Mothering Corner

I have just chatted with my kids through webcam not long ago and I really miss them. We won’t be back home soon but the least we can do now is calling them and get them something nice. My gal has just celebrated her 2nd birthday so I have been thinking about getting her a gold necklace. She won’t be wearing it though, but she can decide on what to do with it when she’s older. It’s more like a little investment for her since the gold price is increasing.

I can’t afford to get any rare coin now, but a nice gold necklace will still do the trick. LOL! I’ve been looking for one for 2 days but yet buy any. Let’s see if I can get one with a good price.

My SIL has only gave birth to her baby about 4 months ago and she has lost a lot of weight but is yet to go back to pregnancy shape. Like most women, she’s facing a lot of pressure in getting back in shape. I tried to convince her that she’s not fat at all and I went through that weight loss struggle just like her too, but with a balance diet, some exercise, sleep deprived from taking care of the baby and breastfeeding, most women managed to get back in shape. Not everyone can loss weight just after confinement and we just have to be perseverance and positive about ourselves.

On top of that, I went to Yanhee International Hospital and plastic surgery is pretty common here. Some women spent a lot of money in getting back in shape. My SIL is still reluctant to do so, but I think she looks great now. Maybe it’s just the flabbiness, and she just needs to tone up her body.

Frankly, part of the reasons why I don’t want to have another baby is I hate to go through the stress of losing weight. I know that I did it twice successfully, but I can’t ignore the fact that I’m not getting any younger and my metabolism is slower. LOL!

I don’t have a smooth marriage like a fairy tale. Hubby and I had our bad moments too and I thought I would just walk out from the marriage with my kids. But still, that didn’t happen and we worked things out. We fight like most couples too, but both of us know that it’s bad to do it in front of the kids and we avoid doing this as much as we can. Nowadays, we have a short couple time almost every night when we can just talk or watch the TV. If there’s an issue to be solved, we will talk about it when the kids have fallen asleep.

I think it’s important for the kids to see how loving the parents are instead of fighting endlessly. I’ve just talked to a man who’s been fighting with his wife for some time. Their twins are just one, but he knows that they can feel the tension in the air when the parents fight.

I found some useful tips about how to avoid fighting in front of your kids by Dr. Phil and eHow. Let’s remember this:

Think of your kids. Remember how much you love them, and how painful it is for them to see the two people they love the most angry with each other.

I really hope that he will solve things out with his wife. Gee…

Hubby joked with me that we will be having a short vacation away from being a parent, so I better enjoy the most of it. I know that I have always wanted to have more breakaways, but I really miss my kids whenever we can’t be with them. During our short honeymoon last year, I missed the kids so much, I told hubby that it’s pretty boring seeing him only 24 hours a day. LOL! Nonetheless, we had a good time for that short trip and did things like speed boat riding in open sea or watching the beer pong or pool table at the lounge until late at night. These are the things we can’t do when we are taking of our kids.

If possible, I wish that we can bring the kids around wherever we go. Too bad this trip is packed with business agenda and it’s not going to be a relaxing one. I may be taking a break from my mothering duties, but I know that I will miss attending to my kids’ needs. Hopefully, we don’t have to be separated from the kids so often once we have settled down.

I don’t think I can live without credit cards anymore. I don’t rely too much on them, but they are truly convenient. I have a card which I use for household and the kids stuffs when I go shopping without hubby. He will settle the purchases later, since it’s more for household use and it’s part of his financial responsibility.

I don’t think I will apply for another card here anymore, but if possible, I might get another one in Bangkok next time. It will be easier to pay for the month payment if it’s issued by the local bank. But if you are interested to apply for a credit card online, you can check out those instant approval credit cards from Credit Room. Even if you have a poor credit history, there are poor credit visa card available for you too.

Anyway, we will fly over there on Monday and we need to shop a lot for the house. I think the credit card debt will be a shocking one when the statement arrives by the end of next month. Thank god hubby is paying for everything, so I’m safe from paying debts. LOL!

Most doctors have PDA or smart phones now. That’s why Epocrates has come out with a PDA CME software which doctors can access to information on drugs such as doses, side effects and other drug reference. As long as their devices are connected, it’s not hard to get all the information needed when they are making a prescription.

Recently, this company has launched a free drug reference for Blackberry, and they are working on a drug guide with Apple. Sooner or later, you can also use download the drug guide to your iPhone or iPod.

If you are interested to know more about the software, just visit www.epocrates.com/products for more information.

This announcement was paid for by Epocrates.

I suddenly realized that it’s been so long since my last breast self examination, so I better get it done after my period ends. That’s how I remind myself as our breasts tend to be swollen during menstruation, so it’s best do it the examination on other days as long as you remember to do so. If you are interested to read more about breast self examination, check out the link. The diagrams will give you a better idea too, and I got the diagram from a breast cancer awareness campaign many years ago.

My mother was a breast cancer patient, but she survived. It’s been about 10 years since her mastectomy, and she’s doing well now. There was a period of time when she was fighting for her health with medications, radiation and chemotherapy, but we are all glad that she’s fully recovered now. That’s why breast self examination is so important to me as I have a higher risk as there’s a family history of breast cancer.

If you are not sure about how a lump feels like, just talk to the doctor or nurses. I found that those breast cancer campaign booths are great as they have a sample breast lump for you to feel. But don’t panic if you find anything hard, it’s best to let your doctor examine again before making any conclusion.

I have been writing about my kids for more than 2 years and I’m glad I keep a blog for them. Over the years, I can see how my kids have grown from babies to kids. When I can’t remember about their milestones, I will just check my archives and those words and photos tell so much about them and bring me back to memory lane.

So, I encourage new mothers to keep a blog for their babies. Of course, there are certain boundaries that you need to know when you write on the blogs. Try not to expose your real address or anything that you don’t feel good about it. If you don’t feel good about paying for domains, you can just try Blogspot or WordPress. Of course, if you have the intention to monetize the blogs later, WordPress.com won’t work for you.

Just search around for some pretty baby template. I love those template, but I got one banner created for my kids.

I’m not sure if I will be back in time to celebrate Mother’s Day with my mom and MIL, but I do hope that we can al least have dinners together. We will be leaving soon and we are not going to see them as often as I want next time, so it’s best if we can do something special for them. If only I can afford to get some womens gold watches for each for them, that will be brilliant!

But like most mothers, they just want to see us in person and that is good enough for them. My mom will ask me not to get flowers or anything, just give her cash. LOL! She’s joking though, and she even asks me to stop giving her money because she knows that we need a lot of money for ourselves during the first few years in Bangkok before our business is running smoothly.

Gee…I know that I’m going to miss her a lot. But once we have settled down, I’m going to ask my parents to come over. Let’s see if we can afford to ask my dad to quit his job!

Hubby and I were thinking of canceling our insurance policies in Malaysia because the policies are not valid in Bangkok anymore. But after some consideration, we decided not to do so and continue paying for them since they are affordable. Besides that, if anything really happens to us, like an accident or so *touch wood*. we might just come back here and claim the medical expenses by consulting the local doctors, so the policies can still be used.

It’s a really overwhelming dealing with a family member who suffered with personal injury as a lot of money and emotional constrain are involved. But if you are staying in the City of Austin, maybe you can talk to the Personal Injury Attorney Austin to better understand your legal rights. I will just talk to my lawyer friend, if I ever need any legal advice.

Anyway, our insurance policies come with savings and investment, so we will still get some return after some years. It’s still best to keep them alive.