Our decision to homeschool.

The decision to homeschool. Why and why not? I think plenty of times, I have had people come up to me and ask which school my children attend, and the moment I reply with the word "homeschool", they look at me like I am out of my mind. It is a lesser used word, because the homeschool community in Singapore is a rather small bunch as compared to our western counterparts. Most children start education here as young as 6 months, perhaps not exactly formal education but I know of plenty of parents who start their young in brain training enrichment classes at infant stage. That is how crucial "school" is seen as to most parents here. Hence, my decision to homeschool can be pretty said as frowned upon by those who have not seen the other side of the grass yet, and I am not even convincing them that it is greener!

My husband and I sat down almost five years ago, and thought to ourselves "what would we do with our children now that we are parents." What were our objectives in life? What did we want our children to grow with? And how did we want our children to be? These questions weren't hard to ask, neither were the answers hard to answer. Yet, what followed through was the hardest part of all. We decided that we wanted our children to grow with the comfort of being themselves, supported by us with love, encouragement and motivation. We want our children to grow up making mistakes, and understanding that it is okay to do so, and mistakes are crucial to learning. We want our children to be accepted and to accept, to love and be loved. We want our children to love life and nature, and be happy and flexible in everything that they do. Lastly, we want our children to love family, to know that family is and will be the only constant figure in their lives. Having these conditions in mind, we knew that it had to be exampled by us, led by us, and guided by us. And, that was how we came to the decision of homeschooling our children.

Being in the early childhood industry, I have seen how it works and I know how it works. I am not concluding that schooling for the early years is bad, but it is my personal thought that schooling will not be able to help our family achieve the objectives that we have set out for our children.

ONE. we want our children to grow with the comfort of being themselves, supported by us with love, encouragement and motivation.
In a typical classroom ratio of 1:15, let's face it, teachers will not be able to shower each child with that much love, encouragement, and motivation as compared to if it was one teacher to a child. I know some people would argue that this is not realistic, and it could be indulging the child to have full scale attention, that at the end of the day, the child needs to know that he is not alone and he cannot demand sole attention. Yet, I'd like to indulge my children with this undivided attention, because I believe it is key to building self-esteem and confidence. I can go on and on about my personal beliefs on this but it would come across as too... pushy, so let's just leave it at that. I know for a fact that more often than not, children are imposed to learn in an environment that is accommodating for the rest of the class in a school system and that is something I wish not for my children. Not at this young age at least.

TWO. We want our children to grow up making mistakes, and understanding that it is okay to do so, and mistakes are crucial to learning.
Once again, in a typical preschool environment, the teaching styles differ from teacher to teacher. So far, my elder son has attended preschool at pre-nursery and nursery level, at four different schools. Don't even ask me why FOUR different schools, but just know that I am always at odds and ends with all the schools he has attended. At age 3, he was taught to color within the lines. NO coloring out of the lines because it is not right. How is not right, why is it not right, I cannot fathom. My husband and I are people who do not conform, we believe that coloring out of lines is perfectly okay because it could be a form of expression, a form of creativity even. And then there was once my son wanted to color an apple purple, but the teacher said it was wrong because apples are supposed to be red, or green. We believe that a child this young should be allowed to free his ideas, explain his thoughts, and art is subjective for all to begin with. One day perhaps my son will look back at his purple apple and say "hey that shouldn't be purple, it should be red!", but let him discover it on his own. I want my children to explore their ideas and thoughts, express themselves, make mistakes and know that it's okay to make mistakes. Self discovery is a very important aspect in my children's youth, and in a typical school setting, let's just say there's very little of that happening.

