It's Supermom's Day

I have said this last year and I am going to say this again, in my personal view there is absolutely nothing wrong for mothers out there to be celebrated once a year. We have done lots in our lives indeed - made plenty of sacrifices that no men dare go that same path and went through tremendous pain physically and mentally to give birth and raise our children. Not to mention the heartache and suffering between juggling work and motherhood, while at the same time help our other halves make ends meet. Nevertheless, we did it again and again, no regrets, no fear but with style. I say we all deserve a gigantic pat on our back :-)

So no amount of people telling me that celebrating Mother’s Day is unislamic will stop me from celebrating and enjoying the day. I sincerely hope that they won’t claim that celebrating Hari Raya too is against the religion next *grin*.

Enough said, this year’s Mother’s Day is the best ever for me. Besides spending time with fellow BFF mothers in Bandung during Mother’s Day weekend, I came home to a little surprise orchestrated by the kids. There was my favourite cake, 4 handmade cards and a little gift from the kids (but of course the father paid for it!). My heart melted upon seeing ‘em, well what mother wouldn’t right? Thank you kids...I love it, love it, love it! A very special thanks goes to my darling hubby for making this happen...luv you babeh! I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder huh?

At this point I can’t resist showing off the gift the kids ‘bought’ for me. It’s engraved with my name and the word “supermom”, cool eh? I’ve been officially recognized as a SUPERMOM by my own kids and hubby...yehaaaw!

The cake – red velvet from BSC


The cards they made which are now proudly displayed on my office wall

My kids and I – I just realized how small I am relative to my sons’ size (oops where’s my tudung? Ya Allah ya Tuhanku, ampunkanlah dosa hambaMu ini, amin)


I say, never underestimate the power of human emotion, a show of a little appreciation goes a looooong way. Love you kiddos! Happy mother's day.

1-800-CALL MAMA

On Thursday, as I was driving home at 7pm, I got a call from Nana asking whether she could attend her friend’s birthday party over the weekend. The conversation went on for quite a while as I was asking her where the party is going to be held bla bla bla. Fyi, she doesn’t know where it will be held yet but insisted on going nevertheless. So I told her to ask her friend at school the next day.

After I hung up, I realized that it was perhaps the 8th call I received from home that day. They - my kids - would call every day asking and reporting about anything and everything under the sun in real time, no exception whatsoever. The first call would come at 11am every day without fail from Nana and this would go on until I reach home late in the evening. Even the little sweat Pea would also want to say something over the phone, in her own alien language of course.

On top of phone calls, I also received numerous text messages from the kids. The top sms sender is Kyle. He’d send sms asking just about anything from a meaning of a word he just came across or asking for help with his homework. Just the other say he sent me an sms asking for the meaning of the word ‘blacklisted’. Curious, I immediately call wanting to know why, and much to my relief he came across the word on TV...phew! For once I thought I got blacklisted for doing something against the law!

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I now officially operate a hotline. Call mama whenever you are in doubt! Hahaha. Admittedly, I do get annoyed sometimes but most of the times they make me laugh. They made my day with their calls. This whole non-stop phone call business makes me feel like I am the single most important person on earth. I honestly hope that they’d never stop calling, forever and ever okay! Keep the calls coming kiddos.

I say (not that it’s a contest) mothers always win hands down. There’s a reason why the first word is always ‘ma ma’.

Nana made Mama go banana

I'm in the mood to write, hence I'm gonna write another entry tonight.

My first daughter entered Primary 1 this year. I was all jittery a week before schools open. She was so cool but I on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. Nervous because I worried that she couldn't adapt to the school environment with over 400 students in Primary 1 alone (There are 10 Primary 1 classes of 40 or 41 students in her school!). Nervous because my girl doesn't know how to use squatting toilet (trust me, I'm not joking!) and she hates dirty toilet (she would rather hold her urine if the toilet is slightly dirty or even wet). Nervous because she's used to learning in English and now she has to learn in Bahasa. Nervous because she is so fragile and because she has to take school van to school.

To my surprise, merely a week after school starts she assimilated well into Primary 1 at the over-crowded school far better than I had expected. She used the school toilet on the fifth day of school. She even refuses to bring food to school for recess because she wants to buy food at the canteen. She hasn't complaints about school, yet. Alhamdulillah.

And when you pray for something, insyaAllah, Allah will show you the way. Alhamdulillah, a friend of mine offered to fetch Nana to and fro school. I couldn't express how much I am thankful for her offer. Thank you for the bottom of my heart Sue!!! I sleep better these days knowing that she doesn't have to walk out of school all by herself and find her van amidst a sea of people (you wouldn't believe the amount of students at her school and the number parents who crowd the school compound to fetch their children).

I can see her bright future. My girl is not that fragile after all. I see me in her. I know she could do great things in her life, just like I did *grin*.

I say we need to have more convictions on our own children. They could do far greater things than we could imagine. After all we are the ones rocking the cradle :-)

Nana during her first recess at school.


The sea of parents who came to see how their kids do during recess on the first day!

