April 2009 – HEALTH FREAK MOMMY

Happy Labour Day Everyone

I’d like to wish everyone happy labour day and a fruitful long weekend with your family and loved ones. So what will I be up to this long weekend? Nothing much except packing stuff for our week-long hospital stay in Penang and subsequent week-long stay in Ipoh for Baby C to recuperate. Alycia will be sitting for her actual ballet exam this Saturday and as usual, daddy, mah mah and #2 will be following her to the exam hall to give her moral support.

On Sunday, we will drive up to Ipoh and stay there for a night and on Monday morning, we have to leave Ipoh latest by 8am so that we can reach the hospital in Penang by 11am. We are required to check into the hospital latest by 11am in order to secure a single room, otherwise, the room will be released to other patients. We were told that single room are always in hot demand at that private hospital. I am really amazed that such expensive rooms (RM500+ a night) are in high demand. Oh btw, we will be bringing our DVD player along with us to the hospital. This will be the best time for me to catch up on all the movies that I’ve always wanted to watch but never had the time to watch… since like what, 5 years ago… ever since Alycia arrived. Shocking eh? That’s how long I’ve not watched a movie in the cinema or at home, haha! Now I just hope I’ll be in a mood or have the time to watch a movie during my stay in the hospital with Baby C. I’m praying that Baby C will have minimal pain and discomfort after her surgery…. and minimal crying, fussing and screaming!

Whatever your plans are for the long weekend, I hope they will turn out just the way you want them to be. Happy holidays peeps!

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A Solution To Your Events

Many years ago, when I was still working in a large organization, the company threw a huge family day outing for all the staff in one of the years. It was held in the Sunway Lagoon water park. I went with my hubby (then boyfriend) and we enjoyed ourselves very much, especially sliding down the spiral water slides. I wonder when I can ever partake in company outings again. I’ve always enjoyed company trips and outings during my days in the corporate world. I think a company can really bring staff together and forge better relationship amongst staff and their superiors through company outings.

For the benefit of my readers in the U.S., if your company is planning a company outing for staff, Event Solutions can help organize a great Los Angeles Company Picnic for your company. Event Solutions not only organizes events, activities and unparalleled entertainment, they also organize the catering of food. Event Solutions is the best Los Angeles Event Planning company as they take care of almost everything related to your company outing, from A through Z. Their food is all fresh and cooked on site – nothing frozen or jarred.

If you are thinking of an Orange County Company Picnic, Event Solutions is your solution right away. They have over 20 years of experience and will surely make your company outing a memorable one.

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I Will Go On A Cruise Holiday Someday

It’s quite a battle for me to feed Baby C her meals everyday. I think she could sense that I am trying to plump her up with food just before her surgery next week. These days when she sees food, she would turn her head away and fuss a little. No longer can she sit still on her highchair to eat. I have to resort to various ways to distract her so that it’s easier to put the spoonful of food into her mouth. I’m glad that my time and effort have paid off. I weighed her yesterday and the needle of the scale pointed to 9kg! Woohoo! But I know my joy will soon be short-lived after her surgery. Her weight is surely bound to plummet, sigh….

One of my daily regimens is to sit Baby C in front of the TV while I feed her breakfast. The other day as I was watching Travel and Living, I saw a travelogue on Caribbean cruise. I was really fascinated with the breathtaking view of the Caribbean island. The travelogue featured a group of happy frolickers on board a huge cruise ship enjoying themselves till there’s no end to their day! Part of the cruise included water activities like snorkeling and swimming at Stingray City at Grand Cayman Island. I could only watch with awe and envy but I know someday… someday I will surely go on some river cruises, Alaskan cruises or a fascinating nile cruise. I wish I could grab the ongoing 50% savings on cruise holidays at travelsphere.co.uk and go for a cruise holiday now BUT sigh…. right now, I have this huge hurdle to cross with Baby C. Once this is settled once and for all, I will surely go on a much deserved holiday with hubby or my parents.

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Sherilyn The Menace

My #2 is indeed a menace. Everyone tells me it’s because of the middle-child syndrome but frankly, I don’t think I’m like this at all since I’m also a #2 child myself.