THREE. We want our children to be accepted and to accept, to love and be loved. 
With the above two points, I think you can see where I am going with acceptance in our local preschool setting. Inclusion has never really been followed through although most preschools actually have that listed in their vision and mission because ultimately teachers lead a very rushed, pressurizing and demanding jobscope and it is beyond their ability sometimes to cater to the whims and fancies and needs of every child, especially when they have 15-25 children under them with no assistant teacher in some situations. Having said that, it all really boils down to the teacher-student ratio, and that is not exactly a very happening ratio in our local context in most preschools, no thanks to overpopulation and the lack of manpower in the teaching industry. I don't know but ultimately, I've always believed that love and empathy starts from home, hence for them to learn to love, they need to be loved first and how better than to have a mother's love whilst being homeschooled. I can hug, kiss, and cuddle them all I want during lesson time, that's just my dream come true. :P

FOUR. We want our children to love life and nature, be happy and flexible in everything that they do.
Okay this fourth point is actually the most crucial decider that made us want to homeschool. Flexibility. When my children were attending school in the past year, and both my husband and I were working, we led a very rushed life. We rushed to wake up, we rushed through our food, we rushed the kids off to school, we rushed them home, we rushed them to sleep, and the vicious cycle went on and on. And I know too, that they were rushed in school, rushed to complete their art work, rushed through snack, rushed through play and the vicious cycle went on yet again. It is horrible that we rush our children so much that we don't realise how that stops their minds from taking time to indulge, explore, focus and experience and all this plays a huge role in how they are going to grow up in the future. So many people talk about primary school children not being able to focus, not being able to think out of the box, but did they ever retract back to why that happened? One word: rush. It is the killer attitude to growing up if you ask me. As an adult myself, I hate being rushed. I hate rushing. It takes away my opportunity to breathe and take in life as it is. Why do you think we all look forward to holidays and vacations, because that is the one time we are allowed to take time to appreciate and enjoy life the way it's meant to. Let's face it, YOLO.

FIVE. we want our children to love family, to know that family is and will be the only constant figure in their lives.
For most of us, family time is only most substantial on weekends since weekdays are workdays, schooldays and whatever days. While my children are still young, I'd like their weekdays to feel like weekends too, where they can have fun times with us and not give a hoot to anything else. Family time is so important to us that I don't want to put aside time for them, I want time to focus on them, period. If both parents can't do that, then at least one of us is doing that for these young ones. We could have a duo income family, and lead a very comfortable and luxurious life. One with couple of holiday trips a year, one with excess cash to spend on ourselves and one with enough CPF to retire peacefully. But you know what? Money cannot buy time, money cannot buy flexibility, and money cannot buy family. So we choose to live with the lack of good excess money, and learn to live within our means. You know how children at a young age cannot think abstractly, and they take things literally right? Having a mother or father figure with them at every moment allows them to understand that family is the constant figure in their lives. If they spend more time at a childcare under the care of nurturers, or maids, then they grow up understanding the fact that these are the people that are the constant ones. Get it? No amount of explaining or talking can actually remove that idea or memory because children best makes sense of the world through their own deductions and experiences.

A snapshot of our homeschool room.

Anyway, every family works differently, and has different ideologies and aims in life. I am not saying that homeschooling is better than schooling, I am also not saying that being a stay at home mom is more noble than a working mom's job. Like I said, we sat down and considered all these factors before actually deciding to homeschool which works best for our family because of our personal perspectives and objectives. We are very glad we took this route because it saves us plenty of dough too! Sending children to childcare these days are exorbitant, and I know it's never going to get cheaper and it shouldn't too because teachers need to be duly paid.

We had to get our parents convinced that homeschooling works for our family, because school is often viewed as a very important aspect in the Singapore context. A couple of people around us have given us looks with raised eyebrows whenever we say our children are home-schooled, but it does not faze us. Most importantly, we get to spend time with our children every single minute of everyday, and that is what makes us very happy. I get to wake up and cuddle them in bed for an hour every single day before we get down to playing, eating, exploring, sharing, enjoying. It's beautiful, to be able to take in everyday with my wonderful children while I still can, before they grow up, and you know what they say about growing up. It happens way too fast.

