Updates about my attempts to have more learning time with the boys:
Today is the third day and I think these two days have gone pretty well : )
On Tuesday afternoon, the boys woke up at 4.30pm, and we read many books together for more than an hour! No, I don't force them to read books... they are free to go off to play with their toys or run around anytime they want to. But they chose to stay for the books. I guess I am quite a good storyteller after all! : )
Yesterday morning, I brought them to the playground downstairs. Things didn't really go as planned though, oops. Wanted to leave the house by 8am but we only managed to go down at 8.15am. Because Jiale didn't want to go to the playground! He said he wanted to play with his trains instead : ( Oh dear oh dear, is it because we haven't gone to the playground for too long? Or is it because our routines etc have somehow made him into a homebody? After some coaxing, finally got him to go downstairs willingly - told him he could let his cars go down the slides :P
The boys had fun playing... for a while.. Less than an hour later, Jiale said he wanted to go home..... : / Haii, I rushed and rushed to get them fed and ready to go to playground, planning to stay outdoors for about two hours until it got too hot... But but but... we have our plans and they have their own plans.....
So we went back upstairs and luckily, it was another good day for books : ) So we read and read until it was time for lunch, and then we continued reading after their nap, with a few pockets of train play (what else?) in between.
Today I decided it was time for more of the great outdoors. So we got a ride from Daddy to East Coast Park early in the morning. After breakfast at McDonalds, we began our Long March to Polliwogs. (Need some indoor playground time cos it would be too hot outside by 10am+) The walk took longer than I expected, good thing Jiale was very well-behaved (as usual!) and never once complained about being tired or hot.. though he did ask quite a few times 'playground where?' and commented 'playground 不晒, here 晒'. Didi also exceeded my expectations by walking for 40 minutes! :D When we reached Polliwogs, the not-tired (???!!) boys went crazy and zoomed around in the playground for 3 hours! I felt tired just looking at them!
All in all, I am feeling much better about what we are doing together. Seems that we are at least spending our time together more constructively. I don't have any ambitious plans for now, just hope to really spend time being present, being with them. Other than the first 3-4 months of my pregnancy when I was feeling so crappy and bone-tired, there was no good reason why each day seemed to be just passing us by. Now, I am more motivated and more disciplined - it's more stressful cos I have to be more organized and more 'on-task' but it's not too difficult. Mainly, I think it's the feeling of not having much time left... only about 3 more months before Meimei arrives and my days will be thrown into a frenzy again.... So I really need to make good use of this time! Who knows when I will be able to really spend time with the boys after Meimei's arrival!
[From experience, the first two months are really crazy. Then it will be another 16 months before things really become much more relaxing.. like now! hee hee. But I really don't want to be 'neglecting the boys for 18 months!!]
Thursday, December 20, 2012
New Self-care Habits
Ever since my skincare reawakening, I have managed to cultivate a few good habits!
For going out:
Spf lip balm. And I do remember to reapply! : )
Sunblock on hands.
[I tried a hand cream with spf, but there were limited choices. I bought one from Etude House in the end, but the fragrance was too overwhelming. Don't like. Clarins also has a hand cream which comes with spf, but it's freakingly expensive ($40!!) and somehow I just don't like Clarins packaging.]
Before bed:
Lip balm (no spf). I apply a liberal amount for overnight moisturisation.
Cuticle cream/oil on fingernails & toenails.
Hand moisturiser followed by gloves.
Foot moisturiser followed by socks.
Body moisturiser.
Body whitening serum after bath at night.
Spf body moisturiser after bath in the morning.
Skincare
I have always applied quite a few products after washing my face in the morning and at night, so it was easy to just continue this routine. (cleanser, toner, moisturiser, sunscreen in the morning - been doing this without fail everyday for at least 12 years). But now I put more thought into which products to use - e.g. I try to keep to just one or two brands/ranges instead of mix & match, and have added a few more treatment products.
