Merry Christmas Greetings for Blog

If you are looking for a place to find cute Animated Christmas Cards or Animated Christmas Greetings for your blog, well, here is one. (At the bottom of this post).

Have you got your Christmas Gifts yet? If not, you can go to my Christmas Gifts Ideas Squidoo Lenses for some last minute Christmas Gift ideas. This year we got the kids bubble guns and water guns and books and kites and for ourselves books and decorative items for the house and for the helper a perfume. We went shopping together so everyone knows what they're getting. That kind of takes out half the fun of it but they're all wrapped up now under our 'Christmas tree' (our clothes hanger which doubles up as our Christmas tree every year) so no one gets to it till Christmas so there's still the fun of anticipation and waiting....

I've been getting a lot of visit on my Christmas Gifts lenses as well as my Color Themed Christmas Decorations lens. Looks like everyone is in the mood for a colorful Christmas. It puts me in the mood too.

Just in case I am too busy to update my blog till then, Merry Christmas 2011 and thanks for supporting and visiting my blog. Hope you all have a good holiday.

Click here to get more Cute Surprises

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Going to be Seniors Soon

The other day we were taking public transportation and someone offered my spouse a seat. "I don't think I look that old do I?" he said. I had a good laugh about it and told him kindly that it was probably because my girl was with him. So the kind Samaritan who offered the seat probably thought it would be easier for him to handle the girl who was also standing.

The truth is, we are both heading toward senior hood. (If there is such a word). In a few years time we will qualify for senior rates for public services! I think its time we look at life insurance for seniors.

There is a life insurance calculator to help us decide how much life insurance we need. This is a very useful tool indeed. It will help you to do some of your own calculations before you ask for life insurance quotes.

Time really flies. I can't imagine that I am going to be a senior in a few years.

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Travelling with Dad

Its just one more month to Chinese New Year. Time really flies. Dad was just out of hospital around this time last year. We were very thankful that he was able to be discharged just before New Year after a 2 month stay at the hospital.

Last year we were very fortunate to get a good Travel nurse to accompany dad for the long journey back to our hometown. Unfortunately, because she is a very good nurse, she has been sent to another family to work. She was with dad for one year and he has taken to her. She is both gentle but firm with him, a truly wonderful nurse.

We have had a few other nurses after her. Some of them female and some male nurses but I must say that some of them are new and just getting started on the job. They are not as competent as the nurse before.

This year, I hope that dad will get another good Travelling nurse so that he will have a comfortable journey home.

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Daily Affirmations on How to Be A Better Wife

As a Stay At Home Mother, sometimes I am so tired of dealing with the kids all day, I forget to be a wife. That is why I subscribe to some internet newsletters to give myself Daily Affirmations on How To Be A Better Wife.

I think it is a good idea to subscribe to such a newsletter. Just go to a Marriage and Relationship website that you think is good and subscribe to their daily newsletter if they have one. It will serve as a good daily reminder on how you should act and react as a wife.

There is a lot of information on the internet and I hardly have the time to read them. I would not surf the net very much unless there is something specific I am looking for so having something delivered to my mailbox is a good way of making me read.

I do subscribe to some other relationship sites on my Google Reader. However my Google Reader is so full of unread blog posts that I often just tune off altogether. So the best way is still to subscribe to a newsletter.

The daily affirmations I receive remind me to be patient, to give more and ask less, to listen better, be more forgiving, to think before I speak etc. Of course, I have read and know all these things but it does help to be reminded of it daily and like anything else, you become better with practice even being a wife and mother.

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Its Cyber Monday Deals Week!

Cyber Monday is not only for Monday. Its for the whole week! Have you bought anything yet? If not, there's still time.

What is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the Monday immediately following Black Friday, the Friday followingThanksgiving Day in the United States, created by companies to persuade people to shop online. The term made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop.org press release entitled "'Cyber Monday' Quickly Becoming One of the Biggest Online Shopping Days of the Year"


The above excerpt is from Wikipedia. To read more, go to Wikipedia.

Check out more news about Cyber Monday Shopping.

Get Great Bargains for Cyber Monday Deals Week!
Shop Amazon's Toys - Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals Week

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Time for Year End Health Checks

Its the end of the year again. That means it is time for our annual health checks. The whole family needs a visit to the dentist. I have to go for my pap smear and other blood tests etc. I have two cysts which needs to be monitored annually, 6 monthly actually, but I often delay it till the very last moment.

When you're feeling healthy, quite often we don't think about health checks or even things like Medicare Supplement Insurance. We take our health for granted most of the time. Quite often I skip the tests too because they take time. I hate to wait for medical test results too, always imagining the worst!

Speaking of Medicare Supplemental Insurance, those living in California and over the age of 65 should be happy to know that they have health insurance plans formulated for them. That is nice to know.

Sometimes it is hard to take up insurance when you are older. It would seem as though the insurance companies only target the young and healthy but that is not the case in California.

Whatever it is, healthcare and insurance planning should be done at whatever age. We should not ignore it.

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The Wonder Of A Child

My boy is 7. He is still at that age where everything is a discovery to him, a wonderful discovery. In watching him, I am constantly reminded of how wonderful it is to be a child. At the same time, I smile whenever I see in him The Wonder of Being A Child. For example...

We switch off all the lights, crawl under the comforter and look at his Glow In The Dark Stickers. He is looking at the stickers and he goes "Wow! Mummy, I like this one best." etc. To me, the image of his face glowing in wonder as he admires his stickers is more beautiful than all the Glow In The Dark Stickers in the world.

He sits on the throne and happily counts each toilet paper segment. Even toilet paper can bring excitement to a child. Imagine that. How wonderful it is to be a child and to have a child's simplicity. When I see him, I can't help but smile and remember that we should be thankful and happy about the simple things in life.

I remember we went to watch X-Men and there was a scene when Xavier manages to get Magneto to turn a Satelite Dish. Caught up in the moment, my boy forgot he was in the cinema and exclaimed "Wow! He can really do that!" or something to that effect in a rather loud voice which brought laughter to the cinema patrons. No one shushed him or got annoyed. His surprised amazement and wonder was so obvious it brought instant laughter. He was so amazed and his voice was so full of wonder. That is the wonder of a child.

There are so many more instances like this but I forget because I did not write them down. I really should record them down more often for he is only going to be this small once. 

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Breastfeeding Story - How To Be Successful At Breastfeeding

Today's breastfeeding story is from Jenny, who blogs at I'm A Full-Time Mummy. If you are a breastfeeding mummy from Malaysia, you should check out Jenny's baby room review. She does a very good job at reviewing baby rooms in the Klang Valley. 

