bathroom to throw up a little.

And then people started arriving. People who were like the biggest shots in the digital media scene, all of whom I stalk on a regular basis. People like Alvin Lim, Ravi Philemon, Pat Law, Mr Miyagi, Cherian George, Alex Au, Mr Brown and Kien M Lee.

They all looked like they came from very important meetings so I tried my best not to look like I came from a very important diaper change. Next to the table with 12 seats was an important chart with names and designated seats, which meant that I couldn’t skulk away and pick the least conspicuous seat. Not that there is such a thing as an inconspicuous seat at a round table anyway.

During the lunch, I wrote a mental journal in my head so I’m just going to post excerpts from said journal.

I’m supposed to choose between salmon carpaccio and goose liver. I’m not a fan of liver but I’ve always been taught not to order food I can’t pronounce. Is it kar-pa-chio or ker-pay-chio? What is carpaccio anyway? I’m going to be the dork that makes a wrong order. I’m just going to say salmon and hope for the best. Oh wait, Alex said kar-pa-chio. Guess I was 50% right.

Dr Tony Tan has arrived. I’m so close I can actually touch The Hair. Must. Resist. Temptation. Now’s not a good time to get myself incarcerated.

Oh, oh, oh, round table introduction time. Now’s the perfect time to start panicking.

Why are there so many forks and knives? I should casually stall for time and pretend to drink my water so I can observe what the others are using. I knew I should have paid more attention when I googled fine dining cutlery. All these tiny forks are so confusing.

Did Dr Tan just direct a question at me? I think that’s why all these people are looking at me. I generally don’t throw my hands up and shriek but I think this is one of those moments in life when one is allowed to. OK THINK, WOMAN, THINK.

Crisis averted. They are now looking at someone else.

I’m fairly certain I didn’t silence my phone. There is no discreet way to do this with my bag on the floor. Maybe if I step on it hard enough, it will disable the ring function.

Why is it that everyone else here is insanely smart? They are all taking turns to say things that I don’t understand. Now I’m torn between nodding thoughtfully or raising a questioning eyebrow. They may just see right through too much nodding. I’ll go with the eyebrow to mix things up a bit.

I really need to pee but nobody is moving. Hopefully this violent shaking of my legs will make it go away.

I actually came prepared with a question but it has to do with Dr Tony Tan’s hair and Mr Brown beat me to it.

I think I made it out from the lunch unscathed. As a reward, I totally managed to score a photo with Dr Tony Tan. Which I’m going to frame up and hang in my living room.

awards i forced myself to win, blogging about blogging

Tanks, everybody, tanks!

Happy weekend, all. Today’s a special Sunday edition because I’ve got some awesome news to update. I don’t really have a smartass way to say this so I’ll get right to it. Yesterday, the results of the Annual Singapore Blog Awards were announced and I came home with the Best Family Blog Award. Yayy!!

It was held at Shanghai Dolly, where everyone was all dressed up and very polished so I tried my best to not look goofy. Obviously not very successful.

Photo courtesy of Andy (www.sengkangbabies.blogspot.com)

Here’s a quick thank you to all the people who made this possible.

First, the kids, who gamely smiled (sometimes) and posed for every photo shoot. They’re the stars of the blog and without them, I’d still be a minion at a job I wasn’t very good at. Now at least I’m a minion at a job I love very much. They make my world spin and my days complete. Mommy loves you guys.

The husband, who’s my biggest fan and my best friend. These days, our date nights are spent behind our respective laptops with conversations that consist of monosyllabic grunts. I love that we can talk through the night and also sit together without talking through the night.

Every single one of you who drop by the blog and keep coming back. Your comments and support make me want to sit at the laptop at 3am in the morning to finish editing photos and write through every writer’s block.

Not forgetting all the other 9 finalists of the Best Family Blog category. It’s stressful going up against some of the best parenting blogs in the region and I had a great time meeting all the people whose blogs I spend so much time reading.

