Any Mommies in mid-late 30s or over 40 with small children?

Gingerbelle, hope you are coping well and your gal has recovered by now. take care.
Yes, I'm affected by the share prices and the structured products, though mine is not lemon-linked but still... by UBS which luckily swiss govt is backing it up. but my share prices has gone all the way south... i think i lose like 80% of my money. damn! nowadays also didn';t look at the share prices. din't dare to!

i also have a few policies with AIA, so AIA better be ok else i will find the highest blk in singapore an dlook down... hahaha... just kidding. think i'm not brave enough to jump yet.

stylo, your household stuff looks very modern. you got use or not or just for decoration purpose? ;P

I've brought no 1 and 2 to phuket last year without realising that i'm pregnant. we stayed in novotel. arnold doesn't want to come home even though we stayed 5 days 4 nites there. he said next time we have to stay for at least one week. both love the beach and we are there without fail. do you need to know anything else?
 


edrickelleon, sheryl will be 3yo next year and i'm putting her in Cherie Hearts near Beach Road (near my office) starting next year. So she will follow me to work and back when i get off work. will be in playgroup so I don't really care much about the curriculum so long as she is happy and well taken care of. Of course, i will expect the teachers to teach a bit lah, like reading, doing some arts and craft, motor skills, chinese and play! most impt thing is that i want her to have a systematic day... but maybe too boring and not creative for the child at the end of the day. Also, this place is very afforable and clean.
I think you should go to somewhere that you feel good about.
 
rona
OIC, that means can get from my own pd.. thanks.
She is fine since last nite, we withheld milk for her last feed, and only gave her bread. No puking.

No lah.. u got the gender mixed up. jesse is my first boy. chara and julien are twin gals...
haha, most of the mummies also dress casually there.. so it's ok. Yes, jesse went to the new class..hehe..

hehehe... the maid used, not we! she says the chopping board is useful...

Phuket - is the car ride frm the airport to the hotel far, my sil says it's winding.. if so, looks like hv to prepare motion sickness pills/syrup for them...
How is food there, lots of choices? You know lah, w/ kids, wl hv to be noodles, pasta, that sort of food.

I hear good things re Cherie Hearts.

edrickelleon
I think you wl hv to decide if you can afford it and how far is the place from where you are, and who is the one bringing the kid to/fro.
Gotta think of rainy days too...

I'm quite like rona, the consideration for me is it has to be near to my mom's place, as she/maid bring them to school.
Not really bothered about curriculum, after all, I see they do learn sth. Wl make the switch when they turn 4, to join jesse.

Frankly I feel that at this young age, all he needs is something to keep him bz, hv the chance to mingle w/ other kids his age, learn motor and occupational skills, learn some English. As he is older, you may want to switch.
My opinion.

Btw I learn sth too, for some schools, there may be ltd vacancies as their kids/students wl flw through till K2 before they leave to enter P1. So you may wish to have early preparation, like put in the name first to reserve...
 
hi mommies

My gal got worse instead of better..me gotta take leave again tomorrow (just started work this month and already took 2 days of leave) cos she needs the nebulliser (spelt this way??) to clear the phelgm and her fever came back again..sigh..am really tired.

Rona

Same here..I don't check the share prices any more just look at the STI is quite enough for me. Anyway what goes down must come up again..think positive..just a matter of time or rather years this time round unless the companies go bust.

edrickelleon
hope you'll find the right pre-school. If you were staying in Clementi, I would have recommended Clementi Woods Kindergarten. But you are at Queenstown, I'm not so sure about the schools there. Now that my son is in childcare, I feel that he seems to be learning more at Clementi Woods Kindi then the childcare he is in now. Even he felt it too. But what to do..I've gone back to work, gotta put him in childcare. Don't feel safe leaving him alone with maid at home.

StyloBB

My workplace is at Science Park. Actually my colleagues are pretty nice so I guess I just need time to 'blend in' nicely.


Good nite mommies..sweet dreamzzz..
 
Hi Mommies
So tired last nite (despite going for a run) that I KO pretty fast.

Topic for discussion today:
In view of the economy, what practical steps have you taken to tighten your belts?

(coffee topic has been touched on, so we can skip that..hehe)
I tried to sleep w/o aircon one night but it did not work for me!!!


gingerbelle
Your gal got viral fever?
 
styloBB

I have been consistently thrifty since stopped working
Can't tighten anymore else will have difficulty breathing
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Gingerbelle, seems like your gal has gotten a pretty bad bug. the fever should be caused by the cough and phelgm infection. Did the doc give any anti-biotic? The nebulizer will help clear the airway and your gal will recover soon. Arnold used to have lots of problems with the respirory system so I'm very experienced with this. I can even tell you what medication you are taking... don't worry, once they start the neb, recovery is quite fast. Wish your gal speedy recovery!

Stylo, which hotel are you staying or which beach are you at? My kids are ok with the car ride to Patong Beach. But they don't suffer from motion sickness. So if your kids are prone to it, then you better prepare something for them, other then that, the ride is actually quite comforable. Lots of food choices - for the adults mainly. But there is a new shopping centre, Jungceylon, with KFC and a jap place and a chinese place and also ice-cream places. we went there almost every afternoon when we were there since its too hot in the afternoon to be lazing on the beach. Hotel meal is ex as usual but our free breakfast is ok, with pancakes, cereals etc etc and we will get until cannot move then drag ourselves to the beach. my kids love the tu-tu so we take the tu-tu everyday to the shopping centre. there's a lot of shops and massage place in Jungceylon. let my gal slept on one of the bed while i went for foot massage. quite enjoy the trip. bring more cash if you are into massages.

