Things You Do As A First Time Mum

When I was a first time mum, there were things that I tend to be overly concerned. (In another word, FUSSY)

Things I did with my first kid:
1) Disinfect her toys with dettol every often.
2) Handwash all her clothings, mitten, botties, towel, hankies with baby detergent everyday(eventhough working full time , still have time to handwash)
3) Sterilize bottles and pacifier twice a day. Before I invest in the steamer sterilizer, I boiled all the bottles, then soak in the tub with sterilize pills. Everytime want to use, will take out one with the tong. Never re-use bottle before sterilize. Once I had the steamer, still I did not re-use bottle. Kept sterilized bottle in air-tight container.
4) Scared of SID. Will never leave baby to sleep unattended.
5) No playing of fluffy soft toys or toys with small parts. Follow the age guide on the packaging dilligently. Scared of choking hazard and the fur from the soft toys cause asthma
6) Bought expensive branded baby’s thing like mothercare, dr. brown..etc etc

After having 2nd baby
1) No more disinfect toys. Maybe once in the blue moon only
2) When without maid, dump everything in the washing machine. Now got maid.. back to handwash kid’s cloth
3) No need sterilize..baby is breastfed
4) Once they fall asleep, leave them in the room.
5) Play whatever the sister’s playing, just need closer supervision.
6) Use hand me down.

That’s how different it’s the first and the 2nd time.

Rhymes… 回忆童年

When I was little, dad used to teach me Cantonese rhymes. A lot I have forgotten the verse. Trying to search in the internet, later want to teach the kids. Found some, gonna put it here. (Just realize these were from Nan Hai, where my root is 广东省,南海县,大沥村.

月光光，照地堂，年卅晚，炸槟榔，槟榔香，买子姜，子姜辣，买菩萨，菩萨苦，买猪肚，猪肚肥，买牛皮，牛皮薄，买羚角，羚角尖，买马鞭，马鞭长，起屋梁，屋梁高，买张刀，刀切菜，买箩盖，箩盖圆，买只船，船沉底，沉死两只番鬼崽，一个浮头一个沉底，一个LEY阿妈床底炸油炸鬼。
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氹氹转，菊花圆。炒米饼，糯米团。亚妈叫我睇龙船。我唔睇，睇鸡仔。鸡仔大，捉去卖。卖得一百打金钗，二百打银牌。金腰带，银腰带，公公婆婆出来拜两拜。拜得多，冇奈何。三两酒，探大婆。大婆唔係企，探二表叔。二表叔骑白马，老鼠拉冬瓜。拉到西濠口，执到朵大红花。
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点虫虫，虫虫飞，飞到荔枝基。荔枝熟，摘满袱。荔枝生，摘满罂。荔枝黄，摘满床

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排排坐，食粉果。猪拉柴，狗烧火。猫儿担凳姑婆坐，老鼠吹笛送姑婆。送到屋，得碗粥。送到门楼得碗豆。送到街，得条柴。送到圩，得只大猪。__________________________________________

落雨大，水浸街。亚哥担柴上街卖，亚嫂落地着花鞋。花鞋花袜花腰带，金丝蝴蝶两边排。________________________________________

禾雀仔，担竹枝，担上岗头望亚（阿）姨。亚姨梳只摩罗髻，摘朵红花伴髻围，辫带又长脚又细，咁好花鞋踩落泥，咁好白饭饩（喂）猫仔，好姑娘嫁个烂赌仔，日夜赌钱冇夜归____________________________________________

大食懒 大食懒，起身晏。煲窿粥，煮生饭。为食鬼 为食鬼，砧板蚁。人咁高，佢咁矮

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JS learned this Malay song from school. She has been singing a word here and there, not really knowing the song. I have not heard before, don’t know the verse. Found in internet.

Bangau oh bangau,
kenapa engkau kurus?
Macam-mana aku tak kurus,
ikan tak mahu timbul.
Ikan tak mahu timbul.

Ikan oh ikan,
kenapa engkau tak timbul?
Macam-mana aku nak timbul,
rumput panjang sangat.
Rumput panjang sangat.

Rumput oh rumput,
kenapa engkau panjang?
Macam-mana aku tak panjang,
kerbau tak makan aku.
Kerbau tak makan aku.

Kerbau oh kerbau,
kenapa tak makan rumput?
Macam-mana aku nak makan,
perut aku sakit.
Perut aku sakit.

Perut oh perut,
kenapa engkau sakit?
Macam-mana aku tak sakit,
makan nasi mentah.
Makan nasi mentah.

Nasi oh nasi,
kenapa engkau mentah?
Macam-mana aku tak mentah,
api tak mahu menyala.
Api tak mahu menyala.

Api oh api,
kenapa engkau tak mahu menyala?
Macam-mana aku nak menyala,
kayu api basah.
Kayu api basah.

Kayu oh kayu,
kenapa engkau basah?
Macam-mana aku tak basah,
hujan timpa aku.
Hujan timpa aku.

Hujan oh hujan,
kenapa timpa kayu?
Macam-mana aku tak timpa,
katak panggil aku.
Katak panggil aku.

Katak oh katak,
kenapa panggil hujan?
Macam-mana aku tak panggil,
ular nak makan aku.
Ular nak makan aku.

