(2012/08) Aug 2012

yeah when boss not in we also slack. so its ok for them to rest when they are free but hor, never tell them they can go rest in their bed. my fren told her maid that and end up, she will take a nap in her bed every afternoon. we have to close both eyes in fact as long as they can do their work. for me, I let my maid use her phone as long as she is not with my boy.
 


Ag: yeah i agree with u..and imagine we are paid so much more than them, we also slack to chat on forum, facebook and long lunch etc.. i think we all need a breather at times.. so does all ya maid? Not to the extend of spoiling them, just gotta strike a balance.. I guess my approach is to sit down and talk rather then scolding and screaming my lungs out at her.. i mean, most are not educated and probably can only understand simple english so we cant really fault them at times.. scold doesnt mean they will perform better but it somehow create fear in them..
I guess i would hate my boss if he starts screaming and finding faults at me too..

But if they are really bad and CMI, then just change a new one...
 
Starfantasy> mine's natural
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Hi jijz
Nope, mine is mymar maid.. Yes, i agree is language barrier too..

Hi gals
Appreciate all ur advise..;) guess we just hv to be patience.. Everyday sure hv new pattern out...i asks her take a pail to wipe whole place and save water mah, then she take little bit of water when is already black n still wipe.. Isnt it make things more dirty?? Think she dun want carry too heavy pail.. Diaoz.. Btw, do u gals provide only 3meals or got any teabreak too? I give her bread at 4plus incase hungry.. Wht kind of breakfast u gals give her eat? Oways bread, kaya n butter?? Hee.. Hope to get some tips n learn fr u all too..;) wonder is there a forum on maid discussion.. Lol..

Hi nahnah
No need track pants.. Just make sure u wear pants as u gals will be sitting on floor.. Ohh.. Miss ms wong le as i already finish my lessons two wks ago..;( btw, can help me asks miss wong boi boi tonight whether hep B carrier mummy can breastfeed her bbies? My gynea say can but i just want double confirm fr her..;) thk u..
 
Joanne> yeah, guess really gotta be patient hahaha.. language is definitely a barrier..They are just very simple minded, i guess.. hahaha.. She is alone at home with my girl.. so morning is usually bread or biscuits with tea or milo.. spread, i get her jam, peanut butter and nutella.. Lunch, she cook her own.. I stock up maggie mee, bee hoon and noodle and she has access to eggs, veg and meat from the fridge.. we usually get some beancurd and fishball over the weekends.. where she can share with number one over lunch.. dinner, she will cook simple dishes for the family..
Tea breaks ah? i dont know if she take tea breaks hahaha.. but she has assess to everything.. so if she is hungry, she will eat ba..
Weekend she gets to go to the market with us to have breakfast
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Guess its what you are comfortable giving ba,, but the helper also have to be considerate.. i heard of some super inconsiderate maids as well..
 
joanne, I always make sure I have white bread for her and peanut butter, kaya and jam. I also buy biscuits and coffee for her so she can help herself cos I never bother when she eat etc. breakfast will be bread or biscuits whenever she likes and will not buy bfast from coffeeshop for her cos weekend she will go downstairs to buy for us. but lunch and dinner will buy for her but if i go out and dont bring her out, I ask her to cook for herself and will not give her $$ to buy food. but if we taobao sure will buy for her. one thing you may want to consider is to specify what is for her and what is not.cos my previous ones can eat my nice biscuits, chips and even fruits I buy for my boy like avocado, blueberry, strawberries etc. then when I wanna give my boy or eat, no more liao. some of them dunno their limits and can finish it for u within 2 days.
 
Joanne,

THe maid discussion can go on forever! Some of the mummies bring up very valid points, like we cannot expect them to know what we want and even when we say "clean the toilet", their expectations will be very different from ours so must really be very clear and explicit in our instructions.

Mine's a Filipino and suppose to be "smarter" but I still have to keep reminding her about certain things as she can be quite blur. One thing abt Filipinos is that they are VERY sociable, make frens very fast with the other maids around. I let her use her HP and she also uses sometimes in the day (I SMS her sometimes as well) but I'm fine with it as long as she finishes her work and dun get distracted. They are after all very lonely here and I rather she make frens with the other maids than have a bf.