The greatest gift yet

It's been a while since I last wrote in this space. Making preparations for back to school for 3 kids ain't easy. It consumes all your energy, really! Not to mention your money too *gasp*. After back to school, it was back to work for me. It was fun nonetheless shopping for back to work. This one I don't mind draining all my energy into at all...hehehe. Who wouldn't right? Anyone who says that he/she doesn't like shopping is a big fat liar. Liar liar pants on fire!!!

Anyway, just to back track a little bit. My eldest son delivered my birthday present 8 days after my 38th birthday in December – in a form of As, 8 to be exact. Alhamdulillah syukur ke hadrat Allah s.w.t. Daniel passed his PMR exams with flying colors. Best of all, ALL but 1 of his very close friends scored 8As – that 1 friend scored 7As and 1B. I found this to be quite amazing. Again, Alhamdulillah. 71 students from his school scored 8As, most of them are girls (I wonder are girls smarter than boys or girls are more hard-working? Thought provoking eh?). Congrats to my nephew Azani who scored straight As too.

Daniel and his close buddies who all passed with flying colours. I am sooo proud of them! (These few kids spent lotsa time at my home, ate food that I cook and breath the air in my house - what I am actually trying to say is I have some contribution in them scoring straight As...ngeh ngeh ngeh, boleh?)


Although Daniel didn’t put much effort into preparing for the exams (it’s actually close to a miracle that he scored straight As) I was confident enough that he would deliver the results. In all honestly, I’d be furious if he didn’t. I have high expectation for him (and all my children for that matter). At this point, I’d like to claim all credits for his brainy brain. Remember what I wrote earlier about smart mothers and smart children (see previous post)? At least I can now say that all the ugly stretch marks are worth it...wheeee!

Speaking of expectation, sometimes I wonder, is it right for parents to expect highly of their children? I expect all my children to be smart. I expect all of them to study abroad and become successful people, dunia dan akhirat. It is because of this super high expectation that I can’t never teach my own children. My blood would ‘go upstairs’ every time they didn’t get my explanation the first time. The same goes for my husband. Even Mr. Cool Guy couldn’t teach his own children – we both lack the patient because of our high expectation.

I know that this is certainly not healthy but I just couldn't help it. I expect my kids to know algebra since birth...hahaha. This momma is so the over the top gittew kan.

Anyway, Daniel is anxiously waiting for the result of his application to enter boarding school. Although I did try to sabotage his applications, my doa to Allah is to give him the best. If going to a boarding school is the best for him, I will accept it, but if it isn't, we'll make the best of it. But in all honestly, if you asked me, I'd say that I prefer him to be with me at home *grin*. Over the top and selfish...bravo momma!

I say at some point of our lives, we need to learn to let go of certain things we hold so dear. I hope I will be brave enough to let a part of me go when the time comes...

Happy 2011 everyone!

Kyle Harris is 10!

Last weekend we celebrated Kyle’s 10th birthday. I do not wish lie by saying that I didn’t feel guilty with the ‘no birthday present’ punishment. I did, really bad. Nonetheless, being a strict mom that I am, I must stick to my decision. But I told him that if he could bring home very good result in the first semester exams, I’d make it up to him. He’ll get that expensive toy he’s been eyeing for. I'm not that evil after all kan.

We celebrated his birthday a day earlier on Saturday as we had a family commitment that we can’t get out of (a kenduri that we MUST attend on my hubby’s side) on his birthday. As usual, he picked Chilli’s (again and again). And after the kenduri on Sunday, we had another celebration at home. I baked a cake for him (my first ever homemade birthday cake y'all!). He loves vanilla and chocolate cake. Hence, moi being a very resourceful mom gittew (LOL!), baked a vanilla caked with chocolate frosting, smart eh? Bought some pizzas and voila we had a small party at home.

My homemade birthday cake...


The birthday boy and his cake


Kyle Harris, at 10 years old, is heavier than me by a good 10kg. I bet in a few months time, he’ll be taller than me too. He used to be able to fit into my t-shirts. Now, they are too small for him. His front teeth are no longer too big for him. They were when he was 9. His dimples have started to disappear because he has grown so chubby over the years. He hates local food. His favourite food is Italian, anything Italian, but mac and cheese in particular (opps, this is American right?). He loves guns, weaponry, cars and everything related to army and weapons of mass destruction. Loves sciences documentaries, Chuck Norris and iCarly (iCarly comes as a shock to me. Such a sharp contrast from all his other favorites). He wants to be an engineer, one that involves weaponry. Seldom missed his prayers and often the one who’d remind his brother to pray. But most importantly, he doesn't realize how smart he is yet.

Happy 10th birthday Kyle Harris! May you grow up menjadi anak yang soleh, berjaya di dunia dan akhirat, dan kepada agama, bangsa dan negara, insyaAllah. I love you with all my hearts son.

Cuti sekolah datang lagi!