[Personally I believe this will provide better 'coverage' cos the brand would have tried to 'cover' every 'need' within the range. But Brand A might have included more 'clarifying' in its toner, while Brand B might have done so for its cleanser. Something like that la. So by keeping to 1-2 ranges, there would be less repetition or 'loopholes'. I have also read that as different brands use different chemicals &/or preservatives, you will expose your skin to more types of chemicals &/or preservatives the more you mix & match.
Another reason why I limit the number of brands I buy from - it's easier to collect points! Then I get to redeem freebies! From my experience at Laneige counter, I realise it's also good to be on familiar and friendly terms with the counter girl.. even more freebies! Oh ya, it also reduces my tendency to anyhow buy.. For instance when I read magazines, I sorta skip over the recommended products from other brands. Right now I am using mainly Laneige and Kiehls - Laneige for the basic skincare because they are reasonably priced for a beauty counter brand, and Kiehls because of positive feedback from friends & online reviews and because Laneige doesn't have 'high tech' treatment stuff.]
Anywayz. It might look like I am applying a lot of things at bedtime. But it's actually not difficult once I got into the habit. And it takes no more than 10 minutes. And I am feeling happier because of the love & care I am showing myself! : )
For going out:
Spf lip balm. And I do remember to reapply! : )
Sunblock on hands.
[I tried a hand cream with spf, but there were limited choices. I bought one from Etude House in the end, but the fragrance was too overwhelming. Don't like. Clarins also has a hand cream which comes with spf, but it's freakingly expensive ($40!!) and somehow I just don't like Clarins packaging.]
Before bed:
Lip balm (no spf). I apply a liberal amount for overnight moisturisation.
Cuticle cream/oil on fingernails & toenails.
Hand moisturiser followed by gloves.
Foot moisturiser followed by socks.
Body moisturiser.
Body whitening serum after bath at night.
Spf body moisturiser after bath in the morning.
Skincare
I have always applied quite a few products after washing my face in the morning and at night, so it was easy to just continue this routine. (cleanser, toner, moisturiser, sunscreen in the morning - been doing this without fail everyday for at least 12 years). But now I put more thought into which products to use - e.g. I try to keep to just one or two brands/ranges instead of mix & match, and have added a few more treatment products.
[Personally I believe this will provide better 'coverage' cos the brand would have tried to 'cover' every 'need' within the range. But Brand A might have included more 'clarifying' in its toner, while Brand B might have done so for its cleanser. Something like that la. So by keeping to 1-2 ranges, there would be less repetition or 'loopholes'. I have also read that as different brands use different chemicals &/or preservatives, you will expose your skin to more types of chemicals &/or preservatives the more you mix & match.
Another reason why I limit the number of brands I buy from - it's easier to collect points! Then I get to redeem freebies! From my experience at Laneige counter, I realise it's also good to be on familiar and friendly terms with the counter girl.. even more freebies! Oh ya, it also reduces my tendency to anyhow buy.. For instance when I read magazines, I sorta skip over the recommended products from other brands. Right now I am using mainly Laneige and Kiehls - Laneige for the basic skincare because they are reasonably priced for a beauty counter brand, and Kiehls because of positive feedback from friends & online reviews and because Laneige doesn't have 'high tech' treatment stuff.]
Anywayz. It might look like I am applying a lot of things at bedtime. But it's actually not difficult once I got into the habit. And it takes no more than 10 minutes. And I am feeling happier because of the love & care I am showing myself! : )
Monday, December 17, 2012
No Time to Teach
I need to re-convince myself why I am keeping the boys at home with me instead of sending them off to school. Especially Jiale who is already the grand old age of 3 years old ('huh, still haven't gone to school ah?'). Oh wait. Make that especially Didi who is giving me headaches and back aches and muscle strains. Jiale is just such a cheerful and independent and sensible boy.... oops I digress.