Cherie Hearts - its cheap after the subsidy. My gal's fees will be $360 for first 6 months then $450 for the rest of the year starting next Jan. very affordable.

tightening belts - like sleepy, have been thrifty so don't think i can cut anymore. maybe marketing, have been switching to housebrands to save some money. fish - if threadfin is very expensive like $40/kg, switch to smaller and cheaper options. Have been to two trips early part of the year, so will not be going anywhere this year. planning for a trip for the kids next year and maybe a trip for myself... that is if the surcharges etc has come off...
 
we also eat out less often... so my grocery bills actually went up...
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dunno, felt like if the economy is bad but if we still have the means then its time to get the big tic items - cos we will have lots of bargaining power and can cut a better deal then when during good times. only now we don;t need anything. I'm been buying things during sales for x'mas gifts...
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only to forget and i may get the same person two gifts... so now i label them properly.

i've just spent money buying a friend dinner last nite, went to this teppan-yaki place in suntec. ok food, spend about $110 for two. 2 green tea is $7.20++!!! think this is over-priced.
 
Halo mummies! Good Afternoon!

tamarind:
No plans for 2nd kid as yet. Maybe when he turns 2 and a half can think about conceiving the 2nd one.

rona:
- My policies are all from AIA too! keep our fingers crossed.
- I agree that most imptly, our kids are happy in the sch he's in, coz nothing else really matter with the big smile you see every day.
- Beach Road! I'm working along Beach Road too! Whereabouts r u? I'm at the plaza. But my company shifting to Shenton Way this December.

Stylobb:
-Thanks for your encouragement and opinion as to pre-sch considerations.
- i guess measures like refraining from going to restarants in the weekends and such as far as tightening belt is concerned. Just came back from australia though 2 weeks ago. But was a good trip and the exchange rate then was almost like 1 to 1. Tired though as my 18mths was with us. so still wake up early to prepare his breakfast and logistics plan for each day.

Gingerbelle:
Sorry to hear that your gal got worse.
Must be quite tough on you especially wif a new job in place. Hang on there. If you need some inspiration, give us a shout! I may not be able to give much advice coz I'm experiencing the same thing as you 2. Just a mth ago, my boy was down to 2 high fever, gosh, cannot sleep, worry no mood to work. but guess we've got experieced mothers here in this forum to reassure us!

My boy puke twice last nite. He was having running nose so I suspect the mucus (is that how I spell it?) gone down his throat while he's sleeping and causing him difficuly to breath. So he cough and puke milk. Also suspect there's phlem. After the 2nd puke, my husband and I put our pillow in his cot and let him sleep with half of his body on the pillow so he's incline which we thot this way the mucus may not get into his throat. That's like 3 am! He slept thru till abt 5 for a feed then till 7 in d morning. This morning when he cough, there's phlem accompanied with milk but not as much. I hope he's feeling ok by tomorrow as I arranged a trial class with 1 kindi.

I'm now working and it's end month with my sales targets really close. And I have only half a day to get those targets as I'm off tomorrow. Being going home late for the past week as chasing targets, feeling really guilty about not spending more time with my boy! Sigh
 
Hi mommies

My another nightmare has started..my MIL drops by any time any day without notice, the excuse she has now is to check on my new maid since no one is at home. I know that she is very lonely cos my FIL has passed away and there is no one else for her to turn to. But it's hard to be understanding when she is going to be at my house anytime anyday without notice. I don't enjoy the intrusion esp when she is super 'water-crazy', her constant 'drink water' naggings is a killer. She is at my house now. Help, somebody rescue me!

edrickelleon
My gal is refusing fever med. She kept spitting them out and her fever cannot come down because of that. I wonder if I need to go on leave again tomorrow. Really hope your son and my gal both get well real soon. As mommies, I can fully understand the guilty feeling you feel on not spending enough time with your kid, esp when they are sick. I feel very guilty too when I go to work despite them being sick. Being a SAHM for the past 3 years has made me realise that I enjoy working more than being a SAHM tho.
 
sleepy
Then at least can be slimmer....hehehe

rona
I hv tentatively reserved Holiday Inn due to their family suite but I hvn't booked my flights. Cos also thinking if go for hol next year instead... with everything going up, may be worth withholding the hol.

Upon arrival, how to get transport? I read that there is some kind of coach.
Or will it be better to book limo service from hotel beforehand?

edrickelleon
Fever - v siong and in a way, scary. Hv to monitor at nite, v tiring.
Once chara had it for like 6 nights, I was so so tired out.
Puke - also teruk. Clean up mess and the tod is so poor thing...too young to say anything.

What happens if you cannot meet your target??

gingerbelle
Don't know how to tackle ur mil issue... she has no friends? no activities?
Maybe you hint to her that she can come, but at specific time cos your gal has to take nap??
Sorry, how many kids do you have?

Fever - how long has it been?
You can give her a bath w/ normal temp water, or sponge her.
Why don't you put a fever pad on her forehead when she sleeps? I find that v useful.