My maid goes to the market weekly and I give her about $60 each time. She will plan and cook dinner on weekdays and weekends we usually eat out. For breakfast, she usually has coffee and bread with margarine/kaya. Tea break I dunno coz I am not home but I think she normally just have coffee. One thing I dun encourage is to let her take a nap in the afternoon. She usually goes to bed at 9 plus at night after clearing the dishes and bathing my gal.

The thing is need to be firm with them. I dun like to scold her but will try to talk reason with her when she is not doing something right and explain to her the consequences of her action. I start off by telling her "You know i dun like to scold you so next time please remember to blah blah blah etc"

Of course must depend on your maid lah... i think mine prefer the softer approach which is why I hardly scold her
 
sherry, you leave ur gal with maid alone? how old is ur gal...u can trust? I leave my boy at full day childcare cos I dun trust to leave him alone with maid. she picks him up at about 530pm daily and feed him dinner before I reach home at 6+ so they are alone only for about an hour.
I also didnt want to specify to my maid she can take a nap in the afternoon cos she goes to bed earlier than me at 9+. I still have to settle my boy to bed and could drag till 11+ and wake up at 6am. sometimes I think my maid better life than me cos she can rest whole day with no boss at home. once u start scolding them, its very difficult to stop. so for my current one,I never scold her once before, the most use stern voice. my previous ones, I can scold till I wanna cry and I felt so miserable and angry everyday.

btw why we need to take coconut so early hah, any mummies know?
 
Ginseng - Pao Sheng, Yang Sheng, Ren Sheng

I think this was discussed before. But which is the one that can or cannot be taken at our stage now? Thanks!
 
AG: she has been left alone with my helper ever since i am back to work after maternity.. Back then, she is probably about 4 months plus... Guess i dont have much of a choice so we just installed CCTV and hopefully, she wont ill treat my girl.. plus i have 2 dogs at home..
Mine dont take nap but i am not sure if she take power nap though in the kitchen hahaha.. She sleep between 9.30 to 1030pm and wakes up at abt 6.30-7am.. and imagine i still have to do night feeds on my own cause my girl still wake up in the middle of the night for milk..
Yes, i feel she leads a better life le hahaha.. she eats what we eats, get to sleep thru the night... whatever she needs like sanitary pad and shampoo etc, all we pay.. so she only use her salary to pay for her IDD calling card..
 
Re: Maid
Mine coming 1 month later, picking up a lot of tips here. It is totally heng suay one. My friend got an Indon transfer maid (worked for less than 1 month for previous employer) in Jan cos she delivered in Jan. This maid super automatic, always finds things to do and understands & follows instructions (the last I heard la). I just hope all goes well!!! :p

Dear nahnah,
I only planned to wear black long tights so far, yet to decide on my top. You le? hehe.
 
nahnah,
i deliver at Mt E for #1, on top of the pkg.
u still need to include following:

- ur gynae charges
- PD charges
- medication if any (pregnancy related med is included but if u r sick n need flu etc, then those med is chargeable but painkillers is not)
- epidural charge
- anethesatist charge
- neo natal charge (if bb need to b under UV light/ incubator etc)
- additional optional tests like (hearing/ metabolism etc)
- if u require additional diapers on top of wat is provided

all the above is chargeable, unforseen circumstances also need additional like my girl needed some oxygen on deliver tat also needs to b charged. n if u wanna loan breastpump also got charge.
if like me is induce delivery, the meds n jabs use for induce also chargable.
if u look through the details bill, even the tissue, waterproof sheet or other none standard equipment used during ur delivery is chargeable.

Coconut:
was told to drink in last 2 mths of tri 3, 1 is to cool our body cos we will get heaty and 2 is tat bb come out will b "cleaner" less mucas.

bed:
i nv ask before, Mt E min is 2-bedder for delivery so if they gonna upgrade me due to no rms then don think i willing to pay also. for me, #1 hb wanted 1-bedded but was not availble when he register for me. seems like 1-bedder and suites rms r highly sought after in MT E.
 
