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Tuesday, August 25, 2015

One More Week

Got some big news to reveal in a week...

I'm kinda scared but at the same time weirdly...glad.

On a side note, heading to Bangkok tomorrow to accompany my mom and maybe buy lotsa new baby clothes for my babies! Looking forward to my last holiday. Gonna be just a short 2 days there but better than nothing~ imma shop till I drop! 

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Pregnancy Update

Oh my...this pregnancy, I AM RAVENOUS. I CANT STOP EATING CARBS. My everyday must have includes at least 2 slices of cake, muffins, bread w peanut butter...it's really crazy because I have so much carbs in a day and I'm kinda inactive. I've stopped exercising as it always hurts down below when I do. It's a weird feeling. I miss exercising though! I miss perspiring and having a good work out so much.

At week 26 I've already gained 10kg! It's pretty similar to my previous pregnancy  which means I've to work super hard to lose all the excess weight after baby. Which I heard is more difficult after having number 2 but praying that those things I heard aren't true. 

Well I am thankful that everything has been pretty great so far though! I do get days I feel very very worried as this baby isn't as active as Elroy. I hardly feel her kicking! And when I do, it's just for a little while and it's only when I lie down flat and really try to feel her. Most of the time I can't feel her. It's so weird right! So I bought myself a little Doppler so I can hear her heartbeat from time to time to assure myself she's alright. It's quite funny cus she moves the most when I'm using the Doppler!

Friday, August 21, 2015

Carrislabelle

Wearing pinstripe shirt as an outerwear from www.carrislabelle.com





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Thursday, August 20, 2015

Planning Baby's First Birthday Party

One more month and my precious first child would be officially 1 years old! Oh how time flies~ 
 
I have never had a problem planning birthday parties. I enjoy planning my own parties as well as my friends'. However, when planning for my child's first birthday party, it was not as easy as I thought it'll be. I have a month to get everything settled so I decided to speak to friends who have done it before to help me with it. After planning it once, and possibly failing at some areas, one would know better how to plan the next. However let's just skip that and make sure the first time is perfect!

Most parents i have talked to said they spent between $1k-2k planning for their child's first birthday. It isn't a small sum considering that's probably half of an average Singaporean's monthly pay check but well, the oldies said celebrating "big birthdays" in one's life will bring lots of luck so most parents will plan a big one (even though our little one wouldn't remember much at 1 years old, sadly).

Here is a check list of the things you will need to look for when planning your child's birthday party. I have also gathered recommendations from mummies who have successfully planned a good birthday party for their little one.

1. The Venue

This is the most important but toughest to find! Here we have a few suitable places to hold your child's birthday party and hopefully it's within your budget. 

It'll be great if you can afford to book a whole restaurant, a hotel function room, maybe even a hotel suite because that way, you need not do all the cleaning on your own! However for the budget conscious...

Condo Clubhouse
At just $50/day, this is definitely one of the cheapest option in our list. If you do not live in a condo, maybe use a relative or a friend's place!

East Coast Park/The Beach
With lots of space for kids to run around and at under $100! You do need to get a permit to "rent" the area though! 
 
 

Chalets
 




2. Balloons/Party Decorators

Decoration makes all the difference in how the place looks and sets the mood. Nobody wants to walk into a  party in a bare room with plain walls.

You can DIY by buying balloons and decor items from Party Shops or engage a decorator to do up the place if you have the budget to! 

You can buy party supplies online from...
 
 
 

Or engage balloon specialists like...
 
Little Red Balloon
 



 


3. Birthday Cake
 
Since this is a big party, we will need a big cake! In recent years, there has been a spike in home bakers in Singapore has many great home bakers on Instagram. When it comes to the look for it, most bakers do not have a problem achieving that however...I have tasted some of the prettiest but worst tasting cakes too many times.

I hate fondant of cakes so much because I once accidentally ate fondant and it tasted so much like play doh so since then, I cannot get over how bad it tastes. A fondant cake definitely looks prettier though, as there can be a lot more details and colors on the cake design. ONE THING I MUST REMIND ALL, NEVER EAT THE FONDANT OF A CAKE. Or even have it together with your cake. It never tastes good. I will ALWAYS remove the fondant of the cake before serving it to guests. It's the inside of the cake which matters! If you have a phobia of fondant, the list below has a few which do not use fondant however, as I said above, fondant cakes look a lot nicer and more detailed so to each its own!

I have narrowed the list down to a few whom have great reviews online (looks and taste!) to help you find the perfect baker to bake the perfect cake for your party!

mysisterbakes



Abite 

4. Food
 
For the older folks attending a kid's birthday party, the food is probably one of things to look forward to. With that said, a good caterer is needed! You don't want to end up with too much leftovers because the food doesn't taste good! And one more thing, if you are inviting 40 people to the party, you should only order food for 30. Don't worry too much about it not being enough! All 40 people who attend the party will be able to walk out with their tummies filled AND you still might have a little bit to tapao back home to eat the following day. Been there, done that!