Breastfeeding Story - How I Made Breastfeeding Work For Me

By Jenny

#1 - Start with the thought of breastfeeding from Day 1 

It's the same as having your goals and ambitions. You dream and fix your aim towards it from Day 1. Then you only have 1 goal to achieve for and focus all your concentration to it. If you are yoyo-ing from bottle to breast to bottle to breast, then when the baby comes, you would be lost and people around you could easily influence your decision making.

#2 - Remember the 3 Rs!
This come out of the blue, but I decided to call it the 3 Rs!
The 3 Rs are: Research, Read up and Rehearse!

Research all you can find about breastfeeding (why do it, benefits of breastfeeding, common breastfeeding myths, techniques, how to avoid any problems, what to do if there's any problems etc)

Read up all you can, be it from books, hospital/clinic leaflets on breastfeeding etc. The reason why I don't lump this into Research is because you can research all you want but if you don't read it, then it is pointless. Thank God I love to read!!!

Rehearse - go for antenatal classes where they teach you how to breastfeed and the different methods to breastfeed. If you don't attend the classes (please please do!), then look it up in the Net, Youtube or anything that shows you pictures or videos on how to breastfeed correctly.

# 3 - Choose your birth hospital correctly!
Now, you may wonder what is the place I'm going to give birth at has anything to do with breastfeeding. Well, it has everything to do with breastfeeding! You can research, read, rehearse all you want but if you deliver at a place where they immediately introduce your baby to bottle-feeding then all your efforts would have gone to waste!

Choosing the right birth hospital helped in making my breastfeeding work out!

# 4 - Get encouragement and support from other people
OK, we don't have a confinement lady. We did our own DIY confinement. There may be things we did wrongly. What we did was asked around from other in-laws and friends who have kids to check whether we are doing the right thing and then we compared our methods to theirs.

Hubby and I also got the postnatal home visits service from the people who conducted the antenatal classes we attended 2 months before I delivered. They will come in 3 times (depends on your schedule and their availability) each visit lasting for 1 hour and they will check your baby and your progress and condition. They will also observe and advice on your baby care methods, breastfeeding, and everything you wanted to find out about on newborn care.

For us, we know we are doing the right thing, just that we need some other people to acknowledge and confirm our thoughts. When you hear from the mouth of experts like them telling you that you are doing a great job and your baby is progressing very well, that sure does a lot of help with your motivation level! :D

# 5 - Quitting my job
One of the reason I quit my job is so that I am able to continue breastfeeding my baby since I am not able to extend my maternity leave. On the 1 month I'm serving my notice (and paid off the other 2 months), I had to force myself to express my breastmilk at office every 3 hours - reason why I said force is because, if I didn't do that, I could be sitting at my cubicle and doing work non-stop, not even going to toilet (until lunch time). And there are times when I only remembered I had to go express when I felt my breasts swollen hard and painful.

On my last week at the office, my supply dwindled down to 2 oz per day... from the beginnng when I returned back to work and start expressing at office I could express about 12 oz per day... down to 2 oz per day... the pressure and workload took its toll on me of course (I could even remember one time I didn't express from 12pm-8pm... total 8 hours...the reason? I was stuck in meetings after meetings and after office hours ended at 6pm, I was again stuck in conference calls with vendors and bosses until 8pm) So the decision to quit my job really helps alot with making my breastfeeding work.

# 6 - Pray!
Pray for God's will on whatever you have put your mind to. If it is His will, He will settle the bill :) Meaning, if its meant for you to breastfeed, no matter how hard it is, you must persevere.

The first few days before the breast milk comes in is critical. It will make or break a new mummy. Old folks and people who do not know better will tell you that your baby needs to feed, he cries because he is hungry, you don't have enough breast milk so you must give formula milk.. Pray for strength and patience and comfort in times of pain and stress like this. The breast milk will come! Babies do not need to feed for the first few days of their life! (This is because they still have storage in their bodies)

And when the breast milk comes, still there will be people telling you its not enough. Do not give up! The more you breastfeed, the more milk your body will produce. During the first 2 weeks after delivery, I will keep on breastfeeding Ben every 2 hours. Even the wee hours of the morning, I'd wake up and just latch him on. Suffer now, and reap the benefits later.

Thank you very much, Jenny, for sharing your tips on how to make breastfeeding successful. The above is an excerpt from her breastfeeding article on her blog which Jenny has very kindly given permission to reproduce. I think they're great tips so they should be shared. If you want to read more breastfeeding tips from Jenny, check out her article on The Truth About Breastfeeding.

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Signs

It is the end of the year and next year my kids turn 8 and 10. That would mean that I have been off the work force for more about 10 years now. That is a long time. I wonder what sort of work I can do if I want to get back to work. I guess it will have to be something to do with writing. However writing according to someone else's deadline is not very appealing to me. It doesn't come anywhere near the feeling you get of coming up with an article idea yourself, then writing and editing it yourself. You are in total control.

I still remember my earlier jobs. Apart from writing I had to do other things too. I worked for a relatively small company then. I even had to do our own corporate signs. I remember it was white and green, our corporate color. We had to comply with certain regulations and standards on the size of the signs. It was such a bother dealing with administrative things like that.

So we had this big sign outside our office. I also had to do a smaller door sign for visitors coming to our office with brass letters on it.

No, I did not enjoy doing any of that. I am enjoying myself much more now, looking after my children and doing work as and whenever I like on my own terms and in my own time. The thing about motherhood and staying at home is you are not going to get any prize or plaques in commemoration of your 'service'. However, there is nothing like this stay at home mother job. It is the most rewarding of all.

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Cosleeping - How Long Should Babies Sleep With Parents

How Long Should Babies Sleep With Parents? According to new research, babies should continue to sleep with their parents until they reach the age of three. I am sure there will be many who will jump at this and there will be a lot of arguments back and forth.

Sleep with baby, let baby cry it out, let baby sleep in cot, let baby sleep in the cot in another room, no soft toys and soft bedding for baby, don't let baby sleep on his back. Respond to baby, no don't respond to baby immediately.........

There is so much information and plenty of advise on what to do and what NOT to do. It can be daunting and scary for parents.

I feel how long a child should sleep with you is ultimately your personal choice. In fact, many parenting solutions and choices are up to you and your family. Whatever feels right for you and your family and your circumstances is right. You should not be pressured either way. Make your own decisions but arm yourself with knowledge before making those decisions.

Here are some latest news about cosleeping and baby sleep guidelines. However be warned, there is a lot of information out there. At the end of the day we must do what we feel is best for baby while keeping baby safe.

