Mothering Corner

I got this photo of a baby nursing on her mommy from Breastfeeding Mums. I tried to snap some nice photos of my kids when they were nursing, but I can’t get any as pretty as this. This photo makes me feel like breastfeeding again! Oh well, in a while, but not until I’m back to reality. LOL! I’ve just weaned off my gal for 4 months, so it’s too early to start all over again.

So, do you like the photo too? She’s a pretty baby huh?

I wonder if there are mothers out there who are willing to share their breastfeeding stories on this blog? I might want to set up a page that links to all these mothers who might have blogs of their own. It’s one of the ways we can help to inspire new mothers on how successful breastfeeding can be as well as providing some insights to breastfeeding problems.

If you are interested to share yours, just drop me a comment or email me at amyquah77@yahoo.com. I will be delighted to hear from you. Thanks

Are you planning for a wedding soon? My neighbor is getting married next month and she planned her wedding from gathering the information online. She found lots of best deals and wedding tips I haven’t heard of all my life and I wondered why I didn’t search the internet when I was planning mine?

Some women will tell you not to spend so much money on your wedding as you won’t be looking back at the wedding photos, the video clips or even wearing your wedding dress. But nonetheless, if you can afford it, make sure that your wedding is as near as what you have in mind. After all, you might only have it once.

My friends joked that my kids will be speaking fluently in Thai a year from now and they might not be able to pronounce their names in Chinese!

I think we will be speaking to them more in both Chinese and English as they will pick up Thai sooner or later once they start mixing around with the local children. As for Malay, it might be tough. We don’t have plans to come back here once our business is growing, unless for holiday, so it’s not easy for them to learn our national language then.

I don’t expect my kids to be like Wendy Vo, the girl that speaks 11 languages. As long as they can converse well in English, Chinese and Thai, that should be good enough.

My boy is given homework on daily basis now. I called his teacher yesterday and asked if they have homework everyday, but she told me it’s only a few days a week. Maybe my kid didn’t make it in time, so he has to bring the work book back. I really don’t know.

Anyway, he likes it, and he’s enjoying his work. When we move to Bangkok later in April or May, I won’t enroll him into any school until the new term starts in August or September. But since he’s so used to going to school, I guess I will be homeschooling him for a while. I wanted him to have fun playing more, but after a month in an academic kindergarten, he has got used to doing paper works. Frankly, I think it’s too early for kids to learn in such a way, but that’s how our education system is. Nonetheless, as long as there are play and extra activities at school, he will still be enjoying the fun learning curve.

There are some articles about homeschooling a 4 year old here, here and here and I think I will spend more time looking for more. BTW, let’s not forgetting about my 2 year old.

There was a time in my marriage when hubby and I were emotionally separated because he was busy with his business and traveling around while I was busy taking care of a toddler and a newborn baby. We hardly talked and spent time together because both of us were exhausted and worn out.

Nonetheless, we realized how bad it would be for our marriage and we worked it out. We went for a honeymoon last year and we managed to patch things up. It’s pretty common in some married couples that the passion would die away a few years after marriage, but there is always a way of keeping the romance after parenthood.

If you are trying to work out the flame, how about going for a romantic trip to Cancun? Some of the Cancun Vacations are meant for adults and you can treat it as another honeymoon. I would certainly wish to go there one day.

My SIL is still breastfeeding her 6 weeks old baby, and she planned to return to her office soon. So far, I haven’t heard of her facing any problems in breastfeeding and I know that she’s been reading up a lot about it. But not all new mothers are so lucky when it comes to successful breastfeeding. Some of us faced some difficulties during the first few weeks, and most of them can be solved with the help of a lactation consultant or looking for more information.

I found that the checklist at Baby Center might be able to help out if you are searching for a solution for your breastfeeding problem. Just click on the boxes and you will be given the list of solutions available. Should you still struggle to overcome your problem with the suggestions provided, just contact a baby-friendly-initiated hospital. There are lactation consultants who might be able to give you a helping hand. Just don’t give up easily, ok?

I am not expecting but I still love to look at those cute baby outfits. Don’t you agree with me that these tiny clothes are irresistible? If I found something which is nice, I will ask the promoter if they have it in bigger size for my gal, who is going to be 2. No wonder she grows out of her clothes so fast as I didn’t buy them in bigger size! She’s wearing the biggest size for babies or toddler now, which is meant for 24 months.

Maybe I should start shopping at the kids section that have sizes start from age of 4. They might be too big for her now, but she will be able to fit well one day. More over, she has a lot of clothes! Not to mention, I knit a lot for her as well as my boy. No wonder we need to look for international movers to move our stuffs. My kids have a lot of clothes!

I have seen some kids diagnosed with autism, but I guess I will never know how to deal with one unless you are a parent to an autistic child. Some parents are not giving up hope and they are willing to go for therapy or related courses to help their children in achieving more even if the society might regard them with lower potential.

A friend of mine told me that her cousin migrated to Australia a few years ago because they wanted to provide the best therapy and learning environment to their son who’s autistic. They even record the his daily food intake, his stool condition, and his behavior everyday and share the information with the therapist. He’s showing lots of improvement now and he’s started to talk at the age of 9.

The news about Carly Fleischman (13 years old) who spoke about autism caught my eyes.

Two years ago, working with pictures and symbols on a computer keyboard, she started typing and spelling out words. The computer became her voice.

“All of a sudden these words started to pour out of her, and it was an exciting moment because we didn’t realize she had all these words,” said speech pathologist Barbara Nash. “It was one of those moments in my career that I’ll never forget.”

I guess as long as the special children are given the proper help, they will still be able to show their potential.

I may be a shopaholic but all the while I seldom owe a lot of credit card debts. I try my best to make full payments every month and hubby used to tease me that the banks can’t make money from my interest. I don’t feel easy spending more than I can afford, that’s why I use my credit cards as if they are invincible cash.

If you have a lot of credit card debt, it’s best to reduce your spending and try to repay all of it. You can also think about applying for Balance Transfer Cards if the banks are offering you with better rates. Paying 18% per annual as interest is quite a lot of money, so why don’t you manage the debt wisely?