Mom at War, presenting my germinzer toolbox!

The first day we were told our boys had HFMD, I tightened my homemaker belt and started executing a full detailed plan on how this virus is not going to thrive in our household!

Presenting my handy germinizer toolbox! The kids were rather amused that I borrowed their toolbox for my project-kill-all-germs but they do not mind at all since it is for a good cause! In fact, the boys very conveniently help themselves to the sanitizers as and when they feel like keeping the germs away.

5 Essential items in our household to combat the HFMD virus:
1. Parklon santizer for mats and toys, organic and non-toxic, perfect for keeping those toys clean everyday after play!
2. Farlin De-Mite Spray for linens and fabrics. Keeps their bedsheets clean and smelling fresh!
3. Lifebuoy antibacterial bodywash. Nothing like a germination shower!
4. Dettol hand santizer, handy for all situations (after sneeze, before meals etc)
5. PH 2.5 mouthwash. This is the same kind of water that dentists use to cleanse our mouths of bacteria. It was given very kindly by our neighbour and my boys are ever so happy to spray their mouths clean with it!

I feel like a mom battling war in her own home, but at the current moment, keeping my home clean and free from germs and viruses is my number one priority!

Good Cop the grandparents, Bad Cop the parents. Inconsistency in parenting and how to deal with it.

Do you sometimes feel that ever since your parents or in-laws have been promoted to grandparents, their disciplinary methods and ideals on bringing up a child change too?

I was having a heated conversation with my mother in the car the other day, about encouraging my children to eat their breakfast/lunch/dinner without the need for the television to be running. We have very strict rules over television watching at home. Most days, our boys are only allowed to about an hour of screen time. That too, what they watch are highly filtered by us. We only allow age appropriate shows that portray the correct educational and moral values.

So our debate started when I complained about how my sons are taking a ridiculously long time to finish their meals these days. They refuse to remain seated, and would rather play catch with food stored in their mouths for the longest times. I have tried all kinds of methods to hasten their chewing speeds, like buying fun types of spoons, singing catchy chewy songs together and even rewarding every meal with raisins, fruits and jelly but all has failed quite miserably.

My mother then went on to say then maybe I should let them watch television during mealtime, because that at least would keep them seated and perhaps get them to eat a little faster too. I went from half asleep, to all awake in five seconds. Did I just hear my mother, the disciplinarian mistress tell me to allow my children to eat and watch television at the same time? This was the same woman who kept me in the kitchen, away from all toys and the television until I finished every spoonful of my meal. I think I was deprived of playtime for a good half of the day every single day just because I was a slow eater. To think she was capable of even suggesting that I should close both eyes and relent to screen time during mealtimes. Whatever happened to being firm and consistent with our parenting ways?

My husband and I both parent in the same consistent and firm manner. We are what you call authoritative parents, we establish rules and guidelines that our children are expected to follow. However, we are democratic in the way that we are often responsive to our children's concerns and needs. Of course, we try our very best each time to negotiate and come to terms where both parties are happy. For example, our sons eat their dinner and we reward them with something that they would like to indulge in thereafter. It is a win-win situation for us all.

I still see no need in relenting to screen time during mealtimes, and I refuse to budge despite my mother's reasoning especially in our household. I know for a fact that she indulges the kids with screen time during mealtimes when they are over at her place, and there is little I can do when I am not around physically. It disturbs me that my children are granted leniency each time they are away from me, because it would mean that there is inconsistency in their disciplining methods which leaves them confused and ultimately misbehaving thinking that they can get away with it. Luckily, this only happens twice a week for when I drop them off for a wee bit of school time.

Of course, my parents are not the only grandparents who are guilty of this. My parents-in-law are too. Then again, which grandparent does not ultimately spoil their grandchildren? It is like grandparents have an innate tendency to play good cop, while the parents remain the bad cop. So, what can we do to help inconsistency in parenting styles with different caretakers?

