Mothering Corner

Before I was a mother, I didn’t care much about money. To me, money is always there, as long as you are willing to work for it. But now, my perspective changed. I can’t just think about myself, I have to think about the future of my children too. They taught me about being more responsible and reliable when it comes to money.

I try my best not to get any loans because I am only a SAHM and I’m unemployed. I have no idea how to repay the loan later, and I don’t want to give hubby any burden. Even if I know there are debt consolidation by some companies, but I’m trying my best not to take them now. I know that one day hubby will be tied down with a home loan, so no point I’m getting myself one and strain our financial abilities earlier than than.

However, if you have homes, you have the advantages of getting secured personal loans when you are in need of money. But that depends on the decision of the creditors if they are willing to borrow you the amount you need. Just remember that you will still have to repay the loan, and the money is only temporary relief to your financial crisis.

So, am I good at money? I am still not sure about that.

Seriously, I wish to wave bye bye to nursing bras since I have been wearing them for almost 3 years. That means I have been a moo for so long!

I have been thinking about getting some nice bras, but every time my toddler nurses, I feel that nursing bras are still the most convenient of all. I can easily detach the hook and nurse her comfortably, but not pulling the bra down which may spoil the cup and very uncomfortable to baby too. But you can use open tip bras if you are bold enough. LOL! But that may not be a good idea, ok? I’m just kidding.

So, how long will I be wearing the nursing bras? I’m a bit sick of them now.

A friend of mine told me that she has just started belly dancing recently. She was asking me to join her class too since she knew that I used to dance last time. If the schedule fits mine, I may join the class.

Belly dancing is not something new, and in fact it has become one of the popular dances here. A lot if women join the class because it helps to trim down their waist lines and enhance their curves. If you still have the post natal baby fat at your tummy area, do consider signing up the class as belly dance will definitely help!

Don’t worry about exposing your tummy in the class, most of the time, there are only women who are joining it. So far, I haven’t heard of men joining any belly dancing class. LOL!

If I’m joining the class, I will try to get one of those hip scarfs with silver coins from Turkish Store.

My friend got hers already, and she said it made the class more fun lovely sounds created when she moved. So, I better get one too. It’s just too bad that the free shipping policy over $75.00 orders only applicable in US.

It was raining cats and dogs last night, and after a series of lightnings, the power went off. We went to bed early and my kids slept without the fan or air-conditioning and it’s a rare experience for them. I was wondering if they would have a good night sleep but the rain helped cooling the room and it was not that hot.

That caught me thinking, what if my kids were to stay in a place without clean water, electricity, hygienic environment and protected by concrete walls. How are the lives of thousands of children out there who cannot have basic needs like these? Have you ever wonder and teach your kids about being thankful, blessed, and stop whining over some toys that they can’t get?

I guessed last night was a good experience for them. We used the candle before bedtime, and they were so curious about the fire that brightened the room. Gee….I got to find some books that relate about being more contended with life so that I share them with my kids.

My boy likes to go to work with his daddy. We have our own office, so it’s quite convenient to bring him there on Saturday. I told him that as long as he is not disturbing daddy, he can follow daddy to work. But sometimes, I know it’s pretty boring for a 31 months old toddler to be confined in an office.

I like the idea of bring kids to workplace, if possible. It’s like we are not missing out the moments spending with the kids and still be able to work at the same time. My niece and nephew follow their parents to work too, especially during the school holiday. They will either be doing their homework in the office, or helping out in the production line downstairs. When it’s time for nap, they will sleep on the joined office desks with a mattress in FIL’s room that is hardly been used.

That is something I will do with my kids too when they are older. Hubby’s office is not so baby friendly as comparing to BIL’s. At the same time, my 15 months old is not ready for this yet. But one day she will.

I try my best not to spoil my kids, even if I do spurge on them occasionally. I notice that they are so much happier with the gifts they get, but they don’t appreciate them if I’m getting too many stuffs for them in a short period of time. I used to be a shopaholic, and I slowly cut down on my shopping spree. Motherhood has put some sense and responsibilities into myself, and I treat money differently now.

I don’t want to see my kids ended up with the mentality that they can get anything they want with money or worse still, credit cards! My boy thought that he can pay anything with the cards and he asked for one for himself too when we are out.

It’s really bad to see my kids ended up with the wrong concept in money and get themselves into trouble like most youngsters do these days. A lot of them need help with bills and their parents’ money to get out of debt. Of course, some may also need the professional help from companies like Bill.com to consolidate their debts, but how long can they pay it off and be debt free?

Luckily, most youngster do not have houses yet, if not, they might also need mortgage help to pay for the house. If my kids ended up like this, I’m not sure if I should be helping them out or let them solve things out by themselves. So, I better put some positive money sense into them before it is too late.

Most of us will bring some gifts when we visit the arrival of new babies. I remembered that I got some baby clothes gift sets and some flower baskets too. I love those gift baskets from Gourmet Gift Basket and once you see them, you will like them too. Just take a look at this one as shown below:

You can easily find a few nice designs for both baby girl and boy. But if you are giving one to me, please get those without the bottles as I don’t need any! But don’t you forget about the new daddies too. Get them some beer gift baskets as celebration, and if they begin to have some sleepless night after fatherhood, those beers might be able to cheer them up.

While some mothers are trying their best to have babies, others were messing up the lives of the babies in their wombs. Some women are alcoholic and they might get pregnant accidentally. However, sometimes they may not be aware of their own pregnancy and still continue drinking as usual. Thus, their babies are at risk of fetal alcohol syndrome which may result in birth defect that affects brain development and growth.

Thus, these women should quit alcohol before pregnancy, if possible. But if the pregnancy is unplanned, then they will have to stop taking alcohol immediately, if they want to have healthy babies. It’s not easy to quit an addiction, but many addicts have done it by admitting themselves into Alcohol Rehab. At the same time, it helps to as well if they can share their experiences and gain motivation from others who have made it and stayed clear from alcohol. You can find those articles from blogs like alcohol rehab mobi which gives personal experience and reflection on alcohol abuse and treatment. Most of the addicts were in denial at first, but they healed from the addiction after proper and professional treatments. Besides alcohol addictions, you can find some articles related to drugs and substance abuse as well.

So, if you really want to be a mother, get rid of those bottles. They are not doing your baby nor you any good.

I respect some women’s decisions in not having babies. However, there are a lot of women out there who are dying to be mothers but they can’t. If we are living in those accent years, your MIL may have already ask your husband to get a second wife! But luckily, we are practicing monogamy now and most women can still work on their infertility problems.

There are various causes of infertility, but some other factors also great affect one’s chances of having a baby.

• Age: It’s advisable to have babies when fertility is peak at 20 to 25. But in modern days, not many women can do this. I was still studying in uni at that age! But fertility gradually declines after the age of 26, and by late 30s, it’s even harder to get babies. Some women have babies at older age, but there is a risk for that. So, I’m still wondering if I should get another baby a few years later.
• Weight: Being obese or underweight like anorexia is not helping much in getting a baby. A friend of my who has been obese all her life adopted a baby after years of trying. So, try to eat well and exercise too before you are trying for baby.
• Stress: With the current lifestyle, most of us have a certain degree of stress. On top of that, the failure to conceive may result more stress to some women and make the matter worse. So, try to release yourself from the tense.
• Lifestyle: If you smoke and drink a lot, forget about getting babies, ok?
• Medical / health problem: I would suggest getting a check up if you fail to conceive after trying for months. Sometimes, we may have some health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disorder and etc and prevent fertility. So, if you are under some medication, you have to tell your doctor about it too.

However, there are various fertility treatment available now, and I will blog about it next time.

 Getting a house is a big decision, so we are not rushing for one. But I like looking at houses, comparing the price, the number of rooms, functionality and also the locations of the houses. Maybe I haven’t own a house yet, so it is like window shopping to me.

But since I prefer to have a house with big garden, like those in the suburban, I may need to get help from real estate agents because most of the housing estates in central Ipoh don’t offer this type of houses due to the price of the land. So, getting a reputable real estate agent is very important in assuring that I manage to get the house I am looking for.

If you are looking for homes from Peoria AZ real estate, you may try to get help from Remax Rubek Team. They have MLS listings for Glendale, Peoria, Surprise, and Phoenix, Arizona. Since they have been in the business for so long, you can be assured of getting the best house offered at the most affordable prices.

Mmm….I’m not sure when will I get a house, but I know what I want. So, if you have anything in mind, let the real estate agent know about it and it will speed of the process of looking for your ideal house.