Measures for me:
We cut down on eating at restaurants, even tho we like to try new places.
At home, difficult to monitor, as our laundry is a lot.
Try to switch on aircon when it is bedtime, not earlier.
 
hi all mummies, i'm a mtb. Wanna share that Tollyjoy will be having their warehouse sale on 21-23 November. From 11am to 7pm. Gd place to buy bb stuff in times like these.
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stylo, holiday inn is a very good and children friendly hotel. lots of activities for the kids. good choice. we took the cab from the airport to the hotel, not a problem, very professional cab team. no need to book transport from the hotel which could be very expensive.

gingerbelle, how come your MIL drops in when your kids are not home with the maid? If your kids are home with the maid and she drops in, then i understand her rational... if she is too bored, encourage her to take part in the cc's activities and make friends. then they will have companions to kill time with. when my kids are not with my mum, she will go join the cc for taiji, walks, even day trips round singapore or muar, malaysia. my dad is working so she has time on her hands. is your gal better now? invite your MIL to help take care of her lah, maybe if she finds too hard, she may not drop by so often un-announce. when you are feeling pia chak, think of me... i got to stay with my PIL... and face their ENDLESS and repetitive questions about why i have to bring my kids back to my mum for her to look after when PIL clearly have no time for them and my maid cannot cope looking after 3 of them!!! Even when PIL go for holidays for like 2 or 3 weeks, when they come back, the first questions they ask is when did the kids come back, how many days were they in the house and how come i did not bring the kids back everyday... notlike they are home to play with them or help me look after them so why bother with when and where the kids are? hope you feel better now...
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edrickelleon, my office is at gateway east, just next to your office. we are going to stay put there, rental has just gone up 3 folds. how come you are moving to shenton way, is rental in shenton way cheaper then plaza? hope your boy is feeling better now, got to give him some medicine for the phelgm, else its really very irritating. gingerbelle, has your gal improved after the neb? if she doesn;t want to have teh medicine, you may need to give her the supposiory, else her fever won;t come down and it may not be that good. my 30mo gal had salmonella not too long ago and also don;t want to take medicine. so we haev to coax her and play with her and do funny things with her to get her to take the medicine. really hard work. then got to take her to toilet cos she lau sai... Anyway, i hope your gal gets well soon, else very heartache.
totally agree that being at work is more peacefull then being a SAHM
 
have you wean your kids off the bottle? i've been very lazy and have not done so... guilty as charge! now there's this issue of BPA-free thingie, and have to change bottles every 3-6 months... ive not change mine for like 5 years!!! think i have to change bottles now... maybe get glass bottles? so need to change my 10 weeks old bb's bottle as well in another mth or so, maybe just b4 i get back to work...

tummy still very loose, haven't have chance to go running, but have brougt kids out to pool yesterday and to wild wild wet today (first time there!) good fun! now my waist is 35 inches... about same as my hb... don't know how to fit into my pants, maybe juse his pants to go work to? sigh! seriously thinking of going to slimming centres or docs for help in spot reduction... though i know there's no such thing unless i put in effort to exercise and watch what i eat.

stylo, Marks & Spencer's sports bra is good, $69. a shame the ones on sale don't have my size... else could have gotten very cheap and good ones.

Gingerbelle, was going to buy noble grp at $0.70 last monday but was a little scared... shocked to see that it's trading at $1.0x today... economist were saying that the worst credit crunch is over and that if the dows could hold, the share market could move out already. think i missed the boat!

I'm going for the big walk on sunday. Australian friend in town so going to ask her to walk with me. have not participated in years! very excited!
 
Hi mommies,
I was very busy for the whole week !

I discovered my girl's permanent tooth already started coming out below her shaky tooth ! I was quite worried. The next day my hubby brought her to pull out the tooth. He said that she was very brave, did not cry at all. I was relieved. It costs me $35, OMG if I had to pay $35 for every tooth to be pulled out, then my wallet is going to have a big hole !

Can you believe this ? My hubby told me that when he was at the dentist, the staff thought that he is my girls' elder brother ! That is so shocking ! He is already above 40 years old. I think I look like his older sister now, even though I am 2 years younger than him.


styloBB,
In view of the economy, what practical steps have you taken to tighten your belts?

Check out my blog about the cheapest ways to live in Singapore
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http://mysingaporeguide.blogspot.com/

We used to eat out very often, now I try to eat at home every day. Cooking at home can really save a lot of money. I am not exactly eating frozen chicken as written in my blog (but my maid does :p). I buy one whole fresh chicken $8.60, half a chicken is enough to feed 4 person. Also try to eat more vegetables, which are very cheap and healthy too.

I also bought fans for every room and try to not to use air-con.

gingerbelle,edrickelleon,
Hope that both your children recover soon. I also had to go to work when my kids were sick, no choice. I think so long as we try to get home early and spend quality time with them every day, it should be fine. My boy had HFMD 2-3 weeks ago, I could only take leave for 2 days to stay with him in the hospital. When he was discharged, I had to go to work, even when he was not completely well yet. But I let him sleep in my bedroom for one week and he was so happy, since he normally sleeps with my mother in the other room.

My mother also is a constant "drink water" nagger. She lives with me ! But with old people, we have to try to keep our ears "closed". My mother will "water" the kids herself or ask the maid to do it. So long as she does not ask me to do anything, I am fine
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rona,
I have already changed to BPA free bottles many months ago. I think I can only wean my kids off the bottle when both are in P1 ! I am very scared that they spill everywhere when they drink from the cup.
 