1. Pick your battles
Know when to fuss over these disciplinary details. How often your child is in contact with them and how strong the bond is plays a part in how much the child will lean towards the discipline actions. So if like me, your kids only get the occasional bending of rules while at granny's place, just learn to live and let live. It's easier to keep the relationship healthy between parent and grandparent.

2. Enforce rules, but be willing to bend some of them... sometimes.
It is crucial in letting your child know that rules are important and a way of life. Children need people who set rules and eventually rules that they know they can depend on because that is how they value expectations and build social standards. It is good for children to know that while there are certain rules that cannot be broken, there is a time and place for negotiations in certain situations. Explaining that you are aware there is a deviation from the norm lets kids know that the change in schedule is not random and that you ultimately decide whether there is basis for negotiation.

The Real Truth: What every new mother needs to know about breastfeeding and join in the Big- B Event in Singapore!

I admit I was one of those pregnant mothers who was all too happy about having that first child that the thought of feeding him never really came to mind. I was too engrossed in all the necessities like the everyday wear, milk bottles because everybody seemed to be getting them, and those swaddles that seemed like an absolute must! During my last few check-ups, my gynaecology asked if I had any idea if I was going to breastfeed when my child is born, I gave a "uhuh, yeah I think so... " and did not think too much about it after. I have always thought breastfeeding is just breastfeeding, what is there to learn or prepare myself for? Labour is way more important than breastfeeding, isn't it? After all, every movie I have watched and book I have read told me to be prepared for D-Day and the Big Push. Nobody mentioned about breastfeeding, and nobody told me what to expect.

So I thought labour was the worse deal in every pregnancy. All that talk about the pushing, and the tearing, and crazy 10cm dilation. I was wrong. Nothing... absolutely nothing prepared me for the crazy roller-coaster ride I was to embark on my breastfeeding journey. And I repeat, nothing... absolutely nothing was more overwhelming and sacred than this new motherhood experience.

After my baby was born, the nurse came up to me and asked if I intended to breastfeed him, and I nodded my head in total conviction. After all, I had read everywhere that breast is best and every mother including myself wanted the very best for our child. Since that day I intended to breastfeed, I tried every means and ways to do it right, do it proper and do it to my best ability. Trust me, breastfeeding is not an easy task but with determination and perseverance, you might just exceed your breastfeeding expectation.

Here are my top ten breastfeeding advice/warnings/notes for every new mother who is intending to give the child the very best of nature, breast milk!

When you decide to breastfeed, make it a decision you made by yourself. Do not make the decision to breastfeed out of peer pressure, just because you mother-in-law insists that you do so, or your friends pressure you to do so. Insist on breastfeeding because YOU believe in giving the best to your child. I breastfed both my children till they were past one, and I can safely say they were as healthy as beans all the way till they were past two years old. They never suffered from fever, and very rarely succumbed to the common cold. So breastfeed for your child, and no one else and I can assure that your baby will benefit from it tremendously. And so will you too. 

In my opinion, breastfeeding woes are often swept under the carpet by experienced mothers, magazine articles and pregnancy books. Very often, breastfeeding pain and trauma is overshadowed by the actual labour itself. Everyone talks about the pain of labour, but never the pain of breastfeeding. When I had given birth and was introduced to breastfeeding, I got a rude shock to the technicalities of breastfeeding. How the lactation consultant and nurses will squeeze your nipple with absolutely no mercy, how you would cry in agony each time the baby refuses to latch on, and how your nipples would crack till it bled. Nope, we never hear about that. But I insist on sharing with you all this because I personally know plenty of women whom because of the trauma and shock, refused to carry on breastfeeding from there on. 

Yes, it may be tough. It may be painful. It may even be the worst thing you have ever experienced. But I promise you, things will get better from the first week onwards. The baby will start feeding with ease. Your nipples would have hardened and become more resistant to pain. And the milk flow will be abundant. All that will come with patience, my friend.