Less than a year ago hubby bought me a new handphone as my old one went kaput when #2 dropped it. A few days ago, this brat spilled her cup of Milo on my handphone!! Yes, this brat spills drinks every single day, without fail. I was so enraged that I gave her 2 hard spanks on her hand.

Hubby dismantled my handphone and all the parts inside were wet. There goes my handphone!

Today when I was busy bathing Baby C in the bathroom, I heard the door of my bedroom being shut. I didn’t suspect anything but when I was done bathing Baby C and saw patches of cream on my floor mat outside my bedroom, I suspected that #2 the menace was surely up to mischief. When I put Baby C down onto the bed, I could feel steam spewing out from my head when I saw the foot of my bed covered with hand cream! Sherilyn the menace had played with my jar of Rosken cream (and this is not the first time this sort of accident had happened. She loves squeezing the tube of Drapolene too, aargh!) and 1/4 jar of the cream had spilled out… on the bed, on baby’s clothes, on the floor and on the floor mat. Gosh I tell you, I was fuming mad and gave her 2 hard spanks on her hands. This brat had earlier shut my bedroom door in the hope of covering up her act! When I yelled out to her, she even pretended not to have heard me and didn’t even answer me! When I yelled her name on top of my voice several times again, this fler cooly answered me “whaaaaat??”….. as if nothing had happened! Can you beat it and she’s only 4! She never seems to listen to me and is never afraid of being reprimanded or spanked. Gawd, tell me, how do I deal with this kid, haih….

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Emergency Lightings And Exit Signs To Save Your Day

One day a few months back, I was at home with the kids alone when all of a sudden there was a power shutdown. It was almost pitch black inside our home and I stumbled and groped my way slowly to the drawer to find a torch light. When I finally found it, darn it, the battery was almost dead! Never mind, I still switched it on and with the very little light coming out from the torch light, I quickly headed to the storeroom to look for the electric box. When I opened it, gosh, I was lost and didn’t know what to press when I saw twenty over tiny switches. I tried calling the hubs on his mobile phone but he wasn’t picking up the phone. After frantically studying the electric box and tried my luck pressing those tiny switches, I finally managed to bring the power back. One of the switches had tripped.

After that incident, I told the hubs that we should install emergency lighting in our house. I think it’s a very good move to have emergency lights in our house, especially if we have young kids at home. If you are thinking of installing emergency lighting in your house, do check out theexitstore.com. They carry many types of emergency lights, exit signs including Braille exit signs. Having emergency lights and exit signs in your house or building can save lives and make our lives easier.

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Aftermath of Meals

That’s a typical scene at our dining area after feeding Baby C her meals…. toys strewn everywhere, food stuck on her high chair and floor and I have to remove her clothes and wash her up.

My sweetie-pie is so skinny hor? I hope after the surgery next week, she won’t have a ‘skin wrapped round bones’ body, haih…

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Ocean-Green Seafood Restaurant, Penang

When we were in Penang recently, we had a very lovely seafood dinner at a restaurant situated by the sea. I was lucky I could enjoy my dinner with hubby coz Baby C dozed off. She normally would not take her nap at that time (7ish pm) but because she had interrupted nap the whole day (the flight to Penang and new environment in Penang, etc), she totally konked out by 7pm during the taxi ride to the restaurant. She was so tired that she fell into a deep sleep and I had to wake her up for dinner.

Ocean-Green Seafood Restaurant is always very packed with people. I find that the food tasted satisfactory, really nothing to shout about and the thing which attracted me most is the view of the sea from the restaurant.

Remember my previous post on Deja-Vu? The moment I reached the restaurant and saw the facade of the restaurant and the view of the sea, I told myself “bingo, this is the place that appeared in my dream several times!” Spooky isn’t it? If only I could dream of some nice numbers, I would have bought them right away the next morning, hehe. BTW, this had happened to me once. I dreamt of a set of numbers one night many moons ago and bought the numbers the next morning. The numbers came out as consolation prize (only RM60).

BTW, this is the view of the sea from the 30th floor of the hotel that we stayed in – Northam Suites at Gurney Drive. We will be staying in this hotel again for our next visit and subsequent visits. The hotel is located just next to the hospital that Baby C will be staying in.

Click HERE to check out the food that we ate in Ocean-Green Seafood Restaurant.