Horayyyy...it’s finally here again! I’m sure many moms like me rejoice at the arrival of the long awaited school holiday. Lotsa things are on my mind this school holiday, there are so many things I wanna do with the kids but unfortunately Mr. Provider aka the hubby has to be away (again and again and again) for at least 2 weeks in December, travelling to a godforsaken country. I say godforsaken because he’s travelling to, of all places in the world, Nigeria! The last time he was there about a year ago, his 8-day trip had to be extended to 15 days because things work in s l o w m o t i o n there. I’m praying hard that this 2-week trip would not be extended to 3. After the trip he’s supposed to be in Libya for another week. But I’m praying very hard that this trip will be postponed to next year...hihihi *evil laugh*.

So that left me with nothing much to plan. We can’t go holidaying without him, can we? After all he’s the paymaster! The only thing I look forward to is my trip back to my mom’s. InsyaAllah I’m going back with the kids (minus the kids’ father) mid of next week. We might stay there a little bit longer than usual as the person with work commitment is not joining us this time *sob sob sob*.

This long holiday would be Nana’s last before she embarks on a new chapter in her life – primary school. Next year she’ll be joining 39 other kids in her class. At the time I registered her at the school I was told there will be about (if my memory serves me right) 10 classes of P1. I wonder how would she survive amongst so many peers. But I have faith in her. I know she could do it! Mini Me is going to Primary 1. Time flies huh? Before I know it, I’ll be preparing for her wedding pulak. Can growing up please take a break?

We are also anxiously waiting for Dan’s PMR result come end December. Frankly, I’m not expecting the world from him. He only put 50% effort into it despite my endless nagging. I think I put more effort in praying for him than him studying *sigh*. I recited surah yassin twice a day when he was sitting for his PMR - once in the morning when he sat for his first paper and once in the afternoon when he sat for his 2nd; performed solat hajat; and countless doa. Anyway, PMR is not the end of the world but SPM is *momma in denial mode gittew*. I shall drill him to his last sweat from next year onwards. Be prepared my son, Momma will turn into a drill sergeant tak bertauliah come next year...ngeh3x.

The engineer-to-be Kyle is getting a 'severe' punishment this year. His results has been slipping over the year, although his class teacher assured me that he I have nothing to worry about (really?). I have decided (and managed to convince my hubby, who reluctantly agreed to it) not to give him a birthday present this year. I have taken away the 1 thing that he looks forward to every year – an expensive birthday present! I hope this shall serve him a lesson to remember for the rest of his life. I know that by doing so I will lose my popularity but I'm willing to take that risk before he becomes more and more complacent. Bak kata orang corporate, it's a calculated risk gittew, boleh?

This smarty-pants son never fail to forget his exams date, hence, never prepares for it. He would only remember that it’s tomorrow! Smart eh? If he had told me earlier I'd would have asked him to study much earlier too. Stick won’t do it for this boy anymore, the only option I have left is to take away his carrot. Let’s see whether it’ll work. I told him that from this year onwards he has to EARN his birthday present by bringing home good results. Owh, by the way, he’s result is not that bad actually he still got most As and a few Bs. But when I see his percentage keep dropping steadily, it’s time to alert the base. Houston we have a problem!

I say nurturing smart kids is hard. They know how to work their way around equally smart parents. Sabar sajalah labu...

My little rascal

Last week I spent 5 days as a ‘real’ homemaker when my maid was sent back to my mom’s. Needless to say, it was the busiest 5-day of my life. Entertaining a particular 26months old toddler (and 2 other young kids) while doing house chores and cooking (without a break) was a huge challenge for me indeed. I came to a conclusion that I am not made to be a housewife for life. Ah well, at least I’m heroic enough to admit that, LOL!

I just weaned Sophie off my breast a few days earlier hence she was still acting out which I presumed was her way to channel her frustration out for not being able to hold on to that one thing she felt most secure with. The day that I successfully weaned her off, she opted to sleep with my maid. And guess what, instead of celebrating, I found myself sleepless that night. I felt like I lost the connection with her. It is always the case when a mother stop breastfeeding her child. I remember vividly crying uncontrollably when I weaned off my firstborn. I cried like hell! My husband, on the other hand, was in celebration mode *grin*.

My baby has officially graduated from breastfeeding. Next is potty training, but this I foresee will be a bit tough. She refuses to use the toilet to pee or poop but she'd take her baby dolls to the toilet and put them on the toilet seat to 'yak'. I'm weighing whether or not to send her to Montessori next year, perhaps I should. She's already turning into a prima donna even at 2yo!

Busy reading the manual of her sister’s Melodian. Macam faham saja!



She was still jumping around before I went to the loo at way past midnight. Came out of the loo 3 minutes later and saw her sleeping on the floor like this.


Don’t underestimate her size for she could make a hell lot of mess. This is how she eats her snack, a little goes into her mouth and most are thrown onto the floor. Once she finish eating, she'd throw EVERYTHING onto the floor including the water bottle (I'm not kidding here peeps!). I had backache cleaning up after her all day long for 5 days. Her fav eating spot is on top of the kitchen island. High chair is only for babies she said.


Fishing at our indoor courtyard. A couple of minutes later, she threw the fishing rod into the water coz she was too mad she didn’t catch any. Typical type A personality.



Give her a pen, she'll turn into a tattoo artist! Look at the pictures below...yes, she drew on her own hand. Owh, she's also a great graffiti artist. My walls (and my floors too) are covered with her 'masterpieces' *sigh*.