On a typical day, I hardly get any time to sit down with the boys and play with them or read to them. Mornings are spent in a blur - make them their milk, change their diapers, feed them breakfast, feed them fruits, feed them snacks, feed them feed them feed them (they seem to be constantly asking for snacks when we are at home!), bathe them, change diapers clean poo again... Oh ya and I need to shower and eat breakfast myself too. And I usually vacuum the house too, cos can't vacuum while the boys are sleeping. By then, it's almost time to prepare their lunch! Soon after lunch, it's time for their nap! Goodbye sons!
[Jiale gets constipated very easily and he's a very selective eater, so it's my priority to chase after him to eat fruits &/or prunes every morning. Didi poos an average of 3x a day. When Jiale gets constipated, he poos very often, but only a tiny pellet at a time.. but because the poo hasn't finished coming out, it's a dirty diaper almost all the time.. so I keep wiping and changing.. wiping and changing...]
It's not that I have no time.. I have so much free time in the afternoons... But not with them.. I am zuobo-ing alone... It seems that while they are up and about, there are so many mundane chores to be done! Some days, I really clean poo until I am soooooo tired... : ( I tried to spend time with them in the evenings, but seriously, even if they nap till 5pm+, they can't tahan much later than 8pm. By 7pm+, they will be rubbing their eyes and getting cranky (probably because they wake up early around 6.30am). Which means, it's dinner at about 6pm, drink milk, bathe. By then it's about 7.30pm. Time for bedtime stories.. then it's off to bed again! Goodnight sons!
This morning, I decided to try very very hard to sit down with them. But Didi was very uncooperative and unreasonable - kept wanting to be carried. He really has the stamina to keep crying until I am free to carry him lor. Argh. Anyway, I managed to sit down with them at 9am. Was so happy it was so early! (Actually, I forgot about fruits this morning, but I only remembered that much later.) BUT within 5 minutes, Jiale asked to play with sand instead! (Cos we were reading a book about trucks.. and he saw the dump trucks carrying sand.. what to do..) I got very flustered and told him cannot, we read books instead.. so of course he flew into a tantrum... In the end I managed to get him to wait till 10am for sandplay.. but there went a few precious minutes of reading.
[Frankly, I felt quite devastated when he chose sand over reading, after all the rushing I did to make sure I had time to read to them.]
The good thing was, by 10am he had forgotten about wanting to play sand, so I got to keep reading to them! Hee hee.. He remembered about 10.30am, which was also good, cos I was losing my voice by then. They went off to play with sand.. then gotta bathe them.... then gotta clean the floor cos it was sandy.... then gotta prepare their lunch liao.... They are asleep now, hopefully we will have more time to play and read together later.
So, despite having a whole day together, we don't get much time to do much seat work. Don't even wanna imagine attempting to do more 'serious' stuff like activity books. Don't even dare to think about how to do this after Meimei is here. I guess for now, I have to make a conscious effort to do this everyday - though it is stressful for me - rush rush rush and keep having to think about 'sit down with them sit down with them'.
The pros? Hmmm........................
Even if we aren't doing much structured 'learning', at least they get to see their mummy? A lot a lot a lot.. haha.
It's good for them to see their mummy doing housework right?
And if all else fails, at least the brothers get to spend time with each other? A lot a lot a lot.. make that 24 hours 7 days a week now that they even sleep together, ha! Seriously though, I do see them becoming closer since they started sharing a room : )
OK, I shall just JIA YOU for now!
On a typical day, I hardly get any time to sit down with the boys and play with them or read to them. Mornings are spent in a blur - make them their milk, change their diapers, feed them breakfast, feed them fruits, feed them snacks, feed them feed them feed them (they seem to be constantly asking for snacks when we are at home!), bathe them, change diapers clean poo again... Oh ya and I need to shower and eat breakfast myself too. And I usually vacuum the house too, cos can't vacuum while the boys are sleeping. By then, it's almost time to prepare their lunch! Soon after lunch, it's time for their nap! Goodbye sons!