It is always thought that breastfeeding is a mother thing. No one can breastfeed but the mother herself. That is not true. While the milk ultimately comes from the mother, everyone can play a part in breastfeeding by being the best support the mother can have. I owe my successful breastfeeding to my husband who woke up each time I breastfed, cried with me each time my nipples cracked and bled, and even held cold cabbage to my breasts to relieve the pain no matter how ridiculous I looked. My mother too would prioritize my breastfeeding sessions over everything, and would even turn away any guests when they wanted to see my newborn. Just because she felt I needed peace and quiet while breastfeeding the baby. It is simple gestures like these that help make your breastfeeding experience an easier journey.

You cannot do this alone, so be open and ask for support from your loved ones. You'll be pleasantly surprised how having support would spur you on while you breastfeed.

I was first introduced to The Cradle and the Football Hold in the first few days in the hospital and these are two very common breastfeeding positions. However, I found it very tiring to continue with these positions as the baby got bigger and heavier. Even when the baby was a newborn, it was particularly uncomfortable to be sitting up for long periods and for the many times you had to feed the baby.

In the end, I learnt to lie sideways and breastfeed my baby and I dare say it was the most comfortable and least pressurizing way to feed him. By lying sideways, the contact between baby and mother is close, and mother is allowed to feel at ease and in total comfort because she is lying down. Mothers need to be well rested and healthy in order for the baby to feel likewise. And by parallel feeding, you can definitely achiever that. Many a times, I found myself dozing off as the baby fed, and ultimately he would sleep in that position too. That way, I was often feeling very energized and never had the need to complain of the lack of sleep ever. We co-slept throughout my breastfeeding journey, and I have to really say that co-sleeping was the number one strategy that helped myself persevere through it all.

I have seen plenty of mothers go down the formula route all because they bought they one tin for back-up. What started as "baby is probably still a little hungry, maybe one bottle of milk can fill him up" would drag until it was two bottles a day, and then three bottles a day, and finally baby is fully formula fed. Hence, I always believed that mothers who intend to breastfeed should never ever even sneak a glance at the formula milk section in the supermarket. Believe in yourself that your super power milk is filling your baby up. He is crying because he wants to comfort suckle and feel soothed, not because he is still hungry. Let your baby comfort suckle as many times as he wants, it beats stuffing him with a pacifier because there is nothing quite like a mother's touch.

Yes, there is nothing quite like a mother's touch and there is definitely no bond like the breastfeeding bond. Imagine this, your baby feeds every half an hour therefore every half an hour, you get yourself topless and latches your baby on. Whichever breastfeeding position you choose, your heartbeat is close by your baby's face and his nose sniffs in every scent of you. You hug him tight, and your breast secures his every need. This happens for like 27848947348 times a day. How can anything beat a bond like that, really?

I was one of the guilty ones who panicked the day my baby was born and there was zilch milk coming out. No amount of squeezing and mock latching on was making the milk spill. So I panicked, and I worried if my baby was going to starve. In actual fact, your baby has got reserves in him to last about three days till your milk comes in. God is great, He makes things happen for a reason. And the very reason He gave reserves was because He made our milk flow start a little later. Still, never let the chance to latch on your baby pass because with every latch, the baby's strong suction will just make your flow come a little earlier than expected. Mine came after two days for my first child, and after three days for my second child so I promise you, your milk flow will definitely arrive by the time you leave the hospital.

I really need not reiterate how exorbitantly priced milk formula can be. One tin costs about $70, and it lasts about a week. Do your calculations wisely. Is that money worth spending when you can enjoy all the benefits of breastfeeding? From the bond, to the money saved, breastfeeding is every bit the wiser choice. Plus, what I particularly liked about breastfeeding is the hassle it saved me. I did not have to sterilise bottles while making a baby cry in hunger. I did not have to lug hot water, milk powder and sterilised bottles when I am out on the go. As long as you have your breast and your baby, everything is good to go. So I am very glad to have been a mother who travelled without having to carry a half ton diaper bag.