1. 1. Infant Sleep Safety - What Parents Need To Know
2. 2. Keep Babies Out Of Your Bed, Coroner Urges
3. 3. Crib Bumper Pads Cause Suffocation, Pediatricians Warn
4. 4. SIDS And Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: Expansion of Recommendations for a Safe Sleeping Environment

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Mesothelioma - A Mother's Story

Today, I have a Guest Post by Heather which I would like all mothers to read. Heather is a courageous mother, wife and survivor of Mesothelioma Cancer. Do read her story. If you wish to know more about Mesothelioma, please visit The Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance Blog. Thank you, Heather for sharing your story with us.

The Village

By Heather Von St James

Most people have heard the saying "It takes a village to raise a child." The phrase is repeated often when someone has a baby. For me, the saying came true. I not only believe it, I lived it. On August 4, 2005, after an unremarkable pregnancy, I gave birth to my daughter. I had hardly any morning sickness, and until I was ready to deliver, we had nothing to worry about. At that point, we were told she was coming backside first. After an emergency C-section, our baby girl was born, normal and healthy. Our "village" gathered around us at once. My husband's family, my parents, and our many friends came by to meet the little girl we named Lily, and to wish us well. With things going so well, we were not prepared for the storm about to break over our heads.

Up until the day Lily was born, I ran one of 3 salons in a large salon company in which I was part owner. I had more than 20 employees and also worked at a station myself. I went back to work but was not really happy about leaving my little girl. A few weeks after returning to full time work, however, I started feeling short of breath, tired and with no energy...feelings that could be normal after giving birth. Then I started to lose a lot of weight--5 to 7 pounds a week. I thought that surely was not normal. I saw my doctor in November, told him my symptoms, and after a chest X-ray and blood work, they found the answer: I had fluid around my left lung. After more tests, biopsies and scans, I was told I had malignant pleural mesothelioma--a deadly lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. The diagnosis came on November 21, 2005. As a child, I was exposed to asbestos, and now--30 years later--I had mesothelioma.

I was given 15 months to live if nothing was done, and my first thoughts were for my husband and baby. We knew then that we would do whatever we could to save my life. My parents kept Lily while we went to Boston. In February I had surgery to remove my left lung and surrounding tissue, lymph nodes, diaphragm, heart lining and one rib. Surgical Gore-Tex replaced my heart lining and diaphragm. After treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation, and nearly 3 months of recovery, I began to care for Lily again. I never did go back to work, since it would be too hard with just one lung.

The main thing to come from all of this is not our fear, nor any suffering, but the realization of the love and support from our "village." Our relatives, friends and even acquaintances rallied around us, held us up through it all, took care of Lily and surrounded us with strength until we could stand again. With the bad, comes good, and I am thankful for the good. We give back wherever we can, and are teaching Lily the same. The one constant that makes everything work for us is our Faith in God. Faith that I will live to raise our daughter, and it will all be okay.

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Breastfeeding Story - A Wonderful Journey

My Breastfeeding Story - A Wonderful Journey

By Germaine Liew

My experience as a breastfeeding mom would be akin to hiking in a new country and discovering an exciting adventure that was challenging at the start but enjoyable throughout. I’ve been on this journey for 55 months now, only taking a break of about 6 months from the time I weaned my son at age 2 until I delivered my daughter. It has been a pleasant journey I would say, with hardly any problems encountered along the way. There were a few ‘blisters’ in the beginning from the use of ‘new hiking shoes’ and a few painful encounters of the engorgement kind. But, overall, a wonderful bonding journey with my babies.

I am going to share how I prepared for this journey and what has helped me to keep going.

1. Breastfeeding 101

Just like how you’d research and read up on a travel destination before embarking on a vacation, the same goes for breastfeeding. Get as much information as you can from books, parenting sites, family and friends who have experience in breastfeeding. In my first month of breastfeeding, I hit the books and reading materials again to see if my baby was latching on correctly, to know when my milk should start to turn white, how to relieve engorgements and treat cracked nipples and to be sure that my baby was getting enough milk.

2. Think Positive

The moment I found out I was pregnant with my first child, I had already psyched myself up to breastfeed him. Before you go on a trip, don’t you envision yourself enjoying the holiday? This is what I kept telling myself throughout my pregnancy:

“I am going to breastfeed my baby. He is not going to drink anything except my milk. And I am going to have enough for him.”

A major motivation factor for me was also the successful breastfeeding stories of friends which drove me to believe that if they can do it, I can definitely do it too.

3. Set Goals

Before you visit a place for the first time, you would have an idea of what you’d like to do and the sights you’d like to see. Well, just like breastfeeding, especially when it’s a first time, you’d like to set yourself some goals. Setting goals will motivate you and give you a sense of achievement once you’ve accomplished them. For me it was the breastfeeding guideline on how long you should breastfeed your baby – exclusively for the first 6 months until age 2. Well, I stuck to the guideline too rigidly and weaned my son exactly at age 2. Partly also because I was already pregnant with my daughter at that time and I thought it would be challenging to handle 2 clingy kids. On top of that, I had no idea what tandem nursing was and did not consider doing that at all. I might have gone on to tandem nurse both my children if I had to do it all over again...maybe.


4. Perseverance

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
I know of a friend who had mastitis at least 3 times during the course of breastfeeding her first child. I don’t know how she did it but she persevered and successfully breastfed her son till he was close to 2. Now that’s what I call perseverance. I don’t know if I would have been able to handle it all if I were in her shoes but I certainly look up to her as a perfect example of endurance.


5. Nix the Naysayers

“Your baby’s not getting enough milk that’s why he’s constantly crying”

“You should probably give him a little formula milk so he’ll sleep better in the night”

“Are you sure you’ve got enough milk for your baby, how come nothing much’s coming out when you pump?”

“It’s okay to give the baby a little water, most mothers do that. Takes away the heatiness”

“Asking for milk again? See, your baby’s not getting enough. He’s hungry again”

These are just some of the things that were said to me in the first month of breastfeeding my first child. It was difficult and discouraging to hear things like these, especially when you’re a new mother trying your darned best to cope with a new baby. But, back to No.4, don’t let them get you down. I remembered checking on the books to see how I can tell if my baby was getting enough milk and that was to see how often he is wetting his diapers. So, I reassured myself and nixed the naysayers.

These 5 points have worked for me especially when I was a first-time breastfeeding mom. When I had my second child, breastfeeding was a breeze. She was a pro in latching-on and I hardly had any difficulties breastfeeding her, except for maybe 2 occasions of a slightly engorged breast. The thing about an engorged breast is that the only way I’ve found effective enough to relieve that is your own baby nursing on it. The tip is to try different positions of nursing your baby while massaging your breast. No amount of cabbage or hot compresses can beat that.

I’d like to add though, that you shouldn’t give yourself a hard time if you haven’t been able to breastfeed your baby. Circumstances are different for everyone and no two breasts are the same – not even on a single person. Take comfort in knowing that you’ve tried your best and that you’ve given it all you could. At the end of the day, all your baby needs is a lot of TLC.

