My Life in Mono...

Birth Markings...

The other day, I saw this beautiful video via Marvelous kiddo and I cried. I cried really hard. It didn't help that I was also nursing a cold and couldn't breathe but I had to. This video was the most honest and amazing video I have ever seen. It's called Birth Markings. Make yourself a cup of tea and let yourself be amazed for the next 20 minutes. 

I love how this video is so honest about our body. A mother's body. Us mothers are so pressured these days to lose the baby weight, to have a flat belly after just hours of giving birth. Nature doesn't really work that way. In reality, mothers do have stretch marks, we do have flabby belly and why are we made to feel guilty of having them. We grew another human being inside of us. Of course we are going to stretch in places that we never knew we could even stretch. 

One quote from one of the mom's they interviewed struck a chord, "You are a mother now and you need the right body to do the job..." She was right! We do need a new body to function. We need a new body to function with less sleep, with carrying a helpless baby, with doing 50 million things all at once. We can't do it with the old body. The Pre Mummy body. 

I use to be ashamed of my belly. I use to hate it when M looked at me if I am topless or naked. I was so scared that he might think that it's ugly and he would rather a beautiful wife with no markings or a flat belly.

When I think about my stretch marks, my tiger stripes as I call them, I would be sad and beat myself up for not having a flat belly but then I think of the wonderful baby that I grew inside of me and everything that I was ashamed of melts away. It was WORTH IT. Considering the difficult pregnancy that I went through, I earned each and every stripe. They are my battle scares. I have even grown to love my C section scar and when the Lil' Tiger grows up, I will tell her stories of how she was born. I can even show her where she came out from. 

I know she will not be my only child as we are planning to have more, but I know now that I would embrace each and every stretch marks that I get. And when the day comes, I would tell my children how proud I am that they grew in me and gave me something that they can never take away. My birth marking. My stripes. My scars.

So... in honour of honouring my body today, I would like to share with you my tiger stripes....

 

 

Saving all my love for.....

 

ME! Yes ME. Today, on Valentine's Day, a day for love and mushiness, we often forget the most important person in our lives. OURSELF (yes that is a word. I looked it up)! Self love is often seen as being selfish and a little bit vain but what is love if we do not love ourselves first? 

How much do I love thee me... let me count the ways...

1. I love that I am brave enough to say "NO" from time to time when others find it so hard to do. If I do not think that it's appropriate  you will get a no from me. 
2. I love that I can be alone all on my own. A lot of people I know are scared of being alone. Scared of being by themselves. I am most comfortable being in alone. I can go watch a movie by myself. I can go to a cafe by myself. Hell... I even went on a theme park tour around the Gold Coast by myself. I do this because I like my own company. 
3. I love that I am fiercely loyal to those I love. You mess with them, you mess with me. I have been through thick and thin with them and for someone else to hurt them in anyway, they will have to answer to me. 
4. I love that I can be honest when need be. I tell it like it is... but that doesn't necessarily mean that I have the right to be rude. I will bite my tongue when need be and usually if I am honest with you, it means that I care for you or you are REALLY out of line. 
5. I love that I have made another human being inside of me. I think that she is one of the greatest gift I have given mankind. 
6. I love that I am compassionate towards animals. This is also a reason why I can't watch movies about animal. You can bet your bottom dollar, I will CRY. 
7. I love that my sense of humor is wicked. I will try to make everyone I know laugh at me or with me. I have no problems being called a clown. I think I was the class clown in school. Laughter is the best medicine right? So laugh at me all you want. I don't mind.
8. I love that I am a good listener. You can tell me anything anytime of the day. Email, text, call or a coffee date, I don't mind. If you have something to share, I am happy to listen to you talk. 
9. I love that I am a good wife. I may drive M nuts and frustrate him from time to time but I know I make a good wife. :*) Also prease refer to point 5. I also support him in anything he does. 
10. I love that I am a good person. I volunteer for charities and I am considerate to other people. I give way when I am driving, I give up my seat to those in need, I smile at people and greet them on the street. I say PLEASE and THANK YOU all the time. 

So there you go.  10 reasons why I love myself. What do you love about yourself? Join in the fun here or on Ms Glowless's blog. 

 

Kidz Paradise Carlisle

*I did not get paid or was offered anything to do this review.*

The last few weeks have been really hot down here in Perth and I usually do not like to take the Lil' Tiger outside in the sun if the tempreture is above 32 degrees C. I am worried that I might not be able to control her eczema. 

Anyways, so I seeked Mr Google's help to see if I can find indoor playgrounds for my active little girl . There are not many options here on my side of the pond (I live in the South of Perth). There was one close by called Kidz Paradise. From their website, it looked decent so we decided to head there on the hottes day in January. It was 42 degrees outside and I knew she would appreciate the ability to run around playing and climbing things.  