So which caterers are good?



Neo Garden
 
Mum's Kitchen

5. Activities/Entertainment

This also depends on where the party is held it so not every activity in this list is suitable for you.

Here are some ideas on what to engage to keep the kids (and the kid in you) entertained!

Clown

Poof! the Magical Clown is famous for his entertaining shows that combine magic tricks with lots of clowning around. A real firecracker at any kids' party!
Phone: 98421882 
 

Sweetheart the Clown is Singapore's only female professional clown. Not only that, she's also an accomplished ventriloquist and is sure to entertain any kid with her trusty sidekick, baby Pinky.
Phone: 94503910 
Website: http://www.sweethearttheclown.com/

Mascot/Costume Rental



Balloon Sculpturing
 

Bouncy Castle/Ball Pit/Play Pen
 


 
 

Turn your backyard/void deck into a fun playground

I do hope this post has helped you and your child will have a great party!
 
This are all the stuff i have gathered while trying to plan for my son's first birthday and thought it'll be great to share it with all you other mummies. :)

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Backwards

When it comes to the topic of marriage and having children, I may have done things backwards but I do not think it makes me nor my partner a bad person. We did not want the moment to not feel rushed or forced and we both knew what has to be done since Day 1.

(Have decided to remove this portion as that someone thinks it's a bit too in depth...so yeah, privacy...)

It seems like we don't have much of an issue with the backwards thing but everyone around us seems to be bothered by it. Honestly, I don't blame them because we were brought up in a way that marriage has to come before babies and that is supposedly the right thing to do. However, in my opinion, that signed paper does not prove you're a better parent because even some married couples can't raise their children well. It is not about the paper but instead, it's how much you can provide for your child and do your best to give your child the best environment to grow up in. Should you have to rush into a marriage, and live with someone who is abusive or who cheats, will that environment your child grow up in be a happy one? It is just one of the many things I thought about before rushing to sign the paper. Not trying to convince anyone to agree with my views but wanted to share a little bit about my life choices and let you know and be assured my kids are well taken care of.

Sometimes I question myself...why my life is like that and why can't i be one of those who takes a conventional path (oh the many things I do differently from others...like eg. dropping out of sch etc). But If everyone has such easy and simple lives, wouldn't that make the world a boring place. Everyone is different. As I always say, Life is full of unexpected surprises.

Complains

Sorry for the lack of updates but recently i've been really focused on work and i realized how difficult it is to manage a full time job and blog at the same time!

My prego body ain't helping at all. I dont know why but lately i just keep over-sleeping. I used to be able to do with just 4 hours of sleep a day and will automatically wake up but now i NEED at least 10 hours or i'll be extremely cranky and lethargic the whole day. And then there's Elroy...who is extremely hyper active and clingy. I believe it is actually a good thing as it is one of the developmental stages kids face and i also think it'll get worse as time goes by...until he turns 3?

I dont know how it is possible to do without a helper and i am thankful to have one but recently even she is getting a little bit out of hand. She was pretty responsible and been a happy go lucky person for many months but could this new change in her happen because i'm too nice to her? It's sad because i dont want to be the employer who's extremely strict but for the safety of my child and to be able to go to work feeling at ease leaving Elroy in her hands is a must. Last week, Elroy was sick and it must've taken a toll on her body because she fell sick too so i kinda let her rest for 2 days and took over. However...this week it seems like her attitude is getting a bit out of hand and where did all her manners go? Not to mention how she can continue lying in bed in the afternoons in my presence. Well previously, whenever i walk into the room where she's playing with Elroy or watching him nap, she would get up immediately and sit up. Now she just continues lying there in my presence which i feel is kinda in appropriate? Also, i give her the permission to go out to walk the dog and at the same time bring Elroy out for some fresh air in the mornings. I told her before that the max is 30 min but recently, i noticed it takes 1 hour for her to be home. I have actually secretly followed her once and seen where she brings Elroy and Hiro to...which is to the nearby playground to meet other helpers with kids which i think is not so bad because Elroy has "made friends" with many kids and enjoys himself a lot. However extending it to 1 hour out of a sudden without permission is a bit too much lor. Told her about it and she listened for like a week...then back to 1 hour outings again.