I am fortunate enough to have had it easy with breastfeeding. I can’t thank God enough for that.

It has been a wonderful journey for me.

Germaine blogs at Kiddothings.com. You can read more about her wonderful Motherhood experience and Breastfeeding stories at her blog. Thank you Germaine, for sharing your wonderful and inspiring breastfeeding story especially those useful tips. I like tip No 5 on how to Nix those Naysayers. 

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My blog is more than just a diary

My blog is more than just a diary. It is also my personal forum and personal web bookmark as well as my Dear Aunt agony page. When I was in my teens, me and my girl friend talked about becoming psychologists and helping people. We wanted to join the Befrienders then. The Befrienders is a non-profit organisation which offers emotional support to the depressed and suicidal through telephone calls, emails and letters. My sister in law just joined the Befrienders as a volunteer recently. She had to go through quite a lot of training and evaluation before she is allowed to take calls.

Anyway, my friend did eventually become a psychologist and I became a housewife who is a blogger who feels glad if she is able to help anyone out sitting in her chair at home writing her posts and replying to the occassional email asking for help.

Sometimes I use my blog as a personal forum. When I had a bad cough, I wrote a post to ask about home remedies for cough and I was glad to receive many ideas and suggestions. In my Parenting Times blog which really started out as my personal blog but is now more about my kids, I like to bookmark good sites for my kids  that I can easily return to by searching my personalised search box. I find it so much easier to find things this way compared to adding it to my favourites folder which is chockful of rubbish for myself and the kids. I am not really that good at organizing folders at home and that includes cyber folders. I use online social bookmarking sites like Digg, Delicious and Reddit more for submitting my own sites rather than bookmarking other sites so that doesn't work for me either.

So my blog is where I bookmark important links I want to remember. Today, I want to bookmark this link because my kids get sick quite often they have to take the antibiotic Zithromax. This information below is useful to keep and remember.

Drug Information for Parents on Zithromax

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Breastfeeding Stories

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

I had a very hard time breastfeeding both my children. With the first, I did not have enough support and knowledge. Sure, there are a lot of breastfeeding resources on the internet. I read most of them.

However, it did not prepare me to breastfeed because I lacked support. I am fortunate to have a wonderful supportive spouse but I think it would have helped to have the support of other breastfeeding mothers.

With my two children, eventually I went on to breastfeed the first for 1 1/2 years. She lost a lot of weight initially which was extremely worrying. I refused to give her any water or formula because I had read that they would sabotage my breastfeeding efforts.

On hindsight and looking at her tiny haggard face in her newborn photos, I think I should have relaxed a little an allowed her a little formula while I continued to work on breastfeeding. My staunch refusal caused us both a lot of trouble and she lost a lot of weight. She was constantly crying from hunger. Hers was a difficult birth and it did not help that I didn't have any help. I was quite weepy at the time.

Eventually, her feedings had to be monitored by her doctor and dedicated lactation consultant. I tried really hard to express milk for her but it was not enough. I had to record her feedings and slowly increase the ratio of breastmilk. I kept an almost hourly record. It was a crazy tiring time but it was necessary.

I did manage to feed her fully at night eventually and we had mixed feedings during the day for 1 1/2 years. It was a really tough time and marred what should have been precious moments enjoying my baby.

My second time breastfeeding was not any easier despite the breastfeeding experience. My little boy did not learn to latch on for 2 whole months! The doctor said that the reason could be because he has a tongue tie. However, this time I knew how to express early and I had the opportunity to so my milk was not compromised. Unlike the first time when I could only express a miserable 1 1/2 ounces each time. This time, I could express up to 10 ounces each time.

So I expressed and fed him from a spoon at first and a cup later on. No bottles. It was very tiring since I could not breastfeed him directly. My days passed by in a blur of expressing, feeding, trying to latch baby and repeat!

He latched on at exactly two months and 1 day! The day that I almost considered giving up from weariness and frustration. It was only after that, that I began to enjoy the freedom of breastfeeding and the joys of breastfeeding. I eventually breastfed him fully for 3 years and the 2 months of difficulty was all worth it.

I digress so much. I had started this post to state my intention to start a breastfeeding stories category on this blog and open it to contributors to support other breastfeeding moms who have difficulty breastfeeding like I did and yet have no support accept the internet.

During my difficult time breastfeeding, what kept me going was reading the breastfeeding stories from other mums online.

I wish to invite all breastfeeding mums to contribute to this Breastfeeding Stories Category. Some I will personally invite but even if I don't send you an invite, just feel free to invite yourself.


Please begin your story in this manner. Here are some examples..


My Breastfeeding Story - I didn't know how to breastfeed my newborn


or:


My Breastfeeding Story -  My experience in Tandem Nursing


or


My Breastfeeding Story - How I pumped and work at the same time


or


My Breastfeeding Story - My Problems with Weaning


or


My Breastfeeding Story - (__________________) Fill in the blanks with your breastfeeding experience that you would like to share and which you think will be helpful whether it is breastfeeding mulitples, the difficulty or simply the joy you experience in breastfeeding. Then write anything you like and in any length you like and email it to me at


mumsgather@gmail.com


At the end of the story, please remember to link back to your blog or the breastfeeding cateogory on your blog if you have one.

We may not be very successful in reaching out to support other mums individually but collectively, I hope that our stories will be able to help someone out there the way it helped me to perservere doggedly on and remain motivated and inspired despite the uphill battle (yes, it was almost like a battle). I wanted to give up many times but reading the many stories helped me to continue.

Breastfeeding mothers do share a special bond. Lets come together and reach out to support others in a small way. All you have to do is share your story.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to reading your inspiring Breastfeeding Stories.

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10 Things to Feel Good About

Here are 10 things I feel good about today. They are all very simple things in life but then in life it is the little things that add up so it is important to be happy about small things.

1. Today, I had a relaxing breakfast with the kids. There was no rush despite it being a school day.

2. I am on my 5th day in my New Month's Resolution and doing well so far.

3. I feel more energized after doing daily exercises instead of feeling more tired.

4. After exercise, I had a nice shower then I sit and sip a hot drink while sitting on my massage chair pad. We can't afford a massage chair but a massage chair pad feels just as good.

5. I had 3 Amazon sales last night.

6. I saw my son's teacher. I hope that reassures him that mummy and daddy will always stand up for him and be there for him.

7. I am listening to my favorite CD, Secret Garden on the Sony Walkman which I received. I love it. Music moves me and this little thing stores all my CDs in one place. Lovely! I love Secret Garden because it has many nice relaxing songs in it.

8. After doing all this, I still have time to write. I don't know why I love to write so much, I just do. Being above to do something that you love is simply wonderful.

9. Today is Friday!

10. Its only noon and already I've got 10 things to feel good about.

Happy Weekend!