[Jiale gets constipated very easily and he's a very selective eater, so it's my priority to chase after him to eat fruits &/or prunes every morning. Didi poos an average of 3x a day. When Jiale gets constipated, he poos very often, but only a tiny pellet at a time.. but because the poo hasn't finished coming out, it's a dirty diaper almost all the time.. so I keep wiping and changing.. wiping and changing...]
It's not that I have no time.. I have so much free time in the afternoons... But not with them.. I am zuobo-ing alone... It seems that while they are up and about, there are so many mundane chores to be done! Some days, I really clean poo until I am soooooo tired... : ( I tried to spend time with them in the evenings, but seriously, even if they nap till 5pm+, they can't tahan much later than 8pm. By 7pm+, they will be rubbing their eyes and getting cranky (probably because they wake up early around 6.30am). Which means, it's dinner at about 6pm, drink milk, bathe. By then it's about 7.30pm. Time for bedtime stories.. then it's off to bed again! Goodnight sons!
This morning, I decided to try very very hard to sit down with them. But Didi was very uncooperative and unreasonable - kept wanting to be carried. He really has the stamina to keep crying until I am free to carry him lor. Argh. Anyway, I managed to sit down with them at 9am. Was so happy it was so early! (Actually, I forgot about fruits this morning, but I only remembered that much later.) BUT within 5 minutes, Jiale asked to play with sand instead! (Cos we were reading a book about trucks.. and he saw the dump trucks carrying sand.. what to do..) I got very flustered and told him cannot, we read books instead.. so of course he flew into a tantrum... In the end I managed to get him to wait till 10am for sandplay.. but there went a few precious minutes of reading.
[Frankly, I felt quite devastated when he chose sand over reading, after all the rushing I did to make sure I had time to read to them.]
The good thing was, by 10am he had forgotten about wanting to play sand, so I got to keep reading to them! Hee hee.. He remembered about 10.30am, which was also good, cos I was losing my voice by then. They went off to play with sand.. then gotta bathe them.... then gotta clean the floor cos it was sandy.... then gotta prepare their lunch liao.... They are asleep now, hopefully we will have more time to play and read together later.
So, despite having a whole day together, we don't get much time to do much seat work. Don't even wanna imagine attempting to do more 'serious' stuff like activity books. Don't even dare to think about how to do this after Meimei is here. I guess for now, I have to make a conscious effort to do this everyday - though it is stressful for me - rush rush rush and keep having to think about 'sit down with them sit down with them'.
The pros? Hmmm........................
Even if we aren't doing much structured 'learning', at least they get to see their mummy? A lot a lot a lot.. haha.
It's good for them to see their mummy doing housework right?
And if all else fails, at least the brothers get to spend time with each other? A lot a lot a lot.. make that 24 hours 7 days a week now that they even sleep together, ha! Seriously though, I do see them becoming closer since they started sharing a room : )
OK, I shall just JIA YOU for now!
i-Kare Confinement Agency (Bliss) - NOT recommended!
I am totally not impressed with this confinement agency.
For my first child, I used a freelance confinement nanny who was recommended by a friend. I wasn't very comfortable with her, but looking back, I think it was because I was a first-time mummy and preferred to do everything myself. Probably there was nothing wrong with the nanny la, given that my friend had used her for all her three children!
For my second child, I decided to try out i-Kare. Can't remember why I chose them, probably just a random choice based on online reviews. The nanny who was allocated to me was ok la. I felt that she was a bit lazy... my hubby and mother-in-law didn't like her very much either... But I felt she really did care for the baby and she liked children, so ok la.
Then another mummy who engaged i-Kare had some problems with them. Can't remember the details, but it was something like the nanny came late and the agency did not compensate or even apologise or something like that.
Now that I am having my third child soon, I decided to use back the same agency and the same nanny. Only because I would rather go for someone familiar - she might not be very good but at least I know she is not terrible or too jia lat. Especially now that I am a seasoned mummy (ahem), I think I will be more hands-off and sui bian. And of course, more assertive and clearer about what I expect, so I shall have no qualms informing the nanny what/how to do.