But, how could you be mad when she gives you this look, rascal or not?


I say as we aged, our passion towards certain things including disciplining your younger brood may diminish with it...or it is just me? Hahaha...

Nana is 6!

Mini me (she looks exactly like me!) celebrated her 6th birthday recently on 22nd Sept. Yup, in case you are wondering, both my girls were born in September. Wait! My boys were also born in the same month – December. Talk about planning ek? Bagus punya! I haven’t organized any ‘real’ birthday party for my girl ever since her first because her birthday has always fell either in puasa month or Raya week. This year, fortunately it falls in the second week of Raya. Hence, I could organize a small do at her school.

On the actual day of her birthday, we took her out for dinner and she chose Chilli’s (again!). Off we went to Empire Subang with the whole clan and after dinner we took her to Toy’r’Us. This year I decided to let her choose her own present. I told her she can pick ANYTHING she wants from the store, no restriction whatsoever (sounds like heaven for kids isn’t it?). Guess what, she picked a Playdoh set that only cost a fraction of the present that I would normally get her. This little girl sure knows how to save her parents money, bravo Ariana! I was actually trying to coax her to pick another item that I felt was more suitable as her birthday present but she was adamant on getting the Playdoh set. Well, I normally don’t allow Playdoh at home, hence it was a ‘present’ for her indeed.

Two days later, I organized a party at her kindergarten with her classmates. I ordered a mermaid cake (she likes Princess Ariel so much) especially for the celebration, fried some chicken nuggets and made mini 3-cheese pizzas. The cake was simply beautiful and she loves it. I’m delighted that she felt special that day. I have to admit that ever since Sophie came into the picture, she didn't get all the attentions she used to get when she was the only girl in the family. And it wasn’t easy having an adorable girl for a baby sister. All attentions seem to diverge to the younger one.

But one thing I adore about Nana is even though Sophie has taken away almost all the stars from her, she never hates her little sister. She loves her so so much and very protective of her baby sister, such a darling sister she is. Momma loves you darling...muahhhh!

Here is my not-so-little-anymore princess during her birthday celebration at school...




This little girl was also there to celebrate her kakak's birthday :-)

Sophie is 2!

My sweeety pie celebrated her 2nd birthday on 17/9. Sophia Amani was born via emergency c-section on Nuzul Quran 2008. I chose the name Sophia in honour of my late maternal grandmother who was my second mother. I miss my Tok sooo much *sob sob*

We were all looking forward to celebrate her birthday with makan-makan days before her birthday. I’ve been craving for Red Velvet Cake from Just Heavenly for a while hence I suggested Chilli’s BSC (so that I could get the yummylicious cake there, smart eh?). My kids love Chilli’s hence they get pretty excited and superbly happy (they actually shouted 'yeay' in the car) the minute I suggested the place...phewww! Should I pick the wrong place everyone would put on their long masam face I tell ya. My kids, especially the boys, are really particular when it comes to food. They would rather go hungry than dine at a place they don’t like. Trust me, I’m not exaggerating.

But, even an experience parent like moi (perasan teheheee!) makes mistake. I didn’t feed the birthday baby before we left the house. Hence, she threw tantrum all the way there until the food arrived on our table (yup she was that hungry and I was a mean mom). My first attempt at cutting the cake at the venue failed. She refused to cooperate and almost hit the cake with her bare hand. Nevermind I said, we’ll do another round of cake cutting at home. Owh, I made another major mistake - I requested for only 1 candle when in fact my girl was turning 2! In my defense (as usual I have to defense myself ler), I was coaxing a baby who kept screaming “nak mamam” when I was ordering the cake, so I couldn’t think straight *grin*. Good enough excuse? Yes, I think so...hehehe.

Once we reached home, dear hubby improvised by halving the candle (thank God for the smart hubby) and we sang her happy birthday enthusiastically (yes, really!). She was so so happy and kept clapping until we finish the song. The look on her face was, like MasterCard says it, priceless!

Here are some snapshots of my baby, my heartbeat, on her birthday. Momma loves you so much darling!

I wish she could stay this cute forever and ever...



All grown up! She's the only child that I 'raised' myself. The rest was practically 'raised' by the maids :-(

Sophia the Diva

My little diva is now officially my no. 1 companion, taking over from her sister who reigned as my loyal companion until last year. She has since opted to stay home unless she gets something during the trip *sigh*.

Where ever I go, the little diva insists on tagging along. At times I have to sneak out of the house quietly so that she won’t see me leaving, otherwise she would cry her lungs out trying to make a point. She knew that when I see her cry, my heart will melt and she’ll get her way. Nevertheless, she always wins with her cuteness to say the least. The funny thing is the second she gets into the car, she would put on her sunnies and keep it on until we reach the destination. Just like momma...ahaks!

I just HAVE to post these new pix of her taken today. Ladies and gentlemen, meet glokalmama junior...