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Time Extension

I love doing everything online. It really saves time. I remember not long ago, we used to have to queue up at the post office to pay our utility bills during weekends. What a time waster that was! Sometimes it took all of my Saturday morning sitting and waiting in line for my number to be called before I was able to pay my bills.

Now, I can do it online by tapping on my keyboard and clicking on my mouse. How wonderful that is. We can do so many things online now. Buy airline tickets, movie tickets, do banking, go shopping and pay taxes etc. You can even get an e file tax extension online. That is why I love my computer so much and can't live without it.

An e file tax extension is a time saver. However, one must be careful about not spending too much time in front of the computer. In such a case, the time saver becomes a time waster! If you must spend time in front of the pc, it is better to spend it doing productive things instead of spending it playing endless games for hours.

I'm grateful for the my time saver, my computer. However, apart from an e file tax extension, one time extension that I would really like right now is more time for my kids to prepare for their end of the year examinations.

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The Joys of Motherhood

Image link: Precious Moments "The Greatest Joy Is Motherhood"  

One of the Joys of Motherhood is watching your kids face light up when they receive a happy surprise. Their delight is our delight. I am anticipating such a delight soon.

My boy has been waiting for a parcel because he received a small prize recently, some movie memorabilia. Nothing fantastic but enough to delight a little boy. He has been waiting for 'the special postman' to bring his prize for the past 2 weeks.

I have been brought to the door in vain countless time because he 'heard' the doorbell being rung by his special postman. I think he has finally given up and forgotten about it. Today his 'special postman' came while he was in school. I have put the courier package on his table.

I can't wait to see the delight on his face when he sees it. His face will practically light up with happiness and he will call out to me for sure. That is indeed on of the best joys of motherhood. Can you think of any other?

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Should my Newborn Sleep first and my Toddler later?

"Should my Newborn Sleep first and my Toddler later?"

This is a frequent question asked by mothers when they have a second child. Handling just one child during bedtime is a handful. Handling two is a balancing act. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don't.

Image links to: Sleep Sheep - Four Soothing Sounds From Nature

I've tried to address this question in my latest ezine article "Bedtime Routine for Newborn and Toddler".

Bedtime Routine for Newborn and Toddler

You can check it out or you can to the sleep category on this blog for more articles on baby and toddler sleep including your own sleep routine.

Whatever it is, the baby and toddler years are quick. So if you are struggling with lack of sleep, just tell yourself "this too shall past" and it really does.

Image links to: Sleep Sheep On The Go - Travel Sound Machine with Four Soothing Sounds

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A Peek Into The Future

This morning the little one was talking about going to University.

"I don't want to got overseas to University mummy. I won't know how to go to school. I won't have any friends. I won't know how to cook or wash my clothes. I want to go to University here. It will also be easier to write letters."

I told him that if he went to University here then we won't have to write letters as we can see each other during the weekends. Then I retorted that by that time, he will have his own friends and won't want to see me during the weekends to which he replied adamantly and in great surprise.


"No mum, I love you so much."

Haha. Just you wait and see son. I'm writing this down so that I can hold you to your words in future. ;)

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Sometimes I forget how young they are

Sometimes I have high expectations from my kids in their abilities to do things around the house or respond in a certain manner or in their attention spans. Sometimes I forget how young they are. Then there is a jolt or reminder that they are still very little.

Last night my boy told me that he cried at school. When I asked him why, he said that a prefect had asked him to go to the teacher's office to collect some books. My boy is a tall boy so he sits right at the back and often misses out on a lot of the action. He also does not understand Mandarin very well even after almost a whole year at school.

As a result, he did not really understand what the prefect was asking him to do. He also didn't really know where the teacher's room was. So he said he cried while walking around looking for the teacher's room to collect the books because he was worried that he could not manage to do this task he was asked to do. He said he wanted to go to his sister's classroom to ask her but eventually he did not.

Eventually he found the teacher's staff room by which time several kids were walking back with books. The teacher asked him whether he had come for books and gave him a pile to carry back to class which he did but because he was so late, there was no place for the books and he didn't know what to do. He got some help from some classmates who pushed some books aside for him.

This incident reminds me despite his maturity and how much he has grown to me, he is still very young and school is still a big place. When I imagine him walking around on his own with tears in his eyes, I felt so sorry for him. Of course I gave him a big big hug to make it up to him.

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Helping Your Child Accept a New Sibling

I haven't had much time to update my blogs recently because I have been busy spending time with my children. It amazes me to see how much they have grown. When I see new babies in a stroller, I think of the time when they were babies. Fortunately, it was not difficult for me to get my then toddler to accept her new baby brother. They do fight a lot these days as most siblings do but they accepted each other and had a really good start.

I've shared how I got my child to accept her new sibling here on my guest post at My Baby Radio.

Will my toddler ever accept our baby? Do hop over to My Baby Radio to read the article.

My Baby Radio is a delightful online radio for families and new parents. You can listen to relevant radio programs for parents on air or if you prefer, you can subscribe to their Baby Blog posts.

Mommy bloggers, if you have a great blog and would like your blog or articles to be featured online at My Baby Radio, feel free to contact Joanne from My Baby Blog.

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Potty Training Boys

It is funny why most parents who go on the internet to search for potty training problems or potty training tips often do a search for potty training boys or toilet training boys. Why not girls?

Are boys harder to potty train than girls?

I am a mother of both a boy and a girl and I am about to share with you why potty training boys is not any harder than potty training girls. As a matter of fact, in my case, it was actually easier. It took me more than a year to potty train my girl while it only took 10 days to potty train my boy.

It is all about the right timing and readiness. It is not about age or gender. Every child is different.

I would like to add that every parent is different too. Do not let others dictate how you should potty train your child.


Potty train your child when both your child and you are ready, not when others say you or he should be ready.


Potty Training - When to Start

As I have mentioned before, it is all about the right timing and readiness. Potty training is very easy when your child is ready. I have had friends who told me that their mothers or mothers in law potty trained their babies right from the time they were babies. Babies who have hardly mastered the art of sitting up. They made the babies sit in the potty each day and they were potty trained by the time they were xxxx months old or a year old.

That may be possible but that is hard work. To me, you should start your potty training when your child is ready. So how do you know when your child is ready? Trial and error. Try and if your child shows no sign of readiness, drop it and try again a few months down the road.

Potty Training Mistakes

It took me more than a year to potty train my girl. I did everything wrong. I yelled at her. I comforted her. I cried alone. It was madness. The nighttime potty training was even worse. She wet her bed every time. I would lay layers and layers of sheets but they would all get wet, even the pillows and blankets and the layers of layers of sheets. I was in despair.


She was just not ready. That was the biggest mistake of all.