We got there at about 3pm, she had a 2.5 hour nap so I know she will have the energy to RUN, and the place was fairly empty. There was a birthday party that was ending so there were still a bunch of kids running around. We were greeted by a moody Buz Lightyear at the gates and when I asked how much was entry, he just grunted $7.50 please. OK. I give him the benefit of the doubt that HE was in a Buz Lightyear outfit in a 42 degree day entertaining a bunch of kids who were most probably high on sugar. :*)

I thought they would have a HUGE area where the kids could run around but to be honest, the cafe area was bigger than the play area. The rules of the play area said "NO SOCKS NO PLAY" but still I saw kids running around in their shoes and no one stopped them or said anything. We went to the toddler area. This area was strictly for kids younger than 4 years old. There was hardly anyone in there. *phew* I do not want to overwhelm the kid on her first try. 

We went to the area where there were balls in this "pool" and half of the balls were deflated or broken. It looked a little bit disgusting as well. But I got over it and let her play. The Lil' Tiger didn't know what to do. She just stood in the middle of the "pool" and looked at me! (pictured above). I coxed her to come over to me as I didn't want to further deflate any of the plastic balls with my mummy weight but she just stood there. After a while and after seeing how the other kids do it, she became a little bit braver and came on to the sides climbed over and ran towards the gate to get out.

She just didn't know what to do. So I played a game that I play with her at home all the time. It's called " Let's keep your toys". I started collecting all the loose balls that were out of the "pool" and put it back into the "pool" and she started helping. Going around the whole play area collecting these loose balls. She really got into it after a while. 

 There were not much stimulating things to do in the play area, the slides were pathetic I have to say. The play equipment were a little bit too old and some were even held together by MASKING TAPE! *insert silent scream here* I was shocked by how poorly maintained this place were. 

Owh well... for $7.50 per play you get what you paid for right? Kidz Paradise is the cheapest indoor playground for kids in Perth according to Mr Google. 

But saying all that, the Lil' Tiger did have fun, I enjoyed it too and this is our first experience playing in an indoor playground. The Lil' Tiger was a little bit shy when other kids came up to her and wanted to play with her. Hopefully with more visits to places like this it will open her up a little bit more. 

KIDS PARADISE
Unit 15A, 179 Planet Street
Carlisle, Western Australia

Opening hours: 9am - 7pm. 7 days a week.

Prices:        0-11 months         Free
                       1-4 years old        $7.50
                        5-14 years old    $10.50
                        Adults                    Free

A kiss, a cuddle and an I love you goodnight...

 

 

 

Ever since the Lil' Tiger was born, one thing I never fail to do when she goes to sleep at night is to give her a big cuddle, kiss her on the cheeks and tell her I love her. This is something I hope will never end even as she grows up and has children of her own and when I have other kids as well. 

A kiss. A cuddle. An I Love You. Something so simple yet the impact of this is huge. Do you kiss your child good night or tell them that you love them every night? What sort of bed time routine do you do that has a huge impact in your life? 

{image source here, here, here and here}

The wonders of Huggies...

 

 I was given the opportunity to try out these Huggies Lightly Fragranced wipes. It couldn't have come at a better time! The Lil' Tiger over indulged herself with fruits over the Christmas holiday and had the runs for 2 weeks. Yep. 2 FREAKING WEEKS of runny poos. Nice. Thanks sweetie. 

I have been a big fan of Huggies wipes before. It's thick, not to wet and it gets poo of the bum in a few wipes. I am not sure what magic ingredient it has but I have tried other wipes before (trust me I have tried AH LOT)  and nothing beats the Huggies wipe. That is why when I was asked by their PR rep to try them, I immediately said "Hell yeah!" and told my mum, who was here on holiday, that I had the opportunity to try these new wipes, she was impressed and said "Owh good... we are running low on wipes". 

 

So back to the runny poo... these lightly fragranced ones are so freaking awesome! Even before I opened the packet, I could smell it's beautiful scent. My favourite is the cucumber and aloe vera. It makes changing a dirty filthy nappy very very pleasent. I like the term "lightly fragranced". Naturally I hate anything that smells really really strong because it gives me a bad headache (one of the reason why I only wear perfume when I know I have a function outdoors). But these Huggies wipes... BRILLIANT! The smell doesn't linger on the skin for too long that it irritates me or the Lil' Tiger's skin. 

