October 2007 – Page 5 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

Tuesday Morning

I woke up at 5:30am today. Only managed to complete 2 assignments, still have around 10 more outstanding. It’s 7:10am now. I have to make myself a mug of milk with Milo, pop my prenatal vitamins and hormone pills then walk down the road to Alycia’s classmate’s house to look for his mum. Sean’s mum runs a maid agency and I always see a pool of maids in her house. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Sean’s mum can help provide me a maid by December, else I would be maid-less for at least 1-2 months! Unimaginable! Well, at least for me, I’m quite a siew cheh and can’t stand doing household chores and taking care of 2 high-needs toddlers at the same time. Though I used to multi-task when I was a PA but if you ask me to do household chores, cook and look after 2 hyper toddlers who are ever so demanding, I know I’ll collapse!

No. of times viewed = 183

Low Fat High Fibre Organic Cereal

So much of unhealthy fish crackers and cheese crackers for a preggy mom, I finally bought a more wholesome and healthy alternative – high fibre, low fat organic cereal. They taste really good with Marigold HL banana flavored fresh milk. I eat this whenever I am hungry now, instead of gorging on unhealthy heaty snacks. Try this out and I’m sure you’ll love it too. Oh yes, it helps with bowel movement too!

No. of times viewed = 585

Sherilyn’s Too Spoilt

We were at Bangsar Village for lunch 2 Thursdays ago. After lunch, daddy brought the gals to New Zealand Ice Cream and bought them each an ice cream on a cone. Alycia chosed vanilla and Sherilyn chosed raspberry. Thereafter we went to shop for groceries at the supermarket and the gals were still licking their ice creams. When we were at the check out counter, Sherilyn dropped her ice cream cone on the floor. Goodness, her reflex action was at the speed of lightning. The moment the cone and ice cream landed on the floor, she burst out waaaaailing out loud as she covered her cheek with her right palm – exactly like a drama queen crying, complete with pathetic actions. She was truly very upset that her favorite ice cream was no longer in her hand. For once, I felt so sorry for her and I just knew that the only way to subdue her is to get her another ice cream. After I had cleaned up the mess on the floor, daddy brought her upstairs to get her another ice cream on the cone – a strawberry flavored ice cream this time. I told daddy that he has really spoilt the girls rotten. If it was a McD ice cream, I wouldn’t have felt the pinch but a scoop of that ice cream cost more than RM5 …. and Daddy and the girls had a total of 4 scoops in a day!

Sherilyn all smiles again with a brand new ice cream on a cone.

No. of times viewed = 636

Help, I’m Hooked On Fish Crackers!

Yeah, blame it on the baby, but I’m really hooked on stinky fish crackers. I can’t stand the smell or sight of steamed fish but funny, I love fish crackers, the stronger the taste the better, what an irony! Each time I feel like puking, the nauseous feeling will miraculously vanish after munching on a handful of this junk. I know it’s not a healthy snack but I need it to feel good. When I was preggy with Alycia, I had no appetite or cravings for anything except for Marigold HL fresh milk with birds’ nest. With Sherilyn, I was hooked on fried seaweed snacks. I have the most unhealthy craving with this baby – salty cheesy snacks, keropok, fried vegetarian meehoon and sausages (the most unhealthy food, but I try to limit it to 1 serving a week). I can only pray that my baby will turn out healthy.

No. of times viewed = 174

Self Healed From Cold

On Saturday, Sherilyn was still having fever and her face was smutty – from the overflowing goo that turned into glue. Her cheeks were hard like a bun glazed with sugar as a result of the gluey goo and she cried when I wiped it off with a wet hanky. She was sneezing and her voice had changed – she sounded like a sick cat. I had called the paed’s office to book an appointment in the morning. After I had put the phone done, it just struck me that perhaps I am just being too kan cheong and over reactive. Should I be bringing my gals to the specialist each time they have a cold or fever? Should I just give her body a chance to self heal and see how it goes tomorrow? Each visit to the paed’s office would leave my hubby at least RM100 poorer. So I told my hubby that we should just wait and see – maybe Sherilyn’s immune system is strong enough to weather this cold? I then fed her with Manuka honey (double dosage) and fed her barley water and lots of plain water throughout the day. Thank God, the next day (Sunday), her goo stopped flowing and the fever subsided too. Today, she looks perfectly well. I guess it’s good that sometimes we parents don’t over react. Of course we have to exercise caution and discretion for each case is different.

No. of times viewed = 265

New Theme For My Blog – You Like It?

Finally managed to choose a theme for my blog that’s widget-ready, has a feature for links to be colored and wouldn’t cause my sidebar and posts to go haywire and distorted. This theme also comes with a font that’s just the right size and there is spacing between my paragraphs now. You like the new theme?