We did it eventually but not without a lot of tears and frustration for the both of us.

Potty Training - When the time is right

It took me only 10 days to toilet train my boy. That is right. It was about 7 - 10 days. He was old enough to understand instructions. He could not only sit up on his own, he could walk around by then. I found that he was dry most nights. That was when I decided to start.

I was consistent with him. I explained things to him because he was old enough to understand. It took me only a week of wiping the floors and carpet accidents and tada.... we were done. Just like that. I never had to train him at night as well. He was dry most nights by then. So I just took off his diapers and reminded him not to pee in the night and he remained dry since.

I truly believe that when the time is right, and that time will come, potty training will be a breeze. With my boy, I had the benefit of experience so we had an easy, virtually no tears potty training. I did not have to sit him in the potty at the same time everyday as part of the "training" process.

Wait for the right time and do not be overly concerned about what others have to say.

Remember, every child is different. Some may take a little longer but it does not mean that your boy is any less smarter than the boy who was potty trained in less than a year. The boy who was toilet trained in less than a year may have taken 6 months to train whereas when the time is right, you will need just a week or two of stressless potty training.

Good luck!

Check out how I potty trained my boy in just slightly over a week in my Lazy Mum's Guide to Toilet Training. The rest of my articles on potty training are in my Toilet Training Category on my blog.

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When to buy first bra and how

This post is for parents with daughters.

When to Buy the First Bra?

Recently, my daughter who is 9 told me that her friends laughed at her when they were changing for gym class because she had developing breasts and they didn't. I told her that different girls develop at different ages and she was perfectly normal. She knows all about menstruation and puberty because we had spoken about it before but it still did not prepare her for being laughed at. I told her that I will take her bra shopping when the time is right but just when is the right time? When do you buy the first bra and how?

Breast Development Stages

I find this site very useful and answered most of my questions on when to buy the first bra and how. It is called My First Bra. There is a section for girls and another parents guide. The breast development stages is good for giving you an idea what to expect and when in terms of breast development. I also like the Bra Size Calculator. The information is useful for both girls and parents alike.

I told my daughter that she can change in the privacy of the toilet if she prefers but this is something that most girls will have to go through. Later on, there may be more locker room laughter about breast sizes etc. I find that being prepared myself, helps me guide my child along her puberty years.

It is useful to read up about puberty before discussing it with your child

Here is another useful article: Buying the Right Bra for Girls. It is from PoGo, another great site for young girls and parents supporting them through puberty.

Finding the Right Bra  and When Will I Start Developing from Kidshealth.org is useful too. There are many other useful articles there as well. Everything You Wanted to Know about Puberty. This one is a must read before you explain to your child about Puberty and Development and Menstruation etc. It really is very useful to read up on these matters before you have The Talk.

The Talk

Well, actually we didn't really have The Talk. One day, I read a newspaper article about menstruation and I read the entire article to her and added my own explanations. I told my daughter that some people may find it embarrassing to talk about such things and when there are things they don't understand, sometimes they laugh (referring to the gym laughter) and she retorted....

"Whats so embarrassing about that?" 

I like that attitude. I agreed with her that it is nothing embarrassing at all. It is just our body and how it grows. I also reminded her that she should come to me at any time with any questions that she has on anything.

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Seeing Red

Let me see. We have coughing, vomiting, rashes, diarrhea, nose congestion, sore throats, and  fever in the house and to top all of that up, I am now writing with a red eye. Yup. Woke up yesterday with a red eye and my back hurts. Did I leave anything out that we haven't got? Hmm.... no, I think we've got it all covered.

I wish that it will all go away in the blink of an eye. I don't want the red eye. I don't want the vomiting, rashes, diarrhea, sore throats, coughing, fevers, runny and congested noses. I don't want to see red.

We've spent hundreds of dollars at doctors and taken load of medicine. My fridge looks like a medicine dispenser now. When will it stop?

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Sick of Being Sick

Since before the school holidays, we have all been sick. The boy has seen the doctor 4 times, the girl, 2 times, me once and the man once. The kids were sick before the school holidays and they spent the entire one week of holiday hibernating at home, sleeping and eating medicine. They were bored to tears. When it was almost time to go back to school, the boy got a fever again and can't go back to school for another 2 days. He was on MC for 2 days before the school holidays. So he has an extra long holiday but not one that was enjoyable. The girl had fever during the holidays. She had some strange feelings that I am afraid may be hallucinations or auras during the few days when she had fever. Sigh.

The boy had 3 rounds of infections, the girl 2 rounds, me 2 rounds, the man 1 round but it looks like he is heading for 2nd round. I am truly sick of being sick. We can't seem to break this sick chain or cycle.

Besides being sick, we have been busy with other things too. At least we managed to fix our leaking air cons ourselves. However, our car got involved in a collision with another car. Nothing serious but the work involved is tiring. The running around making police reports, "negotiating" with the other driver, the repairs, the insurance claims all of which we are still right in the middle of doing. Sigh.

Oh and the income tax had to choose this time to call us in randomly to submit some documents in their audit. Sigh again. Tired. Tired. Hope that the kids and the rest of us recover completely and I mean completely soon and the rest gets settled so that we can move on with normal routine again.

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Single Father

Dad is a single father. Even though dad needs looking after now, he will always be our father. There are a lot of write-ups and articles about single mothers but single fathers are the silent unsung heroes. Life is tough as a single parent, mother or father.

When mum passed on and left dad as a single father, we were 10 (me), 14, 15, 17, and 18. What a handful! I never thought about how hard it was for my parents to discover that my mum had cancer. That difficulty is compounded by the fact that they were parents to a brood of five. I only realised how tough it must have been when I became a parent myself.

Within a year of discovering that she had end stage cancer, she passed on. We were living in Kuantan at the time and there was no highway then. During some weekends, dad had to take mum to hospital in KL. The journey was about 6 hours then if I am not wrong.

How hard it must have been for this single father to work and care for his wife at the same time while worrying about five kids but dad took it in his stride. He is a stoic man. He still is. We discovered just how stoic he is when he was in hospital last year for two months after a stroke and had colostomy surgery because he was bleeding heavily and could not pass motion.

Dad travelled up and down to KL to look after mum but towards the end, he took her home. Fortunately, we had a kind and gentle doctor living a few doors away from us who came to give mum pain killers intravenously until it was time for her to go.

Well, dad, you have made many mistakes in your life, some of them not small. You are not excused from those mistakes but I appreciate how hard your life must have been back then.

Dad, now in the sunset of your life, I wish that you will be free of pain and that you will be happy and have no worries, that you will be able to eat well and sleep well and you will be able to have more awakening moments where your old self will emerge through the fog.

You have done very well indeed as a single father, dad. You no longer have to worry about us. It is now our turn to worry about you.