I say kemana tumpahnya kuah kalau tak ke nasi...ehehehe

Kisah benar

The following conversation took place less than an hour ago. A mother was trying to convince her young daughter to join Speech&Drama class at her kindergarten. The daughter on the other hand, was trying all her best to avoid having to join the class using a rather interesting excuse...

Momma: Why didn’t you want to join the Drama & Speech class?

Daughter: I don’t like the class. They only play. I want to learn, I don’t like playing!
[A little hard to believe isn’t it? Remember this comes from a 5+ year old girl]

Momma: But that’s how you learn. You learn drama by acting out.

Daughter: I don’t need to act. I have my own imagination. I don’t like pirates or anything, I have my own i-m-a-g-i-n-a-t-i-o-n.
[I can’t believe that my kindy goer kid just told me that she only needs her imagination and attending drama class is such a waste of time]

That’s a day in my life. My kids just know how to counter attack with their big words. And this is not an isolated incident, it happens every day with my other kids too. Where do they learn to reason in such logical manners? It bits me...

I say kids today learn at an accelerated rate. At the age of 6, we were still playing chase and run with boys outdoor, today our daughters are already reading books and wearing bling bling at 6...all thanks to the idiot box.

Parenthood

Gosh...these few days I feel soooo darn bored, bored to the power of 1000. If one could die of boredom, I would be the first!

The world of boredom has one again brought me closer to the infamous idiot box aka the television (thank God I have totally lost interest on FB games...pheww!). My new relationship with the TV has introduced me to a new drama series called Parenthood (quite a huge change from watching Desperate Housewives huh?). I find it rather fascinating to watch an almost true depiction (at least by Hollywood definition) of parents’ struggle in facing challenges in bringing up their children.

Any parents would know that it’s not easy to bring up kids. The more you have them the more difficult it gets, the older they get the more challenging it becomes. I have 4 of them, so go figure! Yet I can’t help but think that it was much easier for our parents back then. Computer was a word we never knew existed, internet has not been invented yet, satellite TV was unheard of, telephone was a luxury for the select few, Toy’r’Us was no way near us, going to the cinema was like the event of the year for the family, so on and so forth lah. After primary 6 like it or not you are sent off to a boarding school. Your parents’ success in bringing you up was almost solely measured by the success of enrolling you to a boarding school and thereafter to a university. Once you are in (even though it was against your will) half the job was done for the parents, easy...kacang putih one.

Our parents didn’t have to worry about us being glued to TV the whole day, addicted to the internet before we reach puberty (or before we even know what puberty was for that matter), dating at inappropriate age (did they?), having to buy us stuff because our friends have them, paying for tuitions, swimming lessons, yadda yadda yadda. In retrospect, it was relatively easy growing up in the absence of technology back then. I say our parents are so lucky! OR perhaps my parents were amongst the lucky ones to have an angel like me...wahahahaha (owh, it feels so good to masuk bakul angkat sendiri and I ain’t that heavy to lift hihihi *double perasan*).

Today, the world has turned 180 degree. Most of us don’t wanna send the kids off to boarding schools (at least I know I don’t!). It could be because of our own selfishness or simply because we are being over protective, but most likely it’s a combination of both. Success is no longer measured by grades, but at how well-rounded the child grow to be. At the same time we have to worry about all sorts of problems even though our kids have the slightest inclination of misbehaving, all thanks to the borderless world.

The fantastic-4 that have been giving me plenty of headaches (but still love them to bits):

Contestant no. 1 - The Big Burly D


Contestant no. 2 - The Short-tempered One


Contestant no. 3 - The Girly Girl


Contestant no. 4 - The 'lil Missy


Enough said, I think my biggest challenge as a parent has yet to come. My girls are still very young - soon to be 6 and 2 years old. They say parenting girls are harder than boys (which I beg to differ coz I think my parents didn't face any big problems whatsoever bringing me up, but my brothers...hmmmmm). Should I just lock them at home till they turn 30? Now that's a thought I should consider...

I say never take parenting for granted for it is the hardest job in the world. Society will always judge us by how well and how bad your children turn out to be. You are a success when your children succeed, and sadly you are a failure when your children fall short. Sad but true...wallahuwa'lam.

My little couch potato aka Pea-ka-Pod

My baby is growing way too fast. From an angel in a cot to playing masak2, playing mommy to her babies, watching her first movie, eating junk food, melaram with mama's heels and doing things her own way...sigh! Gosh...can't growing up take a break?

Here's my little angel all grown up...

Watching her fav TV channel, Playhouse Disney, while munching on Apple Chips. This little girl could live on junk food alone if I let her. No thanks to Papa for the early introduction!


Watching ghost movie complete with her 'terrified' look (thanks to my maid who likes to watch horror movies hmmmm....). By the way, she is kinda gifted - she could see monsters, no joke!


Melaram with mama's heels. Her favorite activity is to rummage my shoes cabinet and parade in my heels one by one (owh...she would only pick those with really high heels)


Enjoying her very first movie (and popcorns too) at the cinema - Shrek Forever After


My 4 kids sipping iced milo from a one gigantic glass. I love this - it's priceless!

Parents beware!