Tamarind
men age very very slowly...
I look at hubby's photo 10 years ago & he hasn't aged a singe bit. But I descend from a sweet young thing to auntie-hood liao
 
gingerbelle:

Re MIL issues, to add on to what the other mommies had recommended in the earlier posts, my view is you can't teach an old dog new tricks. not sure if other mommies agree. i said that becoz i live wif my MIL. I was in a minor state of depression during my 3 mths maternity leave. My MIL stays with me and voluntarily takes care of me and my son edrick. but her constant nagging, and the kan-chiong spider over little issues really drive me nuts. I'm a person whom don't let problems sit in but prefer direct confrontation of the problem so i tried talking to her but does not seem to help. she has her own way of taking care edrick where i have mine which can't seem to agree. plus my husband's constantly on biz trip, and my mom was not to my rescue coz she passed away just 3 mths b4 my wedding, i was really feeling very down at 1 time. now that a year and a half had passed, when i looked back, i guess we need to come to a compromise. for my case, if not for my MIL, i wouldn't have gone to work with peace of mind that edrick is in good hands despite she may call me sharp at 5pm check on wat time i'll be back. it's nice after a hard day's work with piping hot dinner serve on the table when u get home. Maybe becoz i lost my mom, i start to appreciate things in a different way. To date, there r still many things which I not quite agree to my MIL, but we need to find a balance to contra such negative thots. Of course, I've heard of MIL's that's really horrid. But in general, I guess they always have interest to the family just that the way they express it, we may not come eye to eye abt. Also 1 more thing to add, it's always easier to talk to your mom abt stuff u cannot agree but difficult to MIL due to sensitivity.

bathing and sponging helps to bring down fever. let her wear something comfortable but do not wrap her up like a dumpling. Edrick used to refuse milk and med at some stage, try some tricks that your gal will normally respond to and quickly feed her the med. if you don't normally give her sweet stuff, associate med with sweets, maybe that can help.

StyloBB:

Yeah tell me about it with fever. no sleep. even very tired, u can't sleep until he fever subside to a reasonable temperature for a glimpse.

My commision's gone if i can't meet my targets let alone answering to the management y can't meet in the first place. Thank god I met the targets tis mth!

Cloudz:
Thanks for the info!

Rona:

My co. was bought over by an american firm few mths back and we're merging the local offices to a bigger premise. I too agree that working is less stressful than SAHM.
I've not wean edrick off the bottle as well. thinking of starting it before he goes to playgoup. As for loosing weight, my i went to my gynae for prescription and i shed like 6-7 kgs in 4 mths. Just to impatient with the creeping results through exercise.

Tamarind:

I do agree men aged slower than women! men at 40 can still be attractive to young women with terms like charisma. but women at 40, at the best they call you lao chio! keke
 
edrickelleon, what med did your gynae gave you? i want it too! can tell me then i can get from my doc? Thanks!
 
Hi Mummies

rona/tam
I think one of my possible way to tighten belt is maybe not to go phuket...hahaha... still considering lah.

rona
Thanks for info.

Don't you find that old ppl like to ask questions that can cause 'internal injury'?? hehe...

So your inlaws don't help to look after ur kids?

Wow, still not so cheap eh, the sports bra... lingerie is just not cheap !!

I am also trying to rid of my loose tummy, seems can't be helped... even tho I jog.

edrick
Hehe...yeah, what medicine if the gynae give??

I don't think I can ever live w/ my mil... like what u wrote, we need to balance the sensitivity.

So sorry to hear about ur mom. It's indeed easier to talk to our own moms than to our mils.

tam
$35 sounds ok lah.. u wud not want to know jesse's dental cost recently... that's the reason I cannot bring my gals to his dentist next time...hehehe...

What is BPA free bottle??

Laughing re ur hb being mistaken as the younger brother.. u beta not be asked the next time 'where is ur son?' hahaha!
 
Rona/ Stylobb:

My gynae gave me 2 types. 1 is Panbesy (To take 20 minutes b4 breakfast. More of a appetite suppresant. Cannot take more than 3 mths continuosly).

The other is Xenical (To take with lunch & dinner. It's to prevent oil absorption from the food you consume.) But 1 thing abt Xenical is it can get quite messy. When you...hmm..fart, the oil may come off. So I suggest to put a pad, safeguard yourself from the embarrassment esp if you're at work coz you can smell!. Sometimes the oil may juz come off. But when you see the amount of oil that comes off when you clear your bowels, my god, you'll tell yourself, no wonder I cannot lose weight! The above sypmton normally comes after the next day when you start Xenical the day before and it can get really bad if you had very oily stuff such as fried kway teow or hokkien mee....kinda gross. Some of my friends did not like Xenical due to the above side effects. But for me, the results pay off though my tummy's still loose, but my waist went down from 33 to 28 inches in 4 mths. Oh one thing, I heard Xenical is available on the shelf with pharmacies. May be cheaper than getting it prescribe by a doc. My gynae said can take Xenical up to 2 years continuosly.

Stylo:

I agree that old ppl like to ask questions that cause "internal injury" unknowingly. I guess their EQ is not too high.