Once again, I’d really like to thank Elaine for being super patient with me. I know my lacking in IT knowledge can easily irk some people but Elaine has been understanding. She’s been such a great help to me. Despite her having a difficult time with her pregnancy now and busy with 2 demanding toddlers, not to mention being tied down with her sponsored posts, she has never failed to answer each and every query of mine. She’s really a very wonderful friend. Thanks Elaine!

No. of times viewed = 281

Tag : Shopping Tips

Got tagged by my sifu for my new blog and Ashley’s mum, my CNN network buddy. They want to know what handy shopping tips I can give. Well, most of the bloggers here have already given very good tips, so what else can I think of?

~ Start copy ~
It’s very simple. When you receive this tag, copy the whole list and add your own shopping tip to the bottom and pass it on.

Wear comfy clothing when you’re shopping. You don’t wanna fuss with too many laces and buttons when you’re trying clothes on. http://rinnah-marketplace.blogspot.com/

Choose stores offering some kind of reward program, e.g. purchase points, rebates or store coupons. Knowing how the program works and when to use them will save you a lot of money in the long run. http://kakishopping.giddytigers.com/

Always ask for a discount or bargain, especially when you pay cash for big purchase like furniture and electrical items, you will be surprised how much lesser you have to pay. http://leahschrader.com/

Buy in bulk or from the hypermarket. Hypermarket like Giant and Tesco has greater offer than places like Jusco or Parkson. (I’m referring to household stuffs) http://montessorimum.com/

For food stuff, always check the expiry dates, get items with later expiry dates so that you can store them longer.
http://www.heathfreakmommy.com/

~ End copy ~

Would you like to give your handy shopping tips too?
1) Shern’s mom… I know you are a pro shopper 😉
2) Hui Sia… another shopping kaki 😉

No. of times viewed = 185

Never ending Maid Woes

Remember I had posted earlier that my maid has agreed to extend her service for another half a year, provided she gets to return to Indonesia for 2 weeks in December?

Well, I called up my maid agency a couple of days ago and was informed by the agent that we are unable to extend her service for 6 months as her passport is only expiring in August 2007. If we have to extend, it has to be for 8 months and she advised us not to send our maid back for the break as the risks involved are far too high. In many cases, the maids did not even return though they had promised to return. Also, we will be spending twice on her air fare. When my hubby asked my maid if she could stay on for another 8 months (instead of 6 months) without getting to return for her 2 weeks break in December, my maid was reluctant.

Well, now the decision is final. Since her heart is no longer here and she’s just raring to go home, we will not persuade her anymore, period! She will return to Indonesia in December and we will have to look for a new maid….all over again. That’s where my nightmare begins – hunting for a suitable maid, paying the exorbitant fees, training the new maid all over again, what if the new maid is not trainable, what if she has a terrible attitude and all the what ifs. I can only pray that my new maid will be God-sent.

No. of times viewed = 145

Nuchal Translucency Scan

On Tuesday next week, I will be going to my gynae’s office for a Nuchal Translucency scan to assess if my baby has a risk for Down’s Syndrome. This scan is to be performed between 11 to 14 weeks of the pregnancy. For both my pregnancies, I didn’t opt to do any blood test or Amnio to check for Downs and only did the NT scan. My gynae said that the NT scan is quite an accurate marker but not 100% accurate though. Though I’m overall very much relaxed this pregnancy as I know what to expect and handle my discomforts, I am still worried about the scan. I’m worried about all the ‘what ifs’. I can only pray that everything will turn out well. Even if this baby turns out to be another girl, I will still be very thankful and happy as long as my baby is normal and healthy.

No. of times viewed = 258

Tag : First Letter Of Your Name To Answer Each Question

Got tagged by this wonderful cheery mom who’s the person behind the header for my blog.
My name starts with ‘S’ and here goes the list of questions :
1. Famous Singer : Shania Twain
2. Four letter word : Shit
3. Street : Sesame Street
4. Color : Silver
5. Gifts/Presents : Shirts
6. Vehicle : Stream
7. Things in Souvenir Shop : Sunglasses
8. Boy Name : Sean
9. Girl Name : Sherilyn
10. Movie Title : Sleepless in Seattle
11. Drink : Sour Sop
12. Occupation : Stenographer
13. Celebrity : Sit Kar Yan, Nancy (HK actress)
14. Magazine : Style
15. U.S. City : San Francisco
16. Pro Sports : Skiing, skating
17. Fruit : Starfruit
18. Reason For Being Late To Work : So tired!
19. Something You Threw Away : Straws
20. Something You Shout : Shit or ‘Sei Lor’!!
21. Cartoon Character : Strawberry Shortcake
and I’d like to pass this tag to :
1) Wen

2) Barbara… another interim post for you 🙂

No. of times viewed = 163

Wacky Pregnancy Hormones

My pregnancy hormones have caused turmoil to my body and my tastebuds. Food that I once loved now make me nauseous at the sight of them. I used to love fish but now, I just can’t stand the sight of fish, especially steam fish but funny, I love stinky fish crackers though. I also used to love vegetables and fruits but now, I can’t stand the taste of most of them. During meal times, I try to place these dishes as far as possible from my sight.