I’m supposed to be working on some paper work (deadlines! deadlines! But who cares, I’m my own boss hehehe...) but I just have to blog about this very important topic first before my momentum wears off. Last night as we were having dinner at home, my teenage son was telling me and my husband about his friends having girlfriends (ah yes...the things parents have to worry about when we have teenagers at home). He was telling us how he envied his friends who have girlfriends (OMG!) coz he longed to know how it feels to be in love (double OMG!). We debated about this topic and he reasoned that the he is only curious, that’s all. I’m terrified already, God help me...please make them stop growing so fast.

When I was in secondary school (I went to an all-girls school), my 2nd elder brother gave me stern warning against having boyfriends. I was scared to death of my brother (who is the fierce one in the family) that I didn't even dare to even talk to boys from other schools. I know now that he meant well and I am glad that I have a brother who cared enough to warn me. At this point, I wish I could have someone telling my kids the same thing and leave the same impact on them that it did me. I have four kids and 2 of them are girls...I have to go through this phase 4 freakin’ times (triple OMG!).

How would you handle the situation? I reasoned with my son on the disadvantages of having a girlfriend at his age, albeit rather unsuccessfully. Deep inside I know that nothing that I say could stop him; no amount of advice, words of wisdom or even scolding could stop a child from doing what they want. I could only hope that I have nurtured them well enough to distinguish between the good and the bad to stop them from doing things against my will...insyaAllah.

I say it’s challenging enough bringing up children of your own. Having teenagers in the house is even more complex, overwhelming and extremely mind-blowing...and I’m not kidding y'all!

Hello, my name is Tetek

It’s official, my lil' Pea-ka-pot calls me by not Mama or Mommy but “Tetek”. She used to call me Mama but somehow over time it has evolved to Tetek. I guess in a funny way when she sees me she only see my teteks more than anything else...wahaha. The funniest thing is she has a doll that could say “Papa, Mama”; when she plays with it, she’d call out her own version by saying “Papa, Tetek”...funny eh? She refers me as Tetek even when she plays with her doll...LOL! Well that’s my little one-of-a-kind baby who by the way still converses in her own funny alien language at 20 months.

I am actually hoping (haven’t come to the planning stage yet though) for a short gateway (which I so desperately need) in July to celebrate my anniversary but looking at how things are going with this little girl, I am having serious doubts that it could materialize...sigh! This is what happened when a child has never been separated from his/her mother since birth for more than 8 hours. I didn’t have this problem with my other kids when I was still working full time. One thing I know for sure, if I were to leave her at home overnight I would have nightmares! I don’t think I could survive a night without my lil' princess by my side and vice versa...how lah? We are both so attached to each other, especially during bedtime.

Speaking of work, I have to swallow my words this time. I have taken some writing & editing jobs recently. I once said that it’s game over for me for my freelance job, but I realize that I could use the extra money and put my leisure time to a much better use than out berpoya-poya all the time...ngeee. Hence, I’ll be busy busy busy for the next few weeks, more work means less cooking and outing for yours truly – which is good for my darling hubby. Less cooking may translate to less weight gain for him and less outing means less moolah spent :-)

I say time is money - you either make or waste money every minute of the day. I wonder what else I could do to generate income in my spare time rather than spend money that I don’t have. Should I reconsider going back to work full time? Perhaps I should...

Houston we have a problem!

My hubby is away...again. These days we see him less than 15 days a month and we are considered very lucky if he’s home on weekends. Right now I am seriously contemplating changing my status to desperate housewife! I am desperate for just about anything...kwang3x

This whole ‘away all the time’ situation does make me wonder whether I could handle work and parenting all by myself if I were to go back to work now, especially in a crucial year like this - a child sitting for a major exams. I fear history may repeat itself - I almost had a breakdown (crazy is more like it actually) 3+ years ago when my eldest was sitting for his UPSR, Nana was about Sophie’s age & Kyle was behaving at his worst – my hubby was away ALL the time and I had a very demanding job. This thought is actually haunting me every single day and has put my job hunting to a halt. Okay...enough of my dilemma, such a boring topic to read eh?

On to a more exciting topic - the kiddos. A couple of weeks ago my second son was given an assignment by his BM teacher to compose a poem for his parents – pantun untuk ibu & ayah. He was having problems with it and naturally he came to me for help. In my effort to inspire him to be the greatest poet of all time, I asked him to describe his feeling for me out loud. And guess what, he choked! I was thinking if he could tell me how he feels about me, i.e. his mom, it’d help him write with ease. He just need to follow his thoughts and say it out loud. But obviously he can’t, my son has trouble expressing his feeling for others. Houston we have a problem! A big one, huge, humungous and of a catastrophic proportion!

He is simply too inhibited, the total opposite of my eldest who is an extrovert and a natural orator (and I must say very persistent too). Now that I think about it, he has never said "I love you" to me ever, nor has he ever said out loud how much he misses his papa when he's away. Yet every night before he goes to bed and every day before he leaves for school, he would come and kiss my hands and expect me to kiss him back in return (he's my only child who does this religiously); and throws tantrums whenever Papa is away for too long. He is just not very good with words I guess. I think I was once like him...a long long time ago.