No worries. I still miss my mom very much but life still have to go on. U know, b4 my mom passed away, when she got to know I'm gonna live wif my MIL, she's mocking at me..kekeke...r u sure? she said. Your temper's terrible and you're so lazy....which I absolutely agree wif her, but there's no other option for me. Indeed there were many issues that's screaming at the top of my lungs. So, besides the balancing of sensitivity, you probably need some time of your own. I used to take leave but let everyone thot I'm at work. So I will go get myself a nice breakfast for a start, then go window shopping, find myself a cafe to relax when I'm tired, then go home as usual. And NO HUSBAND and KID and NO PHONECALLS. Just a day to myself to do what I feel like doing. Then go home at usual timing which I'm suppose to come home from work...kekeke..And I think that helps. And I'm still doing it once in a while when I feel I'm running out of steam.

To All mummies in this forum:

I discovered this nice place called keppel bay. Situated an island off the "Reflections" condo. Anyone know of this place? thot that may be a good place for a catch up with mommies if we plan to have one in d evening..
 
edrickelleon,
You are absolutely doing the right thing by taking leave to relax on your own
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Sometimes I will take half day off and go shopping on my own
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Mommies like us need a break !

What is the name of that place on the island off the Reflections condo ? Sounds interesting.


styloBB,
OMG don't tell me I look like the mother of my hubby now ? I will do some "survey" when I go out with him next time.

There is some report saying that normal plastic milk bottles contain BPA, which could be harmful. So many mommies are changing to BPA free bottles.

Yes going on vacation is not cheap
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Your kids like the beach ?

Check out my blog about my kids in Krabi, near Phuket. My hubby is also in the photos, does he really look so young ?

Here's my blog : Krabi with Kids

sleepy,
Me too. I definitely aged much more than my hubby
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Tamarind:

Yes! mommies need a break too! How do you manage to go Hokkaido leaving your kids behind without your hubby whining about it? I guess for me it's difficult coz edrick's taken care by my MIL and I think she'd freak out if I suggest that. But I have been dying to do something like this.

Btw, what does BPA stands for?
examples of brands that's BPA free? I'm using avent bottles.

How's your boy? Hope he's totally recovered from HFMD?

Cannot remember the exact name of that place. it's just a road away from harbour front where nobody really notice the left turn. The turn is right beside the "Carribean" condo. I was there on Sunday morning with edrick. Sat at the cafe with a big space for kids to run about with full vision. Nice view of yatches parking there too.
 
edrick
So 'messy' re the Xenical, btw, I think I have heard of it before... thanks for info.

Leave - I usu take time out with hb but I do that too...hehe... 1/2 a day...it's good for my soul.... rmber I mentioned I went to ikea recently.... I don't take full day cos I will start feeling lethargic after lunch-time!
Taking time out is therapeutic, right?

Is your hb the only son??

I don't about keppel bay, I only know pebble bay and the area next to Harbourfront, where Prive restaurant is.


tam
Where to buy the BPA free bottles? Do existing brands carry them??

They like the water... and playing with sand....

How do you go to Krabi from Phuket?
Yo! Your hb does look young... haha...
I think it's great that you got your kids life jackets.

Eeek..I'm very particular about hotel bathrooms and toilets, they hv to be spacious and inviting...

Was reading through some of your travels... it's a pity for me, I have been to a couple of places but those days, no blogging leh... if only I had captured my trips thru blogging and posted them online.
 
Hi stylo,

It's indeed very therapeuatic.

My hb is the eldest. still have 2 younger bros.

Edrick's having running nose and cough. guess it's just 1 of those. thank god no more puking. but when he's on medication, he's very clingy to me.

I'm also very particular abt hotel bathrooms too. Hate those dimly lit type where it makes it kinda eerie.

I recently went to Australia perth and stayed at this place called the arum retreat. Great place if you wanna get out of the city buzziness to chill out. You can refer to this link with pictures that deliver what u see is what u get.
http://www.inhouseholidays.com.au/index.php?id=197
In this same website, they have some other awesome houses that's manned by this same agency..check it out.

I not a very IT savy person. Did register on facebook but did not really maintain it. Heard abt blogs but I guess I'm juz too lazy to maintain..keke.

Ginger, how's your gal?
 
Hi Mommies

My gal is better now. still coughing and still having runny nose but her fever is gone finally. Same as edrickelleon's son. Think should recover soon. She is still waking up frequently at night, so I'm a zombie at work now.

After hearing all your stories about your MIL, I think I really feel better now. My MIL's life revolve only around her son. So she is not very in to any other social life. I guess I've to be more accomodating. But everytime I tell myself this, I start doing the opposite when she irritates me. Think I'm not a very nice DIL indeed. Looking at her, I'm resolved to think that I will not live my life for my kids only. I think we will become a burden to our kids when our lives only revolve around them when they want to be independent.

I thot Tam was really funny with her 'OMG don't tell me I look like the mother of my hubby now'. Aiyoh it really made me laugh!! haa!! My aunt also tell me that my hubby still looks like a boy and he doesn't look like a dad with 2 kids at all..hmm..

Rona, wanted to buy SIA today at $11 but it shot up to $11.80. The stock mkt is so unpredictable. I'm actually quite a risk adverse person, so I'm constantly missing the boat.
 
Does any mommy have the contact number to "tian xia" at Jurong East? Am thinking of signing up my kid for the Chinese class.
 
ginger:

glad to know your gal's better now. It's normal to react that way when you MIL irritates u. Even I try to be as accomodating as possible, I will sometimes go "short circuit" too. We're human after all. It'll get better as time goes by where u start to cultivate "selective" hearing. keke and learn how to "close" 2 eyes.