Do you know what I crave for now? Holy shit, I crave for junk food, especially fish crackers, Cheezels, pretzels, cheese crackers and all sorts of crackers. I try to refrain buying these junkies coz I know what harm they will cause to my unborn, but I just can’t resist salty cheesy snacks and keropok. I totally can’t stand sweet stuff, all kinds – ice cream, cakes, cookies, kuih, pastries, etc.

My supply of cheese crackers and cheese pretzels. They seem to alleviate my nauseous feelings.

No. of times viewed = 190

Are These All For Me?

This morning, I got a real surprise when I logged into one of my favorite advertiser’s websites to see if they have sent me any assignments. I’ve not received offers from this advertiser for more than a week but this morning, I saw 18 tasks there! As I have astigmatism, I had to blink my eyes and rub them to see the screen, just to make sure I’m not imagining things. Well, there were indeed 18 tasks there. Luckily the deadline for submission is next week, else I would have to stay up late to complete them.

No. of times viewed = 203

Tag : Autograph Book

Got tagged by this banker mommy who comes from a family of bankers (want to know who her dad is? Go ask her) who coincidentally is the sil of a very good friend of mine. What a small world! I am supposed to list down my likes and dislikes, just like how we did in autograph books when we were young.
Here it goes :

#1 What is your favourite movie?
Let me tell you, eversince my 2 gals came along, I never had the time to sit and complete a movie.

#2 Who is your favourite singer?
My all-time favorite singers are Air Supply.

#3 Which song gets you grooving in the morning?
No song in particular. Each morning I’ll just turn on my radio and tune in to 94.5 or 105.7 and I’ll get groovy.

#4 What is your favourite fruit?
Sweet Pineapple

#5 Who is your best friend (excluding your family) :
I’ve got a number of good friends since my school days but at the time when I left school, my best friend then was Yi Yi (who is coincidentally Phai Ling’s SIL!) and till today, we’re still very good friends.

#6 Name one activity you would like to indulge in, in your free time.
Massage and spa

#7 When was the last time you laughed so hard till your sides hurt?
Sorry, can’t recall.

#8 Do you recall your last dream?
Lately i’ve not been having continuous sleep at night – I’ve had too much disruption lately coz my gals were not feeling well and I’ve been waking up at crazy hours to grab offers too. When I have disrupted sleep, my brain can’t seem to dream well too!

#9 What is your all-time favourite hobby?
Shopping

#10 When was your last holiday without the children?
Never – everywhere that we went, including overseas, we brought our gals along.

Now, I am passing the tag to :
1) Annie-Q
2) Anggie’s Journal
3) Jo-N

No. of times viewed = 277

Yellow Ginger Chicken

This is my all-time favorite dish – ‘wong keong kai’ or yellow ginger (kunyit) chicken. It’s wholesome and delicious. I can’t wait for my confinement days to arrive (though I hate the ‘pantang’ part) so that I can ask my confinement lady to cook this dish for me everyday. Yes, when I love a dish, I don’t mind eating it everyday. I never got tired of my confinement dishes during my confinement. Now, I’m just so looking forward to eat those dishes again.

It’s quite easy to cook this dish. Just coarsely blend some yellow ginger (make sure you use enough, else the chicken will be quite tasteless) and shallots and pan-fry them till fragrant and brown. Add chicken, some salt and some water and voila… you have a fragrant, mouth-watering dish on your table.

Even Alycia loves this dish. She ate so much till her mouth and face were stained yellow!

No. of times viewed = 598

Sherilyn’s Enlarged Lymph Nodes

Remember I had written about the swollen lymph nodes in Sherilyn’s neck sometime back? Well, after more than 3 months, the lump can still be felt on her right neck. Though it has shrunk in size considerably but the fact that it’s still there made me uneasy. So upon the recommendation of her paed, we brought Sherilyn to Pantai Cheras Medical Centre last week to have an ultrasound scan of her neck. The radiologist explained that the lump was only an enlarged lymph node and said that it’s very common in kids, especially after an infection or flu. It’s not a lump or a cyst. So that gave me some relief but I still have to monitor the size of the lymph node.

Sherilyn was so tensed as she lay on the bed in the cold air-cond room.

When the radiologist put the cold gel on her neck, she cried and struggled, so daddy had to hug her and carry her throughout the scan. We were all so glad and relieved when the whole thing was over.

No. of times viewed = 761

Yuuuuum Sssseng

This picture was taken yesterday evening. Sherilyn had high fever and I had to put on a Cool Fever patch on her forehead. She hates this cold patch and cried when I stuck it to her forehead but after some coaxing from daddy and me, she accepted the patch and refused to take it off. She also refused to drink water so daddy had to coax her again. Tried all sorts of methods and in the end, the ‘cheers’ and ‘yuuuuum ssssseng’ did the trick – she happily finished her mug of water.

No. of times viewed = 274