 One other thing I like about these lightly fragranced wipes is that it's gentle on the Lil' Tiger's skin. I patch tested it on her first to see if her sensitive skin would flare up to the fragrance but it didn't. The Lil' Tiger had a bad nappy rash from all the pooing that she has been doing and I think the aloe vera and the cucumber  helped soothe it a little bit. Add that with nappy rash powder, everything was under control over at that end. HEH. :*)

So if you see it on the shelves at your nearest store, grab one and have a go. I would so buy them after my 240 wipes are gone. :*) Once you go Huggies you will never go back. 

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GOOD NEWS!!! The wonderful people of Huggies is giving away a pack of 240 wipes to one of my lucky readers!!! All you have to do is LIKE my facebook page, FOLLOW me on Twitter and leave a comment here to say you have done so and go in the draw! 

Well what are you waiting for? QUICK! :*) The winner will be picked randomly on the 15 February 2012. 

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Congratulations Erynne Campbell for being the winner of my Huggies Giveaway. Please send me an email (felicia[dot]singkang[at]gmail[dot]com) with your details and I will send you your prize!! WEEE... This was fun. 

We will do one again soon. 

Time flies when you are having fun...

Over the Christmas break I had the opportunity to spend time with the Lil' Tiger. I had at least 4 weeks off in between jobs and I thought I would spend as much time with my daughter as I can. I told daycare that we will be on holidays and therefore not sending her till our holiday is over. 

I have learnt so much from her and her from me. Here is a snapshot of what we did...

{learning how to draw}

{pottered around in our container garden}

{Watch TV}

{people and bird watching down at the waterfront in Mandurah}

Her speech is getting more distinct now. I can roughly make out what she says. She can say Banana, More, Doggy and Kitty. 

She is also starting to show emotions at the moment. Especially with frustrations. She will start wailing if she can't get the ball out of the container or if the walker toy is stuck between the couch. You can see that she is really frustrated and is trying to find the words to express that emotion. 

The Lil Tiger is also a very determined toddler. If she wants something or get something done, she will try with all her might and will to get it done or to get what she wants. On one hand it's a good thing because she will not give up until she is successful but on the other hand, we are trying to discourage her from WANTING everything there and then. In other words, being spoilt. She knows what she wants and when she wants it she will nod her head and if she doesn't want it you will get a firm shake of the head. :*)

I noticed that she is also becoming a parrot. Copying everything and anything that M and I do. She sees M typing away on his keyboard, she does the same thing when she sees a keyboard. She sees me turning on the tap when we take a bath, she tries to copy that motion on the tap as well. If what she does is a positive one, she gets loads of praises, hugs and cuddles but if she crosses the line, she will be ignored and taken away from the situation. 

It is so heartwarming watching the Lil Tiger grow and blossom right before my eyes. It is a rarity that I get to see her learn something new because I am at work the entire day. It's times like these that makes you appreciate every single precious moments that you spend with your child. 

I am grateful for having this time off and chose to spend it with her. So it's back to work for me and I know I will miss her heaps when I am at work. 

I have no words....

Seriously. I have all this time on a long Christmas break and I am experiencing writer's block! What? How can that be? I have Twitter and Instagram to give me inspirations  but Nothing. Zilch. Nada. 

With that I shall bore you with my recent family holiday. My parents are here for the Christmas /  New Years period. It's a little bit stressful and fun at the same time. We went down to Albany for a little family getaway. Now that 4-5 hours drive down was an interesting and BORING one. Interesting because I have never been on a car ride that long with the Lil Tiger.

We left early in the morning and by bright and early I mean 5am! I got the tip from seasoned road tripper to Albany, Ms Glowless, who said travel early because the toddler would still be a sleep for half of the journey. By the time the Lil Tiger wakes up, 7am, we would have been half way there. She did sleep for half of the journey and the other half she spent EATING. That girl can eat! She ate biscuits, 3 bananas, a tub of fresh blueberries and God knows what else they gave her back there (I was driving because I have motion sickness if I don't and also I have control issues but that is another story for another post.)

Now why was I BORED? Well being the designated driver means that I have to stay awake and everyone else can SLEEP. Yep. The whole family SLEPT all the way there and ALL the way back! I was so bored that I made up a game to keep myself awake. Spot the Roadkill or What Roadkill is it. Driving bright and early in the morning means I get to see all the roadkills from the night before. It's a sad game but hey it kept me awake and SANE!  Here is my score:-

•  
  •  
    • Foxes : 3
    • Kangaroos : 1
    • Rabbits : 5
    • Birds: 6

Now what else did we do? We had Asian steamboat to ring in the new year. It was brilliant this time as the "Family" get to spend it together for once. I don't think we have had a "Family" new year shin dig ever. We ate and ate and ate and drank and ate the whole entire night. It was as if we were going to war the next day. We also exchanged gifts as we didn't spend Christmas together. It was fun seeing everyone ripping their present papers apart. Next year I am going to get a tree for sure and we can do this the right way! 