Do your gal normally wake up very often at night? Or is it just this period when she's not well with the cough and running nose? If it's just this period, i think it's normal. But if she normally do so even when she's not ill, do you normally give her a full milk feed when she wake up? I use to have the same problem wif edrick. I remembered I read some book advising how to tackle this issue. If your gal wake up in the middle of the night, gradually decrease the milk feed. For a start, say if you normally give her 180ml, the next night if she wake up, decrease to 150ml, following 120ml next night and so on. I tried and after a week, edrick can sleep through for at least 6 - 7 hours before he wakes up for another feed. Hope this helps.
 
Hi mummies,

Long time no write...had been on biz trip almost all of last month! Tiring...

Query- how many FTWM rely on maids to care for their kids during the day? I have been staying with my parents till now, but am thinking of moving back to my flat next year, when my kids are 4 and 6 YO. Plan to put the elder in full day childcare, but younger will be in half-day, and the maid will need to fetch the kids back (childcare ctr at next block of flats only), and look after the younger one in the afternoon. My maid is trustworthy, but I am nervous as nothing beats having my parents around...

Pls share your comments on how you cope?

Wenray- Tien Hsia at Jurong East has moved to Jurong Point, my gal used to go there. FYIP.
 
Read this webpage about BPA
Canada says BPA toxic, to ban baby bottles with it
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20081019/twl-canada-baby-bottle-ban-1be00ca.html

There is a brand called Bfree bottles, available at Kiddy Palace. The normal Avent bottles contain BPA. Avent just came out with BPA free bottles, available from drugstore.com, but not available in Singapore yet.

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=195976&catid=75661


edrickelleon,
My hubby is used to me traveling on my own. I used to travel on business, then later I traveled alone to Europe, Canada, Sydney, etc. He knew that even if he said no, I would just ignore him hahaha I am paying for everything using my own money anyway. My mother has my maid to help her, so she has no problem. I have even brought my mother on short overseas vacation, leaving the kids with the maid and my hubby hahaha My father also stays with us so it is OK.

Jerome is fine since he was discharged from the hospital. I have not let him go back to school. He will only go back next year when he starts K1. He enjoys being at home ! I am teaching him phonics and reading at home
happy.gif
Actually I feel like keeping him at home, because his immunity is weak and keep getting ill when he goes to school. He is learning very well at home. But then I think he needs the social interaction with other boys the same age.

The cafe sounds nice
happy.gif
Will check it out.

styloBB,
There used ot be direct flights from Tiger Airways to Krabi. But the flights are discontinued this year
sad.gif
It is about 2 hours by car from phuket airport to Krabi. I prefer the islands off Krabi, the beaches are very nice and I love the fishes which just swim up to us !



gingerbelle,
Sigh... I will be 40 years old next year. Not surprising if people think I am the mother of an 18 year old. My hubby is already over 40 but no one can guess he is that age, I am so jealous !


Fairyprincess,
Personally I prefer to have grandparents supervising the maid. I think it is safer this way.
 
Hi Mummies

gingerbelle
I also try to be understanding.

erickn
Oh, are we talking about the same place re keppel bay??? Where there are yachts outside the restaurant?

Your reminder that we also 'short circuit' is true, much as we try, at times we also cannot tahan.
Stimes I think it's best to keep quiet and not say anything.

fairyprincess
Can somehow understand your concern tho I don't have such a situation.
I wonder if I'm in such a situation, how would I feel? A bit not at peace... hmm..... don't know to be wary of maid or that maid shud be wary of strangers along the way.
If it's near, shud be ok, just tell her to be careful.

Can your parents go with maid or drop by randomly to check??

tam
Looks like I gotta change the bottles.

Nowadays so much toxins everywhere.
Watched programme last nite about this mother who has cancer and she has 2 children...

Krabi - yeah I heard that it's a quieter place compared to Phuket.
I also like Samui - long ago when it was not so developed, the sea was super clear...and sand was super fine... I went for a thai massage, it was rather painful but shiok!! haha...

I went to Niagara Falls before, my gf drove us to Buffalo. I rmber the quaint rows of shops at Niagara Falls area, and the factory outlet shopping.
Now all the trips are fond memories in my mind....

Your Alaska trip is really such an adventure!

I ever travelled alone - it's ok. Only thing hv to ask ppl to take photos of me! hehehe...

I have a small problem with jesse, he does not like to eat bread. I don't know what to give him, he eats biscuits but too many will be heaty for him. He's inclined to throat infection. He eats a lot of fruits though. Lately he has been eating a lot at mealtimes, stimes he wl be hungry at night before his milk. My maid will cut strawberries and grapes for him.

Jerome also 2004 kid? Cos jesse's also starting K1 next year.
Since it's just two weeks away from school holidays, it's ok to let him stay at home....

My loot has arrived from iherb. jesse and julien spit out the Sambucol lozenges.. jesse said 'it's grapy..' (like grape)... dare not try for chara cos she is fussier... but they took the Nordic Naturals chewable soft gels. Have not tried the Sambucus on them.
 
Hi mommies,

Is it normal for kids to have cough for 1-2 weeks? Edrick's running nose and cough just won't go off. He's been on a week's medication now. Last month, he had the same too for 2 weeks. I heard that's normal, but just needed re-assurance from experienced moms.