Mine also 1 month later ...

Sashamama , i wearing my maternity jeans lo ..duno if it will be comfy .. still debating whethere to change to tights ..

Very excited le.. first first lesson ..
 
jen, so now better dont drink coconut is it? hee I forgot how often we can take..is it 1 or 2 per week?
sherry, ur dogs can protect ur gal is it? hee dogs know who is their master rite.
 
btw mummies, for tonics, do you gals usually take it at nite before you go bed or in the day? What I am afraid is some herbs will keep as awake at nite. like chicken essence if i double boil it, should I take it before I go bed or in the day?
 
AG : i take birdnest once every 2 weeks .. inside will have dang seng , yang sheng and red dates..i heard from mummy that we should always take first thing in the morning before any sip of water or anything ... then for soups i usually only take during lunch ... cos i find that thinsg like chix essence make my heart pump faster and kept me awake ...
 
nahnah,
we r talking abt 4yrs back, abt 2k cash.
mine is natural birth with epidural, no forceps/ vacumm.
no additional neo-natal aka UV light/ incubator etc.
i totally BF in hospital so i dunno if they charge for feeding FM.
nv use additional diapers/ wipes and also nv loan breastpump.
but i did a optional hearing test for my #1.
of the 2k abt 900-1k is my gynae fee, 450 for anesthetist and epidural (if i don remember wrongly) and the rest is PD fees and misc.
this price is also after claiming the additional $45O for gynae fees.

coconut:
for me when i was in 34wks i have like once a wk then 36wks on i have like twice a wk cos i was tot to b delivering any time n my bb did come out relatively clean.
 
haha sherry, sorry I thought ur dogs will protect your gal :p
nahnah, how to take it the first thing in the morning. you cook it the night before? I used to take it at nite but sometimes will keep me awake so now I cook in the morning and take it in the afternoon but not sure if this will be good.
 
Jen : thanks ... i am doing caesearan .. tink the amount should double then ... haiz ...

AG : usually is my mum or mil will cook then i keep in fridge cos its one big bottle .. then i will drink 1 bowl each day in morning over abt 2-3 days .. that is for birdnest ..
i tried doing the same for black chicken soup but was told that no good to reheat .. ahaha
 
AG> for birdnest, i take it either in the morning or before i sleep.. MIL will usually bowl a big tub to last for a few days.. for tonic soup, my mum will brew it in the morning and i will take it in the afternoon when i pop over during the weekends..
 
AG: think now is can eat or drink but not too much. For me i drink and eat one everyday i'm at bali cos have been having very heaty food there, like spicy and bbq until i have sore throat liao.. Haha. Although my mum say can start in 3rd trimester. Coconut will also help to reduce those pimples on bb (i saw on tv some bb born with pimples!)

On maid, like a few mommies here, i designated places where i put food and she can eat whenever she wants. I don give her money to buy food too but will buy take away for her if we go out for lunch. Mine eat pretty little cos she scare fat.. Haha

Sherry: can book one ar?! How much the nurse tell me cannot?? I went to the mt a booth at the baby care festival in feb and was told it's first come first serve basis
 
Starfantasy> really?? hmm i did le.. my gynae gave me a form to fill up and to mail/fax over.. I did it for number one too.. and they send me an SMS to confirm my booking wo... maybe u wanna ask ya gynae>?
 
I used to take birdnest at nite, then keep waking up to pee...so I take it in the afternoon now which I think not so good.
I think they cant control hospital booking cos many are natural deliveries so cannot predict. this is dragon year so i think high chance we may not get what we want. i didnt know that if they upgrade us, we still need to pay...then it will be so unfair.
 
wah. i just ketchup on maid here tdy. hmm. ytd i interviewd the keep yes mam yes mam one i might cfm her tdy cos she sounded more enthu compared to the one i interviewed tdy. thou the one i interviewed tdy has more 'good' but she sounded nt interested like that leh. gg 2nd interview her later cos her line distorted.
anyone getting from nation?
 