So there you go. My Christmas and New Year in a few paragraphs. How was yours? 

Sunday morning with my baby

Good morning!! This post is brought to you by me testing out the typepad for iPhone app. I hope it works so that I can blog on the go go.

Apartment Pants

I made these cute cotton pants for the Lil' Tiger a few weeks ago and I must say that I am so proud of myself. I can only sew a handful of things and pants are one of them. M still wears the pj pants I sewn for him when we first met 6 years ago. He loves wearing it. He said it's the most comfortable thing I have ever made him. Awww... bless his little heart. 

I really want to learn how to sew clothes for the Lil' Tiger though. It's something on my Mummy to do list eversince I was pregnant. The only thing that is stopping me at the moment is cashflow. At the moment things are tight and learning how to sew clothes is somewhere in the middle of my list after paying the mortgage, bills and food. 

I know there are loads of tutorials out there that can and will teach you for free but I need someone to actually show me how it's done becuase sometimes following instructions from the internet and youtube is a little bit hard and overwhelming but if I actually see someone do it and help me point out my mistakes I learn faster. Not sure why.

If you have any suggestions and have any recommendation, I would really really appreciate it. So, in the mean time, I am going to learn how to sew the hard way. :) 

 

Diwali (Mixed Race Style)

Happy Diwali (belated) for those of you celebrating it. It was a milestone for our tiny family unit. I told M this year that I would like to do more Traditional things with the Lil' Tiger so that she learns both of our cultures. Coming from a mixed race family myself I know how interesting and happy these celebrations can get. 

We didn't do a big celebration. M had to call his mum in the UK to ask a few questions on how are we suppose to go about doing it. From the photos you can see that candles were lit up, food were offered and Tikka for the Lil Tiger. We also placed coins and money in another bowl for it to be blessed by the Godess of Wealth, Lakshmi. On the night of Diwali, the Nepalese offer her prayers and welcome her to the house so that she gives her blessing and grant us wealth and prosperity. 

The Nepalese Diwali may be a little bit different from the Indian Diwali. As far as I know, Diwali is also known as the festival of lights as  some Malaysians do celebrate Diwali as well. It is known as a day where good triumphs over evil and everyone celebrates it by lighting candles and prayers. 

The Nepalese Diwali is somehow different. Diwali is part of a 5 day celebration during Tihar. 

• Day 1 - Prayers are offered to the Crows. (Yep those big black birds with beady eyes). In the kingdom of Nepal crow is not killed cause as a legend says that one crow had happened to drink the water of life. - Source. They are also said to be the henchmen of the underworld. So if you want to live a longer life and go to heaven, I suggest you leave those crows alone and let them eat what ever they want from the bins. 


• Day 2 - Prayers are offered to the Dogs. Now this I like. Dogs are said to be protectors of the home. So a happy dog makes a safer home. 


• Day 3 - Prayers are offered to the Cow and Lakshmi (The Goddess of Wealth and Fortune). We all know that the Cows are the sacred to the Hindus. The Cows are worshiped during the day and at sundown, prayers are offered to the Goddess Lakshmi. 

In the evening goddess laxmi is worshipped. Days before the house are cleansed and decorated. For goddess likes clean and tidy places. In the evening a small potion of the house out side the main door is painted red with red mud and an oil lamp is lit on it. A pathway is made from here to the place where the old money box and valuables are kept in the house that is the puja room. All the Nepalese have a box where from generation to generation money is put every year worshipping goddess laxmi. This money is never used unless extreme emergency.

The entire house is decorated with lit oil lamps in every doors and windows. Laxmi, goddess of wealth is worshipped performing the traditional rituals and when the rituals are over then gambling in the house starts. This is a festival when gambling is not illegal. On this day throughout the evening groups of girls come to houses singing song of praise of the goddess and they are taken as guests and given gifts. This day the entire place is lively through out the night. -Source

• Day 4 - Depending on which cast or community you are from you celebrate it differently. Some offer prayers to the Ox and some "self worship". Yes. ONLY on this day you are allowed to worship yourself. It's not like you are allowed to do it EVERYDAY right?


• Day 5 - "Bhai Tikka" also known as prayers offered to your brothers (it can be cousins or "adopted" brothers). Prayers are offered for the safety and long life. This is actually one of my favourite day. There are loads of rituals and prayers done to mark this day. Gifts are exchanged and let's not forget the feast after! Yum. 

So there you go. Nepalese Tihar in a nutshell. I am still learning so forgive me if I may have made mistakes here and there. I hope one day, the Lil' Tiger will appreciate all these traditions and pass it down to her kids.