Like I mentioned before, I used to think that breastfeeding was just putting the baby to the breast and everything would happen naturally. It did not work that way. There are many things preparation could do to ease your breastfeeding journey like getting that nipple cream ready, and keeping good stock of breast pads to prevent leakage and embarrassing moments in public. If you have the time, consult a lactation consultant to understand and expect better the dos and donts of breastfeeding. Otherwise, there are many online articles like 7 Practical Ways To Prepare For Breastfeeding and How to Prepare for Breastfeeding that may help you cope better with breastfeeding.

Last but not least, many have come up to me and asked what is the secret to good milk flow, and healthy breastfeeding. There is only one secret to all that. LATCH, LATCH, LATCH. The more you latch the baby on, the more your milk flow increases. My lactation consultant used to emphasize "supply meets demand" all the time. There is no need for anything else but latching on if you wish to breastfeed long and healthy. And that is why I highly advocate against the use of bottles and pacifiers. Let your baby latch on frequently, and for as long as he wants. It really helps! I breastfed without the use of breast pumps for the whole two years that I did so. I breastfed him on planes, boats, in malls and even in the hot sun with nothing but a nursing bib. At home, I would rest my body and mind by latching him on in a co-sleeping position for as many times a day so you can imagine how well rested I was and it was all thanks to my baby who loved to latch on as much as I loved to latch him on.

With that said, I am very proud to be and have been a breastfeeding mother to both my sons. I wished I can do so much more to help more mothers breastfeed and more children be breastfed. It is after all the single most beautiful part of nature that has been bestowed upon us mothers. I am very pleased to be a part of the Big-B Event that is a mass breastfeeding challenge that not only aspires to break the current record of 250 mothers simultaneously breastfeeding, but also to raise awareness of breastfeeding as a natural way of feeding your child. The Big B Event is happening 31 August at Singapore Expo Hall 6A. Be a part of the spectacular moment of the first-ever Big B event being entered into the Singapore Book of Records. Sign up to be a part of this exciting challenge now! To register, email your particulars to info@redtreegroup.orgor call 62950810.

The Big-B event is in conjunction with the Parents World Exhibition. Parents can look forward to exclusive deals from exhibitors and clinch parenting essentials at massive discounts from big brands like Abbott, Mead Johnson, Dumex, Drypers, Pampers, Huggies, PET PET and lots more. Filled with exciting programmes, a wide range of booths as well as attractive prizes to be won, parents and families are sure to have a blast shopping and having fun!

It does not matter if you are breastfeeding, intend to breastfeed or have breastfed, we all belong to a group of mummies who need each other for support in achieving our breastfeeding goal so let's join the Big-B event and leave our mark!

This is a sponsored blog post, however all thoughts and opinions are my own, unless stated. 

Sweet nothings on Mother's Day.

Early this morning, I woke up to an empty bed and to soft whispers in the next room.

Choose a crayon, and write what you want to say to Momma...

Hmmm, I wanna write A! A for Ahmed!

Errrr Ahmed, we'll write that later. But for now, what do you want to say to Momma on Mother's Day?

Oh okay! I want to say Thank you Momma, You're Welcome Momma and I love you Momma!

And those were the very words that made my day the most memorable one. Indeed, thank YOU two for being my gift sent from heaven. Everyday feels like Mother's Day when I am with you two babies.

Friday Five and we talk about Child Independence.

I have always been a strong believer of inculcating independence in children at a young age. Many tend to think that babies and toddlers should be waited upon, from their eating to bathing habits. In my household, both my boys are taught how to do simple chores like, hanging their clothes, dumping their dirty laundry into the basket, cleaning up after mealtime, as well as making their beds. My three year old has even mastered the technique of folding a piece of towel all by himself. Sometimes even I am amazed at how my eighteenth month old automatically puts his dish in the sink after mealtime. With trust and encouragement, these kids can surpass their abilities sometimes. Let's see how you can inculcate independence in your household with these five simple steps too!