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Call-In Massage

When we were in Penang recently, I seized the rare golden opportunity and hired a masseuse from the hotel to give me a full body Bali massage. It was an eleventh hour decision. After dinner that night, hubby saw the adv on massage stuck on the wall of the hotel elevator. He said he wanted a massage and I told him I needed it more than him, hehe… So at 10:30pm, he called the masseuse up to our room to give me a massage. Thankfully Baby C was very well behaved and she watched me with awe from her cot… thinking why mummy was lying without any clothes on the bed and a lady was making her all ticklish, lol! And she was such a good good baby as she did not fuss or cry at all… for 45 minutes!

So was it good? Not really… and it cost me RM70 for 45 minutes. I guess the masseuse was already feeling tired and sleepy as it was already way past 11pm and she did a slip shod job so that she could go home. I still prefer the good old massage from an urut lady (Malay masseuse).

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Our Flight To Penang

Our flight to Penang on board a Fire Flyz plane on Thursday was eventful. Baby C was absolutely petrified when she was inside the plane… and she was screaming and crying away, non-stop. Nothing seemed to placate her, save for my boops! It was an extremely hot day and the air-cond inside the plane wasn’t cold enough. It was quite stuffy inside the plane and Baby C who has a phobia of loud sounds, especially the sound of aeroplane / helicopter flying clutched my body really tightly…. in fear. The seats of this low-cost carrier are really small and the leg room is squeezy too. Anyone who is slightly over-weight will surely be unable to fit into the seat!

Baby C was inconsolable during the flight from Subang to Penang. She was horrified when we put the baby safety belt on her. The only way to stop her from screaming was to place her my mouth at my boops!

Poor Baby C did not really have a proper meal during our stay in Penang. She was refusing food and drinks and I had to force feed her most of the time. The only food that she really wanted was mummy’s milkie.

In this pic, I had to strap her onto her stroller and put her right in front of the idiot box to distract her while I fed her some buns and water. She only had her lunch at 5pm. It was a struggle to make her eat and drink. Thankfully that night, she ate her dinner of cod fish, steamed egg and spinach. Shall blog about our dinner at a seafood restaurant by the sea next.

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Almost Like A Honeymoon Vacation

Our 2-day trip in Penang recently felt almost like a honeymoon vacation than a trip to bring our baby to see the new pediatric surgeon. We did almost everything that honeymooners do – from having a nice seafood dinner by the sea to shopping and even had a long romantic stroll by the beach. It was pretty fun, albeit quite stressful during both the flights as Baby C kept screaming, crying and fussing. I hope we can have a family vacation very soon. A vacation in the Riviera Maya in the Mexican Caribbean Sea would be ideal. I heard that the Azul Beach Hotel in the Riviera Maya offers families an all-inclusive perfect vacation. When Baby C recovers fully from her impending surgery, I’d love to bring her, Alycia and Sherilyn for a family vacation in a beach resort like Azul Beach Hotel.

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Math For 5-Year Olds… Too Difficult?

Honestly, do you think that these equations are a tad too advanced for 5-year old pre-schoolers?

When I explained to her how to go about solving the equations, I really doubted that she remembered everything, i.e. what she has to do when the empty box is in front, when the empty box is behind, when it’s plus and when it’s minus.

If my memory didn’t fail me, I think I was only taught these when I was in standard 2 or 3. I really don’t remember doing all these when I was a 5-yo pre-schooler. I only remembered I knew how to count from 1-100 when I was 5-yo and I remember playing and singing a lot in kindy…. definitely not doing Math equations.

I have to say that Alycia has improved and caught up with her peers by the leaps and bounds since early this year. She can now do her Math homework by herself (she always insists that she wants to do it by herself) though most times I still sit next to her to ensure that she did it correctly.
Alycia did this exercise on her own and she got almost all correct, with a couple of careless mistakes.

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Baby C Loves Strawberry Yoghurt

Look mummy, tor-be-yee… my favorite fruit on the yoghurt cup….

I can finish the whole cup of yoghurt, it’s so yummy….

Look, I’ve finished the yoghurt…. hmmm…. I really luv the tor-be-yee…

Let me see if I can scrape out the tiny tor-be-yee inside the cup….