Now back to the poem, after some guidance he came up with the following (good job Kyle!):

Untuk ibuku tersayang

Ibu, cintamu tidak boleh dibeli
Ibu, syurgaku di tapak kakimu
Membantuku dalam pelbagai masalah
Ibulah ratu hatiku

Untuk ayah tercinta

Bapa, membantu keluarga dalam pelbagai cara
Manjaga keluarga dengan sepenuh hati
Seluruh keluarga patuh kepadanya
Memajukan keluarga hasrat hatinya

(notice the absence of the words I LOVE YOU in the poem, he just can’t say it...haru biru!)

I could only hope that over time he would overcome this hurdle and be able to express himself effectively with a little guidance from his ratu hati...insyaAllah. No mountain is too big kiddo!

I say this again, nature triumphs over nurture every step of the way.

What's for dinner Ma?

“What’s for dinner Ma?” My two ‘heavy-weight’ sons utter these four little words more often than “I love you Ma”...a hell lot more! In fact, they ask me the same question tirelessly everyday without fail ever since I become THEIR full-time mom. If the answer is “the same thing we had for lunch” I guarantee you that they will make their long face, regardless of how good was the food prepared for lunch. In their dictionary, what was prepared for lunch is strictly for lunch, no such thing as ‘carry forward’ for dinner. See how difficult my life is, I have to cook at least twice a day. These days I even prepare snacks for afternoon tea (but this one is out of my own extra effort la, kononnya to please my dear hubby whenever he’s around). Thank God for my maid that could cook breakfast for them...wheee! Otherwise moi has to cook 4 times a day! Pengsan...

But of course there are exceptions. Nasi lemak for example. They could savour nasi lemak for breakfast, lunch and dinner, even supper too. However, moi being an advocate-of-healthy living-wanna-be, opt not to cook nasi lemak too often. I don’t want my sons and my dear hubby to gain more and more weight. All the 3 men in my nuclear family are overweight. In fact my eldest was once considered obese and at this rate my second son is also going on that direction. Thank God my two daughters are as lean and pretty as their ever wonderful mom...wahahaha (it’s been a while since I last masuk bakul angkat sendiri taww).

I tried different ways to make them lose some extra pounds, to no avail. Signed up my son for swimming class hoping for him to lose some weight, instead he gained a lot more. I didn’t know swimming can ‘fatten’ a child. So mothers beware. My second son has lost his handsomeness because of swimming! Explained to my eldest how important it is to keep a healthy weight, even to the extent of telling him that girls prefer lean boys, fat boys are not desirable bla bla bla (I know...not a very good advice eh?). At home, chicken (and I ONLY use antibiotic-free chicken) is cooked without its skin, soft drinks and junk food are not encouraged, use herba ponni rice (the type that has less carbo) etc…but somehow they just keep piling on their weight...pelik tapi benar. The same goes for the hubby. But in his case he always blames it back on me – I’m too good of a cook he said...kononnya lah. But then again compared to his mom, I am like a 5-star Michelin chef...ngeh3x. *ya Allah ya Tuhanku, ampunkanlah dosa hamba-Mu ini*
[Tips to single women: marry a man whose mom is not a good cook, he’ll appreciate your so-called culinary skill a hell lots more]

Just a little side track, in my spare time I have mastered the art of baking simple banana cake, new york cheesecake, my own version of Japanese cotton cheesecake and plenty of kuih & simple pastry. The latest is easy peasy egg tart, thanks to Dak Wan...muahhhs. I love the cheating part – great minds think alike eh? Next, I’m wanna master the art of baking chewy brownies. Got the recipe from a friend who is also a cake guru (love you laling Azian...muahhhhs) but yet to try it coz I haven’t got the time to source for the ingredients. I have eaten her brownies...meletops I tell ya, super duper yummy! Cookies are on my list too. Baked a few batches before but the result was not so good. I’m still hunting for extra-ordinarily good recipe for cookies.

Perhaps I should showcase some of the food I prepare at home and share the recipe here. Hmmm...something to ponder for the weeks to come.

I say does it really make a difference being overly careful with what we eat? I know a person who eats only organic vege, never eat fried stuff or red meat, only drink homemade vege or fruit juice and never take a puff in his entire life, yet he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Now the cancer has spread to his brain. Allah works in mysterious way indeed, wallahuwa’lam...

A mother gotta do what a mother gotta do!

I just sent my son off for his rugby practice albeit a heavy heart. I don't quite approve of him playing Rugby - such a rough sport for my big baby...sigh! This is all my hubby's doing. He wants his son to follow his footsteps...grrrrr.

As mothers, there will be time where you will become suspicious of your kids doing, worry unnecessarily and genuinely wary. Ladies and gentlemen, this is where I’m at now tadaaaa...and I tell ya this is certainly not a happy place to be on earth.

My eldest son is going to be 15 soon (I know...I don’t look like it eh?). The other day I was interrogating him about his school activities and he ask me why am I so suspicious of him. He assured me that he is such a nerdy and goody two-shoes that I don’t have to worry about him being irresponsible ever. My answer to him was simple – it’s my JOB to worry because I am his mother and I do that because I CARE!

Wouldn’t you agree that being a mother, it’s our job to ensure that our kids are doing well in school, mix with the right crowd (at his age, peer pressure could either make or break a child. Never underestimate the power of peer pressure. I have seen the worst of it!); and partake in what we see as the appropriate activities for their age, although in my case my hubby does have a veto power to override my decision at times.

In most instances it’s safe to say that fathers would leave the decision-making to the mothers especially when it comes to negative decisions - the ones that you have to say NO to. I presume they want to remain popular (Mr. Popular vs Mrs. Diciplinarian, remember?) by not being the bad person to have to say no to the kids all the times. Well honestly, I don’t blame them entirely. In my case, my hubby spends very little time with the kids because of his work demands. Hence, he tries his best to spend what little time he has with the kids being a santa clause – the one who always give them candy and makes them happy while I ended up being the wicked step mother. Ah well...what can you do, you have to pay the price of being a 'good' mother. You just have to do what you have to do...sigh.

I say you should be grateful if you have someone checking on you all the time. It shows that you have someone who cares, someone that misses you and someone who loves you dearly. I hope one day my kids would return the favour. I love you kiddos!

A victim of water tumbler

Warning to all mothers, steel water tumbler may be harmful to your kids – trust me, my second son is a living proof! He lost half of his front tooth while playfully carrying his tumbler at school. Now my baby has to live with chipped tooth for life. Kesian the poor fella, saham sudah jatuh...

The culprit


The casualty
OMG, I just realised how chubby my son is!

I say Allah works in mysterious way indeed. No matter how careful we are about our well being, mishap, sickness and death could simply come anytime, anywhere... Death could come even when you're watching TV or filling up petrol...wallahuwa’lam.

An intimate family affair for hubby’s 38th birthday

On Thursday, March 18th, my dear hubby turned 38. I was actually planning to throw him a huge surprise celebration with just the kids at home. But the big plan didn’t actually materialize as he decided to come home for lunch on his birthday which left us with very little time to prepare for the big surprise. Nevertheless, we made do with what little time we had and did our best to throw him a surprise celebration.

A couple of days before his birthday (during my mini interrogation) he asked for nasi lemak for lunch – my nasi lemak which he claimed ‘berhantu’ and best in the world...hooray! He once asked what I did to the nasi lemak that makes it so good. My secret is simple – lots and lotsa loves are poured in it!

picture doesn't do justice to my nasi lemak...(another case of masuk bakul angkat sendiri...muahahaha)
He actually wanted sambal paru2 but I didn't have enough time to go to pasar & get some paru2

A week before his birthday, the preparation was already underway. The cake was ordered – I love chocolate cake and he, cheesecake, hence I decided to marry the two and ordered moist choc cake layered with cheese cake. Smart eh? I know...tak sia-sia belajar sampai university...muahahaha. The present was bought 3 days in advance. Thank God the kids could keep a secret. My second son made him a card and managed to keep it a secret too. He googled to learn how to make the card. Isn’t him a kid of the new millennium? I like the attitude...ask uncle google when in doubt! All in all, my kids really helped made the surprise celebration a top kept secret. Bravo team Fatzunnahar!

The card Kyle made for him



Right after he left for work at around 8.40am, the team started working. I left to pick up the cake with my eldest son & made a pit stop for some roti canai for breakfast on the way home. Right after breakfast, the real work started. Daniel suggested that we prepare canapé made of smoked salmon and baguette which he saw on AFC. I already had in mind easy peasy sausage roll, strawberry dip in dark chocolate and sandwiches. All ingredients were actually bought in advance but I did a good job by carefully hiding them in the fridge and other places that he couldn’t find.

Since Daniel came up with the idea of smoked salmon canapé, I put him in charge of preparing them. The result turned up pretty good. And since Kyle loves egg sandwich so much, he was trusted with preparing them. Needless to say he ended up eating most of them! Ariana was given a simple task of dipping the strawberry in the melted chocolate. All of course with my close supervision and help. Sophie got the credit for making the sausage roll even though she did even touch it, lucky baby...haha. My idea was each kid must ‘own’ something in the celebration. The must have their own role to make it a meaningful celebration for their beloved papa. It was a perfect homemade celebration – everything was homemade except for the cake. Should I have enough time I’d have prepared the cake myself.

The result of the team effort


Once everything was done, I asked everyone to take a shower and made them dressed in their best attire and waited for papa to come home. We hide behind the door just when he drove into the porch. Sophie joined in the fun too but she was making plenty of noise behind the door that my hubby could actually hear her from outside! She was so darn cute sitting on the floor making shhhhh sign and directing everyone to sit. Nevertheless, we yelled ‘surprise’ the second he opened the door and managed to surprise him...phewww!

Of all the birthday celebrations we had in the past, I’d say that this is by far the best ever. I’m wondering how on earth do I top this for next year...susah wooo. Perhaps I too must ask uncle google for some help...ahaks.

Happy birthday my darling...muahhhh!!! Hope you like the present...wanted to get you something else but budget tak cukup my dear. Love you to death sayang!