Tam:

Thanks for the info abt BPA. Your job sounds cool! Seems you've travelled half the globe =)

I'm glad Jerome is fine and enjoying his time at home!

Fairy:

I agree with tam about having grandparents or at least 1 trusted family member to be around wif the maid and kid. I'm not trying to exaggerate here but my husband's cousin's 3 year old daughter passed away due to the maid's negligence some years back.
 
edrickelleon,
I no longer have that job :p I changed jobs a few times already.

Yes 1 - 2 weeks coughing is common. Watch out for any wheezing, that means bronchitis.

Oh dear can share what happened to your cousin's daughter ?

styloBB,
Jerome is also 2004 kid
happy.gif
Next year I am putting him in a very cheap PCF kindergarten, cost only $100 a month hehehe That way even if he gets ill and stays at home for half a month, I don't lose much money. Not that I am a stingy mommy lah. I plan to teach my boy more at home, and also send him to extra enrichment classes.

My kids take the Sambucol liquid form, they don't mind taking it because it is just like Ribena.

OK I will checkout iherb.com next time.

jesse like to eat rice or not ? May be can give him cakes ? Both Chloe and Jerome love to bake and eat cupcakes/muffins
happy.gif
How about char siew bao ? My kids love the char siew bao from crystal jade
happy.gif


Oh you also went to Niagara falls ? In summer ? I hope to go back again in summer. I nearly froze when I was there in winter.
 
saw the ANA advert? hawaii only $765 all in! New york is $1080 all in too! transit time is short, really felt like going away! if i'm don't have kids now, i would have book tix and packed my bags now!
 
gingerbelle, i'm a big fan of sembmarine, kep corp, noble grp and wilmar. being following the prices. when sembmarine was about $1.35 and noble was about $0.70, which was only last week, i asked my broker about it. he advised me not to buy. then this week, its $2.20 and $1.1 respectively. but i think this is the us election rally... so the price may fall back again. see how lah, but sembmar at $1.5 below is very cheap.
 
erick
jesse was coughing for the longest time but only at nite.. that's why I moved him out of our air-con bedroom. Recently I notice he has stopped coughing.

Yah, what happened to the gal?

tam
Cakes and char siew bao - nope, he doesn't really like.

$100 is cheap.... but hopefully as he grows older, won't be sick too often..

I can't rmbr which month but it was rather cold, I rmbr I had a jacket on. It was a cloudy day.. I rmbr now! It must hv been sometime in October cos I rmbr the super big pumpkins that I saw, and we went to pick apples and raspberries.... my gf/her hb drove me from Toronto across to Niagara.

Now with a family, not so easy to say just go w/o financial consideration.... plus I find it is rather tiring cos I seem to be 'working' on the holiday..kekeke....

rona
Yah, man, if I were single, I will zoom off too... but here I am, still 'debating' if we can afford the trip to phuket.. sigh...
Millenium Resort Patong has grand opening offer for members....

Did anyone watch last night's Tue programme about this 40+yr old mommy who has cancer and has two children?
 
sleepy, out in mum's place, no newspaper here. will check again tonite and revert tomorrow. hope not late. limited seats, travelling out until 31 march 2009
 
erick, does Xenical have any advers effect on breastfeeding? still breastfeeding, think will try to do until he is 12 months old.

Stylo, my hb in plastic prodn line, he is doing certain products for Avert. he told me that its ok to get reputable brand milk bottle which uses BPA. cos the BPA usage is low. In addition, we use steam and not the boiling method, so its better. But he did tell me got to change the bottle very few months. Even if you use BPA-free bottle, have to change every few months too cos the bottle will dis-integrate after a while. i just went to robinson to get new advent bottles, 20% off. else you can also go get the evenflo ones, its the cheapest BPA-free bottle around.

Arnold used to be very prone to cough and cold and had to use the nebulizer almost every one or two months when young. i remembered i have to bring him to see the pd almost every other week for this problem. Then when he is almost 2 years old, my mum met a lady in the market and she taught my mum to give arnold this:
a few pcs of cordyceps
one small fresh catfish (bot & kill in market on same day)
one slice of ginger
a few slices of american ginseng
a few pcs of wolfberries
method:
wash everything, and place everything in a double-boiler. put the ginger on the catfish. put a bowl of water. double boil for about 2-3 hours.

i gave arnold this once a fortnite - when he is well. he had a total of 3 dose and since then, had not suffer from another serious bout of cough and cold. he may have minor ones but he recovered without any medication. My gal also had it 3 times and she too, had not had cough etc for the longest time. when my bb son is older, i will also let him take this concotion so his lungs and respiration system will be strong.
 
i like to travel also. being mostly to europe and asia, china, seoul, small parts of japan and australia. once back-packed to australia for almost a month. went to LA for 2 weeks and that's it for states. hence was hoping to go to other parts of states.

but............ budget and kids............

have to wait liao....

i missed the program...
 
stylo, just wanna add, i being to both phuket and krabi. find that they are about the same, as they are very near to each other, so you can find the same activities... feeding the same kind of fish etc. we adults like the food in krabi better though. the fried rice is very nice... yummy!

the other place you can consider is Langkawi and Hua Hin. both nice except Hua Hin has no nice beach. of else just go Bintan lah. at least the transport there is cheaper, but food will be same as singapore if not dearer.

i wanna go sydney. my best friend lives in sydney and so accommodation for us will be free. only need to pay for airtix and expenses. but airtix for a family of 5 will still be a few thousand. haaakkk...
 
rona
Went Langkawi before, not too impressed with the sea water...
Nvm, maybe Sentosa..haha.. so long as with fmy and enjoy the time... hehe

Never knew Avent has discount at Robinson's....

Tx for the concoction...hehe..

Me too to "parts" of differnt countries.

My hb's friend has emigrated to melbourne... but think it wl be a while before they can get their own place.... plus w/ my family size, not v nice to impose on ppl...hehehe...

I think u hit the nail on the head, budget AND kids.... hahahah


Programme - anyway the mother's condition is not improving, she has set aside a box each whereby she writes cards, she has a journal for each kid, and she bot jewellery for her gal and told the hb to get to her when she turns a certain age, eg 16 yrs old... quite sad leh...
 
styloBB

watched briefly when I was switching channel during commercial time
Quickly switch channel. I cannot take such sorrow scene

Never watch NKF or charity shows where they flash those pitiful clips. Can't take it
 
mummies
Do you find yourselves tougher after hving kids yet at the same time also softer???
Tougher cos u wl tackle anything just to ensure your kids' well-being but
Softer cos when u see something that affects a kid or kids, ur tears will roll.....
 
styloBB

yes yes!
I even cried during a scene in Mama Mia when Meryl Streep sang 'slipping through my fingers', can totally relate to how a mother feels when her child grows up & the fear of her leaving

I wasn't that emotional when I was younger. Never cried in movies, not even classic tears jetty movies like Titanic or Ghosts, while my friends were sobbing almost throughout the movies

don't know what is happening to me??!! so not-me
 
rona

I love travelling too. Before the kids arrived, we used to take 3 to 4 trips every year.
Luckily I had my fair share of travelling, otherwise super deprived.

Budget constraints nowsaday. Every trip must multiply by 4, so expensive! a family trip to Gold Coast would easily set us back by $10K!
 
Thanks mummies for your comments- appreciate it...=)

Traveling for holidays- probably many families cutting back now due to the uncertain economy- we are making a trip to HK- but claim air miles, and get corporate rate for hotel, so trying to do it as cheaply as possible- kids also young, expectation not high =)
 


Halo mommies!

Tam:
I came across this article abt non BPA free bottles reported on Channel News Asia recently. Seems that AVA had given clearance.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/386049/1/.html

About the gal, she had a fall on her forehead while playing with her elder brother at home. Only maid with them but she did not let the parents know. So after 2 days, the gal show symptons of giddiness and not having appetite for food, but the parents are not aware too coz they're not home and most of the time they leave it to the maid. Then a day later, she collapsed at home, when sent to hosipital she was in a coma. Doctor did a scan and found out a huge blot clot in her brain and need immediate operation as it's affecting the oxygen supply. After the operation, complications came about that her wound not able to close up and she's relying just on the machine to keep her alive. After a month, she's still in coma and the doc advised that it's unlikely she'll make it. Even if she does, she'll no longer be the same...So either to end her suffering by pulling the plug or continue and hope for miracle to happen. TOUGH decision. In d end, they decided to pull the plug. If the maid had let the parents know on day 1, they cld have taken her to the hospital and most like they will admit her for observation for a day or 2 to discover the symtons earlier. I was there at the hospital and my god, it hurts seeing a young child suffer with wound at the back of her head...hmm..I wonder how many mummies are crying now after reading this, coz my tears are at the corner of my eyes NOW! while I'm typing.
Erick once fell of his cot when he's 3 months old and I was panicky & shaking all over with the above history. Thank god he was fine after 1 night stay at the hospital.

What's this Sambucol about? How does it help kids? Can 18mths take it?

Stylo:
Yes, probably the same place we're talking about. the Yachts are park with full view outside the restaraunt. Think it's a sailing club.

You're also right abt keeping quiet when comes to MIL. Silence is gold.

I also noticed that air-conditioning seems to pro-long his cough coz the air is dry. But no choice as my hb will die if he does not have aircon to sleep with. So I resort to opening the window with the aircon on..my god, let's c how's my electricity bill this month!

I went for holiday to the Maldives when I was 4 mths pregnant and did snorkeling. My MIL was freaking out...hhahaha. Awesome beach, really clear water where you can even see stingrays very clearly if you walked out to the jetty. Even at shore line, the water is clear too! But if you have a budget, then Maldives is not the place. But if you don't, strongly recommend u to GO!

About your comment being tougher after hving kids yet at the same time also softer, YES! ABSOLUTELY! I swear and lay a red carpet when I see crockroaches or any insects form creatures last time, but since having edrick, I need to be brave and be the pests buster!

Rona:
I'm not sure if it's advisable to take Xenical if you're still breastfeeding. Best to consult a doc. But I feel it's best to take when you've completely stop breastfeeding, an ease of mind.

About that recipe you posted, can 18 mths take it? I can get my MIL to try.

Sleepy:
I'm the same, cannot take any of those scenes.
2 nights ago I was watching this programme on channel U where Quan Yi Feng and Christopher Lee are the hosts. It's abt a mum raising an abnormal son for the last 33 years. Despite the odds that she'd gone thru she still tell the hosts that she'd give birth to him. GOD, i was in tears very badly and edrick was looking at me with astonishment and came to hug me, a gesture of asking me not to cry! I cried even louder...hahahah
 
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