And finally, to OMY for putting it all together.

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A ho-cho ain’t no milo, yo!

My relationship with Milo goes back a long way, as is probably the case with every Singaporean. It seems like we all drank Milo at some point as a child, whether it was introduced by parents, grandparents or teachers. Remember the Milo van? It was always the highlight of every sports meet and I remember queueing up for many refills. For that, I blame those tiny paper cups – it’s like they were trying to make us come back for more.

It’s pretty much the one drink that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, especially on cold rainy afternoons. Sure, I mean, a hot chocolate is great and all, but it ain’t no Milo, that’s for sure.

I should probably also tell you that I make the most badass Milo Dinosaur you will ever taste, which involves precise measurements of different types of milk and enough Milo powder to give you a sugar OD. My dad used to only drink the Milo that I made and I would concoct mugs of my secret recipe Milo to store in the fridge at night. Only to find them mysteriously gone in the morning (Sarah, I’m looking at you).

When I was too busy to make my own Milo in NTU, my folks would buy me cartons of canned Milo to store in the fridge so I could just grab and go as I scrambled to make it to class on time. The husband came across my stash as he was raiding my fridge one day and he was all “eh, your father owns a Milo store is it?” True story.

At one point, it was the only beverage I drank with all my meals. We’d be out for dinner at the hawker centre and I’d do my most gung ho kopi aunty impression like “aunty, tak kiu peng gao” (which translates to iced Milo, extra thick). We go to mackers and I’d be all “McSpicy meal, change my drink to iced Milo, please.” We go for roti prata and and I’ll go “boss, Milo dinosaur satu.”

Until I began to feel the effects in my behind and had to switch some out to green tea instead.

If you’re a Milo fan, check out this video done by a couple of NTU students. A tad melodramatic but it’s a very impressive effort. I say this because back when I was doing my film module in NTU, our work was significantly um, less polished. We shot a 30-second horror flick where I was brutally murdered and my friend Chee Kong knocked my head against the door frame (twice) as he carried my dead body to a creepy grass patch lit by candles. I’m fairly certain that the footage has since self-destructed due to its appalling production quality but if I ever do find it, it’s going up on the blog.

Anyhow, this one is much better.

When you’re done, head on over to their Facebook page to read all the other Milo stories. Some of them are really good.

coolest kids ever

Every boss needs a boss chair

As with all work environments, working from home has its pros and cons. Right at the top of the benefits list is being able to go to work in my pyjamas, followed closely by not needing to bother with all that make up (or showers, for that matter) for days. Then there’s the music that I can blast as loud as I want (to drown out the kids’ shrieks) without dirty looks from co-workers.

I used to think that I could take naps whenever and go for 3-hour lunches but hah, neither of those things have happened yet. Most days, I’m glad to have 5 minutes to myself in the toilet.

At first, it’s been impossible to even find a quiet place where it’s just me and my mac, but I’ve since trained the kids to respect my Designated Work Area, which is basically made up of my super swivel boss chair, my dining table and my laptop. I tell them that whenever mommy sits on this chair, “the Boss needs to work”.

Just the other day, I made a nice big cup of coffee and brought it to my Designated Work Area, only to find it hijacked by the kids who were taking turns to usurp my Bossness.

Tru: I’m the Boss, I need to do work.

Kirsten: OK MY TURN! I need to be the boss, I’m very busy.

Now I need to teach them that my Boss status is non-transferable, although I’m not optimistic about the success of that particular lesson.

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My tale of laundry woes

I’ll just come right out and say it: laundry is my arch nemesis and the bane of my existence. If I’m Batman, then laundry is The Penguin, The Joker and Poison Ivy all rolled into one giant ball of dirty linen.

When I was staying with my mom, I discovered that I had special laundry powers. Every morning, freshly pressed laundry would miraculously appear in my drawers smelling like daisies and lavender. If I couldn’t find my favorite top, all I needed to do was yell “mom, where’s my favorite top?” and it would swiftly make its way to my arms accompanied by a chorus of little birdies.