But it has not been a very pleasant experience thus far. I contacted the liaison person May when I was about 17 weeks pregnant. She said she would contact me when I was 20 weeks. But by 21 weeks, there was no news from her. I texted her and there was a lot of ding ding dong dong till today, she finally came to my place for me to sign the contract - at 25 weeks. Being a very time-conscious person, I did not like it when she failed to confirm our appointments and I had to chase after her.
Then, the best part. I told her at our very first contact that I wanted the same nanny and she said ok. When I contacted her again at 21 weeks, I asked her whether she had remembered to reserve the same nanny for me and she said yes. But when she finally turned up today, she told me this nanny might not be able to make it..!! What the..?! Of course I never expected the nanny to be always free and waiting for me la, but this May had promised me twice!
I am so not looking forward to my confinement now. I am confident that I can cope pretty well, as I plan to take care of the two older boys myself anyway, and the baby will probably be spending a lot of time with me since I will be exclusively breastfeeding, and I think any confinement nanny should be able to cook my meals and bathe the baby. But I dread having to interact with the liaison person and potentially have unpleasant encounters if I do need to replace the nanny. Blah.
For my first child, I used a freelance confinement nanny who was recommended by a friend. I wasn't very comfortable with her, but looking back, I think it was because I was a first-time mummy and preferred to do everything myself. Probably there was nothing wrong with the nanny la, given that my friend had used her for all her three children!
For my second child, I decided to try out i-Kare. Can't remember why I chose them, probably just a random choice based on online reviews. The nanny who was allocated to me was ok la. I felt that she was a bit lazy... my hubby and mother-in-law didn't like her very much either... But I felt she really did care for the baby and she liked children, so ok la.
Then another mummy who engaged i-Kare had some problems with them. Can't remember the details, but it was something like the nanny came late and the agency did not compensate or even apologise or something like that.
Now that I am having my third child soon, I decided to use back the same agency and the same nanny. Only because I would rather go for someone familiar - she might not be very good but at least I know she is not terrible or too jia lat. Especially now that I am a seasoned mummy (ahem), I think I will be more hands-off and sui bian. And of course, more assertive and clearer about what I expect, so I shall have no qualms informing the nanny what/how to do.
But it has not been a very pleasant experience thus far. I contacted the liaison person May when I was about 17 weeks pregnant. She said she would contact me when I was 20 weeks. But by 21 weeks, there was no news from her. I texted her and there was a lot of ding ding dong dong till today, she finally came to my place for me to sign the contract - at 25 weeks. Being a very time-conscious person, I did not like it when she failed to confirm our appointments and I had to chase after her.
Then, the best part. I told her at our very first contact that I wanted the same nanny and she said ok. When I contacted her again at 21 weeks, I asked her whether she had remembered to reserve the same nanny for me and she said yes. But when she finally turned up today, she told me this nanny might not be able to make it..!! What the..?! Of course I never expected the nanny to be always free and waiting for me la, but this May had promised me twice!
I am so not looking forward to my confinement now. I am confident that I can cope pretty well, as I plan to take care of the two older boys myself anyway, and the baby will probably be spending a lot of time with me since I will be exclusively breastfeeding, and I think any confinement nanny should be able to cook my meals and bathe the baby. But I dread having to interact with the liaison person and potentially have unpleasant encounters if I do need to replace the nanny. Blah.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Only Questions, No Answers
A few mind-boggling questions which I was unable to find any satisfactory answers online!
1) What is the difference between an essence (e.g. SK II Facial Treatment Essence) vs a serum?
2) Can we use more than one esssence or more than one serum at a time?
No doubt the answers will pop up when I give up. Argh.
1) What is the difference between an essence (e.g. SK II Facial Treatment Essence) vs a serum?
2) Can we use more than one esssence or more than one serum at a time?
No doubt the answers will pop up when I give up. Argh.
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