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How do you raise kids without losing yourself?

I am a SAHM who spend a lot of time at home with the kids. My life pretty much revolve around the kids. I talk about the kids a lot. So have I lost myself? Nope, I don't think so.

"I have not lost myself. I have discovered my new self. I have learned that I am a stronger person than I knew and I am evolving into this new and better person called MOTHER."

...I am evolving into this new and better person called MOTHER....

Ever since the kids came along, I have discovered more and more about myself. I didn't know I had such perseverance until I started breastfeeding. I didn't know I could teach. I always thought that teaching was the last thing I would do but now I find it a joy to teach. I didn't know that I possessed strength until  I had to deal with doctors and bad news when it comes to the children. I didn't know I had such desire to learn until I started learning so that I can teach the kids.

Everyday, I am learning new things. I have to learn patience. I have to improve my Emotional Intelligence. I have to learn to control myself better. Yes, all for the kids sake but in doing so, I am finding myself, not losing myself.

There are many more things I didn't know about myself and I am learning all the time. Motherhood is an ongoing journey and as I walk that journey, I am discovering more and more of myself.

"No. You do not lose yourself when you raise kids. You find yourself, then you continue to grow as a person."

   

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The Multiple Hug

The other day I gave the kids some crunchy snacks to eat during our movie night. The ever expressive boy said...

"Wow! Mummy, you are so kind to me. I'm going to give you a double hug!"

Sometimes he substitutes double with other numbers like 10 hugs etc, that is why I call it the multiple hug. :)

Yesterday, we dressed him up smartly to go and sit for his piano test. His hair was also long and unruly so we put some gel and water to tame it. After that my little drama king said....

"Mummy, so handsome. Maybe next time I can wear this to the mall and then suddenly you are not there and then a lot of people are around me and they all clap and say "So Handsome!"

Hmm... I think someone has been watching too many movies. 

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Communicating effectively with your spouse

This year for my wedding anniversary, my spouse gave me a necklace. However, I am not a necklace person. I am a bracelet person. If you ask me to put down my jewellery preference order, it would be something like this…

1. 1. Bracelet (especially charm bracelets!)
2. 2. Rings (I prefer the dainty to the louder for modern or fashionable types)
3. 3. Earrings (I like dangling. Earrings really bring out the wearer’s face and brightens it a little)
4. 3. Necklaces (which are harder to match and sometimes clash with the wearer’s outfits)

I also really prefer precious gems and crystals to silver and gold. Silver is so cold and it reminds me of stainless steel. I prefer dainty over chunky and I don't like jade and pearls are just so so. Whoa! Such a lot of requirements!

Not this gold bangle, dear!

I know this but he doesn’t and he has never asked me before so how will he know? So what do I do? Do I keep quiet about my preferences or do I voice them out? When and how should I voice it out? It seems so unkind to tell someone (who has taken the time and trouble to think about and buy and gift for you) that you really prefer something else?

Ah.. this multigem bracelet is more like it!

There were other times in the past where he gave me bangles. However, I don’t like bangles, I prefer bracelets which are more flexible and pretty (in my eyes) and I love charm bracelets but I don’t think he even knows what a charm bracelet is!

Not this Gold Necklace, dear.

Should I tell it directly? Indirectly? Hint? Pick the right time? Etc. It is all so hard for such a simple thing.
So the other day, I decided to go direct, after years of keeping quiet. I’m just exaggerating here but somehow the subject never came up.

This pair of crystal earrings will do nicely instead.

Anyway, the other day, the man was asking me why I wasn’t wearing his necklace. I said that I didn’t think it was appropriate or necessary because we were just going to the movies. Then I blurted out …..

“You know, after all these years, you still don’t know me well. You don’t know what jewellery I like or what food I like to eat”

Not this Big Bling Crystal Heart Fasion Ring my love

Well, the man didn’t get upset (well, maybe a little) but I think I’ve hurt his feelings a little. Hmm… I just don’t know how to do this. How do you tell someone you prefer something else after all the trouble and thought they have put into giving you something which they think is really nice and which they think they would like you to have?

Too bad, this lovely Citrine Birthstone Ring is for November, I'm born in June.

How do you communicate effectively with your spouse, even over such a simple manner. I am clueless. I am terribly bad at communcation and after being married for 10 years, I am still learning. Care to share with me some effective communication skills? How do you communicate effectively with your spouse?

A little bit of fun: Know your birthstone.

1. January Birthstone is Garnet (Deep Red)
2. February Birthstone is Amethyst (Purple)
3. March Birthstone is Aquamarine (Pale Blue)
4. April Birthstone is Diamond (Clear or White)
5. May Birthstone is Emerald (Green)
6. June Birthstone is Pearl (White)
7. July Birthstone is Ruby (Red)
8. August Birthstone is Peridot (Pale Green)
9. September Birthstone is Sapphire (Deep Blue)
10. October Birthstone is Opal (Pink)
11. November Birthstone is Citrine (Yellow)
12. December Birthstone is Turquoise (Blue)

Of all these, I love sapphire, emerald, ruby and opal best of all. Oh and not forgetting diamonds. Diamonds are supposed to be a girl's best friend afterall so you can never go wrong with diamonds. :)

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The Forever Hug

Yesterday my boy introduced me to another hug. He said it is the Forever Hug.

“Mummy, I want to hug you forever. Then you must follow me everywhere I go”

Said the huggy bear while hugging me and pulling me along with him.

I wonder what other new hugs he will come up with next.

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The Backward Hug

As I have mentioned many times before, my little boy craves for hugs and he is very generous in dishing out hugs himself too.

For example, when I am tucking his clothes in for him, he would hug me. Whenever he sees me after school he would hug me.

He would jump on his dad to hug him whenever the opportunity arises.

He is just like that. He loves to hug and be hugged.

Then this morning as I was standing behind him,wetting and combing his unruly morning hair, he reached his hands out behind him and hugged me even though I was standing behind him!

"This is a backward hug, mummy." said my little affectionate hugger with a big grin. How not to love him?

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The One Minute Hug

“Mummy, can you give me a hug for one minute?”

Recently I had this request from my boy whose primary love language is touch. He is a very affectionate and physical person. He likes to hug, hold hands, jump on people…

I said “OK”. So we sat down, looked at our clock and counted 60 seconds and gave him a big long cuddle.

Did you know that a hug usually takes only a few seconds? 60 seconds was quite long but being the affectionate huggy bear that he is, he loved it!

Today, he requested for a 3 minute hug.

Hug someone close today. It only takes several seconds but during those few short seconds you will give and receive wonderful feelings.

Better still, hug someone for one minute today.

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Kawasaki Syndrome?

I have not written about this very much before because at the time I was very stressed. Blogging was the last thing on my mind.