Ular oh ular,
kenapa nak makan katak?
Macam-mana aku tak makan,
memang makanan aku.
Memang makanan aku……

Betul juga tu ye………..
Memang makanan engkau.
Memang makanan engkau.
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Another Chinese Song

好久好久的故事

是媽媽告訴我在

好深好深的夜裡

會有虎姑婆

愛哭的孩子不要哭

牠會咬你的小耳朵

不睡的孩子趕快睡

牠會咬你的小指頭

還記得還記得閉著眼睛说

虎姑婆別咬我

乖乖的孩子睡著了

Mischievous Boy

WH is getting more mischievous now, not just the look but in action too. He’s in the stage of exploring, testing his boundaries and limits. He draws on wall, computer monitor and table. He purposely bang his head against the wall, he pours his sweetened drink out every where from his drinking spout, he shakes his milk bottle and when he’s not drinking he turns it up side down, milk pours over everywhere, he pressed the bottle teat against the floor, enjoying the milk splatter he has created on the floor. He dips his whole hand into a bowl full of porriadge, he plays with the flies beater and dip it in his porriadge. He plays with the gun-liked stove lighter, pointing at everyone making the “ngbom..ngbom” sound (we haven’t watch any cartoon or show that’s violent with gun in front of him, somehow he knows gun is for shooting), because of his height, he’s actually “gunning” us at our bump level. He bites and pinches when he’s “geram”. He pulls my hair just for the fun of it. He pull and snatch my glasses. He refused to sleep at nap/bedtime, wanted to play and already know how to switch on/off the bedside lampshade. Things that you want to laugh, but can’t really.

I have to put on a stern face, request him to stop in a stricter tone when it’s off limit. (Still this stern scold is not as stern as the one his sister got from me) If I don’t put on a stern face, he might thought it’s very funny, he would chuckle and repeat his action again. So whenever I raised my tone, he would right away give me this little pity face, with big tears rolling down his eyes. And he would come run towards me crying “boo.hoohoo hooo” extending his hands asking for a hug (I guess a way he says sorry, a way to get sympathy) or he would hug me from my back. Quite sweet actually.

As for JS, she would play a loving sister/daughter role when these happen. She would attempt to hug the baby, wipes his tears, kiss him and at the same time stroke me ( I guess to make me less angry). She would behaves goody-goody. She would also say:-
JS: baby, don’t cry, baby sayang
JS: mummy, why you scold baby
JS: don’t be angry with baby lah
Of course not all the time, JS is goody goody. Sometimes she would be bossy and talks like a little mummy.
JS: ok-lah, baby naughty. Don’t care lah. Come play/sleep with me.

Will I Ever Be A Good Childminder?

This keeps me wondering. Yes, no doubt I like to work with kids. I found my true calling when I’ve got my kids. If I got a chance to work again, I want to work with kids, especially for babies to kids at the age of 8, the best of course would be working in pre-school. ( Kids older than that would be a bit difficult). When the kids grow older, I want to bring them to do charity work at the orphanage.

When I see kids around, I have a fond feeling for them. I want to reach out and talk to them. Especially I see kids around my kids age, I would encourage them to go near and make friends with the other kids.(Perhaps I’m really one very KPC parent at JS’s pre-school, because I try to get to know all her little friends, keep note of their names, talk to them , so when I talk to JS, I have something common to talk to about, so far there is no kids that I don’t like at her pre-school)

What makes me have doubt whether I would be a good pre-school teacher or childminder is, whether I can stay neutral, be unbiased. I must admit, not all children I’m fond of. There are kids that I don’t like or will not pay attention to from the first glance. Even after sometimes, the impression still won’t change. It’s not the matter of their look, their background or whether they are too naughty or michievous. It’s just “something” in them that makes me don’t like them. And I cannot explain what the “something” is.

At JS’s music class, there are about 12 kids, but there is this pair of twins that I really don’t like. (Others are ok, even very mischivious one, still would bring a smile in my heart) But this pair, I would look at them one kind, don’t know how to tell..just dislike, dislike and more dislike. Don’t know why… and yes…they’ve got a bitchy arrogant old looking mum.

When I was working as a relieve teacher in my primary school, when I waited for my SPM result, there were also kids in my classes that I would never particulary pay attention to. This keeps me pondering, how can I be an unbiase teacher that would be fair to every kids and give them equal attention? I suppose we as parents would not want a teacher that resent our kids.

Must consult my mum, have she ever encounter a child that she doesn’t fond of throughout the 30 over years of handling with young kids at pre-school. How does she handle that?

Poem From Hubby

Stumble upon this in my Palm archive, which is almost well forgotten. Written on 17/6/2003

…time and tide waits for nobody
same goes for day and night
when winter comes
tree leafs will fall
red roses blossoms
in summer it does
round and round
events after events
take its turn
in this circle
I am part of it
together
with my beloved wife
and our baby girl
I have of them
I love of them
makes my living
worth the fighting

My Wish List

Here’s my wish list..

1) I wish/WANT to sign up for a part time early childhood education course focus on Montessori Method. ( I love working with children, I want to learn the proper method to teach my kids. Just don’t like our education system of spoon feed method) TOP PRIORTY!! I MUST SOMEHOW DO IT!

2) I wish to have a laptop or a pc for myself. (Don’t want to share with hubby, always “invited” alot of spywares and made it in a mess.. oh..I know there is Ad-aware, but still doesn’t seems to be good enough)

3) I wish to go for lasik eye sight correction

4) I wish to have a new higher megapixel camera. (Not so important)

5) I wish to get rid of my irritating impacted wisdom tooth – a minor surgery. ( I think is going to cost a bomb and my pain tolerance is very low, I hate sticthes, so still have no guts to go for it. I don’t know how I been through two childbirth without epidural just entonox, and because of the stictches, I had vaginismus which I tried very hard to overcome)

6) I wish I’m more dilligent in taking my vitamins and milk so that I won’t get osteoporosis later. (haha…it just cross my mind this is something I should do)

7) I wish to have more time to visit the slimming centres to finish up the slimming courses that I have signed up many many years ago.

I wish I’m dilligent enough to do exercise, watch my diet and maintain/lower my current weight.

Everything also need MONEY, MONEY, MONEY…. where to get so much money to fulfill my wishes??