1. Entrusting them with belongings and space

Having a room of their own as well as labeling the many things that belong to them helps with identification of their own belongings as well as a desire to keep them well. Sticker labels, sewn on patches, as well as named letterings... in fact all these also help with name recognition! I cannot emphasize how my sons have learnt to spell their names all because they had the knack to spell it out each time they saw their names on their lunchboxes, water bottles, bags and bedroom doors.

Here's something I did with a printer and some cheap paste-on hooks. Making chores interesting may help children with helping out at home. This end product got the boys believing that they are rescue officers, with their bagpacks on standby! 

2. Have a chore chart

We have a Melissa and Doug chore chart hung very prominently in the hallway and it helps my elder one recognize his appointed tasks for the day. Chore charts are easy to make, and customizable to every household need. Make one, and you'll be surprised how well your children can actually help out at home.

3. Start Small with the young ones

Toddlers as young as eight months and above can start to understand certain instructions. Start when they are young, by simply asking them to clean up after they play. It is these itty bitty things that actually prompt them to learn about responsibilities as well as gives a sense of accomplishment for these children. Babies and toddlers are very egocentric beings. Being able to do something and doing it well makes them very proud and happy and in turn feeling good about themselves. 

4. Get them involved

Let your children be involved in your weekly marketing, by letting them read and find the items off the supermarket rack. When you are back from the supermarket, allow them to sort the things out into the respective places such as the fridge or pantry. These are very simple and very accomplishing tasks for these young ones! Even when you are cooking, let them stay around and watch you cook. You'll be amazed how much they can help out if you actually give them the chance to. 

5. Emphasize on self help skills from young

People tend to overlook the importance of self help skills when children are young. Simple things like wearing a sock, or a shoe. Or even buttoning up a shirt. And especially self-feeding! It may take longer (and they may be a little messier!) than if you do it for them, but a little bit of enthusiasm and encouragement from our part may go a long way. Recognize and praise any tasks your child accomplishes.

These are five ways we practice independence in our home, and I must say it has lightened up my "work load" by quite a fair bit. Some may claim this is child labor but I insist that it is important to encourage independence because it will make your child feel confident in his abilities. If he knows you are confident in his abilities, then he too will be confident.

Linking up with:

Just another one of those sacrifices.

When I first held my babies in my arm the moment they were passed to me, I said under my breath "I would sacrifice anything for these boys." I meant my word, but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would need to sacrifice my teeth for my boys. I remember how a friend once told me that having sons would equal getting into many accidents, hence the most important purchase for myself would be to invest in a personal accident plan.

I actually did listen to her wise words, and am pretty glad I got myself insured. At the rate these boys climb, jump, trample all over me, accidents were bound to happen one day. Sure, I've gotten my finger fractured before, perhaps a nose injury too and many times I woke up with a strained back. I thought that was the  worse things could get handling two very active toddlers... until...

It all happened so fast, a knock, a bang, and out fell two large pieces of a broken canine. And there staring back at me in the mirror was a toothless shocked look. In all honesty, I think I was a little too shocked, depressed, worried, anxious to react. I put on a strong front for the boys, and told them "see momma has no tooth now!" and laughed away the pain. For days, it was the highlight of their laughs as I frantically contacted the dentist for an appointment which chalked up a thousand dollar bill in total.

My tooth is restored now, though only for aesthetic purposes and I guess I can look back and laugh about the whole incident. I can now say that I have gone down extreme measures of sacrifice for my children, right down to sacrificing my teeth! I am guessing this is just going to go under a long list of sacrifices ahead. It is quite amazing how motherhood can be the most trying period, yet we all somehow find the patience and love in us to overcome all that.