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Our Flight To Penang

We recently boarded a Fire Flyz plane to Penang for our appointment with the pediatric surgeon. We chose Fire Flyz as the departure of all Fire Flyz flights was via the old international airport at Subang. Hubby and I were really impressed that the former international airport now has spots a new look after some renovation works inside the airport. Renovation works are still on-going at the façade and surrounding of the airport. There were many souvenir shops and restaurants in the airport now, though I did not spot any coin dealer around. There were however a couple of money exchange agencies within the airport. We felt the flight on board the plane was a tad uneasy as the seats and leg room were really squeezy and we could barely move. The air-conditioner wasn’t cold enough and the flight felt pretty bumpy, especially during take-off and landing. This being said, we will still choose Fire Flyz for our future domestic flights as the price of the air tickets is low and we don’t have to travel all the way to KLIA.

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Deja Vu

Lately I keep having this dream where I am at a beach resort with my family. I think this dream will very soon become a reality coz Baby C’s impending surgery would most likely have to be performed by this pediatric surgeon who is based in a private hospital in Penang.

We were told by the surgeon in London that this pediatric surgeon practises in University Hospital in PJ. When hubby went to UH today, he was told by the staff in UH that this surgeon had resigned from UH. I then did a Google search on this surgeon and found out that he is now working in a private hospital in Penang. I quickly made a call to this doctor and luck was with me… the doctor picked up the call himself… which is quite rare for doctors to do that… well at least not for those doctors whom I know of in KL. He told us that he doesn’t come to KL to perform surgeries. He has asked us to bring Baby C to Penang to see him. Hubby and I will be making a trip to Penang with Baby C this week or early next week to see this surgeon.

Let’s see which hotel we will be staying in Penang. I just have a feeling that the hotel will look just exactly like the one that kept appearing in my dreams…. coz I seem to have deja vus all the time… and a tad of sixth sense too, where events that appeared in my dreams actually did come true, whether bad or good. Spooky isnt’ it?

No. of times viewed = 162

Oreo Twist Milkshake With Ice-Cream From Wendy’s

As I age gracefully, I find that my taste bud is evolving. I used to be terrified of gorging on sweet desserts but lately, I am addicted to them…. albeit I’m still terrified of the consequences, especially on my belly. But but but, how can I resist something oh soooooo yummy like the Oreo twist milkshake with vanilla ice-cream from Wendy’s?

We had lunch at Wendy’s Fast Food Restaurant @ Jaya One PJ today. When I saw the Oreo’s Twist Milkshake with Ice-Cream on the menu, I just couldn’t resist my temptation and asked the hubs to order one for me. ‘Fortunately’ I have a sweet-tooth daughter who helped me wallop the cup of ice-cream. But I wolfed down 3/4 cup of the milkshake by myself… and was later guilt-stricken! Never mind, eat first and work-out later… that’s my favorite tag line :S

The Oreo Twist Milkshake with Vanilla Ice-cream from Wendy is heavenly! Once you start, you just can’t stop… and I finished off the last drop of ice-cream in the cup. Haiz…. really fei sei ngor lor….

My sweet-tooth Alycia enjoying her nuggets and french fries. She too can’t stop laying her hands on the cup of ice-cream. Though warned by me that she can’t eat too much ice-cream as she has just recovered from a cough, she just turned a deaf ear on my warning… and just sucked and sucked the milkshake with the 3 straws from the cup. Can’t blame her coz the milkshake with ice-cream was really very addictive!

Click HERE to read my review and view pix of the other items that we ate at Wendy’s today.

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Alycia, My Very Helpful Personal Assistant

Whenever my maid is busy and not able to help me with Baby C, my most faithful and earnest PA will come to my rescue. Some of the tasks that she’s used to helping me include helping me hold the water faucet while I wash baby’s bum after a poo poo, helping me entertain and distract baby while I change baby’s diaper or whenever I need to shower, helping me bathe baby by pouring water on baby’s hair and body with a water dipper (I taught her this last Sunday), helping me soothe baby when she cries and the latest is helping me feed baby her porridge during meal times, like this:

I don’t know what I’ll do without this very helpful PA. And doesn’t she look like a little Ah Soh here… with her messy hair, just like a worn-out housewife? Muahahaha…. Alycia oh Alycia…. you’re such a wonderful daughter! Thanks for your help and your genuine love towards baby. You’re the best!

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