Moreover, she has stopped greeting me in the morning and also stopped asking me what i'd like to eat. Every week, i do grocery shopping and usually all the meat in the fridge would be consumed in the same week because she would prepare lunch and dinner for me but now, if i don't ask, she won't cook nor ask me if i want anything so we're left with old meat which we have to throw. Plus, she's starting to get more and more rude. Like for example, whenever we correct her whenever she does something wrong, she would just listen while we talk and walk away. Totally no "YES MAM/SIR"... or even an "OK" to acknowledge. She will just walk away the moment we finish the sentence. Which is SERIOUSLY getting on my nerves because i cannot tolerate such rudeness in the house! I didnt say much though but this morning, i actually raised my voice at her for the first time asking her to have some manners and REPLY. My partner and i are very easy going people and i believe she knows that very well living with us for almost a year now and i think she's really starting to take advantage of us and changing for the worse. Which is extremely worrying for me because baby 2 is on the way and i definitely need a reliable helper around the house. I did try to talk to her nicely to change but it seems like it isn't happening so i think i should get someone like my mother to help me talk to her and maybe warn her that we will send her back should she continue being like that.

Sounds damn bad already right? I hope she will change back to the person she was soon or else i'll have to go through the trouble of finding a new helper all over again and with so much to do and so little time, it's really gonna stress me out. :(

Praying things get better soon.

On a better note, work has been a really fun learning experience for me and i am kinda glad to have stepped into a new industry! I have learnt a lot about a lot of stuff in this short period of time! It's like going to school all over again...and i kinda missed that because the last time i was in school was when i was like 17 and didn't even complete it. Although the money doesn't come as easy as blogging. :( Like seriously, when i compare how quick and easy i earned money through blogging, i can now really say blogging as a full time job is damn easy! Oh how i wish i could juggle both but i've decided not to be greedy and take up social media jobs at the moment because of the fear i wont be able to deliver and give the clients good enough response from my posts.

My Singapore Project - Snowflower


Snow Flower 눈꽃 (My Singapore 2015 National Day & Charity Project Theme Song)
A Singapore collaboration with friends from Korea & Australia.

Donate generously here at "Program: Snow Flower" in aid of Beyond Social Services:
https://goo.gl/TlUMKn

The objectives of My Singapore project is to:
-promote kindness
-remember the less fortunate as we celebrate National Day every year
-music and charity education to the public
-to raise funds and awareness for charity organisations
-promote music and arts

"Snowflower" is the theme song for this year's My Singapore project and it is filmed in Melbourne, Australia, to capture the real winter sceneries in the music video and the music production team is from South Korea. Lorraine hopes to describe the Singapore spirit of endurance through the song, encourage and motivate those who are suffering to stay strong. A tribute celebrating Singapore’s 50 yrs of resilience, dreams and aspirations, this year’s project also touches on friendship which was what inspired the overseas collaboration.

This year's music video is in support of Beyond Social Services, whose mission is to curb delinquency among children and youths from less privileged backgrounds.

Show your support!
Donate generously here at "Program: Snow Flower" in aid of Beyond Social Services:
https://goo.gl/TlUMKn

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Elroy 11 Months














So last week, Elroy had a fever for like 4 days. It was so high, one night it went up to 40.4 degree celsius. My helper and I spent those days with very little sleep taking turns to look after him and check on him constantly. He then broke out in a rash and the fever ended. Googled and they call this Roseola. Pretty sure it was that but didn't confirm it with the doctor because the rash went away pretty quickly.


I am slowly going cray though :( and i think my helper too. He is sooooo fussy now. What happened to my easy happy baby?! It started last month, got worse during his 4 days fever. And now that the fever is gone...OMG the crying just won't stop it is really slowly driving me crazy. I'm so sorry I feel so bad saying this but it's really what i am feeling. Even when he has stopped for a little while and I want to sleep, the crying will be ringing in my head. Being pregnant is making my patience worse than ever too. I'm pretty tolerant to babies' cries leh but recently it's just tooooooo much to handle...

Elroy cries over everything and it's so difficult to make him stop. It used to be super easy like all we had to do was to Carry him around but now he would stop awhile and start again while being carried. Everything makes him cry?! It is even worse than the newborn phase. When he wants milk, i give him milk and he will drink a few sips and throw the bottle away and start crying again. And then i'll try giving it to him again, and he will drink a few more sips and cry again. It's just non stop crying 24/7. He can't sleep for over 3 hours....he will confirm wake up to cry awhile then go back to sleep. I googled and many mommies experience this too and said it's teething. I believe so since the last check up with the doc, he doesn't have a ear infection and besides his fever there wasn't really anything alarming according to the blood and urine tests the doc did.