Linking up with:

Tuesday's (scratch that) Thursday's twenty questions.

Let me attempt to explain my absence over the past week. Errrr, I have been having fun! Too much fun that I actually forgot my blogging duties. I need to re-start my blogging gear with not too heavy a post, nothing too lengthy nor brainy. Just nice for a twenty-question linky from MummyMoo! It would be fun recollecting the day I added mother into my resume. 

1. Was your pregnancy planned, and how old were you?
Yes I've always believed pregnancies must be planned or else I'll suffer from a heart attack or something. Unless of course a condom breaks, but still heart attack-ish nonetheless. I was 25 then. 

2. What were your reaction?
Stunned, happy, still stunned. 

3. How did you find out you were pregnant?
Been trying for a few months and got a tad disappointed when the period came twice so I decided to let go and not test or count or anything of that matter. In the end, it happened when I wanted to skip work so I had to go get an MC so off to the doctor I went. I was suffering from unusual bloating (never knew that was a symptom of pregnancy then!), and somehow or rather the doctor decided to test for pregnancy and vavavoom, we were indeed pregnant!

4. Who did you tell first?
Mom!!

5. Did you find out the sex?
Initially we wanted it to be a surprise. Then at the 13th week, the gynae decided to tease us by saying "ooohhhh look at that.................... sure u don't wanna know?" And the weakling in us took over, and we said "Pleasseeeeeeeeeeeee do tell!"

6. Did you have morning sickness?
Nope, nada. Thank god!

7.What did you crave?
HAHAHAHA. believe it or not, my one and only craving was for........... archie comics! Woke up one night and craved very badly for ARCHIE COMICS. So the husband had to go to the nearest convenient store to pick up a stack of archie comics. We guessed we were pregnant with either a heartbreaker of sorts (Archie) or a comic relief fella (jughead). 

8. Who / What irritated you the most?
I had a happy pregnancy, I was a generally happy mommy-to-be until the 30th week where every position make me sleepless at night. Then the cranky zombie in me woke up. *growlll*

9. Did you wish you had a different gender from what you obtained?
Somewhere deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep down, I guess I really hoped it was a girl. 

10. How many kilos did you gain during the entire pregnancy?
12 kg, I still think I looked pretty normal except that I couldnt see my feet.

11. Where did you think the baby was conceived?
I think.......... no wait. I don't know. We just tried and tried and tried. Should be a room of our home, or maybe the couch...or the carpet. 

12. Did you have any complications during the pregnancy?
I was on the verge of getting gestational diabetes, yeah yeah too much chocolate alert pre-pregnancy. So the gynae made me go on a strictly no sugar diet which was mad crazy insanely difficult to do because that meant no sweets, chocolates, tea, coffee, rice, noodles ( yes nothing with starch too). I swear I don't know what I actually ate in the end.

13. Where did you give birth?
Mine was elective c-sect so nothing to dramatic about that. I gave birth in an OT with crazy white lights blinding me, and the cling-clangs of the damn equipment (scalpel and what not) was freaking the crap out of me.

14. How many hours were you in labour?
Eh! Does braxton hicks count?

15. Who watched you give birth?
Husband dressed in a silly astronaut suit. You would think he was walking on the moon or something.

16. Was it natural, or C-Sect?
C-Sect, I have a pretty smiley to remember my "labouring" journey.

17. Did you take medication to ease the pain?
Just the anesthesia during the operation. After that I rejected every painkiller because I was breastfeeding and the paranoia of drugging my kid came to me.

18. When was your child born?
05 February 2010 (the husband likes to remember it as 5 x 2 = 10. SIAO!)

19. What is his / her name?
Ahmed. Chinese name: Ah-mat. 

20. How old is he today?
He is 37months to date, which has been the best 37months of our lives, no doubt about that.

Linking up with: