Hello. This is me.

The past few weeks have felt as if I was on a fast-speed train. The minutes just fly past while at work. I’m thankful for a few dinner-gatherings (and even a durian gathering!) which kept me away from work for a bit.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to be involved in this project (despite the madness and the sheer amount of work involved).

I’m also thankful for a some happyhour playtime with Nat… I really treasure the quiet moment as I lie down next to him for bedtime. Him signalling me to pat him. Him wanting to rest his leg against me or on me. Waiting for him to fall asleep before I pull myself away from him (and the bed!) and hit work again, before my brain shutdown on me.  

Amidst this madness, my boy is turning 2 this Sunday. But it is also day 1 of the event. I’m no superwoman and I can’t pull a birthday party AND manage my work at the same time (kudos to those who can!). So small family dinners it is this year. (and even that, I had no capacity to think about till the very last minute!) 1 of the dinners happened on Sunday, to celebrate my dad’s birthday as well.

When your birthday falls around the same time as your grandson, your birthday cake will always be themed.

It’s not as fun as birthday parties but there was a cake (yes, I succumbed and got him a Thomas-themed cake. Though I wished I had more time to order a more fanciful one!)! And never mind he couldn’t partake in the seafood dinner, he was happy just having us around. Heehee.

Blessed Birthday my son. I can’t believe you are turning 2 already.

Where is my baby?

And 2 years of mummydom. Thank you Lord, for blessing us tremendously with this boy who has brought so much joy to our family.

It’s 9 years of togetherness…and look who gets a present?

Interesting how we have become less-of-us and more-of-him yet still yveon.

Thank you Lord for all your blessings. May we learn to love each other more and let there be only joy and peace in our household. We continue to commit our little family unto Your hands. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

I’ve always had tutors since primary school. Guess that’s my mum’s way of assuring that I do my homework and have someone I can go to for help. I remember my tutors during the primary school days the most.  The sessions were fun and I never dreaded them.

Teacher S, my first ever tutor, had the most amazing library of Enid Blyton books.  She will lend me the books to read, thus starting my love for reading. I can’t recall why she stopped tutoring me and another tutor SK came along. She was a Uni-grad (I think?) and was really gentle and soft (compared to S who exhibits motherly-discipline, u know what I mean?).

I remember her drilling me with the Blue book (you know, the one with the synonyms and whatnot at the back pages…Abbatoir,a place where they slaughter animals etc?? Does it bring back memories?). I remember her teaching me algebra which wasn’t in Pri 6 syllabus at that time and how I managed to use it to solve problem sums during PSLE paper. Huh huh. (Sadly, my maths-brains seem to disintegrate through the years…)

But I remember her most as the one who told me the good news, about Jesus, using this little yellow booklet. I remember it was my PSLE year and admittedly, the thought of having a God to pray to was comforting to me. Hahah. So I prayed the sinners’ prayer. I then happily told  my mum “I’m now a Christian!” and her reply was – ok, u go to church with friends when you are Sec 1 (cos at pri 6, in my times, we weren’t allowed to go out with friends).

Since then, my faith was a journey in itself. There were times I backslided, but God was always there. I was baptized in 2001 and I’m still walking on this faith journey and witnessing God’s blessings in my life. But I always remember SK as the one who first guided me on this journey.

Just last week, my mum met SK’s brother who somehow recognised her (which goes to show my mum didn’t age much since then..huhhuh!). I don’t know how, cos I don’t think we’ve ever met her family before though we do stay in the same neighbourhood back then. He asked if she has a daughter who used to have a tutor called SK. He then told her that SK has sinced passed on.

When my mum recounted this to me last night, all these thoughts & memories came to my mind.

Last night, I gave thanks to God for SK – She was the angel God put in my life to share with me the good news. She has blessed me, not only academically at that time, but so much more by sharing with me about Jesus.

I can only pray that I will be a blessing to others as well.

After being relatively easy to feed for the past 20 months (Thank God for that!), Nat has recently started to be a fussy eater. Or should I say, refusal to eat (much).

Naturally, this mummy decides to relook at menu planning, thinking his usual food is getting boring for my boy. So with a 5-day menu of new recipes and many bags of groceries, I set to work. With enthusiasm and full of hope, I made beef & potato croquette for his lunch the next day.

And this is the face he gives me (or my helper, which took pictures and video of him for me) …

He played with the food, tried to feed my helper, flicked the food off the table (for Kaizer) and in the end, he ate rice with fried egg.

Even if we give rice for the next meal, he rejected it.

Hello, picky-eating-phase. As with everything else that came our way, we’ll manage it and this will soon pass. (YES we can!)Try and try again will be the key.

Meanwhile, I have a fridge-ful of new stuff (quinoa, brown rice, chick peas etc included…power food!), surely something will click with his tastebud.

Father Lord, please guide us in this and give us wisom in giving Nat the nutrition that he needs to grow and develop. Continue to keep him healthy and bless him with a hearty appetite soon.

To my mum, who mothered me and is still mothering me and now my son.

To tehpeng, who is my partner in exploring & learning on this parenting journey.

To God in whom I know I can entrust all my worries and insecurities of being a mother.

And to my son, to whom I want to be the bestest mother for him & who is giving me so much joy and love.

Thank you.

For without you all, I will not be the mummy that I am.

Happy Mother’s Day to me and to all mummies!

This time, it seems the reality of the financial crisis is hitting closer to home than it did back in 1997.

Over the weekend, I witnessed 2 types of parents/parenting – At a supermarket, a mummy was telling her child to not be in her way, in a very cross manner, as she was pushing her trolley. At a coffeeshop in a “Q” behind me, a mummy was very patiently explaining to her son with special needs why he cannot buy another sweet. And she gave him $2 to try to order chwee kueh when it was their turn. Throughout it all, I didn’t feel or hear any tiredness/resentment/frustration in her voice.

We all have our little battles in life to face. But we must not lose sight that God is with us through it all, and more. And I seek comfort in that.

It’s a shorter week for us as we are heading up for a roadtrip for the long weekend.

Thank you for the cross, Lord
Thank you for the price You paid
Bearing all my sin and shame
In love You came
And gave amazing grace

Thank you for this love, Lord
Thank you for the nail pierced hands
Washed me in Your cleansing flow
Now all I know
Your forgiveness and embrace

Worthy is the Lamb
Seated on the throne
Crown You now with many crowns
You reign victorious

High and lifted up
Jesus Son of God
The Darling of Heaven crucified
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb

~ Worthy is the lamb, Hillsongs

May we never forget the scarifice made by our Saviour.