Rykiel: mine frm nation
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actually i feel that interview not much use since they will agree to everything. So basically the most impt is to see the maid and if 看得顺眼 or not. Working skill and attitude u only know when she goes home with u

Sherry: oh thanks, will call and ask my gynae on the booking
 
starfantasy: u just employed or v long with u ler oh? maid ID share share with me? at least i have a rough idea. hehehehe
 
ag - problem is without baby she slack then chamz when baby comes then how can she cope? baby is nt easy to take care lor .. and me and hub timings for work quite erratic .. i need to make sure she can cope if nt at least still change b4 my bb comes .. after bb comes i where gt time to entertain her .. also i think i maid one kind one anyway i scold her she like v happy dunno how to be serious so now scold her v badly then she knows im serious and get it in her head .. i told her before she really itchy for my scolding likdat and she dare to laugh .. bth ..
if need the maid to take care of bb .. i really require her to be alert at all times and also be v clean (i.e all things must clean clean) her hygiene standard still needs to be improve as well .. somemore she only do housework and bath and feed my boy when he back from his full day childcare (which is at night already) and only take care of him like max 2-3 hrs a day only. she doesnt even need to cook for us cause either we eat at my mum place or we eat outside .. and if we eat outside and bring her along she gets to get what we eat as well .. eat good food and all .. somemore my house totally new .. things all new ... i dare to tell her where she gets such gd life no need cook just do housework and all new stuffs just mantain nia .. if she likdat also cant handle with baby how?

rykiel : my maid everything ok when i interview her when she do she garba everything also ..
 
oh yeah my maid damn smart everyday take peanut butter and potato chips for bfast and then lotsa chili and then she sick .. morning, tea drink milo and coffee .. dont drink water at all .. best rite?
ask her bring her own water out when we go out she refused and then hub will buy her drinks outside (damn smart one lah they) ... buy food her her also will hiam say she dont like .. she dare tell my hub what she like to eat .. i told her we dont need know what she like .. we buy she eat .. if we want indulge her we will ask her opinion b4 we eat else she eat either what we eat or what we buy for her if not she can buy on her pocket lor ..
 
joanne - their hygiene standard really cmi one .. u need drill in their head lor .. mine can one mop .. mop whole house no need clean the mop one haha .. mine v smart to use tissue to wipe the surfaces no need wash until i bought her a pail for each purpose and different cloths type in multiples for each purpose .. talk to her i wan expire ...
 
ayukie> haha does she know she are actually scolding her,, i have seen a lot who will just smile smile when they are being reprimanded.. we usually give her a few dollars and she go grab what she wanna eat at the coffeeshop.. at least, wont waste if she really dun wanna eat
 
Ayukie, from the sound of it, urs really like cannot make it. Exactly like my 1st one, scold her still smile. Basically it's not getting into their brain. Yours So new already dare to the food u all buy for her. I used to buy milo for them too and best can finish a big tin in less than 2 weeks. Drink till so heaty with breakout and same didn't drink water.so might as well don't buy at all. They must know where they stand too else it will never work out. Good luck to u
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Good morn ladies! 2 more days to Friday!!!

Re: Maid
Seriously, i think all problems stems from the language barrier we have with our maid! Especially those not so well educated ones! It also depends very much on the maid's attitude and learning ability. My first helper's education level was the min and the current helper's education was almost uni level (she dropped out due to lack of $)... i can see the latter being able to grasp things much faster! Also the first has only got one son who is already 10 years old... the latter has 4 and the youngest being about 5-6months old for now... that's why i find her very pitiful and don't scold her! I mean if those things I can close one eye... I will... but if things concerning the safety of the elderly and children i will reiterate to her the importance of why certain things must be done. And also must understand that they are homesick lah! We try to give and take lor. I mean different people have got different ways of doing things! So long she get the job done, I'm okie with how she does it.

I think the schedule that I have for my helper has been of great use. During the first two weeks, everyday when i came back home from work, I would go through the day's tasks with her and ask if she encountered any problems or had any questions for me. I would also brief her for the next day's tasks and also the things she needs to do. Thereafter, I'll just leave it to her and she can carry out the daily routine quite "well" already. After one month, I had an overall debrief. I told her my expectations is going to be much higher than before since she already know the routine so well.
 
jljz - my maid got uni degree in her hometown so lang nt a barrier and since she work in sg for a yr already she does understand some chinese as well (only cant speak) ...

and best my maid took the toilet bowl that blue color thingy and put in my room cupboard from the storeroom w/o me telling her to do so ..
 
Ayukie,
hahaa.. then it has got to do with the attitude of the helper liao lor! is she married? why is she here to work? for her own family or parents? wah! geh kiang somemore!!! that one i can't stand also.. that's why i keep on telling my maid dunno must ask... but when she ask too much.. she also kenna from my parents.. cos they think if she knows her work no need to ask too much!!!
 
Hi JA,

Luckily he is quite cooperative, probably bcos I pre-empt him. The 1st visit they don't do any cleaning cos they dun wan to scare them off. The dentist just use the mirror and check the condition then fix another appt for cleaning. The 2nd visit they start to do cleaning. The assistant, my hb and I will have to coax him. But luckily he is fine with it. I will try to stick with my appt if possible cos if not got to wait very long for the next date.
 
Rykiel: my maid have been with me since dec last yr. i forget her id le cos threw the biodata paper away.. Hehe. But basically their biodata are around the same. Even if the paper say they are good at doing some chores, the standard of their good may not meet ur standard of good.
 
my agent said dun trust what's written in the bio data! hahaa... peng san! so i chose based on my own gut feel and plus the interview i have with her on the phone. To me, you must be able to understand english. whether you can speak little english, so long you understand at least a bit of what we are saying is good enough already lor!
 
jljz - unmarried, 28 but behaves like a eighteen yr old .. really sian lor .. i told her bluntly i 27 yrs old become mama already lor .. she says she wants give more $$ for her parents .. anyway i told her bluntly she not worth it as well .. i see her i largi sian .. she better keep out of my sight .. simi sai patterns also gt ..
 
Hi ladies.. have been MIA for quite some time liao.. my #2 just recovered from quite a bad outbreak of HFMD also..haiz.

Have been catching up with the archives lately and thanks all for sharing all these maid experiences. Me and hb have been very anti maid and we will try to avoid getting one as much as possible. Now with #3 coming, we are seriously considering the option. Yet, I guess we still couldn't bring ourselves to hire one eventually, especially after reading all the experiences that you gals shared here. Firstly, we wouldn't trust the maid alone at home (no elderly during day time), #1 and #2 already going full day childcare. #3 will be going infant care from 3rd month onwards. So, if we were to get a maid she will mainly be tasked to do housework. We also don't want her to cook or handle our kids... I am the super ngiau type somemore.. think I will probably scold the maid upside down inside out if she cannot meet my expectation... hahaha.. Will see how it goes when #3 is here and see whether both me and hb will go kisiao or not handling 3 kiddos with all the house chores!

Going to see my little one this evening...
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Re: Rich Food Confinement Catering
Deadline: 20th June 2012

http://confinement-meals.com/media/Confinement%20Package.pdf

Areas that they don't send to: Mainly town areas like Jalan Besar, Geylang, Certain parts of Bt Timah etc. Discount entitled: 10% of package price (not inclusive of the early bird discount as we are not entitled to it)
Mode of Payment: Cheque or Bank Transfer

I will forward the collated order to Nigel and he will laise with you regarding the payment.

Details required and please email me at [email protected]
Name:
Contact No:
Address:
Package:
Email Address:
Please refer to the menu and indicate any food items that you do not consume. They will try their best to replace the items with something else but we do not get to choose what are the items they are going to replace with.
 


anyway talk abt her i gt migrine .. actually at times i dont feel like gg home after work to see her .. but i damn miz my cute my boy .. damn sian manz ..
 

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