During the beginning of this year, my son had fever for several days. The fever would not go away. He also had badly swollen lymph nodes around his neck area. His could not put his head straight and he was in pain. His lips were dry, red and peeling. After a week and the second time to the paediatrician, she advised us to take him to emergency unit at the hospital. She gave us a letter of referral to one of the doctors at a local hospital.

When we got to the emergency department at the hospital, we did not get immediate attention because of our referral letter. We were told to wait for the doctor in question outside her clinic to have an evaluation first. The clinic was packed and the wait was long. Sigh.

When we finally saw the doctor, she took one look and said “I think he has exactly the same symptoms as another 12 year old girl I saw. Yes, exactly like her. Look at his lips and his neck bent like this. I think he has what she had.” When we enquired what that was. She said it was kawasaki syndrome and autoimmune decease where the body attacks itself. She said he had to be hospitalized.

She said that she must monitor him closely. She said that they had made a mistake with the girl by not diagnosing it as kawasaki decease soon enough and she had to endure many scans etc unnecessarily. She said that they had to learn from their mistake.

My boy was then taken to do a scan around his neck area. Then, later on while taking his blood samples, she asked the nurses whether they remembered the other girl and whether my son looked like he had the same thing and they all agreed. My heart sank.

He was not given any treatment the whole day and his fever stayed on. When we enquired, he was given antibiotics intravenously around midnight.

To cut an extremely long story short, my son had to stay in the hospital for 2 weeks and he missed school for almost a month as he had to stay home another 10 days after that. This was right after the Chinese New Year holidays.

My son is usually Mr Sunshine. He was a very happy baby and he continues to be a very cheerful fella now, who is always full of smiles and laughter. During his time in hospital he was full of tantrums though. He could not sleep well because he could not lie down on the pillow properly as his neck was very swollen and his fever continued to stay on for more than a week at the hospital. He became very fretful and uncooperative. He became quite a different boy. That made me realise why some children throw tantrums etc. Sometimes, it is because of the situation and not because the child is naughty. The child may be hungry, sleepy, tired etc but does not know how to verbalise his or her feelings. For my son, of course at the time he was in pain and probably feeling very scared. He became a bit more demanding than his usual self.

Eventually, after many blood tests, 4 and 5 times during his hospital stay and we had to go back twice after that to do more blood tests, they found out that it was just a very bad virus. The doctor said that no treatment was necessary and time would have cured him. However, he was pumped with a lot of antibiotics during his stay. Sigh.

I think the doctor learned something too. Although she had made a mistake the first time by delaying the diagnosis of kawasaki decease, she should learn that not everything that looks the same, can be assumed to be the same thing. She should not have jumped to conclusions. It is the same in life, I think. Don’t judge a book by its cover comes to mind. Never make assumptions about anything without first checking out the facts.

Anyhow, that is behind us now. I am very glad that he did not have kawasaki syndrome as the doctor had thought. My sunshine boy is back, no more tantrums. Only tears when he does not get what he wants at times but just a good scolding, an explanation afterwards and a good hug often settles it. The time at the hospital was just a nightmare. A nightmare that I do not want to remember because while I was staying at the hospital, my girl had a seizure at home. Then we had to leave the poor boy at the hospital with just the maid so that we could take the poor girl to the doctor. Sigh.

Yes, it was certainly a nightmare. Writing this down is supposed to release it but somehow I am suddenly brought back to an unhappy moment. Perhaps I should not have written it. Anyway, it is passed.

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Growing Pains in Children

My daughter used to complain about pains in her joints especially her knee and legs at night. By morning, the pains would be gone. Sometimes the pains were on one side only. She was about 7 at the time. I was very worried. When I consulted the pediatrician  she said that it was common and it was called growing pains and was caused by Growth Spurts.

I had not heard about it before this. So, I thought that it would be useful to share this on the blog for other mothers too. Here are some useful articles about growing pains in children.

1. From KidsHealth under the Aches, Pains and Injuries article on Growing Pains
2. From WebMD article on Growing Pains - When should parents worry
3. From Kids Growth article on Solving the Mystery of Growing Pains
4. From Wikipedia article on Growing Pains
5. From Guardian.co article on So what exactly are Growing Pains?

I hope the above articles on Growing Pains in Children will be useful and solve most of the mystery. Never ever suggest that your child is faking it and always seek medical advise when in doubt.

  

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A Mother’s Worth

The other day, my boy said to me…. “Mummy, you are like 99 billion diamonds.” Now that put a big smile on my face because I know diamonds are important to him. He wants to become a diamond miner when he grows up, you see. He thinks that he will make a lot of money by mining diamonds. (A result of reading too many adventure books and watching too many adventure films as well).

His sister piped in "”No, no, mummy is like………. hmm like…… more than billion diamonds, cannot describe.” She couldn’t put a value to it. Now, that made me smile even more.

Well, my darlings, you both are priceless!

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How to get your baby to sleep through the night

How to get your baby to sleep through the night? Just grit yourself and say "this too shall pass" and read Adam Mansbach's Go the F**k to Sleep to prepare yourself for the sleepless years to come and have a good laugh. (P.S. It is not a guide book on how to get baby to sleep, it is a humourous look at parents who have tried for years to get their children to sleep during the early childhood years.)

One of the ways I used to get baby to sleep was through music. Music soothes not only baby but me too! I remember I used to go to one of those online songs for children sites. Whenever my firstborn could not sleep, I would pick her up and hold her over my shoulder, then I would play those free midis and sing or hum along as I did my work  blogged. It worked perfectly. Music calmed her down and me down as well.

Otherwise I would have been so worked up. The only problem I did not manage to resolve was how to let baby stay asleep. Quite often after she drifted off to sleep with my bad singing, I would put her gently down in the cot and there would be peace and silence for ..... 5 minutes. Then she would be up again. Thank goodness for the relaxing music even though it is just children's music.

Like I said, my only advice is to grit your teeth and tell yourself "this too shall pass" because they grow up so quickly. Now my kids are 7 and 9, I think if I try to sing, they'd say "Mummy, please, I'm trying to read." They have this habit to read every night and the first thing when they wake up and during mealtimes and waiting times and just about any time of the day.

You can visit my Squidoo lens for more Children's Songs to sing with your child. I have made a very nice list with previews and recommendations of online sites offering kids songs with lyrics, free midis, sheet music etc. Do check it out: Children Songs Lyrics and Music. You can sing with your child while they are awake and not only to get them to sleep.

Back to the subject on sleep, when all fails and you are ready to tear your hair out and it is the middle of the night and you can't get back to sleep, perhaps you'd like to have a good laugh and read Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach. Please don't read it to your kid. It is an adult book with adult humour and swear words. It will probably make a great Father's Day gift. :)

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