Then during my hostel days in NTU, I suddenly lost that ability. No amount of yelling would make my clothes wash themselves and hang out to dry, so I found a way to wear my clothes for as long as possible before washing them, thereby reducing my laundry sessions to a biweekly affair.

Things got decidedly worse when I had kids because they didn’t seem to care much for my biweekly laundry plans. They spat up whenever they wanted and pooped, well, pretty much all the time. During those months of desperation, I had to resort to desperate measures. Laundry time meant grabbing bundles of clothes, dumping them into the washer and popping detergent in for a spin. It was followed by grabbing the washed bundles and stuffing them into the dryer for another spin. Which was in turn, followed by grabbing the dry bundles and dumping them into a giant basket in the storeroom. For several months, we had to pick out our outfits from said basket every morning. Ok, it gave my mom a cardiac arrest during one visit but it was our thing and it worked.

While my ingenious basket-system was high on efficiency, it pretty much killed our clothes very quickly. The husband’s Zara shirts became faded and out of shape after several washes, which was a real bummer.

Well, we’ve since abolished that system and are now extremely diligent in doing my laundry. More or less.

I was glad when Kao offered to send over their Color Bleach for a test run. First of all, I welcome all the help I can get in my daily epic battle with laundry. But more importantly, it was like a sign because Kao is my husband’s surname, and all the Kaos I know are pretty awesome (especially my 2 mini Kaos). I was all “look kids, this special product is named after you, which means you must help mommy with the laundry!” but they were like “meh, let’s play toys instead.” It was apparent that they acquired my special laundry powers.

Fortunately for me, I found out that Kao Color Bleach was good for removing stains and brightening colors at the same time. I always thought bleach was too harsh for clothes and its use should be kept to a minimum but Kao Color Bleach is a non-chlorine oxygen bleach that’s heavy-duty enough to vanquish stubborn stains but gentle enough for daily use.

In the spirit of really testing the powers of Kao Color Bleach, I decided to break out the finger paints for a no-holds-barred-mess-making session. Usually, I lay down a set of 48 rules during their finger-painting lessons, all of which revolve around ways to not make a mess. This time, I had only one rule – Do anything you want except eat it. They could smear it on their hair, their clothes, their limbs, the floor and even each other if they wanted.

They smeared it around in delight, then looked at the mess they made and were all like “ewwww so gross, I want mommy to clean.”

This was how their clothes looked like right after the painting.

Even with my limited laundry experience, I knew that stains left on clothes for too long can be really difficult to remove, so they went right into the washing machine while the paint was still fresh with ½ a cup of Kao Attack Detergent Plus Softener and Kao Color Bleach each. I didn’t even have to bother with any soaking or scrubbing.

And here’s how they looked after drying. I know right? Like magic. Ok, don’t say it, I know I’m totally degenerating into an aunty. It’s an occupational hazard, y’all.

I even got some laundry tips from Kao – my favorite one being How to Remove Blood Stains because you never know when that might come in handy. If you ever find yourself needing to remove blood stains from your clothes, quickly rinse with cold water then soak with detergent mixed with Kao Color Bleach and you’ll have them out in no time.

And now for the fun part. Fancy some samples of Kao Color Bleach Powder to test out yourselves? Head on over here to get a sample pack delivered to you & and find out more about all the other convenient laundry solutions that Kao has in store for you.

Wait, it gets better. After your sample of the Kao Colour Bleach has been mailed to you, you will receive a notification of the url to review the product. Let the good folks at Kao know what you thought about their product and you might just be one of the weekly winners to receive a year’s worth of laundry products!

So on that note…

Happy Laundrying? Laundering? Laundromatting? Laun…? Bollocks, my English is broken – I’m going to go fix it. Um, have fun!