Oh please please let this phase be over soon!!! :(



Anyway, more updates on his growth. He is now a whopping 11kg! Pretty big for a 11 month old baby indeed. The doc said it's all good cus he is "tall" so yeah, not over weight! Plus he will lose it all when he starts to walk....which i'm quite sad about because i love fatty Elroy. Still a super fussy eater!!! But can eat A LOT if he likes a certain food. It's not easy though! It's like one day he might like it and the next day he doesn't. And like the previous update, he just wants to be fed by the hand and refuses to eat from spoon. Like if we feed by a spoon halfway and he stops, then no choice but to use hand otherwise he just want want to eat it anymore. He is getting pretty good at feeding himself now. Like he can hold his biscuit or fruit and finish it without creating a huge mess and dropping it all over. 

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

BlogShopping

BlogShopping would be celebrating SG50 with a sale event on the 7-9 August!



Many items going at $5 and $10. Expect to see new designs going at $15 too!

BlogShopping Members get additional 5% discount and new sign ups on the day itself will get even more discounts!


Check out just a tiny fraction of what's going on sale at only $5, $10 & $15. Nothing above $15.




See you at the BlogShopping SG50 Sale on the 7-9 August :)

Far East Plaza #01-34
Opening hours : 12pm - 9pm

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Baby's First Fever



So at almost 11 months old, my baby Elroy finally got a fever...actually he got it once after a vaccination but it was only 37.7 and it went down immediately after paracetamol but this time round wasn't that simple.

Yesterday afternoon before I left for work he was all well but when I came back, my helper told me he has a slight fever. Gave him paracetamol and hoped it'll be better the next day. I assumed it was just teething fever. In the morning it was 37.4 and that's pretty ok according to the pediatrician and google. He was also very active and being his usual self. Had a lot of errands to run so I decided to bring him along in case his fever comes back and I can rush him to see a doctor immediately.

He was all good until 4ish pm, when my partner and I carried him and he felt very warm and was kinda cranky and didn't want to sleep. Our helper assumed and said he seemed fine and that it wasn't that warm but being the worried parents that we are we decided to make our way to the pediatric clinic. Which I am so glad we did!!! Thank goodness it closes at 5pm and we were in time! When we reached, his fever was 39.5 and after waiting for like 30min it rose to 40. We had to do a blood test immediately but it turned out to be fine so doctor said to give him meds and monitor him closely at home for the next 2 days and go back again. Oh man I can't imagine how he must feel! :( I'm so worried because even I as an adult have never had a 40 deg fever before. I've never felt this worried for anyone before and now I know exactly how parents feel when something unpleasant happens to their darling child.

We are supposed to fly on Friday for our first family holiday and I was super looking forward to it but because of his fever, we might have to cancel it. Praying he will get better asap!!!

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Small Bump = Unhealthy Pregnancy

People need to know that one's bump size does not determine the size of the baby. You can have a giant bump but still give birth to a small baby (because it could be you have more amniotic fluid). Also, even if you have gained a lot of weight, if does not mean your baby absorbed it all too. Some people can gain a lot but still have a normal average size baby. I even know of people who gained very little but their babies were considered bigger than average! 

Im getting people asking me if I'm eating enough for my baby and why my bump is smaller this time round. I know you're worried but really, there's nothing to worry about and you cannot judge someone's pregnancy just by how much weight they have gained or how big their bump is.

Knowing that I am not one who believes in starving myself to lose weight, it is highly unlikely I'll starve during pregnancy either. To me, eating is one of the things I enjoy most and I never deprive myself of food. Even when I'm trying to lose weight, I will still eat...just healthier choices and exercise more to be able to achieve my ideal goal. Because I am always eating, I have a really good metabolic rate and I am thankful for that that's why I always tell people to never go on crash diets because that's all temporary. So now that I'm pregnant, it's even crazier because I have every reason to eat and gain weight without feeling guilty! As someone who loves food so much, it is definitely one of my favourite perks of being preggers...haha.

So why is your bump so small this time round? Shouldn't your bump be bigger during the 2nd pregnancy? 

Well I personally don't think it's that small anymore and one shouldn't judge from pictures because many of the clothes I wear don't show the real size of it. And also, it didn't show earlier than the first because before I got pregnant with number 2, I had managed to train them muscles and got pretty toned tummy.  

People who think I'm dieting and caring more about looks than my baby's health should think twice man. You have not seen how I eat...and merely judging from the pictures I post...which are from only one angle, and I'd try to post the most flattering one which makes me look slimmer as most of it are ads for clients selling non-maternity clothes. Btw I have gained a massive amount of weight, which shocked my doc as I only took a month to put on so much! Like my previous pregnancy with Elroy, I have already gained 10kg at Week 24. Which is considered a lot but well, I guess that's just me when pregnant!! My 1st pregnancy I gained 20kg in all so I'm expecting to gain around the same, or maybe 15kg since they say you gain lesser when you have a girl (aiya got many "they says" during pregnancy one haha)? 

If I choose to have a baby, I want a healthy baby. I won't do anything to increase the risk of not having a healthy baby.